Dragon Ball: Chaotic Future 

CHAPTER 5

Mylember Saga, Part I

“Head Quarters.”

Five years earlier…

The boy was silent as he ate, ignoring the conversation of those around him.

            “Miura?  Miura, are you listening?” Lady Kelys Ariyadi asked, noticing for the first time her adopted-son’s unusual silence.  Kelys, Empress Pheris’s most trusted adviser, was easily one of the most beautiful women on planet Galdria.  Her hair, which was a pale sea-green, showed no signs of grey, and her face was also without the telltale signs of her age.  Lady Kelys was, by Galdrian standards, middle aged, being nearly one hundred years old, but she still held herself with the grace and dignity of a young noblewoman.  She insisted on wearing only the latest styles, a habit that had only helped her to remain youthful and vibrant.  Miura looked up from his meal and smiled sadly at his mother, causing tears to slowly well up in her shining blue eyes.  “What is it, Miura?” Kelys asked, the look on her fifteen year old son’s face breaking her heart.

            “It’s nothing, Mother.”  He sighed as he pushed his food aside, ignoring the comforting hand of his adopted younger sister, Zellis.  “May I be excused?”  Kelys nodded, unsure of what she could say to comfort the young nobleman.  As soon as Miura had left, Lady Kelys flashed a questioning look at her daughter.

            “He got into a fight today, with Galian,” the young teenager responded.  She rolled her eyes as her mother gasped in surprise.  “Don’t worry about it, he won.  Besides, Galian deserved it… he insulted Miura’s real mother, said she was sick to make love to an animal.”  The beautiful noblewoman closed her eyes as tears began to stream down her face.  Zellis stood up from the table and made her way to her mother, hugging her gently.  “Don’t worry, Mother, Miura is strong.  He can take care of himself…”

            “It’s not that, Zellis.  If you only knew how hard it really is for him sometimes…”  Kelys’s voice trailed off as she wiped her tears away and stood up.  “Does Emperor Gilliam know about the fight?” she asked as she began to clear the table herself, not bothering to summon one of her many servants to do the job.

            “Well, Elysia was there… so if she doesn’t tell him, then Galian’s father probably will,” Zellis answered as she started to help her mother.  “I’m pretty sure Galian will raise a fuss about it, since he got beat up by someone so much younger than him.  He’s just a poor sport.”

            Lady Kelys sighed as she used the sleeve of her bright yellow robe to wipe sweat from her brow.  “He may be a poor sport, but his father is the Duke of Adean, and I’m sure Emperor Gilliam will not approve of Miura’s abusing the son of a member of the court.  Zellis, promise me something, please.”  The young girl looked at her mother and nodded.  “You know as well as I do that Miura has a temper quite unlike anyone else on this planet.”  Again Zellis nodded, beginning to see what Kelys was getting at.  “Just promise me that you’ll do everything you can to keep him out of trouble, okay?”

            “I’ll try,” Zellis replied.  “But you know that it’s not going to be easy…”

________________________________________________________________________

“Miura, watch out!”

            Zellis tackled her adopted-brother to the ground, avoiding another powerful energy blast as it sped toward them.  They were in a large hanger, but unfortunately it wasn’t the hanger that they had been making their way toward.  She looked to her right, barely able to see her companions through all of the confusion.  Iris crouched behind a large metal crate, waiting for a lull in the oncoming fire, while Clef and Twilight had found cover several yards away.  Zellis slowly moved off of her partner, seeking cover behind the same crate as Iris.  She shook her head in disbelief, seeing her own look of exhaustion mirrored in Iris’s features.  Miura had managed to duck down behind a small forklift that was used to load and unload cargo from outgoing and incoming ships.  Seeing the look of worry on his sister’s face, Miura waved his hand at her, showing that he was fine.  She sighed in relief.  I can’t believe that the Gelnika’s crash got us into this mess!

________________________________________________________________________

Three hours earlier…

It took them nearly a week to reach their destination.

