Back at the flame Squadron base.
Komat, one of the followers of the flame squadron, overheard some other clearly more successful members complaining. His spikey hair held in one hand, a clear sign of his inner conflict manifested in the physical tic. Wearing the same black bodysuit most of the others chose, he had made no bold change. Aside from the fact he kept his hands and feet bare.
Unlike the others he was never ready to leave. Never believed in anything or anything. Just the strong warmth that guided him thus far. Not the leader himself or the close followers of his mocked his efforts. And he put effort in on a daily basis.
"Are we really going to have to return to war.." one voice had repeated what one of the other weaker willed saiyans has said.
"Well this place isn't safe and when our work isn't finished, they'll come for us" spoke one fo the group.
"When have they done that?" Another shared his concerns in the growing group.
"If we're using so many resources and going in debt, there can only be one logical conclusion." A pragmatic alien join in this little group.
Komat felt the desire to interject, even if it was the regurgitated delusions of peace they all had been fed. Instead another voice walked over to fill in the blanks left open by the others
"They sent a statement. One of our highest members got cut ambushed and almost died. This place wasn't even equipped to deal with her injuries."
"But I heard they fought back the king and succeeded" a voice of reason finally emerges.
This voice gives the young man Komat the push to step out from hiding.
"They did succeed!" The mutterings of the unconfident Komat rise high enough for his addition to the conversation to be heard.
The ground paid attention to him, but before the argument could really commence a familiar voice rang out through the entire base.
"Everyone to the Main atrium at once. the leader Kappa will be speaking on the events that have transpired"
Their argument died before it could even begin. Their answers were as the announcement said, in the main atrium.
When they got there Kappa stood firm as always. The imposing six foot tall burly man, his bald head stood stark against the rest of the race. His long years serving in battle had turned his skin weathered light brown. His lips pursed as usual, though they twitch now at this tense hour, you might only find a true difference in his gaze when his family is involved.
He stood behind a newly constructioned wooden podium. The huge crowd that formed went silent. Aliens, but mostly weak saiyans.
Komat looked up to the man as he spoke. Hoping to be inspired by more of his words like before. Needing to know the answers just as much as the rest.
"Everyone today we were attacked and it is true Hikari, one of my most loyal and strongest fighters was critically wounded." Kappa announced the truth and paused to suck in a breath.
Their leader did not hide a single thing from them. He received quiet mutters in response but it soon went silent again.
"Our king, off of a whim, allowed his son to battle my daughter in some game of his. A contest that readily would decide our lives. Ready to decide our lives knowing they have the resources in their hands; pretending like the game didn't feverously skew in their direction.
I have done all that has been asked of me and this is how he sees us. To him there are those of his nobility and everyone else below. Death will surely come from a man hoarding his power"
"And death won't come from following you? Because it's clear to us that we are no safer under your guidance and protection than we are serving right on the front lines." A man spoke in the crowd, the scars on his face spoke for his experiences.
"What about the resources?" A clear gangly alien voice managed to weasel out. "If the flow of credits, food, and so on stop coming in what will us contracted followers due."
"What we always do. Even those of you who choose to stop following us into battle. In my rule all of us will find our own pace. That's what the Flame squadrons beliefs are, the path to find ones own pace. Just because i was lucky to find mine before you found yours, does not mean i am better. Just fortunate to be able to bolster my strength in service of others. Our strength grows everyday and when Hikari returns and when my daughter has reached our heights." He pauses for a breath and a tiny bit of dramatic effect.
"So what Will i do, I will serve you as you find it in yourself to serve yourself. Let me explain one thing i have long held to my chest" Kappa placed his hand over his chest at the same moment.
"Far in the back of this cavern we call home is a forest. One buried underneath and forgotten. In the back of that forest is a mural with ancient carvings inherited by my wife's late grandfather. It depicts five saiyans on fire pouring that flame into one singular person to create a force way stronger than any Great ape transformation.
This even lines up with what my father told me as a boy, that the war for our people's rule was much closer a battle than they let on." He ends this long winded speech, by quickly and loudly adding. "So please i beg of you to believe in us, Me, and my Beloved family, Ringu, Karada, Jetto, and especially Hikari who fought off a cowardly ambush so well"
He then does the thing no saiyan would ever do. Kappa lowers his head to them.
"Help us build a future where we can find our own pace and contribute to the betterment of the Galaxy"
Kappa had stood there, the only one bowing alone. Komat was once again inspired to follow this man and raised his arm, fist clenched in salute.
"Yes, Kappa! Until i can find my own way, i will follow you and when i gain the strength to burn brightly i will serve you on the warfront"
Komat's true voice rang true calling forth those who were in agreement. Though some weren't happy they all accepted this declaration of the truth. In their hearts, even the most stained of them, held deep burning resentment of their former stations.
***
Kappa had rushed back and delivered his speech, but everyone else for the most part had remained in the capital city. Aside from the most impatient one of the group, Jetto's wound being the least severe didn't go right with her.
She was that burning streak across the prison and now again outside of Vegeta city. Leaving the capital's surroundings and flying past mountains before arriving at one of the hidden entries at the base of one mountain.
Landing by an unassuming cave that was pitch black even on the sunniest days.
Jetto used her hand to create a small flame that illuminated the area. Empty as it should be. Aside from a streak across the wall that, to the trained eye, could be seen as evidence that the large boulder shaped part of the wall had been moved.
