An Empire Reborn

by Spidersting

Vegeta's left Earth with new plans for the future and someone has gone missing. Goku has been sent to find that someone. Warnings: Violence, language, and possible lemons in later chapters. Rating may change.

11. Finalizing the Plan

Dragon Ball Z: An Empire Reborn

Chapter 11: Finalizing the Plan

Vegeta growled as he stomped down the corridor, followed closely by a pair of guards. He stopped in his tracks and rubbed his temples. A headache had been developing for the last couple hours, but he had not yet had the time to do anything about it. They were almost to 392, which meant he was constantly busy with intelligence calls, military meetings, and, of course, doing whatever it took to keep King Chrystal in the loop of what was going on. It would be only fourteen hours until they arrived at the farthest moon of 392. Intelligence from spies at the base indicated that the Dark Oblivion was set to arrive just hours after Bijou's Justice.

The timing was perfect. Queen Bijou's Justice had already turned on her state-of-the-art cloaking forcefield, which meant that no attack balls or other smaller ships could leave while it was on. Fortunately, no one needed to. The spies on 392 had intercepted transmissions between base FZ1 and the Dark Oblivion, learning there were two prisoners lost aboard the ship. The transmissions did confirm that there was a saiyan prisoner aboard. Vegeta was worried because he knew it would be hard to find Tarble and Bulma if even the ship's crew could not find them for a whole week. The prince needed to call another meeting with the Z fighters to share the new info, as it would be relevant to the search and rescue operation that they would all be involved in.

Fortunately, Vegeta did not have to go all the way down to the soldiers' quarters to find them. "Hey, Vegeta!" came the voice of the irritating Earth saiyan. Vegeta spun on a heel and spotted the Z fighters walking his way from the end of the corridor that he had just come down. "We've been looking for you, 'Geets. Where you been?" Goku greeted as they approached.

"Kakarott!" Vegeta blurted, turning to walk toward them. "There you are."

Goku and the other Z fighters stopped on a dime when they got close enough to observe the royal saiyan's face. The Earth saiyan looked mildly alarmed. "Vegeta, are you okay? You look like you haven't slept in a week," Goku remarked, noting the circles under the prince's eyes. He blinked, observing as Vegeta rubbed his eyes and forehead. "You got a headache or something?"

"I've been busy!" Vegeta snapped. "I have news I need to share with you morons. Come with me," he instructed, pushing past Goku to lead them all to a conference room. Goku grabbed Vegeta's bicep, stopping him in his tracks. The guards tensed. Vegeta knitted his brows sharply and glared up at Goku. "What do you think you're doing? How dare you touch the royal…"

"'Geets, you're not going to be able to lead a search party or command an army in your current state. You need to get some sleep," Goku argued, tightening his grip on the other's arm. "Will you let me try something I learned on Planet Yardrat? It should help and I haven't had the chance to use it yet. Please, Vegeta! I've been dying to try it," the Earth saiyan eagerly beseeched.

Vegeta growled in irritation and pulled his arm back. "I don't need your help, idiot!"

"Clearly you do because you're being a meanie right now," Goku retorted, causing the other saiyan to ball up his fists in anger. Vegeta turned on the other warrior, his gaze emanating hatred.

Krillin and the others jumped back in alarm. "Uh, Goku, you should probably leave him alone right now," the short one blurted. "I don't think he's in any mood to tolerate any kind of…"

Ignoring his friends, Goku knitted his brows decisively and buried his hands in the prince's dark hair. He pressed his palms to Vegeta's scalp and squeezed his eyes shut in concentration. Vegeta furiously grabbed a hold of Goku's wrists in an attempt to push him away, but Goku held on as the guards pointed their weapons at him and started to shout in Pelluci. The saiyan prince was just about to knee the Earth saiyan in the groin when he felt a warm and very pleasant tingling sensation begin to envelop his aching skull. It started at the points of contact with Goku's large fingertips and spread outward from there. Vegeta's muscles gradually ran out of tension as rapid relief came to the pain in his head. His grip on Goku's wrists loosened and he started to slump.

