Insurrection

Chapter 2

Serovok's eyes shot open.  The light was brighter than he had anticipated and his startled eyes blinked rapidly.  He turned away from his Mirror of Sight and towards his elegantly carved wooden armoire.  His flesh was fair but not pallid. His hair was blond and thin but not wispy.  His body was slim but not gawky.  Slowly he clothed himself according to the Watcher custom.  The Watcher made sure to cover the Mirror before pulling his black velvet cloak over his white robes.  If they found out what he was doing they would throw him out of the Order.  He knew it too; nonetheless it was worth the risk.  He could not allow the Heart of the Dragon's power to be used again, for any reason.  Still technically Watchers were supposed to watch, offering only slight corrections to the path of a timeline in the form of subtle premonitions to key figures.  The premonition he had sent to the old man two years back had been anything but subtle, it had been the most lucid vision he could manifest, the young man had made sure that there was no margin for misinterpretation.  Riddles were all well and good but not when the fate of the multiverse hung in the balance.  Serovok walked to the door, adjusting the shining clasp on his cloak and pushed back his neatly combed hair.  Then with a winning smile on his face he stepped out of the room.

*****

Cole groaned as he tried to blink away the grogginess that ensued after one awoke from hyper sleep.  He shot a quick glance down to the control panel, its bright lights and dials had dimmed, and the only luminescence came from a small countdown timer on the navigation computer.  They had three hours till they entered the bustling metropolis that was Koola Planet 82.  Cole yawned as he stretched his well-muscled arms, driving away the slight stiffness he felt in his bones.  How the Planet Trades soldiers were capable of putting up with a year's worth of stiffness was beyond him, and he had no wish to learn.  He tapped a pushed a button on the armrest of his padded captain's chair, brining it into the upright position.  Then he rose to his feet and stepped out of the worn seat and stumbled through the darkness towards the cockpit door, his hands roaming the walls in search of a light switch.  He grinned triumphantly as his hands found their mark and the ship was filled with light.  He walked into the main cabin to bring his two passengers out of hyper sleep, and was met with a surprise.  The old man and the saiyan were seated next to each other on a sofa watching television.  That wasn't right, they shouldnt have been able to without him stemming the flow of sleeping gas.

"I'm sorry," he said in a confused manner, "are the hyper sleep masks broken?"

"Nope," replied the old man, not turning from the television screen, "just got up a little early."

"The early bird gets the worm you know?" added Raisa.

"And the early worm gets eaten," shot back Cole.  Raisa merely snorted and Cole turned and returned to the cockpit, were he planned to sit in abject boredom for the next few hours, anything was better than putting up with her.  He would be glad when this was over.

****

The Namek sprinted down the alley as fast as he could, being careful to keep his ki as low as possible.  Clutched to his chest he had a small, nondescript silver sphere.  He cradled it as one might a child, holding it tightly yet with unfathomable tenderness.  The Namek turned a corner and pressed his back against the side of one of the rundown derelict buildings that littered the slums of Koola planet 82.  His chest heaved as he struggled to take deep breaths.  His billowy pantaloons were torn and stained with mud, and he wore the remains of what once looked like a sky blue cloak.  Anywhere else in this world he would have stood out like a sore thumb, but here he was just another vagabond.  There was a series of dull taps as that the Namek's acute ears recognized as being the sound of a booted bipod landing.  The green man held his breath, trying to keep as silent as he could, but the way his heart was hammering he could swear that it could be heard for miles.  He heard cautious footsteps coming down the street towards him and in his mind he swore.  He closed his eyes and shrank back into the shadows.  The footsteps grew nearer.  The Namek felt his restraint on his ki slipping as panic vied for control of his body.  And then they passed.  The Namek exhaled and smiled.  He was safe, for now.