Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Sculpted In Gold ❯ Oh crap... ( Chapter 9 )

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ… or much of anything else for that matter…

Notes… OOOO!! Lookie everybody, Veggie's in this one, well, the second half of the chapter… but he's here!!

Sculpted In Gold

Chapter 9

The dimly lit tavern was tense and silent. The twenty men and one woman sitting at various tables in the room were waiting for the mysterious individual who had brought them together. It was a mistake to be here, and yet by their very existence, each one was already braving the dangers of defying an empire. Each knew the faces and reputations of the warriors at the surrounding tables and yet conversation hadn't started. A hard, tense silence permeated the room making the atmosphere seem all the more dangerous and the enemies seem closer than at the next table...

"This is insane! What in the hell are we doing here anyway?" A huge warrior with pale skin and countless blue and red tattoos across the vast expanse of his chest and shoulders where his armor didn't cover. As he stood up to his full height, he tossed his platinum blonde ponytail over his shoulder and glared down at the warrior at the nearest table. "Is this fool even going to show up?"

Growled another huge man, he stood up to look the other warrior dead in the eye. This man had darker skin and long reddish black hair that was unbound and fell to the small of his back, but the tattoos across his skin were strikingly similar to those of the other warrior. "You know, Bran, this meeting wouldn't be nearly so dangerous if you'd sit down and shut up."

"What? Why you bastard Challen! I'm gonna…"

"Bran, Challen sit down now. Lets' save our hostilities for the real enemy, shall we?" Said a calm voice with an aristocratic accent from the back of the room. Murmurs began and moved with the newcomer as he strode purposefully toward the front of the room and into the dim light. He had smooth aqua skin, dark green hair and amber eyes. His hair was down and it fell just past his shoulders. Sleek and well muscled, the Saurian was obviously still young but powerful never the less. He wore a medallion around his neck and a cape across his shoulders, but no circlet or brow band.

"Who do you think you are, bringing all of us out here at a time like this…" Growled a warrior from the back of the room, he was cloaked in black and wore armor that wasn't like those of the other occupants in the room and several different types of bladed weapons lay on the table in front of him.

"My name is Kazar. And as for the timing, it couldn't be more perfect, Striker. Yes, Marshan is part of the Empire but they do not support Frieza, besides, this business with the Killjarrin people has Frieza distracted to the exclusion of all else anyway…"

"And you are Zarbon's little brother, so why should I trust you any more than I would trust him?" Striker looked up as he spoke, cold grey eyes impassive.

"My brother is doing what he can to keep Lord Frieza from finding out about the militias of the resistance that have been popping up all over his empire for the last 20 years. If Frieza had any idea that there was anyone out there that still possessed the will to fight him, do you really think that any of you would still be alive?"

"I do not pretend to be a leader, Kazar, exactly why did you invite me? Assassins don't tend to be very well thought of, politically speaking." Murmurs of surprise and outrage rippled through the room, but Striker ignored them, he arched one dark eyebrow and smirked awaiting an answer.

"You have powers that go far beyond any mere assassin… Besides King Kold betrayed you, and now you are hunted, by all three of the Empires, like the others here are sought by Frieza's soldiers. I know you are smart enough to recognize that there is safety in numbers."

"Well, I came out of curiosity… it remains to be seen how long I will stay. As long as those three are in power, no one is safe anywhere. Even the Atlantis and Captain Maxwell have fallen." The assassin shrugged, and calmly returned to polishing a black throwing dagger.

"Exactly." Kazar nodded and looked around the room; the news seemed to surprise many of those around him. "The great ship Atlantis was captured and everyone on board her was killed… Frieza's justice. If things continue as they have been, the entire universe will be under the control of King Kold and his sons…"

"You are a Saurian. We all know anyone of you bastards could sell sand in a canteen to desert nomads, how do we know that you aren't just going to run back to Frieza or worse, King Kold and tell them that we are still alive and we aren't going to let them get away with this senseless destruction of planets?"

