Gone Native: Making Peace (ch. 24) (Patreon)

I had been mistaken about the specifics of Humanity's safe haven. I thought it was a parallel universe, but it turned out to be more of an isolated pocket dimension that was a mirror of the planet Earth. I had been right about the time dilation effect -- the time I had spent fighting on Earth had added up to about a year in the pocket dimension.

"I hope you understand that I won't take your word for it," I told Lex Luthor, the new leader of the new United Nations. They had used the year to plan. To plot. They created a fledgling alliance that encompassed all the nations of the world. They gave the UN power to act. How exactly Lex Luthor had been chosen to lead the alliance was anyone's guess, but I didn't care how he was elected. Or even why. What mattered was that he had the authority to offer Humanity's surrender.

"I would be shocked if you did," Luthor responded, not sounding insulted. "Likewise, I hope you understand that our surrender does not come without conditions?" he said, meeting my gaze without flinching.

"The ones behind the deaths of my soldiers will be given to me, as will the teams that carried out the order," I told him, the demand non-negotiable. He nodded his head in agreement, already prepared to concede on the point.

He offered a magnanimous smile, "All of the perpetrators have been rounded up. They await in prison cells for you to exact your justice." he said, clearly caring nothing for their lives. Based on the way he said it, it sounded like I would be doing him a favor. Clearing out the old regime?

"They will be interrogated to confirm their guilt, but beyond that, I am uncertain what left there is to discuss," I told him, standing across from him in his office. Though, I did not look at him in favor of looking at a painting on the wall -- it was of a city square, with the focus being on an older style building made of stone and glass. Based on the date, it was painted in the year 1914.

"Humanity's integration into your empire, I would imagine," he remarked lightly, earning a look from me.

I tilted my head, "Why would that be discussed now?"

Lex Luthor was an intelligent man. He quickly realized what I was getting at. "You still intend to leave Earth's ownership to be decided at the summit?" he questioned, sounding surprised and cautious. I could see why. It couldn't be denied that I had humanity by the throat. No matter what they had up their sleeve, the fact of the matter was that I could stomp my foot hard enough to crack the planet in half. I had proven I could defeat their mightiest heroes.

It would be a simple thing to take my victory and claim dominion over Earth. To take the planet by conquest.

"I said I would. The UN murdering my soldiers is a separate issue than the legal rights of Earth," I told him, turning to face him. He frowned, appearing to not completely agree with that. He was trying to see what I was up to, what I had to gain by doing things this way. I don't think he could see it. Honestly, I should just take the final step. I had wasted enough time on Earth as it was.

In hindsight, I should have simply ignored the legal issue entirely, found Broly, then left the planet with him. Maybe stop by and vacation here later because, admittedly, the food was delicious. Take Earth's integration slow, rather than issuing an ultimatum. But, it wasn't like I could do anything about that now.

"I have an empire I must return to. I've neglected my duties too much as it is. The date that was issued was too short sighted of me," I admitted, making Luthor's frown deepen as he regarded me with open suspicion, sensing a trap that wasn't there. "I was working under a personal timeframe, which rushed things an unfortunate amount… unless you have already made your decision?"

Lex Luthor leaned into his chair and it seemed I had put him on the backfoot without intending to do so. I just couldn't afford to spend another few days on Earth. Better to let Earth recover, for tempers to cool, then we could have the summit as intended without coming off of a fight that saw some heroes and villains dead. He steepled his hands together, regarding me coolly for a long moment, the room filled with nothing but the swishing sounds of my aura whipping the air.

Maintaining the Ascended Super Saiyan form had been too taxing, so I settled for the base Super Saiyan form. As baffling as it might be for a Saiyan to consider the Super Saiyan transformation a lesser form.

I could see him adjusting his plans in the brief second he took to consider my response. "A six month grace period," Luthor began. "For humanity to acclimatize to the prospect of joining a galactic empire. In that time, your empire shall foot the bill for Earth's infrastructure as we prepare for extraterrestrial beings becoming regular visitors to our planet. Should you go to war, then humanity shall be exempt from recruitment."

