"Well? Thoughts?" I ask again after Doc fails to respond immediately. It almost seemed like she had me waiting for what felt like a day. But it really was just moments.
"Mm… I think we should talk to the crew." She replied, not committing to a proper response.
"Not what I meant, and you know that." I counter back.
She went silent, and I took that moment to use my tail to pull plates of desserts to me. On a whim I had it curl around the plates, lifting them, even using my tail to pick up silverware and feed me after I brought them close. It was shockingly fun, like a servant was feeding me due to the distant sensations brought on by my tail. Next level laziness. Like, how I kept up my telekinesis to fetch me beers when I was lounging on my bed.
"Do you even know why I may be important for this mission?"
I shrug, not bothering to talk with my mouth full.
"Of course not… Ships above a certain classification need an AI to function. A capital class ship needs and an AI in the same tier as it in order for it to function."
"And?" I said after swallowing my food, then promptly shoving another serving into my mouth.
"I would easily be able to control a War tier capital ship…" She trailed off, and I just ate while waiting for her to continue. "I could do it…" She continues and stops.
"Would you be fine doing it?" I asked instead, poking at the likely issue.
"If its large enough I wouldn't mind."
"If it's not large enough?"
"I'd rather not."
"Sounds fine to me." I reply.
"Really?"
"Yup, if it's not good enough what can I do? If anything, we can figure out what size would be enough, and we could go off and steal one, or something. In the meantime, we could just blow the ship up, no biggie."
She went silent as I finished stuffing myself. I stood up stretching and feeling my full stomach. I was thoroughly stuffed. "Now though, I'll need to go and find the rest of the crew."
"I believe your instructor is at one of the stations bars. I can lead you there."
"Please do." My new scouter pings, showing a set of arrows. I walk out of the private room and through the fancy restaurant as I follow those arrows. I meander through the open hallways, the stalls set along the walls. Crowds of people move in tight knit groups, avoiding each other with wary eyes. I sense a few opportunist glances, a spike of greed as I walk alone. Only for the smarter of their members to pull them back and whisper something.
I wasn't certain what they were saying about me, but the paling faces and widened eyes told me it was a good deterrent. Was it my meeting with the Pirate Baron? Perhaps word of how I had destroyed those two idiots from earlier had spread? Had that spread so fast? A part of me imagined that it likely had. The station may have been big, but the rumor mill was always churning and cranking away.
I had held back. I didn't kill them or paste them. Which was rather easy with enough ki against a normal body. The shooter just had his prosthetic crushed and his body crushed, but nothing too serious. It wasn't until I got closer to the bar that I finally picked up that it wasn't the beatdown, nor my meeting with the Pirate Baron that concerned them. Rather, it was the fact I had deflected energy blasts with my hand.
I was somewhat sure some of them were speculating how I did it. From deflectors on my hands to a personal shield generator. Except my clothing did little to hide my figure. A shirt a size too small, pants, long boots and a small jacket. Seeing my curves was hardly an issue, which is what really got people interested. I'm actually curious if anyone would hit on me normally? What would it feel like for a guy to walk up and do it with no ill intent?
Unlikely seeing as I am on a pirate station. But… as I stop before the bar door, I think about that. Just on the other side I could sense my instructor. A man I had found myself attracted to before, but honestly… was it straight up attraction? Or was it something else?
He was older, yes. A firm gaze, a well, formerly no-nonsense attitude. He had calmed down, even joked around after I had awakened his ki. His ever-tense shoulders loosening. His stern face working into an ill-fitting smile. Doc says I had daddy issues… Which I couldn't entirely deny. No, rather it was obvious. I knew that as well. Rettas never had a father, or rather she had never seen her father. Whilst in my past life, from what little I could remember…
Just thinking about that had me hesitating. About him. He wasn't a horrible father. After mother died, he just… focused on work. Worked until the sun fell. Worked and worked. I did what I could. I made him food, kept the house clean, did his laundry. All for those little bits of acknowledgement. I had come to except that. Until…
No. I wasn't going to dwell on that. Not now. Not here. But still…
Perhaps, in a way the reason for the Saiyan race being the collective dicks of the universe came down to parental issues? A society where power trumps all, where only the weakest of Saiyan's even have a semblance of a home life. Even then they were treated like second class citizens, chaff. How far would a child go for their parent's acknowledgement? How far had Rettas gone?
