I'm back with a new chapter, I hope you will enjoy it. Reviews – as always – are welcomed

Chapter 2

Scientists

Two weeks passed since Bulma arrived on Vegetasei. She still remembered on Vegeta's shocked face, when she left the spaceship and was able to walk normally. He fully expected her to fall on the ground, unable to move. He wasn't the type, who would simply ask her about it, but Bardock did:

"How can you walk like this? I heard the gravity on Earth was not as high as here."

"I trained" She answered and prayed that she won't have to go into more detail.

She wasn't willing to confess her crime about stealing materials from spaceships. Luck was on her side as Nappa came to greet them and informed the others that the King wanted to see them right away.

"Hey Karris!" Bardock called and a man in his early twenties came out from a spaceship.

He was also a saiyan, with his shoulder-length raven hair and black eyes, but unlike the others, he only wore white overalls and a black T-shirt under it. He looked like a mechanic from Earth.

"Yeah?" He asked, still holding a wrench in his hand.

"Escort her to the lab, she will be one of the new scientists!"

Karris looked surprised, but with a shrug he nodded and asked Bulma to follow him. She obeyed, while Vegeta left with Bardock and Falk; they made their ways towards the throne room.

"You look like a human" Karris called as he looked over at Bulma.

"I'm a human. My name is Bulma."

"That would mean, that it wasn't Bardock who found you, but Prince Vegeta. That is extremely strange…"

"How so?"

"Let's just say, he never bothers to assess whether somebody has any value; he kills everybody. Sure, all the saiyans think that anybody, who is not strong, should die, but most of them are willing to capture some creatures for labour. Not the Prince."

"I guess he was in a bad shape to kill me" Bulma explained and looked at her wrist. It already turned blue and purple, where he grabbed her. "I guess I was lucky."

Karris didn't miss the bruise and he had to agree; she was indeed lucky to get away with only that. As they walked on the corridor and turned a few times at seemingly random places, Bulma gave up trying to memorize the route and turned to Karris instead:

"Are you a scientist as well? I though saiyans are just warriors…"

"Yeah" Karris answered with a sad smile. "I failed as a warrior and they assigned me to do repairs as a punishment. They though it will be more shameful then death, but in the end I somehow grown to like this task and I'm glad for it. I guess I might have hit my head too many times and I forgot what it means to be a saiyan."

Bulma was shocked and had to look for his tail, to make sure he was indeed a saiyan. As she saw it neatly folded around his waist, no doubt remained in her mind, but he was so… different as the rest of them! He almost sounded kind. How can that be? Karris followed her gaze and undid his tail to show her it's real. As he waved with it towards Bulma, she couldn't help it, she had to laugh. It was the first time since 3 years that she laughed and the cause of it was a saiyan! Who would have thought?

Since she arrived to Vegetasei, her living conditions improved somewhat. She even received her own sleeping chamber, which wasn't more than a really small room, where her tatami took up most of the space and the only other furniture was a small wardrobe, where she had two sets of white overalls, which turned out to be the uniform for the scientists. During these two weeks she got used to all the Falk-like creatures, it seemed that his race was a popular slave kind among the scientists. The sleeping quarters were just opposite to the main laboratory so she only had to walk a few meters to get there. The laboratory was basically a huge space, divided to smaller workstations by working benches. Opposite to the entrance was the computer section, where they planned projects and run simulations. At the left side were the drafts and plans stored about the technologies, what the saiyans already treaded for planets or gold with other races. Most of them were stored in rolls in a huge cabinet, which covered the most part of the wall. In front of it, there were smaller and larger desks scattered, with various manuscripts placed over them. They were either there because they had to repair something and needed the plan or they were just about to build the prototype for it. At the right side was the actual manufacturing done. The whole wall was covered with various cupboards and boxes, filled with all kind of parts. In front of them were also working stations installed and most of the desks were filled with tools. They also had drawers and chairs and one had protective glasses on it as well. Right next to the door two huge boards were pinned on the wall, where they made the necessary calculations. They even had a small library with various books. The only problem was, that they were on different languages and by some, Bulma couldn't even recognize the letters. Currently eight scientists were employed and from those four were Racertos, two from a race called Avem, Karris was a saiyan and now Bulma joined them as the first human. The two Avem guys somehow reminded her of birds. They were about one meter high, had yellow skin with red spout. They had big black claws and instead of hair, blue feathers covered their heads. They looked so absurd, that it took some time until she was used to them. But at least their eyes didn't move separately from each other! That, really crept her out and she seriously doubted, she can get used to that.

"Hey, Little One! Come over for a second!" Craig, one of the Avem scientists called, looking at Bulma as soon as she entered the room.

