Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Barracks ❯ Part 46 ( Chapter 46 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: chayron 
Anime/Manga: Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Hentai / Sci-fi / Angst | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 06.23.2012 | Pages: 6 | Words: 7.7K | Visits: 255 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Hentai / Sci-fi / Angst | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 06.23.2012 | Pages: 6 | Words: 7.7K | Visits: 255 | Status: Work In Progress
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z – it belongs to its respective owners. This fan fiction is not a commercial project, and I am not making any money from writing it.
Warnings: Alternate Universe. Yaoi (male x male). Goten x Trunks and vice versa. Other pairings.
A/N: Starcut’s crew members:
1.Captain
2.Backup Captain - (Kandar)
3.Master Sergeant
4.Navigator - (Adriel)
5.Communications Specialist - (Sildara)
6.Programmer - (Rokunda)
7.Gunnery Sergeant - (Monteira Fawa)
8.Arms Specialist – (Hazel)
9.Arms Specialist – (Mandro)
10.Flight Officer - (Reyn Dueri)
11.Flight Officer - (Jadenas Ealt)
12.Head Engineer - (Nohail Ofura)
13.Maintenance Technician – (Mirun)
14.Maintenance Technician – (Landan)
15.Doctor - (Tamahi)
16.Medic - (Yereli)
17.Head Cook
18.Cook
19.Soldier - (Edesha)
20.Goten
Barracks
by chayron (lttomb@yahoo.com), beta-read by quetreofdoom
Part 46
Absently, Goten watched the soldiers and medics fussing themselves with the pirates. He wasn’t certain what he should do, so he just stood with his hands crossed while leaning against the dented door of the prison vehicle. He presumed that they had already seen the damage he made to the van by sending Edesha flying into it, but there was still some hope left. If he could, he would have also gone and tried to bodily cover the corner of the building that was missing. He shouldn’t have used his ki and blasted that damn pirate fool into a wall. He prayed to all gods he wouldn’t be made to pay for the damage.
He had expected to just toss the Nondren and the rest of the attackers back into the van and continue driving to the local prison, but somebody had called the police. They had been very respectful, had been bowing a lot, but it had taken some time for Reyn to explain the situation. Once he did, the local police contacted the military and left it all to them. Goten was amazed at how fast the uniformed soldiers filled the street. Reyn told their story one more time, wasting another ten minutes. It was a good thing that he had the driver of the van to back him up, which made the entire process faster.
They were in the middle of the street, completely blocking the traffic. With so many soldiers moving about and everyone’s interest mostly on Reyn and Edesha, nobody was paying him any attention and Goten soon moved away from the van to look for an ATM. He badly needed some cash since he practically owed everyone on Starcut. He asked around and soon found an ATM in a supermarket not far away from where the incident had taken place. His eyes widened at the numbers on the screen – he was rich! Aside from his usual pay, his father had also transferred a handsome sum to him. He hadn’t asked him to, and hadn’t expected anything, but it felt very pleasant. It also meant that Kakarott had already recovered, which was five times better to know than the fact that he was rich.
When he returned, the traffic had already been restored. Andrew and the injured pirates were already gone, and the two Nondrens who had not required immediate medical treatment were already in the prison van. There was one military car in front of the van and one behind it. It seemed that the only thing they were waiting for was Goten.
“Sorry,” Goten muttered sheepishly, climbing into the van. It started moving as soon as he closed the door.
Edesha snorted while Reyn just gave him a curious look. “Where were you?” he asked.
Goten groped around his pockets. “Here,” he said, holding out twenty credits for Reyn, “my debt to you.”
“Oh, finally some cash. That’s good,” the flight officer said, taking the money and putting it in the pocket of his jacket.
“Five credits,” Edesha demanded with an outstretched hand.
“I know, I know,” Goten said, counting quickly. He poured the jingling coins into the soldier’s palm. Edesha’s scowl softened at the sight of the credits. With luck, he would soon forget the incident.
The third-class still had no idea why he had been so agitated half an hour ago. It hadn’t been only him, though; Reyn had been on the verge of attacking him as well. It was as though they hadn’t been able to see anything except each other. What the hell had that been about? He felt shaken up and guilty for hitting Edesha. The flight officer, however, didn’t appear to be worried in the least. Goten intended to have a word with him later.
They reached the detention center ten minutes later. They were obviously an interesting sight to behold since a crowd of onlookers gathered in a blink. Escorted by the military personnel, the Saiyans half-led and half-carried two of the Nondrens into the building. Goten didn’t understand why they were needed here at all. He would have gladly shaken off the pirates after their unsuccessful rescue mission and gone drinking with his other crew mates, leaving them for the local military to deal with. The locals obviously believed that, no matter what, the Saiyans still had to lead someone to the detention center because some papers somewhere said so. One or two or five pirates, it didn’t matter.
The inside of the building, just like the outside, was a gray mass of blocks. They took a lengthy walk along the wide corridors until they reached the right cells. Reyn put his signature down on a few sheets of paper, and Goten hoped that they were finally free to go. It was only wishful thinking though, as, once Reyn was done signing, they were intercepted by the detention center supervisor. He bowed.
“I’m Arkhash Armafl, the supervisor here, Sirs.” He bowed again. “If I could take some of your precious time, Sirs…”
Edesha turned to him. “What’s the problem?”
The supervisor and the other Ardarians looked at each other anxiously. The supervisor let out a nervous laugh. “No, no. There’s no problem, Honorable Sirs. It’s just that the Human claims that he doesn’t have anything to do with the pirates. He also insists that Reyn Dueri…” broke off with a tentative look at the three Saiyans.
“That would be me,” Reyn said, raising his hand.
“He insists that Sir attacked him without any reason. I’m afraid we’ll need written testimonies.”
“Sure,” Edesha said with overflowing enthusiasm. “Can we see him first?”
The yellow creature let out a gargling sound. “Err… He was brought here alive and it would be better if he stayed so, Sirs.”
“Pity that,” Edesha said.
Reyn muttered, “I knew I should’ve just killed him.”
The supervisor bared two sets of sharp teeth, and Goten wondered whether it was in protest or in amusement. Probably it was in amusement, because it was very likely that Reyn would have smacked the creature for his insolence otherwise.
The supervisor nodded. “I would not bother you, Sirs, with such a mere trifle, but Humans like their papers neat.”
“So it’s our word against his,” Goten summed up. “Where can I get something to write on?” he asked when the creature nodded. He wasn’t going to stop writing until he put down everything he knew about that damn bastard. If that wasn’t enough, he would just invent some more.
The supervisor suddenly looked much happier than he did a second ago. “If you’d follow me, Sirs…” he said, politely outstretching his hand to point at one of the corridors.
“Okay, so apparently all of us knew he was a rat,” Edesha muttered when, with the promise of lunch, the three of them were left alone in a small cubical office with an oblong desk and stacks of blank sheets of paper.
They exchanged accusing looks. Amused, Reyn rolled his eyes and concentrated on writing his paper.
“Umm…” Goten drawled. “I suppose I’ve suspected him for quite a while. It was you who gave me the idea about the rat on Orion and he somehow fits the description spot-on. He kinda…was purposely trying to look harmless, was hanging around the medical room too much and was asking too many questions.”
Edesha nodded. “Yeah, he was way too suspicious. I suppose everyone knew.”
Reyn snorted. “Well, duh. Why do you think it was the three of us who were told to escort him? It was as clear as day there was going to be an attempt at rescue.”
“That was an unnecessary risk,” Edesha said.
Reyn gave him an amused look. “What risk? He’s just a measly Human. Attacked me with a kitchen knife. A knife against a grown Saiyan!” He snorted again. “He should be happy I didn’t slit his throat with it.”
Edesha sighed. That was true enough, but if there had been someone other than Goten or Reyn escorting the pirate, the rescue attempt might have succeeded, and there might have been victims on both sides. From the corner of his eye, Edesha gave Goten a searching look. Now he knew why Reyn was so bent on pursuing the younger male. It was more than the likeable character and fighting skill. They shared the same power. Alone, Goten was able to take out a squadron of Nondrens without so much as breaking a sweat. In addition to being a partner of equal stance to Reyn, Goten was also good to have as a powerful ally. The two of them could take on an army, just like the most powerful elites. This was insane.
Mixed blood.
Edesha suppressed a shudder and lowered his eyes to his paper. He wasn’t certain how he felt about mixed classes. It didn’t concern him personally, but it still bothered him. It was probably a good thing, after all, that Reyn had stepped in between him and Goten before they got too close. Edesha gave his paper a morose look. He didn’t trust what his reaction would have been if he had been partners with Goten.
