#drang dedruhn

[duhragonball]

[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (99/?)

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.

[3 July 234 Before Age.  Planet Thrush.]

"Has there been any word?"

Zatte entered the suite to the same words she heard every time she opened the door.    Luffa was sitting on the edge of the bed with her arms crossed and her tail crooked in a manner Zatte had learned to interpret as 'expectant'.    

"Luffa, you're supposed to be resting," she said with a sigh.   She had brought with her a container of soup, which the locals advertised as having therapeutic properties.   Zatte was starting to wonder if it would make any difference, since Luffa barely seemed to acknowledge that she was sick.  

"I can rest and check my messages at the same time, blast it," Luffa said, shivering as she spoke.   Lately, Luffa had been alternating between fevers and chills.    Her yellow shorts and black tank top were intended to deal with the former, while a heavy plush blanket would have helped her with the latter, if Luffa hadn't left it lying on the floor.   Sighing again, Zatte put the soup down on the dresser and picked up the blanket.

"No, you haven't gotten any messages since the last time you asked," Zatte said as she wrapped the blanket around Luffa's shoulders,  "which was thirty minutes ago."

Luffa made a low grumbling noise, irritated at being fussed over, but she still drew her knees up into the folds of the blanket.   "We should call him," she said.

"Luffa..."

"Well, something might have happened to him!" she said.  "Maybe he ran into some Saiyan patrol, or he got captured--"

Zatte shook her head and went back to the soup.    "What good would it do to call him if he can't answer?"

"At least then we'd know something was wrong--"

"And then what?" Zatte asked pointedly.  "Luffa, our ship still is still being repaired.   The navigational computer isn't ready yet, and neither are you, not  after that virus you contracted.  The doctors said you're completely cured of the infection, but your body still has to recover from the damage--"

"I know, I know," Luffa said.  "I just don't like sitting here while we wait for someone else to handle my business."

"It was your idea to ask him to spy on Planet Saiya in the first place," Zatte said.

"Hah!  You thought it was a good plan at the time,"   Luffa said.    Her voice was a little too weak to sound as haughty as usual.

"Yes, I thought it was a great idea, back when I thought it would calm you down!" Zatte said.   She turned away from Luffa to unwrapped the soup container.   Even as she began ladling their dinner into a pair of bowls, she could hear Luffa fidgeting. "Look, even if he calls us right now and tells us all sorts of juicy details about what King Rehval is up to on Planet Saiya, we still won't be able to do anything about it."

"Tell you what, I'm gonna check on the ship."

Zatte turned to respond to this, and found Luffa floating over the bed, already moving slowly towards the door.

"Get back into bed!"

"This'll only take a minute--"

Zatte crossed the room and grabbed hold of Luffa's ankle.    

"Let go of me!" Luffa protested as Zatte pulled her down to the floor.

"Luffa, I've had just about all I'm going to take--"

The computer terminal next to the door suddenly began to chirp wildly.   Luffa shook loose of Zatte's grip and rushed to answer it.

"Will you settle down?" Zatte pleaded.   "That's probably just the front desk asking if we want clean towels."

"Well, we do," Luffa said, "because I threw up while you were out, and they might have heard from the spacedock if our ship received a call."

"You threw up again?" Zatte asked, suddenly concerned.   Then she noticed the odor from the direction of the bathroom.    "Oh, yeah.    There it is..."

"Hello?" Luffa said gruffly as she put the terminal's headphone to her ear.    "You do?   Perfect, we'll be right down.   Oh, and we need some fresh towels whenever you get a chance.   Thanks."

Zatte shook her head as Luffa shut off the terminal and looked at her with a triumphant grin.   "The spacedock just got an encrypted message on the ship's subspace radio," she said. “They wanted to let us know right away.”

"Fine," Zatte said.   "I'll go check it out for you."

"We'll check it out," Luffa insisted.   "I've waited too long already, and--and--"

She suddenly put her hand over her mouth, and her eyes went wide, and then she ran to the bathroom.   

*******

[4 July 234 Before Age.  Planet Thrush.]

Later, when Luffa was feeling better, she managed to contact Wampaaan'riix and speak to him directly.    The technicians were still completing repairs on the bridge, but one of them rigged a communication device in the dining room, mostly to keep impatient Saiyans out of their hair.  

"What do you mean 'deserted'?"  Luffa shouted at the real-time image of her friend.  She had gone to great lengths to keep the transmission encrypted and untraceable, but now that she finally had him on the line, she didn't seem to care who heard her.  

"I mean that the entire Saiyan population is gone," Wampaaan'riix said.   The shaggy white fur that covered his entire body usually managed to conceal his body language, but his voice carried enough irritation to give away his mood.    Some offworlder scavengers have already begun setting up camps and surveying what was left behind, but otherwise there's no sapient life forms."

Luffa planted her hands over her face and took a deep breath.    "Where did they go?" she asked.  

"I don't know," Wampaaan'riix said.   "From the intel you provided me, it's possible that they didn't even use ships.    Tracking them may well be impossible."

"He wouldn't just abandon the..." Luffa began to say.   She paused for a moment, and when she had calmed herself, she asked: "Did you find the nursery I told you about?   The coordinates were--"

"I know the coordinates," Wampaaan'riix said.   "They were the first place I checked when I realized the Saiyans were gone.    There used to be a structure there, but it's been destroyed."

"That bastard," Luffa snarled.   "He knew I'd come back and tear his precious kingdom apart, so he took the whole thing and ran away!"

"What does it matter?" Wampaaan'riix asked.   "You Saiyans aren't known for stealth.   Do you really expect King Rehval and all his subjects to hide forever?     Whatever they're up to, wherever they've gone, their trail won't stay cold for long.   Sooner or later, one of them will make a mistake, and the hunt will resume."

"You don't get it!" Luffa groaned.    "Of course I'll find them eventually, but that's not the point.    The point is that they're all sniveling cowards, and their king is the biggest coward of them all!"

"You're absolutely right," Wampaaan'riixx said.   "I don't get it.   What in blazes are you talking about?"

"They're my own people," Luffa said.  "Every minute they hide from my wrath is a disgrace to the Saiyan race.    They know I'll find them eventually, and they're hiding anyway.    It's..."

"Luffa, you don't look well at all," Wampaaan'riix said.   "I know how much honor means to you, but you'll only make matters worse by obsessing over things beyond your control."

"Oh, don't you start!   You sound like my wife!"   Luffa whined.

"Then I'm flattered," Wampaaan'riix replied.    "You've always spoken highly of her courage and prudence."

"Is there anything on Planet Saiya that could tell you where they might have gone?" Luffa asked.     "Anything at all?"

"No," Wampaaan'riix said bluntly.   "There isn't."

She threw back her head, as if preparing to scream.    Instead she merely sighed and fell silent.    After several seconds, she finally said quietly:  "Thanks for checking the place out for me, Wampaaan'riix."

"No trouble at all," he said.  

"I'm sorry," she added.   "I just... I'm sorry."  

"Luffa, it's all right, but you really should rest."

"Okay... okay.    I'll talk to you later."

She shut down the comm system and sat at the dining table for several minutes.

*******

[12 July Before Age.   Planet Thrush.]

Luffa had tried to convince Zatte and Wampaaan'riix to meet on Planet Saiya to investigate the situation in greater detail, but they refused.    Both of them were concerned about Luffa's health, and Zatte was worried that King Rehval might have left some sort of booby trap behind that would activate if Luffa set foot on the planet again.    Wampaaan'riix took the opposite position: Planet Saiya was a blind alley.    The Saiyan homeworld was completely deserted, and there was nothing there to be found, no matter who looked, or for how long.   Instead of wasting time there, he suggested they rendezvous on Penticede IV to discuss other avenues of investigation.   But Luffa didn't want to wait for her ship to be repaired, and so they compromised, and Wampaaan'riix agreed to join them on Thrush, on one condition...

"This is humiliating," Luffa muttered.    

"I think you look cute," Zatte said.

There was a large park near the spacedock where Luffa's star-yacht was being repaired.   The three of them had met here to discuss their next move, since Wampaaan'riix preferred an open space to stretch his long legs after being cooped up in his own ship for so long.   He and Zatte strolled along the walkways, admiring the Thrushian flora.    As for Luffa, Wampaaan'riix was cradling her in his massive arms like a small child.  

"This is the price of your impatience, Luffa," Wampaaan'riix said before she could take offense at Zatte's remark.    "You didn't want to wait until you had recovered from your illness, so now you have to recuperate and confer with your allies at the same time."

"There has to be something on Planet Saiya that can tell us where they've gone," Luffa insisted.  "We need to go back and--"

"Luffa, there's no one there," Zatte said.  "Wampaaan'riix already looked into that."

"I know, dear," Luffa grumbled.  "But they left all their buildings behind.   Chances are there's some clue in the citadel, or Rehval's palace--"

"The citadel was a pile of rubble when I found it," Wampaaan'riix said.

"Rehval must have demolished it before he left," Zatte said.  "To cover his tracks."

Luffa suddenly blushed.  "Oh, wait, that was me."

"You wrecked the citadel," Wampaaan'riix asked.  

"I was upset," Luffa said.  

"More than usual, you mean," Wampaaan'riix said.  "Did it ever occur to you, Luffa, that the Saiyans abandoned the planet because you ruined their entire infrastructure?"

"If that's true," Zatte said, "then it's only a matter of time before they invade some other planet and make it their new homeworld.   Only they'd have to be quiet about it, or Luffa would just follow them there."

"No, something doesn't fit," Wampaaan'riix said.  "Everything you've told me about this man suggests that he plans everything in advance.   The entire time he was trying to forge an alliance with Luffa, he was arranging a deathtrap to kill her, just in case she refused.  It stands to reason that he also planned for the possibility that his deathtrap would fail."

"I get it," Zatte said.  "You think he already had a backup planet ready to go, just in case he needed to relocate his kingdom."

"From what I saw on Saiya," he said, "There wasn't much for them to leave behind, and it wouldn't be difficult to find a suitable planet for their needs.  I think Rehval has been ready to move for a long time."

"Luffa, you said you read the minds of a lot of Saiyans while you were looking for him before," Zatte said.  "That was how you found that portal to Pflaume City."

"What about it?" Luffa asked.

"My point is that you probably picked up a clue about where they might have gone," Zatte explained.   "Rehval might not have told any of his subjects about his plans, but he must have said something we can use as a lead."

"You read all of their minds?" Wampaaan'riix said to the bundle of rage in his arms.

"Well, breaking all their stuff wasn't getting me anywhere," Luffa said.

"Why did you even ask me to go to Planet Saiya in the first place?" Wampaaan'riix asked.

"Shut up," Luffa growled.

"She missed you," Zatte said.  "And since she couldn't go herself, this seemed like a good excuse to call."

"All I know," Luffa blurted out, "is that most of the Saiyans loyal to Rehval barely got to see the creep.  The memories I pulled from their minds all agree that he spent most of his time off-planet, usually on his private villa, which doesn't exist anymore now that Pflaume City's been destroyed, so that's another dead end."

"Perhaps not," Wampaaan'riix said.   "Pflaume City may be gone, but its residents were evacuated, yes?   One of them may know something."

"Wait...," Luffa said suddenly.   "That's it.  I can't believe I forgot!"

Before the others could react, she pulled away the blanket she was wrapped in and leaped out of Wampaaan'riix's arms to fly off into the distance.  

"Typical," Wampaaan'riix said as he clicked his tongue.   "We may as well wait for her on the ship.  Whatever she has in mind, she'll head back there eventually."

"Yeah," Zatte said.  "Hey, can I have a turn?"

"Excuse me?" Wampaaan'riix asked.

"Luffa looked pretty comfy up there," she said, pointing at his arms, which were now crossed over his chest.   "I just thought... you know..."

Wampaaan'riix sighed.  "I suppose so," he said wearily.

******

[13 July 234 Before Age.  Shafulb.]

One of the founding worlds of the Federation, Shafulb was a theocracy ruled by the head of the planet's official religion.   Along with three other heads of state, Drang Dedrun had reluctantly agreed to join forces with Luffa to create an alliance powerful enough to bring peace and stability to that part of the galaxy.   Luffa's original motive for creating the Federation was to raise the stakes of the battles she fought.   Defending an alliance of planets was more challenging than intervening in petty squabbles between them.   None of the founding planets particularly trusted one another, or even Luffa for that matter, but they had to agree that the Federation had been a prosperous enterprise.  

Months ago, Drang Dedruhn had accepted an invitation from King Rehval to discuss diplomatic relations between the Federation and Planet Saiya.  She had returned from this summit a changed woman.  The only real state business she had conducted since that encounter was to pass on an invitation from Rehval to Luffa, which turned out to be the opening move in Rehval's scheme to neutralize the Super Saiyan as a threat to his plans.   Drang's role in that conflict had been largely forgotten.   Once she had contacted Luffa with Rehval's invitation, she withdrew to her pontifical apartment, and saw no one, except for one or two trusted aides.  

This had been a minor disruption to Shafulb's governance.   The church had dealt with leaders of diminished capacity before.    Drang's office was a lifelong appointment, and when her predecessors grew sick or old, their subordinates gradually assumed responsibility for their duties, and quietly made preparations for the inevitable transition of power.   A number of cardinals were favored to succeed Drang, and they waited patiently for the day when the selection process would begin.   Life on Shafulb would go on, and Drang Dedruhn was free to live or die as she saw fit.   If the deity she represented saw fit to recall her to hereafter, then so be it.  

Visitors to the pontifical apartment were extremely rare.   It was intended to be Drang's retreat from the rigors of public life, and nearly all of her friends and acquaintances were public figures themselves.  In theory, if someone did wish to visit her home, there was an extensive protocol that had to be observed just to be put on a waiting list.   There were background checks, security clearances, and any number of other routines  that had to be completed before a guest was even allowed to knock on the door.  

Luffa simply flew in through the skylight, not even bothering to open it first.  

"Are you certain this is all right?" Wampaaan'riix asked.   This time, Luffa was carrying him, and while she was more than strong enough for the load, it looked rather awkward for her to hold such a large man by the scruff of his neck.  

"Relax," Luffa assured him.   "I'm the Federatrix, remember.    I mean, yeah, I've barely spent any time in Federation space since the Shockmaster's invasion, but I doubt anyone's forgotten about me."   She set him down and alighted next to him, then she began to look around.   The broken glass from the skylight crunched beneath her boots as she walked.    "Besides," she added, "Zatte's waiting for us on the ship, so if anything goes wrong, we can clear out in a hurry."

"You have an exit strategy?" Wampaaan'riix said.  "Married life has changed you, Luffa."

She snorted with amusement as she searched the apartment.   "I thought I sensed her here.   Drang didn't have much ki to begin with, but she ought to be easy to find at this range, especially with no one else around."

"It looks like there's been a struggle here," Wampaaan'riix said.   He knelt down beside a divan and pointed to the cushions, which had been cut open.   The stuffing was torn out and scattered all around it, and some of the material was stained with blood.

"No," Luffa said.   She looked at a large, expensive-looking painting on one of the walls, and waved her hand to mimic the slashes that had been made onto its canvas.    "Something's off about this.   It doesn't feel like a fight happened here.   The damage is too one-sided, like there wasn't an opponent at all.    And if it was a mismatch... why drag it out this long?"

Wampaaan'riix was about to suggest something, when suddenly a voice cried out from one of the bedrooms.

"What are you two doing here?"

They turned and saw a Shafulbian staggering into the living room.  She was carrying a knife, and she had apparently used it on her clothes and her own person.   Her gown was little more than rags, stained with blood from the dozens of shallow cuts she had made on her arms and legs.  

"That can't be her..." Wampaaan'riix said.

Luffa might have agreed with him, had she not recognized Drang's ki.  It was faint, fainter than Luffa ever imagined possible for a living being, but it was distinctly Drang's.   Her scent was the same as well, though it was tinged with an odor Luffa could only describe as "malaise".  

Otherwise, Drang was virtually unrecognizable.  The Shafulbians evolved from aquatic mammals, and so they had a thick layer of blubber beneath their skin, which gave them a thicker appearance compared to typical humanoids.   Drang had always been fatter than most Shafulbians, which Drang had always jokingly attributed to her hedonistic lifestyle.  But now, she was so gaunt and dehydrated that she barely looked like a Shafulbian at all.   There was a deranged look in her glassy eyes.   Her lips were cracked and dry, and the gums surrounding her peg-like teeth were discolored.

"It's you," she seethed.   She raised her knife and pointed it at Luffa.  "I knew you would come here looking for him."

"What's happened to you?" Luffa asked.  

"You can't have him!   You hear me?!"   Drang screeched.

"What are you talking about?" Luffa asked.  

"He's mine!   I'm the one he loves, not you!" Drang raved.   "He only wanted to know about you because you were a threat!    Yes!  Haaaaaaaa... Well I told him everything he asked me and more."

"Rehval..." Luffa said.   "Drang, what did he do to you?"

"He!   Loved!  Me!" Drang howled.   "He told me I was the only one who ever made him feel this way!   Me!   Not you!   You disgusting monkey!   He was going to trick you into falling in love with him, but it was only a trick!   Once you were out of the way, he was going to come back to me!    What did you do to him!?"

It was then that Luffa noticed the red jewel peeking out from under Drang's chin.    It was part of an amulet that clung to her throat.   As Luffa realized where she must have gotten it from, her  eyes widened with horror.    "He put some kind of charm on you," she said.    "Then he used you to convince me to accept his invitation to meet him on Planet Saiya.    I thought you were just being a cynical diplomat, but he turned you into some kind of pawn."

"You wish he wanted you the way he wants me!" Drang shouted.   Her sunken eyes burned with hatred and jealousy.   "You think coming here to find him proves something, I'll bet, but it doesn't!  I’ve been waiting for him all this time!   And when I kill you and bring him your head, he'll know that I'm the only one worthy of his love!"

"This is what he would have done to me, eventually," Luffa said.   "Oh, Drang... Drang, I'm so sorry...  This only happened to you because you knew me..."

"LIAR!" Drang screamed.   "He loves me and he always will!   He hates you, you filthy, filthy--!"

She lunged at Luffa with a speed that belied her weakened physique.    Luffa sidestepped her knife and disarmed her in a single motion.    When Drang tried to reach down to pick up the knife, Luffa kicked it away with her foot.  

"Listen to me," Luffa said.  "I'm not your enemy.   I want to help you."

Drang's only response was horrific squealing noise that Luffa supposed was meant to express rage.  

"She needs a doctor," Wampaaan'riix said.    

"To hell with that," Luffa said.   She managed to secure Drang in her grip, but she continued to thrash around violently.    "I'd take her to one of the alchemists on Planet Gwarthos, except she'd probably tear herself to pieces before we got there."

"What's wrong with her?"  Wampaaan'riix asked.  

"Rehval used a charm on her," Luffa said.   "Probably that thing on her neck, but I don't think it'd be a good idea to try to take it off now."    

"I don't see how it could make the situation any worse!" Wampaaan'riix said as he moved in to grab it.  

"Wait!  It could be booby-trapped, or--!"  

