Ascension, Finale

Chapter 18

As First Phase of Census Nears End, Questions About Saiyans Remain

By Reene

WEST CITY– With only three days remaining for mail responses to the first kingdom-wide census, many officials are concerned about low Saiyan participation.

According to preliminary numbers published by the Royal government, just over 300,000 Saiyans have returned the census forms, with most of those coming from East City and the rural areas surrounding it. That figure is far less than the millions of Saiyans many experts say live in the kingdom, although estimates range from the low millions to as many as 30 million. 

Despite continued pleas from government officials, many Saiyans see the census as targeting them specifically, and making them and their families less safe.

Parliamentarian Vanessa Serrin, the main political force behind the census, has repeatedly assured Saiyans that the census is not targeting them. However, she has suggested that stronger measures may be necessary to ensure compliance.

“We need an accurate count of everyone,” she said. “This is about where to build schools and hospitals, where to install critical infrastructure. If citizens don’t want to be voluntarily counted, we may need to go door to door to ensure accuracy.”

Bocca hated her new teacher. Ms. Rellis was a human, the first human teacher in the short history of their all-Saiyan school. The day before she started, the headmaster held a special assembly for the student body. He apologized for betraying the mission of the school, but spoke frankly with the students, explaining how difficult it was to find a qualified Saiyan teacher on short notice. For now, they would have to make a compromise, and he expected every student to treat her with the utmost respect.

Ms. Rellis entered the classroom with an air of haughty superiority. She told the students that she had years of experience teaching Saiyan children in detention facilities around the kingdom. “It’s all a matter of control,” she said to them on that first day. “And I expect that you will recognize who is in control here.”

The hollowing out of the classroom made that task much easier for her. Almost a third of the 22 students who started the school year were gone, either expelled under the new rules regulating student dress and behavior, removed from the school by angry parents who didn’t want their children’s school transformed into a prison, or simply one of the disappeared. The rest were shellshocked by the whirlwind of changes into complacency, and what some of the more outspoken students began to describe as complicity. 

Bocca had looked up that word the first time she heard it, shouted by a pink-haired youth at the headmaster during that special assembly. She never saw that student again, but she learned what the word meant: association or participation in or as if in a wrongful act. What was happening did feel wrong. Mr. Decon had been fired for teaching them real history, and they were being punished for learning it. Bocca had to ask herself, was she being complicit by going to school?

The questions were weighing heavy on her mind as she stepped off her school bus to make the final walk of her journey home. She was lost in thought, and didn’t notice the group of humans who were surrounding her.

“Hey you,” one of them called to her. She looked up, her mind focusing on a dark-skinned human wearing reflective shades and the telltale black beret of the Night Watch. “Do you live around here?”

“Yeah,” she answered slowly, noticing that there were four other Night Watch members behind her. 

“Have you filled out your census? This neighborhood has a low participation rate,” he said in a mocking tone. “Do you need us to come with you and read it to your parents?”

“My parents know how to read!” she said, before feeling embarrassed that she even had to say such a thing.

“Then what’s the hold up? Why haven’t they filled it out yet?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Oh but it is,” he said, tapping his beret with a grin. “Our great King has asked us to make sure we count every last one of you. So we’re just gonna follow you home and have a little talk with your parents to make sure they do as they’re told.”

Bocca’s heart started racing as the humans closed in around her. “No, leave me alone,” she said. She started to run, but felt a gloved hand reach out and grab her by her tail, which she’d carelessly left exposed. A sudden surge of pain shot throughout her whole body. She felt like she was going to vomit, but she didn’t have the energy to heave. She fell to her knees, then collapsed to the sidewalk. Her bookbag felt like an anvil on her back. She was completely helpless.

“Grab her, and don’t let go of her tail,” the man commanded the others. “Look through her things and we can figure out where she lives.” She felt herself being lifted up, and tossed over someone’s shoulder. Her mind was wide awake, but her body felt comatose. She tried to force her hands to form fists, but she could barely move her fingers. Her body was too limp for her to even cry.

She managed to turn her head slightly, in time to see a woman approaching from the side. She didn’t have a Night Watch beret on. To the contrary, her hair stood stiff and wild atop her head, like a supernova caught in mid-explosion. She could see the muscles that rippled under her brown skin as she drew back her arm. Without a word, she landed her fist on the temple of the man that was carrying her. He loosened his grip on her tail, and Bocca felt her energy return almost instantly. They fell to the ground together, and Bocca quickly scrambled to get behind the woman who’d rescued her. She looked at the human who’d held her. He was out cold.

“Who the hell are you?” the man in the reflective shades asked.

“Don’t worry about that,” the Saiyan woman said calmly. “All you need to worry about is what will happen next if you don’t leave this neighborhood right now.” The other Night Watch guards looked at the man on the ground, and began to walk backwards. 

“Stand your ground!” the shaded man barked. “One Saiyan woman can’t beat all of us!” He whipped out a baton and activated it. The sizzling blue glow frightened Bocca, but she looked up at the woman who hadn’t so much as blinked, and felt secure.

“You had your chance.” The Night Watch man swung the baton with all of his might. The woman held her arm up and blocked it without so much as flinching. She grabbed his arm and squeezed tightly, then wrenched it suddenly with a twisting motion. The man screamed in agony, dropping the baton. Bocca looked on as his arm fell to his side, with his hand facing out in an unnatural way. 

“Anyone else?” the woman asked. The rest of the Night Watch broke into open retreat, running as fast as they could. Their leader chased after them, clutching at his twisted arm. Bocca was amazed, and although she felt bad for it, a little scared. But when the woman looked down at her, she didn’t see the scowling face that she’d presented to the Night Watch. Her eyes were bright and friendly, and she smiled broadly, crinkling the skin around her eyes. Bocca felt the fear melt away into adoration.

“Are you okay?” the woman asked, and Bocca nodded quickly. “Good. Let me take you home. Where do you live?” Bocca pointed down the street, still unable to form words. “I see, that’s not too far. Do you think you’ll be able to make it there on your own?” 

“Y-yes,” Bocca finally managed to speak.

“Okay. Hurry along then. Get home before the security forces show up. I’m going to do the same. You were very brave today,” the woman said. The words hit Bocca hard, pushing all thoughts of complicity out of her head. 

“Wait,” Bocca said, grabbing the woman by the arm as she turned to leave. “Please tell me, what’s your name?”

“Reene,” she said.

Bocca felt almost as weak as she had when the man grabbed her tail. “Reene? The one that Celer was talking about?”

Now Reene turned her full attention to the girl. “What do you know about me?”

“Not much, just what Celer told me. That you, Mr. Decon, Arula and the others are the strongest warriors in the kingdom.”

Reene laughed. “I’m flattered that Celer thought so highly of us.”

“Do you know what happened to him?” she asked.

Reene shook her head. “I’m sorry, I don’t. I wish I knew that he was okay.”

“He’s never coming back, is he? None of the missing Saiyans are.”

“We don’t know, but we have to keep looking and hoping for the best. They definitely never will if we give up.” Bocca thought of all the friends she’d lost over the past few months, and felt tears begin to well up in her eyes. She refused to cry in front of a true Saiyan warrior though.

“Teach me how to fight!” she blurted out before she knew what she was saying. “I’m tired of losing people. I want to be able to protect them, like how you did.”

Reene sized the girl up. She was thin, even for an adolescent. Her knobby knees and elbows showed the telltale signs of youth, but despite her age, the humans were targeting her anyway. There were no more children for them. Only Saiyans, and it was time to acknowledge that reality. 

“Come to the abandoned Capsule Corp. factory in the Saiyan quarter in two days,” Reene said. “Wait until nightfall. Don’t tell anyone where you’re going. And be careful, Night Watch is everywhere.”

“I’ll be there!” she said excitedly. Reene pushed her along towards her home, and the young girl ran off. Reene watched her until she entered the house, then turned and launched herself into the air. She hadn’t learned Piña’s flight technique yet, but she could replicate Arula’s long-range jumping. Reene smiled as she thought back to the day that she had met Arula in almost the same way. 

“A cycle, just like you said Piña.”

***

“You did what?” Jicama demanded, lunging for Will. Reene and Piña grabbed him, trying to hold him back. Arula jumped between them as well, pushing Will back for his own good. Bocca looked on, a confused mixture of excitement and worry on her face. 

The other dojo leaders were beginning to trickle in for their meeting. Will had pulled everyone from their dojo over to the side, warning them that Serrin would be appearing just after the meeting was called to order. Reene thought he was joking at first. Of course Will hadn’t betrayed them. Yes, things had been a bit strained over the last few weeks, and she accepted her part on causing the issues. This though, this didn’t make any sense. Jicama had taken him at his word immediately.

