"So, Lord Meruem?" Cheelai began as she had taken over piloting the ship, everyone else already seated in the many seats of the cockpit as Meruem hummed whilst looking at her.
"Just how far away is this 'star planet'?"
"From what I've seen, it's located about sixteen thousand kilometers away from the southern edge of the universe."
"That's…pretty far for a piece of tech. Perhaps it has gained some sentience and is now hiding away from any that tries to find it?" Paragus proposed and Meruem frowned slightly before nodding.
"It does possess some kind of artificial intelligence inside the microchip so it might be doing so or it could simply have decided that floating around at the southern edge of the universe would be perfect for assembling technology. After all, most scraps of ships that get destroyed end up in that area, yes?"
"The southern edge is where most of the ancient wars were fought so that second theory is also liable. However, we will find out when we get there."
"Speaking of this star, my lord, may I ask what your plans are with this machine?" Bonyu asked and Meruem shrugged as he looked back out at the vast darkness of space.
"To be honest, I…have no idea what to do after we find it. At first, I thought of destroying it, but that would be a waste of good technology. Then, I thought of simply turning the planet into our headquarters, but then I thought that living on a planet all on my lonesome would get boring."
"Wait, what? Are we not allowed on the planet?" Granolah asked with a smirk and Meruem snorted as he leaned back into his throne.
"Well, since we won the war, each of you get a galaxy just like I promised, do you not? Or would you all rather live with me?" He asked and chuckled as Garana shook his head with a smile.
"No offence, my lord, but while living under your rule would be more than fine, living on the same planet as you may be detrimental to my sanity."
"Oh, I'm not that bad, right?" Meruem spoke before frowning as they all nodded in unison.
"You are." Surprisingly, Broly was the one who said that and Paragus snorted as Meruem huffed and looked back out the front window.
"…I will stay quiet because talking would just make me feel like I'm wrong."
"That is quite childish, Lord Meruem." Cheelai spoke with a teasing smile and Meruem snorted as he nodded.
"Considering that I'm almost 5 years old, I would say it's quite understandable for me to act this way."
"…I keep forgetting you are a clone." Bonyu muttered and Meruem chuckled before frowning as he caught sight of something in the distance, pressing a button on the control panel connected to the throne.
"That…is far bigger than I was expecting." Paragus whispered with wide eyes as they all stared at the gargantuan spherical mass floating in front of them, Meruem observing the tens of thousands of metallic structures and wires all along the surface of the Gete Star.
Even with all of them being visible as they flew down, Meruem knew that there were probably even more wiring underneath the surface of the planet and gave a nod as Cheelai looked at him.
"Descend."
"As you wish." She spoke before activating their engines once more, the ship rumbling as they slowly descended down upon the planet.
"Who goes there?" However, as they drew closer, Meruem's eyes widened as a voice echoed in his mind, looking at the others only to frown as everyone looked to be more focused and wary of the planet below them.
"I am Meruem, Emperor of the Imperial Empire and slayer of the Colarctian Cooler."
"Son of Cold, brother of Frieza. You are ally to Star." The voice rumbled and Meruem was surprised along with the others as the part of the surface they were approaching opened up, Cheelai looking as if she was about to pull away before being surprised as Meruem spoke up.
"Keep going, Cheelai. The Star wishes for us to enter."
"Forgive us for being a bit doubtful, but how exactly do you know that?"
"Because it spoke to me." Meruem answered and Granolah stared at him for a long while before the Cerealian pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh.
"Sure, then. Just remember that if we die, I'm bothering you for all of eternity."
"You do remember that I am one-third Saiyan, right? An eternity of combat sounds delightful." Meruem spoke with a grin and snickered as Granolah rolled his eyes, looking forward as the ship landed softly on a docking bay that had formed from the walls.
"Servants of ally, you are welcome on Star."
"…Okay, so the planet did speak to you. Apologies for our doubts, my lord."
"It's okay, Garana. I made you all my Inner Circle because I wanted people who know when to trust me and when to trust their own gut, not just because I want simple yes men." Garana smiled and bowed his head at Meruem's words, the clone nodding back as he stood up from his throne.
