#one day i will understand how toei chooses close-ups. one day i will.

[goccedivelenonelbicchiere]

Vinsmoke Brothers

[duhragonball]

[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (97/?)

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.

[16 June, 234 Before Age.  Planet Shenia]

The military of Planet Shenia was formidable, much more so than would be expected for a planet considered insignificant by the major galactic powers.  Centuries ago, Shenia was a client state of the Camelian Empire, and used as a buffer against a rival power, the Qophean Khanate.  Decades later, the balance of power shifted, and the border moved, and Camelia withdrew from Shenia.  But the people of Shenia had not forgotten their vigilance against foreign invasion.  Their armies were well-trained and well-armed, and rumors of their ki techniques were enough to frighten away would-be raiders.  One of Shenia's national holidays celebrated a time when they defended their world against a Saiyan invader, and prevailed.

This time, however, Shenia was visited by two Saiyans, and the outcome was not as favorable.  A week later, the entire Shenian parliament was captured, and they quickly surrendered.  Over the next several days, a ransom payment was assembled to pay the Saiyans to leave the planet peacefully.  A portion of this was converted into a sort of expense account, which the Saiyans used to pay for meals and souvenirs while they enjoyed Shenia's nightlife.

"Look at this," Seltiss asked as she twirled around in a dress she had just purchased.  The price tags still dangled from the hem as she showed it off.  "I thought it was sequins, but it's actually some kind of fiber optic technology, so when the lighting changes..."

The discotheque's lighting included a number of lasers and other devices to shine an array of colors onto the patrons.  Seltiss was sticking close to the bar, but she stepped just slightly to one side so a passing strobe light could flash onto her clothes.  Her dress refracted and shifted the frequency of this light, producing a vivid pattern of oranges and violets.

Sitting at the bar, Xibuyas could only stare and nod awkwardly.  To everyone else in the club, they were just unusual-looking humanoid, not so different from the Shenians themselves.  To the bartender serving them meals, they were just a couple of rowdy adolescents.  But to Xibuyas, the teenage girl standing before him was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.  The dress had nothing to do with it.

"It's nice," he muttered, and then he looked away to take another piece of fish from his bowl.  

"Everything's so colorful here," Seltiss said.  “Not like Planet Saiya at all.  Dad would flip out if he saw me wearing anything but royal blue.  And the academy on Protef is even worse, if you can believe it.  Four options in their dress code, and all four are drab earth tones.  And they wondered why I dropped out."

Xibuyas said nothing.  For what it was worth, he liked her school uniforms, with their pleated skirts and the crisp sharp lines of their starched suit jackets.  They made her look very cosmopolitan, unlike the handful of other Saiyan females he had encountered in his young life.  Most of them were caregivers or teachers, middling warriors who only attended to his upbringing because they lacked the talent to do anything important on their own.  

Seltiss was different.  His instructors and King Rehval had told him that he would be married to her when they were of age, and he had absorbed this information like any other dry fact they had taught him.  But Seltiss herself was so much more than a princess of the Saiyans.  She was smart and funny and mischievous, and completely unafraid of anything.  She was the only Saiyan he knew who routinely disobeyed the king.  

And she really liked him.  She wasn't just using him for his power, the way her father did.  His power was important to her plans, true, but she spent time with him, and complimented him, and told him things that she never told anyone else.

"What's eating you, Xibuyas?" she asked.  "Don't tell me you're still sore about your fight with Luffa."

He didn't know how to answer that, so he changed the subject.  "Would your father still let us marry, Seltiss?  I failed him, and he knows not that I survived that battle.    I doubt that he would be relieved to find that I survived."

"Oh, is that all?" Seltiss said.  She approached him and patted his cheek, causing him to wince with embarrassment.  "Take it easy, Xibuyas.  Public displays of affection are normal for most civilizations.  You don't have to be so stuffy all the time."

But he did.  It helped him stay focused, especially around her.    King Rehval had great plans for him.  He was destined to become the king of the Saiyans, and through Seltiss, King Xibuyas' descendants would rule their people through centuries of prosperity.  It was a glorious opportunity, and he found it much less overwhelming when he used formal speech, and carried himself like he mighty warrior he was expected to be.  A mask of false pride to hide the cracks in his confidence.

What frustrated him was that he couldn't even use royal address with Seltiss, because she had commanded him not to.    "Princess Seltiss was never here," she had explained.  "As far as the universe knows, we're just two anonymous Saiyan raiders."  

It hadn't really been a command.  More like instructions for her plan.  He loved that about her too.  Seltiss respected him, and what little regal bearing she had, she dropped it completely with him.  He didn't know if that was because she loved him back, or because she saw him as a fellow royal due to their engagement.

"Why don't we get some air?" Seltiss offered.  "You don't look like you're in the mood to dance."

He sighed with relief.  Sometimes she seemed to understand him better than he knew himself.  After a few minutes to settle their bill, they walked outside together, though Seltiss stubbornly held onto his arm the whole way.

*******

The night air helped improve his disposition a little, and getting away from the crowd made a bigger difference than he would have expected.  Normally, he craved every moment alone with Seltiss that he could get, but things were different now.

"So what's up, Xibuyas?" Seltiss asked as they flew.  "You can tell me."

"It's difficult to put into words, your h-- er, Seltiss," he said.

"Good catch," Seltiss said.  "You were great the other day, you know that?  The way you tore through the Shenian fleet..."