Had Luffa been healthy, or perhaps less concerned with keeping Drang from injuring herself, Luffa would have been able to stop Wampaaan'riix before he made contact with the necklace.    Instead, he snatched the charm from her neck before she could even finish her warning, and then Drang made a shrill cry that made Luffa's ears hurt.   Drang began to convulse, and then she went limp.  But Luffa barely noticed what had happened to Drang, because she was too busy worrying about what was presently happening to Wampaaan'riix.    

"Where is he?" Wampaaan'riix growled as he clutched the amulet in his hand.  "What have you done with Rehval?"

"We came here to find him, remember?" Luffa replied.   She knew very little about what was happening, but it didn't take long to guess that her friend had been enchanted with the same madness that had affected Drang.   It seemed odd to her that Wampaaan'riix would be affected this way, since he had never seen King Rehval before.  

"I remember..." he howled... "I remember the picnic lunch we had on Pflaume City.   He showed me the view from the upper level.    He made me feel things I thought I would never feel.   I..."

"I think I'm getting the picture," Luffa said.   "That amulet must have absorbed Drang's feelings towards him, and now it's feeding them to you."

"You took him away from me!" Wampaaan'riix screeched.   "He told me he would come back for me when you were dealt with.    What have you done with my love?!"

"Not nearly as much as I'd like," Luffa snarled.   "He ran from me like a coward before I could kill him.   And I'm going to kill him.    Make no mistake."

She wasn't sure why she was saying this to him.   Wampaaan'riix wasn't even himself right now, and there was no point in taunting him with threats.    She was simply angry over what Rehval had done, and needed to say the words aloud.    Whatever her motive, it made Wampaaan'riix furious.

"Not if I kill you first, you monkey bitch!"

Years ago, Wampaaan'riix and Luffa had been paired off as opponents in a deathmatch tournament on Plutark VII.   He had been no match for her then, and had survived the encounter only because of Luffa's burgeoning sense of compassion.   Now, Luffa was a Super Saiyan, and Wampaaan'riix was possessed by an alchemical talisman that dulled his wits and made him think that he was a religious leader who hadn't exercised in decades.   Their "rematch" was little more than Luffa sidestepping his clumsy punch and pinning him face-down onto the floor.   A broad field of her ki energy kept him immobilized, though he continued to squirm and struggle against it.  

"You really are out of it," she said.   "The Wampaaan'riix I know would have been able to slip free of a field like that.   I guess you forgot how to use your energy when that amulet affected you."

He only grunted and snarled in response, as he fought in vain against her power.   Despite her taunts, Luffa was saddened to see her friend like this.   He was a good man, and a fine warrior, and he had been reduced to a raving lunatic because of King Rehval.    

"No," she said to herself.   "This is my fault.   None of this would have happened to either of you if it hadn't been for me."

She didn't know what to do for him.   Taking the charm away seemed like the only chance, but she wasn't sure what that had done to Drang.    It was possible that she only fell unconscious because of her weakened state.   Maybe Wampaan'riix would fare better, but there was no way to be sure.  

Worse, taking the charm meant exposing herself to its effects.   Maybe that was what Rehval had in mind all along.    What if Drang Dedruhn was a backup plan?

No, that didn't add up.  Rehval had hoped that Luffa would join him of her own volition, and when that failed, his Plan B was to try to kill her by marooning her on Planet Pflaume.   He had never tried to use a talisman on her.  Luffa didn't understand alchemy well enough to explain that, but from a tactical standpoint, there was only one possible reason: Rehval thought it was too risky.  One way or another, it had to have a weakness that Luffa could exploit.

That made sense to her.    Though she knew virtually nothing of alchemy, she knew her own capabilities.   She had resisted other enchantments in the past.  The Makyans had tried to control her very soul, but she had overcome their power.  

Yes, but it took me a month to pull it off!

She was afraid to try.  There was no point in denying that.  She had no idea whether this would work, or what would happen to her in the process.  If the magic drove her mad, as it had done to Drang and Wampaaan'riix, then she might end up killing them both, along with anyone else on the planet.  

At least the Makyans kept me on a tight leash while I was figuring out how to break free of their spell!

She winced at the small, terrified voice in her mind.  It was the same one that expressed all of her doubts and fears, that told her to back off, not to bother.    She looked at her tail, which she always did whenever her fears tried to talk her out of things.  

Then she set her jaw and grabbed the necklace with both hands.

"NO!" Wampaaan'riix cried.  

Luffa might have responded to her friend, even though he would have been unable to comprehend her.  She would have assured him that this was for his own good, and that she could handle the power of the enchantment.

But she couldn't do that, because the magic had completely overwhelmed her perceptions of the outside world.    Everything around her smelled oddly sweet, a mixture of pheromones and floral scents.  There was a magenta tint to everything, and a strange melody whispered in her ears, like a familiar love song she had never heard before.  Luffa had expected something harsh and domineering, like the rush of the Black Water Mist back when she had been infected by its power.  But this was subtle, almost pleasant.

Her thoughts inevitably turned to Rehval, and the love for her that she had discovered when she read his mind.    It had been such a pure and blessed thing to witness.  The king was a solitary man, not used to opening his heart to anyone, and yet he had allowed her to see his innermost self.

She felt flush all of a sudden, embarrassed to be the object of his most intimate desires, but why should she be embarrassed?  He was so powerful and secure in himself, and tender at the same time.  He knew what he wanted, and he wanted her, and the excitement if that sent a chill from her head to her toes.

But then the cold reality struck her.  There were others who wanted him.  It was foolish to think that she wouldn't have rivals for his affection.    And she hadn't seen him in so long.  Why had he forsaken her?  Had someone stolen him away from her?  

No!  She knew what was in his heart.  Her enemies must have deceived him somehow; told him terrible things about her behind her back.  It must have broken his heart.  

She looked down at the hairy creature that lay at her feet.  He had tried to take Rehval away from her!  It was the only thing a monstrous wretch like him could do against the power of their pure love.    He wanted Rehval for himself, and he would do anything to get him.  There was only one way to deal with the likes of him!  She would kill all of Rehval's would-be suitors, and then--!

And then what?  How would she find her beloved?  She hadn't seen him since... since...

Since he had tried to kill her.

No, he wouldn't have done that, he must have had some reason--

The reason was that he was afraid of her power, and when he realized he couldn't control that power, he decided he had to destroy it.

Little by little, it became easier to remember her true feelings.  The betrayal, the lies, the things he had done to her son... It was all too fresh in her mind, the wounds too raw and bloody.  Her mind tried to make excuses, to rationalize his behavior with their cherished bond, but it simply didn't fit.  The were too many inconsistencies, and the rosy tint on her perceptions began to fade.

Dimly, she was aware of herself rising to her feet, and of the urge to transform.    She indulged it, and with a loud cry she felt her body grow stronger.   She held the amulet in her hand, admiring the reflection of her golden aura on the facets of the red jewel, and then she closed her hand and began to crush it.  

It wasn't Rehval, but it was a piece of him, a tiny sliver of his manipulations.    Destroying one of his amulets would have to do for now.    Even as she applied pressure to the bauble, she could feel it pleading with her, trying to appeal to a love she didn't feel.   It was the only card the amulet had to play, after all.  

Luffa focused her anger and outrage into the gem as she squeezed it.   Everything she wanted to do to punish Rehval, she imagined taking place inside of her closed hand.   Somehow, it was important to her that the amulet knew she wasn't just resisting its effects.  

This was a declaration of war.

*******

"Luffa!  Wake up!"

Luffa stirred, as though coming out of a dream.   Wampaaan'riix stood before her, his massive hands clasping her shoulders.   She was in her Super Saiyan form.    Drang Dedruhn lay behind her, still alive, but barely.    She felt something in her hand, and when she opened it to look, she found only a twisted mass of gold, and a glittering red powder that spilled to the floor of Drang's apartment.    

"Thank the gods," Wampaaan'riix said when she finally acknowledged his presence.   "I awoke and saw you standing here, and I wasn't sure if the amulet worked on you or... Why are you crying?"

"Am I?" Luffa asked.    She suddenly noticed the warmth just beneath her eyes, and the slight chill on her cheeks as her Super Saiyan aura caused the tears to evaporate from her face.   "Yeah, I guess I am."

"Are you all right?" Wampaaan'riix asked.

"Are you all right?" Luffa asked.   "I... thought you were in trouble for a minute there.   I thought I was going to lose you.    Like I lost Keda."

"I'm fine," he said.    "But I think we should get Drang Dedruhn to a doctor."

She nodded and turned to pick her up.  

"What if...?   What if this is just how the Saiyan race is?" she wondered aloud.    "What if we're really nothing but a pack of braggarts and traitors?   And when the brute force stops working, we just fall back on magic tricks or whatever shortcuts get the job done?     Before I met Rehval, I never imagined a Saiyan could do anything like this.    Now, I'm starting to wonder if this sort of depraved stunt is the only thing we Saiyans can do."

"You can't really believe that, Luffa," Wampaaan'riix said.

"Even if I'm the exception, it only makes me an outlier.   I'm already a freak.   The other Saiyans barely recognize me.   And it's pretty ridiculous to think I'm the only Saiyan who gets it right.   I'm no saint.  I cheated on my wife...!    I'm no better than the others, I just feel guiltier about it, for all the difference that makes."

"It makes all the difference," Wampaaan'riix said.   "One must first be aware of the challenge in order to overcome it.   Perhaps that is why fate made you the Super Saiyan, Luffa.   You alone have the willingness to see beyond what your race is, beyond even what it can be.   There is no shame in wanting to be better than you are."

She lifted Drang in her arms and gently floated up to the skylight.    "It was kind of nice," she said.    "On Thrush, when you were holding me in your arms.    Embarrassing, but nice."

"Anytime," Wampaaan'riix said.    He floated into the air to follow her.

"Maybe after we drop Drang off and get back to the ship," she said.   "It'll probably take a while to figure out how to track down Rehval.   We might as well take it easy."

NEXT: Viewpoint

[duhragonball]

[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (77/?)

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.

[8 April 234 Before Age.  Planet Pflaume.]

Most inhabited worlds in the galaxy were composed of iron and nickel, surrounded by a rocky crust and an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere.   Sometimes certain moons fitting this description could be found orbiting much larger planets known as “gas giants” for their composition of mostly hydrogen and helium.      

Pflaume was an example of what some astronomers called an “ice giant”.   The term “ice” was somewhat misleading, as astronomers used it as a catch-all term for a multitude of volatile chemical compounds such as ammonia and methane, as well as water.   While the ice giants contained a substantial amount of hydrogen and helium, the bulk of their mass was made of these “ice” compounds, with a core of solid “ices” and rock deep within.   Ice giants were generally smaller than gas giants, but both types were uninhabitable to most known forms of life, due to the lack of a breathable atmosphere and a solid surface upon which to stand.  

Nevertheless, there were still humanoids who took up residence on some ice giant planets, using the same technologies found on starships.   The habitat on Pflaume was typical of this design.   It was essentially a spacecraft that maintained a continuous flight within Pflaume’s turbulent atmosphere.  Those who lived inside the vessel were protected from the freezing temperatures and intense winds outside, and an artificial gravity system simulated the conditions of a terrestrial planet.  

Drang Dedruhn cared very little about these details as her transport completed the final leg of its flight to the Pflaume system.   She admired the vivid purple color of the planet as the ship approached, but she had no interest in the chemistry of its atmosphere or the semantics of its astronomical classification, or the engineering feats that held its single city aloft.  Her sole concern was the invitation she had received to visit this place, the motives behind it, and the opportunities it might present.  

For nearly three years, Drang’s homeworld of Shafulb had been part of an interstellar alliance created and enforced by a Saiyan named Luffa.   Drang was the supreme leader of one of the Federation’s founding member-worlds, Shafulb, and while the Federation had been a profitable venture for her planet, she privately chafed at the loss of independence.   She knew she wasn’t alone in this sentiment.   Other planetary leaders had jockeyed for position within the Federation, only to find that they could only get so far before they had to back down to Luffa’s authority.   Luffa was an invincible warrior, and so any path to power that involved opposing her was doomed to failure.   And so Drang had watched and waited for an opportunity to present itself.  

When her retinue deboarded the transport, her host was there at the spaceport to meet her.   He was six feet in height, with a lean, athletic frame.   His thick black hair was meticulously styled in a fashion resembling businessmen and politicians around the galaxy, which matched the blue suit and tie he wore.   When she stepped off the ramp, he knelt before her in a greeting that was clearly intended to resemble the customs of her homeworld.  

“Your Holiness,” he said reverently.    

Impressed and flattered by his gesture, she returned the greeting by extending her hand and allowing him to kiss it.    As he did, he glanced up at her with dark, penetrating eyes that seemed to exude deep respect and reassurance all at once.  

“You honor us,” she said as he rose to his feet.  

“Welcome to Pflaume, Drang Dedruhn,” he said.  “On behalf of my people, I greet you, High Priestess of the Shalfulb.”

“And I you,” Drang replied.   “Rehval, King of the Saiyans.”

********

“May I ask you a personal question?”  Drang asked as the Saiyan waiter filled her goblet.  

“Please do,” the king replied.  

“Do you spell it ‘R-E-H-V-A-L’, or ‘R-E-V-A-H-L’?”

Rehval began to laugh even as she finished the question.    “Both forms are quite acceptable,” he said, shaking his head with amusement.  “As well as a few others, but those two are the more popular variants.   I understand that some journalists get into heaated arguments over the matter.”

“I only ask because I understood that Saiyans take their names very seriously,” Drang explained.   “I didn’t want to risk offending you.”

“That’s very kind of you, Your Holiness,” he said.   “And your understanding is correct.  Many Saiyans take great offense if one misconstrues their given name.   But I’d like to do away with that custom.   To my way of thinking, the true honor is that the wider universe knows my name, and what it represents, regardless of how it’s spelled or pronounced.   My hope is that my subjects will embrace the same attitude, and so I lead by example.”

“That’s a very interesting point of view, Your Majesty.”

“Please, call me Rehval, Your Holiness.  I cherish my title, but I also enjoy setting it aside now and then, especially for social visits like this one.”

Drang blinked with surprise as the waiter filled Rehval’s goblet.    Everything in the dining room was picture perfect.   The table was set with silverware for each course, and arranged in the proper order for formal meals like this one.   Rehval took his napkin and carefully laid it on his lap before sampling his goblet.  Even the waiter was supremely professional.   Despite his unkempt Saiyan hair, his cummerbund and black waistcoat were so crisp and clean that they seemed brand new.   When he returned to serve the first course, he carried the silver tray in one hand with a professional flourish Drang had never imagined possible.  

"Is something wrong, Your Holiness?  You seem... unsettled."

"Er, no, of course not," she said with a nervous laugh.  "To be honest, you're not at all what I expected, Rehval."

"Oh?"

"Well, the Saiyans I've encountered have all been so wild and uncouth," Drang said.  "They do what they please, when they please, because they always know they're the strongest beings in the room."

He said nothing, but smiled pleasantly as he speared a portion of salad with his fork.

"I mean no offense, of course," she quickly added.  "The same can be said for mercenaries and soldiers of any number of other species, but I've never known Saiyans to be anything else."

"Naturally," Rehval said.  "We are a martial culture, after all.  Each Saiyan is a warrior by default, though many of us do pursue other professions.  My grandmother is a mathematician, for example."

Drang couldn't conceal her surprise at this.  "I never would have imagined--"

"Most people are surprised to hear that," he said.  "Honestly, I couldn't even begin to describe the work she does.  Something involving prime numbers and 'dimensional fields', whatever those are.  Between you and me, I think she enjoys doing work that bewilders most people.  It's not so different from the mercenaries you've met, I'd imagine.  She attacks equations and proofs with the same relish as a warrior on the battlefield.    And she's quite a talented fighter as well."

"Forgive me, Rehval," she said.  "I had no idea your species was so sophisticated."

"Not at all," Rehval said.  "There are, of course, many on Planet Saiya who resemble the popular image of my people.  But we also have poets, scholars, and artisans as well.  Not as many as Shafulb, I admit, but we're very proud of what we have."

"It's too bad the rest of the galaxy doesn't know," Drang said.

"I quite agree," Rehval replied.  "Which is why I've devoted my reign to diplomacy.  Statecraft is something of a dirty word among Saiyan kings, but we've been an isolated world for too long.  The galactic community only knows our species from contact with expatriates--usually mercenaries, as you say.  I'm determined to change that, which is why I've reached out to leaders like yourself."

"Is that why you invited me here?" Drang asked.  "To improve the public perception of your world?"

"If that was all I wished to accomplish," Rehval said, "then I would have invited some other Federation head of state.  Ryba Booth, or Tik-Tak, or the Archduke of Penticede V.  Any of them would have been sufficient for a mere diplomatic summit.  I reached out to you, Your Holiness, because I've been an admirer of yours for some time."

She snorted with amusement, and felt slightly guilty for having made such an unseemly noise.  Drang was used to a certain informality.  As the supreme religious authority on Shafulb, etiquette was literally whatever she defined it to be at a given moment.  Beyond Shafulb, most beings deferred to her because of the political power at her command.  Drang had a long reputation for picking the winning side, and for that reason, people wanted her to be on their side, and were happy to put up with her messy eating habits and raucous laughter.  Indeed, much of Drang's coarse, worldly behavior in public was a deliberate statement that she was too important to ignore or dismiss.  She flaunted her influence the way Saiyans flaunted their strength, and so she had found the Saiyans relateable in this respect.

But Rehval was different.  She had come here half-expecting him to challenge her to a burping contest after sharing an undercooked dinosaur carcass.  Instead, he was the perfect diplomat: polished and practiced and so gregarious that she could barely believe he was a Saiyan at all.  Drang was completely thrown off her game, but she was almost too impressed with Rehval to care.

"It's true," Rehval said.  "I've studied your career for some time, Your Holiness.    The wars with Despye, Woshad, and Kopey prior to the Federation brought you all together.  Your rise to the office of High Priestess.  I've even read some of your writings, though I will admit that I have trouble understanding most of them."

"Flattery is fine," Rehval," she said, "but if you really have studied my career, you'd know that I never had much patience with yes-men."

"Another trait of yours that I respect," Rehval said.  "But I apologize if my praise seemed manipulative or insincere.  I’ve been told that I come across like a bit of a gladhander."

"Very well.  You'll find me easier to get along with if you skip the blandishments and say what you mean."

"I see," Rehval said.  "Then how should one go about complimenting you, Your Holiness?"

She was blindsided by this.  "Don't be... You asked me here to discuss Luffa, Your Majesty."

"That is a topic I wish to discuss," Rehval admitted.  "But the principal reason I invited you here was because I admire you and I believed I would enjoy your company.   Perhaps I should have made that more clear.   I’m sorry if I misled you."

The waiter brought a second tray, containing strips of meat glazed in a sweet-smelling sauce.

"Ah, I think you'll enjoy this," he said.  "It's a classic dish here in Pflaume City."

He picked up a piece from the tray and stuffed it into his mouth.  After swallowing, he kissed each of his fingertips to recover as much of the sauce as he could.  Then he noticed Drang's confused expression and smiled meekly.

