Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Butterflies & Hurricanes ❯ Chapter 20 ( Chapter 20 )
[ 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: 18 | Words: 9.4K | Visits: 335 | 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: 18 | Words: 9.4K | Visits: 335 | 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.
Chapter 20
Three days passed very quickly and to Paragus’ great relief, none of the surrounding planets had dawdled in returning to Vegeta-sei. They had all returned as quickly as possible and had brought with them any and all weapons and artillery which were currently being very carefully hidden in different parts of the capital, all within range of the palace’s landing docks.
All soldiers were immediately sent for assessment upon arrival and given to them the best elite armor and weapons available before being strategically placed so as to look as impressive as possible.
Now all they had to do was wait.
Cold’s ship of bounty hunters had contacted them to notify them that they were a few hours away. Their instructions were to retrieve Prince Vegeta’s family and leave immediately following that.
Paragus commended the cabinet members for all of their hard work and tireless efforts they had put in; most of them, Paragus included, had not taken time to rest or sleep since they had been so preoccupied with getting everything on Vegeta-sei ready. They weren’t sure if they would be under investigation for the legitimacy of King Vegeta’s death or not so they gathered all of the information they had and made sure it was readily available; they had even charged, tried and executed four girls in the harem for the murder of their king and this had surprisingly caused some of the anarchy and riots to abate a little bit, though things were still a disaster.
He made his way down to the jails where Bulma was still being kept and stubbornly refusing to work.
“How are your accommodations, my dear?” he asked her in a pleasant tone. Truthfully, now that the day was here where he would be rid of her all together, he was happy for it and grateful that Cold did not want to renegotiate the terms. If everything went according to his plan and Cold simply left them alone, he did not need her brains. Not to mention, she would be a major distraction to Brolly.
Once she was gone, he would contact his mother and tell her to let him wake up. With Bulma gone, Brolly could focus on what really mattered: taking his place on the throne as the most powerful Saiyan that ever lived.
“Oh, just wonderful, thank you,” she replied in sweet sarcasm. “What’s the deal today? You must have something important to say or offer me if you’re here and not one of your stooges.”
“I am simply here today to inform you that we are finally about to part ways, you and I.” He said politely.
“What, Cold is coming today?”
“Not him personally, but his crew who was sent to collect you and your son, yes.” Paragus nodded.
“I thought you wanted me here?”
“I did, but in light of recent events, I came to the conclusion that I really don’t need you after all,” he said casually. “I have found more than enough plans and notes in Bardok’s lab; some of which were yours by the way, that we don’t need your help. Not to mention the surrounding planets of our empire were used as storage for even more weapons and artillery than even I knew. So you are not needed and my interest now is only in getting rid of you.”
Bulma shrugged. “Cool. Fine by me. So long as I have Trunks with me, I couldn’t care less if I never saw you again.”
“Good,” he smiled at her. “I am only too happy that we finally came to a mutual understanding on at least something before your departure.”
“There’s one other thing,” Bulma said quickly and she had to resist the urge to laugh at the way his face fell at hearing that. “I am also taking Prince Tarble with me.”
“You are, are you?” Paragus asked, tipping his head in curiosity. “And what could possibly be your motive in wanting him?”
“Your daughter charged me with looking after him. I promised her I would look after him as though he was my own son. I would not leave Trunks here, therefore I will not leave him here either. Besides, he’s an orphan now. I know he has no strength to speak of so he won’t be treated fairly here despite his paternity; and it would work well in your favor because then you would be rid of the entire Vegeta line altogether. Isn’t that what you want? If I take him, then you can put anyone you want on that throne and you don’t have to worry about anyone else coming back for it. Even if by some miracle I am able to get out of King Cold’s custody, I won’t be returning here; I will take the two boys and raise them as my own someplace safe and far away. I won’t even tell them of their origins. You have my word on that.”
Paragus seriously considered it for a moment; it wasn’t a bad idea. He was going to have the child put down anyway; he was proving to be useless and the woman was right in that he was the only loose end with any claims to the throne. “Why not?” he shrugged. “You know they will probably kill him along with your son and mate anyway, right?”
“That’s a chance I am willing to take,” she replied boldly.
“Very well, do as you wish with him; it will be one less thing for me to deal with.”
“Thank you,” she said sincerely.
“Oh, do not thank me, I could care less. I am just glad to finally be rid of you and your influence. Whatever Cold has in store for you I am sure will be sufficient sentence for all of the damage you have done here to this planet. It gives me much satisfaction to know that you will get what has been coming to you.”
“Great. Thank you for that; and I am sure you will too,” she said as sweetly as she could muster. “I don’t know about you Saiyans, but on my home planet we had a saying that went along the lines of what goes around comes around and some of us believed in a little thing called karma. If it is true and does work, I pity you instead of rejoicing over your downfall when this all comes back to bite you in the ass.”
Paragas snorted at her and opened his mouth as though he was going to say something but then changed his mind. “Farewell.” Was all he said and turned to leave her abruptly.
Bulma shrugged and sat back down. She didn’t care what he thought, she was just happy to finally be getting out of there and on her way to where Vegeta was. Even if it was bad, at least they would have each other and that was enough for her. They would find a way out, she knew it.
-0-0-0-
King Cold was going over the financial statements and other important goings on throughout his empire when Seyton strolled in. “Yes,” he sighed, not taking his eyes off of his paperwork.
“It’s the Ginyu Force, my Lord,” he announced quietly. “They have breached Vegeta-sei’s atmosphere and will be landing in just a few minutes.”
“Good!” Cold grunted. “Get them on the line, I wish to speak with their commander.”
Seyton bowed and turned on the video screen where a tall, blue, lizard-like alien with red eyes appeared. "Captain Burter, leader of the Ginyu Force reporting. We are ready to land on Planet Vegeta-sei, my Lord.” He said.
"Excellent!" Cold smiled. "I want you to retrieve Prince Vegeta's mate and their child immediately. You are to bring them to the ship and ensure they are kept out of harm’s way. No one is to touch them or harm them, understand?"
"I do," Burter nodded. "They will be taken care of. We have a room available for just her and her child. They will be confined there until we return."
"Excellent. Now, this is very important. Once you have the girl and child, I want you to question Paragus, King Vegeta's former right hand, about what happened to their king. Find out everything you can," Cold said.
"And what if they object?"
"They will not; but if they do, you will tell them it is a sign of good faith that they allow us to make some inquiry as to the circumstances surrounding the sudden death of their king and failure to comply will be seen as betrayal and a declaration of war." Cold explained harshly.
"What exactly are you wanting us to find if their king is dead though?"
"I want you to not leave Vegeta-sei without a doubt that what Paragus said happened, actually happened, exactly the way he claims it happened and that this isn't a hoax to hide the fact that King Vegeta did not fake his death and is not on his way at this very momentan attempt at rescuing his son and betraying our agreement."
"You think he's not dead?" Burter asked.
"I do not believe that he is, no," Cold shook his head. "And since I cannot be there myself to verify that, I expect you and your team to figure that out for me."
"Okay so say he is dead and everything is true, then what?" he asked, looking severely confused by this point.
"Then do nothing," Cold advised. "Thank them for their cooperation in the matter and return here. If however, you discover deceit, you are to leave and notify me immediately. I will then decide what is to be done depending on the nature of your findings."
"Alright; we will not fail you my lord." Burter nodded deeply in respect. "We may be without our leader, Captain Ginyu, but we still make it our mission to maintain the integrity of the Ginyu Force and complete each mission exactly as asked."
"Right," Cold sighed in a bored tone. "Just get this done without incident and I will be thankful and you and your team will be handsomely rewarded."
"We will not disappoint." Burter bowed again and disconnected the call.
"Fools," he growled under his breath. "No wonder my son failed; he kept nothing but idiots and morons in his employ."
"Then why did you send them on such an important mission?" Seyton asked.
"Because it is so simple that they cannot possibly fuck it up but they are strong and the Saiyans only respect the strong. As well, the Ginyu Force has quite the reputation. No one crosses them; that’s why."
"You are anticipating a problem still?"
"I believe I am being set up," Cold nodded, pouring himself a healthy glass of red wine. "King Vegeta was having second thoughts about the agreement with regards to his son. I believe he is planning something behind my back. Not to mention Paragus does not want to give up the girl and will not specify why. There is something going on and I do not trust those Saiyans."
"Are you sure you are not just being paranoid, my lord?" Seyton asked. "Sometimes you do have a tendency to, you know..."
Cold took a long sip of his wine, let it slosh in his mouth for a moment as he savored the flavor before swallowing it and speaking again. "I have not gotten here and stayed here in this position for as long as I have because of not being paranoid, Seyton. I would rather be overly paranoid and act on my suspicions and find out later that I was wrong, than be under paranoid and let something slide," he explained. "That is where my son failed. Frieza allowed his position and power to all go to his head and he allowed himself to become too comfortable. That is ultimately what lead to his demise."
"I am sorry, my Lord. I did not mean to question you," Seyton apologized. "So what will happen if you discover that King Vegeta did in fact fake his death and is on his way here?"