"I could have done it faster," he said.

"Don't be so hard on yourself," she said.  "You're the strongest Saiyan alive!  The strongest Saiyan who ever lived, I bet."

"I wasn't stronger than Luffa," he grumbled.

"Well, she's not really a Saiyan, right?" Seltiss replied.

"That is what your father always told me," Xibuyas said.  "Suppose... well, what if he was... wrong?"

"You think she's really one of us?" Seltiss asked.

"I don't know," Xibuyas said.  "But she... seemed Saiyan enough.  I don't mean her eyes and hair, but the way she moved.  Her scent and the sound of her voice.  It was much easier to believe her a fraud before I faced her in battle."

"Okay, but what difference does it make if she’s a Saiyan or not?" Seltiss asked.  "She's still an enemy of the crown, the one you'll be wearing one of these days."

"You're so certain of that," Xibuyas said.  "Your father has other heirs to choose from.   One of your sisters, or perhaps he'll have another child in the future."

"You forget how stubborn my dad can be," Seltiss said.  "He likes to pretend that he's flexible, but once he makes up his mind, he's pretty much locked in."  She pointed at herself and smiled.  "You're not his only pet project, you know."

They landed on the beach of an island that happened to catch Seltiss's fancy, and she took off her boots so she could feel the sand between her toes as they walked.  

"My father had it all worked out since before I was born," she explained.  "He used some special system to test Saiyan women, then he picked one that would give him the best heir.  That was my mother.  He tinkered with me the whole time I was in the incubation tank.  I couldn't tell you what he did, but it was all for the sake of making me his ideal successor.  That's what I've been hearing my whole life.  My sisters are just Plan B.    I'm the one he put the most work into.  He made me smarter than all of them.  Don't ask me how."

She suddenly drew back her fist and tried to punch him in the jaw, but he blocked it with his open palm.  Seltiss grinned and shook her head.

"I'm not very strong, but dad doesn't seem worried about that.  My children will be stronger, he tells me, as long as their father has the right genes.  That's where you come in, tough guy."

"I never even knew my parents,"  Xibuyas said.  "King Rehval told me I was gifted with a strong bloodline, but he still used his potions to make me even stronger."

"You must have something about you," Seltiss said.  "Otherwise, he wouldn't be marrying you off with me.  Don't you see,  Xibuyas?  I know you’re grateful to him and all, but in the end, he needs us more than we need him."

She threw her arms around his neck, and for a brief, nerve-wracking moment, he thought that she might kiss him.  She only smiled instead, and he wasn’t sure if he was relieved or disappointed.

"At least, he needs us until we give him a litter of grandchildren," she said.  "So in the meantime, we're pretty much free to do whatever we please."

"And this is what pleases you?" he asked.  “Invading a backwater planet and playing tourist?”

"I studied military tactics for a semester," Seltiss said.  "This is the first time I've gotten to put it into practice.  I always wanted to conquer my own planet, but I was hoping you'd enjoy it.  You've been so depressed ever since the battle on Pflaume."

This time she really did lean in to kiss him, and he backed away from her, a little more forcefully than he would have liked.

"Xibuyas, what's wrong?" Seltiss asked.  "What happened between you and Luffa?"

"Nothing!" he lied.  The look in her dark brown eyes told him that his response was a mistake.  Seltiss was the smartest person he knew, with the possible exception of her father.  And she knew him much better than her father.

"There can't be any secrets between us," she said.  "It's just you and me against the galaxy, remember?  Dad isn't going to look out for us beyond his own needs, and the rest of the universe thinks we're a couple of brainless savages."

"I know," he said quietly.  That was exactly why he didn't want to tell her.  

"Whatever it is," we'll deal with it together," Seltiss assured him.  "I'm the brains of this outfit, remember?"

For a long monent, he struggled with his indecision, and then he finally mumbled:  "Very well.  The truth is that..."

But before he could say another word, the ground beneath them exploded.

"Saiyans!" a voice cried out.  "I never expected to find creeps like you on Shenia, but I guess I could use the workout!"

When the dust settled, they could finally see their visitor hovering twenty feet above them.  It was an alien, insectoid in appearance, though its lower body resembled the tail of a massive serpent.  

"Where did you come from?"  Seltiss asked.  Before she could get an answer, Xibuyas stepped in front of her.

"Careful," he warned her.  "it's stronger than it looks."

"Smart boy," the alien said.  "And to answer the female's question, my name is Clondique.  You might call me a superhero.  I'm kind if a big deal in this sector."

"I've never heard of you," Seltiss said.

Clondique shrugged all four of  her shoulders.  "I knew that publicist was a waste of money.  Well, take my word for it, I was a major player in this part of the galaxy.  Came to Shenia for my third metamorphosis, wanted someplace nice and peaceful while I chilled out for eighty years, and I wake up to find the whole planet's been conquered?  By a couple of kids?"

"I'm more than a match for a talking eyesore like you," Xibuyas replied.  "If it's a fight you crave, I'll--"

He took two steps toward Clondique, and then Seltiss called out to him.

"Hold it, Xibuyas!" she said.  "I'll handle her myself."

"What?" Xibuyas asked.

But she had already removed her dress, revealing the pink leotard she normally wore in combat situations.  She looked up at Clondique and smiled.

"You may be stronger than me, but I'm as much a Saiyan as you are," she said.  "This guy wants a workout, and so do I."

