“Whis?”
“Yes Lord Beerus?”
“This isn’t how things were supposed to happen, is it?”
Beerus was floating in the middle of nowhere, or at least, that’s what it seemed like to him. No planets of repute, and thus no delicacies to devour. The solar system was comprised of eleven planets and twenty three moons. That meant little to Beerus, other than rocks circling even bigger rocks.
“And how did you think they were supposed to go, my lord?” Whis asked, winking smugly.
“For one, I expected my universe to be Saiyan free for the foreseeable future. Instead, I wake up to see war breaking out everywhere I go. I can’t believe Frieza couldn’t destroy a single planet. This one thing I ask of him, and he fails.”
“Sometimes, you can’t rely on genocidal tyrants to make good on their words. Plus, from what I can gather, he was gravely injured before the war even started.”
“I wonder how that happened. No one knows of what I asked Frieza, other than you, I suppose. Now you didn’t go blabbing about it to the Saiyans, did you Whis?”
Whis laughed lightly, covering his mouth as he did so. “Now that would be something! No, lord Beerus. I was with you for the last thirty years.”
“Yes. Yes you were, Whis.”
Beerus floated lazily towards the planets, Whis idling alongside him. He remembered the legend of the Super Saiyan God. Was there anyone in the entire Saiyan armada who could stand up to the God of Destruction?
“No, lord Beerus.”
“Pardon me?”
“You were wondering if any of them would be strong enough to face you. That is, simply put, highly unlikely.”
“Oh. So you say it is possible, after all?” Beerus smirked.
“Yes, Yes, I suppose so.”
“Isn’t that interesting.”
Beerus cleaved an asteroid in two with a nail, wading through the system’s asteroid belt nonplussed and nonchalant. Whis disapproved, but he remained silent. For who would chide the God of Destruction when he was destroying things? That was literally in the god’s job description.
Beerus stood beside a gas giant, contemplating whether or not he should erase it from existence.
“I suppose we can let the mortals wage this war among themselves. Let the Kais figure out how to stop it. Judging by their work so far, I am sure they have no idea how to deal with this.”
“True, lord Beerus. And perhaps, through this war, maybe one being can emerge who can finally challenge you to a good fight.”
“Indeed. The mortals have come along splendidly. So many worlds destroyed, and that too without me lifting a finger. I have some catching up to do.”
Whis gulped, as Beerus lined up one blast to destroy three planets. He let the energy loose, which broke cleanly through the cores of four planets, igniting them instanteously. A cavalcade of explosions occurred throughout the solar system, as the planets broke apart in various ways, their chain reactions shattering the surface of several moons.
“That wasn’t…too bad, was it?”
“It lacked panache, if that’s what you are asking about, lord Beerus.”
“Yes. I am rustier than I thought. Let’s see how the Sun fares, shall we?”
Whis frowned. “Couldn’t we leave it for another day? I am sure we can discover more delightful dishes elsewhere if we looked very hard.”
Beerus harrumphed. “You drive a hard bargain, Whis. But keep in mind that if we don’t find good food today, I get to destroy any star that I choose. And not any of those white dwarf stars either. Real stars. At least yellow and sizeable.”
“Now isn’t that a pickle? Thankfully, I know a place. Or two. Let’s see how they have fared in the last thirty years.”
~*~
Zarbon’s leg creaked as he walked, a constant reminder of the metal brace implanted beneath his skin. It hurt every time he got up or walked, but to tell the truth, that’s how he preferred it. It reminded him of the costs he had incurred in this war so far, more keenly than any memory could.
The war with the Saiyans had left Zarbon with plenty of scars, both physical and mental. It had also left him with clear command of the Frieza Army (under the auspices of Frieza himself, of course). Zarbon’s stature within the command structure multiplied manifold after he survived a fight with Vegeta. Of course, only Zarbon knew that he caught Vegeta on a lucky day, and thus Vegeta had simply broken both of his legs and shoved his right arm deep into its own socket. Given Vegeta’s reputation, Zarbon had gotten off very, very lightly.
Zarbon had trained hard since then, with both the Ginyu Force and even Frieza himself. The last few years hadn’t gone easy for him, but it had paid off in dividends.
That’s why, when he entered the main battle room on the ship, he was greeted with hushed voices and respect. Zarbon was one of the last remaining members of Frieza’s old guard. And everyone else knew what that meant.