He leaned forward, "Likewise, human companies shall be given preferable treatment to your empire's markets for the duration of the six month grace period. After that, we will retain special rights such as mining rights to everything in the Sol system." That part seemed like an important point for him. Having dealt with his kind plenty of times before in the Trade Organization, I could easily identify his plan.

He intended for humanity to be one of the dominating economic forces in the Empire. Their numbers were small, comparably, but the fact that we stood in a planet sized pocket dimension stated all that needed to be said of what Humanity was capable of. I sensed that Lex Luthor would do particularly well considering the lack of major corporations in my empire.

I tilted my head back, considering it for a moment. "My empire shall establish a presence in the ice sheets that cover your north and south pole. Our restoration efforts of the planet are non-negotiable and will not be impeded. Nor will our aid missions." A six-month grace period wasn't bad. It worked for me as well -- I could get my race used to Earth and humanity, since humanity seemed determined to remain on the planet. I'm sure that would change as my race turned the planet into more of a death world than it already was to feel at home, but…

This wasn't a bad outcome.

Luthor nodded, "Very well." I suppose he saw no issue with the demand on account of the fact that he was expecting me to seize control of Earth outright.

"In six months’ time, your government will dissolve. Your species will be allowed representatives and allowed in government positions in my empire, but the United States, China, or your new United Nations will cease to exist," I told him outright. It was that way for the rest of the Empire. Despite the trouble they gave me, humanity wasn't special enough to earn a vassal privilege.

Luthor's face tightened but he nodded in agreement all the same. "Further details can be discussed at a later date, but for now, I believe that we are in agreement. I will give the evacuation order for this pocket dimension. Can we count on aid missions to house those whose homes were destroyed in the fight?"

"Naturally," I agreed, and with that…

It was over.

…

"Sorry," Broly said, sounding crestfallen as we sat on the ledge of a half-collapsed building. I had returned from the human pocket dimension, and in the amount of time I was gone, only a second had passed here. The action was a test of faith for humanity, to see if their surrender could be trusted. Upon emerging from the pocket dimension, Wonder Woman received a communication from Lex Luthor.

Her expression didn't betray her thoughts, but whether she agreed or disagreed with it she honored the surrender.

The twilight of battle was different when your enemies weren't all dead, or their will to fight shattered. There was still a tension in the air. There were more than a few that were willing to continue the fight. I wasn’t sure on the exact losses on the Earth side, but I did know I killed the sniper, Enchantress, and that stretchy human. Their losses weren’t substantial, yet I suspected that they would accept them with about as much grace as I did my men.

“You don’t have anything to apologize for, Broly,” I dismissed, looking out at what was left of Gotham.

He didn’t seem to agree, “You wouldn’t have had to do that if I didn’t get mind controlled,” he pointed out, looking up at the sky. There were lingering marks from the battle. The gases in the upper atmosphere had been disturbed by the ki of my attack, and when combined with the rays of the sun, it had created large blue and green waves of refracted light across the sky.

“That was my fault. My own defenses caused me to underestimate how effective they would be on you,” I argued, letting out a sigh. “Don’t take off that necklace. We can’t afford them trying the same tactic again.” I added, making Broly reach up and touch his Nth metal necklace. It had been made from what was left of my suit. It should sure up his defenses to mental intrusions, as well as allowing him breathe no matter where he was. Just in case.

Broly still didn’t seem like he agreed, but he chose to not argue the point. “What now?”

That was a good question. “First, we begin rebuilding the cities that were destroyed. Then I will establish a presence on the planet’s poles. After that…” I trailed off, frowning lightly. It wasn’t like I didn’t have plans. However, they shifted in my mind like sand, refusing to take shape. It wasn’t yet time to take that next step, but it would be soon. Introducing Saiyans to the planet now had more inherent dangers, because it was a proven fact that there were some here that could seize control of them.

More than that, the six-month grace period was to cool tempers and resentments. To allow my empire to win over the human population, which I should have done at the start. I thought it would be easier to use force, and when I was met with force in kind, my response was to use more force. My ambitions hadn’t changed. Still, I couldn’t deny that how things had ended would complicate things.

