Cosmic Crisis 3 - A New Enemy

Chapter 17 - Close Call

Trunks felt like he was about to snap. The others obviously felt the increase in his ki and Goten went over to calm him down.

"Trunks get a hold of yourself!" he said, shoving Trunks. "You can't do anything about Orion and Nat...but you can do something about bringing her back, and if you don't stop being so careless, you're going to run it!"

Everyone stared at Goten in utter disbelief.

Trunks, angered, grabbed Goten's neck and tried to strangle him. Reena, who had been standing behind Sirius, suddenly ran out in front of him.

"Trunks stop!" she pleaded. "You can't lose control...we've worked so hard for this."

Trunks dropped Goten and looked down at the floor. Goten and Reena followed his stares and they all three locked eyes on the same thing. Trunks' time shift shield was lying on the floor. He was now subject to the mercy of the distorted timeline, and being from the future, he was affected. Trunks slowly picked it up and placed it over his temple again, and after a few seconds, he blinked and looked at Goten.

"Oh...gomen." Trunks said, rubbing his hands together. "I kinda...couldn't control it."

"Control...what?" a voice said from behind them. Trunks, Goten, and Reena turned around to see Orion standing about ten feet away from them, with Carina a couple of feet behind him.

"Nani? Is there a problem?" Sirius spoke up, taking a few steps forward so that e was even with Trunks.

"That's what I want to know. Just as we passed this corner, one of the ki's rose drastically. That's not exactly...normal, is it?" Orion asked, eyeing all of them.

Trunks growled low in his throat. Even though they were in the past and now, Orion was still built slightly bigger than he was, and he looked a hell of a lot more intimidating when angry.

"Gomen nasai Orion-sama." Sirius replied.

"Who are you, and what are you doing in the east wing?" Orion questioned. Carina stepped up next to Orion. She was wearing a long dress, with twin straps and a dip at the hips. She had jewels on her forehead, Trunks noted, which made her look quite elegant. A black choker was around her neck, with a garnet stone in the center.

"Orion they're not potential threats, just leave them alone." She whispered.

"Carina if you are too careless, you'll end up the victim of a terrorist attack." Orion whispered harshly. Trunks noted the irony of the whole situation, since, she would be anyway, no matter how much Orion tried to...protect her.

"Are you new recruits for the army?" Carina asked them.

"No. These two are ambassadors from New Vegeta, and the three of us are from Hespera, here to attend the meeting of the alliance." Sirius replied, in a calm, cool tone.

"New Vegeta..." Carina spoke softly. "Orion I told you they were Saiya-jins. I could tell by their ki's."

Orion just kept his eyes locked on the five.

"I don't care what they are, they shouldn't be in the east wing." He said, and then addressed Trunks. "So, Saiya-jin, do you have orders from the king or queen?" he asked.

Trunks' heart skipped a beat. He didn't know how to answer that. If he said yes, they would be asked to show proof, which they didn't have. If he said no, it would raise further suspicion.

"We must have gone down the wrong corridor. Gomen." He said. Orion raised a brow, and then turned to Carina.

"Let's go." He said, and walked back down the hall. Carina, however, didn't move.

"Iie, Orion. I want to meet the Saiya-jins." She replied, and then turned back to Trunks, extending her hand.

"What's your name, Saiya-jin?" Carina asked curiously.

"Kakarotto." He replied. He couldn't tell her his real name, or it would cause complications in the future.

"I'm Carina." She replied, shaking Trunks' hand, and then looked at Goten.

"And you?"

"Goten." He replied.

"That doesn't sound like a Saiya-jin name." She replied. "Are you pure or hybrid?"

"Hybrid." He replied nervously.

"Hmmm..." Carina said, and looked down at the floor. "I've never been to new Vegeta. What is it like?" she asked, looking back up at Trunks. Before he could answer, Orion came back around the corner.

"Carina what are you doing?" he asked. Carina turned to Orion and frowned.

"I was being DIPLOMATIC, Orion." She said. "Just because I'm a princess doesn't mean I have to be stuck up."

Trunks sweat dropped. This was the Natalie he knew. Her Saiya-jin side was showing. Orion smirked, and began to laugh as another person came around the corner. He was tall, had a muscular build, and had spiky black hair. He looked a lot like Vegeta, but with shorter hair and a more relaxed face. Behind him, the same woman from earlier, the queen, walked up. Trunks was about to wet his spandex. They were going to be caught for sure.

