Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Only the Weak ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 8 )

Only the Weak

By Karete-chan

Chapter 8:

They say in space no one can hear you scream. The Ginyu's thought this was a farce. If no one could hear you scream then your torturer wasn't trying hard enough.

Recoome sat at the mess table explaining this very animatedly to an extremely patient Untouchable, who nodded her head every now and then. Jeice and Burter watched from the doorway as, for the second time in as many minutes, Recoome gestured wildly and hit the Untouchable across the face. The woman flew from her chair and into the wall. Recoome looked horrified as he went to pick her up but she brushed away his hand and standing, politely excused herself and wobbled out of the room.

"Why does she put up with him?" Burter asked as Recoome returned to his seat and began mumbling to himself.

Jeice shrugged. "Dunno. Maybe she has a thing for big softheaded idiots. I just think its funny that he still panics every time he hits her. If Frieza hasn't punished him for it by now you'd think he'd realise that nothing's going to happen."

Burter scowled. "Yeah. If anyone else hit her or any of the rest they'd be dead before you could blink."

They turned from their team member and walked back towards the bridge. As they entered they were bathed in the soft glow of the planet outside.

"How long do we have to sit here for anyway?" Jeice asked.

"Captain said until they leave." Burter punched a few controls and a readout appeared on the console before him. "Apparently Frieza changed the orders from destroy to monitor. Doesn't say why."

"`Why' is none of your business."

The two Ginyu's turned to see their captain stride into the room.

"Yeah, well sorry for being curious but this sitting here thing is boring," Jeice muttered.

Ginyu whacked him, hard. "Watch your mouth smart arse and get down to the training room and spar with Guldo. He needs to fine-tune those skills of his."

Rubbing his face, Jeice left, Burter trailing after him.

"You shouldn't do that you know."

"Fuck it. I'll say what I want. We both know the only reason he's being such an arsehole is because there aren't any girls to bed on this tin ship."

Burter stopped walking. "That's our captain you're talking about."

Jeice continued on heedless. "Yeah, well, that doesn't mean I have to respect him. Just that I have to do what he says."

"That kind of talk could get you a beating from Frieza."

Jeice stopped. "Frieza isn't around to hear it and it's not like anyone going to run and tell him."

There was silence in the hall.

Jeice turned around slowly. "Is it, Burter?"

The tall blue lizard-humanoid met his friend's glare with one of his own. "I'm just saying be careful is all."

"Yeah right." Jeice's dark green eyes narrowed. "Go keep, the Captain, company. I don't need help training the frog."

Burter seemed to pause for a moment before turning and heading back towards the bridge. Jeice watched until he was out of sight then sped off in the opposite direction. He didn't pause as he reached the training rooms, knocking the door of its tracks and releasing the largest ki blast he could.

The brilliant ball of light bounced around the room for five minutes until it finally dissipated. Jeice stood still the whole time and watched. When the last of the light had faded away, Guldo came up behind him.

"Give us a bit of warning next time. You almost took my head off." He paused. "What's wrong with you?"

"Stress," the red-skinned Ginyu answered and walked out.

~*~*~*~

ChiChi tapped her fingers impatiently against her arm. For the fifth time in as many minutes she looked up at the clock hanging above the window. Across the table, five-year-old Gohan watched her silently.

Ten minutes later, there was a muffled thump outside the door. ChiChi's fingers immediately picked up their pace.

The kitchen door creaked open, letting a stray beam of moonlight shoot across the floor. Gokou's head peeped cautiously around the doorjamb. His eyes were drawn to the rhythmic tapping of his wife's fingers, the only sound in the house.

He grinned sheepishly and stepped into the doorway.

"Hi ChiChi, uh…"

ChiChi glared.

"I…er…sorry I'm late. Training ran over…" He sensed this had been the wrong thing to say, as her fingers became a blur. "Uh…Tien said that Yamcha called. There's going to be trouble, ChiChi, big trouble. I've got to help."

"And helping means that you stay out and miss dinner three nights running does it?" she asked icily.

Inside, Gokou sighed. If she was talking it meant that she was calming down. "I'm sorry ChiChi. I promise that I'll stay home tomorrow and do anything you say."

She glared at him. "Sit down. I'm putting Gohan to bed." Silently she picked up the young boy and stalked off down the darkened passageway. Gokou closed the door behind him and sat down. ChiChi returned a few moments later and sat across from him.

