Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Another Life ❯ Understanding ( Chapter 7 )

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or any of the characters seen in the show, manga, movies, etc. If I did, Vegeta would have kicked Goku's ass a long time ago.

A/N: Hey guys…I know it's been a long time, but I have been working on my new website and it's been taking up a lot of my time. Go check it out if you want. It's URL: www.geocities.com/auraki_dragon. It's a DBZ site of course and I already have some really good fics on there, including my own of course. I will have a lot more on there eventually, and I already have a couple of epics that I'm going to post. One big name, if you've heard it, is Lisa Starr. If you haven't heard of her, she is the queen of fan fiction (no joke). Her stories are so good it's scary. It'll eat up your whole day in no time because you won't be able to stop reading (I know, believe me). You can reach her site through my links page. Anyway, I know you guys probably think it's weird for me to plug someone else's story on my own so maybe I should just let you read this chapter. I also want thank you guys for being patient with the whole Bulma-and-Vegeta-get-together thing. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, IT'S A B/V FIC!!! And thank you guys for your reviews!

Another Life

Chapter 7 - Understanding

Kakarrot glared at the screen in front of him as he tapped his fingers impatiently on the consol. The ship's computers must be malfunctioning if it couldn't locate Vegeta-sei on the navigation system. He pounded the keys again, and felt a small ripple of satisfaction when Vegeta-sei finally popped up on the screen. At least he was receiving SOME satisfaction. He could still smell the woman's clean, flowery scent faintly on his clothing. Kakarrot groaned as he looked down and realized his once aching arousal was returning. He had been so close to burying himself within the soft, beautiful body of the blue-haired female now wandering somewhere about the ship. She had wanted him; he could smell her arousal and was nearly going crazy when she began to gently squeeze and stroke his tail. She obviously didn't know how maddening that small, light caress was, and he had nearly dropped her when he felt her fingers touch him. He had found a small, sparsely decorated room with a bed, probably the quarters of the man he had blasted unconscious, and had laid her down with extreme carefulness, kissing her and savoring the sweet, drugging taste of her mouth as he knelt down beside her to begin the coup. But just as he reached to untie the knot in his belt, she had stopped him, putting both hands on the sides of his face, telling him that she just wasn't ready to go that far with someone she had just met. Kakarrot had wanted to argue with her, to tell her that he didn't intend to set her aside once he had finished with her. The heat her body contact was drawing from him made him realize that he was beyond telling her how much he wanted her. He wanted to show her. But she had pushed away from him before he could even utter a word, and walked out of the room, calling out over her shoulder that he she was going to try and find some place to get cleaned up.

Kakarrot leaned back in the chair and watched as the computer plotted a course to Vegeta-sei. He was going to have to find a way to get onto Vegeta-sei and contact his father and brother without being caught. It would be a hard task, but he was the son of Bardock and he had not only inherited his father's face, but his wits as well. He would find a way. He had no other choice. He was just about to begin working on the problem at hand when the door opened and the object of his desire walked in, mesmerizing him with the sway of her hips.

"I found a shower in the very back of the ship."

"A what?"

"A shower…you know, a device with running water to clean yourself with. I'm surprised you've never heard of one."

"We have something of that sort on Vegeta-sei. We took the technology from the Krulahi, a weak but very mechanically advanced race. They had a lot of weaponry, but nothing that we couldn't handle. We overtook them in less than a week."

Bulma sat down in the chair next to him and gave him a thoughtful look before she spoke. "So, you Saiyans actually take technology from the planets you destroy?"

"Yes. If there is something there that can better the Saiya-jin race, there is no reason why we should just leave it. We have a science team go down and see if they can find anything useful and if after they've tested it, they're sure it won't be harmful, we assimilate it into our world. That's what my father does. He used to be on the purging squad, and although he was a capable soldier, he found he really had a knack for spotting useful technology. He also loves a good challenge, and mechanical devices are his specialty. A little of it rubbed off on me, but I'm nowhere near my father's intellectual level. He's nearly a genius." He glanced over at Bulma and noticed an odd expression on her face. She seemed to be trying to work something out in her head, and he was about to ask what was wrong when her question stopped him.

"Do you think your father ever came to my home planet? To Chikyuu?"

