A familiar place. A dark room where only the silhouettes of figures could be seen seated at a round table. Each was silent. Until one spoke.
"It has begun. The Saiyan has begun the battle against your experiment Doctor."
"Good, I look forward to seeing the data when the dust settles."
"Are you certain though? That thing is fairly strong. Was it worth it to send it against Her?"
"The Saiyan is an interesting specimen. I managed to swipe some of Dr. Cambridges work, but she was too cautious. Most of the data I received has been altered in such a way that even I have problems."
"She truly was a genius." One of the figures laments. Another figure seethes though.
"Are we truly letting such a villain go!? She deserves to be locked away and for the key to be thrown into a sun!"
The Doctor chuckles.
"It would be far too much a waste to simply kill her or imprison her at this point Abyss."
"A waste!? The woman depopulated a planet surface! She has countless lives on her hands! Letting her live another day is a disgrace!" Abyss argued back.
A figure snorts, "You merely want to jail her in your prison so that you may feed off her like a parasite." Their derisive tone made it clear what they thought of Abyss, their colleague. Abyss prepared to argue back, but the center figure opened their eyes and spoke.
"Enough. From what we've gathered she represents a danger we have not anticipated. Whether her words are true or not remains the question. If she is part of a bigger species, then we need to understand what a Saiyan is truly capable of before dispatching her. After all, we are already dealing with a potential invasion in the near future, and we need to know if the Saiyan race will be involved."
"It's true then?"
"Yes. She does not originate from our universe. Instead, she came in from the outside."
A hush falls over the group.
"Do the gates hold?" A figure asks.
"They do." The central figure replies. "But we have no idea how she bypassed them. It may give us an answer as to how the future invasion intends to attack, if we can figure how she did."
The figures nodded solemnly.
"But, to let her run free!"
"I understand Abyss, but as of now she is hardly a threat. Rather, I am more curious as to why it took so long for your experiment to awaken, Doctor."
The Doctor shrugged.
"I imagine our spies ran into a bit of trouble. Likely dealing with the petty theft she committed against the passengers."
"Oh?" A video plays. The whole cabal watching.
"She's mad." One says as they watch.
"No, she's like a predator playing with her prey."
Abyss stared silently. Nobody knew what he was thinking until he spoke.
"Doctor… can your creature kill her?"
The Doctor laughed.
"I have no idea! Saiyan's are in no way a natural race. They have to had been engineered. Their bodies are too perfect for fighting! Even with the cells I managed to replicate and implant I've found considerable difficulty making them graft properly. But even then, I have no idea. I look forward to seeing the data regardless."
The figures leaned in.
"But Dr. Cambridge managed it, did she not?"
"Yes, but once bitten twice shy. She had taken to hiding her data after my last intrusion attempt. A true genius only held back by her lack of clearance. Even I admit her creation was a true marvel but a step from perfection. Only, the Saiyan cells she implanted into it were far more unstable than she nor I could have anticipated. The moment she had injected them into her creation was the moment it was doomed for death. Much like my own."
"As fascinating as that is Doctor, just what is the point?"
"I need data is the point. I have the data from her fight against Dr. Cambridges creation. With this creature and perhaps one more test I can properly gauge how fast she is gaining in power."
"How did she even kill Dr. Cambridges creature? Was it that flawed?"
"No, rather… Interestingly enough Saiyan's can transform. The method is very similar to werewolf-ism. Which is a rapid degeneration and regeneration of cells. When she transformed it accelerated the cell damage and replication of the Saiyan cells within Bailey's creature as it attempted to match her. This, interestingly enough managed to damage its ability to generate near infinite vitality.
Firstly, I hope to gain combat data. Secondly, I wish to get access to her flesh and blood for further research. As of yet we aren't fully aware of what a Saiyan can do for us to dedicate any real effort to mass production."
Silence fell over the cabal. But once more Abyss spoke.
