Categories > Anime/Manga > Dragon Ball Z > One Good Deed
AN: I first wrote this story in June 2004 and feel my writing has improved since then. I haven't updated this because I feel it's good to see how an author grows as they work on their craft. :)
"One Good Deed"
"This assignment is supposed to be a reward?" - Khri
Khri stared down the empty tunnel, her back to the stone wall, careful to stay in the shadows.
The tournament was scheduled to begin at any moment, which explained the welcome drop in foot traffic in the access tunnel that ran beneath the stands. One ear clearly heard the sounds of the excited crowd; the other was bombarded with a constant chatter from the heavy communications array she wore. "North tunnel is clear, Commander," a familiar voice cut in.
"I'm in South now, but I'm getting a few last minute stragglers," she replied softly. Ah, Sai! Her right-hand man, dependable to a fault. Also one of the few officers she could trust not to slip poison in her tea or a knife in her back.
"Mom, Dad, hurry! We're gonna miss it! I don't wanna miss seeing Tenshinhan fight!"
She shut her eyes and pressed herself harder against the wall. /Damn, I shouldn't have taken off those eye dampers/, she thought. If she opened them now, the little human boy tugging his dawdling parents would be treated to a set of glowing, leonine eyes staring out of the dark. She knew images like that were the stuff of nightmares for some races, humans included. Khri held her breath and waited until the sounds of whining, shuffling feet and parental grumbling had melted into the sounds of the crowd.
Khri sighed, opened her eyes, then looked up and down the tunnel. "South access is clear for now," she informed her anxious team. "Fifteen marks to recheck, Sai. I'm going to see if I can find a good vantage point to watch the stands. I think if there's trouble, that's where we'll find it."
"Check, Commander."
No further stragglers appeared while Khri walked back down the tunnel towards the exit. She spared a glance at the sun-baked parking lot, which was overflowing with aircars and mass transit vehicles. The size of the crowd was astonishing, especially after the events surrounding the notorious 22nd Budoukai. Some enterprising businessman, sensing an opportunity, had decided to hold a local tournament just a few months later as a "sequel," hopefully without the Daimou Piccolo ending. He'd also managed to lure a couple of big-name fighters - Tenshinan and Yamcha - to this tourney early, which was an irresistible lure for any fighter who could make a fist. The cash prize was generous, the combatants came and the crowds followed.
Khri snorted. This assignment was supposed to be a reward, Eldest had told her, for her outstanding service as Battle Commander of the Leonid fleet. Go to Earth, watch the tournament from a visible but reserved position, and find out why the Telkarri are interested in the event. /This isn't a reward/, she complained to herself again, tossing her blonde braid back over her shoulder, /it's a prolonged lesson in paranoia/. She was a total mis-match for this exercise: it should have been left up to scouts with more recent experience. That fact alone nagged at her like an itch on the back of her neck. If Eldest had seen fit to yank the Battle Commander off the bridge for this assignment, the situation had to be more than a simple field mission.
Khri made her way to the entrance used by the fighters. Like the spectator tunnel it was empty and dark, the combatants having checked-in over thirty marks earlier. No security guards bothered with this entrance; what normal human would willingly stand in the way of anyone wanting to fight Tenshinan, Yamcha, or any of the other contestants, for that matter?
The tunnel led directly through the trial arenas out to the stadium grounds. Squaring her shoulders and assuming the attitude of "walk like you own the planet," Khri was able to reach the pit that circled the ring. Nobody stopped her and Khri couldn't help but wonder what they assumed her to be. Fighter? Women did compete on occasion, but she'd just arrived and check-in had closed long ago. One of the medics, waiting for casualties? Definitely not, since medics didn't wear form-fitting black bodysuits with a matching short jacket. A reporter? Probably the best bet, since her scouting array resembled some of the headgear worn by the chatting reporters and television broadcasters. She wove through a group of combatants performing showy warm-up exercises, ignoring their leers and calls of "hey, baby!" until she found a camera crew. The female reporter - conveniently wearing a black business suit - was interviewing a bald, three-eyed warrior wearing in green. Must be Tenshinan, she thought and took note of his location. "Sai, I'm in position," Khri whispered into her comm. "I've got a good view of the ring as well as the entire east side of the seating area."
