Chapter VII: Betrayal

            “Therese!” The prophet groaned and rolled over on her side as she woke up to the most unpleasant voice she could think of.  Alexander’s voice over the intercom was not her ideal choice of alarm clock, but she didn’t have much of a choice.  She was already up.

            “What do you want?” she replied groggily.  “You woke me up; shouldn’t that give you enough pleasure?”

            “I do indeed enjoy making your life miserable,” he agreed, “But nothing will give me as much pleasure as what I am about to do.  Meet me in the Viewing Chamber in ten minutes.  Trust me; you’ll enjoy yourself.”

            Without being able to give much thought to what he could be talking about (she was still far too tired having not gotten much sleep the previous night), she threw a black cloak over her nightgown and made her way down the winding corridor.

            She received some strange stares from the various knights, guards, and servants through the corridors of the ship.  Apparently, word of her skirmish with Alexander had made its way around the ship quickly, and people weren’t quite sure what to think of her.  This, coupled with the fact that she looked like a mess, was not going to help her image… not that she really cared anymore.  She wasn’t sure what to do now.  Escape was more impossible than ever, and yet, so was staying on the ship.  Now more than ever, she wished to return to her home; to see her family and friends.  For some reason, she could only now not bear the thought of being away from them any longer.

            At last, she arrived in the Viewing Chamber, a huge room with no other purpose than to have a gigantic window gazing out into the stars beyond.  Currently, the window was pointed towards Gemini and Therese’s home planet.  It was then that Therese was hit with the revolting thought of her home’s fate.

            “You wouldn’t,” she hissed as she neared the two figure standing by the window, clearly discernable as Gemini and Alexander.  Gemini was in shackles and had some kind of mental restraining device to prevent any of her psychic powers from coming into play.  She turned to face Therese with utter pity and despair, mouthing a simple “no.” Therese felt her pain, but as a seasoned warrior, she had learned to turn her pain into energy.

            She stood on the opposite side of Alexander and looked at him.  He turned to face his prophet.  “You’re a disgusting, twisted man, Alexander,” she began.  “I truly pity you.  You truly deserve death, or worse.”

            “Flattered, my dear, flattered,” he smirked.  “There is nothing else you can do to stop me.  You should have killed me when you had the chance, but now I am invincible.”

            “What motives do you have for this, Alexander?” she asked.  “What will you truly gain? You have no quarrel with this planet or its inhabitants.  If it will appease you…” she hesitated, glanced at Gemini, and kneeled down.  “Kill me instead.  I am a member of the race that you are about to eradicate.  Take my life instead and consider their sins forgiven.”

            Alexander stared at her for a moment and bellowed a deep laugh.  “Therese, you are selfless, determined, and wonderful overall.  That is why I despise you.” He grimaced.  “You are a truly good person, Therese, and that is why you make me sick.  You have no desire for power, no desire for domination… you choose to use your strength to benefit others.  It is truly disgusting, and I will not have it! But still…” he reflected for a moment, “I’d much rather see you suffer than find some sort of salvation knowing that you’d saved a planet.”

            “No!” Therese cried.  She let out a cry of rage and powered up, but Alexander grabbed the crystal now hanging from a newly-crafted golden pendant around his neck.  The crystal glowed, and Alexander pounded his fist into Therese’s stomach.  She went flying backwards and skidded across the ground, bleeding from the mouth.  As the blood trickled down her chin, she turned towards the window to see her beloved home planet.

            Alexander activated the intercom and spoke his orders.  “Gunners, prepare the Frieza Cannon.”

            “Frieza Cannon…?” Therese asked, weakly, not turning her head.

            “Yes, the Frieza Cannon,” her master replied.  “I named it as homage.  I figured that anyone of that kind of strength deserved to be remembered forever… and now Frieza will destroy yet another planet!”

            Gemini stared downward as tears rolled down her cheeks.  There was nothing she could do: she was not a strong fighter and her mental capabilities were useless.  The least she could do was avert her eyes, but Alexander wouldn’t have it.  He grabbed her by the chin and thrust her against the glass.

