Legend of the Moon Queen, chapter 8

Chapter 8, The Forsaken

Following the small saiyan, Usagi and her friends walked slowly towards the Medical center.

"I knew it was in this direction! I was right! Rei, I was right! You owe me apologies." Usagi grinned at her friend.

"Humph... I'm so tired I might apologize only to shut you up!" The young Miko replied, while grimacing in pain. "I can't understand how you can be so lively with all the wounds we suffered."

"Actually I feel kind of better. Don't know why." Usagi told her trying to put more weight on the wounded foot. "Ouch! It still hurts..."

"The Attack Ball's cold sleep system releases a long lasting pain killer in wounded pilots. The effects subside in two or three hours, and are stronger after the cold sleep drugs wear off completely. Usually an hour after landing." Tarble explained them smiling.

"You seem well informed, Tarble." Ami smiled back at him, curious about the strange saiyan.

"I have studied the Attack Ball's user manual. It is quite informative. I can upload a copy in your datapad and... Oh sorry, you are probably not interested..." He whispered the last words blushing.

Makoto shook her head, tormenting her cheek wound. Minako, Rei and Usagi, looking at each other, were grinning waiting the inevitable reply.

"Actually I'm quite interested. However, I have no datapad at the moment. But if you can tell me where I can get one..." Ami jumped at the chance to learn something new.

"Really? You are... really interested in... studying?" He stammered bewildered. It was the first time in his young life a girl showed interest in anything other than training, missions and mating... He would have been interested in the latter... Yet no girl never ever considered him as a prospective mate. One once told him that, if the two of them would have been the only saiyans still alive, the species would have been effectively extinct. She was quite rude. He shuddered remembering her.

"Am I bothering you? Tarble? Tarble?" Ami asked politely at the boy who, lost in his thoughts, ignored her questions.

"Oh I'm sorry! Sorry, I was spacing out! Please tell me." Blushing tomato-red, Tarble tried to remedy his absentmindedness, but it was too late, they had arrived at the Medical center.

"Maybe later." She told him still smiling.

Entering the large chamber they met Malaka, the armory officer. He looked at them, studying their wounds. "Fifteen minutes of healing, tops. Undress and enter the capsules please." He told them dryly.

"Hello Malaka. Is Planthorr here?" Asked him Tarble.

"No my prince. It's his free day. I'm covering his turn." Replied the reptilian alien.

"I thought you were an armorer. Are you a medic too?" Asked him Ami.

Before the creature could reply all the girls save Ami gasped at the same time "My Prince? Tarble, are you really a prince?" Asked Usagi, speaking first.

Only then Ami understood the implications of the word. "Your highness! I'm s-so sorry! P-Please excuse my rudeness!" She stammered blushing.

Tarble smiled shyly, shaking his head. "I'm prince no more, Ami. My father disowned me, so no special titles are required. Not that I ever cared about them." Looking at Malaka he brought up his datapad.

"I was trying to make sense of these equations I found in the old Tsufuru scientific database. Planthorr was helping me understand them. Can you take a look?" He asked, sweating profusely embarrassed by the girl's gawking at him.

"I'm a bionic engineer, not a physicist. Ask Planthorr when he's back. Warrior, in the pods, hurry. I have other things to do." Malaka told them matter-of-factly.

The girls stood immobile, staring at Tarble. He looked back at them, not understanding the situation. "Yes?" He told them after a long embarrassing silence.

"Hem, Tarble..." Started Usagi. "We have to undress... can you please..."

"Oh, yes! I'll take your armor to repair, or replace them... they are quite ruined; you see these lines of fracture here? Please take them off so I can..."

"Tarble! Get off! You are not looking at us undressing, clear?" Barked Rei annoyed and at the same time amused by the young prince denseness. "He remembers me Usagi..." she thought while he ran out of the room scared.