“I think he believed that once Reyn and I were busy, they would deal with you easily,” Edesha said with a sigh. “Must be your childlike face.”
“Yeah,” Goten agreed, “I get that a lot. Even he believed,” he pointed at Reyn, “that he’d beat the crap out of me with one finger.”
Reyn chuckled. “Now, that’s a lie. Actually, I thought I’d throw a few insults your way and you’d run off crying for your daddy.”
Goten rolled his eyes. “So what exactly do we write now? The more, the better, but I don’t think we have any tangible proof.”
“Sure we have,” Reyn said, “Rokunda has a complete copy of the data on his laptop. Who he contacted, who contacted him, everything. He’s as good as done.”
Goten and Edesha gave him incredulous looks. Then Goten wondered why he hadn’t thought of that. He had suspected Andrew, but hadn’t believed anyone would take him seriously and, even if they did, telling others would have resulted in their attitude changing towards Andrew. In which case, he would have probably just slipped away silently without attempting anything. He hadn’t wanted that. But Rokunda wasn’t involved. Goten doubted if she had seen Andrew at all. Unless it was in the canteen.
It took them about an hour to write their testimonies. Somewhere midway in their writing, they were delivered lunch and had a break. Goten wondered how many here could read Saiyan, then decided that it was of no concern to him. Reyn had finished his report first and was drinking his lukewarm coffee while watching Edesha write his. Goten soon joined the flight officer with a mug of tea. The Ardarians were awfully nice. Or fearful.
“You are not that good at your letters, are you?” Reyn commented after reading Goten’s testimony; some hieroglyphs were bent out of shape, a few mixed up entirely. Several sentences were going to give the Ardarians pains while translating.
“One can’t be good at everything,” Goten said with a pout.
Reyn chuckled. “I guess not.” He lowered Goten’s report back onto the desk. “Let’s make copies. There will be less work when we go back to Starcut.”
“Sure,” Goten agreed. However, as he stared at the pages of his report, a vague feeling slowly engulfed him. A certainty that he would never set foot on Starcut again was suddenly as real as the paper in front of him.
“What’s wrong?”
Goten raised his head to look at Reyn. He wondered what kind of expression he had on his face to make Reyn look so confused. The strange feeling was slowly seeping away and Goten shivered suddenly, shaking off the last of it.
“What happened back there?” he asked Reyn softly. “Why…? We almost…” He didn’t know how to put it into words. All he remembered was that he had wanted to tear Reyn’s throat out, to annihilate him. It had felt…felt as if the other Saiyan had no right to exist. Was that the same way Reyn had felt?
“Not now and not here,” the flight officer whispered.
Goten nodded; he hadn’t expected Reyn to answer with Edesha around. He emptied his mug and leaned against the wall behind him. He felt tired – it was eleven in the evening according to standard time, the time he was usually in bed. Here, however, it was a bright day. He doubted that he would get some sleep any time soon – they would probably join the rest of their team on their drinking spree.
“Finally,” Edesha said when they left the office. He stretched his arms over his head, his back giving a satisfied crack. In his mind, he was already drinking beer with the rest of his crewmates. He couldn’t wait to feel that cool pleasantness slide down his throat.
Reyn gave him a look. “We’d have left here much faster if you had hurried that report of yours.”
“Well, we gotta be thorough, don’t we?”
“Could it be that you’re even worse at writing than me?” Goten wondered. He saw Edesha shrug. It was obvious that the soldier didn’t give two shits about his writing skills. He looked at the backs of the two Ardarians who were leading them towards the exit. They seemed to be awfully glad to be rid of the Saiyans.
“And isn’t this our golden boy! Wow, you hair’s almost grown back!”
An involuntary grin appeared on Goten’s face at the sound of the familiar voice. He spun around to where the voice came from. The elite female was grinning too, walking towards him from one of the many corridors. There were three second-class females behind her. They weren’t certain what to make of this and stopped to watch the elite female briskly advancing toward the group of Saiyan males.
Goten spread his arms, stepping forward to greet her. He couldn’t believe she was really there, in front of him. It seemed like it had been ages since he saw her last.
“Almanda! Wh-eowch!” With a grunt, Goten fell back when the elite female socked him in the eye.
“You sonovabitch! Why the hell haven’t you contacted us?”
Pressing his palm to his throbbing face, Goten got to his feet. “Hey!” he growled. “What was that for?” Then he suddenly found himself in a headlock, Almanda squeezing the life out of him.
“I said that was for not contacting us for so long. Oh, oh,” she whispered into his ear. “And also to make you look cooler in front of your friends.”
Only now did Goten remember Reyn and Edesha. The two Saiyans stood in stunned silence, their wide disbelieving eyes glued on him and the elite female. The three second-class females were gaping at them as well. The two Ardarians were notably tense, not certain what was going on. It seemed that he was indeed the most interesting thing in the entire building.
Almanda grinned again, smacking him over his head. “To make you more popular with girls and stuff.”
“Hah!” Goten let out a painful grunt. “Interfering with my affairs again. Who said I wanted that?” He rubbed his head to soothe the sting. “To hell with being popular,” he said softly, “I’ve already gotten myself a man.”
The elite female straightened abruptly, making Goten gasp at the sudden movement. “Huh. You have? Really? Well, fuck me! Where is he?”
Goten pointed at his two crew mates. “The shorter one.”
Giving Reyn a speculative look, Almanda let go of Goten. “You know, he’s kinda plain.”
“Well, yeah,” Goten agreed. “But I’m plain too, so we make a cute couple.”
“Do you know that we can hear everything you say?” Reyn asked them.
“Never stopped her,” Goten said, patting Almanda on her shoulder, making Reyn’s eyebrows rise.
“Who’s your friend?” Edesha wondered. His face shone with eagerness while he threw quick glances at the second-class females behind Goten and Almanda. He didn’t really believe he could land any of them, but he had always appreciated the other sex’s company.
“We studied at the officer training school together,” Goten said. “Almanda…eeehh?” He turned to the elite female. “What’s your surname, once again?”
She threw her arm around his shoulders. “Nobody cares about my surname, sweetheart. Tell me, what about Kyon and Ranvera? Those two were chasing your ass for half a year and then you just go off to heck knows where and land yourself a boyfriend in no time. So what’s so special about that one?” she asked, pointing her finger at the flight officer who gave the ceiling a torturous look.
“We can discuss this over a glass of beer,” Edesha suggested. He grinned at the murderous glare Reyn gave him. He elbowed the flight officer, mouthing soundlessly, ‘Don’t cockblock me!’
“What a wonderful idea,” Almanda purred. With her head, she motioned at the women behind her, indicating to follow her. “Where to?”
“To Triple Luck,” Edesha said, almost bouncing on his heels.
Almanda grimaced, showing what she thought of the choice, but nodded.
“Ma’am…” one of the Ardarians started saying, but the elite female waved him off.
“We’ll return in an hour or so and finish it then.”
While their party was walking through the door outside, Goten cast one last look at the Ardarians. They were probably used to Saiyans doing as they pleased, but that didn’t mean they liked it. Still, Saiyans were probably better than Ice-jins or some other race, since Saiyans didn’t care about personal matters and didn’t impose their culture on anyone. As long as they didn’t advocate rebellion against the Saiyan Empire, Saiyans just couldn’t care less about religion or education on their colonies.
Goten wondered how they were going to get to Triple Luck but once outside, Edesha powered up and rose into the air.
“What?” Reyn asked after noticing Goten’s frowning face.
“I don’t particularly like flying.”
“Oh, really? Don’t worry, you can hold my hand.”
Goten gave him the finger and rose into the air to join them. He had so many questions for Almanda that he didn’t even know how to start organizing them. He felt tense with brimming questions, but was also relieved and happy to see someone from the base.
They landed next to Triple Luck ten minutes later. Having judged by Almanda’s reaction, Goten had expected it to be some shabby pub. To his surprise, it turned out to be a huge, brightly-colored building. From the variety of races gathering in clusters around the door, Goten deemed it to be a multicultural haven. He could also hear, or rather feel, the rhythmic vibration created by the music coming from the building.
Smug, with the females in tow, Edesha led the way to the heavy door. Two Ardarians guarding the door looked their group up and down, but even if they had anything against such a large party of Saiyans entering the bar, they kept quiet. Edesha pushed the door open and they filed inside.
Goten faltered at the loud music blaring through the air. He looked around, taking in the spacious hall with round tables spread out around the perimeter. The middle of the hall was empty though, obviously intended for those fond of dancing. At the moment, there was only one pair of yellow native creatures gyrating on the dance floor. It was still too early in the day, most people being at work. The ones who were present were still more interested in filling their thirsty throats than moving about.