“Are you going to leave Earth?” Broly asked me, sounding like he wished that I wouldn’t. “You basically just got here. You can stay a little longer, right?” A small breath of amusement escaped me -- Broly sure had grown larger and stronger, but he hadn’t done much growing up. I was glad for it.

“I’ve neglected my duties too much as it is,” I admitted. Coming to Earth how I did was a mistake, but it wasn’t one I exactly regretted making. “But, I do believe it would be best to stay and oversee the transition and establishment of our presence on the planet.” As much as my continued presence would inflame people’s tempers, it would also act as a deterrent. I had fought the Justice League, Earth's mightiest defenders, and I had emerged victorious.

I’m sure that Earth was licking its wounds and learning from their mistakes. And I’m sure that they knew that I was doing the exact same. I couldn’t say if there would be another confrontation, I just knew that if it happened, it would be far more destructive.

Broly aimed an honest smile at me before he hopped off the ledge of the building and floated in front of me. “Then you should see my house. Come on!” he said, taking off before I could give an answer. I watched him go for a moment, Broly traveling hundreds of miles in an instant, before I sighed and hopped off the ledge as well.

I could feel the eyes on me, Earth watching every move I made, waiting for a sign of weakness. Surging after Broly, I paid more attention to my ki sensing as I felt more of Earth's population return. So far, Lex Luthor seemed to be upholding the surrender. I'm absolutely certain that he had plans, but for now, he was biding his time and accepting my victory. As was everyone else.

I noted that I had managed to do a decent job of keeping the damage to the planet to a minimum. It was localized in a few cities, except for the mountain range that got blown up over in Italy. I also think Sicily might have been sunk. I think in terms of landmass it balanced out because the oceans dropped about an inch because of the holes in the Earth's crust. In all, Earth had proved surprisingly hardy as far as planets went.

Passing over an ocean, Broly led me to his home. I saw a white sandy beach give way to lush green grass and palm trees. A modest home was built further back -- wood planks marking the walls with large glass windows. Broly touched down on the ground, aiming a proud smile at me. "I made it myself. I saw a bunch of pictures in catalogs, so I combined the parts I liked the best."

Then I noticed that the windows weren't windows. They were diamonds. The wood that made the house wasn't made with the blade of a saw, but a ki blade. "Hm. I think you might be the best Saiyan architect," I admitted, making Broly's proud smile grow.

"Mostly because I don't have much competition," Broly returned in a good natured tone. "You should see Shayera. She should be here," he said, heading towards a front door made to accommodate someone of his formidable size. The former member of the 501st was there. I felt her familiar presence even before I stepped inside. Our eyes met, and hers narrowed just as mine did.

I didn't harbor ill will towards her, but it was difficult to be happy to see her. She had purposely hid Broly from me, and hid my arrival from him.

Still, she looked well. Her red hair was longer than I remembered. The wings of her race were sheathed in Nth metal, a momento from her dead husband if memory served. Beyond that, she didn't look like she had aged a day. "General Tarble," she greeted, giving me a small nod, about as happy with me as I was with her.

Broly didn't seem to pick up on it, "He's a king now! Frieza's dead, and he's not a part of the Trade Organization anymore!" Broly informed, making her eyes widen. She hadn't heard that? Did she plug her ears to the news after she heard that I had arrived? I didn't expect her to dig her head in the sand and hope I just never noticed. I thought better of her.

"I- I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. If you can defeat the Justice League, it would only make sense that you had surpassed Frieza," she responded, and some of the tension seemed to ease out of her. I suppose that could explain her actions -- if she thought I was here to reclaim Broly and bring him back to the war front.

"Not quite, but he is dead," I answered, not going into specifics. Now wasn't the time. "It is good to see you again," I offered, for what it was worth.

Broly glanced between us, sensing the tension, "Tarble doesn't have a whole lot of time before he has to go back to ruling his empire. We were going to watch a movie -- it's nearly Christmas! I think he would like Home Alone," he said, making the decision before going off to find the movie. Leaving Shayera and me alone.