"Okay, everyone. Let us head out and see what this…Star wishes to speak to us of."
"Hopefully, it simply just wants to speak." Paragus whispered as they all stood up, Broly having a frown on his face as he walked on the right side of Meruem while Granolah took the left.
"Hello, planet. As I said, I am Meruem and these are my closest confidants, the people I trust most in the universe. May I ask what your name is, kind planet?"
"I am Star, the artificial intelligence responsible for piloting this ship for the past sixty million years." Meruem was surprised as vibrant blue light gathered in the form of an entity in front of them.
The robotic being was not as surprising for the others as they just looked confused to see the hologram, but Meruem was stunned silent at the sight of the hologram wearing a familiar orange gi whilst carrying a calligraphy pen under its right arm and a gas mask covering its face.
'…That's fucking Tori-Bot.' As a Dragon Ball fan, especially one that has watched the OG DB series itself, there was no way he wouldn't recognize the avatar of Toriyama itself.
"It is a pleasure to meet you." However, Meruem kept his shock in check as he bowed his head slightly, the hologram doing the same even as the wall in front of them opened and pulled the platform we were on through.
"Woah~" Meruem heard Cheelai's awed whispers as hundreds of thousands of robotic beings flew to and fro through the air, intricate and complex wiring going everywhere to keep the planet functional.
"If I may ask, Star, is that the form of your creator?" The clone asked and Star looked at him before giving a slight nod.
"My master is of the Akirian race, beings that are capable of highly intelligent thought trains that could lead to burst of inspirations ingenious enough to even influence the universe. However, they do not like drawing attention to themselves and thus decide to lend this work to others to keep the attention away from themselves."
"And these ingenious ideas? Have we seen them before?"
"The thruster technology all spaceships use when flying through the cosmos, the energy cell walls that the Galactic Patrol use and the Medi-Pods unique to the newly founded Imperial Empire are but a few of the innovative pieces that the Akirians have made."
"I…see. Well, that is quite enlightening. I thank you for feeling comfortable enough to share this information." Meruem spoke with a smile and Star simply nodded as he turned back round.
"It is my pleasure, hybrid Saiyan/ Namekian/ Colarctian clone friend named Meruem." The hologram spoke and everyone was slightly surprised at that before Meruem shook his head.
"I'm guessing there's some kind of scanning technology along the walls that helped you discover that."
"One could say that. It also helped us determine that a third of your DNA matches that of the Colartian Frieza. May we ask how that came to be?"
"I was created on Earth by a scientist named Dr. Gero who used the DNA of those along with that of two Saiyans and a Namekian mutant. I then used magic orbs to wish for my DNA to be a third Frieza's, a third of the Namekian mutant's and a third of that of a Saiyan mutant."
"Wait, Saiyan mutant. The only Saiyan mutant I know of…is right here." Paragus spoke with a frown whilst gesturing to Broly and Meruem smiled before nodding.
"I did tell you that I have the memories of Frieza, did I not? Your son along with Vegeta were on his hit list on beings that could potentially reach the ability to become Super Saiyan. Speaking of which, do you two wish for me to help you achieve it?"
"You can just…do that?" Granolah asked with a surprised look and Meruem smirked whilst shaking his head.
"I can't give them the ability to do so, but I can help them figure it out easier. So, what do you say?"
"If it is possible, I would be honoured." Paragus spoke with a bow and Meruem smiled before turning to Broly, who frowned.
"…Will I go berserk again?" He asked and the clone frowned slightly before making a so-so gesture.
"If you do, I'll merely teleport you to another galaxy far away and we'll fight it out there until you calm down. So, what do you say?"
"If you don't wish to, son, we can wait until you're ready?" Paragus proposed and Broly frowned before Meruem smiled as the Saiyan mutant shook his head.
"No, if…if you think I need it to help protect the universe, then I wanna do it."
"Wonderful. We'll start when we get back. Also, Star, where are we headed right now?" I asked and the hologram didn't say anything as it vanished, the platform descending further downwards while I held a hand up to stop Bonyu and Garana from reaching for their pistols.
