Chapter 6

Vegeta walked briskly alongside Worf, musing over the role of First Officer aboard this vessel. He was certain that no matter what issues arose, he could resolve them quickly. After all, he was used to dealing with warring factions and delicate deliberations. He was also aware of what demands of the number of people aboard the vessel. Their safety had to be the first thing that comes to mind. "What seat am I to take aboard the bridge when I get there and what kinds of protocols am I to be following?"

Worf looked over at the other warrior, knowing this was a person used to running an Empire. "We have 1,017 members on board this vessel. We are a ship of exploration. Nothing must conflict with the Prime Directive of non-interference. There are three rotating shifts. Sometimes they flex and fluctuate as needed. You will be expected to protect the Captain at any given time and take command should he request it. While here, your title is Commander. However it would be good to know your last name."

"My last name is Sama. It is odd that people go by rank and their last names. On my home, they refer to me simply as Lord Vegeta, Sire, or some other title fitting of a King. Its been a while since I have served aboard a ship." Vegeta stated with a tone of certainty.

Once they reached the quarters, Worf entered with him. "Commander, it is alright here to show emotion and weakness from time to time. Humans seem to like when they can help. I have grown rather accustomed to it."

"You too are a warrior, of that I have known. As for showing weakness or emotion, that is to be decided upon yet. On my world, showing a weakness may as well sign a death warrant. It invites the others waiting for a moment to strike an opportunity and they would not hesitate to do so." Vegeta stated and then let out a deep breath. "I will report to the bridge as soon as I have changed."

After Worf had left, Vegeta could almost feel a heavy burden lift from his shoulders. He no longer had to make all of the decisions. However the warrior pulled off his Saiyan clothing and armor and then held up the uniform. He would slip a thin but long string to the zipper and then got into it, pulling the string upward to zip it up. He then would take the string off and pulled on the black shoes and put on the comm badge. Once that was on, Vegeta secured the pips to the collar of the uniform, three in all to show his ranking.

Folding his Saiyan uniform, he glanced at it momentarily, knowing this was not permanent. Then straightening up, he composed himself in front of the mirror briefly. Straightening up, the Saiyan King made sure that everything was in perfect order before walking from the room. Taking a deep breath, he stepped on to the turbo lift and then gave his destination to the computer.

When the doors cycled open again, Vegeta stepped confidently onto the bridge and momentarily took in the setting. He had been here before so it was not something that new to him. However he was now immersed with a different culture. He knew it could take time to get used to their protocols. "Commander Sama reporting for duty as requested, Sir." Vegeta stated as he came to stand at perfect attention, noting the gaze of everyone on the bridge upon him.

"At ease Commander." Picard stated with ease in his voice, noting the rigid manner in protocol. "You are aware of the people here on bridge at this time. Come take a seat to my right."

Once the Saiyan had taken a seat, it seemed that the others would return to their tasks. Taking in the moment, Vegeta glanced lightly about, noting the almost casual state that they worked. Letting out a bit of a breath, he would seem a bit uneasy at first until the Captain nodded. "Lets get your brother."

Vegeta nodded only once. "Turn about thirty degrees to the left and stay on that heading. It should take you to planet Spara where my younger brother is residing."

The Captain nodded. "Make it so, helm and engage."

"Aye Captain." The helmsman stated and soon they were traveling at nearly warp nine.

The Saiyan seemed to settle after about an hour, his fingers tapping on the armrest as the warrior stared out at the space that slipped past. It was then that Captain Picard would stand up and then nodded lightly. "Commander, you're with me to my ready room. Data, you're in charge."

"Aye Captain." Data stated as Vegeta and Picard stood and walked out.

The warrior watched the transition quietly and then followed the Captain to the Ready Room as he had called it. As the door slipped closed behind them the Captain took a seat and then motioned to one for Vegeta to sit in. The Saiyan looked at it and then sat down, his posture seemingly impeccable. "I know this is new for you. You seem a bit uneasy, but I have no doubt you'll do just fine."

"Thank you for the support, Captain. I will adjust given a bit of time. Transitions to other cultures are often trivial at best." Vegeta replied with not the slightest trace of discouragement.

Picard nodded lightly. "This exchange is so that we can learn from each other. You have been a sound ruler now for many years. I know you would have some ideas of making things more efficient."

"Yes Captain, and should I come across any inefficiency, I shall report it accordingly. I do believe that is standard protocol here." Vegeta stated with almost no emotion.

The Captain had to wonder. "On your planet, are you always so uptight? You don't seem like you relax that easily."