The other Z fighters watched in tense fascination, as did the guards. A few moments later, Goku withdrew his hands. With the pain gone, Vegeta was left with nothing but his immense fatigue. No longer feeling wired, he yawned and rubbed his eyes. Realizing what had happened, he drew his brows together and glared up at Goku in irritation. The lower-class saiyan had a big, dumb, self-satisfied look on his face. "I don't know what sorcery you think you just performed, but if you touch me like that again, I'll hit you so hard that Bardock will feel it!" Vegeta roared. Then he turned and stomped away. "Follow me, all of you. I cannot retire until after we've gone over some important things," he said to the Z crew, folding his arms petulantly as he walked.

Goku immediately followed, as did the guards. At first, the other Z fighters stood there with stunned looks on their faces. But when they realized they were falling behind, they ran to catch up to the others. Gohan blinked in curiosity, forgetting what had just happened when a question suddenly occurred to him. "Hey, Vegeta, who is Bardock?" Gohan abruptly asked. The other Z fighters immediately hushed him, not wanting to aggravate the saiyan prince any further.

Vegeta glanced back with a raised brow. "Your saiyan grandfather," he said shortly.

Goku raised a brow. "Are you talking about my dad, Vegeta? You knew my father?"

Vegeta rounded on the orange-clad individual with a warning expression on his face. "Interrogate me now and you will sorely regret it," he spat, shaking a fist. His voice held surprisingly little venom, which caused Goku to raise a brow. It sounded more like a minor scolding than an actual threat. Vegeta snorted, turned back around, and kept going as if nothing had happened.

Goku and Gohan glanced at each other as a million questions bubbled up in their brains. Despite Vegeta's words, he did nonetheless appear to be in a much-improved mood compared to when they had first encountered him. When they arrived at the conference room, the prince appeared to have an infinitely subtle Mona Lisa smile on his face. "Alright, everyone, take a seat. After we wake up tomorrow, we will arrive and it'll soon be time to deploy to the planet's surface. Let me remind you all to keep your ki suppressed. The ship's cloaking device helps to hide our power levels, but you might still be detectable if you have a particularly high ki and you don't keep it in check. I'm sure all the pirates down on the planet's surface are equipped with scouters. When we get there, I encourage you all to destroy every scouter you find. That'll put us at an even greater advantage," Vegeta spoke as all of the Z fighters settled into their seats around the oblong table.

Yamcha raised his hand. "Hey, Vegeta, how are we going to get down to the planet's surface without being detected?" he suddenly inquired with a worried look on his face.

Vegeta grinned. "It's quite simple really," he replied. "We're going to wear space suits and have Kakarott gradually teleport us down toward the planet's surface. Krillin, the Pellucian spies, and I are going to be wearing special ki-suppressing camouflage jumpsuits underneath, which will allow us to remain concealed. You and the others, however, will not be needing one since your job is to be as visible as possible to distract the pirates down on the planet's surface." The prince glanced at Goku. "Kakarott, how well do you think you can pretend to be evil?"

Goku put a finger to his lip. "Well, I've never tried to do that before. You said you wanted me to act like a space punk. Fortunately, I've met plenty of those, but I guess first I need to know what exactly is expected of me," the Earth saiyan explained. "Like how do I introduce myself?"

"Good question," Vegeta said, clapping Goku lightly on the shoulder. "Your lack of a tail is going to be advantageous for us in this situation. Basically, we do not want Abo and Cado to have any idea that you have any knowledge of or interest in Tarble or Bulma. Therefore, don't tell them that you are a saiyan at all. Pretend to be a megalomaniac from some other planet."

"But wait," Gohan blurted, raising his hand. Vegeta raised a brow at him. "Abo and Cado have seen me before. I was there when they came to get Tarble, but Tarble and Bulma had already left. They might recognize me and figure out why we are really here. Come to think of it, they saw Piccolo, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu too. Didn't they, guys? Maybe we should rethink this plan."

Vegeta's eyes widened in surprise. "I did not know that," he admitted, rubbing his chin in a thoughtful manner as he considered the new information, "but I'm glad you thought to tell me. Alright, with that in mind, I think I have a better idea then. They never saw Kakarott, right?"

