There were ten Council members, each an older Saiya-jin, growing nearly gray with time. They had been around, been Council members since the very beginning of the planet’s existence, since before they had fled the planet Vejiita. Those that were able to escape, successfully set foot on Sukuashi’s cold and uninviting land, named themselves the Council, the overseers of the planet. The others that did not make it through the journey, were killed on Vejiita for treason. The losses were not counted, nor remembered in any way. The day they arrived on Sukuashi after escaping King Vejiita was a day of celebration, and had been since the day of emancipation --- not a day of remembrance. After they adapted to the harsh environment of the planet, they began to organize the government, and that’s when the Council came about. They were the original protestors against the Saiya-jin monarchy on Vejiita. While considered radicals in their time, the group of insolent, dangerous, heathens who were trying to cause trouble, now they remained the exact opposite. The Council members were the ones now that hunted down the radicals, that put them through the most excruciating tortures, for their disobeying natures. The punishment system on Sukuashi was not easy or refined in any way. Saiya-jins were slaughtered, tortured, completely ruined and stripped of everything, for even the most minor of infractions. The Council considered themselves to be more refined than the ‘ruffians’ of Vejiita, but when it all came down to it, the Council, the planet of Sukuashi, was just as disturbed. The government every bit as corrupt and power hungry.

There was no head of the Council, they all blended together as one undeniable, unmovable force. And as they stood before Sukuashi, their faces blank and serious, he felt himself fall slightly. If they had discovered ChiChi, if somehow, some way, something had slipped….He would surely be subjected to the cruelest of punishments. However, he knew he had been called here for a different reason today, one that he had made sure to arrange himself.

“Is it true that we were attacked earlier?” One of them questioned.

Sukuashi felt a serious sense of danger in his soul. “Hai. We were attacked by an unknown force entering our planet’s defensive barrier.”

They shared knowing looks, each of their dark, intelligent eyes narrowing. “Unknown force?”

“The enemy is undetermined.” Sukuashi explained confidently, hoping that his confidence would clear up any sort of confusion with the Council. He hoped that it wouldn’t lead them to the human woman sleeping upstairs, a prisoner from another planet.

“Is there any immediate danger?”

“None.” Sukuashi answered, and shook his head with a smirk. The Council seemed to accept this and moved on to the next subject.

The eldest member of the Council, whose black hair was heavily streaked with gray spoke up first. “I understand you have charges of treason to discuss with us?”

Sukuashi held his head high. “Hai. I believe that our Saiya-jin general has committed several acts of treason against the Council, and against me.”

There was a hush, and the Council members looked among themselves with shocked expressions. The general was noted to be one of the most loyal Saiya-jins of all. Sukuashi had seen many things with the general, many fights, many times of trial during the first move to the snowy planet. There had been times when he considered the fellow Saiya-jin to be his friend, a valuable person to have on his side. The general had been strong, full of intelligence and honor --- many times he had stood up for Sukuashi before the Council, defending his actions or military maneuvers. Sukuashi had appreciated his loyalty and his judgment, and may have looked to him for companionship at times, for sparring of strategizing.

“The general is a traitor.” Sukuashi continued. “On several occasions, he has challenged my authority, and he has also shown much interest in my mate, which is completely unacceptable. I have word from several sources that he is also seeking to improve his own power level, instead of improving our own military forces. I have heard of threats against my life and lives of Council members. The sword was stolen out of my personal quarters earlier, and I believe that it is highly possible that the general is planning to use it on me or another member of the Council. He is using the pretense of the attack and deaths of our Saiya-jin soldiers to create conflict and remove me from my position as leader, so as to remove all of you from your positions as Council members. He is still one of them.”

Them. The code word for the Saiya-jins of Vejiita, the barbaric, awful killers that the Council hated so. One of the council members blanched, and looked toward the guards at the door. “Bring in the general!”

Seconds later, there was movement in the corner of the room, and the general stepped from the darkest shadows, from the dark, blood red curtained door, two soldiers holding him tightly by the arms. His armor glinted in what little light was in the meeting hall. The general stared at Sukuashi with a torn expression, one mixed with guilt and fear, then looked down at his boots. The two Saiya-jin Council members drug him to the center of the room, placing him before Sukuashi. Again, Sukuashi explained his charges, his eyes on the general’s the entire time.

The general blanched at the accusation, his upper lip curling into a snarl under his moustache. “It’s a lie!”

“Exactly what a traitor would say.” Sukuashi informed the Council. “What I can’t understand, is how he could endanger the lives of all of our soldiers for such a selfish venture. Now we are left nearly defenseless against any danger that might head our direction. Surely he is no longer fit to be our general. With permission of the Council, I would like to strip him of his military rights, and place him on strict probation until further notice.”

Sukuashi smiled inwardly. His eyes met the general’s, both knowing that he was lying, both knowing that the general would die, would suffer a terrible death, because of Sukuashi’s words. But there were also times when life was at stake, and one had to make a choice and stick to it with every part of their soul. There was too much at risk here, and Sukuashi could not let anyone ruin his plans. The death of Koronu would be the final straw, and the Council would kill him at first notice of the event.

“You bastard! You lying bastard!” the general shouted angrily. His upper lip curled into a snarl, pushing the mustache back up around his nose. He struggled against the Council members restraining him, shouting obscenities at Sukuashi with so much force that his entire body shook. “I am not a traitor, kisama! I have done everything for you!”

“Permission granted.” One of the members said, staring at the general in disgust. “Any traitor to the Council is completely unfit to be a member of our society.”