Cold smiled. "Sit back, watch and learn Seyton. Things are about to become very interesting."
Seyton nodded and took his normal seat next to Cold, who poured him a glass of wine as well.
-0-0-0-
Brolly woke up to the familiar setting of his old bedroom where he grew up at his grandmother's. What the hell? How did I end up here? He wondered, looking around suspiciously.
The last thing he remembered was he had killed King Vegeta because he had tried to hurt Bulma and he had gone to his Uncle for council. He remembered nothing after that.
"Bulma," he muttered under his breath. How long had it been since he had seen her and told her he would be right back? Was she alright? What about Trunks? He knew Tarble would be alright, but Trunks may be in danger.
At that thought, he shot out of bed; he needed to get back to the capital and get Bulma and Trunks out of the palace. There was now no one to protect them, maybe he should have listened to Bulma in her plea to have gotten her out right then.
Brolly grunted as he was hit with the unpleasant sensation of vertigo and had to sit back down on his bed or he would have done a nose dive to the floor. What was wrong with him?
He sat there a moment, trying to regain his equilibrium; the room was still spinning.
A moment later his grandma knocked on his door. "Are you alright?" She asked before opening the door a crack and poking her head in.
"Yea, I'm just really dizzy," Brolly replied. "How did I get here?"
"Your uncle called and I picked you up last week."
"So I have been asleep for over a week?" He exclaimed, trying to stand up again but was forced to sit when the room began to spin again.
"You need to stay here and keep a low profile until things blow over," his grandmother advised, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Do you have any idea the events you have put in motion?"
"I know, but you don't understand," he said, shrugging her hand off his shoulder. "I need to get back to the capital right now."
"I thought you hated the capital and the palace and all the politics," she reminded him.
"I did, or I do; but I have a purpose there now and I need to go back."
"What purpose do you have?" She asked. "Following the Prince's foreign woman around like a fool?"
Brolly frowned at her.
"Paragus told me all about it and how you have been fawning all over her like all the third class dogs in the capital," she said accusingly. "Now look at what has happened, what you have done because of her! What were you thinking? That she would take up with you, that maybe she would leave Prince Vegeta for you?"
"No," he shook his head and felt his face beginning to burn. Truthfully he knew she would never leave Vegeta but that did not mean he hadn't entertained the odd wishful thought about it. However that was as far as it had gone, he had never expected that of her and he was insulted that his grandmother assumed that Bulma was that fickle as to drop Prince Vegeta for him simply because they had been spending more time together. It was all innocent and not worth speculating on. "It's not like that."
"Then what is it like?"
"She is not what they make her out to be. She is a kind, intelligent girl with a gentle heart. She is the Prince's mate, she is sincere in her loyalties to only him and she has been left unprotected. I took it upon myself to keep an eye on her and her son until Prince Vegeta returns."
"Why? Were you instructed to watch over her in the Prince's absence?"
"No."
"Then why?" She asked again. "You should have let nature take its course with her. Eventually someone would have gotten rid of her; it may have happened already had you not been following her around and decided to play the role of gallant protector. Why would you do such a thing? And for a lowly, worthless slave no less! You are aware that Prince Vegeta had been promised to your cousin Asia and he reneged on that agreement; you are aware of that, are you not?"
"Yes! I am aware."
"Then why does she matter? Why would you endanger yourself and your family's reputation because of this foreign girl?" She pushed.
"Because she was the first person who was kind to me and did not treat me as though I was an outsider that did not belong there!" He snarled. "No one would have anything to do with me, they all knew that Paragus is my uncle and that the queen is my cousin and that the only reason I am there is because of my family ties. Never mind that I was able to keep up in my training with the rest of them! I was still ignored and treated as an outsider and she was the only one who was not that way."
"Big deal," she shrugged. "That is the way of it; you need to toughen up. Did it occur to that she possibly was nice to you because she herself is an outsider? You were not around for the scandal that was caused when she first arrived here. She was the Prince's whore; nothing more and somehow he was stupid enough to mate with her. She is very dangerous, Brolly."
"No she isn't," he sighed, rolling his eyes.
"She isn’t?" His grandmother spat. "She ensnared the Prince somehow that he still keeps her as his mate and now you killed your king because of her. She may be physically weak but she is dangerous in that she is somehow able to manipulate those around her. sounds to me like a very dangerous person."
"The King would have raped and killed her." Brolly said with disgust and anger once again coursing through him at the thought of it.
"So what?" She snorted. "As I already said, you should have let nature take its course."
"What was I to do, stand there and watch as he did the unthinkable?" He asked in outrage. Never had his grandmother reacted so apathetically to someone, alien or Saiyan.
"Turn the other way and left is what you should have done."
"You raised me to be honorable."
"To your fellow Saiyan, not to some foreign whore who does not even belong to you." She countered and he could see how upset she was with him over this.
"I would have assumed race and status did not matter in the matters of right and wrong!"
"Under normal circumstances, you would be right but was it honorable to kill your king?" she asked accusingly.
"No,"
"Exactly! Your Uncle has done so much for you and gave you an amazing opportunity and you-"
"Alright! I get it!" He snarled. "It doesn't matter now, does it?"
"I suppose not," she shrugged. "Oh well, She is gone now, thank the gods for that!"
"What do you mean she is gone?"
"Oh, your Uncle sent her and that disgusting half breed with Cold as part of some prior agreement the King had with Cold." She said casually. "He sent young Tarble too seeing as it's looking like the queen did not survive so there is no point keeping him. The Vegeta line is now finished and this planet can finally start fresh with better leadership. He called me a few hours ago and told me that they would be arriving shortly. She should be gone by now which is why I allowed you to wake up now."
Brolly's heart sank at the thought that Bulma and Trunks had been sent away to Cold. How could his Uncle have done that? More importantly, did Bulma think he had just abandoned her? Had she known that she would be sent to Cold and that was why she was so adamant that he get her out? She had pleaded and begged with him to let her out right after everything.
"I should have let her out when she asked me to." He said to himself.
"No you shouldn't have!" His grandma snapped.
"You don't know anything!" He mumbled, standing up again despite the dizziness.
"Where are you going?" She demanded.
"To see my uncle."
"No, you need to stay here." She said quickly, standing in the doorway, blocking him from leaving. "Until he fixes this mess you have created, you need to remain here."
"I am leaving." He said plainly. "Get out of my way."
"No."
Brolly looked at her a moment before stepping forward, grabbing her arm and yanking her from the exit so he could leave.
"You cannot leave!" She shouted and ran to her small study room. "I promised I would keep you safe here no matter what! You may not be my son but I did raise you and I will be damned if I will lose you because you lost your good sense over a female."
Brolly frowned, ignoring her tirade as he made his way to the door. He felt bad about ignoring his grandmother's pleas but he felt that he needed to find out where Bulma, Trunks and Tarble had been taken. Maybe he could take a ship and catch up with them or maybe he could sneak up and rescue not only them but the Prince as well if he hadn't been executed by then.
It wasn't that he cared any for Prince Vegeta but he knew that if he was alive, Bulma would not leave without him.
As he made his way to the door, he began to feel light headed again but this time it was worse. It felt as tho something was draining him.
Brolly leaned against the wall a moment and turned to look behind him to see his grandmother standing there with a small gray box in her hand.
He looked at it and looked at her and realization and full clarity clicked in right then. "What have you done to me?" He demanded.
"Nothing, you just need to stay here." She answered calmly.
Brolly looked at her a moment before lunging towards her, trying to take that device out of her hands.
She managed to move out of his way and turned another dial on it and again was hit with an overbearing feeling again of tiredness and weakness.
Clad only in a pair of pants, he realized that it had to be something on his person that she was using against him. He knew he was still wearing one of the bracelets and a necklace that he always wore and he ripped them off.
"No! Don't do that!" She shouted at him.
"Why?" He hissed in anger as they both shorted out once he had torn the links. "So you cannot continue to control me? How long have you been doing this to me?"
She took several steps back away from him in fear. "It, it was for your own protection."
"Protection from whom?"
"The king."
"And why?" Brolly demanded, at this point shaking with anger.
She trembled. "He, he wanted you killed as a baby. You were born with a higher, stronger power than any Saiyan in history. The king feared you would be a threat and so he ordered you to be put down. Your father brought you to me and we kept you hidden here from the king all these years. This," she said, holding up the grey box, "this is to keep your ki suppressed so that no one will find out and see your true potential. It was all for your safety."
Brolly was quiet as he considered the information, unsure of how to react. "So all these years, these expensive gifts have been nothing more than a means to control me and keep my true potential locked down?"
"Yes, but it was for your own good! If King Vegeta had found out, you and the rest of the family would have been slain!" She said. "It is him to blame for all of this!"
Brolly stepped towards her, still not sure how to take this information. "Then I am not sorry I killed him and how dare you make me feel bad for my actions! Uncle Paragus knows all about this then I take it because he's the one always so generously bestowing these expensive ‘gifts’ upon me? I always knew there was something else to it, that his generosity was fake!"
"Do not be angry with him," she pleaded. "He cares more for you than anyone. He has gone above and beyond to ensure your safety. You should be grateful for him."