Leaning on it she pushed it aside. The act of leaning was not nearly enough to get this huge chunk of rock moving, but that just went to show that those using this entrance had to have some modicum of strength.
She pushed it back upon entering. Turning the light off moments after; knowing the path enough by heart, not to trip or get lost.
Making her way straight to one specific room.
***
Secluded in her room the blue haired matriarch felt unease wash over her. Her body didn't ache all over and to Mizu that was a bad sign. Ever since their morning routine started she had yet to hear a peep from anyone. Not that anyone besides Kappa's inner circle had ever been allowed to enter.
Hugging herself she pushed away the uneasy feeling.
Their squadron, the grouping title given to them by the Nobility, was more like a budding family. Something Mizu deeply desired, especially after long since losing it ages ago. Ever since Zukki was born she felt as though her plans with Kappa had become a reality.
The slight fear she had about the child turning out to be a murder machine always washing away at the sight of her beloved child's sweet smile. Even now, just yesterday she saw the girl smiling despite having been smacked in the face with reality. She imagined–no she believed to see true resilience in her little girl. The question floating in the back of her mind; could she bear to see that resilience tested?
The front door had opened finally and her typical seclusion would end for now. Instead of the patter of foot steps and heavy creaks she just got the latter. Her strong willed man who whisked away the worries she always held returned with a frown, a simmering frustration Mizu could see on his face.
Her own eyes trembled as she searched for her little girl. Tears welling up before she could even process any words that left Kappa's lips.
"She's ok" he starts while holding his hands out to her, hovering with hesitation before pressing into her supple shoulders. Cold even through the bodysuit she wore.
Mizu's sobs were muffled in the next moment as she buried her face into his firm chest. They stayed there, her fingers mustering all the strength of a newborn puppy's bite until her shaking stopped. The tears didn't stop, however, as if they were fueled by a dam just now bursting.
"It's.." Kappa can't hold back the hesitation in his voice "Going to be ok".
To them hope was like a see-saw, one they subconsciously ignored. They didn't know who was supposed to put weight on the discussion and push forward like things would be ok. Kappa simply took on that role by default as he had been lately.
Kappa went on to explain the events that transpired after they left.
"Karada is with Zukki at the hospital now..and Ringu with Hikari…what were her–their injuries like" Mizu can't help but feel her focus more on her Beloved, but she fixes her mistake regardless.
Kappa explains that Hikari just barely made it, waking up would be on her, but when she's fully healed they'll kick her out. It was harder to explain that for Zukki, her worst injuries were the ones she caused on herself. Yes, Vegeta knocked her out and dealt serious punishment, but the burns she received were as bad if not worse.
"You had to leave her there.." Mizu breathes out the resigned response like it hurts to admit.
"That's not it, The King reduced the time she can spend with us to just one week. Just one fourth of every cycle" he needed to add once the horrible bits were through.
Mizu's eyes widened and she clenched the bed sheets with her puppy level strength.
"She will probably attempt to keep practicing lighting and manipulating her flames. That is how it was for the best of us." Kappa doesn't say it with much resistance.
"And if she he burns herself that badly while in that prison? They have even less access to medical technology than we do" voicing her worries, Mizu's eyes dart up and away from Kappa's.
Her eyes eventually settle onto his as they both silently contemplate how to move forward.
"And your speech?" She asks to put aside the current issue for another one.
"They aren't happy. Our supplies of clothes, food, water, and literature are being cut each solar cycle. Less return transport ships. I can't create hope like you did Mizu..they need your smile and warmth"
"And they need strength," she adds at the end softly.
"When I was the brightest around, they believed in strength that wasn't even there. Now I can't stand before them.." she stops abruptly, Welling up whatever energy she could to be exasperated. "did they even ask for me? It's been so long since you took up leadership fully"
"If you were there." He wants to reassure her, but the look in her eye says she'll deny it right away. So he stops and switches up what he was going to say. "They were worried about the immediate problem, riled up, you know how things were in the beginning."
"So all we can do is just hope and wait? Keep moving forward with how things are?" She asks questions neither of them had any real answers for.
"What would your grandfather say in a time like this?" Said Kappa.
"What would yours say?" She counters, but continues regardless. The warmth in her eye returned ever so slightly while thinking of her grandfather. "Well if he were truly out of options or struggling with something, if he ever did really" she says, pauses, and rests back on the bed.
Mizu, teary-eyed, but warm in the face, curled her lips in a smile that attempted to mirror her grandpa. Kappa never met the man and neither did she his grandfather. Though they both were in the rare camp of saiyans who apart from nobility met the parents of their parents.
"He would just smile and it cheered people up" she admitted, her lips working hard to part in order to speak. Clearly the crying and exertion of her puppy level strength drained her. "You have to work out, work on your smile..
Kappa" she whispers soft and sweet. "Our little Zukki already has you beat" she continued to use the strength she had to smile.
The see-saw of Hope seemed to lift Kappa up. Though his pursed lips looked more as if some kind of male model posing for the camera.
Eventually the energy levity provided went away and the somber vibe returned, but the hope they reclaimed didn't leave them.
(A/N: the previous chapter was slated to be the last of this arc and we'd shift back to the prison, but i realized we need just a bit more shown rather than skipped over.)