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And at the same time that Chestra was struggling with Frieza… Frieza was unaware that Jaden and Zarbon had left planet Vegeta much earlier than he had expected them to. Jaden and Zarbon visited King Vegeta and his wife mainly to find out if Prince Vegeta and his cohorts, Nappa and Raditz had finished clearing planet Astoria and capturing little Princess Tayla. King Vegeta had snapped sharply at both of them and said that his son would clear their precious Astoria soon enough, and the sooner he did it, the better. Planet Astoria had been a thorn in King Vegeta’s side for many decades, and the Astorians were the Saiyans’ main enemies and a true threat to them because the Astorians were equally as powerful as the Saiyans. Many decades ago, the Saiyans had conquered the planet Astoria and forced her inhabitants to become slaves to them. The Saiyans had ruled Astoria for over twenty years until the heir to the Astorian throne, Shalila Chloe, a young princess, had returned to home planet from planet Earth, accompanied by a powerful Namek warrior named Dirkan. With the help of Dirkan, Bajal Chloe (Shalila’s then-fiancé, now deceased husband), and Kami Orchida, Astoria’s current deity, Shalila Chloe had defeated the Saiyans and took her home planet back from them. She and her husband and Dirkan had forced all pureblooded Saiyans to leave Astoria and never return after she and Dirkan had killed King Dayrus (the current King Vegeta’s uncle), who had been the Saiyan king on Astoria at that time. Before the Battle of Chloe, where Frieza and his forces tried to conquer Astoria, Shalila Chloe had tried to make peace with the Saiyans and convince them not to ally with Frieza, but she and her people had refused to give in to King Vegeta’s unreasonable demands which included many Astorian women as brides, total and eternal subjection to the Saiyans forever, and unlimited rights to all of Astoria’s resources. The infamous Summit at the Temple of Chloe, which was supposed to bring a peaceful truce between Astoria and Vegeta, ended in complete disaster when Superior Granden (title for an Astorian king) Bajal Chloe and King Vegeta nearly fought each other physically and verbally, and that was that. Astoria and Vegeta were still as bitter enemies as ever and even more so when some Saiyans had recently attacked and killed important members of Shalila Chloe’s family, including her husband, Bajal, and her son, Crown Prince Mantros Chloe, heir to the Astorian throne. King Vegeta was certain that if Astoria wasn’t cleared and destroyed, Superior Gran (queen) Shalila Chloe would definitely seek revenge, for Astorians were no more forgiving than the Saiyans were towards those who tried to harm them without cause. Jaden and Zarbon could have cared less which side won this continuing feud, as long as they weren’t dragged into it. Neither one of them were too eager to tangle with Saiyans or Astorians at this time, although they knew that Frieza was feeling uneasy about the existence of both powerful races. Frieza had recently hinted to them about the possibility about eradicating the entire Saiyan race, and Zarbon had been leaning in support towards it, as he secretly feared the Saiyans. Jaden privately thought that it wasn’t necessary, as long as the Saiyans didn’t rebel; she thought that as annoying as the Saiyans could be, they were too valuable to be eliminated. Jaden was the current trainer of Prince Vegeta and Princess Journa, King Vegeta’s favored and two youngest children, and she hated to see such potentially indispensable fighters destroyed. Jaden didn’t believe in wasting or destroying anything or anyone that could be of good use later on, but half of the time, Frieza did not agree with her on those opinions. Jaden and Zarbon thought that the visit on planet Vegeta had been a total waste of their time, since they could not find out anything new about the purging of planet Astoria or the capturing of little Princess Tayla Chloe. At this time, their separate space pods were almost near Frieza’s mother ship. “It’s likely that our good Lord Frieza sent those Saiyan brats on a suicide mission,” Jaden quipped through her scouter to Zarbon, who was in his own pod. “We couldn’t even take Astoria, and he sends three brats to pull off what an army of thousands couldn’t?” “A few Saiyans have the power of a thousand of our soldiers,” Zarbon pointed out to her, his voice coming from his scouter. “And three powerful Oozarus can clear a planet, even a planet such as Astoria.” “Right…” Jaden said skeptically through her device to him. “They could, as long as the Astorians don’t chop off their tails. I wager that those boys don’t make it past Chloe. Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz are unusually strong, even for Saiyans, but this is the first time that they’ve ever battled Astorians. The Astorians can be a merciless bunch when they’re backed up against the proverbial wall; you and I know that from experience. My little royal recruit has a lot to learn yet, and speaking of recruits, how is Chestra coming along in her training?” “Exceptionally well,” Zarbon told her, a bit dreamily, thinking of Chestra’s lovely face and graceful body. “Ever since the Mid-Evaluation two days ago, she has been pushing herself to the limit; in a few years, she may be as strong as us. I just hope that…well, never mind.” “Never mind what?” Jaden asked through her scouter. “Does she have any faults, what? Faults have to be corrected in a recruit, even in a recruit that you happen to favor; you know that better than anyone else. Not that I’ve really seen any faults in her yet, but even I would have to remain objective, if she were my recruit, even if she is my friend. You sound concerned for her or about her; what’s up, if you don’t mind my asking.” “Jaden,” Zarbon asked worriedly through his scouter, as their pods entered the landing port of Frieza’s mother ship. “Has Lord Frieza mentioned Chestra to you lately?” “Not since before her Mid-Eval,” Jaden replied. “Why?” “Have you noticed how tense and upset she was after Lord Frieza shook her hand to congratulate her? She looked afraid of him, as if Lord Frieza was planning to devour her. She ran out of the Evaluation room fast afterwards, looking as if she had to go back to live on that wretched Egimari again. Did you see what happened?” “Yeah, I did, and now it worries me too, now that I think about it,” Jaden told him, as their pods crash-landed next to each other on the pod pads inside the landing port. The doors of both pods slowly opened, and Jaden and Zarbon crawled out of their cramped spacecrafts. Jaden stretched all of her limbs wide, arms, legs, and both tails of hers. “I can’t get a word out of her what she had been afraid of, or even what Frieza did or said to her on that day. She just hedges and avoids the subject; outside of threatening to beat her, I didn’t know what else to do, and I don’t want to hurt her.” She and Zarbon dusted themselves off, as they stepped on the moving conveyor walks that would lead them to the main section of Frieza’s mother ship, where Frieza’s private quarters and office were housed. “She won’t talk to me much about it either; she just asked me to extend her training hours, saying that it would keep her occupied. But it’s not her extra training that worries me; it’s Lord Frieza. I think Lord Frieza wants her for himself.” “You mean sexually or romantically?” Jaden asked bluntly, as she bit off a hangnail. Zarbon’s tense silence answered her question. “You want to go find out, if she’s okay?” Jaden asked him. “Just contact her on your scouter.” Zarbon did, but the only response from the communication channel from Chestra’s scouter was a fuzzy whirring sound, similar to the sounds during an old television’s “popcorn” screen. “Chestra? Chestra? Chestra, are you there? Please respond!” Same fuzzy sound, no response. Jaden tried on hers, and she could not get an answer from Chestra’s scouter either. Zarbon and Jaden looked at each other worriedly, for it was not like Chestra to ignore a message from either one of them. “Contact Lord Frieza,” she told him finally. “Are you crazy?” Zarbon asked her. “Just do it, Zarbon,” Jaden told him. “If he’s planning to do something to her, he’ll surely want privacy, so he’ll have his scouter channel blocked. Try to send an emergency signal.” “What excuse should I give?” he asked. “Umm…tell him that that was a possible malfunction with your space pod, but that you made it here safely. Ask if he will send a Technician to check it out.” Zarbon pressed the emergency button on his scouter and tapped in Frieza’s code. A long, tedious beep emitted from the scouter… …Frieza hissed in fury; what sort of an emergency was so important that his “lovemaking” session with his new woman had to be so rudely interrupted? He had just now ripped off Chestra’s slip with his hand, and