“Hey there, Zarbon. Everything going well for you, mate?” Jeice asked, shrugging as he offered a handshake.
Zarbon nodded. “Do you have a daily progress report?”
“Well, yes. But it’s the same old, same old.”
“I see. Still, we should cover it as soon as we can.”
Jeice acquiesced, turning the main battle projections on. A map of the universe flickered into existence, birthed to life by holoprojectors in the ground.
“It’s not that bad of day, truth be told,” Jeice said, walking towards the north quadrant projection. “The Saiyans haven’t progressed past C2 planets. Still a few hundred planets in our control here.”
“Right. I have heard that Broly is being sent to change that,” Zarbon said, pulling up scans of the legendary Saiyan warrior. “He hasn’t yet lost a battle, Jeice. If lord Frieza needs to act, we need to let him know at once.”
“Would he like that, though? He has made it clear that we aren’t to bother him when he is training. And he’s kinda been busy training the whole week.”
“He’s training, you buffoon, because he has to fight Super Saiyans whenever he goes out there in the field. And we only have two other people like Lord Frieza in the whole empire. If he dies, then the war may as well be over.”
“I see what you mean, Zarbon,” Jeice said, bristling under pressure. “But isn’t it smart to hold our ground now instead of pressing a preemptive attack? Things are a lot worse in the Southern Quadrant. Bardock and Raditz have razed or conquered most of the C3 planets. They are systematically neutralizing all of our strategic targets in the area. Shouldn’t we be more worried about that?”
“That’s for King Cold to worry about, Jeice. If he needs our help, he will let us know.”
“I see. Then I would advise that we hold onto our reserves for now. And for later, I would advise a two pronged attack on Broly. And Burter agrees on this too.”
Burter peeked out of the sea of commanders, smiling nervously. “Yes, I do. We can get the drop on Broly if we time this right.”
“King Cold isn’t going to come into the North Quadrant, Burter.”
“I wasn’t talking about him, Zarbon.”
Zarbon stared at Burter, and then at Jeice, livid. “Which one of you smart schlags came up with this idea?”
Burter raised his hand. “I did?”
Zarbon rushed towards the man, grabbing his throat and shoving him against the nearby wall. The sea of commanders parted as Zarbon squeezed harder, Burtur gasping as he struggled to break free.
“Does this seem like a good idea now, Burtur? You see how long it took for me to gut you like a fish? It will take Cooler even less time to ruin what we have in the North Quadrant. That madman is a last resort. Things are bad, but they aren’t that bad.”
Zarbon released Burtur, slowly walking back to his position at the head of the war table. “The Saiyans have been fighting us for the last thirty years. And they still haven’t won. That should tell you something about the kind of power we wield.
Lord Frieza has entrusted the battlefields to our care. It’s up to us to not screw things up. I am giving all of you three days. Three days to come up with a sensible plan of action. If I hear anything close to that Cooler nonsense again, I will throw you out of this ship myself. Any further questions?”
Zarbon searched the room, scanning their faces, wondering if this was working. He towered over everyone else in the room in both power and stature. Yet, he felt that when they saw him, they saw through his facade and saw the weak, vain man hiding inside his core.
But the commanders remained silent, and thus, the matter was decided. Zarbon’s mastery was unquestioned. He was Lord Frieza’s will and the instrument of his divine justice.
“Alright. Meeting adjourned.”
~*~
Vegeta waited.
He was floating above his royal warship, keenly observing the carnage being wrought across the star system. Of the twenty three planets, Saiyans were assaulting the six outer planets, laying siege to their planetary bases.
This battle had been going on for three days. At this rate, Vegeta was going to be late for his appointment.
“Capsica, how long do you think it will take for Salsa’s company to take those six planets?” Vegeta asked, holding his scouter.
“Our estimate suggests four more hours.”
Vegeta scoffed. “That’s four too many. Advise Salsa to withdraw from his positions.”
“I take it you are going for the nuclear option, my liege?”
Vegeta smirked. “You guessed right.”
“Right. The evacuation will be finished in five minutes. She’s all yours after.”
Vegeta nodded. He flew in through the escape hatch, heading towards the command room. Once he was there, he connected the interlink to the throne room.
Once the holodeck was online, Tarble appeared, mildly enthused to see his brother in front of him. “You finally remembered I existed, eh Vegeta?”
