The History of the Decline and Fall of the Planet Trade Organization/Volume II

This is the second volume in the series of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Planet Trade Organization. It consists of accounts starting post-Namek. This section begins the period of time where Cooler took sole reign of the Planet Trade Organization. Several soldiers of King Cold persist, and their accounts confirm that he was killed on Earth with Frieza during this volume. All chapters are written in the first-person perspective.

This volume's theme song is Ether by Electric President.

The previous volume in this series, volume I, can be found here. The next volume in this series, volume III, can be found here.

Planet Trade Organization Leaders: Start
This section will detail who is in charge of the Planet Trade Organization as of the start of this volume:

Chapter I: After the Fall
“Turn it off.”

The nearest soldier looked up at me, a quizzical look on his face. “But sir, wh–”

My fist entered his skull so fast, he didn’t even have time to scream. Shaking blood from my gloved hand, I turned to the others. “Anyone else want to question my leadership?” They all shook their heads. The silence was deafening. “Good. Now someone, turn it off!”

Another alien, a fishy-looking one with purple skin and bulging eyes, obeyed me. It was good to see at least one of them still held loyalty to me. At once, the light of the video feed cut out, and we were left standing there in the darkness together. We had nothing to say.

The computers hummed and blinked. A few of my subordinates coughed or shifted in their stances. The tension was as thick as mud, as choking as a hand wrapped around a throat.

At length, I received a call on my scouter, marked urgent. I took that as my excuse to flee the room, to get away from it all. I just wanted to run, to keep running until everything was left behind. But such thoughts were impractical. I was a governor. It was my duty to hold us together in these dark times.

Reaching the end of the corridor, far away from anyone else, I stopped. “What do you want?” I spoke into my scouter, perhaps too curtly.

“Have you been following what’s been going on?” the voice replied.

“Yes.”

“A-and?! Don’t you think this is a big deal?!”

I remained calm. “Of course it is. But what do you want me to do about it?”

The other voice was annoyed. I knew this man. It was strange, though, for I had never heard so much panic, so much fear in his voice before. “Our long-range scouters blew up! The outpost is in critical condition! Hundreds are dead…” There was an extended silence. “H-hello, are you still there? Governor Lychin?”

“I’m here,” I replied softly. “You need me to send rescue ships. Is that correct?”

“Yeah! And we need them as quickly as possible!”

“Very well, I’ll get a crew out to as soon as I can. Is that all?”

The other governor scoffed. “You know why our long-range scouters blew up, don’t you?”

I sighed. “Indeed. I had my crew turn ours off just in case. It seems my foresight was.”

That seemed to cut through the other governor like a knife. “We… we had to see how it would end!”

“That was a foolish risk. We all knew how it was going to end, and yet here you are, with hundreds of your soldiers dead. And needlessly, I might add.”

“As you say, governor…” the other governor replied. There was restraint in his voice. I knew he wanted to lash out at me, but if he did, he would risk losing my rescue ships. “Well, now what?”

“Now, we continue on as we always have. We keep our outposts in line. We wait for someone above us to contact us about what to do. Until that happens, we can do nothing.”

“You aren’t going to rebel?” The other governor’s voice was suspicious.

“Even if I was, do you think I would tell you?” The alien in my ear scoffed again. “Very well. I will send you the ships you need, and you can relocate your forces here on Planet Frieza 68. If that is all, I think our conversation has reached its end.”

“Don’t leave me out here,” the other governor warned. “If you are planning something, I don’t want to be the first casualty.”

“Believe me, governor, you’re far more useful to me alive than dead.”

I hung up.

Returning to my command post, I found it much as I had left it – the place was still clothed in near darkness, with only the bright and flashing lights of the computer screens giving the cold, steely room any color. Yet there was one thing out of place: a soldier now stood where I had once stood, and he turned to face me when I came walking in.

“Back to your post, soldier,” I ordered him.

“Shut it, old man,” came the reply.

That took me aback. Suddenly, adrenaline shot through my veins and my hearts began beating faster. I stepped back, gaining a bearing on my situation. In the low light of the room, it was hard to make out if there were others with this rebel – if my other subordinates had joined his reckless, suicidal treachery. It made sense, of course, why this was happening, and I was angry at myself for not anticipating such a turn of events.

“Back to your station, soldier!” I shouted one last time.

“Ain’t happenin’,” came the low reply. “You saw what was on that screen, same as us. Things’ll never be the same.”

“No,” I admitted. “But this isn’t the end.”

The other alien wasn’t listening to me. “Nah, the empire’s lost. I’m not gonna be your slave any longer. I’ve had it with this fucking Planet Trade Organization!”

The alien charged me. Low, red light suddenly came on and bathed the room in color. The room began to shake. I looked out the nearest window, for the quickest of moments, and saw explosions roaring up in fiery plumes in a nearby complex, not more than a few hundred feet away. There was likely fighting breaking out on the floors below us as well. I swore under my breath. I knew that there would be some pushback… some consequence for what we had seen on that video feed. But I had not expected it to be so desperate and so impressive.

But I had to start small. First, I had to deal with this alien. As he came roaring towards me, sprinting carelessly with his arms flung behind him, I saw that he was none other than Cranbry, my installation captain. Why did that surprise me? Why didn’t I recognize his voice before? I should have known. I should have expected this. He had never been a loyal beast, but he had been good at his job. And that had seemed cause enough to keep him. Plus, no one could have ever expected that what had happened would happen…

I met Cranbry’s fist with my own in an offensive blocking move. “Get back to your post, or I will kill you!” I shouted. That just made my captain laugh. He pressed forward.

I blocked his advances as best I could. I was not as young as I had once been, but I was still powerful – still more powerful than him. I knew this. I could not lose confidence. Not now. Even so, I was not powered up, and I had not the time to power up. As it was, my foe held the advantage. He pushed me into a corner, beating me mercilessly. My block became sloppier and sloppier until he shattered it entirely. Then I was flung into the far metal wall, bruises and welts forming across my face and chest. I tried to stand up, and he kicked me down. I tried to create an energy attack, and he slapped it aside. Everything had changed so quickly, that it felt like I had no chance.

Cranbry kicked me in my ribs, cracking my armor and causing me to fall over, gasping for air. I tried to stand again, and this time he came running with a flying kick at my face, hitting me in the nose and smashing it. I fell. Sitting up on my hands and knees, breathing heavily, my head and mind numb, I tried to blink away the tears of pain. I didn’t know what to do. Everything was moving so fast that time itself had slowed to a crawl. I saw a drop of dark liquid fall from my nose and stain the metal floor. My breathing was all I could hear.

I felt something grab the right shoulder pauldron of my armor and try to stand me up. I closed my eyes, focused my energy. All I had left, I put into my fist, shaping the energy into a jagged dagger. By the time Cranbry had pulled me up, sat my on my knees, and stood back, preparing to finish me off with an energy attack of his own, I saw that my attack was ready. It was now or never.

My captain thrust his palms out, and shining energy began forming in front of him. It would take only a second to charge up. This was my moment. Just as he went to fire it, I kicked off the ground, flipping over Cranbry. His attack went sailing by, and I felt the air warm around me as it went. I landed behind my foe, on my feet, and just as he began to react to my maneuver, I stuck my piece of energy, as slender and deadly as an icicle, straight through his ear and into his skull. He was dead before his attack exploded against the far wall.

Blood sprayed from Cranbry’s body, coating me in the sweet, sweet sanguine. I turned to face the others. Before I could open my mouth, before I could bark out a command, they were all charging me. I couldn’t believe it. Every one of them was a turncoat. Every one of them had decided to betray me. I swore under my breath again, cursing my bad luck. I would lose many good men this day, I knew.

None of the others held even a fraction of Cranbry’s strength. They were all technicians, scientists, servants. They weren’t fighters. But they bled all the same. As injured as I was, it felt good to break through their bones with my fists. Bodies fell, screams echoed, and blood flowed in the room where once silence and inaction had been king. I had known these men – some for years, some since before I first set foot on this outpost – and yet, it appeared they no longer knew me. A mere hour ago, everything had been okay. Everything had been okay, until it hadn’t.