“She’s just coming to talk, that’s all!” Will said, trying to free himself from Arula. “She asked for a chance to talk to all of our leaders and this was the best one.”

“So you led her here? I always knew you were really with them, just a human lover in disguise!” 

“Hey!” Arula snapped, turning around to Jicama. “That’s enough! Everyone calm down before we say or do something we can’t take back!” Jicama’s eyes were still filled with rage, but he did as he was told. Reene and Piña relaxed as well. Arula spun back around on Will, her voice low.

“You should have asked me before you did something like this. No one is prepared to talk to someone like Serrin. They’re going to think we sold them out.”

“I’m sorry,” Will said, his voice trembling. “Things had gotten so crazy lately, I thought this would be good to get everyone together, to talk, and…” 

“You don’t get to make those kinds of decisions!” Arula cut him off. She sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Is she here already?”

“Yes. I came with her. I told her to park down the road until we were ready for her.”

“Fine. You go get Serrin. We might as well get this over with,” she said to Will. “The rest of you,  come with me. We’ll tell the rest of the leaders what to expect.” 

Will slid quietly past the others, who were waiting for word that the meeting was about to begin. When Arula told them that a human senator was going to join the discussion, there was an uproar, but not as much as Reene thought there would be. Beets was red and shouting, but that was his default position. Parslianne was upset that she hadn’t been forewarned, but accepted that Arula hadn’t been either. Spinnacci and Ginger were reserved, taking a wait-and-see approach. The rest of the leaders fell somewhere along that spectrum, and Arula was able to wrangle them all into agreeing to at least hear what the human had to say.

“For now, we’re at my dojo, so I’ll take the lead in speaking,” Arula said, Beets opened his mouth to object, but was quickly shut down by the rest. “Our demands are simple for now: end the raids related to the census, and start forming a plan to improve life in the Saiyan quarter. We can work out the details later. Agreed?” Reene wanted more radical changes, like allowing Saiyans to learn how to fight and direct investments in Saiyan neighborhoods, but given the surprise nature of the negotiations that day, she was willing to go along with the impromptu requests.

Arula turned suddenly. She heard the steps of people approaching. Out of the shadows at the edge of the dojo, Will appeared. With him was an older human woman, leaning on a cane as she approached. Her face was contorted into a broad smile. 

“I’m Vanessa Serrin,” she said. “Thank you so much for agreeing to meet with me. 

“My name is Arula. I speak for the gathered Saiyan dojos here. We’re ready to present our demands to you.”

“I’m listening,” Serrin said. Arula spoke quickly and plainly, repeating what had been agreed upon with the rest of the group. Serrin listened carefully, both hands on her cane as she regarded Arula and the group of Saiyans behind her.

“I can work with that,” she said after Arula finished. “I need something in return from you, of course.”

“Of course,” Arula said. “What would that be?”

Serrin’s smile faded, and her face set into a stone glare. “First, we would need complete and total Saiyan disarmament. No more training, no more dojos. Anyone who has received combat training would need to be registered in a special database, separate from the census database. And second, we would need your help to find any, shall we say, less than cooperative combat trained Saiyans.”

“You expect us to help you hunt down our own people?” Parslianne said incredulously.

“I expect you to help prove that Saiyans aren’t a threat to humanity,” she said. “Let’s cut to the chase, folks. This is all about you wanting to be more than second class citizens, right? To get out of the ghettos, to get better jobs, live the Royal Dream, as they say. We want that for you too. But we can’t let our society descend into hell by allowing Saiyans to run amok all over it. There have to be safeguards and precautions. We know your history, and while the average Saiyan doesn’t, I’m sure the people here do. Can you blame us for being concerned about your powers?”

The other Saiyans moved to speak, but Arula held her hand up and they remained silent. Reene was inspired by their unity, and she knew that Arula was about to speak the truth for all of them.

“I can’t blame you for being worried,” she said. “I’d be worried too, if I’d spent hundreds of years subjugating a people. Forcing them to live in squalor. Denying them access to good jobs and good education. Erasing their history. Terrorizing their population with constant surveillance and security sweeps. Disappearing their children into the night. I’d be worried if that group suddenly began to recognize its power, and started to demand rights. Started to learn to defend themselves to secure those rights. You should be worried, not because of what we might do to you, but because of what you’ve done to us.”

Serrin’s smile returned. “We won’t be worried for much longer.” She flipped open the head of her cane, and pressed a button.

Reene felt them before she saw them. Dozens, no hundreds of fuzzy, weak energy signatures moving in the dark. Converging around them. From overhead, floodlights suddenly splashed onto the training grounds. The uniforms the humans wore were mixed. Some had on the black berets of the Night Watch, while others wore the red jackets of the Royal Security Guard. Still others wore all black thermal suits, the only color exposed being the gunmetal grey of large rifles they carried at their side. Behind them, loomed large mechanical walkers, exoskeleton suits that fit two humans side by side in their titanium bodies, some with oversized tank treads and others lumbering about on two legs. In moments they were totally surrounded.

“What is this? You said you wanted to talk!” Will said, turning towards Serrin. 

“We tried talking. You heard what your friends said.”

The rage in Jicama’s eyes flared anew. Reene felt his energy surge, and reached out to grab him, but he was too fast. He moved around Arula and lunged straight for Will as he was standing right next to Serrin.

“You traitor!” he bellowed as he reached for Will’s throat. Serrin’s eyes went wide with fear.

“Look out!” someone from the human side yelled. Reene had only a moment to register the flash of one of the human’s weapons. Jicama, in his fury, didn’t see the shot headed straight for him. Arula did. She moved faster than Reene had ever seen before, pushing Jicama out of the way. The beam hit her in the chest, instantly exploding her heart on contact. She didn’t make a sound as she fell to the ground in a bizarre heap. Everyone froze, looking at the twisted body in the center of the dojo.

Arula was dead. 

Chapter 19

Jicama stared down at Arula, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. She lay motionless, her eyes wide open. Everything about her looked the same as when he’d always seen her, except for a tennis ball-sized hole in her chest. The beam had cut straight through, cauterizing the flesh around it. Reene reached over and covered Bocca’s eyes, but it was too late. Tears were streaming down her face, and Reene could feel the girl’s whole body convulsing from the shock of what she’d seen. Serrin was stunned too, her mouth agape. The first person to move was the Royal Security guard who had taken the shot. He walked over to Arula’s body and pressed his toe into the side of her head, confirming that she was dead.

“Get away from her!” Jicama screamed, leaping at the guard. In his surprise, the guard didn’t react to Jicama’s hand slicing through the air towards his neck. He struck, cutting clean through the man’s jugular and nearly severing his head. Will gasped in horror, and Jicama turned his rageful eyes towards his former comrade. 

“Take Bocca out of here,” Reene said quickly to Piña. She complied wordlessly, grabbing the girl and blasting off into the sky. Reene turned towards the rest of the Saiyans, still too shocked to act. “We’ve got to fight! Now!” She manifested her aura, hoping it was strong enough to deflect the blasts that had felled her leader. No, her friend. She felt anger coursing through her veins, pulsing in tandem with the undulations of her aura. These people would pay with their lives. 

“Everyone, wait please-” Will tried to say, but the mechanical whir of mech suits moving forward, the hum of plasma rifles warming up and the static sound of multiple auras manifesting drowned out his pleas. Serrin had retreated behind him, and despite his fury at her, he felt responsible for protecting her. “I’ll get you out of here,” he said. 

“You’re not leaving here alive!” Jicama said, rushing at him. The Royal Guards fired their rifles at him, and Reene shouted to him to activate his aura to protect himself. He heard her at the last moment, manifesting a blood red spike of energy around himself. The plasma blasts hit the energy barrier and exploded on contact, but Jicama remained unharmed. Reene’s gamble had paid off, and now the humans were utterly defenseless against the Saiyan onslaught. 

She dove into the mass of guards, swinging wildly. Her emotions had overcome her, and all of her battle discipline had faded away. All that was left was a primal urge to tear her enemy apart. She felt the bones of one of the guard’s skull crack beneath the force of her fist. She shattered another’s ribs with a kick. They tried to run away from her, but she chased them down one by one, jumping through the air and landing in front of them, sometimes on top of them, and feeling their weak bodies give way.

To the side, Spinacci and Ginger were carving their own path through the Night Watch, who were even less ready for the attack than the Royal Guard. Their berets gave no protection against the well honed strikes of Spinacci’s flat-palmed fighting style, while Ginger’s grappling tossed them aside like ragdolls, sending them flying into sharp debris and walls with the force of a car impact. Beets was ripping apart the mechs with his bare hands, snatching the human controllers out and breaking them with his massive grip. Parslianne was the hardest to see, slithering through the crowd of humans, puncturing lungs, kidneys and brain stems with precision strikes from her hands that curved like blades. 