The bar at the farthest end of the hall was served by two natives. Goten couldn’t be certain from this distance, but it seemed that one of them was filling a mug for Adriel. The bar was well-isolated from the rest of the hall by a wide and sturdy counter. There were also a few bulky natives hanging around at the walls. The third-class took note that the security personnel also included two Saiyans. He couldn’t tell whether they were second or third-classes, but they looked tough enough. He wondered how much they got paid. But then…he’d rather stay in the military than work in a bar.
They received quite a few curious glances while making their way toward the tables where they could see five of Starcut’s crew members. Sildara’s mug froze without reaching his lips while he stared at the huge elite female next to Goten. He had seen quite a few elite females in his life, but he had never seen one with such a big build. She saluted his open mouth in greeting with a backhanded gesture then, with a nod at the rest of the crew, turned her head to Goten.
“Shall we join your friends or would you rather we had some time alone?”
Sildara tried to whistle, but only managed to spit into his mug when his numb tongue refused to obey. Awkwardly, he closed his mouth.
“We can join them later,” Goten said, motioning at one of the tables farther away. “Your girls can get more chairs and join them if they want. I can guarantee for most of them.”
Almanda cocked her head to the side. “Hmm… And the ones you can’t guarantee for are…?”
Unceremoniously, Goten pointed at Sildara, then turned around to point his finger at Adriel, who was returning with two mugs of beer. “Would film you in a toilet if given a chance.”
The elite female gave Adriel a sharp grin. “I see. Sweetheart, if you touch any of my friends, I’ll tear your tail off and feed it to your lover over there,” she said, motioning to Sildara behind the table. “With hair, bones, and all.”
Puzzled, Goten watched Adriel give a quick nod and make his way past them to sit at Sildara’s side. How did she know?
Instead of pushing up a few chairs, the three second-class females carried a nearby table over and added it to the Starcut crew’s. One of them went to order the drinks. The other two sat down at the table. It was obvious that they felt as awkward as the men.
In total silence, Adriel reached out to nudge Reyn in the side. “Listen, what’s the deal with your man and that…Almanda?”
Both of them turned their heads to where the elite female sat; Goten was just returning with two mugs of beer.
“I’ve got no idea,” Reyn muttered. He was certain he would have remembered Goten mentioning being cuddly with an elite female. To tell the truth, he was rather shocked. What was that about Goten whining and complaining about wanting to save money for a visit to a female? He wasn’t certain, but it seemed that she was positively interested in Goten. An elite, at that. It would have been impossible otherwise, but with Goten being who he was, it was an option. If Goten was smart – and he undoubtedly was – he was not going to let go of her.
Adriel and Reyn watched the third-class lower the mugs onto the table, then grin and laugh at something the elite female said. He got into his chair, and she saluted him with her beer. She took a few large gulps, then burped loudly. Goten followed her example and emptied half of his mug at once. He seemed to sigh contently, then the relaxed expression on his face went away. He pushed his mug aside and leaned forward.
“How is Ario?”
Almanda pushed her mug aside as well. “He’s been sent to Wardara.”
Goten flinched visibly. The front lines. It made sense, though – he was a powerful ki-wielder. He could wipe out fields of enemies almost like a regular elite.
“When I saw him last, he…” The elite female shook her head. “He’s barely hanging in there.”
Goten pressed his palms to his forehead. “I wish I could be there for him.” A wave of sorrow swept over him. He wished he had somehow prevented this from happening. It was useless, though. Toharu was dead and Ario was all alone. “When did you see him last?”
“About two months ago, just like you. We are keeping track of him, though. We’re afraid he might become suicidal.”
Goten let out a frustrated groan. He had been worried about that as well. It happened frequently, Saiyans losing their wits when their long-term partners died. He could easily picture this happening to Ario.
“Keeping track of him? How?”
“Just like we are keeping track of you. Through Ranvera. However, I’m surprised that he didn’t mention anything about you dropping by here.”
The third-class gave her a confused look. “Ranvera?”
“Yeah, he’s been summoned by National Security, and has the access to most of the data. He knows who got sent where and can contact most of them. But you never called back, you bastard.”
Goten blinked at her. “But nobody ever contacted me. I keep telling you I had no idea about how to reach any of you.”
Now it was the elite female who was giving him a confused look. “But he’s been in contact with his sister the whole time… Didn’t she tell you?”
Goten stared at her for a few moments, then exhaled loudly. “You’ve gotta be kidding me… Rokunda? His sister?” Caught in a sudden frenzy, he ruffled through his hair with his fingers. “Arrrghh! That damn bitch!” he yelled, slamming his palms on the table.
Almanda chuckled at the display. “I see. Have you done anything to piss her off?”
“I haven’t. But I think she believes I have. She’s kinda weird.” Closing his eyes, Goten pressed his fists to his forehead. “Oh gods, so it was that idiot Ranvera who sent my profile to her and then she distributed it around the ship just to get back at me. Wonderful, just fucking wonderful.”
The elite shrugged. “Well, I can give you Ranvera’s number so that you can contact him directly and tell him what a shithead he is.”
“That would be awesome.”
She looked around, then got up and went to the counter. Goten watched her go. While they had been talking, the club had filled with more people. Now they hurriedly got out of her way before she could even set her eyes on them. Like all elites’, her tail was wrapped around her waist in a manner that made the white tip glaringly visible. Nobody in this building would ever dare to lay a hand on her. If the need arose, they could try and take her out in a group, but the consequences would be dire – an elite female was, literally, a national treasure, and the Saiyan Empire would not tolerate that. In case of her death, the entire city would be leveled to the ground to teach others a lesson. The Saiyans looked after their females. And their females made sure to look after themselves.
Now, as he was waiting for her to come back, Goten was aware of two elite males near the center of the club. He hadn’t noticed when they had entered the building, much less when they had taken their place at that table. But now they were giving him cross looks, blatantly telling him to just piss off back to the village he had crawled from. The third-class ignored them steadily. He could also feel Reyn giving his back confused and uncertain glances. Served him right after the shit both of them had pulled earlier today.
Almanda was coming back from the bar with a scrap of paper and a pen in her hand. Goten watched her sit down. She pressed a few buttons on her scouter and scribbled down the number.
“Here,” she said, holding out the scrap of paper for Goten. “Call him sometime. He will be happy to hear from you.” She hesitated for a moment, then drew her hand back and quickly wrote down one more number. “And that’s mine. Just in case. But I won’t be staying here for long. In a few hours, we are departing for Earth.”
“Huh,” Goten said, taking the piece of paper. He folded it and, with thanks, stored it safely in his breast pocket. He should have probably just programmed the numbers into his scouter, but scouters in his possession didn’t last long.
“Have you heard anything about Kyon?”
She nodded. “He’s in the capital, just like Ranvera. He’s been added to the sharpshooter squad in the City Defense Force.”
Goten gaped at her. “Are you serious?”
“Why so surprised? You knew he’s damn good.”
“Well, yeah, but…” He scratched his head.
With her chin, Almanda pointed at the table where Starcut’s crewmen and her friends sat. “So what’s the deal with that one? I think Kyon is convinced that he has already bagged you.”
“Maaan…” Goten sighed. He felt tempted to repeat his favorite phrase, that he hadn’t committed himself to anyone, but had a feeling that in that case she would punch him. And she would be right. He had left loose ends and it didn’t feel right. He let out another sigh, a much deeper one this time, the vibrating sound flowing over the table. “I will have to set it straight.”
She nodded. “You have to. He’s a good man. A pity. Would have made a good partner for you, too – easy to please, easy to deal with. Well, you’ve made your choice.” Then she rolled her eyes. “If we lose this war, none of this will matter, anyway.”
“That’s what I thought,” Goten agreed.
The elite grinned. “Yeah, and it would be a pity to die a virgin.”
“I’m not in danger of that anymore.”
Almanda burst out laughing. “Boasting like that… You’ve become quite shameless,” she pointed out.
“Have I? I think it’s how I’ve always been.”
She shrugged. “Is he any good? Treating you well?”
“Hey, you make it sound as if I can’t take care of myself.”
“It’s not really about that. What’s his name, again?”
“Reyn. Reyn Dueri.”
She reached for her mug. “A peculiar surname,” she said before taking a gulp. “He’s older than you. It’s probably a good thing, though.”
“Why are you saying so?” Gotten asked, pulling his mug over to himself.