Vegeta furrowed a brow lightly. "I don't have time to relax. If I'm not making complex decisions, I'm usually training. We often train to build our fighting strength. When we Saiyans guided the Enterprise back to Federation Space and when I was caught in the explosion of the bomb, my strength increased. it's a secret to our power that is not known and I would rather it be kept that way."

"You are telling me that every time you are in some way weakened, you get stronger?" Picard asked raising a brow, intrigued.

"Yes Captain. We are the living adage of 'what doesn't kill me only makes me stronger'. The more a Saiyan fights, stronger the opponent, the stronger we become. We also have the ability to adapt to about any type of environment making it possible for us to complete our missions as needed."

"Very well Commander, your abilities will be kept secret so long as you feel the need for it to be maintained. I do not see it posing threat to any of the other crew or the ship. If you decide to tell the others, that will be at your discretion." Picard leaned back in his seat as he watched the warrior in front of him, his hands clasped lightly.

"Thank you, Captain. It is highly appreciated." Vegeta stated and as soon as the conversation ended they both walked back out to the bridge once more, the Saiyan seeming to be more at ease.

As they slipped through space, Vegeta watched as the stars seemed to pass. Even though the rest of the crew on the bridge was conversing with each other, Vegeta seemed to remain quiet. When Worf looked at the Commander he had to wonder just what was going through the Saiyan's thoughts. Now that he was aboard, it seemed as though the Saiyan King was little more than a ghost.

Vegeta stood up momentarily and then narrowed his gaze lightly. "There's someone off our starboard side. Its not Cardassian though. Its from someone else."

Data looked back at the Saiyan. "There does not seem to be anyone else out there, Commander. Perhaps there are some miscalculations?"

Vegeta shook his head. "Its no miscalculation, Data."

Picard looked over toward the Commander and watched the view screen for a time. There seemed nothing but empty space out there. "Run the scans Data. Lets see if there's anyone out there. Use tecion scans to see if someone is cloaked."

Data set to work as Picard gave command. "Yellow alert, shields up." He then turned toward Vegeta. "Are you certain there's someone out there?"

No sooner had the Captain asked then a Romulan ship uncloaked and a couple photon torpedoes had struck the shields that had just been raised. The ship lurched to the side as the Saiyan braced the Captain, keeping him from falling. "I hate to answer a question with a question Captain, but do I really need to answer?"

The Captain could not help but to chuckle at the irony of the situation. "Remind me to never question that ability of your's, Commander. What are the integrity of the shields Data?"

Data ran the computations quickly. "Shields are holding steady at one hundred percent Captain."

"Captain the Romulans are departing. Shall we give chase?" Worf stated almost as though wanting to see where they were headed.

"No, we stay on course to Planet Spara. Go to warp eight and hold it there." The Captain stated again turning to the Saiyan that was serving as his second in command. Going to take a seat, he noted that Vegeta waited until he sat first. He wrote it off as being perhaps another custom of the Saiyans. "Any longer, we would have been destroyed."

"That was unusual for a Romulan as well. Something is going on and I want to find out what Captain. They are seldom so far out of their Empire Borders and only then on missions of Diplomacy." Vegeta stated as a brow knit in concern.

Worf and Data looked over at Vegeta once more. It seemed that having a Saiyan aboard was going to be interesting to say the least. Worf however would not find trepidation having seen the Saiyan protect them now more than once. One thing was clear. The Warrior King certainly had their best interests at heart. How powerful he was though was yet to be seen.

Vegeta merely sat back in the seat, seeming to again take up that silent vigil that had just now prevented a successful attack upon the Enterprise. With the heave of a deep breath escaping his chest, Vegeta came to ease with the rest of the crew now on the bridge. The Saiyan watched, listening to the conversations.

Once the first day was done, Vegeta rose and then started to head for his quarters when he was stopped by a couple children playing. He stopped momentarily, his gaze lingered as they laughed. As they took off down the passageways once more, Vegeta continued on his way. There was a pause as the warrior stopped at the door to his room before looking down the corridor again. Soon he shook his head and then moved into the room.

After the Saiyan showered and came back out, the warrior would change to a pair of shorts, some sneaker type shoes, a tank top style shirt, and grabbed a towel. He took the comm badge with him just in case he was needed. Just as he was stepping out to the passageway again, he would see the Captain coming toward him. He had a feeling that his time training may be delayed, putting the towel around the back of his neck.

