Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Saiyans Return ❯ The Z Warriors divided?? ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: I still don't own DBZ… why even read this??

Saiyans Return

Chapter 4

For five seconds no one said anything, and then it seemed like everyone started asking questions at once. For a moment, all was chaos in the Capsule Corp living room, until Vegeta barked at them to shut up. " We can play twenty questions later. In the mean time, I will tell you who is coming and why. Captain Maxwell is a Space Pirate, but as the last Prince of Barovia and a mercenary who was forced to serve Frieza, he hated the planet trade. But what he hated even more was the slave trade. Even before I was one of Frieza's top elites I remember Max spent most of his time pissing off Frieza and his allies by systematically capturing and raiding slave ships bound for the main space ports that dealt in the messy business of slavery. Whatever was left of the survivors of most of my purge missions I rarely ever stopped to think about, but sooner or later, the slavers would follow after the clean up crews and scout out whatever tiny pockets of civilization had either hidden away or simply lucked out, and the creatures would be loaded up onto ships and taken to the slave markets. The more thorough the purge squad was, the more valuable any surviving specimens would be. Truly rare, exotic looking or powerful survivors would command the highest prices. Some of the buyers liked collecting these specimens for exhibits a little like in a zoo. Others would be used for cheap, expendable labor, or trained as gladiators.

" When Max captured a slaver's ship, he stole their slaves and freed them. At one time a reward of 75,000,000 universal credits was offered for his capture… or his death. But because he helped so many slaves find others of their species and offered them peaceful refuge on his ship or safe passage to any planet they happened to be cruising toward, no one would turn him in. There weren't very many mercs that could take on Max in a fight, and the ones that could were kept busy by Frieza with purge duties, or didn't have the kind of ship it would take to track let alone catch the Atlantis. Max has made a lot of powerful friends with these good deeds. He was the one symbol of true freedom left in all of the Kold Empires by the time I was 10, but since what he was doing was so dangerous to him, he became something of a Robin Hood story, most average people on most of the downtrodden planets didn't actually believe he was real.

" But his enemies knew and they haven't forgotten him. One of his stronger enemies was a man named Durmast, who was occasionally the captain of a slave ship but more usually a champion gladiator in arena combat. In terms of power, Durmast was stronger than Ginyue and his merry band of morons, but disliked killing things without an audience so he wasn't sent out as a cleaner or a purge commander. Durmast is a Tarian larger, stronger, and faster and having more stamina than most of his opponents in the ring he liked playing with his opposition. He underestimated a Zarovian warrior and was nearly killed. His boss at the time who only let Durmast fight because he was flashy and gave the crowd a good show was furious at his defeat and came to personally finish him for loosing. But, even bleeding heavily and unable to stand on his own, Durmast stopped Sejin from getting into his mind, and killed him. The word is he tore him in half, but I have my doubts about that. Sejin was an Illithian, one of seven creatures that ruled Kwanzaa. That's the planet most of the slave trade has been based on for far longer than King Kold had held his throne. Back then no one even knew what an ice-jin was yet, in that part of space at least. But since Sejin was killed in self-defense and rightful face-to-face combat, the spot on the council Sejin had occupied went to Durmast. Being an idiot and a typical grunt with a serious promotion he declared himself Slavemaster of the city of Shadowveil, 75 years later, his physical strength and ability to negate the Illithian's invasion of his mind keeps him alive after he repaid their honor by doing something so disgustingly dishonorable. If the other Skulls sent enough Citana warriors after Durmast, they would kill him eventually, but the Citana are at a disadvantage, because while they are hunting they are stupid, and Durmast is immune to Citana Blade poison. Besides, if they want his spot on the Council of the Seven Skulls, he has to be defeated and killed in open combat by another fighter that wanted to be on the council instead. Durmast was thought to have a power level a little over 500,000 of course, Frieza could still have kicked his ass at that strong, very little else was considered to be truly dangerous to him. He liked to fight for an audience, and he loved to kill, but only for the pleasure of the crowd. He still fights in the Arena Darkskull sometimes, and still has a special fondness for killing Zarovians. He likes to buy them or kill their owner and take them to the arena and force them to fight him. "

" But Vegeta, how did Max get Durmast so mad at him? " Bulma asked.

