Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Butterflies & Hurricanes ❯ Chapter 19 ( Chapter 19 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Froglady15 
Anime/Manga: Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Drama / Hentai / Romance / Suspense / Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 02.14.2016 | Pages: 12 | Words: 7.0K | Visits: 330 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Drama / Hentai / Romance / Suspense / Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 02.14.2016 | Pages: 12 | Words: 7.0K | Visits: 330 | Status: Work In Progress
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Just my Husband,
laptop, my 3 dogs and a very overactive imagination… Dragon
Ball Z and any songs mentioned in this fic DO NOT belong to me. I'm
just borrowing them for my own twisted amusement.
Butterflies & Hurricanes
Chapter 19
It had been a full week since King Vegeta had been killed.
As planned, Paragus and a very select few council members set up his bed chambers to look as though it were an orgy that had gone very wrong. They scattered torn lingerie, liquor bottles, glasses and food everywhere and made the room look in complete disarray.
Finally, they had bound the King’s arms to his bed posts and made it look as though someone had killed him in the throws of bondage bed play; his body had been fresh enough that when they cut his throat, he bled out everywhere so it looked like someone had cut his throat while in the midst of doing whatever it was they had been doing. Since his face was a mess, they decided to make it look like several girls had been involved. Of course if such a scenario had happened, he would have attempted to fight back, neck bleeding out or not and so the theory that he had been unfairly ganged up on while restrained fit perfectly with the picture they had so carefully painted.
It took about two hours after the fact for him to be discovered by one of the maids. Of course, the exact conclusion Paragus had hoped for was drawn and not a single member of the investigatory committee questioned it; it was a well-known fact that King Vegeta loved his women and his booze. Many had even commented that it had only been a matter of time before something like this had happened to him and an investigation into all of the girls in the Royal Harem had been opened.
Not surprisingly, the rest of the planet went into an immediate uproar over it. Not only had their king been slain but their Prince was being held captive by the Ice-jin. The Saiyans were left completely without order or leadership now. Panic and violence took hold of the streets in the capital.
Panic because not only were they left without a leader, but Prince Vegeta had taken all of the best warriors with him; there was no one to look after and protect the planet now that the King was gone. Therefore, riots had broken out as a result. Many looting the stores and kiosks for supplies as needed should their planet be raided by the Ice-jin.
It was grim, indeed. Never had there been unrest as this seen on the planet Vegeta-sei; not since the death of the Tuffle race anyway.
“I wish to speak with King Vegeta, not his advisor.” King Cold complained.
“I am sorry but the king is indisposed and currently unavailable,” Paragus said reasonably. “I can assure you that anything you relate to me I will relay directly to his highness as soon as he is available.”
“No, you will find him and bring him here so that I can speak with him directly. I have been patiently playing this little game with you for a week now, Paragus. You need to quit being a gate keeper and know when to go over your king’s head; any decent advisor knows how to decipher which matters are important and which ones are not.”
“I do not mean to interfere, but I am afraid King Vegeta is terribly busy,” Paragus said again. “The entire planet has been in an uproar since the knowledge of Prince Vegeta’s capture into your custody became household knowledge. As you can imagine, that news was most devastating and so the king has been dealing with the backlash behind that.”
“I will remain on the line until I am able to speak with him directly.” Cold insisted, unmoved by Paragus’ story.
Paragus grit his teeth in frustration. He had not anticipated Cold being so difficult to deal with. Paragus was the second in command after the king himself; speaking to him was as good as speaking to the king as far as he was concerned. “Very well, I will see what I can do.”
“See that you do,” Cold Advised. “I am not impressed that Vegeta has not contacted me since I notified him of his son’s capture.”
“I understand, however things are critical here at the moment and he has been single mindedly dealing with the citizens of Vegeta-sei.” Paragus tried again. “He is not deliberately putting you off, he is simply terribly busy.”
“I do not care,” Cold snorted. “Find him!”
Paragus nodded once and left the room with two other advisors and shut the door.
“What are we going to do?” One of them asked Paragus. “We cannot hold him off forever.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Paragus snarled.
“Why don’t we just tell him?” The other suggested. “I don’t really get what the big deal is; he is going to have to find out eventually.”
“Because the planet is already in an uproar what with the death of the king and his only capable heir in Cold’s custody! It is not his business to know that we are in the middle of a civil uprising upon epic proportions and technically without a leader at the moment; he will take advantage of us.”
“But we angering him now by not letting him speak with King Vegeta, which obviously he cannot.”
“I understand that but when he finds out that we have no king and no military worth mentioning, he will crush us!” Paragus growled. “King Vegeta has left us with nothing! He allowed his idiot, arrogant son to take all our best warriors to perish with him and left us with no defense! If he decides to come at us now, we are fucked!”
“We get that but by putting him off as we are, we risk angering him and having him come after us anyway,” the first advisor said.
Paragus nodded in agreement. “We need more time to think up something.” He paced, trying to think of another excuse to put Cold off just a little while longer. It had been only a week and already things had spun so far out of his control that he had no idea what he should do or where he should start. None of this is happening the way it is supposed to! He raged to himself.
Brolly was still out of the equation. Paragus had sent for his grandmother the very next day and so she had shown up and had taken him back to her side of the planet. He had provided her with enough sedatives to keep him immobile for as long as possible.
At least Brolly was one less thing on his plate to keep track of.
Then there was Bulma; he had no idea what to do with her. Threatening her got him nowhere with her, as she simply refused to do anything unless she could see her son, which he refused to allow and so he was at a complete stalemate with her at the moment and at a complete loss as to what to do with her.
Unfortunately, she was a whole lot smarter than he had initially given her credit for; she knew that Cold wanted both her and Trunks in his possession and that Paragus was in no position to be issuing threats so the threats that he had tried on her as way of getting her to start doing some work for him were empty at best and both of them knew it. He was beginning to understand to some degree the Prince’s fascination with her; she was highly intelligent and not afraid to speak her mind. In any other circumstances, Paragus would have found her amusing and he may have even respected her but unfortunately, all she was doing was adding unnecessary stress to this horrible situation and he hated her and her bold personality and he hated her even more that his son had gotten himself so involved with her that he had felt the need to protect her to the degree that he had. If there weren’t the threat of war, he would kill her himself and tell Cold it was the King’s doing.
The King’s doing…
Yes! That was what he would do! If the King was not around that would mean that He as advisor was in charge now and that the terms of their original agreement would be void and could be renegotiated! If he could talk Cold into not taking Bulma, then he could issue her an actual threat and carry it out. Oh, would he love to see her cocky demeanor be blown to bits when one of his men handed her the corpse of her dead son all because she refused to comply with the simple request to advance their war technology. Game time with her was over.
"Alright, here is what we will do," Paragus said suddenly after a few minutes. "We will give Cold an excuse for now,"
"But he won't go until he speaks with King Vegeta." One of them reminded him.