"I know that you like fighting. You always have. I know that you want to continue but we have a little boy now. You need to show some responsibility."

"But…"

ChiChi held up a finger.

"I want you to tell me what's been going on. Why you've been so jumpy and what happened over at Bulma's the other day."

Gokou looked down at the table. "Bulma said I couldn't tell anyone."

"Not even your own wife?"

He cringed. "Especially not you," he said softly.

Despite trying to stay angry with him, ChiChi felt her mouth drop open. Bulma said that? About me? ChiChi's eyes narrowed. She was going to have some serious words with the other woman the next time she saw her.

"Tell me," she said.

~*~*~*~

As the small public transport craft left the city centre, Bulma gazed wistfully out the window. Two days they'd had to wait for the rebel leaders to arrive, only to have them sneer down their noses at her as she showed them her idea. Not even as she'd demonstrated the shields power did they acknowledge that it was a piece of ingenious work. It had irked her and then she'd gotten angry. It had gone downhill from there.

Now she and Yamcha were heading back towards the hotel to pack for the journey home while Hontij did his best to repair the damage done by her cutting remarks. Idly she played with the control for her robots, setting them to have her rooms cleaned and packed before they even stepped foot inside the foyer.

Another thing done wrong. The hotel staff hated the small metallic servants. They felt it was an insult to the good hardworking nature of the hotel. She had thought it surprising at the time, seeing as most things, the public transport system in particular, were automated.

As they stepped out of the small car, Hontij walked out to meet them. Bulma and Yamcha stared in surprise.

"I caught a zoom," he said in way of explanation at their looks. "We are ready to leave. Your bags have already been taken to the ship."

Not even bothering to slake her curiosity and find out what exactly a `zoom' was, Bulma simply nodded and stepped back into the car. Hontij joined them.

"I felt it was better that we leave as soon as possible."

"Did I cause that much damage?" Bulma asked quietly.

Hontij sighed. "No, but in times like this it is possible for those who are unwanted to simply disappear without a trace. No matter which side they are on." He smiled gently. "Best if that doesn't happen to you, even if you do think that the leaders are, what was it? `Old doddering fools without even half a brain between them'?"

Bulma smiled slightly and felt Yamcha squeeze her waist in encouragement. "I was harsh."

"You were right. They need the technology you can bring and until they accept that you may call them what ever you wish." The red haired man glanced out the window. "We have stayed longer than is safe in any count. I will make sure the delay does not occur next time."

~*~*~*~

Zarbon tapped his fingers impatiently against the arm of his chair. The console screen in front of him glowed softly as he glared at it. A message flashed on the screen. A recorded message of Captain Ginyu appeared on screen. Zarbon's scowl faded as he listened. Finally, something was going right. The sources on Yotemu-sei had given the Ginyu's the location of the rebel meeting that was rumoured to be taking place and now the Ginyu's were in orbit, waiting to track one of the unknown rebel parties back to their planet.

Zarbon sighed and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. Hopefully the Ginyu's would clear this up quickly and then he could go back to having a decent amount of sleep each day.

The hissing of the door announced somebodies arrival. He turned in his chair, to see the slave in the doorway. His eyes narrowed as he sat there and watched her tremble in the doorway. Somehow he had managed to forget that he had summoned her. Standing, he began to walk towards her, a small ball of ki forming in his hand. As useful as she might have been, there was no force under any sun that would let her live to spread the tale of her last visit.

"Move into the room, slave."

She did. As she looked up to take a step, her eye caught the glow of the ki ball and she froze. The doors slid closed behind her.

Something in the way she stood made him stop short. The ki ball sat in his palm, momentarily forgotten. It wasn't her. How he knew that, he wasn't sure, because if it wasn't then she was an extremely good replica. All dirt looks the same after all.

She hadn't moved from her trembling position in the doorway so he walked to her, letting the ball of ki flow back into his hand. The slave cringed away from him as he approached. His frowned deepened. It wasn't her. Cringing was something that he had finally weeded out the other one because she had done it so often that it began to irk him. Interesting. There was more then one. He looked at her closely, examining the messily tied back mop of hair that the top of her head presented him with. Were those streaks of red, he could see?

"Who are you?" he growled.

She said nothing. Just like the other slave she simply shook her head. He repressed the urge to sigh out loud.

"Where is the other slave?"

She trembled and shook her head again, then seemed to stop and think for a moment before pretending to hit herself on the back.

"Punished?"

She nodded, trembling.

