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Avaran was a huge planet, a little large than Jupiter in the Milky Way Galaxy. It had taken Zarbon and Jaden two days to get closer to Chestra and Diamonique's trail. The Avarani of the surviving continents now had both Top Elite officers on their hit list, especially since Jaden destroyed the soldiers of the most important military base on the continent of Orangi with her Sonic Scream Attack, an attack that could break anyone's bones with a high C note from her powerful voice when she screamed. Zarbon had his ears plugged with wax during Jaden's terrifying attack. Jaden wouldn't have attacked them, but the Avarani soldiers fired their missiles at her and Zarbon, and they would have been killed, had not Jaden fended them off. Now they were on the run from the Avarani army and also Intergalacticpol, for there had been an Intergalacticpol base in Orangi. Jaden and Zarbon could have handled both the planetary army and the Intergalacticpol officers, but neither one of them felt up to causing any more havoc without finding Diamonique and Chestra first. Time was fast running out. Warplanes were flying all about Jaden and Zarbon, as they were now flying over the continent of Marama, Avaran's smallest continent. The bright orange warplanes (they were bright orange to blend in with the carrot-tinted sky color of Avaran) were shooting missiles and lasers at the two Top Elite officers left and right. However, for every blow that the warplanes gave Zarbon and Jaden, the two Top Elites gave back twofold. Jaden and Zarbon disintegrated most of the Avarani warplanes within minutes of the Avarani army attacking. Finally, when Zarbon had destroyed the last one, they were hovering over the pure white sands of the Wouki Desert. Jaden turned on her new scouter for the umpteenth time, hoping to contact Chestra. Again, there was that fuzzy sound, no real response. (Jaden didn't know that Diamonique had cleverly tampered with Chestra's communication device on Chestra's scouter the night before last, rendering the communication parts useless. Chestra could not give or receive messages.) Finally, Zarbon decided to contact Diamonique. He tuned into Diamonique's scouter channel, and a sugary-icy sweet voice cooed, "Hello, Zarbon, how are you?" Zarbon tried to remain as calm as possible, although he wanted to rip all of Diamonique's deadly nails out of her fingers one by one. "I am fine, Diamonique, and you?" "Very well, and very happy to hear from you, Zarbon," Diamonique said in that cloying voice of hers. "Where are you at, darling?" "Why on Avaran, same as you. In fact, I was looking for you because I've been thinking so much about you on the way here," Zarbon told her truthfully. He had been thinking about her quite a bit, on how much he would like to strangle her and give her to Enma Daiou as a gift. "Really? Do you think that we could meet, just for a little while?" "Sure!" Zarbon enthused silkily. "I would love to meet with you, Diamonique. I think that it's about time that we spent some time together, for there are some things that I would like to discuss with you." "Really? Like what?" "Oh, you'll see, my little Gemstarian warrior. I've been wanting to spend some time alone with you." "You don't know how happy that makes me, Zarbon. But what about Chestra?" "Forget about her. I wish to discuss us." Jaden couldn't help but grin at Zarbon's making Diamonique think that he wanted to see her for personal reasons. Finally, Zarbon convinced Diamonique to reveal her location, and they cut off communication. Zarbon smiled wryly. "Well, Jaden, your plan seems to be working out well. Let's just hope that it's not too late." "Easy, Zarbon. I told you Diamonique would fall for it. A woman in love or in lust with a man will believe anything that she wants to in order to convince herself that he cares for her. At least that's what I've heard from Eclipse. That little ice maiden's falling for our trap like Dodoria falling for the promise of a ten-course meal all to himself and Balair falling for-well, anything little and cute with a working vagina." The Rybanese warrior noticed was Zarbon's skin was pale, and his fists were clenched in anxiety. The normally unaffectionate Jaden patted her comrade on his shoulder. "Chestra's a survivor, Zarbon. No matter what happens, she's gonna be all right." Zarbon sighed, "I hope so, Jaden, I hope so." Ten minutes later... Diamonique felt for Chestra's pulse, and it was a weak beat now, no stronger than the flutter of an Earth butterfly's wings. She smiled widely, waiting for the perfect moment when even that little beat would be no more. The Gemstarian maiden wondered briefly