.
10.
Boom
Destroying this planet would be a massive waste.
I admit I have almost considered placing the capital of my kingdom here, and perhaps that's precisely what is going to happen when my army is large enough and I no longer need to follow my men around like a nanny.
Netiko is a gem. From the moment I glimpsed it from my ship, as we were approaching, I couldn't take my eyes off it for a single moment.
The planet is split perfectly in half: on one side there's the dense city center made up of tall skyscrapers, large rectangular buildings and small industries; on the other there is uncontaminated nature made up of hills, lakes and plains. There are no mountains here; perhaps this is why the inhabitants were able to colonize such a vast area of the planet leaving just as much free, but their intelligence must be incredible if they managed to stay within the borders and not give in to greed by invading the nature that probably allows them to live. I believe that electricity is provided by the wind, by the flow of rivers and by the light, albeit faint, of the small star it faces.
I am almost sorry to create a crater in the immense plain where I land my ship. Since I liked the system I used on Madoria and on that wasteland my father assigned me, this time too I will be at the forefront to introduce myself.
I summon my élite and choose Granium, Dalion and Kyui. I'm also taking Dodoria with me. We could have landed much closer to the city center but I decided to do it in a place that allowed me to take a few steps; after all, stretching my legs every now and then won't hurt me.
Since the cities are quite a distance away, I have the opportunity to advance through nature as I head towards the inhabited centers: everything is quiet, calm, uncontaminated. A wonderful place where I could spend many afternoons meditating, among the soothing sounds of the woods.
Luckily, even if I hadn't asked them, the inhabitants reach us and we meet halfway. What approaches us is a small group of stocky beings, with long green faces from which large mustaches emerge. I remember that this planet is marked on the map as one of those that my father never attempted to conquer: I don't know if it went unnoticed or was populated relatively recently. However, these beings seem peaceful enough to be easy prey.
«Hello, friends… neticians? Is that what I can call you?»
One of them steps forward towards me and my little escort with his hands folded in his lap. He seems particularly submissive and accommodating. I'm glad about it: if he proves cooperative he won't force me to destroy my new, relaxing garden.
«Hello, stranger. We noticed a spacecraft landing. Is it yours?»
«Precisely» I nod with a broad smile. «I'm here to take over your planet. You are really lucky: I find it delicious, so I have decided I will leave everything as it is, if you submit without resistance.»
The netician freezes where he is. I suppose these words of mine must have upset him... strange, I believe I was kind.
He exchanges a few glances with his peers, in which I read general dismay. I decide to add something, so that they can be afraid for a valid reason.
«I see you are confused. Allow me to introduce myself: before you is the Great Frieza, son of Cold, recently Lord and soon Emperor of the Universe. I have already conquered some civilizations before yours: some I have preserved, some others I have exterminated. As I told you, I have decided to spare Netiko if you cooperate. Believe me, it's an offer I wouldn't refuse if I were you.»
Now I see them tremble. Their spokesperson, the one who had advanced first, returns to speak on behalf of everyone.
«Lord Frieza… we are people of peace. We don't want trouble.»
«Oh, you won't have any,» I point out. «If you submit I will simply take a look at what you have to offer and add some of your men into my ranks, then I will leave, considering you my domain. Nothing will change for you, except that I may occasionally return here to resupply, if I need it. I forgot! Obviously you would change name to Planet Frieza Number One. You are not the first I have conquered but you would be the favourite. A real honor, isn't it?»
«No, Lord Frieza, Admo wasn't clear» another netician is quick to point out, advancing next to the first. «We don't want to start a war and cause victims. For this reason we cordially ask you to leave without delay. Unfortunately, you will understand that these terms are unacceptable to us.»
I roll my eyes as I cross my arms. How boring, it's the same story over and over.
«I see. Do you know what is actually unacceptable? Your confidence. However, I don't blame you: after all, you have no idea who is in front of you. You wouldn't talk like that, if you knew me.»
To avoid future slowdowns of this type, I tell myself to send messengers to the next planets so that the inhabitants will be ready for my arrival. To do this, however, I need ships, and something tells me that in the advanced cities of Netiko I will find everything I am looking for.
They're about to open their mouths again, but I'm done with the listening.
«So, allow me to show you. We will use your friend as an example.»
I point my finger at one of them, the last one who spoke; he stops suddenly, remaining with his mouth half open without making any sound, certainly not because he doesn't want to do so.
They all look at me astonished, including my men. They follow with their eyes the curve traced by my hand, which with the index finger extended begins to point upwards. At the same time my victim also rises towards the sky, immobilized; the only thing he can move are his eyes that dart wildly from side to side looking for help.
«If you had accepted immediately I wouldn't have laid a finger on you. Since you resisted, and it annoyed me, I might be a little less forgiving.»
I retract my index finger and that being falls deadweight to the ground, crashing onto the fresh grass from ten meters high. Before his screams of pain can reach my ears I grab him again, raising him even higher than he was.
«If you resist any longer…»
This time my arm snaps down and the netician doesn't fall, but is thrown to the ground at incredible speed. I can feel the violence of the impact with the ground when my arm vibrates from the backlash.
«No!» one of them shouts, breaking the absolute silence. «Stop it now! Leave him alone!»
«I told you you had no idea who I was» I smile. I bring my prey back up. He is still alive, or at least breathing, but his arms are hanging loosely along his body and his head is bent forward. He must be hurt quite badly...
