#despye

[glitchylaptop]

Jaja, No me sorpreNderia la verdad! Despyes de todo a ustedes dos les da bastaNte ilusioN teNer Niños juNtas No es asi?-N

Pues si, que podemos hacer jaja u/v/u -Uzi

[kagomees]

LE IMPRORA TANRO LOS SENRIMIENROS SE LAI SEMAS QUE NO DICE FUCK YOU DESPYES Q OTRA PERSONA SE LO HA PEDIDI MOLES DE VECES!@×

[duhragonball]

[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (133/?)

Disclaimer: This story features characters and concepts based on Dragon Ball, which is a trademark of Bird Studio/Shueisha and Toei Animation.   This is an unauthorized work, and no profit is being made on this work by me. This story is copyright of me. Download if you like, but please don’t archive it without my permission. Don’t be shy.

Continuity Note: About 1000 years before the events of Dragon Ball Z.

[30 October, 233 Before Age. Interstellar Space.]

After much soul searching, Wampaaan'riix decided to travel into Federation space. His homeworld of Yetitan wasn't a member of that interstellar alliance, but he felt an obligation to its founder, the Super Saiyan Luffa. Before she had become the Federatrix, even before she became the Legendary Super Saiyan, she had made the very un-Saiyan decision to spare his life, a debt he could never truly repay.

From what he could tell by the news coverage, the Federation had become a target of a large band of Saiyans who objected to Luffa for her "un-Saiyan" characteristics. She had been joined by a second large gathering of Saiyans, who only seemed to tolerate her as long as she helped them fight the first group. And so, the Federation had become the battleground for a Saiyan civil war. This was what urged him to journey into the war zone. It galled him to think that such a noble and honorable Saiyan should be so thoroughly despised by her own kind. Though a proud warrior, he doubted that he could be of much help against such powerful enemies, but Luffa had shown him that there was honor to be found in other things besides mere combat.

The others had contacted him on Yetitan, mostly to fill him in on what was going on, or to ask for his advice on difficult matters. He was never sure what to tell them. It seemed wrong for him to offer suggestions while so far removed from the situation. Sometimes it seemed that it didn't matter, as if they only wanted him to listen, but it still bothered him. And so, after discussing it with his family, and making the ritual preparations for a potential battle, he loaded up his small cruiser and left Yetitan, bound for the Federation border.

The hardest part was convincing his son Dewbaaac'nogg not to join him. The boy had become a fine young man, in spite of his irreverent tone and his hero worship of Luffa, but he had his own warrior's path to follow, and Wampaaan'riix didn't want to distract from that. Perhaps if there was a chance of them getting to fight alongside Luffa against a horde of enemy troops, then he might have reconsidered, but she was so far beyond Yetitan power that the two of them would only get in her way.

The second hardest part of his journey lay at the end. Wampaaan'riix wasn't sure how much trouble it would be to actually enter Federation space once he arrived. His working plan was to try to contact the Yetitan Embassy on Woshad, or to simply hail Luffa's star-yacht and rely on her authority to clear the way. All he knew for sure was that he didn't dare to cross over without permission. Their fleet would assume he was a Saiyan invasion craft and blast his ship to atoms at first sight.

And yet, when he did arrive at the border, he found the situation surprisingly peaceful. A border patrol spotted him on their long-range sensors and contacted him. After a brief-but-thorough verification of his credentials, they escorted him to Woshad. The planet's defenses were on high alert, but he found nothing to indicate a war. His attempts to contact Luffa's ship failed, and just when he began to wonder what had happened to her, he received a response, an encoded transmission from Dr. Topsas through the Federation subspace network.

"I've decided to join you," Wampaaan'riix told him. "Give me your coordinates, and I can rendezvous with Luffa."

"I rather doubt that," Topsas replied. "You may join the rest of us on Planet Despye if you like, but Luffa and her ship have left Federation space."

Beneath the shaggy white hair that covered his face, Wampaaan'riix's jaw dropped.

*******

[31 October, 233 Before Age. Despye.]

Miqann was Despye's sixteenth-largest city. It boasted one of the few restaurants on the planet that specialized in Bigreenese cuisine and al fresco dining. There, Wampaaan'riix found Dr. Topsas, who brought him up to date on the war.

"I should have come here sooner," he grumbled. "Not that she needed much help with her counterstrike, from the sound of things. But at least I could have wished her well."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Wampaaan'riix," said Dotz, who sat with them. She was a humanoid fortuneteller dressed in flowing purple clothes and beaded ornaments. "If I had forseen your arrival, I could have told Luffa about it before she left, and she might have waited for you."

"Dotz, we just met an hour ago and you've already apologized to me four times," Wampaaan'riix said. "Let me assure you, I'm not so easily offended."

"Sorry," Dotz said.

"Perhaps Luffa did expect you to come here," Dr. Topsas suggested, "and she hastened her departure accordingly. You know how she despises long goodbyes."

"Maybe so," Wampaaan'riix said. "I take it she just dumped the three of you on this planet and sped off without a word."

"Just the two of us," Dotz said. "Zatte went with her."

"What?!" Wampaaan'riix said, nearly shouting.

"Sorry," Dotz said again.

"Come now, Wampaaan'riix, you cannot be overly surprised to hear this," Topsas said as he sipped from a mug of hot cider. "You know how devoted Ms. Zatte is to Luffa's cause. She's more like a disciple than a wife to her sometimes."

"She's still her wife, doctor," Wampaaan'riix muttered. "I left both of mine on Yetitan, and I wasn't even planning to fight anyone. With all respect to Zatte's combat prowess, she'd be completely outclassed in a battle like the one you described."

"I am quite sure that point was brought up," Topsas said. "But even if Luffa didn't want her to come along, I suspect Zatte would have sneaked back on board the ship anyway. In marriage, one must bow to the inevitable, but I suppose you know this twice as well as the rest of us."

Wampaaan'riix gave a knowing grunt in reply.

"Um, well I've never been married," Dotz said, "but... well, I think it's romantic. They make a nice couple. Even when they're arguing you can tell how much they care about each other." She poked at her half-eaten dessert for a moment before adding: "I'm sort of, you know... well, it's nice that they've got the ship to themselves. I always felt like I was in the way all the time."

"In the way?" Dr. Topsas's pedipalps began to move in a certain way, though no humanoid was likely to interpret his body language with much success. "My dear, nothing could be further from the truth. They've always spoken very highly of you."

"Well, yes," Dotz said, "but... I'm sure they were just being polite."

"'Polite', my foot," Wampaaan'riix said. "Zatte told me about how much you helped out with ship's operations. She said you even piloted the thing a few times."

"Only because there wasn't anyone else who could do it," Dotz said. "They were busy sometimes, and--"

"And you were helping," Topsas insisted. "To say nothing of your psychic predictions. That alone has made an enormous impact on this war."

"And Topsas told me you helped him sort the drugs in the yacht's sickbay," Wampaaan'riix added.

"Well, it wasn't that difficult," she said. "Anyone could have done that, he just needed an extra set of, um, hands."

Topsas was cradling his beverage in two hands, and he now raised three more over the edge of the table. "On the contrary, Ms. Dotz, I've worked with a number of interns who have trouble keeping up with me. You ought to go into nursing, assuming the fortunetelling business should out of favor."

"Well... but... thank you," Dotz finally said, after struggling to find a response. "I'm sorry, I don't take compliments very well. I just... I take my abilities as a given sometimes. Luffa kept praising me for predicting when the Jindan cult would strike next, but she was the one who had to go there and fight those battles. To me, it might as well have already happened."

"Zatte also told me you were trying to enhance your ability," Wampaaan'riix said. "I didn't know seeing the future was something that could be improved."

She shifted in her chair somewhat awkwardly. "I, um, I didn't know either. But I've had a blind spot when it comes to Luffa's personal future. Something always blocks me when I try to see what happens to her specifically. That's why I don't know what will happen at Nagaoka. There won't be any more Saiyan attacks here for a long time to come, but I don't know if that's because she'll win or lose. I've been trying to fix that, and I'm made some headway, but not when it comes to her future."

"Then it's no mystery why Luffa respects you so much," Wampaaan'riix said as he took a sip from his stein. "She's the most driven person I know, and she finds inspiration from the drive of others. It's like she feeds off of it."

"That's nice of you to say," Dotz said. "But really, I was just trying my best to fill the gap left behind by Keda."

"Keda?" Topsas asked.

"I... I never knew her, but it didn't take long for me to see how important she was to all of you," Dotz said. "I'm sure having me around instead of her was painful, and... well, I wanted to do what I could to make that easier. I know I could never replace her, though. She was like a little sister to them."

"Yes, she was," Topsas said wistfully. "It's been... Ninth Eye, it's been almost three years now since Keda died, hasn't it? I still find it hard to believe that she's really gone."

"What happened to her?" Dotz asked.

"An enemy tried to destroy the people of Planet Extraliga," Wampaaan'riix explained, somewhat reluctantly. "While Luffa fought him, Zatte attempted to disarm his weapon, and when she was injured, Keda sacrificed herself to save her, and everyone else on Extraliga."

"Oh," was all Dotz could think of to say.

"It was very difficult for them," Topsas said. "And for their marriage. I recommended a counselor for them, though I don't know if they actually made much use of him. I think Luffa's crusade against King Rehval and his cult has helped. Or perhaps it merely provides a convenient distraction."

"I should have been there," Wamaaan'riix said. "On Extraliga. Even if I couldn't have helped... better to have died in Keda's place..."

He leaned back as well as he could in his chair. The chairs at this establishment were barely designed to accommodate his nine-foot-tall frame, and he didn't want to test their limits, in spite of his mood. "I envy you, Dotz. And you too, Doctor. At least you've been able to help Luffa in these past few months. All I have is my strength, which might as well be nothing against the kinds of battles she's been in."

"One does what one can," Topsas said. "Luffa has always spoken of you with great esteem."

"I thought it was so simple," he said as he stared off to his left. "I wanted to go out in the universe and test my abilities in real combat. Then I ended up meeting the strongest warrior in all of creation. After that, nothing seemed quite so cut and dried anymore. No matter how strong I get, no matter what I may achieve, there will always be some stone left unturned. Some path not taken. I can fight alongside Luffa, like Zatte's doing now, or I could die a hero like Keda, or I can stay at home and see to my family, but never all at once. No matter what I choose, I'll have to leave something undone. It'll never feel like enough."

"Would you really want it to be enough?" Topsas asked. "I've seen how frustrated Luffa has become, whenever she thought that she had reached the limit of her abilities, or that there were no new challenges to overcome. Imagine if you could do it all, Wampaaan'riix, or that you had already done it all, many years ago. What would there be left for you?"

"You're right," Wampaaan'riix said. "I've always known that was the way of things, but I feel as though I've only begun to understand that. When I was younger, I didn't consider that there would be some failures that couldn't be undone, or opportunities that could never be chosen once they were past. Or debts that could never be repaid."

"I know what you mean," Dotz said. She seemed relieved to have some common ground with the hairy giant. "Luffa saved my life too. Well, maybe not my life, but I'd still be in a coma if not for her. Wait, she did save your life, didn't she? I can't remember if you already told me that or not."

"We were opponents in a deathmatch tournament," Wampaaan'riix explained. "Luffa wouldn't transform for another several months, but she was already far more powerful than any Saiyan I had encountered before. She basically toyed with me, just to test her abilities. Then she read my mind, just to see if she could."

"You mean she didn't always have that ability?" Dotz asked.

"No," Wampaaan'riix said. "Later she admitted to me that she had no idea what she was doing. She had advanced so rapidly in such a short time. She would get badly hurt in each round of the tournament, and Dr. Topsas here would heal her wounds so she could fight again. When a Saiyan recovers from near-fatal injuries, their battle power increases dramatically. So by the time she had advanced to our match, she had gone through several cycles of this. Her senses were so keen that she could tell what I was going to do just from sensing the way I used my ki. So she thought if she got close enough to touch me that she could see through my entire fighting style. And it worked, except she also saw my memories and emotions. She experienced for herself my fear of dying, and the regrets I had in what I thought were my final moments, and so she decided to let me live. Then the tournament organizers tried to have us both executed."

"Mercy was against the rules, you see," Dr. Topsas interjected.

"And so Luffa had to fight them and shut down their operation," Wampaaan'riix explained. "She was offended at the idea that they would try to stop her from sparing me."

"Huh," Dotz said. She rubbed her thumb under her lower lip as she digested this story. "Well then... when you put it that way, I guess you sort of saved me too."

"Eh?" Wampaaan'riix asked.

"Well, um, it's just that, Luffa used her telepathic powers to bring me out of the coma," Dotz said. "But she only knew she had that power because of her fight with you. So if it hadn't been for you, she probably wouldn't have even tried to help me."

"I... I suppose you're right," Wampaaan'riix said.

"And Luffa wouldn't have gotten to that level at all if it hadn't been for you, Doctor," Dotz added. "You've helped me a lot, but that's another one I owe you."

"Think nothing of it," Topsas said. "I was merely plying my trade that day. Just another shift of putting people back together again."

"It's more than just that," Wampaaan'riix said. "Luffa really admires you, Doctor."

"That's right," Dotz said. "I guess you've really been working hard to heal her quickly for all of these battles. I think lately, she's only been worried about getting hurt because of how much extra work it'll take you to fix her up."

Topsas took another sip of his cider and made a motion that might have been an arachnoid version of a shrug. "That little mammal is my nemesis, you know. Always daring me to find new ways to mend her wounds. I could write a book on Saiyan medicine after all these years. Or I could, except I'll likely be too busy operating on her when she returns from Nagaoka."

"You're like a father to her, Doctor," Wampaaan'riix said. "You know that, don't you?"

"I gave her away at her wedding," Topsas said. "At her request. The thought had occurred to me."

"Hmph. Just making sure."

"Well you may take this as confirmation," Topsas said. One of his eight hands reached into the pocket of the sweater that covered most of his cephalothorax, and he withdrew a datapad. "It seems Luffa has decided to play this surrogate child role to the hilt, and meddle in my affairs. She's arranged a transport to take me back to my home planet."

"Your son already tried that, didn't he?" Wampaaan'riix asked.

"Yes, and I missed the transport because I chose to focus on Luffa's care," Topsas said. "She must have found out about this, and decided to take matters into her own hands. Or her own feet, I should say. I believe her exact words were: 'If you're not on that ship when it leaves, Doc, I'll kick you all the way there myself.'"

"Are things bad with your family, Doctor?" Dotz asked.

"Not at all," he said, somewhat surprised by the question. "I would have made my way home eventually. I fully intended to go back very soon, after things had settled down here. But no one has the patience for a fellow to make his own itinerary. At least this will improve Luffa's reputation among my brood."

"Well, I'm sorry to see you go," Dotz said. "But I think it's for the best. You've done so much for the Federation and these people just by looking after Luffa. When do you leave?"

"Not for another three weeks," Topsas said. "That should give time for Luffa to return, or at least send word. I for one, do not mind long farewells."

"Heh. You remember how she left us on Bigreen?" Wampaaan'riix asked.

"Naturally," Topsas said. "That was why I chose this restaurant to meet. Very much like the one we used to eat at, isn't it?"

"What happened on Bigreen?" Dotz asked.

"Luffa saved the planet from an evil wizard," Wampaaan'riix said. "As it turned out, it was the same evil wizard who menaced the planet a thousand years before. 'Hamon,' I think his name was."

"Hamey," Topsas corrected.

"Right, that was it," Wampaaan'riix said. "He was no match for Luffa, except she refused to fight him in her transformed state. She was still getting used to it, and thought the form was unnatural. Her ancestor, Chanisp, defeated Hamey the first time, and she wanted to win the same way. Then she found out that Chanisp had been Super Saiyan like her. Once she came to terms with that, she made short work of Hamey."

"Then that Janso fellow approached her about a mercenary job on Gwarthos, and she couldn't wait to get back on the move," Topsas said. "A few awkward 'thank you's', and she was off. But it was comforting to see her so enthusiastic again."

"Yes," Wampaaan'riix said. "I was tempted to join her, but I got more than my fair share of action from that battle with Hamey. I knew if I tagged along, I'd be reduced to a spectator."

"I think she would have enjoyed having you along, for what it's worth," Topsas said.

"Maybe so, but at least Keda had something to do, even if it was just managing her finances," Wampaaan'riix said. "No, I'm a warrior, and Luffa has that market cornered. I'll pay my respects to her when the battle on Nagaoka is over, but then I'll head back to Yetitan, where I belong."

"I just hope all of you stay in touch," Dotz said. She looked down at her plate and went back to poking at her dessert. "It's sad to see you all go your separate ways, even if it's to be with your families. You're so much like a family with each other."

"Surely you mean to say 'we', Ms. Dotz," Topsas said. "You're as much an accessory to this madness as the rest of us."

"That's right," Wampaaan'riix said. "You don't get off that easily."

