Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ At Odds ❯ Elsewhere in News ( Chapter 14 )

Disclaimer:  I don't own DBZ.  Let's face it; I don't own anything, its all on credit.

Chapter Fourteen

Elsewhere in news

Chi-Chi watched her nine year old son, Gohan, as he ate his breakfast, her heart breaking at the sight.  He should be out playing with friends his own age or studying for exams, not dressed in an Ice-jin uniform, preparing to start his day as a soldier.

She wondered what his life would have been like if Earth had never been purged, and he had been raised as a normal boy.  How her life had changed since that day seventeen years ago; how had everyone's.

She had met Goku when she as still just a girl, but it had been love at first sight.  He had come to her rescue, extinguishing the flames that threatened her home while flashing his innocent smile.  She had decided right then and there that she was going to marry the boy with the strange monkey tail, but then…

She had been eight when the purgers had come.  Goku had been training with the finest martial arts master in the world, Master Roshi.  He had been a friend of Goku's grandfather, and as a favor he had come out of retirement to train the young boy who showed limitless potential.  Chi-Chi visited often, undeterred by the fact that the old man was a pervert.  Krillin, an orphan boy who had run away from the monastery, eventually joined them and much to the old man's ire, the two boys became inseparable.  She sparred with the boys, and made a general nuisance out of herself trying to get Goku's attention.

Until the attack she had always thought that Goku viewed her as an annoying girl that he had to be nice to so he could get fed, but after that day everything changed.  Being the weakest, she had been the first one to fall.  Then Krillin landed next to her, unable to withstand the intense attacks.

To protect them, to protect her, Goku had fought until he was bloody, then he stood up and fought some more.  The purgers were under orders to collect the strongest inhabitants of Earth, so in the end they took her, Krillin and Goku.  Master Roshi was too old to be a slave they claimed, and they murdered him in front of their eyes.

After that they were brought to Glace, the Ice-jin home world, to become slaves.  They kept referring to Goku as a Saiyan, demanding that he kill for them, but he refused.  He would disappear for weeks at a time, returning with new wounds on his body, but no matter how much they tortured him, he never lifted a hand to help them.

Five years passed, and they grew up together, clinging to one another for support.  At thirteen her breast began to bud and her hips to swell as she started on the path to womanhood.  Goku grew taller, and his lanky fifteen year old build began to fill out.  Krillin's own growth seemed to be stunted by numerous beatings and heavy workload, but he took it in stride, his charm making up for lack of height.  Although beaten nearly every day, Goku still managed to retain his innocence and jovial attitude.  No matter how sad or scared she was, he always managed to make her smile.

One day their Ice-jin masters took Goku away, and when he returned there wasn't a mark on him, but there were tears streaming down his face.  He dropped to his knees in front of her, wrapped his strong arms around her waist and pressed his face into her stomach.  All he would say was that he would never let anyone touch her, and that he would protect her.  The next day he went to work for the Ice-jin, complying with their every demand.

Later, she found out that they had taken him to the palace harem, what he saw there she could only guess.

Little by little, the Goku she knew slipped away.  He would come back to her every night, the sorrow from his day etched into his face.  Sometimes he would hold her silently, but other nights he would sob in her arms like a baby.  She knew that what he saw when he wasn't with her was too much for any teenage boy to witness, and it was slowly killing him.

The honorable part of Goku struggled with the horrors that he perpetrated against others, all in the name of protecting her.  She knew that he harbored rebellion in his heart, and that some day he would strike out against the Ice-jin, even if it meant his death, but he wouldn't do so as long as she was in danger.

Then at sixteen she had become pregnant with Gohan.  Any thoughts of escaping the Ice-jin died with his birth.  The day that Gohan was born was the last day that Goku cried in her arms.  From that day forward he became Kakarot, elite warrior for King Cold's Galactic Forces.

At times she could see glimpses of Goku when he was watching her or Gohan, but most of the time he was completely distant.  She even feared him at moments when he stared at her with emotionless eyes.

Now she was the one to cry at night.  She couldn't escape the feeling that somehow Goku had been cheated out of his destiny.  He had been meant to be something great, something special, but it had been beaten out of him.  He had made a choice, his family or his fate.  He had chosen his family and he resented them for it.  She saw it every time he looked at her with those dead eyes.

Now her young son had been pressed into service.  As a half Saiyan, he was nearly as powerful as his father and ten times more deadly.

Gohan had always been a serious as a toddler, but extremely loving.  He lacked the boyish spark of his father though, and it had been easy to beat the love from him and mold him into a killer, despite her best efforts to protect him.  She suspected that like Goku, he was missing his destiny, but he had yet to find his key to unlock it.

The harsh scrap of a chair across the tile floor woke her from her thoughts.  She watched as Gohan silently and efficiently rinsed his dishes in the sink.  A lock of black hair fell over his forehead, and she felt her heart constrict.  He turned on his heel, pulling on his gloves as he strode towards the door.