Several others seemed to agree and Kazar's jaw tightened as he looked at each of them in turn. "Honestly you don't, Dakarran. But it wouldn't have to be me to have someone in this room decide at the last minute to run back to Frieza. But wait. Before you start pointing fingers and staring accusingly at the person next to you, let me ask you this. How did you feel, Challen? And Bran, when you the leaders of two rival clans got up off of that dusty battlefield and realized you were the last survivors of your race? And you, Dakarran? What was it like being trapped in Ki restraints as slavers killed your injured wife and two infant daughters, rather than taking them on board the ship with you as they had promised, if you went quietly? And I'm sure Ravenna, remembers her world's destruction and what happened to her and her mother in Frieza's throne room… All of you escaped Frieza's tyranny with your lives, because of your courage and intelligence. You are all natural leaders and the men and women who follow you do so because they believe that you will do what must be done- not just for them, but for everyone out there that wants to be free. From one planet or another, you are all here because Frieza has left you with no choice. You are all fighters or you wouldn't have survived the things that happened to you to give you your hatred of Frieza. All I am asking you to do is trust each other. None of us stand a chance against Frieza if we try to fight him alone. There is only one warrior meant to fight him, and he is not here; all of you have heard the prophecies. The chosen one is not ready to be revealed yet, but we are here to do what we can now to prepare for the real battle later…"

"We all know that the Saiyan Prince Vegeta is thought by many to be The One, but I'd rather die Frieza's slave than allow that savage bastard to continue terrorizing the…" Growled the lone woman in the room, finally breaking her silence. The former princess of Estaria was beautiful, in an ethereal sort of a way. With long, pale pink hair, pale lavender skin and pale blue eyes; she even managed to look elegant in Saiyan armor, but Kazar interrupted her.

"Prince Vegeta does what he has to to survive. I know that many of you had your planets taken by Saiyans, but even if it hadn't been them, you would still have been conquered. As powerful as the remaining three Saiyans are, the Ginyue Force and several other mercenary teams under contract to Frieza are still stronger. When Frieza puts a planet on the list, it will fall- after all, let's not forget that Frieza himself is one of the most powerful warriors anywhere. Even his father and brother were not as powerful as Frieza is, when they were his age. And lets' not forget that the Saiyans have also suffered the loss of their own planet..."

Ravenna snorted in disdain. "They are Saiyans, they wouldn't know suffering if it came up and bit them! After the things they have done, they deserve…"

"Deserved it? The Saiyans deserved to be betrayed by Frieza and destroyed to a handful of three when the only thing they were doing 'wrong', was carrying out Frieza's orders more impressively than anyone in his ranks? I thought the children of Estara believed in tolerance and wisdom. Your planet wasn't even attacked by Saiyans. Dodoria and one of his teams took yours…" Bran countered, and again the huge warrior seemed puzzled by her icy answer.

"I remember that." She said coldly. "And I also remember Vegeta being there, in Frieza's throne room, he watched what they did to me and he did nothing- it didn't even look like he cared! I found out later that he was exactly my age! How could he have been so coldhearted??"

Across the room, Striker chuckled lightly, but his eyes remained cold. "Do you have any idea what Frieza's soldiers would've done to anyone that tried to object to what they did to you? It is lucky for Vegeta that he didn't show any emotion, because if I remember the fall of Estaria correctly, you were twelve. I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't know too many twelve year old rapists, Lady Ravenna; he was told to be there, and I'd be willing to bet that no one had told him anything about what was about to happen in there, when you and your mother were brought in, either. Frieza wanted to test Vegeta, see how he would react to it. Has anyone in this room ever heard of Prince Vegeta bringing Frieza and his men even one female from any planet he has ever taken? What he saw that day probably affected him more than you or anyone else will ever know. Do you think Frieza and his men haven't noticed that Vegeta and his fellow Saiyans have not been there when they are celebrating the conquest of a new planet, since he was 12? Among Frieza's soldiers his lack of interest in their parties is a big joke. With men who have spent their whole lives being trained for war, you have to learn to read between the lines, Princess."

The princess fell into a silent daze lost in her own thoughts, Kazar sighed. Ravenna's mother had somehow managed to drag her unconscious 12 year old daughter into a pod and slam the door, launching it blindly as she waited for the guards to return and finish her off… Kazar remembered when the scouts had found the child, and brought her into their base. No one really thought she would live, but they placed her in the tank anyway, since none of them could find it in their hearts to end her suffering. It was hard to believe the girl had come so far since then. Ravenna had never been a natural fighter, but had begun to learn and she wore armor and weapons to protect herself and most importantly had proven herself a capable leader. She was his second in command, but until tonight, even she hadn't known how big the scope of the rebellion was going to be. All of known space had been affected by the three Empires, there were millions who would stand up and fight when a powerful leader emerged...