"I always knew that something was not right with him. He was always too persistent and overbearing in everything with regards to my growing up. It was almost like I was his son and not-" he looked at her then as another wave of realization and understanding hit him like a ton of bricks.
She didn't say anything, just nodded in confirmation. What could she say? She knew it wasn’t the right time to be revealing all of this to him, but she didn’t want to lie to him anymore. He would have to find out some time, why not now? Not to mention it was a good distraction to keep him from dwelling on that stupid girl.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He demanded. "And what of Asia? Does that make her my sister? And who are you then; are you my mother?"
"No," she shook her head. "I am not your mother, your mother lives in the capital with your father, Paragus."
Brolly’s face scrunched up in anger and confusion. Within just ten minutes of waking, his entire life had been turned upside down. "Have, have I ever met her?"
"No," she shook her head. "Your father told her that he carried out the King’s demand for you to be put down."
He reached for her and snatched the box from her hand.
"Give that back!" She shouted.
"No, I don't think so. I am finished with being controlled." He said, smashing it in his hand and walking away from her.
"Where are you going?"
"To the capital."
"You can’t!" She objected again. "Brolly, you can beangry and upset, I know this is a lot for you to take in, but you need to stay here. Brood and vent about it here, please."
"What would be the point in that?"asked. "If the king wanted me dead and I killed him, who is there for me to hide from? Besides, I need to speak with Paragus and find out more." Was all he said to her before storming off into the sky back towards the capital of Vegeta-sei.
He had to find out everything and once he had, he would go after Bulma and Trunks.
-0-0-0-
The ship landed and within a few minutes Burter, Jeice, Recoome and Guldo emerged.
They were greeted by Paragus, about a dozen council members and one hundred Saiyan soldiers lined up behind Paragus.
“Greetings,” Paragus nodded respectfully. “And welcome to Vegeta-sei. I hope your journey here was not too tedious.”
“It was fine,” Burter nodded in return.
“Good, good. May I offer you and your crew some refreshment before we get down to business?”
“We will pass, thank you. We are on a very strict schedule. King Cold wants us to return immediately once we have the Prince’s family in out custody.” Burter replied.
“I understand completely,” Paragus nodded, happy that they would hopefully be leaving again in an hour or less. “I will have several guards escort you down to the holding cells where Prince Vegeta’s mate is currently being contained. I must warn you, though, she is highly intelligent and very manipulative. Do not let her out of your sight for a moment and do not let her persuade you of her innocence; I can assure you, she is as conniving as they come.”
“Thank you,” Burter nodded. “Jeice you will come with me to retrieve the prince’s mate and her son.”
“Right!” Jeice nodded enthusiastically, stepping forward and striking a ridiculous pose.
“Excellent,” Paragus nodded, gesturing at three guards to accompany them.
“Recoome and Guldo, you will remain here and question whomever is in charge about the recent death of their king.”
“I am in charge here,” Paragus snipped in offence. “The circumstances surrounding the death of King Vegeta are very sensitive and our planet is currently in mourning because of it. I ask that you respect that and save the questions for a later time.”
“No can do,” Burter replied. “Our instructions were to gather Prince Vegeta’s family and to look into the king’s death.”
“I thought you were on a strict schedule.” Paragus countered stubbornly.
“We are, so it is in your best interests to comply.” Jeice piped up. “Or you can call King Cold up yourself and hear it from him what our orders are.”
Paragus glared at them. He was thankful that he’d had the foresight to tie up all loose ends where the King was concerned. However that did not mean that he felt like going through a tedious investigation. He just wanted to get rid of the girl and begin restoring order to Planet Vegeta-sei.
“Very well,” he growled. “Come with me.” He said turning and heading into the palace with Recoome and Guldo and several of his own personal guards and fellow council members.
Burter watched them a moment before looking at the guards and nodded that he was ready to follow them. “Once we get the girl and the child, we will assist Recoome and Guldo. I don’t trust that guy.”
“No kidding!” Jeice snorted. “Who does he think he is, talking to us like that? Does he know who we are?”
“Whatever,” Burter shrugged. “The sooner we get out of here the better.”
They made their way through to the back of the palace and down a long flight of stairs into the jail cells.
“She’s in there,” one of the guards said as he handed them a key to the door. “Go and get her.”
“Alright then,” Jeice said, taking the key and strolling in. “Why hello, lovely.”
Bulma stood up and looked at them, she was sure she recognized them from somewhere. “Are you guys here to take me to Vegeta?”
“Not quite, love,” Jeice snickered. “We are here to take you to King Cold. He requests your presence.”
“Right, whatever,” she sighed. She remembered the white haired man with the orange skin now as soon as he’d spoken to her; she had bumped into him and three or four others on Frieza’s ship while Vegeta had been fighting Frieza and she had been on her way to find the docks so she could get herself off the damaged ship. “And Trunks and Tarble are coming with me too, right?”
“Dunno, I know we are taking your son with us. Anyone else, I think not. Wasn’t on the itinerary, was it, Burter?”
“Nope. Just the girl and her child.”
"Well, I'm not going anywhere without both of my sons." She said boldly.
"We were only told of one son of yours."
"Well I have two! They're twins!" She shrieked at them. "None of these asshole Saiyans will recognize Trunks because he takes after me; whereas Tarble looks like Vegeta so no one cares. I am bringing them both with me."
Burter looked at Jeyice for guidance. "Whatever, who cares?" Jeyice shrugged. "Let her bring them both, all I care about is that the goods aren't damaged and maybe I will get a piece of that ass as a reward. Not sure I will be able to refrain though."
Burter laughed. "I will help keep you out of trouble, Jeyice. Cold was very specific that she was to not be touched or harmed."
While the blue lizard giant's massive size and intimidating looks frightened Bulma she did find herself thankful to him; for now anyway.
"I know, mate, but look at her! She's real class and a definite upgrade from anything we've got at the brothel," he sighed wistfully. "This is the one Vegeta killed Zarbon over. Remember?"
"Yea," Burter nodded.
"So you get it then?"
"Nope," he shook his head, looking cluelessly at Bulma. "I didn't get the appeal back then and I still don't get it."
"Right, well whatever, I don't even want to know what your species finds attractive or how they... you know what? Never mind. I will be thankful that it is you who will keep me out of trouble; I will be depending on you, mate."
"Right," Butter nodded. "Let's get her offspring and let's get out of here."
They opened the cell and cuffed her and lead her out of the jails.
Instead of taking her back to the Royal Wing to get Trunks and Tarble, they escorted her straight to the ship docks.
"I thought we were going to get my boys?" She asked.
"They will be brought." Burter answered.
"Okay but why don't I help?"
"Because we don't need your help, girl." Jeyice sneered. "I will go and get them while you go with Burter to the ship like a good little woman."
"There's a dog there though," Bulma objected. "He will attack you if I am not with you."
"Oh, well I'll just have to bash it's skull in then, won't I?"
"No! Please don't!" She cried. "Just say freund to him and let him sniff you. He won't do anything to you if you say that. Just don't hurt him, please."
"Hmmmm, I suppose I could do that; what's in it for me, love?" He asked, looking her over in a way that made her skin crawl.
"Not getting your arm chewed off?" She suggested, ignoring the innuendo completely.
"That's not a good enough incentive being that I could blast the beast the second I see him and be done with it." He shrugged.
"I'll go!" Butter snarled. "You watch her, but don't touch her or you will spend the trip back in a regeneration tank."
Ohno, no, no, Bulma pleaded inwardly.
"Hmm, it may be worth it but go, I'll be on my best behavior." Jeyice shrugged, grabbing Bulma by the elbow. "It's a bit quick for that anyway, we need to get to know each other."
Bulma scrunched her nose and turned her face away from him. She sure hoped he would keep his hands to himself.
I am here, she heard Vegeta in her mind.
I know, I'm scared, Vegeta, she admitted. Do you know this guy?
He is a moron, he replied. However I do not think that he will act on anything at the moment; if he is under orders to leave you alone you should be alright, though that will not stop him from verbally harassing you. Once you are here though, you may need to watch out for him.
Great, she sighed, unsure if she should be grateful for Vegeta's insight or not. She just wanted to be left alone; especially after what had happened with Vegeta's father.
Have you left yet?
No, just leaving now. They are grabbing Trunks and Tarble.
Shit. Vegeta sighed heavily. He had completely forgotten about Tarble.
What?
Asia is on her way to Callisto with Raditz. I told her you would be there with Trunks and her son.
Oh no, she groaned. Well when we find our way out of there, hopefully they will still be there when we make it.
You seem so confident that we will find our way out of this. He said, despair evident in his tone.
You don't think we can?
No! How can we? I am imprisoned here with a Ki dampening collar. I cannot fight my way out. Not only does it block and suppress my Ki but it is draining my energy in the event that I get used to this and build up a resistance to it.
Oh my god, she sighed. You can't shut it off? If it's anything like the one I made when I was on Frieza's ship, there will be a small switch on the inside right. It's really small, so you'll have to really feel for it.
You think I do not remember that and have not tried? He growled.
