Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction / Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Payment in Full: Saiyan's 2nd Chance ❯ Mating Gifts and Nasty Surprises ( Chapter 11 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Ball Z or Full metal alchemist. Funimation brings us these master works of anime on DVD. Toriyama created DBZ, and Full Metal Alchemist belongs to its own creators. I can only claim responsibility for the plot and the character of Atomique, Parsnip, Fermi, Bohr, Merlot, Cabernet and other fan characters here. The only pay I get is your reviews so please keep them coming! And my thanks to those who have already reviewed! Kudos and hugs to you!

 

Wedding Presents and other Nasty Surprises

***

Bodily her lifted her up and shifted her so her front faced his. Hanging arms around his neck she grabbed two handfuls of his black waterfall to cling to him. Tugging his head to the side she covered his mouth in a kiss before she lost her nerve. Instincts told her clearly what he wanted, and she was afraid she would refuse him if she thought too much about it.

 

Although she wanted him badly, she felt considerable reservations. Radditzu kicked open the door to what was presumably a bedchamber, then turned to kick it shut. Glancing around the abundance of his mane she barely glimpsed the layout in mid kiss. Tongues slid past one another in a dance he learned and mastered well. All the times before they had sex she had somehow superimposed Stan, her estranged husband onto Radditzu's feathers. What frightened her now was that she couldn't remember what her husband's eyes looked like.

 

"So does this mean you're taking me around the world?" she asked.

 

"Exactly WHAT does that mean? Another human colloquialism?" he chuffed.

 

Radditzu pressed her to what felt like a bed of animal furs or leather of the softest chamois quality. Freeing one hand from her death grip on his hair she ran fingertips over it. Indeed it was soft downy leather covering what was a firm yet comfortable surface. Radditzu rested the full weight of his body on her hips. To her astonishment it felt delicious, not crushing. Her hands reached up to grab his sides, then run down his thighs, digging her nails into them. Around her waist her tail was still firmly hitched. However she felt something brushing over her thighs and bare skin exposed by armor.

 

"I don't know how," she whispered. "How you do this?"

 

"I'll show you," he whispered, bringing his face close. "It is far more savage and passionate then I dared attempt when you were frailer. But now…"

 

"If that was not savage, I cannot imagine," she gasped, digging her nails into his flesh.

 

"Yes, that's the idea," he snarled, tearing down at the fastenings of her armor. He rolled off her, then urgently jerked at her clothes. To her astonishment he ripped the armored pieces off, then nearly snapped the breastplate in half in his mad frenzy to get at her. Rolling him over with a leg between his, she pinned him under her with both hands shackling his wrists. She sat down hard on his pelvis, emphasizing she wanted a taste of control.

 

Dark eyes glanced up at her in amusement and arousal. His muscles strained against hers but Radditzu didn't fight her. She leaned down, burying her face in his neck towards the bite she had made with human teeth. At the moment her teeth touched the bare skin, they sank like a hot knife through butter, eliciting a snarl and loud moan rumbling through and under her. Thick viscous blood surged through the connection, crackling with energies. A potent iron smell burned in her nostrils, awakening other senses. A musk odor wafted up, far stronger than any exuded by the males.

 

In one piece she removed his armor, regretting getting off of him to do so. Hunger filled her entire being, wanting to dominate and crush the male under her in a shower of bites and kisses. Once his flesh was as bare as hers was, she realized that she still had her armored skirt on. Radditzu gently stroked his finger along her tail, causing electrical spasms to nearly incapacitate her. "This is the proper way to touch another' tail without causing undue harm."

 

"It's almost painful," she shuddered.

 

"You may touch me in the same manner," he whispered, dragging her hand to his. Smooth umber fur a few shades lighter than his abundance of hair glided under her fingers. The texture of her own fur was similar, but darker, more in keeping with her own hair. Drowning in sensations she shuddered, letting him have the upper hand to flip and pin her. Soon they rolled over, tails flailing and fingers wrestling for domination on the massive bed. Only mere glimpses of it did she take before her field of view was dominated by his face again. Those bottomless eyes bored into her soul, in turn holding her gaze.