She shrugged. “Just saying.” Goten had a tendency to take stupid risks and get into all kinds of trouble and it would be good if his partner was experienced enough to know how to deal with that. It would be better if he led Goten and not the other way around. She wasn’t going to say that to Goten, though. There was no need – he knew that himself. He was probably never going to admit it though. And that was fine.
“I received a short message from Hedera about a week ago,” Almanda said. “She says she’s doing fine. She’s due in two months. She also asked me to thank you.”
Goten smiled unconsciously. The prince had kept his word and sent her away to one of the colonies. “That’s good to hear.” Almanda was giving him a curious look, but Goten only smiled brighter. Except for the things that Toharu had constantly blabbered, he hadn't been aware of other people wondering about his and the shaii’s relationship. He realized now that it had not only been Toharu who’d had various speculations.
“Well, let’s hope the white tip won’t show up,” the elite said.
Goten nodded in agreement. If it didn’t, Hedera could just say that the father of her kid died in some battle and nobody around would question her. On the other hand, the tail with a white tip would be very problematic, even in one of the backwater colonies.
Almanda took note of the time her scouter was showing. “I will have to leave in ten minutes. You will probably have trouble with those two in the center of the hall.”
“Yeah,” Goten agreed. “Nothing new. Elites hate me. I think it’s in their blood.”
“Hey.”
“Well, with the exception of you.”
She chuckled, then saluted him with her nearly empty mug. “Don’t hurt them too much.” She shook her head, then gave him an intent look. “When the war is over, and if the two of us are still alive, let’s meet in some shabby bar and drink our asses off.”
Goten raised his mug to clink against hers. “It’s a promise.”
They talked about this and that, then, with a longing look, the third-class watched her stand up and head for the door. At the sight of her going, the second-class females left their table to follow her. He sat for a few more moments after the door had closed behind them, then went to search for the toilets.
When he walked back into the hall, his mood was bordering between nostalgic and ecstatic. His feelings were also overlaid by a layer of misery. He was going to drink his head off tonight. With the intention of ordering something stronger than beer, he headed for the bar. He stopped when one of the elites who had been throwing warning glares at his side stepped in front of him, barring his way.
Arrgh! Just great.
At least the second elite stayed seated at the table, nursing his beer. Not even expecting it to work, Goten gave the older man in front of him a polite nod. “Yes?” There were at least seven different species in the hall; why was it that he never got along with his own?
“What did you want with that female?”
“Oh, we’re just old acquaintances.” That was a very stupid thing to say, Goten realized. The elite’s eyes blazed with anger, his nostrils flaring as if he was about to hit him. Not yet, but he wasn’t far from it, the fur on his tail half-raised. Goten scratched his chin sheepishly. “Umm…”
The man snarled. “What can an elite female and you have in common?”
“Well, many things,” Goten drawled. “Like taste in beer. Or liking porn. Or peeling potatoes all night long.”
The elite gave him an irritated look. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“About our common interests.”
Noisily, the second elite pushed his chair away from the table and stood up. In a few strides, he was at his companion’s side. At first, Goten thought that he was intent on joining his friend in a unanimous attempt at beating the crap out of him. In a few moments, however, he noticed that he was looking at something behind him. Cautiously, from the corner of his eye, he cast a glance behind him. There was half of Starcut’s crew. Eight men were standing in a loose semi-circle surrounding him. The looks on their faces were bordering between questioning and annoyed.
“Umm…” Goten mumbled, concentrating back on the elites. So he had some serious backup. This felt really nice, even though it was much more problematic than nice. He didn’t want to drag his friends into this stupid spat.
“What’s wrong?”
The elite Goten had talked to glanced dismissively at Reyn. “Get lost,” he snarled.
Goten didn’t know what Reyn did, but the next moment the elite’s face reddened in indignation. Only when the elite stepped forward and tried to shove at Adriel’s chest did Goten realize that it had probably been the tipsy navigator showing him the finger or something along those lines.
The elite grunted in pain when the flight officer grabbed his hand, twisting his palm. The elite turned sideways, but the flight officer didn’t let go. Alarmed, Adriel stepped back. Reyn, however, held the other man effortlessly as if their roles were reversed – he was an elite and the man he was holding a mere third-class.
“If you power up any more,” Reyn warned the elite when he started summoning his ki, “I’ll tear you apart.”
Goten grimaced at that. This was not going to end well. He could remember someone telling him that Reyn abhorred elites with a passion. The situation had just become complicated to a point. The elite was not going to listen, Reyn was not going to let go of him, and then it would be the Starcut’s crew against two elites. If he and Reyn were lucky and fast enough, his friends would end up with only a couple of broken bones.
Goten let out an audible groan, noticing the security guys walking to them. Their steps were indecisive, though. It was nine second-class and two elite Saiyans, after all. It was now obvious that the two Saiyans working as security guys were just third-classes. They would want to avoid the confrontation at any cost.
Reyn’s ki rose in response to the elite’s. The second elite, who had not moved an inch, was giving him an intent look, then leaned forward to whisper into his companion’s ear.
Goten could only hear separate words such as “Starcut”, “the same guy”, and “beat up”. Now, besides anger and pain, something more appeared on the elite’s face. He stopped powering up. It took a few more seconds, then Reyn powered down as well, let go of his arm, and stepped back at an arm’s reach.
“I mistook him for another person,” the elite muttered with a motion at Goten. “My bad.”
Goten nodded. “Happens,” he said. Without waiting for the elites to add anything, he ended any further attempts to prolong the conversation on any side by proceeding past the elites and to the bar for the drinks he had wanted so much.
The two glasses of whiskey went down Goten’s throat in three seconds. He frowned at the taste, then let out a heartfelt sigh. It was silent at the table. The third-class smiled tentatively at his companions.
“Thanks. Really. For standing up for me.”
“Are you an idiot?” Reyn snorted. “What are you doing encouraging them?”
“Well, yeah…” Goten agreed, giving the crew yet another uneasy grin. “You shouldn’t have interfered,” he told them. “I can pretty much hold my own against two elites.”
“Well, fuck you, then,” Adriel said. He glared at his mug and took a large swig out of it. “Freak of nature.”
“Calm down or I’ll hit you,” Sildara told him.
“Drinks on me,” Reyn said suddenly.
“Oh gods, fuck you!” Goten snarled in disbelief.
“And none for you,” Reyn said to him, already getting up and going for the counter.
From his place at the table where he was sitting all alone now, Goten glared at the other third-class’s back. Not patronizing. Right. He was going to kill Reyn when they were alone. Well, at least it had worked – everyone was following the flight officer to the counter to choose the drinks they wanted. The topic about him and the stupid incident with the elites was as good as closed.
“Here,” Reyn said in a few minutes, lowering an enormous mug of beer in front of Goten. He pushed a plate of sandwiches under the younger male’s nose, too.
Goten stared at him for several seconds with a malicious look in his eyes, then wrapped his fingers around the glass and pulled it closer to him.
“I bet you’re thinking I spat or pissed in it.”
“No. I am thinking about punching you when we are alone.” Goten sniffed at the beer, then took a few gulps. He let out a content sigh.
“Have you ever been told that you can be incredibly childish?” Reyn asked indifferently.
“I’m insulted by the remark. You’ll pay for it later.”
Reyn grinned at him. “Awesome.”
Goten rolled his eyes. “No. Not that way.”
The flight officer chuckled. “Are you sure?” he asked, casually brushing his fingers over the back of Goten’s neck. The touch was fleeting, hardly there, but the younger male’s pupils dilated at the promise.
“Really? You will let me do you without flipping a coin?” Goten wondered. He had to admit he was interested in this kind of redemption.
Edesha groaned and covered his ears. “Are you freakin’ serious? Why do we have to listen to this shit?”
“I don’t mind!” Adriel announced cheerfully.
“Well, of course you don’t,” Monteira said. “You will film them later, too.”
“Jealous that nobody ever cared to film you?”
Monteira shook his head. “Not the least bit. But I have to admit it was hot.”
Noisily, Goten pushed his enormous mug to his left. “Okay,” he said softly. “Each time anyone mentions that video, I’m punching either Adriel or Sildara in the face.”
“He’s serious,” Reyn warned the other flight officer, who was opening his mouth.
“But it was hot!” Jadenas laughed. His eyes widened in shock when, the next second, Adriel suddenly whooshed off the chair and found himself sprawled on the floor, his upper lip bleeding.
“Damn, that felt good,” Goten said, returning to his seat. “Anyone else wants to comment on how magnificent it was?”