"I'll admit," he said.  "I don't know which fork is considered appropriate for this particular course.  But it's fun to use your fingers now and again, isn't it?"

Drang returned his smile and reached for the tray to scoop up a few meat strips for herself.

*******

"You're not returning with the retinue?"

Drang had retired for the evening in an apartment in Pflaume City.  Originally, she hadn't planned to stay beyond dinner, which was now a source of great consternation to one of her archbishops.

"Oh, lighten up, Nozed," she said to the video display in her bedroom.  "The Saiyan King and I have a great deal to discuss, and it'll take more than one evening.  He's generously arranged for me to stay on Pflaume for a few more days, and he would have done the same for my entourage, but there’s no point in keeping them around.  You'll need them back on Shafulb more than I will here."

The image of Archbishop Nozed Kaberz was very sharp, considering the distance from Shafulb to Pflaume.  Drang could actually see his nostrils flare with exasperation.

“I don’t like this, Drang,” he said frankly.   Nozed had been one of her closest advisers for decades, and was one of the few people in the universe on a first-name basis with her.  In public, they were careful to use each other’s titles and honorifics with great respect, but in private they were old friends who kept no secrets from each other.  

“Well, why not?”  she asked.   “It’s not as if he asked me to stay on Planet Saiya.  Pflaume is neutral ground.   Well, there isn’t any ground here, actually.   The point is, if he wanted to betray me, this would be a lousy place to do it, dearie.”

“Still, the location was his choice, Drang,” Nozed said.  “And he is a Saiyan.    You know how those savages are.   Treachery is in their nature.”

“Don’t say that in front of our dear Federatrix,” Drang teased.   “As for Rehval, he’s different somehow.  I can’t explain it, but I’m certain he can be of great use to us, Nozed.”

“We’re in bed with one Saiyan already,” he said.   “We don’t need a second meddling in our affairs.  Unless he intends to remove the first...?”

“He’s barely mentioned Luffa since I arrived,”  Drang said.  “I don’t know what he wants with her, if anything.   He seems more interested in cultivating good relations with Shafulb.”  

“That doesn’t make sense,” Nozed said.  “Shafulb is part of the Federation, thanks entirely to one of his people.   It’s obvious that he wants to approach her through you.   The only question is whether he considers Luffa an ally or a threat.”

Drang nodded.   She had been conflicted over how she would handle this matter from the moment Rehval had invited her to Pflaume.  Luffa was no ordinary Saiyan, but a Super Saiyan, far more powerful than Rehval or any of his subjects.  Most likely, he viewed Luffa’s influence over the Federation as a direct challenge to his rule, but he was no more able to depose her than Drang was, or any other Federation leader.  If Rehval wanted to eliminate Luffa as a political rival, it made sense for him to reach out to potential allies like Drang.  

On the other hand, it was also possible that Rehval saw Luffa as an asset, one he coveted for his own nation.   Luffa was a humiliation for the rulers of the Federation member worlds, but she was also the Federation’s greatest weapon.    If Rehval could somehow convince Luffa to abandon them for Planet Saiya, it would tilt the balance of power in the galaxy, and not in a way that pleased Drang at all.  

So the dilemma came down to whether Drang was better off with Luffa or without her.   Ultimately, this depended upon what Rehval planned to do with her.  And yet, he seemed to be completely uninterested in discussing the matter.   It had to be a negotiating tactic.  Why else would he have invited her out here?   Unless...

No.  The possibility was too ridiculous to speak aloud, even to Nozed.  

“I need time to find out what this Saiyan is really up to,” Drang finally said.  “I’m sure you can manage without me for a few more days.”

“As you wish.”   Nozed still didn’t like it, but he saw no use in pressing the issue. 

“I take it Luffa still hasn’t returned to Federation space?” Drang asked.  

“At last report she was somewhere in the Ijern sector, at least a week away,” Nozed replied.  “She’s staying just close enough to the borders to come back if there’s trouble, but far enough away not to get involved with day-to-day affairs.”

“As usual,” Drang said.  “The poor girl was just never the same after the Shockmaster War.  Fine.  I’ll contact you when I’m ready to return.  Drang out.”

She shut off the terminal and the image of Nozed vanished.   Drang sighed and prepared for bed.  Rehval had offered to take her on a tour of Pflaume City, which would hopefully giver her a chance to discover his true intentions.

His true intentions toward Luffa, of course.  No, the alternative was too ridiculous to speak aloud...

*******

[9 April 234 Before Age.   Planet Pflaume.]

Under most circumstances, a tour of a place like Pflaume City would have bored Drang to tears.  The city was an engineering marvel, but one that only an engineer could truly appreciate.  As long as the place stayed afloat in Pflaume’s ammonia-methane atmosphere, Drang didn’t care about the details, and most of the city’s residents appeared to hold the same opinion.   The amenities in the city were pleasant--even luxurious--for such a remote location, but Drang had seen better elsewhere.   Pflaume City had a large marina, for example, but there was nothing noteworthy about it besides the fact that it was here, floating on an island in the clouds.  

And yet, Rehval managed to make the whole experience seem worthwhile.  Pflaume was something of a second home to him, he had told her.   He tried to visit whenever he could, and there was something infectious about his enthusiasm for the place.   His favorite monument in the city would have meant nothing to her if she had encountered it alone, but listening to him profess his love for the sculptor’s technique was a refreshing experience.

“I hope I’m not trying your patience, Your Holiness,” Rehval said.  “I’ve been told that I tend to ramble where Pflaume City is concerned, and I know you’re a busy woman.”

“Not at all, Rehval,” she said cheerfully.  “Some of my best friends are ramblers, and it’s been too long since I had a chance to while away an afternoon.

She patted his arm, which was currently around her own.   Drang couldn’t recall when that had happened, but she didn’t feel any pressing need to separate herself from him.  

“I was wondering,” Rehval said.  “The clothes you have on.  Are they also holy raiments, like the vestments you wore yesterday?”

She looked down at the light blue dress she wore.   “It’s purely secular,” she said.  “Though technically, my office as high priestess automatically consecrates whatever clothing I wear.”

“That must be very convenient,” Rehval said.  

“I suppose it would be, if I took advantage of it more often,” Drang said.    “I usually wear the official vestments at all times.  I’ve grown accustomed to them, and the long flowing robes compliment my figure.”

“Then you wore this just for today,” Rehval said.  “I’m honored.”

“I only...” Drang found herself at a loss for words, which seemed to happen a lot with him.  “It just seemed that since I was taking time away from my duties...”

“I prefer the way you look now, if I may say so,” Rehval said.   “Though you look lovely in anything.”

She didn’t know how to respond to this.   Drang and Rehval were both mammalian humanoids, but his species was of a simian descent, while hers was delpinoid.   She hadn’t seen his furry tail since they had met---she assumed it was tucked away somewhere beneath his suit--but the hair on his olive-skinned scalp and the pointed nose on his mostly flat face were enough to distinguish him as an alien.    The Shafulb had slick, lustrous skin, which was mostly jet black except for a white region extending from their chin down to their torso.   They had no visible hair.  Their ears were essentially holes on the sides of their heads, and they had blunt snouts instead of noses.    Healthy Shafulbs were thicker than typical humanoids, due to the presence of a layer of blubber beneath their skin.    Drang was fatter than most, which didn’t bother her at all, though she knew many alien males compared her unfavorably with women of their own species.  

And yet, here was Rehval, the King of the Saiyans, practically telling her she was pretty, as if they were adolescents on a date!   She had heard of Shafulb who dabbled with non-delphinoid species, but she never understood the attraction, and she never dreamed that any alien would ever express attraction towards her, sincerely or otherwise.  

“I hope you’ve worked up an appetite,” Rehval said before she could question his motives.   “I’ve saved the best for last.”   He led her into a elevator and set it to take them to the city’s highest level.  

“I thought you said all the best restaurants are on Level 12,” Drang said.

“They are,” Rehval replied.   He clasped his hands behind his back and rocked on his heels slightly whiled the elevator car ascended.   “That’s why I... Well, I shouldn’t give it away.”

The suspense began to whet Drang’s interest, and when they reached the top level, she began to understand what he meant by “saving the best for last”.   The first level was an observation deck that spanned the entire width of the city.   Above them, the violet skies of Pflaume could be seen in all directions.   There was no sound, but as the thick clouds streaked around them, it looked very much like they had stepped outside the protective hull of the city to stand fully exposed to the poisonous atmosphere outside.  

“Magnificent, isn’t it?” Rehval asked.   “It’s not much to look at during the night.  The clouds are too thick for the stars to be visible, but I see enough of the stars whenever I’m on Planet Saiya.  No, this is a a wonder you can only find here.   Ah, and when the sun sets... well, we really should come by later for that.   The days on Pflaume are thirteen hours long.”

Drang couldn’t stop looking at the sky.  “How--?” was as far as she could express her confusion.  

“We’re still inside the hull of the city,” he assured her.   “The top level is covered by a dome made of the same materials, but there’s an elaborate sensor array covering the dome’s exterior.   A fiber optic network inside the hull of the dome transmits that information to projection screens mounted on the interior surface, giving us a real-time view of the outside.”

“Incredible,” Drang said.   Despite her holy office, Drang was rarely moved in a spiritual way, though the sight of Pflaume’s atmosphere roaring around her in all directions made her recall an ancient prayer.   “Thy sea is so great, and my boat is so small...” she murmured to herself.  

“I’m glad you like it,” Rehval said, taking her by the hand.   “I know it’s difficult to look away, but there’s a lot to see on the deck as well.   It’s mostly parkland here, but there’s some mansions on the other side of those hills in the east.    Ah, and there’s Cairt with our lunch.   Perfect timing.”

Cairt was a Saiyan who had prepared a picnic blanket and arranged various dishes upon it.   Rehval led Drang by the hand to  the site, and dismissed Cairt with a firm handshake.  He then sat down and began describing the various delicacies to her.  

She sat beside him, much closer than she had planned, and hung on his every word.

********

“This is all too much,” Drang said two hours later, after they had finished their meal.   “I can’t remember having such a wonderful time.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Your Holiness,” Rehval said.   “Your company has been an oasis in a desert of official duties and responsibilities.”  

“Please,” she said.  “Call me Drang.”

He nodded in appreciation of this gesture, and kissed her hand gently.    “All right,” he said.   “I can’t thank you enough for sharing your time with me, Drang.”

He leaned in and kissed her on the tip of her snout.  She would have thought this experience would be stranger than it turned out to be.    Impulsively, she returned the kiss.

It occurred to her that when she closed her eyes, his alien physiology didn’t matter all that much.   He was here, he was warm and affectionate, and none of the Shafulb lovers from her heady youth had ever made her feel quite this way.  They had been attractive, certainly, but they only loved her for her authority.    To those men, she had been like a stone idol, to be revered and maintained.   Rehval made her feel like a woman, perhaps for the first time in her long life.  

And when she opened her eyes, it occurred to her that his alien physiology was much more attractive to her than it had been before...

********

The majestic Pflaumian sunset had come and gone some time ago.   Rehval had taken Drang to a villa on the observation deck that belonged to a wealthy friend of his, who had a standing invitation for Rehval to make himself at home during his visits to Pflaume City.    In the guest bedroom, Drang wrapped herself in a blanket from the bed and curled up on a canapé in front of the fireplace.  

“Where did they get the wood?” Drang asked as she watched the flames dance upon the burning logs.   “Don’t tell me there’s a forest on Pflaume City too.”

Rehval made a genial laugh as he opened a bottle of Camelian brandy and poured glasses for both of them.  “There is an arboretum, as a matter of fact, but my friend had these shipped in from his home planet.  He told me that they produced the best firewood in the universe, and he wanted nothing but the finest for his home away from home.”

Drang cackled softly.   “The things people do with their money,” she said as she took one of the glasses from him.   “Well, as long as I don’t have to foot the bill, I can’t complain.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Rehval said.  

She wasn’t sure what to say.   There weren’t enough words to properly express how she felt about him, and how he had made her feel.   To think that she had found everything she had ever wanted in a Saiyan.  A few days ago, she would have made an off-color joke about how making love to a Saiyan was a form of assisted suicide, but now...  

Well, she knew better now, didn’t she?  There was something intoxicating about trusting oneself to someone powerful enough to destroy an entire world.   The only thing she feared from him now was that he would leave her.    

“You’ve been very quiet, Drang,” Rehval said as he walked around her view of the fire to reach a chest on the other side of the room.  “I suppose I miss that boisterous voice of yours.”

“I just... well, I don’t want to screw this up,” she said plainly.   “All of this... and you... It’s more than I deserve.   It’s so wonderful, and--”

“I feel the same way,” he said.  “This has certainly gone well beyond a diplomatic visit, hasn’t it?”

Drang smiled.   “Eventually, we’ll have to go back to our respective worlds, won’t we?   We can see each other again, but it doesn’t feel like it’ll be enough.”

He opened one of the drawers in the chest and retrieved a small box.  “Perhaps I can ease your fears,” he said.   “I’d like you to have this.”

Drang looked at the box in his hands with wonder.  “What is it?” she asked.  

“A token of my esteem.    The man who made it claimed that it was an amulet that protects the bond between lovers.”

He opened the lid, and Drang saw a golden band with a thin leather cord to fasten it.   In the center of the band was a red jewel, which seemed to glow more intensely than it should have in the low lighting of the room.  

“It’s beautiful,” Drang said, somewhat surprised by her own reaction.  If any of this were happening to a character in a movie, Drang would have walked out of the theater and demanded a refund.    There was a storage bin on Shafulb that contained a large collection of gaudy trinkets she had received from various envoys over the decades.   She regarded such “tokens of esteem” as perfunctory gifts, worthy only of silent contempt.  

But this one was different.      It was a gift from Rehval, a symbol of his love.   And more than that, it seemed like it was made for her, like it was calling out to her...  Even so, she felt unworthy of what it stood for.  

“I couldn’t,” she said awkwardly.   “It’s too much...”

“At least let me see how it looks on you,” Rehval offered.   He moved around behind her canapé and gently slipped the amulet under her chin.   She yielded to his request, mostly because it allowed her to feel his touch once again.  

“Bear with me,” he said with a frustrated chuckle.  “I’ve never actually put this on anyone before.  The fastener’s a little tricky...  There we are.”

In that moment, when he linked the amulet around her neck, she felt something flow through her that was beyond her comprehension.   She shuddered, nearly spilling her drink, and her breathing became shallow and rapid.   She tingled all over, and when he walked around the canapé to face her, she looked up at him with a passion exponentially greater than what she had felt for him before.  

“Breathtaking,” he said.   “It really suits you, Drang.  It’s entirely your choice, but it would mean a lot to me if you would keep it.”

Every word he said hit her like a drug.   He was beautiful.  His voice was beautiful.   He was offering her a choice, but how could she refuse something that meant so much to him.   A moment ago she had actually tried to decline his gift!  Now, she couldn’t imagine living without it.  

“I’ll never take it off,” Drang gasped.   Even this seemed insufficient somehow.    She wished there was some way to wear it even more than she already was, even if that made no sense.  

“Very good,” he said.   “I’m pleased to see you like it.”

Drang smiled blankly and tracked him with her eyes as he moved toward the chest to fetch his glass.    “Rehval!  Let me get that for you!” she offered.  

“There’s no need,” he said as he raised the glass in his hand.  “See?   I’ve already got it.”

“Oh,” she said, cursing herself for being such a fool.    

Dimly, she realized that something had happened to her, that she was no longer quite herself anymore, but she couldn’t bring herself to care.   If the amulet was responsible, then there was nothing to be done, since he wanted her to keep it.    If he liked her better this way, then so be it.  Whatever made him happy.  That was all that mattered.  

He pulled up a chair from the corner of the room and sat down in front of the fireplace to look her in the eye.  

“A toast,” he said, holding up his glass.  “To our new relationship.”

She nodded with an adoring grin and they downed the brandy together.   It tasted sweeter than anything she had ever known, because it was from him.   He had given it to her.   She would do anything for him, and it would never be enough to repay his love.

“Now,” he said with a frown.   “I think this would be a good time for us to discuss Luffa.”

Drang couldn’t agree more.

NEXT: The Invitation

[duhragonball]

[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (70/?)

Nanwum 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.

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

Previous chapters conveniently available here.

[4 February 234 Before Age.  Shafulb.]

Drang Dedruhn was the supreme authority on the planet Shafulb, but not really.

She was a plump humanoid, with lustrous skin that was black on her back and head, and white from her jaw down the front of her torso.  The Shafulb were a semi-aquatic species, each possessing a healthy layer of blubber, but she was a bit rounder and more voluptuous than most.  Her office afforded her what was known as a “pontifical apartment”, a very humble term for what was in reality a penthouse suite.    Here, she lounged on a divan on the balcony overlooking the seaside, and savored a midday snack of pickled fish.  Between bites, she would lick the brine from her thick, flipper-like fingers, and contemplate her place in galactic history.    Despite her lofty titles, she had to admit that her position was tentative at best.

In the strictest sense, she was merely the high priestess of the planet’s largest religion, no more than a humble spiritual leader.  In practice, her office had outlasted and overshadowed every secular administration and institution in Shafulb’s history.  Regimes rose and fell, but the church endured, and the people came to depend upon it more with each century.  Long before Drang’s ascension, the office of high priestess had become indistinguishable from that of a temporal head of state.  Her vows precluded her from violence, but she had waged countless wars against the other regional powers in Shafulb’s sector of the galaxy.  She had sworn an oath of poverty, but in practice this meant that she had to employ some creative bookkeeping rather than deny herself any worldly pleasures.  Her sole duty was supposed to be safeguarding the souls of her followers for their passage into the afterlife, but she spent most of her time consolidating her power and riding herd over various bureaucracies.  She was supposed to be the most fervent believer in the state religion, but a life in the political arena had made her cynical and pragmatic.

As for her supposed ’supremacy’, it was superseded by the compromises she had made with the rest of the universe.    She had been locked in rivalries with other planets for decades, making and breaking alliances, fighting wars to jockey for position, and negotiating treaties to hold whatever gains she could make.  And then Luffa changed everything.

Luffa was a Saiyan mercenary, but she was more powerful than any Drang had ever encountered.  No one was sure what had happened to her, but the rumors said that she fought some terrible battle in a remote part of the galaxy, and was transformed by the experience.  Saiyans were incredibly strong to begin with, but Luffa had the power to transform herself into an even stronger, more violent creature.  She called herself a “Super Saiyan”, and while Drang had once dismissed this as a marketing ploy, she soon learned that Luffa wasn’t like the others of her race.  Where other Saiyans saw mercenary work as an enjoyable way to make a living, Luffa grew bored with it.  The wars Drang waged for Shafulb were mere child’s play for Luffa, so one day she changed the game.  Luffa arranged a summit with Drang and the other regional leaders, and coerced them to form an alliance backed by Luffa’s immense power.

The Federation became a great success, as other worlds rushed to join eager to reap the benefits of a mutual defense pact underwritten by an invincible warrior.  Drang and the other leaders retained their authority over their own worlds, and they managed to cooperate well enough to run the Federation, but there was no mistaking who the real power was.