            It was much the same as Miura and Zellis had remembered: A large, circular space station light years away from the nearest planet or outpost.  It had been built as a military base many years ago, but after the United Space Federation was dissolved it had remained abandoned.  The Alliance of Bounty Hunters had stumbled across it only twelve years ago, and they took it upon themselves to repair and re-outfit the large, unused station.  It now housed Hunter Head Quarters, one of the most powerful and well respected factions in the known universe.  Its archives and databases were widely agreed to be the best and most accurate available, and it was easily the most well defended and best armed space station in existence.

            Shortly after disembarking from Iris’s ship, the entire group was confronted by several armed guards, who insisted on escorting them to the Chief Director’s office.  Not wanting to make a scene after just arriving, Miura and the others agreed to meet with the leader of all bounty hunters: Chief Director Ashe.  It took nearly an hour to make their way to Ashe’s office, which was on the other side of the enormous space station, and when they finally reached it, all of them were filled with a deep sense of foreboding.  As the five companions entered the Chief Director’s darkened office, the solid steel door shut ominously behind them.

            “Ah, Miura, Zellis, welcome back,” a deep voice said from the darkness.  A small desk light was turned on, revealing an old man behind a large, ornate desk.  “I should have known that you weren’t really dead… although perhaps it would have been better for you not to have survived.”  The old man stood up, showing himself to be much taller than he had first appeared to be.  He was clothed in a jumpsuit similar to that worn by Miura, Zellis, and Iris, though he also wore a long, black cape.  Wrinkles covered his darkened face, and a large scar ran through his left eye, which was a milky white in color.  He smiled and ran a gloved hand through his long, dark hair, streaked with gray.  “You see, I regret to inform you that you no longer belong to the Alliance of Bounty Hunters.”

            Miura narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists, hearing his adopted-sister gasp behind him.  “What the hell do you mean, Ashe?” the Galdrian nobleman asked, his voice filled with anger.  “What’s going on here, anyway?”  Miura looked out of the corner of his eye, noticing the look of disbelief on Iris’s face.

            Ashe began to laugh as he walked around his desk, moving past Clef and Twilight to stand directly before Miura.  “You’ve made a huge mistake, my young friend, by getting on the bad side of a very powerful Hevan lord by the name of Mylember.”  He grinned maliciously, seeing recognition dawn on Miura.  “He’s not what anyone would call sane, but I’d not want to cross him.”

            “Mylember… It was his cargo that was lost with the Gelnika!  But he can’t possibly blame us for that, we were attacked!”  He looked imploringly to Clef, who nodded in agreement with Miura’s statement.  “Ashe, you can’t be serious!”  Miura suddenly remembered what Hanzo had said about Seth’s cargo.  “It was an illegal weapons shipment!  You should be thanking me for destroying it; this Mylember must be a renegade…”

            “Sorry, but I don’t really ask a lot of questions,” the Chief Director responded with a chuckle.  “I just do as the man says; as a matter of fact, I’ve been offered quite a bundle to make sure you don’t leave this station alive.”  Ashe looked around at Miura and Zellis’s companions, smiling menacingly as he did so.  “I guess I’ll have to make sure all of you die here, just to be sure.”

            Miura looked at Clef, who nodded again, sensing what the half-Saiyan was planning.  Suddenly the two of them turned toward the door, each of them firing a powerful blast of energy.  Ashe gasped in surprise as the heavy steel door exploded outward, and he could only watch in rage as Miura, Clef, Zellis, Twilight, and Iris dashed out of the room, easily breaking through the guards outside.  The five of them, now fugitives, continued to make their way toward the hanger as Ashe stood quietly in his office, a look of smug confidence on his face.

            “Sir, with your permission we can easily cut them off before they reach their ship!” an armed guard said as he knelt before Chief Director Ashe.  “We’ve alerted the entire station, every hunter currently available has been ordered to stop them at all costs.”  Ashe merely nodded, gesturing for the guard to leave.

            Once again alone in his office, Ashe removed a small communicator from a pouch on his belt.  “Daerist, they’re coming your way.  Either kill them or take them back to your master, I don’t care which, so long as I receive my payment.”

________________________________________________________________________

Miura looked to his right, gesturing to Zellis that he was fine.

            That was close, though, he thought as he huddled down behind a small forklift.  If she hadn’t knocked me out of the way, I might be dead right now!  “Clef! Can you hear me?!” Miura shouted, narrowly avoiding another burst of energy.  He heard the Namekian respond over the noise of battle.  “Listen, let’s take them!  We’re getting nowhere by just sitting here!” 

