Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or its related characters. All is the property of FUNamation, Studio Toei, Fuji TV, and Toriyama Akira. I'm just borrowing them for some light-heated entertainment.
Space Opera
Chapter Three: Orders and Priorities
"…of course, the Ascendancy's other ruling families are denying involvement in the Kold attack." Even over the comm channel and across all the lightyears between Vegeta-sei and the Earth, the derisive scorn in the King's voice come through loud and clear. "They claim the Kold family was acting on their own without being sanctioned by the rest of the Ascendency. But then, they're not taking any action against the Kolds either. Ice-jin! If their pathetic attack had been successful, then all seven of their ruling families would be clamoring to claim a portion of the credit."
The Prince waited for his father to finish. The bad blood between Saiyans and Ice-jin ran deep and spanned generations. Once Vegeta was finished with his rants and ridicule of their race, their nation, and anything else associated with them, then he would give the Prince his new orders. Although, knowing his father as well as he did, the Prince could probably guess his new orders without having to be told.
First, to send Goten down planet-side and draft his father back into the fight. Something which couldn't be done at the moment because Kakarot was currently dead. Then to return to Vegeta-sei as soon as the Patriot was refueled and resupplied. And, because the Ice-jin were involved, once they arrived at Vegeta-sei, command over the ship would be handed entirely over to Goten and the Prince would be reassigned to his father's flagship the Dominance. There, he would stand on the bridge in highly polished armor, at his fathers side, and watch the rest of the fleet fight.
"Your holiday is over." His father announced, right on cue. "Send that idiot friend of yours down to collect his brain-dead father. Then-"
What a surprise. The Prince shook his head. "Can't."
The King's eyes narrowed at his son, the glare of the screen making his sharp, angular features appear all the more menacing. "When I give you an order, boy, I expect it to be carried out without question."
So what else was new? "Yeah. But… can't." He repeated. "Kakarot's dead right now."
His father's expression twitched asymmetrically, one of the tells that signified he was trying very hard to hide his true feelings. But the Prince couldn't decide if it was abject irritation or schadenfreudian laughter that the King was trying to conceal. Neither would surprise him. Goten's father died so very often. "Fine then!" The King snarled. "Forget Kakarot. You will return to Vegeta-sei immediately where you will turn control of your ship over to your idiot friend and join me on the Dominance where we will teach these Ice-jin scum what happens when they provoke the Saiyan Empire!"
Sometimes the Prince wished he didn't know his father quite as well as he did. At least then his orders would seem new every now and again or at least, not so tired and old -like a broken record. He brushed his bangs out of his eyes as he said, "Yes, sir."
He brushed his hair out of his face, his other hand hovering over the comm's control console, ready to end the transmission at the final word from his father -because Vegeta always had to be the one to have the final word.
"And, Trunks…"
The Prince froze. His father almost never used the Earth-name his mother gave him. It was always 'Boy', 'Brat', or occasionally (during the rare and uncharacteristic moments when he was feeling affectionate), 'my son'. But rarely ever 'Trunks'. Almost never 'Trunks'. Only when the conversation was serious was it ever 'Trunks'. Cautiously, the Prince replied, "Y-yeah…?"
"The Lunarian Princess…" He paused. Thought. "You're alright. She didn't use any of her magical techniques on you?"
"No…" Trunks replied slowly, unsure why the idea bothered his father so much.
"Good." Nodded the King. "I want you to stay away from the Moon Kingdom. Earth is your mother's home and while I could forbid you from ever going back there, I know you'll never honor that command. So, when this is all over, you may return to your holiday on Earth, but I want you to stay away from its Moon. Do you understand me?"
Yes and no. Trunks understood what his father was literally saying. He just didn't know why. "Does this have anything to do with what happened to me ten years ago?"
"Damn it, boy! If orders were meant to be questioned, they wouldn't be called 'orders'!" The King snarled over the channel. "I swear, if you weren't six million lightyears away, I'd teach you the proper respect!"
The 'proper respect' meant a back-handed fist to the right temple and, depending on just how angry his father really was, a heel to the chest or kick to the kidney.
"Alright." Trunks promised. "I'll stay away from the Moon Kingdom. Its not like there's anything there that would interest me in the first place."
…
Small Lady leaned against her bedroom's windowsill.
Below, the lights of Silver Millennium twinkled and sparkled with a crystal sheen. But she wasn't looking at the city. The Princess' attention was, instead, focused on the blue globe hanging low in the sky over the city. A scattering of white clouds marbled its cobalt surface, obscuring the gemstone blue. It was the same shade of blue as her father's eyes. King Endymion, who had been Prince of Earth prior to the Empire's infringement. She had never asked her father how he felt about his planet belonging to the Empire, or why neither he or the Sailor Senshi fought to keep it. She always just assumed it was because he was King-Consort to the Queen of the Moon Kingdom now and Earth was part of his past.
