Surviving Together: Retribution

Chapter 7 - Keila's Diversion

"So what have you learned?" Trunks asked Euran impatiently. He did not care that the man had asked for three days to complete the task, he wanted his answers now. He needed to know the truth.

"Well," Euran responded slowly with a long sigh. He had been stunned to learn from the son of his long time friend and colleague that his mother may, by some miracle, be alive. The scientist in him had been thoroughly skeptical when the young man had come to him yesterday, demanding he confirm the coordinates of an uncharted planet. A planet Trunks believed was home of the mystical dragon; the tool used to bring his mother back to life. It all seemed highly outlandish to him, but after being taken to the dining hall that same evening to see the woman the boy claimed as his mother, Euran was willing to consider the possibility. Two, non-related people, could not possibly look, talk and act that much alike. It was a scientific impossibility in his opinion, so he had been thereafter willing to spend the next three days working to confirm or rebut the data Trunks had brought him. Unfortunately, the boy seemed to want his results a day early. "I can not yet confirm anything until I receive a transmission from the ship your father has posted in that nearby sector, but…"

"But?" Garock chimed in; he sensed the man had had some success elsewhere.

"But, I have been going through some old captains' logs from those who served in that quadrant over the last few years. On more than one I found an entry where the captain noted a small planet they had passed, but was not on their charts. The approximate coordinates were all within five thousand kilometers of the ones you gave to me. "

"There, I knew it!" Trunks cheered, as if it were all the proof necessary to prove his theory.

"Not so fast," Garock objected, not needing to read the boy's mind to guess his assumption. "Why was this planet never investigated?"

Euran shrugged simply. "There was never any reason. No notable ki signatures were detected, and the planet's natural resources were minimal. The globe is apparently mostly barren, judging from what I have read. The total population was estimated to be no more than a few hundred, tops."

"I see," Garock nodded in understanding. Most warship captains held no interest in the benefits of their discoveries to science. It made sense their discoveries would take no more precedence to them than a short blurb in their log about the meals served to the crew. How grand a mistake that would prove should it be learned that this barely noteworthy planet was in fact Namek.

"I see too," Trunks chimed in with a wide grin. "I was right. Namek is real, which means the dragon is real, which means its ability to bring the dead back to life is real, which means Mom is really alive!" The boy needed no more proof; he was ready to tell his father at once.

"Aren't you getting ahead of yourself?" Garock placed a forceful hand on the boy's shoulder to stop him from running off with only partial information. "Even if Namek is real, we do not know this dragon is, let alone what its abilities are. We must wait until a crew sets foot on the planet and investigates."

Pouting his lips in disappointment, Trunks reluctantly agreed, "They had better be quick about it." He grumbled, Garock was right, if he went to his father now, the pessimist would surely disregard his discoveries. No, Trunks had to wait until he had proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Only then could he ensure his father's cooperation in reclaiming his mother. "How long before they get there, Euran?"

"Tomorrow most likely; I shall send word as soon as they land."

"Do that," Garock insisted before offering a few quick thanks and then swiftly guiding Trunks out of the man's office. There was another matter the pair needed to deal with this afternoon, one much more pressing.

"Hey, what's the rush?" Trunks demanded as he brushed off his coconspirator's hand from his shoulder.

"We have an interview to get to," he explained briefly as he guided the boy towards one of the communal training facilities. After receiving further badgering for a more specific explanation, Garock waited until the pair were alone in the hall before elucidating, "I took the liberty of discreetly scanning the minds of a few prominent members of Radditz's staff to see if any of them were aware of this possible ruse."

"Wow, really?!" Trunks interrupted excitedly, "nice thinking. But you were careful not to alert them to our intentions, right? I do not want this Radditz guy getting wind of our plans."