 

"You're mine, always and forever Tomique. My bonded mate for this existence and the next," Radditzu growled.

 

"Yours?" she whispered. "How?"

 

"As equals," he whispered.

 

"Only because I'm Saiyan?"

 

"That is the only way," he whispered. Anger filled her and suddenly she gave him a rough shove that pushed him off of her. Rolling on the floor he grunted, blinking up at her. She curled up in a ball, shaking as the tail she fought to control flailed uncontrollably.

 

"Bastard," she sobbed.

 

"If you reject me, us, then you'll die," Radditzu said. "I warned you that you had no conception of what you were doing when you bit me that day. Every warrior must prove his or her worth. You have done so and more!"

 

"Just stay away from me, I should hate you for doing this to me!"

 

"Doing WHAT? Making you stronger? Able to never be weak again?"

 

"I never was," she whispered, blinking away tears.

 

"You made a bargain to ensure the safety of your children. You in Kakkarot's place," Radditzu said, hauling himself to kneel by the bed. She felt the shifting of it when he sat down, extending his hand to touch her. She flinched, feeling stung by his touch that was now like poison.

 

"How did you know?"

 

"Our minds are linking even now. A biological bond that extends to the instinctive minds," he explained.

 

"So I'll have no privacy?"

 

"You only see what you wish me to see. That thought was uppermost in your mind when you threw me away. Despite what you might observe between me and my father, blood is important in our culture."

 

"You'd betray your own brother, trick him," she said, concentrating and sending mental images of Goku's tale into Radditzu's thoughts.

 

"Is that what happened…" he whispered.

 

"Yes," she nodded. "The you that existed in my universe would have killed his own nephew to prove a point."

 

"I see," he said quietly, moving his hand away. "But you forget that version of me that you showed me so graphically had lost every reason for existence, save that of revenge. He must have lost his bonded mate or had none."

 

"Why did you never find a mate before me?" she whispered.

 

"You wish to know the true answer?" he asked.

 

"Why? Tell me?"

 

"Because many feared that they were not worthy of one with my looks," he laughed. "I was considered quite a catch."

 

"No doubt. So why have the urge to screw me? Because I was the only remotely female thing resembling a Saiyan?"

 

"Saiyan females are desired for their ability to bear young. Such hips beg of fertile ground to plant seed, and your other features are well suited for this task," he purred.

 

"I'm not considered attractive by human standards. Most humans…"

 

"Are idiots," he mumbled. "There are few Saiyan females built as you are."

 

"So I'm attractive for a Saiyan?"

 

"Indeed," he murmured. "Though to your foolish humans all of us are rather repulsive because of our hulking frames, and nature of our hair."

 

"Mmm, tell me more of this," she whispered, heart warming again to him. If they were stuck together she could at least enjoy this part because he was warming to her.

 

Radditzu rolled her over, then pounced on her. Laughing she released her inhibitions and let her instincts take over. Soon they were merged in tangle of hair, skin and flailing tails. Expertly he lured her, while she evaded him. Till they were joined in a manner far more intimate than what they had shared before. Pure passionate lust undergirded by loneliness filled the ache growing inside for a time.

 

"Mmm, let yourself go to the instinct. Give into it," he rumbled with a base vibration as primal as a lion's roar. Panting, she struggled to keep pace with his wildly rocking hips. Her greater weight in the gravity came crushing down on top of Radditzu, resulting in a series of low moans. Fingernails dug into his already scarred chest, adding to the scratches and bites all over his body. Before she knew what was happening she tasted his blood in her mouth from the multiple nips she had given him. Long shuddering climaxes supernovaed between them, decimating all thoughts.