"Then let him remain on the line all day, that is his problem; what do I care?" Paragus snipped. "Tomorrow we will show him the footage of King Vegeta and inform him of his passing. However we will tell him we found him that way that morning."
"Do you think he'll buy it?"
"What other choice does he have?"
The other two advisors shrugged.
"In the meantime, we need to contact all of our other planet bases and order them to evacuate and return here," Paragus said. "That way we will be protected should Cold try to take advantage of us.”
“But many of those soldiers are either third class criminals or rejects and young Saiyans not ready for battle. They are of little to no use to us.”
“Yes, I know that but there are hundreds if not a few thousand of them if we gather them all together,” Paragus said. “Put them all in the very best Saiyan armor and have them stationed at the flight deck and throughout the palace within immediate view and it will appear as though we are just as strong as ever and that our loss matters little to us.”
The two advisors considered it a moment and glanced at each other before nodding in agreement. “That’s good.” One of them commended him.
“Of course it is!” Paragus huffed arrogantly. “Now the both of you need to get on and contact all of the bases and order them to return here; I do not care what excuse or reasons they may have, they are to abandon absolutely everything and return here by order of the King’s right hand.
“Make sure you are absolutely certain that you call them on secure and closed lines; we do not need anyone listening in and reporting back to Cold on our activities.”
“Right,” they nodded. “We will get started on that immediately. What about Cold?”
“I will deal with him for the moment,” Paragus shrugged. “What is he going to do about it from his base?”
The two advisors shrugged.
“Nothing; that’s what.” Paragus snorted and then turned to go back to deal with Cold.
“Where is King Vegeta?” Cold asked impatiently, glowering at Paragus.
“I was unable to locate him.” Paragus shrugged.
“You are supposedly Vegeta’s right hand man and you expect me to believe that you were unable to locate him?” Cold snorted.
“I am his right hand man, not his keeper.” Paragus replied coolly. He’d had enough of Cold completely and lamented for a moment how unfortunate it was that Prince Vegeta had not done away with him. “I am sure there are times when you wish to not be bothered or found by your associates.”
Cold glared at Paragus. “This is true, but I still do not believe you.”
“Then don’t,” Paragus shrugged. “You may stay on the line for as long as you wish. I will notify him that you need to speak with him immediately once I do locate him. He can either return here to speak to you or he can return your call. Regardless, I have many things to attend do as I am sure you do as well.”
“I expect him to call me the minute he is free,” Cold said. “And let your King know that if I suspect any deviation from our original agreement or any disloyalty on his end, not only will his son suffer more than necessary but so will the entire empire of Vegeta-sei.”
Paragus hid a shudder of fear at the implications of Cold’s threat and was grateful he’d had the foresight to begin evacuating the surrounding planets. If they were evacuated and Cold took them out first, it would not matter. “I will pass that along.” He said, bowing respectfully to the Icejin king.
King Cold nodded once and disconnected the transmission.
“Seyton,” Cold called to his advisor.
“Yes, my King.”
“Call the men on their way to Vegeta-sei. I know that they left earlier than needed but that maybe to our advantage. Tell them that they are to no longer delay their arrival and that they need to get there as soon as possible.”
“Right,” Seyton nodded. “I spoke with Captain Burter just yesterday and he said that they were three or four days away from Vegeta-sei. I gave them leave to doc on any one of the recreational planets to waste time as they would have been there two weeks earlier than expected otherwise.”
“That is perfect.” Cold nodded in approval. “They may head for Vegeta-sei as soon as they are able.”
“I will send the order.” Seyton nodded before excusing himself.
Cold poured himself a glass of wine and took a seat on his throne. If King Vegeta was setting him up for betrayal, he would make sure he was ready for it.
-0-0-0-
How are you holding up? Bulma asked Vegeta. They had taken to speaking mostly first thing in the morning and at the end of the day, usually before and after Gero had spent the day tormenting Vegeta. Bulma for the most part was being neglected and only had contact with anyone when they were giving her food or when Paragus would send in one of his men to try and bargain with her to work for him. Her position was simple: Until she saw Trunks, she would not do a single moments work for them. It drove her insane because she was going crazy from boredom and the work would have been the perfect distraction to keep her mind from dwelling on everything that had happened to them, but she refused to do anything. Not until she was assured that her son was alright and being told flatly by Paragus’ lackeys “He’s fine”, was not sufficient enough for her.
On top of that she needed to see Trunks for no other reason than to feed him. Her breasts were so full of milk that they were sore and swollen; never had she been without relief because she had still been nursing him fairly regularly.
So she kept her focus on Vegeta and offered him as much encouragement as she could throughout his days, though she tried to keep her comments to a minimum because she knew he didn’t like that she was privy to everything. Even though his time with Gero was slowly becoming something out of a horror movie that she would have rather not sat through, she refused to abandon him.
How do you think? He bristled in reply.
Bulma winced at his harsh tone. I'm fine, she lied.
Oh, well that makes everything better now doesn't it? He replied sarcastically. I will be able to go through my day with ease knowing that you are fine when in fact things are Not fine! Give your head a shake! Things have not been fucking fine since I let you talk me into bringing you to Vegeta-sei! I should have listened to my instincts instead of caving to your every whim like a weak fool!
What, so this is all my fault then?
Isn't it? He snarled back. I waste all of my time trying to ensure yours and our son's safety and you do not take my concerns seriously. For someone who is apparently a genius you sure make some idiotic decisions from time to time! I cannot constantly be around to hold your hand! I expect that you-
Just stop, she said and he could tell she was trying to keep herself from getting emotional. I am sorry things are the way they are.
He didn’t say anything for a long moment, trying to rein in his anger and frustrations; he was so angry, frustrated and exhausted that he could not think rationally about anything nor could he calm himself down enough to say anything comforting to Bulma. He was still that angry with her and her not being able to get herself off of Vegeta-sei.
Bulma wasn’t sure what to say to him and wondered if telling him that his father was dead would possibly put him at ease. On top of that, now that some time had passed, the events that had taken place were really beginning to bother her more and more the longer she kept it to herself. While she didn’t want to trouble Vegeta with telling him about what had happened, she felt she needed to talk about it or she would go crazy.
She couldn’t close her eyes to rest without feeling his hands all over her, violating her. Anytime she moved or shifted in an attempt to make herself comfortable, it hurt. Her shoulder was still an open wound, her poor mangled hand was throbbing constantly and her ribs were still sufficiently bruised even after a whole week. No matter what she did she was reminded of her encounter with King Vegeta and it sickened her.
It was driving her border on insane. She took a deep breath, deciding that maybe she should tell him, or at least some of what happened; maybe then he would be less stressed about her safety. Bulma decided she could leave out the worst details and just tell him that his father had attempted to hurt her but was stopped and had been killed. Vegeta,
What. He replied irritably.