"Have a nice day, honey," she called out, desperate for any connection with her son.  "I love---" 

The door shut with a click, cutting her off.

"---you."

She stared at the closed door for several seconds, her hand rubbing absently over her newly swelling stomach, before bursting into heart wrenching tears.

*~*

Eighteen stared coldly at the heavyset man who stood across from her.  He had introduced himself as Kets, the head eunuch for the royal harem, and beside him stood a much shorter man with thick black hair.  She supposed that he was sort of cute, in a boyish kind of way.

"I have my own attendant."  She flicked her wrist towards Delia, who stood at her side.  Dr. Gero's device worked wonders, and the beautiful woman was unrecognizable as an old hag.

"Is that so?  You can have her run errands outside of the harem, but in here, Krillin is going to be your man."

Kets slapped the shorter man on the back, nearly knocking him off his feet.

"Unacceptable."

"Well now, missy, I don't know what it was like on the outside, but in here, King Cold's word is law.  Krillin is to be your new hand maiden, and that's final."

Eighteen's sapphire eyes narrowed, and she noticed a faint blush creep up Krillin's cheeks at the guard's off-handed insult.

"I refused to be waited on by some dickless eunuch," Eighteen spat icily. 

She was aware of a strange sense of shame as the words came out of her mouth.  She quickly pushed it down, damning the emotion chip that Gero had inserted into her matrix.  How she hated the mind-fuck games played by her creator.

Kets laughed jovially, slapping Krillin on the back again.

"That's just it.  He's no eunuch.  Isn't that right?"

"You see, Krillin here is a bad boy.  He was caught having sex with one of the King's concubines.  As punishment, they were going to cut off his balls, but they only got one done when he swore to all that's holy that he'd never do it again.  Cold thought that was a fine idea, so they fixed him up and even give him extra shots of testosterone once a week for fun, just to rev him up."

As Kets explained Krillin's sorted past, Eighteen watched as the smaller man's face went from red to dark purple.  She felt a small dose of pity for him as he shifted his weight nervously.

"So you see, now Krillin has to work in the harem with all you beautiful ladies.  King Cold wants to see if he keeps his word around all this temptation.  Cause if he doesn't…"

Kets fingered his knife that was sheathed at his side, meaningfully while eyeing Krillin.  The shorter man gulped and shifted away subtly.

"So what you are saying is that it's a sadistic torture method?  Well, I don't want any part of it.  Assign him to someone else.  I want only my attendant to serve me."

Kets features hardened and Eighteen knew she was fighting a losing battle.

"Punishment, not torture.  He has to learn his lesson.  As for your servant, she will go the kitchens," he stated decisively.  "Besides you're just a robot.  It's not like you care or anything."

"Android."

"What?"

"I'm an android, you idiot."

"Whatever."  He shrugged dismissively, opening a small box that he had been holding the entire time.

"Turn around so I can put this on you."

"What is it?"  Eighteen felt like reaching through the pig's stomach and ripping out his spine, but she practiced restraint.  She had to practice a lot.

"A necklace declaring that you are the property of King Cold and aren't to be touched by anyone else."  Again, the guard shot a look at Krillin who shifted.

Eighteen eyed the man coldly, but he didn't back down, and she eventually sighed with resignation.  She turned around, lifting her corn silk blonde hair to bare her neck.

She felt the cold kiss of metal as he clasped it into place, right before melting shocks of pain spread through her synapses.  She dropped to her knees, caging her screams behind her tightly clenched teeth.  Through a haze she heard Kets speak.

"Interesting.  You feel pain.  King Cold will be absolutely thrilled."

She curled her fingers around the collar, but she couldn't dislodge it.

"What have you done to me?" she gasped.

"Well, usually we put ki restraining collars on our more powerful girls, but since you are ki-less we had to develop a device that emits a jamming signal.  It prevents your electronic neurons from connecting to your power centers.  In essence, we took away all your strength."

Eighteen allowed Delia to help her to her feet, and from the corner of her eyes she caught Krillin's concerned look.

"Why?" she asked.

"Experience has taught us that there is nothing worse than a female's tantrum.  It's just safer all around."

"I demand that you take it off."  Eighteen knees were still shaking from the shock, but she faced Kets with unwavering pride.  Again, she damned Gero and his games.  He thought it was uproariously funny that he created her with pain sensors.  Pain came part and parcel with pleasure, he told her.  It made her a most effective seductress.

"Oh, it will come off.  When it's time for you to see King Cold."  The way he said it made her think that she would need all her strength to survive the encounter.

"Now I've wasted enough time.  You, come with me."  He pointed to Delia, turning to leave the room without waiting for a reply.

Delia darted a look at her, and Eighteen nodded silently.  Delia followed after the guard, leaving Krillin and Eighteen to stare at each other.

*~*

Zarbon sighed deeply, forging Vegeta's name on official documents once again.  His liege had disappeared without a trace, along with his two body guards, well over a month ago.