where she would bury her archrival, and then she shook her and decided on cremation. She had her story all ready for Frieza and the others, should they ask about Chestra's untimely death: a missile hit Chestra's body while Chestra was destroying a city and it exploded, killing her instantly. There would be no more Avarani left to testify otherwise. Diamonique rested her icy-blue head against the walls of the tent, first relaxed until she realized that Chestra was still alive. Finally, the cold-hearted warrior woman decided that she was tired of waiting for her archrival to die, so she raised her hand. She would do "Chesty" one last favor and put the girl out of her misery. Diamonique laughed wickedly, as she prepared to blast Chestra straight to Enma Daiou. She could feel Zarbon's lips pressing against hers now, and in no time, Diamonique was certain that she could make Zarbon desire her as much as he had Chestra. No, she would make him desire her more than he had Chestra. "Say hello to E.D. for me, Chesty!" Diamonique purred, as she prepared to release a ki blast from her slim hand. She was sitting there perfectly, waiting to disintegrate her dying partner, a picture of a maiden with a cruel, smiling expression on her face, one who had no regrets about killing her comrade. "ZIP! WHIR!" Diamonique was still in her sitting position, with her hand still raised to destroy Chestra once and for all. But the evil expression marring her beautiful features was gone; instead her face expressed horror and shock-the shock of a woman who never truly knew what hit her. Diamonique was frozen in time, as Jaden and Zarbon stepped into the tent, quietly observing the stiff position of Diamonique, her body unable to move, her mouth unable to scream. Zarbon paid no attention to the sinister female, as he rushed over to Chestra's side, shaking her gently. "Chestra? Chestra? It's me, Zarbon. Wake up, please! Please wake up!" her lover cried frantically. Jaden watched the tragic pair with rare pity in her usually unexpressive yellow eyes, and then she turned and spat on the statue-like Diamonique. Diamonique did not scream at her for spitting on her, or even flinch. Not that Diamonique could anyway, even if she wanted to. She was frozen in time forever, once a beautiful woman made out of flesh and blood. But now was made out of glass. The Rybanese warrior looked at the glass Diamonique in both relief and disgust; she was thankful that she had used her Glass Freeze attack in time. She then turned to an anxious Zarbon, who was trying to rouse his love. "Chestra? Chestra? Please, don't die on me! I'm not going to lose you now!" Jaden knew only one thing that she could do, but she would have to work fast. Before Zarbon could stop her, the reptilian female warrior shoved past him to get to her best friend. Quickly she turned Chestra's head to its side, and she punched Chestra hard in her head, hard enough to knock her out. Working rapidly, she ripped off Chestra's negligee, and she raised one claw-encrusted hand. In a swift, slicing motion, she cut Chestra's chest open, right above her. Violet blood began to seep gently from the wound, but Jaden used a finger laser to cauterize the bleeding veins. "Stop!" Zarbon cried. "What are you doing? Why are you hurting her?" "Shut up!" Jaden roared, in no mood for interruptions. "Listen, lover boy, if you want her to live, you better have your needle and thread ready, and I know you carry those because you don't like to travel with tattered clothes after a battle. Now get that stuff ready and shut your mouth until I'm done!" "You're going to kill her!" Zarbon screamed. "I'm going to kill you, if you don't do as I tell you! Now shut up! Get that needle and thread ready! And give me that hand sanitizer that I know that you also carry." A shocked Zarbon slowly did what Jaden commanded, and Jaden rubbed her hands with the sanitizer. She reached inside Chestra's chest and began to massage the little heart gently, as she blew hot air on it to melt the ice. Jaden surveyed the damage as she went along; thankfully there were no arteries harmed, just a couple of veins. Zarbon watched in fear and terror, both emotions of which he tried to conceal, but couldn't, as Jaden continued to massage and warm Chestra's slowly beating heart. Jaden's facial expressions went from grim to worried to horrified, then to anxiousness, to uncertainty, to fragile hope, and then finally to pure relief. "Sweet Kami!" she cried out in a tone that was unusually happy for the normally stoic warrior that she was. "She's gonna make it, Zarbon! I tell you, she's gonna make it!" Zarbon's hands trembled, as Jaden took the needle and thread and began to complete her "surgery". Two hours later... Zarbon lay near Chestra, carefully holding her to him, relieved at hearing her steady heartbeat again. Jaden sat up beside them, quiet and watchful and thankful. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, she awoke slowly, her jade eyes once again opening. She was amazed to see the beloved faces of her two closest companions, her best friend and the man that she loved the most. "Zarbon? Jaden? Am I dreaming?" "Don't you wish," Jaden quipped, back to her old snappy self. "Am-am I alive?" "Does Dodoria have a butt the size of Frieza's mother ship? Does Balair chase anything young with boobs and a working vagina? Does the Ginyu Force have the combined I.Q. of Zarbon's cape? Does Zarbon still have the hots for you? And does Frieza-" "Enough, Jaden," Zarbon interrupted. He took Chestra's hand and kissed it gently, smiling at her. "Yes, my love, you're alive, thanks to our sharp-tongued friend here." Chestra looked at Jaden wonderingly. "You saved me?" "Sure did," Jaden said without a trace of modesty. "And for a while there, I didn't think I was going to be able to do it. You had us worried to death, kid; don't ever do it again." "I'll certainly try," Chestra promised her. "What happened to me? All I remember is Diamonique firing a ki blast at me and then-"-she saw Diamonique's glass form-"what in the universe happened to Diamonique?" "To pardon my language-"-Jaden didn't normally ask anyone to pardon her foul tongue-"I sent the message that her ass was glass." "You turned her into glass?" Chestra asked, a bit excitedly. She then looked thoughtfully at Diamonique. "She was going to blast you away for good," Jaden told her. "How long will she remain like that?" Chestra wanted to know. "For however as long as I want it, or until she's broken. Once a glass statue is broken, completely, that person's destroyed completely, just as if it was a regular glass ornament." "Will you keep her like that forever?" Chestra asked curiously. "Sure, I will. In fact, I'll even break her right now, if you like." "Wouldn't be that much of a loss," Zarbon quipped, thankful that Chestra was alive. Chestra shivered in Zarbon's arms, as he held her against him. "I was so foolish," she whispered hoarsely. "I honestly thought that she would leave me alone after that last time on planet Nassau. That time that she tried to poison me with her nails, I thought I was going to-" She froze in mid-sentence when she saw Zarbon and Jaden stare at her, horrified. The newly inducted Mid-Elite officer realized then that she had just given herself away. "She tried to kill you?" Jaden growled so threateningly that even the normally unshakable Chestra was taken aback. "When in the hell did that happen, and why in the hell didn't you say anything?" Zarbon was not too happy right now either. His voice was stern, as he asked Chestra, "Why didn't you tell me this right after Diamonique had done this? How could you keep something like that from me?" He couldn't believe that Chestra had kept Diamonique's first murder attempt a secret. He felt a little betrayed. Why would she want to protect someone who would deliberately hurt her? Chestra could barely meet the eyes of her mate and her best friend. She knew that they had a right to be upset, but she had had her own reasons at the time as to why she didn't report Diamonique's first attempt on her life. Her voice stuttered, and that was something that it rarely did. She hadn't been this unnerved since Frieza had tried to force himself on her all those months back. "I-I thought that I could take care of myself, and I didn't truly believe that she would dare to try to attack me again. Even then, I considered her only a nuisance, not a threat. I know that this is going to sound stupid, but at the time, I didn't see the necessity. I had thought that I had taught her a lesson when I had thrown her around in the air on Nassau. And I didn't want to worry anyone. I realize now that I should have told at least you two, but...well, I did a make a huge mistake now, didn't I?" "You sure as hell did," Jaden told her severely in such a steely tone that made her best friend hang her head in shame. "What if Zarbon and I hadn't came? Where would you be now, Chestra? You should consider yourself lucky that I have above-average hearing because I heard Diamonique's nasty plans to destroy you. Unfortunately, I couldn't get to you in time to tell you...cursed chili-cheeseburger pot pies!" Chestra looked at her oddly. "What do chili cheeseburger pot pies have to do with Diamonique's attempt on my life?" Zarbon looked at Jaden sternly. "Jaden, didn't Dr. Katsen tell you that-" "Yeah, yeah, never eat chili and