Kakarrot thought for a moment. "As a matter of fact, I do remember my father mentioning Chikyuu. That was where he found that new storage technology, capsules, I believe they were called. Chikyuu, yeah, that was it. I remember he went on and on about how it would make things so much easier on our planet. It's being implemented all over Vegeta-sei now. It's very efficient." Bulma's sudden movement to cover her mouth with her hand puzzled Kakarrot and he observed her curiously.

"Oh, Kami. I can't believe it. You Saiyans use capsules? This is just too weird." Bulma shook her head, paused for a second, then slowly turned to look at him, an odd smile playing on her lips. Kakarrot was so enthralled by staring at her lips he nearly didn't hear her next comment. "So, that was your father on Chikyuu that day. I always knew there was something familiar about you; I just couldn't put my finger on it. You look just like him."

Kakarrot was shaken out of the erotic reverie he had been indulging in while his eyes had been trained on her lips. "You know my father?"

"I met him. Well, sort of. More like the big lug who dragged me out of my home brought me to him. He didn't seem to be saying anything to me, though. He was too busy yelling at the guy with me. I don't really know though. I couldn't understand a thing they said because they hadn't injected me with the translator chip yet. But the idiot holding me seemed pretty hopping mad after they finished."

Kakarrot's sudden burst of laughter startled Bulma so much she nearly jumped out of her seat. Kakarrot couldn't contain his laughter even after she began to question him. "What?" Bulma inquired, after Kakarrot continued to laugh for a minute or two. He was barely able to keep his voice even when he finally answered her.

"That idiot was my brother."

"What?"

"The man who brought you to my father, he was my older brother, Radditz. I can't believe you were the one my brother almost got discharged for. My father told him not to, but he stubbornly dismissed his advice and went to look for you anyway. He was crushed when he realized you had already been sold. If he'd found you, it would have been improper conduct for him to take you and he would have been discharged from the squad. When my father found out what he did, my brother could barely stand after my father forced him to spar with him. That taught him a well-deserved lesson. I got the story second hand from my father, but he told me the girl Radditz had brought to him was very beautiful."

"Why was your brother looking for me?" Bulma turned those big, beautiful blue eyes on him and Kakarrot almost forgot the question.

"Because he wanted you. He wanted to make you his," Kakarrot said almost solemnly as he gazed into the indigo depths of her eyes. Gods, he wanted to kiss her.

"So, let me get this straight," Bulma said slowly. "Your brother wanted to own me but your father thought it was wrong, so he had me sold into slavery?"

"Well…it's not that simple. There are rules to follow. We're not allowed to keep any contraband-I mean, you know, prisoners of war. Many times the higher officers take their pick and then the rest go to the slave trading planets to be sold. I guess you were lucky the Saiyan elites didn't get a hold of you. I don't think you would have lasted an hour."

Bulma sat back in her chair and seemed to be absorbing his recently shared information. The look she gave him was somewhat bewildered. "Are your people really that cruel?"

"Not all of them," Kakarrot said trying to reassure her. He didn't want to scare her so much she would be frightened of every little thing when they reached Vegeta-sei. "The Saiya-jin people are a race of warriors. We fight because it's in our blood, and we purge because it's in our nature to conquer. But there is a difference between instinct and cruelty. The elites, or the ones whose blood is closest to royalty, have become the rulers of our planet because they are the strongest. They have become conceited and self-serving and now they are nothing but public figureheads. That's why the elites are so enraged. That a third-class soldier like me is stronger than nobility is unheard of. I've had to hide my strength my whole life, just so they wouldn't come after me. Now there is nothing I can do. I beat eight elites into the ground and now they know my secret. There isn't anywhere I can hide on my planet. I plan to sneak on-planet and contact my dad, then leave as soon as possible. If I linger for just a moment longer, they'll find me, I know they will."

"But you could beat them, right? If they come after you, you could stop them before they kill you?" Bulma's voice held a note of concern and Kakarrot placed a comforting hand on her arm.

"Yes. I could beat a good portion of them before they brought me down. But then my family would be in danger. It's better if they don't catch me."

Bulma nodded at him, then leaned over the consol to look at the picture on-screen. "So, this is Vegeta-sei," she said, observing the red and brown planet diagramed on the holographic image in front of her.

"Yes. The planet of my birth. This will probably be the last time I ever set foot on it."

"Well, if you ask me, I think you're a better man than the elites of Vegeta-sei. It might be a blessing that you won't be there. You were kept oppressed just because you were different. It isn't your fault that you're so strong. But it is a gift you can use. I think your strength would be put to better use if you were to help people in need. Kinda like a superhero."