Sorry, she said. When I get there, I'll have a look at it and see what I can do. There has to be some way of shutting it off or at least reducing its effectiveness so you can replenish your strength by some capacity.
Vegeta was quiet a long moment. Woman, where is it you think you are headed? He asked softly. This is not a vacation or a move to where we will dwell together and raise Trunks as one happy family. We are prisoners. We will not be allowed to interact or see one another, or more than likely the only interaction we will have is when they want to use one of us against the other; in which case I will not be pleased to see you.
There has to be a way, Vegeta. We can assess it and figure it out once we’re there and figure out what they want from us. She said optimistically.
He didn't say anything again for a while. Just prepare yourself. The moment you arrive here they will take the boys from you and that will be the last you will see of them.
Whatever. I still have the ship and all my stuff with me. So we can make a quick, easy escape.
Hmmn, we'll see.
Stop being so negative!
I am not being negative. I am being realistic and preparing myself for the worst case scenario and you would be wise to do the same.
Alright, I get that but you're starting to scare me.
Good! He bristled. You should be scared. I obviously did a poor job scaring you in the first place that you dawdled around for so long that you allowed yourself and our son to be taken captive.
Please don't, Vegeta, she replied quietly, trying not to get emotional. I know I failed, I don’t need for you to remind me and berate me about it again and again. I already feel bad enough as it is. Right now I need to be positive. I need you to be positive if we're going to have a chance at getting out of this.
"You are to stay in here on the trip," Jeyice said, showing her to a small room on the ship. "You will be allowed out for meals, nothing more."
Bulma looked in the room. It looked more like a jail cell than anything else; there was a narrow single bed, a small night stand and a toilet in a small, stand up shower cubicle. While it was so small she already felt claustrophobic, she was glad she would have some privacy from the rest of the crew and decided that this suited her current needs just fine.
"The door will be locked and a guard outside your door so don't even think about trying to escape. Unless you want to play a little game of cat and mouse, I won't object to that." He leered at her.
"Dream on," she rolled her eyes and walked into the room, away from Jeyice.
"Oh, you can bet that tight little ass I'm going to dream of it."
Bulma clenched her teeth and suppressed a shudder of disgust; he'd shown her to her room, could he just not get lost now? "Thank you for showing me here, can you please leave now?"
"Well that's not very nice," he said, stepping in. "I am trying to be hospitable and here you are blowing me off."
"I'm very sorry, I am just exhausted; as you can probably figure out on your own, I've been under a lot of stress as of late." She said apologetically, not that she cared one iota about his feelings; however, she decided that staying on his good graces would be a good idea and maybe he would leave her alone.
"Oh, right." He nodded. "Still though, you don't need to be a bitch. Stay here until Burter gets back with your brats. We will be leaving immediately and once we are in orbit, I will have a meal sent to you."
"Alright, thank you," she said stiffly as he continued to advance into her room and reach for her wrists. "What are you doing?"
"Can't risk you attacking Burter and trying to escape when he comes in," he said, uncuffing one of her wrists and cuffing the other to a metal handle in the shower.
Bulma sighed in annoyance and then frowned at him when his close proximity became unnecessary and intrusive.
He looked her over in a very inappropriate way that made her stomach want to wretch and she cringed as far away from him as she could possibly manage. "You’re quite the frigid little bitch, aren't you?" He asked, not taking the hint to move out of her personal space.
She didn't reply.
"It’s a shame that I am under such strict orders at the moment but don’t you worry, you and I are going to get to know each other real well." He shrugged before leaving and shutting the door behind him.
Bulma sank to the floor and rested her head on the cool tile.
I believe for the most part he is all talk, Vegeta said. Just try to ignore him as best you can for now. Do you still have your pendent? He asked.
No, it was crushed by someone when I was taken, she replied. Trunks and Tarble each have one. Once they are here and we are in orbit, I will see if I can find an outlet in here to charge them.
She heard Vegeta growl to himself. Do that. Jeyice is strong, but not nearly as strong as I am. That charge will knock him on his ass and give you an advantage. Should you find yourself in an unsavory situation, which may happen if his advances escalate and you continue to put him off.
What does that mean, Vegeta? Give in and let him have his way with me instead?
No!
Well then what?
It means, should things with him get ugly, you will have the upper hand!
Alright, I’ll get on it as soon as I can, sorry. I’m just a little irrational right now. I’m relieved that I’m leaving here where I will be closer to you and I’m terrified all at the same time. I don’t know what’s what and I don’t know what to do. Was asking to bring Tarble with me a good idea or should I be leaving him here? I don’t know!
I don’t think bringing him with you is an any worse decision than leaving him on Vegeta-sei. Vegeta replied. He has a better chance at being returned to his mother if you bring him with you.
That’s what I thought, she said, still though, her stomach was upset from all the uncertainty at the moment.
Within a few short minutes, Burter burst into her room with two screaming infants.
Bulma stood up in alarm; never had she heard Trunks cry like that.
"Here, take them!" Burter snapped, forcing them into her arms. "But keep them quiet or else!"
"Can you undo me, please?" She asked huffily, holding her cuffed arm up.
Jeyice, who was behind Burter came in and undid her. "Just make sure you shut 'em up."
“I will once you give me a chance to settle them down,” she said as she placed them both down on the small bed. “Did you have any issues with the dog?”
“There was no dog,” Burter shrugged. “Just a maid and she let me take them both without question; here, she said to give you this.” He said, tossing her a diaper bag.
“Thank you,” Bulma said, picking it up. She wondered what had happened to Aro? “Now can you guys leave so I can settle them in?”
“Very well, but no funny stuff!” Jeyice threatened, shaking his finger at her as though she were a child. “One of us will return in a few hours and give you some food.”
They shut the door and Bulma sought to check on the boys immediately. They seemed alright, even though they were sufficiently distressed but she could hardly blame them.
Bulma grabbed a capsule that she’d been hiding in her shoes and decapsulated the one with Trunks’ crib and baby accessories and set it at the end of her room, which now was sufficiently cramped and left her with little floor space but she was alright with that; she had her son! That was all that mattered to her at the moment.
She placed both boys in the crib and rifled through the diaper bag Neesa had sent with Burter. There were two bottles and a thermos of formula all ready to go along with some diapers and blankets and clothing. Bulma took a blanket and swathed Tarble who was crying even louder thank Trunks.
“Sorry, bud,” she said to him. “I’m not your mum but I’ll do the best I can, just hang tight and try to get some sleep, alright?”
Bulma placed him down in the crib and quickly poured some formula into a bottle and gave it to him. Thankfully, he was more than happy with that remedy at the moment and began chugging away at his bottle.
She smiled as she picked up Trunks and held him close. “Oh, Trunks, I’m so sorry I haven’t been here my baby boy!” she cried as she wrapped him in a blanket as well and moved to sit on the bed. Once she was comfortable, she removed her top and let him feed, which he as well was more than happy with doing as he latched onto her and hungrily sucked.
She winced as his teeth dug into her, but she didn’t care; she had missed this time with him and was beyond relieved that he seemed to be alright for the most part. Neesa had taken good care of them in her absence and she wished there was a way to thank her and ask her what she’d done with Aro. She assumed nothing bad, as the girl had taken a liking to him.
A few minutes later, Trunks was fast asleep and while she wanted to hold him and never let him go, she knew she was badly in need of a shower. Bulma placed Trunks next to a sleeping Tarble who still had his bottle in his mouth even though he had fallen asleep. She smiled down at the two of them and looked at them for a moment before removing her clothes and turning on the shower.
Bulma winced as she looked at herself in the small mirror in the bathroom; her collarbone and ribs were still badly bruised a nice shade of black and blue. She turned to try and get a better look at her shoulder wound; it was still pretty open and she wasn’t sure what to do with it. She could tell it wasn’t infected and that was good but it would heal into a decent scar all the way down to her mid back that was for sure. “Bastard,” she muttered to herself. Of course he had to permanently mark her. At least she could cover it up when she was wearing a shirt.
She stepped into the shower and relished the feeling of the warm water; no, it wasn’t as hot as she would have liked, but it was still a comfortable temperature and she stood there in a daze, letting the water pelt down on her and run down her body for a few minutes before reaching for a sponge and soap and began scrubbing her body almost violently.
If she couldn’t erase the memory of it, she could at least scrub the parts of her body he had touched.
Bulma found washing her hair was a particular ordeal, as her right hand was still in very bad shape and scrubbing her hair was impossible with it. After doing the best she could with one hand and rinsed out her hair, she let the warm water pour over her hand for several minutes.
She cried and winced as she carefully tried to straighten out her fingers but they were still too sore and her assessment at the moment was that the bones had begun to heal in their current position and unless they were broken and reset or someone surgically repaired them, her hand would be forever mangled.
Once she felt satisfied that she was clean enough, she got out and changed into some sweats that were in one of her capsules and checked on the two boys who were thankfully still fast asleep.
Bulma carefully picked them both up so as to not disturb them and went to the small bed in the room. She removed the thin comforter, placed them down side by side and crawled into bed next to them; she pulled the blanket over the three of them and snuggled herself in close to both of them and just looked at them until she fell asleep as well.