"Your boyfriend is right, kid," Clondique said.   "You shouldn't take me so lightly."

"Prove it," Seltiss demanded.

*******

Clondique's power was substantial, but this wasn't Seltiss' main concern.  She knew Xibuyas would step in if she appeared to be in any real danger.  The real challenge was getting him to open up to her, and she believed she could accomplish that through battle.  

She and Xibuyas were the same age, though the chronology of their young lives was distorted by her father's use of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.  It allowed beings to enter another dimension where time flowed at a faster rate.  On different occasions, King Rehval had sent Seltiss into the Chamber to focus her studies, and to hone her combat skills with different instructors.    Xibuyas, on the other hand, had spent most of his life inside the Chamber.  He had been a baby when Seltiss first met him three years ago, but each time she saw him after that, he was always a little bit taller, and a great deal stronger.  Her father saw him as little more than a breeding stock, but he also wanted to use him as an enforcer.  More than four-fifths of his life had been devoted solely to mastering the art of war.

And so, as Seltiss charged after Clondique and exchanged blows with the alien, it was with the hope that she could reach him in a language Xibuyas would understand better than words.

Clondique's chitinous fists managed to connect with her a few times, though Seltiss managed to recover and back away before taking too much of a beating.  She responded with a hail of energy bullets from the palm of her right hand, but Clondique was able to avoid them with astonishing ease.  

She had her suspicions about what was bothering the boy, and with some clever manipulation, she was sure she could trick him into revealing enough information for her to figure the rest out without him even realizing it.  But that would defeat the point, which was to convince him that he should confide in her no matter what.  

"Hold still, you little--!" Clondique griped as she chased after her through the air.  Seltiss had no intention of standing her ground until she knew exactly what she was up against.  Until then, she danced around Clondique, a avoiding her offense as well as she could, and only fighting back when it was safe to do so.

The message she wanted to send was this: I'm a Saiyan warrior like you.  We share the same passions, the same longing for combat.    Xibuyas already knew this, but Seltiss liked to remind him from time to time.  Besides, she really did enjoy fighting, even if Clondique might not have been her first choice for an opponent.

The alien swung her tail at Seltiss and for a split-second, Seltiss thought she had successfully avoided the strike.   Then she sensed the ki energy welling up in Clondique's body, and Seltiss had to dodge again, barely escaping a volley of ki blasts from Clondique's hands.   Then the tail swiped at her again, and Seltiss found herself regretting that most of her combat training had been with humanoid sparring partners.  

After a few minutes, Seltiss decided she had enough of Clondique's measure to risk striking back, only to find that she had miscalculated.  Clondique could block with two hands, fight with two more, and use the tail either way.  This would only be a minor challenge if the two of them were evenly matched, but Seltiss was beginning to notice that Clondique's power level had been steadily rising as they fought.    The alien had been holding back, or perhaps she just needed time to warm up.

Seltiss resorted to an explosive wave, more out of a growing sense of desperation than any calculated plan.  She preferred to stick to a script, and while she had planned to look vulnerable against Clondique, she was turning out to be more vulnerable than she had expected.  Pink ki energy blasted out from the young Saiyan's body in all directions, just as Clondique tried to catch her between her fists and her serpentine tail.  Seltiss didn't expect it to stop Clondique, but it would at least guarantee some breathing room for--

And then Clondique grabbed her anyway.

"Cute trick," Clondique said.   Using one pair of arms, she locked Seltiss in a full nelson, and she used her lower arms to grab hold of Seltiss' ankles.   Seltiss wondered why Clondique hadn't used her tail instead, and then Clondique curled it forward until the tip of her tail was aimed at Seltiss' head, and it began to glow. 

"You bit off more than you could chew, kiddo," Clondique said.  "Happens to everybody, sooner or later."

Seltiss struggled against Clondique's grip, but it was no use.  It was only now, at this close range, that she could sense just how strong the alien really was.   She wasn't entirely sure if even Xibuyas could win.

Clondique's tail glowed brighter.  "This won't kill you," the alien explained, "although when you wake up, you'll probably wish it had.   Energy venom packs a hell of a hangover, but I can't risk you trying something stupid while I tackle your boyfriend down there."

Suddenly, Seltiss' morale brightened considerably.  "It'll take more than your puny attack to kill a Saiyan!" she shouted defiantly.  

"Didn't you hear me?" Clondique asked.   "I just said I'm not going to kill you."

Seltiss struggled against Clondique's grip, though she knew it was pointless.  "Even if you could destroy me, Xibuyas would avenge me!" she shouted.  

"What is your damage, kid?" Clondique asked.  "The fight's over.  You think that yokel down there can save you?  I can tell he's no match for--"

Without warning, Xibuyas transformed.   Seltiss didn't really know what to call it.  His aura glowed bright yellow, and his hair stood up.  His eyes glowed solid white, and his muscles seemed to expand a little.  Seltiss had never seen the Legendary Super Saiyan in action before, but from what she had heard, Xibuyas' power increase bore some resemblance to Luffa's other form...

Suddenly, it dawned on Seltiss.  It had been right in front of her the whole time.  

But before she could give the matter any thought, Xibuyas had already launched himself at Clondique, and severed all four of the alien's arms, freeing Seltiss immediately.  