            “Fine!” Clef shouted.  “Anything’s better than waiting here to die!”  The Namek warrior looked over his shoulder at Twilight, who was hiding behind him.  “Stay here until the firing stops, understand?”  The pink-haired girl nodded, her eyes wide with fear.  “Miura, are you ready?”  Clef waited until he heard Miura’s answer before he leapt out into the open, knocking away several weak blasts of energy. 

            Clef and Miura were among the group of hunters almost instantly, wreaking havoc among them before their presence was even realized.  Most of their attackers were fairly weak, relying completely on their energy rifles for offensive power.  The two warriors made quick work of them, and in a matter of minutes all of the attacking bounty hunters were strewn about on the floor, dead or unconscious, Miura didn’t care which.  Zellis, Iris, and Twilight came out of hiding and followed their companions down a long hallway, steadily making their way back toward the hanger, and Iris’s ship.

            “Miura,” Twilight asked as they continued running.  “Do you really think that this Mylember character wants us dead?  Just because we destroyed his cargo?” 

            “If what Ashe said is true, and Mylember really is insane, then it wouldn’t surprise me,” Miura responded as they turned a corner.  “Besides, I’m sure Mylember had a lot of people to answer to when his shipment came up missing.”  Suddenly Miura felt a burst of power from down the corridor, and he was barely able to dodge aside as a single bolt of energy tore through the air beside him.  What now? he thought, assuming a defensive fighting stance.

            “You must be the Galdrian bounty hunters that I’ve heard so much about,” a raspy male voice said as the lights in the corridor began to flicker ominously.  The five companions looked on in awe as a black mist began making its way toward them, obliterating all light as it approached.  “My lord Mylember will be quite pleased with me for ending your lives, and the lives of your unfortunate friends.” 

            Clef narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists.  “Who are you?  Show yourself!” he shouted as he moved in beside Miura, preparing himself for anything.  He saw Zellis move in closer, also prepared for battle as Iris remained behind with Twilight.  “If this Mylember is so great, why isn’t he here to deal with us himself?”  The dark mist slowly neared the three warriors, and a silhouette could barely be made out within the confines of the shadowy haze.  Eventually the mist faded away, revealing the source of the mysterious voice.

            Standing before the fugitive warriors was one of the most unusual and frightening individuals that Miura had ever laid eyes on.  The mysterious, gloom enshrouded being was of average height, being only an inch or two shorter than the Galdrian nobleman, and he was extremely slender, almost feminine.  His hair, which was long and flowing, was like a living shadow, constantly moving as if with a mind of its own.  The shadowy individual’s skin, which was only visible on the exposed face, was a dull grey, being more of a lack of color than anything else.  Miura couldn’t tell if he was wearing some sort of form-fitting, jet-black jumpsuit, or if he was simply manipulating the shadows around him, making them appear to be clothing.  But it was the eyes that sent chills down Miura and Clef’s spines: they were jet black, very similar to those of the Erion bandits, but there was something about them that felt wrong.  Looking into those eyes filled Miura with a sense of dread and hopelessness, a sense that no matter how hard he fought, there was no way to defeat this mysterious, shadowy warrior.

            “Hmm… A Namekian too, huh?  Fine with me, the more the merrier, as they say,” the unusual, disconcerting individual said.  “I have many names, but you may call me Daerist, for that is the name given to me by my master.”  Daerist moved in closer to the three warriors, appearing to be very calm and confident.  “I’d rather just get this over with, if you don’t mind.”  Before Miura, Clef, and Zellis could react, they were engulfed in a dark vapor, blinding them and causing a feeling of panic to build up inside of them.  Miura heard his adopted sister cry out in pain, but he was unable to see her due to the shadowy mist around him.