She looked at me, her eyes narrowing into a glare, "Broly isn't going to war." she told me, as if she had the power to stop him or me.

"There is no war to fight. We are at peace," I rebutted, my tone just as friendly as hers -- not at all.

"You don't seem at peace," Shayera noted, the barbed words finding a nerve. "Earth was peaceful. It had it's problems, but it was peaceful. Why did you come here?" she asked, and there was anger in her voice. Angry that I had disrupted the peace in her life -- in their lives. There was fear there too. Fear of change and what this change meant for her and Broly.

"I came here because it was supposed to be peaceful. Instead, I just found enemies," I admitted. "I don't know what happens next. I don't know what Broly will do. But, it is his choice. Whether he stays on Earth or leaves is up to him." I said, cutting to the root of the problem. Shayera glowered at me, her hands clenching into fists.

"Except that's not true. Broly fought with you. He revealed himself to the world. Now, everyone will want to use him," she spat in a quiet voice that didn't lessen the venom in her words. "He had a life here. You ruined it."

Already, Broly had been mind controlled. He fought against the Justice League and their armies all at once. Broly had proven his might. As much as I wanted to dismiss her words, I couldn't deny that there was a grain of truth there.

I met her gaze for a long moment. "That is for Broly to decide," I told her before turning and leaving through the front door. I didn't want to get into an argument. Not when Broly could overhear. Which he had based on the fact he hadn't moved from behind the doorframe since our spat began. It wasn't solely to spare his feelings either, because I felt a familiar presence materializing outside.

Stepping out of the door, I locked eyes with Raven. She looked well -- no signs of injuries of any kind. Though, the expressionless mask she had schooled her face into betrayed her irritation.

"How well did the expedition in my empire go?" I asked her, approaching her despite her piercing glare and dull expression.

"You nearly blew up the planet," she spoke as I neared, coming to a stop as I looked out at the ocean. The waves were irregular. The Pacific ocean had fared better than the Atlantic, but it had still been affected by the battle.

I crossed my arms, still shirtless from the battle. "Broly was being mind controlled," I answered, no hint of repentance in my tone.

"So, you blow up the planet?" Raven questioned, her tone incredibly dry, not at all satisfied with my reasoning.

"When you say it like that, it sounds unreasonable," I pointed out. It had been completely within reason. Broly was in danger -- they would have forced me to fight him, or worse, possibly take his own life. There was no room for any quarter to be given. I respected heroes. I admired them. I even wanted to emulate them in some ways.

But I would kill them all down to the last man before I let Broly come to harm.

Raven stood next to me, pushing back her hood. "I wonder why," she questioned, her tone sarcastic. Then she glanced at me, "Are you in love with him?" she questioned, making me look at her strangely.

"No. I prefer women," I answered bluntly. Sexuality wasn't something I put much thought into. I wasn't blind to the female form, but there just wasn't time to waste on such pursuits. My gaze drifted for a moment, influenced by the turn in the conversation, taking Raven in -- much of her body was hidden behind a dark blue cloak, but she had a fine face. Her eyes narrowed at me, probably sensing what I was feeling. "Broly is my friend. The last friend I have," I continued, making her gaze soften.

I looked away, letting the silence fall between us as she accepted that. "You're different," Raven noted, turning her attention to the sea.

"Not yet," I admitted. I hadn't even taken the first step to change myself. "I just came to peace with my past."

There was a small beat of silence before Raven spoke. "What really happened with Frieza?" she asked me, her tone gentle, but it couldn't take the weight away from the question. I didn't look at her in favor of focusing on the ocean. I…

Part of me was surprised, and the other part expected this. I never thought the lie would be discovered so soon, yet I always knew it would one day. I also wasn't surprised that it was Raven that discovered that I had lied. She seemed to understand people. Much better than I did.

I clenched my jaw, not speaking for a long moment. That moment became a minute. Then that minute became more. I had accepted what happened after weeks of… not accepting it. Of not dealing with it. The truth was painful to even think about. All the same, Raven waited for me to find the words.

