Chapter 1 : All my tomorrows

AN: I edited the first two chapters, meaning that I completely rewrote them haha. BUT I kept the content the same of course! This way it fits better to the other parts.

A little overview before the story starts:

This story is told in three parts, they are loosely connected. Part one describes a meeting between Vegeta and another Saiyan who survived, Part two is written from the perspective of Vegeta´s mother, a high ranking soldier, describing the time from Vegeta´s birth until Vegeta-sei was destroyed and the last part describes the famous three years, how Bulma and Vegeta got together.

So much to that. Have fun!


Yesterday is always too far away

And all my tomorrows won´t save me today.

Death of a whore – Juliette and the Licks


A familiar feeling… something, she hadn´t felt in so long, almost forgotten, blurry, lost… so far away, so familiar… she felt it, like a stab in the heart, a throbbing, pounding, an uncomfortable closeness, but where…? Couldn´t grab, blurry, away, close, tangible, too far away, close, blurry, vague, focus, focus, vague, cold, so cold, too far away… so cold, so lost, so familiar, too far, close, too close, too familiar, too FAR!

Arktan woke up, immediately hitting her had on the ceiling of her alcove. She rubbed the spot on her head with a hiss, waiting for the rest of her brain to get out of the sleepy daze. The dream… had been weird. She shook her head and got up. Or whatever it had been, it hadn't even… felt like a dream. Too real. Whatever that meant. With a sigh Arktan pressed the button for the sink. It didn´t matter. Maybe she was just getting sick, the heating hadn´t been working properly anymore for quite some time. When she was done washing up, she quickly dressed in her usual overall, lit a cigarette she half-heartedly smoked while she braided her thick, black hair. It was all routine, nothing she had to think about twice, though she would´ve liked to distract herself from thinking too much. Someone had called her. She abruptly stood up, ignoring the ash that fell on her boots. She threw the stump in the sink, pressed the button for it to disappear and climbed the small ladder to the door. She should just go to work. It would keep her busy.

The moment she stepped out of her room, darkness was surrounding her. Rolling her eyes she tried not to trip on her way to the intercom, slowly feeling her way along the cold, metal wall.

"KARA! The fucking light is out again, that´s a safety hazard and I don´t care if you don´t want to fix it, you can´t afford it if I sue you for breaking a leg!"

She didn´t wait for an answer before she stomped off. The damn ship was just too old, the whole thing a freaking safety hazard. Sometimes Arktan wondered how it was still profitable for the company to use it for some long-distance cargo transports, but then again they were five people on the ship, completely underpaid and no one cared if they were gone for a few months. It also meant that no one cared what they did on the ship, as long as it arrived and that was something Arktan liked a lot. Her time as a dock worker had been the most awful time of her working career. And she had the opportunity to get to know the galaxy a bit better, at least the fuel stations. Grinning, Arktan pressed the button to open the door to the bridge. The flight was almost over, just two more months, and afterwards she had a long holiday. That was something to look forward to.

"What´s up?" Arktan eyed Saa and Fellah, two humanoid insects who were the most common race in the sector. She didn´t like them a lot, they didn´t like her all that much either, it was good that they kept themselves occupied in different areas of the ship.

Saa looked up from his workplace, his hand holding a cup of laffa. Arktan knew the stuff was drinkable for every humanoid species, just like the annoying ad praised in colorful letters in 156 languages, and it was energizing and very, very addictive, but it tasted like filth and had the consistency of stringy slime. Saa didn´t care about that at all and took a sip out of his cup while looking bored at Arktan. At least that was what she thought he did, she still didn´t have the hang of reading his expressions yet.

"I don´t even know why we still have a room, navigating keeps us up all the time."

Arktan snorted. "Just work in shifts, asshat. Did something interesting happen the last few hours?" She stretched, her joints cracking deliciously. Fellah clicked his mandibles, showing his disgust of her mammalian traits. She even unrolled her tail and swung it a bit to annoy him.

