(Several days later)
(Omega Quadrant, Nimbus 5)
True to his word, as soon as Gohan was back in tip-top condition and had gotten all of his affairs in order, he gave Kana a buzz and asked her whether she still wanted to take him out to celebrate or not. Much to his amusement, without even a second of hesitation, the alien girl jumped down to earth, said her Christmas greetings to all the members of the Son residence she'd come to associate with over the years, and then took the demi-Saiyan on a trip across the cosmos.
The Z-fighter had no idea how many star systems and galaxies they passed. Whatever the case, about a few seconds of light speed travel later, and Gohan soon found himself and Kana standing in the middle of the seediest neighborhood the boy had ever come across.
At first the spiky haired warrior in the orange and blue gi thought he'd been dropped straight into the set of Blade Runner. The brightly lit, rustic skyscrapers of futuristic design towering all around him, flying cars and space ships choking up the skies, holographic billboards written in various bizarre alien languages, and the steamy, backwater streets stretching in all directions certainly amounted to a dystopian version of downtown Las Angeles. However, on closer inspection, the community was much more than that. Aside from seeing the typical street thugs, lowlifes and gutter dwellers the Saiyan would often see back on one of his planet's great infrastructures, what he also saw were aliens and creatures of all shapes and sizes assumed in the roles of this setting's common folk.
The diversity of extraterrestrial life around him was astonishing. To his right, gathered in front of what he suspected to be some sort of porno theatre, was a group of lizard-men gangsters dressed in nineties bikey outfits, with hot alien groupies wrapped around their arms, giggling away as two of them fought. Behind him the Saiyan saw a couple of really tall birdmen walk past, chatting away with a female cat-alien and a green woman with dreadlocks for hair and a tail, all four of whom were dressed in fashionable spandex. To Gohan's left, he saw a man in a hood making what he figured to be some sort of drug deal with a shady alien with a crystallized face in an alleyway. Furthermore, just as he was soaking in the rest of the population, the boy leapt back with a start when a large snake man, who was about three feet taller than him and had fours, claw-like arms, slithered past him.
Needless to say, the sudden change in scenery was a real culture shock to the country teen.
Clearing his throat in surprise, the bewildered Gohan spoke. "This is where you go to relax?" he asked, while at the same time taking note of a tall, humanoid male dressed in a space suit and leaning against his parked car, making out with a scantily clad alien girl with grayish skin and dragon wings.
Laughing at the boy's question, the Seirei in the glowing jumpsuit grinned and elbowed the teen in the side. "No. I said this is where I go to celebrate." She then waved for him to follow, "Come on." She then crossed the street, heading towards a large, metal building with a glowing neon sign on the outer wall just above the entrance.
Initially apprehensive, Gohan decided to shadow the freelancer out of sheer curiosity. However, just before he could cross after the woman, the boy jumped back with a start when a grey hover car suddenly came screaming down the road and blew past him. The driver, a burly alien with orange skin, mandibles around a human mouth, and scales, honked at the boy and screamed out the window.
"Watch where you're going, numbskull!"
Shaking his head, the demi-Saiyan shouted after the offender, "HEY! I'M WALKING HERE!" Not sure whether his yell reached the inconsiderate driver or not, the miffed warrior ignored the snickers from the two alien men, leaning against the wall behind him, both of whom looked surprisingly like Appule and Cui, and quickly followed after Kana.
When the hybrid eventually reached the girl waiting patiently on the other side, he heard her giggle. "Trouble with the locals?"
"That crazy guy nearly ran me over," the frazzled Saiyan exclaimed, simultaneously pointing after the vehicle that'd been traveling well above the speed limit. "Should I report him. I got his license tag. Triangle, triangle… something that looks like a square." Damn. What a weird language.
With the amount of aliens hanging around, it wouldn't surprise him one bit if he ran into somebody who spoke brail.
"Don't bother," Kana chuckled, giving the issue a flippant wave before wrapping her arms around Gohan's, hugging him tightly. "In this town, there's practically no government or law to run things. It's all done by the local crime bosses and space port companies. Just think of it as your typical, outskirt rat pit or crud bucket, where the scum of the universe gather to eat, celebrate, and party, sixty two cycles a day."
Gohan smiled when he felt the girl proceed to drag him down the footpath and towards their intended destination. "Sounds like a really charming place," he remarked, at the same time ducking under a crate being carried by a massive, red alien about three meters tall in space armor, with four eyes and four arms. "Vegeta would feel right at home here."