Will had his hands full with Jicama swinging at him with full force. Like Reene, his rage had consumed him, and he was lashing out without thought. It was Will’s only advantage, as he was slowed down by having Serrin clinging desperately to his back. All he could do was dodge Jicama’s telegraphed attacks, but he was backing himself away from the rest of the human forces. They wouldn’t give him much help, but he hoped at least they could distract him long enough for them to escape.

One of the floodlights targeted them, blinding both Will and Jicama momentarily. “Move!” Serrin said, and Will jumped away in the direction he was facing. The airship let loose with a barrage of missiles that shattered whatever remained of the evening quiet. The blasts threw large clouds of debris and dust into the air, the perfect screen for Will and Serin.

“There’s another airship near the one that just fired, get us on there and we’ll get out of here,” she said. At that moment, they watched as Jicama hurled himself at the airship that had fired at him. He punched through the windshield and pulled the pilot out, tossing him casually to the ground. With no one to control it, the airship sputtered and spiraled out of control, crashing to the earth along with Jicama. Will saw his opportunity, jumping into the airship that was left before Jicama could recover.

“What about the rest of the guards?” Will yelled over the sound of the airship’s propellers moving them away from the fight.

“There’s nothing we can do for them,” Serrin said. “We have to survive, to tell people what happened here today.” Will looked down at the carnage below. Smoke billowed up from the crash site, and human guards scurried away as best they could from their Saiyan pursuers. In the middle of it all, still unmoved, was Arula. He felt tears well up in eyes.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” he said as the airship flew away.

***

The sun peaked over the horizon, pouring the first natural light of the day onto the battlefield. Reene had stayed there, covered in ash and dirt and sweat. The fighting was over, and she sat, numb, next to Arula. She kept replaying what had happened in her mind. What they’d done to Arula. What she’d done to them.

Piña was sitting next to her. By the time she’d gotten Bocca out of harm’s way and returned, most of the killing was over. There were only a few humans left, maimed, begging for their lives or begging for death. Parslianne obliged them either way. Beets tied up the prisoners, and Spinacci and Ginger surveyed the damage. 

Jicama stood alone, staring off towards the sunset. He hadn’t said anything in hours. His skin was singed and cut from the airship crash, but otherwise he was as unharmed as the others. Something in the rising sun moved him to finally speak. He turned towards the others, who stopped what they were doing to hear him.

“The humans will come back,” he said quietly, but his voice carried over the silence of the battlefield. “We need to be ready.”

“Who put you in charge?” Beets asked, his voice dulled by exhaustion but his cantankerousness in full effect.

Jicama walked over to him and stared him down. Beets relented, looking away.

“My First died here tonight. I honor her by taking her place. She was First Among All Saiyans, as far as I’m concerned. Now I am. If anyone objects, you may challenge me at any time.” No one said anything.

“Piña,” Jicama said, reaching out for her hand. He pulled her up and into himself. “You have been my rock, my heart, my everything. Now, as we stand on the precipice of a new world, I want you to be my wife.” Reene smiled as Piña’s eyes filled. In his heart, Jicama was a romantic, and there was nothing more romantic than declaring love at the conclusion of a great victory.

“Of course I will be,” she said without hesitation. “But what do you mean about a new world?”

“It’s as you said yourself. This cycle has come to a close. The humans have struck first. They killed our greatest warrior in a cowardly sneak attack. Now it is time for us to begin a new cycle, where Saiyans are free to be who we are, without fear or shame. They started this, and we will end it.” He turned towards Reene.

“You are a warrior, Reene. You are strong. Piña and I trust you with our lives. That is why I’m asking you to be Second Among All Saiyans. Help lead our people into this new era.”

Reene didn’t know what to say, but then, there was only one thing to say.

“Yes sir.”

“Good,” Jicama said. He turned to the other Saiyans who remained. “We act as one, to destroy our enemies and secure our future. Tell your dojos to prepare themselves for battle. We attack in one week. on the night of the full moon.”

***

Will was lying on the sofa in the same breakroom where he’d stolen the data rods just a few weeks ago, although now that felt like a lifetime ago. Back then, he’d been a part of a team, trying to learn what it meant to be a Saiyan. Now, he was even more lost than he’d felt at any time in his life.

When the aircraft had touched down on the roof of the Royal Library, he’d followed the guards wordlessly into the building. What he felt was beyond exhaustion. He felt drained, hollow, like there was nothing else inside of him. He thought that getting some sleep would at least be a start to feeling normal again, but whenever he closed his eyes, the image of Arula’s body was there. When he managed to shake that away, it was replaced by the pure malice Jicama had shown him.

He lay in the dark, totally alone. He didn’t know how much time had passed before he heard the sound of footsteps approaching him. He cursed silently, disgusted with himself for recognizing the energy of the person who had just entered the room.

“I’m sorry Will,” Serrin said, sitting in a chair at a nearby table.

“No you’re not.”

“Yes, I really am,” she said. “I didn’t want anyone to die tonight.”

Will turned to look at her, his facial expression betraying his incredulity. “Then why did you show up with a small army?”

Serrin sighed, placing her head in her hand. “You’re not going to believe me, but it was really just a bargaining tool. I thought a show of force would make your friends more willing to negotiate. You know, peace through strength. Isn’t that what Saiyans respect?” Will laughed at the obviousness of the answer. It was exactly what he and the rest of the dojo had been doing for months too, getting stronger to make demands. 

“I especially didn’t want your leader to die. She seemed reasonable, like someone we could work with,” Serrin said. 

Will went back to staring at the ceiling. “What do I do now? My mentor is dead because of me. My friends hate me. My job fired me. What is left for me?”

Serrin leaned forward towards him. “Join me,” she said.

“What? Join you to do what?”

“To stop these dojos. They’re going to strike back at us Will. Without you, we don’t have a chance”

“You deserve it!” he snapped at her. “You killed an unarmed, innocent woman! She was more than a teacher to us. She taught us how to be proud of ourselves.”

“No, we didn’t kill her,” she said. “You didn’t either. What happened to her isn’t your fault. It was that violent animal who attacked us first.” Will replayed the moment in his mind, and she was right. Jicama had gone after him first, and the human guard fired at him. Arula had gotten in the way.

“I can’t fight my friends,” he said. “They may hate me, but I don’t hate them. There has to be a way to resolve this, to calm all this down.”

“Right now, word of what happened is headed to the King. There’s already a special session of the Parliament scheduled to start in two hours. We’re going to mobilize to meet the Saiyan threat,” Serrin explained. “You can either join us, and help us subdue your friends before anyone else dies, or we’re going to go out there and try to kill them, before there’s a repeat of the slaughter that happened last night.”

Will buried the heels of his hands into his eyes, trying to drive the images of the fight from his mind. Jicama and Reene had looked so angry, so vicious, as they crushed windpipes and slashed bodies open with their bare hands. They were fighting like how their ancestors were described in the data rods. It wasn’t a fight for survival; they could have escaped if that was their goal. It was a battle of annihilation. Every human there had to die. 

“They’re going to destroy everything unless we stop them Will. We have the weapons, and enough humans to give them a run for their money. We just need you to help push us over the top.”

“What weapons? You only killed Arula because you caught her off guard. You saw that as soon as Jicama and the rest got serious, your plasma rifles were useless.”

“Those aren’t the weapons I’m talking about,” she said. “Come, follow me.” Serrin led Will to a secret elevator on the far side of the basement. She pressed the button three times, and Will felt the elevator begin to descend. A second basement, he realized.

The door opened to a sprawling medical facility. In the center of the room stood a group of Saiyan youth, and an older man in a lab coat with white tufts of hair around his ears. Will immediately recognized a tall boy standing near the edges of the group.

“Celer!” he said, feeling happiness for the first time in what felt like days. “What are you doing here?” 

“Hey Mr. Decon!” Celer said, his smile wide. But something was wrong. Will could feel the energy radiating from Celer. It was much stronger than what he’d felt before when Celer had begun his training at the dojo. There was something else too, a darkness to his energy that contrasted with the brightness of his smile.

“What is he doing down here?” Will demanded of Serrin.

“I can answer that for you,” the man in the lab coat said. “I’m Dr. Rutab. Among the data rods that you didn’t steal during your trip here are the writings and research of a man named Gero. He was the world’s foremost expert in cybernetic creatures during his heyday hundreds of years ago.” Will began to experience a sinking feeling in his stomach, but Rutab ignored the growing discomfort on his face and continued. “He struck upon the brilliant idea to make humans stronger by transforming them into cyborgs, enhancing their physical strength, mental skills and giving them the ability to manipulate life force energy, which you call aura. 

