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This page, The KidVegeta Anthology/No Second Chances, is property of KidVegeta. |
No Second Chances was the fourth story finished for Somewhere Between The Ocean and The Bottom of This Glass, both in its first and final draft. This was one of my earlier ideas for the Dragon Ball portion of the collection. I came up with the idea while watching the Red Ribbon Army Saga of the DB anime. I wanted to show how Silver escaped execution, but I was also interested in exploring Lieutenant Colonel Teal, an RRA character who may or may not be appearing in an upcoming story of mine, Crimson Shores. Delving into his character was useful for a variety of reasons, but I was particularly interested in establishing a connection between him and the New Red Ribbon Army.
I wrote the first draft from late January 13, 2021 until the early morning of January 14th. My outline for the story was as follows:
Silver story:
Scene 1: teal and sapphire (named after this color) stop a capsule corp. truck; they replace the shipment of gas with their tainted supply; teal orders sapphire to drive the truck into the building, pretending to be the driver (she takes the driver’s shirt); he tosses her a capsule for an escape ship; she climbs in just as teal gets the call that colonel silver escaped from the compound; he was the closest person to intercept him; teal shoots the driver then jumps into a jet of his own as sapphire drives off
Scene 2: teal intercepts silver over the water; they fight for a bit, silver doing far more damage to teal; two fighters assist teal in the nick of time, providing enough distraction for teal to land a decisive hit; the plane goes down; they pursue; silver kills the other pilots and beats down teal in a town on the ocean; he lets teal live and offers him a place on the red ribbon army following red’s death; teal swears loyalty to red, so silver walks off, telling him to give it some time to think about
The outline wasn't entirely followed, as we shall see, but it's fairly accurate overall. This was never a particularly difficult story for me to write—I knew what I wanted to do early on. But it should be mentioned that for a story in Somewhere Between The Ocean and The Bottom of This Glass, it is fairly dense, and its prose style is a bit primordial compared to some others in the collection.
After finalizing Every Turtle Has His Day, Hard as Diamonds, and Nam's Big Dive, I turned my attention to this one. Before starting my second draft, I did an early re-read, and my notes are as follows:
-name changed to "No Second Chances" on 8/22/21, as that is what Red says to Silver before sentencing him to die
-on 8/24/21, decided to change the first scene to make it more concise; it ended up longer, while the second draft of the second scene lost words
-third draft on 8/28/21; weed used, as with everything edited on or after 8/22 until ???
-Isune is a family from the west city saga of hotd
As can be seen, the second draft was done on August 24, 2021, and the third and final draft was finished on August 28th. The original name for this story was "Real Men Don't Bleed", which was just an awful placeholder.
In terms of the setting, the abandoned road in the opening scene was collection-consistent location, especially considering the moon, and the use of the ocean in the second scene reinforced another tonal choice that remained consistent through the DB, DBZ, and DBS stories. There are stylistic elements of this story that are a bit archaic, and so it should be seen as an early attempt to go for a deliberate minimalistic style. We shall see in the below endnotes how successful this one was at doing that.
Story[]
A crescent moon had risen over the mist to illuminate that stretch of highway. When at last they heard the hum of an engine rounding the bend, they exchanged a look; drawing a pistol, she rushed out to meet it. He remained in the bushes, nursing a cigarette. Not long after the truck skidded to a stop, a man’s panicked voice carried across the road. Sapphire did her best to shut him up, but the driver wasn’t going down quietly. He exhaled, flicking the cigarette away, and joined them.
“What do we have here? Couldn’t be a Capsule Corp. driver, now could it? Well, son of a bitch. Sapphire, I think it’s our lucky day.”
She pressed the gun against his chest.
“Please sir, I didn’t do anything… I just drive the truck. I’ll do whatever you want. Anything you want! I don’t want to die! Is it money? Do you want money? Please, take my wallet…”
Drawing his weapon, Lieutenant Colonel Teal motioned for his underling to get started. Sabotaging eight dozen oil canisters would take time. Not wanting to spend that time talking to the driver, he ordered the man to take off his jacket and shirt, which Sapphire would be putting on shortly, before pissing on his boots. That was one of his favorite perks of working for the Red Ribbon Army. His pistol twirled between his fingers. Even a man as dumb as this guy knew better than to mess with them.