-0-0-0-
Chapter 20
Three days passed very quickly and to Paragus’ great relief, none of the surrounding planets had dawdled in returning to Vegeta-sei. They had all returned as quickly as possible and had brought with them any and all weapons and artillery which were currently being very carefully hidden in different parts of the capital, all within range of the palace’s landing docks.
All soldiers were immediately sent for assessment upon arrival and given to them the best elite armor and weapons available before being strategically placed so as to look as impressive as possible.
Now all they had to do was wait.
Cold’s ship of bounty hunters had contacted them to notify them that they were a few hours away. Their instructions were to retrieve Prince Vegeta’s family and leave immediately following that.
Paragus commended the cabinet members for all of their hard work and tireless efforts they had put in; most of them, Paragus included, had not taken time to rest or sleep since they had been so preoccupied with getting everything on Vegeta-sei ready. They weren’t sure if they would be under investigation for the legitimacy of King Vegeta’s death or not so they gathered all of the information they had and made sure it was readily available; they had even charged, tried and executed four girls in the harem for the murder of their king and this had surprisingly caused some of the anarchy and riots to abate a little bit, though things were still a disaster.
He made his way down to the jails where Bulma was still being kept and stubbornly refusing to work.
“How are your accommodations, my dear?” he asked her in a pleasant tone. Truthfully, now that the day was here where he would be rid of her all together, he was happy for it and grateful that Cold did not want to renegotiate the terms. If everything went according to his plan and Cold simply left them alone, he did not need her brains. Not to mention, she would be a major distraction to Brolly.
Once she was gone, he would contact his mother and tell her to let him wake up. With Bulma gone, Brolly could focus on what really mattered: taking his place on the throne as the most powerful Saiyan that ever lived.
“Oh, just wonderful, thank you,” she replied in sweet sarcasm. “What’s the deal today? You must have something important to say or offer me if you’re here and not one of your stooges.”
“I am simply here today to inform you that we are finally about to part ways, you and I.” He said politely.
“What, Cold is coming today?”
“Not him personally, but his crew who was sent to collect you and your son, yes.” Paragus nodded.
“I thought you wanted me here?”
“I did, but in light of recent events, I came to the conclusion that I really don’t need you after all,” he said casually. “I have found more than enough plans and notes in Bardok’s lab; some of which were yours by the way, that we don’t need your help. Not to mention the surrounding planets of our empire were used as storage for even more weapons and artillery than even I knew. So you are not needed and my interest now is only in getting rid of you.”
Bulma shrugged. “Cool. Fine by me. So long as I have Trunks with me, I couldn’t care less if I never saw you again.”
“Good,” he smiled at her. “I am only too happy that we finally came to a mutual understanding on at least something before your departure.”
“There’s one other thing,” Bulma said quickly and she had to resist the urge to laugh at the way his face fell at hearing that. “I am also taking Prince Tarble with me.”
“You are, are you?” Paragus asked, tipping his head in curiosity. “And what could possibly be your motive in wanting him?”
“Your daughter charged me with looking after him. I promised her I would look after him as though he was my own son. I would not leave Trunks here, therefore I will not leave him here either. Besides, he’s an orphan now. I know he has no strength to speak of so he won’t be treated fairly here despite his paternity; and it would work well in your favor because then you would be rid of the entire Vegeta line altogether. Isn’t that what you want? If I take him, then you can put anyone you want on that throne and you don’t have to worry about anyone else coming back for it. Even if by some miracle I am able to get out of King Cold’s custody, I won’t be returning here; I will take the two boys and raise them as my own someplace safe and far away. I won’t even tell them of their origins. You have my word on that.”
Paragus seriously considered it for a moment; it wasn’t a bad idea. He was going to have the child put down anyway; he was proving to be useless and the woman was right in that he was the only loose end with any claims to the throne. “Why not?” he shrugged. “You know they will probably kill him along with your son and mate anyway, right?”
“That’s a chance I am willing to take,” she replied boldly.
“Very well, do as you wish with him; it will be one less thing for me to deal with.”
“Thank you,” she said sincerely.
“Oh, do not thank me, I could care less. I am just glad to finally be rid of you and your influence. Whatever Cold has in store for you I am sure will be sufficient sentence for all of the damage you have done here to this planet. It gives me much satisfaction to know that you will get what has been coming to you.”
“Great. Thank you for that; and I am sure you will too,” she said as sweetly as she could muster. “I don’t know about you Saiyans, but on my home planet we had a saying that went along the lines of what goes around comes around and some of us believed in a little thing called karma. If it is true and does work, I pity you instead of rejoicing over your downfall when this all comes back to bite you in the ass.”
Paragas snorted at her and opened his mouth as though he was going to say something but then changed his mind. “Farewell.” Was all he said and turned to leave her abruptly.
Bulma shrugged and sat back down. She didn’t care what he thought, she was just happy to finally be getting out of there and on her way to where Vegeta was. Even if it was bad, at least they would have each other and that was enough for her. They would find a way out, she knew it.
-0-0-0-
King Cold was going over the financial statements and other important goings on throughout his empire when Seyton strolled in. “Yes,” he sighed, not taking his eyes off of his paperwork.
“It’s the Ginyu Force, my Lord,” he announced quietly. “They have breached Vegeta-sei’s atmosphere and will be landing in just a few minutes.”
“Good!” Cold grunted. “Get them on the line, I wish to speak with their commander.”
Seyton bowed and turned on the video screen where a tall, blue, lizard-like alien with red eyes appeared. "Captain Burter, leader of the Ginyu Force reporting. We are ready to land on Planet Vegeta-sei, my Lord.” He said.
"Excellent!" Cold smiled. "I want you to retrieve Prince Vegeta's mate and their child immediately. You are to bring them to the ship and ensure they are kept out of harm’s way. No one is to touch them or harm them, understand?"
"I do," Burter nodded. "They will be taken care of. We have a room available for just her and her child. They will be confined there until we return."
"Excellent. Now, this is very important. Once you have the girl and child, I want you to question Paragus, King Vegeta's former right hand, about what happened to their king. Find out everything you can," Cold said.
"And what if they object?"
"They will not; but if they do, you will tell them it is a sign of good faith that they allow us to make some inquiry as to the circumstances surrounding the sudden death of their king and failure to comply will be seen as betrayal and a declaration of war." Cold explained harshly.
"What exactly are you wanting us to find if their king is dead though?"
"I want you to not leave Vegeta-sei without a doubt that what Paragus said happened, actually happened, exactly the way he claims it happened and that this isn't a hoax to hide the fact that King Vegeta did not fake his death and is not on his way at this very momentan attempt at rescuing his son and betraying our agreement."
"You think he's not dead?" Burter asked.
"I do not believe that he is, no," Cold shook his head. "And since I cannot be there myself to verify that, I expect you and your team to figure that out for me."
"Okay so say he is dead and everything is true, then what?" he asked, looking severely confused by this point.
"Then do nothing," Cold advised. "Thank them for their cooperation in the matter and return here. If however, you discover deceit, you are to leave and notify me immediately. I will then decide what is to be done depending on the nature of your findings."
"Alright; we will not fail you my lord." Burter nodded deeply in respect. "We may be without our leader, Captain Ginyu, but we still make it our mission to maintain the integrity of the Ginyu Force and complete each mission exactly as asked."
"Right," Cold sighed in a bored tone. "Just get this done without incident and I will be thankful and you and your team will be handsomely rewarded."
"We will not disappoint." Burter bowed again and disconnected the call.
"Fools," he growled under his breath. "No wonder my son failed; he kept nothing but idiots and morons in his employ."
"Then why did you send them on such an important mission?" Seyton asked.
"Because it is so simple that they cannot possibly fuck it up but they are strong and the Saiyans only respect the strong. As well, the Ginyu Force has quite the reputation. No one crosses them; that’s why."
"You are anticipating a problem still?"
"I believe I am being set up," Cold nodded, pouring himself a healthy glass of red wine. "King Vegeta was having second thoughts about the agreement with regards to his son. I believe he is planning something behind my back. Not to mention Paragus does not want to give up the girl and will not specify why. There is something going on and I do not trust those Saiyans."
"Are you sure you are not just being paranoid, my lord?" Seyton asked. "Sometimes you do have a tendency to, you know..."
Cold took a long sip of his wine, let it slosh in his mouth for a moment as he savored the flavor before swallowing it and speaking again. "I have not gotten here and stayed here in this position for as long as I have because of not being paranoid, Seyton. I would rather be overly paranoid and act on my suspicions and find out later that I was wrong, than be under paranoid and let something slide," he explained. "That is where my son failed. Frieza allowed his position and power to all go to his head and he allowed himself to become too comfortable. That is ultimately what lead to his demise."
"I am sorry, my Lord. I did not mean to question you," Seyton apologized. "So what will happen if you discover that King Vegeta did in fact fake his death and is on his way here?"
Cold smiled. "Sit back, watch and learn Seyton. Things are about to become very interesting."