"Rei-chan, saiyans have probably no nudity taboos. Do you remember what Nizuki said?" Ami told to her friend, while Minako and Usagi laughed out loud at Tarble's hasty retreat. Makoto ignored him, her face darkening.

"You find him funny? He's probably another soulless killer like the others..." She said, obviously angry.

"It is not the case." Malaka interrupted her, while preparing the machines. "Tarble hates fighting, and has rebelled more than once the King's orders to complete mission requiring 'population cleaning'. He is the weakest of the royal family though, so this can explain his reluctance. After his father disowned him, all the saiyans started to call him 'the forsaken prince'. No one likes him, except us technicians, that is. He is quite the sage. The only saiyan scientist known. Capsules ready, enter please!" He abruptly stopped the explanation, waving at them.

When Makoto was about to enter the capsule, the alien scientist stopped her. "That wound on your cheek. It is too deep, it will leave a scar. Just to warn you."

The girls gasped at the thought of their friend's face, scarred for life. Makoto shrugged. "I don't mind. I hate this body." She scoffed at the alien, entering the medical device.

The girls sighed, saddened by Makoto's black mood. Returning to their universe would give them their human bodies back and the scar would disappear, at least they hoped so. Following Makoto's example they entered the capsules.

While the green goo enveloped her, Usagi was thinking of what Malaka said about Tarble, and could not repress a smile. "I knew! They are not all born killers! Some of them had to be good people. Maybe he could help us."

Their bodies healed quickly, and by the time the machines opened again, they found new armors and undersuits on the floor. As Malaka said, Makoto's face was scarred. Yet, they hesitated to comfort her, wary of her reaction.

Speaking from out of the room, Tarble poked an arm inside, pointing at the equipment he fetched. "New armors there, hope they fits you. Oh, they will obviously fit! They are made of stretching material!"

"Remember, no peeping!" Rei warned him coldly waving her tail angrily.

"No peeping, madam!" He replied immediately, bringing a smile to all of them.

"Really, Tarble, you should not allow Rei to control you! She is always complaining!" Usagi chuckled making faces at the priestess.

"U...sa... giii...!" Rei growled menacingly at her, while Ami and Minako giggled.

"Don't mind them, Tarble; it is their way of expressing their friendship." Told him Ami, exiting the chamber. "Maybe I can help you with the equations, if I may..."

"Sure! Please take a look at them." Replied him giving her the datapad. Their hands barely touched, making them blush. Ami almost let the datapad fall down. "Uh, I'm sorry..."

"N-nothing. P-please go on!" He stammered shyly.

"They seem differential equations describing some sort of wave function, the boundary conditions are really complicated... Hum... It seems to be a dampening field meant to reduce the intensity of some "Blutz" wave under 17 million "zenos" of intensity. It makes sense to you?"

"Yes! It must be the main equation describing the working of the old Tsufuru Blutz Wave Dampers! You nailed it in less than a minute! In addition to being beautiful you are also a genius, Ami!" He said excited.

Ami blushed tomato-red, than she felt goose bumps all over her body. Acting mechanically she gave back him his datapad, and then walked away rigidly in a random direction.

"Uh oh! You told her the magic words! Makoto, Minako, catch her before she wanders away!" Usagi immediately asked her friends, knowing of Ami's vulnerability to such arguments.

"Really Tarble, you should avoid praising her beauty, Ami is very, very shy!" She told him laughing.

After their friend was retrieved, Usagi nodded at the others. "We should return at our quarters, but I can't recall where they are. And we cannot contact Nizuki, or she will definitely kill us this time."

Tarble, trying to avoid looking at the still red-faced Ami, raised a hand.

"Yes, Tarble?" Replied Minako. "He's like a child! How cute!" She thought looking at him.

"You can contact the control center from your scouter, using this command line. They will direct you to your quarters in no time." He showed them how to do it. "I'm returning to my studies, in the old Tsufuru science center. You can find me there if you need something." He told them hopeful.