I have to tell you something about your father,
I do not wish to hear of it. He snapped. He assumed something had happened and she had been doing her best to keep it from him; he had sensed it the moment she had reached out to him and while a part of him desperately wanted to know, a part of him didn’t. He could not deal with it properly or console her or do anything and that sent him into another fresh fit of rage. Anything he may have done to you is all your own fault and you will get no sympathy from me. The thought came before he could stop it and moment he finished that thought, he instantly regretted it.
Bulma didn't say anything in reply. What could she say? He was right, to a point; had she gotten herself and Trunks out exactly when he had told her to go, it wouldn’t have happened. She bit her bottom lip in an effort to keep her composure and put up a wall between them. She knew he hadn’t meant it, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.
Vegeta balled his hand into a fist and struck the floor. Why the hell had he said that? How could he have even thought such a terrible, insensitive thing? He snarled as he beat the back of his head against the wall in his room. Woman?
There was no response. Bulma!
Despair enveloped him as he was only stuck with himself and a thousand horrible thoughts and images racing through his mind at all the possible things that could have happened, none of them good.
He took a deep breath and focused on his breathing for a moment as he tried to settle himself down. If they were going to make it through this, they needed to stick together. He needed to not alienate her as he had been, he knew that. Then why did I do that? He berated himself again. Something horrible may have happened to her and he had pretty much just told her she deserved it.
“How could I?” Vegeta muttered to himself as he leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes, swallowing hard in an attempt to make the lump in his throat go away. His eyes burned as he fought back the moisture build up behind his eyes threatening to release; he grit his teeth until his jaw ached.
Everything was a mess. How was he going to be able to protect his family when he was like this? His whole body ached and throbbed, he was exhausted from the collar draining him. Between enduring Gero and his prodding and experimenting, and his concern over his family’s safety he knew he was losing his mind.
Vegeta knew he needed to get a grip and find his bearings; as much as he hated to admit it, he needed Bulma. Her presence was the only thing keeping him from giving up at this point. He kept his eyes closed and focused on their bond. She had a wall up and he could tell she was upset but that she was still there brought him comfort. He used that small bit of a connection to lull him into a calmer frame of mind.
Whatever his father had done, could not have been that bad, he reasoned. Bulma seemed to be okay for the most part; she was shaken up of course but alright. That was a good thing and he decided to focus on that. He hoped that nothing else would happen if his father came to her again and he asked every god and deity he had ever heard of to at least look out for hers and Trunks’ safety above all else. Forget him, he would endure. So far, while unpleasant, he had endured much worse during his service to Frieza. This was nothing. Had he known that Bulma had gotten off Vegeta-sei and was on her way to Callisto where they would he safe, he would have laughed at Gero for his efforts; he was nothing more than a senile old fool who thought he was scary and so Vegeta did not object to anything he did. He was far from cooperative, but he didn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that he was hurting him when he was inflicting more than usual discomfort.
Vegeta’s head snapped up as he heard the door open and in walked Gero and It.
Gero walked up to him and It jerked him up to his feet.
"I do not understand," Gero murmured to himself in exasperation after a quick examination. "It has been over a week and your injuries are still fresh. Everything according to my research indicates that you Saiyans are able to heal from injury at an accelerated rate. Why are you not healing?"
Vegeta chuckled, despite the pain in his ribs at doing so. The doctor had been becoming exceedingly grouchy and impatient with Vegeta's lack of cooperation and physical recovery.
"You know exactly why, don't you?" He asked accusingly. "Is it something you can choose to do or not do at will?"
Vegeta shrugged and shook his head in differently as though he had no clue. "You are the good doctor who knows so much about my race, you tell me."
Gero scowled at him a long moment before reaching out and gripping the left side of his collar bone and digging his thumb in where the bone was broken.
Vegeta clenched his teeth but did not make a sound, just stared defiantly back at him. In all honesty, almost his entire body was throbbing now from his injuries so he barely felt Gero's thumb digging into him.
Annoyed that Vegeta gave him no reaction at all, he let him go and turned away. "I need you to be in full health!"
"Maybe try putting him in a regeneration tank?" The Android suggested in a bored tone. With nothing else to do, Cold had ordered It to remain at the lab to ensure that Vegeta did not escape.
"I thought of that, but that will waste too much time." He sighed. "Besides, I want to save it for when I will really need it."
It shrugged. "Hmmm. What about that thing you've been keeping around?"
Gero frowned. "What thing?"
"That little green slug thing," It said. "Doesn't it have the ability to heal?"
"The Namek?" Gero mumbled. "I believe so, yes! Why didn't I think about that before? Quick! Go and get it, now!"
"As you wish," It nodded and left the lab.
"I will learn everything about you," Gero said to Vegeta. "One way or another."
Vegeta didn't reply. He only hoped the old fool would somehow remedy his injuries, then maybe he would be a little stronger and be able to gain the upper hand against Gero. It would have to take careful planning and he would have to bide his time for when the Android was not around, like now. Besides, if he was to have any chance at escape, he would have to find a way to get the ki collar off or he would not stand a chance against any of the Androids should he have a run in with any of them. Gero he would be able to take out, he was nothing more thana frail old man and he could snap his neck even as he was right now.
However he was so drained he doubted he had enough energy to even attempt an escape; he didn't know his way around and if he ran into anyone of Cold's soldiers or an android, he would have no hope of escape.
Wait for me, he heard Bulma. I'm sure together we can get out of there.
Hmmn, he replied, once again exhaustion hitting him and all he wanted to do was sleep. what little sleep Gero did let him have was unrestful being that the collar was constantly draining him of his energy; it was a vicious cycle.
He felt her send him a wave of encouragement through the bond and despite his shame over everything, he embraced it rather than recoiled from it. If they were to have a chance at making it through, they needed to draw close together, not pick at each other. A wave of guilt washed through him at the memory of some of terrible things he'd said to her not only recently, but since this nightmare had begun.
I know you didn't mean it, she said gently.
That does not make it right. He replied.
A moment later, the Android returned carrying a small Namekian child by the scruff of its tunic, dropping it carelessly on the floor as though it were nothing.
“Heal him.” Gero commanded the small Namekian child, shoving him harshly towards Vegeta.
The Namek looked at Vegeta sympathetically before turning back to look at Gero and It.
“Heal him, now!” Gero barked at him impatiently.
“I’m sorry,” the Namek said quietly to Vegeta, looking at him as he put a hand on his arm.
“Do what you have to do.” Vegeta replied hoping that maybe this would not be a bad thing if his energy level was replenished and his injuries healed. Maybe then he would be able to concentrate better on plotting an exit once Bulma and Trunks made it in.
“Excellent!” Gero chortled, running to grab his monitoring device to check on the progress of the Namek’s healing capabilities on Vegeta.
Within a few short minutes, Vegeta felt his energy return to him and his injuries completely healed. However the moment the Namekian child stepped away, he was hit with tiredness again, thanks to the draining device.