He was wondering if he should put a bullet through the driver’s skull when his phone rang. He taped up the guy’s mouth and bound his ankles and wrists before answering.
“Lieutenant Colonel Teal, are you there?”
“What do you need, Staff Officer?”
“Get in your plane. You are to intercept a ship that is headed your way. I’m sending you the information.”
“Who am I after, sir?”
“Colonel Silver. Commander Red sentenced him to death, but he escaped from the compound in a jet. Track him down and kill him. Two pilots have been chasing him, but they are half a klick behind. They’ll never catch up unless someone slows him down.”
“I’m on it, sir.”
The truck’s lights were shining down the dark road. If their previous three hours of waiting had been any indication, they weren’t likely to run into another car before sunrise.
“Sapphire?!”
“Sir?” Her head poked out from around the back of the truck.
“You’re going in by yourself. Command is pulling me away on another mission.”
“What? Right now?”
“That’s right. Deal with the driver and get this cargo to Capsule Corp. I’ll meet up with you later.”
“Yes, sir… but… but…”
“What is it?”
“I’ve never…” She raised her gun, then glanced at the man. “Never, I swear…”
“Do your duty for the Red Ribbon Army, or don’t, lieutenant.” He drew his weapon and ushered her over. “Do it.” She was not moving fast enough. He squeezed her shoulder. “I have to go, Sapphire… do it now!” Her arms shaking, she aimed, and the man realized what was to be his fate. He fell to his knees, his pleading growing audibly hysterical from under the tape. She hesitated again. “Are you loyal to Commander Red?!” he roared. “Sapphire…!”
The shot echoed through the pass; three crows took flight from a power line.
Impatiently, he tossed her a capsule containing a Red Ribbon jet. “This is your only ticket out. Don’t waste it.”
“I won’t,” she replied. Her breathing was coming hard.
“Back to it, lieutenant.”
“Good luck, sir.”
He tossed the capsule containing his jet and climbed in. The sun would soon be rising, which could strain the eyes during a dogfight. Powering up his ship, he grew eager to meet Silver again, not as his commanding officer, but as a foe. A loyal soldier never questioned Commander Red’s orders. Silver had stained himself with disloyalty. Teal would make things right.
Just before the crack of dawn, he met the traitor over the sea. Help was nowhere in sight. His blood boiled. Coming in from the south, he didn’t bother hailing the colonel. Teal had longed for the day of his superior’s death. He had been a cruel overlord, unjust and uncharismatic. Few would grieve his passing.
Teal opened fire. Silver was a wily one. He dodged, predictably, spinning higher into the sky. The lieutenant colonel pursued. The man was a hell of a pilot. It was taking everything he had to keep up. Strangely, Silver went on the defensive, allowing his pressure. He didn’t mind the arrogance. All it would take was one bullet. He just needed a little luck for once.
His foe seemed almost bored with his attack, and it wasn’t long at all before he had spun out of view, then come up behind him, and started his own offensive. Teal flew for his life, weathering the fury of one of the army’s prodigal talents. It was no wonder Silver had become a colonel after facing off against him in the air for less than a minute.
The sun was peeking over an orange horizon when the radar picked up a pair of scouts on approach. Silver swerved left to take them on, so Teal pressed his advantage immediately, raining lead down upon the traitor. The first scout craft burst into a plume of black smoke. In the light, he saw the devastation he had landed on Silver’s craft–numerous holes in the tail and wings. He hoped he had nicked something important, although the plane wasn’t yet smoking.
Silver dodged to the left, though his reaction time was a fraction too slow. The scout managed to land four or five good shots along the belly of his fighter. Now it was on fire. He regrouped with the scout behind their wounded target and ordered him to lead their final approach.
Seikishi Harbor came into view. Though his ship was losing power, Silver dodged them, even as the flames on his tail spread to his cockpit. He refused to die. The colonel’s fighter dipped down over the water, flying towards a wood-plank dock, and Teal realized what had to be done. He ordered the scout to ditch his plane, as he was about to, on the count of three. Two seconds later, a trio of fighter jets slammed into the dock, and an inferno erupted down the pier.
They had landed in the water some ways back. Cutting his parachute off, he swam after Silver, barking at the scout to follow. A fishing boat turned from the pier, its mast a smoky inferno. The screams were unlike anything he had ever heard before. He had been trained for moments like these. Teal would not break, and he’d be damned if the scout did, either.
They got to the dock maybe five seconds after him–enough time to lose him down the alleyway. Fishermen were running this way and that, some on fire, some with their rods in their hands. The roads were made of pale pink and red stones, stacked high and thin, and the passageways were too narrow for them to walk side-by-side. He would’ve killed for a shot of whiskey. It seemed every few feet, another alleyway sprung out of the wall, and with it, rancid smoke. They came to a fork in the road and didn’t know which way to go. Onwards lay the city.
“He went that way, had to’ve,” said the scout, panting as he wiped saltwater from his eyes. He unshouldered the panzerschreck, aimed it down the left path, and fired.
The block went up in flames. Teal was pleased. This town would now understand the true might of the Red Ribbon Army. Ahead, a smoking warehouse awaited them. A sign reading ‘Isune’s stock’ had fallen from the ceiling and was burning from the corner.
They made their way into it, the scout reloading his weapon, when Silver came up from their left like a wight out of the mist, grabbed the soldier by the neck, and twisted. His bones popped loudly. Teal swallowed, steadying himself, and drew his pistol. This was his chance to show his quality.
The first two shots went wide right. Silver slithered over in a second. It had happened too fast for him to see. The colonel twisted his wrist until he dropped the weapon, then kicked him away. Retreating into the warehouse, Teal drew his rifle and found cover. Silver seemed to glide through the air, moving with urgency but not hastiness as he picked up the pistol.
They aimed and took their shots.
Teal felt an impact on his shoulder, and then another right below. The pain came next in a roaring tide. He was blinking hard to remain conscious. Grunting, he fell back, spraying bullets wildly, and took cover behind a burning table of tuna. Silver came running in from the left and punched him hard in the ear; he fell onto the fish, dropped his rifle, and felt the throbbing of his wounds grow worse and worse.
Wincing, holding his side, the traitor approached. Teal had got him. He regretted nothing. If he was to die now, it had been in service to Commander Red. He’d done all he could.
Crisp sunlight reflected in his red hair. He aimed the pistol at Teal. Gulls were calling in the distance. The sounds of waves breaking on the beach mingling with slowly-burning wood was enough to put him to sleep. His face began to tingle. All that aesthetic bullshit was more easily said than done. He truly was scared.
The gun landed at the lieutenant colonel’s feet. “Tell me, Teal, would you remain in the Red Ribbon Army if Commander Red were out of the picture?”
“The commander will not be dying any time soon, traitor.”
“Say that he does. Would you still be with us? Would you remain loyal to the army? To its ideals?”
“Commander Red is the only man I serve, and I’ll die before I take orders from you again.”
He raised his hands, as if apologetically, baiting Teal to shoot him. He reached for the weapon, but his energy was spent. “Think it over. Take your time. You should have a little while. Unlike Red, I believe in giving my more valuable officers second chances.”
With a smile, the disgraced colonel disappeared into the fog. The pain in Teal’s shoulder was becoming unbearable. He watched a fishing ship set sail for its long day and felt a sense of longing. How he wished to be out on the water.
He was stalling. Cursing himself silently, as fishermen drew near, he called Staff Officer Black to relay the bad news. He could only hope Commander Red was in a more forgiving mood this time.
Endnotes[]
- The name of this story references Commander Red's last words to Colonel Silver. This phrase is of consequence in Silver's confrontation with Teal as well.
- Sapphire was added in to contrast Teal's interactions with an underling compared to his superior officer (Silver).
- Teal's way of relishing in humiliating the driver was inspired by various Red Ribbon Army moments, particularly in the extreme early game with Silver doing whatever he wanted in that desert town.
- The driver should have realized why his shirt needed to be removed. Bloodstains are, after all, hard to explain. He might've tried harder to save himself had he been more aware, but I'm not sure it would have mattered.
- The way murder and death is handled in this story is not at all like how I dealt with that subject in I Wouldn't Want to Be a Fish Right Now. Not to say every story's like that, but there was a certain thematic shift in this collection in regard to that.
- The way Teal handles Sapphire's struggles shows his lack of interpersonal skills. He is ruthlessly effective for the RRA's sake, though, and that's why Red loves him so.
- Those crows will be back. Gonna be a proper buffet.
- Teal's reaction to Sapphire working up to it, and actually doing it, was the most interesting part of his characterization for me to explore. I wanted him to be callous, but not too aloof. Hopefully, that came through. His lack of interpersonal skills (regardless of his proficiency in the army itself) is on clear display with this interaction.
- The pacing of the sunrise in this story was a factor in its overall placement within the collection.
- Teal's criticisms of Silver's leadership style could apply to himself.
- Could've utilized sunlight more, not to mention some cloud shenanigans. The atmosphere is slightly off.
- While Silver is a prodigal fighter and a proficient military officer, that doesn't mean he's a god, and it's very likely that Teal beat him fairly in the air battle before the scouts even arrived. With that said, he ambushed Silver due to undeserved intel, so it's a less impressive feat.
- It is odd that the first scene captured a more accurate tone and prose style than the second. Usually, if such a discrepancy is to occur, it's in the opposite way.
- The way in which the scout blows up that neighborhood with the rocket and Teal being pleased about showing the world the RRA's might is similar to how General Blue dealt with civilian disobedience in Spindlerun.
- Four members of the Isune family will appear in the West City Saga of Dragon Ball: Heart of the Dragon.
- A bit more could have been spent on Teal's pain and his fierce loyalty to Red at the end, I think.
- There are many different types of loyalties. Silver and and his father remain loyal to the ideals of the Red Ribbon Army (in their mind) while rejecting Red as their leader, whereas Teal doesn't seem to care about any of that. Considering that he may be one of the few surviving officers post-Dragon Ball, such a mindset implies that he would be open to ratting out Cardinal to King Furry in Crimson Shores.
- While Silver says that he will give his underlings second chances unlike Commander Red, it would be foolish to take him at his word.
- The way Silver talks at the end of the story implies that he either anticipates Goku is going to take down Red, or his father has set up an assassination attempt on the man. As to which is canonically correct, I'm not sure I know.
- The smoke dissipating into the fog was tone-setting moment, I think, particularly when taking the burning tuna into account. More of this is seen in The Shunko Onsen.
- Teal's thoughts about becoming a fisherman may be foreshadowing for his appearance in Crimson Shores, if he does appear, or that may end up being nothing at all other than a bit of extraneous characterization for someone who will never appear again. You never know.
- At the end of the day, Teal still hopes that Red will spare him, even though he failed in his mission (like Silver). Silver was supposedly a disgraced traitor for his failure, but Teal does not see himself like that. One of his blind spots is showing, and perhaps that weakness can be exploited in the future.
I believe this story would have turned out a lot different had it been one of the last ones I had finalized as opposed to one of the first. The prose style is not quite there, and it seems like quite a departure from the previous story's progress in that regard. If I had finalized this one a lot later, I may have added anywhere from 1-4 more scenes, potentially making it the longest story in the collection. It is missing something, I think. Maybe a scene showing Silver escaping Red's compound and some resolution with Sapphire. It feels somewhat incomplete as-is. The Capsule Corp. plotline could've used some resolution.
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Part 142 ---->