Genocide hardly seemed like much when seeking approval. Especially with the power we had.
Whereas the warrior castes and up spent their time fighting or drinking, sometimes even both rather than raising children or teaching. For the same reason I hadn't wanted to awaken my instructors ki, perhaps that was why they held their skills so tight to their chest. Or perhaps I feared he'd become just like those Saiyan's. Fearing he would distance himself from me once he got what he wanted from me.
Heh… I couldn't help but laugh. The parallel wasn't lost on me. Although, the situation wasn't quite the same as with my own father… Rather… I almost wish… No. I wasn't going to do that. It was already too late.
If anything, I regret never talking to him afterwards. Never truly trying to reach out. He'd paid for my ride through college and even afterwards he still sent me checks. I had accepted them, letting myself enjoy the tiniest amount of care he could afford to give me.
Then… the checks stopped. At first, I dared think he had forgotten me. That… He'd finally abandoned me. Only to learn he had died. His heart finally gave out. Dying at work. I should have called him. Talked to him at least once. How much could have a single word changed things? Why hadn't I reached out?
Why did I have to accept what we had. Why couldn't I have been greedier?
In the end, it didn't really matter. Perhaps if I had these Saiyan instincts from before, a need possessed by every warrior to keep them slightly unique from the many other warriors. A need for every small gain in power to be yelled at from the rooftops like some society wide measuring contest. How much does not even having their mother's warmth in the womb screw over somebodies' mentality? How much does having an absent father screw with their perceptions more? Moreso the constant one-upmanship the Saiyan race likely had with one another.
Would I have been unhappy with the status quo? Pushed the envelope. Took hold of what I desired?
Perhaps in ancient times, Saiyan's formed family units like apes. A lead Saiyan working to protect the weaker members, be they male or female. Champions fighting for the prosperity of those beneath them that steadily escalated. Until the day a single Saiyan began to unite them like the Great Khan of the Mongolian empire.
Stories and myths that passed down are still told in high regard. With wistfulness, and yet regret. As if the Saiyan race had accepted we had long passed our prime. Stories of the legendary Super Saiyan… Of a grand war long gone… Which was an odd thing to consider. As a former family unit, of Saiyan's forming packs… Was there a greater reason?
Cultivation novels, or what I remember I distinctly remember methods of collectively gathering power into a single individual. Could Saiyan's do the same? Like the spirit ball? Except, for Saiyan's? Could they bring their power together?
If there were, I wanted to try them, but… Weren't their requirements? Except, I was certain the original author liked to flip flop on stuff like power levels and requirements, not that I mind honestly. Nor do I think less of him due to that, I mean, life itself isn't exactly concrete. A man can lift a few hundred pounds consistently, but in a moment of crisis lift twice that with hardly an issue. Our own minds hold us back when we least expect it. Even if you don't consider the unleashing of the body's limiters.
I sigh… My senses pick up the subtlest flare of ki as the door before me slowly opens. I turn to the side, just as a body fly's past where I just was and continues to roll as it hits the ground before coming to a complete stop. With the door open my eyes land on my instructor. His stance with his fist outstretched a small smile on his lips. I step in, his eyes taking note of me, but before I could even speak a short green man jumps to his side.
"You really did improve Aspa." The green man says, putting me through a loop. Was that his name? Aspa? My instructor gives me a wry smile, while the green man notices me, his eyes looking between us. "You know her?" A silence ensues as I feel eyes fall on me, a table full of grizzled veterans and older folk measure me up. They look calm, but I can feel the tension in their frames, the glints, and the all too familiar spark of something my instructor held.