It dragged the Namekian child away before Vegeta could think to thank it or say anything to it and he wondered why it was there and what it must have endured up until now.
“Today is looking up to be a wonderful day!” Gero exclaimed. “I can study you both now! I have not had the opportunity to witness the Namek’s healing abilities until now, this is most exciting and beneficial to me!”
Vegeta suppressed a snarl. The Namek was nothing more than a child and he wondered if this was to be Trunks future within a few short weeks; was he too going to be nothing more than something to be studied like Gero was currently doing to him? The thought enraged him and renewed his resolve that he had to get his family out of here at all costs as quickly as possible.
-0-0-0-
The next day, Paragus took the initiative of contacting Cold directly himself.
“Why are you calling me?” Cold asked in a bored tone. “I wish to speak with King Vegeta, not his peons, or have I somehow made that request unclear to you?”
“My apologies, King Cold,” Paragus replied between clenched teeth, deeply insulted by the Icejin’s complete lack of respect. He couldn’t wait notify him that he was now the ruler of this planet and that he would have to now be respectful of him, for they were both equals now. “I took the liberty of contacting you myself at such an early hour to inform you that our great king is deceased.”
Cold blinked a few times at Paragus. “What do you mean deceased?” he asked suspiciously.
“He was discovered in his personal chambers this morning, slain by one or several of the many whores he has been known to keep in his company,” Paragus explained. “That is the assumption that was made, anyway.”
Cold did not say anything for several seconds. "So what you are telling me is you have no leadership at the moment." Cold said as he looked at Paragus.
"We are not without leadership, I am filling the position at the moment so any concerns you may have can go through me."
"How convenient," Cold huffed.
"I may show you footage from the crime scene if you wish, I can assure you it was quite the grizzly scene," he said, holding up a picture of King Vegeta slain in his quarters.
Cold regarded it quietly for a moment. While it certainly looked genuine, something about it didn't sit right with him. It was too sudden and much too convenient that he had been unable to get a hold of King Vegeta for an entire week and now this had happened. "I see,"
"We are still in the midst of trying to figure out what exactly happened," Paragus continued. "Therefore any matters you need to discuss, you can take them up with me. I have a few things I want to discuss with you as well."
"Oh do you, now?" Cold chuckled. "What could you possibly want to discuss with me? I will not be returning Prince Vegeta to you. I do not care if his father is dead, he will spend the remainder of his days here in my custody."
"I do not wish to renegotiate the terms where Prince Vegeta is concerned," Paragus shook his head.
Cold laughed. "My, even without worthy leadership his own people don't even want him back? That is cold."
"That may be so, but I believe it to be the best thing for this planet. I do however want to renegotiate one of the other conditions you had made with King Vegeta."
"And what is that?" Cold asked in a bored tone.
"I want his kept mate here," Paragus replied. "You can keep their son, do as you wish, I do not care about him but I am requesting that the woman remains here."
"I thought you Saiyans had issue with her?" Cold reminded him. "King Vegeta was more than happy to see her and her son sent here."
"Our interest in her has shifted somewhat," Paragus admitted. "All I ask is that you let her remain here."
Cold looked to consider it a moment. "No, the agreement made with King Vegeta for his son, mate and their child was final. That is not negotiable."
"But why?" Paragus objected. "You have Prince Vegeta, it was he who destroyed your son and you can have his son to do with as you please. What point is there in you having the woman as well?"
"The point is, she herself is somewhat responsible for the death of my son." Cold said harshly. "I require her to be present for the trial against Prince Vegeta. I want to meet her and speak to her and decide from there the extent of her involvement. Prince Vegeta killed my son because of her; that means she is just as responsible and possibly guilty as well. So no, I will not renegotiate the original terms."
Paragus frowned at him. "I understand your desire to see justice carried out for your son but I am certain the woman had little to do with it. Prince Vegeta is not always the most sound in mind and he is very possessive of his belongings. You realize she was nothing more than another one of the palace whores?"
"Then why the sudden insistence on keeping her?" Cold asked.
"The specifics don't matter." Paragus shrugged.
"I see, well the answer is still no. All terms of the original agreement are binding and will be kept as is. My ship and a fleet of men will be there to collect the woman and herchild in three days or so.”
“I thought it would be at least another two weeks.”
“It should have been, according to my original agreement with King Vegeta, yes,” Cold shrugged. “However being as it may that I never trusted him and was becoming exceedingly concerned over his lack of communication with me, I gave my men leave to head down early to Vegeta-sei but to not arrive until I gave specific instruction. Up until yesterday, they were stationed on a recreation planet not more than four days travel from Vegeta-sei.”
Paragus clenched his teeth in anger. “That in itself is in violation of the original agreement. She is not to be collected for another two weeks yet,” he pointed out.
“Oh well,” Cold shrugged. “I want to see to Prince Vegeta’s trial and sentence as soon as possible. I have been more than reasonable and patient seeing as it was one of your own who brutally murdered my son. I have footage of it if you would like to see it for yourself; perhaps you would be a little more understanding towards my feelings on the matter.”
“I’ll pass,” Paragus said. “While I understand your position on the matter, I still request that you rethink the terms where Prince Vegeta’s mate is concerned.”
“I am afraid there is nothing further to discuss with regards to that,” Cold said with finality. “Have them ready three days from now, no tricks! If you do this, no further action will be taken against Vegeta-sei.”
“What action would need to be taken?” Paragus asked, trying to keep the alarm out of his tone.
“If I suspect any deceit or foul play, I will take out you and your whole worthless planet.” Cold threatened. “I am not convinced that King Vegeta was simply murdered just last night by one of his whores. The man has been avoiding me for days. I knew his resolve to hand over his son was wavering, I could feel it! If I find that he is on some secret mission to come and rescue his son, make no mistake, I will act accordingly.”
“I can understand your concern, but the king is really dead under sudden, unforeseen circumstances,” Paragus interjected quickly. “Your men may come and investigate it for themselves.”
“I can assure you, they most certainly will,” Cold nodded. “In the meantime, I expect the girl and her son to be ready to go, without incident in three days’ time. Should there be any delays, excuses or pleas to deviate from the original agreement, I will crush you and your people.”
Paragus grit his teeth in an effort to hide his rage. “There will be no problem.” He said finally.
“Good.” Cold nodded and then disconnected the transmission.
Paragus smashed his fist through the video screen the second Cold disconnected. Who the hell did he think he was, thinking he could just order him around like that?
He stood there a few minutes, trying to rein in his rage before setting out and addressing the rest of the council. They had three days to make sure they were prepared for anything in the event that Cold decided to declare an all-out war on them if they were not satisfied.
Three days wasn’t very long, but Paragus was sure he could pull something together; after all, he had not survived this long as King Vegeta’s right hand man this long for no reason. He was the master at last minute manipulations and he would do everything in his power to pull this off beautifully.