"Of course I exercised great prudence!" The man was appalled by an accusation otherwise. "Not that I feel terribly proud of reading the thoughts of those who are unaware of my doing so," he added for peace of mind, "but I did encounter an interesting member of his staff that may be of some help to us." Not bothering to wait for Trunk's inevitable demand for a name, the telepath continued, "Her name is Keila. She is an intelligence officer, and apparently personally acquainted with Radditz. Very personally actually, they were once… er…" he felt awkward talking about intimate matters with the younger man. Fortunately however, Trunks made things easy for him.

"You mean they used to screw each other?"

The reverberation caused Garock's jaw to drop. "Where did you learn such a term?" he demanded in outrage.

Shrugging indifferently, Trunks casually answered, "It's not like we live in a monastery around here, there are only two things the men on this planet talk about, and since I am already well trained in martial arts, I take a greater interest in their other choice topic. Which I may add, is pretty damn interesting. I once heard this one guy talking about how when he had this chick in his single manned space pod-"

"No, please, that's more than enough." Garock raised his hand to halt any further admission from the boy. "I am fully aware of the general variety of exploits the men on this planet partake in." Not that a boy of eleven should have gained such a vast knowledge over the past year. "I shall have to mention this to your father."

Wincing slightly at the thought of having to sit through another one of his father's lectures on propriety, Trunks decided it was best to switch subjects and hope the matter would soon be forgotten. "So we were talking about some woman who used to sleep with Radditz. She works on his ship, so what does that have to do with Mom?"

Shaking his head to reorient himself to the original direction of their conversation, Garock began to explain. "Ah, yes, well, I sensed a deep resentment in this woman towards Atae last evening when I joined Radditz and his crew for dinner. I believe she may be disgruntled by Radditz's relationship with his mate and daughter, which would make her apt to telling us anything she knows about the woman if it could possibly mean getting Atae out of Radditz's life."

Nodding in agreement, Trunks was pleased to hear the possibility of an eyewitness. The more evidence the better. "So where can we find her?"

"Right here," Garock answered immediately as the pair arrived at the training facility Radditz's crew had been assigned to. Sensing the woman's presence inside, Garock ordered Trunks to wait around the corner as he went inside the facility to extract the woman from her comrades without causing much notice. After a simple lie about her needed presence by her commanding officer, the woman thoughtlessly departed without suspicion; at least until Trunks appeared before her to suddenly help shuffle her into a side room.

"What the hell is going on?" Keila demanded as she watched Garock lock the doors of the massive empty room she had been guided into.

"I am sorry to have to accost you, miss, but I am afraid Trunks and I have a few questions we need you to answer." He tried a diplomatic approach; he prayed this woman could be reasoned with.

"Questions about what?" was the first thing the crimson haired female demanded. She was tall, with a thin but muscular build. Her skin was a dark tan and her eyes a pale pink. She was an exotic creature indeed, not a surprise Radditz had been attracted to her. "I have broken no laws since my arrival here; you have no right to interrogate me."

"This is not an interrogation; we simply have a few questions about your captain and his mate that we would greatly appreciate you answering. No one is in trouble here; we merely wish to learn the truth, a truth that perhaps could benefit you." Garock offered the incentive slyly. He hoped the woman would take the bait. She did.

"I'm listening."

"What do you know about Mo-Atae?" Trunks opted to use her false name for understanding's sake. He did not want to lay his cards on the table too soon.

"Frankly," The woman's eyes immediately narrowed as the female was mentioned, "The woman is the bane of my existence. Radditz used to visit my bed every night before he found her. Now she gets to fuck him every night, have his child, and be lavished with his attentions and gifts. It should be me, I tell you! I'm both younger and better looking. Not to mention we suited each other better. Bluey could not possibly satisfy him like I did."

"And this all changed for you a year ago?" Garock found the woman's hostility refreshing. It seemed this woman would be very helpful. Her embittered attitude should be easily manipulated to make her slip up.