Luffa’s motives were as simple as they were baffling to Drang.    The Saiyan had no interest in ruling the Federation worlds.  She was content to act as an enforcer, protecting the alliance from outside threats, and stepping in to resolve internal disputes.  In short, Luffa had the power to bend multiple planets to her will, yet she continually declined to do so.

This irritated Drang greatly.  She rather liked Luffa personally, but the Saiyan’s lack of political aspirations was vexing.  To have so much power and so little use for it!  And this was what made Drang’s “supremacy” a joke.  Luffa could depose Drang in a day if she wished.  The Super Saiyan could conquer Shafulb, or simply destroy the entire planet if it displeased her.  Whatever power and autonomy Drang enjoyed was merely a dispensation granted to her by Luffa.

It wasn’t all bad, of course.  Drang wasn’t so arrogant to think she had ever been truly supreme in the universe.  There were always bound to be more powerful forces out there, and it was nice to have one of them supporting Drang’s rule.  Luffa’s sole motive for establishing the Federation was to dare stronger enemies to attack it.  She had gotten her wish when the Shockmaster invaded the sector, and the war was only won by Luffa’s intervention.  Shafulb might have survived the Shockmaster, but Drang doubted that his yoke would have been any lighter than Luffa’s.

Now, a year after the Shockmaster’s defeat, Drang wondered what her next move should be, and whether or not that move would be for or against Luffa.  The Federation was a profitable venture, certainly, but Drang was beginning to wonder if it had outgrown the need for a Super Saiyan to maintain it.  Since defeating the Shockmaster, Luffa hardly spent any time in Federation space.  Had she grown bored with the Federation, just as she had grown bored of mercenary work?    Would she abandon her role in the Federation government, leaving behind a power vacuum?

During the war, Luffa had disappeared from the public in similar fashion, and one of her colleagues, Ryba Booth, had tried to take advantage of the situation.  His power play backfired, and he seemed to give up entirely once Luffa returned to win the war.  Most dismissed his scheme as folly, but Drang knew better.  Booth’s timing was bad, but his idea was sound.  Luffa couldn’t be driven out of the Federation, but if she could be convinced to leave and never return, it would be possible for one of them to seize power in her absence.    The key was to be the first to notice that Luffa wouldn’t be coming back.

Drang considered this dilemma as she scooped up a handful of morsels from a large bowl.  Was there a way to lure Luffa away from the Federation?  All she cared about was battle, and there seemed to be no opponent in the galaxy that could hold her attention for long.

The problem, Drang decided, was that no one really understood the woman.  Drang herself had a number of vices, for example.  She had a weakness for fine food.  She liked watching her enemies be publicly humiliated.   She enjoyed the way her people supplicated themselves to her.  These were hardly secrets, as Drang felt no particular shame about her less admirable traits.  She was petty and venal and she didn’t care who knew it.

By contrast, Luffa was an enigma.  She lived alone in a starship, possibly accompanied by a single aide.  There were rumors that she had a lover, perhaps an alien woman, but these were unsubstantiated.    If the lover did exist, then she was even more reclusive than Luffa.    All Drang really knew about Luffa’s personal habits was that she liked to cook.  It wasn’t enough to go on.

One question that stood out in Drang’s mind was: Why didn’t Luffa interact with her own people?  One would think that she would have invited Planet Saiya to joint the Federation.  Of, if Luffa despised her own people, she could have conquered then and ruled there instead of an alliance of alien worlds.

The more Drang thought about it, the more sure she became that her answers lay there, with Planet Saiya.  If Luffa wouldn’t reveal her own weaknesses to Drang, then perhaps she could find someone else who would...

*******

[4 February 234 Before Age.  Wrantool VI]

“Luffa, do you have anything you’d like to add?”

She shifted uncomfortably in her chair, and looked down at her knees.  “No,” she mumbled.

The blue-skinned, red-haired women in the chair beside her was much more forthcoming.  “She was telling me just before we got here how much these sessions were helping.  Right, Luffa?”

Luffa crossed her arms and looked up at the ceiling of the office.

“Zatte, we discussed this last time,” said the molluscoid behind the desk.  The nameplate on his office door read: “Dr. Shunga.”  “We agreed that Luffa can speak for herself.  She doesn’t have to share something if she doesn’t want to.”

“I’m just trying to help,” Zatte said.  “You know how she gets during these visits.”

Luffa shot Zatte a dirty look, then stood up and started pacing around the room.

“Oh here we go,” Zatte grumbled.  She opened her mouth to say more, but the man behind the desk raised one of his tentacled hands to signal for quiet.  Zatte sighed and slumped in her seat.

“Luffa, Zatte said you’ve been preparing more elaborate meals lately,” Dr. Shunga began.

“Nothing special,” she said.  “Just trying out some new things.  She likes Alteri cuisine, but we’re a long way from Alteri IV, so I thought I’d try a few recipes.  Made some for’cosh last night, nothing fancy.  Turned out pretty well.”

“It was great,” Zatte added.  “And so was the sadanash she made last week.  It’s like I’m living in a restaurant on Alteri IV, and I never have to wait in line.  I’m the only one who’s ever had her sadanash.  It’s an honor, really.”

Luffa shrugged.  “I’ve still got some kinks to iron out, but I think I’m getting the hang of it.   She thought it was too spicy, so I’m gonna tweak the recipe next time.”

“I never said it was too spicy,” Zatte said.  “I thought it was—“

The man raised his hand again before she could press the issue.  “Luffa, how did you know what Zatte thought about the meal?” he asked.

Luffa clenched her fists and turned away from him.  “I know, all right?”

“Is it because you used your telepathic powers to read her mind?” he asked evenly.

Luffa sighed.  “Yeah.”

Zatte was blushing now.  “It was my fault,” she said.  “We had a fight and I was upset and...”

“They’re my powers,” Luffa said.  “It’s my responsibility.  I should have said no.”

“Why didn’t you, Luffa?”  he asked.

Luffa stopped pacing and started rubbing her temples.  When she stopped she waved her hand at Zatte and said: “Look at her!  I couldn’t just refuse!  I’d do anything for her.  She... she needed to know that I still loved her.  I told her I did, but she needed to know.  And I guess... I needed to know she still loved me.”

She frowned at the man.  “Is that so bad?” she asked.

“In and of itself, not at all,” he said.  “But while you were linked,  reveling in your love for one another, you picked up stray thoughts you hadn’t bargained for.    Was the meal too spicy, Zatte?”

Zatte was suddenly tense.  “Well, yeah, a little.  But I didn’t hate it or anything.  I was just happy she made it for me.”

“But Luffa didn’t get that context when she probed your mind,” he explained.  “She only took your unspoken complaint, and let it build into resentment.”  He turned to Luffa, who had resumed pacing.  “Isn’t that right, Luffa?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry,” Zatte said.

“It’s my own fault, Zattie,” Luffa said.

“Let’s not dwell on assigning blame,” he said.    “You’ve both been using telepathy this way for some time now.  It’s completely natural.  Many of the couples I counsel do the same, but they had to learn to separate and ignore intrusive thoughts.  Luffa’s abilities are too broad and imprecise for that.   With time and moderation, you may learn to adapt to this.”

“But we just dove right in,” Luffa said.  “And we enjoyed it so much that we never stopped to consider it might have drawbacks.  Then before we knew it, we were over-relying on it... and barely speaking to each other.”

“It created a vicious cycle,” he said patiently.   “And you’ve been working together to break it.  I know it hasn’t been easy for either of you.  You’re used to using the mental link, and now you’re trying to repair your marriage without it.    It’s not unexpected that you’d backslide now and then, but it’s important that you share those expediences with me, so we can talk them out, defuse them before they have a chance to fester into resentment.”

“You’re right,” Luffa said.  “I didn’t think it was that big a deal, but I guess I just didn’t want to admit it.”

He turned to Zatte.  “Zatte, did were there any stray thoughts you picked up from Luffa that have been troubling you?”

“No,” she said quickly.  “I mean, it’s not... Well, it’s bedroom stuff.  We don’t have to talk about it here.”

“Like hell,” Luffa said.  Despite her insistence, her cheeks and ears were beet red.  “We came here to talk, didn’t we?”

“Zatte, do you want to talk about it?” Dr. Shunga asked.

Zatte took a deep breath and nodded.

*******

[6 February 234 Before Age.  Nat-Chezz II.]

Luffa’s star-yacht, the Emerald Eye, had been operating outside of Federation space for some time now, though no one knew why.  The Federation itself had been quite secure since Luffa had defeated the Shockmaster, and so the popular assumption was that she was seeking action and adventure in a more dangerous part of the galaxy.  In principle, this was correct, although the whole truth was that Luffa was trying to stay within a week’s travel from the Wrantool system, in order to keep appointments with her marriage counselor.

In between sessions, she kept an eye on subspace communications in the region, hoping to find something interesting to occupy her time, but the pickings would have been slim, even for a normal Saiyan.  So when the Nat-Chez system ceased all contact with the outside universe, Luffa was cautiously optimistic.  As the ship approached the planet, she waited in the cargo bay.  The ship would then enter the upper atmosphere, and she would open the bay door and launch herself headlong into the situation.

“ETA is ten minutes,” Zatte’s voice said through the earpiece communicator Luffa wore.  “You sure this is a good idea?  You might be flying into a plague for all we know.”

“I can sense the planet’s ki from here,” Luffa said.  “They don’t seem sick or anything like that.  Anyway, I’ll steer clear of populated areas until I’ve had a chance to look around.”

“If it’s a hostile, you’ll be giving up the element of surprise,” Zatte said.  “Right now, they don’t know you’re coming, but that’ll change in a hurry once you fire up.”

Luffa adjusted her boots and began doing some last minute stretches.  “And that’ll flush them out, won’t it, Zattie?  They’ve got the stealth game covered.  Which suits me fine.  I’m more of a shock and awe kind of lady anyway.”

“You’re not mad, are you?”

“About what?”

“Our last session with Dr. Shunga.  When we he asked how long it had been since we...”

“I remember.  I was there.”

“I thought you were gonna kill him on the spot.”

“I thought about it, yeah.  I did a number on his chair, sure.  But he’s trying to help us out.  He’s a good guy.    I just have to keep telling myself that.”

“I know it’s tough for you.”

“What’s ’tough’ is how you keep treating me like I’m made of glass,” Luffa muttered.  “Like I’ll shatter if you aren’t there to protect me from a few personal questions about our sex life.”

“You there Luffa?    I didn’t copy that.”

This was because Luffa  had taken the earpiece out and muffled its receiver in her hand.  Now that she had popped it back in, she replied: “Sorry, I was checking something out.  Anything new on the ship’s sensors?”

“Nothing.  No transmissions from the planet, and all air and spacecraft are grounded.  Plenty of life signs, though.”

“It’s gotta be an alien takeover,” Luffa said.  “I’ll have this wrapped up by dinnertime.  You want rolls or biscuits tonight?”

Zatte didn’t reply.

“Zattie?  You there?”

“Sorry.  I thought I had a blip on the sensors, but it was nothing.”

“Yeah, right.  I’ll just fix salad then.”

“Fine,” Zatte said.

“Okay,” Luffa said.

“Make whatever you want,” Zatte said.

“I will,” Luffa said.

“Are we fighting right now?” Zatte asked.

“I don’t know,” Luffa said.  “Look, are we over the drop point yet?  I’d like to get on with this.”

“Um, we passed it,” Zatte said after an awkward pause.  “I’ll have to turn the ship around and make another flyby.”

With a groan, Luffa sat down on the deck and covered her face with her hands.

*******

Once Luffa finally arrived on the surface, she encountered a few of the locals on a dirt trail that wound along a forest.  The Chezzi were humanoid in appearance, with various shades of orange and red skin, and horns atop their heads instead of hair.  It didn’t take long for her to figure out who had taken control of their planet.

“Spare us, Madame Saiyan!” one of them pleaded.  He dropped to his knees and clasped his hands together in supplication.    “Your humble servants only broke curfew because we need medicine in the next town.”

“He speaks the truth!” said another.  She was a Chezzi female, not much older than Luffa.  “My son has contracted horn-rot, and our village doctor lacks the horn-root needed to prepare a cure!    These two only came along because it was dangerous to travel alone on foot!  If you must take one of us into bondage, then let it be me!”

“No way, take me!” said a small boy.  “Choco’s my best pal, and I won’t go back an’ tell him I stood by an’ let his mom get nabbed by the Saiyans!”

“All right, everybody shut up,” Luffa said.  “I’m not here to enforce some dumb curfew.   I came here to liberate your planet.”

The old man was relieved.  “Then... you aren’t working with the Saiyans who conquered us?”

Luffa turned and spat on the ground.  “That’s what I think of your conquerors.  Tell me how to find them, and I’ll be happy to... discuss it with them.”

She began cracking her knuckles while the three villagers exchanged confused looks.  The old man opened his mouth to speak, but the woman quickly shushed him.

“Don’t!” she warned him.  “What if they sent her to test our loyalty?”

Before Luffa could reassure her, the boy spoke up.  “Aw, you worry too much, Tocco.  Besides, everybody already knows the Saiyans all live in Fort Luffa.”

Luffa was dumbfounded.  “Fort... what?”

*******

“Fort Luffa” was a Chezzi mansion originally owned by one of the richest men on the planet.  It had been located in a picturesque valley, before the Saiyans uprooted the entire building and carried it to a wasteland thousands of miles away.  The remoteness and inhospitable climate provided a natural defense against most would-be intruders, but Luffa was just at home in such a place as the mansion’s occupants.  While she had the power to destroy the lot of them from the air, she decided to take a more personal approach.    Landing just outside the mansion’s walls, she kicked in the front door and walked inside.

The first person she saw was a Saiyan man, tall and lean, with styling gel in his hair and on the fur of his tail.

“Well hello,” he cooed, raising an eyebrow as he looked Luffa over from head to toe.  “Zaperc didn’t tell me about any new recruit.  Maybe he afraid I’d sweep you off your feet, and leave you too distracted to listen to his— OOF!”

Luffa drove her fist into his abdomen, and when she pulled back her hand he collapsed into a whimpering heap.  She considered questioning him, but decided he wasn’t worth the effort.

The second obstacle she encountered was a woman, easily a foot taller than Luffa and with very well-defined musculature.  Luffa couldn’t help but admire the woman’s appearance--her biceps were almost as big around as Luffa’s calves--but this attraction was overshadowed by how sloppy her technique was.  Luffa had seized her in a hammerlock before the woman realized she was an intruder.  With a small fraction of her full power, Luffa drove the larger woman down to the floor, released the hold, and then sent a small charge of ki energy through her hand into the base of the woman’s skull, knocking her unconscious.

Minutes later, someone finally sounded an alarm, but Luffa had already forced one of them to take her to their leader.  A couple of other Saiyans tried to stop her, but she swatted them aside like flies, even while she kept her escort trapped in a headlock.

“Z-zaperc’s right through that door!” the young man gasped as he struggled in vain against Luffa’s grip.

“Good,” she said.  “After you.”

Before he could ask what she meant, she shifted her grip and tossed him through the door like a heap of trash.  Inside, Zaperc was dictating notes to a young Chezzi woman with a pad and paper.

“Eh?  Brockle?  What’s gotten into you, boy?  And who is this?”

Brockle tried to get to his feet, but Luffa kicked him before he could make it to his knees.  “An intruder, father!” he cried.  “I tried to stop her, but—“

“You’re the one in charge?” Luffa asked.  “You run a sloppy outfit, Zaperc.  Took them too long to sound an alarm, and you can’t even hear it from this room.”  She pointed her thumb at the Chezzi woman.  “Or was this girl your secret weapon to stop intruders?”

Unlike the man she met at the door, Zaperc looked Luffa over for purely tactical reasons.   He quickly decided that he was outmatched, and held out his hands in a submissive gesture.  “Er, welcome, sister!” he said.  “I don’t know what business you have with us, but I can tell from your immense power that you must be a student of Luffa’s just as we are.”

“Student?” Luffa asked.  “What are you babbling about?”

“Why, the Legendary Super Saiyan, of course.  Everything we’ve done here is an effort to put his teachings into practice.”

“Is that so?” Luffa scoffed.  “His teachings?   He told you to take over this planet?  You don’t know a damn thing about the Super Saiyan, old man.”

“And what do you know?” Zaperc demanded.  “Have a care, young one.  You may be strong, but I’ve studied Luffa’s career very carefully and—“

She threw her head back and transformed.  Her short, black hair suddenly glowed bright yellow, and her eyes turned green.  Around her body, her aura flashed and churned the air around her, causing the loose fabric of her yellow pants to ripple and flap.

Zaperc took all of this in, and after he looked her over one more time, he presented his reaction with a single word.

“Oh.”

[6 February 234 Before Age.  Rumrumyunsun.]

Okartish was dead.  Yarrow examined the corpse of his comrade to find out what had killed him, but there seemed to be no immediate answer.  He reached out with his senses, seeking an enemy life force strong enough to slay a Saiyan warrior, but found none.  Rumrumyunsun was a planet of weaklings, with nothing to offer the two Saiyans but a place to refuel their starship on their way to the brothels of Planet Be’er.  A warrior strong enough to kill Okartish would have stuck out like a sore thumb.

Yarrow helped himself to the unfinished meal Okartish had ordered, and stroked his thick beard in contemplation.  Perhaps this was for the best.  Okartish had his uses, but apparently he was even weaker than Yarrow had suspected.  He had come to his hotel room to renegotiate their splitting of the profits for their next raid.  Okartish wanted to keep things fifty-fifty, but this implied that Okartish did at least fifty percent of the pillaging, which he did not.

“Real shame, buddy,” Yarrow said aloud as he bent over to pat Okartish on the cheek.  “I was gonna be generous, offer to split things sixty-seven/thirty-three.  But I guess one hundred/zero is a lot easier all around, hey?  I never was much good at math.”

It bothered him to leave loose ends, but he saw no point in sticking around to find the killer.  Okartish had died without a fight, suggesting some sort of trickery, and Yarrow had no interest in playing with tricksters.  There was that so-called “Super Saiyan”, and rumor had it that he could have killed someone like Okartish with a flick of the wrist, but Yarrow didn’t put much stock in rumors.  Besides, the Super Saiyan was supposed to be in a completely different sector these days.  And if someone that strong really existed, Yarrow wanted no part of him.

So Yarrow took one last piece of meat from the room service tray, and headed for the door, turning his back on the closest thing he had ever had to a friend.  He planned to check out of the hotel immediately, return to his ship, and leave Rumrumyunsun as soon as possible.

But then he saw a woman emerging from the lavatory.  Yarrow wondered how she got in without him noticing.  He had neglected to turn on the lights when he had entered the room, but only because the street lamps outside provided enough illumination through the window.

Then he realized that he couldn’t sense any ki from the woman.

“Who the hell are you?” he demanded.  “And what did you do to him?”

She giggled and lolled her head to one side.   “I killed him, silly,” she said in a mocking voice.

“Why?”  Yarrow wasn’t sure why he was asking.  His best guess was that Okartish had made a powerful enemy somewhere along the way, and this woman was here to take revenge.  He wanted to know if that vendetta included Yarrow by association.