Chestra was trying to prevent him from removing her underwear as well. Frieza was not in a good mood now as it was, for Chestra had made the mistake of spitting in his face, which obtained her a hard slap across her face. Frieza had not wanted to hit her; he had wanted her to enjoy what he was doing with her, but she would not cooperate! Now she had forced him to strike her, when all he wanted to do was mate with her and make her his. He should have claimed her by now, but he had not managed to force himself on her yet, and he was getting more and more impatient by the second. He tightened his tail around her and hissed in her face, “You try to fight me again, little girl, and you will be sorry. I wanted this to be fun and pleasurable for both of us, but it looks like I’m the only one who will enjoy this. Now be quiet while I answer this ridiculous ‘emergency call’. It better not be about Balair screwing one of my father’s concubines again, or Ginyu unable to do his next assignment because he strained his groin or hamstrings practicing one of his stupid poses; no one around here seems to know what a true emergency is.” Frieza pressed the response button on his scouter and snapped, “Yes, what is it?” “Sire, it’s me, Zarbon.” Chestra gasped when she heard the voice of the man she had started to love. Frieza could barely keep from growling, as he replied to his head commander, “Yes, what it, Zarbon?” “Sire, my space pod may be malfunctioning. Some of the devices in my craft had failed to work when they should have, and furthermore, sire…” Frieza had not gagged or restrained Chestra’s mouth in anyway, and that would soon become his first mistake. Chestra, knowing that what she was about to do would probably get her injured worse, or even killed, did it anyway. She screamed at the top of her lungs, uncertain that it would do any good, “Zarbon, is that you? It’s Chestra! Please help me! Frieza is trying to rape me, help!” Zarbon’s voice raised several decibels. “Chestra? Sweet Kami!” And then Zarbon’s voice turned angry. “Frieza, what are you doing to her?” he growled. “Help me, Zarbon, please!” Chestra cried in fear. Frieza slapped her again. “I told you to be quiet, you loud little wench, you understand me? You are mine!” “Let her go, Frieza!” Zarbon roared through the scouter. “Or I won’t hesitate to challenge you!” Zarbon gasped aloud at himself when he realized that he had just threatened his liege. “You dare to talk to me this way! Zarbon, do you know who you are addressing? If I want Chestra, I will have her! You can easily find another woman; Chestra’s mine. Now you will apologize—Zarbon—Zarbon?” No answer. Zarbon’s channel had been closed. “You know that you just signed your own death warrant by threatening Frieza like that,” Jaden pointed out to Zarbon, as they both swiftly flew through the corridors of Frieza’s mother ship. Zarbon had traced Frieza’s channel to his office on his scouter, and he and Jaden were rushing to reach there in time to save Chestra from Frieza’s clutches. Jaden went on to add, “And I just signed mine by agreeing to help.” “Do you wish to back out?” Zarbon asked her, sweat dabbing his brow, as he and the Rybanese woman zipped through the air of the corridors, their bodies resembling a blue blur and a green blur.” “Hell no! She’s my friend too, lover boy, and even though our dear Frieza will probably use us for target practice after this stunt that we are about to pull, it will be worth it if we keep him from raping Chestra. Believe me, I know what it’s like to be helpless and trapped like that. I understand now why Lord Freezy and Sagash managed to get along so well; Freezy is no better than Sags.” Zarbon said nothing. He had regrets about not doing anything to intervene when Jaden had first said that Sagash had raped her, and like Frieza, he had not believed her at that time. Sagash had been one of Zarbon’s good friends; he and Zarbon had been hired under Frieza at almost the same time, and they had trained together. Zarbon had finally started believing that Sagash had molested Jaden just before they had arrived on the moon of Chloe of planet Astoria to fight in the Battle of Chloe when he had heard Sagash taunt Jaden about what he was doing to her. After Jaden had been inducted into Top Elite, Zarbon had privately apologized to her for not believing her and not intervening when he should have, and Jaden had forgiven him, although her forgiveness had been grudging and