Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Space Station Z ❯ Docking Without Disaster ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: I am not the rightful owner of these characters.

…And here is the part you've all been waiting for…enter the aliens…

Space Station Z

Chapter Four

By RM

His space pod's window was frosted over as the initial approach was reported by the small yet high tech on board computer. He had always enjoyed his time in space. Although at times extremely boring and much too inactive for his taste, there were certain aspects of being isolated which he found quite familiar. Space was cold and unyielding, as he was. Space was immense and could not be denied much like his own royal presence. Space was absolute and didn't give a shit. Space was empty for the most part and was scattered by dim, little lights.

He blinked.

Now that he thought about it, space was a lot like what would happen if he and Kakarott were to have brats.

Vegeta massaged his temples and sighed as his communicator crackled to life.

"My Prince," a strong voice reported over the airways, "the Namekians have yet to arrive for the delegations."

Vegeta made no reply as he closed his eyes and frowned, trying to erase the distasteful thought of Kakarott, little ones and…mating with a male.

"I say we use the time to go have some fun!" A loud voice blared through the earpiece.

"I would advise my Prince to…"

"Nappa!" Vegeta snarled. "You will shut your mouth unless spoken to! And you Raditz, are in no position to advise me of anything!"

They hadn't even docked and he was already sick of their blathering. While Raditz was a know-it-all, Nappa was just plain stupid. While he realized that he was younger than both, he still out-ranked them in both power and prestige. The only Saiyan left that he outranked in age was Kakarott, and luckily the youngest Saiyan had enough sense to keep his big mouth shut for once. Although Vegeta was willing to make a hefty bet that the simpleton was only sleeping and certainly not thinking.

There was an almost tangible silence as Vegeta decided to shut off his communicator to enjoy a brief moment of peace and quiet before docking. He thought about trying to count to ten before the urge to blast something overtook him, although past lessons had simply taught him he'd only make it to two before blasting something anyway. But he couldn't very well blast the shit out of his pod. He'd have to wait until they were aboard the station for that.

The pod began to shake as it entered the scanning field that surrounded the space station. Vegeta shook his head slowly before sitting back, closing his eyes and trying desperately to count to ten.

He stopped when he realized that fuck wasn't a number.

*****

She was painting her toenails in the docking level control room when the big, red light began to flash. The technician, who was trying to ignore her, her feet and the smell of the pink glaze she was brushing onto herself, was forced to lean over the Earthling to shut off the indicator.

"Hey, watch it!" Marron complained as she glared while wiggling her toes. When the other person present failed to reply, she simply huffed and grabbed her sock from the console.

"What an awful shade of pink," a cool female voice stated from the doorway.

The blue haired medical officer collected her things as another light began to flash blue.

"Its very feminine," Marron retorted with a flip of her hair. She didn't want to look at #18 as she stood in the doorway. She absolutely hated blondes.

"Don't tell me you're the medical officer on rotations today?" #18 asked with a hint of annoyance.

"As long as you're the security officer on rotations," Marron shot back, still avoiding the other woman's gaze. She'd been pitching in on medical rounds for the month that they had been on the station.

#18 narrowed her eyes at the retort. What she really would have liked was to just haul off and smack the little witch. But she had the distinct feeling that it wouldn't go over well with quite a few people. It was surprising to her that her brother #17 got along so well with his fellow medical officer. Even though he said she was a real ditz at times, he said that in her professional capacity, he'd never met anyone as `gifted' as her.

Of course, he'd used the word `gifted' liberally.

"Come on," #18 finally ground out, "we have a few docking parties to check out."

*****

All of the steel was polished, the windows washed, the red carpet rolled, and most importantly, all of the plants had been watered. While most spaceports presented the space traveler with an option to sleep, eat and gas up, this rather large and high tech facility offered mostly the same thing, only in exorbitance and style. It also offered a quiet retreat. Since it was located on the outer reaches of the charted regions, not a whole lot of traffic came through. It was nice not to be noticed by the universe as a whole, although the travelers that did come through were usually the ones trying to get away from something.

"Do you see anyone?" The short man in a beaded turban and ceremonial red vest questioned. His skin was jet black and extremely healthy, and he really had to admit that he was quite surprised by the greenery.

"I don't see anyone," a shorter man in a bright pair of green pants and a freshly pressed white smock answered. His garb was simple, but did little for his ghostlike pallor. "Do you see anyone?"

"I think I see someone," a tall, pretty woman answered with a bright smile, her expensive collection of gold bangle bracelets clinking together as she held her hand up to her brow.

