Part 2

Chapter 2

"Eye of the Tiger"

A few months later the ship was out of HFIL and was rocketing through space.

"Captain V.Briefs, your team is stationed at Hillis. The Zeta team leaves for an immediate departure, report to pod-bay A12." The message came through the wrist com-link on Leela's right wrist as she finished her midday rations.

"10-4, we're on our way." She replied and motioned for the others to fallow. The small group lead by Leela hurried along the long halls and corridors.

"What about Lothen? I thought they were going to give him back." Selva asked with anger.

"They lied, he was sent out yesterday." Leela replied with venom.

"Why those no good, tale-telling BAKAS!" Sanjuuichi hit the wall leaving a hole.

"Don't worry 'bout it, we'll have our turn..." Leela stated coldly .

"Demo, Leela-san, you forget that he is very special to all of us. Each one of us think of him as our own." Nickon said mildly as he looked behind to make sure no one spied on them.

"He's right you know, we were all there when he was born.' Zan agreed and looked over his shoulder as well.

"I know Zan, and like I said.....we'll have our turn for vengeance." Leela was scowling heavily and looked seriously ticked. The (V) on her forehead began to glow slightly with a blood red light, then as suddenly as it happened the (V) was gone again. The others went silent, each barely keeping their anger in check.

They had been on Geneith when Lothen was born into the world of the living. Leela and her crew knew each other well enough to be friends as well as a great team due to their understanding of Dunksayama. Their idea of war-fare, if one was captured or killed the others would continue on with the mission. Mostly by running and living to fight another day, it didn't matter what they did as long as Feuron payed in the end.

When Lothen finally came she had been eleven months pregnant with him. Her team had wondered why she was late. Due to their understanding of humans they knew it was only supposed to be nine. That was when she pulled back her hair to show her pointed Namekian ears. Her being half Namekian had finally been brought out into the open. They now all shared a trust bond, no history or secrets were kept from the others.

"Everyone to their pods, lets go!" Leela yelled out the order quickly. Everybody ran to their pods, sealed the hatches and were launched into space. Yet Leela's mind was far from where she was.

(Flashback)

"Oh...KUSO!" Zan yelled as the Geneithian cavalry arrived. Leela doubled over in pain and groaned when she saw what Zan was looking at.

"Oh no...we gotta get Leela-san out of here!" Nickon picked her up.

"Nickon! I can fly just fine by myself!" She protested. " Put me down!" She yelled over the noise of the blasts that were getting closer to them. Nickon shook his head with a frown.

"Ie" He gave a simple answer and all six of them took off toward the mountains. Leela crossed her arms and looked like a child who just had her favorite toy taken away. Selva smiled at her and made a face at Nickon. Leela frowned at Nickon then turned her head and smiled at Selva's face. When they found a small cave big enough for all of them they landed.

"I'll go get us some water. I'll be back soon." Selva smiled at Leela then turned and left again.

"I'd better go with her, who knows what those fools will do." Zan shot Leela a worried expression at the entrance.

"Don't worry about me, he wont be coming for a while yet. I'm a half breed remember?" Leela laughed and sat down when Nickon finally put her on the ground. 'Besides this isn't my first, I know what I'm doing." Leela smiled a quick smile to reassure them.

"Ok, Nickon. You take care of her or else." Zan joked and flew after Selva. Leela sighed and leaned back against the cold mountain wall. She knew it would be hell to deliver Lothen, but didn't really mind. When she had Meela and Meeli her Namekian blood wanted to jettison the children, while the Sayian blood wanted to keep them in longer. The end result was two and a half days of severe contractions and finally the birth of her daughters. She had been exhausted for a week after-word, it wasn't the best memory but it was one of her fondest. The feeling of being watched brought her back to reality. Sanjuuichi and Sanjuuni were looking at her with worried expressions.

"How many times do I have to say that I'll be fine?!" She through her arms up into the air and gave up.

"Sorry Leela-san, but you can't blame us for worrying." Sanjuuni said quietly.

"We have a right to worry about you. You are our leader after all." Sanjuuichi said just as her sister finished.

"Fine, what do you want me to do? Just sit here when the team is under attack?!" Leela regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth. "I'm sorry you two, I didn't mean that." She looked at the ground in front of her. The 'San' sisters looked at each other then at Leela again. She sat down again as pain rocked her body.

