Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ One Good Deed ❯ Epilogue - "Errant Exile" ( Chapter 5 )

"One Good Deed" - Epilogue - "Exile"

Thirty Years Later...on the Leonid command ship Aughenai...

Something has happened, Sai thought.

Steam from the steeping tea circled above the tray he held as he stood frozen in the doorway of the tiny kitchen. He'd heard the Battle Commander come in a few moments ago, but she hadn't taken her usual place at her desk. Imbedded lights that signaled new reports flashed on the desktop and were ignored. She stood behind it instead, back to the room, and stared out the floor-length portal. She still wore the heavy ankle-length cloak which was part of her duty uniform; normally it would have been draped over the back of the nearest chair the moment she walked in.

Something bad has happened, Sai amended his thought.

The Leonid fleet had arrived in Earth's solar system a few hours ago, which initiated a series of long meetings between the Fleet Commander, the Battle Commander and the Envoy from Home. They'd been pulled out of Earth's system years ago, replaced by the Tigradi Clan's forces, and now they'd been assigned to Earth again. Khri was obviously tired because of transition duties, but he knew her well enough to realize the meetings hadn't gone well. The set of her shoulders, her hardened jaw, her habit of rubbing her left wrist...all subtle signs of serious trouble.

"Dammit, Sai!" Khri spun and slammed a fist on the glossy desktop. "Tigradi incompetence has left this entire sector a mess! Holes in the blockades, security breaches, equipment that wasn't

maintained, long range orbital monitors damaged and not repaired...it's a miracle the whole sector hasn't been overrun with Telkarri!" Khri's eyes glowed faintly not because of the dim lighting her her quarters, but in fury. "When our fleet was ordered out of this system, I knew exactly what defenses we left and how they were deployed! All our careful work has been undone because of politics Stupid. Just damned stupid. And then there's this!" Khri's fingers skated over the desk controls and activated the holographic display. "Have you read these updates?"

"Not yet, Commander," Sai replied, carefully setting the tray down on the edge of the desk, far away from the possible peril of her anger. "They just came in a few marks ago."

"Well, they're a mess too! After the Fleet Commander went on duty, the Envoy told me what to expect in the reports from Earth. Would you believe at least three Sayian scout ships got through? How about Lord Freeza bringing his father by for a short visit? And then there's the matter of a scientist who decided to unleash androids and cyborgs on the planet.." Khri's tirade ground to a halt. "I suppose I can't blame the android problem on Tigradi, but I can't imagine how they expect our fleet to clean this up and provide the sector with cover at the same time." An abrupt chill seemed to overtake her and her anger cooled. "But that's someone else's problem now."

Sai nearly overturned the cup he was filling. "Pardon, Commander?"

Khri turned to resume her stare out the portal, arms folded.. She closed her eyes briefly, sighed, then looked back to her Second. "I'm being sent to Earth, Sai. Alone."

It took a few marks for her words to sink in. Sai barely scratched the surface when it came to the implications, and knew he probably would never catch them all. "But your command..."

"...will be assumed by Commander Ahtai. He's very familiar with day-to-day combat operations withint the fleet. He also understands the Aughenai and knows what she's capable of. What he doesn't know he'll learn quickly."

The maneuvers involved in making any changes to a successful command staff were always extraordinary, unless a commander died or permission to retire was granted. For a loyal and remarkable Battle Commander to be yanked from her post was unthinkable and outrageous, unless..."Commander, did this order come from Eldest himself?"

Khri's expression turned grim. "Yes, and no. It came directly from his offices at Home, but the orders are so vague they make me suspicious. I'm to go alone, I'm to establish a home base, blend in with the population and, most importantly, stick close to the Son family."

An old memory stirred. "Wasn't he one of the chi fighters..."

"Yes. There are several of them now and their powers are considerable, especially Son Goku, who now has two sons named Gohan and Goten. Surveillance hasn't been able to provide a lot of concrete information, but I think that's because they're not believing what info they're getting. I can't say I blame them because I'm skeptical, too." Khri sighed again. "I guess it doesn't really matter what I do and don't believe. I've been assigned to Earth, although right now it feels like I'm going into exile." Her eyes focused on his, her expression unreadable. "Sai, I'm going to put your promotion through again, if you want it. Ahtai is tough and demanding but far from heartless. He's already told me he'd like you to stay as his Second but would accept your decision. I'm afraid I can only give you a day to think it over."