***

Just how long they were wrapped in that embrace she couldn't tell. Slowly she blinked, gazing up into the face of her mate with satisfaction. He had lifted his head from her shoulders; slowly turning so she sat upright on him. As she tried to untangle herself she found it close to impossible, especially since his tail imprisoned her waist.

 

"Where do you think you're going?" he laughed, amused by her efforts to get away. Her body shivered in anticipation, hardly knowing if she could withstand another tidal wave of raw unbridled sex. Both lay on their sides, with their legs tangled. One of hers was trapped under his hip, while both his were sandwiched between that and the one she had curved over his other side.

 

"You're laying on my leg with your damn hip," she gasped. "My foot's asleep and tingling."

 

"My apologies," he chuckled. With a mere twist of his hips he rolled off her abused leg so she straddled his pelvis. Large hands steadied her, pushing her to sit upright so she could look down at his amused face. Inside her body his saiyanhood quivered like a hibernating animal come to life.

 

"Let me go you big ape," she laughed.

 

"I don't think that is exactly possible. We've entered the yearly-rutting phase. Which means…"

 

"We screw each other's brains out for the next five days?" Atomique stammered.

 

"Literally we cannot separate ourselves," he whispered. "Even if we do, the absence of one will drive the other to madness from the longing for connection."

 

"Not that I mind this, but I'm starving, and I need to attend to OTHER things unless you're turned on by what I'm close to doing…"

 

"Understood," he grunted, grabbing her hips again to try and pull her off of himself. Atomique pulled away, thankful when his tail released her. Painfully she removed herself from him, finding him still semi erect. A mental image of mating wolves drifted through her mind, triggering realization. Back to back while the male's erect penis remained imbedded in the female the two wolves remained. Almost for a day or so more before he could pull out.

 

As she rolled off the bed, she held her stomach, stumbling about. "I need…"

 

"It will last five days," he whispered, moving down to touch her with a palm on her back. The aching nausea was abated the closer he came to her.

 

"How do you survive it?"

 

"The rutting phase can be initiated yearly depending on how many Saiyans are present. Just the pheromones trigger a physiological response," he grunted, struggling to stand up despite the blood rushing to the current need standing to attention.

 

"And since we're HERE…"

 

"That's why family groups stay together. It's a time when mating couples are vulnerable. Granted we're safe enough here, but if I look at any other males who aren't related to me I might get jealous and kill them," Radditzu gasped.

 

"Is it worse because this is your first time… as a mated Saiyan?" she asked. They staggered together, electing to keep touching one another's skin to prevent nausea. As humiliating as it was to be carried, she accepted Radditzu scooping her up in his arms love cradle style to carry her out towards their equivalent of an elimination station, as Dende would call it. In some ways it wasn't so bad because the bathing area was separate from the WC.

 

"You don't bathe in water, do you?" she gasped.

 

"Hardly. It's much like on the ship," he said.

 

"I would kill for a hot tub," she whispered.

 

"A what?"

 

"You know some sort of pool of hot liquid, you climb in, and the air jets…"

 

"Non regenerative therapy tank," he said. "Father has one interconnecting the sleep chambers."

 

"No kidding?" she gasped. "Water?"

 

"Of course not," he said, setting her down on the edge of sizeable basin. Wood and carved rock were smoothly polished, allowing for someone to sit on the edge of a great pool of yellowish liquid. Like a witches brew it bubbled at the activation of a control warmth button. She wrinkled her nose at the scent of something like cooking oil.

 

"If I didn't know better I'd say I'd cook in there," she whispered.

 

"The oil's much better for the skin. You as a scientist should know that," he said, sliding down into the bubbling liquid. With a groan he rested back, letting his hair swirl in the air jet currents. Far more viscous then water, the substance was much like Crisco, containing far more heat. Tentatively she dipped a toe in, gasping at the searing hot temperatures.

 

Naturally she could withstand it far better than she thought. She reached down, and slipped easily in. Against the back of her skull she felt a hard surface collide, but was astonished when she sat up and saw a small dent in the stone surface. Radditzu gently helped her to sit, laughing as she rubbed her head. "That's NOT funny! It hurts like HELL!"