Clondique barely had time to register what was happening.   Her energy venom attack was still charging, and when her arms were injured, she instinctively fired, though Xibuyas swatted this bolt of ki aside with a wave of his hand.   With his other hand, he fired a ki blast of his own, which tore through Clondique's torso, killing her instantly.  

Seltiss found that Clondique's severed hands still had a powerful grip, but without any ki to amplify it, it took only a moment's exertion for Seltiss to shake them off her arms and legs.  When she looked up, she saw that the battle was already over.

Only Xibuyas wasn't finished.  

With a loud roar, he released all his pent-up aggression and directed it at Clondique's body.  The barrage of ki blasts was as relentless as it was pointless.  Clondique was already dead.  Within three seconds, the body was damaged beyond recognition.  Within five seconds, the remains of Clondique had been completely reduced to ash and vapor.    Xibuyas kept firing for another fifteen seconds after that.  Fortunately for everyone on Planet Shenia, he had angled his fire away from the planet, so that his blasts would head for outer space instead of damaging the planet, though Seltiss couldn't tell if that was a conscious decision or if it was just from the habits drilled into him from his combat training.

When he finally calmed down, Seltiss approached him.  She was cautious, but cheerful nonetheless.  Her plan had nearly backfired, but it had all worked out in the end.  

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"That filthy thing was going to kill you!" Xibuyas shouted.  He turned to face her, and as he reverted to his normal appearance, she could see tears in his eyes.

"I had the situation under control, babe."

"I never should have let you fight her alone!" he said.  "I almost got you killed, and then--!"

He didn't finish the thought, but she could guess the rest.  Whatever he was keeping from her, however heavy the burden, at least he had the option to share it with her.  But if she were killed, the  he would have no choice but to carry that weight alone, for whom else could he tell?

"Luffa," he finally said after a long pause.  

"What's she got to do with anything?" Seltiss asked innocently.  She had a pretty good idea by now, but she needed him to say it.

"She said... she said that she was my mother," Xibuyas replied.

Seltiss pretended to be shocked, though in truth she had suspected this ever since the battle on Pflaume.  Xibuyas was born around the same time Luffa became a Super Saiyan, and his powers had a certain similarity.  Besides, it made no sense for Luffa to have defeated Xibuyas without killing him.  She knew little about Luffa, but Seltiss couldn't believe that Luffa would show mercy to such an implacable enemy.

"Your mother?" she asked with a gasp.  

"I couldn't believe it at first," Xibuyas said.  "I still don't, but... What if it's true?  What if she truly is an alien?  That would make me..."

It would make him unworthy of her father's breeding plans.  That was the missing piece.   Seltiss had known from the beginning that King Rehval never would have bothered with Xibuyas as an heir without first confirming his bloodline.  But Xibuyas didn't know how thorough her father was about these things, and being an orphan probably caused him to question his self-esteem from time to time.  

Well, that was easy enough to fix.  Seltiss could explain it to him.  If Luffa really was his mother, it only proved that Luffa was a genuine Saiyan herself.  Her father must have known all this.  

And that could work to her advantage.  If Rehval's goal was to marry Luffa's bloodline with his own, then he needed Xibuyas even more than she had ever imagined.  By comparison, Seltiss was somewhat expendable--one of her sisters would do in a pinch--but Xibuyas... he was irreplaceable.  

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately before he could push her away.    To her surprise, he returned her embrace.  It made sense.  Before, he had been worried that he wasn't worthy to of her intimacy, but now that he had told her...

"It doesn't matter," she said when she finally pulled away from his lips.  "You and I, what we have, it's more important than family or pedigrees."

She could have told him why it didn't matter, that it really was a non-issue, but she needed him to believe that she was being gracious instead of practical.  If Xibuyas really was indispensable to her father, then she needed to make herself indispensable to him.

"Seltiss--!" was all he could say.

"We'll figure something out," Seltiss said.  "If it turns out to be true, then we might be able to use it to our advantage, but it doesn't change what's between us.  Got it?"

"Of... of course, my lady," he stammered.  "You... you are the brains of this outfit, as you put it."

She smiled and kissed him again.  "Smart boy," she said.  "Now, let's go get some dinner, and then I want to go shopping one more time."

"Don't you have enough clothes already?" Xibuyas asked.

"Not for me, for you," Seltiss said.  "We're meeting the Prime Minister tomorrow to go over our ransom inventory, and I want you to look your best..."

*******

[17 June, 234 Before Age..  Planet Shenia.]

"You're welcome to check the manifest yourself, of course," the minister said.

The Prime Minister of Shenia had a rather spacious office, primarily to accommodate press events and conferences.  He rarely hosted diplomatic envoys, due to Shenia’s isolation from the rest of the galaxy, though there was enough furniture for about two dozen ambassadors.   In spite of this, Seltiss took a seat on the corner of his desk, while Xibuyas stood behind his chair, looming over him with a menacing glower.

"No need for that," Seltiss said.  She slapped the paperwork with the back of her hand and made a satisfied nod.  "This all looks to be in order.  You could forge a lot of these documents, but not the tonnage of the shipments themselves, and the ones Xibuyas and I spot-checked looked to be in order.  Besides, none of it's leaving Shenia anyway."

"I don't... what?" the minister asked.

"Xibuyas and I will just bury it in the desert.  Later on, we'll parcel it out to you and the other ministers as a reward for your compliance."

"Madam Saiyan, I don't understand," the minister said, trying to contain his growing panic.  "You said you would leave Shenia once we paid this ransom."