The trio stood together at the end of a deep crimson carpet that spanned the length of docking platform six. Most stations followed strict protocol when it came to docking and check in. Usually, the subjects in question were led to some sort of detaining area. At this particular station, the customs officers came to the subjects. It was an effective personal touch.

"Yoohoo!"

Three heads turned to look towards the docking platform next to the one they were currently standing on to see a tall woman making her way towards them. She was wearing a skin-tight evening dress, which shimmered like scales on her thin frame. Her hair was red, cut short and curly and her eyes were slightly slanted, giving her that exotic look. The fact that her skin was a pale green and she sported a delicate pair of fangs had a lot to do with that look as well.

"Your Highness," the black man bowed slightly as the woman came to a winded halt in front of them. "It is indeed a pleasure to see you again."

"Mr. Popo," she addressed him with a genuine smile. "Princess Ranchi, my how you've grown!"

Ranchi smiled at the other woman, threw back several folds of pink ruffles, and curtsied with the grace of royalty.

"Princess Snake! Your Highness!" A deep, frantic shout echoed around the docking platform. The small group's attention turned to investigate the outburst.

A tall, bald man was striding down the platform, his tall, black boots clicking quietly on the rich carpeting. He was dressed in a very clean, very severe and very standard black uniform. He was scowling as he walked, although the look was more of worry than of anger. Behind him, exchanging nervous glances at the end of the docking platform were a small, blue cat and a short, plump pig. Both were dressed in the same type of uniform, minus the rank insignias.

Princess Snake rolled her eyes with a smile before turning to address the young man hurrying towards her. The others noted that all three of his eyes were fixated on her and her alone.

"Ah, Captain Tien!"

"I didn't realize that you were traveling with the Renpou," the smallest of the three commented as he watched the young Captain, referring to his immaculate uniform. The Renpou could best be described as the top ranked military power of the outer rim territories. They were mostly composed of those planets and kingdoms which strove to make economic gain by peaceful trading and other coexistent endeavors. As such, they weren't a terribly large organization, but they were well trained, well equipped and extremely well funded.

"I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine," Princess Snake held out her hand towards the small man with the pasty complexion. "This is Emperor Chaozu. And may I also present his daughter Princess Ranchi and his advisor Mr. Popo."

The Captain halted and his eyes, all three of them, settled on the three figures at platform six. He didn't look surprised at the introduction, which lead the Emperor and his entourage to believe that he was quite accustomed to dealing with royalty.

Tien bowed stiffly without taking his eyes off of the small group and the general surroundings of the area. He was sure there was something he was missing, something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"I'm terribly sorry to interrupt," another voice cut into the scene of introductions, "but will you please allow me to escort you to the reception area?"

The group made another turn to observe a woman with blonde hair and haunting blue eyes watching them closely from the steps of the platform. She was beginning to think things were getting a bit crowded.

"#18, darling!" Princess Snake exclaimed, making her way towards the blonde in uniform.

#18 recognized the Princess immediately. She had been to the Station several times before and was a close friend to Mrs. Briefs. All things considered, she was nice enough, although most times she made #18 grind her teeth. Nevertheless, she nodded at the woman, and held out her arm to gesture the direction she wished the others to go. As the others walked past, she finally caught sight of Marron, staring outright at the new arrivals. She thought she could expect more of the Earthling, seeing that it had been at least a month since the day they'd found them floating in space. As the medical officer she was supposed to receive training on some of the different alien races and their workings. She rolled her icy blue eyes as she grabbed Marron by the arm and began to drag her in the direction of the reception room.

She'd have to have a talk with her brother.

It was looking to be an eventful day.

*****

The last pod depressurized and the door opened with a foggy hiss.

Kakarott was the first one out, vigorously stretching and bending while his older brother Raditz shook out his long hair and fiddled with his scouter settings. Prince Vegeta was the next to emerge, wiping his sleeves and adjusting his gloves. Nappa hung back, his eyes darting left the right before he took a deep breath through his mouth and stepped out of his pod.

Raditz was the first one to make a face.

"It smells like ass!" He growled, turning a glare towards the larger Saiyan.

"Phew!" Kakarott exclaimed while waving his hand in front of his nose in an effort to clear the air. "Smells like something crawled up your ass and died."

Vegeta never once looked up from what he was doing. Instead, he finished calibrating his scouter to adjust to his new surroundings. He was hoping to ignore what was currently going on behind him. Until he caught a whiff of the stench.