Kakarrot smiled at the term. "More like a super-fugitive. Even if I'm not on Vegeta-sei they will still hunt me down. I'm surprised we haven't had an encounter with them already."

"Hmm…" Bulma said thoughtfully. Kakarrot could see the wheels turning in head. "What are you going to do to keep them from detecting you?"

"I'm not sure. I was just trying to figure that out before you came in. I know I have to find a way to hide the ship from the Empire's standard radar system. I'm just not sure how. They've been implemented at every Saiya-jin space station and dock."

"What type of radar do they use?"

"It's a chemical/matter phason frequency radar. It picks up consolidated matter by bouncing its frequency off of the various molecules present in an object. The computer analyzes the chemical make-up of each object, even something as permeable as the exhaust from a ship, and checks it against it's database for possible matches. They only have to enter in what they want the computer to look for and it will test all of the matter in the area for a match. That's how they can recognize a ship. The computer knows what components are necessary to make up a ship. You can't hide what a ship is made of." Bulma stood up and began pacing the floor in front of him in deep concentration. After about thirty seconds, her head shot up and her eyes were sparkling with inspiration.

"Well, maybe you can. How about we change the frequencies of our power supply? We can reroute the energy source's filter to re-absorb the gaseous emissions it releases during flight. That means the original frequency will be completely different from that of a normal ship. The computer might not recognize it because almost all ships have to let off exhaust. It will be looking for that."

"But isn't that dangerous? I mean, there's a reason ships aren't made that way. It can cause the ships engine to overheat rather quickly."

"Not if we can create a receptacle to absorb the gases. The only reason that ships don't do it is because it isn't necessary. But it might be our only chance to sneak by them. It won't hide us from other radars, but if this is what the Empire uses, then we might have an out."

Kakarrot couldn't keep his mouth from gaping open in amazement. This was impossible. A devastatingly beautiful woman who was also intelligent? His voice was filled with wonder as he spoke. "That's…brilliant. I think it can work, with the right materials. We can stop off at Dosay on our way to Vegeta-sei to get supplies and fuel. How did…how did know…"

"Spare me the `How-does-a-woman-know-this kind-of-crap speech, k? I've heard it my whole life. I'm the woman who helped create capsules on Chikyuu and I happened to be the woman who can tell you what supplies we'll need to make the receptacle. This woman can do a whole lot more than just sit around waiting for a man to come and rescue her. Just you remember who got you off of Dais and onto this ship. I had a plan worked out all by myself. So don't you give me that male sexist, chauvinistic attitude, okay?" Bulma flipped her hair over her shoulder and gave him fiery look before turning around and heading for the door. "I'm going to go and check for anything of use around here." With that said, Bulma purposefully strode out of the room.

Kakarrot watched her leave, leaning back in his chair as the door closed. He couldn't believe his luck. The woman was as beautiful as a goddess, intelligent, and had a temper as fierce as a Saiyan woman. He could barely contain his smile as he thought about the sparkle of blue fire present in her eyes when she had gotten angry. She was a slave, but she must have been able to speak her mind on her own planet, because a born slave wouldn't have been so opinionated. That was fine by him. He liked his women spirited, and he was willing to take on the challenge of taming the blue-haired beauty and, in time, mating her.

But time was something he wasn't sure he had. He didn't know how long he could keep running before the Empire eventually caught up with him. When he originally saved the scientist, he hadn't counted on the Prince showing up with the elites who had come to arrest him. Had it just been the elites, his life would not be in so much peril. But the Prince had a reputation for vengeance, and he would not let this matter rest until he found Kakarrot and bathed in his blood. What would happen to his family if he died? Would the Prince finally turn on them and kill them for being related to a traitor? What would happen to Bulma if she were caught with him? Kakarrot couldn't even consider the thought of Bulma being used as a whore by the Prince or his men. She would break if that were to happen, and as much as he wanted to be with her, he couldn't put her in that kind of danger. Kakarrot shook himself out of his thoughts. He would deal with this later. He would eventually have to tell Bulma and let her decide what she wanted to do, but he wouldn't let her put herself in danger. Once they reached Dorsay, they would discuss it.