"He probably would," Kana replied, her glowing orange hair trailing behind them as they continued to edge their way across the neighborhood. "You can find dozens of really powerful people here… and not just gangsters. You also have exiled warriors from distant galaxies, crime lords, mercenaries, drug dealers, tycoons, and all sorts of other military types wandering around. To quote a phrase…" She then lifted her finger and, grinning up at her crush, spoke in her best old man's voice that she could, "You will never find a more retched hive of scum and villainy."
The young man laughed at the face the girl made and nodded to her, "Let me guess, Star Trek?"
Kana then slapped him in the chest, "Don't be ridiculous. I watched it from your planet's data bases yesterday when I downloaded it. It was awesome." Her nose then turned forward again as the pair continued to walk and talk. Despite the general scope of the area, from the way the two of them looked with their arms interlocked, you could swear that they were a young couple out on a date. It certainly felt like it from the Seirei's perspective, even though Gohan was completely oblivious to her motives. "Anyway… if you're ever looking for a more disgusting place, you've found it. Everyone on this planet is completely hardcore."
"You don't need to tell me twice. I've only been here for five minutes and I already feel like my life is in danger," Gohan said, watching a tall man in a high-tech combat suit similar to a SWAT uniform march by with a rifle on his back. Taking note of a tiny, spherical robot with a lone, red eye floating after the mercenary and stepping over a family of bipedal insectoid-aliens the size of boots, the cautious Saiyan then directed a smile back at his friend. "So, reckless-woman-who-decided-to-abduct-me… where is this place you've been dying to take me to all this time?"
Grinning widely, the orange haired woman then stopped in front of a set of metal doors and pointed at the sign above. "Right here."
At first Gohan was taken aback. Size of the gate aside, the damn thing was made completely out of metal and was covered in all sorts of grime, indicating that whoever owned this place didn't put much effort into making this a really respectable establishment… or at least tried to. Furthermore, besides the smell of fish and garbage water, there was also the distinct sound of party music booming loudly on the other side, causing the various vents and panels to tremble with every base note that was hit. Drinking it all in, the demi-Saiyan quickly deduced that this was some sort of night club and that it was the stuff going on inside that the Seirei was so eager to introduce him to.
Before he could even ask Kana what was waiting for them beyond the steel barricade, the glowing woman stepped forward, placed two hands against the handles, and threw the entrance open with an excited shout, "What's up, guys?!"
Almost instantly, the entire place let out a collective, booming roar, "KANAAAAA!"
And this was on top of the ridiculously loud music.
As the girl stepped in with her arms raised, basking in the collective outcry of her admirers, and the double doors closed behind them, Gohan was treated to his second biggest surprise for the day. Not only did he saw the Seirei receive high-fives from all the patrons that were there to greet her, he also saw the place that they were associated with.
In front of him, the Saiyan saw the biggest, most high-tech disco joint he'd ever come across in his young life. The dance floor in front of him and the booths surrounding the place were packed to the brim with drunk, rowdy aliens, all decked out and dressed for a night on the town. Left and right, he saw men and women of all races, shapes, colors and creeds tearing it up across the space, crying out as the music thundered from the speakers above them. All the girls, or what he could see were girls, were dressed in skimpy tops, skirts, spandex and lace, hitting it up with the most bizarre men from all four corners of the universe. Initially Gohan had to shake his head when he thought he saw Captain Ginyu, Cell and Frieza dancing in the crowd, when in reality they were just other people from their races busting moves under the light of the strobes. They certainly looked like them though… there was no arguing that.
Now Gohan would have to live the rest of his life with the image of a Frieza, with boobs, dressed in a bra and G-string, dancing on a table in high heels.
Only the most coma-inducing amounts of alcohol and a few shots to the head would be able to get rid of that memory. Hopefully this place could provide such a beverage.
Under the blazing lights flickering from lamps and spots, Gohan also saw hot alien go-go girls in bikinis dancing in cages that were hanging from the ceiling, food and drinks being served at the booths, a poker tournament taking place in the far corner, and massive television screens and holograms playing party themed recordings for everyone to enjoy. From the cheers going on all around and the amount of testosterone he smelled, it certainly looked like people were having fun, and as he proceeded to follow Kana into the sea of hormones and excitement, it became even more obvious.
"Wow. And you think you know a girl," Gohan mused to himself, smiling as he watched Kana chart a course through a path formed in the crowd.
As they walked, the glowing woman continued bumping fists and high-fiving people left and right. "Hey! How's it going? Long time no see?" the girl chirped, jabbing a large, red-haired, humanoid alien in a jumpsuit as she passed him. "Lookin' good, Zil."
"You too, Kana," the large, muscular traveler laughed, while at the same time grinning at the Seirei. "Workin' hard?"