Sai studied the face of his superior officer, the one he'd served for over five decades. Nothing about her had changed -- except for the length of her braid, perhaps -- but he felt her eyes were gradually losing what warmth she allowed them to show. She's becoming too remote, too cold, too polished, he thought, like a statue that's always admired and appreciated, always frozen in place. Life without her would be the biggest change he'd ever experienced; she had tried to get him to accept promotions before but he refused to leave her side. Now the decision had been made for him, for the both of them. Long suppressed and ruthlessly neglected feelings threatened to shove his resolve to keep cool himself aside. He balled his fists behind his back to hide them. Not now, not ever, unless the impossible happens and she gives me a signal. She's not cracking so neither will I. "If Commander Ahtai is willing, I will stay on," he said, hoping his voice didn't shake.

Khri's eyes softened and she gave him a small, sad smile. "Thank you, Sai. The transition won't be easy, but you'll make Ahtai feel a lot more confident if you stay, if only for a while. If you feel you do need a change, there are still plenty of smaller ships out there in need of good officers."

"You're welcome and thank you, Commander." Sai choked back a bitter laugh. Going from acting as Second to the celebrated Battle Commander of the Aughenai to any other post will be a step down, he thought bitterly. If only he could accompany her to Earth.

Earth! What an insane world, populated with humans and other intelligent species that were dimly aware they'd been visited by aliens and didn't seem too worried about it. Khri could visually pass as a human female - albeit a very tall one - without a lot of effort and a set of eye shields. Adjusting to the culture itself would be a lot more challenging. He tried, just for a moment, to envision Khri in one of those sleeveless clingy dresses so many Earth women wore. He blushed and immediately vowed never to try that again.

"Sai? Are you all right?"

"Uh...sorry, Commander. I'm just trying to understand all the implications of this. Did they give you an estimate of how long you'll be on Earth?"

"The orders say 'indefiniate' but we know what that means. Odds are my eyes will have silvered-over before I can come home."

Sai felt the beginnings of indignation building inside him. The Eldest of Clan Leonid was sending its renown Battle Commander, also a First Circle Leonid, on what appeared to be a babysitting mission with no end in sight. Instead she should have the honor of contemplating her eventual retirement, returning Home, finding a suitable husband no, don't think about that, not right now, and serving the Clan in a more direct manner by attempting to have a large family. Instead she was being ordered into exile and required to live on her own, alone. "C...Commander, how long before you have to leave?"

Her eyes were back to their clear, golden, frosted selves. "Two days. I'm being allowed to take very little with me. My diacha and a spare, my currency codes, a slimpad with uplink and a few personal items. I can take the information I'm using for my special Clan projects and that's all. Once I'm established, however, a tech team is going to bring down and install a large computer system. If you would arrange to have the rest of my effects shipped Home, it would be one less thing to worry about." Khri turned back to the portal; something outside kept attracting her attention. Was it Earth's sun, or was it merely a backdrop for all the emotions her mind had to be churning over? "Since my assignment is so...undefined...once I'm established I could have a lot of time on my hands."

She was rubbing her left wrist again.

Sai dared to walk around the desk and stand in front of Khri. She'd taken off her gloves upon entering her quarters, and her sleeve was pushed back from her wrist. In the dim lighting they were hard to see, but Sai knew the size and shape of those four small scars. The bite that caused them happened long ago, but she had refused immediate treatment and the wounds scarred over. She could have had them removed in the years since, but she had always found a reason to put it off.

"You're going to look for him, aren't you?"

"I always wondered what happened to him, Sai. I still feel a twinge of guilt now and then for leaving him the way I did, even though I know it was the right thing to do. Once I've found a house and the computer system is up and running, I should have some free time and can start an investigation. I want to know if he's still alive. It's a small consolation, but I'm going to take it."

Sai let a long moment of silence lapse, sinking into his own disappointment and confusion. What could he say? 'So long, Commander, hope to see you again someday?' Or,' I love you, Khri, figure out a way to stay or take me with you'... His grip tightened around one of the cups, the tea no longer hot.

"I don't know what to say either, Sai." Khri's voice was soft, softer than he'd heard it in a long time. "I'm resigned to this, for the moment, and I've got a lot of work to do before I can even think about packing. Hopefully it will be enough to keep me from getting really, really angry."

I have a lot to do as well, like hold myself together for the next two days. "Let me know if you need anything, Commander," he said smoothly, retrieving the tea tray and heading into the kitchenette. He spared one glance back at Khri, who had settled into her desk chair. What work she intended to do he didn't know, since she'd turned the chair to face the portal.

The room felt darker than it had before, as if more than just the lights had been dimmed.

The story continues in the companion piece, "Errant Exile."