She looked up at them both, and started tugging at the edges of her shawl with her free hand. "Me? Oh, no," she said. "I could never be... the rest of you, and Keda... I mean, I'd like to think of you all as friends--if that's okay--but--"

"Ms. Dotz, you really must cease this one-sided rivalry you have with Keda. She was a dear friend and will be sorely missed, but that is hardly an obstacle for you to overcome. I have 47 sons and daughters, for example. Keda was very much like a sister to Luffa and Zatte, and you have been as well."

"Really?" Dotz asked. "I mean, I'm so much older than they are, and..."

"Then you're an older sister," Wampaaan'riix said. "Hells, Zatte even said as much to me during a subspace call. They were both only children growing up, and their mothers died when they were young. They almost didn't know what to make of you at first, but it didn't take them long to enjoy having you around."

"I apologize," Topsas said. "Perhaps I should have mentioned this to you some time ago. I just assumed that you knew how they appreciated you. Listening to the three of you chatter like Camelian pelicans, it seemed like you all understood."

Dotz was overwhelmed. "I just... I'm sorry, maybe I did know, but I didn't want to believe it. Didn't, ah, want to get my hopes up, in case I had the wrong idea."

"And Luffa calls me modest," Topsas groaned. "Nonetheless, I'm sure they'll be pleased to have you back on board when they return, if that's what you want. And Wampaaan'riix and I may drop in on you from time to time."

"I'm not so sure," Dotz said. "I mean, you've all been so kind to me, and I'll never forget it, but, um... I don't know that I'm meant to stay in this situation. I feel like I need to move along, like the two of you are about to do. The only trouble is, um, I'm not sure what I need to do with myself next."

"You had a life before Luffa rescued you," Wampaaan'riix said. "It's only sensible that you return to that."

"No," Dotz said. "Fortunetelling was a job, not a life. The only family I had was my mother, and she passed on a long time ago. There's nothing waiting for me back home, not really. Besides, I'm not sure I'd want to go back to telling fortunes, not after all of this. It seems too small somehow."

"Then perhaps this is an opportunity," Topsas suggested. "You stand at a crossroads in life. And before you say it, let me promise you that one is never too old to travel a new path. Trust one who knows from experience."

She raised her fork and opened her mouth, as if to argue, then stopped, and smiled instead. "Okay, maybe you're right. I've been thinking a lot about what Luffa said at the Federation Council meeting we went to. She killed that general for saying all those terrible things, but... well, I'm not sure that was the best way to deal with that. I think Luffa wants to help out people who've been mistreated or marginalized, but if she uses too much violence to do it, it could spark a backlash. And her opponents can't fight back against her, so they'll take it out on the people she wants to help. If, uh, that makes any sense."

"It makes sense to me," Topsas said. "Your abilities are nonviolent, so perhaps you can find a different way."

"Well, the problem is, I'm not sure if I can or not," Dotz said. "My clairvoyance has improved a lot since I met Luffa, but I still feel like there's a lot of work I need to do. I'm not sure if it's right for me to just try to dive into anything without a plan."

"Then perhaps it would be best if you spent some more time with Luffa and Zatte before striking out on your own," Topsas said. "I'm sure we'll all meet again someday, and by then you'll tell us all about how you managed to untangle this particular knot."

"No," Dotz said after a long pause. "I'm sorry, but I don't think so. I'd need to get out my cards, do a proper reading to make sure, but... this place, the two of you. The vibrations feel very... solitary to me. I don't think the three of us will ever see each other again."

An awkward silence followed this declaration. Suddenly, they each became very aware of their surroundings. The rustle of the breeze through the bushes surrounding the tables. The clinks and scrapes of dishes and flatware from the other diners. A Bigreenese waiter chatting with a customer several yards away.

"I'm sorry," Dotz said. "I, uh, have a way of sucking the life out of a party sometimes. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything."

"Why don't you come with me?"

Dotz looked over to Wampaaan'riix, who was now extending his massive hand towards her. "Excuse me?" Dotz said.

"I'm inviting you to come back to Yetitan with me," he said. "It's a very cold planet. Most humanoids find it too cold for their liking, but our language has a hundred words for 'cozy', so I think we could make your stay comfortable. And my son would be thrilled to meet another one of the Super Saiyan's comrades."

Once more, Dotz was too amazed for words. "You... I... You mean, live on your home planet. To stay?"

"Not forever, but for a while at least," he said. The fur on his lower face ruffled in such a way to indicate a smile underneath. "My culture has a very honored tradition of self-development, Dotz. I know it mainly from a martial arts perspective, but you may find our ways useful for honing your mind, or your spirit, or whatever else it is you use to see into the future."

"I... well, why not?" she said. With a newfound confidence, she placed her hand in his. "At least it gives me a place to start."

"You wouldn't be trying to cheat fate, would you, Wampaaan'riix?" Topsas asked. "If Dotz is correct, then perhaps it's a ill-advised for us to try to stick together any longer than necessary."

"Not at all, doctor," he said. "I owe a debt to Luffa that I can never repay. So maybe the answer isn't to save her life, but to help someone else instead. And if that lets Dotz help others in turn, then so much the better. If you and I may never see each other again, then so be it, but I only just met Dotz. If this is the only chance for me to get to know her, then I'd like to make the most of it. Besides..."

"Yes?" Topsas asked.

Wampaaan'riix chuckled. "I, for one, enjoy long goodbyes."

NEXT: Nagaoka.

[infiti-tezito]

Ver "Animaniacs (2020), Episodio 1. [Subtitulado] 3/13" en YouTube

Su legado continua y despyes de 22años

Sus locuras aun nos hacen reir jjjjjajajajajajajajajajajajajajaja🤣

[demoonwhite]

A veces me siento y pienso en lo que dices: Y esa noche me sentí egoísta, de hecho, siento que las últimas veces que hablamos fue como forzarte ya que no estas bien, y cuando me lo dijiste esa noche fue como "No debí haberte hablado de esa forma", y me arrepiento de haber sido tan fácil de llevar, no fue mi intención y no quiero repetirlo en esta situación. Quise alejarme, quise dejarte ir ya que sentí que solo acababa mal kwfksk pero despyes fue como "No, no así"

[lu1udp-diwinkallvu]

En el hospital Lucio Molas en Santa Rosa, La Pampa...en la entrada, me tomaron la temp..y me dicen 40°, y empiezan apoyarme la pistolita por todos lados, imaginate,..se me pararon los pelos de la nuca como avestruz viejo encrespado...que si venia a mil caminando con el carrito, enponchado con los flecos pegandome chirllos en el culo, imaginate, como para que no se me levantara la temperatura,..despyes de varios intentos y pitidos...safee...ahi se me encendio el ventiladot..😬😬😬 (en Diwinkallvu.colecciones) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEt0wkaHXrn/?igshid=5xpy7yih37i0

[lorenzo-perez-t]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by lorenzo perez (@lorenzo_perez_t)

Despyes de 11 años todavia estamos juntos; como dice la cancion algunos decian que no durariamos juntos. #matrimonio #pareja #parejas #amor https://www.instagram.com/p/CCnL7-wDIk6/?igshid=1racvmkvlbep5

[josemoca]

DespYes de casi 3 años hoy volví a ver a mis primos lindos @mary.carrero13 y @chevypunk los quiero mucho y a mi querida @nataliaretamal hace más de 10 años que no nos veíamos que lindo verte hoy aunque sea por poco tiempo! Besos a los 3 . . . #shotoniphone #phoneographic #illgrammers #gayphotographer #clubedopeitopeludo #barbacombarba #beard #barbado #beardcode #gaylife #gaydude #gayguy #guysofinstagram #gaysofinstagram (at La Finestra Ristorante) https://www.instagram.com/p/BrtVoPlBCpf/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=v22ycy0gfv2z

[aparienciasoy]

No es fácil . No ha sido fácil .

Vida de mierda desde 1997.

Muchas veces he pensado esto,pero no he tenido el valor, no quería, no quiero.

Me caigo y me levanto una y otra vez, una y otra vez.

Las heridas por dentro sangran y cada vez mas , a veces no duelen y otras veces vuelven a revivir . Mis ojos ya no tienen casi lágrimas. Mi mente está cansada , mi cabeza .

Me despierto en las mañanas suspirando "uf que hago aquí ,otra vez no morí . A levantarse y afrontar la Vida,esa vida de mierda que has vivido tus 21 años que llevas" me miró al espejo , me abrazo con la mirada cansada y con las ojeras por debajo.

YA NO QUIERO SUFRIR MÁS! Grita mi alma en pena , mi corazón , mi cuerpo,mi yo .

De repente quedo quita un instante y me olvidó del dolor de mi alma , y se me pasa. Me pongo a barrer, estoy en las redes , miro a mi hijo jugar y es como si nada.

A las horas o tal vez minutos , una palabra , un dicho ,un accionar , activa nuevamente mi deseo de extinguir mi existencia , vuelvo a quebrar en pedazos y es como si echará las leña al fuego . Me hundo nuevamente, y así pasan mis días .

Noches llorando, pensando que haré , como seguiré. Acaso viviré sufriendo siempre? Volveré a tener sueños ? Volveré a tener las fuerzas para seguir como las tenía hace dos años atrás ?

De chiquita siempre que lloraba, también pensaba intensamente . Quería ser grande y ser feliz , como todos alguna vez . ¡Qué ingenua!y a medida que iba creciendo fueron sucediendo cosas , momentos que castigaban más y más mi alma.

Entrando a crecer. Sucedió . Sucedió ,y no pude borrarme esa marca ,yo no quería , porque a mi? Todavía recuerdo como si ocurriese en este instante , tocandome, siento la piel asquerosa ,su susurro en mis oídos , que asco , y me maldigo , y me producen náusea ,quisiera arrancarme la piel , quisiera clavarle mil cuchillos y borrar ese tacto en mi piel y no poder tener más la sensación te su piel rozando con la mía . Que asco! Era tan pequeña ,no entendía ,quiero sacarme la mente .

De más grande , aparecieron amores , já , hipocresía. . Amores? Me pregunto . Y que es el amor? Y no me vengan con eso de ser felices y estar juntos ,porque por más casado y años que uno este a la par de otro ,siempre va haber una mentira,una infidelidad ,un engaño . Eso , no es amor.

El amor no es aguantar , no es acostumbrarse , no es remarla despyes de un echo para volver a estar bien , no es la cárcel a otro , no es poder estar con otros, no es mentir , el amor . No existe . Y no es que me resigne a conocer y a privarme de volver a enamorarme, porque un día ocurre..

He hecho todo mal durante mi vida , tal vez ,por eso me toque vivir el infierno .

Hoy me encuentro llorando una vez más , cansada , pensando , triste , sola,desconsolada ,a la deriva ,a punto de tirarme al vacío .

Ojala no me lloren . Y perdón . Perdón a los que de verdad me quieren por hacerlos llorar.

Intenté, juro que intente encontrar la salida ,intente seguir ,intente aguantar ,intente afrontar , intente buscar la felicidad , y tal vez , la vida no es para todos . Y si , los que decidimos esto , somos unos flojos .

Flojos de amor,de felicidad , carecemos de que alguien realmente nos escuché y sobre todo comprenda .

Ojala hijo mío no me odies, ojalá entiendas que no quería que crezcas viéndome así , padeciendo depresión , gritos , golpes , llantos y vaya a saber que más si seguiría.

Mi vida está rota , no puedo,no puedo ,hasta acá llegue , Perdóname . Te amo y más te amo . Ojala tengas tu felicidad , sea como sea, cuida siempre a los que amas . Te amo hijo.

"El suicidio no es por acabar con mi vida , es para acabar con el dolor".

Atte:Una chica sin alma.

[duhragonball]

[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (132/?)

Disclaimer: This story features characters and concepts based on Dragon Ball, which is a trademark of Bird Studio/Shueisha and Toei Animation.   This is an unauthorized work, and no profit is being made on this work by me. This story is copyright of me. Download if you like, but please don’t archive it without my permission. Don’t be shy.

Continuity Note: About 1000 years before the events of Dragon Ball Z.

[October 25, 233 Before Age. Despye.]

"The shipyard has a few surface-to-orbit cannons. Here, here... and here."

From inside his cell, Guwar pointed at various spots on a map printed from his ship's database. It had always been his plan to share this information with Luffa once he reached Federation space. He hadn't really considered how that handover would work. In hindsight, he supposed that it had been naive to think that he would just tell Luffa what she needed to know and that would be that. They didn't trust him, not completely. And so he was confined to a holding cell while a blue-skinned alien interrogated him over and over.

"Good," she said as she scribbled notes onto a pad. "What sort of ships do they have in the yard?"

He sighed before answering. "Mainly surplus Camelian cruisers, a few privately owned mercenary craft, all stolen, of course. There's some freighters for covert ops and troop transports, but most of those were already deployed. Our warriors would take them to various star systems and then hijack other ships, then take those into Federation space. That's how we managed to avoid being traced back. But you already knew that from the last four times I answered this question."

"Just seeing if you can keep your story straight, Guwar," she said. He didn't know her name, or even what planet she came from. He didn't think she was very strong-- not by Saiyan standards, anyway. But then, he wasn't very strong himself anymore.

"Tell me about the Jindan formula," she said. For a moment he thought she might have read his mind, but he knew this was impossible. It probably wasn't a coincidence either. She kept asking about the same things over and over, expecting to catch him in some lie.

"Trismegistus created it," he groaned as he explained it again. "The rest of the galaxy knows him as the Saiyan King Rehval, but you have to get to a certain rank in the cult before he reveals that to you. Some Saiyans can't handle the truth, so he wipes their memory and makes them repeat the indoctrination until they can accept it."

"Not what I asked," she said.

"I'm just trying to keep this interesting," he said. He got up from his seat in the cell and paced around a bit before sitting back down. Her chair didn't look that much more comfortable than his, but hers had a thin layer of cushioning that he envied.

The alien put her pen to her lower lip. "Oh, it's already pretty interesting, Guwar. Keep talking."

"The Jindan potion makes Saiyans stronger. Something about tapping into a wellspring of energy from the earth, and using it to supplement the life energy in the body. Rehval makes this potion and you drink it." As he mimicked the act of putting a goblet to his lips, he paused as he recalled the rush of ecstasy he felt as he received the power. In that moment, he had felt like he could do anything. It seemed like a hundred years ago.

"Is that how you get the Mindworm?" she asked.

"No, that's a different procedure," he said as he tapped the side of his head. "Your mistress already knows about the Mindworm."

"Mistress?"

"Well, you work for her, don't you? Like, her butler or something."

She laughed quietly and jotted something down in her notes. "Butler, right. Okay."

He shrugged and decided there was no point in prying. "The Mindworm attacks anyone who tries to probe our minds. It protects his secrets. And it's permanent. The Jindan Power, he can take that away whenever he wants. He withdrew it from me while I was on my way here. The catch is, he takes some of my own power with it. Like he's collecting interest."

"So you end up weaker than you were before you started," she said. "I thought I sensed something weird about your ki."

"You can sense my ki?" he asked. He suddenly felt very exposed. Her left eye, the one that wasn't covered by the patch, seemed much more intrusive as she stared into his cell.

"Oh, I can sense more than that, Guwar," she said. "Ki, temperature, heart rate. Why do you think I'm doing this interrogation instead of her? I mean, she's got better things to do, but besides that."

"You're what, then? Some sort of lie detector?"

"Not exactly," she said. "Let's just say I've learned how to interpret a Saiyan's pulse. But enough about me. Tell me about the Nagaoka system again. You said Rehval's on the second of four planets, right?"

"No, I said there was only one planet. Nice try."

She smiled and glanced down at her notes.

"This is a waste of time!" he said. "I already told you everything you needed to know. I thought Luffa would be halfway to Nagaoka now. The longer she waits--"

"You let us worry about that, Guwar," she said. "All you have to do is answer my questions."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, but I probably won't answer."

"Can Luffa defeat him? I mean, she's the Super Saiyan, but is that enough?"

The alien looked up at him with a serious expression. "She's more than enough, Guwar. But you already knew that, didn't you? Otherwise, why else would you risk everything to come here?"

"I... I'm just hedging my bets," he said. "The universe has gotten too hot for Saiyans lately. It's all coming down between Luffa and Rehval, and anyone who doesn't pick a side will get caught in the middle. Rehval's insane, so there's only one other choice."

"You're lying," she said. "If all you cared about was saving your own skin, you'd have taken your ship as far away from here as you could go. Rehval's got you worried. Not just about yourself, but for everyone."

"You can tell all that from my body heat?" Guwar scoffed.

"No, I can tell from your answers," she said. "You're in a big hurry for us to stop this guy, even though he's already punished you for turning against him. And you keep talking about how all the Saiyans will be doomed unless she saves them. You've seen the light, Guwar. Just like I have."

There was nothing he could say about that. He wanted to tell her she was wrong, or that he didn't believe her, but the truth was that he wanted her to be right, at least as far as Luffa being able to win. So instead of saying anything, he just turned and faced away from her, but only for as long as it took for him to pace the length of his cell. She was still there when he turned around.