But the woman simply raised her arm and pointed at Yarrow accusingly.  “He was a Saiyan,” she said.  “That’s reason enough to kill him, isn’t it?  And reason enough to kill you.”

As soon as she said it, Yarrow went on the offensive.  With a single swipe of his hand, he tossed a ki blast at her chest, then grabbed her by the throat.  As the destructive energy ripped through her vital organs, he crushed her windpipe, then snapped her cervical vertebrae.  As he released her, the energy blast exited through her back and scorched the door to the hotel room.

And just like that, Okartish’s killer was dead before she hit the floor.

“Idiot,” Yarrow muttered.  He waited a moment, concerned that she had somehow survived his assault, and this was all some elaborate ruse she used to kill her victims.  But after fifteen minutes he decided that he was merely being paranoid.  If this woman really had killed Okartish, then she had been incredibly lucky, or he had been an exceptional fool.  They deserved one another.

And so Yarrow stepped over her corpse and left the room, never giving either of them another thought.

It would be his last mistake.

NEXT:  The Luffa Way.

[duhragonball]

[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (52/?)

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

[9 June, 236 Before Age.  Luffasworld.]

Just as moons orbited planets and planets orbited stars, the galaxy was a system of at least a hundred billion stars all orbiting around a supermassive black hole at the center.  Surrounding the black hole was an accretion disk of matter.  This matter was close enough to the black hole to be pulled into its event horizon, and the gravitational forces compressed the matter enough to increase its temperature, causing the entire disk to emit electromagnetic radiation.  Among other reasons, this was why the very innermost part of the galaxy was completely uninhabitable by any mortal life forms.  

Consequently, when sapient beings spoke of the "center of the galaxy", they usually meant the region that lay safely beyond the accretion disk.   In that part of the galactic interior, there lay a dense stellar population of globular clusters, which contained the galaxy's oldest stars.  Navigation in this region of space was problematic, though not impossible.  Many of the stars in the galactic core had planets and moons, and a number of them were capable of supporting life.  But these older stars were formed with lower quantities of heavier elements, and so their planets and moons were born with little in the way of exploitable mineral resources.  So while travel and colonization were possible, there was little economic incentive, leaving many of these so-called "Core Worlds" untouched by intelligent life.  

Still, there was a market for just about anything in the universe, and the Core Worlds were no exception.  Among the galaxy's idle rich, there were those who liked the idea of owning their own planet, even if it was in an inconvenient location.  A handful of these actually visited their holdings from time to time, using them as personal retreats.  

Luffasworld was such a place, although its owner had no interest in recreation.  Indeed, the planet was less than ideal as a vacation getaway.  Its orbit around an orange dwarf star was situated in just a way to make the climate habitable, but not enjoyable.  There was a temperate zone around the equator, but no one bought an entire planet for just a thin strip of paradise.  A hardy band of colonists might have relished the challenge of making a life on the rest of the planet, growing crops in the tough sod of its plains, trapping furs in the taiga forests, or whatever else needed to be done.  But such colonists would have gone to a much more accessible planet in the outer rim.    

"It's perfect," Luffa said as she stepped off the ramp from her star-yacht.  She took a deep breath and started rubbing her hands together excitedly.  

"What's so great about this place, anyway?" Keda asked.  

"Everything," Luffa said.  "There's no moon to worry about, and there's plenty of different environments.  Jungles, deserts, mountains, tundra, you name it.  The surveyors only did an orbital scan of the planet, but they checked it for potential settlement.  The fresh water is potable, and the plants and animals are edible.  Everything you could want from a planet."

"Except people," Keda said.  "The nearest hospital is twenty light years away.  Bad place to have an accident, if you asked me."

"Nah, the whole point of this place is that I can finally cut loose without anyone getting in my way," Luffa said.  "Why do you think I spent so much time out in the wilderness back on Dorlu Prime?"

"Because you didn't have your own spaceship back then?" Keda suggested.

"First thing I want to do is set up the shelter," Luffa said.  That way you can take the ship on supply runs or whatever else you guys want to do."

"You want us to just leave you here?" Keda asked.  The young Dorlun was visibly concerned.  

"I'll be fine," Luffa said.  "Look, I've got a lot of work to do here, but there's no reason for the rest of you to sit around on a deserted planet waiting on me."

"Yeah, but..."

Luffa snapped her fingers.  "No, scratch that, the shelter can wait.  First thing I want to do is have a look around.  Back in about an hour, okay?"

She leaped into the air and flew off into the horizon.  Keda watched her go, then shrugged and went back aboard.

*******

[12 June 236 Before Age.  Shafulb.]

Tik-Tak was the Archduke of planet Kopey.  It was the title bestowed upon him following the Monarchist Restoration Crisis on his world.  His father had been "First Citizen" of Kopey, a title that better suited the Egalitarian Revolution of that period.  Before that, Tik-Tak's grandmother had reigned as the Undisputed Sun-Empress.  Each of them had held the same basic authority, but the title changed to reflect shifts in the political climate, which were frequent on Kopey.  A dynasty like Tik-Tak's had learned to survive by being flexible.  

This tradition of flexibility was why he joined Luffa's grand alliance of worlds, which eventually became the Federation.  Though he was privately skeptical of the proposal, he couldn't deny the benefits of the alliance, nor could he argue against Luffa's ability to enforce the agreement.  And for a time, the Federation had been a successful venture.

But things had changed, as they always did.  And so he found himself on Planet Shafulb, a theocratic world which had once been a rival power to Kopey before they had joined together as Federation members.  There, he hoped to determine his next move.  It might have disturbed his father and grandmother to see him plotting alongside the Vicar of Shafulb, but Tik-Tak knew they would understand.  

"Nervous, dearie?" Drang Dedruhn asked.  She was a large creature with smooth, shiny skin, black on the back and white on the front.  Her blue raiment represented the holy office she served, but her broad smile full of peg-like teeth suggests a more cynical attitude to leadership.  

"How can I not be nervous, Vicar?" Tik-Tak asked.  "Marshall Booth consolidates his power with each passing day.  How long before we must call him 'Federator Booth'?"

"Nonsense!" Drang said with a wave of her flipper-like hand.  "Booth has more sense than to usurp Luffa's position so blatantly."

"He has the tact perhaps," Tik-Tak countered.  "But I see no reason why he couldn't assume full control of the Council.  In a year, he may well rule over us all like an emperor, even if he insists on keeping the title of 'Marshall'."

Drang took a handful of morsels from a bowl on her desk and stuffed them into her mouth.  She nudged the bowl towards Tik-Tak, who politely declined.  "You should eat more, Tik-Tak," she said.  "Your exoskeleton looks a little paler than when I saw you last."

"Ever since Luffa disappeared, Booth has exerted more and more control," Tik-Tak muttered.  "He was already in command of the military, but now he no longer takes direction from the Council.  Luffa was the only direct check on his authority, and she's gone into exile, which only emboldens him to seize even more power!"

"Booth is incorrigible, isn't he?" Drang chortled.  "Worse, he's actually popular for once.  He came out of the war looking like a hero, so when he claims more authority, no one seems to mind."

"No one except you, Vicar," Tik-Tak said.  "You've defied him rather brazenly, albeit quietly."

She chuckled.  "Oh, I merely do as the Holy Tide bids, dearie," Drang said.  "I truly wanted to cooperate with Booth's proposal--for the good of the Federation, you understand--but after much consultation and prayer, I simply had to refuse him."

"He could send troops to occupy your moon," Tik-Tak said.  "Then build the installation without your permission."

"But he hasn't, Archduke."

"Why not?  What do you have over him?"

She smiled insincerely and held out her hands.  "I serve a higher power, Tik-Tak.  I suppose a heathen such as yourself wouldn't be able to understand that."

"Oh, enough of that," Tik-Tak grumbled.  "I will respect your religious office to a point, but my family has crossed swords with you long enough to know better than to underestimate you, Vicar.  You know something, don't you?  Either you have information that would compromise Booth's power grab, or you've been in contact with Luffa.  That must be it.  Unless... unless you've entered into secret negotiations with Wist...!"

Drang cackled with relish at this suggestion.  "Let's say any of those are true," she replied.  "Skies above!  Let's say they're all true, why don't we?  If I had that kind of inside knowledge, why would I share any of it with you?"

"Fine.  Perhaps I have been a bit presumptuous, Vicar," Tik-Tak said, backing down.  He clacked his claws together in a apologetic gesture, although he wasn't sure the Shafulbian would recognize this.  "But you won't deny that you know something.  Something important."

"Oh my," Drang said.  "I do believe I see it now.  After I turned down Booth's generous proposal to built a military base in my system, he went to you, didn't he?"

"No," Tik-Tak grumbled.  "He went to Penticede IV, and my sources tell me they plan to accept.  You see?  The worlds of the Federation are choosing sides, and if a power like Penticede IV is siding with Booth, then it's only a matter of time before I must choose a well.  The choice should be obvious, and yet..."

"And yet I would seem to have made the foolish choice," Drang chuckled.  "Only I'm no fool, am I, Tik-Tak?  Your grandmother found that out the hard way during the Eight Years War, didn't she?"

Tik-Tak nodded.  

"Oh, your grandmother.   There are days when I actually miss that old harlot," Drang said wistfully.  "Tell you what, why don't we talk again in a few weeks?  I'll visit Kopey and we can tour the spot where the Sun-Empress and I signed the treaty.  And if you haven't found your answer by then, I'll share it with you."

*******

[26 June 236 Before Age.  Luffasworld]

There had been sensor sweeps and geological surveys of Luffasworld, but these had all been conducted years ago, and from orbit.  None of the planet's features had ever been named or even catalogued, and so the honor fell upon the world's new owner, who didn't especially care.  Upon visiting the three largest deserts on the planet, she eventually named them "Easy", "Medium" and "Hard" in order of the severity of their climate.  To keep from getting lost, she preferred to make her own landmarks, like the fifty-foot wide trenches she had made in Hard Desert.  

She had fallen into a routine as of late.   By the end of her day, after drilling various ki techniques in Hard Desert, she would fly west to Target Practice Mountain, mostly to blow off steam.  Then she would take the long way back to Campsite Forest, and admire the sunset along one of the shorelines.  If anyone had asked her to name it, she might have called it "Pretty Coast".  

In the center of Campsite Forest was a dome-shaped building atop a mound of earth.  She had built both herself, using clay and rock from other locations.  For a time, she had considered building more, since the first project had been a decent workout, but she had turned her attention to other regimens.  

"I'm home," she called as she walked through the archway entrance.  

"You're back early," Zatte said.  She was reading a computer pad and sitting in one of the deck chairs they had taken from the yacht.  Most of the furniture had come from the ship, which had been designed as a luxury pleasure craft, so while the house itself was primitive, the interior was oddly stylish.  

"Well, I had a pretty good day out there, so I figured I'd quit while I was ahead," Luffa said.  She crossed the room and inspected the slow cooker in the area they had designated as the kitchen.  "I think I'm gonna bake some of those tubers I found for dinner.  How many you want?"

"None," Zatte said.  "I'm still checking them."

Luffa turned to face her and crossed her arms.  "Zattie, they're fine."

"I know."

"The medical scanner cleared them.  No toxins, no pathogens.  Just plenty of starch and Vitamin B6."

"I know.  You showed me."

"Then why won't you eat them?"

"I did eat a piece of one," Zatte said.  "I rubbed a little on my arm and didn't get a rash, then I tasted it.  Nothing wrong there, so I ate it.  If I don't get sick in the next three days, it's fine."

"That's dumb," Luffa said.  

"No, it's the Universal Edibility Test," Zatte said.  "It's a Dorlun ritual on an unfamiliar planet.  Not everybody has a cast iron stomach like you Saiyans."

"Oh, come on," Luffa snorted.

"You should listen to me.  My species has tamed harsher environments than this with a lot less technology than what we've got," Zatte said, raising her index finger.   "What if there's toxins on this planet that aren't in the scanner's database?  What if the scanner breaks down for some reason?  We're a long way from a repair shop, you know.  You're lucky you've got an expert survivalist like me here to watch out for you."

"Yeah, but I still think you worry too much," Luffa said.

"Aw, you say the sweetest things sometimes," Zatte said.  "But I still don't want any tubers.  Ask me again in three days."

"Fine, more for me, I guess," Luffa said with a shrug.  She activated the portable stovetop and began poking holes in some tubers with a fork.   "At least you like my pot roast.  Anything going on around here?"

"Keda called.  She's on her way back from the Hobstot System.  Should be back at the landing site tomorrow night.  I thought we'd go over and see her."

"Sounds good.  I hope she found more of that cheese I liked.  It'd really go well with these tubers..."

"Oh, I think I finally straightened things out with the caterers."

"Good," Luffa said.  "What was their problem anyway?"

"Somebody got the order mixed up and thought you were a Sayvunn," Zatte explained.  "So they couldn't understand why we wanted so much food for such a small guest list."

"Sayvunn?" Luffa asked.  

"Yeah, I've never heard of them either, but apparently they only eat once a week."

"Poor bastards," Luffa said.  "Well, that's their problem.  So are we all set now or what?"

"I still need to clear up a few details on the license application, but yeah, I think we're on," Zatte said.  "You nervous?"

"Honestly?  Yeah."

"It's just a ceremony," Zatte said.  "We don't even have to do that part to make it official.  You're the one who wanted to get dressed up."

"I know," Luffa said.  "I just thought my first marriage was going to last forever, and... well you know how that turned out."

"Right."

"I mean I'm sure about this.  I want to do this, but I was so sure the last time, too.  I never expected to be doing it all over again, and you're an alien, and I've changed so much, and..."

"I know what you mean," Zatte said. "Well, I've never been married before, but everything else..."

Luffa finished wrapping the last tuber in aluminum foil, then sniffed at the air.  "Did you hear that?" she asked.  

"No," Zatte said.  She laid down her pad and rose from her seat.  "What is it?"

Luffa pointed to one of the round windows along the wall.  "Sounded like something rustling around outside the house.  Like an animal, but I can't pick up a scent."

"It'd better not be," Zatte said.  "I put enough sharpened stakes along the hillside to discourage just about anything."

"Could be something smaller, like a scavenger," Luffa said.  "Come on, we'd better take look."

*******

[26 June 236 Before Age.  Kopey.]

The Eight Years War between Shafulb and Kopey had formally ended with a treaty signing on Kopey, which at the time was viewed as a great step forward for the cause of galactic peace.  The site was dedicated as a monument, but that was one century and two revolutions ago, and eventually the entire area was rezoned for commercial use.  Drang and Tik-Tak sat at a corner table of a sports bar, which was as close as one could get to the original location of the treaty signing without smashing a wall and stepping halfway into the restroom on the other side.  

"Times have certainly changed," Drang chuckled as she dipped her appetizers into various sauces.   Tik-Tak thought she resembled a painter choosing a palette for a canvas.

"It must be difficult for you to see this area built up this way," Tik-Tak said.  

"Not at all, dearie," she replied.  "The food at the treaty signing was lousy.  They needed a good restaurant around here, and now they finally have one.  Better late than never, I always say."

For security purposes, the two heads of state had the entire establishment to themselves.  A crowd of armed guards stood at the entranceway and at least one stood on the opposite corner of the room, occasionally giving suspicious looks to the waitstaff.  Drang had asked that the video monitors in the room be changed to news feeds, and they had been watching the latest coverage for the past twenty minutes.  

"How did you know?" Tik-Tak finally asked.  She simply giggled and placed an appetizer into her mouth.

He was referring to recent developments in Federation politics.  Marshall Booth's planned construction on Penticede IV had backfired spectacularly.  The Pentiss legislature had tried to ramrod the approval against public outcry.  Eventually, the planet's prime executive vetoed the measure in an attempt to bolster sagging poll numbers.  At the same time, Booth's people had been trying to survey the construction site, figuring the arrangement was a certainty.  Protests erupted across the planet, and the next election cycle on Penicede IV was now being interpreted as a referendum on Booth's power grab.  

Today's top story was a new wrinkle: the protests had spread to other worlds across the Federation, including Booth's homeworld of Woshad.   One of the video screens showed dramatic footage of armed soldiers confronting civilians.  Most of the protestors had their hair dyed yellow, or they wore yellow wigs.  Many of them held out their hands and curled in their fingers, as though daring the troops to come and get them.  

"Normally, I despise the idea of a free press," Drang said between bites.  "But I have to admit that it has its advantages."

"My sources tell me that Booth is already backing down," Tik-Tak said.  "He had come here looking to set up another military installation on my world, but he revoked the proposal the day after all of... this got started."

"He'd better work fast," Drang said with an amused snort.  "Or he'll be worse off than when he started this little power play."

"But these are just... protests," Tik-Tak exclaimed.  "He has the power..."

"They're not just protests, Archduke.  They're a reminder," Drang said.  "Booth never had the power for any of this.  Otherwise, he would have conquered both our planets and every other Federation world years before Luffa arrived on the scene.  He's only as powerful as he is now because Luffa formed the Federation, and because Luffa convinced the member worlds agreed to pool their military forces under his command."

"But Luffa is gone!" Tik-Tak said.  "And she was defeated..."

"She'll be back," Drang said.  "That's the message those little heathens are sending to Booth.  He can have his way for now, but if he steps too far out of line..." She trailed off and began to laugh at the thought of that reckoning.  

"But you don't know that!" Tik-Tak argued.  "No one does!"

"You're right," Drang said.  "For all we know she's already faced the Shockmaster again and he killed her.  Or she's abandoned the Federation once and for all.  But the people believe otherwise, and even if they're wrong, that belief has left an indelible impression.  They'll never be as powerful as a Super Saiyan, but she's shown them how to be just as stubborn and defiant.  Booth might be rid of her, but he won't do away with her legacy quite so easily."

He clicked his claws for a moment and stared at the footage on the screen. Most of the protesters looked somewhat foolish in their homemade Luffa costumes, but  there was a humanoid woman in the crowd who looked just enough like a Saiyan that he almost thought it was the real thing.  He was startled for a moment, and then he realized that if Booth saw this same footage, the Marshall would probably be even more startled.  

"But it's all based on nothing but speculation," he mumbled.  "A gamble."

"No, not a gamble, Tik-Tak," Drang said with a smug grin.  "It's faith.  The same thing that's kept me in power for over a century.  Whether you believe it or not, the people on Shafulb believe I'm their rightful leader, and I do try not to dissuade them.  I'd prefer that these sinful rabble put their trust in something less secular, but the principle is the same.  Luffa's no saint, but she's fought for the Federation before, and asked for very little in return.  Small wonder she would become this kind of inspiration."

She looked down at her appetizers and smiled at the site of them.  "Hmmph, all this over a little Saiyan.  Amazing, really.  You know, you really should have something to eat, Tik-Tak.  You're no good to your people if you're malnourished."

He looked at the video screens again, and then down at the plate laid before him.  He hadn't even touched his share of the meal.  For the first time in weeks, he found he had an appetite again.  

"You know, Vicar," he said, glancing back at the protest footage one more time.  "I believe I will."

*******

[26 June 236 Before Age.  Kopey.]

Well after sunset, Luffa sat on the ground outside of the house, covered in wet towels.  Behind her, Zatte was scrubbing her hair and trying not to laugh.  

