#but this stretches out so many dotted lines between a group of five aliens living on earth | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

carrowbrown · 7 years ago

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DBZ Fanfiction

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or anything related to it. All the content in this story is written purely for fun. Please enjoy. ----

Chapter One: I was serious three planets ago.

The bug-eyed created pointed one of its fingers to the screen. "So what about this planet?"

Captian Taiji walked over, his serpent-like tail slithering on the floor behind him as he peered at the monitor of the helm officer. His talon flicked through the details of the planet that were collected from a probe that had come a few weeks prior to their arrival.

"Low population for a planet that size," he mused. "Am I reading these scans correctly? Plenty of water and vegetation, but low life forms?"

"The researchers think there was a recent war of sorts. You can see it in the craters all over the surface, but," the helm officer brought up another close screen of the craters, "if you look closely, you can see that they aren't the result of meteorites." He leaned back to look at the captain. "You think the population is open to trading?"

The captain frown, his attention fixed on the display of the blue planet. "Wasn't there something about this planet in the galaxy logs? The name seems familiar."

"Perhaps." The helm officer flew across the console keys, pulling up the galactic records. After skimming through the scrolling text, he pointed a finger to one line. "It says that Lord Freeza and his father were killed here by a Sayjin."

The captain's scaly browns went up. "That's right. I remember those reports. A Sayjin… That's interesting. Any active tags to show they're still there?"

"No, I double checked." The humanoid-insect leaned back in his chair. "Unless they learned how to deactivate them."

"Shame. Who knew how much they'd be needed after they were eradicated. We're lucky we found the one we did." He studied the planet display again, his tail flicking to and fro as he stared in silence. "Prepare for entry. We'll open for trade and see what we can find out. If we're lucky, maybe the Sayjin did some repopulation activities."

The helm officer chuckled, the sound coming out in a series of clicks and hisses. "Of course." He turned and punched in codes as the lights on the ship changed from their calming blue to green: the color to let the crew know to prepare for landing.

* * * * *

Five years.

Five years since the androids were destroyed. Five nice, peaceful, years humans used to up the pieces and put their lives back together. Sure, there had been hard times in some places with food shortages or small domestics, but they weren't that urgent in the large scheme of things. Bulma herself was content with the current state of things. Could they be better? Of course. Would they? In time.

Between her and Trunks efforts, life returned to a sibilance of normalcy. A slow return, but steady. Thanks to Capsule Corporation technology, getting supplies and much-needed rations to different people around the world made relief work for more deprived areas possible. People still flinched when a shadow passed overhead, but the children that were running about didn't have such reactions. They were growing up in better times and that was all that mattered to the blue haired scientist.

Bulma leaned back in her office chair, rubbing her eyes with a sigh. A look at the clock showed she'd been there for the better part of six hours. As if by magic, the moment she saw the time her stomach growled.

I'm turning into my father, she mused, standing and walking out of the office. Days would pass and he'd forget to feed himself if it wasn't for mother.

It made her sad to think of her parents, gone now. So many of those on earth were lacking parents or key family members. Her heart went out to Chichi, living with her father in the middle of the woods with her husband and son gone. Bulma felt lucky in that, she still had her son.

Walking into the kitchen, a bright yellow post-it note stuck to the coffee maker caught her attention. She picked it up, looking at the small and neat handwriting of her son.

Hi mom. Looked like you were in the zone. I left you some breakfast. Going to Pepper City to see about fixing a generator. Back for dinner. Trunks.

"Such a good boy." She smiled at the note, placing it on the table before opening the fridge to see what creation Trucks had left her. Bright and gifted he was, he still has single-man habits when it came to the concept of foods. Nachos for dinner, beans on toast, and take-out where Trucks' idea of 'making dinner.' Bulma spotted the left-over pizza and felt her stomach growl.

Putting it into the microwave, she mused over the change of her son. Since his return, Trunks spent more time taking care of her than her taking care of him. It never reached a fussy level, but she noted how close he stayed to home.

He never elaborated about his time in the past. When he did speak about it, it was too cut and dry. Too technical. Like a lab report. Something had happened that shook him, but hell if she could guess what it was. She hoped one day Trunks would be willing to share it with her.