He would comply without objection. Once Cold was satisfied and the Prince’s mate and child were on their way to Cold’s base, then the gloves would be off. Then Cold would be eating out of Paragus’ hand and then he would be the one in charge and calling the shots. Not quivering in fear at Cold’s threats.
Soon, very soon.
With those thoughts of confidence in mind, he set to discuss what needed to be done in preparation for
Cold’s men’s visit.
-0-0-0-
Butterflies & Hurricanes
Chapter 19
It had been a full week since King Vegeta had been killed.
As planned, Paragus and a very select few council members set up his bed chambers to look as though it were an orgy that had gone very wrong. They scattered torn lingerie, liquor bottles, glasses and food everywhere and made the room look in complete disarray.
Finally, they had bound the King’s arms to his bed posts and made it look as though someone had killed him in the throws of bondage bed play; his body had been fresh enough that when they cut his throat, he bled out everywhere so it looked like someone had cut his throat while in the midst of doing whatever it was they had been doing. Since his face was a mess, they decided to make it look like several girls had been involved. Of course if such a scenario had happened, he would have attempted to fight back, neck bleeding out or not and so the theory that he had been unfairly ganged up on while restrained fit perfectly with the picture they had so carefully painted.
It took about two hours after the fact for him to be discovered by one of the maids. Of course, the exact conclusion Paragus had hoped for was drawn and not a single member of the investigatory committee questioned it; it was a well-known fact that King Vegeta loved his women and his booze. Many had even commented that it had only been a matter of time before something like this had happened to him and an investigation into all of the girls in the Royal Harem had been opened.
Not surprisingly, the rest of the planet went into an immediate uproar over it. Not only had their king been slain but their Prince was being held captive by the Ice-jin. The Saiyans were left completely without order or leadership now. Panic and violence took hold of the streets in the capital.
Panic because not only were they left without a leader, but Prince Vegeta had taken all of the best warriors with him; there was no one to look after and protect the planet now that the King was gone. Therefore, riots had broken out as a result. Many looting the stores and kiosks for supplies as needed should their planet be raided by the Ice-jin.
It was grim, indeed. Never had there been unrest as this seen on the planet Vegeta-sei; not since the death of the Tuffle race anyway.
“I wish to speak with King Vegeta, not his advisor.” King Cold complained.
“I am sorry but the king is indisposed and currently unavailable,” Paragus said reasonably. “I can assure you that anything you relate to me I will relay directly to his highness as soon as he is available.”
“No, you will find him and bring him here so that I can speak with him directly. I have been patiently playing this little game with you for a week now, Paragus. You need to quit being a gate keeper and know when to go over your king’s head; any decent advisor knows how to decipher which matters are important and which ones are not.”
“I do not mean to interfere, but I am afraid King Vegeta is terribly busy,” Paragus said again. “The entire planet has been in an uproar since the knowledge of Prince Vegeta’s capture into your custody became household knowledge. As you can imagine, that news was most devastating and so the king has been dealing with the backlash behind that.”
“I will remain on the line until I am able to speak with him directly.” Cold insisted, unmoved by Paragus’ story.
Paragus grit his teeth in frustration. He had not anticipated Cold being so difficult to deal with. Paragus was the second in command after the king himself; speaking to him was as good as speaking to the king as far as he was concerned. “Very well, I will see what I can do.”
“See that you do,” Cold Advised. “I am not impressed that Vegeta has not contacted me since I notified him of his son’s capture.”
“I understand, however things are critical here at the moment and he has been single mindedly dealing with the citizens of Vegeta-sei.” Paragus tried again. “He is not deliberately putting you off, he is simply terribly busy.”
“I do not care,” Cold snorted. “Find him!”
Paragus nodded once and left the room with two other advisors and shut the door.
“What are we going to do?” One of them asked Paragus. “We cannot hold him off forever.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Paragus snarled.
“Why don’t we just tell him?” The other suggested. “I don’t really get what the big deal is; he is going to have to find out eventually.”
“Because the planet is already in an uproar what with the death of the king and his only capable heir in Cold’s custody! It is not his business to know that we are in the middle of a civil uprising upon epic proportions and technically without a leader at the moment; he will take advantage of us.”
“But we angering him now by not letting him speak with King Vegeta, which obviously he cannot.”
“I understand that but when he finds out that we have no king and no military worth mentioning, he will crush us!” Paragus growled. “King Vegeta has left us with nothing! He allowed his idiot, arrogant son to take all our best warriors to perish with him and left us with no defense! If he decides to come at us now, we are fucked!”
“We get that but by putting him off as we are, we risk angering him and having him come after us anyway,” the first advisor said.
Paragus nodded in agreement. “We need more time to think up something.” He paced, trying to think of another excuse to put Cold off just a little while longer. It had been only a week and already things had spun so far out of his control that he had no idea what he should do or where he should start. None of this is happening the way it is supposed to! He raged to himself.
Brolly was still out of the equation. Paragus had sent for his grandmother the very next day and so she had shown up and had taken him back to her side of the planet. He had provided her with enough sedatives to keep him immobile for as long as possible.
At least Brolly was one less thing on his plate to keep track of.
Then there was Bulma; he had no idea what to do with her. Threatening her got him nowhere with her, as she simply refused to do anything unless she could see her son, which he refused to allow and so he was at a complete stalemate with her at the moment and at a complete loss as to what to do with her.
Unfortunately, she was a whole lot smarter than he had initially given her credit for; she knew that Cold wanted both her and Trunks in his possession and that Paragus was in no position to be issuing threats so the threats that he had tried on her as way of getting her to start doing some work for him were empty at best and both of them knew it. He was beginning to understand to some degree the Prince’s fascination with her; she was highly intelligent and not afraid to speak her mind. In any other circumstances, Paragus would have found her amusing and he may have even respected her but unfortunately, all she was doing was adding unnecessary stress to this horrible situation and he hated her and her bold personality and he hated her even more that his son had gotten himself so involved with her that he had felt the need to protect her to the degree that he had. If there weren’t the threat of war, he would kill her himself and tell Cold it was the King’s doing.
The King’s doing…
Yes! That was what he would do! If the King was not around that would mean that He as advisor was in charge now and that the terms of their original agreement would be void and could be renegotiated! If he could talk Cold into not taking Bulma, then he could issue her an actual threat and carry it out. Oh, would he love to see her cocky demeanor be blown to bits when one of his men handed her the corpse of her dead son all because she refused to comply with the simple request to advance their war technology. Game time with her was over.
"Alright, here is what we will do," Paragus said suddenly after a few minutes. "We will give Cold an excuse for now,"
"But he won't go until he speaks with King Vegeta." One of them reminded him.
"Then let him remain on the line all day, that is his problem; what do I care?" Paragus snipped. "Tomorrow we will show him the footage of King Vegeta and inform him of his passing. However we will tell him we found him that way that morning."
"Do you think he'll buy it?"
"What other choice does he have?"
The other two advisors shrugged.