"It's not funny," Luffa fumed.  

"Why did you try to grab it in the first place?" Zatte asked.  She dipped a towel into a bucket, wrung it, then went back to work.  

"I thought it looked tasty, all right?" Luffa said.  "How was I supposed to know it could spray that awful smell out of its butt?"

"At least the stench is almost gone," Zatte said.  "Lucky for you we had enough baking soda and hydrogen peroxide to mix up this antidote.  Otherwise you might have had to sleep out here tonight."

"Shut up!" Luffa growled.  "If you think it stinks, just imagine how bad it is for me."

"I know," Zatte said patiently.  "You're very sensitive that way."

"If the little creep hadn't sprayed me and burned out my nostrils, I bet I could track him from a mile away," Luffa muttered.  Then she started shaking her fist as she shouted into the forest: "And I will, too, you hear me?!  This isn't over!  I'll eat your entire race!"

Zatte gave up on trying not to laugh.  

"Don't you dare mention any of this to Keda," Luffa warned.  

"Why would I--?"

"I mean it, Zattie.  Not one word..."

"Fine.  If she asks what we’ve been up to lately, I'll tell her you read love poetry to me all night."

"For an 'expert survivalist', you sure like living dangerously,"  Luffa growled.

"I'd better wash your tail, just to be on the safe side." Zatte said.  

Luffa crossed her arms and pouted.  

"So did the last Super Saiyan ever get married?" Zatte asked.  

"Huh?"

"I was just thinking about it before," Zatte said as she soaked another towel in the bucket.  

"Well, you're kind of putting me on the spot," Luffa said, her tone growing more relaxed as she gathered her thoughts.  "All the old stories say Chanisp had a harem.  Consorts, concubines, servant girls, 'advisors', you name it.  Some of those might have been full-on spouses, but there's no way to know."

"Doesn't sound much like any Saiyan I ever heard of," Zatte observed.  

"You’re right, come to think of it, but he was a big shot," Luffa said.  "He saved the entire Saiyan race from extinction, and then he went off looking for even bigger battles to fight.  They say he conquered so many planets that he had to conquer a whole other planet just to store all the spoils."

"And all the women," Zatte added.

"Yeah, he had an entire castle for them," Luffa said.  "Anyway, he could do anything he pleased, so maybe he didn't feel so inhibited about... you know.  He had about two-hundred children, and those were just the full-blooded Saiyans.  No telling how many half-breeds he sired.  I don't know how you'd keep track of a family that big..."

"Compared to all that, a second marriage doesn't sound so difficult," Zatte said.  

"Heh.  When you put it that way, I guess not."  

Luffa looked up at the night sky.  Being so close to the galactic center meant that there were far more stars to see, and the sky was much brighter than she was used to  on a planet like this.   Zatte dumped out the bucket and started putting the towels away.  

"So do I get to sleep inside?" Luffa asked.  

"I think you're back to tolerable levels," Zatte said.  "So you can come back in the house.  The harem took a vote and it was unanimous."

Luffa made a sigh of mock relief, and they went back into the house, arm in arm.  

NEXT: Long Shadows.

[duhragonball]

Luffa Story Arc Breakdown

“Ah shit, he’s talking about his OC again!   I told you not to wear that shirt!”

“Hey, sun’s out, guns out, my dude.”

I should have #159 up shortly, and this weekend I gotta get 160 figured out.   July is my next writing month, and I’ll be trying to add 30000 more words to this damn story.   But I still have to figure out what to do with the loose bits that I haven’t posted from the previous writing months.   It’s the same rigamorale I dealt with in 2019 and 2020, but on a much smaller scale.    So I gotta nip that in the bud before it gets worse.

Every year, I think I’m going to do proper chapter summaries on AO3, and I never go through with it because it’s just a big hassle.   By “hassle”, I mean I have to re-read the entire fic and catch all the spelling errors and plot holes that I missed the last time around.  

Honestly, reading my own work is kind of fun sometimes, provided enough time has passed that I can get some distance from it.   Someone will like an old post of mine, and I’ll check it out to remember what it was, and Tumblr Mobile will recommend other posts of mine, including my own fic, and I’ll check it out and go “Hey, this guy’s pretty good.”  

I need to tell myself that more often, because these recent chapters I’ve been posting just feel like noise.   I’ll read ‘em and they look right and I see nothing else that needs to be changed, but I just can’t stand looking at them, and I know that’s just Editing Fatigue because I had a blast writing all this Frieza stuff.   Back in January, I found a YouTube video that was just a supercut of the Frieza fight before Goku showed up, and I’d put that on and work out how to cram a time traveler into it.   Then I found another supercut of Frieza vs. Base Goku and did the same thing in April.      That may be what makes it so boring for me to read.   It’s not just that I wrote it, but I adapted scenes from another work that I already saw, and recently.   Hell, a few weeks ago I re- watched the Frieza Saga again, because I was hunting for Track M814 uses.   So it feels dull even though I know it’s hot stuff, so maybe I should re-read my older material for an ego boost. 

But I’m not gonna do that right now, because I’ve got a lot to do today.   Instead I’ll be trying to sort the chapters into “arcs”.   I’m hoping this will get me a step closer to whatever it is that I need to do.

Luffa #1-10: The origin story, to keep it simple.  I did a prologue in #1 to introduce the character, and I think I gave her a gold breastplate, like a Roman Soldier would wear, because I had this goofy idea about constantly switching her outfits that didn’t last.   Then we flash back to Luffa’s time on Dorlu Prime, her failed defense of that world from an invasion force, and her unlikely escape from captivity.   Also, the title character turns into the titular Super Saiyan, thereby fufilling the titular legend.

Luffa #11-16: Bigreen Arc.  Luffa can’t control her new form, so she ends up on a planet that specializes in medical science to figure out what’s wrong with her.   This one is designed to explain some of the disconnects in Saiyan lore.   Luffa’s not the first Super Saiyan, but she’s not even sort of familiar with the transformation, even though she’s heard tales of all the old heroes.   So this arc tries to fill in that gap. 

Luffa #17-23: Overnight Sensation.   Luffa has to figure out what to do with herself now that she has this Super Saiyan power.   She tries to go back to mercenary work, only to find it as boring as it is profitable.  So she starts asking herself what she really wants (revenge), and how she plans to get it (founding an interstellar Federation).

Luffa #24-28: Luffa’s increasing popularity frightens her old enemies and attracts the attention of new ones.   As Kandai flees in search of refuge from Luffa’s wrath, an old acquaintance shows up to reconnect with Luffa in an unexpected way.

Luffa #29-37: None So Blind.   As Kandai becomes entangled in the political upheaval on Planet Goldwall, Luffa is drawn away from her new Federation project by seductive new power, one that promises an escape from her old problems, but at the price of her very identity.   Meanwhile, the Federation is invaded by a powerful enemy from across the stars.   Can Luffa return in time to deal with this new threat.   Will she even want to? 

Luffa #38-49: Liberation of Extraliga.    Luffa launches a counterstrike on the occupied world of Extraliga, then takes the fight to the invaders.   Her offensive leads her to Kandai, but she also has to contend with the Shockmaster.   Can she defeat them both, or will she have to choose?  

Luffa #50-60: Training Arc.   Well, not just training, but I wanted a lull between the first Shockmaster arc and the second, and this is it.    I did a lot of fun stuff here.   Luffa drinks a whole bottle of waffle batter, Zatte gets into a Stand Battle, the characters from an old Dungeons and Dragons ad make a cameo appearance, the Shockmaster gets an origin story, and oh, Luffa might have gotten a little married somewhere in this mess. 

Luffa #61-69: Second Extraliga War.   The Shockmaster invades the Federation again, begging the question of why he should want it so badly.    This time, he conducts his business in person, but Luffa is read for him.   Or is she?

Luffa #70-76: The Luffa Way Arc.     Long story short, I needed an arc to explain why Luffa never taught any other Saiyans how to transform the way she can.   For one thing, most Saiyans are too afraid or resentful of her to want to learn.   In this story, Luffa meets a small band of Saiyans who accept her teachings, but it still doesn’t work out.  

Luffa #77-96: Pozet Arc.  The King of Planet Saiya finally reaches out to Luffa for reconciliation, and Zatte convinces her to accept the invitation.   But it turns out the King wants more than just friendship.   Rehval has a problem, one that concerns the entire Saiyan population, and he is convinced that only Luffa can help him solve it.  

Luffa #97-100: I’ll be real with you chief, this is just a collection of one-offs I wrote before moving on to the next arc.   First, Rehval’s wayward daughter, Princess Seltiss, has her own plans for the future of the Saiyan people, and she and her boyfriend take the first step in making them a reality.    Next, Zatte dictates a letter to her marriage counselor.   Then Luffa tries to figure out whatevr happened to Drang Dedruhn.    Finally, on the world of Archeo, Phyper Notro plots to deconstruct the legend of Luffa, only to discover the truth is much more dangerous than the rumors.  

Luffa #101-108: Trismegistus Arc.  While Luffa persecutes the Saiyans for any leads to track down King Rehval, a group of Saiyans searches for a mysterious alchemist rumored to possess a secret potion that will give them incredible power.   

Luffa #109-117: Jindan War, Part 1.   The Jindan Cult launches an attack on the Federation, and Luffa cannot take the fight to the enemy, since she doesn’t know where their secret base is.   Unable to defend multiple Federation planets at the same time, Luffa reluctantly accepts an alliance with Princess Seltiss, leader of the Saiyan Free Company.   Seltiss fears that the mysterious Trismegistus may unravel her father’s work to unite the Saiyan species, but her only hope of defeating the cult is to win Luffa’s trust.

Luffa #118-130: Jindan War Part 2.   The war continues, with neither side able to gain a clear advantage.  Luffa and her allies manage to repel the invaders, but are worn down in the process.   The Federation grows weary of Luffa’s inability to end the conflict, and the only one who seems pleased is Trismegistus, despite the high casualties and lack of tactical gains.   Eventually, his followers begin to question his motives, but do they have the courage to take action when they discover the answers?

Luffa #131-141: Jindan War Part 3.   Luffa learns the location of Trismegistus’ headquarters, and assembles a fleet powerful enough to crush him in a single attack.    Can Trismegistus survive her offensive?   And can the universe survive the outcome of this battle?

Luffa #142-146: Xenoversal.   In the distant future, a wish is made for a powerful warrior to defend time itself.    And so, Luffa is recruited to join the Time Patrol, led by the Supreme Kai of Time, and the mysterious swordsman Trunks.  But where is she exactly, and when?  Can she ever return home?  Is there even a home to return to?

Luffa #147-156: Ginyu Force Arc.   Luffa now knows how far in the future she’s traveled, and her Time Patrol work seems to be the only thing left that can give her life any purpose.  But can she even accomplish the dangerous missions that lie ahead?   Trunks has his doubts...

Luffa #157-161: Frieza Arc.   Uh, yeah, she fights Frieza in this one.    It probably speaks for itself.   I’m trying to remember a particular moment that happens in the Frieza conflict that would be of great importance to Luffa, but I’m drawing a blank.   Sorry.

[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

[duhragonball]

[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (96/?)

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.

[28 May, 234 Before Age.   Planet Pflaume.]

After hours of being stranded on Planet Pflaume, hovering on the brink of death, Luffa had done a great deal of soul-searching.    She had a lot of things she needed to say to her wife, and when Zatte came to rescue her, she wasn't sure where to begin.    They shared a kiss almost as soon as she had recovered enough to speak, and that had been nice, but it was only a short reprieve.   Then the proximity alert sounded, and Zatte rushed away to check the computer terminal in the cargo bay.   Before Luffa could make sense of what was happening, Zatte ordered the computer to leave the Pflaume system at best possible speed.  

"What the hell are you doing?!" Luffa demanded.   This was not what she had planned to say to her wife after everything that had happened to them, but there it was.  

"Before I got here,” Zatte explained, “I set the ship to tell me if any bogeys showed up on the long-range sensors.   There's a Saiyan cruiser headed our way.   A parting gift from King Rehval, I'm betting."

"Then we should stick around and show our appreciation," Luffa snarled.  She was still unsteady on her feet, but now that she wasn't living off the dwindling air supply of the spacesuit she had been living in, she felt well enough to fight.   She cracked her knuckles and began to contort her arms to stretch her tired muscles.   "If he's too frightened to show his face, I'll settle for punching out a few of his henchmen--"

"Luffa, the navigational computer is down," Zatte explained.  "The bridge is a wreck.   That's why it took me so long to get here.   I had to maneuver the ship manually, correcting course as I went.    Sure, we can limp along like this, but if someone starts shooting at us--"

"I can protect the ship, Zattie!" Luffa insisted.   "Now turn us around and--!"

"No!" Zatte said.   "Dammit, you're not listening to me.   We're in no shape for a fight, you're probably half-starved, and we have to get away from the system before those Saiyans get close enough to track us!"

"So we hide?" Luffa exclaimed.   "Since when do I need a full stomach to tackle a bunch of Saiyans?"

"We're not having this discussion," Zatte said harshly.   She opened the door leading to the interior of the ship and headed down the corridor, waving for Luffa to follow.   "Let's get you to sickbay, then the kitchen, then..." she sniffed at the air and winced.   "...then the shower."

"Hey!" Luffa shouted as she ran after her.  "The only place I want to go is back to Pflaume, and then to Planet Saiya, so I can settle things with Rehval once and for all!"

"Luffa, we can't turn the ship around now," Zatte insisted.  "It would take an hour just to reverse course, and every second we're sitting still makes us that much harder to--"

"I don't care!" Luffa yelled.

"Well I do!" Zatte yelled back.   "I went to a lot of trouble just to save your sorry ass!"  She suddenly turned and started poking Luffa's chest with her index finger.   "I haven't slept in over twenty-four hours, and now I have to feed you and take your temperature because I can't trust you not to go straight to the gym to do one-armed pushups!  Now get this through your thick head: we are taking the ship into deep space.    We're not going anywhere else and you're not fighting anyone else until I can get the navigation system fixed, and that's final."

Luffa grabbed Zatte's hand before she could poke at her one more time.    They were both breathing hard, and Luffa had some fiery response on the tip of her tongue, but it never materialized.  

"Well?" Zatte demanded.   "If you've got something to say, out with it!"

Luffa made a sheepish grin.   "You, uh, mind if we stop by your bedroom first?" she asked.

Zatte breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.   "Okay, good, I thought I was the only one getting in the mood."

"I know what you mean," Luffa said.  

"We'll uh... we should get to that later, all right?"

"Right.   We should talk."  

*******

[28 May 234 Before Age.   Interstellar Space.]

"I want to make sure I'm clear on this," Zatte said.   She had run a medical scan on Luffa while she sat on the examination bed and ate leftovers from the kitchen.  "King Rehval can alter his own memories, and that's how he fooled your telepathy."

"Yeah," Luffa said, after swallowing a large spoonful of cold pottage.  

"Are you sure he didn't do something to your mind, then?" Zatte asked.    "If he could trick you into thinking he was in love with you, maybe he had a way to make you love him back."

"He used charms to control other Saiyans," Luffa said.   "But they were all physical objects he planted on them.    Medals, jewelry, things like that.   When I destroyed the one he used to control General Ratijio, he knew right away what had happened to him."

"In other words, he never managed to plant anything on you, because if he had, you'd still be under his spell," Zatte said.    "And if it fell off somehow, you'd notice it."

"Exactly," Luffa said.   "Which reminds me, we need to check on Drang Dedruhn as soon as we can get in touch with the Federation.    Rehval invited us to Saiya through her, and she didn't look so great the last time she saw us."

"You think she might have gotten more than she bargained for out of their summit," Zatte said.   "But why didn't he try that stuff on you?   If he could control so many other people..."

"I don't know," Luffa said.   "He might have been afraid of what would happen if it didn't work on me.   Or maybe he was planning to do it later, when he thought I'd be more pliable.   The very notion of a Saiyan doing that kind of crap..."

"Yeah, he sounds more like one of the Makyans than a Saiyan King," Zatte said.   "For what it's worth, I'm just relieved you weren't entranced or anything.    At least whatever you did with him was consensual."

"I'm sorry you had to find out through that Pozet monster," Luff said.   "Hell, I'm sorry that Pozet thing ever existed in the first place.  Rehval created it to resemble you, just to get at me.   You never should have been involved in this at all.    That cowardly slime knew he could never defeat me in battle, so he attacked me through my marriage, and then  my son..."

"I can't believe Katem's been alive this whole time," Zatte said.   "And then you lost him all over again..."

"At least I got to fight the brat," Luffa muttered.    She picked up a carton of eggs and placed one in her mouth, raw, and broke the shell with her teeth.   After she swallowed, she ate another the same way, and continued until the entire container was empty.   A small trickle of raw yolk ran down the corner of her mouth.  

"Was he strong?" Zatte asked.    

"The strongest Saiyan I've ever fought," Luffa said between eggs.   "He had some kind of power, not quite Super Saiyan, but something like it.   I don't know if Rehval did that to him with his alchemy, or if he takes after his mother."

"Maybe he's still alive," Zatte said.    "He's already surprised you once, right?"

"I offered to let him stay with us," Luffa said.   "For a second, I really thought he might go for it."

"I'm not sure I'm ready to be a parent," Zatte said with a chuckle.

"Zattie... I really screwed up," Luffa said.  

"We both did," Zatte said.   "I trusted King Rehval too much, same as you."

"But you didn't cheat with him," Luffa said.  

"Frankly, he's not my type," Zatte said.  

"Don't make jokes," Luffa said.    "I'm pretty sure if we found the Dorlun homeworld and met the Queen of the Dorluns, you could manage to keep your hands off her for a week or two."

"We don't have queens," Zatte said.   "Though if we did, and if she ate enough raw eggs in front of me," Zatte said with a shrug, "that might just win me over."

"This is exactly why I did it," Luffa grumbled.   "I knew it was wrong, but I felt sorry for the bastard, and I thought he really loved me.   He was lying the entire time, but he at least took it seriously.    He wasn't all detached about it like you're being right now."

"Oh, no you don't," Zatte said.    "You do not get to tell me how to react to this mess."

"I... I'm sorry," Luffa said.  "I didn't mean--"

"Look shut up, all right?" Zatte said.   She planted her hands over her face and slowly rubbed them across her forehead.    Then she took off the eyepatch that covered her right orbital socket, which housed a prosthetic implant.   There was scar tissue in the surrounding flesh, the last remnant of the war wound that she normally concealed.    She held the eyepatch in her left hand, then began twirling it on her index finger.  

"Sorry, it's been a long couple of days," Zatte said.   "For both of us.   I know you like it when I scold you, and I don't mind doing it, but that doesn't mean I should do it all the time.    

"I've always loved you, that's the thing.   From the day we met, I thought you were the coolest girl in the entire universe.    But you were only interested in Kandai back then, and I couldn't just punch a mountain to vent my frustrations the way you Saiyans do.   Instead I took a step back, and tried to assess it calmly, like... like I'm trying to do right now.     The fact is, I already cried my eye out yesterday, so we're past that.   What I need to know right now is how far it went between the two of you.   Don't hold back."