 

"Your head's far harder then that rock," he chuckled. "There's very little that can break Saiyan bones. Other then a well placed kick."

 

"Son of a bitch," she grumbled, rubbing her scalp. He dragged her into his lap, sitting her between his legs so he could caress her breasts from behind.

 

"My stomach hurts," she groaned.

 

"Little wonder since you hardly ate anything," he scolded.

 

"But I could swear I was full… oh don't remind me…"

 

"Don't underestimate your appetite. Hold on and I'll get us something to eat," he murmured, straightening up. She felt hot drops of oil splatter her face. If she were human she would be covered in second-degree burns by now.

 

"Feel the warmth," he urged.

 

"Turn and face me," Radditzu growled, baring his fangs. Atomique spun in his lap, letting him tug her down onto his erectus again. Like a glove she slid overtop, effortlessly resuming the mating. Atomique surrendered to the warmth, knowing that it was a lukewarm prequel to the inferno that was to come.

***

Days passed in a frenzy of eating and lovemaking for the new couple. Radditzu rarely left her company, except to find food or take her hunting with him. True to their words, they never strayed more than ten feet before the long hunger would overtake either one, making them physically ill to be alone.

 

By the end of the rutting phase, Atomique felt sore, sated and happy beyond words. A tiny part of her mind felt guilty for somehow betraying the memory of her past life. Indeed the memories of her previous existence grew dim in comparison with the rainbow of sensations provided by her Saiyan body. The only recollections that burned equally bright were the faces of her twins, Fermi and Bohr. Memories of playing and hanging on her arms, and that of Son Goku.

 

His face laughed in her mind, giving her that enigmatic smile. Chichi leaned down and helped her to sling either son over her hips as she did with Goten. Together they schlepped the piles of laundry into the Son Household morning after morning. Her days consisted of assisting Chichi with copious amounts of cooking and laundry, followed by tutoring Gohan in his studies. Because of her mastery of chemistry, Chichi suggested she could stay and be paid to be Gohan's private tutor to get him up to speed so he could attend college. Videl often spent the night with them, sharing a room with the Alchemist. Gohan had the spare room, while Goten shared a room with the twins. A small home was filled to bursting when the Son family had opened their home to her without question. Rather than live at Capsule, she chose to reside with them, in a less threatening surrounding.

 

On the days she wasn't there, she was often helping develop plastics at Capsule, in an effort to learn the new sciences of the time. Between the two locations with Gohan and her twins she picked up much of their culture. While she wasn't a Z fighter, she learned much in the way of sparring from Chichi. This was because Goku's time was tied up with her twins and his son Goten. Countless hours were spent in the meadow with Videl and Chichi, trading blows between hanging up laundry and cooking the mammoth amounts of food. Because Chichi was overprotective of Gohan, she had suggested Videl move into the house like one of the family. It made for a rather cramped living space, but Atomique didn't mind. It somehow compensated for that aching hole left by her estranged husband.

 

"Damn them," she whispered, sitting up in the night. She hugged herself, the dreams cold water tossed over her week of intoxication.

 

"You're awake?" said a female voice. She blinked, fingering the bed in worry.

 

"Where's Radditzu?" she gasped.

 

"Out hunting with his father," Lyssra chuckled. She placed the tray of fruit and nuts by the starving demi Saiyan who shivered.

 

"Where… how…"

 

"The rut's over," Lyssra said. "And none too soon. If it continued any longer there would be no more food in the house!"

 

"Lyssra, did you have any children before you met Bardock?" she asked.

 

"Before I met him? Heh, well if you consider being taken captive by Nappa meeting him," she muttered. "I was a gift especially chosen for him, by Nappa for 'good service'. Luckily Bardock chose me because he saw the specs for my intelligence. Turles had no need for me because I was too willful and too intelligent. All the smarter females became what you see now. Bardock was good to me, but I still…"

 

"Children?"

