The transit method and carbon Nano-tubes described in this chapter are not my inventions. If you are interested in learning more about these existing theories and designs please google them.
The laboratory was crowded that morning, scientist buzzing about in an energetic flurry Bulma had not experienced the day before. The scientist herself had spent the better part of her night silently fuming at the situation in her too small bed, before putting her anger to use and bringing thoughts and ideas to paper for the current project. The overall field of planetary protection on such a large scale was still relatively new to her - until recently she had dejectedly believed that she had been born too early to explore the universe, only here to observe the first unsteady steps towards the sky being taken - but now, she was on an alien world! Reminding herself of the twisted turn fate had taken to bring her here helped redirect her bristling pride and emotions, and soon her anger had dissipated into intense focus. While she had made progress in her new endeavor Bulma had gotten rather little sleep and being unable to find anything even remotely resembling coffee in the food hall she now had to fight the pulling force of sleep on her own.
Despite the sluggish feeling in her bones, she leaned over the Interactive Planetary System, a version of the very interactive console she had seen Vegeta use during their first meeting, even though she was fairly sure he had used it for a very different purpose, entering the first calculations for a possible solution. While the IPS started the overall rundown of calculations in a variety of different simulations Bulma went to work on sketching out the first rough drafts of a drone design that had come to her as the first blushes of red tinted the morning sky. The dual stars had been a breathtaking phenomenon during sunrise, the red tint reminding her of a past project on earth leading to the genius idea her scientific mind was now putting to paper.
In fact, Bulma was so immersed in her sketching that she did not notice when the Laboratory fell silent. It was the sound of doors swooshing shut, breaking the absolute sudden silence, behind whoever had just entered that startled her enough to look up. On the other side of the lab, straight across from her, the King had entered, Raditz flanking him to the left followed by men she had never seen before. Their dark gazes pinning her to the spot where she stood as Bulma found herself to be the only one upright. All Saiyans had their heads bowed in what she assumed was a show of respect, while all non-Saiyan species had all but dropped to the floor. Her spine straightened almost on instinct as her eyes returned to Vegeta and his entourage, the stony faces of the men behind him spoke volumes about the blasphemous act she was committing, while his eyebrows arched in amusement.
He remembered how she had venomously sped that she, Bulma Briefs, bowed to nobody. Time seemed to stand still as the unspoken challenge hung between them, the air thick with tension and shock as every fiber in her body screamed at her not to submit, not to go back on her own words. But her rational mind knew the protocol, despite everything she was a guest on this alien world, more precisely she was his guest - and it was likely unwise to piss their new hosts off less than 24hrs into their stay. Heat rose in her neck as stubbornness and the professional awareness for protocol fought desperately for the upper hand. Besides to her, a pink-skinned worker cleared her throat in an almost pleading manner, and Bulma considered that perhaps her refusal could have severe consequences for everyone. Yet steel seemed to have replaced the bones in her spine, her pride would not let her bow, as the facial expression of even Raditz, shifted to a provoked twitch the scientist decided to extend an olive branch - or offend them more. She bowed her head in Saiyan fashion. Blue eyes remained unblinkingly focused on the dark gaze of the man that quite literally ruled them all.
The collective gasp that went throughout the room made it an easy feat to establish that she had broken all the rules. Good. Time seemed to stretch on for forever as the King held her gaze, before everything and everyone seemed to suddenly speed up, the Emperor's re-directed scrutiny and first step forward propelled everyone back into motion as if someone had simply briefly played with time itself. Bulma refocused her attention towards the Interactive Planetary System to monitor the stimulations that had run through the system so far, a few of the outputs showed room from improvement in her estimations, and while she was reaching for a pen to work out the problem she noticed her hands shaking slightly. Despite her bravado adrenaline was still pumping through her body, an exhilarating thrill she had missed, but Vegeta was also a worthy opponent that demanded respect like nobody she had ever encountered before.
Engrossed in her work the morning flitted by in the blink of an eye, and the frenzied flow of ideas and inspiration that had taken hold of her after correcting a few mathematical errors carried her even through the realization that King Vegeta was making the rounds, checking on progress and being briefed on success rates, while actively ignoring her. People usually flocked to her, wanting to see what her brilliant mind had conjured up right away, drinking in her innovations like children excited for their birthday, and the fact that she was now likely to be last stung her ego. It stung a lot.
When gold tipped boots entered her field of view right around the same time as the crowd of workers started to thin out and leave for midday-break - the Saiyan version of lunch - Bulma wanted to howl in laughter and rage. Well played, well played. Vegeta had strategically singled her out till the last minute, creating one on one time - likely to rain hell down upon her for her previous behavior - without having to remove her from her station, while simultaneously making her miss a meal - feasibly a punishment. A brilliant move and the previous sting to her ego started to bubble and fester as she conceded this to herself; she had not seen it coming. Perhaps she had pushed too hard.
