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4.
The first act of the show
Gathering my men is a matter of minutes: not even half an hour has passed when the élite joins me with the troops in hangar number three.
I'm in front of the spaceship I'm choosing: the largest and most magnificent in my father's fleet. An Emperor deserves a luxury ship, of course, and I'm sure that I'll need some space to accommodate what will become the most powerful army in the Universe. Moreover, I have been watching this ship for years, knowing that it would become mine… I don't care if my father loves it particularly or if it was promised to Cooler. From this moment on, it belongs to me and to the Great Frieza army.
They all arrive within minutes. My army is formed by five hundred warriors plus the five of the élite, all of different breeds coming from the various planets of the Cold System. Certainly they are too few to be a real threat, but not having my own planets to govern I always had to accept what my father left me.
There's no point in having an army if you can't use it. From now on, however, I'll no longer have this problem.
I watch my soldiers in silence as they line up in front of me, divided into the three legions they belong to, bowing their heads one by one in my presence. The élite approaches and Granium, my first advisor, joins me. I wait patiently for silence to fall; when they are all in position I rub my hands, pleased with the perfect symmetry of their alignment.
They don't know why I'm here: I called them urgently without revealing anything even to the élite. They must be really worried…
«Dear ones, today is a great day» I begin. I take a few seconds to observe their faces, sliding my gaze over each of them. «From today you are no longer my men.»
Confusion. Perplexity. Nobody dares to look up and, perhaps, many already fear some strange move of mine. They know I could get rid of them with a single finger if I wanted to, and I'm delighted: this is how subordinates must be. Terrified and faithful.
I would like to keep them on their toes for a while longer, but the euphoria is too much and I can't help but continue.
«From today you are my army! Lord Frieza's army! Raise your head and rejoice, because under my command you'll become the most feared troops in the entire Universe!»
After a moment of confusion they seem to understand and on their faces many different emotions are painted that I am not interested in deciphering. A cry of joy goes up. I was not the only one waiting for this moment: they too knew it would arrive. They had been patiently waiting for it for decades, training and strengthening themselves to be worthy of forming the Prince's army. Today, however, the Prince has become Lord, and the Lord will soon become Emperor.
We just have to go.
«Sorbet, take the army to the spaceship and sort the warriors into their new rooms. Kyui, you notify the pilot that we are leaving and make sure everything is on board. We will leave in half an hour sharp.»
«Under your orders, Lord Frieza!»
Lord Frieza.
The intoxicating sensation of power that envelops me creeps into every fiber of my new body. Lord Frieza, what I had always dreamed to be since my first breath on Arcos. Lord Frieza, as I had always imagined to be called on all the planets that hosted our escape and which, later on, became my father's possession.
Lord Frieza. The awareness of having more power in my hands than I've ever had becomes burning.
«Twenty minutes, Kyui. They'll be enough.»
The first thing I think when I step into the spaceship is that the temperature should be lowered. The interior is welcoming but the walls and the mechanical doors are entirely made of metal and the presence of so many individuals all together warms the environment more than I like.
I give the order to go below zero degrees at the exact moment in which my old battle armor is handed to me. I have never loved using it and I don't even know where they got it from; I only know that in this moment it's necessary for me, and certainly not to defend myself. The lack of the exoskeleton begins to become annoying, I feel so light that I cannot move as perfectly as I should.
I wear it and it fits snugly to my chest. I know that it would expand with me if I transformed, but for now I find it perfect: yet another confirmation of how able I was to preserve my natural dimensions despite the power that I have relegated. I'll have to get used to the protruding shoulder straps, but it won't take long.
«Granium!»
The captain of my élite catches up with me with great strides and bends in front of me.
«How long will it take us to get to planet Frieza Number One?»
«Three days, five hours and a few minutes, Lord Frieza.»
«Good.»
I turn around, looking at my momentary throne. I hope to find better than this golden chair set in a corner.
