The next few weeks passed without major incident, as the three continued their training. The supply of food and water, however, began to diminish, and they decided to ration what was left.

"You know, guys, it's not going to look too good if it turns out Takira was right," said Goten.

"I'm sure we'll arrive soon. I, for one, am ready for some action," Trunks replied.

"Me, too," Goten grinned. "I haven't trained so hard in a while. I want to see how it pays off."

"You're pretty confident."

"I'm not too worried about this Degradu character. I'm more worried about how we can convince Takira to come back with us." He looked inquiringly at Trunks, who shook his head.

"I can't help you there. After what I said, I don't think she'll be really thrilled with the prospect of coming home with me." Gohan and Goten exchanged a knowing look.

"Well, we'll see about that soon enough," Gohan sighed. "Whatever you think of her, Trunks, I doubt that she'll kill you. She may be pissed, but no more than she'll be at Goten or me." Trunks shrugged and walked over to the scanner screen.

"She still hasn't stopped. Where the hell is this planet?"

"She's probably wondering the same thing," Goten quipped.

"Actually, she probably already knows," Gohan interjected. "Degradu's bound to have contacted her by now." He paused significantly. Trunks threw up his hands in defeat.

"Fine, contact her! Just remember, you talk to her yourselves!" Gohan nodded and tried to call up Takira's ship, thinking about what he should say. She was going to be mad--

There was no response. Only a thick buzz of static came from the console.

"What the hell?" Gohan tried again. Nothing. He disconnected, checked the settings, and retried. Still nothing.

"I don't get it," he muttered. "It's like she's not even there--"

"Except we know she is," said Goten, gesturing at the scanner screen. Trunks peered at it more closely. A message blinked in one corner.

"Looks like we've got an error message. It recommends rebooting the system."

"Won't we lose her?" Goten asked worriedly.

"I don't think so," said Gohan. "If nothing else, it only takes a few moments to reboot and she won't move out of range in that amount of time. We can always lock onto her again. Go ahead and reboot it, Trunks." He turned back to his console, trying to establish contact again as Goten looked over his shoulder. Over the continuous hiss of static, they heard the clicks and beeps of the computer, and then a sudden curse from Trunks.

"What happened?" asked Goten. "Did it clear the error message?"

"That's not all it cleared," Trunks muttered. Takira's ship was no longer on the screen.

*****

"They will bring her?" he asked calmly.

"Yes, Lord Denatu," Azher assured him, trying to calm his own trembling nerves. He hadn't minded being Deoge's go-between until now; he hadn't expected to make a personal appearance before the imposing shape-shifter. Denatu bore a look of languid indifference that Azher distrusted. He knew Denatu was in fact extremely interested in this deal--and growing impatient.

"They should arrive on Earth soon, sire. The captain is the one who saw the girl; he will bring her back, have no fear."

"I fear nothing," Denatu said softly. "If this girl does not arrive it is of little consequence to me. You and your people, however, have a great deal to lose if she is not found. I expect frequent reports of your group's continued progress, that I may be sure your efforts are in earnest."

"Of course, sire," said Azher with what he hoped to be a proper tone of sincerity. "I will inform King Deoge, and will have my assistant deliver messages to you personally."

"No," Denatu interrupted. "You will stay and report to me here. Your lackey will remain on Geo and transmit all important messages to you." Azher cringed; he'd been hoping to get off this cursed planet.

"As you wish, sire," he whispered.

"You are dismissed."

"Thank you, sire." Azher took his leave, grateful to be out of Denatu's presence. A deeply-felt sigh escaped his lips as he approached his new lackey, who'd been waiting outside.

"It looks like you're going back home, to keep up contact with Shael and King Deoge. I am to remain here; all messages of importance are to be forwarded to me, got it?" The Roc nodded. "You may as well leave now; if we could get a report from Shael before tomorrow I think it would be helpful."

"I'll see what I can do, sir," he replied, and headed off for the transport pods. Azher watched him go. He'd never had an assistant before, until this nameless stranger came looking for work. Why he wanted the job, Azher couldn't figure out, but he was efficient and dedicated to his work. He'd promised to be discreet about the situation between Deoge and Denatu; truth be told, the stranger avoided all other Roc at virtually any cost, so he was definitely no gossip. He turned and waved as he entered the tiny pod. Azher waved back and returned to his room; it looked like he would be staying there for a while.