"You may grab them, but keep them in their holsters. I do not wish to ruin a potential friendship here."
"…As you wish, my lord." Both spoke in unison with a bow and Meruem gave a thankful smile before looking forward once more as the platform stopped, watching as the wall in front of them opened before a bridge grew out from the hole and connected to their platform.
"Cheelai, Bonyu, stay in the middle in case something does happen and we need support fire. Paragus, Garana, you two are in the back. Make sure to scan everything we pass. Broly, Granolah…"
"By your side and ready if a fight breaks out?" Granolah asked as he uncrossed his arms, Broly clenching and unclenching his fists as the clone nodded.
"That's right. Hah…let's go and actually meet Star this time." Meruem muttered as he began walking forward, everyone following the formation while their ship was slowly being pulled along by the floor itself.
Looking around at the technology they passed, Meruem had to admit that he was intrigued by how outdated some of it was compared to what they had but also how advanced other bits were despite the fact that the technology was mostly pieces of the past.
"I can see engines, turbines and other bits of technology that have far surpassed what we are currently using. Perhaps this trip may bore more fruit than you anticipated, my lord."
"I hope it does, Paragus." The clone muttered as they came to a standstill in front of a door, watching as it opened before the emperor raised an eyebrow at the empty room in front of them.
It was not exactly empty as there was a raised podium in the middle of the room, but other than that, there was nothing else of significance in the room other than maybe the wires running in intricate patterns all along the walls and ceiling.
"…As leader, there comes a time where one must delegate certain duties to his confidants. Granolah, go over there and see if there is anything we need to do."
"Sometimes, the leader must lead by example to ensure that his people follows his rulings." Granolah countered with a smirk and Meruem looked at the others who all seemed far too happy as they nodded in agreement.
"Granolah speaks the truth. What leader lets his subjects head into danger first?"
"One that doesn't want to do so." Meruem muttered even as he walked forward, the others slowly spreading out through the room and out of the way of the ship as it continued to move forward.
"Star, is that you pulling the ship?" Meruem asked out loud as he stopped in front of the podium, the ship coming to a stop behind him before the clone blinked as the flooring reached up and dragged the ship into itself.
"I am currently assimilating the ship to myself. If you would please touch my control panel."
"…Sure." He shrugged as he placed both hands on the control panel, his eyes widening as he felt his consciousness sinking away and connecting with the planet itself.
He could find himself programming every single one of the robots, feel every electrical current coursing through its wires and every vibration and radio wave flowed through his mind.
"Are…are you connecting me with everything, Star?" Meruem asked as he felt himself sinking back into his body, looking at the Tori-Bot hologram in front of him who nodded.
"I am. Do you…like it?"
"I do, but…why me? Why did you pick me to show all of these with?"
"You are like me. I had no purpose besides gather and gather, but I now want to have one and you could give me one."
"…Do you really think that I can be the one who give you purpose?" Meruem asked as he lifted his hands, ignoring everyone's surprised noises as the room warped while Tori-Bot just gave a nod.
"You gave yourself one." He spoke and Meruem chuckled as he nodded, holding a hand out to the hologram who shook it right as the room finished transforming.
"…Did the planet just transform?" Cheelai asked with a surprised look as we stood in a replica of the cockpit that Cooler's ship had, but the clone didn't answer as he held his hands to the side.
Within the blink of an eye, numerous holographic screens appeared in front of him along with that of Star, who snapped his fingers and turned each of the giant ship's hundred engines on.
"Star, set a course for the planet Hiakla in the Northern Galaxy." Meruem spoke and Star's eyes glowed as the numerous screens flashed rapidly through maps before one at the far right stopped on a certain familiar planet.
"Course has been set. ETA: 5 hours 32 minutes 28 seconds."
"…Lord Meruem?" Paragus began and Meruem turned to him only to smirk at the man's bewildered look.
"What…exactly just happened?"
"I'll tell you. We just got a new ship."
"Whew~! Isn't it a beauty?" Meruem spoke with a happy smile as he floated in the upper atmosphere of the Imperial Empire's planet, staring at the planet of technology floating not too far from them.