"That's what I want the rest of the galaxy to think," she explained.  "If anyone visits Shenia and sees the aftermath of our invasion, I want them to think it was a couple of Saiyan raiders who took off once they got their plunder.  That way, no one will know we're still here, ruling the planet in secret."

"But why?" the minister asked.  

"Because I need a base of operations," Seltiss said.  "And if I conquered a planet outright, certain parties might come along to try to stop me.  If my father knew I was here, doing this, he'd probably kill me.  Well maybe not kill me, but he'd totally flip out."

"This isn't what we agreed," the minister protested.

"Oh, it's close enough," Seltiss insisted.  "Xibuyas and I will keep a low profile.  Your government will still control the planet, but you'll be taking orders from us.  Don't worry, we'll try to stay out of your way.  I'd suggest a special task force to handle our needs, but if you'd rather meet with me directly, that's no problem."

The minister was sweating now.  "You can't just renege on our agreement!" he said.  "Our army can still fight--!"

"Oh, please," Seltiss said.  "Do you think I picked this place at random?  Your warriors gave us a good workout, but you Shenians are practical enough to know when you're beaten.  Xibuyas could have destroyed your entire military, but we need it to maintain this ruse of mine.  Your ancestors were realistic enough to cooperate with the Camelians, and you're sensible enough to cooperate with me."

"Then why didn't you just tell us all this when we asked for terms of surrender?" he asked.   "If you were so sure we'd capitulate, why bother having us assemble a ransom at all?"

"That's easy," Seltiss explained.  "I asked for the ransom to see if you'd actually follow my instructions."  She held up the manifest and waved it at him.  "This right here proves you're willing to play along, and that you're not foolish enough to try to call for help or rat me out to my father.  You know Xibuyas can destroy this planet, and it's worth putting up with us for a while to make sure that doesn't happen."

The minister lowered his head and groaned.  "What are you kids going to do with our planet?" he asked.

"Oh, not much, minister," Seltiss said.  "You've been gracious hosts to Xibuyas and me, so I thought we might invite over some friends..."

NEXT: The Adventure of Bred

[duhragonball]

[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (51/?)

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 May 236 Before Age.  Interstellar Space.]

"How are you feeling?"

"Like--ow!-- like a damned fool.  Where's Zatte?"

Luffa swung her feet off the bed and tried to stand up, but suddenly every muscle in her body seemed to cry out in pain.  She paused and forced herself to remain calm. She glanced up at the ceiling of the Emerald Eye's sickbay, then back down to Dr. Topsas.  

"Isn't this the part... where you tell me to take it easy?" she asked.

"Would you have listened to me if I had?" Topsas replied.  "I find my Saiyan patients prefer to find things out the hard way."

"Don't tell me," Luffa said.  "Delayed onset muscle soreness.  I pushed my body harder than I have in my whole life, then I've been stuck in this bed for who knows how long."

"I know how long, little mammal," Topsas said.  "Three days.  Although you got up and walked around at least four times during that period, so 'stuck in bed' seems a poor choice of words."

"I sort of remember that..." Luffa said.  "Three days...?  Didn't seem that long... What kind of sedatives were you giving me, Doc?"

He began to list a number of chemical compounds, and she cut him off.  "By now, all this muscle pain ought to be long gone," she said.  "The lactic acid buildup should have washed out of my system a long time ago."

"That is a common misconception about muscle soreness," Topsas said.  "It is true that the body metabolizes lactates to compensate for insufficient oxygen during strenuous activity.  This produces lactic acid in the muscles, which, as you say, is eventually excreted from the body.  However, the *soreness* is caused by micro-trauma damage to the muscles themselves.  The pain should subside as the damage is repaired, but as you said, this level of strain is quite unprecedented."

She tried to stand again, but much more gingerly than before.   Topsas reached out to steady her, but she waved him off.  

"Thanks, Doc, but this pain and me are old buddies," she said.  "It's more intense than ever before, but I know how to deal with it."

"I thought you might say that," he said.  "You suffered some tendon damage in your shoulder, multiple contusions, and three broken ribs.  These have been repaired, but will likely be sore for several more days.  I can give you painkillers if you choose, but these will make you drowsy."

Luffa tested her shoulder carefully and winced as she tried to raise her arm.  "Got it," she said.  "Anything else?"

"I cannot rule out delayed-onset ki disorder," he said.  

She found a set of clean clothes on the tray table next to her bed.  "Figured you were coming to that."

"Your ki powers may malfunction if you attempt to use them," he added. "That would be dangerous enough on a planet, but here on a spaceship--"

"I get the idea, Doc," Luffa said wearily.  "Right now I barely feel up to walking.  I bet even you could whip me in a fight right now.  You know.  If you wanted to."

"Perish the thought," Topsas said.  

"Come on," Luffa said, managing a weak smile.  "You never once wanted to smack the taste out of my mouth?  I know I'm a pretty crappy patient.  You'd never get a better chance.  Not that I’d roll over for you.  I’m weak, but I’d still make you work for it."

"You really want that, don't you?" Topsas said quietly.  "On some level, you truly view everyone around you as a sparring partner."

She snorted.  "I'm just pulling a few of your legs, Doc," she said, somewhat unconvincingly.  She pulled a black shirt over her head and winced from the effort.  