 

"Two daughters and a son," she whispered. "They serve the royal house on Idsarsei."

 

"Are the Idsarjins slaves?"

 

"Not the royal. The Idsarjin aren't adverse to selling the lower classes to Saiyans in exchange for food. One of the reasons we have such good relations is that they protect and train us, and we provide them with concubines and servants, and food. Together we find new worlds to grow food for our populations, as well as…"

 

"Lyssra, you didn't answer my question," she whispered.

 

"I have pictures of them, and they see me whenever I'm at the Palace," she said. "My daughters were given to General Raddochio, and my son serves. Which is why it's so hard with what's to come."

 

"Being?"

 

"Yours and my first assignments. In a day or so we'll train with our mates. Then in the appropriate time we'll receive our first missions from our team leaders. We're supposed to assist our mates in whatever they do."

 

"Assist our mates? I thought I'd be working for Bardock!"

 

"Your powers are quite unique. It seems Nappa has approved you joining Radditzu on one of their missions to search for the Prince. But to do so, they must barter for information," she said.

 

"Barter?"

 

"Even though they have refrained from it, they seek out planets to sell. Small worlds that have primitive life forms. The Zelbranians need them for raw materials and colonies for their population is bursting at the seems. And we need new outposts to fight our upcoming conflict against Freiza's brother and sister."

 

"What war? I thought Master Brolli was keeping them off our backs?"

 

"Brolli's insane," Lyssra whispered. "You've been assigned to Napa team for a very specific purpose. Since Radditzu's your mate, you're in a very precarious position. There aren't many loyal to Vegetasei. With what you know of the alternate universe you're a big source of information that might lead them to finding him in this universe."

 

"So I'm their information bank?"

 

"As well as their material's scientist. You do as Radditzu says and it will be fine," she whispered.

"What if he calls me to destroy intelligent beings? Will I have to kill?" she asked, although she knew the terrible answer already.

"Must all die? It's… its It's a waste," asked Tomique. Although she wanted to say killing was wrong, she knew better than to draw undue attention to herself. They must not suspect she still retained a good portion of her humanity. Nevertheless with each passing week another shred of it evaporated into the mists of her past life in a universe far away.

"You can sell them as slaves," Bardock said, standing in the doorway. Both females whirled at the sound of his somber voice. He fixed them in his bottomless black stare. Both folded arms rested across his sleeveless green chest plate. Long muscular legs were encased in grey trousers, covering the tops of his boots.

“That hardly seems like a suitable alternative,” Atomique shook her head. She twisted her lips into a disgusted scowl.

Leaning close so her shoulder touched Atomique's, Lyssra placed her hand overtop of Atomique's. She licked her lips, carefully choosing her next words, "I know your revulsion to killing, but you can select the best and strongest and submit them for pets or servants."

"I agree that's better then killing them outright, but some people would rather die then live in the service of another,” Atomique protested. A hard lump formed in her throat from the struggle to hold back her horror. How could she have been so foolish to delude herself into thinking that Saiyans in this universe were any different from her own? Even though King Vegeta no longer ruled, and Frieza had perished under a combined attack of Brolli and others, old habits died hard. Perhaps purging planets was the only way of life any of them knew.

“Think of it this way,” Bardock cleared his throat. He strode into the midst of them, standing over Atomique's bed. Lyssra scooted over to give him room to sit down on her other side. Bracketed by both beings, Atomique literally felt squeezed into the one narrow path she most loathed taking. Killing Ishballans seemed one thing, while wholesale destruction for the purpose of stronger beings pushing out lesser ones seemed intolerable.

“I cannot be expected to do this. I fully intended to work for you as an assistant, Bardock,” she swallowed hard, blinking at both Lyssra, then her `father in law'.

Bardock sighed, “Look, your values are different, but not all Saiyans kill just for the hell of it. Wasting resources might be something Nappa or others do. But not me. You could think of it this way. Chilla and Frosta would easily dominate these worlds. You'd be doing them a favor by killing them yourself.”