At first, he was worried about gravitational pulls or gravity fields around it, but thankfully, the planet itself was just far enough from the single star in this galaxy to always be at the perfect temperature while still being far enough from the planet to not attract the two of them towards each other.
Well, that and the technology of the planet was also advanced enough to the point that it can decrease its gravitational pull to its most minimal point.
"It is, but you have more pressing matters to attend to." Granolah spoke up with a smirk and Meruem rolled his eyes as he floated back down, adjusting the scarlet red and intricate royal cape thrown over his shoulders as he landed in the middle of his Inner Circle.
As he did, he couldn't help his smile as thousands of cheers echoed in the air, looking out at the massive army of different species that was gathered in front of him.
The surprising thing was the fact that only a quarter of the army were members of his own, the other three quarters having come from the different armies of their allies that had joined up with the rest of his forces to take out the last of Cooler's army.
"Welcome, all, to what is probably the most joyous day for all of the universe!" Meruem began his speech, letting the crowd cheer as he took a deep breath and looked out at them.
"Truly, I never expected this day to come as early as it did. I was expecting this to be years upon years of harsh warfare where we try our best to make sure we come out whole on the other end of the bloody tunnel! However, I am just as overjoyed as you all for the fact that the war lasted less than a year!"
"All thanks to you, Lord Meruem!" One at the soldiers at the front shouted with a happy smile and those around her laughed as Meruem chuckled and nodded.
"Thank you for the compliment, my friend, but this is not just my victory! On my own, the losses would have been far higher and there might have not even been a universe after it all had ended! Fortunately, because I had you all and because I had an army that understood and followed my dream, we! We were able to achieve what most across the eons have struggled to do since the Colarctians started their empire conquering business: The full liberation of the universe!
From today on, people no longer need to fear armies descending upon their worlds to steal it! People no longer need to fear armies taking their families for slavery and no longer do you need to fear the time coming where you yourself is taken away! You can travel through the cosmos without worrying about bandits taking away your ship and belongings! You can walk where you wish and not worry about soldiers killing you on the spot!
From today on, you! Are! Free!" Meruem roared with a joyful smile, the crowd cheering with him as he lowered his fist and cleared his throat.
"However! That does not mean that crime is now something you need to commit! That does not mean you can take what you please and not worry of the consequences! Unlike Cooler, I will try my best to be a benevolent ruler, but if you dare to do just the same as the Colarctians did, I will descend upon you with the wrath of the gods above."
"Is that so? Well, well, don't mind if I would like to see said wrath." A voice spoke from behind the clone, but as the Inner Circle spun around to face the foes, Meruem was frozen in place as he took a shaky glance backwards.
"Now, now, my lord. There is no need to say such a thing." The tall, thin blue-skinned being dressed in a formal maroon robe with a black cuirass that had a white and orange diamond pattern on it spoke with a slight smirk, a long scepter with a gem in his right hand while a large light-blue ring floated around his neck.
The purple anthropomorphic cat besides him simply looked amused as he held his hands behind his back, his body hairless while had some visible muscles on his overall thin and slender build.
"It is. After all, he said he would bring down the wrath of the gods above and I am one of those gods above. Now then, let me see this wrath." Beerus, Universe 7's God of Destruction, spoke with a smirk as he walked closer and Meruem simply gulped as he watched the god approach.
'…Can I just get fucking break?!'
A/N: Dun-dun-dun~! We ended off the arc with Meruem and his army celebrating their victory and it looks as if nothing can go wrong…
But Beerus has something to say about that. Why is the god up so early? For what reason has he awaken years before his slumber? Does it have something to do with the Super Saiyan God or is there something else?
Who knows? Guess we'll have to find out next time.
Like always, you can go to my Pat-reon-.-com-/-KingCrimsonNova to read ahead on this as well as many other stories & even some that haven't been released out to this site yet. If you want to, you are free to, but if you don't want, all's good as I will still be uploading here. This is just me trying to get some extra cash.
As always, read, enjoy, review and until next week...
Ba-Bye~!