"Perhaps," he said, regarding her carefully.  "But I think you see fighting as something more than a way to resolve a conflict.  And it bothers you that you cannot share that with someone like me."

"Aw, you're reading too much into it," Luffa said.  

"I heal wounds, little mammal.  To inflict them would be counterproductive.  A waste of my already underrated talents."

"I know."

"I am honored by your invitation nonetheless."

"You don't have to get all mushy, Doc," Luffa said.  She sat back down on the bed and started sliding her yellow pants over her feet.  "If you don't want to take a poke at me, I understand.  I healed a bird with my powers once or twice, and it felt kind of goofy, like I was doing your thing instead of mine."

"Of course," Topsas said.  

"Zatte's okay, isn't she?" Luffa asked.  "I remember her being there with me on Wist, and bringing me back to the ship, but that's about it."

"She wasn't hurt," Topsas said.  "Although she may be--"

"Good, I need to ask her something," Luffa said.  She made her way to the door and hobbled out into the corridor before Topsas could finish.  

*******

"So that's where we're going?" Keda said as she pointed to the star chart displayed on the screen.  

"Right," Luffa said.  "It's safe, uninhabited, out of the way, and there's a decent spaceport about a dozen light years away.  And it's close to the galactic center, so we're less than three weeks out from anywhere we decide to go next."

The Dorlun girl stroked her chin and regarded the chart like a seasoned military advisor, which wasn't altogether ridiculous, given her recent work in the Wist/Federation War.  Marshall Booth had even offered her a job, though he had no idea that he was getting sound tactical advice from an eleven-year-old.  

"Where'd you find this place, Luffa?" she finally asked.  

"I bought it," Luffa said.  

This shocked Keda, since she had been handling Luffa's finances for over a year.  "When?" she asked.

"Around the time we started up the Federation," Luffa said.  She was trying to get comfortable in the seat beside the captain's chair, and wasn't having much luck.  "Listen, can we get back to--?"

"Where'd you get that kind of money?!" Keda asked.

"From the mercenary work we did last year," Luffa said.  "What'd you think I did with my share of the profits?"

"Savings account?" Keda guessed.

"We were getting paid way more money than we ever needed," Luffa said, "even after you figure expenses.  I decided I could use a place to go in an emergency, like if the Federation didn't pan out.  So I contacted a broker and got in touch with a crew that charts the Core Worlds.  Got a good deal too, because I paid cash up front.  Also, the environment is kind of harsh.  It's fine around the equator, but everywhere else is pretty rough, which scares of the usual buyers.  All they ever want is a private vacation retreat, and this planet doesn’t suit that idea at all."

"You actually made a contingency plan," Keda said.  "I'm impressed, Luffa."

The Saiyan tapped the side of her head.  "I've got a little something in here besides muscle," she said.  "Which is good, because right now it's the only part of me that isn't sore.  Now can we get back to Zatte?"

"What's there to get back to?" Keda asked with a shrug.  "You saw me run the sensor sweep over the whole ship. It says she's not on board."

"Dammit, Keda, she didn't just open an airlock and jump out into space," Luffa said.  

"Of course not," Keda said.  "But you know how her powers work."  The Dorlun concentrated for a moment and suddenly Luffa was sitting beside a near-perfect copy of herself.  Keda was taller, her skin had changed from blue to beige, her hair from long and red to short and black, and a tail had sprouted from the base of her spine.  

Luffa was unimpressed.  "Will you stop showing off and help me?" she grumbled.  

"If I scanned the bridge right now," Keda said in an approximation of Luffa's voice, "some of the sensors would be fooled into thinking there's two Saiyan women in here.  That's because my powers let me imitate enough of your features to trick the computer.  But my vital signs and internal organs wouldn't quite check out, and the rest of the sensors would pick up on that.  They might not recognize me as Dorlun, but they'd conclude I wasn't a real Saiyan."

She concentrated again and willed her hair to stand on end and turn yellow.  "I can even look like you as a Super Saiyan, but when I transform, it's just a color change.  I can't put out the kind of energy you do, so anyone with ki sensitivity wouldn't be fooled."

"You forgot the tail," Luffa muttered, glancing down at the furry appendage now draped over Keda's lap.  The fur was still brown.  

"Oh, whoops," Keda said with a sheepish grin.  "The point is that Zatte's powers are completely different from mine.  She can refract electromagnetic radiation around her body, so the sensors can't detect her at all.  Same goes for ki energy, which is why we can't sense her that way."

"I know all of that," Luffa said.  "That was how she snuck up on me and Kandai on Planet Wist.  I could smell her once she was close enough, but by then it was too late to matter."  She leaned back in the chair and grimaced.  "Can't the ship's sensors pick up those trace chemicals in the air?  Or, maybe... I don't know... you'd think her footsteps on the deckplate would register."

"We didn't pay for those kinds of features," Keda said.  "When we upgraded the yacht's defenses, we figured we wouldn't need to worry about intruders as much as hostile vessels."

"Right," Luffa said.  "We thought no one would be dumb enough to come on board and risk dealing with me face-to-face.  Except Zatte's turned that whole idea on its ear, right?  She kidnapped me right under your nose.  Then she hijacked the ship, forced you to come to Planet Wist after I told her not to follow me.  Now this."

"Look, she wasn't herself when she kidnapped you," Keda said.  "And she took over the ship to help you."