Then again, aside from one colossal battle that according to her mother's Senshi could be seen from as far away as Jupiter, the Saiyans didn't seem to be doing anything harmful to, or with the Earth. Nothing dark or nefarious like the enemies her parents fought in their youth. The people of Earth certainly didn't seem to mind having a powerful military government watching over them.
On her many secret excursions down to the blue planet Small Lady got the general feeling that Earthlings, over all, were ambivalent to the Empire. No one really loved it, but no one really hated the Empire either. It was just like any other government. Although… that one time, ten years ago, the people of West City were very startled by that half-Saiyan boy. But then again, so was Small Lady. After all, anyone would be surprised and a little scared if the boy you were playing with suddenly turned into a giant ape monster right in front of you. But how was she supposed to know that Saiyans turned into giant monkeys when they looked at a full moon!? She was only six!
He was really nice to her up until the whole weremonkey thing, though.
She remembered they played together for some time. Late in the afternoon until the sun went down. He showed her his ki techniques. Building piles of sand on the playground and then destroying them with different blasts from different angles and distances. She remembered clapping happily at the flashes of light and spray of sand, and gazed in wonder at how the heat and pressure from his power turned the sand to glass. She told him that the glass was a lot like the crystal of her home. Not the Silver Crystal, the crystal that made-up Silver Millennium's streets and buildings. A sort of foggy, glassy, crystal.
Then he asked where she was from.
The sun had already set by that point and the full moon was hanging low over the cityscape, its silver glow just brushing the tops of the skyscrapers. So, Small Lady just pointed. Simply saying, "There."
He followed her finger, looking where she was pointing. That was when he transformed.
At first, Small Lady didn't know what was going on. She thought maybe he'd been turned into a Youma.
His body went rigid for a moment, his hands trembling slightly at his sides, his back going ram-rod strait. It was similar to how her mother described people wing possessed by evil. Then thick lavender hair began to sprout down his neck and along his arms. His hands grew larger, his feet burst from his sneakers. His whole body began to grow, ripping his clothing. Before the Moon Princess knew what was happening, the boy she'd been playing with was replaced by a monstrous purple beast!
A knock at her door pulled the Princess from her memories.
"Come in." She called.
It was her father who entered. Endymion closed the door behind him and leaned against its frame, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Have you come to lecture me, too?" She asked dejectedly. "I already got it from Mama, Mina, Rei, and Ami. I'm just missing Mako and you and everyone in the castle will have reprimanded me for sneaking off."
"Everything I have to say you've already heard." A sympathetic smile. "From several people, apparently." He crossed the room and sat on her bed, patting the space next to him. Ah. So he wanted to have one of their father-daughter heart-to-hearts. "I actually came to see how you're doing. The last time you met a Saiyan, I carried you home in tears."
"I didn't know what was going on back then!" She huffed defensively. "I'm fine, Papa. That was ten years ago. I know about Saiyans now." She began to pace the room in irritation, the hem of her gown swishing over the floor with the motion. "But I am glad to be home. That Prince of theirs is a real pain in the a- uh, back. He's a real pain in the back! I mean, I helped them. I took out the bad guy's leader while he just sort of stood there. He should have thanked me! But, no…. Instead, I had to sit on their ship and answer the same damn questions over and over again. They said it was because of some stupid military rules or something. But I bet it was just because that pampered purple prat didn't like being shown-up by a girl!"
"Saiyan pride is rather infamous." Her father smiled sympathetically.
"I mean, where does he get off!?" Small Lady continued, ignoring the King's comments. "Treating me like that! I'm royalty too! 'Proper difference' my foot!"
"He made quite an impression on you, didn't he." Now Endymion's smile was knowing and amused. "This Prince."
At that, Small Lady stopped her pacing to face her father when she said, "Only because I've never met anyone so unpleasant before in my life!"
"Hm." That amused smile only widened.
"What's that look for!?" She snapped, not appreciating her father's lack of sympathy one bit.
"Oh… no reason." He answered. "Just thinking about your mother…"
Small Lady gave a frustrated growling huff and flopped down on the bed next to her father. "Damn Saiyan." She muttered. Then she sighed, forcing the thought of that vexing violet haired man from her mind. Instead, she took the opportunity to ask her father something that she always wondered about. "Hey, Papa, how come you never fought the Saiyans over Earth?"
Endymion was quiet a long moment. So long, in fact, that Small Lady began to wonder if he wasn't going to answer at all. Maybe she shouldn't have even asked. If it bothered her father that much. Perhaps it was better to just leave well enough alone.