The last soldier I killed was the fish-faced one who had previously turned off the video feed. Funny how he had been loyal to that end, mere moments ago. My anger surged upon seeing him charge me, and I took him to the ground before punching him to a meaty pulp. So many times did I hit him that his skull caved in and his eyes popped out and his flesh tore to bloody ribbons and I lost recognition of his face. But it was not enough. I kept going, kept beating his lifeless, worthless corpse until he was but a pile of flesh and guts and bone.

By the time it was over, I was dripping with blood and sweat and disgust at myself. What had I become? These were my men. But they had defied me. They had tried to kill me… just for their freedom. I stood up and looked around. The blood of so many species glowed nicely in the light of the room.

I looked out the window. Explosions were still going off. Fighting had no doubt broken out across the entire planet. It would take a long time for me to subdue what remained of my garrison. I looked down, clenched my fist, and felt drops of blood drip from my body. I was tired, so tired of it all. But a governor has no time to sleep, no time to complain. I signed up for this.

Preparing to leave, I suddenly received another call on my scouter, also marked urgent. Though this one was coming from the scouter, it was a video call, not a pure audio one, so I raised my left gauntlet, pressed a button on it, and a little blue hologram of a most unexpected being appeared.

“Governor Lychin,” the Arcosian said coolly.

“L-lord… Cooler!” I gasped.

“Not expecting me?” He smirked. “It looks like you’ve been in a battle, governor.”

I nodded. “Some of my soldiers didn’t take kindly to what they saw earlier.”

“Are the rebels dead?”

“Most are,” I lied. “The others will be soon, sir. You can count on that.”

“Good. Now, governor, tell me… what did you think of the events earlier today?”

I gulped and looked down. Blood was still falling from my body like drops of rainwater, though I could take heart in the fact that at least none of it was mine. After a few seconds of collecting my thoughts, I spoke, “I did not expect Frieza to lose. I thought he was the strongest being in the galaxy.”

Cooler frowned. “Careful, governor. I was always stronger than my brother. Though you were a part of his empire, do not pretend like you didn’t know that.”

“Right, sir. Sorry, sir.”

“Make no mistake, governor. Whoever this mysterious golden-haired warrior is… whoever killed my brother… he will pay for what he’s done. And I will make him pay. But until we get to that point, I need your help in keeping this empire together. Frieza’s region of the Planet Trade Organization could easily fall into civil war. I do not want that. I am contacting all of his governors to let them know that they are now a part of my empire. All of you are now with me. This is not the end!” Cooler’s face shone with determination, notably even in hologram form. “Even if Frieza is dead, nothing has changed. I want your planet locked down. Any and all traitors are to be executed, and once they are, I will send a team there to inspect the place and make sure that it is ready to resume its normal activities. Keeping this empire together will be difficult. It is in a fragile state currently. So I need your full cooperation, your full strength, to aid me in this task. Do you understand, governor?”

“I understand, Lord Cooler. I will make sure my planet is devoid of any traitors or rebels as quickly as possible. You can count on me. My soldiers and I are happy to join your empire, I promise you that! Long live the Planet Trade Organization!”

Cooler gave a wry smile, turned around, and exploded into a cloud of blue data, which soon faded to nothing. I sunk to the floor, and found myself next to the body of Cranbry.

“Thank you for your service, captain,” I said, pulling my bit of energy out of his skull and dissipating it. I sat back against the floor and sighed. Explosions echoed in the distance. Energy was raining in the sky. There was much to be done. I wondered how many of my soldiers were rebelling, how many would be left once this was all over. But I knew that if all of them had to die, then so be it. I would not let the traitors rule this day. Frieza may have been killed on Namek by a mysterious golden-haired warrior, but this was not the end. I would not let it be.

And yet, as I sat there, I wondered. Why had I not joined Cranbry? Why had I not sought my own freedom? Was it fear? Fear of dishonoring my family name? I couldn’t say. Like any of the others, I would have loved to be set free, to no longer work for the Planet Trade Organization. I was as loyal as they come… and yet even I saw the value in being the master of my own destiny. So why hadn’t I joined with them? We could have rebelled as one, this entire installation. Planet Frieza 068 was one of the largest, most advanced outposts in Frieza’s empire. We could have given Lord Cooler a serious headache if we had refused to join his empire. And yet, that’s all we would have been: a headache. We would have died all the same. And I wanted to live.

My people, the Faereth, had not forgotten the last major slight to our species, which had occurred a mere nine years previously. That had been when Avalan, son of Icer (who was the uncle of Frieza) had executed one of our own – a distinguished warrior named Loquano – for being a traitor himself. There had been no trial, no respect for Loquano, though I had one other governor had been present for his execution. My people had not forgotten. And now with Frieza gone, the rebellious thoughts of the Faereth would become even more vociferous than before. There would be a Great Council of Faeri, I knew – the first one in three hundred years. They would surely call it in secret, so as to not alert Cooler. But I had already staked my claim of loyalty. Could I go back now? If my people decided that now was the best time to fight for our freedom, could I join them? Who was I really loyal to – the Planet Trade Organization, or my own people? I could not say. But what I did know, deep inside me, was that I wanted to live. I would rather live than be free. Such a strange thought, to be sure. And in this day and age, it seemed like a most radical notion.

I looked down at my fists and clenched them. I had the blood of traitors on me this day. And yet, I wondered if I also had that blood inside me. I stood up, walked over to the nearest computer panel and pressed a button.

“Is everything alright there?” I asked, half expecting there to be no answer.

“Governor Lychin, sir, we are here!” came a high-pitched reply.

I let out a sigh of relief. At least the fighting hadn’t reached the docking bays. “Good,” I said. “Are there any rebels amongst you?”

“N-no sir! We killed them all… like you wanted, right?”

“Correct. Good work, soldier. Tell me, are all of the spaceships still intact?”

“Uh…” there was a long pause. “Y-yes, sir! I believe most of them are, sir.”

“Excellent.” I sat down in a nearby chair and leaned back, closing my eyes and savoring this moment of peace. It would be the last such moment for a very long time. “Send every working ship to Planet Frieza 79. It appears our brethren there had a little accident and need evac as soon as possible. We are bringing them here.”

“I’ll get the pilots ready, sir!”

“That will be all, then.”

I felt the aching in my body and knew that I was indeed wounded. Cranbry had gotten some good punches on me. I would need a trip to the rejuvenation tank. But not yet. No, there was still work to be done.

I stood up and cracked my neck. Looking out of the window, I saw that the nearby complex was on fire. Many were dead. Many more would die. But that was the price of loyalty.

As I prepared to leave, to save my planet, I got the queerest thought: what if I was exchanging one group of traitors for another? At least Cranbry and the others had been people I’d known. These others from Planet Frieza 79… they could be using me. The governor and his men could be coming to kill me.

My fear faded in the next instance. I knew my strength. I would not let anyone intimidate me. If those coming in from Planet Frieza 79 were indeed traitors, they would die like all the rest.

It was a prideful thought, one rooted in arrogance and optimism. And, looking back on it now, I can say it was, without a doubt, the most foolish thought I ever had.

I stepped forward and prepared to leave that cursed room, to reclaim my planet for Lord Cooler’s sake. And as I opened the window and flew out into the crisp morning air, I felt something cold and wet hit my cheek. I looked up and held out my hand. It came as a shock, though it perhaps shouldn’t have, when I realized that it had started to snow. It was the first snow of the year, I knew, but it would not be the last.

Chapter II: The Wars to Come
The wind blew in swirling vortexes around us. The cold was unbearable. It took all of my strength not to shiver. It was dark that day, so dark that I could barely see a few feet ahead of me. Neiz and Dore were kneeling in the dirt, just on the edge of sight, their heads bowed. I stood at the side of Lord Cooler, steadfast and loyal. It was my place to be at his side. I was his right-hand man.