            “Now watch,” he hissed.  “Watch and suffer.” He turned his head back to the intercom, not weakening his grip in the least on Gemini.

            “The Frieza Cannon is aimed towards the planet and fully powered,” the gunman replied.  “At your command, sir.”

            “Excellent,” he whispered.  “You may fire when ready.”

            Therese tried to close her eyes, albeit her attempts were in vain.  With a morbid curiosity, she watched the planet that she called home; the planet she would never again set foot on as the laser was fired from the ship.

            It was truly an amazing sight.  A powerful and gigantic green beam from the ship targeted the direct center of the planet, and went entirely into the core.  The three onlookers watched as the planet turned white-hot all around, and eventually became too bright for them to even see.  There was a flash, and as silently as it had begun, it ended.  There was not even dust left after the beam had hit: the planet was completely gone.

            Alexander’s prophet hung her head and cried.  “Monster,” she insulted.  “You are heartless.”

            “And you are brainless, Therese,” he replied, and flung Gemini on the floor next to her.  “If you ever decide to put that power of yours towards anything useful, such as galactic domination, come and tell me.  I’ll be certain to give you a galaxy or something after I control the universe!”

            Smiling, Alexander strutted towards the exit, but just as he left, he saw Therese get up out of the corner of his eye.  She blinked and when her eyes reopened, there were only whites left.

            “Be warned,” she began in her otherworldly tone, “the hour of destruction is nigh.  From two powerful bloodlines, warriors will clash in such a battle that the stars themselves will shake and worlds be split in twain.  Upon the day of reckoning, naught shall be decided, but the warriors shall be thrust into eternal darkness, forever to stay in living death.”

            Her irises returned, and she stared at Alexander for a moment before fainting from exhaustion.  Gemini sat over her, nursing her wounds.  A bit perplexed and most certainly fearful, Alexander continued on his way back to his chambers a bit apprehensively.

***

            Therese sprang awake suddenly, sitting upright, on the cold, metallic floor where she had fallen.  Gemini had somehow removed her nullifying helmet and, in turn, her shackles. 

            “What did I say?” she demanded.  “I must know at once; what did I say?”

            “Why is it so important?” Gemini asked, as they both stood up.

            “Because I can’t hear myself when I’m giving a prophecy,” she explained, “And half the time, it’s something important.  I need to know what I said if we’re going to have any chance of escaping or defeating Alexander.”

            “What does it matter?” Gemini asked, feeling defeated.  “He destroyed our home.  What more is there to life?”

            “There is revenge,” Therese said through gritted teeth.  “There is cold, sweet, revenge, which makes all things right; and there is the promise of a new tomorrow once his filth is cleansed from the universe.  We have been wronged, Gemini, horribly wronged, but we are not helpless, and we will not let him get away scot-free for the sins he has committed.  But I must know what I said,” she demanded again.  “Tell me now.”

            Gemini paused for a moment to reflect on what Therese had just said, but then put her thinking aside and tried to recall what she had said earlier.  “Um…” she stalled, “I think it was something about two warriors meeting and then getting sucked into darkness instead of getting anything done.”

            “Close enough,” Therese said hastily.  “I’m going back to my chambers.  I must meditate on this situation.  Thinking gets more done than fighting ever will.”

            She began to head for the exit when Gemini called for her.  “Wait!” said the princess.

            “What is it?” Therese inquired without turning around.

            “Where am I to go?” she asked.  “I was summoned out of a prison cell and I have no desire to go back there, nor do I think I’m required to.”

            “I don’t know, and I don’t care,” Therese said while exiting.  “I’m sorry, but I have more important things to worry about.”

            She flew briskly on her way back down the corridor, not regretting her cold-heartedness to Gemini; Therese had never needed a confidant before, and she refused to take one now.  If she couldn’t solve her own problems, then she believed that no one could.  And what she had said was true: she did have meditating to do, and now more than ever, she craved her rightful and long-awaited revenge.

