Legend

Chapter warning: Nada! It begins...

Disclaimer: see Prologue

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Legend: Betrayal

As we suspected, our arrival had not gone undetected — alarms are
clanging all over the ship and the hard tromp tromp of running boots are
approaching rapidly.

The three of us fly down the corridor as the sounds of ki blasts echo
from the surrounding areas — Torma, Koro, Yuji and Shinji blasting
their ways toward their objectives.

“Kakarotto!” Vejita screams. “I’ll take the bridge.
You find the core. Nashika with me.”

The general freezes for a nanosecond, then the three of us are busy taking
out rows of storm troopers as they advance.

“Sire...” he begins.

“Right behind you, sire!” I cry quickly, touching Kakarotto’s
arm.

We take to the air, streaking over the bodies to our objectives.

As Kakarotto’s eyes lock with mine, it’s my turn to wink and
grin, then we part, the prince and I toward the bridge.

It’s almost time.


*********


(Kakarotto)

I’m not afraid for her anymore, but I don’t know what she has
planned. I only know that the time for confrontation is at hand. Vejita’s
only objective is her destruction — this attack on the death star
is merely the tool.

I power to my fullest and fly unhindered through the ship toward the core
as dozens of soldiers fire lasers. Their beams merely bounce off my ki,
and one good ball of energy bowls them over.

The core is straight ahead, a ten-story tall pulsing blue orb of plasma,
and I transmit in front of it, setting up a shield of ki around me. The
engineers are screaming, soldiers are firing. I point one finger toward
the core and begin the controlled finger of ki that will slowly eat through
the plasma and disintegrate it from within. We only need time to exit
before it explodes.

I begin my invasion of the core and then everything goes black.


**********

(Nashika)

It’s too easy. The soldiers are weak and too easily defeated. On
a ship this large, there must be more guards and greater power levels
than we’ve encountered. The prince is flushed with excitement as
we deliver the bad to to one row of men after another — ki blasts
taking them out quickly and efficiently.

Then we’re at the bridge. A cloaked and hooded figure stands with
his back to us, staring at a huge screen. I pull up short with a gasp,
not believing what I see. On the screen, I see Kakarotto crumple to the
floor as another black-cloaked figure slashes through the general’s
ki shield with ease using power from his own fingertips.

My head turns as if in a dream, in slow motion. I see Vejita’s smirking
face and the ghostly visage of the cloaked man as they lauThe The specter
raises his hand and lightning crackles from his fingertips, power like
I’ve never seen before. The energy hits me full in the chest.

“Vejita —”


*********


I awaken slowly to the touch of a hand on my face. His finger traces
my features, and as I begin to focus, I see Vejita’s face swim before
me. I’m bound by energy ropes to the wall and my arms and legs are
numb. We’re alone.

“You don’t think I know who you are?” he says, his
voice soft and dangerous as he strokes my face. “I do, my dear sister.
The eldest and heir to the throne.” He sighs. “I can’t
let you live.”

“Then why didn’t you just kill me?”

He laughs. “And ruin my fun? No. I want Kakarotto to see this, Nashika.
I want him to know about your betrayal.”

“I haven’t betrayed anyone. But you have, you pig.” I take
pleasure in spitting in his face, and wait for the blow, but he simply
wipes it off and laughs. I want to know what he plans to do, but I won’t
give him the satisfaction.

“Where are the others?”

“Oh, they’re dead. Dispensible.”

The anger in me builds as I think of Yuji paring his nails. I want to
kill the bastard, but the time isn’t right and these new circumstances
plicplicate things beyond my imagination. I want to keep him talking while
my strength returns.

“How did you know?”

“I’ve always known,” he says and leans against the wall,
folding his arms across his chest, one foot crossed over the other. “Did
you know my father looked for your mother? Do you think he was just going
to let her disappear? I found letters. They corresponded, you know. Oh,
she didn’t tell you that! But my mother found out, and father hid
you.”

The prince’s teeth clench and he visibly controls his rage. “He
loved her — and you! At least your mother had the good sense to disappear,
but not you — you had to come back and try to claim what should be
mine and MINE ALONE!”

He moves so fast that I can’t follow, reappearing in front of me
to put one hand around my throat. He squeezes hard.

“I’d kill you now but I want Kakarotto to see this,” he
hisses and releases me. I gasp for air.

“You’re not worth my time,” he snarls, and walks out.

Thank Kami he’s gone! I move my fingers and toes and feeling is coming
back. Raising my ki just enough to stretch my bonds, I lean against them
and let my body rest. I’ll let the prince play this out his way.

But his hours are numbered.


*********

(Kakarotto)

He has betrayed us, making an unholy alliance with these people, thinking
that by making the alliance, they’ll leave Vejita-sei alone. He couldn’t
be more wrong.

And still he wants me as his mate. There’s insanity in his eyes,
a crazed look, like he’s possessed. I swallow my pride and disgust,
remembering how much I cared for him, and when he insists on taking me
to his bed, I comply. My ability as an actor improves dramatically those
few hours, and imagining Nashika in his place helps. I hold him off on
the bonding by making love to him until he falls asleep exhausted.

I lay in my prison room and try to feel her, sending out a low pulse of
energy that’s answered. I smile in the darkness. There’s laughter
in her energy. Soon, I fall asleep.


**********

(Nashika)

Vejita takes us both bound to the bridge. Binding us can’t hold us,
but the sheer power of those cloaked figures terrifies me. The smug Saiya-jin
pirince stands side-by-side with those dark silent figures. He’s
enjoying seeing us bound and under his thumb. Keep smiling, Vejita. Your
time is about up.

Kakarotto is enraged and his self-control is slipping. I close my eyes
and try to reassure him, but I hear dark laughter from the trio and know
that it’s useless.

“Are we going to finish this taiyaaiya-jin way, Vejita,” I say,
“or are you going to let your new friends do the dirty work?”

“It doesn’t matter to me how you die.”

“Of course not. Like the coward you are. You’ve been hiding
behind your daddy so long you don’t even know how to fight anymore.
Might as well hide behind your new friends.”

“Shut up!”

I smile to myself. It’s so easy to bait you, Vejita! “I’m
sure they won’t mind if we have a little sparring session. What harm
is there in that?”

“I wouldn’t waste my time.”

“Oh?” The time has come. I raise my energy level higher and
see the dark figures startle into response. Vejita holds his hand up,
but he’s staring at me.

“Are you afraid of me?” I whisper.

I raise my ki higher and strain against my bonds, bursting them immediately.
I’m gratified to see Vejita tremble. I hear a chuckle behind me,
and Kakarotto is laughing quietly. He calmly bursts his bonds and stands
back with his arms folded.

I raise my hand, palm up and crook my fingers twice.

“This is as good a time and place as any,” I say, squaring off.

Vejita powers up, enraged. “Emporer,” he says. “Don’t
interfere.” And he launches himself at me.

continued...