Picard looked around momentarily and then as Vegeta moved back into the room, the Captain followed. As Vegeta offered a seat, the Captain sat down as Vegeta offered a cup of earl gray, hot in temperature as he himself grabbed some water. "I wanted to see how your first day was, Vegeta."

Vegeta looked over at the Captain and shrugged lightly. "It was rather intriguing, but relaxed to what I am usually used to. Something else though has brought you here, from what I gather."

"You knew there was a Romulan ship off our starboard side when nothing else indicated it was there." Picard stated, taking the cup of tea and sipped from it.

Vegeta furrowed a brow lightly. "It's the ability to sense life energy. You can hide a ship, and its emissions. You cannot hide the fact that every person, every living thing, has that energy in them. The Romulans are of no exception and even their cloaks cannot hide that. It was just a matter of keeping alert to outside energies."

"You alone seem to make about everything else redundant around here with your capabilities, but without them, we would have been destroyed. I think I'm beginning to understand why you do not want so many to know your full abilities. If they knew, they may begin to despise or even hate you." Picard seemed to begin grasping the reason for the Commander not wanting to express his abilities.

Taking a sip of the water, Vegeta shook his head. "Hate and despise from the crew is not what worries me, and I'd be far from replacing the crew. It was just circumstance that I was aboard, that's all. This mission is to bring my brother to my home. The least I can do is help protect this vessel and its crew from any potential harm. It was your crew that put up the shields. I only gave the alert."

The Captain nodded lightly. "True, maybe we're just not used to having you aboard nor your capabilities. I hope that having you on board though will come to some greater use."

The Saiyan nodded once. "One step at a time. I was just going to hone in on some of my skills. A regular room with some training equipment would suffice for now."

"I think I know just the place." Picard stated with just a bit of a smile and rose as Vegeta followed closely behind.

As they walked the ship's passageways, Picard could not help but to wonder. "What was your childhood like? You seem highly disciplined."

Vegeta quietly walked beside for a time, but when it came to speaking of his childhood, he tensed lightly, his jaw clenching a bit. He stopped momentarily, turning his head to the side before he noted the Captain's concern. "I was orphaned at age four, forced to survive by whatever means I could. It meant having to be better, faster, and stronger than anyone or anything else. I was Prince at the time, which meant I was the only one that I knew of that carried on the Saiyan legacy. That meant I had to be disciplined. I had no choice. Other than that, its rather personal and I do not wish to really indulge in the past. It distracts from the present."

Jean-Luc would raise a brow at hearing such a harsh life, but Vegeta did not seem the type to want pity. "You are not very forthcoming. Perhaps you should report to our Councilor."

"The only thing I need right now is a place to train." Vegeta stated perhaps a bit curtly.

Picard however did not take offense. The notion that he was even able to go along with Vegeta seemed to take on a pretense that not many often were permitted to see what he did to train. "May I ask what to expect when you 'train'? I suspect it is not something that is usual."

Vegeta nodded once. "It gets rather intense. However, a Saiyan always gets stronger after every battle. Training is a substitute for combat conditions. A true warrior is always ready, even in times of peace."

When they reached the door, it slid open with the noted whisper that of its servomotors gave off when opening or closing the door. When Vegeta stepped inside, he noticed the mirrors on the wall. The floor was white, but the warrior glanced about. Seeing the training equipment, Vegeta put the weights on and then turned them up until he could barely move. His gaze seemed to grow determined and as he lifted the arms, he would stand first, allowing his body to get used to it before he began his actual training.

Picard would move to sit in a chair as he watched the warrior take on an intensity and ferocity that he had never seen before even in Worf. The movements were at first able to be seen with his own eyes as the warrior threw a couple punches, followed by a side kick. As the hour wore on, the Saiyan's speed increased, his accuracy improved to pinpoint accuracy as the Captain leaned forward.

When the Captain could no longer see the strikes, he raised a brow. The warrior's body seemed to strain whenever he did pause. However the Captain did not interfere. There seemed to be a moment when the warrior paused, standing, seeming to want to collapse when Vegeta's brow furrowed. "No…I can do more." The Captain nearly moved to stop him from straining himself, but then watched as the warrior seemed to again do the impossible. He continued on.

It was three hours later and the weights turned up even more that the warrior would finally stop. Letting the weights fall to the floor, the Saiyan would stop. His chest heaved with each breath as he lay upon his back. Every muscle in his body screamed for him to stop, but he shifted to sit up. Taking the towel up, he wiped the sweat from his brow.