Lord Cooler sat in a finely-wrought throne, made of dark, polished marble, his eyes closed. He was as still as a statue; we tried to be as strong as him.

A windstorm on the Stomping Grounds was a rare sight, but fitting, I thought, given the circumstances. The whole world seemed like it was throwing a tantrum. The skies cracked with thunder, dim and dreary, and it seemed like at any moment the sky was going to release a torrent of rain. This was not the sunny, warm planet I thought I knew so well.

We waited as long as we could. We didn’t want to have to break the news to Lord Cooler; not here, not now. But I knew he would find out soon enough if we didn’t. And then he would berate us for withholding this information from him. I nodded to Neiz. It was time.

“Lord Cooler! We have news about Lord Frieza!”

“Eh?” Cooler eyes opened. “Did he defeat that sniveling Saiyan on Namek?”

“No, my lord… it appears Lord Frieza was killed in battle!”

A flicker of some emotion passed across Cooler’s usually calm face. “What? My brother killed by a Saiyan? That’s absurd. How could a Saiyan generate enough power to destroy Frieza?!”

Neiz looked uncomfortable, but he proceeded anyways. “It happened, my lord! This Saiyan has been living on Earth. He left Vegeta right before Lord Frieza blew it up!”

Cooler closed his eyes again and sighed. When he next spoke, he seemed to be speaking more to himself than to us, but I stayed on alert, nonetheless. “I never did like him… and now he goes and disgraces my father and I by getting killed by a Saiyan…”

At once, Cooler’s eyes shot open. There was a cold rage in them, flickering like two lonely flames in the night. He stood up, his fists clenched, his teeth bared. I felt fear shoot through my heart; I thought then that he might kill us, might release some of that anger inside of him.

Instead, my lord had different ideas. “Salza?” he barked.

“Sir?!” I bowed obediently.

“Prepare the ship for departure.” That caused Dore and Neiz to stand up, partially in excitement, and partially in confusion. “I don’t know who this Saiyan thinks he is, but no one attacks our family and lives!” Lord Cooler’s rage was building; I could sense it. He desperately wanted to kill this Saiyan. With a flick of his tail, Lord Cooler demolished the marble throne behind him. He was done playing games, done allowing his family and the Planet Trade Organization to be walked all over. I had never seen him like this before. Those eyes of his narrowed and focused and seemed to pierce the darkness with their hate. “No one!” he shouted again. “Plot a course for Earth.”

I bowed again and then scrambled off into darkness, Dore and Neiz running after me. And I thought then, curiously, that I was not just running to start up Lord Cooler’s ship, which was parked nearby. No, I was running from Lord Cooler too. I was running from the venom in his eyes.

“No, no, no, Cooler… he’s not dead,” King Cold rambled on, in that tedious tone of his. He held a cup of ice wine in his hand lazily, and it looked like the slightest breeze could knock it from his grip. “It’s true that he lost on Namek to that… monkey, but he’s not dead, no. We can not be killed so easily, son. I thought you of all people would know that.”

Cooler glanced over at me, a look of annoyance on his face. He blamed us for the bad information, but how could he? Everyone had thought Lord Frieza was dead… everyone except his father.

“Will he survive, then?”

“I should hope so,” King Cold mused, sipping his ice wine pleasantly. “I have the greatest scientists in our empire working on crafting him a new mechanical body as we speak.”

Cooler’s eyes lit up again. “Mechanical body? What are you talking about?”

“Oh Cooler, you haven’t seen him. I’d almost forgotten. Frieza was marred… grievously in that battle. It’s a miracle he survived. His body was ravaged and broken almost beyond recognition… but now it’s up to me to put him back together again.”

“Will he be stronger than before?”

“Oh yes, the scientists have high hopes. When his new body is complete, Frieza should be better than ever,” King Cold said carelessly. “Now what was this you said about getting revenge on Earth? You wanted revenge on your poor little brother, didn’t you? As much as you two have grown to despise each other over the years, I must say that surprises me!”

Cooler looked away, scowling. “Frieza disgraced our family name by getting beaten by a mere Saiyan. It was my duty to remind the universe the power that’s in our blood.”

“Doubtless,” King Cold said, taking another swig of ice wine. “But now that you know Frieza’s alright, why don’t you put that trip off?”

“That Saiyan must answer for what he did,” argued Lord Cooler.

“Frieza will want revenge when he comes to. And once he feels the capabilities of his new mechanical body, I’m sure he will deal with that Saiyan easily. This is his fight, Cooler, not yours.”

“As you wish, father. I will return to governing my part of the empire, if you don’t mind,” Cooler turned away and flicked his tail in irritation. “Come Salza, we have much to do.”

“I’ll see you back here for Nitro’s birthday,” King Cold reminded his son. “Do not forget that date again, please. I wouldn’t want to have to take another dozen planets from you.”

Cooler did not respond. He walked off, and so I followed him.

Once we were back aboard his ship, preparing to depart from King Cold’s outpost, I turned to face my lord, bowed, and spoke:

“Lord Cooler… now that we know Lord Frieza is still alive, what will we do about those planets you took from him?”

The Arcosian sat in his chair and gave me another look of annoyance. “Frieza’s mortally wounded. His recovery time, if he does recover, will be extensive. Someone must rule his planets in his absence, even if he’s still alive. And that someone is me. I am the eldest son of King Cold. It is my right to hold my brother’s empire under my control so long as he is unfit to rule. And should he seek revenge on that Saiyan and die…” Cooler closed his eyes, savoring the thought. “Well, that would be most unfortunate, wouldn’t it? But I have prepared for my brother’s foolishness in the past, and I will do so again now. His planets are mine, for now.”

We made our way back to Ipha, the chief moon of Planet Cooler 01, more often known as the Stomping Grounds. While the moon lacked an atmosphere, a sprawling metropolitan city covered much of its surface, all cube-shaped and sanitized in whites and oranges, in standard Planet Trade Organization fashion. We landed at the capitol building and made our way to Cooler’s headquarters, a small war room guarded behind hundreds of guards and dozens of empty, decorative rooms. No one save for Cooler’s highest-ranking commanders could set foot inside there.

Supreme General Digranite and Admiral Articho awaited us inside, bowing profusely when they saw the angry visage of their lord come striding inside. Others were there too – Senior Governor Nectarian, Commander Boisenberry, and several others of less notability. There were no guards in here – every officer present was strong enough to defend themselves, and Lord Cooler liked keeping what was said within these walls within these walls. Low-ranking soldiers could not be trusted with secrets.

“What’s new today?” Cooler asked as he found his seat. He perched on it like a bird preparing to lunge at its prey. Everyone else took their seats after him.

Digranite was the first to speak. He stood up and said, “An emissary from the Galactic Bank has requested an audience with you, Lord Cooler. He has been asking to see you every day for the past week. I have told him you were too busy to see him, but he will not leave. Do you want me to slit his throat, sire?”

“No. Maybe one of these days I won’t be busy. It’ll be good for him to stay around, not knowing when I will see him. He will be forced to stay until I do. That should make him angry… but there’s nothing he can do about it. These fools from the Galactic Bank deserve to learn some humility.”

“As you wish, my lord.”

Then Admiral Articho stood. “My lord,” he bowed extravagantly, “there have been more reports of pirate attacks across the far colonies. We suspect space pirates, perhaps Jolean or of the Aphotic Prince’s ilk… but we do not know for sure. There are also reports of attacks in Lord Frieza’s territory… pardon, I mean your new territory.”

Lord Cooler flexed the fingers of his right hand. “Digranite, send out patrols of our best pilots. Find out who is attacking us. If they are just Joleans, destroy them. If it’s the Aphotic Prince or some new foe, I expect that to be made known to me.”

“It will be done.” The Supreme General bowed and exited.

Admiral Articho continued to stand. “There is more, my lord. Several of Frieza’s former governors are squabbling. The leaders of planets 71 and 53 are almost at open war. Several others are not far behind. They seem to forget that even with Lord Frieza’s death, they are still a part of the Planet Trade Organization. I request leave to remind these governors who they serve.”

