Dragon Ball: Space Adventures
About as well it could have gone II
At around fifteen minutes later, Bulla's clock rang, it was him. She whistled towards Uub, and after he turned his head around, she directed him with her head, flanking to the right like a fighter jet and straight into the forest below. The army of green trees covered the land like a sea of never ending mushrooms that extended as far as the eye could see, only the large mountains of white tips deep in the horizon fought against the waves of trees that appeared almost like a pest in their quest for endless expansion. Slowly, they went down towards the ground, landing in the grass that moved freely besides, where small bushes and plants waved along in a forest that seemed so similar to their own that it bordered a space between awe and dread—Where they could close their eyes and pretend just for a moment that they were back home, walking through the strange forest at the edges of their doors playing carelessly as time went on. It was midday, but the sun shone with enough strength that they thanked they were below the trees, under the protection of the leaves that guarded this place where no one of their kind had ever went. There, in the distance, a small dirty road moved quietly alone, guiding them towards somewhere. Where did it go? Bulla thought with excitement as she proceeded to walk over it and stare into the distance where it expanded without fear, covered by all sides by brown walls, going as far as it liked in the strange path that went on and on. Her with those strange dirty steps that where still there of pasts voyages towards a place, or towards a home, or towards a city, or towards no place at all. Whose feet's had walked over them? Had they been happy, had been alone? She couldn't know, and perhaps she'd never know, but someone, some time ago, had walked the same steps as her, and she hoped they'd both made it ok. She turned her eyes away from the path, and there, resting quietly, there was a small patch of land open, where the sun shined down, it was circular in shape, no trees seemed to had ever grown there, and where a small ship seemed to have landed. Disk shaped and metallic in color, with a white canopy that reflected like a reflection less mirror, stood beside a little gray man. Uub silently stared at him with two wide-open eyes, he couldn't believe what he was seeing, an alien, a real alien, a man that came from above the skies. Meanwhile, Bulla wanted to laugh, his aunt's friend looked like a literal little gray man, it was endearing in a way.
—Have you acquired what we asked?
She said approaching. Jaco nodded his head in reply. For Uub, it was the weirdest thing he'd seen. His yellow eyes looked like googles instead of pupils, his skin below the neck was a purple tissue that at first glance seemed similar to a skin-suit, but under closer inspection, it really was his skin, clearly connected to him, only stopped by his face, where a light-blue color separated them.
—Barely. You know how hard it is get three inter-galactic translators plus an intergalactic data-base for travel? You're lucky I am so good at my job, otherwise you'd be toast.
—Well, that is what we pay you for. Here, this is for you, it's from my aunt. - Bulla handed him a package, it was covered in a beige paper, Uub couldn't sense anything from it, but he also couldn't think of anything, he didn't get to raise his guard, because with the blink of an eye, the interchange occurred and both turned around like nothing had occurred. Bulla walked back towards him, and the small being towards his ship, and the boy swore that he had an insignia on his chest extremely similar to that his master had in one of his GIs, although that wouldn't make sense, after all, his master had never mention he'd gone to space.
—Hold on a moment—Jaco said, the boy got out of his trance, and stared eye to eye towards the strange being that seemed something taken out of drawings instead of a living sentient being, that breathed, ate and felt just as he. What could he even do against such individual? So far beyond to what he had ever known, dog, cat or any strange dinosaur with feather that ever made his way towards him or his belly. Hit him? Did that ever do something against such thing? Maybe hugging him would do the trick, but maybe the thing could just electrocute him with a strange laser that wields the power of thunder. It was then, in horror, that he felt like everything had learned suddenly didn't seem to be enough, a sort of primal calling similar to the first bird that saw a predator take flight just as he had done. A hand coming straight from the heavens, telling him that what his master had first taught was, and would forever be relevant. Now, a million miles away, he knew in a strange sensation of fear that he hadn't trained enough.
—Who's this guy? You didn't mention it on our call.
Those words uttered by him were the perfect way of saying; "prepare for a fight", although Uub first wondered how in the hell he had just now seen him, it didn't matter now, what mattered was that they had trouble ahead. He clenched his hands, and the boy stared back and frowned his eyebrows, quickly making a plan on his mind; First, he would shoot a KI blast, then, he would grab Bulla and go into the skies, where he would tell her to run and take care of the situate—
—A straggler, he got on our ship by accident. – She said without care. The gray little man raised both eyebrows in interest, moments later, Jaco shrugged and replied.
—Hate when that happens. See ya later. - And with that, both sides moved away. Jaco hopped on his ship, and in seconds his surprisingly small ship shot off into the skies in a white light that disappeared as fast as it appeared.
For a moment, Bulla, stared at the other crew member with one raised eyebrow, as he stood dumbfounded at the edge of the forest with his hands still clenched.