Heat seemed to radiate off his body in waves as he came to stand next to her, dark eyes studying the display of the IPS, taking in the various sketches and blueprints she had created in addition to the calculations she had run. This close to him Bulmas stomach squeezed again in the same deceitful way it had when she had first met him; when she had found him in the gardens, when she had interrupted his bath. Heat rose to her cheeks. It was not fair that the ruler of the Universe, and undoubtedly greatest jerk, was this handsome. To her great bewilderment, his eyes remained trained on the task at hand and he stayed silent about the earlier ordeal. Color her surprised. The sound of Vegeta clicking his tongue against his teeth in obvious annoyance brought her back to reality. Cold, sobering reality. Furrowing her brows Bulma focused on what she did best, solve problems, and so she dove head first into the work spread out in front of them, after all, she really did not want to spend another night in that terribly mundane room.
"I have familiarized myself with the problem at hand" she began, it was obvious that this was more of a small one-sided presentation than anything else, "the ideas previously entertained were all good starting points, but the plasma shields work both ways, meaning while blocking attacks -firing back becomes impossible too. Not to mention the problem with the en-.."
He held up his hand, large and strong and gloved, and Bulma had to fight the urge to roll her eyes with every fiber in her body. Vegeta had been correct in his statement during the previous night, he was her superior, at least publicly - at least for now - and one did not rule such a vast Empire without protocol and respect. If she did not want to be in the next pod home, or dead, she needed to try and be an acceptable guest -even if only partially. If someone would have challenged her in her own territory like this, Bulma would have thrown them out. So with all the professionalism she had attained and mastered, she listened.
"I am well aware of the problems and shortcomings of previous plans. Hence your involvement in this project" he had tilted his head, regarding her with a guarded gaze so intense she briefly wondered if he could read her mind, " I am here to hear new ideas and solutions. Only."
Practical and to the point - like Nappa had been when he had landed on earth and shaken everything humanity had thought feasible, briefly she wondered just who had affected who in this regard. Taking a deep breath and surveying her work she told him as precisely and to the point as she could. Told him about the transit method of cloaking the planet's orbital journey for species possibly yet to discover the planet, how a laser beam could counteract the dip in brightness when the planet crossed path with its sun and automatically created an observable dark spot, with some tuning even the emitted laser colors could be matched to Vegetaseis suns. She told him about the potential drawback of making the planetary signal look artificial and thus turning the cloak into a beacon instead, about the possibility of nano-tubes and their light absorbency that would turn the red marble to dark nothing like the rest of the universe. And finally, she told him about her robotic drones, how they could assemble in the higher atmosphere and create a laser grit that would effectively grate any invader like swiss cheese.
Vegeta had listened to her every word, followed along the graphs and blueprints which she had utilized to explain all the options she had thought of, and found herself surprised yet again when he simply listened respectfully and then, without debate, pointed to the blueprint of her laser grit and robots,
"These. Everything else provides too many uncertainties. The entire system will need an immediate and seamless backup should the first grit be knocked down. I desire a prototype within the moon cycle, small-scale preferably before that, plan accordingly."
She simply nodded enthusiastically, immense unsought pride swelling in her chest that he had picked her idea. While she had modified existing concepts and approaches with the other options and added her personal touches to them, the armada of robot drones able to produce a laser grit that could be controlled for by each individual single created cell, hence also solving the entry and exit problem for pods, was truly her mind's own creation. Perhaps her brightest considering how unfamiliar she had been with the overall topic just a few hours before. For the briefest of seconds, her professional demeanor shifted and she unthinkingly gifted him with a bright smile, her eyes surely conveying the satisfaction and excitement she felt, that was until she met his eyes. The professional mask of indifference was still perfectly in place but his eyes held no warmth, cold as the empty void of space she had crossed to be here, and Bulma instinctively knew that her little stunt from earlier would have consequences, his professional demeanor concealing his anger.
Never one to be intimidated Bulma pushed forward, "Per our agreement a new room will be provided for me today". A statement, not a question.
Vegeta merely clicked his tongue again and strode away, for a split second she could have sworn he had rolled his eyes in his departure but her attention was diverted to the workstation of her assistant towards the glass windows of the lab. Aika had just settled back into her chair, and of all people Raditz was rather comfortably, casually, leaning into her personal space. Alarm bells rang in the heiresses head in all but war-like glory as she observed the way in which a muscled arm snaked around the back of the chair, the dark-haired young woman Bulma had come to cherish - at least on a professional level - was blushing like a young girl being acknowledged by the guy everyone wanted. A recipe for absolute disaster. Her feet were carrying her in hasty steps towards the pair as if she had the actual strength - or right - to hush Raditz away. In the end, she didn't have to, the Saiyan snapped to full attention and was by Vegeta's side and out the door before she had formulated a direct plan of action. As the heavy doors sealed them back into the world of technology and invention she caught the King shaking his head in clear disapproval at his right-hand man.