The black-haired man walked up next to Carina and looked at the five.

"Tousan, these people are here to attend the meeting." She spoke to him. "I was just introducing myself to them, and they are very friendly."

The man looked down at Carina and then back at Trunks and the group.

"In the east wing?" he said. "The conference room is in the main hall, when you first walk in the front doors."

Trunks knew that they were in for it now. The king of planet Vela had caught them.

"You must be new around here then." He continued. "It's nothing new, this place is rather large."

"H...hai." Trunks stammered.

"Don't be nervous, young Saiya-jin, we're not going to persecute you." He explained, laughing slightly. "To get back to the main hallway from here, just go down that hallway," he said, pointing to the hall where Orion and Carina had just come from, "take your second right, follow that hall until it dead-ends, and then turn left. You'll run right into it."

Trunks nodded, though his face was still covered in confusion.

"Tousan, Orion and I can take them." Carina offered.

"No, you and Orion can finish whatever business you have to take car of. I'm sure they'll find it on their own."

"Aries..." the queen spoke, taking a step forward. "Just let them do it. We're late for the convention anyway." She said, and gestured for him to follow her as she turned the corner again, the sound of her shoes echoing off of the walls. Aries just nodded to the Saiya-jins, turned, and walked away.

"Carina, stop acting so childish and let the Saiya-jins find their own way back." Orion said. When Carina didn't reply, he stepped up and grabbed her wrist, literally dragging her away.

"Orion stop embarrassing me!" she shouted at him from around the corner.

"We're busy...remember?" Orion replied, accentuating the last word.

"NO! We're not. I have an idea." She said.

Since Trunks and the others couldn't see them, only hear their voices, they figured that Orion's silence was compensated with his facial expression.

"If they are going to stay until tomorrow, we should ask them to come to the council party." She said. "Don't you think that would be a good idea?"

Orion sighed angrily.

"Come on, it will be fun. Besides, it is probably their first time on Vela, and we want to make a good impression, ne?" Carina continued. After a few more minutes of mumbled conversation, Carina and Orion came back around the corner.

"How long are you five staying for?" she asked, folding her arms behind her back and smiling.

"Um....a day. Just one day." Trunks said. "Why?"

"Do you want to go to a party tonight?" she inquired.

"S...sure." Trunks said. "What time?"

"Be in the conference room at 2200 hours." She answered, and then walked away. Trunks watched her as she walked, and noted the slight swing in her hips. He then looked up and saw Orion raise an eyebrow and glare at him before turning and following her.

A few minutes of silence passed before Trunks turned around, his face bright red.

"I am such a baka. Now what are we going to do!" he said, slapping himself on the side of the face.

"We'll go." Sirius replied. "Besides, everyone will be so tired afterward that they shouldn't notice us slipping back into the east wing."

"Hey, you have a point." Goten said. "But...what are we going to wear?"

Everyone turned to Goten. They hadn't even considered that important detail.

"No problem." Ceres said. "We can go get some clothes. I know plenty of places."

"How do you think we're going to pay for them?" Reena asked, her face hinting at her annoyance with the situation.

"I have ways." Ceres smirked.

"Oh no you don't, Ceres." Reena said. "You're not using your mind manipulation techniques this time!"

"What else do you suggest!" Ceres hissed. Trunks stepped in between them.

"Would you two can it!?" he cried. "Just let Ceres use her idea...this planet is going to be gone in a day anyway! I doubt that the store would be fretting over a short inventory!"

Reena and Ceres immediately shut up.

"Gomen." Reena said. Ceres nodded.

"Now we just have to get back out. I hope you know your way around." Trunks said, side-glancing at Sirius.

Sirius didn't say a word, he just began to walk down the hall. Everyone followed him as they made their way out of the large building.

"Orion, stop looking at me like that." Carina said, folding her arms. "I was only doing something nice."

"That's not the point." He said angrily. "Don't you find it a little weird that five complete strangers were in the east wing, heading towards the living quarters?"

"No, I don't." Carina replied. "Now will you lay off? You're not only acting really paranoid, but you're embarrassing me!"

Orion clenched his teeth and hissed.

"Carina you're the naïve fool who lets just anyone walk into your living quarters! Then you go and invite them to a party!"

Carina sighed and backed up against the wall, sliding to the ground.

"Orion I don't want to argue. Are you going to the party tonight?" she asked, looking up at him.

Orion smiled malevolently.

"Of course."