She found it extremely annoying, that he called her little, when he was barely one meter high, but it seemed like this name stuck on her for a while. She walked over and looked at the scooter in his hands. It was the first prototype and so far they haven't been able to figure out, why it failed to work. It was the technology what Bardock bought, when he got them back on Vegetasei. Bulma already offered her help three days ago, when the machine was built, but Craig and Hawk (the other Avem) refused to listen to her. It was their project, they wanted to make it work. It seemed like now, that they only had a day until they had to present it to the King, they gave up on their pride and asked her.

"Let me see!" Bulma said taking out the scooter from his hand and removed the lid from its mechanical panel.

It was extremely annoying how Craig watched her every movement. She desperately tried to shut him out and immersed herself in the plans as she checked the device. She felt how Craig became more and more impatient, but it's not like she could hurry up with it. They definitely messed up something and she needed time to figure it out. Suddenly she decided to take it apart and as it fell on the desk in pieces, Craig called out in pain:

"Are you trying to ruin it?!"

"It's not working" Bulma snapped at him. "It's not like I can ruin it!"

Craig cursed, but remained silent for the time being. After a few minutes he got up from the chair and walked around the lab, from one wall to the other. After half an hour, when Bulma put the device together and turned it on, it seemed to work. At least she could see a number when she looked at Craig. That was supposed to be his power level. Suddenly the device peeped and as she followed the small arrow in the screen, she looked at the door. There was nobody there. Could the device malfunction? No! It was working just fine. The next moment Falk entered the room, meaning the scooter already detected his presence, before he was near enough to be visible.

"It's working!" She cried out and handed it over to Craig with a proud smile.

"Really?" He asked and placed it on his ear.

After some additional testing, he accepted it as a fact and he was able to present it to the King in the afternoon.

"You are lucky to finish it in time" King Vegeta said, when Craig handed over the device and explained him how it worked.

Craig bowed so low that his spout almost touched the ground. Regardless how many times he was in the throne room, he couldn't get used to it. It was even bigger than the lab, but it had hardly any windows, so the room was always in half-dark. The throne was at the opposite side of the huge wooden door and a long red carped led to it, with gold covered margins. Strong white marvel pillars held the ceiling, which was more than 6 meters above the ground. The throne itself was on a small scaffold, five steps leading to it. It was mainly red (it reminded Craig on blood) and despite its simple design, it looked authoritative and inspired fear.

"I heard you had issues with it" Vegeta smirked, as he stepped into the room.

"Well" Craig gulped, knowing that there was no sense to deny it "we figured it out at the end. I… I even delivered it a few hours earlier!"

"We? Just whose help did you require? I already told you, Falk is not there to correct every single mistake you make."

The Aven began to tremble from fear as he remembered that last time when he was here, the Prince burned both of his legs and he had nasty blisters for weeks and walking was so painful that his eyes watered. He got it, because he failed to repair a healing tank in time and Falk ended up helping him out, so he could complete it at all. Still… this time he was on time! The scooter was also working flawlessly! Why did he still feel the killer intent coming from the Prince, as he looked at him?

"I never asked Falk!"

"Don't test my patience" Vegeta cried out and pierced his shoulder through with a small energy beam.

Craig fell on his knees and began to tremble again. The injury was not serious, just a small hole, but it still hurt like hell. He saw how Vegeta raised his hand again (maybe to kill him?), but this time the King intervened:

"Stop it! I cannot replace them at the peace you are killing them off!

Vegeta cursed, but lowered his hand. He wasn't willing to argue with his father, until he was the King.

"I will ask you one last time" He looked at the shaking scientist "who helped you?"

"Bulma! It was Bulma, Sire!"

While it was unexpected, as Vegeta looked at Craig, he knew he was telling the truth. He was so terrified, that he would have confessed anything at this point.

"It looks like for once you actually managed to get a useful slave" King Vegeta looked at his son, after they discussed the mass production with Craig and he left the room.

"Don't count your chickens before they are hatched!" Vegeta answered, deciding to keep the real reason in secret.

He couldn't even tell his own father, that he was just too beaten up to kill her. No way! He, the Prince of all saiyans couldn't show weakness in front of anybody. Anyhow, that way at least his father thought that he got somebody useful on purpose. He always complained about him killing of their slaves, but damn it! All the slaves were stupid, not worth to let them be alive. Nobody deserved to live, who wasn't powerful enough and that's why the saiyans prospered among all the races.

When Craig came back to the lab from the throne room, he was so shaken up, that he was unable to talk.

"It seems like the Prince was also in the room, when Craig presented the scouter" Hawk commented, while he was building the second scouter with Bulma.

"How do you know?" She asked, picking up a small screw.

"Let's just say, the King's cruelness is nothing, compared to that of his son's. You met him, you must know it as well."

"Are really all the saiyans like that?"

"What kind of question is that, coming from a girl, whose planet was sold? Mine was destroyed…"

"But Karris is different!"