"Let's move on to those spears you guys always use," she said. "What's the deal with those?"

*******

While Zatte questioned Guwar on Luffa's ship, Luffa herself was briefing the Federation Council, along with its top military commanders, on their planned counterattack. Despye prided itself on the image of a pastorial, agrarian society, but it was also home to a powerful military-industrial complex. Prester Ganzut wore a simple pair of pink overalls and often carried a ceremonial pitchfork when conducting political business. He even smelled of hay, suggesting that he had always just stepped in from tending his fields, though Luffa suspected that he used some sort of farm-scented cologne. The more she got to know the man, the less and less he seemed like a simple man of the land. Watching him host the Federation's leaders in a heavily armored amphitheater only made it that much clearer to which world he belonged.

"Federation observatories have confirmed the presence of a star system in the coordinates you gave us," Marshall Booth said as he addressed the delegates. Luffa didn't care much for him either, but at least his red military uniform told no lies about his agenda. "We don't want to send scout ships, since it might tip our hand, but we've managed to verify just about everything else that Guwar has told us so far. He even told us about an upcoming raid, and gave us the codes to disable their ships. We defeated them easily."

"It's a little too good to be true, isn't it?" asked Emir Plair of Porpozit. He was an ophidian being with thin legs and arms, and a forked tongue that darted out of his mouth every so often. "We've been fighting these cultists for months, with no end in sight, and suddenly this defector shows up on our doorstep and tells us everything we need to win?"

"Attacking Nagaoka won't be a walk in the park, Emir," Luffa said. She uncrossed her legs and leaned forward in her chair. "I intend to personally kill every Saiyan on its surface, but we'll need a whole fleet to surround the planet so no one escapes. And we'll need a second fleet to guard the first one from any counterattack. Rehval won't go down without a fight, and Guwar tells me that his Jindan powers are strongest there."

"We ought to contact him first, shouldn't we?" asked Jett Farthing, Leader-1 of Kiqs IV. He looked like a pile of tentacles stuffed into a blue robe. "Once he finds out that we know where his lair is, he might be open to negotiations."

"He's not interested in negotiations," Luffa snarled. "I tried playing nice with him before, and he lured me into a deathtrap. Drang Dedruhn still hasn't recovered from that charmed necklace he gave her. I won't underestimate him again. Besides, why would any of you want to talk peace with that bastard, after everything he's done to your people?"

"Yes, the element of surprise is vital to this offensive," Booth added. "Even if the cult knows that we have Guwar, they won't know when we'll strike, or how our attack will be carried out. We may not get a second chance at this."

"Rehval seems to take that planet pretty seriously, but he'll abandon it if he thinks he's cornered," Luffa said. "Don't forget about those rock-creatures he's been manifesting on your planets. If he can control those things from another star system, then he probably has some way to escape Nagaoka in an emergency." She punched her open palm as she spoke. "That's why we've got to hit him hard and fast, and from all sides. If we catch him off-guard, we can disrupt his contingency plans before he has a chance to use them."

"Seems t'me that's exactly what he'd want you to try, darlin'," said Prester Ganzut. "You take a fleet all the way out to Nagaoka, and leave our homestead vulnerable to his next attack. If I were him, I'd already be on my way here, leading my own fleet into battle while yours heads to an empty planet."

"We thought of that," Luffa said through clenched teeth. Her tail moved in such a way that would have made her growing irritation very obvious to anyone who understood Saiyan body language. But to the aliens delegates of the council, she simply appeared to be slightly anxious to get underway. "The entire Saiyan Free Company will be going with me to Nagaoka, along with the third and sixth fleet from the Federation Navy. Booth will be taking the ninth fleet to the Gelbo System, about halfway between Nagaoka and here. The rest of our forces will remain in Federation space to deal with any new invaders. From Gelbo, Booth can coordinate with both fronts, and deploy reinforcements wherever they're needed."

"Will the remaining fleets be enough to protect us?" asked Saith Reinar of Rastraw II. Her exoskeleton clicked and the gold bangles on her six limbs clinked as she trembled with anxiety. "We've all seen what those Saiyans can do once they reach the surface of an inhabited world--!"

"Which is precisely why we must intercept and destroy incoming ships before that happens," Booth said. "I have already issued new shelter orders for civilian populations, and local defense forces have been mobilized for--"

"None of that will mean anything if a band of these Saiyan fanatics get past your fleet!" said of Bort Samsa of Drakkenfilt. His body was covered in a thick layer of symbiotic moss, which made his form difficult to make out. "They've managed to do it time and time again during this war, even with all of our forces on the defensive! And now you want to send troops to Gelbo!?"

Booth didn't have a tail, although Luffa could imagine what it might have looked like if he had one. "We have to take the offensive," he insisted. "If we adopt a siege mentality, then the enemy will simply wear us down."

"Hold on a moment," said of Chet Vil, President of Boiperpei. He spoke slowly, more deliberately than the others. While they seemed more terrified of the risks, he talked as though giving a speech to his caninoid constituents back home. "In these unprecedented times, it's clear that there's a great deal at stake. And I think that what we should be focusing on is finding a way to attack the enemy and defend our territory at the same time, without dividing our brave fighting forces. It could be very beneficial to the Federation. Why, just think of what we might accomplish, not only in this war, but in future conflicts."

"You're an idiot," Luffa said. "I only came here to brief you all on my plans, so that you could prepare your people for what might happen if anything goes wrong. I'm not interested in suggestions, especially nonsense. You're up, Dotz."

Nearby, Dotz rose from her chair and gingerly waved to the councilors, then clasped her hands together for a moment, before fidgeting with the purple shawl that hung around her neck and shoulders.

"We've been briefed about your psychic, Madam Federatrix," said Tak-Tik of Kopey. "And we know that her predictions are no guarantee of success."

"Dotz can see the future a lot more clearly than anyone else in this room," Luffa said with a smile. "And she's accurately predicted every Jindan attack inside of Federation space. The only reason we've taken as many losses as we have is because we couldn't always keep up with the invasions, but she always knew where they would show up, and when. Tell them what you told me, Dotz."

"W-well," she began. "I've been trying to improve my abilities lately, for the war effort and all. When Luffa told me about this attack on Nagaoka, she asked me to find out if the prisoner she captured was telling the truth about it. I saw a battle taking place there. Very terrible, but I can't tell anything specific about it. So there must be something there worth fighting over."

There was a rumble of murmurs from the council, and Luffa gestured for Dotz to continue.

"As for the Federation, um, well I'm sorry, but I don't really see any fighting inside your territory, not with Saiyan invaders anyway. Other enemies are harder for me to forsee, unless you have one in mind that you want me to look out for."

"I can't be sure of Dotz' maximum limit," Luffa explained, "but she's forecast battles a month before I fought them. The accuracy gets kind of fuzzy further out than that, but it won't take more than two weeks for the fleet to reach Nagaoka. Dotz says the cult won't make a move while we're gone, and that's good enough for me. Even if something did happen, you'll have Booth's group one week away at Gelbo."

"Convenient, ain't it?" asked Prester Ganzut. "That the enemy'd suddenly stop attacking us like that, for no good reason."

Luffa turned to look at him with an eager gleam in her eye. "Oh, I'll give them a reason to stop attacking, Prester," she said. "They won't attack the Federation because they'll all be dead after I finish attacking them. Or maybe they'll win, and you all can negotiate a settlement over my dead body. Either way, the war will be over, which only confirms that Nagaoka is where the last battle will be fought."

"And we should accept this as fact? Based on the words of this... this confidence man?"

Luffa shot a dirty look at a woman who now stood up from the group. "Do you have a problem, General Bailgrad?"

The general made a self-satisfied smirk as she peered over her glasses to look down at Luffa on the floor. "Not with you, Madam Federatrix, but I have a duty to object to the quality of your advisors. It's shameful enough that our entire defense is centered around 'psychic' visions, however accurate they may be."

"Dotz's prophecies are legitimate, General," Luffa growled. "I wouldn't have consulted with her if I didn't believe in her abilities."

"It's not a question of ability," Bailgrad replied. "It's a matter of allegiance, of competency. How can you trust someone who's not even a Federation citizen, who has no stake in this war? Why, just look at him."

"What?!" Luffa snapped.

"Really, Luffa, I'd like to think that women have made some genuine progress in this society. You're a role model, and it's very damaging to your cause when you humor such infantile notions that biology can be circumvented, simply by dressing up like my grandmother. How can we even take seriously a prophet who doesn't know whether he's a--"

As Bailgrad spoke, Luffa stretched out her hand, and quickly twisted her wrist, pointing her index and middle fingers toward the ceiling. As she did, the general suddenly exploded where she stood. Everyone around her cried out in terror, and yet, the force of the blast was directed upward, the energy so carefully controlled, that the people nearest to Bailgrad felt only a stiff breeze. As for the general herself, nothing remained but her shoes, and a plume of smoke that rose up from them.

"I'll only say this once," Luffa said. "Dotz has saved countless lives in this war. She has my complete confidence. If any of you dare to insult her like that again, I will slaughter you without hesitation. Now. Does anyone else have anything to say?"

No one did. And so Luffa adjourned the meeting, and gestured for Dotz to follow her back to her ship.

"Y-you didn't have to do that," Dotz finally said.

Before Luffa could reply, she noticed Prester Ganzut running after them from the corridor.

"Luffa, wait!"

"The meeting is adjourned, Prester," Luffa said coldly.

"Beggin' your pardon," he said, "but you know it ain't that simple. That wasn't some buck private you just destroyed. Bailgrad's got a lot of friends on Despye. Lot of pull in the rest of the Federation too, f'r that matter."

"Hah! Not anymore, she doesn't," Luffa said with a smirk.

"Consarn it, I'm serious, Luffa!" Ganzut said. He wore the pink overalls of a simple Despyan farmer, but he was as much a career politician as the rest of them. His snowy white hair and leathery skin only meant that he had been doing it longer than most. There was a time, not so long ago, when she found him and others like him to be somewhat amusing.

"So am I," Luffa said. "I protect all of you people by choice, and somehow you think I'm just going to sit quietly and lick your boots while you disrespect my comrades? Think again, Prester."

"I know what you're capable of, ma'am," he said. "And personally, I think Bailgrad deserved what she got. Not much of a general if she couldn't see the tactical flaws in pissin' you off."

"She wasn't a general at all," Luffa said. "Just another pencil pusher behind a desk, handed a title she was never qualified to hold. Just like all of those 'friends' on Despye you were warning me about, Prester. Now that I think about it, maybe someone needs to clean things up on this planet of yours."

He chuckled for a moment, and then his eyes went wide as he realized she wasn't joking. For a split second, his arm reached out, as if he meant to grab her by the shoulder. Perhaps this was how he was used to scolding other women of Luffa's size and stature, but he thought better of it, and kept his hands to himself.

"It don't work that way!" he said, almost pleadingly. "Can't you see that? I thought you woulda learned by now how complicated this stuff is. The government only works when it keeps enough of the people in line. Sometimes that means making compromises, darlin'. You scratch someone's back so they'll scratch yours later. You learn to eat slop and like the taste, because not all of us can break a mountain in two, or shoot lasers out of our hands. It's all a popularity contest, and--" he paused to glance at Dotz-- "beggin' your friend's pardon, there's a lot of rotten ideas out there that are a lot more popular than you are."

"Is there a point to all of this, Prester?" Luffa asked.

"Dagnabbit, I'm tryin' to tell you that if you keep throwin' your weight around, there won't be any Federation left to run! You probably don't look at the polls, but folks ain't as keen on you as they used to be. Some of 'em think you're a troublemaker, and there's plenty others who say you started this whole war, just so your Saiyan buddies could take over. Nobody can stop you, but if you push them too far, a bunch of 'em will die trying, and they'll ruin everything else while they're at it. So just... just back off a hair, is all I'm sayin'."

"Is that all? Fine. Here's what I say."

She grabbed Ganzut by the front of his pink overalls, and lifted him off his feet with one hand. Dotz gasped at the sight of this, but knew better than to interfere. To Ganzut's credit, he didn't panic, though it was clear from his expression that he would have much rather stayed on the ground.

"You probably think I don't keep up with current events much," Luffa said as she stared into his eyes. "I'm so busy fighting your wars, or looking for my own battles, so you figure you can do as you please while my back is turned. That's what got Bailgrad killed, Prester. She got so complacent, so used to thinking she was untouchable, that she forgot how to behave when I was right in front of her."

Ganzut tried to talk, but there really wasn't anything he could say at this point, so he ended up just making a series of nonverbal grunts. Luffa smiled.

"The fact is, I have been paying attention to what goes on in the Federation. The deal was that all of you kings and ministers and presidents would work together and keep things running smoothly while I protected you. And you've done a halfway decent job, but there's plenty of corruption and inequality in the system. Humanoids like Dotz don't get the respect they deserve. The outbreak of space cholera on Fedender is being completely mishandled. Some third-rate celebrity has been stirring up a campaign to harass Ichthyoids on Eetie, based on some laughable conspiracy! Oh, and one of your own department heads has been withholding technical services to farmers with malfunctioning equipment. Are you going to tell me to back off from that, Prester?"

"W-we're workin' on that!" Ganzut said.

Luffa dropped him to the floor. "Work harder," she said. "Because when I get back from Nagaoka, I may just decide to take matters into my own hands. And you might not like the way I solve problems. I won't be very popular by the time I get done, but that's never mattered much to me before."

She turned and left with Dotz. Ganzut gathered himself from the floor, coughing and struggling to catch his breath.

*******

"What did he say then?"

"Nothing. What could he say? He probably thought if he argued with me anymore, I'd kill him like I killed Bailgrad."

"Would you?" Zatte asked.

"Nah, he's not such a bad guy," Luffa said. "He's in a difficult position, or at least what he thinks is difficult. I killed Bailgrad because she was an embarrassment. She owed her life to Dotz's predictions. A little courtesy is a small price to pay."

After the conference, Luffa had returned to her ship, which she and Zatte prepared for the long trip to Nagaoka. Together, they took inventory of the supplies in the cargo bay.

"Is that what's next for us?" Zatte asked as she checked the expiration date on a crate of flour. "After we settle things on Nagaoka, I mean. I was starting to think you were planning to leave the Federation for good."

"Oh, I thought about it," Luffa said. "Trouble is, there's nothing else out there for me. I started this alliance to make things simpler for me while I hunted down Kandai. Ever since then it's been more trouble than it's worth, but there's no bigger battles out there for me to find. I might as well stay put and hope the competition comes to me."

"You don't think Nagaoka will be big enough for you?" Zatte asked.

"To tell you the truth, it doesn't matter much anymore. I... maybe this won't make any sense, but I'm sick of this war. When it started, it seemed like a proper challenge, but I've just been fighting variations of the same battle over and over again. The only real issue is keeping my injuries under control, and making sure we get to the next planet in time. It's more about time management than combat. The enemy knows they can't match my power, so they're just trying to wear me down, so what could they hope to do when they're on the defensive?"

"They might have a secret weapon or two," Zatte offered. "Something Guwar doesn't know about."

"Thanks for trying to cheer me up, but I think they would have used something like that by now," Luffa said. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. When this is over, there probably won't be any new fights for a while, and I think I'm okay with that. I think I'd rather wait for something big to show up instead of trying to force it. I just have to keep busy in the meantime."

"So this social justice campaign is your new hobby?"

Luffa lifted a tank of potable water to read the lot number on the bottom. "I'm not looking forward to it, if that's what you mean. I just know there's a lot of people like Ganzut who feel like they're stuck, and to me it doesn't seem all that hard to get them unstuck. There must be something I can do, and I'm not afraid to bust some heads to make it happen."

"Well I think it's perfect," Zatte said. "It might take you a while to get the hang of it, but with your power, there's no limit to the good you might do for people. Not to mention all the other Saiyans."

"What about them?" Luffa asked.

"Well, with Rehval defeated, they'll have to recognize you for what you are, right?"

Luffa put down the tank and shook her head. "You're a dreamer, Zattie. You ought to know by now how stubborn my people are."

"Seltiss is starting to see it," Zatte said. "And Guwar too. They won't admit it, but I can tell. They wanted Rehval or someone like him to prove you wrong, but now that they see him for what he really is..."

"I can see it now," Luffa said. "'And that's the story, children, of how Old Luffa got all the Saiyans to start planting trees and lobby for fairer transportation laws.'"

"Hey, don't sell yourself short," Zatte said. "You can do anything you set your mind to. And don't worry about getting bored. Trouble usually finds you sooner or later."

"Hah! I hadn't thought of it that way," Luffa said. "Maybe it won't be so bad after all."