Seyton nodded and took his normal seat next to Cold, who poured him a glass of wine as well.
-0-0-0-
Brolly woke up to the familiar setting of his old bedroom where he grew up at his grandmother's. What the hell? How did I end up here? He wondered, looking around suspiciously.
The last thing he remembered was he had killed King Vegeta because he had tried to hurt Bulma and he had gone to his Uncle for council. He remembered nothing after that.
"Bulma," he muttered under his breath. How long had it been since he had seen her and told her he would be right back? Was she alright? What about Trunks? He knew Tarble would be alright, but Trunks may be in danger.
At that thought, he shot out of bed; he needed to get back to the capital and get Bulma and Trunks out of the palace. There was now no one to protect them, maybe he should have listened to Bulma in her plea to have gotten her out right then.
Brolly grunted as he was hit with the unpleasant sensation of vertigo and had to sit back down on his bed or he would have done a nose dive to the floor. What was wrong with him?
He sat there a moment, trying to regain his equilibrium; the room was still spinning.
A moment later his grandma knocked on his door. "Are you alright?" She asked before opening the door a crack and poking her head in.
"Yea, I'm just really dizzy," Brolly replied. "How did I get here?"
"Your uncle called and I picked you up last week."
"So I have been asleep for over a week?" He exclaimed, trying to stand up again but was forced to sit when the room began to spin again.
"You need to stay here and keep a low profile until things blow over," his grandmother advised, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Do you have any idea the events you have put in motion?"
"I know, but you don't understand," he said, shrugging her hand off his shoulder. "I need to get back to the capital right now."
"I thought you hated the capital and the palace and all the politics," she reminded him.
"I did, or I do; but I have a purpose there now and I need to go back."
"What purpose do you have?" She asked. "Following the Prince's foreign woman around like a fool?"
Brolly frowned at her.
"Paragus told me all about it and how you have been fawning all over her like all the third class dogs in the capital," she said accusingly. "Now look at what has happened, what you have done because of her! What were you thinking? That she would take up with you, that maybe she would leave Prince Vegeta for you?"
"No," he shook his head and felt his face beginning to burn. Truthfully he knew she would never leave Vegeta but that did not mean he hadn't entertained the odd wishful thought about it. However that was as far as it had gone, he had never expected that of her and he was insulted that his grandmother assumed that Bulma was that fickle as to drop Prince Vegeta for him simply because they had been spending more time together. It was all innocent and not worth speculating on. "It's not like that."
"Then what is it like?"
"She is not what they make her out to be. She is a kind, intelligent girl with a gentle heart. She is the Prince's mate, she is sincere in her loyalties to only him and she has been left unprotected. I took it upon myself to keep an eye on her and her son until Prince Vegeta returns."
"Why? Were you instructed to watch over her in the Prince's absence?"
"No."
"Then why?" She asked again. "You should have let nature take its course with her. Eventually someone would have gotten rid of her; it may have happened already had you not been following her around and decided to play the role of gallant protector. Why would you do such a thing? And for a lowly, worthless slave no less! You are aware that Prince Vegeta had been promised to your cousin Asia and he reneged on that agreement; you are aware of that, are you not?"
"Yes! I am aware."
"Then why does she matter? Why would you endanger yourself and your family's reputation because of this foreign girl?" She pushed.
"Because she was the first person who was kind to me and did not treat me as though I was an outsider that did not belong there!" He snarled. "No one would have anything to do with me, they all knew that Paragus is my uncle and that the queen is my cousin and that the only reason I am there is because of my family ties. Never mind that I was able to keep up in my training with the rest of them! I was still ignored and treated as an outsider and she was the only one who was not that way."
"Big deal," she shrugged. "That is the way of it; you need to toughen up. Did it occur to that she possibly was nice to you because she herself is an outsider? You were not around for the scandal that was caused when she first arrived here. She was the Prince's whore; nothing more and somehow he was stupid enough to mate with her. She is very dangerous, Brolly."
"No she isn't," he sighed, rolling his eyes.
"She isn’t?" His grandmother spat. "She ensnared the Prince somehow that he still keeps her as his mate and now you killed your king because of her. She may be physically weak but she is dangerous in that she is somehow able to manipulate those around her. sounds to me like a very dangerous person."
"The King would have raped and killed her." Brolly said with disgust and anger once again coursing through him at the thought of it.
"So what?" She snorted. "As I already said, you should have let nature take its course."
"What was I to do, stand there and watch as he did the unthinkable?" He asked in outrage. Never had his grandmother reacted so apathetically to someone, alien or Saiyan.
"Turn the other way and left is what you should have done."
"You raised me to be honorable."
"To your fellow Saiyan, not to some foreign whore who does not even belong to you." She countered and he could see how upset she was with him over this.
"I would have assumed race and status did not matter in the matters of right and wrong!"
"Under normal circumstances, you would be right but was it honorable to kill your king?" she asked accusingly.
"No,"
"Exactly! Your Uncle has done so much for you and gave you an amazing opportunity and you-"
"Alright! I get it!" He snarled. "It doesn't matter now, does it?"
"I suppose not," she shrugged. "Oh well, She is gone now, thank the gods for that!"
"What do you mean she is gone?"
"Oh, your Uncle sent her and that disgusting half breed with Cold as part of some prior agreement the King had with Cold." She said casually. "He sent young Tarble too seeing as it's looking like the queen did not survive so there is no point keeping him. The Vegeta line is now finished and this planet can finally start fresh with better leadership. He called me a few hours ago and told me that they would be arriving shortly. She should be gone by now which is why I allowed you to wake up now."
Brolly's heart sank at the thought that Bulma and Trunks had been sent away to Cold. How could his Uncle have done that? More importantly, did Bulma think he had just abandoned her? Had she known that she would be sent to Cold and that was why she was so adamant that he get her out? She had pleaded and begged with him to let her out right after everything.
"I should have let her out when she asked me to." He said to himself.
"No you shouldn't have!" His grandma snapped.
"You don't know anything!" He mumbled, standing up again despite the dizziness.
"Where are you going?" She demanded.
"To see my uncle."
"No, you need to stay here." She said quickly, standing in the doorway, blocking him from leaving. "Until he fixes this mess you have created, you need to remain here."
"I am leaving." He said plainly. "Get out of my way."
"No."
Brolly looked at her a moment before stepping forward, grabbing her arm and yanking her from the exit so he could leave.
"You cannot leave!" She shouted and ran to her small study room. "I promised I would keep you safe here no matter what! You may not be my son but I did raise you and I will be damned if I will lose you because you lost your good sense over a female."
Brolly frowned, ignoring her tirade as he made his way to the door. He felt bad about ignoring his grandmother's pleas but he felt that he needed to find out where Bulma, Trunks and Tarble had been taken. Maybe he could take a ship and catch up with them or maybe he could sneak up and rescue not only them but the Prince as well if he hadn't been executed by then.
It wasn't that he cared any for Prince Vegeta but he knew that if he was alive, Bulma would not leave without him.
As he made his way to the door, he began to feel light headed again but this time it was worse. It felt as tho something was draining him.
Brolly leaned against the wall a moment and turned to look behind him to see his grandmother standing there with a small gray box in her hand.
He looked at it and looked at her and realization and full clarity clicked in right then. "What have you done to me?" He demanded.
"Nothing, you just need to stay here." She answered calmly.
Brolly looked at her a moment before lunging towards her, trying to take that device out of her hands.
She managed to move out of his way and turned another dial on it and again was hit with an overbearing feeling again of tiredness and weakness.
Clad only in a pair of pants, he realized that it had to be something on his person that she was using against him. He knew he was still wearing one of the bracelets and a necklace that he always wore and he ripped them off.
"No! Don't do that!" She shouted at him.
"Why?" He hissed in anger as they both shorted out once he had torn the links. "So you cannot continue to control me? How long have you been doing this to me?"
She took several steps back away from him in fear. "It, it was for your own protection."
"Protection from whom?"
"The king."
"And why?" Brolly demanded, at this point shaking with anger.
She trembled. "He, he wanted you killed as a baby. You were born with a higher, stronger power than any Saiyan in history. The king feared you would be a threat and so he ordered you to be put down. Your father brought you to me and we kept you hidden here from the king all these years. This," she said, holding up the grey box, "this is to keep your ki suppressed so that no one will find out and see your true potential. It was all for your safety."
Brolly was quiet as he considered the information, unsure of how to react. "So all these years, these expensive gifts have been nothing more than a means to control me and keep my true potential locked down?"
"Yes, but it was for your own good! If King Vegeta had found out, you and the rest of the family would have been slain!" She said. "It is him to blame for all of this!"
Brolly stepped towards her, still not sure how to take this information. "Then I am not sorry I killed him and how dare you make me feel bad for my actions! Uncle Paragus knows all about this then I take it because he's the one always so generously bestowing these expensive ‘gifts’ upon me? I always knew there was something else to it, that his generosity was fake!"
"Do not be angry with him," she pleaded. "He cares more for you than anyone. He has gone above and beyond to ensure your safety. You should be grateful for him."
