Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Tycho ❯ Chapter 6 ( Chapter 6 )

Earth, Sol System

11.2.43

2014 Hours

Another two hours passed, and eventually all of the warriors returned, families and belongings in tow. Krillin and Yamcha had only a duffle bag each, and Tien had nothing. Bulma apparently packed everything into a half dozen capsules kept on her belt, but Chi-Chi had gone overboard, packing over a dozen suitcases filled with everything from clothes to Gohan's school work. Goku was laden like a pack-mule when he arrived. He put all of the luggage into a haphazard pile, and when everyone was accounted for, approached Sabre, who was waiting in the middle of the courtyard.

"It looks like we're all ready to go. Uh, I hope we didn't bring to much luggage," Goku said, scratching the back of his head. "Chi-Chi went a little nuts. She was worried about not having enough stuff for me and Gohan."

"It won't be a problem." Sabre looked over at the rest of the group. "What about the others, are they ready?"

"I guess so. We're all a little nervous, and a little unsure about all this. But, you asked for our help."

"Understandable. And yes I did. I thank you for doing this." Goku believed the genuine look in his eyes. Sabre spoke into a comm unit embedded on a band on his wrist.

"Charlie Four Ninteen, we are ready for departure at my coordinates."

"Roger sir," came the slightly distorted reply.

They heard it before they saw it. It sounded like a distant, rolling thunder that grew louder each passing moment. The Lookout began to shake, subtly at first, then violently as the spacecraft broke through the nighttime cloud cover. The warriors were awed by what they saw; they had never seen a ship so large.

As all wartime Coalition ships were, it was a gunmetal grey, bearing only the Galactic Coalition insignia and its name, the GCS Dante, in white, bold block letters. Its engine wash threatened to blow away their luggage, and they had to use their bodies to shield it. But they too were in danger of being blown away. The transport pulled up along side, its pentagonal superstructure, dwarfing the lookout. The vessel cut off its massive fusion engines and switched to anti-gravity drives. This was fortunate, because the Lookout had started to buckle. Now the deafening roar was replaced with a dull hum, and communication once again became possible.

Sabre approached the awestruck group and addressed them.

"Alright people, this is it. Once you go on board that ship, there is no turning back. Any objections?" But they all knew it was too late to turn back. Where Son Goku went, they would always follow, though each for their own reasons.

"No? Good." A few moments later, the ship positioned itself parallel to the lookout and extended a ramp from a single open airlock. Sabre made his way up to the ramp, turned and motioned a "Follow me."

Eve went first, followed by Tien, Yamcha, and Krillin. 18 was close behind. Goku, carrying nine of the twelve enormous suitcases, led his family on board, with Trunks, Bulma, and Vegeta not far behind. Piccolo took up the rear and gave one final look to Dende-who nodded his head-then proceed up the ramp.

The airlock hatch lead to a cavernous cargo bay, with a sealed door on the far end. Goku nearly had to crawl on his knees to fit through the entryway, the luggage not in his arms balanced precariously on his back. The bay was relatively empty, with only a few nondescript containers and barrels piled here and there. When everyone was aboard, the airlock cycled shut.

The transport pulled away from the Lookout and began its ascent. After a few moments, it shut down its AG drives and reactivated its main engines. The Lookout was rocked with another blast as the ship shot off into space at an incredible speed, its massive, grey pentagonal frame fading to a point of light in the distance. Thanks to inertial dampening, no one could feel the ships increasing acceleration.

Sabre addressed his new passengers, most of whom waited together in a group, with Vegeta and Eve standing alone and separate, looking surly and disinterested, respectively. "Alright, first off, we're going to get you to your rooms and squared away. She's a big, empty ship, so it will be easy to get lost. Follow me."

Sabre led the group of curious warriors through the cargo bay exit, then down a series of dimly lit, bare corridors, stopping at a cargo lift. He pressed a button, and moments later the doors opened with a quiet whirr. There was just enough space for all of them to squeeze in, and once they had, Sabre punched a few strange-looking characters on a panel next to the door. At first they felt the usual lifting sensation, but that soon slowed and was replaced with a slight jerk and a feeling of horizontal motion. The lift system on board the ship consisted of vertical and horizontal tubes that crisscrossed in a grid throughout the superstructure. Soon the lift came to a stop, and Sabre led the group out into a more pleasant, well-lit corridor, which they assumed would be their quarters.