“These humans were dozens of times more powerful than humans, and could supposedly even defeat Saiyans of that era in combat. I studied his work, and made my own revelation: what if I carried out the same procedure on Saiyans?” he gestured grandly towards the group of youth. “I give you the results of my research, the prototype group of Artificial Saiyans.”

Will stared at the group in mute disbelief. “Artificial…Saiyans?” he finally managed to choke out.

“It’s not as bad as it sounds, Mr. Decon,” Celer said, his smile growing even wider. “All he did was give us a few upgrades to make us stronger.” The other youth, about ten in total, nodded and grinned along in unison. Will’s stomach twisted and turned in knots at what he saw. There was nothing in their eyes beyond a vacant gaze that was as empty as the smiles.

He grabbed Rutab by the lapels of his coat and lifted him into the air. “What did you do to them?” he demanded.

“Just what the boy said,” Rutab said, grabbing Will’s arms and forcing himself back to the ground. “They’re still regular teens. I haven’t lobotomized them or stolen their souls or whatever it is you’re imagining. The only change I made to their free will is that they’re slightly more susceptible to suggestion. My suggestion, of course.” 

“This is necessary, Will,” Serrin said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You saw what happened out there. We can’t compete with that kind of power. At least now we have a fighting chance.”

The room began to spin around him. Were these the extent of his choices? Joining Jicama in his rage-fueled quest, or siding with the moral depravity of these humans? He ran for the elevator, pressing the buttons in the same way that he’d seen Serrin do.

“Where are you going, Mr. Decon?” Celer called after him, still smiling as the elevator door closed. 

Chapter 20

By Royal Decree of His Excellency King Furry XII

All citizens are advised to be on the lookout for five renegade Saiyans. These individuals are suspected to be responsible for an attack on Royal security forces that resulted in more than 100 dead and dozens more severely wounded. The Saiyans in question are known only by their given names: Jicama, Reene, Beets, Ginger, and Parslianne. 

Any citizen with information leading to their capture, dead or alive, is hereby requested and ordered to contact their closest Royal Guard outpost. A reward of 5 million Zenni has been posted for anyone who cooperates. Do not approach the subjects. They are considered extremely dangerous.

–Wanted Bulletin spread throughout the Kingdom

Reene had done nothing but sleep for the past three days.

She and the others had agreed that it was best to split up for the time being. Royal Guards and Night Watch members were everywhere on the street searching for them. Random Saiyans were being stopped and detained, their homes invaded, their lives ruined. Reene felt guilty for causing so much trouble for people she’d never even met, but if nothing else, it revealed the humans for who they really were. 

She was in the attic of a family friend, an older Saiyan man who seemed too feeble to have any dealings with a young radical like herself. Her own parents had fled the city after Reene went back home, covered in blood. They’d suspected for some time that Reene was involved with Saiyan training, and her appearance that night confirmed it. She was surprised at how understanding they were, which only made the necessity of them leaving all the more heartbreaking. Reene had never been away from her parents for more than a few nights at a time. Now she wondered if she’d ever see them again. 

It was still like a bad dream to her that Arula was gone. She wanted nothing more than to seek out her advice right now. Reene tried to imagine what Arula would do in this moment. She would have the cool, rational approach that they needed. Try as she might, she couldn’t hear Arula’s voice in her head telling her what to do. They were on their own.

Jicama’s plan was simple: hold out until the night of the full moon, and recruit as many Saiyans as they could to their side. They would make their stand at the West City Royal Residence, and although it wasn’t the main residence of the king, their attack targeting the seat of power in their city would send the message. Word was spreading like wildfire throughout the kingdom, and Reene had heard through talk that Saiyans in all the major cities were preparing to do the same.

But what if showing up in numbers wasn’t enough to convince the humans of their seriousness? What were they even asking for from them? No one seemed to have the answer to that question, and it seemed impossible to make demands without a demand to make.

It hurt Reene to think about Arula. Her chest seized every time she pictured her, lying there on the ground. The last thing they’d done as a team was to bury her at the center of the training dojo. They didn’t know if she had any family or friends. If she did, she never spoke of them. There was no one else to bury her except them, and laying her to rest in the place they’d spent so much time together seemed like the best way to honor her. Everyone who was there that fateful night returned to quickly pay their respects. Except Will.

Thinking about him hurt almost as much as thinking about Arula. She couldn’t bring herself to believe that he was a traitor. It had to be a mistake, some kind of misunderstanding. She saw the look on his face when the humans poured out from the darkness that night. He looked as surprised as they did. And yet, she’d also seen him protect the human woman. No one had heard from him since. Whatever else, didn’t he at least owe his friends an explanation?

Reene tossed and turned on the paper thin cot she had been given. Piña’s words kept playing over in her head. A new cycle. Jicama had already accepted the idea, calling it the dawn of a new world. But what did that mean? Reene had read the documents that described the Saiyan conquest of Plant with particular interest. They transformed a world with an indigenous species into their homeworld. Where had the Saiyans come from before that? Was that their style, to move from world to world, selling the okay ones and keeping the good ones for themselves? Was that the stage of the cycle they were in?

It led Reene to a chilling thought. Was it her destiny, the destiny of her people, to treat Earth like every other planet Saiyans had come across? After all, that was the original plan for both Kakarot and Vegeta, to wipe out humanity. They’d changed their minds, but why? The scraps of Son Gohan’s book never explained what halted the Saiyan’s mission. Maybe the data was stored somewhere in the Royal Library, but Reene knew she would never get near there again. The last few days had made it clear that humans and Saiyans could no longer live in peace together. Saiyans had made good on the threat of their existence. Subjugation was the only choice, one side or the other.

The other thought that Reene couldn’t shake was the feeling she had after the fighting had stopped. She’d never been in a life or death fight before. Never killed anyone. In the heat of battle, she didn’t have time to think, only react. She’d expected some kind of overwhelming grief or regret to wash over her when she had time to consider what had occurred. But it didn’t. It bothered her that it didn’t bother her. All she felt was a sense of emptiness, of longing for that night. The killing was almost irrelevant, a natural consequence of a true battle. What she wanted was the feeling of fighting like that, fighting to live. It was the thrill she’d been seeking her entire life without knowing it. Everything else paled compared to it. As she finally began to drift off, she knew that excitement was coming again. Just a few more days. 

***

“We are not ready.” General Bradley stood before a white board in the conference room of the Grand Parliament. The full Saiyan Affairs committee sat before him. There was only one thing written on the white board, a number: three million.

“Based on responses to the census, we are comfortable estimating that there are 3 million Saiyans worldwide,” he said. “Given the outcome of last week’s battle, where five Saiyans killed 137 people, wounded 54 others, and destroyed nine pieces of heavy weaponry including a state-of-the-art gunship, there is simply no way we can handle a mass Saiyan uprising.”

Serrin sat at the head of the table. Her hands twitched nervously as she listened to Bradley speak. Dark circles hung beneath her eyes, and her cheeks were gaunt and sucked in. Her hair, while still styled up in a bun, was more disheveled than normal. She looked like a woman who was coming to terms with the fact that she’d triggered the end of the world.

“Are you saying there’s nothing we can do? What about the Artificial Saiyans” she asked.

“They may be able to defeat some of the Saiyans we encountered at the Capsule Corp. factory, but we only have a handful of them. Not enough to stop thousands of people, or more.” Bradley said. “I think an option we should seriously consider is a preemptive surrender.”

“What would surrender even look like? The Saiyans haven’t even offered any terms,” Soot said. 

“They haven’t attacked either, not since Serrin provoked them,” Bell said. She glared at him, but said nothing. 

“They may simply be biding their time until the full moon,” Bradley said. “That’s what I would do.” 

“What about that Saiyan contact you had, Vanessa? Do you think he can get these other militant Saiyans to listen to us?” Soot asked.

Serrin shook her head. “I haven’t heard from him since he left the library after the battle. I don’t think we can rely on him.”

Bell let out a bitter laugh. “You kill his mentor in front of him, attack his friends, kidnap and brainwash his student, and you call him unreliable? This reckoning that you’ve brought upon us is well-earned, Vanessa. It’s just too bad that your hubris is going to cost you everything.”

“Don’t you have anything positive to add?” she shouted. “You’re a Saiyan, can’t you get your people to act right?”

“It’s beyond me now, Vanessa. Your best bet is what Bradley said. Draw up some terms, broadcast them out and hope for the best.”

Serrin stood, pacing back and forth. She’d completely miscalculated. The census had done exactly what Bell warned it would, and she had no understanding of how strong the Saiyans really were. She hadn’t slept in days after seeing grown men torn to pieces by a woman half their size. Five Saiyans had destroyed a company. Five hundred would destroy the entire military, and five thousand the entire world.