" There is another type of slavery that I didn't mention before. There is a race of cruel scientists and inventors that wisely offered allegiance to King Kold early in his reign, in return for freedom to conduct their research as they pleased. The Ronalians are brilliant but cruel in their experimentation on their subjects, since they only study live specimens. One of the things they found; was a way to combine living DNA from different species refining it so that the full-grown creatures show only certain characteristics and behavioral patterns. The process was first used to produce various warrior types… until someone found another use for it. The first pleasure slaves to be lab created were exquisite creatures of great refinement and beauty, easily trained in music, all languages and dancing, massage and… various other ways of giving pleasure to their masters. These creatures had no aggressive tendencies, and were bred to be loyal to the first creature they met after what the Ronalians called activation. As expensive and impractical as pleasure slaves were to breed, they were quite popular. The Ronalians could create any size and appearance a particular buyer wanted, but there were three types of created slaves that are the most popular and valuable. There was a shipment of 8 them bound for Kwanzaa and Max intercepted it. The woman he has considered his mate for the last 40 or so years was one of the slaves on that ship. Those slavers left the Atlantis empty handed and very pissed. They reported the theft of their cargo to Durmast and found out that he had bought all of them while on Ronalia, for his personal use but couldn't take them home with him on his ship because only Kiara had been activated at that time. Kiara and Three are the only two created slaves I have ever met that were of the old style. The newer ones aren't so intelligent or trainable, they look the same, but something about the two of them just seems very different, even from the other slaves that Max has rescued. Being created pleasure slaves and since that's very difficult to hide, it was not possible to free the former slaves of that type to travel, so he made them part of his crew, although some of his more recent acquisitions have started businesses on board the ship. "

" So now Durmast has kidnapped some of these… girls and sent Max to get you, telling him that he'd give them back if he gets you? "

" Yes. That is what Durmast says, but Max and I know that he is not a man of honor. Max took the offer knowing it will be a fight to get them back, but if he had refused, Durmast would've killed him and kept the females anyway. Durmast is a class 'A' bastard and I've been considering killing him since I was 12. I would have agreed to help Max with this even if there weren't any other Saiyans involved. "

" But how did you meet Max, and why do you two seem to get along so well? "

" We met in a bar when I was 18. Frieza gave Napa, Radditz and I some time off and we went to Kwanzaa to check out the arena fighting. I started down in the pits, where you can't use Ki or even fly during the matches. There are warriors in the pits that would kick the crap out of anything in the larger Arenas except Durmast himself, but the money is better at the arenas, both as a purse and for betting, because most of the crowds like to see Ki used. I didn't care about the money; I just wanted to get stronger. Frieza was furious when he found out that I was consorting with commoners as he called it, but what he meant was he knew I was learning a lot of new techniques and getting stronger, and I didn't need my Ki to do it. He said he was going to make a little trip to Kwanzaa to monitor my progress through the ranks of Arena Darkskull's champions, and that pissed me off so Napa and Radditz and I went to a bar since we couldn't have any real fun anymore. While we were there a fight broke out and the three of us jumped in and started beating the crap out of the Citana warriors that had tracked Max into the bar. Ordinarily I would've just watched it, but my Ajalla got spilled and like I said, I was pissed anyway. "

" What are these Citana warriors you keep talking about? "

" Think of them as the police officers, the judge, the jury and the executioners of Kwanzaa. The Illithians control them with telepathy and empathy and use them to enforce their will over their planet. The Citana are vicious fighters that hunt in packs and are covered in spikes and spines that secrete poison. They also have poisoned retractable blades in their elbows and wrists. The Citana are not all that impressive individually, but as a pack they are almost unrivaled hunters and trackers. They can't fly but they can walk or run up walls and ceilings and can jump about one hundred feet from a slow run. The alpha male is the smartest and strongest member of the pack, and full-grown Alphas can be ten feet tall and weigh 700 pounds, but most don't live long enough to get much bigger than 7 ½ feet. They can also focus their Ki into shields and fire Ki blasts. The Alpha we fought in that bar that night was nine feet tall and broke five of my ribs with one punch. But I don't know who was more surprised when I got back up and attacked again, Max or the Alpha. "

" Still, five of your ribs? " Trunks asked skeptically.