cheese together in the same meal, my dumb fault! That last time I ate one of those sent me to the john for hours. All right, so I was no better than Chestra when it came to not learning from my mistakes." Jaden turned her glowing yellow eyes back to Chestra. "But seriously, Chestra, you should have told us. That sort of thing you should NEVER keep from anyone, and if you do again, I'll-" Jaden looked at Chestra looking back at her, and the girl was trying not to laugh over Jaden's chili cheeseburger pot pie incident. Jaden permitted herself a grim smile; for the first time in a long time, the fierce Rybanese warrior couldn't think of an adequate threat to give someone. "Chili cheeseburger pot pies!" Chestra cried out in laughter, as she fell over. "Jaden, I remember Zarbon telling me about your Rybanese sensitivity to chili and cheese combined! And you ate a potpie with that stuff in it! How long were you in the restrooms this time?" Jaden growled under her breath. "Long enough, too long. It's not my fault that the cooks don't properly weed out the gas-producing enzymes in their foods before they serve it!" "They do," Zarbon told her with a small smile. "It's just that someone with an appetite the size of a Saiyan's just couldn't keep away from the fine cuisine, no matter what the cost of it was." "Yeah, well I will definitely never eat those kind of pot pies again," Jaden said roughly. "They nearly cost Chestra her life 'cause my stomach couldn't handle them." His frowning expression returning, Zarbon looked directly at Chestra, and Chestra winced under her mate's intense stare. He caught her small chin in his and said in his stern tone again, "Chestra, Jaden is right about one thing: you should have told us, or at least me. I was your trainer at the time, and that sort of thing is one thing that you definitely tell the one who is in charge of you. A trainer is supposed to know everything that his or her recruit does, or if that recruit is in danger from anyone. If Frieza and I had known, you and Diamonique would surely have never been sent here together and alone. I could have done something to prevent it. What if Jaden hadn't heard Diamonique's words? What if you had been killed? What if she had killed you right away before we arrived? Did you ever think about that, Chestra?" Zarbon's voice was raised now, and Chestra could no longer meet his eyes with her own. She accepted his chastisement meekly, and meekness was unnatural to her. He turned away from her for a moment and pounded the ground, causing the desert area around them to shake violently for several seconds. The glass sculpture of Diamonique trembled, nearly toppling over. He looked at her, anguished, and Chestra noticed a glimmer of a tear in his golden eye. She felt worse than ever. She took a brief glance at Jaden, but Jaden's face was expressionless; she was leaving this between Chestra and Zarbon now. Zarbon turned his dismayed eyes onto his mate again. "Did you trust me that little, Chestra?" Zarbon demanded to know, and Chestra flinched from the sharpness of his tone. "Whatever reasons you had for keeping silent, protecting that murderous little tramp was a foolish thing to do! You should have at least told me; I could have at least had Dodoria discipline her. What if she had tried again to kill you right away? What if I lost you? What if I never saw you again? Don't you realize that I love you?" He saw Jaden out of the corner of his bright amber eye, and he saw her trying not to smirk or snicker. Chestra was finally able to meet her lover's eyes, and she whispered ashamedly, "I am so sorry. I never meant to worry anyone." "Well you did!" Zarbon shouted again, but then he noticed a tiny tear in the corner of her left pale green eye. His expression softened, as he brushed that one tear away with his thumb. "Chestra, please don't start to cry, please. I was scared to death that I was going to lose the one person who meant more than life itself to me. Please don't ever scare me like that again, please." Her body was trembling, as Zarbon slowly drew her to him. He pulled her into his arms, and they clung to each other tightly, as if they never wanted to let each other go again. Chestra emitted a few sobs from her throat, and Zarbon himself could barely keep from crying. They kissed each other softly "I won't, I promise. And I won't ever keep anything like that from you again, neither you or Jaden." "Well, you better not," Jaden finally said gruffly, interrupting this scene, which she thought was getting too sappy for her. She was uncomfortable with open displays of public affection between lovers, even those between her closest friends. "All right, all's forgiven, now