"Maybe one day," she said, speaking herself. "You definitely picked up some of your father's manors."

Bulma hoped that Vegeta had been a good father figure for Trunks… or at least what he thought was a good one. Placing a hand over her heart, she mentally pushed away the pangs of loneliness. Whoever had said time heals all wounds never loved a Sayjin Prince. Vegeta hadn't been the greatest of lovers, but he'd been perfect for her. Equal in ego, wit, power—in their own ways—and passion.

The beeping brought her out of her thoughts and she looked back to the microwave—

—it was still cooking.

The beeping happened again and she looked up to find one of the droids she made was floating overhead while flashing at her. She blinked at it, completely taken by surprised by it. She'd made it over thirty years ago when the first Sayjin had landed on earth.

She'd made it to give warning before there was another landing.

Snapping out of her daze she punched a button on the droid and pulled it down to look at the screen on it. The image showed a ship that was slowly lowering into the atmosphere. It wasn't like one of the pods that she'd seen and much larger than the Namek ship she'd piloted. There were what she suspected to be weapons on the ship, but they were pointed up and away from the surface of the earth.

For now.

Oh please, kami, Bulma thought. Let this be a peaceful group.

She rushed out of the kitchen and do her speeder, her food in the microwave forgotten. Punching in the coordinates for the estimated landing site, Bulma guided the speeder up and let the navigation take over. She wasn't sure how much good she could do, but given she was one of the few people with experience in speaking to alien species, she wanted to do what she could with this new and unknown group.

And it would be a lie to say she wasn't a little excited about it.

* * * * *

The crew scurried about the ship like an ant colony. The security prepped and handed out ki-blaster to those venturing outside. By the main door, a group of environmental scientist in light blue bodysuits checked, rechecked, and triple checked the readings of the planet's atmosphere.

"It's safe," one said, over the ship intercom. "You can breathe the air. I don't recommend drinking the water or eating anything until we have it tested. No telling what's developed on this planet."

"Understood. At least we don't have to greet them wearing the suits," said the captain. "Landing crew ready?"

"Yes, sir." The helm officer looked at his screen and tilted his head at the monitor. "There is a message from engineering about one of the turbo engines."

The captain grimaced at the announcement. "Stall for me. I want to stretch my legs a bit before having to deal with the head engineer." He wanted to step outside and breath in planet-created air and bath in the warmth of a sun. All the crew did.

"Yes, sir," The officer said as he turned his attention back to his own monitor.

Rolling his shoulders, the Captain went back to his chair to pluck his modest officer jacket up and worked it on. He took a moment to smooth it out, attempting to be as presentable as possible. Often these visits went well, but normally they were planets that were used to outside visitors. If records were correct, the only real outside visitors this sphere had gotten were Sayjins and that was not always the best introduction to life in space. He nodded to two others on the ship, his second in command and communication officer.

Most planets understood Galatic Common.

The trio made their way towards the entrance of the ship where three security officers stood waiting for them. At the sign of the three officers, they straightened to attention and saluted.

"At ease," the captain said. Once the men relaxed, he added, "I want this to be a peaceful mission. We don't know the culture, the customs, or even if they speak Galactic Common. For all we know, we've landed on a holy area and started a war. So," he gave each crew member in front of him a look, "best behavior. We want to trade and stay planetside for as long as the welcome lasts."

They all answered with a curt nod.

The computer by the door beeped, a computerized voice saying, "Door opening. Please watch your step."

The captain pulled in a breath and released it. "Let's make friends."

The computer unlatched all the safeties as the first whoosh of fresh air rushed into the ship. Security took the lead and once the all-clear sounded on the displayed of his scouter.

Taiji stepped out, barely suppressing a groan as natural warmth touched his scaly skin. His head tilted back and eyes closed and he soaked in the feel of the air all around him. He'd spent too long under a sun-lamp and not enough time in the sun.

"Captian," one of the security men said, "something's coming."

Looking around, Taiji picked out a growing dot in the distance. He watched it, assuming it to be a vessel of sorts. "No sudden moves. Let's see what happens."