NEXT: Left Behind

[balder-drachenblut]

Perdón

Un mes ha pasado Desde aquella vez que nos vimos El pasar del tiempo Ha sido tan lento Y todo siendo un huracán de emociones Haciéndome sentir mas vivo que nunca Eres la casualidad mas perfecta de la vida Te pudo perdón, te mentí, te he mentido y lo seguiré haciendo Ya estoy enamorado de ti, y no puedo hacerlo a un lado No puedo ignorar éste bonito sentimiento Éste hermoso sentir que me produce a días con día Estoy dispuesto a darlo todo Al momento rendirme no es una opción Pues tengo que luchar contra lo adverso Y poder estar a tu lado Sin embargo ese no es tu deseo Al parecer soy algo pasajero Pero despyes de habee sentido tu dulce tacto Es imposible no volverme un adicto A tus cálidos besos A tu manera juguetona de morderme el labio A esa hermosa sonrisa bajo el ocaso Pero sobre todo a esos ojos A esos hermosos y expresivos ojos Un portal desconocido A un mundo conoletamente nuevo Al que no temo de salir lastimado Tus advertencias las he ignorado Espero y pueda ser perdonado

[break-souls]

Ya no quiero volver a ser feliz... Porque la vida despyes de un golpe me regresa a la realidad diciendome que todo lo que sentia era maravilloso en realidad no lo es

[gabi-pioji]

Te pones a limpiar cuando de repente no escuchas nada, puro silencio, vas a la piesa y pum! Lo encontras re fisura despyes de haber ordenado todos sus juguetes! Jaaj el mejor bebe del mundo mundial! ♥

[duhragonball]

[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (135/?)

Disclaimer: This story features characters and concepts based on Dragon Ball, which is a trademark of Bird Studio/Shueisha and Toei Animation.   This is an unauthorized work, and no profit is being made on this work by me. This story is copyright of me. Download if you like, but please don’t archive it without my permission. Don’t be shy.

Continuity Note: About 1000 years before the events of Dragon Ball Z.

[14 November 233 Before Age. Nagaoka.]

Zatte was a Dorlun, born with a unique ability to manipulate energy. She mostly used this for bending light and other radiation around her body, to make herself invisible, or for deflecting ki to protect herself or to hide her own power level from those who could sense it. She had accompanied her wife, Luffa, the Legendary Super Saiyan, on what she considered to be a holy mission to Nagaoka. Luffa had sworn to destroy the planet, and the wicked Saiyan cultists who lurked beneath the thick grey clouds of the Nagaokan atmosphere.

Mostly, Zatte's job was to keep the ship running and coordinate with Luffa's attack fleet. And she was more than happy to do this. This was Luffa's epic story, and Zatte was simply honored to be a part of it. The Dorlun culture prioritized survival, and the Dorlun religion commanded its people to stay alive so that they might eventually find a worthy cause to support. Zatte believed that Luffa was her cause, a pivotal figure destined to change the course of history, what the Dorluns called xan-nil'Dor. Zatte's life had become a swirling mass of contradictions since she realized Luffa's importance. It was hard to balance out all her roles-- loving spouse, devoted disciple, martial arts student, sensible advisor, down-to-earth sidekick-- but now those roles seemed to have finally converged into one. As Zatte stood on the bridge of Luffa's yacht and watched Nagaoka, she felt a serenity in her heart that told her that everything had worked out for the best. Luffa would triumph, and the universe would prosper. All Zatte had to do was follow her beloved the rest of the way.

And then the bombardment failed. Every ship in the fleet fired conventional weapons on the planet, and nothing happened. It was like some enormous force field surrounded the entire planet, but Zatte couldn't locate a power source on the surface big enough to support such a technology. She had never heard of a force field big enough to shield an entire planet, but she knew such a device had to run on something.

Undaunted, Luffa went to the cargo bay to fire on the planet herself. As the Super Saiyan, Luffa's power was greater than any other Saiyan in the universe, greater than the firepower of the entire fleet. For a moment, Zatte felt reassured. Nagaoka would be destroyed in an instant, and its secrets would die with it. From the bridge, Zatte could sense her bride's immense ki energy building. On the viewscreen, she could see the lance of golden energy streaking out to the planet.

And then the energy faded away, only for the planet to split it up and shoot it all back from a hundred different directions. Even if there was a force field big enough and strong enough to do this, there was too much cohesion in the reflected energy. It should have just diffused evenly, leaving little more than a harmless wave of radiation. To split a beam into dozens of smaller beams was something more like Zatte's own innate ability, but how could anything achieve this on a planetary scale? It was impossible, unless...

Her mind raced with horrified speculations, but soon the answer appeared before her as she watched the clouds on Nagaoka shift and swirl until they formed the image of a man's face. She instantly recognized it as the likeness of King Rehval III, the Saiyan monarch who abandoned his kingdom to start his bizarre alchemical cult on Nagaoka.

And then, as the lips of the cloud-image began to move, Zatte could hear his voice in her mind. "Hello, Luffa. I'm so glad that you've finally arrived. Now, at last, we can put all of this to an end."

Saiyans all had a low-level telepathic ability. Over a limited range, they could send their thoughts to other beings, like a sort of mental walkie-talkie, although they lacked more advanced mind-reading powers. Luffa could read minds, but only by making physical contact. In this case, it seemed like Rehval was projecting his thoughts across a much larger range, not just addressing Luffa, but anyone nearby. Zatte began to wonder if the entire fleet could hear this.

"I'm sure you remember Pozet," Rehval began, and Zatte's heart sank. She remembered Pozet well. Zatte had killed that horrible creature aboard this very ship. It had tried to prevent her from rescuing Luffa on planet Pflaume. It should have marked the end of that nightmare, it looked like Rehval wasn't finished with it yet.

"Homuncular synthesis is one of the greatest tests of an alchemist's skills. Many of the greatest alchemists die without ever achieving it. I actually pulled it off on my first try, but I didn't feel like I had truly mastered the technique until I created Pozet using folicle samples from your wife. She's an amazing woman, really. My compliments."

Zatte forced herself to look away from the viewscreen and get back to the computers on the bridge. The energy bursts from the planet hadn't been aimed at anything in particular, but a number of ships had been hit anyway. She needed to contact the fleet commanders and get them to back off from Nagaoka before something else happened.

"I created Pozet to act as that serial killer," Rehval explained, "which I used to lure you to my trap on Pflaume City, but she was also a peace offering if you changed your mind and decided to see things my way instead. I thought we could join forces, Luffa. I thought there would be no limit to the things we could achieve together, but you rejected my gift and you spurned my friendship, and now you've come here to destroy me. Fortunately, Pozet served a purpose for that scenario too."

"No," Zatte murmured to herself. "No, no, no..."

"I made three of her, Luffa," he said. "One to present to you, the second to act as my 'serial killer'. You and your lovely bride made short work of them, but the third Pozet I used for my research. I was fascinated with the energy manipulation powers, you see. Imagine what a Saiyan could do with that sort of ability! Imagine what I could do with it, the greatest Saiyan of all!"

Zatte looked up at the viewscreen and clutched at the fabric of her shirt over her heart. She didn't know exactly what all of this meant, not yet. She didn't know how Rehval had become so powerful, or what he planned to do with that power, but she knew that it would be something terrible.

And worst of all, he had used her to make it all possible.

*******

[14 November 233 Before Age. Despye.]

Prester Ganzut paced in a tight circle around his office in the capital city of Despye. There had been no word from the Federation fleet they had sent to Nagaoka. He didn't expect to hear anything, since they were avoiding communications to prevent anyone from learning of their counterattack. He would only receive word when the battle was over, and by his reckoning, the fleet would have just arrived in the Nagaoka system. A cold pitcher of iced tea was waiting for him at his desk, slowly soaking the wood with condensation. Every time the pitcher caught his eye as he walked around the room, he told himself that he would drink it later, but he never got around to it.

Nothing would be the same when this was over. Even if Luffa won the battle, she had all but promised to bring sweeping changes to the Federation when she returned. He had no idea how drastic those "changes" would be, and she probably had no idea herself, which was what made her so dangerous. Even if it all went perfectly, he doubted that her plans would bode well for his career.

As he mulled over his political prospects, the ground began to shake under his feet. He wasn't sure what to do about an earthquake, as this part of the planet had never had one before. Just as he decided to take cover under his desk, two of his security detail rushed into the office and escorted him to an emergency transport. This was standard procedure during an attack on the city, but he couldn't hear any air-raid sirens or any other sounds he had come to associate with a battle.

The way to the transport was underground, connected to his building by a tunnel, but before they could reach it, they found the entire entrance smashed into rubble. A large column of earth was rising out of the ground, and the tunnel entrance simply had the misfortune of being located in its path. So too, was the ceiling above them, and the upper floors of the building.

His security team managed to get him outdoors, and they even evacuated most of the other people inside, but as Prester Ganzut watched the Despye Executive Hall being impaled by a giant column of rock and dirt, he was certain that there had to have been causalities. Angrily, he demanded an explanation for what was happening, even though he doubted that anyone else had one to offer.

Then the great tower of earth began to shape itself, like clay in the hands of an invisible sculptor, and Ganzut suddenly knew.

"The cultists!" he gasped as the column finally took the form of a man. He had heard of this taking place on other planets, but Luffa had always been there to stop them before they could do any real harm. But Luffa was at Nagaoka, supposedly fighting the cultists, wasn't she? If so, then she wasn't fighting them hard enough for Prester Ganzut's liking.

"Prester Ganzut, I presume!" the earthen giant said aloud. It looked right at him, and Ganzut's blood ran cold. "Good day to you, sir. I'm King Rehval III, also known as Trismegistus. Well, this is an avatar of me, anyway. My followers planted it here so that I could talk to you when the time was right."

"This can't be!" Ganzut said. "You... can't be here! Luffa's fortuneteller, she told us there wasn't gonna be any more attacks from you Jindan Saiyans!"

"Fortuneteller?" Rehval asked. By now, the avatar was so detailed that Ganzut could see the look of surprise in its "eyes". "Well, now, that does explain a few things. I expected her to defeat my warriors, but I could never understand how she always seemed to know exactly when and where to find them. Such a resourceful woman. Well, Luffa's fortuneteller was right, Prester. There will be no more attacks on your territory. Right now, my avatars are rising up on planets all over the Federation, but they aren't going to fight. They'll just be standing by, awaiting your unconditional surrender!"

"Surrender?" Ganzut asked. "Are you sayin' you already defeated her at Nagaoka?!"

"Prester, you don't understand!" Rehval said with a laugh. "I don't need to defeat Luffa, anymore than I have to attack you. As of today, I've become invincible, and Luffa? Well, she's simply no longer relevant!"

*******

[14 November 233 Before Age. Chai I.]

A similar scene was playing out on the grounds of the Imperial Palace on Chai I, seat of the Camelian Empire.

"The war with the Federation was never about conquest or revenge, your Majesty," the rock-Rehval explained to Zinenz 15, the Emperor of Camelia, who had been playing cricket on horseback when the avatar rose up from the field.

"It was a diversion," Rehval continued. "Luffa had to stay put inside her own territory to defend it from my warriors, while the rest of you watched from the sidelines, believing that I was only interested in the Federation. All the while, my agents were traveling to your planets in secret, and pouring a special potion into the soil of your planets."

"All of them?" Zinenz 15 asked with some skepticism in his voice. His mount was very nervous in the shadow of the earthen giant, but the emperor did his best to stand his ground.

"Enough of them," Rehval replied. "The figure that stands before you know is more than powerful enough to destroy Chai I with ease. I can't destroy every planet in your empire so quickly, but I can threaten enough of the important ones to throw Eternal Camelia into turmoil."

*******

[14 November 233 Before Age. Festid III.]

"Unless we submit to you, is that what you're saying?" asked General Zinfandel asked.

"Precisely," said the rock-Rehval that had manifested on Festid's capital city. "You cannot defeat this giant creature that stands before you, General. The potion that animates it was already absorbed into the very matter that makes up your planet. You might destroy this physical form you see, but another will rise out of the ground to replace it, again and again, for as long as I see fit. Luffa has the power to break the spell, but your armies simply don't have what it takes. You'd only destroy yourselves in the attempt."

"Or we could simply take the fight to you, Your Majesty," Zinfandel suggested. "Killing you on this planet, you mentioned, Nagaoka, would surely disrupt your control over this thing you have created."

"Indeed it would, General, which is why I've taken measures to protect myself," Rehval explained. "Even now, my stronghold is under attack by a Federation fleet, led by Luffa herself. The entire planet is impervious to her strongest techniques. Even if she could find a way to reach the surface, she would have to fight through tens of thousands of my followers. Each of them has been empowered by my Jindan potion. Luffa struggled to defeat twenty of my warriors at a time. How can she hope to beat them all at once?"

*******

[14 November 233 Before Age. Goldwall.]

"This planet has seen enough tyrants, Rehval. I won't allow it to be dominated by another, no matter how powerful."

These were the defiant words of M'ranga, formerly known as Ensign Liberty, now the Kami of Planet Goldwall. Being a goddess was still new to her, and her performance of the role was highly unorthodox. When the giant Saiyan-thing emerged from the dirt, she descended from her Heavenly Lookout and met him directly, rather than watch passively from a distance. The gods of the higher realms might not have approved of this hands-on approach, but Ensign Liberty was a revolutionary, and to her the divine hierarchy was just another power structure to be questioned whenever possible. Likewise, she saw King Rehval as simply another bully.

"I respect your position, Your Grace," the rock-Rehval said. It knelt before her in a mocking show of respect, and kept angling its ear closer to M'ranga as if straining to hear such a tiny creature. "For the time being, I'll allow you to indulge in whatever comfortable slogans you like. Devastating your planet right now wouldn't accomplish anything. I don't want to make an example of Goldwall, but if it comes to that, I'd prefer to have witnesses to see it happening."

"Then wh--?" M'ranga began to ask, but then the earthen giant rose to his full height and looked away from her.

"I only produced these giant avatars because I wanted to inform you all of what was happening," Rehval said. "The Age of Trismegistus has begun, but it hasn't really reached you just yet. For now, this is mostly just to prove a point to Luffa, but once I've finished discussing it with her, I visit all of your worlds again, and I'll explain exactly what it is I expect from each of you."

M'ranga continued speaking after that, delivering a fiery speech about freedom and the irrepressible spirit of sentient beings, but if the rock-Rehval could hear her, it gave no response whatsoever.

*******

[14 November 233 Before Age. Nagaoka.]

"It's amazing, truly amazing," Rehval said as he bathed in the glowing red liquid that filled his sunken bathtub. It was a public section of his compound, and his followers were encouraged to enter and watch him soak. Some fell prostrate at the edge of the bath and worshiped him, while a parade of attendants added scented oils and other chemicals to the liquid as he soaked in it. Behind him, Treekul lounged on a mat and massaged his neck and shoulders.

"Tell me about it, boss," Treekul said. The hair on her head was over two inches long.

"I'm everywhere at once now," he said. "Not literally, but but I might as well be everywhere. I'm talking to a thousand people at once right now. I can see them, Treekul. They all look so outraged, so envious of what I've become."

"I'm sure Luffa looks pretty ticked off right about now," Treekul said with a smile.

"Oh, I can't see her," Rehval said. "But I can see her ship, and all the other ships she brought along. They're just hanging there in space like little toys. And beyond them, the stars, my kingdom. My laboratory. The very clouds have become my eyes, Treekul. I can see it all as easily as I see you."

He looked back at her, and raised one of his hands to caress her cheek. She pulled back at the sight of the crimson fluid still dripping from his fingertips.

"Oh, it's harmless, I promise," he said. "I've been drinking different potions and rubbing ointments into my skin for weeks to prepare myself for this. Without all those treatments, all of this would be useless, like stewing in melted candlewax."

"That's what you said about this lotion, too," Treekul replied. She held up her hand to show the oily film she had been rubbing into his shoulders. "And you talked me into that, but let's just say I'd like to know more before I jump in there with you. How did you pull all of this off?"

"It's like I told you from the beginning, my Apprentice," Rehval said. "The energy of living things is what gives rise to ki. Saiyans have more of it than most, but it never seems to be enough, and there's more than one way to get it. There's untapped power within the very planets themselves. My namesake, the original Trismegistus, found ways to study that geomantic energy, but he lacked the vision to do anything with it. I named myself Trismegistus to honor the fulfillment of his discoveries."

"I thought you took that name to claim supremacy over all other alchemists," Treekul asked. "You know, 'Look at me, I'm the best.'"

"Well, that too," Rehval said with a satisfied smirk. "I can have more than one reason."

"Yeah, I guess you can have anything you want now," she said as she went back to rubbing his shoulders. One of the attendants handed him a crystal sifter of wine, and he sampled the bouquet with relish.

"I had more than one reason for keeping you here, too," he added. "Of course, I couldn't let you just tell outsiders about this place. Not until I had its defenses prepared, anyway. It took some doing to incorporate Pozet's abilities into my link with the planet's geology. But besides that, I needed someone I could talk to. Someone removed from the Saiyans, who could appreciate everything I put into this plan."

She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "Well, it's not like there's anywhere else for me to escape to, is there?" she asked. "You've practically conquered the whole universe, so I might as well stay here where all the magic happens."