The soldier addressed the docile herd. "All of these rooms are empty. The ship is running with a skeleton crew, whose quarters are on the next floor up. The rooms can accommodate four people each. Arrange yourselves however you see fit. There is a communal bathroom down the hall and to your left."

Bulma was surprised. "A communal bathroom?"

"Women were integrated into GCS service over a hundred and fifty years ago. It's worked fine for us, and it will work for you." Sabre didn't feel the need to argue the point any further and continued with his canned tour guide speech.

"In each of the rooms there is a ship directory that can provide you with a map to get around the ship. I would recommend sticking together so you don't get lost, but I have a feeling that some of you-"-he shot a look at Goku- "-will disregard my advice. Now, I have some business to attend to. Tomorrow at 0600 hours we will begin the preliminary training tests. If you need to contact me, just ask the ship to track me down. Are there any questions?" There were none. Sabre nodded and returned to the lift.

The somewhat bewildered passengers bunked with who they were most comfortable with. Goku and his family took one room, Bulma and Trunks another. The humans roomed together near the restroom, but Vegeta, Piccolo, and Eve each took their own cabins, far away from everyone else. Chi-Chi was distressed by the lack of accommodations, but she made the best with what she had. Which was a lot.

Then the wandering began. The three humans left first, each taking a datapad programmed with the ships layout. Goku left Gohan to study, at Chi-Chi's insistence, and decided to take a stroll. He had originally intended to make his way to the galley, but had forgotten to take a datapad, and ended hopelessly lost in one of the engineering sections. He eventually used his instant transmission to get back to his room.

Vegeta, angry because Bulma would be around for the entire journey, and once again infuriated by his own relative weakness, found an ancillary training room to work off some steam. It was disconcerting to have his strength challenged by another stranger. He could deal with having Kakkarot as a rival. By now he was used to it, and as infuriating as it could be, the challenge was at least honorable, and more importantly, Saiyan. But having Cell, then Gohan, and now this human surpass his strength was completely intolerable. Unable to work any controls other than the lights, he trained at full power as a Super Saiyan to try and achieve the level of control Kakkarot had in that form.

The Saiyan Prince decided to train with the lights off, the only illumination coming from his bright golden aura. At first, he only practiced combat and speed drills, but he quickly grew bored, and decided to see what this ship was made of. He fired a small ki blast into the wall, expecting to tear a gaping hole, but instead, it simply was absorbed, the energy causing some sort of under wiring beneath the panel to glow a faint yellow. Surprised, he began to launch of series of larger and more powerful blasts into the wall, each as easily absorbed and dissipated as the next, with the dissipation occurring over a larger area as the energy level increased.

Vegeta paused for a moment to gather his energy. "We'll see if this little trick can't be overloaded," he thought smugly. He leapt into then air and quickly extended his arms outward, his bulging muscles filling with power. The air crackled with latent energy around his body, golden tendrils flowing about his enlarged frame. As he brought his extended arms together, he roared, "Final Flash!" sending his most powerful energy attack directly into the wall. The entire room lit up, glowed brightly, and then faded back to black. There wasn't a mark on the wall. Spent for the moment, he dropped to the floor, and wondered to himself exactly what he had gotten into. Cell in his perfect form had been crippled by that blast, even though he regenerated. Whatever technology this Coalition had, it was far more advanced than anything he had come across on Vegeta or Earth. The Saiyan prince gritted his teeth and went back to training. It would be another tough fight.

Twelve decks above, Chi-Chi and Bulma were listening to Trunks' tales of future that would never come to pass. While Bulma had been packing, he traveled back to his own time to take care of the Androids there. It only took him a matter of minutes to find and destroy the brother and sister duo that had ruined his world, thanks to the modified scouter the Bulma of the future provided him with. He could clearly remember the look in their eyes, filled with shock and hatred, but the victory did not bring him the catharsis he was expecting. A lifetime of suffering and fear could not be so easily erased. He did, however, take comfort knowing his mother would be safe in his continued absence. She understood why he had to go, if he could protect another world from destruction, then his absence would be worth it.