"A year?" Keila raised a confused brow. "No, I am talking about the last three years. That was when he found her on some weakling planet. We only stopped to refuel when Radditz observed her being abused by a member of the monarchy on the pathetic planet. For some reason he was taken with the little whore and offered to purchase her on the spot. When the prince who owned her refused, Radditz used his brute strength to kill the bastard and take his bed slave. I assumed after a few weeks Radditz would tire of and then kill her, never did I imagine he would mate and impregnate her. Feh… If their lives weren't intertwined, I'd kill the little witch."

When the angered woman finished, an eerie silence engulfed the room before Trunks burst out, "You are full of shit! All of that is a crock of bull!"

"Trunks!" Garock swiftly stopped the boy from a longer tirade. His outbursts would not help. "Are you certain it was three years ago?" The female's indignant look seemed to be all the answer the elder warrior needed. "I see. Thank you for your time. That will be all."

"What?!" Trunks wanted to object, but Garock clamped his hand over the child's mouth before a word could be uttered.

"That's it?" Raising a brow in response to the young man's odd behavior, Keila decided to depart from the situation. She clearly had not given the men the answers they had anticipated. "Don't bother me again unless you really have something worth my time," she spat icily before storming out of the room. Once she was gone, Trunks broke from Garock to hiss angrily at the elder being.

"She was lying! Why did you let her leave!?"

Frowning, Garock shook his head in disappointment. "I was assessing her emotions while listening to her speak; her words were true. It seems Atae cannot be your mother. She was with Radditz for the last three yea-"

"No!" Trunks disagreed adamantly. "Atae is my Mom. I am one hundred percent certain of it! Just wait until we get the facts back from the Namek expedition. I know it will prove I am right. That woman has to be lying! I know you are wrong, Garock. My Mom is still alive!"

Silence descended upon the room once more as a shocking thought crossed Garock's mind. What if they were wrong? What if this woman really was simply a mirror image of Bulma? How would Trunks ever deal with the blow of psychologically losing his mother twice? "Trunks," he began lightly as he knelt down to fall just below the child's eyelevel. Resting a hand on each shoulder, he softly suggested, "Perhaps you should consider, just the possibility, that Atae is who she says she is."

"No!" The answer was quick and concise as Trunks shook the man's hands away. "I know my mother. She is alive and if no one wants to believe me that's fine, but I am not giving up until I can prove it!" The exclamation was followed by the half Saiya-jin's running departure from the room. He was determined to show all the faithless just how wrong they were. Atae and his mother were one and the same person. He just had to find a way to prove it.

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"What did you tell them?" Keila found herself for a second time being dragged into another secluded room not five minutes after departing from Trunks and Garock's company. However, her new manhandler was much more appealing than the last.

"Do not worry that handsome head of yours off, Radditz. I held up my end of the bargain. I told those two fools everything you wanted me to." His strong hands pinning her arms against the door made her body heat up with an intensity only her Saiya-jin lover could ignite. Purring seductively, she alluringly ran her tongue over her lips as she reminded, "So my handsome beast, I think it's time for your end of the bargain to be fulfilled." She emphasized the last word with vigor before leaning forward to capture his lips with hers. To her chagrin, she only touched air as her arms were released and the burly man took several steps away from her.

"No, Keila. I am a mated man. I don't bed any other woman than Atae. You know that." He emphasized his words with a dangerous glare. He would not allow her to seduce his sex-starved body. He had made a vow to himself to become a one-woman man and he had so far adhered to that vow. He was not yet about to forsake it.

"A mated man?" the three words rolled off her tongue in pure amusement. "Vegeta is a mated man, Radditz. You are merely the thief who took advantage of his property's death." In less than the blink of an eye the jealous female was thrust back up against the wall behind her. The look of rage in her attacker's eyes was deadly.

"Atae is my mate. Vegeta's is dead. Never forget that." Wrath seemed a weak word to express the emotions welling inside him. How dare this female disregard his claim on his mate. Atae was his, not Vegeta's!