“I don’t have time for pleasantries, Tarble. Has Broly arrived in the Northern Quadrant?”
“Yeah. He is mobilizing the vanguard on Pars 251. They will attack by sunrise.”
“Good. Tell Broly to push through the defenses. We need to take the Quadrant by end of this month. That’s why I sent my best general there.
Relay the day-to-day battle plans to the Regent. He’s going to oversee the battlefront in my stead.”
“You are heading there, aren’t you? To Earth,” Tarble said. “Things are really that bad?”
Vegeta nodded. This war had lasted far, far too long. He had grown up fighting it, and it was up to him to ensure that future generations of Saiyans don’t go through the same thing again. And to ensure that, he was prepared to go to the last place he had ever wanted to go.
“You keep things sane when I am gone, right? I might be down on Earth longer than I intend to.”
Tarble laughed nervously. “Let’s hope for Earth’s sake that’s not the case.”
“Relax. I will be on my best behavior.”
“Coming from you, that’s not really saying much.”
Capsica’s voice floated in through Vegeta’s scouter. “Evacuations are complete, sir.”
“Copy that. See you in three weeks, Tarble. Don’t screw this up.”
“Yeah. I love you too, Vegeta,” Tarble said, grinning.
Vegeta disconnected the interlink, floating back up the hatch, facing his target with grim finality. He took a deep breath, stretching his arms wide, calling on his ki reserves, a torrential blue aura surrounding his limbs. Raging waves pushed through his body, concentrating onto the palms of his hands.
Gritting his teeth, Vegeta brought his hands together, fusing the two globes of energy into one giant ball. As the heat from the energy seared his flesh, he let loose, yelling as an enormous beam of light burst forth. “Final Flash!”
The beam traveled fast and long, searing past every planet and moon, before striking right at the heart of the system’s resident star. It initiated a chain reaction, spreading from surface to core, initiating a supernova, which in turn initiated a system wide, planet obliterating shockwave.
“Look at that thing of beauty, Capsica,” Vegeta said, returning to his ship, which began accelerating away from the system. “Have you heard about that creation myth? The one about God building the Universe in seven days?”
“No, sire. Where is that from?”
“It’s from Earth. They entertain lots of amusing notions, as I am sure you will know very soon.
Anyways. If that story is true, then God is a lazy bastard. I don’t have the patience to do something for days when I can finish doing it in seconds. But I must commend him. There’s a certain symmetry to creation. A strange wonder that you can’t quite explain. That’s what makes it all so precious, you see. Life. Stars. The Universe. It’s a pity that everything is so easy to destroy.”
Vegeta looked at the system, examining his handiwork. Planets were exploding like popped balloons, sending further shockwaves of mini debris that flew everywhere.
The Saiyan part of him was, of course, furious; blowing up star systems were the easy way out. But he didn’t have the luxury of following war conventions all the time. He was reaching a point in his life where he was starting to forget the number of battles he had fought, let alone all the people he had killed.
And as much as Vegeta liked killing, even he had a threshold that he didn’t like to cross. And this war had pushed him dangerously close to crossing it.
He wondered if Kakarot could be pushed into crossing that kind of line. If not, then powerful or not, he would be of little use to the Saiyan empire.
And a Saiyan who wasn’t useful to the empire was as good as dead in this war.
~*~
“How far away is he?” Goku asked. He was seated on the sofa with his mother, Gine, flanked on both sides by Piccolo and Tien. Radditz was out in the front porch, trying (and failing) to heckle the Turtle.
“It will probably take a week for Vegeta to get here. Last I heard, he was still out there in the East Quadrant.”
“And what does that mean for Earth, Vegeta being here?” Piccolo asked, grimacing.
“He is coming here because he needs Kakarot, and his son. He knows about you lot. And he’s curious. He’s specially concerned why there are two Saiyans who haven’t pledged allegiance to the Empire.”
“We are Earthlings,” Goku said firmly. “We have no business with either side of the conflict.”
“That didn’t stop you from helping with Namek, did it?” Gine asked. “Look son, I know what you are like. Your father knows all about you. That’s why he’s been adamant about keeping your turf isolated from the war. But Vegeta has other plans.”