“You must be wondering why I chose to sit next to you.” Juunana-gou said light-heartedly to the person in the seat next to him. They were all assembled in the control room once more for landing the ship, and just moments before they had all been ordered to buckle their seatbelts by Tayhei. Juunana-gou had thought about the seating arrangements for quite awhile, remembering the bickering that had gone on at the very beginning of the journey. The squabbling had been annoying, yes, but in a way, slightly amusing. He ran a hand through his thick, dark hair, a smile growing on his lips. The occupant in the seat next to him said nothing, and Juunana-gou’s smirk grew deeper. He looked down to assure himself that he was buckled into his seat properly, than tilted his head.

“Well?” He asked again, still smirking.

Piccolo glanced at him sideways, looking bored. “I hadn’t really given it any thought.”

Juunana-gou closed his eyes, a smile on his handsome face. “I figured you might say something like that. I guess that’s where I’m headed with this --- you’re predictable.” His blue eyes popped open. “So far, we’re the only ones that have managed to avoid any sort of conflict with anyone else on the trip. Drama spreads among this group like the plague.”

If he spoke the truth of course, it would be that he would much rather be sitting next to their young pilot, who he admired as being quite a fine, beautiful human specimen. In fact, one look at those long tan legs and ample chest was enough to make him want to sit in her lap as she landed the ship. True, she held quite a bit of drama in those amazing green eyes, but she more than made up for it in beauty. In a capability also, he noted, as he watched her slide into the pilot’s seat with ease and prepare for the landing. Bulma had handed over the title of pilot, and it seemed as though many things had changed suddenly with them both. Juunana-gou didn’t mind having a better view of the young girl, though. Aside from his sister, she was the prettiest thing he had seen in a very long time, and much like himself, she knew it. And also much like himself, she was also hiding things deep with in her heart, a sleeping evil, perhaps.

He folded his hands behind his head, propping his neck up. “It’s all about the drama. But you see, I have a plan. I’m just going to stick with you, Namek. As far as I can tell, you’re completely neutral.”

“And what about you, jinzouningen? Are you neutral as well?” Piccolo questioned a little too quickly, staring deep into his eyes.

So he knows. Juunana-gou reasoned. Or at least he knows part of it. Piccolo was funny like that sometimes. He could see things without seeing, hear things without hearing….Juunana-gou wasn’t sure, but there was something almost ghostly about Piccolo. Just when he thought the whole rest of the world was fooled, that he could keep up this charade forever, the Namek knew. Not that Piccolo was that big of an obstacle anyway. Nameks were not exactly formidable enemies.

“I don’t know what you’re planning, but I’m watching you.” Piccolo threatened, his body completely still in his seat, eyes facing forward.

That was the strange thing. He wasn’t really planning anything at all. It wasn’t like Juunana-gou was plotting the evil, planning it all out. It was happening to Juuhachi-gou too, though she was pushing it back with all of her might. He would fight it, but his mind did not have the energy, and his heart simply didn’t care enough. There was no family of his waiting at home, no one to love and protect. There was no reason to fight the inevitable. It would just grow inside of them like a disease, spreading through their bodies with speed and force. And unlike careful planning and organizing, he knew that there was nothing in the world that could stop this. Once it happened, once it was complete, they would be unstoppable. One day at a time, though. One day at a time. Finish one mission, move onto the next. And when everything had calmed and everyone was peaceful once more, that’s when the evil would no longer be contained.

“Don’t get your panties all in a bunch, Namek. I’m not planning on anything….”

“Yet” was the unspoken word, and it hung in the still air, wavering about in Piccolo’s eyes as Juunana-gou stared at him.

Pi slammed open the door to the prison cell, and grabbed ChiChi roughly by the arm. She shook her once, flinging ChiChi around like a rag doll, then threw her into the cell, not even flinching when ChiChi’s fragile body hit the cold stone floor. She went flying across the smooth stone, sliding into the far wall, where she lay curled up and shaking, tears forming in her large dark eyes. The human lay there, shuddering and weak, as Pi towered over her, glaring and angry.

Such a display of weakness, such a pathetic, pathetic creature. Pi thought with a disgusted look on her face. She hated her father for bringing the Earthling here, hated him for seeing something so special in her. There were no muscles under the human’s smooth, peachy skin. There was nothing perfect in those huge, emotion-filled dark eyes, or the redness of her lips. There was nothing beautiful in the way her hair fell so softly, of glinted blue in the light. She was nothing but a weak, foreign creature, something that needed to be exterminated as quickly as possible. Her father had risked everything, absolutely everything to bring this awful human here, and now she had to protect him and cover for him, just like she always did. Not for much longer. I won’t protect him for much longer.

She bent an arm up, flexing the muscle. It sprang to life, popping out in high relief, looking amazingly defined in the dark of the dungeon. She was getting stronger, she could feel it in her veins. And when the time came, she would take that sword, the sword that Sukuashi prized so, and she would run it straight through his cold and unforgiving heart. She would look into his eyes until he no longer saw, and make him beg, make him plead for his life like a scared little Saiya-jin girl.

Pi took a deep breath, struggling to keep down her excitement. She snarled at the Earth woman’s broken form, then flicked her gaze over to Potuto, who was staring at her, concerned. “Watch her.” She commanded.

Potuto nodded. “Pi, why are we keeping her in the prison? What’s happening?”

She paused, brushing her short, dark hair out of her face. “Nothing yet, but I have a feeling that all hell is about to break loose.”

“Nani?” Potuto asked.

The female Saiya-jin stared at ChiChi, her dark eyes glaring clear through her. She shifted from one foot to the other, then lifted the sword and pointed it at ChiChi, her mouth forming a deep frown. “I believe the other humans have come looking for our prisoner.”

Chapter 46
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