But surrender? Serrin shuddered to think of a world ruled by Saiyans, where brute force overrode everything else. No human could ever wield political power again, and their very existence would be at the whim of a group that could wipe them out at any time. She looked at Bell and seethed with hatred. The Saiyans wouldn’t kill him, but her life, her family, the human race, were all forfeit. She wished that she could wipe the smug look off his face forever. 

“We need to find Jicama and the other leaders before the full moon,” she said. “They’re the ones riling all this up. We capture or kill them, and we solve the problem.”

“There is one option, Vanessa, that we can try. It’ll be our only chance, and if we take it and fail, there’s no possibility of a peaceful outcome.” 

“Let’s hear it.”

Bradley opened a briefcase that was on the table. He pulled out a small white device, shaped like half of a headphone. An arm protruded from the exterior of the cup, curving inward and ending in a colored piece of glass.

“This was recovered along with the spacepod when the Saiyans Vegeta and Nappa landed on Earth,” he said. “It’s called a scouter. It can be used to track large energy signatures, like those the Saiyans displayed the other evening.”

Serrin grabbed the device and pushed its button. It whirred to life, showing a numerical readout on its display when she pointed it at various people around the room. Soot was at a 4, while Bradley ranked at 7. Pointing at Bell, the display read 15. Another reason to hate him.

“If you’ve had this the entire time, why did we even need the census?” she asked. “We could have duplicated this technology and found the Saiyans without the trouble.”

“The device can’t read such low energy levels over distances,” he said. “The only reason it’s detecting our levels, even for a Saiyan like Mr. Bell, is because we’re in the same room with it. It snapped on by itself during the battle, detecting energy levels that were running into the hundreds.” 

Serrin deduced where Bradley was going with his idea. “You think, when the Saiyans mass for their attack, we can detect their location with this?”

He nodded. “We won’t be able to defeat all of them, but with a combined assault of rifle infantry, mechs and the artificial Saiyans, we may be able to decapitate their leadership. We saw that the rifles can kill a Saiyan whose guard is down. However, like I said, we have one shot. If we fail, the Saiyans launch their counterattack, and it’s all over. I still advise that we consider the surrender.”

“No. We take our shot. I’ll inform the King of your recommendations, but in the meantime, prepare for an all out attack on Saiyan forces in the major cities.” Bell shook his head, pushing his chair out and standing to leave the room. “I also think you should take Parliamentarian Bell, and the rest of the Saiyans on the committee, into custody.”

Bell stopped. “What are you talking about?” 

“We don’t know where their sympathies lie. If they warn their brethren about our plan, then we’ll have no chance of success.”

“You’ve finally lost your mind, Vanessa. You can’t arrest us! We’ve done nothing wrong!” As he turned to leave the room, Bradley gestured at two guards near the door. They stepped in front of Bell.

“Please sir, Ms. Serrin is right,” he said. “We have to be sure.” 

“Go ahead, Bell,” Serrin hissed. “Attack. Kill everyone in this room. Prove us right about who you really are.” Instead, Bell raised his hands and surrendered. The guards cuffed him and the other Saiyans in the room.. Before he left, Bell turned and smiled at Serrin.

“You’re going to get exactly what you deserve,” he said before being led out. 

***

Jicama nostrils were filled with the smell of Piña’s hair. It was a fruity scent, something like strawberries, or more accurately, what the human factories said strawberries smelled like. It was an inoffensive smell, but combined with her natural smell, a subtle, salty musk, it became intoxicating. He wanted to lie there with her on his chest, for the rest of time. He knew that was impossible.

They hadn’t spoken since they’d arrived at the safe house Paslianne had arranged for them in the one place the Royal Guard would never think to look: directly across from the West City Royal Residence. Hiding in plain sight, she’d called it when she walked them into the luxury apartment building in broad daylight. The large windows and high ceilings allowed light to pour in, and Jicama was convinced they’d be spotted instantly. But Paslianne had been right. The royal forces were combing the countryside and the Saiyan quarter, looking for any sign of them.

Jicama and Piña were free to rest, for a few hours at least. The day of the full moon had arrived. According to the plan, they were to meet at the edge of the Saiyan quarter one hour before nightfall, and march to the gates of the royal residence, gathering Saiyan supporters as they went.

“What do I do?” Jicama asked. 

Piña stirred, sitting up and resting her head in her hand. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, what do I do? Arula was smart and wise. She knew how to speak well. She knew how to lead. How can I do what she did?”

She ran her fingers across one of the many scars that bisected Jicama’s torso. “If you can’t have faith in yourself, have faith in the people around you,” she said. “Arula made you her Second. Not Reene or Will, with their education. Not me, with my energy abilities. You. She saw what you could be before any of us did. And now we follow you, because once she showed us the way, there was no denying the truth of it. You are First Among All Saiyans. You are the heir to the throne of Vegeta.”

Jicama let her words sink in. His whole life, he’d rejected words of affirmation, of kindness. Believing in himself had gotten him nowhere beyond a dead end job in a dead end city within a city. Arula had been the first person to tell him to be proud of his strength. At the time he’d scoffed. Strength was necessary for survival, and that was all. It was nothing to celebrate. Now he wished he could thank her for putting him on this path, to take comfort from the woman he loved. 

The world had taken away his mentor, and he promised himself that he wouldn’t let it happen to any more of his people.

“Today, the world changes,” he said. “We begin a new cycle. Together.”

“Together,” Piña repeated, laying her head back down.

***

He kept seeing Celer’s smile everywhere he looked. Each face he looked into twisted and contorted into those empty eyes, a toothy display that had no trace of warmth or humanity in it at all. 

Will was wandering aimlessly through the city, near the Royal Residence. He didn’t know exactly  what was going to happen. Yet he’d known Jicama long enough to know that this was where it was going to happen, and that it would happen today. On the night of the full moon.

He turned into a dark alley, feeling overwhelmed by the mass of people buzzing around, going about their day. They were all blissfully unaware of the catastrophe that was brewing before them. The Saiyans of old were about to return.

When he looked down, he saw Arula’s twisted body. When he looked up, he saw the outline of the moon, visible in the day, inching towards its apogee. The humans had taken everything from him. The Saiyans were about to take what was left. What would he do? What could he do?

“I’m sorry, Arula. I’m sorry, Celer,” he said, tears streaming down his face. “I’m sorry, everyone.”

Chapter 21

The sound of the rotors beating outside was deafening. Serrin was seated in the troop bay, across from Bradley. They were surrounded by the King’s elite guards, each carrying a specially modified plasma rifle that could fire a beam twice as powerful as the one that had killed the Saiyan woman. The changes were a rush job though, and no one could be sure that they would even work, or that they wouldn’t kill the user in the process.

She’d kept her word, and when she spoke to the King, she conveyed Bradley’s advice about surrendering. The King ultimately sided with Serrin. The idea of living at the mercy of a warrior race didn’t appeal to him either. He’d called up the full Royal Army and the reserves to defend key areas in the kingdom– the four cardinal cities and the capitol, the farm regions to the south, the mining operations in the north. Civilians ignored the thousands of troops that had suddenly begun milling about with them, taking the King’s explanation of training exercises at face value. There was nothing to worry about, he’d assured them. Why shouldn’t they believe him? He’d never lied to them before.

Serrin was worried. So much that her legs wouldn’t stop shaking. She looked over at Bradley. Cool as a cucumber, his arms were folded across his chest. His eyes were closed, and the blue-shaded glass of the scouter he wore looked oddly in place on his face. They were made for fighters after all, Serrin thought, and although he wasn’t a Saiyan, he was certainly a warrior. 

In addition to soldiers, the Night Watch was fully mobilized and given the authority to use deadly force. Heavy weaponry was being rolled into key areas around the cities, and airborne forces like the gunship Serrin was in had been deployed as well. 

Even with what would have been considered overwhelming force against any other foe, Serrin knew they were there only to provide support. The real battle would come down to a few combatants: the trained Saiyan insurgents versus the artificial Saiyans. Each city was allocated two of them. Ironically, the hope of humanity would come down to how well a Saiyan doctor could control Saiyan children.

She would have to consider the capriciousness of the universe another time, if she survived. Bradley’s scouter buzzed to life, and began beeping incessantly. He slowly opened his eyes, and studied the display’s readout. 

“Powerful Saiyans are gathering in all the major cities,” he said. “Four in North City, three in South, four in East and five in West. Capitol City has the most, there are six there. No sign of Saiyans gathering outside the cities.”

“Redirect the troops outside the cities then,” she said. “Looks like they’re only concerned with the population centers. Where are the Saiyans in West City?”

Bradley tapped the scouter for a more exact positional readout. “They’re gathering in the northernmost area of the Saiyan quarter. The boulevard that runs from there makes a beeline straight to the royal residence.”