I take a seat, tightening my fingers on the icy knobs. The only positive note is what is directly in front of the throne: an immense glass window facing the open space, so that I can observe everything the pilot sees from a favorable position.
«I want you to describe my new planet to me» I order. All I know about planet Frieza Number One is that it's one of the largest and richest of my father's possessions, as well as one of the latest conquests. In a few days I will see it with my own eyes but I want to spend my time imagining what awaits me.
«It is the third largest planet in the entire Cold System» he begins, never looking up. «His name was Frent, but last year your father conquered it with an army of only three thousand men. It is a mild planet, full of mines and waterways. The inhabitants are purple-skinned and black-eyed aliens who live mostly at night to protect themselves from the intense light of the Third Aster, to which the planet is particularly close.»
Maybe he's going to continue but I won't let him. I stop him hoping I have misunderstood.
«Is it close to the Aster?»
I can already see myself descending from the spaceship and fumbling in need of air. Suddenly one of the many planets that welcomed us during our escape comes to my mind: the unpleasant memory of the heat on the skin irritates me and even the temperature of the spaceship seems to rise suddenly.
You knew it, damn…
«Indeed, Lord Frieza. Planet Frieza Number One is the second in the System, in order, closest to the Third Aster.»
«And what about the other two?»
«They are much further away. A few tens of millions of light-years beyond its orbit.»
It is clear that my father knew how uncomfortable it would be to set foot on such a hot planet; indeed, I have no doubt that he sent me there on purpose to make fun of me or to take revenge for my insistence.
Good. Maybe someone like Cooler would follow his orders without saying a word, but not me. It is time for King Cold to understand that he should no longer expect any act of submission from me.
I smile.
We'll see who laughs last, father.
«I see. Then I want the Third Aster to be destroyed.»
Granium remains shocked. I watch him widen his eyes and look at me, perhaps wondering if he has understood correctly, but he recomposes himself in an instant: my gaze must have been eloquent to him.
«Don't disrespect me with certain attitudes, Granium. As much as you're my right hand and as much as I care about you as a strategist, nothing prevents me from tearing you apart here and now.»
«I… I beg your pardon, Lord Frieza» he stammers, and lowers his gaze before meeting mine. «It's just that… I never expected such a request.»
«There will be so many things you don't expect…»
I feel like smiling. After all, this insipid being, even though he's the most intelligent of my men, could never come to understand a supreme being like me, even if he grew up by my side and now deceives himself that he knows me like the back of his hand. I should get nervous, yet I sigh.
«Today I feel particularly in a good mood. Tell me, what troubled you so much about my request?»
I believe that his tremor makes his discomfort more than evident: he's well aware that whatever he says could be hopelessly wrong. I feed on every thrill of his, I enjoy every hesitation. I have never felt so omnipotent so far.
«It's just that… Lord Frieza, destroying an Aster is not a job within our reach.»
«Of any of you?» I am surprised. I knew they were weak but I did not imagine they were this weak.
«No, Lord Frieza. None of us have such power.»
«Forget it. It means I'll take care of it myself.»
He doesn't look up. He does not affirm, he does not deny. The air vibrates with tension and only a fool would not realize that he hasn't told me everything yet.
«And now tell me the real reason, Granium.»
I know what he's going to say and in fact he doesn't disappoint me. This time, however, those words seem different: they sound almost like a small joke, something that no longer has any importance.
«I don't want to give you unsolicited advice» he begins. «But I don't think King Cold can agree with this initiative of yours. I think it's wise to consult him before proceeding.»
A funnier joke than expected.
I can't help myself. I burst out laughing, but he seems to have learned his lesson and doesn't move until there is no air left in my lungs.
«Oh, Granium, I knew you would say it... but do you know why what you believe has no relevance, now? Because my father doesn't count for anything... he's vanished! And neither you nor my army will have to fear his intervention anymore: you only have to respond to my orders. King Cold no longer exists! Forget his name, from today there is only Lord Frieza!»