It was silent for a few moments. Then, with a look at Adriel, who was getting up from the floor and cursing all the while, Jadenas slurped at his beer. He wiped at his mouth. “I’ve heard you suddenly became rich,” he told Goten. “Any chance I can get those fifteen credits back before you’re locked up in a detention center?”
TBC
Warnings: Alternate Universe. Yaoi (male x male). Goten x Trunks and vice versa. Other pairings.
A/N: Starcut’s crew members:
1.Captain
2.Backup Captain - (Kandar)
3.Master Sergeant
4.Navigator - (Adriel)
5.Communications Specialist - (Sildara)
6.Programmer - (Rokunda)
7.Gunnery Sergeant - (Monteira Fawa)
8.Arms Specialist – (Hazel)
9.Arms Specialist – (Mandro)
10.Flight Officer - (Reyn Dueri)
11.Flight Officer - (Jadenas Ealt)
12.Head Engineer - (Nohail Ofura)
13.Maintenance Technician – (Mirun)
14.Maintenance Technician – (Landan)
15.Doctor - (Tamahi)
16.Medic - (Yereli)
17.Head Cook
18.Cook
19.Soldier - (Edesha)
20.Goten
Barracks
by chayron (lttomb@yahoo.com), beta-read by quetreofdoom
Part 46
Absently, Goten watched the soldiers and medics fussing themselves with the pirates. He wasn’t certain what he should do, so he just stood with his hands crossed while leaning against the dented door of the prison vehicle. He presumed that they had already seen the damage he made to the van by sending Edesha flying into it, but there was still some hope left. If he could, he would have also gone and tried to bodily cover the corner of the building that was missing. He shouldn’t have used his ki and blasted that damn pirate fool into a wall. He prayed to all gods he wouldn’t be made to pay for the damage.
He had expected to just toss the Nondren and the rest of the attackers back into the van and continue driving to the local prison, but somebody had called the police. They had been very respectful, had been bowing a lot, but it had taken some time for Reyn to explain the situation. Once he did, the local police contacted the military and left it all to them. Goten was amazed at how fast the uniformed soldiers filled the street. Reyn told their story one more time, wasting another ten minutes. It was a good thing that he had the driver of the van to back him up, which made the entire process faster.
They were in the middle of the street, completely blocking the traffic. With so many soldiers moving about and everyone’s interest mostly on Reyn and Edesha, nobody was paying him any attention and Goten soon moved away from the van to look for an ATM. He badly needed some cash since he practically owed everyone on Starcut. He asked around and soon found an ATM in a supermarket not far away from where the incident had taken place. His eyes widened at the numbers on the screen – he was rich! Aside from his usual pay, his father had also transferred a handsome sum to him. He hadn’t asked him to, and hadn’t expected anything, but it felt very pleasant. It also meant that Kakarott had already recovered, which was five times better to know than the fact that he was rich.
When he returned, the traffic had already been restored. Andrew and the injured pirates were already gone, and the two Nondrens who had not required immediate medical treatment were already in the prison van. There was one military car in front of the van and one behind it. It seemed that the only thing they were waiting for was Goten.
“Sorry,” Goten muttered sheepishly, climbing into the van. It started moving as soon as he closed the door.
Edesha snorted while Reyn just gave him a curious look. “Where were you?” he asked.
Goten groped around his pockets. “Here,” he said, holding out twenty credits for Reyn, “my debt to you.”
“Oh, finally some cash. That’s good,” the flight officer said, taking the money and putting it in the pocket of his jacket.
“Five credits,” Edesha demanded with an outstretched hand.
“I know, I know,” Goten said, counting quickly. He poured the jingling coins into the soldier’s palm. Edesha’s scowl softened at the sight of the credits. With luck, he would soon forget the incident.
The third-class still had no idea why he had been so agitated half an hour ago. It hadn’t been only him, though; Reyn had been on the verge of attacking him as well. It was as though they hadn’t been able to see anything except each other. What the hell had that been about? He felt shaken up and guilty for hitting Edesha. The flight officer, however, didn’t appear to be worried in the least. Goten intended to have a word with him later.
They reached the detention center ten minutes later. They were obviously an interesting sight to behold since a crowd of onlookers gathered in a blink. Escorted by the military personnel, the Saiyans half-led and half-carried two of the Nondrens into the building. Goten didn’t understand why they were needed here at all. He would have gladly shaken off the pirates after their unsuccessful rescue mission and gone drinking with his other crew mates, leaving them for the local military to deal with. The locals obviously believed that, no matter what, the Saiyans still had to lead someone to the detention center because some papers somewhere said so. One or two or five pirates, it didn’t matter.
The inside of the building, just like the outside, was a gray mass of blocks. They took a lengthy walk along the wide corridors until they reached the right cells. Reyn put his signature down on a few sheets of paper, and Goten hoped that they were finally free to go. It was only wishful thinking though, as, once Reyn was done signing, they were intercepted by the detention center supervisor. He bowed.
“I’m Arkhash Armafl, the supervisor here, Sirs.” He bowed again. “If I could take some of your precious time, Sirs…”
Edesha turned to him. “What’s the problem?”
The supervisor and the other Ardarians looked at each other anxiously. The supervisor let out a nervous laugh. “No, no. There’s no problem, Honorable Sirs. It’s just that the Human claims that he doesn’t have anything to do with the pirates. He also insists that Reyn Dueri…” broke off with a tentative look at the three Saiyans.
“That would be me,” Reyn said, raising his hand.
“He insists that Sir attacked him without any reason. I’m afraid we’ll need written testimonies.”
“Sure,” Edesha said with overflowing enthusiasm. “Can we see him first?”
The yellow creature let out a gargling sound. “Err… He was brought here alive and it would be better if he stayed so, Sirs.”
“Pity that,” Edesha said.
Reyn muttered, “I knew I should’ve just killed him.”
The supervisor bared two sets of sharp teeth, and Goten wondered whether it was in protest or in amusement. Probably it was in amusement, because it was very likely that Reyn would have smacked the creature for his insolence otherwise.
The supervisor nodded. “I would not bother you, Sirs, with such a mere trifle, but Humans like their papers neat.”
“So it’s our word against his,” Goten summed up. “Where can I get something to write on?” he asked when the creature nodded. He wasn’t going to stop writing until he put down everything he knew about that damn bastard. If that wasn’t enough, he would just invent some more.
The supervisor suddenly looked much happier than he did a second ago. “If you’d follow me, Sirs…” he said, politely outstretching his hand to point at one of the corridors.
“Okay, so apparently all of us knew he was a rat,” Edesha muttered when, with the promise of lunch, the three of them were left alone in a small cubical office with an oblong desk and stacks of blank sheets of paper.
They exchanged accusing looks. Amused, Reyn rolled his eyes and concentrated on writing his paper.
“Umm…” Goten drawled. “I suppose I’ve suspected him for quite a while. It was you who gave me the idea about the rat on Orion and he somehow fits the description spot-on. He kinda…was purposely trying to look harmless, was hanging around the medical room too much and was asking too many questions.”
Edesha nodded. “Yeah, he was way too suspicious. I suppose everyone knew.”
Reyn snorted. “Well, duh. Why do you think it was the three of us who were told to escort him? It was as clear as day there was going to be an attempt at rescue.”
“That was an unnecessary risk,” Edesha said.
Reyn gave him an amused look. “What risk? He’s just a measly Human. Attacked me with a kitchen knife. A knife against a grown Saiyan!” He snorted again. “He should be happy I didn’t slit his throat with it.”
Edesha sighed. That was true enough, but if there had been someone other than Goten or Reyn escorting the pirate, the rescue attempt might have succeeded, and there might have been victims on both sides. From the corner of his eye, Edesha gave Goten a searching look. Now he knew why Reyn was so bent on pursuing the younger male. It was more than the likeable character and fighting skill. They shared the same power. Alone, Goten was able to take out a squadron of Nondrens without so much as breaking a sweat. In addition to being a partner of equal stance to Reyn, Goten was also good to have as a powerful ally. The two of them could take on an army, just like the most powerful elites. This was insane.
Mixed blood.
Edesha suppressed a shudder and lowered his eyes to his paper. He wasn’t certain how he felt about mixed classes. It didn’t concern him personally, but it still bothered him. It was probably a good thing, after all, that Reyn had stepped in between him and Goten before they got too close. Edesha gave his paper a morose look. He didn’t trust what his reaction would have been if he had been partners with Goten.
“I think he believed that once Reyn and I were busy, they would deal with you easily,” Edesha said with a sigh. “Must be your childlike face.”
