Etching Lines

The cockpit shook as Bardock’s pod blazed into Vegeta’s crimson hemisphere. He ran his hand down his stiffened neck while slowly opening his eyes. “Third commander Bardock approaching Vegeta,” he said groaningly while pressing the yellow button in front of him.

“Reported. Welcome back, soldier,” a female voice replied.
“If only I’d feel about it that way,” Bardock said to himself. “At least the food’s good.”

Although he much preferred the assignments and being out in the field, he was glad to be back home. With a thought, he pulled his scouter from the dashboard straight into his hand. He smirked. At least it was worth it. Bardock’s head fell forward but he’d put his hands on the control panel to brace himself for the landing. Experience had taught him that.

He climbed out of his pod and beheld the facility for an instant before he heard his stomach growl. Space trips were long, exhausting, and a saiyan pod isn’t exactly a cargo ship. Bardock headed straight for the cantina. Several saiyans greeted him on the way, others looked at him disdainfully. His popularity always was a two-faced coin, some admired his skill and personality, others thought of it as out of place and insolent.

The door swung itself open as he walked in, taking in the scent of his favorite course. That’s not saying much, since Bardock was about as picky as a rat. He grinned, his mouth already watered, when his crew shouted at his sight.

“Chief! You’re back!”
“Hahaha, look at that, almost like he just won the lottery.”
“Get over here, you sly dog!”

Bardock was happy to see them, but made sure to pass by the counter with a full plate before joining them at their table. “What’s up, guys?” He said while chewing some poorly cooked vegetables. It’s been long since he had last seen his crew so he took a good look at them.

“Hey chief, you alright?” Riva looked at good as ever as she showed concern over her commander. She must have noticed his previous assignment still bugged him, if only she had seen what he had. She would have thought she’d gone insane. “Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t sweat it,” Bardock replied while smiling back at her, taking her presence well in.

“Hehe, well he’d better be. The man just took himself a month off. I heard the King’s furious,” the deep voice across from her said while diving into a plate even bigger than Bardock’s. “You’re gonna get it this time.”

“If anyone is gonna get it, it’s you, Keele,” another said laughingly, his arms hung over the chair next to him. “For gobbling down our entire war supply!”
The table laughed at Jarek’s snide remark, Keele’s choking on one of his oversized bites didn’t help much in stopping it.

They didn’t seem to mind that he left them for several weeks.
“Hey, you gave us an excuse to lay down for a bit,” Riva said while stomping Bardock’s shoulder with her elbow.
“Yeah, you came back just at the right time. I’ve seen all I can of this dump, time to get back in the saddle,” Jarek said. He had always shared Bardock’s opinion openly, which is what he was known for. Jarek’s case was different, he had no right to be this blunt, and his fellow saiyan usually let him know this. Where they saw stupidity, Bardock saw admiration. Only the crew knew Jarek looked up to Bardock like a father. They are what made the missions somewhat enjoyable.

The door to Bardock’s back swung open again. He heard it, but only turned when the laughing abruptly stopped and he saw the look on his crew’s faces grow pale.

“Third commander Bardock, King Vegeta has requested an audience with you,” said the man in front of the group that had just entered. Bardock could tell by his insignias that he was the leader of an elite squad. “He has requested an audience? Or is that just his way of putting it nicely?” Bardock took a bite from his slab of meat while he got up.

“We suggest you come voluntarily so as to avoid trouble, commander,” the saiyan continued. “I intend to. Let’s go,” Bardock said, motioning his men to stay seated.

The King and Bardock were never the best of friends, but they just sort of mutually let one another be. Although they never agreed to it like that, that’s how it went. Bardock did his thing, the King did his.

His past encounters with the King came back to him as they turned into corridor after corridor. He was never escorted by a crew of his elites, probably his bodyguards now that he thought of it. This can’t be good.

“So you thought this was a resort, huh? You can’t walk in and out whenever you want, son.” Bardock stopped, causing the guard behind to bump into him. He glared at the saiyan to his left, the one that said it. The elites reacted by entering their combat pose, ready to use force. They were unsure about their chances against Bardock, he could tell as much from the disturbed faces he had locked eyes with.

A battle would only lead to more crap he figured. “Easy guys, I just have to tie my boots,” Bardock said, grinning before he bent down. The smirk was still there when he came back to his full height. “I wouldn’t want any of you guys to trip.” Pathetic losers. Their ranks have made them soft. They continued down the hallway.

They had now arrived at the King’s wing of the military quarters. Bardock knew because the otherwise dirtied floor suddenly shone brighter than any full moon. Decadence, such a quality to have.

The hall ended in a double door encrusted with the emblem of the Saiyan Empire. The guards’ leader pushed it open and Bardock found the King sitting on his throne, discussing with one of his advisors. He seemingly dismissed the advice as he sent the advisor flying with a stroke of the back of his hand, causing his cape to stir up in the sudden movement of air.

The King’s eyes flared at Bardock’s arrival while grimacing at the same time. “I’m surprised to see my guards unscathed, Bardock. You came … willingly?”

“No, I’m afraid I was no match for their physical prowess, [i]Excellency[i],” Bardock said, curving the King’s sarcasm back at him.

“Hmph,” the King muttered as he rose from his throne. “That is exactly why you’re here, Bardock, that attitude.”

Bardock noticed the guards that brought him were blocking the door just two feet behind him. Several other elites were scattered throughout the throne room. Though a warrior, he was not a fool and kept his calm.
“I’m sure the King would have contacted me if my leave was unwanted,” Bardock said, twitching his eyes in anxiety of what was to come.