reluctant at first. Gradually, however, they had formed a steady acquaintance that occasionally hinted of friendship. Now they were both united, working together to save someone that they both cared about from their own lord’s hands. Jaden and Zarbon were not what anyone on the opposing sides would call good or nice, of course, but even assassins and criminals can love and care for someone else. Jaden knew what it was like to be victimized and have her innocence stolen from her, and Zarbon didn’t want the woman that he had just realized that he loved hurt by a monster like his liege. Both of them saw this not only as a chance to help Chestra (even though Frieza would probably turn them both to ash before they had the chance), but also as a rare opportunity to redeem themselves for the evil things that they did (and would probably continue doing). Before they knew it, they were at Frieza’s office door, and Zarbon and Jaden were preparing to open the door. Zarbon pulled himself back in order to blast the door open. “This should take one minute…” Jaden cried, “GLASS FREEZE!” and turned Frieza’s door into glass with a ki blast. She then kicked the glass hard with her two tails, shattering it instantly. “Or maybe less…” Zarbon quipped. When they burst into Frieza’s office, Frieza was still wrestling with Chestra, and when he looked up angrily, he was not thrilled to have new guests. “Zarbon! Jaden!” Chestra gasped. “Let her go, Frieza, now,” Zarbon said in a deadly, lethal tone of voice. “Or I won’t hesitate to destroy you.” Frieza, who still had Chestra pinned to the floor with his tail wrapped around her, looked at Zarbon and flashed him a look that could turn the handsome warrior into ash. “Zarbon, you and Jaden have just made the biggest mistake of your lives. If you two wish to live after today, I suggest that you both leave immediately,” he told them both coolly. “Let her go, Frieza, and we will leave,” Jaden told her stonily. “She doesn’t want to be with you, and she’s made that clear.” Frieza turned his eyes to her. “Jadenia,” Frieza told her icily, and his cold tone sent a shiver down Jaden’s normally steely spine. Frieza only called her “Jadenia” when he was about to threaten or scold her. She just barely managed to keep her cold, stern expression; deep down she could be as terrified of Frieza as anyone else; she just didn’t show it. “Jadenia, this is none of your concern. I understand that Chestra is your new friend, but I am lord here, I am master, I reign supreme. You know that I am more powerful than anyone in the universe, and you know what I am capable of when I’m furious. Your family’s deaths alone should have convinced you. And now, foolish woman, you and pretty boy here think that you two have a chance to fight me? I hate to kill two fine Top Elite officers, for one little wench is not worth challenging me. Zarbon can easily find someone else to grace his bed; I have claimed Chestra, and I will have her. Leave immediately.” Zarbon tried to remain calm; he had never defied Frieza like this before, and he was still not one hundred percent sure how to go about it. But he wouldn’t allow Frieza, ruthless tyrant or not, to harm the woman that he loved. “Release her, sire, now,” he said as boldly as possible. “You heard him!” Chestra cried. “Let me go!” “Quiet, girl,” Frieza snapped at his potential conquest. He narrowed his eyes at Jaden and Zarbon in a look that could destroy the entire Rosetta Galaxy. “This is your last chance, both of you; leave now before I obliterate both of you,” he said in a cold tone. Jaden had a plan. “What’s the matter, Freezy?” she sneered, knowing that he hated to be addressed by that nickname (Frieza’s brother, Coola, would call him “Freezy” when he wanted to give him a harder time than usual). “You have enough guts to rape a recruit, a kid, but you don’t even have the nerve to face two of your best Elite officers? Pity, Freezy, maybe you’re starting to fear us as much as you do the Saiyans; maybe that’s why you’re still clinging to Chestra instead of taking us on, hmm? Perhaps, you’re losing your touch. I’m sure that the Saiyans would be pleased to know that they could destroy you now; maybe I should send a nice little message to King Vegeta telling him about your concerns. I wonder how the Saiyan king and his Elite forces would react, if they knew that their benefactor, the great Lord Frieza was thinking of wiping them out.” Frieza snarled, “Don’t even think about