"We didn't have much, but, my mother managed always had enough for us, and something to spare for whoever needed it," the purple-haired half-Saiyan recounted. "Just before Gohan died, she threw me a surprise birthday party, cake and all. I didn't even remember that it was my birthday. But she did. My mother always knew what to do." His eyes fell on Bulma for a brief moment, then he quickly looked away. He always got a strange feeling looking at this younger version of his mother. She was so much different than the Bulma that raised him.

"Well," the green-haired woman said smugly, "at least we know I turn out to be a capable mother. Oh," she sighed, "I wish I could have taken baby Trunks with us. I miss him already."

"No, Bulma, you did the right thing," Chi-Chi reassured her, "where we're going is no place for an infant. I don't even know if it's the right place for me, but I wasn't going to just sit in an empty home while my husband and son gallivanted out in space." She put her arm around Bulma. "I know honey, but it'll be okay. Your parents will do a good job with baby Trunks. Look what they did with you."

"Yeah, I know. But he's still my baby. I'm going to have to find something to do around here to keep my mind off it."

"I know what you mean, Bul-, er, Mom," Trunks almost fumbled, but quickly recovered.

"Well Trunks, there is that girl on board she looks like she's your age. She's kind of cute, right?" Chi-Chi offered.

"Well, I guess, bu-" Before he could finish, Goku's wife was practically pushing him out the door. "Go and talk to the poor girl, she's all alone! It'll be good for you!"

The boy from the future didn't have much choice. He found Eve's door and knocked on it.

There was no response. He tried again.

Still nothing. "No point in bothering her," he thought and turned around. Just then, the door hissed open.

"What?"

Trunks was startled. "Uh, hi. I'm Trunks."

The blonde girl rubbed her temples, then looked him up and down. "Can I help you?"

"Uh, I was just wondering if you wanted to talk."

"About what?"

This girl was clearly not looking for company. "Well, uh, I don't know your name."

"My name's Eve." Trunks felt a strange sensation for a moment, but it soon passed. Eve's features softened. "Do you want to come in?"

"Okay, if you want," the purple-haired teen said sheepishly.

Eve turned and cocked her head, signaling him to enter. She closed the door behind him after fumbling with the control panel.

Trunks searched for something to breach the silence. "So…how are you doing?"

Eve rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm a little freaked out right now, being with a bunch of supermen and all. Plus I'm on a spaceship. Leaving the solar system. With strangers."

"Oh, yeah, I guess that is kinda weird. But, we're not all that strange," Trunks said earnestly.

"What about that green guy with the antennas? Or that guy with a third eye? Or the fact that suddenly people can fly? Or-" Trunks held up his hands.

"Okay, yeah…I guess for you it is strange. But, we're not all that different, really. I mean, aside from our abilities and stuff."

"Oh really? I bet you're life hasn't been a living hell since day one."

"Actually…"

Eve was incensed. "Actually what? You think you had a tough life? You all around here look like you've been livin' it up, flying all around and shit, doing whatever the hell you want. No one I know can afford Capsules, either."

Trunks stood up straight, a hint of anger creeping into his voice. "I don't think it's fair for you to be making judgments like that." The feeling he felt before returned to his mind, lingered a little longer this time, then receded.

The blonde girl's voice softened. "I'm sorry. You're right. I don't even know you. This is just all so stressful," she began to rub her temples and sat down on a bed. "I shouldn't be lashing out at everyone."

Trunks was glad she was cooling down. He didn't want to get into a fight with someone he just met, yet alone someone who he'd be unavoidably close to for the next few weeks.

"So, where did you grow up?" Eve asked neutrally.

"West City."

"Isn't that where Capsule Corps headquarters is?"

He thought for a moment. "Yeah, I guess here it is." In his time, the Capsule Corps in West City had fallen shortly after his birth. The others weren't far behind.

"What do you mean `here'?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing."

Eve could sense he was hiding something. "Oh, come on. What is it?"

"No, really, it doesn't matter." He could feel it again. This time it was more forceful, it felt like it something was putting pressure on his head. He cringed.

"What's the matter?" Eve asked, getting up from the bed.

"I, I don't know, it feels like a headache, but," he paused as the sensation receded, "I think it's gone now."

"You okay?"

"I think so."

"Here, have some water. At least I think it's water. Never can tell on a spaceship, right?" Eve said, grabbing a plastic cup off the nearby table and going to a dispensary on the wall. She placed it underneath the tap and it filled automatically, stopping when it was nearly full.