"I always knew that something was not right with him. He was always too persistent and overbearing in everything with regards to my growing up. It was almost like I was his son and not-" he looked at her then as another wave of realization and understanding hit him like a ton of bricks.
She didn't say anything, just nodded in confirmation. What could she say? She knew it wasn’t the right time to be revealing all of this to him, but she didn’t want to lie to him anymore. He would have to find out some time, why not now? Not to mention it was a good distraction to keep him from dwelling on that stupid girl.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He demanded. "And what of Asia? Does that make her my sister? And who are you then; are you my mother?"
"No," she shook her head. "I am not your mother, your mother lives in the capital with your father, Paragus."
Brolly’s face scrunched up in anger and confusion. Within just ten minutes of waking, his entire life had been turned upside down. "Have, have I ever met her?"
"No," she shook her head. "Your father told her that he carried out the King’s demand for you to be put down."
He reached for her and snatched the box from her hand.
"Give that back!" She shouted.
"No, I don't think so. I am finished with being controlled." He said, smashing it in his hand and walking away from her.
"Where are you going?"
"To the capital."
"You can’t!" She objected again. "Brolly, you can beangry and upset, I know this is a lot for you to take in, but you need to stay here. Brood and vent about it here, please."
"What would be the point in that?"asked. "If the king wanted me dead and I killed him, who is there for me to hide from? Besides, I need to speak with Paragus and find out more." Was all he said to her before storming off into the sky back towards the capital of Vegeta-sei.
He had to find out everything and once he had, he would go after Bulma and Trunks.
-0-0-0-
The ship landed and within a few minutes Burter, Jeice, Recoome and Guldo emerged.
They were greeted by Paragus, about a dozen council members and one hundred Saiyan soldiers lined up behind Paragus.
“Greetings,” Paragus nodded respectfully. “And welcome to Vegeta-sei. I hope your journey here was not too tedious.”
“It was fine,” Burter nodded in return.
“Good, good. May I offer you and your crew some refreshment before we get down to business?”
“We will pass, thank you. We are on a very strict schedule. King Cold wants us to return immediately once we have the Prince’s family in out custody.” Burter replied.
“I understand completely,” Paragus nodded, happy that they would hopefully be leaving again in an hour or less. “I will have several guards escort you down to the holding cells where Prince Vegeta’s mate is currently being contained. I must warn you, though, she is highly intelligent and very manipulative. Do not let her out of your sight for a moment and do not let her persuade you of her innocence; I can assure you, she is as conniving as they come.”
“Thank you,” Burter nodded. “Jeice you will come with me to retrieve the prince’s mate and her son.”
“Right!” Jeice nodded enthusiastically, stepping forward and striking a ridiculous pose.
“Excellent,” Paragus nodded, gesturing at three guards to accompany them.
“Recoome and Guldo, you will remain here and question whomever is in charge about the recent death of their king.”
“I am in charge here,” Paragus snipped in offence. “The circumstances surrounding the death of King Vegeta are very sensitive and our planet is currently in mourning because of it. I ask that you respect that and save the questions for a later time.”
“No can do,” Burter replied. “Our instructions were to gather Prince Vegeta’s family and to look into the king’s death.”
“I thought you were on a strict schedule.” Paragus countered stubbornly.
“We are, so it is in your best interests to comply.” Jeice piped up. “Or you can call King Cold up yourself and hear it from him what our orders are.”
Paragus glared at them. He was thankful that he’d had the foresight to tie up all loose ends where the King was concerned. However that did not mean that he felt like going through a tedious investigation. He just wanted to get rid of the girl and begin restoring order to Planet Vegeta-sei.
“Very well,” he growled. “Come with me.” He said turning and heading into the palace with Recoome and Guldo and several of his own personal guards and fellow council members.
Burter watched them a moment before looking at the guards and nodded that he was ready to follow them. “Once we get the girl and the child, we will assist Recoome and Guldo. I don’t trust that guy.”
“No kidding!” Jeice snorted. “Who does he think he is, talking to us like that? Does he know who we are?”
“Whatever,” Burter shrugged. “The sooner we get out of here the better.”
They made their way through to the back of the palace and down a long flight of stairs into the jail cells.
“She’s in there,” one of the guards said as he handed them a key to the door. “Go and get her.”
“Alright then,” Jeice said, taking the key and strolling in. “Why hello, lovely.”
Bulma stood up and looked at them, she was sure she recognized them from somewhere. “Are you guys here to take me to Vegeta?”
“Not quite, love,” Jeice snickered. “We are here to take you to King Cold. He requests your presence.”
“Right, whatever,” she sighed. She remembered the white haired man with the orange skin now as soon as he’d spoken to her; she had bumped into him and three or four others on Frieza’s ship while Vegeta had been fighting Frieza and she had been on her way to find the docks so she could get herself off the damaged ship. “And Trunks and Tarble are coming with me too, right?”
“Dunno, I know we are taking your son with us. Anyone else, I think not. Wasn’t on the itinerary, was it, Burter?”
“Nope. Just the girl and her child.”
"Well, I'm not going anywhere without both of my sons." She said boldly.
"We were only told of one son of yours."
"Well I have two! They're twins!" She shrieked at them. "None of these asshole Saiyans will recognize Trunks because he takes after me; whereas Tarble looks like Vegeta so no one cares. I am bringing them both with me."
Burter looked at Jeyice for guidance. "Whatever, who cares?" Jeyice shrugged. "Let her bring them both, all I care about is that the goods aren't damaged and maybe I will get a piece of that ass as a reward. Not sure I will be able to refrain though."
Burter laughed. "I will help keep you out of trouble, Jeyice. Cold was very specific that she was to not be touched or harmed."
While the blue lizard giant's massive size and intimidating looks frightened Bulma she did find herself thankful to him; for now anyway.
"I know, mate, but look at her! She's real class and a definite upgrade from anything we've got at the brothel," he sighed wistfully. "This is the one Vegeta killed Zarbon over. Remember?"
"Yea," Burter nodded.
"So you get it then?"
"Nope," he shook his head, looking cluelessly at Bulma. "I didn't get the appeal back then and I still don't get it."
"Right, well whatever, I don't even want to know what your species finds attractive or how they... you know what? Never mind. I will be thankful that it is you who will keep me out of trouble; I will be depending on you, mate."
"Right," Butter nodded. "Let's get her offspring and let's get out of here."
They opened the cell and cuffed her and lead her out of the jails.
Instead of taking her back to the Royal Wing to get Trunks and Tarble, they escorted her straight to the ship docks.
"I thought we were going to get my boys?" She asked.
"They will be brought." Burter answered.
"Okay but why don't I help?"
"Because we don't need your help, girl." Jeyice sneered. "I will go and get them while you go with Burter to the ship like a good little woman."
"There's a dog there though," Bulma objected. "He will attack you if I am not with you."
"Oh, well I'll just have to bash it's skull in then, won't I?"
"No! Please don't!" She cried. "Just say freund to him and let him sniff you. He won't do anything to you if you say that. Just don't hurt him, please."
"Hmmmm, I suppose I could do that; what's in it for me, love?" He asked, looking her over in a way that made her skin crawl.
"Not getting your arm chewed off?" She suggested, ignoring the innuendo completely.
"That's not a good enough incentive being that I could blast the beast the second I see him and be done with it." He shrugged.
"I'll go!" Butter snarled. "You watch her, but don't touch her or you will spend the trip back in a regeneration tank."
Ohno, no, no, Bulma pleaded inwardly.
"Hmm, it may be worth it but go, I'll be on my best behavior." Jeyice shrugged, grabbing Bulma by the elbow. "It's a bit quick for that anyway, we need to get to know each other."
Bulma scrunched her nose and turned her face away from him. She sure hoped he would keep his hands to himself.
I am here, she heard Vegeta in her mind.
I know, I'm scared, Vegeta, she admitted. Do you know this guy?
He is a moron, he replied. However I do not think that he will act on anything at the moment; if he is under orders to leave you alone you should be alright, though that will not stop him from verbally harassing you. Once you are here though, you may need to watch out for him.
Great, she sighed, unsure if she should be grateful for Vegeta's insight or not. She just wanted to be left alone; especially after what had happened with Vegeta's father.
Have you left yet?
No, just leaving now. They are grabbing Trunks and Tarble.
Shit. Vegeta sighed heavily. He had completely forgotten about Tarble.
What?
Asia is on her way to Callisto with Raditz. I told her you would be there with Trunks and her son.
Oh no, she groaned. Well when we find our way out of there, hopefully they will still be there when we make it.
You seem so confident that we will find our way out of this. He said, despair evident in his tone.
You don't think we can?
No! How can we? I am imprisoned here with a Ki dampening collar. I cannot fight my way out. Not only does it block and suppress my Ki but it is draining my energy in the event that I get used to this and build up a resistance to it.
Oh my god, she sighed. You can't shut it off? If it's anything like the one I made when I was on Frieza's ship, there will be a small switch on the inside right. It's really small, so you'll have to really feel for it.
You think I do not remember that and have not tried? He growled.
Sorry, she said. When I get there, I'll have a look at it and see what I can do. There has to be some way of shutting it off or at least reducing its effectiveness so you can replenish your strength by some capacity.