“Oh yes, he would. Only the King saw that your scouter’s communication array had been disabled,” King Vegeta said as he slowly stepped towards Bardock. He had never seen the King pissed off like this. The King had shown great patience for Bardock, but it seemed it had reached its limit.

“Oh, that. Yeah. Sorry about that,” Bardock thought, thinking he would buy himself some time. Maybe his squad would pop up after all. He knew the chances were slim, they’d never question his order.

“Sorry? That’s not going to cut it!” King Vegeta lunged at Bardock, sending a ki blast towards his face. He was caught off guard, but reacted fast enough to deflect the blast by falling backwards and smacking it to the right with his open hand. It caused one of the walls to cave in, burying a handful of the King’s guard beneath it. Bardock brought his arms up to protect him from the falling rubble.

Defense against the King was as much an insult as an attempt on his life. As Bardock cleared his arms from his face, he noticed the graveness of his actions. Every warrior in the throne room had gathered around him. The adrenaline prevented a quick count, but he reckoned the number to be over two dozen. He was at the King’s mercy.

“Your insolence has taken on new heights, Bardock,” the King laughed. His troops were preparing to attack, but he commanded them to stand down.
“This deserves personal measures,” the King explained.

Bardock looked at him in a despicable manner whilst the King pulled him back to his feet. They silently stared each other in the eyes. Bardock realized this confrontation had been unavoidable from the start.

The right end of the King’s mouth twitched up as he brought his knee to Bardock’s gut, twisting his intestines into a painful knot. It was followed by an uppercut that had him fall onto his back. King Vegeta went up to him and took a hold of his right foot as he dragged Bardock with him, down the facility’s hallways.

As they passed the chambers of soldier, slave, and servant alike, Bardock imagined his head on a stake, amidst the others that dared stand up to the King, somewhere in a corner of the Saiyan Empire Hall of Heresy.

While he was silently dragged away, Bardock’s mind wandered, thinking how this all could have been avoided. Fool!

The parade passed the cantina, causing Bardock’s squad to get up at their leader’s sight. Everyone in the facility hurried behind it.

King Vegeta dragged Bardock outside, where he had landed not half an hour earlier. Bardock tried getting up at this point but the King knocked him down on all fours. He was waiting for enough people to gather. Bardock suspected he could match the King, but not beat him. That’s where the elites came in. He was helpless.

At that point he noticed his crew trying to blast their way through the elites. He never questioned their capabilities, but there was no sense in fighting for them. Bardock jumped to his feet. He parried one of the King’s blows while he spun around and kicked him a few feet back.

“Stand down, you fools! You want to end up where I am?” Bardock shouted with such ferocity that both his crew and the elites blocking them froze.
“Chief? You can’t be serious!”
“Yeah, there’s no way we…”
“I ORDER you to STAND DOWN,” he repeated, his rage sending tremors across the landing pad.

They nodded reluctantly, and in return King Vegeta ordered his men to let them go. Riva, Keele and Jarek watched in horror as they blended in with the crowd. Though the King and Bardock hated one another deeply now, it just proved it wasn’t without respect. Bardock’s crew would live.

“You did not know your place,” Vegeta continued. He signaled one of his guards and he was brought a long, slim dagger. King Vegeta twirled it around and held it out in front of him.
“At least, prove that you do now.”

Bardock caught on. This wasn’t an execution, it was public humiliation.

He looked around, taking in the variety of expressions that surrounded him. Pleasure and discontent everywhere, even amongst the elites a few seemed to show sympathy. They dared not express it. He noticed his crew. Keele stared fixedly at his commander, perhaps still expecting the order to crack in some skulls. Next to him a sad Jarek was comforting Riva, with tears in her eyes.

His eyes met the ground as he uncurled the tail from his waist and dropped down to his knees. Exposing his tail was a clear sign of inferiority. “Get this over with,” he said.

The King stepped up towards him and spoke to him personally so none could hear it. “You were a commendable warrior, besting my every elite. But you are liability, Bardock. I truly regret this.”

“I will never forget,” Bardock replied as he looked up and stared into the King’s eyes.
“I don’t expect any less,” and with that he gashed at Bardock’s face, scarring it.

Bardock grimaced before the King kicked him in the ribs with all his might, but he landed softly. He opened his eyes to and found himself back in his space pod.

Bardock then saw one side of the King’s face lit up, followed by a few warriors flying across the landing pad. Vegeta turned around in a surprised manner to find that Bardock’s crew had broken through his guard. The King evaporated one of his men that replied by opening fire. “Hold,” he said calmly.

The King stepped aside so the three could see their leader off. Bardock scolded them first.
“You disobeyed!”

All three almost simultaneously raised their eyebrows.
“Come on chief, you know we can handle ourselves,” Riva said with a forced smile.
“It was fun anyway,” said Keele.
Jarek was silent.

The King intervened. “Third commander Bardock, you are hereby banished from Vegeta for life. Should you return here, the punishment is death.” He set the pod to a random planet and kicked the door closed.

Bardock only witnessed a reddish blur of what happened next, but enough for him to shout an order that simply bounced back on the airtight glass. Jarek had turned and had launched an assault on the King.

Bardock noticed Jarek scream something, but was unable to hear it from inside the pod. He then held out his arm and fired an intense bolt into the King’s back at point blank range.

King Vegeta turned around and hit him in the face with a right hook. He fell right into the little smudge of his commander’s blood, surrounded by the elites. Bardock saw Keele and Riva being dragged away while the King raised his hand, engulfing the inside of the cockpit with a bright purple light.

The pod shot up in space and Bardock left for an unknown planet.
----

Total words: 2390

119,500 zeni, pl, ki

23 bp