“Yeah,” Goten agreed, “I get that a lot. Even he believed,” he pointed at Reyn, “that he’d beat the crap out of me with one finger.”
Reyn chuckled. “Now, that’s a lie. Actually, I thought I’d throw a few insults your way and you’d run off crying for your daddy.”
Goten rolled his eyes. “So what exactly do we write now? The more, the better, but I don’t think we have any tangible proof.”
“Sure we have,” Reyn said, “Rokunda has a complete copy of the data on his laptop. Who he contacted, who contacted him, everything. He’s as good as done.”
Goten and Edesha gave him incredulous looks. Then Goten wondered why he hadn’t thought of that. He had suspected Andrew, but hadn’t believed anyone would take him seriously and, even if they did, telling others would have resulted in their attitude changing towards Andrew. In which case, he would have probably just slipped away silently without attempting anything. He hadn’t wanted that. But Rokunda wasn’t involved. Goten doubted if she had seen Andrew at all. Unless it was in the canteen.
It took them about an hour to write their testimonies. Somewhere midway in their writing, they were delivered lunch and had a break. Goten wondered how many here could read Saiyan, then decided that it was of no concern to him. Reyn had finished his report first and was drinking his lukewarm coffee while watching Edesha write his. Goten soon joined the flight officer with a mug of tea. The Ardarians were awfully nice. Or fearful.
“You are not that good at your letters, are you?” Reyn commented after reading Goten’s testimony; some hieroglyphs were bent out of shape, a few mixed up entirely. Several sentences were going to give the Ardarians pains while translating.
“One can’t be good at everything,” Goten said with a pout.
Reyn chuckled. “I guess not.” He lowered Goten’s report back onto the desk. “Let’s make copies. There will be less work when we go back to Starcut.”
“Sure,” Goten agreed. However, as he stared at the pages of his report, a vague feeling slowly engulfed him. A certainty that he would never set foot on Starcut again was suddenly as real as the paper in front of him.
“What’s wrong?”
Goten raised his head to look at Reyn. He wondered what kind of expression he had on his face to make Reyn look so confused. The strange feeling was slowly seeping away and Goten shivered suddenly, shaking off the last of it.
“What happened back there?” he asked Reyn softly. “Why…? We almost…” He didn’t know how to put it into words. All he remembered was that he had wanted to tear Reyn’s throat out, to annihilate him. It had felt…felt as if the other Saiyan had no right to exist. Was that the same way Reyn had felt?
“Not now and not here,” the flight officer whispered.
Goten nodded; he hadn’t expected Reyn to answer with Edesha around. He emptied his mug and leaned against the wall behind him. He felt tired – it was eleven in the evening according to standard time, the time he was usually in bed. Here, however, it was a bright day. He doubted that he would get some sleep any time soon – they would probably join the rest of their team on their drinking spree.
“Finally,” Edesha said when they left the office. He stretched his arms over his head, his back giving a satisfied crack. In his mind, he was already drinking beer with the rest of his crewmates. He couldn’t wait to feel that cool pleasantness slide down his throat.
Reyn gave him a look. “We’d have left here much faster if you had hurried that report of yours.”
“Well, we gotta be thorough, don’t we?”
“Could it be that you’re even worse at writing than me?” Goten wondered. He saw Edesha shrug. It was obvious that the soldier didn’t give two shits about his writing skills. He looked at the backs of the two Ardarians who were leading them towards the exit. They seemed to be awfully glad to be rid of the Saiyans.
“And isn’t this our golden boy! Wow, you hair’s almost grown back!”
An involuntary grin appeared on Goten’s face at the sound of the familiar voice. He spun around to where the voice came from. The elite female was grinning too, walking towards him from one of the many corridors. There were three second-class females behind her. They weren’t certain what to make of this and stopped to watch the elite female briskly advancing toward the group of Saiyan males.
Goten spread his arms, stepping forward to greet her. He couldn’t believe she was really there, in front of him. It seemed like it had been ages since he saw her last.
“Almanda! Wh-eowch!” With a grunt, Goten fell back when the elite female socked him in the eye.
“You sonovabitch! Why the hell haven’t you contacted us?”
Pressing his palm to his throbbing face, Goten got to his feet. “Hey!” he growled. “What was that for?” Then he suddenly found himself in a headlock, Almanda squeezing the life out of him.
“I said that was for not contacting us for so long. Oh, oh,” she whispered into his ear. “And also to make you look cooler in front of your friends.”
Only now did Goten remember Reyn and Edesha. The two Saiyans stood in stunned silence, their wide disbelieving eyes glued on him and the elite female. The three second-class females were gaping at them as well. The two Ardarians were notably tense, not certain what was going on. It seemed that he was indeed the most interesting thing in the entire building.
Almanda grinned again, smacking him over his head. “To make you more popular with girls and stuff.”
“Hah!” Goten let out a painful grunt. “Interfering with my affairs again. Who said I wanted that?” He rubbed his head to soothe the sting. “To hell with being popular,” he said softly, “I’ve already gotten myself a man.”
The elite female straightened abruptly, making Goten gasp at the sudden movement. “Huh. You have? Really? Well, fuck me! Where is he?”
Goten pointed at his two crew mates. “The shorter one.”
Giving Reyn a speculative look, Almanda let go of Goten. “You know, he’s kinda plain.”
“Well, yeah,” Goten agreed. “But I’m plain too, so we make a cute couple.”
“Do you know that we can hear everything you say?” Reyn asked them.
“Never stopped her,” Goten said, patting Almanda on her shoulder, making Reyn’s eyebrows rise.
“Who’s your friend?” Edesha wondered. His face shone with eagerness while he threw quick glances at the second-class females behind Goten and Almanda. He didn’t really believe he could land any of them, but he had always appreciated the other sex’s company.
“We studied at the officer training school together,” Goten said. “Almanda…eeehh?” He turned to the elite female. “What’s your surname, once again?”
She threw her arm around his shoulders. “Nobody cares about my surname, sweetheart. Tell me, what about Kyon and Ranvera? Those two were chasing your ass for half a year and then you just go off to heck knows where and land yourself a boyfriend in no time. So what’s so special about that one?” she asked, pointing her finger at the flight officer who gave the ceiling a torturous look.
“We can discuss this over a glass of beer,” Edesha suggested. He grinned at the murderous glare Reyn gave him. He elbowed the flight officer, mouthing soundlessly, ‘Don’t cockblock me!’
“What a wonderful idea,” Almanda purred. With her head, she motioned at the women behind her, indicating to follow her. “Where to?”
“To Triple Luck,” Edesha said, almost bouncing on his heels.
Almanda grimaced, showing what she thought of the choice, but nodded.
“Ma’am…” one of the Ardarians started saying, but the elite female waved him off.
“We’ll return in an hour or so and finish it then.”
While their party was walking through the door outside, Goten cast one last look at the Ardarians. They were probably used to Saiyans doing as they pleased, but that didn’t mean they liked it. Still, Saiyans were probably better than Ice-jins or some other race, since Saiyans didn’t care about personal matters and didn’t impose their culture on anyone. As long as they didn’t advocate rebellion against the Saiyan Empire, Saiyans just couldn’t care less about religion or education on their colonies.
Goten wondered how they were going to get to Triple Luck but once outside, Edesha powered up and rose into the air.
“What?” Reyn asked after noticing Goten’s frowning face.
“I don’t particularly like flying.”
“Oh, really? Don’t worry, you can hold my hand.”
Goten gave him the finger and rose into the air to join them. He had so many questions for Almanda that he didn’t even know how to start organizing them. He felt tense with brimming questions, but was also relieved and happy to see someone from the base.
They landed next to Triple Luck ten minutes later. Having judged by Almanda’s reaction, Goten had expected it to be some shabby pub. To his surprise, it turned out to be a huge, brightly-colored building. From the variety of races gathering in clusters around the door, Goten deemed it to be a multicultural haven. He could also hear, or rather feel, the rhythmic vibration created by the music coming from the building.
Smug, with the females in tow, Edesha led the way to the heavy door. Two Ardarians guarding the door looked their group up and down, but even if they had anything against such a large party of Saiyans entering the bar, they kept quiet. Edesha pushed the door open and they filed inside.
Goten faltered at the loud music blaring through the air. He looked around, taking in the spacious hall with round tables spread out around the perimeter. The middle of the hall was empty though, obviously intended for those fond of dancing. At the moment, there was only one pair of yellow native creatures gyrating on the dance floor. It was still too early in the day, most people being at work. The ones who were present were still more interested in filling their thirsty throats than moving about.
