Second Life

Chapter 32

More Unfinished Business

Bardock slept deeply for the rest of the night and woke refreshed and strangely healed considering the battle he’d just taken part of. He examined his arms where there should have been healing scrapes from being slammed it to ground and burns from Ki blasts, but there was nothing.

He felt completely healed and stronger than ever. He searched out his senses to Turles, his power had increased as well but not by much. That was good, with this new boost Bardock was close to catching up to him.

Bardock rose and headed in the direction he sensed his nephew in. he found him quickly, in some sort of medical room. Turles was in a healing sleep, his wounds having been wrapped and treated by the grateful Kanassan people. He was not badly injured, but King Koda insisted his wounds be cared for before they left. At the time Bardock had not thought about the same concern not being extended to him.

“Bardock, I see you are doing well this morning,” said Koda as walked in he was smiling graciously and much too happily for how early it was.

“Your planet healed me,” stated Bardock in response.

“Yes, she insisted on doing so herself,” confirmed Koda.

“Well I suppose I should thank it, I mean her,” said Bardock

Koda smiled in response. “You are welcome to stay longer if you like, Horit would more than welcome you,”

“Ugh, no way, I’m staying on this boring planet,” spat out Turles as he woke. He shook his head to clear away the sleep and leapt from the table he was on. He began undoing his bandages tossing them carelessly to the floor.

“Your wounds are not fully healed,” cautioned Koda. Turles rolled his eyes in response. “I’m a saiyan; I can take a few cuts and bruises, like I told you the first time,”

King Koda looked like he wanted to argue but he seemed to have internally decided against it.

“Uncle, I think-,” started Turles

“We’re not going near Kopoli,” interrupted Bardock

“I wasn’t suggesting, never mind that, I was going to say we should explore the Triad’s territory. There are bound to be battles, wars, and of course prizes to be claimed,” said Turles with a glimmer of greed.

“Hm, that’s a good idea, hopefully they didn’t bring their strongest to that moon,” agreed Bardock

“Will you be requiring any more supplies? All you need do is ask,” injected Koda

“How about breakfast?” said Turles with a commanding tone.

“Of course, it is ready whenever you are, please follow me,” said Koda as he swept gracefully from the room. Turles followed him muttering and Bardock followed him, still trying to shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.

As Koda had said breakfast had been laid out in the dining room they’d been shown when they arrived. Koda’s people were apparently vegetarian, but the vegetation was different to what either Bardock or Turles was used to so it was still a good experience, they certainly weren’t going to turn down freely given food.

“Under Freeza I was force fed a strict diet of meat and fish. I nearly starved but eventually I learned to tolerate it. I even crave it from time to time but I am firm in my resolve to ignore this taint that monster imposed on me,” said Koda on the subject when asked

“Taint? It’s just meat,” snorted Turles

“It is not our way to harm the wildlife of Horit, to do so is to spit in her face when she already provides bountiful harvests for us. I must uphold the values of my people or else I cannot lead them,” said Koda. Turles snorted derisively, but said nothing else.

After breakfast they readied to leave. Their supplies were refilled and the ship was refueled. There was a small group at the landing deck seeing them off, including King Koda and some of his closest advisors. Bardock’s feeling of unease was stronger now than ever he couldn’t leave but he didn’t know why. Was Planet Horit attempting to keep him here indefinitely or was something else coming? Where was Toolo when he actually needed advice?

Despite his unease Bardock boarded the ship. They were headed to Triad Central, a planet formerly known as Freeza 1, and before that who knows. As rumor had it Freeza had been gift the planet by his father as a young conqueror. The entire planet had been a lush palace with everything a young Freeza could want. Needless to say he had soon grown bored of it and move on to bigger and better things. The planet had lain mostly abandoned until the Triad had settled there and it lay in the very heart of the former Cold Empire.

The journey would take them almost, three months away from Planet Horit, and nearly four away from Earth and Bardock swore to himself right then that no matter what happened on this leg of their quest their next destination afterwards was going to be Earth.

Bardock watched Horit fade from view, the unease growing only stronger. He and Turles spared for a bit, they tore into some of their supplies, and Turles went to fiddle with something or other that Bardock couldn’t focus on because his mind was still back on Horit. He programed the autopilot and turned in for the night.

Acrose stood in the smoke, cackling like a mad hound.

“This is how we’ll end this saiyan!” he was screaming. His raised voice brought into focus the other screams, the cries of fear and panic the filled the background. He raised his left hand with was curled around King Koda’s throat. Acrose’s fingers were already red with the blood that flowed from where his nails pierced the king’s neck. The young ruler did not look upset or fearful, he seemed to accept his fate.

Bardock woke in a cold sweat. He tore out of his room and into the control room. He was turning the ship around before he realized they were already there. Horit was in full view and she looked relieved to see them.