"Exactly," he said. "Admit it, you didn't think any Saiyan was capable of this sort of genius. We're all nothing but brutish warriors to you."

"I gotta admit, I have been rethinking a lot of old attitudes since I got here," Treekul said.

"The whole universe has looked down their nose at the Saiyan species," Rehval said. "And rightfully so, because many of us believe in the same stereotypes. I tried to reverse that perception, to play the dignified statesman, an ambassador of goodwill from the Saiyans to the rest of the galaxy, but I knew they didn't really believe me. They thought I was a curiosity, or an aberration. Sooner or later, they expected me to revert to type. What those haughty princes and emperors didn't understand was that I was counting on them to underestimate us."

He raised his glass to toast the worshipers at the opposite end of the bath, then drank. "That was how my flock was able to seed so many worlds in such a short span of time. No one thinks of a Saiyan using stealth. They expect us to crash onto a planet's surface and run wild, pillaging everything in sight. No one imagines a Saiyan infiltrating a group of tourists, or a work crew. No one is on guard against a Saiyan stepping out of sight and pouring a vial of liquid into the soil near a government building. And even if that Saiyan were spotted, no one would understand what he was doing. They wouldn't even know he was a Saiyan, not without a tail to give him away."

Treekul gestured at everyone else in the room. "That's why you had everyone lop off their tails?" she asked. "So they'd be sneakier?"

"More than that," Rehval said. "I did it to prove that we no longer need the tails, that we're so much more without them. Look at Nagaoka. Surrounded by clouds, its moonlight is useless here. Even if you had a tail, on another planet it wouldn't be good for more than a day or two. But I've channeled the geomantic currents of this solar system. The planet's relationship to the moon serves me at all times, without a tail. That's progress, Treekul. Why would anyone want to escape from that?"

*******

"Aren't you forgetting something, dad?" Seltiss asked from the bridge of the SFC's command ship. It was unnerving to stare into the eyes of his image on Nagaoka's surface, but she fixed her gaze anyway, determined to show her resolve.

"Ah, Seltiss," Rehval said telepathically. "I hear you've kept busy while I've been away. I'll admit, I was somewhat surprised when I found out you had joined forces with Luffa."

"You were surprised? I thought you were dead," Seltiss shouted. "Or that you had gone totally freakazoid after you evacuated Planet Saiya! Then this cult shows up and I thought some lame-o wizard was trying to enslave us all! Turns out it was you all along."

"Then you should be relieved," Rehval said. "The Saiyans are in no danger from me. The Jindan power is a way for them to become stronger, and a way to make myself stronger in return. That's how I've made all of this possible. By merging my spirit with the planet, and drawing power from my followers, I--"

"You've empowered yourself," said Xibuyas, who stood beside Seltiss on the bridge. "But only yourself, from what I can see. You say you have rock-avatars on a thousand key planets, ready to destroy them if anyone defies you. The only way to stop them is to destroy Nagaoka, which you've made indestructible. That's not like you, Your Majesty. You always taught Princess Seltiss and me that wielding power was a much more subtle art."

"Yeah," Seltiss added. "It's a scalpel, not a club. That's what you always told us. Its like a strategic game. You make one move at a time, building your position until you can win."

On the viewscreen of Seltiss' ship, the clouds on Nagaoka chuckled in time with Rehval's telepathic laugh. "Don't you understand, children? It was a game, but it's over now! I've won! I wielded the scalpel, since long before you were born, and now the surgery is finished! The game is over, and this is the end of history. Whatever happens from now on will be decided by my power, and mine alone. This was always the point, Seltiss. It was always about securing the future of the Saiyans at the top of the universal food chain. Everything before today was a means to an end."

"But you've forgotten something, dad!" Seltiss insisted. "Whatever this creepy future is you've envisioned for the Saiyans, it can't outlive you! Who's going to maintain all of this when you're gone? You need heirs for that, and right now you haven't got any!"

She was trembling now, and Xibuyas nearly reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, until he thought better of it. He knew this was something she had wanted to say to her father for a long time, and now that the moment was finally here, she was building confidence in her words. Seltiss pointed her thumb at herself, then poked her own chest with it, deforming the logo of whatever musical act was featured on her 7000-credit t-shirt.

"I know about your eugenics plans, dad," Seltiss said. "You told me about it often enough. The genetic profiling, the incubation chambers, that was only just the beginning. You wanted to breed a stronger generation of Saiyans, and you wanted your descendants to be the strongest of each new generation, right? That's why you needed Xibuyas! He was your special project to make an ultimate Saiyan, but you needed me to bear his offspring, so they would share your bloodline!

"Well guess what? Xibuyas and I aren't playing along anymore. You may need us, but we sure don't need you, not anymore! So even if you are invincible, your new era won't even last another century... unless!"

Her lips curled into a triumphant smile, like a high-stakes gambler on the brink of winning the pot. Xibuyas couldn't help but smile himself. He didn't understand her fashion sense, or why she insisted on dyeing her black hair pink, or how she could possibly think Luffa was "cool." Xibuyas only knew that he admired this girl more than he could possibly express.

"We can work something out, father," Seltiss said. "You'll have to agree to share power, and grant certain concessions to my Saiyan followers. They have their pride, you know. They're not about to start bowing down to you like some sort of graven image, not when they came to me to get away from your bogus brand of order."

The cloud-image of Rehval seemed genuinely impressed by her bold demands. "Concessions," he said, as though trying the word on for size. "Interesting, Seltiss. Suppose I agree to your terms. What do I get from you in return?"

Seltiss relaxed slightly. "When we're older, Xibuyas and I will produce those heirs you want," she said. "And the two of us can take over your rule when you... well you know... die. And I can talk the Free Companions into a working relationship with you. They can act as enforcers, since you and yours are probably, like, stuck on that planet for the long term right?"

Xibuyas chuckled quietly. Luffa and her Federation fleet would be furious over this, but what could they possibly do about it? She had them over a barrel. As powerful as Rehval had become, she was the one person in the universe who had something he wanted. He watched Rehval's face on the atmosphere of Nagaoka, curious to see how he would react.

The face in the clouds simply laughed.

"Seltiss, Seltiss, Seltiss," he said as the cloud-image shook its "head". "I'm impressed with how far you've come. I really am. Organizing this Free Company of yours, building a coalition against me, well I knew you would try it, but I honestly wasn't sure how well you would succeed. You really are my twenty-seventh greatest creation."

"You... you knew I would turn against you?" Seltiss asked.

"I raised you, my dear. Sent you to all those private schools to teach you political theory. I chose those programs because I knew they would fill your head with ideas about taking bold steps to secure power, and how important it is for leaders to take initiative. I wanted you to grow up looking for ways to seize power from me wherever you could. At first, it was just so you would be a worthy successor if something ever happened to me. But when I abandoned Saiya, I knew you might start gathering all of my enemies together. Every Saiyan who would oppose my rule, all united under one banner. And how thoughtful of you to deliver them to my doorstep!"

"You wanted me to do this?" Seltiss gasped.

"Either this, or maybe you'd get them all killed in a war you couldn't win. Or they'd abandon you in disgust and recognize my power as the only one that works. But this! Oh, you've made me very proud. Your sisters were never capable of this kind of leadership, Seltiss. That's why I chose you to be the one who bore Xibuyas' children. It had to be you."

"Well it won't be!" Seltiss shouted. "I'm not your puppet, dad! I don't care how powerful you are, I'm not going to play along with your sick plans!"

She began to stamp her feet on the deck, not quite hard enough to smash the deckplate apart, but enough for everyone on the bridge to feel the rumble.

"We won't do it!" Seltiss insisted. "You can send your goons to chase us all over the galaxy, but you'll never get your heir! And Xibuyas can beat those rock monsters of yours. Luffa's already shown us how! So unless you plan to die of old age on that planet of yours, you'd better--"

Rehval started to laugh again.

"Seltiss, do you really think you were ever that important to my plans?" Rehval asked. "Would I really let a spoiled teenager out of my sight if I actually depended on her cooperation?"

"You knew you couldn't stop me, so you didn't try!" Seltiss protested. "That's why you didn't send your men to stop me from rescuing Xibuyas from Pflaume--"

"I let you have Xibuyas," Rehval said, "because I had no further use for him. He failed to defeat Luffa, and I knew he wouldn't bother me too much while he was with you, so I abandoned him. Just like I abandoned you when I had no further need of you."

The cloud image shifted, forming a planet-sized monochrome photograph of a cryonics laboratory. A scientist could be seen handling frozen embryos.

"I wanted grandchildren through you and Xibuyas," Rehval expained, but I never needed your cooperation to get them. I took genetic samples from both of you when you were small children, and sent them to a facility that specializes in genetic engineering projects. It's on Planet Bliff in the Nullon Sector. I'm telling you this because one of my avatars is already on the planet, ready to protect it in case one of you tries to interfere with my business there."

Seltiss was horrified. "You... you what?"

The image in the clouds shifted into a wider view of Rehval, soaking in his alchemical bath, surrounded by his faithful. "I saw great potential in both of you, but I had to see what you could do in practice, and I didn't want to risk losing your genomes if you got yourselves killed. You see, Seltiss, I want a line of descendants, but not as heirs. No, I needed you to produce a line of enforcers. Saiyans of royal blood who would go out and handle provincial matters in my new kingdom. You would be the matriarch of that line, and I think you'd be very good at that work. But your sons and daughters will fill the role just as well. I wanted you to cooperate, I really did, but I only needed one thing from you, and..." he paused to chuckle, "I already have it."

In the cloud-image, Rehval clapped his hands together with great enthusiasm. "As for my death, I wouldn't mark your calendars anytime soon. I'm not just bonded with the energy of this planet. I am the planet now. Its vast geomantic energies are mine to control, like the ki of my Saiyan body. The process has merged us in a way that I can't quite put into words, but I think I'll have plenty of time to figure that out. We Saiyans think of planets as things that are fairly easy to destroy, but Nagaoka is now a planet that can defend itself. Or rather, myself. And we think of Saiyans as creatures with a finite lifespan, but I've become so much more than that now. How long does the moon live in the sky? Well now I am the moon. I am the sky. I am the planet. So now that we've got that straightened out, let's talk about the concessions you can make for me, my daughter."

Xibuyas saw Seltiss trembling again, but this time it wasn't out of anxiety or excitement. Now, it was despair. He couldn't help but share it. He wanted to call Rehval's bluff, to say that it was impossible for him to do the things he was claiming. And yet, he knew he owed his life to Rehval's alchemical skills, and he had fought the rock-Rehval creatures before. As for Nagaoka, he could sense the strange power of this planet, and he had already seen how ineffective their weapons were against it.

"Every Saiyan who partakes in the Jindan potion has given me a portion of their energy," Rehval began. "Every Saiyan who does not, will be considered an enemy of the state. You, Seltiss, my daughter, will bring your followers to the surface of Nagaoka, and they will join me. Any who refuse, well, that's fine. I can destroy you here and now, or my followers can hunt you down later. I know there are other Saiyans out there who haven't taken sides yet. I'd like your help in finding them, Seltiss. But I don't need your help, and honestly, I don't mind taking my time. Those other Saiyans are no threat to me."

*******

Aboard Luffa's star-yacht, Luffa and Guwar watched Rehval from the open door in the cargo bay. The force field that maintained the bay's atmosphere offered a perfect view overlooking Nagaoka, and Rehval's telepathy relayed everything he had said to Seltiss.

"I'll go ahead and offer an invitation to Luffa as well," Rehval said. "No harm in that, since I know she won't accept it, but I would suggest that you consider the alternative, Luffa. You can't defeat me here. Even if you reached the surface, you'd never stand a chance against my armies. You can defeat my avatars, true, but you'd have to get to them first, and it'll take you weeks to get back to your precious Federation. If I were you, I wouldn't bother. I'll command my avatars to destroy any planet at the first sign of your approach. The Federation will surrender to me, immediately, I think. And you... well, I guess you can roam the stars, Luffa. No inhabited planet in the universe will dare accept you, not if it means incurring my divine wrath. I suppose you can find some remote world to settle on, or just fly your star-yacht as far as you can go until it runs out of fuel.

"I'm willing to let Guwar return the fold as well. Yes, I can sense you aboard Luffa's ship, Guwar. You were part of my plan, after all. I knew my scheme would make no sense without an understanding of what I intended to do with this planet. That was why I took you into my 'confidence', Guwar. I knew your faith in me would falter, and that you would go running to the only person you thought was strong enough to stop me. Hopefully, you see just how wrong you were to doubt."

It horrified Guwar to hear Rehval speak to him directly. He hadn't wanted to come along on this mission at all, and he had hoped the cult wouldn't learn of his presence on Luffa's ship. But now, Rehval had seen him, and.... forgiven him?

"I hope you appreciate my revenge, Luffa," Rehval went on. "I sacrificed so many of my favorite things when I tried to kill you on Pflaume City. And then I had to give up my kingdom on Planet Saiya. Well now I've taken away the thing that matters most to you, Mrs. 'Super Saiyan'. I've taken away your relevance. I've become more powerful than you now, and that makes your power meaningless. Now you can slither under a rock, the way I only seemed to do when I left Saiya. The difference is that I came here to achieve an even greater glory! While all you can do is decide how you want to die. Have fun making up your mind, woman."

Here, the telepathic words of Rehval Trismegistus came to an end. Luffa didn't move as she watched the clouds resume their natural patterns. She didn't move when Guwar approached her.

"I guess that's it then," he said with a sigh. "He played us all. Nothing left to do but head down there and accept d--"

Luffa powered down, her gleaming yellow hair resuming its natural black color. She turned and shot Guwar a murderous glare. "I'm going to kill them," she said. "Every last one of them."

"What?" Guwar asked. "Whoa, wait, you heard what he said! You saw what happened when you fired on the planet. There's nothing anyone can do! Let's just be glad that he's being graceful enough to let us join him. I mean, I've been there before, you know. The cult's not so bad, once you get used to it--"

There was a loud "crack" as Luffa swatted her hand across Guwar's head. Guwar himself didn't hear it, as the force of the blow killed him a split second before the sound arrived at his ears. The last thing to go through his mind was the right side of his skull. For a brief, horrific moment, his dead body remained standing, and then it finally collapsed, as though remembering what it was supposed to do.

Luffa turned and walked out of the bay.

NEXT: Become The Wind.

[duhragonball]

[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (113/?)

Disclaimer: This story features characters and concepts based on Dragon Ball, which is a trademark of Bird Studio/Shueisha and Toei Animation.   This is an unauthorized work, and no profit is being made on this work by me. This story is copyright of me. Download if you like, but please don’t archive it without my permission. Don’t be shy.

Continuity Note: About 1000 years before the events of Dragon Ball Z.

Previous chapters conveniently available here.

[4 March, 233 Before Age.   Berqt IV.]

Ziamond E'en awoke to find himself clad once more in the familiar flesh he had worn all those centuries ago.  Before him stood the pathetic mortal woman who had freed him from the Crimson Crystal.  It had taken months for him to establish contact with this girl, to befriend her and earn her confidence and trust, to the point where she would do his bidding.  Now, she stood before him with her hands clasped affectionately over her heart, her head bowed in reverent devotion.  For her, this was the culmination of whatever fairytale romance fantasy she had imagined for them.

For Ziamond E'en, this was his chance to bring about the Black Renaissance, and to establish the Dark Kingdom upon this world.  His enemies had thwarted him in the past, but now he would unleash a reign of horror that would endure for eons.

There was the woman to consider first.  As he lifted her chin with his alabaster hands, as he gazed into her dark, lovelorn eyes, he decided that she might still be of some use to him at least until he had consolidate his power.  The mortals of this plane were no match for him, of course, but it would take time to bring them to heel, and a loyal servant would make the task easier, however incrementally.  She smiled warmly in answer to his arrogant sneer.

"You have done well," Ziamond said with an insincere charm.  "At last, we are together."

"I was so frightened, my prince," she said, tears streaming from her eyes.  "Not for my own sake, but for yours!  If the Saiyan invaders attacked this place, they might have destroyed the summoning circle before I could complete the ritual!  Oh, but now you're here, and they'll be no match for you."

Ziamond didn't know what 'Saiyans' were, but he was pleased to hear that fate had ordained a war to herald his triumphant return.  Perhaps these invaders would make decent soldiers for his legions.  If not, their bones could be stacked to fashion a decent enough footstool.

He looked away from the woman and reached out with his senses to locate the strongest powers on the planet.  The trouble with being so immensely powerful was that lesser beings were incapable of comprehending how outmatched they were.  Long ago, he had learned that if he bested a few of their strongest, it would break the spirits of the rest, simplifying matters greatly.

"I shall return shortly," he announced to the girl.  "Prepare a meal, and I shall inform you of-- Aah!"

His senses reeled from what he had just found.  It was like staring into the sun.  He had no idea that a ki source that great could exist.  What did this mean?  Could the girl have made some mistake in the ritual?  Was his restored body somehow incomplete?

