FLAGSHIP ABSOLUTION, Arcose.Rebellions. They were such an exhausting and tedious thing. Lord Snow sat in abject frustration in the chair at the end of the every long conference table. It was in one of the larger chambers within his ship. Such a meeting place had seldom been used. He even had his servants tidy up some of the lingering dust before entering himself. The Planet Trade Organization's headquarters were overrun by rebel force and there was no place to have a board meeting.
The safest place on Arcose was Lord Snow's ship. It hung over the neon haze of Arcose's world-spanning metropolis as a bulbous shape casting heavy shadows. The very shadows loomed onto the battle ridden streets. Even this late hour into the night the fighting raged on, explosions flickering in and out of the high-rises and causeways.
They fought for freedom, or something of the sort. Lord Snow had no idea if this was a typical uprising, as had happened on countless worlds. Or the sort that was 'inspired' by the Frieza Force's enemies.
Did it even matter anymore? The double doors to the ship opened with a gentle buzz. A column of xenos, each wearing a wild display of exotic and expensive attire, entered and filtered into the various seats surrounding Lord Snow. Their faces were grim and hardened by the stress of having to meet on a warlord's ship. One of them, a yellow fleshed member of Appule's Race took the lead. His name was Kebla. Both his face and elongated skull sagged with wrinkles, a sign of his age and perhaps his wisdom.
Except, Lord Snow knew Kebla was anything but wise. Just another sniveling merchant prince who had bought his way into prominence and power. And to be fair, most of the rest fit the same glove.
"As we have started all of our meetings the past few decades, Lord Snow, should I remind you of the numbers? The Planet Trade Organization's earnings have been dropping to record lows. With the recent unrest and the weakening of the Frieza Force, it appears to only be getting worse," Kelba said.
A hologram burst to life, floating above the table. It showed a three dimensional chart with a line the color of blood plummeting into the depths below the table.
"Notice the abyssal decline as a result of the recent civil unrest. Our investors and shareholders are also pulling out left and right. Most of the employees of the Organization and the Frieza Force branch have gone without pay for several weeks, just to keep operations moving forward."
Lord Snow stood from his seat, his palms falling to the glossy surface of the table to push him up to height. He wasn't a very tall member of the Frieza Clan. Not unlike Lord Glacio who had preferred to trapeze around in the bulky Second Form and force himself to grow as big as a mountain in battle. He had called it the World Breaker Form--a name meant to inspire terror and fear. Such methods had never been in Lord Snow's interest. He much preferred subtle measures.
"Lord Frieza built the Force and turned it into an unstoppable army which became feared across the Galaxy. He seized countless planets and they were sold to the highest bidder. He took down all rivals. Those were the most glorious of days for the Force and the most profitable for the PTO. We all have tried to live up to his legacy," Lord Snow said.
"Legacy is one thing. Bankruptcy is another--Lord Snow," Kebla said and swallowed hard.
The lot of them looked like they were about to piss their collective pants. They had to deliver hard truths to a being that could kill them with ease. Lord Snow had never lashed out a member of the Board, but other leaders of the Frieza Force had. Lord Glacio several times had to be stopped mid blood-bath by Snow himself. Power had a way to make people blind and drunk to reality. Harming them would accomplish nothing. They were always replaced by another cretin of the same type.
"What does the Board suggest happen next?" Lord Snow said.
"We need to get
trade up and running. We need new
real-estate to sell," Kebla said.
Lord Snow smirked. "Yes. Face down the Saiyan Dominion and the newly minted Galactic 'Empire' shall we? What about the Crusher Corps, I'm sure we could go toe to toe with those fools too. We have the remnants of the Third Division and little money to marshal them. A sound plan, indeed."
"It's a precarious situation. But, if you do not think the Frieza Force can deliver on its goals, I think the Planet Trade Organization may be done for."
The air fell silent for a very long moment. Lord Snow finally sighed. "I agree. To be fair, keeping the Third Division battle ready has been difficult with almost zero funding. I've had to dip into my own pockets. I don't think it's worth it anymore."
"So that's it," Kebla said, clearly surprised to see Snow agreeing with him. He shifted in his chair and fixed his tight collar. "This is how it ends?"
Lord Snow pointed to the nearest view-port. "Looks like the rabble get the freedom they want. Or maybe a different brand of it under the thumb of Polaris's new Empire or the Saiyan Queen."