"In the meantime, we need to contact all of our other planet bases and order them to evacuate and return here," Paragus said. "That way we will be protected should Cold try to take advantage of us.”
“But many of those soldiers are either third class criminals or rejects and young Saiyans not ready for battle. They are of little to no use to us.”
“Yes, I know that but there are hundreds if not a few thousand of them if we gather them all together,” Paragus said. “Put them all in the very best Saiyan armor and have them stationed at the flight deck and throughout the palace within immediate view and it will appear as though we are just as strong as ever and that our loss matters little to us.”
The two advisors considered it a moment and glanced at each other before nodding in agreement. “That’s good.” One of them commended him.
“Of course it is!” Paragus huffed arrogantly. “Now the both of you need to get on and contact all of the bases and order them to return here; I do not care what excuse or reasons they may have, they are to abandon absolutely everything and return here by order of the King’s right hand.
“Make sure you are absolutely certain that you call them on secure and closed lines; we do not need anyone listening in and reporting back to Cold on our activities.”
“Right,” they nodded. “We will get started on that immediately. What about Cold?”
“I will deal with him for the moment,” Paragus shrugged. “What is he going to do about it from his base?”
The two advisors shrugged.
“Nothing; that’s what.” Paragus snorted and then turned to go back to deal with Cold.
“Where is King Vegeta?” Cold asked impatiently, glowering at Paragus.
“I was unable to locate him.” Paragus shrugged.
“You are supposedly Vegeta’s right hand man and you expect me to believe that you were unable to locate him?” Cold snorted.
“I am his right hand man, not his keeper.” Paragus replied coolly. He’d had enough of Cold completely and lamented for a moment how unfortunate it was that Prince Vegeta had not done away with him. “I am sure there are times when you wish to not be bothered or found by your associates.”
Cold glared at Paragus. “This is true, but I still do not believe you.”
“Then don’t,” Paragus shrugged. “You may stay on the line for as long as you wish. I will notify him that you need to speak with him immediately once I do locate him. He can either return here to speak to you or he can return your call. Regardless, I have many things to attend do as I am sure you do as well.”
“I expect him to call me the minute he is free,” Cold said. “And let your King know that if I suspect any deviation from our original agreement or any disloyalty on his end, not only will his son suffer more than necessary but so will the entire empire of Vegeta-sei.”
Paragus hid a shudder of fear at the implications of Cold’s threat and was grateful he’d had the foresight to begin evacuating the surrounding planets. If they were evacuated and Cold took them out first, it would not matter. “I will pass that along.” He said, bowing respectfully to the Icejin king.
King Cold nodded once and disconnected the transmission.
“Seyton,” Cold called to his advisor.
“Yes, my King.”
“Call the men on their way to Vegeta-sei. I know that they left earlier than needed but that maybe to our advantage. Tell them that they are to no longer delay their arrival and that they need to get there as soon as possible.”
“Right,” Seyton nodded. “I spoke with Captain Burter just yesterday and he said that they were three or four days away from Vegeta-sei. I gave them leave to doc on any one of the recreational planets to waste time as they would have been there two weeks earlier than expected otherwise.”
“That is perfect.” Cold nodded in approval. “They may head for Vegeta-sei as soon as they are able.”
“I will send the order.” Seyton nodded before excusing himself.
Cold poured himself a glass of wine and took a seat on his throne. If King Vegeta was setting him up for betrayal, he would make sure he was ready for it.
-0-0-0-
How are you holding up? Bulma asked Vegeta. They had taken to speaking mostly first thing in the morning and at the end of the day, usually before and after Gero had spent the day tormenting Vegeta. Bulma for the most part was being neglected and only had contact with anyone when they were giving her food or when Paragus would send in one of his men to try and bargain with her to work for him. Her position was simple: Until she saw Trunks, she would not do a single moments work for them. It drove her insane because she was going crazy from boredom and the work would have been the perfect distraction to keep her mind from dwelling on everything that had happened to them, but she refused to do anything. Not until she was assured that her son was alright and being told flatly by Paragus’ lackeys “He’s fine”, was not sufficient enough for her.
On top of that she needed to see Trunks for no other reason than to feed him. Her breasts were so full of milk that they were sore and swollen; never had she been without relief because she had still been nursing him fairly regularly.
So she kept her focus on Vegeta and offered him as much encouragement as she could throughout his days, though she tried to keep her comments to a minimum because she knew he didn’t like that she was privy to everything. Even though his time with Gero was slowly becoming something out of a horror movie that she would have rather not sat through, she refused to abandon him.
How do you think? He bristled in reply.
Bulma winced at his harsh tone. I'm fine, she lied.
Oh, well that makes everything better now doesn't it? He replied sarcastically. I will be able to go through my day with ease knowing that you are fine when in fact things are Not fine! Give your head a shake! Things have not been fucking fine since I let you talk me into bringing you to Vegeta-sei! I should have listened to my instincts instead of caving to your every whim like a weak fool!
What, so this is all my fault then?
Isn't it? He snarled back. I waste all of my time trying to ensure yours and our son's safety and you do not take my concerns seriously. For someone who is apparently a genius you sure make some idiotic decisions from time to time! I cannot constantly be around to hold your hand! I expect that you-
Just stop, she said and he could tell she was trying to keep herself from getting emotional. I am sorry things are the way they are.
He didn’t say anything for a long moment, trying to rein in his anger and frustrations; he was so angry, frustrated and exhausted that he could not think rationally about anything nor could he calm himself down enough to say anything comforting to Bulma. He was still that angry with her and her not being able to get herself off of Vegeta-sei.
Bulma wasn’t sure what to say to him and wondered if telling him that his father was dead would possibly put him at ease. On top of that, now that some time had passed, the events that had taken place were really beginning to bother her more and more the longer she kept it to herself. While she didn’t want to trouble Vegeta with telling him about what had happened, she felt she needed to talk about it or she would go crazy.
She couldn’t close her eyes to rest without feeling his hands all over her, violating her. Anytime she moved or shifted in an attempt to make herself comfortable, it hurt. Her shoulder was still an open wound, her poor mangled hand was throbbing constantly and her ribs were still sufficiently bruised even after a whole week. No matter what she did she was reminded of her encounter with King Vegeta and it sickened her.
It was driving her border on insane. She took a deep breath, deciding that maybe she should tell him, or at least some of what happened; maybe then he would be less stressed about her safety. Bulma decided she could leave out the worst details and just tell him that his father had attempted to hurt her but was stopped and had been killed. Vegeta,
What. He replied irritably.
I have to tell you something about your father,
I do not wish to hear of it. He snapped. He assumed something had happened and she had been doing her best to keep it from him; he had sensed it the moment she had reached out to him and while a part of him desperately wanted to know, a part of him didn’t. He could not deal with it properly or console her or do anything and that sent him into another fresh fit of rage. Anything he may have done to you is all your own fault and you will get no sympathy from me. The thought came before he could stop it and moment he finished that thought, he instantly regretted it.