" Back then, my power level was only 15,000. After I was regenerated in a tank onboard the Atlantis, it rose to 18,000. Thanks to Frieza keeping me on assignments that were so easy Napa and Radditz could've done them alone, it stayed there until I came to Earth, 10 years later. Max took us with him when he retreated into space after the brawl though, and Frieza didn't like it, but we spent the rest of our vacation on the Atlantis. I had heard stories about him, since I was a boy but I never guessed that he was as good and trustworthy as I had heard, but he is. If I hadn't encountered you fools I don't think I would ever have believed it the way I do now, though. "

" You're welcome, Vegeta. " Goku said smugly, practically purring with mischief. " See, aren't you glad we beat you when you first got here? "

" Shut up, Kakarrot. Unless you need me to give you a painful reminder that you lost our last battle, idiot. Your impertinence is starting to get annoying. "

" I don't mean to butt in… Daddy, but how did your friend find more Saiyans? " Bra asked.

" They found him, actually. Durmast used some information about these other Saiyans as bait to trick Max into visiting Arena Darkskull. Once they had Kiara, they knew that Max wouldn't fight them, and Durmast moved in to make his proposal. These Saiyans were supposed to be bait to trap me, but Max didn't cooperate and Durmast's spy accidentally revealed herself so now they are waiting on Kwanzaa to try a different strategy. "

" But why does this Durmast guy want you, Daddy? I mean, why should they go through all of that trouble to get just one person? "

" I don't know. But I think I know someone that might be able to find out. Durmast told Max that they wanted me to fight in the arena again. But I doubt that, since he also told Max that it is the other Skulls that actually wanted me. The other Skulls take no interest in the Arenas beyond the money that the fighting brings in, but if they needed something to tell Durmast, it would've made perfect sense to him. The Illithians are angry that he abused the honor of joining them, but he does make a nice puppet. "

" Could one of these Saiyans be the one that Pan is bonded to? " Videl asked worriedly, stroking Pan's hair as she slept, her head still held in Bra's lap. "

" He could be. But, I doubt it. She's still too weak to stay awake, but she's resting quietly, so her mate is either out of danger, at least for the moment… or she is reacting to having someone to watch over her after being alone at school for all this time. "

" You don't know anything for sure yet, Vegeta. " Gohan snapped.

" I spent almost a full year in the kind of pain she is in right now. You had better believe that I know exactly what she is going through, and what will help her. Part of the reason that I left Earth in the first place was to try to figure out how to use and control the bond, see exactly how far away I could get and how sharply I could feel, sense and block her presence from my mind. What I found was that the more I worked on it, the stronger my senses got and along with it the sharper the pain of being away from her. I knew that I still had enemies out there Gohan, and couldn't risk not being able to sense or at least track Bulma if one of them were to find out that she is my mate and tried to use her against me. And now your daughter has a bond mate that is in danger and it is slowly destroying her! I couldn't care less about getting your permission to show her what I learned during that year to help her find him, but it astounds me that you don't even care about her enough to listen to what I am telling you. "

" How dare you say that to me! "

" Whoa guys! " Goku got between the two, putting a hand on each of them, but his attention was locked on the Saiyan Prince. " Gohan is as worried as any of us, and you know it, Vegeta. Gohan, you need to listen to him, this isn't the first time you didn't want to listen when he tried to explain… "

" Fuck you. " Gohan growled in a low voice, and turned away from both of them. " I never asked to be half-Saiyan, and neither did Trunks or Goten or… "

"Gohan, we might not have asked for it, but as for me, I like being Half-Saiyan. I wouldn't want to be anything other than what I am. " Bra interrupted. " I like who I am, and so does Pan. Out of all of us kids, she acts the most like a Saiyan, I mean Mai, you remind me of my daddy when you fight, but Pan acts like a Saiyan all the time. She has less pure blood than any of the rest of us, but she's… "

" Why are you guys still fighting? " Pan interrupted with a low growl. " Daddy you're part Saiyan too. Why can't you just accept it? I'm sorry that you and Grandma got hurt; daddy, but I still love Grandpa Goku anyway! Goten was only 6 years old when all of that happened and he likes Jenna! Kai and Mai are your half brother and sister and you act like they don't even exist! And what about Kayin? He's only five how can you be so mean to them? "

" Pan, honey… " Videl tried to distract her daughter, but Pan glared at her.