"I know, I know," Luffa said, "but I get tired of her out-maneuvering me like this.  Bad enough I got my butt caved in by that Shockmaster clown, now I have to figure out why she's playing hide-and-seek.   I just needed to ask her something--"

"Well that's easy," Keda said.  "I can turn on the ship's public address system, and she'll hear you from anywhere on board."

Luffa glared at Keda like she had two heads.  "It's personal, all right?" she said testily.  

"Okay, okay.  I'm only trying to help--"

"Well, help me find her, would you?"

"All right.  Take it easy."

Luffa sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose.  "Why would she be hiding, anyway?" she asked.  "Was it something I said?"

"Do you remember what you did when you changed our course?" Keda asked.  

"No," Luffa said.  "Honestly, I barely even remember doing it.  I guess those drugs Doc gave me really did a number on me."

"Well, you were pretty upset about Zatte hijacking the ship," Keda said.  "You threatened to breach the hull and kill us all if she tried it again."

"I did?  Yeah, I probably did.  I'm sorry."

"Hey, I get it," Keda said.  "It's your ship.  You're in charge.  I understood that when I signed on."

"Yeah, but I was out of line," Luffa said.  

"It’s cool.  You've had a rough time lately," Keda offered.  

"Doesn't give me the right to take it out on you guys.  I should be better than that.  I have to be."

She stood up and winced, then slowly headed for the door.  "I'll find her myself," she said.  "Looks like the only thing to do is search the whole ship room by room, and seal off each section as I go.  Maybe the ship can’t sniff her out, but I can."

"That'll take a while," Keda said.  

Luffa shrugged.  "Can't be helped.  If you see her..."

"I'll let her know you're looking for her."

"Thanks, kid."

*******

Luffa opened the door to the yacht's gymnasium and didn't bother turning on the lights.  Despite the number of comfortable guest quarters on board, she had used the ship's fitness center as a private sanctum.  A pile of floor mats served as her bed, and she was used to finding it in the dark.  She lowered herself onto it and curled up into a ball.  There were a couple of deck towels she used for blankets lying around, and she reached around with her hand to try to find them in the dark.  

"How did you know I was here?"

Luffa let out a rather undignified squeak, and scrambled to sit up.  "Lights!" she shouted, and the ship's computer illuminated the room.  

Of course, there was nothing to see.   Most of the gym was a wreck, but that was nothing new; it had been this way for over a year.  Luffa made use of some of the equipment, but she only needed one elliptical machine at most, so she had shoved the other five off to one side of room.  She hadn't been gentle about this.  Neither had she been particularly concerned about the large mirrors that lined the starboard wall.  Each pane of glass was shattered, with shards laying on the floor beside them, surrounded by bloodstains.  In another corner, a rack of weights lay on its side.  Beside it was a treadmill that had been twisted into something resembling an abstract sculpture.  Luffa's handprints were gouged into the metal.  

"I didn't know you were here," Luffa finally called out.  "I was about to search the ship, but I was so tired I figured I should sleep first.  I asked you not to come in here, Zattie."

"I know," she said.  "I thought this would be the last place you would look for me."  

Luffa groaned and lay back down on the mat.  "Well, it’s dangerous in this room.  I blow off steam in here.  I break stuff, mostly.  I try not to..."  She started to laugh.  

"What?" Zatte said.  

"I used to lie awake in here and try not to transform," Luffa said.  "I was afraid to even move.  Thought if I blinked I’d blow myself straight to hell.   But right now I'm weaker than I was when I was a kid.  It's dumb.  It's all dumb.  I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Zatte asked.

"For everything," Luffa said.  "Keda told me I threatened you the other day.  I don't even remember that, but I was pretty sore about you hijacking my ship, so it must have happened."

"How did you get around my program, anyway?" Zatte asked.  

"This ship's always been my weak point, Zattie," Luffa said.  "Doesn't matter how strong I am if an enemy fleet gets in a lucky shot, or somebody sneaks aboard and sets the ship to auto-destruct.  And I always thought maybe Keda might try to pull something, so I found a programmer on Moleen and had him set up a master override.  It's got something to do with the hardware, so you'd need do to more than hack the computer, but I don't know how any of that techie crap works.  Basically if I'm on board and I tell the computer to do something, it does it, end of story.  I like to keep things simple."  

"I see," Zatte said.  

"Anyway, I shouldn't be sore at you for helping me out on Wist.  You were just doing what you thought was right.  It's humiliating, but I'll get over it."

"You will?"

"Sure.  I'm just sorry I let you down."

Zatte shimmered into view, and took a seat on the mat beside Luffa.  "I thought I was the one who let you down," she said.  

"What?"

"I didn't really have a plan.  I just went down to the planet to check on you.  I wanted to be there in case anything went wrong.  And then I realized I had to make a choice.  I could either let you settle things with Kandai on your own, or shoot him and guarantee that you would survive."

"You probably made the right call," Luffa said.  "That's what burns me up about it.  If I could have killed Kandai I would have done it right off the bat.  Instead I kept dragging it out.  I told myself it was because I wanted to be sporting about it, because that's how a true Saiyan would handle it, but even he knew that was ridiculous, and he was a coward."

She looked at Zatte and shook her head.  "I think I was afraid to finish him off.  Like, I'd been hunting him for so long that I was afraid of what it would be like to be done with it all.  Maybe I wanted someone else to come along and do it for me."