They watched the large Capsule Corps car slow and coming to a stop several yards from them. A female shaped figure stepped out and stood there. She didn't move or speak. Instead, the creature did the same thing they were doing.

Watching.

Before he could take a step toward the figure, the second in command nudged him and jerked his head down the way they had come. The captain looked back to the figure marching over to him down the corridor and visibly cringed.

Apparently, the helm officer couldn't stall for very long. But seeing the look on his chief engineer's face, Taiji wouldn't have been able to either. Horrific storm clouds looked cuddly next to the promise in those dark eyes.

In truth, her appearance was cousin to the female that awaiting outside with only a few differences in her build. Sturdy and made for a warmer climate. Her hair was black and matted even though it was tightly braided in a bun. She wore engineer coveralls with easy to see patches and stains on it from oil and who knew what else. Her face was a little messy from smearing oil across it, but other than that, one would say the female was pretty indeed.

"Captain," The female said, speaking in her native language. It was a composition of clicks, low single syllables, that all merged together into something musical. "I would really like it if you would listen to me."

"I always listen to you, Veta," Taiji said in Galactic Common, trying to keep his tone light. "Now is not th-"

She cut him off. "You don't. Because if you did listen to me three planets ago, we could have actual turbo coils and not the makeshift ones I've made from the buffer panels." The female jerked a thumb towards the front of the ship. "Now we can't leave."

That got the Captain's attention and he frowned at Veta. "What do you mean we can't leave?"

"I mean we are stuck here," she said, pointing a finger to the ground, "until I can make actual replacement coils. Or buy them. The material I was using wasn't meant to transmit the type of energy that the engine needs to function. It was just a bandage over a wound. We're lucky the ship didn't explode on entry." She stopped to peek outside the door and nodded at the scenery. "At least we landed on a nice planet and not a piece of shit."

Taiji frowned, staring hard at his engineer. "How long would it take you to fix it?"

Veta shrugged a shoulder. "I don't know. Depends if I can find what I need on this planet or not. Could be a few weeks or a few months."

Buju spoke up, speaking in Veta's native tongue, though it lacked the musical quality, "You can't be serious."

Taiji's chief leveled a glare at the communications officer. "I was serious three planets ago."

The two looked at each other for a long moment while the others around them watched nervously. The Captain sighed in defeat and rubbed his three eyes. "Fix what you can, and I will see what can be done about obtaining the materials you need."

"Thanks." She gave him a curt nod and walked off back to the engine room, a monkey-like tail swayed in time with her walk.

Taiji pulled in a breath and released it. "One step at a time."

Looking back out to the female figure that was standing before the ship, the Captain recomposed himself before walking towards her. His second in command and communication officer came with him with a much heavier air about them than they'd originally had. The Captain kept himself looking has unintimidating as he could while walking over to the native who did not seem overly alarmed by his being there. A curious thing.

Once he was close enough, he bowed his head in what he hoped would be a respectful gesture here. "My name is Captain Taiji. We come to you in peace and in need. I'm afraid we're stranded here."

* * * * *

Author note: Hey all! If you made here, then I hoped you like the start of what I've done so far. I haven't written fanfiction in a long time and I wanted to pick this story up again. If you like it, let me know! Feedback is always welcomed-motivating-and appreciated.

#fanfic #fanfiction #dbz #dragonballz #trunks #oc

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180abroad · 5 years ago

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Day 188: The Golden Circle

Over the course of our trip, we saw some amazing natural wonders---from the High Atlas Mountains in Morocco to the windswept isles of Scotland. But here, on our last full day of the entire trip, we saw things to rival them all.

If you have just one day in Iceland and want to see as much of its otherworldly beauty as possible, the go-to solution is to book what's called a Golden Circle tour. Every tour company has its own variation on the theme, but as the name suggests, it involves a circular day trip that stops at some of the most iconic tourist sites within striking distance of Reykjavik. There are geysers, waterfalls, and a dramatic valley where the oldest parliament in the world once met and which is slowly being torn apart by tectonic forces.

We got up early, bundled up, and walked out to a nearby hotel to be picked up. In the van, we met some other tourists who had booked a Northern Lights tour the night before. We had considered doing the same, but listening to their story reassured us that we had made a smart decision.