Some had tried already, but that was at the dawn of the Empire. Just after Frieza's arrival to the quadrant of space that the Saurians had settled and counted as allies and trading partners, some twenty years ago, the Ice-Jin had attacked viciously. The remaining planets had banded together to try to fight him off. Everyone was crushed without mercy or regard to whether or not they were involved or even capable of defending themselves, then, taking no prisoners, except one, the tyrant destroyed the empty husks of all twenty planets. Forever marking his Empire as a reign of terror and cruelty… And all Frieza had to say on the subject, was that an even worse fate awaited the next "Army" that meant to rise up and challenge him. How ironic that the only prisoner Frieza had taken in that first battle had grown up to be his most loyal and trusted advisor, only because he meant to destroy Frieza and his empire completely.

Kazar looked around the room and smirked. Well, he thought, if nothing else, he had gotten these warrior generals to talk. Kazar knew that breaking twenty years of ice that had been standing between some of these warriors, was no small feat. To escape Frieza's notice, these tiny pockets of resistance had been forced to scatter and remain hidden, even from each other. Of course there were a few who dared to travel between these small militias, but these brave souls were few and the news they carried was usually outdated and scant at best. The leaders all knew that alone they could only hope to protect what little remained of the refugees who found their way to them seeking protection from the slavers, until Frieza and his forces found out where they were hiding. Together, Omegus had promised that when they were united under the command of the great Warrior Prince, that the Alliance of Shadows would prove a match even for Frieza's mighty army.

Kazar sighed, thinking of the "Warrior Prince". Zarbon was sure it was Vegeta, just as he was certain that Vegeta was the Super Saiyan. But so far, Kazar could only say that he wasn't sure… he was glad that someone else had chosen to address Ravenna's objection for him, but he would've liked to stay away from mentioning the Saiyans entirely for this meeting, since it was only the first meeting of the scattered leaders that still dared to defy the Empire, but it probably couldn't have been helped. The Saiyans were some of Frieza's most feared hired guns- after all, they were the work horses of the planet trade, completing more than twice the amount of missions that anyone else did… The Saiyans would also be a vital part of the Alliance, Kazar knew that, but he doubted that it would be wise to put so much faith in someone as young and temperamental as the Saiyan Prince. The Saiyans were cold, ruthless and brutal in battle, and while he knew that they would need their strength and power if they were really going to try to keep Frieza's forces at bay… he also knew that the Saiyans had not endeared themselves to the downtrodden refugees of the Empire with the way that they assaulted planet after planet… They were especially brutal about wiping out all surviving specimens, but at least the Saiyans never kept any for sport, it was the only thing that could be offered as a saving grace to the poor souls who found their way into the camps- and that was the handiwork of the so called Super Saiyan they were counting on to save them?? Kazar sighed, shaking his head as a few of the other warriors discussed among themselves the merits and flaws of the prophecies left to the universe by the powerful oracle… others talked of the Killjarrins and the fact that their ambassadors had knowingly sealed their own fate by deceiving Frieza as to the nature of the missions they had offered the tyrant… others were talking about the Saiyans and wondering how they managed to keep such a tight schedule… It was supposedly the Prince's birthday sometime soon and they hadn't even taken time off to celebrate it?

"What is it that you know, Kazar? What is making you act now?" Striker asked, drawing the Saurian from his thoughts. The assassin seemed vaguely amused. "Are you acting on the last words of Omegus?"

"There was another prophecy made?" the others all sat up in surprise and Kazar glared at the assassin, who just smirked.

"Yes." Kazar nodded slowly. "Omegus has made another prophecy, but we don't know what it means yet."

"She's nothing more than a crazy old woman that is clever with words. She may have seen the rise of the last Super Saiyan, but everyone knows her mind has been gone for at least 500 years. Omegus was powerful, but insane." Scoffed a warrior who had been silent until then.

"Every prophecy she ever made came true!" Challen objected. "Why would this one be any different?"