“Do it.” Cooler looked bored. He glanced over at me, giving me that same icy stare he had been giving me since he had learned what had happened to his brother. It was at that moment that I realized only he and I knew that Frieza was actually still alive. He would have to tell the others sooner or later. And I believe Lord Cooler wished to tell them later.

I began to drum my knuckles on the table, even as the talk continued about the governors in Frieza’s region and what to do about their rebellious actions. The anxiety of knowing what the others did not was too much to keep down inside of me. I was witnessing one son of King Cold make a political play on another. Should Lord Frieza learn what Cooler was intending to do, it would result in open war. And I did not know why Lord Cooler was risking that, just to make his empire a little bigger.

Breaking me out of my thoughts was Commander Boisenberry, who was the next to report. He stood and spoke, “My lord, Lady Frost has asked for an audience with you as well. She has things she wishes to discuss in private, and she refused to say what they were to me.”

Cooler sighed. “Very well. Set up a date. But not today and not tomorrow.”

I felt Lord Cooler looking at me again, but I did not return his gaze. He and I knew what Frost wanted, as did General Digranite. What Frost and Cooler had done together (and perhaps what they were still planning on doing together) was a tale that, should it get out into public knowledge, could also start a war. I gulped. I wasn’t going to say anything, but I still felt a cold sweat down my back. It was hard holding all of this knowledge inside. But I did. And that’s why I was Lord Cooler’s right hand man.

“Is that all?” Cooler asked the room. “Is there anything else I need to know about?” The officers all shook their heads. Cooler stood up, this time. “Back to your stations, then.” We all went to leave when suddenly, Cooler spoke again. “Not you, Salza.”

And so the others left, staring at me as they went. I remained behind, alone with the angry lord.

“Sir!” I said, bowing hastily after the last officer left the room.

“Spare me the theatrics, Salza,” Cooler grumbled. I quickly broke my bow. “Arcterial and Icer,” he began, standing up. He found a pitcher of wine and poured himself some before downing the whole glass in one breath. “They wanted to kill Frieza. They tried to get me to help them. And after I refused, they abandoned their plot to kill him at our last grand feast.”

“Yes sir,” I replied. “You have told me about this before.”

“I have,” admitted Cooler. He poured himself another glass. “They were right. Even after Frieza led the victory against the Nikkarins, we still should have done it. I thought that he had become too popular – that it would cause too much pushback to kill him after his greatest military victory. But…” he murmured, sipping his drink, “life would be so much easier with Frieza out of the picture. For one moment, it looked like that was going to happen, and then father had to go and ruin my hopes.” He slammed the glass on the table, shattering it. “My uncles will not be satisfied, especially Arcterial. They will try something. They will try again to kill Frieza, or perhaps even me. They want the power my father has. They will not be satisfied until it is theirs.”

“We should go to your father, Lord Co–”

“No,” he seethed. “My uncles’ treachery cannot be proven. Not yet. They want to take my family out, but it will be an enormous task for them. They will have a hard time killing me or father. Nitro and Frieza… perhaps those two will fall in the wars to come, but I would gladly welcome their deaths, just as my uncles would.”

“Then what should we do, Lord Cooler?” I asked.

“Stay on alert, Salza. I want you to keep my armies in check. Don’t let them spread out or get too far away from the center of my empire. These pirate attacks and rebellions going on in Frieza’s region could be an attempt to stretch my army thin, to make me vulnerable. I won’t have it. Keep eyes on Icer and Arcterial, if you can. Watch their children. And if you find anything suspicious, alert me.” He turned to face me, boring into my skull again with that gaze of his. “Only me. Do you understand, Salza?”

“Yes sir. I will do everything I can to make sure Lords Arcterial and Icer don’t try anything funny.”

“Good,” he breathed. “That will be all for now.”

“S-sir…” I asked, not willing to leave quite yet. “Are we still going to Earth?”

“Frieza is going to Earth, once he has his new body. Hopefully he’ll die there,” Cooler said. “If not, I’ll kill him myself and blame the Saiyan for it. Not many know he’s still alive, and I wish to keep it that way. Hopefully father will keep him out of the public eye until he gets back from Earth. If that happens, killing Frieza will be far easier than I had hoped. Even if everyone finds out he survived Namek, it won’t matter. Frieza is never returning to rule his empire. That torch has been passed to me.”

I bowed again. “As you wish, Lord Cooler.” And with that, with my liege lord staring me down with a simmering anger that I wasn’t sure wasn’t at least partially directed at me, I left the war room. And I was never happier in my life to leave Lord Cooler’s side.

The ships flew in lanes across the surface of Ipha like shining, strobing lights, like sparkling drones. There were thousands, if not millions, here. And yet, none of them were aware of what was going on. I took that to heart; it made me feel special to be one of Lord Cooler’s trusted aids.

I made my way down the halls, into the empty outer rooms of the capitol building. Few guards lurked this deep in the building – they were mostly near the front of it. I did not expect to run into anyone here. Around one corner, I stumbled upon Senior Governor Nectarian, standing and talking with a couple of blue-skinned aliens who looked like piles of sludge. They were females, judging by their voices, though they stopped talking as soon as they saw me. I saw that each of the blue-sludge creatures was holding a hover carriage. In the right carriage was a teal-skinned baby Arcosian with yellow eyes and spiky black body armor. He was wailing, though he stopped as soon as he saw me. Across from him was his twin sister, an Arcosian who was even smaller than her brother. She was pink-skinned, with bright blue eyes and white, rounded body armor. She was looking up at Governor Nectarian.

“Hello, Salza,” Nectarian said, his gruff voice echoing through the hall. “What are you doing here?”

“Returning to my post,” I said. “Lord Cooler has given me a special task.”

“I have no doubt about that,” the governor replied with a smile. His yellow, polished skin looked like it belonged on a statue, not a living being.

“I should ask you what you are doing with Lord Cooler’s children,” I pointed out.

“Ah yes,” Nectarian said, his eyes darting from one caretaker to the other. Both women kept their mouths shut. “Well, like you, I just happened to run into them on my walk back to my ship. I had not had the chance to see Cooler’s young twins before, and I wanted to learn as much about them as I could before leaving. You never know when you’re gonna see them again, eh?”

I nodded, not allowing him to pick up on my suspicion. “You should get to your ship as soon as you can. Lord Cooler does not like it when his most experienced officers aren’t working.”

“True, true. There is much to be done.” The man glanced down at the two babies again and then began walking away. “If you see Lord Cooler again before I do, tell him for me that little Haimaru and little Raimie are two beautiful children. I’m sure they will do a marvelous job of ruling our great empire once Lord Cooler is gone… in the distant future, of course. Heh!”

I glanced at the two caretakers, who cowered before me. Once Nectarian was out of sight, I slapped both of them across their sludgy, fat mouths, causing them to both fall over. “These are Lord Cooler’s children!” I roared at them. “Next time, try a little harder to keep them safe!”

With that, I ran off, the confused, horrified faces of the two women imprinted on my retinas. In truth, they did nothing wrong. There was no reason for them to not stroll the two babies around the capitol – and one of Lord Cooler’s most senior officers should have not been seen as a threat. They were inside Cooler’s own capitol building, inside his most protected building on the moon. And yet… that look in Nectarian’s eyes gave me pause. There was something off about him, something not right. I would have to pursue him further to see what he was up to.

Lord Cooler asked me to watch for signs of malignity coming from Lords Arcterial and Icer. Perhaps I had found their mole. Perhaps I had found the man who was going to try to bring down Lord Cooler’s empire from the inside. All of the day’s proceedings had seemed to be one conspiracy theory after another, but here, perhaps, I had found an actual threat. Governor Nectarian wanted to kill Haimaru and Raimie, I was sure of that much; and I wouldn’t let him. I wouldn’t let him get away with that. This war had already begun, I realized then, and I wouldn’t let our side take the first casualty.

I gulped again and then raced after Governor Nectarian. Hopefully he hadn’t found the way to his ship just yet.