Ami gasped, trying to speak without stammering. "I will come for sure! These equations are very interesting and I would love to see the science center!"

"I will wait you there, then!" waving at them "Until next time!" He said walking away.

After he was out of sight, Makoto sneered at Ami. "It seems you have a date Ami. He will invite you to dinner, to eat hot babkian steak probably!"

Ami's became white faced, and then started crying. "I'll never forget Ed's death! Why you bring this up now?" She asked full of sadness.

"Makoto! Apologize immediately!" Rei chided her tall friend. "How could you tell her that?"

Makoto's face softened. "Uh, I'm really sorry, Ami. I was a total jerk. But... I hate this place. I hate what they made us do. I want to hit them all until they cry... Even Tarble!"

Usagi placed her hands on the shoulders of the two friends. "We are still shocked. Tarble made us forget for an instant our plight. There is no shame in that. You heard Malaka. He is a good man. We should befriend him."

Rubbing away her tears, Ami looked at Makoto. "He works in the science center. I may find the equipment I need for the wormhole stabilizer there. He may even help me building it."

"I'm sorry Ami. I will never do it again." Makoto said, while hugging her.

"At last! We might be able to finally reach our lovely bunks!" Rei grinned.

"Oh yeah, the bunks! I forgot them!" Minako shuddered at the thought.

Less than an hour later they were in their quarters, enjoying a moment of rest.

"This is more comfortable than the last time we were here." Minako said while sprawling in her bunk.

"We are exhausted. We should get some sleep. Tomorrow morning we plan our escape from this madness." Yawned Usagi from her bed.

"You are unusually proactive, Usagi-chan. That's strange coming from you." Rei told her, raising her brow.

"I'm the same as usual, Rei-chan. I just want to return as soon as possible. I mean... this place has no shops, no TV, no karaoke, nothing at all! It's not funny! Even planet Nemesis was better, at least it had style!

"I know, right? They only train to fight... And eat. A lot. Hungrily. I mean... I'm hungry!" Minako's stomach awakened, growling at the mention of food.

"I think I'll throw up..." Ami said, hastily running in the toilet.

"Minako! Ami is still traumatized! Try not to mention food!" Rei barked at her friend.

"Yes, I'm sorry... I forgot... No... I mean I'm just trying not to think what we have done to them..." She sighed, trying not to cry.

They waited silently for their friend's return. When Ami was again in her bunk Usagi spoke again. "Remember what captain Maizen told us. While Ami builds her device, we must all train hard, to control this... oozaru. And to get stronger. I don't want kill anyone again, but if we must, I'd rather battle pirates and killers. Tomorrow morning we split up and search someone willing to teach us how to get stronger. Ami, you will go to Tarble's lab, try to get his help." Ami blushed, nodding.

"Makoto, you should avoid Nizuki. Do not pick unnecessary fights, OK?" Her friend sighed.

"I'll try." She replied.

"I will try to find Mamo... hem... Maizen. I may be able to convince him to train us. He seems pretty powerful, and kinder than that Nappa guy."

Rei worried about Usagi. Her slip when speaking the saiyan captain's name showed how much she missed her boyfriend. "Usagi... Remember, he's not..."

"I know. He's not Mamoru. I got it. I still can't understand how they can be so similar."

Ami had some insight on the matter. "He's probably this universe Mamoru. Same people, different lives. Maybe other versions of us live here, somewhere."

Rei shuddered at the thought. "Ugh, a Usagi for each universe... it's terrible!"

Usagi scoffed, pouting at her friend's remark. "It's full of Rei-chans too. But I'm not scared of this. I like Rei-chan even if she doesn't like me."

"Hem, girls, shouldn't we try to call Jean-san? If she's dead or missing, Ami's device will be pointless." Minako pointed out.

"Tomorrow morning. Too sleepy now. G'night." Was Usagi's reply.

Sighing they all went to sleep.