"All right," she decided a more passive approach was needed. The man was too deeply entranced under the witch's spell. "Atae is your mate, I get that. I would never try to interfere, but you did promise to give me the pleasure of mating with you if I did this little favor for you. So come on," she ran her heated fingers up his hardened chest, "Let me give you what she can't." Her lips were flush against his before he had a chance to object. Wrapping her arms around his massive torso she pulled her body roughly against his. She knew how he liked it, fast and hard. Her body was more than capable to accommodate his desires, unlike the pathetic creature he was with.

Radditz's first instinct had been to throw the woman away. She had done what he needed, spread lies about Atae to throw the two little investigators off track. Blackmail was not an option for her, he could simply kill her. So why did he wedge her against the wall as he ripped her shirt open? Why did he allow her rough lips to alternate between licking and kissing across his face and chest? Why did he pull down their combat suits and thrust his hardened shaft into her slick warmth?

"Yes, Radditz!" the sound of her desperate pants filled his ears. Closing his eyes, Radditz tried to envision the body he was thrusting into as being his mate'. He tried to imagine her lips panting with need as he rocked her essence with unadulterated bliss. And then when he finished, when he spilled his seed deep inside her, he imagined it taking root and forming a child of their own; his heir, his eternal connection to her.

Sliding to the ground, still inside the woman beneath him, he took several breaths in a poor attempt to calm himself. Once reality struck him, he slammed his hand through the wall behind them. "Damn you!" he hissed as he violently removed himself from inside her and rose to his feet to straighten himself out. Once he was finished, he grabbed the woman he had just been so intimate with by the throat and hoisted her into the air. "No one hears of this, do you understand!?" he threw her back to the ground in an untidy heap after she coughed up an affirmation. "And do not even think of alerting Garock or Vegeta or his brat about Atae's true identity, because if you do I will devote every last second of my life to seeing you in agony."

Turning on his heel, Radditz disappeared from the room. Unconcerned that he had left behind a broken woman, all he cared about at that moment was returning to his chambers and erasing any proof of his indiscretion before Bulma found him. He could not afford to have her feel any more hesitation to joining with him than she already had. He needed her more than anything, which was exactly what he was willing to do to get her to be his, mind, body and soul.

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"Lord, I hope I am doing the right thing," Bulma entreated any god who would listen to her as she laid her daughter in her bassinet. After two long days of deep contemplation, she realized the best way to escape her mate this evening was by picking a fight with him that would inevitably lead to her storming off into the calm of the night. A typical occurrence between the two as it had happened just three days prior. The guilt she felt in feigning anger towards him was only softened by the incentive that this would stop a deadly battle. One night of 'dinner' and 'discussion' as her host had called it. She only prayed that is all it would be.

For the past two days all she had thought about was the handsome stranger who had so unwelcomingly become the focus of her lust. Though she had strategically avoided him for the last forty-eight hours, the time was now fast coming for her to have to join him in his private chambers. When Garock had found her earlier this morning and told her the location, she had almost passed out. The last thing she wanted was to spend time alone with the man where a bed was present. She did not know if she could trust him; or, more frighteningly, herself for that matter.

Her sleep had been restless, her body sore with desire. It had been horribly depressing to wake from a dream about a man she barely knew to stare into the eyes of her mate and have to lie to him, telling him that he was the focus of her fantasies when in truth he was far from her mind at night. She had even tried becoming intimate with Radditz to wash away the forbidden pleasures her soul sought. But her betraying body would not be fooled. It knew what it wanted, and it was not Radditz.

Both nights she had stopped her mate before allowing him full liberties with her, his caresses merely serving to extinguish her flame. It seemed unfair that she could not give him what he wanted, but she had no choice. Her body wanted another, a man she could not, would not, allow herself to indulge in. She owed Radditz her loyalty if nothing else. She would have this stupid dinner, ignore her wants, and then return to him, and by the gods she would finally give herself to him. She had already waited too long, and after two nights of playing hot and cold with him, she knew another denial would be nothing short of cruel.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes to mentally prepare herself for what was ahead. Dressed in a pair of long black pants and a long-sleeved collared shirt, she mentally began to prepare herself for her evening with Vegeta. In and out, she promised herself. She had a mate and daughter to return to, she would not allow this man to lead her astray.

The sound of the door opening alerted Bulma's attention as she swung around to greet her mate. She had expected him a bit sooner than now, but then again, punctuality was never his strength, "Nice of you to finally stroll in." She added a hint of bitterness to her voice; it would do well to propel them into their dispute.

"I am sorry," he cleared his throat nervously as he walked right past her, towards the washroom. "Long day of training, I should really get cleaned up." He did not spare her another glance as he closed the door swiftly behind himself, an act that alarmed Bulma immediately.

"Radditz?" she called after him softly. She was careful to keep her voice down while in the same room as her sleeping daughter. Without a moment spared for shyness, Bulma grasped the door handle and stepped inside the bathroom. Closing it behind her she allowed a normal tone to her voice. "What's with the cold shoulder?"

Radditz's back stiffened; it seemed he should have locked the damn door. "Nothing," he could not turn around to talk to her. He had already disrobed; he could not chance her recognizing his misdeed. "I just wish to shower, so unless you want to join me, I would like my privacy." He laced his voice with a hint of seduction; he thought it would send her running in the opposite direction as all of his other attempts miserably did.

"What's that scent?" she walked closer to him. Something was not right. Radditz had never been obsessed with cleanliness. "Vanilla," she said quietly as his eyes widened notably, "Keila practically bathes in the scent. You have it all over you, along with," she took another pained breath, "something much less pleasant." The realization hit her as a deeper whiff of the aroma surrounding him fully explained his need for a shower. "You slept with her."

"Atae," he swiveled around to grab her arms before she could leave his side. "I can explain." He had to. The last thing he needed was an excuse for her to leave him.

"You do not have to," her voice was calm and soft as a surprisingly large amount of water gathered in her eyes. He did not need to tell her what she already knew. "You wanted intimacy with a woman, and I have been refusing you, so you turned to another. I understand. She can give you what I can't."

"What you won't," Radditz corrected more resentfully than he had intended. He had no right to be angry with her for his weakness, but something about how passively she took the news made him uneasy. Shouldn't she be angry? Yelling? Screaming at him? It was almost as if, as if she did not care.

"You are right," she concurred with his last statement, as maliciously intended as it was. "I won't sleep with you because something is stopping me. I don't know what it is but I can't get close to you." She did not want to start confessing all her insecurities, but it seemed everything was coming to a head. He no longer wished to wait for her, and she no longer wanted to pretend time was all she needed. "I do not know why, but the accident changed me, I wish it didn't, but it did and now you are suffering because of my lack of enthusiasm and it is not fair. So if," she took a deep breath, wiping the few stray tears that had unconsciously fallen as she finished, "if you want to be with another woman, then I won't stand in your way. I just want you to be happy, Radditz, and for some reason, right now, I can not make you that."

Her words had felt worse than the beating he had taken the night of his presumed death. "You are encouraging me to leave you for another?" the intensity of the declaration caused him to fall to his knees in bewilderment, his hands long ago dropped from her arms. "Gods, Atae, am I that repulsive to you?"

The question shook Bulma with a surprising sense of pity. Walking before her mate, she gently clasped his face in the palms of her hands as she shook her head, "No, Radditz, of course I do not find you repulsive! You are an incredibly attractive man, you have been nothing but perfect to me since the moment I awakened. You have to understand that whatever is stopping me has nothing to do with you, it's-" she stuttered for an explanation, she could not explain what was killing her attraction to this man.

'It's Vegeta,' the sudden realization struck Radditz with smoldering disdain. Damn it, he should have known the moment he saw the bite mark on her neck that Vegeta's claim would still consume her regardless of whether or not she possessed a single memory of him. 'He must die.' The solution seemed certain to him. It was the only way to free her from his pull, the only way her heart could match what her head already knew. 'She wants only me.' "It's all right, is what it is," he removed her fingers from his face as he rose to his feet, towering over her a good several inches. "Nothing that has happened is your fault; I have no right to be angry with you. I am the one who has done wrong. I should have been helping you through this and instead I go and covet another woman. Can you ever forgive me?" He needed to hear the words; he needed to know that once Vegeta was dead, he could still claim her heart.

"Yes, I can forgive you." She responded instinctively. Aside from the fact that she owed him her life, they shared a daughter who needed both of her parents together; how could she not grant him this absolution when he was so willing to correct his wrong? The smile that lightened his face upon hearing those four beautiful words was immediately followed by his lips lowering to claim hers in a gesture of relief, but she did not grant him the luxury as she stepped away, reminded of her nearly forgotten engagement she was already running late for.

"Radditz, I may have forgiven you, but do not be fooled into thinking I am going to simply forget what happened, especially when you are still drenched in the scent of another woman." Her harsh tone was more genuine than she had imagined.

"Of course," he took a step back from her, feeling stupefied by his actions. "I will wash immediately and then take you out to dinner. We can talk more about, about anything you like." He would be as compliant as possible to brush over this mess. Forgiven and soon he would see that it was forgotten.

"No," her rejection came to him as a shock. "Shower and spend the evening with Bra. You have scarcely spent any time with her since our arrival, she misses her father." Guilt in using her daughter as an excuse to keep him room bound immediately swelled inside her, but she had to remind herself that this was for a good cause, to prevent a dangerous battle from being fought. Why did that suddenly sound so hallow an excuse?

"And where will you be?" He raised a brow in suspicion. He did not want her separated from him, and he certainly did not want to be tied to her brat all evening.

"I do not know," the lie flowed from her lips more easily than it should have. "But I need some time alone to digest all that has happened, so I think I will dine alone, and then perhaps take a walk afterwards. I won't stay away too late. I just need some time." She hoped Vegeta would quickly tire of her and send her on her way before the moon was high. She was not certain, even after a transgression of this magnitude, how long Radditz would settle for her absence.

"All right," he agreed after a long pause. He sensed an uneasiness about her plans, but he assumed it was merely aftershock from her learning of his indiscretion. "Do not be gone too long."

With a nod Bulma turned and departed from the bathroom. Stopping only briefly to kiss her daughter goodbye, Bulma headed towards the wing Vegeta's private chambers were located on. 'Please let this be an uneventful evening,' she silently implored. She had not intended to greet the man already so emotionally drained. She wanted her defenses up, ready to swat any attempt at his mentally replacing her with his dead mate. But right now all she could think about was her own mateship problems and how her despondency had sent Radditz to another woman.

'And here I am going to another man.' The chilling thought made her reflect upon a possibility she had refused to consider before. Perhaps she and Radditz were not meant to stay together. Perhaps the accident had changed her too drastically. Perhaps their separating would be best for all involved. She could not deny the twisted excitement that filled her when she had asked him to pursue another woman. Should a mate feel so willing to depart with her lover? Though the answer seemed simple, Bulma would not allow it to be. Her feelings had just been buried after the accident, she was certain of it. All she needed was time to uncover them, and time to prove Radditz was truly the man she wanted.

Finally arriving at her destination, Bulma stopped outside of the door as she inhaled deeply. All she had to do was spend one evening with a man she was wrongfully attracted to. Eat with him, talk with him, and then return to her family at a decent hour, having broken an impending display of machismo. 'If only it can be that simple,' her eyes fell shut as she prayed it could be. Lifting her head and shaking off her discomfort, she raised her hand to knock on the door, 'Please let it be.'

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Author's Note: Ok, so the next chapter is the big date. How will the evening go? Will Radditz catch wind of where his 'mate' truly went? Find out next time…