Here I am with another fic even though I'm still writing "When Vegeta Met Bulma". I've had this story line in my head for a while now and finally got the motivation to start it. I've read one too many stories where Bulma is the damsel in distress and thought I'd switch things up a bit. Let me know what you think!
Fateful Days:
The Banquet
The sound of his boots hitting the metal floors, echoed throughout the corridor. Soldiers were scrambling to either side to avoid confrontation. He didn't even grace them with his acknowledgement, just kept his piercing onyx eyes locked onto his destination. He was thankful for the fact no one was getting in his way, he surprisingly didn't want to kill anyone at the moment, how long that feeling would last he didn't know. He had his last decent uniform on and didn't know if he'd ever be issued another.
Vegeta finally reached the large golden door that towered over him, seeming to mock his smaller than average stature. After all these years being in 'service' to Frieza, he had never been invited to one of his banquets. He wasn't even sure why the effeminate lizard even had these get togethers to begin with, only that he'd heard they were for wealthy investors interested in Frieza's galactic real estate. He was also confused as to why he was invited to this particular gathering. Well, not invited per say, more like forced under threat of torture, which normally didn't bother the Saiyan that much, he was unfortunately used to the lizard lords favorite pastime, but this torture was different from the others-6 straight months of purging 50 planets, with only 25 soldiers to accompany him. He growled low in his throat just thinking about it.
He waived his hand over the sensor to his right and the door swished open, revealing an elaborately decorated hall in purple, whites and golds, quite gaudy in Vegeta's opinion. Many aliens from species across the galaxy milled around several long tables laden with exotic delicacies pleasing to ones palate. The rest were sitting at round tables scattered across the hall. On the opposite side stood Frieza's golden throne, egregiously large for the small emperor. There he sat swirling his goblet of wine in his hand, his eyes immediately shot up to meet Vegeta's, the smallest of smirks tugging at his thin lips, a silent invitation to come over.
Vegeta scowled and quickly strode across the hall to stand before the throne, hoping the faster he did what was expected of him, the sooner he could leave. He stilled with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Tsk tsk, is that any way to greet your lord and commander?" Frieza admonished. "After all these years I'd expect more from you little monkey...then again who am I kidding?" He chuckled, taking a dainty sip from the goblet in his three fingered hand.
"Kneel." He added quickly.
Vegeta's eyes narrowed into slits. He loathed having to kneel to anyone. Him, the prince of Saiyans, reduced to kneeling in front of nothing more than, in his opinion a glorified land lord, who just happened to be far too powerful for Vegeta to overthrow at the moment, as much as he hated to admit that. Silently, he lowered to one knee, his face to the ground, his pride in tatters.
"That's better. Now, I'm sure you're wondering why you have the honor of attending tonight's festivities?"
Vegeta raised his head to lock eyes with the tyrant. He knew better than to actually respond to the question.
Frieza smiled wickedly at Vegeta's unusual compliance. "I've decided, probably against my better judgement mind you, to give you additional responsibilities. If you prove yourself, you may even earn a promotion to my inner circle."
Vegeta scoffed internally. Like he would want to spend any more time than necessary with this bastard. Deciding now was a good time, he opened his mouth. "And what if I'm not interested?"
The lizard lord swirled the wine in his goblet, looking transfixed at the small whirlpools he created within for just a moment, then slowly looked back to the Saiyan, his eyes promising pain in their depths. "This isn't a proposition Vegeta. You will comply, or suffer the consequences which we've already discussed. However, I might be swayed to add to those if I feel you aren't appreciative of this opportunity."
Vegeta, who was still kneeling, tore his gaze away from the small dictator. He knew this was a battle he wouldn't win, and he'd certainly learned to pick his battles with Frieza over the years. The scars littering his body proof of his unflattering losses.
"Do you accept?" Frieza asked, even though there really wasn't an option to refuse.
Against his better judgement, Vegeta just had to know what he was getting into before he entered into this little agreement. "What exactly are these additional responsibilities?"
"I'm so glad you asked. You see, the people in this room could make me a lot of money Vegeta. They could also be plotting against me. I can't afford to be complacent, I've got a galactic empire to protect you see. That is where you come in. You will wander through the hall this evening and monitor our guests. If anything looks suspicious, I want you to report directly to me."
"You want me to be a spy?" Vegeta asked, feeling affronted. He's a warrior prince! Not someone to hide in the shadows.
"If you want to call it that, then by all means, go ahead. I just need to have eyes and ears among the crowds."
"And why can't Zarbon or Dodoria do this dirty work for you?" Vegeta snapped. He already had enough of listening to this maniac, and had no desire to be his snitch.
Frieza raised one perfectly manicured brow at the Saiyan's outburst, daring the man to keep going.
"Dodoria lacks tact for a delicate task such as this. And Zarbon lacks the attention to detail. They both have their usefulness in other areas, of which I'm sure you are familiar." Frieza goaded.
"Hmmph." Was Vegeta's only response he didn't need to be reminded of his run-ins with those two. He couldn't argue those points though, Zarbon was so self absorbed he wouldn't notice a bomb going off unless it somehow involved him. Dodoria was a classless buffoon whose only talent seemed to be the crushing of people's skulls. However, that skill is highly valued in Frieza's force. Knowing he didn't really have a say in the matter, he grit his teeth and moved his head in an almost imperceptible nod. There would come a day when Frieza's severed head would lay at his feet, until then he would need to play the lizard's games.