"My prince, what--?" the girl tried to ask.  He vaguely noticed her reaching out to him, but before she could act, one of the walls of her lair exploded.  Two mortal creatures, a man and a woman, had crashed through.  Both were covered in blood.  Unlike the woman who had summoned him back into this world, they had furry tails.

"The Saiyans, I presume," Ziamond E'en said.  "Disgusting creatures, but perhaps I can find some use for them."  He raised his scepter, through which he could focus his incredible power.  "Ah, but these two are too badly injured to serve me.  Better to destroy them, so I can gauge the hardiness of the others."

With that, he fired a beam of energy at the pair.  To his surprise, their bodies still remained after his attack was completed.  He had hurt them, but they still lived.    And one of them began to move...

"What sorcery is this?" Ziamond E'en asked.  Before he could try again, a third Saiyan smashed into the room, this time coming through the ceiling.  The girl trembled with fear, and Ziamond suppressed a sudden impulse to protect her.  Could he have actually developed feelings for this pathetic creature?   There would be time to address that later, after he had subjugated the planet.

This Saiyan was different from the others.  Clad in yellow and black, she had the look of a savage berserker, but there was something more.  Her hair glowed like molten iron, but beside that, there was something about her that gave even Ziamond E'en pause.    In one fluid motion, she had crashed into the room and killed the others with a pair of energy beams from her palm.  With a snarl, she sniffed at the air, and when she finally did acknowledge Ziamond E'en, there was no fear in her green eyes.    No, her expression was something resembling concern.

"Take the girl and get away from here," she warned Ziamond E'en.  "It isn't safe."

Ziamond E'en leveled his scepter at her and prepared to fire another blast.  "Safe?  Pfah! Know your place, woman," he scoffed.  "Your petty conflict means nothing to me.  Behold, for the hour of the Dark Kingdom is at hand, whence I--"

"Oh, you're here to cause trouble," Luffa said.   "Fine."

And then she grabbed him by the arm and yanked him off his feet.  He heard the girl below cry out for him, but she was so far away from him now.  In a flash the Saiyan woman had carried him high into the air, where she met another Saiyan, one of her enemies.

If there had been time to consider it, Ziamond E'en might have speculated that she was going to request an alliance of some kind.  Instead, she simply swung his body at her enemy, using him like a makeshift club.

This continued for some time, during which Ziamond E'en became acutely aware of just how helpless he truly was in this conflict.  The Saiyan woman was the immense ki he had sensed before.  It was no bluff or illusion.  Her enemies weren't as strong, but they still dwarfed his own power, to the point where he was only fit to be used as a blunt object in their fight.

Not indefinitely, of course.  After several minutes of being manhandled this way, Ziamond E'en lost consciousness, and when his body was too badly broken, the Saiyan woman tossed him aside and left him for dead.

Months later, the girl who had summoned him would find her beloved and painstakingly restore his body, at least to the point where could speak again.  On that day, Ziamond E'en would only beg her to send him back to his own dimension... where it was safe.

*******

[4 March, 233 Before Age.   Despye.] 

"Where is she?"

Xibuyas had arrived at Luffa's star-yacht to find Luffa herself absent.  Instead, a large arachnoid creature had met him at the spacedock and insisted that he submit to a physical before anything else.  

"The Berqt System, if I recall correctly," Dr. Topsas replied.   Xibuyas found the alien thoroughly revolting.  His hands somewhat resembled those of a humanoid, except there were eight of them, constantly moving and handling medical devices.   His eight eyes and fuzzy pedipalps seemed to indicate something about his mood, but his expressions were too alien for Xibuyas to decipher, and the young Saiyan was too disgusted to try.  

"It was she who insisted on working with me," he said indignantly.    "I knew this was a mistake.   If Princess Seltiss had not bade me to cooperate with her, I would have--"

"Yes, yes, I'm sure you have some very colorful threat prepared for such a scenario," Topsas muttered.   He was taking Xibuyas's blood pressure with two hands, examining his eyes with a third, and recording notes with a fourth.   "However, the fact remains that you are here, and Luffa is not.   And yet, you find yourself cooperating in spite of your better judgment, correct?   That is why you're submitting to this examination, isn't it?"

"Have a care, doctor," Xibuyas growled.  "Your precious Luffa isn't here to protect you."

"Young man, I promise you that I am showing you all the respect I give to every overwrought teenage mammal that has passed through my care.   All I ask in return is that you kindly hold still.   The genetic scanner is such a touchy device."

"Don't tell me," Xibuyas grumbled.  "That freak told you to scan me, so that you could 'prove' that she's my mother."

"Not at all," Topsas replied.  "This is part of a standard check for diseases.   There are so many alien species, and a genetic scan helps sort out which features are normal and which are signs of illness.  Though if you're curious, I suppose I could run a comparison--"

"Don't trouble yourself," Xibuyas snarled.  "She's not my mother, because she's not a real Saiyan.  It will take more than lies from her crew to convince me otherwise."

"Crew?" Topsas asked.   "My dear boy, you make it sound as though I should be cleaning the decks.   I'm a medical doctor.   Renowned in some circles, not that anyone around here seems to care about that.   No, I have no interest in convincing you of anything.   What use is evidence and the scientific method against the raging hormones of an adolescent vertebrate?"

Xibuyas might have lost his patience then and there, until Topsas suddenly turned to address a blinking light on one of the sickbay computers.   "Oh dear," he said in a very concerned tone.

"What is it?" Xibuyas demanded.  

"The genetic readings are distorted in places," Topsas said.   He pointed at a display, which Xibuyas found just as inscrutable as the doctor.    "Here, here, and here.  Luffa told me you were enhanced by alchemical means as a child, and that's known to have a masking effect on these types of scans.   Of course it could just mean the scanner is malfunctioning.   Nonetheless, there's a strong match between your genes and Luffa's."

"I don't believe it," Xibuyas insisted.  

"Neither do I," Topsas said.   He picked up the scanner and made a noise that sounded like someone clicking his tongue, though Xibuyas wasn't sure Topsas had a tongue.   "Malfunctioning, indeed.  It's not even that old.   Dreadful business, getting these scanners repaired.  I'll have to contact the manufacturer, and they'll make me wait days just to tell me to send it in for maintenance."

"Why did Luffa leave so suddenly?" Xibuyas asked.  "What's so important on Berqt?"

"Oh, that," Topsas said idly.  He appeared to be much more interested in writing down the serial number on the back of his scanner.    "Our resident fortune teller could explain that better than I.   I understand she foresaw an attack on Berqt, and Luffa decided to commandeer a Federation cruiser to head it off."

"Fortune teller?" Xibuyas asked with an incredulous sneer.

*******

Xibuyas found Dotz on the observation deck.  The ship was originally a civilian pleasure craft, and this section was covered with the same transparent material used for the windows.  Here, passengers could relax in lounge chairs and enjoy a panoramic view of  outer space.  But Dotz did neither.  She sat on a cushion taken from one of the sofas and placed on the deck.  Around her lay several cards, strings of beads, and a small sphere made of glass.

"Xibuyas," she said before he could open his mouth to speak.  "I've almost got your fortune ready."

"What are you babbling about?" he asked.  "What fortune?"

She looked up at him for the first time since he entered.  "Oh, that's right," she said.  "You haven't asked for it yet.  Sorry."

"I have no interest in your games... woman.  I came here to find out when Luffa will return from Berqt," he said.  That overgrown insect told me you would know."

"That's the trouble," Dotz said. "I can't see anything definite where Luffa's concerned.  Uh, well, I can get some general idea from reading other people's futures, but it's tricky."

"That's absurd," he said.

"I know," Dotz said.  "Until I met Luffa, I didn't have anywhere near this level of psychic ability.  Now I can see further and more precisely than ever, but I still have this blind spot where your mother is concerned."

"She is not my mother," Xibuyas said with a scowl.

"Oh, she's not?" Dotz said.  "Sorry about that.  They told me you--"

"The  forget what they said, and listen to me.  I'm a true Saiyan, you decrepit fossil," Xibuyas said.  "The strongest Saiyan alive, bred and trained by the Saiyan King, Rehval III."

"Oh, then you're stronger than Luffa?" Dotz asked.  He might have taken this question as a defiance, except her expression was too innocent for that.  Dotz was middle-aged, hardly frail, but to a sixteen-year-old the lines on her face and the silver in her hair and the way she kept her purple shawl wrapped around her shoulders left a general impression of naive weakness.  He was accustomed to being angry, but with someone as meek as Dotz, it seemed like a waste of that emotion.

"She's not a Saiyan, so she doesn't count," he said firmly, after taking a moment to compose himself.  "But I will surpass her, and sooner than anyone thinks."

"I see.  Well, that would line up with the visions I've been having," she said.

"What visions?" Xibuyas asked.

"The ones you asked me for," she said.  "Wait, right, that hasn't happened yet.  I'm sorry, I know that sounds very manipulative, like I'm trying to bait you into asking.  That's not what I'm trying to do."

"Enough of your games.  Tell me what you've seen about me," Xibuyas said.

Dotz took a deep breath before answering.  "It's not completely clear.  I see you on the battlefield, a severed head, a swarm of locusts.  The head smiles at you, even though it's breathed its last breath.    The beast who stands against you... like the color of Camelian greenberries.  It cannot be beaten, not by a Super Saiyan.  But the child can triumph where the parent has failed.  Kah.  May.  Hah.  May... Over and over, the sound of the battle.  The son prevails.  Only... you're not the son, are you?  The boy I saw was younger, at least I think so."

"Then what?" Xibuyas asked.  "If Luffa fails, then she dies by my hand, yes?"

Dotz reached for one of the cards beside her knees, and flipped it over.  Then another, and another.

"Times, times, and half a time," she said as she pointed at the first card.  "Purple to green, then orange.  Then... pink?   Consumed?   The orange again.     A great scholar?"

"What are you talking about?" Xibuyas asked, but Dotz took his hand instead of answering.

"It doesn't make any sense," Dotz said.  "I see different paths.  A scholar, a warrior, a martyr?  A world destroyed, then restored, then destroyed.  I can't tell if Luffa's there or not.  I can't even be sure if it's you, but it has to be, somehow.  I shouldn't be seeing other people's fortunes through your own reading.   What's wrong with this...?"

She reached out for his hand, and curiosity had compelled  Xibuyas to give it to her.    Her skin was rough and her grip feeble as she traced her fingers along the lines of his palm.  Soon enough, his frustration finally won out, and he yanked his arm away.  

"As long as I can surpass her, that's all that matters," he said.  "Whatever comes after, all of your riddles, they mean nothing."

"Yes, but if there's multiple outcomes, then my predictions can't--"

"I only want to know where she is," Xibuyas said.  "And if your 'gift' isn't enough to see that clearly, then find me the next Federation world to be targeted by the Jindan cult.  You would be sending Luffa there next, right?"

"Well, that's how we've been doing it so far, but I don't think--"

"No one asked you to think, seer!"  Xibuyas  snapped.  "I only want results.  If Luffa won't go to the site of the next attack, then I'll go alone and handle it myself.  Anything would be better than waiting here."

"All right," Dotz said.  "But, um, it'll take some time.  These tactical predictions are complicated.  You'll need a fairly precise date and time, or the information's useless."

"Don't bother me with details," Xibuyas said.  "Just get started."

"I will," Dotz said.  "Just, be careful, okay?"

"Of what?"  Xibuyas scoffed.   The very idea of this pathetic creature giving him warnings was laughable.

"Zatte," Dotz said.  "You can't avoid her forever."

"I'm not avoiding--" Xibuyas began to protest, and then one of the doors opened.  It was meters away from them, but the silence of the deck and the a acoustics of the domed ceiling magnified the quiet hiss of the door.  When  Xibuyas turned, he found a woman standing in the doorway.

"There you are," Zatte said.  "I've been looking all over for you.   You remember me, right?   I'm Zatte, Luffa's wife."

"Yes, I know," the boy said coldly.  "The blue woman.   You called yourself my stepmother."

"Right," Zatte said.    "I know that's kind of a touchy subject with you, but you have to understand that you mean a lot to Luffa and that means that you're important to me as well, even if--"

"What do you want from me, alien?" Xibuyas snarled.  

"Tactical review," Zatte said.   She pointed her thumb over her shoulder.   "Luffa asked me to look over the reports from the fleet and see if I can find any room for improvement.   I figured you could give me a hand.   And even if you can't, I could use the company."

"I didn't come here to socialize," Xibuyas said.

"Then we can sit quietly and eat the sandwiches I made," Zatte said.   "You are hungry after the long trip to get here, right?   I know Saiyans that well, at least."

"Fine," Xibuyas said.  

"Great," Zatte said.  She leaned inside the doorway and waved to Dotz.   "Sorry for bothering you Dotz, we'll get out of your hair now, okay?"

"Oh, it's quite all right," Dotz said.   "It was a pleasure meeting you, young man.   You've given me a lot to think about."

Xibuyas doubted this very much, as he considered this entire trip to be a waste of time, but he saw no point in arguing.  At least if he went with the blue one, he would have something to eat while he waited.

*******

Like almost everything else on the star-yacht, the conference room was a gawdy exercise in adding luxury to the mundane.   The chairs were upholstered with an overpriced leather, the tabletop was polished to the point where it almost doubled as a mirror, and the overhead light fixture was enormous to the point of self-parody.   There was even a Camelian harpsichord in the corner, apparently just in case someone wanted live music during a business meeting.   The plush conditions of the ship were completely lost on the Saiyan warriors and Dorlun survivalists who had lived here for the past few years.   Zatte simply needed room to work, and an interactive display she could use to plot courses and compare star charts.  

"It's definitely looking better," Zatte said as she stared at a map of Federation space.   "Once Luffa gets back from Berqt, she might actually have a chance to rest up a bit, now that Seltiss and her army have joined the fight."

Xibuyas said nothing, and simply slouched deeper into his chair.  He neither knew nor cared why the conference room was so overdecorated, or why Zatte was so determined to have his company.  

"I know it's awkward," she said, turning to look back at him, "but I really want to thank you for helping us out.   I was worried that Luffa might run herself ragged fighting all these cultists, but with you on our side... well, I really appreciate you being here, Xibuyas."

"Bah!" Xibuyas spat.   "Don't hand me that!   I haven't even done anything!  And I wouldn't want your gratitude in any case."

"Right," Zatte said.  "I guess I should be saving that kind of talk for Seltiss.  Your girlfriend's quite the diplomat, from what I've seen."

"What?!" Xibuyas blurted out.  "That's not--!  What--?"

She wasn't the first person to suggest that he and Seltiss were romantically involved.    Luffa herself had used the "g" word a few days ago, when she requested him to come to this ship.   Xibuyas never cared for the insinuation, but at least he knew that his enemies were only using it to goad him.     What threw him off this time was how Zatte had said it.    It was so conversational, like she just assumed it was an established fact.  

"Oh, come on," Zatte said with a smile.   "There's something between you two, right?   It's kind of cute how you kids try to hide it.   She acts all hip and cool, and you're playing the stolid warrior around her."

This was enough to make him sit up straight, at the very least.   "You don't know anything about us," he seethed.   It was nowhere near a denial, but it was the best response he could muster.

"I don't get her pink hair dye, though," Zatte said.  "I always thought Saiyans took a lot of pride in having jet black hair, but Luffa told me some of you have it colored as a fashion statement.  I mean, sure, but why pink?   Is she trying to look older?"

"Older?" Xibuyas asked.

"Oh, wait," Zatte said.  She ran her hand through her own red hair as she spoke.   "I forget that sometimes.   Pink hair is a sign of old age in my species.   It probably doesn't mean the same thing when a Saiyan has it.   It's probably just her favorite color."

"Why are we talking about hair?" Xibuyas grumbled.  

"Because you won't tell me about your love life," Zatte said.   "Sorry, I never had a stepson before.   Maybe I'm not supposed to pry like this."

"You don't have a stepson," Xibuyas insisted.   "Luffa is not my mother."

"Yeah, well she doesn't think so," Zatte said.   "And I gotta live with her, so whose side do you think I'd take in this?"

"What difference does it make?" Xibuyas muttered.   "She isn't here, so there's no point in supporting her lies."

"Kid, from what I hear, the closest thing you had to a parent was King Rehval, and he left you to die.  Now, maybe you're right, and it is all a big trick, but I can't just assume that.   I married somebody who's pretty sure she's your mom.   So I have an obligation here.   Or maybe I don't.  Look, if you had someone taking care of you, then I guess I could leave this alone, but right now, Luffa and I are all you've got.   I have to do something."

"I can take care of myself!" Xibuyas said.  

"Yeah, that's what I thought when I was sixteen," Zatte said.  "And you've probably done okay, but you shouldn't have to.   When my parents died, I had friends and relatives to look after me, and I helped look after the kids who lost their parents.   It's something I'm grateful for, and I don't want you to go without it."

"Well I'm not grateful for it," Xibuyas said.  