            “Clef, if you can hear me power up!  Hopefully our energy will be able to brighten things up a bit!” Miura shouted as he began to gather as much power around himself as he could.  He let out a scream of exertion, sighing in relief as a bright purple aura surrounded his body and cut through the misty darkness.  The young former hunter smiled to himself as he looked toward Clef, seeing that the Namekian warrior had also powered up.  Looking to his right, Miura noticed Zellis lying unconscious against the wall, her body trembling slightly.  “Clef, I need you to listen to me.  Get the girls back to Iris’s ship, I’ll be there as soon as I take care of Daerist!  We’re almost to the hanger, so it shouldn’t take you too long, understand?”

            Clef, who knew better than to argue with the young half-Saiyan, nodded as he made his way over to Zellis, picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder.  This isn’t a good idea, Clef thought as he made his way toward the exit.  Miura still hasn’t fully recovered from his battle with Hanzo… Daerist stood at the far end of the corridor, blocking the entrance to the main hanger.  To the surprise of all five fugitives, the mysterious assassin merely stepped aside, allowing Clef and the others to pass.  The wary Namekian gazed over his shoulder at Miura, who gestured for him to go.  Again Clef nodded, motioning for Twilight and Iris to follow him past Daerist.  After the four noncombatants had exited the spacious corridor, Mylember’s assassin moved in to block off the exit once again.

            “Well now,” Daerist whispered, barely loud enough for Miura to hear.  “I guess I’ll deal with you first, your friends will be dealt with soon enough.”  Before Miura could prepare himself, the corridor was once again filled with a dread darkness, and the young nobleman could sense Daerist quickly approaching.  Even with the light emitted by his aura, Miura was unable to see the shadowy assassin until it was too late.  The half-Galdrian warrior gasped in pain as Daerist lashed out at him with a roundhouse kick that took Miura in the chest, knocking him back several yards and causing the all of the breath in his lungs to explode outward. 

Again Daerist seemed to appear before the young nobleman, but this time Miura was ready for him.  Mylember’s assassin prepared to strike once again, only to find himself without an opponent.  He froze in place, unsure of Miura’s location, but not for long.  The half-Saiyan came down on Daerist from above, delivering a powerful double axe-handle blow to the mysterious, shadowy warrior’s skull.  Daerist cried out in pain, and he was barely able to dodge aside as Miura lashed out again, this time with a thunderous right hook.  The former bounty hunter growled in frustration, having hoped to take the assassin out with his last attack.  He didn’t have long to be angry as Daerist suddenly rushed him, his body engulfed in mystifying shadows and darkness.  Before he could react, Miura was surrounded by webs of pure night, and without warning his bright energy aura suddenly dissipated.

“What!” Miura shouted into the darkness.  “Damn you Daerist!”  Slowly a panic began welling up inside the former hunter, and frantically he tried in vain to release himself from the shadowy webs around him.  I won’t let it end like this, he thought as he continued to struggle, not only with the dark haze around him but also with his rising sense of panic.  I have to transform again!  If anything can pierce this darkness, it will by the power of a Super Saiyan…  The young nobleman began to focus as much energy as he could, trying with all of his might to call upon the Super Saiyan power that he knew lay deep inside of him.  “Come on!” Miura screamed in rage, “why isn’t it working?!”  No matter how hard he tried, the power within him remained hidden, and panic slowly began to overwhelm him.

“Is something wrong, Galdrian?” Daerist asked mockingly from somewhere out of Miura’s limited field of vision.  “Try as you might, there is no way to escape my webs of despair.”  Miura was defenseless as the shadowy assassin began his assault, striking out repeatedly at the former hunter, who was powerless to stop him.  As Miura’s power began to fade, Daerist’s malicious laughter could be heard from all around.  “This is it, my young friend,” the mysterious warrior whispered, seemingly in Miura’s ear.  “My lord Mylember will be most pleased with me, I assure you.” 

The half-Galdrian nobleman gasped as he felt the surrounding darkness close in on him, squeezing the very breath from his lungs.  No, not like this! Miura thought, feeling a small amount of energy welling up inside of him.  “Not like this!”  Daerist growled in frustration as a golden light began to emanate from his opponent.  The mysterious assassin attempted to strengthen the power of his webs, but it was too late.  With a primal scream of hatred, Miura shattered the gloom around him, filling the darkened corridor with a blinding golden light.  Daerist shrank back, fear etched into his alien features.