The bar at the farthest end of the hall was served by two natives. Goten couldn’t be certain from this distance, but it seemed that one of them was filling a mug for Adriel. The bar was well-isolated from the rest of the hall by a wide and sturdy counter. There were also a few bulky natives hanging around at the walls. The third-class took note that the security personnel also included two Saiyans. He couldn’t tell whether they were second or third-classes, but they looked tough enough. He wondered how much they got paid. But then…he’d rather stay in the military than work in a bar.
They received quite a few curious glances while making their way toward the tables where they could see five of Starcut’s crew members. Sildara’s mug froze without reaching his lips while he stared at the huge elite female next to Goten. He had seen quite a few elite females in his life, but he had never seen one with such a big build. She saluted his open mouth in greeting with a backhanded gesture then, with a nod at the rest of the crew, turned her head to Goten.
“Shall we join your friends or would you rather we had some time alone?”
Sildara tried to whistle, but only managed to spit into his mug when his numb tongue refused to obey. Awkwardly, he closed his mouth.
“We can join them later,” Goten said, motioning at one of the tables farther away. “Your girls can get more chairs and join them if they want. I can guarantee for most of them.”
Almanda cocked her head to the side. “Hmm… And the ones you can’t guarantee for are…?”
Unceremoniously, Goten pointed at Sildara, then turned around to point his finger at Adriel, who was returning with two mugs of beer. “Would film you in a toilet if given a chance.”
The elite female gave Adriel a sharp grin. “I see. Sweetheart, if you touch any of my friends, I’ll tear your tail off and feed it to your lover over there,” she said, motioning to Sildara behind the table. “With hair, bones, and all.”
Puzzled, Goten watched Adriel give a quick nod and make his way past them to sit at Sildara’s side. How did she know?
Instead of pushing up a few chairs, the three second-class females carried a nearby table over and added it to the Starcut crew’s. One of them went to order the drinks. The other two sat down at the table. It was obvious that they felt as awkward as the men.
In total silence, Adriel reached out to nudge Reyn in the side. “Listen, what’s the deal with your man and that…Almanda?”
Both of them turned their heads to where the elite female sat; Goten was just returning with two mugs of beer.
“I’ve got no idea,” Reyn muttered. He was certain he would have remembered Goten mentioning being cuddly with an elite female. To tell the truth, he was rather shocked. What was that about Goten whining and complaining about wanting to save money for a visit to a female? He wasn’t certain, but it seemed that she was positively interested in Goten. An elite, at that. It would have been impossible otherwise, but with Goten being who he was, it was an option. If Goten was smart – and he undoubtedly was – he was not going to let go of her.
Adriel and Reyn watched the third-class lower the mugs onto the table, then grin and laugh at something the elite female said. He got into his chair, and she saluted him with her beer. She took a few large gulps, then burped loudly. Goten followed her example and emptied half of his mug at once. He seemed to sigh contently, then the relaxed expression on his face went away. He pushed his mug aside and leaned forward.
“How is Ario?”
Almanda pushed her mug aside as well. “He’s been sent to Wardara.”
Goten flinched visibly. The front lines. It made sense, though – he was a powerful ki-wielder. He could wipe out fields of enemies almost like a regular elite.
“When I saw him last, he…” The elite female shook her head. “He’s barely hanging in there.”
Goten pressed his palms to his forehead. “I wish I could be there for him.” A wave of sorrow swept over him. He wished he had somehow prevented this from happening. It was useless, though. Toharu was dead and Ario was all alone. “When did you see him last?”
“About two months ago, just like you. We are keeping track of him, though. We’re afraid he might become suicidal.”
Goten let out a frustrated groan. He had been worried about that as well. It happened frequently, Saiyans losing their wits when their long-term partners died. He could easily picture this happening to Ario.
“Keeping track of him? How?”
“Just like we are keeping track of you. Through Ranvera. However, I’m surprised that he didn’t mention anything about you dropping by here.”
The third-class gave her a confused look. “Ranvera?”
“Yeah, he’s been summoned by National Security, and has the access to most of the data. He knows who got sent where and can contact most of them. But you never called back, you bastard.”
Goten blinked at her. “But nobody ever contacted me. I keep telling you I had no idea about how to reach any of you.”
Now it was the elite female who was giving him a confused look. “But he’s been in contact with his sister the whole time… Didn’t she tell you?”
Goten stared at her for a few moments, then exhaled loudly. “You’ve gotta be kidding me… Rokunda? His sister?” Caught in a sudden frenzy, he ruffled through his hair with his fingers. “Arrrghh! That damn bitch!” he yelled, slamming his palms on the table.
Almanda chuckled at the display. “I see. Have you done anything to piss her off?”
“I haven’t. But I think she believes I have. She’s kinda weird.” Closing his eyes, Goten pressed his fists to his forehead. “Oh gods, so it was that idiot Ranvera who sent my profile to her and then she distributed it around the ship just to get back at me. Wonderful, just fucking wonderful.”
The elite shrugged. “Well, I can give you Ranvera’s number so that you can contact him directly and tell him what a shithead he is.”
“That would be awesome.”
She looked around, then got up and went to the counter. Goten watched her go. While they had been talking, the club had filled with more people. Now they hurriedly got out of her way before she could even set her eyes on them. Like all elites’, her tail was wrapped around her waist in a manner that made the white tip glaringly visible. Nobody in this building would ever dare to lay a hand on her. If the need arose, they could try and take her out in a group, but the consequences would be dire – an elite female was, literally, a national treasure, and the Saiyan Empire would not tolerate that. In case of her death, the entire city would be leveled to the ground to teach others a lesson. The Saiyans looked after their females. And their females made sure to look after themselves.
Now, as he was waiting for her to come back, Goten was aware of two elite males near the center of the club. He hadn’t noticed when they had entered the building, much less when they had taken their place at that table. But now they were giving him cross looks, blatantly telling him to just piss off back to the village he had crawled from. The third-class ignored them steadily. He could also feel Reyn giving his back confused and uncertain glances. Served him right after the shit both of them had pulled earlier today.
Almanda was coming back from the bar with a scrap of paper and a pen in her hand. Goten watched her sit down. She pressed a few buttons on her scouter and scribbled down the number.
“Here,” she said, holding out the scrap of paper for Goten. “Call him sometime. He will be happy to hear from you.” She hesitated for a moment, then drew her hand back and quickly wrote down one more number. “And that’s mine. Just in case. But I won’t be staying here for long. In a few hours, we are departing for Earth.”
“Huh,” Goten said, taking the piece of paper. He folded it and, with thanks, stored it safely in his breast pocket. He should have probably just programmed the numbers into his scouter, but scouters in his possession didn’t last long.
“Have you heard anything about Kyon?”
She nodded. “He’s in the capital, just like Ranvera. He’s been added to the sharpshooter squad in the City Defense Force.”
Goten gaped at her. “Are you serious?”
“Why so surprised? You knew he’s damn good.”
“Well, yeah, but…” He scratched his head.
With her chin, Almanda pointed at the table where Starcut’s crewmen and her friends sat. “So what’s the deal with that one? I think Kyon is convinced that he has already bagged you.”
“Maaan…” Goten sighed. He felt tempted to repeat his favorite phrase, that he hadn’t committed himself to anyone, but had a feeling that in that case she would punch him. And she would be right. He had left loose ends and it didn’t feel right. He let out another sigh, a much deeper one this time, the vibrating sound flowing over the table. “I will have to set it straight.”
She nodded. “You have to. He’s a good man. A pity. Would have made a good partner for you, too – easy to please, easy to deal with. Well, you’ve made your choice.” Then she rolled her eyes. “If we lose this war, none of this will matter, anyway.”
“That’s what I thought,” Goten agreed.
The elite grinned. “Yeah, and it would be a pity to die a virgin.”
“I’m not in danger of that anymore.”
Almanda burst out laughing. “Boasting like that… You’ve become quite shameless,” she pointed out.
“Have I? I think it’s how I’ve always been.”
She shrugged. “Is he any good? Treating you well?”
“Hey, you make it sound as if I can’t take care of myself.”
“It’s not really about that. What’s his name, again?”
“Reyn. Reyn Dueri.”
She reached for her mug. “A peculiar surname,” she said before taking a gulp. “He’s older than you. It’s probably a good thing, though.”
“Why are you saying so?” Gotten asked, pulling his mug over to himself.
She shrugged. “Just saying.” Goten had a tendency to take stupid risks and get into all kinds of trouble and it would be good if his partner was experienced enough to know how to deal with that. It would be better if he led Goten and not the other way around. She wasn’t going to say that to Goten, though. There was no need – he knew that himself. He was probably never going to admit it though. And that was fine.