Kakarrot began to tap buttons on the consol as he changed the ship's destination with the navigation controls. Dorsay was a technical haven for travelers with ships and equipment repairs. They would be able to find what they needed rather quickly and could be off again in a matter of hours. He just hoped this plan of theirs would work. His father and brother's lives depended on it.

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The sharp knock on the door of his chambers brought Vegeta out of his light slumber. His body still ached from his stay in the regen tank a few hours ago, but the minor cuts and bruises he had received from training were no longer visible. Vegeta sat up and scowled at the door. Who in their right mind would be disturbing him at this hour? "What is it?" he shouted as he stood and straightened his clothing. He hadn't even taken the time to remove his clothes after he returned from his vigorous training. Vegeta eyed the guard angrily as he rushed through the first few rooms and stopped in front his prince in the bedroom.

"Your Highness, the king has requested your presence in the throne room."

"What the hell does he want?"

"I do not presume to know, your Highness. He just demanded you be brought before him immediately."

Vegeta gave a forceful and angry sigh. "Fine. Go and inform him that I am on my way." The guard hurried out of the room and Vegeta turned to bend over the lavishly carved table pushed against his bedroom wall, propping himself up with his arms while scowling deeply. This would be the first time he had seen his father since their violent encounter. Did his father expect things to be the same between them? Didn't his father know that he had crossed the line of civility? Vegeta's mind had already been made up. He would kill his father after he finished with the third-class loser. There was nothing his father could say or do to change that. His power level was already high enough to surpass the king, and Vegeta was sure the only way his father had bested him was because of the poor condition he was in after that low-class fool defeated him. If his father dared to challenge him before he carried out Kakarrot's execution, then Vegeta would surely show the king who had the upper hand. But he wouldn't let the bastard die yet. No, Vegeta wanted time to plan out his father's death, time to choose his words wisely so that he could make the king understand just how much he really hated him for his harsh words and bitter lies.

Vegeta straightened his clothes again with one brusque, final tug and headed out the room towards the throne room. Once outside the doors, he motioned for the guards to open them. His father was pacing in front of his throne, his face a mask of indifference to the untrained eye, but Vegeta noticed a tenseness in his father's step that wasn't normally present. Something was bothering the king.

King Vegeta, didn't seem to notice when his son entered, but he spoke nonetheless as he continued to pace. "What the hell were you doing? What part of `Get your ass in here' don't you understand?" Vegeta visibly tensed and clenched his fists in anger. He was just about to tell the old man off when the king spoke first. "We've got a problem. Royal Intelligence has just discovered that Frieza has the makings of a new weapon. It is ten times more powerful than anything we have and it can destroy something as large as a planet if it has a big enough power source. The only problem he'll have is getting the power source. It's Diaezean crystal, and it has to be mined out of a volcano. It's hard enough getting the surface pieces but after those are used up he'll have trouble digging deeper without hitting lava."

Vegeta now understood his father's concern. He pushed his anger aside momentarily to ask a question. "Then what's the problem? If he can't get a power source, his weapon is useless."

"He's got enough crystals stocked up to blow up Vegeta-sei. We are his biggest rivals. He'll use all he's got trying to wipe us out and after we're out of the picture, he can continue to use his armies to rule what's left over, which will also be everything we've lost. So, as you can see, that is a very big problem." The king resumed his pacing and Vegeta watched him for a second before speaking.

"Do you think the Meru-jin scientist supplied him with the weapon?"

"Who else could it be?" The king shouted angrily. "Where is that third-class freak who defeated you? He's most likely with the scientist."

Vegeta snarled at his father's comment regarding his failure. He couldn't keep the hostility out of his voice as he answered his father's question. "We have a lead on him. He was spotted on Dais and we are sure that he will have to stop somewhere else to refuel. It's only a matter of time before we catch him." Vegeta crossed his arms and waited for his father's next insult.

"That's more than I expected. What will you do when catch him?" The king slowly raised one eyebrow at him and awaited his response.

"I will defeat him and bring him back to Vegeta-sei for all to see. Then, after he swears his loyalty to me, his future king, I will kill him."

"And then?"

Vegeta looked up at his father's inquiring. What did the old man want him to say? That he was going to kill him and take the throne? He should already know that. There was no point in stating the obvious. "Then I will be the strongest Saiyan on all of Vegeta-sei." The king nodded in satisfaction, seemingly appeased with his answer, but Vegeta didn't miss his father's eyebrow raise just a fraction of an inch higher after his comment.