"Someone plug him up with an air freshener!" The Prince spat as he finally spun around to glare at his companions. "Or possibly a cork, if one is available."

"What in Hell did you eat?" Raditz questioned, holding his nose as his eyes began to water.

"Space travel always gives me gas," Nappa confessed. Honestly, he thought, its not THAT bad. Raditz himself had been responsible for much, much worse. And Kakarott was known for his own SBD specialties.

"Let's move it before my gloves turn yellow," Vegeta ordered as he made his way down docking platform nine. "And no flaring ki," he ordered as an afterthought. Would ki ignite natural gas? If that was the case, Nappa was as dangerous as an outdated weather balloon. "Not here or anywhere on the Station. Unless you are sparring. There is to be no fighting without my direct order at any time. I will not have diplomatic relations spoiled by your stupidity. Understood?"

Prince Vegeta whirled around gracefully, his cape adding to the overall dramatic effect and his tail twitched momentarily from its position around his waist. Almost the entire Saiyan race had been obliterated by stupid mistakes and a foreign policy that embraced the notion of `shoot first, ask questions later.' Well, there was that and that little three-toed sloth of a shrimp called Freiza. At any rate, it was time to try a different tactic, and if that didn't work, then it was never too late to revert to the age old Saiyan policy of `Fuck Them.' In the meantime, it was high time to find out just where diplomacy could get them.

He stepped off the platform with a purposeful stride, the remainder of his Saiyan subjects following behind him.

*****

Two figures danced and darted behind crate after crate, their movements calculated and precise like some professional stage production. The lower docking bay was mostly used for commercial traffic, pick-ups and deliveries. Security was on the job, but it wasn't as tight as it could have been, due to the fact that smuggling didn't concern itself in this particular area. There was no market to make it terribly worthwhile, not to mention it was the wrong time of the year.

A helmeted head popped up from its hiding place behind a semi-charred crate. It wasn't long before another helmeted head popped up beside it. They were matching red helmets with matching reflective visors, which both currently happened to be down. Both were apparently cautious as they scanned the nearby area of crates for any signs of life. After several moments, one of the figures stood up, ditching the cover of the large containers.

"It looks safe enough," one of the figures stated in a quiet and soothing tone. It was a very feminine voice, and one that held a very classic quality.

The other figure stood and proceeded to hoist itself up onto the top of the large crate, sitting down with a shrug and continuing the scan of the surrounding area. It would have been quite clear to any passing security officer that the two figures were female. And it would have also been quite clear that both figures had an impeccable sense of fashion.

One of the helmets was removed and a full head of thick blonde hair spilled out. The second quickly followed suit to reveal an equally blonde and equally thick head of hair as well.

"Remind me why we're here again?" The woman sitting on top of the crate demanded of her companion in a harsh and angry voice.

The other woman turned and narrowed her deep, blue eyes at the other blonde. She wasn't used to being yelled at, and she found that she liked it even less.

"We are here, Launch, because this is the last place the Renpou will think to come looking for us."

Launch glared through her own dark, green eyes at the other woman, not appreciating one bit the condescending tone being taken with her. And of course, she wasn't the type to hide that fact either.

"And just whose fault is that, Haski?" She shot back. "Some master thief YOU turned out to be!"

Haski could feel the heat rising in her cheeks and the anger boiling through her body as she watched Launch sitting atop the crate with her nose in the air and her arms crossed. Her ears turned completely red, as they always did when she was miffed, and she was thankful that her hair was hiding her personal indicator.

"Keep your damned voice down!" She hissed as nonchalantly as possible. She didn't want Launch to know that she was that bothered by her little barb and she also didn't want to take chances that someone would overhear their little conversation. And it wasn't just because Launch had made her statement.

"Why don't you just come up here and make me!?" Launch blared, her short fuse just about to ignite the explosives.

Haski closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose before taking a deep breath and throwing her hands up in disgust anyway.

"I'm not even going to bother myself with this shit," she finally stated as she began to walk away. "I'm going to get changed out of this suit and find some sort of fitting disguise. If you're coming, now would be a good time." She didn't bother turning around until she was a good twenty feet away. "And if you're going to travel with me, you're going to have to do something about that attitude."

*****

I don't know if I was really ready to post this, but here it is nonetheless. I hope I worked almost everyone else in somehow, although there are still a few characters waiting to enter. Soon. I promise. And as always, I'd be interested in hearing what you all think. It's not easy trying to come up with new ideas and roles that everyone will enjoy. I'd like to hear from you. The next part may take some time, but I am working on it!

-RM