Trunks thanked her, took the cup, and sipped. "Yeah, I guess it is water."

"So, what is everyone's deal around here? Who's who? If I'm gonna be around, I might as well know who I'm living with."

Trunks noticed her change in attitude, and made a mental note of it. "Well, I guess I'll start with the most obvious. You know the big green guy? He's a Namek. His name's Piccolo."

"Like the instrument?"

"Yeah. But don't remind him of that. Then the guy with the three eyes is Tienshinhan. We just call him Tien for short. He's human, but, no one really knows why he has that third eye. I think it has something to do with enlightenment. The tiny guy is named Krillin. He and Goku were childhood friends. Goku is the guy with the spiky black hair and is sort of the de facto leader here. He's also a Saiyan. His son is Gohan, and his wife is Chi-Chi. Yamcha is the guy with a scar on his face."

"What about the woman you're staying with?"

"Oh." Trunks paused for a moment, but then realized he wouldn't be revealing anything to surprising to her if he told her the truth. "Well, she's my mom. And the other man, kinda short with tall hair, is my dad, a Saiyan as well."

"Why doesn't he stay with you too? And what's a Saiyan?"

"It's sorta complicated. My dad isn't very…open with his emotions. He mainly scowls and yells a lot. He and my mom don't get along too well, and me and him aren't too close; he came back into my life just recently." Actually, Trunks really came into his via time machine, but she didn't need to know that. "As to what Saiyans are, all I really know is what my mom told me." He then told her all about Frieza and the Saiyan's roles as henchmen, of Goku coming to Earth and being found by Gohan, and of his father's eventual arrival on Earth.

"Okay, I think I can remember that. So you're half Saiyan?"

"Yeah," Trunks said.

"No tail?"

He shook his head. "No, no tail."

"Huh." Eve paused for a moment, soaking it all in. "What about the blonde chick?"

"Excuse me?

"Overalls and striped shirt. Big, blue eyes."

"Oh." His voice dropped. She was referring to the android. Even though she clearly wasn't like the one he knew from his time, his mind had a hard time distinguishing between the two. It was hard to stop hating an enemy you've known all your life. "That's Android 18. 18 for short."

"Android? Like a robot?"

"Yeah, a very complex robot, built to look, sound, smell, feel, and act like a human."

"Huh. That explains why her hair is so damn perfect."

"Yeah, I guess."

"What, you don't think she's pretty?"

"Uh, I'd rather not talk about it."

Eve stared at him intently, but said nothing. "Alright, fair enough."

She looked as if she expected him to say something. All he came up with was, "So…"

"Let's go for a walk. I don't want to spend all day in here. Come on," she grabbed his hand before he had a chance to object and led him out the door.

"Shouldn't we get one of those maps or-?"

"Nah. I'm a city girl. Keen sense of direction and all that shit."

And so the two ambled about aimlessly through the empty decks of the spacecraft. Eve grew strangely animated, in contrast with her recalcitrant demeanor before. She seemed to genuinely enjoy exploring this whole new world that had been opened to her. Trunks did his best to keep her from touching too many things or getting into what were clearly restricted areas. Eventually then ended up on the bridge, at which point he had to cover her mouth to prevent her from saying something obnoxious and distracting the obviously preoccupied bridge attendants, Sabre among them. They ran into Yamcha, Tien, and Krillin early in their wandering, but didn't see anyone else for another few hours. The few crew members they saw ignored them. Trunks and Eve spent the rest of the night on the observation deck, chatting and gazing into the stars above.

Back in his room, alone, with the lights dimmed to almost nothing, Piccolo meditated. In his meditation he reflected on recent events, mostly on the recent battle with Cell. There was much to study and learn about that encounter. The Sayians learned instinctively during each battle. Nameks, however, improved their combat skills both through practice and meditation. He needed to get stronger. His fusion with Kami greatly increased his strength, but he could feel there was more unlocked potential within himself. He had tried desperately to find it before the fight with Cell, but it had eluded him. He began his efforts anew. The Namek could feel he and his friends were inevitably moving towards a great darkness. They would need all the strength they could muster. Piccolo refocused his thoughts and sank back into the inner sanctum of his mind.