Goku rose to his feet. “I have heard all I need to hear. I am going to tell Vegeta the same thing I am telling you right now. I am not interested, and neither is Gohan. The Saiyans kill for a living. Just because they are fighting Frieza doesn’t automatically make them the better side.”
“Would you rather have us die all those years ago?” Gine asked, clasping Goku’s hand as she rose, conviction set in her eyes. “We are what we are, son. We are fighting for survival.”
Goku shook his hand free from Gine’s grip. “I respect you, mother, for all you have done for me. I know it must have hurt you to send me away. But you are asking too much from us. I can’t go into a war and put my son’s and friends’ lives at risk.”
Gine nodded grimly, her lips quivering. “Alright. Then what about this. We train together for the next few weeks. That will give you an idea about what you can expect from Vegeta and his royal guard. If you can fight them off, that’s alright. But if you can’t, then you will understand why exactly you need to fight for us, at least for the time being.”
“That doesn’t sound bad,” Piccolo said. “I have always wondered how strong other Saiyans are, especially since we fought Turles all those years ago.”
“Is Vegeta really going to attack us, though?” Krillin asked, incredulous. “Even if we don’t fight for him, we are still technically on his side, right?”
Radditz laughed heartily, nudging the door ajar as he rejoined his mother. “You guys don’t really know how Vegeta works, do you? He’s the King of all Saiyans. What he wants, he gets. What he doesn’t get, he destroys. He’s a simple man, but he’s also a damn good leader. And believe me, Kakarot, if he’s coming here to ask for your help, then we are well and truly screwed.”
Goku smiled coldly. “He hates me that much?”
“More than you could ever imagine. He’s very close with father, you know. And father told him a lot about how tight you and Vegeta were in the other timeline, and how you were always one step ahead of him in terms of power levels. But I am getting ahead of myself. I am sure Vegeta will be more than happy to tell you all this in person. And to be honest, I am looking forward to it.
You know what you need, little brother? You need some humility. You believe that your moral high ground somehow makes you superior to people like me. The joke’s on you. There’s no room for morality in this war. Vegeta is a mean right bastard. But he’s our mean right bastard. And the sooner you kiss his ring, the better.”
Tien smirked, eyeing Radditz up and down as he walked out of the house. “You guys talk the talk. Let’s see if you can walk the walk. Since you interrupted our sparring session, you might as well join it. If you play nice, I might even go easy on you.”
Raditz chuckled. “Sure. It’s your funeral.”
Gine scowled. “Raditz, remember what we are here for. No killing.”
“Sure. No killing.”
Everyone stepped outside, giving Tien and Raditz a wide berth as both of them sized each other up. Gohan returned to his father’s side, excitement and anxiety stemming off his expressions. “Is this a good idea? Tien going up against Raditz?”
Goku nodded. “Tien has trained well in the last few years. This should give us a good idea of how much Raditz has improved, which in turn will give us an idea about how strong Vegeta is.”
Tien rose into the air, as did Raditz, both men cycling each other, gauging each other’s measure.
“So who’s supposed to go first?” Raditz said. “Is it me? Am I supposed to go first?”
“Be my guest,” Tien said, taking a battle ready stance, his arms and fists raised.
“Alrighty then.”
Raditz rushed at Tien, elbow aimed at his jaw. Tien jumped back, countering with a backhand. He missed and cursed, and Raditz snorted. Raditz tried a few kicks, before increasing his distance, launching a volly of ki blasts. Tien deflected most of them, before sidestepping and launching a Dodon blast at the Saiyan.
Raditz grunted and raised his hands, absorbing the full brunt of the blast. He coughed, waving away the smoke emanating from the impact, and then gasped, quickly finding himself on the back foot as Tien swarmed him, soon multiplying into four versions, testing Raditz’s defenses from every angle.
“That’s a nice trick there, human. I also brought plenty of my own.”
Raditz crossed his arms, a huge wellspring of ki bursting forth from his form, pushing away all four Tiens with a forceful wave. Tien absorbed his clones, grimacing, before rushing back in, his white ki aura flaring back to life.
As Tien pressed Raditz, pushing him deeper towards the sea, Goku wondered how Raditz would react. “Tien’s a smart fella, isn’t he Gohan? Look how he is testing Raditz. He’s trying to see how his opponent reacts to pressure.”
“Is that a good idea? I mean, what if Raditz turns into a Super Saiyan?”