"We passed the Huu system but can´t afford a stop…"

Damn. She loved the Huu system. They had the best food.

"…and we missed the best food in the galaxy. And the light isn´t working I think?" He looked at Fellah who shrugged.

"I already told Kara. Got any news, Fellah?"

Fellah clicked some more with his mandibles, this time to signal his boredom. "Nah. Some ads, but nothing new. Didn´t get your telenovelas yet, we´re pretty much out of range of any signaling station."

"I didn´t…" So it hadn´t been some weird interference. "Don´t talk trash or I won´t let you watch it next time. I´m in the engine room."

There was some shouting in their native language that Arktan couldn´t understand, but her mind was already otherwise occupied. They were currently travelling through an empty spot, no one sent anything, no one was near them… maybe she was going insane after all. She rubbed over her face while walking the dimly lit hallway towards the main engine. First check-up, then breakfast. That sounded like a plan.


Arktan dreaded the next dormant phase. She had tried to drag it out, but everything was running as smoothly as possible, she already ate her ration for the day and she didn´t want to watch any net-shows. Reluctantly, she went to bed, her mind running in circles if she would dream again, why it had bothered her so much, if she was overreacting, maybe watching something after all just to get her mind off everything… when she woke up a few hours later, the light switch didn´t work. With a sigh she let her head fell back on the pillow. Might as well sleep some more. There had been no dreams, but her brain had been too fired up and she felt horribly exhausted. She searched for her water bottle, her brain already shutting off before she finished drinking.

The dream came back, stronger, more intense, but she still couldn't make out… At least the light was working again. Arktan got out of bed, started washing up, braided her hair and went to work. After three more working phases Arktan was completely overtired. The damn dream and the lack of sleep made her touchy, nervous, and she had no idea what to do about it.

"Morning…" Arktan felt her brain pounding against her skull, even keeping her eyes open was painful. She had to find a solution, she was the engineer on the ship, if anything broke down and she was out of commission… Probably nothing would happen. But Arktan wanted to feel at least that important.

"What's wrong with you?" Saa eyed her from the corner of his eyes, as far as Arktan could tell.

"Just tired. Say, did we… Is some ship nearby?"

"Yeah." Saa pressed some buttons on the control module and a notification about one ship in their proximity popped up. "There it is. Are you expecting someone?"

"Not really…" Arktan got a step closer, and eyed the display. "Can you… Contact that ship?"

"I could. But why should I?" Saa said.

Fellah wasn´t there. That made it easier. "Do me a favor, please. You can have three of my non-shitty rations. That´s a deal, right?"

Saa didn't look terribly convince, but he started typing away on his control panel anyway. "Don't know what you're expecting to find… But if it's trouble, you have to deal with it."

Arktan didn't answer. A few more clicks and they started connecting. After a few seconds, their usual identification message started.

"This is Cargo ship TAL-478J from GalEx."

Both of them looked at the screen, involuntarily leaning forward. After the fifth repetition, Arktan was sure no one would answer. She didn't even know what she had hoped for. With a sigh, she straightened her back. Was probably best to do the daily checkup, then she could try tinkering around with the spare parts she got at the last stop. It would occupy her mind, and they could need some upgrades.

"Well, no one wants to talk to us. Thanks anyway." Arktan nodded, Saa just waved his hand.

"Who knows who they were. If it had been a cargo ship, they definitely would have answered our call." Saa clicked his mandibles, indicating that he was laughing.

"That's for sure!" In the same moment, the incoming call button on the panel started blinking. They both looked up, confused, before Saa tipped on the button. Instantly, an angry voice started speaking.

"Turn off your fucking message! I don't want to buy anything!"

They both eyed each other. They hardly looked like the kind of ship who did sales directly from the hatch. Arktan shrugged slightly, pressing the button to speak.

"Hi there, nice to meet you. We are in a lonely part of the galaxy tonight, and we were looking for company. But it seems that you want to stay lonely." Arktan grinned. He couldn't be the cause of her dreams, but he could offer some distraction.

"Exactly. Get out of the line."

Saa nudged her in the side. "Guess he's a refugee. Do you hear his accent? He's not from around here."

Saa was right. It sounded more like... Without thinking, Arktan pressed the button again. But this time, she spoke in Vegeta-go. "You want to trade some water against rations? Looks like your low and we really are in a lonely spot here. Won't get far. "

"What did you say?" Saa asked.

"If he wants to trade some rations." Maybe she was wrong. Maybe he was just from the western territories, just as he sounded like. But maybe… Maybe she was lucky. Maybe there was really another Saiyan.

"Not that lonely." He had answered in Vegeta-go. Arktan felt her heart beating hard against her ribs. "I only have shitty food."

"I don't care. I´ll open a dock for you." She looked at Saa. "He's coming over. I'll give him some water, he´ll give us some food. Can you open a dock?"

"You sure that's a good idea?" Saa shook his head. "Whatever, I don't care. If he´s a criminal after all, make sure he only kills you."

That was a possibility. But she hadn't seen a member of her own species in over a decade. She was willing to take the risk.


He was farther away than she had thought, it took him over two hours to reach their ship. Arktan was glad she had her tool belt with her, the panel to open the door had been hanging on for dear life.

"Your visitor is here."

Arktan jumped when she heard Saa´s voice, but was near the viewing window in a second. It was a tiny ship that entered through the hatch, circular, she didn´t know the letters that were written on them. Not from the western territories after all. Who knew where he came from… Arktan pressed some buttons on the panel, impatiently waiting for the pressure to equalize. Maybe he hadn´t been living on Vegeta-sei. There had been so many who lived in the colonies or worked for hire… She hoped he wasn´t a soldier.

It beeped and she hurried to open the door. As she got nearer, the hatch of the small ship opened. She saw someone standing there, but he disappeared and stopped right in front of her a second later.

"Motherfucker!" Arktan jumped a step back, her heart beating furiously in her chest. "Ever heard of manners you piece of…" Arktan couldn´t continue. She knew him. He was older, sure, but she knew him. And his smell…

"Piece of what?"

He was short, lean, but he oozed out power. Arktan fell on her knees, hand over her chest. "Didn´t know you were still alive…"

There was a pause. Arktan didn´t dare to look up.

"What? What are you talking about? We´re not that far from Freeza´s territories."

"No one wants to report about… about Freeza. But I`m glad you´re still alive, Prince Vegeta."

He huffed. Arktan waited for a bit before she dared to look up. He was standing there, arms crossed, in a battered blue jumpsuit and an equally battered armor, looking completely unperturbed.

"Me too. Got the water ready?"

Arktan hesitated. Could she just get up? Was that all?

"What are you waiting for? There´s not many of us left, no need for unnecessary formalities." He looked away, over the hall. It was big, but looked like shit. He sneered, obviously noticing that as well.

"Are there… others? I always hoped that some of us survived." She smiled, her heart rate slowly normalizing.

"One. Freeza did a very thorough job. Remember me from the posters?" He looked at her again. Arktan swallowed hard. "Yeah. Watched all the documentaries." She looked at her boots, shortly. It was no time to be embarrassed. "You were a cute kid."

"Thanks. What about the water? I haven´t got all day."

Arktan looked at the water outlet, but… "I´m sorry, but… why are you here? Back then they said you were a guest on Freeza´s ship for a while, I was sure they killed you when… when the planet exploded. Did you flee?" Not a very enticing thought. Good for him, but she hoped no one would follow. Then again, he was just another refugee, why bother? Maybe he was on the run since back then. Maybe he was just passing through, laying low, like her.

"No. You really don´t know anything, do you?" Vegeta slowly walked over to the stairs that had lowered from his ship and sat down. Leaned back. Completely relaxed. Arktan shook her head. She had no idea what he was talking about. "I… was in service since then. One of Freeza´s favourites." He grinned, looking her straight in the eyes. "Are you still so glad you´ve met me?"

Arktan grinded her teeth. "So what, are you scouting the area? Is Freeza planning some expansion? Don´t think my little transport company will be bothered by it." Piece of shit. Getting killed was a real option again.

"No, he´s dead." He sighed. "The water, come on. I´ve got the rations ready." He gestured at the ship, but Arktan couldn´t move. She was at a loss for words. She couldn´t just believe it. It had to be wrong!

"You think that's funny? Fuck yourself and get off my ship!"

Vegeta sighed again, leaning forward, resting his arms on his knees. "That´s nothing I joke about. He is dead. He got killed by the other survivor. Avenged the Saiyan race, whatever." He stopped a second. "You can go back home if you want to. But I think Saiyans are still not very popular. Thanks to me." Another toothy grin.

"No thanks. It´s still blown up." She stomped over to the other end of the hall, disconnecting the water tube. "Where is your water inlet?"

He gestured towards the other side of the ship and Arktan forcefully pushed the tube inside. Fucking jerk, she had been glad, yes, but only for a second. She didn´t know what he wanted from her, but she wouldn´t make him happy by giving in to his teasing.

"Don´t you want to know how?" He spoke Vegeta-go. It made her almost forget that she didn't want to talk to him anymore, it was just so… like home.

"Rumor said only the legendary super Saiyan could do it. But I guess that´s just bullshit if someone else killed him. And not you. Guess there weren´t many opportunities while you were licking his boots."

Vegeta got a step nearer, almost touching her arm. She fought the urge to take a step back. "You would have done the same in my position. Don´t see you fighting in the rebellion."

Arktan looked away. The water still needed a few minutes.

"Well it was the legendary. It´s true. It´s something Saiyans can do, all of us. You, probably." He looked her up and down. "If you train a bit."

Arktan hit the side of his ship hard enough to leave a dent. "Don´t be so sure I can´t defend myself!"

"Don´t make me laugh." He walked back inside the ship. When she disconnected the water, he came back with a bag full of rations. At least that hadn't been a lie.

"What have you been doing when you were still a respectable member of the Saiyan race? Guess it wasn't maintenance duty." She took the rations, quickly looking inside.

"Soldier. Like you. Served Freeza. Though I didn´t get close enough to kiss his ass."

She only felt the slap, it had been too fast to see. Arktan instantly held her hand over it, the pain was overwhelming.

"Don´t get too cocky. I won´t let you live just because we both were hatched on the same damn rock."

Arktan looked up. He was engulfed in a blue aura, stronger than anything she had ever felt before. "How did you become so strong?" How was he not the legendary?

"What, you want it as well? Try fighting."

Arktan rolled over, until she could sit on the floor. "And you? Didn´t you want to take Freeza´s place?"

His shoulders tensed, but when they started shaking she realized he was laughing. "There´s more important things to do. I´ll become legendary as well."

He closed his hatch and Arktan got up to let him out. Her face was hurting, but it didn´t matter. Back when she had still served, she got slapped more often than she could remember. But it was nice… knowing that she wasn´t the last one.

Arktan slowly walked back to the bridge, the back of rations in her hand. Her face was hurting


, but it was manageable. It could've been worse… When she came in, Saa was watching as Vegeta´s ship departed.

"He left. Got the rations." Arktan held the bag up for Saa to see.

"Yeah, what did he give you?" Saa turned around, startled when he looked at her. "What happened to you? Were you fighting? Your face is all purple."

Already? He must've hit her harder than she had realized… Arktan shrugged slightly. "It's nothing. We just had a little disagreement. Anyway, he gave me CD 62! You want one?"

Saa immediately jumped out of his chair. "CD 62? I don't remember where we had something decent to eat the last time." He hesitated for a second. "Guess it's worth a little punch to the head."

"You bet." Arktan grinned and walked over to the com system, to tell everyone the good news.


AN:

Vegeta-sei = Planet Vegeta

Vegeta-go = Language spoken on Planet Vegeta aka Vegetarian. I guess it´s obvious why I didn´t want to use that haha.

See you next time!