Captain Picard stood up as the Saiyan rose to his feet once more. The weights rested on the floor. Vegeta looked to the deck as well and nodded lightly reaching down to turn them down. Jean stopped him short, calling Data to their location. "I normally do not sit during a training. I usually participate. However, I do not believe that I could have kept up."

Vegeta nodded only lightly. "Usually I train under 400 to 450 times gravity. This was a light workout, something to keep me from getting soft."

Data would walk in at that point. "You had requested my presence Captain?" He asked in a casual manner.

"The weights over there, can you lift them Mister Data?" Picard pointed to the floor where the weights now rested.

Data would go over and grew curious as he tried to lift the weights. "Captain, it would take a considerable amount of force to lift these. They are about ten tons a piece and with four of them…"

"It would be forty tons." Picard's gaze moved to the weights on the floor as he made the simple computations.

"As I stated Captain, a light workout for what I normally train by." Vegeta then turned down the weights to normal and then put them away before he would pull his shirt back on.

The warrior only glanced at the mirror briefly as he turned and look toward Picard and Data once more. "Since it is our personal time, I would assume you have a lot more questions you want to ask and it seems there is enough time to do so, Captain."

"Actually I do, Mister Sama, but they can be asked in the privacy of the Captain's Ready Room. Right now I have prior engagements. I will see you in the morning at the briefing. Report to Engineering and show Mister La Forge how to repair the Saiyan technology tomorrow as well." Jean-Luc stated as he stood up, summoning Data to follow him.

"Aye Captain." Vegeta stated, standing as well as he walked briskly to his own quarters for now. He was just getting out of the shower when he heard the door chime again. With it still in the early evening, Vegeta stood up as he allowed them to come in. He looked at Deanna momentarily and then offered her a seat. He however, pulled out a bag and began to unpack for now.

Deanna looked at a worn image of a father and son together in an image. "Is this your father?" She asked, looking at it, but not touching, sensing from the Saiyan that he was still very guarded.

"Yes, that was my father before his death. It's the only image I have of him so I'm very protective of that picture." Vegeta stated as he moved to set the journal down on the nightstand. "I trust no one enters into rooms just to rummage through?" His hand lingered upon the aged cover.

"These are your quarters and no one enters without invitation. I did not get to properly introduce myself earlier. I am Councilor Deanna Troi. I know you are of the Saiyan Culture and that this must be a bit of a shock to your customs coming to a new place with an entirely different culture." She smiled with gentle thoughtfulness, trying to put him at more ease.

Vegeta nodded, letting his hand come off the journal for now as the warrior looked back toward her. "No offense Councilor, but its just not too easy for me to express emotions that may indicate weakness. You are right though, this is a bit of a culture shock."

Deanna nodded, remaining standing until Vegeta offered her a seat, not wanting to impose on him too much. When he did offer a seat, she would sit where directed, remembering her brief time on Planet Vegeta. Then she would cross her right leg over her left and relaxed into the seat. "Would you like to talk about anything while I'm here?' The Betazoid asked again gently.

The Saiyan King only glanced toward her as the few possessions he had brought were placed about the room. "I don't suppose to really speak of myself too much but I do want to ask why everyone here seems so concerned about my emotional well-being. If we spoke to people like you on my world, we would be thought of as weak. We cannot afford that appearance. We have grown as solid in emotion as we have in our physical prowess."

Deanna noted the cold, nearly agitated state in which the question was asked. The irritance was now tinged in his voice. "You may not be used to working with humans and a cold tone tends to put everyone on guard around you. To be honest Vegeta, they are rather intimidated by you. Perhaps if you let your guard down a little they would respond better to you and not take such high interest."

As Vegeta sat down across from the Councilor, he seemed to lean forward to listen to what she had to say. The warrior looked at her again, raising just his gaze, but not his head. "There may be a way in which I can summon for your assistance without the appearance of weakness and for you to assist a bit more freely according to my cultural customs. However, I can't force you to agree anymore than I can be forced to speak to you."

"What do you have in mind?" Councilor Troi asked with curious enthusiasm.

"If I thought of you more as an adviser instead of a councilor, it may ease the transitions a bit, and I can afford to let my guard down a bit more. it's a bit of a compromise, but I'm willing to try it if you are." Vegeta stated, pressing his fingertips together in thought.

Deanna gave a light smile. "I would be honored to take that role for you."

Vegeta nodded and for a rare moment seemed to smile if ever so lightly. There seemed to be a lot more promise to this crew than he had initially thought. The warrior finally leaned back. "Well then, there may be some things we can talk about after all."