—Question, why did you raise your power level just then?
Uub unclenched his hands, and straighten his back. Trying to sweep away down the rug the immense feeling of shame that ran through his veins. He looked around, desperately trying to find and excuse, maybe a snake, maybe a strange sound that he heard nearby, anything that could serve of a good excuse, and so he could pretend that Bulla's friend hadn't actually scared him as much as it did. It was then, he realized that the forest was completely empty of anything, almost as if it itself was telling him to go fuck himself.
—I had, uh.. A fart.
—A fart?
—Yes.
Bulla stared him with two recriminating eyes, and act follow she put her hand on her strangely large forehead and began shaking her head in an overreaching disappointment. Uub realized then that maybe if he had been honest it would have been better, but he would first caught dead before admitting in front of a girl that he had felt threatened.
They took flight again, moments later, pretending the past never happened. Like planes in formation, both carefully speeded up in search for water or civilization. The young girl still remembered seeing small dots shine, and faintly in the distance, small bits seemed to exist. Thousands of them, like stars in the night skies, below, above, where a small flock of birds flew by, large like a person and with multicolored wings of red, blue and yellow that spanned at least seven feet and where in their spine had a large spine bone that reminded her of ailerons in planes. Dozens of dozens those strangely colored birds fly towards a place in the distance—although she failed to understand why they moved, this place was as lovely as it could be. A perfect climate to go to the beach no less. Birds only went away from their home as temperatures changed, she saw no reason as to why anyone would change from a good place to a supposed new spot. In the distance, those dots were raising, growing, like hills approaching mountains, thousands upon thousands like bricks in a building. They were approaching it, and all the while a sensation of incredible emotion invaded her, bigger than anything she could pinpoint down—a rush, a chill down the spine like that tingling her brother once described as The sensation of turning into a Super Saiyan. Before she knew it, they were there. Standing in the distance, watching with the clouds from above as the buildings stretched in front one by one.
The city stood by the river, watching cross through and by no different than friendly feral cat that comes to your home to rest and be with you every now and again. With its crystalline waters shining back the sun and the stone houses that colored the water below. Stone houses with wooden roofs that perpendicularly stared down the crowded streets of people that walked through the gray bridges that connected the cities in a similar manner to arteries. There, as the number of apartments grew, a trio of large wall the size of a two-stories building separated the city in several par, like a wolf's teeth, the dark gates stood retracted high all across the dozen or so gates filled to the brim with activity. Small animals with four legs carried carriages with large cotton bags behind. Dozens sold food and clothes in wooden stands that were alongside the river and homes.
—Let's go down. We must explore.
—I sincerely believe that's not a good idea.
—Don't worry, nothing will go wrong.
And with that, she shoot down like a rock, and Uub, without hope followed her.
She looked down from the air, watching the soft movement of the beings around the streets, following with her eyes their little mundane actions. She saw the rows of fishes being cut from their head and their scales being ripped from their blueish skin, how the knife penetrated and removed the bones and eyes with a perfect precision like a surgeon, and the leftovers being thrown away to some forgotten box nearby. The whole place smelled like food, delicious meals of all kinds being sold, a sort of mattress of meat emboldened the area, the juices Aires upwards freely, alongside the waves of people who gathered around buying all kinds of things like bread, tools, clothes, fabrics of brown leather and dark colors, she could see clearly how they traded with whatever it was needed; salt was interchanged freely in small pouches in the quantities agreed by each side, although sometimes it was fabrics and in occasions mint painted coins were given by the buyers, and stores in the pockets of the clerks like diamonds in caves. It was then Bulla got a great idea.
—Uub, how many pounds of salt we have in storage?
The boy looked around nervously, words seemed to strung out in the throat and stop near the beginning of the tongue. He didn't know. That plan was out the question, but perhaps she could trade some diamonds for fabrics, although that raised another issue. Her jewelry was a collection of handpicked diamonds of varying sizes and colors, all of the greatest quality possible. Paid handsomely and cleaned preciously with lasers. Was it worth it to trade something so preciously expensive for a mere piece of fabric? If she did, it had to be something beautiful, something unique and irreplaceable—something she could show to her father and be proud of her lovely fabric. Perhaps I'd be a shirt, or a scarf, or maybe a bandana just like Pan's.
—It's settled then!
—Shall we assist Pan?
— Ha! You're hilarious little one. We're going to buy clothes.
—H-here? with them?
—What's so wrong about it?
—We're foreigner from a far off land, what If we bring deceases or worse?
Bulla shoot down, ignoring him so easily that seemed planned, and Uub followed desperately behind. The multitudes of people who lived far soon turned into friendly dots that grew in size exponentially at the same place the houses and walls
—I sincerely believe that this is not a good idea!