if you two mushy lovebirds don't mind, I have a life behind me that I intend to 'shatter'." And with that, Jaden turned towards Diamonique's statue, preparing to shatter the murderous girl into thousands of glass fragments. Chestra saw Jaden about to destroy Diamonique for good, and to her and everyone else's astonishment, she screamed out, "Jaden, no!" "WHAT?" Jaden froze in her position with her hand still poised at a ninety-degree angle, ready to break Diamonique's glass form. "What the hell did you stop me for? She deserves what she's about to get." "Yes, I know," Chestra said quietly. "But I can't let you do it." "You don't have to 'let' me do anything. I'm going to disintegrate her anyway." "Jaden, no, please," Chestra said softly. "She's not worth it. It's not right; we can't sink to her level-" "Sink to her level? Chestra, she works for Frieza, we all work for Frieza, whether we like it or not. We're all the same as she is." "Exactly," Chestra told her, catching Jaden in her own trap, something that very few people were able to do. "What Diamonique did to me is no different that what we do regularly to others. But there are levels that we could sink to further, and do we really want to sink any lower than we already are? Working for Frieza is low enough, don't you think?" "Yeah it is, but what can we do? It's safer to live with a psycho than be on the run from him; at least you can tell what that psycho's going to do, if you're around him regularly. But that's going off the subject, and Diamonique deserves to get her demise." "Maybe," Chestra said quietly. "But Diamonique cannot fight you back in this case, Jaden. If you intended to kill her in honorable combat, I would not contest it. But she cannot even defend herself now, and it just doesn't feel right to me to let someone die like the way that you planned for her. We already have to take enough lives as it is, and Diamonique will surely learn her lesson this time." "Learn her lesson? Yes, Diamonique is just going to learn her lesson and be a good little girl now on who's gonna be your best friend and 'pologize to you for trying to bump you off. And while she's doing that, Frieza's gonna grant everyone their freedom from him, and Dodoria's gonna fit into a pair of size eight pants, and Balair's gonna to become a homo and vow to give up women forever. And Captain Ginyu's gonna be a college professor, and Jeice is gonna fall in love with Balair and give up women forever as well. And Eclipse is gonna decide that she really prefers women over men. And the Saiyans are gonna quit being warriors and end their feud with the Astorians. And King Vegeta's gonna leave his wife for Superior Gran Shalila Chloe of Astoria. And you and Zarbon are gonna-" "All right, I see your point. Yes, I agree that there is no reason to really spare Diamonique's life. But we don't know what she has gone through in her life to become what she is; she may have been in the same painful situations that you and I have been in our lives, Jaden. What if someone had hurt her the way that others have hurt us? We don't know anything about her past before she came to Frieza. I know that you both have told me that she is a noblewoman of the most important tribe on Gemstar, but a glided life doesn't necessarily mean a happy one. Plus, she is strong, and she could make a useful comrade, even if she is treacherous. Jaden, we can't allow ourselves to become any more like Frieza than what we are now." "We're already like him now." "She does have a point there, Chestra," Zarbon told her. "And how can we be sure that Diamonique won't try to harm you again?" "We can't, at least not one hundred percent. But we can always threaten to tell Frieza on her. And I promise you two personally that if Diamonique ever tries anything like she did again, I won't stand in the way of any punishment that you wish to dispense on her. I will even help you. This is the one and only time I will take mercy on her, even though she doesn't deserve it. But if we allow her to die like Jaden wants her to do, we would be no better than her." Chestra took a deep breath and turned to Jaden. Her next words were hard to say, but she said them anyway, "Jaden, would you please reverse your Glass Freeze attack on her and allow her to come back to her natural form?" Jaden's eyes bulged out to the point of nearing popping out of their sockets. "Chestra, were you hit hard on the head on your assignment here? Are you missing a few brain cells? I've heard that the Avarani are experts in chemical warfare." "Jaden, please reverse your attack. I know that you can do it." "Hell no!" "Jaden," Chestra said as sternly as possible. "Please reverse your attack." "Now