Miura stood in the center of the large passage, his body engulfed the bright aura of a Super Saiyan.  His eyes had turned the prerequisite green, but his hair and eyebrows remained their original black.  After taking several steps forward, Miura suddenly dashed at his opponent, hoping to catch the professional killer off guard.  Daerist screamed in fear as he attempted to retreat from the enraged half-Saiyan, but it was no use.  Miura made contact with the shadowy warrior, driving his fist into Daerist’s torso.  The young former hunter lashed out with a punishing kick meant for Daerist’s head, but to his surprise his leg passed harmlessly through the assassin.  An after image!  Miura gasped in disbelief and jumped back, distancing himself from his unusual opponent as his golden aura slowly faded away, leaving him once again powerless.

“Why,” Miura muttered, looking down at his trembling hand.  “Why can’t I sustain this power like Hanzo?  I don’t understand!”  Tears filled his eyes as he fell to his hands and knees, ignoring the mocking laughter of Daerist, who now stood several yards away at the end of the corridor.  “That’s it…” Miura muttered as his vision began to blur.  “I… I’m finished.”  Daerist began to slowly make his way toward the weakened former hunter, his body surrounded by an aura of impenetrable black energy.  His scornful laugh echoed through the passageway as Miura struggled to his feet, determined to fight this assassin with every last breath in his body.

“How very gallant of you, the mighty Galdrian bounty hunter who refuses to give up,” Daerist taunted.  “It’s almost a waste; someone like you would make a fine servant for my lord Mylember.”  The shadowy assassin pointed his hand toward Miura, and the young nobleman clenched his eyes shut as a ball of negative energy was launched at him.  As Miura prepared himself for the end, a solid beam of golden ki came bursting through the wall next to him.  Daerist growled in frustration as the mysterious energy blast collided with his own attack, and the ensuing explosion sent both warriors reeling.

________________________________________________________________________

Clef gasped in disbelief as the three girls boarded Iris’s space craft.

            “Oh no,” the warrior from Namek whispered under his breath.  “Not him, not here!”  He spun around to face his three female companions, who had now exited the small ship.  “Listen, all of you!  Get back on the ship, now!  Prepare for a quick getaway, but don’t leave until Miura and I return!”  He turned his back to Iris, Zellis, and Twilight as he made his way toward the hanger’s exit.

            With Iris’s assistance, Zellis took a few steps forward, still lightheaded from her confrontation with Daerist.  “Clef, what’s going on?”  The green-skinned warrior didn’t respond, as if not hearing the Galdrian noblewoman’s question.  “Hey, what do we do if you don’t come back?” she shouted as the distance between herself and the Namekian bodyguard increased.  Clef stopped for a moment, as if deep in thought.

            “If neither of us returns in twenty minutes,” he said solemnly, “then leave.  We’ll probably be dead if we’re not here…”  He turned to face the three young women, his face clouded by worry.  “Z, we have more to worry about than Daerist and the other hunters: Hanzo’s here.”

________________________________________________________________________

Miura staggered to his feet.

            “Well, well, if it isn’t little Miura, in need of someone’s help as always,” said a disturbingly familiar voice.”  The half-Saiyan spun around to his right, and he gasped in amazement, unable to believe what he was seeing.  There, standing proudly before him, his body surrounded by the bright aura of a Super Saiyan, was Hanzo.  “Ah, you must be terrified right now,” Hanzo taunted as he walked toward his younger brother.  “So, how does it feel, being saved by your most hated enemy?”  Miura took several steps back, trying to distance himself from the evil Super Saiyan.

            “Impossible!” Miura blurted out, unable to comprehend what was occurring.  “What are you doing here, Hanzo?” he asked, his body trembling slightly with fear.  Suddenly it dawned on him what had just happened:  Hanzo had deflected Daerist’s finishing attack.  He had saved Miura’s life!  “Why did you do it?” the Galdrian nobleman asked, staring with disbelief at his older half-brother.  “By letting him kill me, you’d have saved yourself a lot of trouble…”

            “Hmph,” Hanzo snorted indignantly as he approached Miura, stopping only inches away.  “And let that freak steal my revenge?  I think not, little brother.  You won’t get out of it that easily.”  Hanzo then turned his back on the half-Galdrian former hunter, focusing his attention on Daerist, who still lay unmoving on the ground at the opposite end of the corridor.  “You stay back while I handle this,” Hanzo said to Miura’s surprise.  “I’d hate for this loser to accidentally kill you and rob me of my vengeance.”  The exhausted Miura could only nod in agreement, wondering what true purpose had driven his older brother to rescue him from certain death, and just before losing consciousness the Galdrian nobleman saw Daerist rise to his feet, preparing for battle with a new opponent.