"She spoke in riddles and rhymes and they can be picked apart and interpreted in any one of a thousand ways until even my daughter could be mistaken for the chosen one…"

"Omegus had to, you fool! To come out and simply announce that Frieza will be destroyed on this day by the Super Saiyan would mean he would have a way to prevent his demise!" The assassin countered. "Frieza is too smart not to know that he cannot allow the prophecies even a chance to come true. But as long as her words are remembered, she has given a lingering hope to the universe. Frieza knows that he can't destroy any more of the Saiyans; especially Prince Vegeta yet because it will mark him as a coward if he does, but do you think Lord Frieza doesn't lie awake at night and wonder when the Super Saiyan will appear to challenge him? Of course he does! Omegus was in his throne room in front of him when she gave the first hint that the tyrant would fall at the hands of the Legendary. Was that insane? Yes, but brilliant too, challenging him in his own throne room and she managed to escape. For twenty years he hunted her for that insult and she has defied him once again. Omegus lay comfortably in her bed as she made one last prediction…"

Kazar smirked. Having the assassin here was definitely coming in handy. The powerful fighting abilities of the assassin known as Striker were legendary. But Zarbon had told him to recruit the man for his ability to quietly and discreetly navigate any arena to investigate people and situations that warranted watching; and for his intelligence. The assassin had already proven he could process useful information. An assassin of an ancient mystical order, he didn't need a ship to move from place to place, or a scouter to locate people that were unfortunate enough to gain his attention. He would be indispensable for his talents and maneuverability when the time of the prophecy was at hand. Already he had proven himself an invaluable asset to him in this meeting. The problem would be keeping him around. The elusive warrior was not easy to track down as there had been no word from him until he had shown up here tonight. Kazar had been quite surprised to hear that he had come. In fact, the assassin had been the first to arrive, settling into his chosen nook and silently observing the others as they arrived… Besides, consorting with assassins was dangerous for obvious reasons regarding their loyalty and motivations…

"What??" Some of the others gasped, "There was another prophecy?"

"Yes, and this one would be her last. She is dead."

**

Vegeta climbed out of his pod and yawned. The jungle outside of the crater he had landed in was charred and destroyed as far as the eye could see, even the mountains forming the borders of the once narrow valleys had been leveled for miles. A huge lake was beginning to form across the vast plain where he stood, as water from the buried streams rose silently between the millions of tons of rock and burned vegetation. Vegeta smirked. Napa was an idiot, but he was quite strong, and no doubt since coming here, he had obviously become much stronger. For if Napa had managed to do this, Vegeta knew he was still alive.

Deciding not to waste any more time, he set about finding the massive warrior. He hit the button on his scouter and for miles there was no signal. Vegeta frowned. He knew that with the sun up, his bodyguard would be sleeping, taking advantage of the pause in the fighting since the natives couldn't handle the sunlight. He could hardly blame them, he was already sweating under his armor and he growled.

From the air, Napa's swath of destruction was larger than he had thought it would be. Mountains far in the distance had been leveled by his Orrazuu blasts, but most of the devastation had occurred near Vegeta's landing site. Napa wouldn't have gone far from his safe zone. So, Vegeta wondered where would he be? Ahead he could see an outcropping of rocks that provided the only shade for miles in any direction, and he headed for it. Almost simultaneously his scouter flicked itself on and he began picking up a reading. One- two- three - what?? Six power levels? And as the others were rising, one of them was fading rapidly? Vegeta growled, turning off his scouter as one of the numbers flashed its final reading… 24,250- Dodoria. Damn it.

Of all the times he could have chosen not to check the mission status of the other Captains… Vegeta growled, and flew at his top speed. He just had to go and piss off Dodoria over that girl... Had Frieza sent him or was the fat pink marshmallow acting on his own?? Well, either way, Vegeta knew that he couldn't just leave Napa to face Dodoria and his goons alone. They might kill his bodyguard, but they all knew better than to try to kill Vegeta. He didn't want to think about how he would feel after this fight, but he knew that Dodoria wouldn't kill him. Besides, this would make him stronger and he was in a bad mood anyway so a fight sounded fun. He knew he'd loose, but Dodoria wasn't very fast, just extremely strong.

One of Dodoria's men held Napa by his throat, while the others looked on and laughed. Vegeta threw a blast at the unsuspecting man's feet and landed beside the unconscious Saiyan. Napa's armor was almost totally destroyed, and his scouter was gone, but surprisingly he didn't seem that badly injured while most of Dodoria's men sported chipped armor and some Ki burns and bruises of their own, although Dodoria himself was sitting on a rock and had obviously not been involved yet. Vegeta glared at him, ignoring the others.