I took a step forward, enjoying the way they twitched, curious as to who they were. My instructor gave me an odd look, but not providing the answer, instead waiting to let me speak.
"I know him, he's my in-…" I was about to say instructor… It was usual, normal even, but… I was just considering him as family, and my mind flashed back to me and Docs many sessions…
"Why do you call him instructor?"
"Because he teaches me, obviously."
"But an instructor is temporary. A paid employee you meet once or twice a week. Someone that isn't paid to care for you, nor you care about. Why not call him something else? Teacher? Master? Sensei?"
The question had me fidgeting.
"You clearly think of him as a father figure, that much is obvious, but why the separation?"
"A master is for life…" Like a father, a parent, but I left that out. She caught it though.
"And is that wrong? Your sessions are more than training, instead often touching on the philosophical. Like a father guiding his child. He leads you to the answers but doesn't give them to you. Instead letting you figure them out for yourself." And… in a way she was right. Since our initial spar, and many others, our sessions have become simpler in a way.
We would stand across from each other, chatting and talking as we lashed out with our unempowered fists. Letting our bodies move for us as we talked. He would often ask hard questions, questions that made me stop to think. Such moments of distraction were lethal in a fight, but we would continue. Letting our fists and arms block and hit. Our bodies were moving whilst our minds were distracted.
Often, I'd slip up. I'd get into the rhythm only to be caught off guard by a random question. Only to fall behind. Martial arts were about mastering yourself, he often said. Because if you can't even control your ship, how can you navigate the depths of space?
Since I had unlocked his ki, the man had developed an almost sixth sense. His ability to dodge and block got more absurd as the days went by. It was like, if fate was a river dragging us down, he was moving with it. Borrowing its force, moving with it to dodge and block. He still made mistakes, but his years of practice helped him catch back up when he fails to immerse himself in that strange state.
That state where it is not his mind that moves him, nor he that moves his body, but that his body moves all on its own. There was something to that state that both insulted me and made me envious. The power I felt from him when he worked with the universe was astonishing, but… It wasn't my way. Even the thought of merging with the thing I hated with every fiber of my being, the idea of conforming to fate, working with it. It set me aflame so to speak.
I was not going to disparage my master for his power, he was him, and I was me. His way was not my way, and this he confirmed. Pushing me to find my own way. "Each person has a key, and for each person it unlocks something different. No one key can work for everyone. And the treasure one may find, inside is different for everyone, but it is always precious to holder of the key."
Which made me think, realize just how important he was to me. Not just as a teacher, but something else. A guide… A parent?
"Rettas?" He asked, confused, worry in his gaze as I blanked out. That concern in his eyes and soul flooding me, burning me, scorching me. I was afraid, that's what it was. Afraid to have someone so close to me. Gran was a friend, but not a close friend. Fera could be a friend, but it depended on our next meeting. Instructor though… If I did acknowledge him as my master, my father… If he were to betray me, would I remain the same?
Could I even handle such a betrayal?
My heart was fragile. Far more fragile than I'd like to admit. The very idea of him trying to harm me, to twist what we had, sent twisting jerks to my heart. Just the idea almost cracking it, but… I was Rettas. A future Super Saiyan. I couldn't fear what would happen, for that was how one stayed in the dark.
No… I couldn't keep holding myself back. I'd already called him master in my mind. Regarded him as a father in real life. I couldn't back off due to fear or my own hangups. If he were to shatter my heart. I would piece it back together. Piece by piece if I had too.
With such a thought, I felt something change. A part of me I had denied. Pushed down come to the fore. It was mild, but I could see him notice it. Those with him eyeing me in wonder.
"Sorry, just in thought." I said with an easy smile and turned to my instructor, my master, my father. I bowed. "Greetings master." I said, the bow more to hide my blush and fearful gaze. I heard the sound of someone spitting water. A curse as I saw someone in my peripheral vision get sprayed. Sighs and cries of astonishment came from the table of veterans.