it, Jadenia! Do you really think that they would believe you over me?” Jaden smirked, hiding her fear well. She wanted to incite Frieza to fight her; perhaps Zarbon and Chestra could flee while she was fighting her final battle, for Jaden knew that she didn’t have a chance against her liege. However, Jaden felt at times that she truly had little to stay alive for except to annoy Frieza, Dodoria, and Balair; she had not forgiven or forgotten what they did to her. She also suspected that Frieza or the Sistrai sent the Hycanese to destroy her people, but she couldn’t prove it yet. “Would it really matter?” Jaden asked calmly. “With Saiyans, suspicions would be enough, and despite King Vegeta’s orders that they respect you and follow your orders, many of them hate your guts. A few Elite Saiyan Oozarus could easily take you out, and you know it. What a way to die, dying by the hands of the so-called monkeys! It would be interesting to watch.” Frieza hissed, as he held Chestra tighter to him; he wasn’t about to give her up, even though she was struggling and thrashing about still, “You dare to blackmail me, Jadenia? That will cost you.” Jaden snorted, putting on a good act. “Well, if you want to collect your payment, then get off of your white, transforming, scrawny as—“ “You’ll die for defying and disrespecting me!” And Frieza lost control of his anger then, flinging Chestra to the side, releasing her at last. He raised his fist and launched himself at Jaden, who back flipped several times across the office floor to get away from him. She shape shifted quickly into a sharp rapier (she was the fastest shape shifter out of Frieza’s fighters) and aimed herself at Frieza’s chest. Frieza aimed his eye lasers at the flying rapier, but the Jaden/rapier slashed his arm before Frieza could prevent her. Unfortunately, Frieza decided to use his finger lasers afterwards, and one of his deadly lasers hit the rapier before she had a chance to slash him again. Jaden could keep any form that she wanted for as long as she wanted, as long as she was not hit by a ki blast; Frieza’s finger laser forced her back into her original shape. She took a deep breath and shape shifted into a long link of titanium steel chains, and in this chain form, she swiftly wrapped herself around Frieza, entrapping him. Jaden in chain form tightened her grip around the evil tyrant, pinning his arms, tail, and legs in a titanium steel chain link cocoon. Frieza struggled against the restraints, and Jaden just barely managed to hold onto him. The chain link cried out, “Both of you get the hell out of here! I’m not going to be able to hold him forever!” Zarbon hated to leave Jaden to fight Frieza alone, knowing that she didn’t have much chance of survival for long, but he had to get Chestra away from the evil tyrant that had tried to rape her. A dazed, terrified Chestra struggled to her tiny feet, and she could only watch in shock, as the chain link Jaden tightened her grip on a very angry and very deadly Frieza. Zarbon rushed to her and scooped her up in his arms, holding her to him tightly. “What do we do now?” Chestra asked worriedly. “Get the hell out of here!” Jaden roared, after hearing Chestra with her superb Rybanese hearing. “Go now! I can’t hold him for much longer!” Zarbon didn’t hesitate; he threw Chestra over his right shoulder, and he flew out of Frieza’s office with a speed faster than a comet. Chestra, both numb and shaken at the same time, watched behind them worriedly, as Zarbon raced through the corridors in the air with her on his shoulder. Zarbon was a rocket, a green blur, as he zipped through the corridors to the pod ports, where he and Jaden had just come from. He didn’t stop until they reached his pod, and then he quickly set Chestra down on her feet while he entered a code pressing several buttons on the pod. The pod door opened, and as soon as it had opened completely, Zarbon seized Chestra in his arms and threw both of them inside the pod. He then pressed a button to close the pod, and then he pressed another button to signal the mother ship’s launching controls. Zarbon pulled the safety belt over both him and Chestra, who was sitting on his lap, holding onto his neck tightly. He then he buckled them in, and before they knew it, the pod was launched from the mother ship like a boy spitting out a piece of gum. Within minutes, the pod containing them was soaring through space, past Frieza’s mother ship and planet Vegeta. |