Luffa sighed and found herself staring at her own knees very intently.    "We kissed a lot," she said.   "You already knew about that, and you didn't seem to mind, so I started pushing it further.   We would feel each other up."

"Go on," Zatte said.  

"Well... that's it, really," Luffa said.   "I'd tear his shirt off, but he usually had a spare handy.  Sometimes we'd lie on the ground and look at the stars."

"Look at the stars?" Zatte repeated.  

"I'm sorry, this is embarrassing," Luffa said.   She took a deep breath and added: "He knew all this crap about what they were called, and the local constellations, and he'd say all this stuff into my ear."

"That's... you two just laid there nude?" Zatte asked.

"No," Luffa said.  

"I don't get it, then," Zatte said.   "You had sex with each other, put your clothes back on, and looked at the stars?   That just sounds dumb."

"Whoa, whoa.    We never had sex, Zattie," Luffa insisted.

"Pozet led me to believe you did," Zatte said.

"Well, Pozet was lying," Luffa said.  

Zatte held up her hands and made a ring with her right thumb and forefinger, then moved her left index finger through it, somewhat suggestively.    "You never did this with him," she said.

"No."

Zatte made a completely different gesture with her hands.   "What about *this*?" she asked.

"Absolutely not," Luffa said.  

Zatte made a third gesture, this time reaching over to Luffa and borrowing one of her hands to complete it.    "What about this?" Zatte asked.  

"I don't think you can even do that with a man, Zattie--"

"Just answer the question," Zatte said.

"No, we didn't," Luffa said.    

"Then what the hell are we talking about?"  Zatte asked.

"I still betrayed our marriage, Zattie," Luffa insisted.

"Okay, yeah!  But there's degrees to these things!" Zatte said.  

"Are you saying you're okay with what I've done?" Luffa asked.  

She shook her head and sighed.   "I look at it like this," Zatte finally said.   "He tried to break up our marriage by seducing you, and luring me on a wild goose chase.   But his plan failed, and now you're here with me, trying to put things back to the way they were.    We took everything he had to throw at us, and we survived it, just like we did when the Tikosi invaded.   That tells me what I need to know."

"What's that?" Luffa asked.  

"That you have lousy taste in men," Zatte said.    "Marrying me was the smartest move you ever made.   Kandai betrayed you and Rehval betrayed you, but I'm still here, getting you out of trouble.   I'll be honest, I can't just up and leave you, Luffa.    I have to make us work out, because I don't have a backup plan.   I'll fight for you and suffer for you and pick up the pieces when you break my heart.”

He expression suddenly became very grim as she stared intently at Luffa.   “But if you think that's too 'cold' or 'detached',” Zatte said darkly,  “then you're welcome to find another Saiyan man to be with.   Someone who can yell a lot and pretend to love you while he's planning to sell you out."

She made an evil grin at Luffa while letting those words sink in.  

"You're right," Luffa finally said.   "It's not just.... I mean... you're right."

"It's up to you," Zatte said.  "This isn't about me punishing you, or your tarnished honor.   It's about survival.   I almost didn't make it in time.   Your spacesuit was almost out of air.    I saved you from Rehval this time, but the next smooth talker you fool around with, I might not be able to bail you out.    Some Saiyans might accept that risk, but you!  No, you fought for every second of life.   That's what's got me all excited, really.    Under that mountain of bravado and tough talk, you want to stay alive as badly as I want to keep you alive.    That's how I know you're mine.    You'll want to make this up to me-- and you will make it up to me, don't worry about that-- but I don't need flowers or footrubs to convince me you learned your lesson.   Either you've learned your lesson, or next time you might die.  Simple as that."

"Wow,” Luffa said with a gulp. 

“Yeah,” Zatte said.

“I really didn't expect it to go this way," Luffa said.    In spite of herself, she smiled.   "You've defeated me... completely."

"You've defeated me a few times yourself, buster," Zatte said.   "The beautiful thing is: we're on the same side.   We can defeat each other all day long, but in the end, we still both win."    

Luffa set her food on the counter and  wiped her mouth on her forearm.  "I should... take that shower," Luffa said.  

"Good idea," Zatte said.   She took Luffa's hand and tugged it until she got up from the examination bed.    "I think I'll join you."

*******

[29 May 236 Before Age.  Planet Pflaume.]

The Saiyan spacecraft arrived at Planet Pflaume and found no one.   By now, Pflaume City had sunk deep into the ice giant's mantle, an ocean of hot, super-dense fluid composed of water, ammonia, and methane.   The immense pressure crushed the city into an unrecognizable assortment of scrap, and everyone who had once been in the city was either dead or long gone.  

And yet, the ship entered the Pflaumian atmosphere anyway, despite the apparent lack of anything worth finding.   The supersonic winds were no match for the ship's maneuvering jets, and in a matter of moments the vessel assumed a stationary position matching the exact altitude and latitude Pflaume City had once occupied.  

Satisfied that the ship was now holding steady, its propulsion balanced precisely against the winds and gravitational field of the planet, the pilot switched on a homing beacon, then focused the ship's sensors directly below.   Then she waited.

Her name was Seltiss, and she found even this part of the mission exciting.  Though she had planned everything to the smallest detail, there were no guarantees.   Perhaps something would turn up, perhaps not, but she loved the thrill of the uncertainty.    Her father had no idea that she was here.   There was a life hanging in the balance.  If something went wrong with her ship, there would be no one around to help her.  She had calculated a two hour window to find what she was looking for.   After that, she would have to leave, or she wouldn't have enough power to get back.  

That had always been her favorite part about space travel: the cold equations.   Everyone told these romantic tales of space travelers doing bold and daring things, but they were still bound by the laws of physics.   You could only put so much fuel in a spaceship, and that would only carry it so far with a specific amount of mass on board.  There was no margin for error.   Those who pretended otherwise would find they lacked the fuel to make it back to safe haven.    She loved the stories of explorers who ended up getting marooned on uncharted worlds, or who spent months or even years adrift in space because they took a chance and suffered the consequences.    Sometimes the stories ended in rescue, but the rescuers were always much more respectful of the cold equations.

As she looked in a mirror and double-checked her makeup, she couldn't help but toy with the idea of waiting a little longer than two hours.   She had padded her calculations slightly for safety, but this was mostly to compensate for the Pflaumian weather, which was somewhat unpredictable.    She could wait an extra ten minutes, but only if the planet was kind enough to buffet her ship with slower-than-average winds.   Now that she was actually here, she supposed that she could crunch the numbers one more time, taking the actual windspeeds into account, but no.   She decided that she liked the hard deadline.    She would feel a little guilty about leaving empty-handed, but that was kind of romantic in itself, wasn't it?   "We all knew the risks."   That sort of thing.

Her foundation was smudged a little, probably from when she had been prepping the ship for entry into the atmosphere, and the dye she wore in her hair had faded somewhat.   It was still pink, but a few shades paler than it had been a week ago when she had applied it.  She wanted to look her best.   It had been a long time, after all.  She reached for her bag to spruce herself up, but then she caught another look at her reflection and decided against it.   No, on second thought, she decided she rather liked looking a little shopworn.   It was more authentic that way, and it hinted at the work she had done to get this far.    On the other hand, she was definitely going to change into a new leotard and leggings.   They didn't smell too bad, but she had been wearing them for a week straight, and she she was probably too accustomed to the odor to notice it any longer.

Before she could finish putting her boots back on, though, the ship sensors detected something, and she had to rush back to the cockpit barefoot.   Once she confirmed the mass and telemetry of the object, she activated the ship's tractor beam, and began pulling it up from the depth of the atmosphere.  This would be the most critical part of the operation, as she had to raise the object slowly, so as not to rip it apart.   However, the tractor beam would use up a lot of her reserve power, so she couldn't leave it running any longer than necessary.  The one saving grace was that she was well within her two-hour window, so that freed up a little power if she needed it.   She wasn't exactly sure how *much* extra power that gave her, though, and so she couldn't really count on that until she had a chance to run the numbers again.   Driven by suspense more than anything, she tried to do the math in her head while she worked, even though she knew it was pointless.   She began to sweat, and she suspected that her makeup would end up looking a little more shopworn than she had bargained for.  

At last, she had the object high enough that she could bring it on board.   This process involved several smaller tractor beams mounted around the cargo bay doors.   For several minutes, she waited for the automated loading process to complete it's work.    Depressurize the bay, open the bay doors, tractor the cargo through the bay doors, set it down on the deck, close the doors, repressurize the bay.   This was the easy part, but she found it the most difficult to wait through.   She could see the vessel sitting in the bay, and it appeared to be undamaged, and there was a life sign aboard, but that was all she could find out until the cargo bay was safe to enter.    All she could do was take the ship out of the atmosphere and plot a course out of the system.  

When the green light came on for the entryway to the cargo bay, she rushed inside and opened the hatch on the vessel she had retrieved.    It stank of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide from the Pflaumian atmosphere, though the ship's life support systems had ventilated most of it.   The vessel was designed for exploring ultra-high-pressure environments, and small enough that it could only hold a single occupant.   At last, that occupant emerged from the hatch, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"S-seltiss?" he gasped.  

"Ah-ah!" she said.   "That's Princess Seltiss, to you, Xibuyas."

"Per... permission to come aboard, Your Highness."

With a strength that belied her slender frame, she hauled him out of the ship and carried him out of the cargo hold.   "You've gotten taller, babe," she said with a smile.  "I guess you had enough food in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber after all."

"Barely enough," Xibuyas said.    "I had to ration the last few weeks very carefully."  

His blue uniform was tattered and worn from what she could only assume was either combat with Luffa or intense training in the chamber.  Her father, King Rehval, had discovered the extradimensional realm, where time moved slower relative to the normal universe, and he had installed a secret entrance to it in Pflaume City.   Rehval had spent several years inside that place, though this was only several days from the perspective of everyone on the outside.  

"I've got food on board, so don't worry about that," Seltiss assured him.      

"Luffa was... too strong for me," he said wearily.   "I had to use a diversion to escape her, and then I got to the entrance to the Time Chamber, just as you planned."

"You didn't have any trouble operating the submersible, then?" Seltiss asked.

"Your instructions were very clear, my lady, " Xibuyas said.   He glanced back the way she came, as if he was worried the vehicle would follow them.   "You never told me how you managed to smuggle it into the Time Chamber without your father noticing."

"Oh, that was easy," she told him.  "The last time I was in the city, I told him I left some things inside from the last time I used the Chamber.    He never dreamed I was helping you in case his plans failed."

"Your father was right to abandon me," Xibuyas said.  

"Come on, was Luffa that strong?" Seltiss asked.   "I bet with a little more training you could--"

"I've spent the last several months training while I waited for you to pick me up," Xibuyas said.   "I'm much stronger for it, but my power still doesn't compare to hers."

"I see," Seltiss said.  "Well, we'll worry about that later, okay?   Right now we need to regroup, and figure out what my father's next move will be."

"I can... stand," he insisted.    "I may be tired and hungry, but it isn't necessary for you to--"

"No, I like carrying you, little boy," Seltiss cooed.   "It reminds me of when you were little, and Father had me babysit you.    Back before you started using the Time Chamber, and our ages got all mixed up.   How old are you now, anyway?"

"Sixteen years, two months," Xibuyas replied.  

"Hah, I'm still a little older, then," Seltiss cheered.  "Five months isn't much, but I'll take it."

"Seltiss...," he asked, his voice betraying the haughty arrogance that he usually projected, "what are we going to do now?   Where will we go?"

"Hey, I'm the brains of this outfit, remember?" Seltiss said.   "You leave everything to me.   I got you out of Pflaume City in one piece, didn't I?"

He nodded.

"Fact is, I had some ideas about where to go next.   You and I are engaged to be married, right?   Father just wants us to breed some grandchildren for him, but we may as well get to know each other a little better, right?   I think it's high time you and I went on a date."

She had hoped that this would lift Xibuyas' spirits a little.    He was always more useful to her when he was in a good mood, and more fun to hang out with too.    Instead, he seemed rather nervous, but she decided she liked that reaction better...

NEXT: Those Awkward Teenage Blues

[duhragonball]

[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (78/?)

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.

[20 April, 234 Before Age.  Fanzer VI.]

Luffa crossed her arms as she paced around the office, her furry tail waving lazily behind her with each step.

“The truth is,” she said, “I don’t really do mercenary work anymore.   I stopped seeing jobs that appealed to me, and after a while I stopped looking  at the listings.  But money’s been a little tight lately, so I decided to jump back into the game.”

“Well, we’re glad you finally responded to our calls,” said the man behind the desk.   His lavende-skinned face was mottled with acne and wisps of curly hair on his chin and neck that might generously be described as a beard.   “The slorg infestation on our sister planet of Fanzer VII has gotten so bad that we’ve been forced to evacuate the whole planet.”

“Evacuated?” asked Zatte, who was admiring a small aquarium tank in the far corner of the room.   “We detected Fanzeri life signs there on our way into the system.  Are you sure you got everyone to safety?”

He gestured nervously at the question.  “Ah... well, we do have a small crew of... well, you might call them observers down on the planet.   They’ve been filming the slog population for some time now.   It’s part of a nature documentary, you see.”

“If they get in my way, I’m not responsible for what happens,” Luffa said.   “Now if you want, I can cover them while they leave the planet, but that’ll cost more.”

“Nature documentary?” Zatte asked.   “Who’d want to watch a bunch of slorgs?”

Luffa smiled.  “They’re kind of cute, really.   I mean, they’re not for everyone.   The six-inch teeth and venomous drool can be a turn-off.”

“What about all the tentacles?” Zatte added.

Luffa rubbed her hands together excitedly and licked her lips.  “We’re gonna have leftovers for weeks after this.”

“Um.   Well, the camera crews are very well protected,” the man said.  “And they know to stay put while you’re in the field.”

“Hmmph.    Have it your way,” Luffa said.  

“Now, uh...” the man wrung his hands together as he struggled to find the right way to approach the topic.   “You do plan to fight the slorgs in your transformed state, yes?”

Luffa looked at him skeptically.   “Depends on the situation,” she said.  “What’s it matter?”

“Nothing, nothing,” he said quickly.   “It’s just that we’ll be getting a lot of footage of you slaughtering them, and we’d like to know what we’ll be in for.”

“Are you making a movie here?” Zatte asked, suddenly taking a greater interest in the conversation.

“A movie?!”  He was starting to sweat.   “Why, whatever gave you that idea, Ms...  I’m sorry what was you name again?”

“Zatte,” she said.  

“Nice to meet you.  And will you be joining Luffa on Fanzer VII?”

“No, she won’t,” Luffa said.  “I need her in orbit giving me a headcount on the slorgs with the ship’s sensors.    Do you want me to transform for this mission?”

“Well, um... it’s entirely at your discretion of course,” he said sheepishly, “but I think it would satisfy everyone if you alternated a few times.”

“They are filming a movie,” Zatte said.   “They want you to switch back and forth because it looks cool.”

To emphasize this point, Zatte widened her stance, raised her fists to either side of her torso, and cried out: “HIIIIIIIIIYAAAAAHHHH.”  

Luffa looked back at her with a disgusted expression.  “Never do that again,” she said in a low voice.  

“Fwoosh-fwoosh-fwoosh-fwoosh--” Zatte added.

Luffa ignored her and planted her palms on the edge of the desk.   “Are you telling me,” she said as she leaned in closer to the man, “that you people deliberately bred slorgs on your planet just so you could film me killing them all?”

“Well, that’s not quite true...” he said, tugging on the collar of his shirt.   “The fact is that we did it to film several other mercenaries in action, but the underwriters refused to insure the project unless we gave them additional help.  And you are a major celebrity in your own right, so it seemed like the perfect solution.”

“What other mercenaries?” Luffa demanded.   “If this a team effort, then I need to coordinate with-- What the hell is this?”

He had taken a flier out of his desk drawer and handed it to her.   The image printed on the front was a slick promotional composition, featuring four women in low-cut tank tops.  Each of them was bearing a large firearm and and aggressive expression.  Behind them was a slorg, who was pointing its tentacles in a suggestive fashion.    Luffa held it up for Zatte to see.

“You’d fit right in,” Zatte said with a smirk.

“You do want the slorgs killed, don’t you?” Luffa asked.   “Or would I just be there to keep these four alive while you film them?”

“Oh yes,” the man said, “we absolutely need the slorgs removed.   We’re expecting a shipment of tharrgs next year, and we can’t risk any of them interbreeding.   A litter of thlargs would be a serious setback to our production schedule.”

Luffa rubbed the bridge of her nose as she took all of this in.  “You’re lucky I like the taste of slorg hash so much, or I  would have stormed out of here already,” she said.  “As it stands, we need to renegotiate my fee.”

“Is that all?  Well, I’m authorized to triple your payment.   Honestly, we were surprised you were charging such a low rate in the first place.”

“Done,” Luffa said.  “Now let’s get on with this before I change my mind.   I need to talk to these ladies and patch their comm equipment in with my ship.”

“Oh, there was one other thing, before you go,” he said as Luffa turned to leave.    He reached into his drawer one more time and withdrew a manila envelope.  

Luffa took the envelope from him and looked at it.   “I don’t accept payment in paper bills,” she said.  “You need too transfer the money into my account.”

“Oh, that’s not money,” he said.  

“Then what is it?” Luffa demanded.

“It’s the costume we wanted you to wear while you fight the slorgs.”

Luffa looked at the envelope as if it were a live cobra.  She shook it slightly, and heard something jingle inside.  Then she heard Zatte giggling behind her.  

“If it doesn't fit, I’m sure we can have wardrobe make some adjustments,” he said.  

Luffa glared at him, and then slowly reached for his throat...

********

“I can’t believe you gave them all wedgies,” Zatte said.  

Luffa made a satisfied grunt as she settled into the captain’s chair of her star-yacht.  “I took care of their slorg infestation, didn’t I?   All it cost those slobs were a few hundred cameras and some wardrobe adjustments.”

“What do you want me to do with this?” Zatte asked, holding the manila envelope with Luffa’s proposed costume inside.    

Luffa shrugged.  “Put it in storage.   If you behave, maybe I’ll wear it for our anniversary.”

“I can hardly wait,” Zatte said.   “But we still need some income.   You’ve used up most of the money you saved up from before you started the Federation, and the Fed doesn’t pay you a dime.”  

“I know,” Luffa said.   “I never thought I’d need to worry about it.   Keda always handled my finances so well that it never came up.    I’d just head out  into space and people would line up to hire me out.   The galaxy’s gotten a lot more peaceful lately.”

“You can blame yourself for that, xan’nil-Dor,” Zatte said.   “No one wants to start trouble anymore now that they know you’ll come along to settle it.   You’re forcing people to accept that they can’t use war to solve their problems anymore.”

Luffa slumped in her seat.  “Yeah, but what happens after I die?   Does the whole thing start up again?”

“Maybe,” Zatte said.   “But if you keep this up long enough, maybe it’ll make the galaxy a more stable place.”

“That’s kind of a depressing thought,” Luffa said.  “Not that I wanted to spend my life beating up small fry, but it’s better than nothing.”