"My people have a story about a Dorlun who became immortal," Zatte said.  "At first it was great for him, and he had all these ideas on what he would do with his endless life.  But he never really got started on those plans, because in the back of his mind he knew he would always have time to get to it later.   Then he fell down a well."

"What happened to him?" Luffa asked.  

"Nothing happened to him," Zatte said with a grin.  "He's still down there, wishing he hadn't wasted all that precious time."

"That's a lousy story," Luffa said.  

"So's the one about the Super Saiyan who couldn't get past her vendetta," Zatte said.  "I didn't like the way it was going, so I changed the ending.  At least this way, you get to show up for the next story, and the one after that."

"If I'd just been stronger," Luffa said, "I could have handled the whole thing myself.  And you wouldn't have needed to get involved."

"Wait, so you're really not mad at me for interfering?  For hijacking your ship?  For cheating you out of your revenge?"

"Hah!  I mean, I'm not happy about it, if that’s what you’re asking, but I've got no one to blame but myself.  Right now, I kind of wish I could turn invisible too, you know what I mean?"

"Luffa, I've been avoiding you because I thought you were mad at me."

"I thought you were mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad at you?"  Zatte asked.

"Because I got my ass kicked, that's why!"

Luffa pulled the towel over her head.  "I know how you feel about me.  You think I'm some kind of miracle, and it's your holy duty to support me any way you can.  What's the word?  'xan-nil'Dor?'  'Why-we-survive?'"

"Yeah."  

"No offense, but I hate that kind of mumbo jumbo.  There's at least a dozen planets where everybody thinks I fit into their mythology one way or another."

"I know."

"I'm just a fighter.  Sooner or later I'm bound to lose.  I'll get him next time, that's the best I can offer."

"Next time?" Zatte said.  She yanked the towel away to see Luffa's face.  "You want to fight the Shockmaster again?"

Luffa rolled onto her back and smiled.  "Yes," she said.  "That big oaf refused to kill me.  Biggest mistake he ever made."

"But how--?"

"He was too strong for me," Luffa said.  She was trembling, and she slowly rose to a sitting position, then onto her knees.  "There's no sugarcoating it.  I never expected to run into anyone that powerful.  He was toying with me the whole time.  The only way I'll win against him is to get even stronger."

"Is that even possible?!" Zatte asked.  

"I won't know for sure until I try," Luffa said.  "But I gotta try, Zattie.  I've been waiting for an opponent like this my whole life.  I can't just walk away without taking another crack at him.  He was too strong for me.  I can't get over it."

She rose to her feet, and started pacing around the room, with a mad grin on her face.   "Sorry, I just get excited thinking about it.  Even when Doc had me doped up in sickbay, I had dreams about it.  See, this was exactly why I wanted to find you, Zattie.  You always know how to cheer me up."

"Um, glad I could help," Zatte said.  She stood up and scratched the back of her own neck.  "So you're not mad at me.  I just want to be clear."

"No, I'm not mad at you," Luffa said.  "I just don't want you trying to take over the ship anymore.  I've got a plan."

"Well, I'm kind of embarrassed about the whole thing now," Zatte.  "That day in the kitchen, you said you wanted to talk later, and I didn't like the sound of that.  I thought you were going to put me off the ship or something like that."

"What?  No," Luffa said.  "It's just that I was thinking about you during the fight, and it was kind of a distraction.  Not that it mattered, I was gonna get my clock cleaned no matter what..."

"You were thinking about me?" Zatte asked.

Luffa turned around to face her, now bearing a solemn expression.   "Look, the thing is, I need to eliminate those kinds of distractions.  Next time, it might be a much closer match, and if I lose focus like that it could mean the difference between winning and losing.  Does that make sense?"

Zatte's shoulders sagged and when she nodded, she didn't raise her head back all the way.  "I... I think I see what you mean," she said.  "Believe me, the last thing I want to do is get in your way..."

"It won't work out like this, not in the long term," Luffa said.  "This is hard for me to say, but it's probably better to get it over with so we can both move on."

"Well, if this is what you think is best..." Zatte said.  "Look, I know you don't believe it yourself, but I still think of you as a xan'nil-Dor.  I have an obligation to do what's best for you, like it or not."

"Good, I'm glad you feel that way," Luffa said.  "Makes this a little easier to ask you this.   Ever since you shot Kandai, I realized there's only one way forward here."

Zatte sighed.  "All I ask is that you let me stay with you.  Keda's the only other Dorlun I can find, and I still want to help you, even if you want to end our relationship."

"End our--?  Wait, what?"

"Well, you're breaking up with me, right?"

"What?  Hell no.  Where'd you get that idea?"

"You got all serious, started talking about eliminating distractions, and how much you want to get this over with."

"Dammit, I'm not breaking up with you," Luffa said.  

"Well then what was it you've been wanting to ask me this whole time?" Zatte demanded. 

"I just have a hard time saying stuff like this--"

"Well spit it out!" Zatte exclaimed.  "Why does everything have to be so suspenseful with you?"

"Okay, okay!" Luffa said.

"I mean, you always have to stall and stall, like I'm supposed to just stand here all night long and wait for you to put the words together," Zatte raved.  "I know you get self-conscious about things, but no one else is even here!  Why can't you just cut to the chase?!  I... what are you doing--?"

Luffa had walked to the mat and lowered herself--with some difficulty--down to one knee.  She looked up at Zatte and said: "Will you marry me?"

NEXT: Try, try again.

[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.