«It is allowed to make a mistake: I always leave a possibility of redemption. But there is one, and one only.»
«You're a monster...» they whisper between their teeth.
«I'm honored. In any case, you waste your chance and your planet, however beautiful it may be, will go…»
I give them a moment to turn around. Time seems to pass in slow motion: all eyes turn towards the martyr who will show Netiko that it is better not to try in vain to resist. I nod my head at him in thanks, even though he can't see me. Then I clench my fist.
«…boom.» I smile.
The body seems to swell: the eyes protrude from the sockets, the face sinks into the chest, the legs and arms dilate. The last vision before the fireworks is illuminated by a light so intense that everyone, except me, is forced to close their eyes.
Some shreds continue to levitate in mid-air for a few moments, then fall back to the ground. When I look back at my welcoming committee I find its participants trembling like leaves.
«Good,» I say, rubbing my hands together. «Do we have a deal, then?»
As I imagined, a small show was enough for the neticians to completely change their attitude.
I asked to speak to the one in charge on this planet and to summon all the best scientists they have; this last thing will take a while, but we can work on the first.
They wanted to take me to the headquarters where the Oligarchy resides; apparently the command of Netiko is in the hands of a small group of people. But I'm already bored of walking, so I expect them to come and visit my spaceship themselves; a few minutes later a small group of neticians shows up, who in my eyes differ from each other only by their height.
«Great Frieza, they told us about you» the one who seems to be the leader welcomes me.
«Of course they did.» In fact, I doubt they had any other topic of conversation on their short journey to reach me.
«I hope that… I hope that your terms are still valid.»
I think about it a bit. If I didn't like this planet so much I wouldn't be so benevolent, yet I decide to spare them. Thinking about it, the only one who dared to seriously face me exploded like a balloon.
«They do. After all, you were cooperative.»
«Excellent, excellent!» they bow. I feel like I'll get along very well with these people. «Within a few hours we will gather all our best scientists, as you requested. We will immediately communicate the change of name of the planet.»
«Splendid. In the meantime I have a couple of requests. First of all, I would like a communicator capable of contacting other planets in the Universe... unfortunately, mine broke.»
«You shall have it immediately.»
«Secondly, I would like a throne that can be defined as such. I have no indications on this, but it must be worthy of me. Finally, I would like you to start building a palace. I will return here very soon and I expect to be welcomed with all honors.»
They bow again, probably so scared that they can't do anything else. I dismiss them. I wish I could stay here much longer but duty calls me: the other planets on my list will not conquer themselves.
And my father might already be on my trail.
When I leave from planet Frieza Number One, the building was commissioned right in the center of the uncontaminated side of the planet, immersed in nature. It will rise like a mountain and will be so large to be visible even from space.
Those aliens didn't disappoint me. I have a lot of innovative devices on board: first of all, a series of latest generation single-seater spacecraft, with which my men will be able to move freely in space and perhaps precede me in docking on the various planets, starting to introduce their fate to the inhabitants. So maybe I'll avoid wasting time with the same story every time.
Then, I finally received my new throne, this time worthy of the name. It's not actually a throne but an armchair tailor-made for me, capable of levitating and, if necessary, stabilizing itself on the ground. This was a good idea, in fact I promoted Gichamu, the netician who designed it, to head of the engineering section.
As I settle into my new seat they also bring me a brand new communicator that seems much more advanced than my father's.
This planet was a lucky shot, I tell myself as I place the call.
He doesn't keep me waiting. A few moments later his face appears on the screen.
«Hello, Father» I greet him.
«What do you want?»
I had never heard that tone from him. It's hard, filled with a strange flat calm. Is it hate? Or is he just blindly angry at me?
«Didn't you miss me?»
«What do you want, Frieza?»
I wonder the same thing. What do I want? Why am I calling him? The answer is only one: I want to let him know. He needs to know what I'm doing. He must finally admit that he had underestimated me!
«I only called to update you on what I have achieved in these few days. I currently own three planets: I left Cold Number Eight where he was, I conquered Madoria and now I'm starting again from Netiko with a new set of men. At the moment I have more or less four thousand, and soon new ones will be added.»
«If you expect me to compliment you, you're wasting time. I know what you did on Madoria. Do you really believe that's how a ruler should behave?»
«Maybe you have a different idea of a ruler. In fact, from what I remember, you didn't manage to get Madoria while it only took me a few hours to conquest it.»
«At this rate you will reign over a cemetery of rubble and sooner or later your men will turn against you.»
«I am much more powerful than all of them put together and I choose what to make rubble and what not. I have every right to do so.»
«No, Frieza, you don't have any. I always knew you were ruthless but I hoped I had taught you better than that. You are not capable of thinking straight.»
«And so what? What would you like to do, then? I no longer respond to your orders. I'm already leaving for a new planet and if I don't like it, I'll blow it up. There's nothing you can do about it, Father.»
«We'll see about that.»
Communication stops there. The instinct is to throw the communicator away, but this time I refrain and hold back the fury.
Damn... we'll see about that indeed.
Note:
Hello everybody! At this point of the story, you can read the spin-off "Zarbon – the Chant of Power", that tells what is happening at the very same time on planet Nemanan, the next place our Tyrant is going to visit. Reading it is not mandatory to follow this story, but it gives some nice insights on Zarbon character, and explains some further things you're going to read here as well!
Brace yourself: Frieza's story is just starting…
Next chapter:
The graceful flatterer
3.01
See you all then!
Gio