“We could always go back to Luffasworld,” Zatte suggested.   “You and I can live off the land for a while.”

“I’d get bored within a week,” Luffa said.  

“We could get jobs,” Zatte suggested.  “Construction, demolition, public appearances, restaurateur, there’s all sorts of things you could do to make some extra money.”

“I don’t know,” Luffa said.  

“What about the message we got from Drang Dedruhn, then?”  Zatte asked.  

Luffa drummed her fingers on the armrest of her chair.   “She seemed a little... off somehow, didn’t she?”

“I wouldn’t know,” Zatte said.   “I’ve never met her.”

“Right, right,” Luffa said.  “Maybe it’s nothing, but she just didn’t seem like her old self.   That jewelry on her neck, for instance.   I’ve never seen her wear anything like that before, but I’ve been away from the Federation for a while.   Maybe she’s just trying something new.”

“Forget Drang’s fashion statements,” Zatte said.  “I’m talking about what she said.   About the Saiyan King asking you to return to your homeworld.”

“First of all,” Luffa said with a frown.   “That planet isn’t my homeworld.   I was born in my parents’ spaceship, at least twenty thousand light years away.”

“You know what I mean,” Zatte said.   “Your parents were born there, right?”

“Second of all,” Luffa went on, “it’s not the real Planet  Saiya, where the Saiyan people first originated.   That planet was lost to time, and probably destroyed in some great war.”

“Why do you think that?” Zatte asked.  

“Because that’s what happened to all our other planets,” Luffa said with a shrug.  “Every so often, a bunch of Saiyans try to establish a base of operations on a suitable planet, and the really successful ones end up attracting more Saiyans to their banner.  Eventually, it ends up becoming a ‘homeworld’, for lack of anything better to call it.  And sooner or later, they end up starting a war they can’t win, and the planet ends up becoming a casualty.   The Saiyans who survive the aftermath move on, and eventually the whole cycle starts over again.”

“Who would attack a planet full of Saiyans?” Zatte wondered.  

“Use you imagination, Zattie,” Luffa said.   “The Shockmaster could have done it, if he had a reason.   There’s no telling what kind of powerful aliens were running around in the old days.  They’d see a population of Saiyans the same way a Saiyan would look at an army of Dorluns.  Besides, you’ve seen how well Saiyans get along.   There were only eight of us on Nat-Chezz II, and all we did was bicker.   Hell, Lesseri killed her own mother.   Multiply that by a hundred thousand, and ask yourself how long a planet can last with all that infighting going on.”

“Are you saying that Saiyans aren’t meant to settle together in large groups?” Zatte asked.  

“I’m saying that this new Planet Saiya is a sham,” Luffa said.   “Sadala fell, and so did Guardenn, Tabul, Krispa, and  all the others before it.   But His Majesty thinks he has it figured out this time, so he named his planet ‘Saiya’ to convince people that it’s more legitimate, as if the name makes any difference.”

“Do you think that’s why he wants to see you?” Zatte asked.  “Maybe he thinks you can help him unite the Saiyans.”

“Hah!   If that’s what he thinks, then he’s a bigger fool than I imagined.  We’re enemies, remember?  Or did he forget about those ten Saiyans he sent to kill us two years ago?”

“Maybe he wants to make amends,” Zatte said.  

“Then he should send me his severed head on a platter,” Luffa muttered.  “It would be a good start, at least.”

*******

[21 April 234 Before Age.  Interstellar Space.]

“Come on, keep it up.   You’re doing great!”

When Zatte and Luffa sparred, they usually used the cargo bay, since it was the largest empty space on the ship, and the furthest away from any vital systems.  Luffa used only a tiny portion of her full power, while Zatte fought with everything she had, trusting Luffa to stop her before she did any harm to either of them.  

Zatte had a love-hate relationship with these sessions.   It was great exercise, and Luffa was probably one of the finest martial artists in creation, so there was definitely a benefit to it.   Furthermore, it was a guaranteed way to cheer Luffa up from even the foulest of moods.    And Zatte suspected that sparring was key to a healthy Saiyan marriage.  On the other hand, Luffa had a tendency to get carried away.  She would either push Zatte too hard, or drop her guard and let Zatte tag her a time or two.    

Today was no exception.  Luffa failed to block one of Zatte’s punches, and thus took a hard right to the face.  A trickle of blood slowly emerged from the corner of Luffa’s mouth, and she smiled proudly as she resumed blocking.  

“Would you please stop doing that?!” Zatte shouted.    

Luffa simply grinned and made a savage noise from her throat.   Sparring was fine, but Luffa craved genuine combat above all else.   In lieu of the real thing, letting your sparring partner get in a few free shots was a good way to satisfy the craving.  It was pointless to try to reason with her on this, so Zatte tried another tack, and turned her back on Luffa.  

“Wh-what are you doing?” she asked.  

“Quitting,” Zatte said.  She walked to a rack on the wall where they had hung towels.    Zatte took one and wiped her face and neck.  

“But we just started,” Luffa whined.  

“I had a personal goal for today,” Zatte said.   “I was going to tag you at least once, and I did.    So I’m calling it a day.”

“But I let you--!”  Luffa was furious at being caught this way, but then she chuckled.   “Serves me right, doesn’t it?  I’ll have to be more careful.”

Zatte sat down on the deck and opened a bottle of water.  “Was it worth it?” she asked.  

Luffa wiped the side of her mouth and sat down beside her.   “Absolutely,” she said.    “You get a little stronger each time.”

“I wouldn’t think you’d be able to measure the difference,” Zatte said.   “As strong as you are, any improvement I make must be tiny.”

“Oh, I can tell,” Luffa said.   She looked at Zatte with a glowing admiration, which Zatte could only vaguely understand.  

“What’s wrong with King Rehval wanting to establish a strong Saiyan nation?” she asked.  

“What?” Luffa asked.

“We were talking about it yesterday,” Zatte said.   “I know you always used to say your mother was staunchly against the monarchy, but I want to know the political theory behind it.”

“Oh.   Well, it’s a matter of biology,” Luffa said.  

“Biology.”

“Right.   My people are just unruly by nature.   Trying to set up a kingdom for Saiyans is like building an aquarium for dogs.   It just doesn’t work.   The king has to keep his subjects on a tight leash, or they won’t obey him.   But if he tries to exert too much control, they’ll rise up and rebel.”

“So your mother left Saiya because the king was too strict?” Zatte asked.

“She left because he was too soft,” Luffa said.  “Rehval thinks the key to everything is to style his reign after leaders from other cultures.   He wears alien clothes, keeps his hair in an alien style, and he loves rubbing elbows with alien diplomats.  He practices statecraft and palace intrigue to maintain his power.   A worthy Saiyan prince would rule through strength and honor alone.”

“Like you?”

“Me?”

“You’re the only other Saiyan head of state I know.    You do run the Federation, don’t you, Madam Federatrix?”

“That’s different,” Luffa insisted.   “The Federation Council does all the governing.  I just make sure they don’t fight among themselves.”

“Maybe so, but you’ve done your fair share of meet-and-greets.   You went out of your way to recruit other planets to join the Federation.”

“Well, so what if I did?” Luffa said.  “None of those people are Saiyans.”

“But you are,” Zatte said.   “All of it was your idea, which makes me wonder if this ‘unruly’ talk is a lot of hot air.   Maybe you don’t give your own species enough credit.   You’re not a bunch of wild savages.   I think Rehval may have realized that, and he’s taking it into account.”

“You actually agree with him?” Luffa asked, visibly unsettled by what she was hearing.  

“I didn’t say that,” Zatte said.  

“I don’t see the Dorluns all gathering together on one planet,” Luffa muttered.   “It’d, sure make you guys a lot easier to find...”

“We’re supposed to scatter ourselves throughout the universe,” Zatte said.   “It’s written in the Dorlun Holybook.   If I get cut off from the others, that’s just how it has to be.   But that doesn’t mean the Saiyans have to do things the same was s my species.   They might be better off working together in the same place.   With the right leader...”

“Rehval?” Luffa asked.  “There’s nothing right about him.   He’s a disgrace.”

“Then overthrow him,” Zatte suggested.   “All I’m saying is that he might be taking the Saiyan people in the right direction, even if he’s only setting the stage for someone else to take over as their leader.”

Luffa laughed.  “Oh, that’d be rich.  Crown myself Queen of the Saiyans.  Mother would be rolling over in her grave if there had been anything left of her to bury.”

“Fine, fine,” Zatte said.   “Don’t be queen.   Appoint yourself Prime Minister, or Commander in Chief, or Venerated Sex Machine, whatever.  The Saiyans would still follow you.”

“The Saiyans hate me,” Luffa said.  “They think I’m an alien pretending to be a Saiyan because they can’t stomach the idea of a Saiyan who can change her hair.   Most of them think Super Saiyans are a myth, and the ones that don’t think I can’t be a Super Saiyan because I’m a woman.  Or they think I can’t be a woman because I’m a Super Saiyan.    That’s why the public is so confused about who I really am.   They prefer the lies and rumors over the truth.”

“But that’s exactly why you should take over the Saiyan homeworld!” Zatte argued.   “Then everyone would have to accept the truth!    They’d have to see you for who you really are, and then they’d finally love you, just like... well, the way I do.”

Luffa put her arm around Zatte and scooted closer to her.   “I’ve got all the love I need right here on this ship,” she said with a contented smile.   “As long as you know what I’m about, that’s enough.”

*******

[22 April, 234 Before Age.  Interstellar Space.]

Luffa’s star-yacht was designed to accommodate several dozen passengers.  In spite of this, Luffa usually slept on a pile of mats in the gymnasium.   It was a place she used to let off steam, and the broken and twisted exercise machines strewn across the deck bore silent testimony of this.  

On occasion, she would sleep in Zatte’s cabin, which was one of the more spacious guest rooms on the ship, but Luffa never slept well, and she worried that she might injure Zatte, or at least keep her awake all night.  It was one of the unspoken problems with their marriage.   Their frequent arguments only made it harder for Luffa to justify sleeping in her wife’s bed.   It was just easier to stick to the routine, to lie awake on the gym mats and wait for exhaustion to overcome her.   If the nightmares came, she would face them alone, and no one else needed to suffer.  

Two hours later, Luffa awoke with a scream, and realized she had transformed in her sleep.   The beach towels she used for  blankets were tangled around her ankles and knees, and she was drenched in sweat.   Fighting her panic, she grabbed her hair in her hands and levitated herself into the air, just high enough that she wouldn’t kick anything while she fought to power down.  

The key was to ride it out without tearing a hole in the ship.  As long as she exerted her strength against her own body, she could get through it.   Eventually, she shifted positions, curling up into a tight ball, and digging her fingernails into the flesh of her palms.  She hated to do this, because the wounds on her hands had worried Keda so much.   After Keda’s death, Luffa had resolved to stop, but it wasn’t so easy.   For a few minutes, all Luffa could think about was how brave Keda was, far braver than the “ultimate warrior” who was currently in a fetal position, sobbing over a bad dream.  

Little by little, she forced herself to calm down, at least enough to lower herself back down to the deck.  Her aura faded, and darkness returned to the room.  She smelled her own blood on her hands and took some strange comfort in the odor.    It was real: the pain, the blood, her hands, they were all real.     She was ashamed of her own weakness and fear, but she would be all right.  

And then the door slid open, and she was bathed in light from the corridor outside.    Luffa was startled, until she recognized Zatte’s silhouetted figure  step into the threshold.  

“I sensed your ki blowing up.   You okay?” she asked.  

“Nope.”  Luffa replied.  

*******

After tending to the cuts on Luffa’s palms, Zatte carried her back to her own cabin.    Luffa found this rather undignified, but supposed it served her right for waking Zatte up like this.   Besides, Luffa wasn’t so proud that she couldn’t appreciate being held.  

“I’m okay,” she murmured.   “I’ll just go back to the gym and--”

“I just want to make sure you’re okay, all right?” Zatte said as she opened the door.   “And I’d rather sit with you in a real bed than on the floor.”  

She gently lowered Luffa onto the mattress and wrapped one of the sheets around her.   “Tell me about it,” she said.  

“It’s... nothing you haven’t heard before,” Luffa said.  

“So bore me,” Zatte said as she lay down beside her.    

“It was the usual,” Luffa said.   “The Tikosi.”

It was a simple word that spoke volumes.   The Tikosi had massacred Zatte’s community, then took Luffa captive and tortured her for months as part of a cruel experiment to learn the secrets of Saiyan potential.  This alone would have been traumatic enough, but Luffa learned that her own father had conspired with the Tikosi.    Worst of all, she happened to be pregnant at the time, and so the Tikosi removed her unborn child, handing the remains over to her husband Kandai.

It was this terrible ordeal that had transformed Luffa into a Super Saiyan.  The Tikosi never dreamed that their experiments would backfire so disastrously.   Luffa’s father had believed that her power could be transplanted from one Saiyan to another, but he couldn’t replicate Luffa’s rage, or her compassion for the aliens who had risked everything to free her.   What Orij failed to understand--what all Saiyans failed to understand--was that mere ambition was only the beginning.   The true potential of the Saiyan race could only be realized through suffering and intense empathy.  This was Luffa’s greatest strength... and her greatest weakness.  

Zatte could relate to a certain degree.   She had lost her right eye fighting the Tikosi, to say nothing of her friends and comrades in the Dorlun colony.   And yet, she had found a measure of serenity at Luffa’s side.   It wasn’t quite as dark a bargain as Luffa’s, but the name “Tikosi” still held a similar meaning to both women.

“It was like... I was here,” Luffa said.   “On the ship.  And then I thought about my son, and I remembered he was back on the Tikosi planet, so I was suddenly there again.  It doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

“You miss him,” Zatte said.  

“I felt like I abandoned him,” Luffa said.  “Like I had to be back there, paralyzed and helpless, because at least then I was still with him, sharing his fate.”

“Listen to me,” Zatte said.  She sat up and took hold of Luffa’s shoulders.  “Listen to me.   You didn’t abandon your baby.   They took him from you, and there was nothing you could have done.”  

“I know,” Luffa said.   “But sometimes...”

“Go on.”

“Can I ask you a personal question?”

“Of course.”

Luffa took a deep breath, as though gathering the courage to ask.  “Do you miss the colonists as much as you used to?”

“No,” Zatte said honestly.  “I mean, losing that battle hurts, and I guess it always will, but it was years ago, and a lot’s happened to us since then.  I try to think of us as honoring their memory with our actions.   We stay alive, try to help other people out.    It won’t bring the colonists back, but it’s all we can do.”

“Is that how you feel about your eye?” Luffa asked.   “And Keda?”

“My eye?  I’m pretty used to that now.”  She ran her fingers over the patch that concealed the old injury.  “Sometimes I forget that I haven’t always been this way.   As for Keda... well, I don’t think that’s going to stop hurting for a long time.”

They were quiet for a moment, as they each considered what they had lost, and then Zatte realized what Luffa was getting at.   “Luffa, is that’s what’s eating you?   Do you feel like you don’t miss your son as much as you should?”

She looked down at her knees.   “Keda told me once that Dorluns don’t believe in revenge.    She lost everyone in the Tikosi attack, and she was still asking me to show mercy.  I didn’t really understand it, but that was why I didn’t kill all the Tikosi when I first transformed.   I couldn’t bring myself to attack the ones who couldn’t fight back.  

“The ones I really wanted to kill were my father... and Kandai.   Hunting him down was what kept me going for a long time.   But then we found him, and... Well, he’s been dead a long time, and my son is still gone.  Killing Kandai didn’t really solve anything.”

“I’ve been wondering about that,” Zatte said.  “You told me that Kandai said he sold your son’s remains to Planet Saiya.   And you seemed to want to do something about that after you finished the Shockmaster, but then you beat him, and you never brought it up again.”

“I don’t know what those bastards were planning, but it never really mattered,” Luffa said.    “Kandai thought it was for some genetic engineering research, but the Tikosi learned the hard way that Saiyans can’t be reduced to numbers.   At first I wanted to kill Rehval because it would give me another target for my wrath, but the Shockmaster changed my plans.   I trained to beat him, and married you... spent time with Doc and Keda and Wampaaan’riix and the others.   And then when Keda died, I realized that what happened to my son wasn’t the only thing motivating me anymore.”

She ran her finger along her abdomen, where Zatte knew there was a surgical scar from where the Tikosi had removed her child.   Then Luffa looked up at her and shrugged.   “It’s like your eye, I guess.  I’ve gotten used to it, maybe.”

“I think your dream says otherwise,” Zatte said.   “You still care about what happened to your son, Luffa.   It’s just that you’ve come to care about a lot of other things too.  That’s life.  The dead remain where they fell, and we keep moving forward.”

“All right,” Luffa said.   “What would you do about this if you were me?”

“If I were you?” Zatte said.  

“Yeah,” Luffa said.  

Zatte made a mischievous grin. “The first thing I’d do is step in front of a full-length mirror, strip down, turn Super Saiyan, and--”

“Cut it out!” Luffa said.  “I mean... I don’t know.   How would a Super Dorlun handle this?”

“Huh,” Zatte said.   “Now there’s a thought.   Do I have a tail in this scenario?”

“Sure, why not?” Luffa muttered.  

“I think I’d shave stripes into the fur,” Zatte said.  “Make it look really cute--”

“Zattie, please,” Luffa said.  

“All right,” Zatte said.   “If it was up to me, I’d go to Planet Saiya and settle things with King Rehval.”

“You’d avenge your dead son?” Luffa asked.  “That’s not very Dorlun at all.”

“I’m not talking about avenging anyone,” Zatte said.   “Rehval’s an unknown.  He made arrangements with your enemies, then he sent soldiers to kill us, and now he’s asking you to come meet him face to face.   Maybe he wants to make peace, or maybe he’s finally come up with a way to destroy you, or something else entirely, but you need to find out.   He’s too dangerous to ignore.  A Dorlun would want to assess the potential threat, and find exactly what his intentions are.”

“Then what?” Luffa asked.  “I should overthrow him and take over?”

“That’s up to you,” Zatte said.   “Aside from Rehval, the other Saiyans are no threat without him giving them orders.  Personally, I’d crown myself queen and have a harem of Saiyan babes give me foot-rubs all day, but that’s just me.”

“Hmmph,” Luffa said.   “He owes me an explanation at the very least.   And it’s not like I’ve got any other pressing business.  Maybe I’ve been avoiding this.  In a way he’s all I have left of my son.   Once I settle things with him... I really will have to let my boy go.”

“I’ll contact Drang in the morning and see what we can arrange,” Zatte said.   “Why don’t you lie down and try to get some rest?   I’ll wake you up if you start to have another episode.”

Luffa shook her head.   “Nah, I’ve kept you up long enough,” she said.    

“It’s okay,” Zatte said.  “I’m not really sleepy right now.”

“Yeah, I’m kind of wired myself actually,” Luffa said.  

“Well, if you need to work off some of that nervous energy...”  Zatte began.

“Yeah...?”

Zatte swung her legs around and placed her feet in Luffa’s lap.   “You could always give me a foot-rub.  You know, until I conquer Saiya and get the harem set up.”

Luffa shook her head and went to work.  

*******

NEXT:  The Homecoming