"So I'm just supposed to exterminate a civilization?" Atomique asked. She glanced down at her feet, playing with the soft silk of the gown that Radditzu had given her days before, during their rut.

“You are free to choose your own methods. And you need not destroy them outright. Only those that stand in your way," Bardock further persisted. Any method to put a spin on it fell flat, judging by the tight line Atomique's lip pressed into.

“So do I consider the native inhabitants as vermin to be cleared?” asked Atomique. “Or can I let them live if they're not threat. That's what you're saying? I can't just go blow cities to smithereens. They might… have useful technology.”

“Some of the planets might already be cleared," said Bardock. "Please, you can do however you want. You might not even be required to do so. But if you don't, millions more will die."

“Often times we take artifacts and technology, sending them to a museum on Archalisei for study,” said Lyssra.

“You have to understand that it's what is expected of you. There isn't any room for squeamishness. Like it or not, your actions reflect on your family,” Bardock said sternly.

"You're a soldier, you know the risks," said Lysrra.

Atomique inhaled deeply, letting her chest rise and fall. Flatly she stated, "So, to save billions, I have to slaughter thousands?"

"It's a fair trade," Bardock said. "I'm not without mercy. But you have no choice. It's either that or risk Brolli discovering our plot, and your own death."

"So, I don't have to kill everything, right?" she whispered.

"Only the life forms that fight back or pose a danger to you or the contract. If they surrender to you willingly they can live. To serve the populace that will be located there," Bardock said. "That's what I choose. And that will be enough."

"How do I decide who lives, and who dies?" Atomique swallowed hard.

"It's up to you to study them," Bardock said. "That's where my team comes in. We scout ahead. But my team will be occupied with another task. To cover for your true work. It takes four to accomplish the job assigned to Napa. You're the fourth one. The quartet of small yellow suns in the Epsilon segment. At least four habitable planets. Three have known major civilizations. My team will be surveying them first, and then moving on to the next quadrant to survey next. And clear any of Freiza's spies."

"I feel sick," Atomique whispered, hugging her stomach.

"But it won't be for much longer. Not if the plan works,” Bardock said.

"Who are the brains behind this?" she shivered.

"Presumably Napa, but in reality, it's Turles," said Bardock with a wry grin. "Napa's not known for intelligence. That's why he has Radditzu at his right hand."

"So your son thinks for him?" shivered Atomique.

At this statement, Bardock threw back his head and laughed. Lyssra smirked slightly, glancing knowingly at her mate. Once he had calmed Bardock squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "Now I suggest you keep your reservations to yourself. I know it sickens you, but the alternative is death for billions yet unborn. At the hands of two tyrants that make Freiza look benevolent."

Atomique clenched her teeth, shrugging off his shoulder. Shaking his head, Bardock glanced frustrated at Lyssra. Automatically Bardock's mate set a plate of peeled fruit, white and fibrous like coconut. For a few minutes Atomique sat silently chewing on the food that Lyssra had brought for her. Part of the nausea she realized was from lack of food, but the rest was her own revulsion.

“I appreciate what you're trying to do, and that you've given me a second chance to live. But you must understand that to humans, killing outright is just… wrong.”

“Didn't you colonize other lands on your planet in order to give your race more room to live?” Bardock asked.

“Yes, but…”

“How is that different from what we do? The weak die and the strong survive. You yourself speak much of evolution. Yet when it comes to Saiyans, why hold back your nature?” Bardock asked.

“I guess I see things differently having been taken from my time, into my world's future. The Earth I lived on was united under one government. I lived that way for at least five years before I ran across Napa and Radditzu. Believe me, your ways and mine are not that different, but being asked to follow orders blindly again is hard once you have seen peacetime,” Atomique said.

“This is only temporary,” Lyssra said.