“Direct all troops to move in and intercept them at once,” Serrin said. She strapped on her vest and her helmet. “Let’s go.”

***

The main group had assembled. Reene looked around at the Saiyans gathered around her, and felt a swell of pride she was sure the ancient battle teams must have felt before they went out on missions. She was wearing the battle armor that Jicama had made for her for the first time. Like her fighting style, it was modeled after Kakarot’s father’s design, with black armor plating and the ribbed and shoulder sections a dark green. She also had flank guards, but declined the front guard, finding it too limiting to her movement. 

Jicama and Piña wore matching white sets with full tan colored guards, including ones that jutted out over his shoulders. Beets and Parslianne wore sets closer to Reene’s design, colored black and brown. Ginger had been sent to help out in South City, where the fewest trained warriors were. Beyond the base team, there were dozens of regular Saiyans who had answered the call to march on the seat of royal power in the city. Reene recognized Bocca in the crowd, and nodded towards her. Part of her was sad that she had to be a part of this, but the humans had made it clear that there were no children, only Saiyans. So be it, Reene thought.

“Our objective is simple,” Jicama said, speaking to the gathered troops and to Saiyans across the kingdom thanks to broadcast equipment Parslianne had provided. “We capture the major cities tonight. There are Saiyans all across the world who will rise up once we’ve shown them that there is nothing to fear from the humans. They’ve relied on us being weak and fractured, but that ends today. We claim this world for Saiyans, from now until forever.”

As Jicama spoke, Reene felt a sudden spike of energy nearby. Two young Saiyans were approaching from the north, the direction of the royal residence. Behind them followed thousands of Royal Guards and Nightwatch members. The Saiyans were powerful, so much so that Reene could feel the energy radiating from them even at rest. They smiled as they approached, and she stared at them, seeing what she would have sworn was a ghost.

“Celer!” Bocca cried out. She broke ranks with the other volunteers and ran to greet her friend, but Reene grabbed her by the arm.

“Stay back,” Reene said. She glanced at Jicama, who could feel it too. This was not the same boy who had disappeared a month ago.

“It’s good to see you, my friends!” Celer said, his smile growing more disturbing as it widened to take up most of his face. “Let me introduce you to my new friend, Chives.” He gestured towards the girl next to him. She was no older than Will, with long, straight red hair that stopped in the small of her back. She had the same gruesome grin, and the same powerful, dark energy oozing off of her. “I’ve missed all of you so much.”

“Where have you been Celer?” Reene asked, still holding tightly to Bocca.

“I’ve been spending some time with Dr. Rutab. He’s right here actually.” Reene and the others had been so focused on the terrible power coming from the two that they hadn’t noticed the man in the labcoat that stood between them. “He’s helped me get stronger. Can’t you tell?”

“What have you done to them?” Jicama asked. 

Rutab shrugged. “I would love to explain the process to you, as I’m quite proud of it. But what’s the point of telling you, since you’ll be dead in a few moments?” 

With his words, the soldiers surged forward, their rifles ready and firing without warning. Reene’s aura manifested, deflecting the blasts away. 

“You need to choose now Bocca, are you fighting or running?” The girl locked eyes with Reene and snatched her arm away. 

“I’m fighting!” She charged forward, followed by Reene and the rest of the Saiyan forces. Gunnships screamed overhead, diving from their waiting point high in the sky and taking aim at the Saiyan warriors. 

The once quiet neighborhood erupted in a cacophony of explosions and cries of pain. There were far more humans than in the last battle, and where one blast from their weapons could be ignored, a whole battalion’s worth was troublesome. They had more Saiyans on their side, but these were civilians who barely knew how to throw a punch. They could rely on brute strength to defeat a couple of humans, but soon they were swarmed and being blasted to bits by the plasma weapons. 

Reene leapt up and grabbed one of the gunships that was strafing their group. With a grunt, she hurled it into the ground, wiping out dozens of humans. Another swooped in to take its place, unleashing volleys of plasma that reduced even the tough Saiyan skin to quivering, melted flesh. 

“We have to take out the heavy weapons!” she shouted to Jicama, who was dismantling one of the many mechs that marched all over the battlefield. Piña heard the order and focused her energy, taking to the skies. Even as only one person, she was far more maneuverable than the gunships were. Her aura enveloped her, and she smashed through one gunship after another, sending them careening into homes and businesses below. The battle had devolved into utter bedlam, as civilians tried to escape and got caught in the crossfire between human weapons and Saiyan fists.

Parslianne moved like water through the melee, targeting anyone who looked like a commander and beheading them with a swift strike from her hand. Beets was less subtle, slamming soldiers together with such force that it shattered all the bones in their bodies, and then using them to strike others. Bocca was doing her best to avoid being shot, but managed to break a few bones here and there when the opportunity presented itself. 

As the battle raged, Rutab stood perfectly still with Celer and Chives at his side, the two still smiling. He needed to preserve them in case things got out of hand here or elsewhere in the kingdom. From his viewpoint, it looked like things were going well.

Serrin agreed. Her gunship hadn’t descended with the rest, and from her vantage point 3,000 meters up, the Saiyans were being overwhelmed. The casualties were ghastly, and she had no illusions that tens of thousands of humans would die before the night was over. As long as the Saiyans went along with them. 

Even from so high up, she could still see that Jicama would be hard to kill. He and Reene had moved to opposite sides of the fight, and were slicing through hordes of Royal Guards. Reene had begun to dart through the crowds, standing still long enough for her enemies to think they had a lock on her, and then dodging at the last moment, leaving the soldiers behind her to be incinerated by their comrades. She’d worked herself into a frenzy, each blow she landed on an opponent making her feel stronger and faster. This was the feeling that she had been searching for, the tension in her muscles as they screamed for rest, the focus of her mind, understanding that if she stopped, she would die. 

Jicama chose brute force instead, absorbing the energy blasts with his crimson aura and redirecting the energy through his fists. His concussive blows pulverized the insides of anyone within ten meters of his fists. He gathered his energy quickly and shot into the air, reaching almost the same height as Piña. Instead of dancing through the sky as his mate did, he rocketed himself back towards the ground with near nuclear force. He struck, shattering the earth and anyone too close, and crushing more under the weight of falling debris. 

Serrin looked on in horror. These two were far stronger than anyone else in the fight, and by themselves they were turning the tide of the battle. Such was the enormous power of Saiyans, a power they’d managed to keep bottled up for hundreds of years. That seal was broken now though, and the bell of inevitability began to ring in her mind. 

No, she thought, shaking the idea out of her head. They still had their trump card. What was he waiting for?

“Signal Rutab!” Serrin yelled. “Tell him to attack!” A flare shot out of the gunship, and Rutab looked up idly at it. 

“Kill the ones in armor,” he said. Celer and Chives nodded, and walked into the battle.

Chives went straight towards Beets. His back was turned as he was throwing Night Guard forces at each other, and he didn’t see the artificial Saiyan coming. He also didn’t hear Paslianne’s warning. All he felt was the girl’s hand slice through his torso, cutting him in half. The last thing he saw was his own legs falter and tip over, before his vision blurred in a red haze, and then went black. The girl wiped the blood on her hand onto her pants, then looked over at Parslianne. 

“That was easy!” she said cheerily, and started walking towards her.

Celer approached Jicama with the same focus, cutting through any human in his way to reach his target. Jicama could sense him coming though, as the darkness of his energy overwhelmed all his other senses. He focused his energy into his hand, ready to strike. Suddenly, he felt a fist connect with his jaw, sending him sprawling to the ground. Reene looked over, seeing her second surprise of the fight.

“Will!” 

He stood above Jicama, wearing his usual training outfit. “I’m sorry Jicama. I don’t want to fight you, but I can’t let you hurt one of my kids.” 

Jicama snarled, ready to attack Will, but he was overrun by humans who saw a chance to overwhelm him. Will turned back to Celer, and grabbed him by the shoulders.

“Celer, you have to snap out of it!” he said to him. “I don’t know what they did to you, but you have to break free! This is not who you are!” 

The boy looked back at him. There was nothing there, not even a flicker of the joyful, curious child that he’d been. “But Mr. Decon, I like to fight. And I have to follow Dr. Rutab’s orders. So please, stand aside so that I can kill Jicama.”

“No Celer! Don’t do this! Please!”

“If you won’t move, then I’ll have to kill you first,” Celer said, raising his fist to come slicing down on Will’s head.

Reene moved faster than she ever had, shooting across the distance between her and Will in a moment. She tackled him out of the way at the last moment, sending the two of them skidding across the ground. Celer turned and looked at them silently, then turned back to Jicama.

“Now then, shall we begin?” he said after Jicama had flung away the last human.