Chapter III: Angels of Wrath
“Welcome to Planet Cooler 116,” I said, bowing politely.

Governor Sipova stepped out of her ship and glanced around. “This is my welcoming party? You? Where is everyone else?” Her voice was sharp.

I felt my ears going red. “I-I’m sorry, governor. The legions are running combat drills right now… we weren’t expecting you for several more hours.”

The old woman, her skin grey-purple and wrinkled like a churning sea, was unmoved. She was as ugly a Faereth as I had ever seen. Her white hair was tied tightly in a bun behind her head and seemed to be stretching her lumpy skin unnaturally over her pin-headed skull. Time had not been kind to her. Dignified though her face was, she could not even stand to look at me. “Take me to Commander Rowane,” she snapped. “We have business.”

“As you wish, my lady.”

Planet Cooler 116 was a tropical world, wild and untamed, save for the little outpost that sprawled across its southern pole. Because of the axis of the planet, the South Pole was not as cold and barren as such a place would appear on most other planets. Indeed, this outpost had a twelve year cycle of summer and winter – six years apiece. Currently it was summer, though the season was waning. The air was not so warm as it had been yesterday, and it had been that way for many weeks. Soon, perhaps within half a year, it would be winter again. For the next six years, they would be forced to stay inside, to watch as their outpost got covered in feet and feet of snow, only to emerge once again in six years when the light and warmth of the sun returned. I hoped that I would be transferred before that happened, but that was unlikely. With how poorly-manned the outposts were getting, such requests went unanswered most of the time.

The cobbled streets were thin and narrow, old as the empire. On either side of us, tall, looming buildings crowded in gangs of polished marble and stone. This city was a remnant of a long forgotten civilization, a refined culture that did not survive our conquering of the planet. Yet artifacts of their existence remained, perhaps out of laziness more than lust. It is easier to take over a city than to build a new one.

A few soldiers were on patrol, and they stared at Governor Sipova as we passed. A few saluted, a few bowed; all were unsure what to make of her. It was rare that another installation’s governor would come to visit. Certainly, I had never seen such a thing happen before. But I was not one to question what was going on. I was merely a Commander, a military officer. Governor Rowane was the one in charge of Planet Cooler 116.

“Is it far?” she asked.

“The governor’s office is not far,” I said politely. “He should be there, waiting for you. But as I mentioned before, we weren’t expecting you so early…”

“I like to arrive early, and I expect Rowane to see me at once. He would not keep a fellow governor waiting. That would set such a bad example.”

“I will make sure he is in,” I said, clicking my scouter. “Governor Rowane? Governor Sipova has arrived. She wishes to see you.”

There was a long pause and then a longer sigh. “She’s early.” I did not reply. The governor was watching me, her hawkish gaze boring into my skull. “Very well. Send her up.”

“As you wish, sir.” I looked over at the staring woman. “He will see you, my lady.”

“Oh, how wonderful.” The Faereth’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “It is good to know that Governor Rowane has granted me that honor.”

Ignoring the woman, I led us on down the cramped streets. It was roughly noon, when the sun was at its apex, and yet, here in the path between the buildings on either side of us, we were covered in shadows. Few others passed by us here. It was as if we were back in the dead city, back before this planet had been officially added to the empire. I remembered conquering it, destroying the screaming blue-skinned dwarfs that inhabited this place by the millions. The city had burned all those years ago. But it had not been destroyed. And I had been younger, a mere sergeant in Cooler’s fifth legion. Now I was a commander trapped on a ruin of an outpost, where nothing important ever happened, where careers came to die. We were a part of the Planet Trade Organization, but the connection to the empire felt tenuous at best and laughable at worst. We could rebel and on one would know.

Coming to the end of the road and rows of buildings, the stone street split out into a wide, flat crossroads. Ahead was only one building – a sprawling three-story mansion that was the governor’s office. There were trees sprouting up from little holes in the pavement in neat rows, but elsewise, the path to the governor’s office was barren and bright – so bright my eyes began to water as soon as we stepped back into the light.

Ahead, rows of spikes lined with the decomposing skulls of captured and executed rebels stood just in front of the building. Even from this distance, we could smell their reek.

“My apologies, my lady,” I said quickly. “This was Lord Avalan’s idea. He very much enjoys making examples of rebels.”

The woman wrinkled her nose but spoke not a word. It was then I was struck with a curious thought: is she here to see Governor Rowane, or Avalan? Avalan had arrived only recently – a month or so ago – but he had quickly made the place his new base of operations from which he had ruled as a governor. Rowane had been displaced to the lower stories of the building, to act more as a figurehead until Avalan decided to leave. When he would, we knew not. And it was not our place to ask him to leave, as much as we all wanted him to.

Avalan was a brutish, crude man, lacking all of the elegance and refinement that was commonly seen in his species. Despite Planet Cooler 116 being a wasteland, I would rather live in boredom than terror. I wanted him to go more than anyone else. He was like to take soldiers who displeased him and torture them before mounting their heads on those spikes. The soldiers died screaming, swearing they were loyal to the Planet Trade Organization, but Lord Avalan never believed them. He had already killed one hundred of my own soldiers, and I could do nothing but smile and thank him for it, lest a spike be prepared for me.

When we reached the building, the governor himself was waiting for us on the steps outside. He smiled warmly at the Faereth and kissed her hand. “You can leave us, Commander Natsumiko,” Rowane said in that tired voice of his.

I bowed and stayed outside, guarding the door. But from what? It wasn’t like anyone was going to come and attack us. I sat down on the steps leading up to the door, lowering my head into my hands, and closed my eyes, hoping to get a few moments of rest before the governors’ meeting was done.

When I next opened my eyes, the sky was aflame. Craters dotted the once-pristinely-kept cobbled roads. The trees were on fire or charred black, and in the distance, I could bodies, splattered on the pavement and ripped to shreds. An overwhelming sense of nostalgia broke across my body in waves when I beheld the city beyond burning.

Above me, explosions and engines roared. Ships, I knew. I looked up and saw small groups of space fighters making their way through the sky in giant circles, shooting at anything they wanted to. Pirates. The thought cut through my heart like plasma through ice.

“Soldiers!” I screamed into my scouter. “Form ranks! Regroup at the capitol building! Now! We are under attack!”

Static greeted me. Fear was not far behind.

I waited a few moments, but no one came. Rising into the air, I began to power up. The patrolling pirates would not last long if I had any say in the matter. When they came roaring around again, I raced up to meet them. The higher into the air I flew, the more hopeless it all seemed. The air around me was exploding with energy and metal as others tried to repel the fearless conquerors, but there were just so many of them. As I broke through the first layer of clouds, I saw an entire fleet – perhaps 500 or more ships – simply hovering in the upper atmosphere, waiting. These were too many to be a random pirate crew, too many to be even Jolean in origin. No, this was something different, I knew. Something greater than just a rabble of plunder-seekers. Gulping, I ignored the fleet and instead faced down the three ships coming right at the governor’s office. They opened fire. I realized at once they weren’t shooting at me – they couldn’t even see me. They were aiming for the building. I had to dissipate my attack, and was only able to do so at the last second.

Two bolts whizzed past me. I could feel their heat. The next salvo did not escape my reach. I put up energy shields around me to absorb the attacks, and then released hellfire on my enemies. It was good to see them burn, to know they were not invincible. As many as there were in hiding, these were not the best fighters I had ever been up against. They could be killed.

I descended back towards the ground, though I remained a hundred or so feet up in the air to survey the carnage. I knew there would only be a short amount of time to regroup before that fleet decided to come at us. Yet, when I looked down, I saw burning buildings, bodies, fleeing soldiers, and a few skirmishes taking place in scattered regions around the outpost. A few more pirates patrolled the skies. Why were so few attacking? What game were they playing? Why didn’t they smother us at once? Even I knew that we would all die if that fleet decided to descend upon us. My legion here or not, I had no choice but to defend my governor and Sipova and Lord Avalan. They were all more powerful than me, but it was my duty to keep them alive.