He sneered down at her in annoyance, deciding that he might as well find a replacement. "Are you able to do what she does?"

The slave shook her head and shrugged.

He scowled again. "How long until she is able to continue her work?" He smirked. "Unless of course, she is dead?"

The slave shuddered but gripped her arms around herself and shrugged again. He was tempted to strike her, for the absolute lack of anything that resembled dignity.

He made a derisive noise and stalked away from her. "Get out of here you useless thing. Next time I send for her, send her and no one else. Consider yourself fortunate."

Her head came up in time to watch him disappear into his sleeping chambers. Silently TwoBlue left the room. As the door slid closed behind her she fought not to break into a run, to put as much distance between herself and Lord Zarbon in as little time possible.

~*~*~*~

Vegeta looked down on his subjects and sighed. Radditz was sprawled on the floor in front of him, having just taken his seventh consecutive beating for yesterday's revelation. Nappa sat against the far wall. Not for the first time did Vegeta wonder why he had to be cursed with these two. Why couldn't the only other survivors of his planet be competent?

Vegeta crouched near Radditz's bleeding body. "Frieza has called a halt to the destruction of Yotemu-sei, soldier. As you knew he would." He stood and pushed Radditz with the toe of his boot, rolling the bigger man onto his back. "You should be thankful that Frieza recognises stupidity when he sees it." He growled softly. "Because going behind my back is the most idiotic thing you have ever done."

"Brother…" Radditz managed to choke out.

Vegeta scowled. "He's probably dead. If the inhabitants of the planet are still living, then he failed his mission."

On the floor, Radditz managed to crack open one eye to gaze at his Prince. Then he nodded slowly.

Inside, Vegeta wasn't quite sure what he had said was true. Something told him that the younger brother of the only man he could call `friend' was still living. It was possible, though unlikely, that the child had not destroyed but simply overtaken this `Chikyuu-sei'. Perhaps the whole planet was under Saiya-jin rule. A smirk tried to fight its way on to his face. If that was so, then all the inhabitants belonged to him and he would kill this `Kakarott' for not contacting them sooner.

~*~*~*~

TwoBlue slipped back along a dimly lit corridor and into the sleeping chambers she shared with the other three. The two occupants looked up in alarm at the intrusion, before relaxing. Their dirt encrusted expressions creased into concern when they saw the heavy breathing of their friend. Two Blue squeezed past them to sit on one of the bottom bunks opposite. It was a tight fit. FourGrey almost had to step out of the room to let her pass.

When they had rearranged themselves, the shorter girl turned back to tending her patient.

ThreeBrown was lying on her back on the bottom of the other bunk. She propped herself up on her elbows. "What happened?" she asked through clenched teeth, as FourGrey unwrapped the bandages on her feet.

TwoBlue shrugged. "He threatened and almost killed me. You know, everyday stuff." Her shanking hands belied the nonchalant tone of her words.

Three brown flopped back down on the hard bunk. "I'm sorry. I should have gone." She winced as FourGrey, tugged on her foot.

"Don't be silly," FourGrey said softly. "You can't walk. And stay still, you're going to open up these wounds again."

"Some discomfort on my part is worth not seeing another person killed."

TwoBlue lent over to get a better look. "I'd like to see you even try to stand on those feet of yours. Have they even stopped bleeding yet?"

ThreeBrown looked at her for a moment and TwoBlue was close enough to see the flash of worry in her friend's eyes. "Fine," the shorter girl replied. She swung her legs off the bed, placed them on the floor and stood.

It took both of them to catch her as she toppled forward. TwoBlue took most of the weight, glad that she'd still been sitting on the bunk, so that it broke most of the fall. In the back of her mind as she pushed the now unconscious girl back onto her bunk, she noted just how light she had become, wondering if the same had happened to her.

FourGrey went back to bandaging ThreeBrown's feet. "I wish you wouldn't provoke her like that. You know she's stubborn."

"She's stopped moving at least."

"And opened up one of the large gashes again. You wanted to be a doctor. Why'd you do it?"

TwoBlue looked down at the floor. "He thought it was her today, when I turned up. He was going to kill her but when he found out it was me he let me go. That's the second time he's let one of us off."

FourGrey looked horrified. "We can't let her go back!"

"We have to. He said that only she could go there now and judging by the way he said it, it wouldn't be a good idea to keep her from going. She needs to be able to walk, and if unconsciousness is the only way she'll rest then that's how we'll keep her."