"Then, when that's done, we can bring judgement to her?"
This time, the central figure responded.
"Indeed. A sinner such as her, so steeped in blood has no place in our universe."
A silent confirmation followed as heads bowed as they settled in and watched.
…
Some time before the creatures woke up inside the ship. A pair walked posh hallways with thick carpets and hanging chandeliers. The ship was far too big for everyone to search in force. Instead, they broke into teams of two's and three's. This pair though, was a familiar pair.
"To think we'd be paired up, eh Zi?"
The man who held a crush on the blade wielding pirate. The newbies who discovered something for themselves.
"It's not unthinkable. Boarder knew we knew each other."
"I mean, I can't believe me, and my friend were not paired together, you know?"
She stops in front of one of countless doors and turns.
"Is my company unsettling to you?"
"Ah, no! It's just…" He felt like he'd just thrust his foot into his own mouth.
"Just?"
"Well, I… Nevermind." She stared at him for a good minute before continuing forward. The door opened for them despite not having a keycard.
"Thanks Doc." The man whispered to the air. Zi paused. "Think she can hear us?" She asked.
"Definitely. She's already in the systems."
"I find that disturbing. But, inside a sect you're always under the scrutiny of someone. I'd just prefer if she was a bit more obvious with her observations."
"Mm... Personally, I'd prefer her to stay as she is. I don't need to know if someone's watching me on the toilet."
His words forced out a stifled laugh from Zi.
"I had not considered that."
They searched the room over before declaring it safe and continuing on. Doc could sweep them visually, but certain areas were marked out as she couldn't access them as she was. Meaning foot patrols were needed. Room to room they moved. Until Zi spoke.
"How do you think the Captain's doing?"
"Not sure, I mean, my friend was assigned to the auditorium, want me to ask?"
Zi takes a moment to answer. "Sure, I am fairly curious if she killed anyone yet."
"You think she would?"
"I imagine those rich idiots wouldn't notice the lion in the room with them and heckle her until she bites."
"I hope not. I'd hate to imagine getting a target on my back." The man mumbles.
"We're wearing masks. I highly doubt they can get our identities if it does happen."
"Still, if our fleet became wanted it may become an issue."
"Would you leave then?"
The man fell silent as they moved.
"Would you?" He asks in turn.
"No. Here, I have a chance to become a true cultivator. To grasp power. I wouldn't leave this, not even if our captain led us into a sun."
The man thought, chewing his thoughts before wording them.
"Why exactly do you want power so bad? Isn't what we have enough? I mean, shooting lasers and flying with my hands is amazing enough, right?"
Zi didn't pause as they searched the next room. She took her time, only responding as they left.
"I was born on a sect world. Sect worlds are worlds where sects are established, if you didn't know."
"Seems fairly straightforward I think."
"Good. Now, most worlds where Sects are built are inhospitable or exceedingly dangerous. Which is why nobody claims them or bothers with them. On a sect world, power is all that matters. Anyone affiliated with the sect can do anything to anyone outside the sect with no repercussions. Same with outer disciples and inner disciples. The higher up the totem pole of power you get the less consequences you face when you commit crimes."
She let that hang in the air, clearing up two more rooms before continuing. Wisely, the man stayed shut listening intently.
"When I was young, my mother was taken as a cauldron. I never saw her again. My father attempted to get her back. He was extinguished. His body and soul were wiped from existence. Which left me all alone. I trained and hid until I was old enough to go for the exams… And well, you know what happened roughly."
"I remember, you crossed an inner disciple and were failed."
"Yes. By luck, or perhaps the weavings of fate. I managed to get on a ship and drift my way through the systems using my martial arts to earn money, at least until I heard the recruitment call. Was it chance? Fate? I didn't know. I only know that I now have a chance at power. A chance to avenge my family. To end the sect that killed them."
The man stayed silent as they finished their final room.
"If you need help, I'd be willing to help. No, in fact I want to help."