On the horizon, I spied a black mass coming towards the capitol. I clicked my scouter, searching for answers, though no matter how much I spoke into the thing, no responses came. The pirates must have wiped out our communications array. Yet, the scouter still worked in one way – in detecting power levels. And that mass had a helluva lot of power levels in it.

I flew over, and my heart nearly skipped a beat when I saw my legion marching in regimented lines. Everyone was here – every one of my men who had been on combat exercises. I descended in front of them.

“Where were you?!” I roared.

“Out training,” one drill sergeant grunted. “Communications were out. We didn’t know what was happening, so I gathered us up to return. We didn’t hear from ya, ma’am.”

“I tried contacting,” I replied. “But we don’t have time. There’s a fleet of pirate ships attacking us!”

The sergeant cocked his head. “I don’t see no space pirates.”

“They’re above the clouds,” I replied. “A few scouts have already attacked, and the city is burning because of it. But there’s no time. Get everyone into defensive positions. We must repel these space pirates!”

“As you wish, ma’am.” The sergeant turned to the other higher-ranking soldiers, and they began to split up the legion into smaller groups. As they did so, various brigades of soldiers went running this way and that, as composed as anyone could be in these trying times.

“There are foot soldiers too! Be careful! Some attacked us in the city!” I shouted out, and the officers nodded in understanding. The first two brigades lined up in front of the buildings, putting themselves between the governor’s office and the rest of the outpost.

“If any come for us, we’ll blast ‘em back to whatever hellhole they came from!” one sergeant laughed.

I landed and looked at the governor’s building. It was smoldering. The two blasts from that ship that had gotten by had made their way to the building and ripped two smoldering holes in the side of it, right in the middle of the third story. That was where Rowane and Sipova would be – and Avalan too, most likely. I wondered if any of them were hurt. If so, they were probably trying to contact me on their scouters… and getting only static in response. Even so, I had no time to go and check, for at that moment, I saw, descending from the skies, our foes.

Clouds of gold and grey and white burst to glittering dust as the black-shining demons plummeted down towards us like hungry jackals. The indigo-streaked sky behind them, the space pirates shot forward in what seemed like endless lines. My legion took their stances and began warming up energy. Those who could form energy naturally were positioned in the back, while those who needed energy blasters were in the front rows. All were ready for what was coming at them. They had been trained by my sergeants and myself to never run, to never fear their enemies. They did well, to that end. None ran. None showed fear. And they died all the same.

These ships were stronger than the patrols I fought. Energy bounced off their hulls or their energy shielding like water off an umbrella. In returning fire, the space pirates were more fortunate. We had no such shielding or armor. Their blasters tore my men to pieces. The first wave of pilots reduced our ranks by half and nearly leveled the entire city. The mansion behind us collapsed in on its own weight. The upper floors collapsed inward, leaving a cold ruinous remnant of the bottom floor in tatters of dust and cracked stone. Yet even then, I could not move. I had to stay with my men.

“Fire! Use all your energy! Don’t back down! Kill them! Kill them here!!” I screamed until my voice went out. We fired our energy; we spent all we had. Only the occasional ship caught fire or exploded. Most survived. I should have known – but there was nothing else we could have done. Space ships beat ground troops every time. Especially good space ships. Once again, I was struck by how professional our foes were. They came at us in orderly lines, as orderly as ours were. They were regimented, disciplined. These were not normal space pirates. They were not here for plunder and riches either, it seemed. They just wanted to kill us.

The second and third waves did just that. If the first wave decimated us, the next two completed the objective. We were reduced to wounded, fleeing soldiers by that point. On the third wave, I was hit partially by a blast that destroyed the street around me and left me lying in a crater. When I stood up, the soldiers who had been standing around me were gone – vaporized, I realized in horror. I felt a sharp pain in my side. Looking down, I saw my hand covered in blood. The pain came again more fiercely, and my vision began to blur. Above us, the metal vultures continued their rounds, hungry and merciless. Only my men screamed. Our foes were laughing, I knew. We were such a pitiful group. We couldn’t even defend our own outpost.

I got up, half scrambling, half crawling, to the destroyed governor’s office. I didn’t know why I was running, what my plan was. I just knew I had to reach them. I opened the door and was met with a puff of dust. Coughing and blinking heavily, I stumbled inside. The whole place was ruined, and a fire was growing in the left corner of the room. All of the lights were out.

“Governor?! Lord Avalan?!” I screamed hoarsely.

No response came. I went further into the building, past lines of ruined bookshelves and more rubble. In the back, I found, where much of the upper floors had collapsed down into this level, three beings – three of the highest-ranking members of the Planet Trade Organization.

Avalan was cowering behind an overturned table. Sipova stood calm and graceful, looking uninjured. Rowane was holding his cheek, where I could see, behind his blood-stained glove, the remnants of his face. Half of it had been blown away, it looked like, including one of his eyes and most of his nose. He had been orange-skinned and furry once. Now he looked like a burnt rug ready to be thrown out.

“How is it out there?” Rowane asked at last.

“It’s… it’s over, sir. They took out all of my soldiers. I’m all that’s left.”

Rowane bowed his head. “I didn’t think it would end like this.”

“Snap out of it!” Sipova barked. “We are still alive. We can fight.”

“They have a fleet of ships,” I tried to explain. “It’s… it’s not anything we can stand against ourselves. They are too strong and too many.”

“Lord Avalan… please… we have to get you out of here,” Rowane said, turning to face the cowering Arcosian. “Even if we die, we must make sure you do not fall.”

“I… I don’t wanna leave!” Avalan shouted. His voice was high and cold and childish – a shocking sound. I had never heard him sound so pathetic.

“My lord,” I started, “It’s best if you get out of here.”

“I told you, fools! I’m not leaving! Never! Not me! I’ll hide here until they leave!”

The three of us exchanged glances. Sipova looked quite uncomfortable. “Lord Avalan is in charge,” she replied dryly. “We do what he wants.”

“When they come for us, we must fight,” Rowane declared. “We must protect Lord Avalan.”

I laughed. “Sir… we’re in no state for that.”

“I know Natsumiko, but it’s all we can do. We will die this day, I know it. But better to die a warrior than a coward.”

“Aye.”

We did not have to wait long. Standing there in pain and in silence and in darkness, I realized I did not hate Sipova as much as I once had. Funny, that we were going to be dying together. I would have never guessed this to be my end. Even so, I could not focus on my thoughts for long, for at that moment, the door blew open. We stood at guard, waiting to ambush whoever came for us. As it happened, our plans didn’t go as planned.

He was cloaked all in black, and was a foot shorter than me. When he came walking over towards us, I sprinted forward to attack him. The hooded figure simply used an afterimage to teleport out of the way. His speed was such that I didn’t even realize he had dodged my lunge until I felt his real form kick me in the back. I flew into a nearby wall and tasted copper in my mouth. Coughing, I rolled over just in time to see the hooded figure reach the other two. Rowane charged him as I had, and the result was similar – though my governor was knocked out by the force of the blow leveled upon him. Sipova did not attack.

“Do what you must,” she said. “I will not stand in your way.”

The hooded figure ignored her, walking forward until he found Avalan huddling in the debris.

“Avalan,” the hooded figure said slowly. His voice was mechanical and low. It didn’t sound right. Was it a voice distorter? I couldn’t tell. He could have been a robot, too. But I was delirious with pain, and it took all of my effort to not spiral away into unconsciousness. I didn’t have the strength to think about that too much. Avalan did not respond and did not even look at the figure opposing him. “Avalan!” the voice said; his tone was now much more forceful. The hideously-malformed Arcosian turned this time and was met with a fist to the face.

He fell away, howling and cursing and spraying blood from his nose.

“When I speak, you will answer me,” the mechanical voice said.

“I’m the son of Lord Icer!” Avalan wailed rodomontadely. “Y-you can’t… do this to me!!”

“You are disgusting and vile and cowardly,” the hooded man replied. “There is nothing special about you.”