Finally, "Its not the same as what you're thinking." He said. "I was Prince of Earth, but I didn't rule Earth. I was its protector, not its sovereign. When they Saiyans first came to Earth… er, second came to Earth? I know one of them was living down there long before the actual Empire showed up. Anyway, when they came to Earth and first made their presence known, it wasn't to concur or destroy the planet. They were just after one of their own. They're a little like wasps, so long as you don't bother them, they won't sting you. So, I left them to their own devices. Earth was in no danger, so there was no need for me to get involved."
"So, they weren't interested in conquest?" The Princess pressed. "Then why is Earth so important to them now?"
Here the King smiled. The same amused and slightly ironic smile that he got sometimes when telling stories of himself and her mother from before she was born. "The Saiyan Prince, the one who now sits on the Imperial Throne, fell in love with an Earth-woman." That smile was a full on grin now. "Just like your mother fell in love with a rude and insensitive Earth-jerk."
"Can Saiyans feel love?" Asked Small Lady a tad skeptically. From what she'd observed during her short stay on their warship, they weren't exactly a cuddly, touchy-feely bunch.
"In all honesty, I don't know." Her father answered. "I don't know much about Saiyans, so I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on them or their customs and practices. But I do know a thing or two about love. And let me tell you, that only a true love can span the distance between planets and brave a path for two people from different worlds to be together. It took your mother and I two life-times to finally be together, and our worlds are practically next-door neighbors. Who knows what the Saiyan King and his human Queen had to go through to be together."
"That's why the Prince is a half-breed." Nodded the Princess. "Because the King fell in love with a Earthling."
"Don't say 'half-breed'." Her father admonished. "Its rude. 'Dual lineage' would be more accurate. But I'm sure they have their own term for it. There's quite a few dual lineage Saiyans running around the Empire now. From what I hear at least."
"Right." Nodded Small Lady. "Hey, Papa, do you think I'll ever meet that dual lineaged boy from ten years ago?"
Once again, King Endymion paused, this time thoughtful. Considering his daughter. "The universe is a big place." He said at last. "But I suppose all things are possible. But that was a decade ago, Chibiusa-chan. You both were very different people back then. You might have already met him again without even realizing it."
"Oh, no." The Princess shook her head, quite sure of herself. "If I found him again, I would know. He was my friend. Up until, well, you know…"
"I remember." Nodded her father. "Why are you so determined to find him again?"
"Because!" And here the Princess paused. Her words faltering. Unsure of how to answer. "Because I need to apologize to him. I thought he was a Youma. And it was my fault he looked at the moon in the first place. Even if we never see each other ever again, I want to make sure he doesn't hate me."
Endymion reached a hand out to pat his daughter on top of her pink pigtailed head. "It was so long ago, and you both were so young then. He probably doesn't even remember it."
…
Trunks stared at the blank comm screen long after his father ended the transmission.
It figured. Travel all the way to Earth, across lightyears of distance, then have to turn around and go home without even setting foot on the surface first! Damn Ice-jin! Spoiling his holiday! And he planned to have so much fun too! It was summer in the northern hemisphere. That meant surfing off the Hawaiian Archipelago. Rafting down the Colorado. Backpacking through the Black Forest. Climbing Mt. Fuji. Sailing, and fishing, and snorkeling. Beach parties. Camping. Then maybe fly down to the southern hemisphere for skiing and snowboarding. Sledding. Hockey! Oh, yes… hockey. Maybe an epic snowball fight with Goten…
Then they would get a couple of women. Dinner in Paris. Dancing in Spain. Then back to their places, or maybe check into one of those resort hotels in Norway, for some hot kinky sex! In fact, forget the surfing and the snowboarding, the sex was a bit of a higher priority. But not anymore, apparently. Not now that the Patriot was ordered back to the capital.
Damn! The Prince was mad! Frustrated and man.
Goten would, of course, be more disappointed about not being able to visit his family. Not that Trunks could blame him. Son Chichi was, quite possibly, the best cook in the Empire. (But don't say that to loudly in front of any of the chefs employed at the Imperial palace!) Then, of course, he'd probably want to catch up with his brother, Goahn. And considering the new development of his father's most recent death, the Captain would probably also want to help with the Dragon Ball search. That actually sounded fun! Maybe if their leave hadn't just been revoked, the Prince would have joined them on that.
But no. He had to return to Vegeta-sei.
The door to his quarters slid open without a request for entrance or his permission. That meant it was Goten -speak of the devil. Even if Trunks hadn't sense his ki from down the corridor, the Captain was the only person who dared barge into the Prince's quarters without asking. Goten flopped down on the Prince's bunk with a sigh.