The following morning they marched together to the mess hall. They were starving. Once there they sat down at an unoccupied table, Makoto left them walking towards the kitchen. "I'll cook something. Wait a minute."

Once there, the tall girl searched for the big cook. Finding the pink alien near a gigantic soup pot, she waved at her. "Hi Boboghia! Do you remember me? I'm Makoto. I won the cooking duel two months ago."

Boboghia remembered well the humiliation she had to endure. Glaring at the saiyan girl with her porcine red eyes she replied. "Yes, I recall you. What do you want here, in my kitchen?"

"I'm only asking permission to use a cooking station and some supplies. Nothing you wouldn't have used anyway. I want to cook for me and my friends."

"Humph. Take that station. Supplies are there and there. You may cook, but I won't accept any more challenges, OK?"

"Thanks Boboghia. I will not give you any trouble, trust me." She bowed to the alien, walking towards the cooking station.

Losing herself in cooking always calmed the tall girl. In less than 15 minutes she conjured up an enormous meal, thanks to the advanced cooking devices of the station. "I could cook for a regiment, with this equipment." She thought marveling at the device's possibilities.

She wasn't aware of the other cooks staring at her trying to copy her recipes. Boboghia hated her all the more for this.

"Now, how can I bring all this food to my friend's table?" She asked one of the alien cooks.

"Press that button. The waiters will come to take it. Follow them to be sure they deliver it to the right table, or the other warriors will gobble it up in no time! By the way... How do you call these?" Replied the cook, pointing at one of the dishes.

"Thanks! I will do as you say! Hem… these are vegetable rolls with spiced meat filling. Fruit sandwiches with mixed sauces. Grilled meat and fried potato-like things. Boiled dumplings with you-know-what filling. Meat and vegetable skewers, and so on... Next time I will teach you, if you really want. Bye!" She waved at the cook, following the waiters who had just arrived.

When the food was on the table her friends cheered at the luscious breakfast. They immediately dived in, eating like there was no tomorrow. After a while they become aware of the hungry stares coming from the other tables.

"He, he, they envy us! Makoto you are the best!" Chirped Minako while throwing dumpling after dumpling in her bottomless stomach.

"They can all die of starvation, for what I care!" Makoto replied, looking at Ami, who was only fidgeting with her food.

Rei tried to reason with her. "Ami. You should try to eat something. Remember what you said to us. Saiyan bodies need a lot of nourishment to be well. I know it is difficult, but..."

"Don't use science with me. Please don't. I'm not hungry." Standing up she smiled weakly at them. "I'll go to the Tsufuru lab, to speak with Tarble. I will eat later. Excuse me." Then she walked away.

"Ami..." Rei tried to follow, but Usagi stopped her.

"Leave her be. She's smart. In time she will recover. Studying in Tarble's lab will be good for her, I'm sure of it." She smiled at Rei, understanding her plight.

"You always worry for all of us, Rei-chan. Sometimes however we need to overcome our problems on our own." She remembered when Galaxia stole Mamoru's star seed.

She never tried to contact him, unsure of his love for her. Never suspecting he was attacked, she despaired thinking he stopped loving her. "What an idiot I was... I did not trust his love for me." She thought bitterly. She had to overcome her feelings on her own, and this made her stronger.

"You have matured, Usagi-chan. The princess in you is showing." Rei sighed smiling. "I guess you are right. We'll leave her to her studies." She conceded.

Minako, having eaten her dumplings, took a serious face. "We should call Jean-san."

"Uh, you are right." Usagi forgot that. "Let's try... Uh... I'll call the central command and ask of her." The clumsy girl started punching commands in her scouter, failing to coax the device to work. After several minutes of quarreling with an annoyed central command operative she finally managed to obtain the code for the woman's scouter.

"Jean-san? Usagi here! Do you remember us? How are you?" She started telling her.

The runner's voice, coming from the scouter, was haggard and panting. "Uh, kiddo! Not the right time... Ouch!"