"We've got north, south and west covered," he replied. "If there's any sign of Telkarran activity, we'll spot it."
"Check."
The itch on the back of Khri's neck blossomed into a full blown burn when she saw the list of competitors on the board. Even though this wasn't a Budoukai, most of Earth's strongest fighters were here! Not only were they some of the toughest in the galaxy -- except for those lunatic Saiyans -- several were chi users. One name not on the board was Son Goku. The boy probably wouldn't care about the cash prize, but how was he able to resist the challenge of so many good fighters in one place? If he was sitting out this fight, where was he? Surveillance of Earth transmissions showed he could fly, and Kururin, Yamcha and Tenshinan were about to master it, too. Forcing herself into an appearance of unfelt calm, Khri leaned against the outside wall of the ring and folded her arms, stretching out her long legs and crossing them at the ankles.
"Sai, I know why we're here," she breathed. "The Telkarri mean to eliminate Earth's best fighters, especially the chi users."
"Commander, are you sure? Why..."
"This is a perfect opportunity. If they can kill most of the fighters now, they'll have an easier time of invading if our blockade fails. These fighters are a vital line of ground defense. Earth's military leaders don't realize how valuable these fighters are." Khri gritted her teeth. "Check the bets and find out who's got the highest wagers. I want watchers on all of them, especially Tenshinan and Yamcha, and I want them now."
"On our way, Commander."
Still holding the position of indolent boredom she didn't feel, Khri glanced back up at the board. She still had some time before Tenshinan was scheduled to fight, so her eyes darted over the crowd. What would it be? Snipers from the back of the stands with projectile weapons? It wouldn't be a chi blast; Telkarri didn't have the ability to harness that power. Neither did her own race, but they had abilities of their own. Khri felt her personal diacha, powder coated a flat black just for this assignment, pressing against her ribs inside her jacket. The normal reassurance its presence gave her wasn't there this time...
Something struck her ankles and feet, hard. What the hell!?
Khri dove into a crouch, diacha immediately in hand but not powered. The blow hadn't been hard enough to injure her or knock her off balance, but her heightened state of worry kicked up her anger. She reached out and grabbed the small figure that had apparently tripped over her feet and hauled it up by the scruff of its neck.
It was a Namekian. It was also a child.
To be continued . . .
"One Good Deed"
"This assignment is supposed to be a reward?" - Khri
Khri stared down the empty tunnel, her back to the stone wall, careful to stay in the shadows.
The tournament was scheduled to begin at any moment, which explained the welcome drop in foot traffic in the access tunnel that ran beneath the stands. One ear clearly heard the sounds of the excited crowd; the other was bombarded with a constant chatter from the heavy communications array she wore. "North tunnel is clear, Commander," a familiar voice cut in.
"I'm in South now, but I'm getting a few last minute stragglers," she replied softly. Ah, Sai! Her right-hand man, dependable to a fault. Also one of the few officers she could trust not to slip poison in her tea or a knife in her back.
"Mom, Dad, hurry! We're gonna miss it! I don't wanna miss seeing Tenshinhan fight!"
She shut her eyes and pressed herself harder against the wall. /Damn, I shouldn't have taken off those eye dampers/, she thought. If she opened them now, the little human boy tugging his dawdling parents would be treated to a set of glowing, leonine eyes staring out of the dark. She knew images like that were the stuff of nightmares for some races, humans included. Khri held her breath and waited until the sounds of whining, shuffling feet and parental grumbling had melted into the sounds of the crowd.
Khri sighed, opened her eyes, then looked up and down the tunnel. "South access is clear for now," she informed her anxious team. "Fifteen marks to recheck, Sai. I'm going to see if I can find a good vantage point to watch the stands. I think if there's trouble, that's where we'll find it."
"Check, Commander."
No further stragglers appeared while Khri walked back down the tunnel towards the exit. She spared a glance at the sun-baked parking lot, which was overflowing with aircars and mass transit vehicles. The size of the crowd was astonishing, especially after the events surrounding the notorious 22nd Budoukai. Some enterprising businessman, sensing an opportunity, had decided to hold a local tournament just a few months later as a "sequel," hopefully without the Daimou Piccolo ending. He'd also managed to lure a couple of big-name fighters - Tenshinan and Yamcha - to this tourney early, which was an irresistible lure for any fighter who could make a fist. The cash prize was generous, the combatants came and the crowds followed.