Bulma didn't say anything in reply. What could she say? He was right, to a point; had she gotten herself and Trunks out exactly when he had told her to go, it wouldn’t have happened. She bit her bottom lip in an effort to keep her composure and put up a wall between them. She knew he hadn’t meant it, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.
Vegeta balled his hand into a fist and struck the floor. Why the hell had he said that? How could he have even thought such a terrible, insensitive thing? He snarled as he beat the back of his head against the wall in his room. Woman?
There was no response. Bulma!
Despair enveloped him as he was only stuck with himself and a thousand horrible thoughts and images racing through his mind at all the possible things that could have happened, none of them good.
He took a deep breath and focused on his breathing for a moment as he tried to settle himself down. If they were going to make it through this, they needed to stick together. He needed to not alienate her as he had been, he knew that. Then why did I do that? He berated himself again. Something horrible may have happened to her and he had pretty much just told her she deserved it.
“How could I?” Vegeta muttered to himself as he leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes, swallowing hard in an attempt to make the lump in his throat go away. His eyes burned as he fought back the moisture build up behind his eyes threatening to release; he grit his teeth until his jaw ached.
Everything was a mess. How was he going to be able to protect his family when he was like this? His whole body ached and throbbed, he was exhausted from the collar draining him. Between enduring Gero and his prodding and experimenting, and his concern over his family’s safety he knew he was losing his mind.
Vegeta knew he needed to get a grip and find his bearings; as much as he hated to admit it, he needed Bulma. Her presence was the only thing keeping him from giving up at this point. He kept his eyes closed and focused on their bond. She had a wall up and he could tell she was upset but that she was still there brought him comfort. He used that small bit of a connection to lull him into a calmer frame of mind.
Whatever his father had done, could not have been that bad, he reasoned. Bulma seemed to be okay for the most part; she was shaken up of course but alright. That was a good thing and he decided to focus on that. He hoped that nothing else would happen if his father came to her again and he asked every god and deity he had ever heard of to at least look out for hers and Trunks’ safety above all else. Forget him, he would endure. So far, while unpleasant, he had endured much worse during his service to Frieza. This was nothing. Had he known that Bulma had gotten off Vegeta-sei and was on her way to Callisto where they would he safe, he would have laughed at Gero for his efforts; he was nothing more than a senile old fool who thought he was scary and so Vegeta did not object to anything he did. He was far from cooperative, but he didn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that he was hurting him when he was inflicting more than usual discomfort.
Vegeta’s head snapped up as he heard the door open and in walked Gero and It.
Gero walked up to him and It jerked him up to his feet.
"I do not understand," Gero murmured to himself in exasperation after a quick examination. "It has been over a week and your injuries are still fresh. Everything according to my research indicates that you Saiyans are able to heal from injury at an accelerated rate. Why are you not healing?"
Vegeta chuckled, despite the pain in his ribs at doing so. The doctor had been becoming exceedingly grouchy and impatient with Vegeta's lack of cooperation and physical recovery.
"You know exactly why, don't you?" He asked accusingly. "Is it something you can choose to do or not do at will?"
Vegeta shrugged and shook his head in differently as though he had no clue. "You are the good doctor who knows so much about my race, you tell me."
Gero scowled at him a long moment before reaching out and gripping the left side of his collar bone and digging his thumb in where the bone was broken.
Vegeta clenched his teeth but did not make a sound, just stared defiantly back at him. In all honesty, almost his entire body was throbbing now from his injuries so he barely felt Gero's thumb digging into him.
Annoyed that Vegeta gave him no reaction at all, he let him go and turned away. "I need you to be in full health!"
"Maybe try putting him in a regeneration tank?" The Android suggested in a bored tone. With nothing else to do, Cold had ordered It to remain at the lab to ensure that Vegeta did not escape.
"I thought of that, but that will waste too much time." He sighed. "Besides, I want to save it for when I will really need it."
It shrugged. "Hmmm. What about that thing you've been keeping around?"
Gero frowned. "What thing?"
"That little green slug thing," It said. "Doesn't it have the ability to heal?"
"The Namek?" Gero mumbled. "I believe so, yes! Why didn't I think about that before? Quick! Go and get it, now!"
"As you wish," It nodded and left the lab.
"I will learn everything about you," Gero said to Vegeta. "One way or another."
Vegeta didn't reply. He only hoped the old fool would somehow remedy his injuries, then maybe he would be a little stronger and be able to gain the upper hand against Gero. It would have to take careful planning and he would have to bide his time for when the Android was not around, like now. Besides, if he was to have any chance at escape, he would have to find a way to get the ki collar off or he would not stand a chance against any of the Androids should he have a run in with any of them. Gero he would be able to take out, he was nothing more thana frail old man and he could snap his neck even as he was right now.
However he was so drained he doubted he had enough energy to even attempt an escape; he didn't know his way around and if he ran into anyone of Cold's soldiers or an android, he would have no hope of escape.
Wait for me, he heard Bulma. I'm sure together we can get out of there.
Hmmn, he replied, once again exhaustion hitting him and all he wanted to do was sleep. what little sleep Gero did let him have was unrestful being that the collar was constantly draining him of his energy; it was a vicious cycle.
He felt her send him a wave of encouragement through the bond and despite his shame over everything, he embraced it rather than recoiled from it. If they were to have a chance at making it through, they needed to draw close together, not pick at each other. A wave of guilt washed through him at the memory of some of terrible things he'd said to her not only recently, but since this nightmare had begun.
I know you didn't mean it, she said gently.
That does not make it right. He replied.
A moment later, the Android returned carrying a small Namekian child by the scruff of its tunic, dropping it carelessly on the floor as though it were nothing.
“Heal him.” Gero commanded the small Namekian child, shoving him harshly towards Vegeta.
The Namek looked at Vegeta sympathetically before turning back to look at Gero and It.
“Heal him, now!” Gero barked at him impatiently.
“I’m sorry,” the Namek said quietly to Vegeta, looking at him as he put a hand on his arm.
“Do what you have to do.” Vegeta replied hoping that maybe this would not be a bad thing if his energy level was replenished and his injuries healed. Maybe then he would be able to concentrate better on plotting an exit once Bulma and Trunks made it in.
“Excellent!” Gero chortled, running to grab his monitoring device to check on the progress of the Namek’s healing capabilities on Vegeta.
Within a few short minutes, Vegeta felt his energy return to him and his injuries completely healed. However the moment the Namekian child stepped away, he was hit with tiredness again, thanks to the draining device.
It dragged the Namekian child away before Vegeta could think to thank it or say anything to it and he wondered why it was there and what it must have endured up until now.
“Today is looking up to be a wonderful day!” Gero exclaimed. “I can study you both now! I have not had the opportunity to witness the Namek’s healing abilities until now, this is most exciting and beneficial to me!”