"Just like he said; he must have hit his head one too many times. I really don't get him. Nobody does…"

Bulma was still thinking about this conversation, when she went to the landing zone, to get a box of new tools, the saiyans gathered from another planet. While the box was huge, it wasn't really heavy. The only problem was, that she could only see a very limited space in front of her and so after one turn, she bumped into somebody and dropped the box.

"Damn!" She called as the tools rolled away in every direction.

"Seems like I was in too much of a hurry!" She heard somebody laughing and as she looked over, he saw him; the Boy, who invaded Earth.

He has grown in the past 3 years, but his hair was so unique, that there was no doubt, it was him. She remained on the ground shocked, while he turned back the box and began to gather everything into it. After a while, she also picked up the tools, until he suddenly called:

"I know you! You are from Earth, right?"

"Yes, it seems like you didn't manage to kill me…" she answered bitterly.

"I guess it's good, what?" He asked and began to scratch the back of his head. "I mean if you are here, that must mean you are useful. We only keep the useful slaves here. I'm Kakarott, by the way!"

"How good for me indeed!"

"Are you angry with me? I mean sure I bumped into you, but see? I'm even helping to carry this!"

With that said, he put the box on his shoulder and began to walk toward the lab. She wanted to ask him, how did he know where she was going, but figured, it was her uniform. Where else would a scientist go?

"Of course I'm angry; you killed all those people!"

"Hey, they were weak and it was my mission. In case they had somebody strong, I could have died."

"Just because we are not strong physically, doesn't mean we are weak."

Kakarott stopped and looked at her confused.

"How else can you be strong?"

"Well… physical strength is not all! Also, my father told me, that the stronger people are there to protect the weaker ones, not to kill them!"

"Protect them?" He asked, even more confused.

"Yes! Power is not all about destroying things."

"For what else could we use it? Saiyans were meant to rule over the whole universe."

"That's just sick! Did you seriously felt no regret, when you killed them?"

Kakarott looked at her, like she has grown a second head. Just what the heck was she talking about? Weak people who are strong, power which is not for destruction… he has never heard anything so strange.

"You are a strange guy." He finally shrugged.

"I'm a girl, not a guy damn it!" Bulma cried angrily.

Was he totally out of his mind? Sure she had short hair and her breasts… they were not really growing yet, but still! She had no idea why he suddenly put down the box and she never expected him to touch her there.

"Wow, you are really a girl!" He cried out surprised.

Bulma felt how her face became red and before she could stop herself, she picked up a hammer from the box and hit him on the head. He cried out in pain and began to massage his head, while he looked at her with anger and hurt (?).

"Just what the hell did you do that for?" He asked.

"Can't you tell, that I'm a girl just by looking? Did you seriously had to… you know…"

She wasn't even willing to say out aloud, what just happened, it was outrageous.

"No, I can't." He answered sincerely and stopped rubbing his head.

Saiyans were indeed monsters. She just hit him with full force and he already seemed to be recovered. He stepped to her and took the hammer out of her hand saying:

"You are dangerous, you know."

"Me? I wasn't the one, who killed a whole race!"

"No, but you could have killed me."

"With that hammer, it's very unlikely."

"But it hurt!"

"Of course it did, it's a hammer after all!"

They looked at each other like they were considering jumping to each other's throat. Even so, Bulma didn't quite feel the atmosphere, what she felt when Vegeta looked at her. He seemed evil, while Kakarott appeared to be naïve. Just a young boy, whose parents never taught him what is wrong and what is right. Actually, they might have, but in all the wrong way.

"Killing people is wrong." She finally said.

Kakarott shrugged, put the box back on his shoulder and they continued to walk towards the laboratory.

That night, as Bulma was lying in her bed, she couldn't sleep as her thought were all around Kakarott. She assumed she will hate him, once they met; she hated him ever since she learned what was going on at Earth. Yet now, as they met, she felt nothing. She imagined he was the devil himself who possessed a small boy's body, but apart from the fact, that he never even sustained an injury from the hammer, he seemed normal. He wasn't the monster, she expected him to be. For the first time ever, she tried to see everything from his side; he was sent to Earth at a young age with the mission to destroy it. He never had any childhood at all, he was a warrior from birth. It's not like he had a choice or what was even sadder; he never even felt, that he could have a choice. Life on Vegetasei, being a saiyan, was all he ever knew. Just like the rest of them. She wasn't ready to make excuses for the whole race; the grown-ups were different. Even if they never had an option at the beginning, they must have seen how others lived! They must have known that the non-violent races also managed to survive, without destroying other lives around them. Yet they still continued to fight and so this lifestyle became their decision.

As I was writing this, I just remembered how much I really enjoyed watching Dragon Ball. I like Z better (maybe partly because Vegeta is my favourite character), but DB has a unique atmosphere and it was so funny! :)