“I don’t want to hurt you Celer,” Jicama said, standing up. “But I can’t lose here.”

Reene stood slowly, her aches beginning to catch up with her now that she’d slowed down for a moment. Will did the same, rubbing his neck.

“Thank you,” he said.

“Don’t thank me, I just acted on instinct,” she said. “Despite everything that’s happened Will, you’re still my friend. But why did you betray us?”

“I didn’t, I swear,” Will pleaded. “I didn’t want anyone to get hurt or to die. I wanted you all to talk. I wanted to prevent this.”

“Look around Will. Do you think the humans wanted to talk?”

“I was wrong. I’m sorry Reene, I was so, so wrong, and Arula died because of it. But this is wrong too. Do you understand what’s about to happen? Jicama is going to exterminate humanity. Is that what you want to be a part of?”

Reene didn’t answer. She knew that was the plan, even though none of them had the courage to say the words aloud. A new world, a new cycle, were all easy euphemisms for what would happen when the full moon rose. The end of the human race was at hand.

“What’s the alternative, Will?” she asked finally. “To keep living in ghettos? To watch our kind be abused and beat? Trapped in their homes when we’re considered a threat? These people have denied our humanity at every turn. So you know what happened? We became Saiyans.” 

“Yes they’re wrong. They’ve done terrible things to us. But I’m not asking you to stop for them. I’m asking you to stop for yourself. What will happen to you if you participate in this genocide? To your soul? That’s why I’m here. To save you, Reene!”

“I don’t need to be saved,” she said. “Don’t you see that force is the only way? Someone will always be crushed. The strong will always dominate the weak. Humans had us convinced that we were the weak ones, the stupid ones, the inferior ones. They built a world of weapons, of surveillance, of security forces, of Night Watch. Look at what they did to your student, to kill you! Well now we’re playing by their rules. We’re just better at the game than they are.”

Will shook his head. “No one is right in any of this. But I can’t let you destroy the world.”

“I can’t let the old world stand. Stand aside.”

“No,” he said, shifting into his fighting stance. He closed his eyes for a moment, and his aura appeared, covering him in shimmering blue energy.

Reene smiled, bringing her aura out to match. “You may be fighting for the humans, but at least you’ll die like a Saiyan.”

The two stared each other down, as the sun began to touch the horizon. 

Chapter 22

The battle surged back and forth. Reinforcements from the Royal Guard continued to pour in, as Saiyans from around the city arrived as well. It had become a pitched contest, with each side hurling lives at each other, hoping the other would run out first. 

Above the fray, Piña continued to harass the air forces, reducing their numbers one at a time. She was beginning to tire though, as keeping herself afloat and projecting her aura to ram the gunships was draining her energy faster than normal. Serrin had noticed that she wasn’t flitting around the sky as quickly as she had been before. Her gunship had dropped off all of its combatants save her and Bradley, and with the reduced weight they were able to keep up with her.

“Bring us closer!” Serrin commanded the pilot, who looked at her as if she was a mad woman before reluctantly complying. There was still one modified rifle left in the ship, the departing gift of a guard who tumbled out unexpectedly due to turbulence. Serrin grabbed the rifle and aimed it at Piña.

“Are you crazy? That thing will kill you without protective gear!” Bradley yelled to her over the harsh hum of the ship’s propellers.

“And she’ll kill us if we sit here and wait!” she shouted back. She waited until Piña slowed just enough as she adjusted herself to bank left. Serrin pulled the trigger. A white hot bolt of plasma erupted from the rifle. The metal of the rifle instantly reached its melting point, searing her hand down to the bone. A blast of superheated air rushed out of the gun’s vent, shredding the left side of Serrin’s body. She screamed in agony, collapsing to the floor of the gunship.

She maintained her aim though, and the bolt shot through the air. Piña saw it at the last moment, throwing her arms up to protect itself. The plasma blast exploded on impact. Piña shrieked and careened through the air. She slammed through a small office building before tumbling to a halt at the edge of the battle, unconscious.

Jicama could feel that Piña’s energy was fading, but he couldn’t focus on that. The boy in front of him was at least as strong as Arula had been. If he didn’t win the battle at hand, there would be no chance to save Piña anyway.

“Celer, do you remember me?” Jicama asked. “We’re not enemies. We’re both part of the same dojo. Comrades in arms.”

“I remember you!” Celer said. “I was so impressed by how strong you were. Now, you feel weak in comparison, but I’ll just have to try to enjoy our fight regardless.”

Jicama barely had time to deflect the jab Celer launched at his throat. His speed matched his increased strength, and Jicama felt a twinge of fear. This kid might actually kill me, he thought as his body jerked to the side to dodge another attack, more on instinct than reaction. He felt his heart begin beating out of his chest. At last, a fight where he could fully let loose. The opponent might look like his former comrade, but the boy inside was gone.

“Forgive me Celer,” he said, shoving him back. Despite his statement, the boy wasn’t looking for a fight. This was an execution. He’d extend him none of the courtesies of combat, so he had to make his move quickly. 

Jicama focused all of his energy into a single point, a superdense ball of power smaller than the head of a pin, but containing the force of the cosmos. He willed the point to spin, as Piña had taught him. The overwhelming gravity drew in more and more energy from around him, packing it into the center of his being. His body began to shake, struggling to contain strength that went beyond what it could bear. It was too much, but he needed more. Too much was going to be barely enough against his foe.

He split the atom of power, and it blasted out from him like a fission explosion, burning through his flesh as his aura spiked tremendously, becoming so intense that even the humans could see it. They stared in awe at the miniature star that had been born before them, before the force ripped them into nothingness. Everything nearby was reduced to ash, except for Celer. He’d been blown back a little, but was otherwise unscathed.

Jicama stood straight, his blood red aura scorching the ground beneath him. He ran at Celer, and landed a punch to his gut before he could react. His eyes bulged, and his smile faded. Jicama punched him in the face, sending him crashing through a crowd of guards before he steadied himself. 

While he was off balance, Jicama turned his attention to Dr. Rutab. The Saiyan scientist was in shock, unbelieving that anyone could match the strength of his creation. Jicama gave him no warning. He moved so fast that he disappeared, and then Rutab’s skull caved in from the elbow he delivered straight to his nose. 

“He’s dead, Celer,” Jicama said. “We don’t have to fight anymore. Join us.”

Celer seemed to consider his words for a moment, but the empty grin returned. “Orders are orders, whether the doctor is alive or not,” he said. Jicama shook his head, and prepared himself for the next attack.

Parlianne had felt Jicama’s energy explode, and wished that she could draw on such strength. She was running from Chives, who diced her way through the battle with no regard to friend or foe. She was covered in blood, giving her brown skin a red hue that looked demonic in the fading light.

She spun around, landing a full force spinning hook kick on Chives’ neck. The girl cried out, but not before swinging upwards as she fell, catching her extended leg with a vicious slash. Parslianne felt her hand slice through her thigh, and blood gushed out as her leg fell away. She fell to the ground, dragging herself away as Chives rolled her neck and approached slowly.

“That was a good one!” Chives said, cutting through a Night Watcher who’d stumbled into her path. “It was fun chasing you around, but I still have more people to kill.” She was so focused on Parslianne that she didn’t notice the shifting of debris from over to her right. 

Piña burst from the rubble like a lightning bolt, flying across the distance in an instant. She tackled Chives with enough force to shatter her ribs. The artificial Saiyan coughed up a red-black mix of blood and neuroplastacine. Piña turned into the sky, doing a half circle and concentrating her aura into her hand, forming a spinning blue orb of power. 

In the gunship, Bradley had helped Serrin back to her feat. She writhed in pain at even the touch of air. Her body was smoking from the burns, and her face had been destroyed save for one eye that bulged out beyond its crushed socket. With that eye, she looked out over the battlefield. There were no reserves left. The earth was littered with the wreckage of gunships and mechs. Piles of bodies stood everywhere. And more Saiyans kept coming. They fought with sticks and stones and bare hands, grabbing and tearing and pulling at any human they could get their hands on. 

“Incoming!” the pilot shouted from the front. Serrin looked up, just in time to see the blue orb headed straight for them, and Piña right behind it. She punched through the gunship, and it exploded in a spectacular shower of sparks and metal that rained down on the fighters below.

Chives had managed to get back to her feet, but pain wracked her whole body. She stumbled forward, searching the area for her target. She found her, standing a few meters away. Chives tried to lunge for her, but her battered body was too damaged. Parslianne wasn’t much better off. The blood loss left her woozy, and she could barely stand. But she had enough left to manifest her aura, a pink glow that bloomed like flower petals around her. She hopped awkwardly on one leg, managing to reach Chives. The young Saiyan girl was no longer smiling, instead confusion spreading across her face as Parslianne drew her in for a hug. 