They had driven for hours and hours and never seen them, getting back long after midnight and having to scrounge a few hours of disappointed sleep before getting up again for the Golden Circle tour. Apparently, there's only about a one in three chance of actually seeing an aurora on one of those tours. It could very well be worth doing if you were spending a week in Iceland, but not if you want to make the most of a single day.

In a way, traveling across Iceland reminded me of traveling across Morocco. The geography couldn't be more different, but they were each strikingly alien in their own way from what I'm used to the world looking like. Iceland is young, geologically speaking. It is still being formed by volcanic and tectonic activities, with sharp angles that have yet to be weathered down and desolate plains that have never known the touch of trees.

It's not surprising that Iceland has become a popular filming location for the alien worlds of sci-fi films like Prometheus and Interstellar.

I took almost as many pictures here as I had on Skye.

As we left Reykjavik behind us, we could see the signature plumes of steam from the geothermal vents that dot the landscape. A quarter of the city's electricity comes from harnessing these vents, as does all of its hot water, which is either pumped in from the power plants or up from the ground beneath Reykjavik itself. Visitors who don't already know this fact will certainly learn it as soon as they take a shower or run a dishwasher. That good old sulfuric twang is a dead giveaway.

As we passed near one of the major geothermal stations, we could see the water pipes zig-zagging across the landscape. The pipes look like they're resting right on the ground, which isn't far off the truth. Between the cold air, hot water, and geologically active ground, there's no way the pipes could be anchored to the surface. They'd be torn apart. Instead, the pipes rest on a series of platforms and rollers, free to expand and contract as the laws of nature demand.

Our first stop of the tour (not including a "comfort break" at a roadside rest stop) was the Kerith crater lake. The most impressive thing about Kerith is the color---the ground is made of deep red lava rock, and the water is solid turquoise. The water of the lake is actually an exposed portion of the natural water table. The water doesn't come from rain or streams; it rises up out of the ground.

With plenty of even more impressive sites ahead of us, we were given just enough time to walk around the rim of the crater and appreciate the bleak countryside surrounding it. Nic also ran down to investigate the water itself.

He informed us that it was cold.

Our next stop was a horse farm.

Iceland has its own unique breed of horses. They're short, stocky, and naturally healthy, with a rocking hairdo. They're the only horse breed allowed in Iceland, and once an Icelandic horse leaves the island, it is never allowed to return for fear of carrying foreign diseases back with it.

After learning a bit about what makes Icelandic horses so special, we got to go inside the stables and meet a few Icelandic horses up close. They were extraordinarily calm and friendly, but there was one chocolate-colored horse that shied away from almost everyone. I was able to coax it into letting me pet its muzzle. The others were impressed, and I was feeling like a bit of a horse whisperer---until a woman from our group came up and got him to come right to her. Oh, well.

Apparently, the most impressive thing about Icelandic horses, besides their cuteness, is that they have five natural gaits, or ways of walking and running. Most horses have three natural gaits: walk, trot, and canter/gallop. All horses know these three gaits instinctively; they don't need to be taught.

In addition to walking, trotting, and cantering, Icelandic horses also know how to tolt and skeio. I won't try to explain any of them---YouTube could to a better job of that than I ever could---but suffice it to say that these two extra gaits are supposed to make Icelandic horses much smoother and more comfortable to ride at high speeds.

Of course, we got a live demonstration of all five gaits, complete with a bit where the rider held a full pint glass in the air to show how effortless the ride was.

Our next stop was a "small" waterfall near the highway. To be fair, it was nothing compared to the waterfall we'd be seeing later in the day, but it was still a gorgeous scene.

Finally, right around noon, it was time to start seeing the Big Deal sights on the Golden Circle, starting with Geysir, the namesake of all geysers. (Don't ask me why they changed the spelling.)

The main show here isn't actually Geysir but another geyser named Strokkur, which erupts in a towering plume every 5 to 10 minutes.