Zi paused, turning to give him a look.
"In fact, I…"
"Your words, I will take them to heart. But first, I believe we have a more challenging task ahead of us."
The mans snapped his mouth shut before looking behind her. An open door, leading to a staircase.
"Ah, the hold then?"
"Yes, and I would prefer us be alert when we get down there."
Mildly annoyed, yet relieved the man agrees. "That's fine then." He says with a sigh.
They went down the stairs slowly, but not before Zi spoke up.
"By the way, how is it going with the hostages?"
"Ah, I forgot to ask. Give me a moment…" What he gets in response is too strange. When he relays what's currently happening and what happened she laughs.
"Truly killing the chicken to scare the monkeys. Mm… If possible, I would love to get personal instruction from her. Especially with how Teacher praises her near constantly."
The man found himself at a loss, but also astonished. Astonished because he had assumed, even bet that she would go on a minor rampage. Which is why he was so worried. Still, despite losing money he smiled to himself. At least he didn't need to worry about a target on their back yet.
Once they made it down to the hold though. The air grew thick.
"Somethings here."
Zi said. With a pulse of his ki he sensed returning pulses of his fellows, each of them waiting at the base of the stairs to move as one. With that single pulse they all moved with purpose. Stepping into the storage bay. The more they moved around though, the more it seemed eerily familiar though.
"Hey, Zi."
She didn't reply, but he noticed her head cock slightly. A sign that she was listening. "Doesn't this look similar to the videos we were shown from the tanker salvage mission?"
She pauses at that. Our eyes looked to all the large storage containers. The containers themselves weren't too odd, but… Why were there so many?
"I think… Are we even checking them?"
"No… In fact, the plan was to first see if there was anything obvious before opening the containers."
We didn't want to damage too much in case the owners of the cruise line decided to put a bounty on our heads or something. A kind of balancing act was in play, but I couldn't help but think something was off.
"Normally I'd say you're being paranoid, but your instincts are fairly sharp. I think we should check some of the containers on the outskirts."
"I agree with that." He replies after a moment. The pair walked a bit back, but not before pulsing their ki once more and alerting the other crews over the comm. The scanners weren't picking much either, but something was gnawing at his gut.
When they get to the outer portion they faced a container, Zi takes a moment to cover her blade in ki before swiping down. Instinct kicks in as the man grabs her pulls her back. Just as a creature breaks through the door, scrabbling on the ground. The whole ship then shakes as countless things wake up, tearing their way out of the containers with sharp steel rending claws.
"Ah, fuck…" He says as the life signals began beeping all over. Crews go dark as the creature's tear into them and rip them apart. His first impression of the creatures is unsettling. Instinctively he knows guns won't work. When the creature leaps forward Zi shoves the man back and cuts the thing in half with a ki empowered blade. It looked easy, but he could see the caution in her form.
"These things are Ki resistant." Her words prove true when he blasts out with a ki blast that impacts a creature, flinging it into more of their kind. Only for it to stand back uninjured. The two don't need to confirm with words as they bolt back, running for the stairs. Especially as the ship shakes and a massive ki signature wakes near the center. Banging and smashing through containers and pulping its own kind.
They run, the man blasting back beasts with his ki to buy them space, Zi cutting through them with precise cuts as they run. It was sad, but the crew on the ship were essentially immune to standard weapons. Their power levels being so high that they can essentially tank bullets or beams with minor bruises or slight burns to show for it. Not to mention the skinsuits being surprisingly sturdy on top of it, being able to stop most blades with ease.
These things though, cut through his suit with ease leaving a gash on his arm. Even the scanner struggled to gauge their power levels as they fluctuated madly. The pair made it to the stairs, both accruing cuts and strikes. Zi, making a quick decision cut out with a powerful side blow that left her wide open. The man already prepared to back her up only to freeze as a massive maw burst forth from the darkness. Slamming up the stairs and everything between it and her.