And I looked up after a moment of silence to see my master frozen. His eyes slightly wide, a burgeoning feeling inside him blooming and filling in with a clack. His ki surged and roiled before settling, near imperceptible, but every veteran noticed. Their eyes locked on him.
I could tell. My words had reached him. No, my resolve had bridged a gap. Some part of him becomes whole.
"You just broke through, didn't you? Is this the disciple you were talking about? The monstrous talent that helped you? If you gathered us together to gloat, just know that not all of us are family-less weirdoes like you."
The green man said as I felt a wave of dejection flow through them. My master grinned. That grin felt decades younger. Filled with pride and joy. "Ah, no. to be honest, she was the one that helped me awaken."
They blinked confused. "If you mean that you broke through while training her, then I don't know how that helps us." I caught his glance, my ki flaring out. A glass shattered as eyes looked to me wide in astonishment... The green man's eyes wide. Taking up near half his face.
"Well, fuck me…" He said and trailed off.
I looked at my master, his wide smirk and that glint in his eyes showing his pride and mirth. "I gathered you here, because my student can awaken your ki. I only ask you to help her on her climb to the top, no more, no less. And Rettas, these are old friends of mine, colleagues if you will from my younger days."
They were silent as I greeted them politely, but not overly familiar. Soon enough I was sitting amongst them, they offered a drink, which I took and food, Which I didn't. We talked. Well, they talked I listened. They went around telling their stories, how they met my master, why they were here, and so on.
I didn't really care. They were all former rivals or sparring buddies of my master. All of them sharing the same chip on their shoulder regarding their schools or whatever else. Why they had bothered to show up had to do with not only the promise of helping them to the next step, but because my master was the only one that ever did right by them.
One fellow, the one that kept spitting up his ale to the annoyance of those opposite of him explained it best.
"I learned more in a single spar with Aspa than countless sermons from the so-called experts. It's like they tried their hardest to make the lessons as abstruse as possible."
Apparently, he was also the only one to keep in contact with them when they inevitably failed the climb in their school. Their stories tended to revolve around the usual revenge stories, primarily showing up those that kicked them out or beating down the schmuck that showed them up… Now that I think about it, these guys sound like the typical young masters or prodigies that lost to a protagonist in a cultivation novel, except they survived.
I imagine, or rather I was certain that the only reason they shared their stories was to check my response. They wanted to make sure I wasn't an idiot or would try to stop them from doing whatever it is they wanted to do. Which I didn't care. Which meant inevitably the real question came up.
"Can you awaken them like me?" My master asked, slightly concerned. I didn't even need to look at them closely to see the vitality in their frames. They, like my own master, only needed the faintest of pushes to unlock their energy.
"Easily, but it could take a while for them to acclimate once I awaken them."
He nods and looks to the gathered group. "So? Interested in joining our crew?"
They looked at each other and shrugged. "We'll be willing to give it a go." I wasn't sure if that was good, but the smile on my master's face told me it was.
"Is that all, master." The words still felt odd, tingly even. Like a shared secret between him and me. I suppose hearing his first name made it easier for me to accept him as my master. Not just because his name loosely follows Saiyan culture, but… Just the idea that he has a name, friends. I was afraid of making connections, but Rettas can't fear progress or growth. Not if I want to stand at the very top.
"That should be it, unless you had something?"
"I do. I just received a job." I related the details I received, with Doc helping me fill in the blanks. The new recruits looked at me in shock.
"Honestly, it would help if you could fly by then." He nods and replies.
"I'll have it figured out by then and have these guys ready."
"Does that mean your good with the job?"
"So long as you're fine with it, I don't see why not. I'm in, and I'm sure they'll be when you awaken them." They nod, their faces hard.
"Good, remind me when we get back to the ship and I'll do so." I stand to leave and find the helmsman.
"Right, where is the helmsman?"
"Check the hangars, he said he was going to buy some ships."
I nodded and left my master to catch up with his old friends and rivals.