"Good. Now get going." Frieza shooed him away.
Vegeta rose to his feet and walked over to a sparsely populated area and leaned against the wall, one leg tucked up against it. He wasn't a fan of crowds, or people really, so this was an ideal location. His eyes roamed over the occupants of the room, familiarizing himself with each one, watching their body language and demeanor. He fished his scouter out from his uniform and placed it over his eye, deciding to get power level readings from these fools.
He stood there for what felt like hours, listening in to conversations, albeit halfheartedly, when the door to the hall swooshed open. He looked over to see a very striking creature enter, and head towards one of the tables filled with food. She had bright blue hair that was pulled up into a bun on the top of her head, her eyes matching her hair color. Unlike the rest of the guests, she wore a bright red garment that clung to her body like a second skin. It came to her upper thighs and had a slit up one side. Vegeta had seen his fair share of exotic women in his travels, even taken a few to his bed. But they were never a distraction, just a reprieve from his unbelievably shitty life. Now, for reasons unknown, he couldn't keep his eyes off this woman.
He watched her converse with a group of people, analyzing her movements, memorizing her features. She spoke animatedly, using gestures for emphasis. Her obvious confidence and poise was awakening something inside him he didn't understand.
He was broken out of his trance by Frieza's chilling voice.
"Thank you, one and all for joining me this evening. Tonight, some of the brightest minds in the galaxy will showcase their greatest achievements. Those of you with deep pocketbooks, will have the opportunity to help fund a project of my choosing, to benefit the cold empire. Your investment will easily fetch returns, that I can promise you." Frieza's eyes glimmered with promise alright, just not the nice kind. "Now without further ado, who would like to go first?"
Everyone began taking their seats and a small elderly man walked forward with a box in his hands, they were trembling so much he was having trouble holding it. He stood a good distance from Frieza and kept his head down.
"Well? Get on with it!" Frieza said impatiently.
"O-Oh right. I'm professor Gorgon and I've come to show you my newest invention." He carefully laid the box on the floor and lifted the lid. He reached in and grabbed a remote of some kind, then took a few steps back, pressing some buttons on the remote caused a small vehicle to fly out of the box.
"I call it, a sensory tactical drone. It can go ahead into battle, assess the situation and even shoots lasers to aid in attack." Professor Gorgon said shakily.
Frieza looked entirely bored with the whole thing. He lifted his hand and made a shooing motion. "Enough, I have no need for such base technology. Guards remove him from the premises."
The man was soon being dragged through the doors by two henchman, screaming on his way out. "Wait, but there's so much more it can do, please, don't do this!"
Vegeta shook his head, this whole scene just way to common to cause even an eyebrow to raise. He knew the fate of that man and it wasn't a nice flight back to his home planet.
His eyes were soon back on the woman with the blue hair. She was watching the proceedings with rapt attention. After several people came up and showcased their work, only to be dragged out shortly after, she gracefully rose from her seat and walked up to the throne. Vegeta was surprised, he hadn't expected that she would be a scientist or inventor.
"Well now, what do we have here? You're quite the remarkable specimen." Frieza drawled, eyeing her up and down. "What do you have to show me this evening? It better be more useful than what I've seen so far." He politely threatened.
"Thank you for the opportunity to finally meet you lord Frieza. It is absolute honor. My name is Katrina Chase, and I believe you will be very interested in what I have to show you." The woman then reached into her cleavage and pulled out a tiny capsule. The whole room was entranced by this beauty and if Vegeta didn't know better, he could have sworn the woman wanted it that way.
"This little piece of tech will change your life, forever." The woman whispered the last word so quietly few people could hear her. Vegeta was one of those people. What happened next, was a surprise to everyone in the room. The blue haired scientist proceeded to throw the capsule to the ground making a popping sound, creating a cloud of green smoke that quickly filled the hall. Another popping sound could be heard closer to Vegeta's location and through the thick green cloud that Vegeta immediately knew to be poisonous gas, he saw a blur of blue running out the door.
The entire hall was filled with coughing and gasps. Frieza could be heard shouting obscenities and asking for the woman's head. Vegeta covered his mouth and nose and ran quickly after the scientist. Not for Frieza, but out of his own curiosity. His scouter detected the minute power level of what could only be the woman rushing towards the shuttle bay of the giant flagship that belonged to Frieza. Vegeta was impressed by her speed, but decided he didn't have the time to waste running, so he starting flying through the corridors to catch up, the emergency alarm blaring in his ears.
He reached the shuttle bay in time to see the woman getting into a pod. Their eyes locked on one another and time seemed to stop. Vegeta noticed her flushed cheeks, and her hair falling about her face, no longer tightly tied up. Her eyes held determination, and also a little fear in them.
"Who are you, really?" Vegeta spoke first.
She hesitated, as if considering how to answer his question, then shook her head and continued getting in the pod. Vegeta just watched her start the engine and open the pod bay doors. He had no ill will towards the woman, he was more impressed than anything. How did she get the poison onto the ship? How had he not noticed anything? Her stealth and cunning were formidable, albeit a bit crazy. No one in their right mind would try a stunt like this and expect to live. His thoughts were broken by the pod ejecting into cold space. It was then that Vegeta realized that he was probably going to get punished for this, severely.
"Shit."