Vegeta suppressed a snarl. The Namek was nothing more than a child and he wondered if this was to be Trunks future within a few short weeks; was he too going to be nothing more than something to be studied like Gero was currently doing to him? The thought enraged him and renewed his resolve that he had to get his family out of here at all costs as quickly as possible.
-0-0-0-
The next day, Paragus took the initiative of contacting Cold directly himself.
“Why are you calling me?” Cold asked in a bored tone. “I wish to speak with King Vegeta, not his peons, or have I somehow made that request unclear to you?”
“My apologies, King Cold,” Paragus replied between clenched teeth, deeply insulted by the Icejin’s complete lack of respect. He couldn’t wait notify him that he was now the ruler of this planet and that he would have to now be respectful of him, for they were both equals now. “I took the liberty of contacting you myself at such an early hour to inform you that our great king is deceased.”
Cold blinked a few times at Paragus. “What do you mean deceased?” he asked suspiciously.
“He was discovered in his personal chambers this morning, slain by one or several of the many whores he has been known to keep in his company,” Paragus explained. “That is the assumption that was made, anyway.”
Cold did not say anything for several seconds. "So what you are telling me is you have no leadership at the moment." Cold said as he looked at Paragus.
"We are not without leadership, I am filling the position at the moment so any concerns you may have can go through me."
"How convenient," Cold huffed.
"I may show you footage from the crime scene if you wish, I can assure you it was quite the grizzly scene," he said, holding up a picture of King Vegeta slain in his quarters.
Cold regarded it quietly for a moment. While it certainly looked genuine, something about it didn't sit right with him. It was too sudden and much too convenient that he had been unable to get a hold of King Vegeta for an entire week and now this had happened. "I see,"
"We are still in the midst of trying to figure out what exactly happened," Paragus continued. "Therefore any matters you need to discuss, you can take them up with me. I have a few things I want to discuss with you as well."
"Oh do you, now?" Cold chuckled. "What could you possibly want to discuss with me? I will not be returning Prince Vegeta to you. I do not care if his father is dead, he will spend the remainder of his days here in my custody."
"I do not wish to renegotiate the terms where Prince Vegeta is concerned," Paragus shook his head.
Cold laughed. "My, even without worthy leadership his own people don't even want him back? That is cold."
"That may be so, but I believe it to be the best thing for this planet. I do however want to renegotiate one of the other conditions you had made with King Vegeta."
"And what is that?" Cold asked in a bored tone.
"I want his kept mate here," Paragus replied. "You can keep their son, do as you wish, I do not care about him but I am requesting that the woman remains here."
"I thought you Saiyans had issue with her?" Cold reminded him. "King Vegeta was more than happy to see her and her son sent here."
"Our interest in her has shifted somewhat," Paragus admitted. "All I ask is that you let her remain here."
Cold looked to consider it a moment. "No, the agreement made with King Vegeta for his son, mate and their child was final. That is not negotiable."
"But why?" Paragus objected. "You have Prince Vegeta, it was he who destroyed your son and you can have his son to do with as you please. What point is there in you having the woman as well?"
"The point is, she herself is somewhat responsible for the death of my son." Cold said harshly. "I require her to be present for the trial against Prince Vegeta. I want to meet her and speak to her and decide from there the extent of her involvement. Prince Vegeta killed my son because of her; that means she is just as responsible and possibly guilty as well. So no, I will not renegotiate the original terms."
Paragus frowned at him. "I understand your desire to see justice carried out for your son but I am certain the woman had little to do with it. Prince Vegeta is not always the most sound in mind and he is very possessive of his belongings. You realize she was nothing more than another one of the palace whores?"
"Then why the sudden insistence on keeping her?" Cold asked.
"The specifics don't matter." Paragus shrugged.
"I see, well the answer is still no. All terms of the original agreement are binding and will be kept as is. My ship and a fleet of men will be there to collect the woman and herchild in three days or so.”
“I thought it would be at least another two weeks.”
“It should have been, according to my original agreement with King Vegeta, yes,” Cold shrugged. “However being as it may that I never trusted him and was becoming exceedingly concerned over his lack of communication with me, I gave my men leave to head down early to Vegeta-sei but to not arrive until I gave specific instruction. Up until yesterday, they were stationed on a recreation planet not more than four days travel from Vegeta-sei.”
Paragus clenched his teeth in anger. “That in itself is in violation of the original agreement. She is not to be collected for another two weeks yet,” he pointed out.
“Oh well,” Cold shrugged. “I want to see to Prince Vegeta’s trial and sentence as soon as possible. I have been more than reasonable and patient seeing as it was one of your own who brutally murdered my son. I have footage of it if you would like to see it for yourself; perhaps you would be a little more understanding towards my feelings on the matter.”
“I’ll pass,” Paragus said. “While I understand your position on the matter, I still request that you rethink the terms where Prince Vegeta’s mate is concerned.”
“I am afraid there is nothing further to discuss with regards to that,” Cold said with finality. “Have them ready three days from now, no tricks! If you do this, no further action will be taken against Vegeta-sei.”
“What action would need to be taken?” Paragus asked, trying to keep the alarm out of his tone.
“If I suspect any deceit or foul play, I will take out you and your whole worthless planet.” Cold threatened. “I am not convinced that King Vegeta was simply murdered just last night by one of his whores. The man has been avoiding me for days. I knew his resolve to hand over his son was wavering, I could feel it! If I find that he is on some secret mission to come and rescue his son, make no mistake, I will act accordingly.”
“I can understand your concern, but the king is really dead under sudden, unforeseen circumstances,” Paragus interjected quickly. “Your men may come and investigate it for themselves.”
“I can assure you, they most certainly will,” Cold nodded. “In the meantime, I expect the girl and her son to be ready to go, without incident in three days’ time. Should there be any delays, excuses or pleas to deviate from the original agreement, I will crush you and your people.”
Paragus grit his teeth in an effort to hide his rage. “There will be no problem.” He said finally.
“Good.” Cold nodded and then disconnected the transmission.
Paragus smashed his fist through the video screen the second Cold disconnected. Who the hell did he think he was, thinking he could just order him around like that?
He stood there a few minutes, trying to rein in his rage before setting out and addressing the rest of the council. They had three days to make sure they were prepared for anything in the event that Cold decided to declare an all-out war on them if they were not satisfied.
Three days wasn’t very long, but Paragus was sure he could pull something together; after all, he had not survived this long as King Vegeta’s right hand man this long for no reason. He was the master at last minute manipulations and he would do everything in his power to pull this off beautifully.
He would comply without objection. Once Cold was satisfied and the Prince’s mate and child were on their way to Cold’s base, then the gloves would be off. Then Cold would be eating out of Paragus’ hand and then he would be the one in charge and calling the shots. Not quivering in fear at Cold’s threats.
Soon, very soon.
With those thoughts of confidence in mind, he set to discuss what needed to be done in preparation for
Cold’s men’s visit.
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