***

            Lost, confused, and saddened beyond all foreseeable hope, Gemini sat by herself in the great Viewing Chamber, staring at the empty void where her home once was.  She toyed with her short purple hair and stared at the floor occasionally, not thinking about much except what would happen next.  She wondered about the warriors from Earth and if they would ever truly arrive, or if her meeting with the powerful warrior from Earth had all been a dream.

            Not having much else to do, she eventually found herself in the Recreation Room playing games with some of the guards who were off-duty.  Still, card games and darts could not replenish one bit of the empty void within her.  Princess Gemini, she was sure, would never be a whole being again; despite what Therese had said revenge and further hatred could never heal the wound within her soul.

            For the next few days, she balanced her time between the Viewing Chamber, the Recreation Room, and standing outside of Therese’s doorway.  To her knowledge (psychic abilities included) the prophet did not come out once since their last conversation, and she was deep in meditative thought.  Every second, her potential power level grew enormously, but they both knew that it was next to impossible to recreate the power of the crystal.

            At last, when Gemini sensed a change in her condition, she met Therese just as she was exiting her chambers.

            “What’s the news?” she asked eagerly.  “What’s happening?”

            Therese sighed and walked right past Gemini, her cloak brushing against the princess’s.  “They’re not coming,” she said, at last, with an air of desolation about her.  “I don’t sense the warriors from Earth anywhere near here.  It was just a dream, Gemini; that much is clear.  I have become much stronger; mental training is exhausting, but worthwhile.  The question is, when the time comes, will I be strong enough to defeat Alexander? I do not know, but I must keep training.”

            “Then it was just a dream…” said Gemini despondently.  “I knew it was too good to be true.  No one is good or kind enough to come and stop an evildoer for the sheer reason that he is doing misdeeds.  There are powerful warriors on Earth, I am sure, but they must work for their own personal gain.  No one with that kind of power and kindness exists in this galaxy… except maybe you, Therese.”

            The prophet shook her head.  “I’m not kind.  I do what is right, but I am not kind, nor polite, nor chivalrous.  If I am the only warrior brave enough to stand up to Alexander because I believe what he is doing is wrong, then I am not afraid.  I trust in myself, but…” she paused.

            “But what?” Gemini asked.

            “But,” Therese continued, “The crystal’s power is limitless.  I am only a human, touched once by the crystal.  Humans are far from the strongest race out there; we can achieve very high power levels, but our potential is not nearly as limitless as some of the true warrior races.”

            “True warrior races?” Gemini inquired again, still perplexed.  Being of a peaceful planet, she knew very little of warfare, fighting techniques, power levels, and least of all, warrior races.  “Explain, please.  I am unlearned in the…art of war.”

            Therese nodded.  “I can understand why.  Unfortunately, most of the true warrior races are now extinct; being warlike, they destroyed each other.  I doubt any of them are on Earth; they are too preoccupied with their own personal gain to bother with a remote planet like Earth.  The greatest of all warrior races is a thousand years gone…”

            “Why bring them up, then?” interrupted Gemini.  “Surely they can’t help us if they’re extinct.”

            “I don’t know, really.” Therese admitted.  “It just seemed like we could identify with them… they were called the Saiyans.  They were a primate race of shape-shifters, but they all loved a good fight and really knew how to strut their stuff.  Their egos were huge, naturally, but they were unmatched in warrior ability…unmatched by all except a mighty tyrant named Frieza.”

            “Frieza?” the princess shot in again.  “Wasn’t that what Alexander called that powerfully-awful cannon?”

            “Yes,” she answered, “And with good reason.  Frieza was mightier than mighty; a true god among mortals.  With one single blast, he destroyed every single Saiyan in existence, save for a handful who weren’t on the planet at the time.  Worse yet, if his ultimate plan had succeeded, Frieza would have been a true god: immortality was his one desire, seeing as he already had the universe curled around his finger.”

            “Well apparently Frieza was thwarted,” Gemini observed.  “How did that happen? Who could have been stronger than Frieza?”