"So, what did he saw? Are we going back to Vegeta-sei?"
"What do you think?" Trunks replied, brushing his hair out of his face. Honestly, sometimes Chibi could be so optimistically naive to the point of stupidity. It must be an inherited trait. Both Kakarot and Gohan were the exact same way. Always thinking the best of everything. "How long will it take to resupply and refuel the Patriot?"
Goten groaned. "A couple hours, give or take. The men are not gonna be happy."
Neither was the Prince. He crossed his arms over his chest and thought for a moment. Debating whether or not he wanted to incur his father's wrath this week. "If we report engine trouble, that could buy us an extra day. We could stop in and say 'hi' to your family at least. Maybe get some drinks and pick up some women…"
"Ever since the stunt you pulled at 55-Cancree two years ago, your father's been checking the Patriot's Logs every time we return to the capital, that includes the Engineering Logs." The Captain informed him. "If we report engine trouble but there's no documentation of the problem, he'll know you lied to him again and that I went along with it. I'm getting pretty sick and tired of Nappa kicking the crap out of me over your schemes."
"Aw, but hey! Look at it this way, he's just helping you get stronger, Chibi." Trunks grinned. After all, Nappa's beatings on Goten were nothing compared to Vegeta's beatings on Trunks.
"Well it doesn't feel that way when I'm floating in a regen tank!"
"But I bet you feel amazing when you get out." Trunks smiled at the microscopic shrug of confirmation his friend gave. That was thing thing with Saiyans, the harder they were beaten, the more damage they took, the stronger they became. "Besides, didn't you already surpass Nappa a long time ago?"
"Yes." He admitted. "But he doesn't know it."
Trunks grinned knowingly. If Goten didn't really want to suffer through being reprimanded by the King's Lieutenant he didn't have to. It was something the Prince understood perfectly well.
"Sometimes I think you piss your father off because you like being punished." The Captain muttered.
"Of course." That knowing grin turned smug. "Its the fastest way to get stronger that I've found. Not to mention, way more fun than actual training! And its always easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission."
Goten only sighed in exasperation.
"So, father's been checking the Engineering Logs?" The Prince asked.
"Yes." Groaned his friend. He just said that.
"Do you wanna see your family before we leave?"
"Ye-" Goten cut himself off before the word could escape his lips and sat bolt upright. "Why? What are you planning?"
Trunks didn't answer, not exactly. He brushed his bangs out of his eyes and stood from his seat in front of the comm, saying, "You go back to the bridge and oversee things like a good Captain should. I'm just gonna head down to Steerage for a bit. See how the boys are doing. Take a look at the engines… Ya know, it has been a while since the Patriot's last tune-up."
The Captain shook his head. Yeah, it would be nice to see his family for a bit, especially after coming so far. His mother would certainly appreciate the visit, with his father being dead again. He could catch up with Gohan and see his niece. That last time Goten laid eyes on little Pan-chan she was still in diapers. She should be about five now. Two years younger than Princess Bra. But… "No. Trunks, if this was just being reassigned to another boarder patrol or policing a fringe system, I'd say sure. Lets sabotage our own ship and take an unsanctioned vacation. But the fleet might actually need the Patriot when they go up against the Ice-jin. Its not just the King that's counting on us this time."
"Damn. Look at you, acting all responsible and stuff." The Prince scoffed.
"I'm serious." Insisted Goten. "This is real war. We're actually gonna go up against the Ascendancy this time! I think rejoining the Fleet is a higher priority right now than a little mini-holiday on Earth."
"You're gonna go up against the Ascendancy." Trunks corrected. "I've been reassigned to the Dominance as soon as we get back to Vegeta-sei."
"That sucks." Goten stood to slap his friend unsympathetically on the shoulder. Ha! This time it would be him having the time of his life, fighting score of soldiers in outer space while Trunks looked on passively. "I'll bring you back a finger or something. As a souvenir."
"Don't go doing me any favors." Sneered the Prince. Not feeling placated in the least.
Goten only laughed at his friend's expense. Then, after a bit of a pause. "Hey, I wonder what those Lunarian Senshi techniques would do against the Ice-jin. Maybe your father should sign a treaty with them so we can actually see them in a fight. I couldn't sense any ki from their teleport thing. I wonder where their power comes from. It would sure be a surprise for the Ascendancy, huh."
"I've also been ordered to stay away from the Moon Kingdom." Trunks informed him.
"Really?" Blinked the Captain. "Why?"
"No idea." Shrugged the Prince. "I think it has to do with something that happened ten years ago, a little bit before you and I became friends. But I can't remember it."
…