Time seemed to slow to a stop as the creature closed on Zi. His mouth was unable to move. His body frozen in fear. A familiar terror taking hold as he watched the woman, he liked, face her inevitable end… He didn't cry out, in fact, he too remembered a feeling similar to what Zi mentioned. The loss of a family. Being unable to do anything. Except, he had accepted that as a fact. Just as he began to accept that Zi would die too.
In that moment he came to accept the inevitable all over again. A memory came to mind, as he saw the maw closing in. He felt a jolt. Words of his Pa. Before that inevitable day.
"Why is it bad things happen?" He had asked, but as always, he never expected a reply.
"Cuz, nobody does anything." He had replied to his shock. His voice tired, resigned and yet… Why did he pick up his rifle. Why did he walk out the door?
No, perhaps he understood a little too well why. Because nobody tried to fight back. Because they simply accepted what was happening. That was why it got so bad. So bad that finally they couldn't take it anymore.
At that moment, he made a decision. Even if it was pointless, even if it was a waste. He brought his hands forward, Blasting everything he had at the creature. Emptying everything he had in a single burst as he yelled. He couldn't just let her die. Not like this. Not now!
It didn't do much, the ki slammed into the maw, very slightly diverting it's bite. Just enough that Zi was able to avoid being bitten in half or losing a limb. The thing crawled out of the hole. He couldn't quite describe what he was seeing. His mind wouldn't let him wrap around it as he readied himself once more.
It crawled forward.
"ZI!" I cried out. She readied her blade. And she didn't need to speak, but I felt it in the air. We couldn't run. We would fight or die trying. I used everything I had. The ki managing to hem the thing in only barely as Zi swiped away at the thing. It was hopeless, yet… all we could do was slow it down. A mistake would be made. My ki ran empty as I let it all out. Exhaustion taking hold and I felt ready to give more than I could.
The creature swiped out, Zi barely managed to block the blow and launched back. And, faced with imminent death, I didn't feel fear. Resignation or anything. If anything… I felt like I finally understood.
I Couldn't keep running. Just as the creature loomed over us. Zi and I, side by side. A loud crash echoed out. The distant booms of something breaking and before we could figure out what it all meant. She came.
Smashing through the walls, she came. No cape, clad in her white skinsuit, armor, boots and gloves. Smashing through the walls at a speed he barely caught, slamming into the thing with the force of a ship on a crash course. The thing crashed back. She looked us over, her eyes like a predator, but I didn't feel fear as I felt that familiar pressure, but safety. Zi fell to the ground panting. Even I fell to my knees as the tension fled away. Relief flooding in.
The realization that, neither of us were going to die today.
"C-captain!" I say with exhaustion and a newfound respect, no, a budding fanaticism.
"We've got an infestation. Get back to the ship."
""YES!"" We both announced with the same fervor. Neither of us are keen to face that thing again. Or its fellow kin. I leapt forward to help Zi as she tried to walk. Her form shaking and shuddering. She had expended more energy than I had, but surprisingly she didn't brush me off.
"A little after entertainment brawl sounds perfect." I could hear crackling coming from her as she stretched. Her words, the calmness in her voice, the casual nature of it all. It reminded me of him, my Pa in a way. The man who always seemed to come in and resolve issues with that calm all-knowing look. That firm stance conveyed supreme confidence. Shoulders that could bear the entire world's weight upon them with casual ease. It was something I forgot about, something that had been overwritten. Especially with how different he had been since they came. How broken he had seemed until that day he finally stood up.
"She's really something isn't she?" Her voice shook, but I could hear the growing heat in her voice.
"Definitely." I replied as that very same fervor infected my own trembling voice. Was it fear, or excitement that had me trembling? A loud growl echoed behind us as we ran, not even turning our backs. Knowing fully well that our Captain would kill that thing, that she would lead us to safety. Instead, we focused on what we could, getting back to the ship.