Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Errant Exile ❯ Exile's Entrance ( Chapter 1 )

Errant Exile

Chapter One - “Exile’s Entrance”

“Someone is going to pay for this...in body parts.” - Khri

“Battle Commander, you are cleared for landing in fifteen marks.”

Strapped into the pilot’s seat at the combat shuttle’s console, Khri switched off her comm transmitter. Battle Commander in name only now, she thought for the thousandth time. From her position just inside the moon’s orbit, Earth appeared to be a tranquil world, covered in rich hues of blue, green, brown and white. Flashes of light laced through the clouds on the night side of the planet – her destination – indicating a few large thunderstorms. Khri would normally have been content to orbit a few times to enjoy the view and the solitude of the shuttle, but lets face it...I want to put off the start of this assignment just a little while longer. Once she landed, unwelcome reality would intrude and make her life miserable.

Surveillance had determined that Son Goku, his wife ChiChi and their youngest son Goten lived in a rural area of small, forested mountains and valleys. Gohan lived in a place called Satan City with his wife, Videl, and young daughter. Khri had decided that, in line with her assignment, her best option would be to find a residence centrally located between the two families. She’d gone through the trouble of memorizing all of her currency codes after they’d been converted to a format she could use on Earth. All that was left of her former life didn’t fill the knapsack on the floor beside her. Other than for a few sentimental images of family and friends, she couldn’t think of anything she wanted to take. Sai was sending all her medals, ribbons and awards back Home, hopefully to be shoved vindictively under the nose of Eldest. If he took it as an insult or rebuke for his treatment of her, all the better.

Khri’s shock at the sudden dismissal from her command had eased into a numbness she couldn’t shake. She hadn’t officially been demoted and still held the title of Battle Commander, which from a political and social standpoint was almost worse. It gave the gossiping snipers at Home plenty of ammo to fire her way, and she could say or do nothing in her own defense.

An alarm on the console flared to life, shaking Khri from her self-indulgent feelings of pity. The scanners confirmed something she had worried would happen ever since discovering the huge security lapses left by the Tigradi. “Shuttle Eight to Aughenai, there’s a Telkarran ship on approach for Earth. Scans show it’s a small recon vessel; it can’t hold more than five or six Telkarri.”

“Commander, has it spotted you yet?”

“Negative. Their shields are still down. I think our new variable shields are buying me some time and I’m not going to waste it. I’m moving to intercept and destroy it before it lands. Find out where it came from and get a ship to plug that blockade breach!”

“Check, Commander, we’ll keep monitoring from here.”

Khri switched the controls over from cruise to battle mode. Servos whirred as the shuttle’s armored plating shifted to increase its maneuverability. New displays flickered to life, showing her the distinct outline and specifications of the Telkarri ship. “Humph. They’re fluttering their flight path to avoid weapons lock, so obviously they realize I’m here.” She was well behind the recon vessel, which was headed for the dark side of the planet and into the upper atmosphere. “I hope everyone down there is asleep...” she thought as her hand rested on the main launcher controls.

Clouds rushed up along either side of the shuttle as it descended. The stars disappeared and the view out the port was completely black. Khri winced when a bolt of lightning lit up the cockpit, then blinked to clear her burning, blurred vision. The ship wasn’t in any danger from the storm but the atmospheric instability wreaked havoc on sensor accuracy. If I get a good, clean hit I’m going to be lucky, Khri mused as she locked and fired on the enemy ship. A streak of red fire sped away from the shuttle’s wing, followed by a ball of white light in the distance ahead.

It wasn’t a miss, but it wasn’t a good hit either. Scans showed the missile had slammed into the side of the Telkarri vessel, shearing off one of the four engines. It pitched wildly from the left then to the right, leaving a trail of burning bits of debris. “Nice shot, Commander!” the officer from the Aughenai shouted.

“Not good enough. Its still in a piece big enough to make a controlled landing without crashing. Aughenai, can you give me a better estimate as to where that thing is going down? My sensors are whacked because of local weather conditions.”

“Commander, it looks like they’ll come down in the desert, far east of your projected landing point.”

“Any cities or towns in the area?”

“None that Surveillance has on the maps.”