When she arrived at her bedroom later that day, hours of progress behind her, and a shower the only thing on her mind, even in the terribly small washroom, she was greeted by an unexpected sight. The female servant that was waiting for her, the same girl Bulma had instructed to deliver the book to Vegeta. There was no book in her hands but a simple message, she'd assist in packing if needed and would lead her to her new room. King of all jerks he may be, but man of his word.
The stars were unusually bright this night and the woman was taking much longer than he had anticipated. A fact that irritated and pleased him at the same time, he hated to be left waiting, but she was obviously a dedicated and skilled worker, willing to invest not only her skills but her time. The blue haired whirlwind of defiance was overall much more irritating than any other being he had encountered since becoming King, the blatant show of disrespect earlier in the lab today still had his blood boiling, his inner beast screaming to rectify the wrong that had been done by spilling her blood, but that would be no real challenge. Human females seemed to be as fragile as twigs on a newly sprouting bush, and Vegeta ignored the uncomfortable sensation that arose with the mental image of her lifeless body. It was nothing, he was simply tired.
This room had a nice view of the Capital, high enough off the ground that she would not be able to follow the lure of exploration and more defiance, the balcony railing pressed into his lower back and Vegeta shifted his weight to be more comfortable. His evening workout had dampened his flaring temper and allowed him to assess his options more clearly. Killing her was not a choice, after having seen what her mind could create in the late hours of the night Vegeta knew that she could bring fresh wind to old problems, not to mention that her father would likely, foolishly, put an end to the delivery of capsules should his daughter die. Those little objects a most valuable commodity at this time. Had some of his council not been present during the routine progress inspections Vegeta was sure he would have outwardly raged at her disrespect. Just thinking about it made his fingers twitch, his muscles begging him to release the pent-up energy and rage; throw, break, scream, threaten. Instead, he had ignored her till the very last moment, after he'd had time to reign his temper and the practical foresight that enduring this would aide his Kingdom in the long run.
Her bright smile, after picking the drone design, had caught him off guard. Nobody had smiled at him like that in a very long time, perhaps his mother before her death, when he had still been nothing but a young boy. The vibrancy of her eyes had made his stomach clench and had he been a lesser man he was sure his stoic expression of indifference would have cracked. She was such a contradiction, blatantly disrespecting him in one moment and preening with pride under his well concealed praise the next. The only stable trait that he was able to observe was the absence of fear. Anger, pride, outrage, joy, sure, but never fear. A very Saiyan trait. Grinding the molars of his teeth in annoyance Vegeta exhaled, he had a clear mission for this night. Training equipment for his personal use and strict rules of conduct that would set boundaries. Boundaries that would prevent her from evoking him with the need to blast her into oblivion for her brazenness and disregard.
His mind was just drifting back to her interrupting his private bathing time, chest clenching in trickery when the swooshing sound of the door opening brought him back to his senses. This close he could feel the weak pulse of her Ki as she maneuvered around the room, no doubt expecting it, as he stayed rooted to the ground on his spot on the patio, it was only a matter of time before she would discover him out here. To his disappointment the woman did not startle when she stepped over the swell of the door, leveling him with a sharp gaze while a hand came to rest on the flare of her hip. She was so petite, like a doll he could easily throw over his shoulder a-..
"I was expecting you to be present. This new room is acceptable, but that's hardly why you are here" her voice held no room for nonsense, and her shoulders had squared into what was undoubtedly her battle stance, "are punishments always delivered in person, or am I just special?"
She bit the last part, but it was obvious to him that her attempt at a sarcastic tone of voice did not match the vulgar assumption she had thrown at him, likely to try and make him uncomfortable, catch him off guard. He moved like lightning. Her throat underneath his large, strong hand seemed otherworldly delicate and the beast inside of him relished the way she had to balance on her toes to keep from being completely subjected to his mercy. The frantic beating of her heart a siren song to his ears as he pressed her harder against the sun-warmed walls of his palace. Her pupils dilated in a fashion that all but screamed prey and Vegeta was sure she could feel the air of his words on her skin when he finally asked the one question he had been unable to answer thus far,
"What do you want woman? What is it you are playing at with the constant need of defiance of my person and intrusion of my privacy?"