“I received a short message from Hedera about a week ago,” Almanda said. “She says she’s doing fine. She’s due in two months. She also asked me to thank you.”
Goten smiled unconsciously. The prince had kept his word and sent her away to one of the colonies. “That’s good to hear.” Almanda was giving him a curious look, but Goten only smiled brighter. Except for the things that Toharu had constantly blabbered, he hadn't been aware of other people wondering about his and the shaii’s relationship. He realized now that it had not only been Toharu who’d had various speculations.
“Well, let’s hope the white tip won’t show up,” the elite said.
Goten nodded in agreement. If it didn’t, Hedera could just say that the father of her kid died in some battle and nobody around would question her. On the other hand, the tail with a white tip would be very problematic, even in one of the backwater colonies.
Almanda took note of the time her scouter was showing. “I will have to leave in ten minutes. You will probably have trouble with those two in the center of the hall.”
“Yeah,” Goten agreed. “Nothing new. Elites hate me. I think it’s in their blood.”
“Hey.”
“Well, with the exception of you.”
She chuckled, then saluted him with her nearly empty mug. “Don’t hurt them too much.” She shook her head, then gave him an intent look. “When the war is over, and if the two of us are still alive, let’s meet in some shabby bar and drink our asses off.”
Goten raised his mug to clink against hers. “It’s a promise.”
They talked about this and that, then, with a longing look, the third-class watched her stand up and head for the door. At the sight of her going, the second-class females left their table to follow her. He sat for a few more moments after the door had closed behind them, then went to search for the toilets.
When he walked back into the hall, his mood was bordering between nostalgic and ecstatic. His feelings were also overlaid by a layer of misery. He was going to drink his head off tonight. With the intention of ordering something stronger than beer, he headed for the bar. He stopped when one of the elites who had been throwing warning glares at his side stepped in front of him, barring his way.
Arrgh! Just great.
At least the second elite stayed seated at the table, nursing his beer. Not even expecting it to work, Goten gave the older man in front of him a polite nod. “Yes?” There were at least seven different species in the hall; why was it that he never got along with his own?
“What did you want with that female?”
“Oh, we’re just old acquaintances.” That was a very stupid thing to say, Goten realized. The elite’s eyes blazed with anger, his nostrils flaring as if he was about to hit him. Not yet, but he wasn’t far from it, the fur on his tail half-raised. Goten scratched his chin sheepishly. “Umm…”
The man snarled. “What can an elite female and you have in common?”
“Well, many things,” Goten drawled. “Like taste in beer. Or liking porn. Or peeling potatoes all night long.”
The elite gave him an irritated look. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“About our common interests.”
Noisily, the second elite pushed his chair away from the table and stood up. In a few strides, he was at his companion’s side. At first, Goten thought that he was intent on joining his friend in a unanimous attempt at beating the crap out of him. In a few moments, however, he noticed that he was looking at something behind him. Cautiously, from the corner of his eye, he cast a glance behind him. There was half of Starcut’s crew. Eight men were standing in a loose semi-circle surrounding him. The looks on their faces were bordering between questioning and annoyed.
“Umm…” Goten mumbled, concentrating back on the elites. So he had some serious backup. This felt really nice, even though it was much more problematic than nice. He didn’t want to drag his friends into this stupid spat.
“What’s wrong?”
The elite Goten had talked to glanced dismissively at Reyn. “Get lost,” he snarled.
Goten didn’t know what Reyn did, but the next moment the elite’s face reddened in indignation. Only when the elite stepped forward and tried to shove at Adriel’s chest did Goten realize that it had probably been the tipsy navigator showing him the finger or something along those lines.
The elite grunted in pain when the flight officer grabbed his hand, twisting his palm. The elite turned sideways, but the flight officer didn’t let go. Alarmed, Adriel stepped back. Reyn, however, held the other man effortlessly as if their roles were reversed – he was an elite and the man he was holding a mere third-class.
“If you power up any more,” Reyn warned the elite when he started summoning his ki, “I’ll tear you apart.”
Goten grimaced at that. This was not going to end well. He could remember someone telling him that Reyn abhorred elites with a passion. The situation had just become complicated to a point. The elite was not going to listen, Reyn was not going to let go of him, and then it would be the Starcut’s crew against two elites. If he and Reyn were lucky and fast enough, his friends would end up with only a couple of broken bones.
Goten let out an audible groan, noticing the security guys walking to them. Their steps were indecisive, though. It was nine second-class and two elite Saiyans, after all. It was now obvious that the two Saiyans working as security guys were just third-classes. They would want to avoid the confrontation at any cost.
Reyn’s ki rose in response to the elite’s. The second elite, who had not moved an inch, was giving him an intent look, then leaned forward to whisper into his companion’s ear.
Goten could only hear separate words such as “Starcut”, “the same guy”, and “beat up”. Now, besides anger and pain, something more appeared on the elite’s face. He stopped powering up. It took a few more seconds, then Reyn powered down as well, let go of his arm, and stepped back at an arm’s reach.
“I mistook him for another person,” the elite muttered with a motion at Goten. “My bad.”
Goten nodded. “Happens,” he said. Without waiting for the elites to add anything, he ended any further attempts to prolong the conversation on any side by proceeding past the elites and to the bar for the drinks he had wanted so much.
The two glasses of whiskey went down Goten’s throat in three seconds. He frowned at the taste, then let out a heartfelt sigh. It was silent at the table. The third-class smiled tentatively at his companions.
“Thanks. Really. For standing up for me.”
“Are you an idiot?” Reyn snorted. “What are you doing encouraging them?”
“Well, yeah…” Goten agreed, giving the crew yet another uneasy grin. “You shouldn’t have interfered,” he told them. “I can pretty much hold my own against two elites.”
“Well, fuck you, then,” Adriel said. He glared at his mug and took a large swig out of it. “Freak of nature.”
“Calm down or I’ll hit you,” Sildara told him.
“Drinks on me,” Reyn said suddenly.
“Oh gods, fuck you!” Goten snarled in disbelief.
“And none for you,” Reyn said to him, already getting up and going for the counter.
From his place at the table where he was sitting all alone now, Goten glared at the other third-class’s back. Not patronizing. Right. He was going to kill Reyn when they were alone. Well, at least it had worked – everyone was following the flight officer to the counter to choose the drinks they wanted. The topic about him and the stupid incident with the elites was as good as closed.
“Here,” Reyn said in a few minutes, lowering an enormous mug of beer in front of Goten. He pushed a plate of sandwiches under the younger male’s nose, too.
Goten stared at him for several seconds with a malicious look in his eyes, then wrapped his fingers around the glass and pulled it closer to him.
“I bet you’re thinking I spat or pissed in it.”
“No. I am thinking about punching you when we are alone.” Goten sniffed at the beer, then took a few gulps. He let out a content sigh.
“Have you ever been told that you can be incredibly childish?” Reyn asked indifferently.
“I’m insulted by the remark. You’ll pay for it later.”
Reyn grinned at him. “Awesome.”
Goten rolled his eyes. “No. Not that way.”
The flight officer chuckled. “Are you sure?” he asked, casually brushing his fingers over the back of Goten’s neck. The touch was fleeting, hardly there, but the younger male’s pupils dilated at the promise.
“Really? You will let me do you without flipping a coin?” Goten wondered. He had to admit he was interested in this kind of redemption.
Edesha groaned and covered his ears. “Are you freakin’ serious? Why do we have to listen to this shit?”
“I don’t mind!” Adriel announced cheerfully.
“Well, of course you don’t,” Monteira said. “You will film them later, too.”
“Jealous that nobody ever cared to film you?”
Monteira shook his head. “Not the least bit. But I have to admit it was hot.”
Noisily, Goten pushed his enormous mug to his left. “Okay,” he said softly. “Each time anyone mentions that video, I’m punching either Adriel or Sildara in the face.”
“He’s serious,” Reyn warned the other flight officer, who was opening his mouth.
“But it was hot!” Jadenas laughed. His eyes widened in shock when, the next second, Adriel suddenly whooshed off the chair and found himself sprawled on the floor, his upper lip bleeding.
“Damn, that felt good,” Goten said, returning to his seat. “Anyone else wants to comment on how magnificent it was?”
It was silent for a few moments. Then, with a look at Adriel, who was getting up from the floor and cursing all the while, Jadenas slurped at his beer. He wiped at his mouth. “I’ve heard you suddenly became rich,” he told Goten. “Any chance I can get those fifteen credits back before you’re locked up in a detention center?”
TBC