'It has been almost a day since the contractions started.' Nickon thought to himself. His amber eyes watched her without her knowing. They all sat down and waited for Zan and Selva to return. Nickon got up and pasted the floor after a few minutes of sitting ideal. They all waited in silence for the two outside and the birth of Lothen. Three hours later Zan and Selva returned and Lothen's arrival was immediately after-word. Zen and Nickon stayed toward the back as Selva and the 'San' sisters helped deliver Lothen. When Lothen's cry rang out into Geneith's night sky, everyone gathered around Leela to see her first-born-son. They all smiled warily and sat down in a circle around her.

Leela was grateful to have such friends so far from family and home. She sat foreword to look at Lothen who laid in Selva's arms. She looked around and smiled. 'I'll remember this for the rest of my days..' she thought as she looked at each face around her.

"He's mad.' Selva smiled as they saw the Vegeta scowl on his face. They laughed and played with his hands.

"Ah!....don't make me laugh Selva-san!' Leela groaned with a small smile and gently placed him in Leela's arms. Leela smiled at her son and brushed some of his short hair from his brow. His hair was lavender, but it held hints of black streaks in it as well. A few minutes later both mother and son were fast asleep.

(A few days later)

"SJLB260 is to be taken to the nursery ." A female tactical officer walked into team Zeta's quarters. Leela looked down at her small sleeping son and knew it would be a long time till she saw him again. The officer's words repeated in her mind as she held him close in a final hug.

"Fine, I'll take him." She replied quietly.

"I don't think so. Team Zeta is to report back to Geneith to finish the task they had been assigned." The woman replied, talking about them in third person.

"Then I'll take him on my way out." Leela said in a dangerous tone. A sweat drop appeared over the officers head. She swallowed hard and inclined her head in submission. Leela glared as she watched her go.

"Lets go..." she said slowly and got up. With one last look at Lothen they all went to pod-bay A12 to be launched back to Geneith. Inside her pod, Leela let the tears come.

"I've lost them all...." She hugged her knees and whimpered as she cried out her pain. Leela watched as the ship disappeared along with her son. When they reached Geneith, Nickon reported in.

"The Geneithians are preparing for battle."

"Already?! This cant be good." She clicked the com button on her control panel.

"An ambush?" Sanjuuni's voice came over the com.

"Not likely Sanjuuni, I don't think they know we're here....yet" Selva answered quickly and adjusted her pod.

"We can't make any conclusions as of this moment, lets land and see for our selves." Sanjuuichi stated cooly.

"I agree on that motion, everyone change course to starboard one notch." Leela replied and used the controls to change direction. It wasn't a big change but it would take them out of reach from the Geneithians.

"I don't like those caliens." Selva said icily. They all didn't like the cat like aliens so they called them caliens.

"None of us do Sel, just keep your focus on the task at hand. The sooner we get this over the better." Zan said soothingly to calm her down. Leela smirked.

'Those two are a perfect duo.' She thought as her pod crashed to Geneithian. More explosions told her the others had made it.

"Alright lets show these bakas not to mess with the Zeta team." Selva's fisted hand shot into the air everyone did the same thing.

"OK I'm gonna use a tactical formation created by Lieutenant Ka a while back." She bent down, the others fallowed suite. "Only a little different to compensate. Nickon you go West, Zan you go East." She paused remembering the lethal attack she had taken part in just before Leeli left. "Sanjuuichi, Sanjuuni, you two stay here in the south. Selva you go North. I'll attack from above." She gave the order, but hated having to do it. She didn't like being leader.

'Koshi is a leader..... not me' She though with a sigh.

"Ok, lets do this and get back to the ship." Nickon said standing up. They all nodded and took off as directed.

Leela went north-word then began shooting at the Geneithian army a good distance above them. A blast from behind knocked her to the ground.

"GET UP!" Snapped a dark brown haired Geneithian soldier. Leela was on her hands and knees, she punched the ground and got up in an instant. She flew foreword and tried to hit him. The soldier caught her fist then slammed a knee into her gut. She gasped a second, caught her breath and swept her leg under him. He almost hit the ground but flipped and landed on one knee.

"Your gonna get it now.' he smirked. Leela watched the cat like Geneithian stalk slowly toward her. Leela smirked and got into a fighting stance.