She was struggling for air and he loosened his grip incrementally to allow her lungs the precious oxygen she required to give him an answer. While she might have been stubborn and smart, she was not his equal, not in strength. Being this close to her it was easy to observe the emotions that danced in her big eyes and Vegeta was sure that the woman was finally going to crack, when hesitation flitted across her face and her eyes hardened. All her talk of alliances and yet what stood between them was one and the same point of hesitation; distrust. Much like she had bowed her head in the laboratory to him earlier, Vegeta tried again, in a manner he knew she was familiar with.
"We can not enter into alliances until we are acquainted with the design of our neighbors"*
The feeling of victory that danced in his chest when her eyes sparkled in recognition made the corner of his mouth twitch. He had been right, she was more than familiar with the book she had given him, holding out till he acknowledged what she had done after they had first met in his garden. The fluidity with which her eyes changed from guarded determination to hesitant vulnerability made his skin prickle, his chest constricting in an odd mix of anticipation and nervousness he had not experienced in a long time.
"Every society that celebrates you is also waiting to watch you crumble" her voice a soft whisper, her words feathering against his face, "I'm not running an empire, but I am painfully familiar with the shadow-sides of being on the very top." His grip on her neck loosened, merely holding, not restricting, "Perhaps this can be an alliance where no one has to crumble".
The honesty shimmering in the depth of her eyes was mesmerizing, Vegeta was not even sure when he had leaned so close, his mind a whirlwind of foreign emotions as a part of him grasped at the glimmer of hope she had conveyed. She was not defying him out of principle alone, she came from a world that was waiting for her to crumble, make a mistake, be imperfect, she was being the only kind of strong that was acceptable by the standards of her race. Recognition bloomed unwelcomely somewhere deep within him and he cursed the Universe. A woman so familiar with the golden cage that came with leadership and duty was the very woman the bars were keeping out.
Scrutinizing her small frame something protective surged inside of him at the misery that hovered unspoken between them and he had to force himself to step back. This was what Nappa had wanted to spare him from, and he could not prevent his own hand from exasperatedly running over his face. The woman had not moved from her spot on the wall, waiting for him to respond to the stinging truth she had spoken. Exhaling deeply Vegeta decided to focus on a spot on the wall just above her shoulder.
"I need the training equipment we had agreed upon. As you can see, " he waved a gloved hand towards the open balcony doors, " I have kept to our arrangement. Now I need to get stronger." Admitting that he needed to get stronger, as if, perhaps, he was not yet left a sour taste in his mouth and Vegeta forced himself to keep going, taking her small nod as the only indication he needed, "you will work all the necessary calculations and designs so that your team can take over, then you will be reassigned to design my personal equipment. As soon as you can manage"
Because the Cold's are breathing down our necks. Watching determination flicker in her eyes at his words was strangely comforting, her brilliant mind certainly working on some sort of invention already as she stepped away from the wall and closer to him. This close her soft Ki was a soothing hum and Vegeta found the proximity to her oddly comfortable. Silence settled between them as the events of the past few minutes replayed in his mind, the sudden stillness making him uncomfortable, unfamiliar with the possible social protocols she might be accustomed to and expecting. Unsurprisingly she broke the silence first.
"I need access to more appropriate attire. The shift in temperature at night and towards the evenings,... I did not prepare accordingly"
Clothing. She had mentioned that topic of apparent displeasure the night before when she had interrupted him, once again dressed like a variety of flower. Taking in her flowing loose pants and delicate top, exposing a creamy shoulder and the swell of her breast, Vegeta found himself silently agreeing to her voiced request. If this woman, that was accustomed to living life in opulence and riches was anything like Vegeta remembered his mother to be, it was best to keep her away from the bustling commerce of the city.
"I will have a tailor sent to you tomorrow"
She simply nodded, and he found himself mesmerized by the curve of her neck before she gifted him with another of those impossibly bright smiles that she had given him at the lab, and the lake. An act that made him simultaneously uncomfortable and unexplainably calm at the same time. A surveying glance over the all too familiar city reminded Vegeta of the late hour and he used this as all the motivation he needed to bid the alien female a restful night before lifting of the balcony. The whole ordeal had left him feeling exhausted, and he longed for the privacy of his own chambers, his strategic mind already puzzling out the new information and its possible implications for future endeavors. This was most certainly not how he had imagined this confrontation to go, a realization that made irritation and displeasure rise like bile in his throat. This woman was a wild card and despite knowing the consequences he continued to interact with her. Tonight had brought them unexpectedly close - he had to reassess.
Thank you for reading and reviewing!
* marks a quote by Sun Tzu "The Art of War", it points out how important it is to truly know desires and intents of someone before making the decision to trust them and be their ally. (since many allegiances in history have turned sour)