He screamed with a great sense of fear in his words.
—There you go again, it's my word not good enough for you?
—N-no! Foreigners bring things from their homes, like rats or smells! We could be bringing an incurable virus to them, we could kill hundreds or more!
Bulla raised her left index finger, perfectly aligning with Uub's mouth. They looked like two dancers in the ice, only difference being is that they were flying up in the sky.
—I don't want to hear another more word about it, now shut your mouth and let me focus, there's must be a lovely dress somewhere around here.
Uub sighed deeply. He looked so tired. But bulla didn't have time to think of him. There in the distance, she had spotted a house that sold wool, it looked to be of good quality. Swiftly, she moved forward, and prepared the translator. Putting an earbud on the left, and leaving the other just in case. Then, they landed. Like a coin dropping on the bottom of the ocean, watching how a vast wave took flight all around them. How suddenly a thousand eyes laid on them so peacefully as if they have been doing it their entire lives, a symphony of endless confusion of something beyond the pale wall of the known. Strangers, unknowns, aliens from so far beyond that things like distance and time lost meaning with the ease of a whisper. How many times she had dreamt of this moment? Of this second where she locked eyes with these creatures of such a far away land as if they were fairies flying around the trees under sun's shade. What words could be the correct
—Greetings inhabitants of this lovely world! My name is Bulla Eschalot Briefs, and I am the Princess of all Saiyans and heiress of the CC company. Fear not, I come in peace and in search for your finest tunes.
A calm silence fell down to those who were near to witness the event. Their mouths were open like the doors from a castle and threatened to touch the floor like the waterfall from a river. No one dared to say a word, for them couldn't be enough. Bulla smiled satisfied, she had done a great job.
Like ants walking through the street, they made their way through the market, cutting through like slicing a ribbon, each new little creature that put their eyes on them suddenly stopped on their tracks like trains, but Bulla didn't have time for that. She was used to this, to see crowds of people stop by and stare as she and her father made way through shopping malls or the streets or any other place like stadiums or simply across the street in front of their home. In a way, it was no different, a treatment worthy of a Princess. The only thing that remained was to find those worthy fabrics in the maze of wooden tables, filled to the brim with meat shoppers and a smell of food that had now inundated her nostrils like an invading army. Uub, meanwhile, struggled to make his way near the girl, the waves of people who watched or walked created a formidable defensive structure which he had to move and push, clashing momentarily with other people and saying sorry desperately while Eschalot continue to scatter away so easily as if she were a black hole bending the light around her. Tired of this event that became a little bit too reminiscent of his home, he jumped over the crowd and landed right near her, an exercise that earned him the stares of those near.
—Miss Briefs, while I do appreciate it your interest in the local culture of the planet, don't you think there are more important things we ought to do?
—Name them.
She said, not taking her eyes off the rows of stools. She watched instead, with great care, at a lovely scarf of violet that slowly rappelled in front. The clerk, a lady who stared without saying a word, was quickly taken of her trance as Bulla grabbed it, and put her over her neck. The piece of wool was as soft as a beautiful bronce butterfly. Bulla didn't think twice, she took off her ring from her hand, the ruby shone like a star as it blinked in front of the skies, and handed it to the lady who with a stuttering hand grabbed it as if was a burning piece of coal, and slowly, she turned it around and examined it. Becoming embalmed in the beauty of the jewelry that she now possed. Bulla, without turning again, walked away with the new scarf flaming across her neck.
Happy, that one of her mayor objectives had now been settled.
—Getting water for the ship? Assisting Pan in the search of the Dragon Balls?
Bulla turned around, fast, and stared directly into Uub's eyes. He had a the look of a tired father that has looked over his son for over thirty-six hours without having slept a second.
—First off; I expected Pan to be competent enough to bring it back, if not, when she returns, with her tail between her legs, we will personally get it ourselves, and second off, you are no longer a hostage of ours, you can do that yourself.
Uub tilted his head to the right, holding a sigh.
—I do not know how to do that.
Bulla rolled her eyes, and sighed, she felt like the only competent person in the ship.
—There's a box in the ship with the insignia of the company, it's stacked the tallest, there, you grab the capsule and pop it, you'll have a few water containers and a machine that'll tell you if we need to purify the water, either way, it doesn't matter, just put everything on the water compartment, it'll do it for itself anyways, and if there's any doubt, there's a handy manual inside the capsule too, it's for my brother, so it's on plain English. Is that clear?
Uub refused to reply, he limited to nodded tiredly.
She nodded, smiled and turned around with both her arms behind her back. And as she kept on walking towards the store Bulla decided, as he kept on following her, that if he had nothing better to do he would at least help her carry the clothes, he'd at least be useful then.