“Liar!” Avalan whimpered.

The hooded man kicked him. Avalan went flying like a sack of something you would put into a sack.

“You’re weak,” he said with a mad laugh. “And now you’re my prisoner.”

“No!”

Another kick hit Avalan on those brown growths on his chest. The little lord keeled over and began spitting up blood. I didn’t know what to feel. I hated Avalan as much as anyone else, but seeing a space pirate humiliate him like this felt like a humiliation for the Planet Trade Organization as a whole, and that made my blood boil.

“Get up, or I will take your arm,” came the voice.

“Y-you don’t command me! You won’t!” Avalan howled. And yet, as soon as he saw the hooded figure warm up energy in his hand, he jumped to his feet.

The hooded man didn’t stop warming up his energy. He shot his blast at Avalan then, and I was surprised when the Arcosian didn’t scream. When the light cleared, it was clear that the attack was not an attack at all – the hooded man had simply covered Avalan’s wrists and ankles in energy bindings. Then, he stepped forward, headbutted Avalan into unconsciousness, and slumped the sickly man over one shoulder. Just like that, the terror of the Planet Trade Organization was taken out.

''Who is this hooded figure? How did he get so powerful? Is he going to kill me now?'' All these thoughts flooded through my brain, but they were answered in the next moment, when the hooded figure stepped away from the table and returned to Sipova.

“Governor Sipova,” the mechanical voice droned. “I did not expect to find you here.”

“H-how do you know me?” the woman said, betraying the first hint of emotion.

“I know you are a governor of the Planet Trade Organization. You are an experienced, senior member of the Faereth elite, and you serve on that species’ noble council. You have done much for your people and your empire. And that, I’m afraid, is why you must die.”

Before Governor Sipova could even scream out in despair, the hooded figure raised a hand and incinerated her head clear off with a cyan energy ball. She fell with little grace. Then, the hooded man looked over at me. He contemplated me for a moment as I braced myself for the energy blast that would end my life. Then, he turned away and walked off, Avalan still slung over his shoulder. There was a certain gait in his stride, a certain confident calmness in it that reminded me of something I couldn’t think of at that moment. And then, I passed out.

I awoke a long time later in a medical bay, lying next to Governor Rowane. Both of us were alive. Both of us had survived, somehow. Why hadn’t the hooded man killed us? I had no answer. I still have no answer. It took us a long while to recover, anyways, but we never returned to Planet Cooler 116. The whole outpost had been destroyed, its occupants killed save for the governor and myself. There was nothing to return to. Due to Governor Rowane’s injuries, he was reassigned to a different position in Cooler’s empire, in a more behind-the-scenes role. I was reassigned to a military garrison at Planet Frieza 057.

As for Avalan, he is still missing. The whole empire is in chaos trying to find him. His father and sisters are going mad with grief and paranoia. This action is threatening to split us apart, to cause the Planet Trade Organization to collapse from within. I have no doubt the hooded warrior, whoever he was, knew exactly what he was doing.

Still, I cannot shake what the man said to Sipova before killing her. He had known her – he had been one of us, once. He knew exactly what it would mean to kill her. The Faereth are already on poor terms with the rest of the empire, and now losing one of their most senior leaders is probably only going to escalate that. The hooded man knew exactly what he was doing. He was trying to bring down the Planet Trade Organization the only way he could. Militarily, no one has any chance of defeating us. We are too big, too vast an empire. But if a foe can make us destroy ourselves, make us eat ourselves alive from the inside out, then there’s a chance for the Planet Trade Organization to crumble. The hooded man was smart. His wide political knowledge meant he was no regular space pirate. He was someone on the inside, trying to incite anarchy.

I said as much to Lord Icer, after I was released from the medical bay. He personally questioned me about the incident, trying to figure out what happened to his son. I couldn’t help him much. But when I told him my theory that the hooded figure was most likely some high-ranking officer on the inside of our own organization, he simply laughed me off and told me to get to my new post as soon as possible.

Chapter IV: His Brother's Worth
Green and blue they flashed, like tethers swimming out to space. They were dancing for us. They were putting on a show, reminding me of the auroral storms of my homeworld; such storms, if they could be called that, were famous for the way they appeared suddenly like roving bands of multicolored flames in the sky. Few, aside from us Arcosians, would ever see such phenomena with their own eyes. Even in my youth I had not been scared of them. I had embraced them, welcomed them, eagerly awaited them every year. The beauty of it all had touched me deep in my chest, deep enough to take my breath away. I felt a similar tightening now.

“You called for me, father?”

Lord Arcterial stood grim, his arms folded, his back to me. The spectacle of light and lightning held his interest, not me – his only child. Such disinterest did not offend me; I was used to it, after all those years of father favoring Glacial. Yet Glacial was gone; I remained. The trails of lightning, all neon and aqua, sparkled and flashed, exploding soundlessly across the surface of the asteroid. From our commodious outpost, there was no sound. We were bathed in artificial light, so white and sterile it made me sick. The darkness outside, the blues and greens and blacks of space, the stars beyond, twinkling and radiating light… it all seemed so much simpler, so much more daring. I didn’t want to stay inside this little room with its filtered air and sound-suppressed walls. But the other option was so… undignified. I was a lady of the royal family, cousin to Frieza and Cooler and Nitro. It was not my place to venture out there.

“Astonishing skill,” my father murmured. I tiptoed over to him to get a better look.

“They are good, aren’t they?”

“They have been well-trained. Years of practice. This is not the first asteroid they’ve mined, believe me.”

Lightning cracked in rhythmic pulses, obliterating scores of rocks and slabs of metal before fading away into the dark of space. These were such small bursts of light, such quick explosions in the grand scheme of things. They flashed and were gone, swallowed whole by the boundless void. The miners themselves were white rupestrine scratches against the horizon, as small as fingernails.

“Father, you have not brought me here to watch mining operations, surely?”

“No,” he sighed. “But take note, dear. These are some of my most skilled men. They are mining ytterbium, a vital resource for our empire. Their contributions to the Planet Trade Organization are invaluable. And yet… they receive no recognition for what they do.”

“That could be said about many of us.”

“Yes,” my father spoke. “The Planet Trade Organization can only exist so long as the sum of its members keeps it alive.” He turned away from the wall window. “Sit down, Frost,” he said, gesturing to a nearby bench.

I scoffed. “I would rather not.”

“Suit yourself.”

“What is it you require of me, father?”

“Cooler.”

The word took me aback. I felt heat rising in my cheeks, felt a clenching in my stomach. Folding my arms, I said, “Father, please…”

“There is no better time than now.”

“I-I already tried! Cooler will not help you.”

Lord Arcterial began to pace around the room, flashes of lightning silhouetting him against the window as he strode. “That was before. But now… with Frieza so wounded, with Hail crippled, and Avalan abducted…”

“Avalan was abducted?” I asked. This was the first I had heard of that. “By whom?”

Father shrugged. “Space pirates of some sort. I would assume it’s the Aphotic Prince’s doing. Two of our own survived to tell of it. From what they’ve said, the Aphotic Prince came for Avalan and Avalan alone. He took Icer’s son alive. That much we know.”

“That Aphotic Prince?”

“There’s only one Aphotic Prince, dear… and he’s been around even longer than the Nikkarins. Been trying to take us out for years… and yet, only now he decides to take one of us hostage. I don’t know what game he’s playing.”

“He’s trying to tear us apart.”

“Well, if he is, it’s going to work. We have found our opening.”

“Father,” I said, stepping forward. “Y-you aren't the Aphotic Prince, are you? You don’t have Avalan hidden away somewhere in here, do you?”

He growled and shook his head vehemently. “Don’t make jokes, Frost. You know my intentions as well as anyone. Why would I do that?”

“I don’t know, father.”

“Regardless, with how things are now, Cold is too preoccupied with saving his son’s life to notice us. We can strike quickly and efficiently. But we need support. The two of us cannot take over the Planet Trade Organization by ourselves.”