"What will you do with scientist if you find him as well?" Vegeta eyed his father suspiciously. Why was his father asking him what he would do? Normally he would just tell him what to do, no questions asked. Could it be that his father was trying to decide what type of ruler Vegeta would be? Vegeta decided he would humor him for the moment.

"I will bring him back as well, and after he has been questioned, I will have him killed. He is too dangerous alive, and if he answers to Frieza, then he will never be loyal to Vegeta-sei." His father nodded at him again in agreement.

"Anyone who works for Frieza would rather die than betray him. Freiza's implements torture techniques even the infamous Cardovians are afraid to use. Even if we find a way to stop Frieza from using his new weapon, it will mean nothing if we cannot keep the scientist from creating a new one. I think that the third-class knows where the Meru-jin might be. And if he knows, then it is probable that he has told someone in his family. Have you had them questioned yet?"

"No. They have conveniently disappeared. There is a warrant out for their arrest, but I haven't made it a priority. I had planned on using them to bait the third-class, Kakarrot, into coming back to Vegeta-sei, but now it seems that I won't be needing them."

"Well, they might be useful yet. Especially Bardock. I remember him back in the days before my crowning. His father had been forced to bring him to the training barracks when he was of age, and if I remember correctly he was trying to do everything he could to keep him out of it. I was at the recruitment facility with my father to inspect its efficiency, and the scene Bardock's father made caught our attention. Before the guards could discipline his father, Bardock quickly defused the situation by convincing his father to let him go. He was quite intelligent for his age and his speech was…persuasive to say the very least. I remembered afterwards, I asked my father Bardock's father didn't want to him to train and become a warrior. My father told me that it must be because he was weak and he didn't want his son to disgrace his family. I remember disagreeing with my father. I thought maybe there was another reason why he didn't want his son to go, that maybe Bardock's father cared for him so much he didn't want to see him die. I told him that was the way it was supposed to be. My father thought my comment stupid and weak, and when we returned to the palace, he gave me a beating so brutal they had to replace three of my ribs with metal implants." King Vegeta shook himself from his dark memories, and looked at his son, his face returning to the emotionless mask Vegeta had seen his whole life. "After that, I heard Bardock's name many times during the weekly updates from interplanetary relations and purgings. He was responsible for bringing back quite a few discoveries from other planets and employing them all over Vegeta-sei. My point is that Bardock might be able to study Freiza's weapon, if we can get a hold of the plans. Make Bardock's capture a priority. We can use his intellect."

Vegeta was a little more than stunned by his father's remarks but he didn't show it. His father was not one to share experiences from his past, with the exception of his obviously fictional tale of Vegeta's conception, but even that was brief and lacking sentiment. Vegeta had never known, couldn't even imagine, what type of child his father had been. His father had always been cold towards him, never showing a hint of emotion, and beating the emotion out of Vegeta whenever he displayed it. Vegeta knew that this was not the way all fathers and sons behaved. He had seen countless families on his exploits around the kingdom. Saiyans prided themselves on being emotionless during battle, but they were passionate about everything else in their lives. Anger was their most accepted emotion, but love was certainly present amongst Saiyan mates and families. It was not openly talked about, but it was there. The insight his father had given him about his childhood made Vegeta wonder if his father had once been in his position, striving for his father's attention and affection, and only getting scorn and ridicule in return. Vegeta's thoughts were interrupted as his father turned away from him and moved to sit down on his throne.

"I would call the council together for an audience regarding the third-class warrior's capture. They need to be informed of all the developments involving his detention and execution."

"Then I will send the head of Royal Intelligence in my stead. I am leaving tomorrow to pursue him and bring him back." King Vegeta nodded at him and Vegeta turned to leave.

"Vegeta," His father's deep voice stopped him before he passed through the doorway but he didn't turn to face him. "I know the fugitive is your main priority now, but his capture is only the beginning of things. Freiza will eventually have to be defeated. If I cannot, you must. Failure cannot be tolerated. Our race depends on it." Vegeta gave a slight nod and continued through the doorway out of the room. His father was right. He could not fail. He would not.

Next Up: Bulma and Kakarrot land on Dorsay for supplies and get an unexpected visit; Vegeta is on his way; and where the hell are Bardock and Radditz? Same Auraki place, same Auraki time. Reviews make my world go `round.