"Sure, you have your pride," Zatte said.  "And you're a sullen teenager.   Gotta be all moody and put up those emotional barriers so you can look cool in front of your girlfriend.   I get it.  You don't have to like me.   Just understand that I can't walk away."

They sat in silence for a while after that.    Occasionally, Zatte would turn to look at him, as though making sure he was still there, or perhaps hoping that he would ask about what she was doing, or offer to help.   When the ship's service droid, PB-2, entered the room to clean it, Zatte had to tell it to leave the uneaten sandwiches alone.  

It wasn't that Xibuyas wasn't hungry.    He was simply too frustrated to think about food.   As much as he adored Seltiss, he resented her order for him to come to this place.   He had been raised to believe himself to be very important, and it irritated him to be sent to a nearly empty pleasure craft, devoid of any action or glory.   He disliked the company, and he especially despised the way they all acted so familiar with him.     It was bad enough that Luffa kept pretending to be his mother, but now this blue-skinned weakling wanted to do the same thing.   Desperately, he longed for some way to take back control of the situation, instead of just sitting here like a child waiting for a nanny to finish an errand.  

When he finally spoke up, Zatte was visibly startled by the sound of his voice.

"Tell me something," Xibuyas said.  

"Sure.   What's on your mind?" Zatte replied.

"What do you claim to know of my father?"

She took a deep breath before answering.    He liked that.   If she wanted to talk so badly, then she could be the one on the defensive.

"His name was Kandai," she finally said.    "Years ago, he and Luffa were part of a Saiyan mercenary group led by Luffa's father," Zatte said.  "My colony contracted them to defend us from invaders."

"Were they successful?"

"No, they weren't," Zatte said.    "Your grandfather sold us out to the enemy, and your dad went along with it.    I lost my right eye when the colony was overrun.    I didn't like your dad much before then.   I was jealous of his marriage to Luffa, but it turned out he was a real creep all along."

"You told me before that I resembled him," Xibuyas said.   "Do you think me a 'creep' as well?"

"Maybe," Zatte said.   "I'm still trying to figure that one out."

"That doesn't sound very stepmotherly of you," Xibuyas said.  

"I guess not," she said.   "I'm new at this.    I was sort of hoping you'd cut me some slack."

"Many Saiyans look alike, without having any close relation," Xibuyas said.   "Do you really believe that Luffa is my mother?" Xibuyas asked.  

"I believe her," Zatte said.   "She thinks you're her son, so that means you are, at least as far as I'm concerned.    And you're a lot like her, so that plays into it."

She set aside her work and went to pour a cup of tea from the carafe.    Xibuyas didn't move, but his eyes tracked her as she walked around the table.

"Do you want me to be her son," Xibuyas asked.  

"You don't ask easy ones do you?" Zatte sighed.  

"No, I don't," he said.    

"The truth is that I don't want her to be hurt because of you," she said.    "It was bad enough before, when we thought you were terminated in the womb.    Then it turns out King Rehval managed to keep you alive, and he raised you to be his personal enforcer. �� Then we thought you vanished on Pflaume, and we didn't think we'd ever see you again.   And now you're back.  I don't know if that's a good thing for Luffa or not.     To be honest, I'm not sure how she'd take it if it turned out you weren't her son after all.    I think it's rough on her no matter what."

"What scenario would you prefer?"  he asked.  

"I guess if you were a little kid again," Zatte said.   "Luffa could raise you the way she wanted, and you could grow up with your mother.    I'm not sure how much help I'd be in that case, but I'd like to think I'd be a part of your life."

"And all it would take is the erasure of the life I've lived so far, wouldn't it?" Xibuyas said bitterly.

"Look, I didn't mean--"

"It never occurred to you to ask if I wanted to be part of your family," Xibuyas said.   "By your own account, my grandfather was a cheat, and my father a coward."

"That's not exactly--"

"And my 'mother'?   A failure," he went on.  "You'd have me believe that the so-called 'Super Saiyan' couldn't even keep her own brat inside her long enough to give birth to him.   Are there any other wonderful relatives you've forgotten to mention?"  

"You've got a great-grandmother somewhere," Zatte said.  "She's kind of a jerk, but--"

"And then there's you," Xibuyas grumbled.   "Luffa's pet alien who worships the ground she walks on.    It's revolting how much you flirt with her, the way you bend over backwards to be whatever it is you think she wants you to be.   Look at you.   Poring over tactical reports like a good little lackey.    You even wear those exotic clothes, parading around the ship like a bar wench even when she isn't around to see it."

Zatte glanced down at the grey tee she wore, and the red flannel pants that extended to her calves, then she looked back at Xibuyas in confusion.  

"You're no warrior," Xibuyas said, leaping to his feet.  "The fact that Luffa keeps you around only proves her unworthiness to call herself a Saiyan."  

"If you think you're the first Saiyan to say that sort of thing to me, Xibuyas, you're wrong," Zatte said evenly.   "As far as I'm concerned, it only proves that Luffa really is better than all of you, and not just physically.    You could learn a lot from her, even if she wasn't your mother."

"She's not my mother!" Xibuyas shouted.   He took a step towards her, and she stepped back.

"Fine," Zatte said.    "Have it your way.    Can we just get back to work?"

He suddenly grabbed her by the arms and shoved her up against the wall.    

"My work," he said, "is becoming everything your little tin goddess is not.    That means strength without failure, victory without compromise.    While Luffa wanders off to pursue some forgotten ideal, I'll be ruling the Saiyan race, giving them a true hero for inspiration."

"You had to pin me to the wall to tell me that, kid?" Zatte asked.    

"I was just wondering," Xibuyas went on.    "If I killed you right now, what do think Luffa would say to that?  Would she avenge your death, or would she refuse to take action against the son she missed so dearly?"

There was a brief pause, and he smiled, as though daring her to answer.   He expected her to show fear, but it never came.    

"What makes you think you could kill me?" Zatte asked.  

"You're a weakling," Xibuyas said.   "What else is there to say?"

"Yeah, but you haven't got the guts," Zatte said.   "You've got all that power and fancy talk, but you don't really know what you're doing with your life.  Without King Rehval or Seltiss telling you what to do, what are you, really?"

"Have a care, woman..." Xibuyas said.  

"We're only in the same room together because your girlfriend thought we should join forces," Zatte said.    "You kill me, maybe the whole alliance falls apart.    Luffa might give you a pass, but what about Seltiss?   Suddenly, she isn't sure she can depend on you anymore.    In one stroke, you go from being a valuable asset to a dangerous liability.   A wild dog that needs to be put down."

"You don't know her like I do--" Xibuyas sneered.

"I know about survival, kid," Zatte said.  "Your power is like a fire in the wilderness.   Useful for staying alive, but only if you can keep it under control.   Once people start getting burned, you stop being useful, and people start looking for ways to put you out.   Seltiss is no different.   You know she'd turn against you if you tried anything with me, and then what would you do?"

He had no answer for that.  

"As for Luffa," Zatte went on.    "I was a wild dog once.   I was infected with demonic magic, and I tried to spread it to her.    She managed to fix us both up, which is still kind of scary for me to think about.    I used to think  of the Black Water Mist as this absolute, unbreakable thing in my life, and she just came along and said 'nope'.   But I think if it had gone differently, and she had no way to make me normal again, she would have killed me in the end.   Quick and clean.   It'd be the only compassionate thing to do.   For either of us."

"You're lying," Xibuyas said.    

"She killed your grandfather," Zatte said.    "Sometimes, she has bad dreams about it, but she always comes back to the fact that she just couldn't let him live after what he'd done to her.   And your father?   Well, I killed him.    He tried to hurt the woman I loved.    I tell myself it was to save Luffa's life, that it wasn't for revenge, but honestly?   At times like these, I'm not so sure.    You really do remind me of Kandai, kid.   Especially now, like this."

"You killed him," Xibuyas said.   "And how did something as feeble as you manage that?"

"I turned invisible and snuck up behind him.    Shot him with a plasma rifle.    I don't think he suffered much.    I can't make any promises with you, though.    I don't want to hurt you, kid, but you may not leave me much choice."

"Don't make me laugh," he scoffed.      

"All right," Zatte said.    

Suddenly, he winced with pain, and released Zatte's left arm to clutch at his cheek.    When he removed his hand, a purple bruise began to appear on his face.    

"You felt that one, huh?" Zatte asked.  

"What did you just do?" he demanded.      He wanted that question to sound furious, but he could hear a touch of fear in his voice, despite his best efforts.

"I burst a blood vessel in your face," Zatte explained.    "I can manipulate different kinds of energy, including heat.    It took me a while to learn how to fine-tune it, but I can focus enough heat in a certain spot in your body.    Now that may not seem very powerful, but think about what would happen if I did that inside your brain."

"You're bluffing!" he shouted.  

"No, I'm not," she said.  "I can't make this work at a distance, so it's not a trick I use much, but fortunately you got all nice and close.   And maybe you're quick enough to kill me before I can pull it off.   I wouldn't put it past you.   But I don't need much time, so if you're going to make a move, don't hesitate."

"I... won't let you..." Xibuyas stammered.     He wanted to say something defiant, but he didn't understand her bluff well enough to call it, at least not with any conviction.   For all he knew, her power would work even with a broken neck.    And there was Seltiss to think about.   As much as he loathed this woman and her smug, blue face, was it worth displeasing Seltiss just to sate his own wrath?    

"See, I don't want to kill you, kid," Zatte said.   "But I'll do whatever it takes to stay alive.   You might be angry enough to kill me, but you're not so sure you'd survive the fallout."

How did she know?   It was so infuriating to hear her echo his own thoughts like this.   Slowly, he loosened his grip on her, and backed away.  

"Smart boy," Zatte said.   "Now, why don't I show you to your quarters, and you can wait there until Luffa shows up, okay?"

He pursed his lips and frowned, but he lowered his head, unsure of how else to proceed.   "Very well," he said.    

*******

[6 March, 233 Before Age.  Despye.]

Luffa returned two days later.   After a long consultation with Dr. Topsas, she found Zatte in her quarters.  

"Finally!    You were taking so long in there, I was starting to think Topsas had confined you to sickbay," Zatte said as she picked up Luffa by the waist and swung her around.  

"Nah, he just missed me while I was gone," Luffa said.   She put her arms around Zatte's neck and grinned affectionately.   "And I had to talk to him about Katem, make sure he's healthy enough for whatever comes next."

"You're not leaving again already, are you?" Zatte asked.  

"That depends on what Dotz has to say," Luffa said.   "But I figured I can talk to her in the morning.   I've kept you waiting long enough.    Any trouble while I was out?"

"Nothing I couldn't handle," Zatte said.  

Luffa glanced over to nothing in particular as she reached out with her ki senses.   "Well, the boy's still alive, so I guess he didn't misbehave too much.    I was half-worried you might have to do that hematoma attack on him."

"So was I, but I managed to settle him down."  

"Good girl," Luffa said.    "See, you're better at this parenting stuff than you thought.   All those years putting up with that crazy wife of yours turned out to be good practice."  

"I don't think it's such a great idea for you to take him along on your next sortie," Zatte said.   She lowered Luffa onto the bed and lay down beside her.    "Even if he didn't hate your guts, he's got a lot on his mind, and none of it's going to help him stay focused in a war zone."

"You're probably right, but I can't back out now, not when I've missed so much of his life already," Luffa said.   "Look at you, wearing the tee-shirt and the flannel pants?     You must have missed me more than I thought."    

"I'm serious, Luffa," Zatte said.    "He'll get himself killed out there if he isn't careful.    And he might just take you with him."

"I've got no choice, Zattie," Luffa said.    She kissed her, then made a savage smile as she glanced back to whichever direction she sensed him in.     "And neither does he."

NEXT: The Secret Ingredient

[duhragonball]

[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (111/?)

Disclaimer: This story features characters and concepts based on Dragon Ball, which is a trademark of Bird Studio/Shueisha and Toei Animation.   This is an unauthorized work, and no profit is being made on this work by me. This story is copyright of me. Download if you like, but please don’t archive it without my permission. Don’t be shy.

Continuity Note: About 1000 years before the events of Dragon Ball Z.

Previous chapters conveniently available here.

[2 March 233 Before Age.   Despye.]

The Federation was an alliance of star systems united under Luffa's protection.    She had forced its foundation by threatening to conquer the first four member planets unless they agreed to her idea.   That idea was simply to create a bigger target.   Luffa had grown bored fighting wars over individual worlds, and she believed that a large and prosperous galactic power would invite more challenging enemies.  Despite her self-serving motives, Luffa's Federation actually worked very well for its citizens.   Within a year, dozens of other star systems joined the Federation, hoping to enjoy the benefits of cooperation, free trade, and the protection of an interstellar military fleet backed by an invincible Super Saiyan.

But now, the Federation was under threat by an enemy powerful enough to upset the entire premise.    A cult of Saiyans, empowered by something called "Jindan", had launched an invasion.   Individually, these Saiyans were no match for Luffa, but they had numbers on their side.    By attacking numerous planets simultaneously, they could push through the Federation's defenses.   Luffa could only stop them in one place at a time, and the Jindan Saiyan were strong enough that they could hold their own against her by working in groups.   It seemed that the cult's strategy was to wear Luffa and the Federation down in a war of attrition.  

And then a new faction entered the conflict.  To Luffa's great consternation, the Federation's new ally was a group of even more Saiyans.    She had invited their leader to discuss things with her over dinner on her ship.   What they sent her was a teenage girl with pink hair, who introduced herself as Princess Seltiss, Daughter of King Rehval III.  

Irreverently, Seltiss held out her hand, inviting Luffa to shake it.

Luffa simply slapped it aside.  

"I'm supposed to believe that you're turning against your old man, is that it?"  Luffa scoffed.

"Ow.  More like he turned against me," Seltiss explained.   She wiggled her right hand, then cradled it in her left as she spoke.   "I hear you've got plenty of problems with the way my father ran his regime.    Is it so hard to believe that there's other Saiyans who agree with you?"

"It's a little too good to be true, that's all," Luffa said.   "Nearly every Saiyan I've met has rejected me as a monster.   Now suddenly you show up with an army of Saiyans willing to fight for my cause?"  

Nearby, Zatte took Ryba Booth by the arm and led him further inside the ship.    "Come on," she said.   "We should really go to the dining room."  

"You want the truth?" Seltiss asked after they were gone.   "My followers still don't care for you very much.    I'm not entirely sold on the idea of a 'Super Saiyan' myself.   I was hoping that if I got to know you better, maybe I'd, like, come around.  But so far it looks like my dad was right about you.   You carry yourself like some berserker from the old stories.    I helped drive off those Jindan creeps before they could kill Marshall Booth.   I saved his fleet, not to mention a couple of your planets, but you look like you'd rather kill me than thank me.   Hmph, and people tell me I'm stuck up."

"I didn't ask for your help," Luffa grumbled.    

"Um, no?  That's what makes it a surprise rescue?   You may not want my help, but you're going to get it," Seltiss said.   "We're allies, whether you like it or not.   My father's gone mad.    Maybe he always was, but now he's abandoned our race and doomed us all."

"Where is he?" Luffa asked.    

"In hiding," Seltiss said.   "He might be dead, for all I know.    Either way, he's not going to help us stop Trismegistus."

"The leader of the cult," Luffa said.   "What do you know about him?"

"Not much, but those Saiyans working for him are feeding his power.   The more of them he recruits to his side, the stronger he gets.    If we don't stop him soon, there won't be a Saiyan race.    It'll just be Trismegistus, surrounded by a bunch of livestock he breeds to sustain his powers."

"I've seen this routine before," Luffa said.    "Your sound just like your old man when he asked me to help him stop a serial killer who was preying on Saiyans.    The whole 'we're in this together' speech.    Next thing I know he tells me he created the murderer just so I'd walk into his trap."

"Pozet," Seltiss said.   She rolled her eyes as she said the name, as if recalling an embarrassing relative.

"Oh, good, then you know his twisted little windup toy," Luffa said.   "Did you know he created that abomination using tissue samples he stole from my wife?"

"No, I didn't," Seltiss said with a wince of disgust.   "You mean that lady who was here a minute ago?    Pozet was...?   Oh, that's gross... I'm... I'm sorry.    I can't say I'm surprised to hear it, but I'm sorry."

"For all I know, princess, you're nothing but another homunculus he created, or a sleeper agent with altered memories to make you tell me whatever lies would suit his purpose!"   Luffa crossed her arms over her chest and set her jaw.    

"That's not true," Seltiss said.  

"And why should I believe you, little girl?" Luffa shouted.  "Give me one good reason not to dropkick you back out of that entrance hatch."

"Katem is alive," Seltiss said.  

Luffa's eyes widened when she heard this.   "How do you know that name?" she asked.

"Xibuyas told me you called him that when you fought him," Seltiss said.   "My father left him for dead on Planet Pflaume, but I rescued him.    No offense, I still call him Xibuyas, but mostly because I don't want to make the big lug mad.   But you call him Katem, because you're his mother, or at least you say you are, and that's the name you chose for him."