Raditz laughed from above. ” I am flattered, boy. But I don’t need to turn into a Super Saiyan to take care of this sorry excuse of an Earthling.”
Tien’s lips curled, eyes focusing intently on Raditz. “I think it’s more the fact that you can’t turn into a Super Saiyan, Raditz. That bugs the hell out of you, doesn’t it?”
Raditz glared, fists shut tight. “If you are trying to get a rise out of me, then good job. Consider me pissed off.”
Raditz raised his hand, concentrating ki into his palm. A purple sphere formed above, rapidly growing in power and scale. Tien gritted his teeth, increasing his distance.
“That looks dangerous, dad,” Gohan said. “A little more power, and he could seriously hurt Tien.”
Goku nodded. “I am sure Tien knows that too. Let’s see what he does.”
As Raditz hovered and charged his attack, Tien slowly positioned himself, his back turned against the sun. Tien glanced behind his back, and then back at Raditz, a small smile edging past his lips.
Raditz aimed his hand at Tien, preparing to fire. “Double Sun-”
“Solar Flare!” Tien yelled, his fingers spread around both eyes.
Raditz, temporarily blinded, screamed and misfired, his ki blast blowing well past Tien and into the horizon. Tien pressed his advantage, landing a chop on Raditz’s head and following up with a springboard kick, driving the disoriented Saiyan down into the waters of the sea.
Tien waited, anticipating Raditz’s response. But when that came, it came at dizzying speeds: Raditz shoved him hard and grabbed his arms, pushing him higher and higher into the air. As Raditz’s speed increased at a faster rate, Tien struggled to break free, but Raditz’s fingers dug even deeper into his arms.
“This doesn’t look good,” Gohan said.
Goku winced, his expression darkening. “Not it doesn’t. Stay here, Gohan.”
Goku’s aura flared and with one leap, he was off. He raced into the upper rungs of the atmosphere, his eyes trained on the meteor-like forms of Raditz and Tien. By the time he caught up to them, they were almost into the stratosphere; Tien’s skin had turned worryingly pale, and his eyes were glazed and non responsive.
Goku grabbed Raditz full Nelson, forcibly removing him from Tien, shoving him away before catching Tien, gently guiding him back down to Earth.
Once both he and Tien touched ground, he took a minute to check his friend’s vitals; relief washed over him when he saw that everything was okay (or as okay as they could be, given the circumstances).
“That wasn’t nice, Raditz,” Goku said, a light aura emanating off his limbs as he floated off the ground once again. “And it’s no way to earn our trust. We are supposed to be on the same side, aren’t we?”
“Raditz harrumphed, dusting off his armor as he approached the island. “Who said I was playing nice? I am a Saiyan. Nice isn’t part of my vocabulary.
As for being on the same side, I am here on this backwater puddle of a planet, aren’t I? As opposed to being out there, raiding and pillaging C3 planets. You got to meet us halfway too.”
Goku turned towards Gine, smiling slightly when he realized that she was grumpy as well.
“You have a hard time keeping him on leash, huh?”
Gine sighed. “What can I say? The men in my life rarely listen to me. And that has worked out well, hasn’t it?”
Bulma cleared her throat, striking a dinner plate with a spoon for emphasis. “If you guys can stop with all the posturing for a bit and come have lunch, that will be great.”
Goku’s expressions underwent a smorgasbord of changes, from annoyance to wonder to excitement and glee. He grinned from ear to ear, rubbing the back of his head as he headed back into the house, going straight to the kitchen. Both Raditz and Gine followed his lead, their eager expressions mirroring the kind of excitement you see in cats when they smell salmon and chicken gravy (and then they realize that it’s for them).
“That was a good save, Bulma,” Gohan said, chuckling.
“Bulma, I gotta ask though,” Krillin said, hand pressed against chin. “Is there enough for all of us?”
Bulma shook her head. “Obviously, I didn’t have enough supplies for two extra Saiyans. So you better get your ass in the kitchen when the going’s good.”
Krillin laughed, his nervousness receding. Gohan laughed as well, while Piccolo grunted disapprovingly from a distance.
Piccolo helped Tien get to his feet, and then he turned towards the sea, staring at the horizon, his expressionless features masking his concern.
“You want to ask me how strong he was, don’t you?” Tien said, nursing his bruised ribs.
“Yes. He wasn’t going all out, was he?” Piccolo asked, already aware of the answer.