"I think you have it backwards my friend, you'll pay for that." She whipped the blood from her forehead where she had hit the ground. She smirked and flew foreword again, but just as she was about to pass him he grabbed the back of her head. His claw embedded itself into her brain stem. A moment later she fell to the ground as he withdrew his claw. She laid there stunned, paralyzed by shook.

"Get away from her!" Nickon yelled at the Geneithian.

"Get away from her NOW!" Zan yelled when the Geneithian didn't move. The others huddled a minute then spread out in an arch around him.

"Fine, you leave us no choice..............BETTA!!!" They all yelled and held their hands above them. "CANNON!!!!!!!!" Each person sent a ki beam, the beams merged into one and obliterated the Geneithian soldier.

"We're finished, lets got back to the ship." Selva said and went over to where Leela was laying. Leela sat up slowly and put a hand on her neck.

"Are you alright Leela-san?" The 'San' sisters asked simultaneously. Leela looked at them, with her mouth forming an 'o' of surprise. She swallowed and nodded. Zan and Nickon waited in the air for the four women. Selva smiled weakly and helped Leela up. They got back to the pods and took off toward the main ship. In her pod, Leela noticed her tail was different. When she saw what was different she gasped.

"Masaka........." She turned her black tail over and over, looking at the white strips that had suddenly appeared. She leaned back and tried to forget the happenings of the past few days.

"Docking sequence initiated." The computer's voice woke her up from sleep. She rubbed her eyes and stretched with a wide yawn. She looked out the window and fell back to sleep.

(Dream)

**Children laughing**

Leela opened her eyes to see her daughters running through a grassy field. Lotanks was chasing them. They giggled and looked behind them. Lotanks crouched low in the grass with a grin.

"Where'd he go?" Meela asked looking around. Meeli shrugged.

"I don't know." They looked around as they walked back toward their father.

"GOTTCHA!" Lotanks jumped out of the grass and grabbed the twins. Leela laughed as she watched the happy trio. "Tag your it." Lotanks laughed and started rolling on the ground. The twins chased and tackled him.

"Ok that's it, the tickle monsters gonna get you!" he grinned and started tickling them. Screams of laughter filled the air.

"Leela...........Leela......"

(End of dream)

"Leela!" Nickon shook her awake. She blinked and remembered where she was.

"I'm awake already!' She said irritated when he shook her again.

"Good, come on." Nickon held out a hand to help her out. She took it with a frown.

"SJLB257, report to training arena Z32." a voice said over the loud speaker.

"I better go.." She sighed and walked out of the pod-bay. Leela walked down the dark corridors, having a feeling of impending doom. She glanced over her shoulder for a sign of movement, but only saw shadows. When she reached the training arena an officer was waiting for her.

"SJLB257 reporting....sir." She gave a swift salute and waited.

"Ah, yes your to be trained by Feuron's general." The officer smirked evilly and waved inside.

Leela went through harsh training, far worse then anyone else on her team had been put through. The next few months, she trained non-stop, hardly eating or sleeping. She came a breath away from death so many times that they upped her training. They had her do battle exercises and saver training to straighten her endurance.

Sprites low, Leela walked back to her quarters after a particularly hard day. Her arms slack at her sides as she entered. Just before she fainted inside the doorway the 'San' sisters rushed foreword and caught her.

"Look at her! She's totaled." Sanjuuni said as she helped put her onto her bunk. "She has nothing left to give." She pulled her blanket over her.

'And nothing left to lose, but everything to gain. Maybe that's why she's pushing herself way past her limitations.' Sanjuuichi put an ice pack on Leela's fevered forehead. The door flew open, a scared junior officer stud in the doorway.

"Did you see the monster come by here?" He looked around without turning his head.

"What monster?" Selva got up from her chair and walked over to the door.

"It's a giant tiger......female we think." He said quickly still looking everywhere but the person he was talking to.

"No, we haven't seen a giant tiger wandering around." Selva smirked and crossed her arms. "Besides, think about it, how could a 'giant' tiger get into these halls without breaking them apart?" Her smirk widened. The officer closed the door and left.

"That was close......" Zan breathed with a frown.

"Too close........' Selva agreed and looked at Leela. Her white stripped tiger looking tail hung limply over the side of the bunk.