“Cooler will not–”

“I know Cooler!” Arcterial roared. “He hates his brothers and his father. And much has changed since our last attempt at this. He will help us now. You will go to him.”

“I will not,” I whispered.

“You will! You are my daughter. You must obey me.”

“Have Icer help you,” I said sardonically. “I’m sure you two can make common cause against Uncle Cold.”

My father frowned. “Icer is… I don’t know what’s going on with him. Icer is strange. What he wants out of all of this, I do not know. He supported me last time, but I always felt like there was something more going on with him. He wouldn’t want me on the throne, no. That’s not like him. He had other motives… I’m sure of it. But what those motives are, I do not know. Either way, I do not trust Icer. He may betray us to Cold or try to kill me after we take out my older brother and his sons.”

“You need his strength.”

“Aye, as it currently stands, it’s twelve against two. Those are poor odds.”

I sat down on the bench to think. Father gave me a curious look, but I ignored him. Burying my head in my hands, I shut my eyes and tried to think as hard as I could. “Raimie, Haimaru, Kuriza, and Yuki are too young to be threats,” I breathed at last. “Avalan, Hail, and Frieza are crippled or missing… they won’t be threats. That leaves Uncle Cold, Cooler, Nitro, Uncle Icer, and Polaria. Five on two is not so bad as twelve on two,” I reminded my father.

“Poor odds still. Cold and Icer and Cooler are all stronger than you. That means I would have to face them myself.”

I bit my lip. “Are you stronger than them?”

Father’s face swelled with pride. “I know I’m stronger than Cooler! Icer is my younger brother… he must be weaker than me! But Cold…” Arcterial’s voice trailed off, and I thought I detected a hint of fear. “I don’t know if our combined strengths could overwhelm him. And that’s assuming we are able to defeat the other four without him learning of it.”

“It is a risky plan,” I noted. “Is it worth your life to become the leader of the Planet Trade Organization, father? Wouldn’t it be simpler to let things stay as they are?”

“Nonsense,” he barked. “Cold is a terrible ruler, and he will be the death of us all if I don’t stop him! Many would rally to my side – many of the soldiers and officers of our legion – if they knew what I was planning. But I don’t want a war. We have bled enough.”

“We will bleed more if you go through with this. Besides, father, it doesn’t look like we will be able to defeat the others, even if it is five on two – and that’s a best-case scenario.”

“That is why we need Cooler!”

I stood up again and moved towards the door. With my back turned to my father, I said, “I don’t want to see him.”

“This isn’t about you,” my father replied. “This is for the good of the Planet Trade Organization. If we don’t do something soon, Cold’s incompetence will destroy us all.”

“I-I don’t…”

“Frost,” my father said, his voice as sweet as honey as as smooth as milk, “please. We are so close. There is no better time than now. It will only get harder from this point on.” I felt his finger touch my shoulder and I shivered. I did not face him. “You are my only child, my wonderful, powerful, stubborn daughter. You will carry on my name when I am gone. All I want is for you to be able to do that. But if we don’t eliminate Cold… there is no future for any of us. You know that. Please.”

A sigh escaped my lips. My shoulders slumped forward. Funny how this felt involuntary to me.

“Good,” he murmured, rubbing my shoulder the way Cooler once had, “Go to Cooler. Tell him what I have told you. His target is Nitro. Yours is Polaria. I will execute Icer. And after that is done, we destroy Cold together.”

I wanted to tell him this was madness, that I would not help him. I couldn’t. The words locked in my throat like sludge. Lord Arcterial commanded a presence of power and terror that I thought neither my uncles could match. I was loathe to admit that my father scared me.

I was numb when we walked out; my mind felt as if it was racing and submerged in ice water at the same time. Polaria was my cousin, a fierce warrior – a better warrior than me. She was stronger, smarter, younger. It would be difficult to defeat her, foolish even to try. I had few ideas for how to fulfill my duty I knew at least it would have to be an ambush of some sort. I couldn’t let her power up.

I thought back to the last time I had seen her. That had been at the feast. She had run into me just before things got underway… just after I had talked with Cooler, just after I had told him…

Tears came to my eyes, fresh and warm. It was a good thing Father was leading us out.

How risky this all was going to be did not sink on that day. All of this fighting and blood and death for my father’s ambition seemed natural then. His words were soft as poison, as brittle as ice. It was going to be for the good of the Planet Trade Organization, he told me. I was his only daughter, yet he was willing to risk my life in his own power grab. He probably didn’t know that I was weaker than Polaria. He probably assumed I was stronger. He knew so little, my father. But I wasn’t sad. There was a fire rising in my throat, a sense of pride and thankfulness that my father would even think that of me, that he would assume I had so much worth to begin with.

We came around to the garage of the outpost, where many ships lay at dock. Father and I were about to part ways for our separate ships, our separate paths, when a light flashed on Lord Arcterial’s gauntlet.

The little hologram was none other than the grim space lizard, Zashisaro – King Cold’s Captain of the Guard. “Lord Arcterial,” he squeaked, bowing heavily, “new reports have come in from Planet Frieza 328.”

My father raised an eyebrow. “The iron shipments have arrived?”

“Regrettably, that is not so,” the other man hissed. “The miners’ last transmission was frantic and incoherent. From what I gathered, they are still being hunted by that demon we discussed earlier.”

Arcterial laughed carelessly. “There are no demons, Zashisaro. Those miners are liars, all of them. They are making excuses so they won’t have to work. None of them are dead, and no demon is hunting them, I promise you that!”

Zashisaro nodded his head. “Be that as it may, my lord, it appears this clever ruse of theirs will not end on its own accord. It looks like they will continue on with it as long as they can. Shall I send a detachment to deal with these traitors?”

“Do it,” my father grunted. “Is that all?”

“Yes, my lord,” Zashisaro bowed again. “I will be with King Cold and his son if you need anything further from me.”

“Very well.”

The hologram exploded and Lord Arcterial frowned. “Zashisaro… I forgot about him. We will have to deal with him and his guard too, before we reach Cold.”

“Is that a problem?”

“An irritation, perhaps, but one we cannot overlook. Remind Cooler of Zashisaro and his power. Cooler will not underestimate that lizard. He will take him out for us.”

“As you wish, father,” I said solemnly.

“Then this is goodbye, for now.” He clasped my shoulders with those big hands of his. “Do not return to me until you have brought Cooler to our side.”

With that, Lord Arcterial strode off, his cloak billowing behind him. I stepped onto my own ship and a servant took my own cloak from me. At once, I felt very tired and very ashamed.

“Where are we going, my lady?” said the blue, square-faced alien, meekness thick in his voice.

“To Cooler,” I told him. “Quickly now. I want to get there as soon as possible. I have urgent business with my cousin.”

The servant’s eyes lit up. He looked at me for a moment and then stumbled off lazily. He was a useless fool, I knew. I would have to replace him soon. But not before I got to Cooler. Cooler would have soldiers for me to use. Good soldiers, I knew. Cooler ran one of the most disciplined parts of the entire empire. But could I ask him for new servants? He owed me. We had done things together that cousins wouldn’t normally do. That experience had cost me immeasurably; and Cooler had come out of it with mere emotional indifference. But he wouldn’t understand the difference. I would have to show him.

I clenched my fists and felt energy warming between my fingers. I had to breathe deeply and clear my mind to bury the anger. It would never go away; that I knew. Anger cannot be killed. But it can be forgotten, can be buried deep inside to let the sands of time erode it away into something unrecognizable. It would be no use destroying this ship. Father would not approve.

I felt the ship lift off, felt the weight of my body shift as we accelerated to near-light speed. I rubbed my stomach and bit my lip. Tears were welling up behind my eyes again, though I tried to hold them back. I wondered what I would say to Cooler when I arrived, what he would say to me. Would his eyes have that same cold look of fire in them? Or would he be more understanding, more loving?

I didn’t want to find out. But, for the good of our empire, I knew I had to.

Planet Trade Organization Leaders: End
This section will detail who is in charge of the Planet Trade Organization as of the end of this volume: