"950, not bad....not bad at all. How did you ever figure out how to do it so quickly?" Drazil asked.
"Magic," she mused. "Trying to understand a conversation with Bardock makes anything seem easy."
Drazil nodded, but she could tell that he wasn't listening to her anymore. She didn't care; it was all the same to her. Celera smiled at her in the mirror and flared her ki, allowing it to expand and relax naturally. She sighed, "This is pretty hard."
She received no response from Drazil, nor did she really expect one or want one. But she could still sense and uneasiness about him. Something was going on.
But something always seems to be going on, she reminded herself. The Saiyans were growing in all areas, developing into a threat, menace, and tool of the wicked, and with the Full Moon falling so close to the tournament this time change and excitement were in the air.
"Nappa's coming," was the only warning she received before the door slid open.
In a panic Celera drew in her ki and prayed that Nappa and his now visible companion did not turn their Scouters on.
Nappa was about as dumb and strong as they come. If he hadn't of had the good sense to be born Saiyan they probably would have to kill him. He was blessed with a head full of lusterless black Saiyan hair, which with his strength made him the object of much admiration. It was rumored that Nappa had taken several mates, but Celera knew it not to be true. She could see no one that would lay with the arrogance of the Elite. Not even the most impressionable female warriors would sacrifice their combat to become the sexual lackey of the High Commander of Saiyan forces
She recognized his companion, Yamee, instantly. He was an Elite and the General of Lower Soldier Divisions, her direct superior. Yamee was a little less than equal in strength with Nappa but thinner in structure. His shoulders were not as board, his muscles not as noticeable and numerous, and his skin bore little or no stories of battles gone by.
Nappa was blunt; "Two vials of Cyberseeds for a warm-up and then have the machines in the second room up to full power."
Drazil silently obeyed the wall of a man.
Nappa turned to her and her muscles tensed, she pulled her ki in closer. "Watch the read outs honey, see some real Saiyan power."
She bit down on her growl, muffling it and swallowing any sound that might escape her. Nappa left the room signaling Yamee to follow, but his eyes remained locked on her. He waved Nappa off as he took a small calculated step forward.
"Are you sick?" he asked her in his sly tone that he used when his words were really weapons.
"I'm fine," she snapped.
He raised an eyebrow, "Your fertility will not protect you forever. Watch that tongue of yours or someone might cut it out bitch."
Celera's eyes sharpened her growl, but she said nothing.
"You seem weak," he reported. "we wouldn't want to lose our champion so soon after she won her title would we?"
Celera watched Yamee follow Nappa's path to join the warm up, and when she was sure that his burning eyes couldn't see her she let her ki go.
You seem weak she repeated in her mind. What the hell did he mean by that? He didn't even have his Scouter on standby, and it had never reported her combat level. Surely he couldn't tell without it.
No,....No she was just being paranoid.
"You went to far," Drazil said.
"Oh surely you don't think that one little comment to the lowest of the Elite will bring on too much trouble."
"No I mean you hid your ki too much, it read at 520."
"Nani?"
"You're just lucky they didn't turn on their Scouters."
Perhaps she was, perhaps she wasn't.
She groaned as she slammed into the curved wall of the deep red room. Agh, her back hurt from that, but besides the splitting pain where her spine had collided with the wall she was no less worse for wear. "You're sure feeling better Seripa," she snapped as she rubbed her head even though it didn't hurt.
"And you're still holding back on me," she retorted. "What am I not good enough to spar with the you anymore, champion?"
"Shutup" she growled as she launched herself at Seripa full force. Slashing and snipping at her, dodging and weaving through her fast almost panicky counter actions, slicing through her even defense and letting some of the dormant power flare up around her in a scolding aura.
She continued this way until Seripa was out of breath and her body was beginning to grow sluggish. Celera landed from her mid air assault, noting with some admiration that although she had exhausted Seripa she had not landed a single blow.
Seripa recovered quickly, "Now this is what I'm talking about. Come at me again."
"Gladly," Celera agreed.
Her assaults grew quicker, more skilled, with every advance she made on Seripa, and Seripa's counter attacks began to reach in past her defenses for them. Celera smiled, power no matter how massive was no substitute for skill. She and Seripa were equally skilled and no matter how much higher her combat rating was she would have a hard time defeating her. Celera was much faster now but Seripa's skill and knowledge of how her enemy attacked was enough to keep Celera at bay. At least for now.
But she had some new tricks. As soon as she was confident that she had established a good rhythm she struck; twisting her hips and bring in swift kick out of Seripa's blind spot. To her pleasure it connected and now it was Seripa who slammed into the curved red wall.
Celera landed again and looked at the clock in the control room. They had been here for two hours. "Seripa," she called. "It's lunch time."
"So it is," she agreed. "We'll continue this tonight?"
Celera nodded, "The usual time."
Together they walked down the dim smoky corridors towards the feeding room. Celera hid her power as they walked, noting that Seripa didn't even notice her doing it.
"Did you hear yet?" Seripa asked.
"About what?"
"The heir."
"Nani?"
"Baka, the heir to the throne."
"No, obviously I haven't. Why? Has Vegeta finally decided to spawn some dreaded wretch to us?"
"Supposedly he already has," Seripa reported.
"NANI? That's impossible or I...."
"Would have heard something about it?" Seripa teased.
Celera growled, "Very funny. I would think that if there was a little brat around here you would see all the Elite fawning over him."
"Well he hasn't been taken out of the gestation tank yet baka,"
"I've got to see this," she replied as she took off door the hallway that led to the Health Ward. She knew that Seripa was on her heels in pursuit. "I'm not going to let you be a trusted source of information," she yelled back to her.
"That's alright, I'm curious too, but we'll never get in if it's true."
Celera slowed to a full stop as she approached the doors of the gestation room. Past those doors were where countless numbers of her children had been spawned, Seripa's too. In there they had their beginning breaths. And it occurred to her that besides those moments of early life she had never been here before, not even when her own children had rested in those tubes.
She glanced in the Nursery where newly born awaited there departure from this planet. The thin glass windows made it easy for viewers to see the Saiyalings inside. A foreign idea; Saiyans never took much interest in their children.
"Have you ever been inside the Gestation room?" she asked Seripa.
"Come to think of it, no."
"Me neither." Then with a bright crafty smirk, "This might be fun."
"Feh, you act too much like a kid Celera."
She shrugged, "Do you want to see Veggie-chan or not?"
The door slid open as Celera took one defiant step forward. They entered to find the room not guarded and quiet, peaceful even, which was ironic. The most terrifying army in the universe exited these doors from a womb of peace, albeit artificial. The air had a familiar smell to it as if Celera still had memories of this place from long ago.
They passed by tank after tank, each time Celera wondering whether the warrior inside bared her genes or not. Finally she was awakened by the sound of Seripa's laughter.
She looked at the tube they had arrived at and sudden felt like laughing herself. Vegeta had diffidently sired an heir.
The small fetus was still developing detailed features, all the necessary organs seemed to have formed, but already his face was draw in a stern scowl.
"His hair is almost bigger than he is," Seripa joked.
"Shhh...That's, Veggie-chan, our Prince you're talking about."
Seripa smirked, "wonder who the mother was."
"Obviously someone with no genetic influence what so ever...probably you."
Seripa elbowed her sharply. "Iie, he's more than a few months old that's too early for me."
She was right; they would have been in battle when his conception was arranged. "Well it couldn't be me either then, beside I would never have a brat so ugly."
Seripa laughed, "That's our Prince you're talking about. You don't think chibi Vegeta is Kawaii??"
"Ha, he has his father's hair. I swear they genetically engineered that style years ago to make the blood line look taller."
Seripa snorted, "Hai, but I'm hungry.... are we going to eat or what?"
"Hai let's go."
She practiced it one more time. She stood in front of the mirror even though it was not necessary and flared her ki out as far as it would go. The Scouter beeped its usual betrayal... 4,500
Kuso she would have to learn to stop sparring with Seripa if she wanted her combat rating to go down.
Slowly as too not damage herself she began focusing her mind. Imagining the red aura around her fade as she drew her ki inward. She used her mind to soothe the tingling below her skin and return her to a sense of calm. With a few deep breaths she relaxed everything.
The Scouter finished clicking away as the numbers had descended and landed comfortable at 960.
She was getting better at this, but she would have to perfect it. She was running out of opportunities to make mistakes.