"You seem in pain! Do you need help? We can..."

"I'm training with Nappa! He thinks the best way for it is pummeling me to a pulp and then hoping for zenkai in the medical bay! Tell me quickly... he won't wait for long."

"Uh... that's terrible... But not as terrible as what happened us! You must speak with Ami as soon as possible. She had an idea. Here's her contact code."

"OK, I'll try to reach her if I survive this! He's coming again! Bye kiddo!" She broke contact.

"You heard that?" Usagi asked her friends.

"Y-yes..." Minako replied at her, horrified. "I hope the trainers are not all like him!"

Makoto was not of the same opinion. "Sounds feasible. I mean... saiyan bodies can take it, can they?"

"You despise them, then why you sound like one of them more and more each day?" Rei chided her.

The tall girl was annoyed by the comment. "If you don't like my opinions, then feel free to eat somewhere else!" She spat at her, immediately regretting it.

The proud priestess stood up. "Fine! If this if what you want. I'm going to search for something useful in this gods-forsaken fortress. We will meet this evening. Bye." Angrily she marched out of the mess hall.

Minako followed her. "I'm going to make sure she doesn't run into trouble. You know her... Laters!" She waved at them running after her friend.

Usagi, scooping up some more food, looked at Makoto. "You need to relax, Mako-chan. We are all stressed out."

The tall girl replied with a sad voice. "I know. But I cannot hide the disgust I feel for this body and what we did as well as you are. I simply cannot."

"I know. You were always the most honest and earnest of us all. But think this; what could have we done to avoid that?" She stood up, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"Absolutely nothing. We had no idea of what happens to saiyans during the full moon. Without training we had no control. I'm so sorry for them, I could die. But we have responsibilities. To our friends, family and our world. So we will go on. OK?"

Makoto nodded at her.

Usagi smiled than pointed at the exit. "I'll try to find Maizen. Will you come with me?"

Makoto shook her head. "No. I'll find some place to train and sweat this stress out. We'll meet again this evening."

"As you wish. Laters!" She walked away, waving at her.

"You seem to forget that in our world I have only you..." Makoto whispered to herself after she left the mess hall. "I'm this angry for what they did to you! I don't care for myself. Yet I managed to hurt you all... what an idiot I am!"

A strong voice interrupted her musings. "Yes, you are an idiot! You promised to cook for us; instead you made breakfast just for your squad!"

She turned around to find out who interrupted her, meeting the eyes of a tall saiyan warrior. She vaguely remembered him. He had a distinctive scar on his left cheek, unruly hair and rugged good looks.

"What do you want? Leave me alone!" She told him standing up.

He grabbed her chin with great strength. She tried to pry open his fingers, even kneeing him in the guts, without accomplishing anything. "This man is strong!" She thought in panic.

"That's a good scar you have, I like it! Look at that, Toma, Seripa! It's like mine!" Bardock called out two of his squad mates, twisting Makoto face to show them the scar.

"Let me go, you... barbarian!" She growled punching him without any effect.

"Woman! Your punch feels like the bite of a Grokk! You should train more." He told her releasing his grip.

His two friends laughed looking at Makoto's scar. "It's identical!" said the little woman, Seripa. "It's really the same!" added the man, a tall and handsome fellow called Toma.

Bardock grinned. "I know right? She's the woman who bested Boboghia in the cooking duel two months ago. Remember her food?"

Toma laughed loudly. "How could I? The best meal in ages! You should kick off Panbukin and take her in our squad!"

Seripa grinned evilly. "Yeah! This way I'll have someone to talk to, instead of wasting my time with you ass-heads!"

Makoto was not sure of what they were speaking of, but she backed off slowly. Bardock was faster however, and grabbed her by the shoulder.

"OK, I will challenge you squad leader to get you in my squad. If I win you'll come with us and they'll get Panbukin!" Makoto was sure; despite his smile the man was deadly serious!