            “Well, I was getting to that,” Therese said while pacing back and forth trying to recall the entire story.  “No one knows for sure how Frieza met his fate, but a popular explanation is that a Saiyan named… uh… Goku (I think) fulfilled an old Saiyan legend and became a Super Saiyan: an exceedingly powerful warrior that could defeat any foe.  With his new powers, he vanquished Frieza, proving that Saiyans were the superior warrior race.”

            “What happened then?” Gemini asked, completely wrapped up in the story.

            “History is unclear,” Therese explained.  “Universal history, anyway.  Whatever planet Goku lived on after that probably praises him as a hero and tells about his further exploits.  If you ask me, it’s all romantic fantasy.  I think Frieza was just taken down the old-fashioned way: tons of powerful warriors all fighting at once; which isn’t a very reassuring thought if I’m going to have to face Alexander alone.  Maybe the Saiyans all died in combat against him and Goku just landed the final blow or something.  It seems unlikely that anyone could be powerful enough to take Frieza down alone.”

            “Then unquestionably, the Saiyans were powerful,” Gemini said resolutely.  “One way or another, they did take down Frieza.  I wish we had their help.”

            “I will do all that I can,” Therese said, starting back towards her chamber.  “I must get stronger.  He is too cocky to do any training; trust me.  Maybe his arrogance will give me the advantage.”

            “But Therese,” Gemini started, “What if you… don’t win?”

            “Better to die in righteous battle,” said Therese, as her door closed, “Than live as a coward.”

            Suddenly, her foot shot out and stopped the door in mid-motion.  “I… I was mistaken,” she said, and dashed down the corridor.

            Gemini was quick to pursue her.  “Wait, Therese!” she cried, “Mistaken about what? Where are you going?”

            Therese looked back only briefly, but Gemini could see she was smiling brightly; something Gemini had never once seen her do.  “I am going to the hangar,” she shouted back towards the princess.  “We’re going to have company shortly… a few warriors from Earth, I think!”

            Gemini, smiling just as brightly, quickened her pace and ran alongside Therese as they neared the hangar bay.

***

            Alexander swirled a glass of brandy in the palm of his hand, and took a small sip, enjoying its taste.  “Power corrupts, doubtless,” he spoke to himself, “But corruption brings wealth.”

            Indeed, he couldn’t be considered mistaken.  At that moment, he was sitting at his throne on the bridge of his enormous battleship, looking over the levels below him at the officers hard at work and out the gigantic window into space beyond where a planet once stood. 

The tyrant sighed to himself.  “Soon, the universe will tremble at the mention of my name.  I will rule unchallenged.  All thanks to this,” he said, running his hand over the crystal that hung from the pendant around his neck. 

            “Sir! Master Alexander!” a voice came.  He looked down over the railing to see a captain on the second level hailing him.

            “What is it, captain?” he quickly acknowledged.

            “Sir! It’s quite a problem!” he said, sounding distraught.  “Two transport ships are on their way to the hangar; they were so small, our radars didn’t pick them up until now.  It seems as if they’ll be preparing to dock within half an hour.  Should we shoot them down?”

            “Maybe,” Alexander considered.  “What’s the power level reading on those ships?”

            The captain typed a few figures into his computer screen and came up with a reading.  “Pathetic, sir,” he replied, much to Alexander’s relief.  “The life beings on both the ships have a cumulative power level of less than fifty.”

            “Whatever they want, they pose no threat,” Alexander confirmed and sat down.  “Continue your duties.  We will let them dock, and if they are hostile… well, they won’t live for long.  Less than fifty… I don’t see how they could be any use to me at all!”

            “Yes, sir,” the captain agreed, and began to provide orders for one of his subordinates to open the airlock at the hangar bay.

            “No one that weak has ever even dared come near this ship,” Alexander reflected to himself.  “I honestly have no idea what they’re here for.  Oh well; if they’re hostile, they could be some fun.” He rubbed the precious stone around his neck once more and grinned, baring his sharp teeth for all to see.