Khri snorted. This assignment was supposed to be a reward, Eldest had told her, for her outstanding service as Battle Commander of the Leonid fleet. Go to Earth, watch the tournament from a visible but reserved position, and find out why the Telkarri are interested in the event. /This isn't a reward/, she complained to herself again, tossing her blonde braid back over her shoulder, /it's a prolonged lesson in paranoia/. She was a total mis-match for this exercise: it should have been left up to scouts with more recent experience. That fact alone nagged at her like an itch on the back of her neck. If Eldest had seen fit to yank the Battle Commander off the bridge for this assignment, the situation had to be more than a simple field mission.
Khri made her way to the entrance used by the fighters. Like the spectator tunnel it was empty and dark, the combatants having checked-in over thirty marks earlier. No security guards bothered with this entrance; what normal human would willingly stand in the way of anyone wanting to fight Tenshinan, Yamcha, or any of the other contestants, for that matter?
The tunnel led directly through the trial arenas out to the stadium grounds. Squaring her shoulders and assuming the attitude of "walk like you own the planet," Khri was able to reach the pit that circled the ring. Nobody stopped her and Khri couldn't help but wonder what they assumed her to be. Fighter? Women did compete on occasion, but she'd just arrived and check-in had closed long ago. One of the medics, waiting for casualties? Definitely not, since medics didn't wear form-fitting black bodysuits with a matching short jacket. A reporter? Probably the best bet, since her scouting array resembled some of the headgear worn by the chatting reporters and television broadcasters. She wove through a group of combatants performing showy warm-up exercises, ignoring their leers and calls of "hey, baby!" until she found a camera crew. The female reporter - conveniently wearing a black business suit - was interviewing a bald, three-eyed warrior wearing in green. Must be Tenshinan, she thought and took note of his location. "Sai, I'm in position," Khri whispered into her comm. "I've got a good view of the ring as well as the entire east side of the seating area."
"We've got north, south and west covered," he replied. "If there's any sign of Telkarran activity, we'll spot it."
"Check."
The itch on the back of Khri's neck blossomed into a full blown burn when she saw the list of competitors on the board. Even though this wasn't a Budoukai, most of Earth's strongest fighters were here! Not only were they some of the toughest in the galaxy -- except for those lunatic Saiyans -- several were chi users. One name not on the board was Son Goku. The boy probably wouldn't care about the cash prize, but how was he able to resist the challenge of so many good fighters in one place? If he was sitting out this fight, where was he? Surveillance of Earth transmissions showed he could fly, and Kururin, Yamcha and Tenshinan were about to master it, too. Forcing herself into an appearance of unfelt calm, Khri leaned against the outside wall of the ring and folded her arms, stretching out her long legs and crossing them at the ankles.
"Sai, I know why we're here," she breathed. "The Telkarri mean to eliminate Earth's best fighters, especially the chi users."
"Commander, are you sure? Why..."
"This is a perfect opportunity. If they can kill most of the fighters now, they'll have an easier time of invading if our blockade fails. These fighters are a vital line of ground defense. Earth's military leaders don't realize how valuable these fighters are." Khri gritted her teeth. "Check the bets and find out who's got the highest wagers. I want watchers on all of them, especially Tenshinan and Yamcha, and I want them now."
"On our way, Commander."
Still holding the position of indolent boredom she didn't feel, Khri glanced back up at the board. She still had some time before Tenshinan was scheduled to fight, so her eyes darted over the crowd. What would it be? Snipers from the back of the stands with projectile weapons? It wouldn't be a chi blast; Telkarri didn't have the ability to harness that power. Neither did her own race, but they had abilities of their own. Khri felt her personal diacha, powder coated a flat black just for this assignment, pressing against her ribs inside her jacket. The normal reassurance its presence gave her wasn't there this time...
Something struck her ankles and feet, hard. What the hell!?
Khri dove into a crouch, diacha immediately in hand but not powered. The blow hadn't been hard enough to injure her or knock her off balance, but her heightened state of worry kicked up her anger. She reached out and grabbed the small figure that had apparently tripped over her feet and hauled it up by the scruff of its neck.
It was a Namekian. It was also a child.
To be continued . . .
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