“Sorry kid,” she managed to say as the life drained out of her leg. “We’ll have to call this one a draw.” She ignited her aura to full force, and the two were engulfed in the largest Saiyan explosion seen yet.

Piña landed on the ground again, looking at her arm. It was a mangled mash of bone and metal fragments, hanging uselessly at her side and losing blood. She had no choice. With a painful cry she ripped her own flesh apart, removing everything below her left elbow. She tore the clothing off a nearby body and fashioned a tourniquet before she passed out from the blood loss. 

Around her, she saw that the fight was turning into a rout. With almost all command and control for the human forces killed, the remaining troops had no one to issue them orders, and ran blindly into their deaths. No quarter was being given; those who threw down their weapons at least received a quick death. She knew though that only two skirmishes amongst the broader battle really mattered. One she could see, as Jicama and Celer lit into each other, delivering savage blows like hulking boxers in a heavyweight fight. The other was beyond her line of sight, but she could feel the desperate clash of two friends who were determined to kill each other. 

She could also see that the sun was only moments away from disappearing below the horizon.

Reene knew that Will would throw everything he had at her, but his level of fierceness still caught her by surprise. Every time she dodged to take advantage of his attack, he adjusted to her. His punches and kicks landed with a force she didn’t know he had. He matched her speed and agility perfectly. She hadn’t seen this Will in any of their sparring matches, and at first she thought it was because he was fighting for his life. As their fight dragged on, his words about trying to save her repeated again and again. She realized it was because he believed he was fighting for her life.

She grabbed his arm and slammed him into the ground. As he fell, he shifted his weight and caught her off balance, dragging her down with him. They grappled on the ground, each one spinning and tugging to gain the slightest leverage over the other. Finally Reene managed to straddle Will, and grabbed his neck, squeezing as hard as she could.

“Give up and run away!” she said to him. “Run away, like you did when Arula was killed.” 

He grabbed her arms and twisted suddenly, reversing positions with her. He slammed his head into her nose, and her grip on his neck loosened as blood poured down her face. He scrambled to his feet, coughing for air.

“How dare you use her name,” he said. “Do you think this is what she wanted? For her students to become murderers?”

“We’ll never know since you got her killed!” Reene said, powering up again. Will did the same, but she noticed that his aura was a bit dimmer. He was starting to tire. She pushed her energy into her feet and flew across the distance between them, her fist drawn back to strike. Will stepped to the side and used her momentum against her, flinging her back into the dirt. SHe recovered faster than he anticipated, sweeping his legs and landing a palm thrust in his chest as he fell. She was on him again, and they exchanged a rapidfire succession of punches and kicks. They moved so fast that their limbs blurred, each relying on sensation, instinct and pure luck to avoid a devastating strike. 

They separated, then engaged again. And again. With each exchange, Reene landed a few more blows. Will’s reactions slowed a bit more. If Will’s strength matched his determination, then he would be even stronger than Jicama. But he’d always been the weakest. Reene saw the fear creeping into his eyes as he realized that he was losing ground against her. He feared a world where strength determined everything. No matter how many times he’d heard Arula say to him that he was strong, he never believed it in his heart.

On the other side of the chaos, Jicama and Celer were staring each other down, their hands locked together above their heads as they shoved each other. Jicama’s aura had dimmed, but it still whipped around him ferociously as he sought any small advantage over Celer. The boy just smiled at him, content to hold him right there until he depleted his energy, and then he would be easy to kill.

“You’re just as strong as I hoped you would be,” Celer said, digging his fingers into Jicama’s skin. “We’re evenly matched! But one of the doctor’s upgrades was a limitless energy supply. It’s just a matter of time until you’re too weak to fight back.”

“You keep going on about your upgrades,” Jicama said through gritted teeth, “but you haven’t noticed that he gave you the worst downgrade a Saiyan can receive.”

“Which is?

Now Jicama smiled. “He removed your tail!”

Jicama looked up, and Celer followed his eyes. There, gently resting right above the treeline, like a massive silver dollar in the jetblack sky, was the full moon. 

Realization dawned on Celer’s face. He tried to pull away from Jicama, but it was too late. His hands had become like bear traps, squeezing tighter and tighter. A low growl began to emanate from Jicama’s throat. His smile turned into a grimace, and his teeth changed into fangs protruding from a suddenly elongating snout. His hands grew in size, crushing Celer’s hands like dry leaves underfoot. The artificial Saiyan cried out, struggling relentlessly to break free. Jicama held on though, as his armor stretched and his skin became covered in thick brown fur. The last thing to change were Jicama’s eyes, first going pupiless, then slowly changing to a bloodshot red color. He still held Celer between his hands, and let out an earth-shattering roar as he took him in one hand and instantly squeezed the life out of him. He threw what remained of the boy to the ground, and roared again, his transformation into a Great Ape complete.

The humans looked on in mute despair as the rest of the Saiyans stood in various phases of their own transformations. Even Bocca, who had hidden for most of the fight in the rubble, was screaming towards the moon as her mouth gave way to the terrifying maw of a Great Ape. Reene looked back to behold the transformation, giving Will a moment of respite from her onslaught. He saw Jicama toss aside Celer’s broken body. 

Jicama swiped at the Royal Guards, swatting hundreds away like so many flies. The other transformed Saiyans rampaged as well, smashing buildings and stomping on any person, human or Saiyan, that was unfortunate enough to be in their path. The dark night was illuminated with the red-orange flash of explosions in all directions. Reene turned back towards Will.

“Aren’t you going to transform and end this?” he said, and Reene could see the tears running down his face. Was he crying for Celer? The humans? Himself? Reene didn’t know, and it didn’t matter anymore.

“I’ll give you a fair shot,” she said. “You can’t stop what’s happening anymore, but you said you were going to stop me. So do it.”

Will nodded, and powered up with what little energy he had left. He took off, hurtling towards Reene. She placed her palm flat, gathering her own energy, and spinning it as Piña had taught her. The orb grew in intensity and power, bathing her in a purple glow. Will was right on top of her, in striking distance. She focused her energy, shooting it out from her hand in a concentrated beam. It struck Will in the chest, blasting straight through.

Will gasped, blood splurting from the wound and from his mouth. He fell short of her, skidding across the ground like a ragdoll. Reene hadn’t known if the attack would work. She hadn’t known if it would even hurt him. She hadn’t known that it would kill him.

She knelt down, and cradled Will in her arms. The gaping hole in his chest wasn’t clean and precise like the one that killed Arula. It was ragged, and she could see his shredded insides as he bled out on her. He reached up, and brought her head close to his lips, close enough to hear his last whisper.

“I’m sorry…I couldn’t…” he didn’t finish his sentence. His hand fell from Reene’s head, and his body went limp. 

Reene hugged him. She didn’t know what made her want to, but she held his body against hers, until the warmth began to fade away. She threw her head back and screamed, a sound that echoed across the wasteland that she and her comrades had created, screaming as she beheld the pure white light of the full moon. Her scream continued, until it became a roar that joined with the sound of the other Great Apes.

Epilogue

The morning sun was obscured by the haze of a thousand fires burning across West City. Jicama stood on the rubble of the Royal Residence, receiving reports from the other cities. The result had been the same everywhere: a total Saiyan victory. Their losses had been heavy, but when the transformations began, the humans had no chance. All the great cities lay in ruin, waiting to be claimed.

Below, the Saiyans milled about as if in a daze. It had been their first transformation, and many were still essentially high on the massive amounts of hormones that had flooded their bodies while they fought. Most of them were naked, their clothes destroyed by the transformation, as only Jicama’s team had access to the armor he’d specially designed for the battle. But modesty was a human trait. They reveled in their victory, even as they were surrounded by countless bodies and the remnants of the old world. 

Piña was resting in a makeshift triage center near the gates of the residence. Of the Saiyans that had started their training with Arula, only Reene stood with Jicama now. He was staring off towards the horizon again. After the last report came in, he turned to the Saiyans that were gathered around.

“The humans had a tradition,” he said. “When a new ruler was anointed, that person had the opportunity to take on the name they felt suited themselves, and the kind of rule they would institute. Despite being human in origin, it is a worthy tradition, and I will employ it now.

“From this day forward, I will be known as King Vegeta, the First Among All Saiyans. This planet, which is now the realm of the Saiyans, will share my name. Let the ascension of the Saiyan race ring out across the universe, a universe that will once again tremble at the mention of our name!” 

The onlookers broke into cheers and applause, and Reene looked on, nodding approvingly. There were still humans to be found and dealt with, but with the mass of them exterminated, they could take their time. For now, she would take Will back to their dojo, and bury him alongside Arula, where he belonged. A Saiyan until the end.