"My race is a violent one," I began, my voice low. "A savage one. Things like mercy are foreign to most of us. Kindness, compassion… to us, the only thing that matters is strength. To be strong enough that you can impose your will on others," I said, a long sigh escaping me. "I was born wrong. I would have been killed because of it, but Bardock had been born wrong too. He valued his comrades and friends. My team… they were as much my family as Vegeta and Elery are. Were."

Raven said nothing, letting me speak uninterrupted. "Because I was born weak, I was not acknowledged. My Mother didn't care if I lived or died. King Vegeta was willing to have me killed for his own agenda. If it wasn't for Vegeta, my older brother… I would be dead. Because he had been born wrong too. He loved me as a brother despite my weakness, and treated me as one even though I wasn't acknowledged."

Regardless of what happened, I would always love Vegeta for that. He was still my brother.

"Then my family killed my family," I spoke the truth for the first time, making Raven shift where she stood. "Vegeta grew jealous of me. He grew to hate me. When our father named me his heir over him, it destroyed his pride -- the single most valuable thing to a Saiyan. He planned to kill me long before that day, but the decision forced his hand. We fought."

I dragged a hand down my face, "My team wanted to change things. Saiyan society is based on a class system where strength determines your worth. They wanted to do away with it. I did too… but I wasn't willing to kill my brother and father for the throne. So, they took matters into their own hands…" I trailed off, the words refusing to leave my lips. Raven waited patiently. As did Broly, who thought he went unnoticed.

"They murdered Vegeta. Frieza was already against us, he was going to exterminate us, and he was going to sacrifice himself so we could flee. Then they assassinated him," I spoke the words and I felt like a weight had been lifted from my chest. Yet, I felt strangely empty once it was gone. "They were doing it for the good of the Saiyan race. And to save their own lives because there was no love lost between them. But, when I saw it was my team that had murdered my brother… I killed them. The Super Saiyan transformation is a curse. The power it offers isn't worth the price. To use it, you have to be driven to the brink of insanity and go mad with rage."

Another sigh escaped me, "So, I killed them. I fought with Bardock for a time, inflicting that same curse on him with the murder of the team. But, then Frieza made himself known and we fought together to kill him. Bardock died in the attempt. I blew up Planet Vegeta using the Warworld, causing a black hole… and all the evidence of the truth was gone."

"You hate them… no, you used to hate them," Raven spoke quietly, her tone gentle as a raw wound was aired so it could heal.

"I did. I do. It… was easier to hate them. Because, if I hated them, then I didn't murder the people that I loved," I spoke almost dispassionately, as if I were speaking about someone else. That day had poisoned my soul with rage and grief. Hating my team for what they did made it easier to bear. But, I still loved them. Just as I loved Vegeta. His final moments made it easier to forget the bad, and my team's last act made it easy to forget the good.

There was another long silence, "I understand," she told me, and I saw it in her eyes that she did. Keenly. Deeply. In a way that I didn't think anyone else could. "My father is Trigon. I… made a mistake when I was younger. I thought I understood something that I didn't, and I didn't want to feel alone. I went to my father and because of it, everyone I knew and loved died." she spoke, her tone tightly controlled.

She understood. And she understood why Broly mattered so much to me. He was as much of a brother to me as Vegeta had been.

Broly chose to reveal himself in the wake of her reveal as we came to an… understanding. I heard the sound of sand crunching underfoot, causing me to look over. I saw a gentle smile on his face as he looked at both of us, "I found the DVD. Do… you want to stay and watch with us?"

Raven looked to Broly, seeing him for the first time. I could only imagine what she felt from him. Her dark violet eyes flickered to me for a moment, coming to a decision in a sit second. "Will there be popcorn?" she asked, implicitly agreeing as she walked towards the house, accepting the invitation.

"Yeah! Plenty!" Broly confirmed with a happy cheer, running back inside. I took a moment to let my emotions to settle instead of strangling them in place with an unyielding iron grip.

I wasn't okay. Not even close. But, for the first time…

I thought I was going to be. One day.