Vegeta was quiet a long moment. Woman, where is it you think you are headed? He asked softly. This is not a vacation or a move to where we will dwell together and raise Trunks as one happy family. We are prisoners. We will not be allowed to interact or see one another, or more than likely the only interaction we will have is when they want to use one of us against the other; in which case I will not be pleased to see you.
There has to be a way, Vegeta. We can assess it and figure it out once we’re there and figure out what they want from us. She said optimistically.
He didn't say anything again for a while. Just prepare yourself. The moment you arrive here they will take the boys from you and that will be the last you will see of them.
Whatever. I still have the ship and all my stuff with me. So we can make a quick, easy escape.
Hmmn, we'll see.
Stop being so negative!
I am not being negative. I am being realistic and preparing myself for the worst case scenario and you would be wise to do the same.
Alright, I get that but you're starting to scare me.
Good! He bristled. You should be scared. I obviously did a poor job scaring you in the first place that you dawdled around for so long that you allowed yourself and our son to be taken captive.
Please don't, Vegeta, she replied quietly, trying not to get emotional. I know I failed, I don’t need for you to remind me and berate me about it again and again. I already feel bad enough as it is. Right now I need to be positive. I need you to be positive if we're going to have a chance at getting out of this.
"You are to stay in here on the trip," Jeyice said, showing her to a small room on the ship. "You will be allowed out for meals, nothing more."
Bulma looked in the room. It looked more like a jail cell than anything else; there was a narrow single bed, a small night stand and a toilet in a small, stand up shower cubicle. While it was so small she already felt claustrophobic, she was glad she would have some privacy from the rest of the crew and decided that this suited her current needs just fine.
"The door will be locked and a guard outside your door so don't even think about trying to escape. Unless you want to play a little game of cat and mouse, I won't object to that." He leered at her.
"Dream on," she rolled her eyes and walked into the room, away from Jeyice.
"Oh, you can bet that tight little ass I'm going to dream of it."
Bulma clenched her teeth and suppressed a shudder of disgust; he'd shown her to her room, could he just not get lost now? "Thank you for showing me here, can you please leave now?"
"Well that's not very nice," he said, stepping in. "I am trying to be hospitable and here you are blowing me off."
"I'm very sorry, I am just exhausted; as you can probably figure out on your own, I've been under a lot of stress as of late." She said apologetically, not that she cared one iota about his feelings; however, she decided that staying on his good graces would be a good idea and maybe he would leave her alone.
"Oh, right." He nodded. "Still though, you don't need to be a bitch. Stay here until Burter gets back with your brats. We will be leaving immediately and once we are in orbit, I will have a meal sent to you."
"Alright, thank you," she said stiffly as he continued to advance into her room and reach for her wrists. "What are you doing?"
"Can't risk you attacking Burter and trying to escape when he comes in," he said, uncuffing one of her wrists and cuffing the other to a metal handle in the shower.
Bulma sighed in annoyance and then frowned at him when his close proximity became unnecessary and intrusive.
He looked her over in a very inappropriate way that made her stomach want to wretch and she cringed as far away from him as she could possibly manage. "You’re quite the frigid little bitch, aren't you?" He asked, not taking the hint to move out of her personal space.
She didn't reply.
"It’s a shame that I am under such strict orders at the moment but don’t you worry, you and I are going to get to know each other real well." He shrugged before leaving and shutting the door behind him.
Bulma sank to the floor and rested her head on the cool tile.
I believe for the most part he is all talk, Vegeta said. Just try to ignore him as best you can for now. Do you still have your pendent? He asked.
No, it was crushed by someone when I was taken, she replied. Trunks and Tarble each have one. Once they are here and we are in orbit, I will see if I can find an outlet in here to charge them.
She heard Vegeta growl to himself. Do that. Jeyice is strong, but not nearly as strong as I am. That charge will knock him on his ass and give you an advantage. Should you find yourself in an unsavory situation, which may happen if his advances escalate and you continue to put him off.
What does that mean, Vegeta? Give in and let him have his way with me instead?
No!
Well then what?
It means, should things with him get ugly, you will have the upper hand!
Alright, I’ll get on it as soon as I can, sorry. I’m just a little irrational right now. I’m relieved that I’m leaving here where I will be closer to you and I’m terrified all at the same time. I don’t know what’s what and I don’t know what to do. Was asking to bring Tarble with me a good idea or should I be leaving him here? I don’t know!
I don’t think bringing him with you is an any worse decision than leaving him on Vegeta-sei. Vegeta replied. He has a better chance at being returned to his mother if you bring him with you.
That’s what I thought, she said, still though, her stomach was upset from all the uncertainty at the moment.
Within a few short minutes, Burter burst into her room with two screaming infants.
Bulma stood up in alarm; never had she heard Trunks cry like that.
"Here, take them!" Burter snapped, forcing them into her arms. "But keep them quiet or else!"
"Can you undo me, please?" She asked huffily, holding her cuffed arm up.
Jeyice, who was behind Burter came in and undid her. "Just make sure you shut 'em up."
“I will once you give me a chance to settle them down,” she said as she placed them both down on the small bed. “Did you have any issues with the dog?”
“There was no dog,” Burter shrugged. “Just a maid and she let me take them both without question; here, she said to give you this.” He said, tossing her a diaper bag.
“Thank you,” Bulma said, picking it up. She wondered what had happened to Aro? “Now can you guys leave so I can settle them in?”
“Very well, but no funny stuff!” Jeyice threatened, shaking his finger at her as though she were a child. “One of us will return in a few hours and give you some food.”
They shut the door and Bulma sought to check on the boys immediately. They seemed alright, even though they were sufficiently distressed but she could hardly blame them.
Bulma grabbed a capsule that she’d been hiding in her shoes and decapsulated the one with Trunks’ crib and baby accessories and set it at the end of her room, which now was sufficiently cramped and left her with little floor space but she was alright with that; she had her son! That was all that mattered to her at the moment.
She placed both boys in the crib and rifled through the diaper bag Neesa had sent with Burter. There were two bottles and a thermos of formula all ready to go along with some diapers and blankets and clothing. Bulma took a blanket and swathed Tarble who was crying even louder thank Trunks.
“Sorry, bud,” she said to him. “I’m not your mum but I’ll do the best I can, just hang tight and try to get some sleep, alright?”
Bulma placed him down in the crib and quickly poured some formula into a bottle and gave it to him. Thankfully, he was more than happy with that remedy at the moment and began chugging away at his bottle.
She smiled as she picked up Trunks and held him close. “Oh, Trunks, I’m so sorry I haven’t been here my baby boy!” she cried as she wrapped him in a blanket as well and moved to sit on the bed. Once she was comfortable, she removed her top and let him feed, which he as well was more than happy with doing as he latched onto her and hungrily sucked.
She winced as his teeth dug into her, but she didn’t care; she had missed this time with him and was beyond relieved that he seemed to be alright for the most part. Neesa had taken good care of them in her absence and she wished there was a way to thank her and ask her what she’d done with Aro. She assumed nothing bad, as the girl had taken a liking to him.
A few minutes later, Trunks was fast asleep and while she wanted to hold him and never let him go, she knew she was badly in need of a shower. Bulma placed Trunks next to a sleeping Tarble who still had his bottle in his mouth even though he had fallen asleep. She smiled down at the two of them and looked at them for a moment before removing her clothes and turning on the shower.
Bulma winced as she looked at herself in the small mirror in the bathroom; her collarbone and ribs were still badly bruised a nice shade of black and blue. She turned to try and get a better look at her shoulder wound; it was still pretty open and she wasn’t sure what to do with it. She could tell it wasn’t infected and that was good but it would heal into a decent scar all the way down to her mid back that was for sure. “Bastard,” she muttered to herself. Of course he had to permanently mark her. At least she could cover it up when she was wearing a shirt.
She stepped into the shower and relished the feeling of the warm water; no, it wasn’t as hot as she would have liked, but it was still a comfortable temperature and she stood there in a daze, letting the water pelt down on her and run down her body for a few minutes before reaching for a sponge and soap and began scrubbing her body almost violently.
If she couldn’t erase the memory of it, she could at least scrub the parts of her body he had touched.
Bulma found washing her hair was a particular ordeal, as her right hand was still in very bad shape and scrubbing her hair was impossible with it. After doing the best she could with one hand and rinsed out her hair, she let the warm water pour over her hand for several minutes.
She cried and winced as she carefully tried to straighten out her fingers but they were still too sore and her assessment at the moment was that the bones had begun to heal in their current position and unless they were broken and reset or someone surgically repaired them, her hand would be forever mangled.
Once she felt satisfied that she was clean enough, she got out and changed into some sweats that were in one of her capsules and checked on the two boys who were thankfully still fast asleep.
Bulma carefully picked them both up so as to not disturb them and went to the small bed in the room. She removed the thin comforter, placed them down side by side and crawled into bed next to them; she pulled the blanket over the three of them and snuggled herself in close to both of them and just looked at them until she fell asleep as well.
-0-0-0-