see here-" Jaden began icily, and the two women looked at each other. Jaden tried to stare her younger friend down with the fiercest expression possible. For just a nanosecond, Chestra wished that she had not been so insistent in urging Jaden to reverse her Glass Freeze attack, as Jaden's deadly glare penetrated her soul. But she could not yield on this issue, not even to her best friend. She met Jaden's eyes squarely with her own, with no fear now. Jaden continued to try to stare her down, but finally her eyes began to turn away, and her expression softened slightly, just a smidge. Chestra saw these gestures, and the younger Elite fighter knew that she had won. Jaden was acquiescing, and Chestra could see a new respect in the stern Rybanese warrior's eyes. Jaden turned her back on Chestra, and she fired a silvery stream of light from her hand. Within seconds, the glass form of Diamonique melted into flesh and blood, and the shivering girl was back to her natural self. "What happened to me?" Diamonique squeaked, as she looked at herself, once again able to move. She then noticed Chestra, who was now alive and well, although still recovering from Jaden's "surgery". "She's still alive?" Chestra's archenemy, as well as archrival, gasped. "Yes, Diamonique," Chestra said quietly. "I am, and I intend to live." "How-how did you survive? Are you immortal?" Diamonique cried out in horror, clearly unhappy about Chestra's recovery. "Jaden saved me," Chestra told her evenly. "I owe her my life." She said gently to Jaden. "Jaden, forgive me, but I never did thank you for saving my life. I thank you now for saving me." "We wouldn't know what we'd have done without you," Zarbon acknowledged. "No prob," Jaden told them gruffly; she was not used to being thanked. "No biggie." "No biggie?" Chestra exclaimed. "That's what I mean. Uncle Nykan taught me a few useful things during the infrequent visits that I had with him. He knew quite a few things about first aid." Diamonique looked over at Chestra again, and her fury increased. She clenched her fists; how dare "Chesty" live? How dare Jaden save her? She knew that Zarbon was there, but the Gemstarian noblewoman decided that she was going to finish her archrival off once and for all. Without thinking of her actions, Diamonique pushed past Jaden and flew towards Chestra, determined to slash whatever body part on her that her sharp claw-like nails could reach. But before she could attack her prey, Jaden lashed out at Diamonique, backhanding her across her lovely face. Diamonique fell back against the ground, stunned, as her slender back hit the ground. Jaden wasted no time in grabbing Diamonique's slim throat, as she thrust her angry alligator-like face into Diamonique's, and the Gemstarian warrior's black-gem eyes widened in genuine fear. She didn't fear Chestra, but she did fear Jaden, a woman well known to kill someone just for annoying her. "Listen, you little murderous, treacherous little slut!" Jaden roared. "If you EVER, and I mean EVER try to attack her again, or even think of killing her, the next time I turn you into glass will be the last 'cause I'll break you into pieces right afterwards, do you understand me?" Diamonique's peach-blue skin paled, as she slowly nodded. She normally didn't give in to anyone right away, but in this case, she wisely yielded to someone who could almost kill her just by looking at her. "Chestra," Jaden told Diamonique coldly, as she still held the Gemstarian girl's throat, "spoke for you. If it weren't for her, I would have kept you a glass statue and broke you into fragments, like I should have done. She was far more merciful towards you than I would have been, and I hope after today she isn't again. Now tell her you're sorry, you foul little wench!" Diamonique quickly muttered a hasty apology to Chestra, and Chestra replied with a curt nod. Jaden finally allowed Diamonique to rise to her feet, and then she decided that it was time to get back to business. Pushing past Diamonique, she told the others gruffly, "Don't we still have a planet to clear? Let's get this job over with." "That's Jaden," Zarbon said wryly. "All work and no play." "I know how to stick to business, lover boy," Jaden grunted. "Now let's go. There are a few Avarani folks that I would like to say a fond, well not really fond, farewell to." And with no more words, Jaden, watching Diamonique closely, and the others slowly followed behind her. Diamonique coldly watched Chestra, but she dared not attack the other girl out of fear of Jaden's wrath. Chestra and Zarbon nestled against each other, as they walked out the door closely together, so close that it would have taken a sword to separate them. |