"You know it," the bombshell mercenary replied, before raising a hand to a boney, Martian-like man in battle armor approaching her from the front. "Yo, Yin. Nice suit. Up high!" She then slapped the alien's hand good-naturedly, earning a croaky response from him when he stepped aside. The man's words earned a playful grin from the glowing girl. "Ten-four, my friend. Ten-four." After waving at the people she'd met on the way through, the girl then dragged Gohan over to the bar.
When they arrived there, they quickly found two seats between a large, bulky man with plates of bone growing out of his skin and a lizard woman in tights. Edging her way in, the glowing Seirei then slapped her hand on the bar and grinned across at the man working behind it.
"Yo, Gonz. Is the garcon in this dive still as bad as I remember?"
Hearing her voice loud and clear, the alien working behind the counter, a burly, orange alien with tusks and an apron, turned around, grinned a toothy smile at the Seirei, and raised two large pints of an unidentifiable foamy liquid. "See for yourself, firefly." He then slammed the two drinks on the counter, not even caring if they spilled as the glowing woman quickly grabbed the nearest one by the handle. "On the house."
"Thanks," Kana exclaimed, taking a seat as the barkeep moved down the line and Gohan slid into the one next to her. Pushing the second serving over to her guest and watching him take it, the Seirei then picked her mug up and held it between them. "Cheers." Clinking it against the Saiyan's when he returned her gesture, the glowing female wasted no time in putting the glass to her lips and chugging back on the beverage.
Gohan could only watch in utter amazement as Kana guzzled down the entire pint in one swig, his mouth dropping when he saw the woman slap it down a second later and belch at the top of her lungs.
Wiping away the excess foam from her lips, the Seirei sighed, "Ah. Now that's good garcon." She then glanced over at the Saiyan next to her and smiled warmly. "Try it. It's great."
Looking at his apprehensively, Gohan then brought the drink up and took a swig of it as well. At first the taste of bubbly sweet nectar danced across his tongue, filling his stomach with wonton desire. But then, when a very gasoline like taste replaced the sensation of honey, the boy's cheeks unexpectedly bloated and he spat out the liquid all across the counter. Sputtering in shock, he looked back down at his drink in bewilderment, "Ugh. Man… that's some really strong stuff."
"Well… it might not be your vintage, but it certainly is mine," Kana laughed, resting her cheek on her hand as she beamed across at the boy in amusement. After seeing him give the drink another try, this time with a little more success, the Seirei stared at him brightly. "I take it you don't come to neighborhoods like this very often?"
"Honestly, no. However, I do find a lot of enjoyment from visiting new places and trying out different cultures," Gohan quickly replied, grinning as he gazed back at his hostess. As the music continued to play and the patrons continued to dance like fools behind him, the demi-Saiyan still found the opportunity to engage with his friend in civilized conversation. "Though this isn't really the kind of setting you'd find me in, I'm still really glad you were able to take me here. Thanks."
"No problem. Live life to the fullest! That's what I always say. It's an experience you shouldn't let go to waste," the Seirei stated, tapping the bar and watching as the host, Gonzo, slid another full glass over to her. Taking it into her firm grip, she gazed at her friend welcomingly to see him casually sip away at his beverage. "After your near death experience, I figured taking you to the wildest, most jamming joint in the galaxy would be the best way to celebrate your return to the real world."
"Yeah. And what a place it is," the young man chuckled, turning to the dance floor and gesturing to the aliens dancing on the stage and tables. "I've never seen so many aliens packed into one building before. Forget about the guys that look like my old enemies, there are groups of men and women out there that I never even seen in movies."
"These are the outskirts. You're bound to run into a few familiar faces," Kana stated, earning a curious look from her companion.
"Oh? Any I should look out for in particular?"
"Let's see. Well…" Kana began, before then grinning and pointing down the table over Gohan's shoulder, "If we're looking for familiar faces, here comes one right now." When the hybrid turned around to look, the pair was quickly confronted by the individual in question.
"Kana. I thought I heard your name get called out across the club," a four foot, blue alien with yellow eyes, a human shaped body, and a purple jumpsuit recognized as belonging to the Galactic Patrolman spoke, at the same time stopping right where the two fighters were seated. Placing his hands on his hips and scowling up at the orange haired woman in the plug suit, the odd-looking alien frowned. "What are you doing all the way out here in such a dirty, disgusting place?"
The Seirei chuckled as she looked down at the serious man. "That's funny. I could ask the same thing of you, Jaco." She then raised an eyebrow at the little officer. "What could a man working for the Galactic Patrol Corp be doing on a planet way beyond the reach of his jurisdiction?"
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