“From the preliminary reports, the four planets in this assignment are all civilizations that are far primitive in comparison to Saiyan civilization. They don't possess the capabilities of space flight. Two of them are war torn, the beings on the edge of destroying themselves. One of them is much like the Earth you left, controlled by major corporations. The last is quite similar, with life forms almost humanoid in appearance. If not for differences in other species it could almost be like your earth,” said Bardock, handing Atomique an electronic slate filled with statistics.

“You see that all four planets are ruled by dictators or kingdoms and have suffered major wars and pollution. These two here have come close to destroying each other. You can't claim that it could be any worse under Saiyan rule. At least they'd all be fed and provided for,” said Lyssra.

“Why?”

“The Prince's freedom will be paid for by these worlds. Once they are under Androni rule, they'll be colonies for the Androns to live on, and they'll perform research on them. Many of the unused portions of the planets will be zoned for habitat and recreational use,” Bardock said.

“The Androni are scientists. They like to study other cultures. Also they enjoy natural unspoiled wilderness like we Saiyans do. They'll protect them from themselves,” said Lyssra.

“I'm supposed to be doing them a favor?”

“Two of the planets have traces of powerful beings that act as guardians. My team did a preliminary investigation with scout orbiters,” Bardock said.

“Naturally Nappa and Cabernet would be responsible for those two planets. You and Radditzu would take the others that were less of a difficulty,” Lyssra explained, glancing around Atomique's shoulder.

“This one solar system looks almost exactly like my earth,” she whispered. “Is that deliberate?”

“The studies on these four systems was curtailed before the rebellion against Freiza, before Brolli worked out a tentative stalemate,” said Bardock. “A gross miscalculation was made. At least two children were sent from Vegetasei to purge the four. One was heard back from, and provided the data you see, before he was killed by one of the four civilizations.”

“They're all within sixteen light years of each other,” said Atomique, pressing buttons to take in all the data. Upon the slate flickered information about a double star system, a single and two others. A shiver of déjà vu came over her.

“Are you all right?” Lyssra asked. “You look like you've seen a ghost.”

“One of these planets is almost EXACTLY like Earth,” she said. “This isn't a coincidence is it, Bardock?”

“No, it isn't,” he said quietly. “This universe has events that have happened with frightening parallelism, twenty years behind the one of your origin. If that's the case, then you understand why you and Radditzu were chosen for this mission?”

“Good god, Goku… Kakkarot was one of them, wasn't he?” she shivered.

Bardock sighed, getting down on his knees before her. " If there's any chance in hell my son's still alive, you might be the one to find him. If you do manage to find him, you can convince him to join us. With his power on our side, we could crush anyone who opposed us. I read Radditzu's report about your world and the powerful fighters there. And I've seen in my visions what could happen in this universe.”

"But he won't go for it," she whispered.

"Maybe not if Radditzu goes. But if you go, you know him. And you've been with him in the other universe. But say nothing of this to anyone," Bardock whispered.

"I'll consider it," she nodded. Bardock kissed her forehead, resting his hand on her shoulders.

"I knew you would. Don't despair; you'll soon realize it's the only way. You're helping the generations yet unborn. Who will live without fearing any of the Chilla dynasty."

"Under the rule of the true Prince of Saiyans?" she said with a lump in her throat.

"Exactly," Bardock said, getting up. A bleeping sounded on his scouter, and he grumbled.

"Excuse me," he said. Lyssra had sat there the whole time, rubbing her arms. She hugged her body, quaking spasmodically.

"I'm going to throw up," she whispered once Bardock had left.

"I'm sorry, for what it's worth," said Lyssra quietly.

"Please, just leave me be," she whispered. Lyssra nodded, and left her alone in the room. Atomique clenched her stomach, sobbing as she hugged herself. Promptly she retched anything that she had eaten. Shakily she grabbed the scouter to see if anyone was going to be bothering her. Before she could put it on, it fell to the floor with a smash. Atomique huddled on the floor in a miserable position.