Geysir itself sits a bit further up the hillside, but it's more of a hot tub than a geyser these days. Its eruptions can shoot hundreds of feet into the air, but it's been years since the last one actually happened. Geysir is old and tired, and its pipes are a little clogged, so it can only perform if it gets a little help from an earthquake or its caretakers. Still, at over 60 feet across, it's impressive enough just to watch it resting---a 212-degree sleeping giant.

The whole area around Geysir and Strokkur is filled with smaller geysers, springs, steam vents, and boiling mudpots. Everywhere we walked, the ground was awash with rivulets of steaming water. Thankfully, the frigid air cools the water quickly, so you don't need to worry about melting soles as long as you stay inside the ropes.

Nestled inconspicuously in a seemingly flat and empty stretch of scrubland lay the next big sight of the tour---Gullfoss, the Golden Waterfall. From the parking lot, you can just make out a sliver of the Hvita river upstream and a hint of mist rising up into the air. In what is surely a brilliantly planned piece of crowd control, the true spectacle of Gullfoss stays patiently hidden from view until you get to just the right spot on the path. Then it hits you all at once.

Gullfoss is a wild, almost otherworldly cascade of angles. The Hvita river dives sharply to the left, then even more sharply to the right, plunging into a deep rift valley that runs off at yet another wild angle.

After a bit of waiting in line, we made it up to a mist-soaked rocky outcropping in the very middle of it all. The roar, the chill, the power, the sheer beauty, even the crowds of tourists experiencing it along with us---all of it blended together into one of those transcendent moments where time fades away and your noisy mind is subsumed in pure awe.

It was, quite simply and honestly, one of the most stunning masterpieces of nature that I've ever seen with my own eyes.

Eventually, at some point, we made our way back to the van and continued on our way---to Thingvellir National Park.

Thingvellir is interesting for a couple reasons. The first is geological. Thingvellir straddles the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the tectonic dividing line between the Eurasian and North American plates. The plates are spreading apart at a little less than an inch every year. Which means that Thingvellir (and the rest of Iceland) is spreading apart at a little less than an inch every year.

We could see this divide as clearly as the watery rift in the ground that it’s creating. The rift is called the Silfra, and if you have the time and inclination, you can actually go scuba diving in this crack between two continents. I don't really get claustrophobic, but the thought of that makes me uncomfortable. Apparently, though, the water is some of the clearest in the world.

Even more importantly---and probably quite surprisingly for most people---Thingvellir has a very notable position in political history. It is the original site of the oldest extant parliament in the world, the Icelandic Althingi. (Yes, the Old Norse word for parliament was basically "the All Thing"---the word thing originally meaning a gathering or assembly.)

Starting around 930 AD, chieftains from across Iceland would gather once a year at Thingvellir ("the Assembly Fields") to recite existing laws, debate new laws, and settle disputes. The Icelanders had no written language, so it was important for the laws to be recited on a regular basis to make sure everyone stayed on the same page.

No buildings from these meetings survive, but they were always big events. The chieftains would bring their retinues, and citizens from across the country would also come to observe the proceedings, address the assembly, or sell food and trinkets to everyone else.

The central meeting point of Althingi was called the Logberg, or Law Rock. No one knows for sure exactly where the original Law Rock was, but a flagpole marks the most popularly theorized spot.

Walking uphill to the tourist center, we were able to take in the beautiful, desolate scenery. To be honest, it made me want to reinstall Skyrim once I got back home.

The rain had picked up at this point, so we took shelter in the visitor center for the last few minutes before it was time to meet back up at the van.

Back in Reykjavik, we walked around the shopping district until it was time for dinner.

And of course, dinner was at the Lebowski Bar, where we enjoyed some delicious---albeit very expensive---burgers, fries, and milkshakes. As a small nod to our current host country, Jessica and I also enjoyed some Icelandic beer. I had a red lager, a type of beer I'd never heard of before. It was really good, like a red ale but cleaner.

Sure, it was a shamelessly tacky and touristy extravagance, but we had plenty of reason for both celebration and mourning. This was the last supper of our trip. The next time we dined, it would be on burritos in California.

#180abroad #reykjavik #iceland #travel #golden circle #gullfoss #geysir #thingvellir #history #nature #waterfall

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