Good. Then I’m free to make an unholy mess if I need to. And I want to “Check, Aughenai. I’ll keep you posted.”

Khri pushed the shuttle to a higher speed, closing in on the Telkarri recon ship. She still couldn’t see out the viewport, but she knew that the break with the clouds was coming soon. The turbulence rocked her in her seat, shaking her choke-hold on her anger loose. How dare they do this to me! Khri’s mind raged as the dull rumble of nearby thunder rolled off the ship. Decades of service and sacrifice, thrown away! Her finger hit the firing button again but the missile went wide, detonating far from the enemy craft. Well, damn them all! And damn Eldest and his wretched scheming with my life!

The shuttle suddenly broke through the cloud deck into a drenching rain. Water sluiced off the main port, distorting the red glow of the Telkarri ship’s remaining engines. Scans showed the desert wasn’t one vast expanse of waterless beach; huge rock outcroppings and chiseled valleys broke the monotony of miles of pale yellow sand. The Telkarri ship’s barely controlled landing plowed a trench through a flat area, blasting sand into the rain. Khri guided her shuttle into a hover, letting it slowly drift down to the ground and land with a dull thump.

Khri smiled to herself. It would be easy, if a little dangerous for the shuttle, to launch a missile and be done with the recon vessel. But where was the fun and glory in such an easy victory?

Throwing off the safety harness, Khri rushed over to the supply lockers. She yanked out a suit of matte black full body armor – lightweight, durable, and acid-resistant – complete with matching boots and gauntlets. It took only a moment to slip into the form fitting suit and snap the protective plates into their proper places. I want these bastards to know who they’re fighting. I want them to be afraid and I want them to know they’re going to die. Common sense made it through her anger, reminding her what Telkarri acids would do to her face. Khri fished out one of the sleek helmets and put it on, but left off the eye shields. Her diacha clenched in her fist, she jerked her long braid free of the armor, grabbed her knapsack and opened the hatch.

Sheets of rain poured down out of the black sky, churning the desert into a field of thick, yellow-brown muck. Khri hunched down on the gangplank, feeling an icy trickle wander down the back of her neck, and watched the downed ship. The crash had taken off most of the already damaged wing and a series of small fires sparked down its length. A convenient flash of lightning showed her that a lot of the exterior weaponry was damaged and probably wouldn’t fire. She tensed, watching as the hatch on the Telkarri ship began to iris open. Khri didn’t waste any time; she straightened and marched away from the shuttle, flung her knapsack as far as she could, and walked steadily towards the enemy. The quick press of a button on her gauntlet put the shuttle on remote; the gangplank closed, the hatch shut, and the engines fired. She didn’t turn around when a blast of air hit her from behind as the shuttle launched into the dark, wet sky. There wasn’t time for regret as her last link to the Aughenai and the life she knew vanished into the storm.

Mandibles chattering and serrated, spiny legs digging into the mud, Telkarri began to stream out of the wreckage of their ship. One, two, three, four, five, six Greens...and one Blue! How wonderful! It was rare to encounter so few Telkarri in hand-to-hand combat; they rarely won battles in small skirmish situations. Their strength was in numbers, swarming and overwhelming their enemy, uncaring how many died in such a fight. Arms slightly outstretched, Khri lowered her head as one of them roared at her, probably the Blue. Her diacha flared to life, the two white blades hissing and evaporating any raindrops that struck them. She grinned broadly beneath her helmet, fangs bared in challenge.

The Telkarri moved quickly and formed a half-circle facing Khri. Rainwater sheeted of their slick, dappled exoskeletons as the Blue shrieked a challenge. At least two of the Greens were oozing acid from injuries they must have taken in the crash; she’d have to be careful even with the armor on. Khri began to move in a slow pattern, feeling neglected combat reflexes come to life, aching to be used. The diacha was the only source of light and it danced inside the circle, outdone only by the occasional bolt of lightning. Thunder shook the ground beneath her feet. You want to dance with me? Come, then!

One wounded Green decided to be her first “partner.” It screamed as it surged forward, lunging at her with a serrated foreleg. Khri ducked and swung around with her blades and the leg went flying. It screeched again as it died, a blade sunk to the hilt in its thorax. The blade winked out, Khri jumped backward, and the blade reappeared. The Green’s noise faded as it crumpled to the ground and sank into the wet sand.