What is he feeling right now? Fear? Relief? Satisfaction? Is it clear to him that now I give orders, and I alone?
«Now, do me two favors. First of all, tell the entire élite that I never want to hear about my father and brother again and that I will personally take care of the one who will tell even their names. Then, prepare the upper door for opening. In a few minutes, on planet Frieza number one, darkness will fall.»
The only idea is so exciting that I can't wait to go. I jump to my feet, I nod to Granium to lead me and he, without a word, acts as I demand.
The hatch opens without even a creak: it simply slides outwards, plunging into the deep space. The air suddenly escapes from the small armored room, getting lost in the void, as well as from my lungs which empty and don't fill up again; rather, they contract in some slight spasm. Before I suffer I stop using them and inhale the empty air of the cosmos.
I'm the only one that can survive out here. My men are beings of many races and have multiple abilities but none of them are arcosians and, above all, none of them are mutants. Actually, I don't know if the ability to breathe in the absence of air is a peculiarity of my race or just of my family.
I fly outwards, jumping to the top of the spaceship and positioning myself right on its highest point. If I look around I can see everything that surrounds me: stars, planets, some meteor that touches our perfectly calculated trajectory. I am sure that if I looked down I would see all of my troops with their gaze fixed on me through the glass ceiling that overlooks the central wing of the ship.
The time has come to show them who their commander is, indeed, who their Emperor is. And no one will dare to challenge me, from now on.
I turn to the Aster and something captures my attention. In the distance, out of the corner of my eye, I can still see planet Cold Number One, closer than any other celestial body. I don't turn to look at it. Nobody has to read my hesitation.
It would take so little… a single well-hit shot and not even at my maximum power, and that planet would end up reduced to a million pieces together with the only person who creates problems for me in the entire Universe. And everything he got would pass to me.
It would be so simple… but I don't want it to end like this. I will get my father out of the way, but not before I have shown him what the Great Frieza is capable of.
In some hidden corner of my being I feel that there's more, but I don't want to accept it.
Why is he the only person I can't kill?
No, there's nothing else.
I raise my arm, I can almost feel the hundreds of glances aimed at my tense index finger. The Aster is still far away but I will be able to hit it without problems. I take aim, pointing that distant fireball, then concentrate the energy. It's the first time I'm launching an attack since I am in this new form, yet I have no doubt that it will be enough.
The purplish light surrounding my hand is followed by a scratchy sound, a hiss that tears the space in half. I feel the energy flowing down my arm and splashing away from my body at an incredible speed.
Then it happens.
As soon as my beam touches it, the Aster seems to light up purple and its light becomes immensely more intense, but it doesn't last long. A moment later, its surface cracks visibly and splits in half while the core expands enormously, dripping from the cracked crust and igniting like fluid magma. Finally the star explodes with an impressive rumble.
The ship under my feet is shaking, I hear the screams coming from inside getting louder and louder. From the carcass of the Aster flaming fragments shoot off at very high speed, and some would risk hitting us if I didn't deflect them with my energy without too much effort.
I can't take my eyes off what's happening. All of this is Greatness, it is Power, it is the immense inheritance of King Cold, the decadent ruler, the one who shaped the Perfect Being who will be his own ruin. It is the proof that, from now on, nothing will stop the Great Frieza.
I look down without stopping smiling. As I predicted, all eyes of those silly mortals are on me. They have never seen so much power, they have never been so afraid. I point my finger at them and enjoy their backing away, stumbling, trampling each other; I laugh like I've never laughed in my life.
Nobody can stop me anymore! Nobody!
I remain there, on the roof of the Universe, until even the last lapillus is strangled by the cosmic vacuum. Finally I return to the vaulted room and, slowly, the door closes and my lungs fill up with air again.
The curtain has now risen: let the show begin.