" All of my life I have watched my father try to blame grandpa and Jenna for everything! I love you dad, but why can't you see that you are exactly like Grandpa? Grandpa is still your father; he just wants to protect you! He hasn't ever stopped loving you, Dad; deep down I know you know that. It was a long time ago, why can't you just let it go? And since he got here Daddy hasn't stopped fighting with Vegeta either. If it hadn't been for him you wouldn't even be alive… "

" Yeah, the Prince of all Saiyans had to save me from my own father! " Gohan snapped. " Do you have any idea how inane that sounds? "

" Daddy! You hit Jenna! You could have killed her and you knew it! You both made mistakes! It wasn't all anyone's fault, Damn it! I think we've all been quiet about this for so long! Every time I see you and Grandpa in the same room it gets worse! Why can't you let it go? Everybody used to tell me about all the stuff that happened… what a great hero you were, taking the weight of the world on your shoulders over and over again when you were just a kid… just so you could be like grandpa… Now you don't train, you don't fight, not even with Mr. Piccolo or me! I know you don't want me to hang out with Trunks, Goten and Bra because they've always liked Kai and Mai. Bra is my best friend in the world, Daddy, and I won't stop caring about her because she's half Saiyan and friends with your half brother and sister. The same goes for Goten and Trunks, it isn't fair that you should be mad at them just because no one quite understands the unreasoning hatred you have for your dad. Goten is your full brother and he has always liked your step mom! "

" She's five years older than I am! Not exactly appropriate, is it? "

" Actually, " Vegeta cut him off with a smirk, curling his tail back and forth slowly, having noticed that Jenna was crying, again. She always had enough guts to show up where she knew arguments like this always started, but she was still very softhearted. The beautiful red head was just like her mate, she would never give up trying to get Gohan to accept her. Vegeta couldn't understand why it mattered so much to her, but he did admire her persistence and fortitude. " It is. Your father was ridiculously young for a Saiyan, when you were born. Saiyans mature quickly, so that it seems to correspond well with humans, but we still have a much longer lifespan, Gohan. Jenna is the correct age to be mated with a Saiyan. "

" You've always got an answer to everything, don't you? " Gohan growled. " And now you've gotten Pan to take their side too… that figures. But I don't quite understand why you dragged us all out here in the middle of the night, Vegeta. What does some space pirate, a bunch of Saiyans and some jerk you knew years ago have to do with us now? "

Vegeta gave him a particularly cold look. " I never thought I would hear you say something like that. I don't think even your uncle could have said it any more coldly than that, Gohan. Max lost the woman he has been in love with for 40 years trying to track down no more than a rumor for me. The Saiyans ought to be self explanatory, since you are one. As for Durmast, well, that bastard had been as involved with Frieza's planet trade as I was, and still found time to slaughter thousands of starving animals and gladiators, in front of crowds. Imprisoned and told to fight or die, these warriors got no training, and or medical attention, even if they won, they might still starve to death below Arena Darkskull between their battles. No one should have to die like that. Most of them were criminals at first, but Kwanzaa's law enforcement was never very efficient with its investigations, when they were running low on fighters, even women and children of non-warrior races were taken. Durmast helped start and finance the planet trade. He's as guilty as Frieza was, and has been at it much longer. Do what you want, but I am going to help Max get Kiara back, and get rid of that asshole Durmast. Bulma, Trunks, Bra and Pan are coming with me." Vegeta growled, heading for the door, mentally blocking Bulma from his mind. " The rest of you can decide amongst yourselves, since I am apparently still not one of you. "