"Well, well. What have we here?" Dodoria chuckled, standing up. "So you decided to show up after all? I was beginning to think you weren't coming Vegeta. I owe you a beating, don't I? Ordinarily I'd have my team hold you for this but, since you did just have a birthday and I didn't get you anything, how about I let you try and fight me? But I have to warn you, Vegeta I am going to hit back this time."

Vegeta snorted. "I'm not afraid of you. You know you can't kill me."

"Well, Vegeta, that's the beauty of us being assigned to this little mission together. You know accidents happen on these dangerous purge missions. If you and Napa should happen to get killed by the poisonous natives, well… that would be tragic, but Frieza would get over it. I mean he'd still have one pet monkey left- even if Radditz is third class… he's still a Saiyan."

"So you don't think anyone back at base will think it's the least bit odd that you and I had that little difference of opinion and then I end up dead? You really are an idiot."

Dodoria gave a malicious little chuckle. "As it just so happens, Guldo and I never reported that little incident… and I checked the log in my pod as we landed. Neither did you, Vegeta. You may be a particular favorite of Frieza's, but the rest of us really hate you, Vegeta."

"The feeling is mutual, you fat lard ass. If you're going to kill me then do it, I've already heard enough talk out of you." Vegeta growled, crouching low, awaiting the huge warrior's first move.

Dodoria screamed in rage and attacked. For his size, Dodoria was fast, but he wasn't fast enough to catch Vegeta off guard. The Saiyan prince dodged the giant fist that was heading for him, reappearing behind the huge warrior. Vegeta slammed his knee into Dodoria's back, he smirked as he heard two ribs break, but the giant fighter didn't go down. Vegeta was caught by the man's elbow as he turned to face him. The Saiyan prince barely stopped himself, as he landed unsteadily Vegeta dropped to one knee. Damn… that was one hit? Already his vision was blurred and he had to catch his breath before he staggered to his feet. A few more hits like that and Vegeta knew that he would be dead. He wasn't strong enough to fight Dodoria head on. Unfortunately, his speed was compromised if he couldn't tell which of the two Dodorias that he saw in front of him was the real one…

"Well, Vegeta, if causing boredom was deadly, you'd be in charge of the Empire already, little monkey, but it isn't so you're nothing." Dodoria sneered. "Can you believe there are people out there that really believe that there is such a thing as a Super Saiyan? Even funnier are the ones who believe that you are The Super Saiyan. Do you really think that you will ever matter to anyone out there? You're just a stupid monkey, what chance could you ever possibly have against Frieza when you can't even save yourself from me?"

Vegeta smirked. So Dodoria still wanted to talk? Well, Vegeta thought, he'd let him, at least until he only saw one of the idiot again.

Notes: I need some help with this story…

PLEASE. Please, read this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do any of you talented Poets out there have the time and patience to give me some assistance in creating a prophecy? I can tell you basically what I want but I am an idiot when it comes to rhyming and riddles and stuff. If you would like to help me with this I would be forever in your debt and as a thank you I would be willing to illustrate a scene from one of your stories… or even create for you a lemon, in the circumstances and pairing of your choice. So… pass this along to your friends and we'll see what we can come up with!!

Captain Maxwell is a character in two of my other stories… Saiyans Return and Fall of an Empire, From a Slave's POV… His ship is called the Atlantis and he was a good space pirate who has (in here) been hunted down and destroyed by Frieza… just for those who might be curious who that was…

Striker is completely my own character from another setting, brought in to provide some special assistance to our heroes and will later teach some of his mystical talents to Goku and Vegeta. He won't do much of the fighting… he'll just be around a lot… he's here as a plot device.

Kazar and the preexisting leaders of the rebellion are of my own creation, and are not meant to be major characters. They are here to provide color and "history" so that it feels as if this setting is as vast as the scope of Frieza's Empire was supposed to be. I know it's a lot of people to keep track of… but at least they won't be appearing all the time, and they won't get to save the universe… that's why we have Vegeta. Ok, ok I'll be nice… Kakarrot can help too… a little.

*Giggle*

PLEASE review!!!!!!!! I love to get reviews!!!