“Not even close. He is a lot stronger now than he was five years ago.”
“And Raditz isn’t even a top class warrior to begin with. He’s only sent to low value planets.”
Tien’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know that?”
“He blabbed it out during our last battle. If you haven’t noticed, Raditz likes to talk. A lot. Part of the reason why Goku won against him.”
Tien nodded, laughing shortly. “Goku’s pretty much the only one who has a chance against these Saiyans, if things do go south.”
Piccolo smirked. “Don’t forget Gohan. He’s been training with both me and his father for the last six years. You didn’t see what he did against Slug and Turles.”
“Right. That still makes two of us. Against…what a dozen of them? Or even more, like fifty?”
Piccolo turned his head towards Tien, his facade starting to slip away. “Yeah. We need more numbers on our side.
I know what to do. But it’s going to cost us. In more ways than one.”
Tien sighed. “But it’s pretty much the only option we have on our hands, isn’t it?”
Piccolo nodded. “Yes. Yes it is.”
He looked up at the sky, his gaze piercing past the clouds. “Tien, I am going to go away for a while. Probably won’t return until next week. You and the others keep training until then. This is going to take all of us working well, and working together.”
“Yeah. You take care of yourself too, Big Green.”
Piccolo frowned. “I hate that name.”
Once Piccolo was off, Tien sat by the beach, observing the setting sun sinking into the waters of the sea. He limbered and stretched his hands, wincing, keenly aware of his bruised ribs.
“Enjoying the scenery, Tien?” Yamcha said, walking out of the house with two beers in hand.
Tien smiled, rising to his feet. “Yeah. Who knows how long this will last.”
Yamcha handed one bottle to Tien, who took a long, grateful gulp. “Vegeta is going to totally kick our asses, isn’t he?”
“Probably. But hey, we aren’t pushovers either. We might be kicking his ass, for all you know.”
Yamcha snickered, downing some beer and burping lightly. “This is going to be worse than that time Turles tried his Tree of Might thing you know.”
“That’s not that bad,” Tien said, his nerves still recovering from the sparring session. “I mean, it’s not as bad as King Piccolo. But still pretty, pretty bad.”
“Let’s hope we don’t have to use Dragonballs this time, yeah?”
Tien nodded. “From what I just heard, Yamcha, I think we don’t have that option anymore.”
“Oh well. At least we get to go out like badasses against the most powerful beings in the universe.”
“That’s Frieza or King Cold,” Tien corrected Yamcha. “But yeah, Vegeta’s a close second.”
“Hey! Are you guys going to come eat or what?” Bulma asked as she peeked outside, visibly irritated. “I am working with eleven hands already. If you aren’t hungry, come and help me out!”
“Yeah, babe, we are coming!” Yamcha said, nudging Tien to follow him. “Sorry for not bailing you out sooner.”
Tien waved Yamcha off, opting to stay outside for a few minutes longer. It had never really occurred to him how beautiful sunsets were. Of course, he had known that fact, but he had never felt it.
He had trained all his life, and for what? Vegeta was still coming to Earth in three weeks. He had never really asked Krillin what dying felt like, and for good reason too. He would be lying if he said that he was afraid of dying. But he was grateful to have survived as long as he did.
With a sigh, Tien returned to Kame House. Maybe some food in his belly would distract him. Thank Kami for small pleasures.
“You okay, Tien?” Bulma asked. She was still standing by the doorway, leaving some plates on the sofa for Puar, Oolong and Turtle. “You look like you saw a ghost.”
Tien shook his head. “I am alright. And you know what, Bulma? I guess things are going to be alright. Especially since Goku’s on our side.”
Bulma nodded, smiling warmly. “Yeah. Things are going to be alright. Because, well, if they aren’t, there isn’t much to look forward to, right?”
Don’t worry, Tien. I am sure Goku has a new technique up his sleeve.”
Tien looked at Goku, who was still scarfing down three steaks at once, hoarding his share of the table, periodically frowning as he kept Raditz away from pilfering his supply.
Of course, Goku was one step ahead of everyone else. That’s why he was so calm and happy, right? But what if, this one time, Goku didn’t have anything up his sleeve?
Tien sighed inwardly. He would have to wait and see for the next three weeks, like everyone else.
This is a Shared Universe, multi-chapter story that will be updated periodically.