Zarbon had sent out groups of men to quietly look for the missing Emperor, but with no luck.  He did his best to keep the empire running smoothly in his Lord's absence, but it was only a matter of time before everyone realized that there was no captain at the helm of the ship.

There was a sharp knock at the office door, and Zarbon sighed again. 

After all, the sharks were circling.

"Enter."

A guard appeared, stepping to the side to allow a young woman to enter.  She was stunningly beautiful with waist length, violet hair that was artfully arranged, and lightly tanned skin.

"Dame Rosetta."  The guard introduced, and the lady sank into a deep curtsy.  From under her long lashes, liquid silver eyes flashed, and Zarbon felt a tingle at his center that he hadn't felt in a long time.

He nodded in dismissal, and the guard snapped his heels before leaving, closing the door behind him.

In an attempt to quell his rising lust, Zarbon tore his gaze from her low cut gown that revealed entirely too much flesh when she had curtsied.  He picked up his pen, glancing down at his papers as he affected a bored attitude.

"Yes?"

"I am Dame Rosetta, from the house of Eisen, legal representative of the Shari-Reeves union.  Here are my diplomatic papers."

Her voice lilted across the room, sending shivers down Zarbon's spine.  He refused to answer her, waiting to see how she would respond to being ignored.

She shifted indecisively in place for a moment before stepping up to his desk to place the papers on the corner.

"You may go."  He waved his hand dismissively, while still leafing through his papers.  From the corner of his eye he saw her stiffen, and he resisted the urge to smile.

"I'm here to see Lord Vegeta," she sneered haughtily.

Zarbon signed off on another document before replying.

"No one sees the Emperor without my approval, and I don't have time right now to verify your papers.  As you can see I'm a very busy man."

"Is there some sort of problem?  Is the Lord not available?" she asked slyly.

Zarbon finally raised his head, his amber eyes raking rudely over her body, telling her without words how little he thought of her.

"You are either very brave or very stupid for coming here."

He watched with fascination as a dusky blush heated her cheeks.  She raised her chin a notch, looking down her nose at him.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because, the Emperor is very displeased with you pathetic revolutionaries, something I thought was blatantly clear at the conference."

At his mention of the massacre at Folaithe Ceo, Rosetta's cheeks lost all their color, and she shivered delicately.  Her hair shimmered in the light and Zarbon was reminded of the flash of violet he had seen on the Shari-Reeves monitor during the massacre, right before he had turned it off.  Had she witnessed the slaughter?  Had she seen him with blood on his hands?

"I'm protected by diplomatic immunity."

Zarbon raised an arrogantly curved brow, shaking his head.  "If you believe that, then you are stupid."

He silver eyes flashed as she bristled at the insult.

"Your opinion doesn't matter.  You are nothing more than a servant boy," she spat.

Zarbon's amusement faded, and he stared at her coldly.

"That may be so, but I am the servant boy to the most powerful man in the universe, and you are at my mercy."

Rosetta drew herself up, realizing her mistake instantly.

"You may remove yourself from my presence, and wait for me to call for another meeting at my convenience."

He picked up his pen again, already dismissing her.

"As I said before, I'm very busy, and that may be a while."  He saw her lip curl with resigned anger before she spun on her heel to leave.

As she reached the door he couldn't resist infuriating her even more.

"Oh, and Dame Rosetta, might I suggest that you bring your diplomacy skills with you next time."

The door shut with a slam, shaking the wall with her departure.  Zarbon tossed down his pen, rubbing his eyes tiredly. 

"Things are deteriorating quickly."  Jace appeared from his hidden catch behind the bookcase, his somber brown eyes watching Zarbon's tired features.

"How bad is it?"  Zarbon questioned, his stomach rolling with trepidation.

"The Shari-Reeves Union is stealthily moving their troops into place.  They have formed a tight net around most of our outlying bases.  We would be wide open for attack if we weren't so aware of their movements."

"You mean if you didn't have spy in every toilet between here and the Badlands."

Jace shrugged offhandedly.  He was just as nervous as Zarbon at the news.  It was apparent that the rebels were suspicious of Vegeta's sudden absence and they were taking advantage of the situation.  They were readying themselves for an attack on the fledgling government, and the only thing that stood between them and victory was his spy network and Zarbon's knack for intrigue.

Zarbon eyed the door distastefully.  "It would seem that our new diplomat is more than she seems."

"That is likely."

"Find out what you can about her.  I need to know why she is here and what she is up too.  I can't have her wandering around the palace halls.  The rebels are cautious at the moment, but as soon as they confirm that Vegeta is out of the picture they will swoop down on us like predators."

Jace nodded, and disappeared through the secret door that connected his lab to Zarbon's office.

Zarbon sighed again, vainly attempting to rub away the headache that was forming behind his eyes.  Yes, the sharks were definitely circling.

A/N:  Yes I know.  That was all terribly boring and unfortunately necessary.  I promise to have treats for all your patience next chapter.  Unfortunately they won't be lemon flavored, but we are close, so very close.