~*~*~*~

Yotemu-sei slowly became smaller as they pulled away from the planet. Inside, Bulma was secretly glad she was leaving this interesting place and heading home to where things were more normal. Yamcha stood beside her with his arm around her waist and she let her head lean on his shoulder.

"Hontij says four hours before we can jump to hyperspace," he said. "He seemed really edgy. Did you notice?"

"I think my outburst put more strain on things than he can handle," she replied softly.

"Nah, that's not it. He's edgy about something else but I can't put my finger on what it is."

Bulma shrugged. "It doesn't matter. We'll be home soon and be safe enough."

"Hope you're right babe."

~*~*~*~

Only the console screens lighted the bridge of the Ginyu cruiser. "Ship heading, point oh two seven," a lackey said.

"Keep shields up," Captain Ginyu barked, "follow at a safe distance. Make sure it's them before we pounce."

"Captain."

Ginyu looked around to see Jeice standing at attention behind him. He scowled.

"New report from Master Frieza. Apparently the rogue Saiya-jin has been spotted planet-side. Master Frieza is of the opinion that the monkey is in charge of the planet and wants him eradicated A.S.A.P."

The Captain gave the impression of a raised eyebrow. "That so? Well, we'll see what we can do after we pick up that tech that's been causing all these problems. He caused a ruckus down there today." He nodded towards the large screen at the front of the ship. "They're hightailing it out if there before their `allies' got get the better of them."

Jeice relaxed, knowing that the Captain's temper had died in the last couple of hours. "What reports do we have on him?"

"Dark hair, dark eyes, the scouters picked up a significant ki. He has a woman that does the talking for him."

Jeice looked at the report in his hand. "Captain that might be the monkey; the description is the same."

"So? What if they all look like that? And who ever heard of a smart Saiya-jin?"

"Sir, what do you think the chances are of a missing infant Saiya-jin space pod, landing on a planet with exactly the same physical description? And there were a couple of smarter ones. Apparently Radditz's father was one of them. The brains seemed to have skipped him, so perhaps little bro is an in-te-lec-tu-al."

Ginyu turned to look at his subordinate. "Good point." He went back to the screen. "So, we have a Saiya-jin on our hands. Won't be too hard to take care of then."

~*~*~*~

Bulma was in the mess hall when the alarms started. She had been having a quick snack before heading off to find Hontij and ask him why he was so wound up.

In the second it took her to run to the door and into the hall, people were already beginning to panic. They ran up and down the corridors.

A big bulky man, who almost knocked her over as she tried to make her way to the bridge, went past screaming, "The Ginyu's! It's the Ginyu's!"

Not even wanting to know, she hurried past, almost knocking someone over herself as she tore around a corner. "Hontij!"

"Bulma," he breathed in relief. "We have a tail. I am afraid it is the Ginyu's."

"I heard. Who are they?"

"Frieza's top troops. They're ruthless and they are closing in on us very fast." He shook his head sadly. "There is no way that we can outrun them."

People ran past them. "This is what you were worried about wasn't it?"

He nodded. "I had heard things. I had hoped they were rumours but I got you off the planet as fast as possible but I'm afraid it was all pointless."

"How did we miss them?" she asked.

A ghost of a smile graced his lips. "You are not the only inventor in this universe my friend. Frieza has many under his command. Shields are nothing new, theirs allow them to appear not there until they come within a certain distance." To his surprise she smiled broadly. "Bulma?"

"Is that all?" She looked quite smug with herself. "I'll be right back."

Hontij watched her go. "Bulma? Bulma? What are you going to do?"

"Nothing," she grinned as she turned a corner and looked back at him. "Go and have a coffee or something."

~*~*~*~

"Lasers ready and armed. Where would you like to strike Captain?" a lackey asked.

"Warning shot across the bow."

"Firing."

A red beam streaked out from under the right side of the Ginyu cruiser crossing just over the bow of the older model ship before the target disappeared.

"What in hell?" Ginyu yelled. "Where'd they go?"

"Scanning on all frequencies. Radar. Sonar. Infrared." The lackey turned to Ginyu. "Nothing."

Jeice whistled lowly from behind Ginyu. "Smart bastard."

Thank you

Starkiller - for making me get my arse back in gear. Check out Strike a Pose - A Ginyu Shrine

adbzfan2K03 - glad you're still reading.

Kirusuchinu - hope I cleared some of that stuff up for you