________________________________________________________________________

Clef ran through the maze of passageways.

            As the Namekian warrior got closer to the location where he had left Miura, a shadow of fear came upon him.  What if he’s dead? Clef thought as he suddenly stopped in place, his body trembling with fear.  What if I’m responsible?  Should I have stayed to help against his orders?  The green-skinned warrior’s thoughts were interrupted by the approach of a high power level, though whoever possessed this incredible power remained around the corner, entirely out of Clef’s sight.  This power… It definitely isn’t Miura, the Namek thought.  It feels more like Hanzo…  Clef’s assumption was correct, and he jumped back as the evil Saiyan warrior turned the corner in front of him, a cocky smirk on his face.  The warrior from planet Namek growled in anger as he noticed Miura, unconscious and thrown over Hanzo's right shoulder.

            Miura’s half-brother grinned as he saw the look of rage on Clef’s face.  “Well, I can’t honestly believe that my brother, no matter how pathetic he is, would still hang around with a worthless dog like you.”  Hanzo stopped in place, his golden Super Saiyan aura fading as he returned to his normal state.  The evil Saiyan warrior was now dressed in a jumpsuit, black like those worn by the hunters but not nearly as tight.  His white boots and gloves stood out against the dark jumpsuit, and they were stained with what appeared to be dark blue blood.  Hanzo’s left arm was hidden behind a long, flowing black cape, clasped at the neck by some type of golden broach.

            “Hanzo, put him down,” Clef ordered through clenched teeth.  “I don’t want to fight you…”  Hanzo burst into laughter, sending chills down the Namekian’s spine.  “I mean it,” Clef said as he took a step forward.

            “I can’t really blame you, Namek,” Miura’s half-brother said with a laugh.  “I wouldn’t want to fight me either!”  Hanzo continued to laugh as he flung his cape aside, revealing the contents of his left hand to the surprised Namek.  Clef jumped back as Hanzo tossed the severed head of Daerist at his feet.  “If I wanted Miura dead right now, he’d be dead, understand?”  Clef could only nod in disbelief as Hanzo walked past him, still holding the silent and unmoving Miura over his shoulder.  “Well, you do have a ship around here, don’t you?” 

            “Wait just one minute,” Clef said as he snapped out of his daze.  “What the hell makes you think that I’d even let you on board the same ship as us?!”  Hanzo turned to face the enraged Namekian, flashing him a smug smile.

            “Because if you don’t let me go with you, I’ll just kill you all right now.  That’s right; I’ll kill you and all your pathetic little friends.”  The black-clad Saiyan walked toward Clef, coming face to face with the Namekian bodyguard.  Suddenly, to Clef’s surprise, the expression on Hanzo’s face changed from arrogance to something else, something that the warrior from Namek couldn’t put his finger on.  “Clef, I’m coming with you.”  The two fighters stood silently for several moments, until the sounds of a large group of people could be heard approaching from a neighboring corridor.  “They’re coming…  So what will it be, Namek?”

            Clef growled in frustration.  What would Miura do in a situation like this? he thought.  Finally, with his body trembling with rage, Clef nodded.  Hanzo grinned and patted the Namekian’s shoulder with his bloody left hand.

            “Good,” the Saiyan said.  “But we should probably go now, before things get… out of hand.”  Hanzo turned his back on Clef as he continued to make his way down the corridor, his pace increasing slightly as he approached the hanger.  He didn’t stop to look back to make sure that Clef followed, and the green-skinned warrior stood like a statue, still unsure of Hanzo’s true intentions.

            Finally Clef shook his head and allowed his tense body to relax.  “Miura isn’t going to be happy about this,” he sighed as he ran down the corridor after Hanzo, who for the moment seemed to be a powerful ally.

To be continued…