Khri didn’t even feel winded. Instead she felt exhilarated, like a part of her she had thought tamed long ago was suddenly set free. Rainwater mixed with acid from the fallen Green, sending a plume of foul smelling steam into the air. Khri side-stepped the mess, diacha again at the ready, and waited for the next opponent.

The hive mind is so predictably stupid, Khri thought as she easily took down the next two Telkarri. The fourth Green had a spark of originality – perhaps from desperation after seeing its three hivemates sliced into oozing chunks – and made a dive, intending to cut her legs out from under her. She was able to backflip out of the way just in time, and the distance gave her a moment to pull enough power into her fist for a sphere of blackfire. It wasn’t strong enough to penetrate the Green’s shielding, but the blast stunned it long enough for Khri to step in and slice off its head.

Khri regarded the last two Greens and the Blue from beyond the growing pile of corpses. The Blue was rubbing its forelegs together, resulting in the click-speak they used when communicating with each other. This looks promising, Khri grinned, returning to a battle stance. She held her diacha out at arms length in front of her and mentally activated a tiny control inside it. The two metal ends telescoped outward, lengthening the hilt, and the white blades widened and expanded. The polearm configuration wasn’t her preferred choice, but it worked best when facing more than one Telkarri at a time. She gave it a quick spin just for the fun of it, watching the three standing monstrosities carefully. It never hurt to try and anticipate the unexpected, and cornered Telkarri weren’t predictable. The two Greens squealed and their forelegs trembled, but the Blue kept them in line with a warning hiss.

Both Greens attacked at once.

Khri pole vaulted straight up and came down in a crouch directly in front of the advancing Greens. One blade vanished but the other lengthened into a glowing broadsword. She brought it across and swept it through one thorax, then the other. Lightning flashed through the sky as Khri rolled away to escape the spraying acid. She came up covered in mud but uninjured, and the bodies on the corpse pile increased by two.

Thoroughly soaked and feeling the grit of sand in her mouth, Khri stared at the Blue over the bodies of dead Greens. I need to stop playing and be done with this, she admonished herself, but found she didn’t care. Her life had gone to hell in a swift and degrading manner in just a few short days. Her command had been taken from her for no conceivable reason, she’d been ripped from everyone and everything she knew, and Eldest refused to give her a basic explanation. Her long simmering anger began to reach a boil and the Blue was just a convenient victim she could butcher without remorse. Khri reached up, stripped off her helmet and cast it aside, letting the lightning illuminate her face for the Telkarri’s benefit.

The Blue shrieked in fury and fear, as predicted. It charged towards her, its large forelegs raised and ready to strike. Khri was ready with a blast of blackfire, intending to slow its assault, when a yellow light suddenly slammed into the Telkarri. It impacted on the Blue’s side shields and knocked it over, its legs flailing. Lightning? Was it possible lightning struck in that exact moment? Startled just for a second, Khri extended her arm –

“Let me finish this, girl.”

– and let the blackfire fly.

A huge blast, bigger than anything Khri could possibly have intended or caused, hit the Blue with a light and energy so intense it sent her flying backward. Her diacha was knocked from her hand as she hit the ground, hard, and threw her arm over her face. Sand, stones and bits of burned Telkarri battered against her armor as the concussion hit. She waited until the hail of debris had changed back to the soft patter of rain before she raised her head and looked around.

Khri’s natural night vision allowed her to see most outlines but was nearly useless when it came to perceiving color. What she did see was a man lying face down on the ground directly in front of her, face buried in his arms. His dark hair stood up at crazy angles and his gloves bore the tell-tale pockmarks of acid burns. When he lifted his head she found herself staring into a pair of furious eyes under thick, lowered brows, his lips curled in a sneer. Then her nose caught the barest hint of a smell she recognized from many years ago. It was a slightly bitter odor almost masked by the scent of burned sugar.

“Now here’s something I really didn’t expect to find,” Khri said softly in her most dangerous voice, a broad grin on her face, showing all four fangs. “A Saiyan, alive and on Earth!”

To Be Continued...