Inside the pod, Dolmit shifted uncomfortably, his knees pressed into his chest. Transport pods were in some ways ideal for these short trips: small and efficient; but they were very cramped. It was worth it, though: now not only was he privy to the dealings of Deoge and Denatu, but he had permission(orders, even)to communicate with Shael. His mind raced; he'd not spoken with Shael since the captain had left. Azher had been careful to keep Dolmit away from the communications board, and would not permit him to put through his own transmissions; that is, until now, when Azher no longer had a choice.

It was a lucky break, nothing more, but Dolmit had come to depend on them. It seemed that chance and fate were the only things he could believe in any more.

*****

Takira jerked awake as the small craft jumped and shook. 'Must be landing,' she thought groggily, sitting up and stretching her weary muscles. Between the intense training and having to sleep on the hard floor, she ached all over. 'They'd better make this worth my while. It's been a long, hard journey and I'm not in the mood for any crap.' The console beeped for what seemed the millionth time, repeating its message of an error in the communications module.

"Stupid thing," Takira muttered. After Degradu's fifth interruption of her training to check on her progress, she'd smashed the communications board, just to get some peace. She hardly considered it an error, but obviously the computer had other ideas. Fortunately, the autopilot seemed to be working. With a resounding crash, the pod settled none too gently on the surface of Abeter. Takira stood, sensing around her. Two sources of ki were approaching. They might be a challenge in her human form, but wouldn't be a problem when she was transformed. She decided to save her energy for the moment; she had practiced her transformation to the point that it barely took a moment. Squaring her shoulders, she opened the hatch and stepped out.

Two newt-like guards stood to either side of her, dressed in strange armor. She glanced at the one to her right. He stiffened at her scrutiny, then stepped forward with an air of authority.

"Welcome to Abeter. Are you Takira?"

"I am. Mehat's inside, if you're looking for him." The guard nodded to his partner, who stepped into the pod.

"Where is Degradu?" Takira asked.

"His dwelling is a mile that way," he said, pointing. "We will take you to him."

"I have no need of an escort, thank you," Takira said, taking off. The guard appeared in front of her, looking angry.

"Like it or not, you are not to see Lord Degradu without an escort! If you do not agree to come with us, we will use force to convince you." Takira smiled; in a way, she'd been hoping for this.

"Go ahead and try," she murmured viciously. Without taking his eyes from her, the guard yelled to his partner below.

"Phebi, get up here! What's the hold-up?" Phebi arrived, looking queasy.

"It's Mehat. He's dead." Takira snickered.

"You mean Degradu didn't tell you?"

"That's not your concern," the first guard snapped. "Now are you coming with us or not?" Takira raised a mocking eyebrow, and suddenly lunged forward, kicking the guard square in the chest. He plummeted to the ground, sending dirt and rocks flying. Phebi stared, aghast, as his companion painfully extracted himself from the crater he'd formed. When Phebi looked back at Takira, she was glowing with an eerie light, her hair and eyes shining silver. She gave him an innocent smile.

"Goodness, Phebi, why so surprised? Would Degradu have sent for me if I were as weak as you two?" The injured guard rose into the air again, ignoring his partner's worried looks.

"Aman, are you okay?" Phebi asked. Aman pinned him with an angry glare, then turned back to Takira, his expression grim.

"Look, if you show up without an escort, we'll both be executed--"

"--and if you try to force me to do otherwise, you'll die. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm not in the best of moods right now. I'd suggest you let me go my way; you have a slightly better chance of survival."

"Do you think we want to fight you? We're only following orders; we didn't ask to come here."

"What a coincidence," Takira mused. "Neither did I. Life's not fair for anyone, is it? The option is yours: death by me or Degradu. I, for one, can guarantee it will be quick." Aman glowered at her.

"We'll die fighting, bitch," he growled.

"As you wish," she said, then turned to Phebi. "What about you?"

"We'll fight together as we always have," he stated bravely, but his stance betrayed his nervousness.

"All right, then. Bring it on."

Aman charged forward, rearing back with his fist. Takira dodged aside, the whirled, landing a kick at the back of his neck and following with a one-handed ki blast that struck him to the ground. He lay completely motionless, his neck broken, as his eyes went lifeless. Phebi screamed and flew at Takira.

"That was my brother!" he roared. "You monster!" Summoning all his strength, he launched an energy sphere at Takira. With a flick of her hand, she deflected it back at him, and with a hideous screech, he was reduced to ash. Takira sighed reflectively as she resumed her original form.

"Not bad. It seems my training is beginning to pay off. Now for Degradu." With a last pitying glance at the body of the fallen guard, she rocketed away.