"That doesn't prove..." Luffa stammered.    "Rehval could have found that out somehow, or.... Well, it doesn't mean you're on my side!"

"My father wanted to marry me off with Xibuyas," Seltiss said.   "He never dared to tamper with our minds or genes, because he needs us to make a bunch of royal heirs with Super Saiyan blood in their veins.   My mother was never anything but a eugenics experiment to him.    So I know what it's like to be used by the Saiyan king.   I might know about it a little better than anyone else.  Maybe that's not enough to hammer out an alliance, but I'd say it's a start, you know?"

There was a long pause while Luffa weighed the girl's words.    At last, she turned, and gestured for Seltiss to follow her.   "Dinner's almost ready," she said.   "I still don't buy any of this, but you might as well eat with us.   My wife doesn't have much of an appetite, so it'll save me from having to store a bunch of leftovers."

"Uh, sure," she said.    "Maybe I can raise Xibuyas on the subspace radio.   He was leading our forces at Despye, but he's probably got that wrapped up by now."

"You do that," Luffa said.  "If I like what you two have to say, maybe I won't break your neck at the dinner table."

*******

The dining room on Luffa's star-yacht was a luxurious cabin with a panoramic window.   Normally, it provided a breathtaking view of the stars, but the ship was currently docked at a spaceport, and so the window only showed the dark grey hull of the freighter currently docked beside it.   Marshall Booth was far more interested in the scene transpiring at the table, as Seltiss tried to get on Luffa's good side.    Zatte's attention was mostly focused on the video screen on the wall opposite the window.    It was meant for entertainment purposes, but it was currently patched into the ship's communication system, and now displayed an image of Xibuyas, Luffa's estranged son.

"So, chronologically, Xibuyas is only four years old," Seltiss began.    "I'm not much older myself, but biologically, we're both like sixteen, thanks to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber."

"The Hyperborean what?" Zatte asked.  

"It's another dimension," Seltiss explained.    "Or maybe it's some kind of temporal anomaly, like the time dilation as you approach a black hole, only in reverse.   See, for every minute you stay in the Chamber, about six hours pass in the outside world.    Great way to train people on a deadline, but a pretty lousy parenting style, if you asked me.    I spent a few years inside the chamber studying before I went off to private schools, and Xibuyas spent his time in the chamber getting stronger.    Not quite Luffa-level strong, but I heard he gave you a little trouble."

Luffa rubbed her fingers over her chin, as though recalling fondly the last time Xibuyas had hit her there.    "He got in a few good shots," she said, never taking her eyes off the video screen that displayed Xibuyas' image.

Xibuyas, joining them remotely from the Despye system, sat up a little straighter in his chair, and looked away from Luffa's gaze.

"I don't want to get too far off track," Seltiss said, "but you two really do have a resemblance."

"I was just about to say that," Zatte added.    "I can see a lot of his father in him, too."

"Really?" Seltiss said.   "What was his dad like?"

There was a low rumbling noise, which turned out to be coming from both Luffa and Xibuyas simultaneously.    "Maybe we should save that for some other time," Zatte suggested.  

"Why didn't you just return to King Rehval, boy?" Luffa asked Xibuyas.   "You seemed awfully devoted to him the last time we met."

"I wasn't strong enough to kill you, Luffa," Xibuyas replied.   "Her Highness convinced me that I should have a escape plan in case things went poorly.  There was an access to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber in Pflaume City, and I retreated into it, leaving you to die when the city imploded.   The city was completely pulverized by the pressures of the lower atmosphere, but the entrance to the chamber survived.   All I had to do was pilot a small craft out of the Chamber and wait in the Pflaumian atmosphere for My Lady to come pick me up."

"For what it's worth, Katem," Luffa said, "I'm glad to see you made it out of there in one piece."  

"We both are," Zatte added.   She leaned towards the table, hoping to give Xibuyas a better view of her as she held up her index finger.    "I'm, uh, I'm your stepmother, by the way."  

Booth raised an eyebrow at this, as he knew very little about Zatte, but he had already gathered that she and Luffa were a couple, and so the revelation was mostly trivial to him.  The Saiyans ignored Zatte altogether.

"After I saved Xibuyas," Seltiss continued, "We went into hiding, basically to wait and see what would happen next.   If Luffa had really kicked the bucket on Pflaume, then we could have gone back to my dad and all would be forgiven.    But since you survived, I decided I should lay low, and let my father think Xibuyas was dead.   We set ourselves up on a nice, out-of-the-way planet, and waited to see what my dad's next move would be."

"But you're not laying low anymore," Luffa said.   "The Jindan Cult.   What do you know about it, girl?"

"I only know what others have told me," Seltiss said.  "We started establishing contacts with Saiyans who weren't aligned with the Kingdom.   Expats, anti-monarchists, anyone opposed to the Rehval Dynasty but willing to consider me as an alternative.   Through them, we found out that Planet Saiya was evacuated, and not long after that, we found out the you were still alive.  At first, I just assumed dad had evacuated because he was afraid you would go back to Saiya and destroy it.   A lot of Saiyans we talked to had fled the planet because they didn't want to follow Rehval.    He didn't lift a finger to stop you from demolishing the citadel and beating up most of the population, so they didn't trust his plan to evacuate."

"Sounds like they're the smart ones," Luffa said with a derisive snort.   "They never should have followed him to begin with.  That faithless bastard was never going to protect them, because he was using them as a diversion.    At least they've learned their lesson.   Besides, the evacuation won't stop me.   I'll hunt Rehval and his flock to the end of the universe if I have to, and then I'll rip out his heart and eat it while he watches!   Here, let me top off that stew for you."

"Uh, thank you," Seltiss said, allowing Luffa to refill her bowl.   "It's very good, by the way."

"Damn right, it is," Luffa said with laugh.   "Rehval's offworlder chefs probably couldn't season a proper stew if their lives depended on it.   It's probably why you're so skinny.   But go on."

"Right, well, like I said, we thought it was just my father trying to hide from you," Seltiss said.   "Then we started hearing from Saiyans who had gone with him, only to leave afterward.   They couldn't tell me where the new homeworld was.  I guess the only way to get there was some sort of teleportation system, so no one but dad knew the coordinates.   Anyway, they told me he went mad.  My father always dreamed of a more cosmopolitan Saiyan nation, with diplomatic ties to galactic powers, and all the features of a modern state.   He had this backup planet ready to go in case of emergency, but he didn't consider how isolated he'd have to be when he finally had to use it.   He was obsessed with destroying you and reclaiming his power, but he just didn't have the means.   They had supplies and natural resources, but without steady trade with the rest of the galaxy, the kingdom collapsed.  I got multiple versions of that.   It's tough to tell which broke down first, his sanity, or the social stucture.   But things got pretty bad.    That's when the cult showed up."

"Are you telling me the cult killed him?" Luffa asked.  

"No one knows if my father survived or not," Seltiss said.  "But they did invade, and he couldn't stop them."

"How did they find the planet when no one else could?" Luffa demanded.   It rankled her to know that her enemies were fighting each other without her involvement.  

"Trismegistus knew where it was," Seltiss said.   "You seem to know that my father's an alchemist.  Trismegistus is the guy who taught him.  Dad used to tell me that he killed his teacher after he learned everything he needed to know, just like he killed my grandfather and uncle, and anyone else who might become a liability or a threat to his rule.   When I was little, he would show me his trophy room on Pflaume City, where he kept some of  Trismegistus'  organs in a jar of preservative.   But somehow, he's back."

"Who's to say this guy isn't an impostor using the name?" Luffa asked.  "Your father told me identity theft is a tradition with these alchemy types."

"You may be right, but I'm not so sure," Seltiss said.  "Dad told me that Trismegistus claimed to know the secret of immortality.  Lots of alchemists do that.   That's why dad kept his heart in the first place, just to make sure he stayed dead.   But maybe he found a way to come back without one.  All I know for sure is that he found and defeated my father, which makes him a better alchemist than dad.  And he has plans for the Saiyans.  When he conquered the kingdom, he offered dad's subjects a chance to join his cult."

"Then maybe your father signed up too," Luffa suggested.   "If you can't beat him, join him, right?"

"You wouldn't say that if you've heard what I have," Seltiss said.   "Trismegistus isn't looking for allies or soldiers.  He's using our people for something much worse.    You've seen what the Jindan power does.  It amplifies a Saiyan's natural abilities, but if Trismegistus decides you're not worthy of it, he can remove that power, and somehow that process leaves you weaker than you were before you joined."

"The former cultists we've met describe a system that demands total supplication," Xibuyas added.   "Trismegistus controls every aspect of his follower's lives.  What they eat, who they fight, and how they... breed."

"Sounds right up Rehval's alley," Luffa said.   "I can see why he got along with this guy back in the day."

"You don't understand!" Seltiss said.  "I'm not going to try to defend my father.  He created this mess by dabbling in alchemy, but at least he was trying to build up the Saiyan race.  All my life, he taught me that he was going to unite the Saiyans into a powerful nation, and it was up to me and my descendants to carry on that work.  But Trismegistus doesn't care about any of that.   He's not even a Saiyan.   If he gets his way, he'll turn us into a slave species, totally dependent on his power.   And if he ever dies, what then?    No one else knows the secret of the Jindan power.    His followers will weaken and whatever society they build will come apart at the seams.  This has to stop while there are still Saiyans like us around who haven't been tainted by his power!"

"Then give me your father," Luffa said with an eager grin.  

"I already told you," Seltiss said, "I don't know where he is."

"Yes, but it's a safe bet that Trismegistus is operating on that secret planet where your father was last seen.  We find it, and we can take the fight to the enemy.  And while I'm there, I can check to see if Rehval really is dead.  But let's get this straight: there's no scenario where Rehval lives through this.  The only way you beat Trismegistus is by working with me, and the only way that happens is by betraying your father.  Are you prepared for that, little princess?"

"I've been preparing for it my whole life," Seltiss said defiantly.   "My father was wrong about a lot of things, but he was right about the Saiyan people needing strong leadership.   I knew one day I might have to pick up the pieces after his bad decisions.   If he is still alive, then he's failed us all, so I'll just have to start sooner than I planned.  All I know for sure is that the Saiyan kingdom has no future until your conflict with him is settled."

Luffa looked at Zatte, and then to the image of Xibuyas.    "What about you, Katem?   I offered to help you before, and you rejected me.    Are you suddenly going to tolerate me just because your girlfriend tells you to?"

"I speak for myself, Luffa!" Xibuyas growled.    "My allegiance was to the King Rehval I knew, not the disgrace he's become.   If his rightful heir bids me to join forces with you, I shall."

"Well, she's going to have to bid a little more than that," Luffa said.    "I'll work with you, Seltiss, but your army is going to have to take orders from me and the Federation military.    We tell them where to deploy, and they do it.    Think they can handle that?"

"They will," Seltiss said.   "Keeping them united has been a full time job by itself.    It'll be a relief to have someone else leading them into battle.  I think they might prefer taking orders from outsiders for a change."

"Good.   I want Katem with me," Luffa said.    "At least for a while."

"With you?" Seltiss asked.   "I thought it would be best to have you defending different planets, to cover as much territory as possible."

"And that's smart thinking, kid," Luffa said, "but we won't win this war by staying on the defensive.    If he's as strong as he was the last time we fought--"

"Stronger," Xibuyas said with more than a hint of irritation.

Luffa glanced at him and smiled wickedly.    "Then the two of us working together can deal some serious damage to the enemy before they have the chance to retreat.   The more Jindan Saiyans we kill, the harder things get for Trismegistus, right?   Eventually, he'll be forced to concentrate his attacks to a smaller area, and that's when we'll take the advantage."

Seltiss exchanged a worried look with Xibuyas.    "I... I mean, I guess that makes sense," she said.    

"Then it's settled," Luffa said.    "Booth here has probably already been planning how to organize our forces, but I'd like to go over a few things with him.   In the meantime, I want you to keep trying to find out where Rehval was hiding.   The sooner I settle things with him, the better."

*******

[2 March, 233 Before Age.  Nagaoka.]

"Is the meal to your satisfaction, Treekul?"  

Treekul had no idea where she was, though her surroundings reminded her of a stage in a video game she had played once.   "Volcanic Fortress," she thought it was called, or possibly "Fire Caverns."    The room she was in wasn't actually hot, but the red torchlight on the stone walls created a menacing atmosphere which belied the Bigreenese pasta salad and Camelian pheasant she had been served.    

"The bird's a little gamey, but it beats the rations from the ship I've been riding for the last few weeks."    Truthfully, it was the best meal she'd ever eaten, but she didn't like who she had to thank for it.    

"And the dress?"

The "dress" in question was more like a very wide belt, with lengths of red fabric draped over her legs and wrapped around her shoulders and neck.   When Treekul was a child, she remembered dressing up her dolls in outfits she had constructed from ribbons, strips of paper, and other items that amused her.   She was reasonably sure that those dolls had ended up looking more dignified than she felt right now.  

"If I told you I hated it," Treekul replied, "would you give me back the outfit I had on before?"

"No, I wouldn't," he said.  "I had your old clothes burned during the initiation ritual.

"Ritual?" Treekul asked.  

"For your companions," he explained.    "The three Saiyans who brought you to Mundokuul."

"Then you're part of the Jindan cult," Treekul said.   She had suspected as much.   Her partners had fallen unconscious on Mundokuul, and before Treekul could find out what had happened to them, she had been stunned by some energy weapon, only to wake up here--wherever "here" was--- in the company of a man in a hooded robe.   It didn't make sense for anyone else to go to such lengths to capture them.    The Jindan cult was the only thing they were searching for, and so the cult was the only force that would seek to move against them... or for them.

"I am," he replied.   "And now, so are your companions.   Guwar and Endive and Lesseri.   They have received the gift of Jindan, and now they serve me."

"You're Trismegistus?" Treekul said.  

"I am," he replied.  He approached the stone pew where Treekul ate, and sat down beside her.    He did not look at her, but instead stared straight ahead, offering her only the shadow of his cloak instead of a glimpse of his face.  "They've told me all about you.    Your background in alchemical history.    Your use of geomantic triangulation to trace the rumors of my power.    I'm quite impressed, Treekul."

"Yeah, well, you didn't make it easy for me," she said.   "The big break came when we found one of your lost sheep.    A Saiyan named Salziff tipped us off to Mundokuul."

"Yes, but it was your genius that allowed the others to discover Salziff," Trismegistus said.   "He wouldn't have attracted much attention on his own.    Not after what I took from him."

"He warned us not to look for you," Treekul said.    "Begged us, really."

"You should have listened," Trismegistus said honestly.    "I cannot allow you to leave this planet.   You know too many secrets, Treekul.   Men like Salziff are useful for spreading rumors, inspiring others to seek my wisdom, but you--!   Well, you know too much.   Left unchecked, you might share your secrets with my enemies, or the unworthy.  I can't allow that."

"For what it's worth, I didn't want to come here," Treekul sulked.    "The others didn't give me much of a choice.    For them, it was a chance to get all those super powers you promised, but there was nothing in it for me but trouble."

"True, but if you had resisted then, you would have only had to deal with three Saiyans," Trismegistus said.    "Now, you have no hope of escape."

"Then why haven't you killed me?" Treekul asked.  

"Because, like you, I am also a student of alchemy," he said.  "The Saiyans who worship me benefit from my teachings, but they can never truly understand it.  In you, I hope to find a kindred spirit."

"I'm not an alchemist," Treekul said.   "I just study the people who do.   Mainly the dead ones.   Whatever you want from me, I don't think--"

He reached up with his right hand and placed it on the back of her neck.   A chill ran down her spine as she wondered if he was about to crush her vertebrae or inject her with some arcane toxin on his fingernails.  Instead, he simply moved his hand up to the back of her head, caressing the green stubble that adorned her scalp.  

"You're a very beautiful woman, did you know that?" he asked.  

Treekul was beginning to wish that he had killed her.  The alternative wasn't looking very pleasant.  

"Most... most people don't like the hair," she said, referring to the thin layer of stubble on her scalp.   "I cut it short because it bugs me when it grows out too much.   I... I took a page from Servocelsus the Red."

"Of course," he said with a genuine thrill in his voice.    "A favorite of mine.    Did you know that he used his own trimmings in his experiments?"

"Really?" she asked, feigning surprise.    Of course she knew that.   The Servocelsan Parchment was part of the freshman curriculum at her university.  

But that wasn't the point.    The point was that she had dropped the name of one of the most amoral, megolamaniacal spagyrists in the history of galactic civilization, and now her host was talking about him like a revered hero.   He wanted someone to listen to his mad dreams and plans.  He longed for a sympathetic ear, and Treekul was pretty sure he wanted more than just her ear, if the dress was any indication.   And so, she would humor him for however long it took to find a way out.   For now, that was her only option.    She had been talking her way out of dangerous situations for much of her adult life, so this wasn't necessarily anything she couldn't handle.  

She just wasn't looking forward to it, was all.  

NEXT: The Transmutation of Lesseri