Goku shook his head. "I wasn't there. If I had been, we could have avoided this whole mess to begin with. We never would have had to send Tarble to Planet Pellucid," he pointed out.

Vegeta waved a hand. "Well, what's done is done. The important thing is they don't know who you are. Now, my new plan is this. You are going to go challenge them alone, Kakarott. At least at first. Yamcha, Gohan, Piccolo, Tien, and Chiaotzu can come along to search the ship with me and Krillin. We have enough camouflage suits for everyone who wants to participate. The most recent intelligence from the planet's surface has informed me that Tarble and Bulma are aboard the Dark Oblivion but that they have somehow escaped their captors' clutches. They are hiding somewhere on the ship. Therefore, we'll need more search parties to enter the ship in order to find them since they won't be in the brig. Raise your hand if you want to be part of the search party. If not, you can stay aboard the ship until the war begins. After the rescue, you are all free to participate in the fighting as much as you'd like. Which of you is up for search and rescue?"

They all raised their hands, even Piccolo, who was not keen on staying on the ship and being bored. Gohan looked a little nervous though. "Are we all going to split up?" he inquired. "I'm only nine. I don't think I should be alone. I thought originally that I'd be staying with my dad."

"If you want a partner, I can pair you with someone. However, we will all have communication devices with us that allow us to speak to each other. Technically, even if you're physically alone, you'll be in contact with the others. Kakarott, are you comfortable with Gohan partaking in this operation without your direct supervision? If not, he can stay on the warship," Vegeta said.

Goku looked surprised. "Oh? I have faith in Gohan. He's strong enough to protect himself from any enemies he might encounter, but it would probably be better if you paired him with Piccolo or someone else since he doesn't sound comfortable with being on his own," he replied.

Vegeta strode to the head of the table and opened a concealed control panel, pressing a button. A holographic image of the Dark Oblivion appeared over the table. "We split the search parties into three. Two people do the top levels, three the middle levels, and two the lower levels. I will be searching the cellar with Krillin. Do any of you have a preference for who you are paired with?"

Krillin jumped up from his seat. "Nothing personal, Vegeta, but I'd prefer to be paired with Yamcha so he doesn't try any funny business," the short Earthling expressed, glaring at his taller friend. "I don't trust him not to try to sabotage this whole operation just to get back at Bulma."

"Krillin, for Pete's sake!" Yamcha blared, jumping up as well. "I don't have anything against Bulma! Why are you acting like this? Just because I made one little comment about…"

Vegeta smacked a hand down on the table in irritation. "Damn it, you two. I'm not going to pair you if you're going to argue on the ship. This is a stealth operation and it requires staying quiet and concealed. We are essentially spies, except we aren't there just to gather intelligence. So I suggest one of you either stays on the ship or you settle your differences now. What is this about anyway? I thought you two Earth numskulls were friends," the prince snapped.

Krillin and Yamcha continued to glare at each other, but then the latter looked at Vegeta and frowned. "He's mad at me just because I made a minor comment days ago. I can't believe he hasn't forgotten about it by now. I didn't mean anything by it. And I don't want to get back at Bulma in any way, shape, or form!" Yamcha insisted, crossing his arms petulantly.

Vegeta turned his attention to Krillin. "So what's your problem with him?"

Krillin still looked angry as he turned his attention away from Yamcha. "Forget it," he mumbled, sitting back down in his chair. "It's nothing that you would understand since you obviously don't like Bulma either. I don't understand how you jerks can be so mean to her. She has never done anything to either of you. She's an innocent woman who didn't deserve to have her child taken!"

"Krillin, you're making a lot of presumptions thinking that Bulma is innocent," Goku remarked.

Vegeta blinked. Then he drew his brows together. "Kakarott is correct. While I admit that I no longer like Bulma, that does not mean that I think she deserves to be killed or harmed. If I wanted her dead, I would have ended her myself. So my personal feelings toward her will play no part in this mission. I will take her retrieval just as seriously as I will take Tarble's retrieval and I feel relatively confident that Yamcha feels the same way. He has had minor arguments with her in the past, but that doesn't mean that he hates her enough to sabotage this mission. If you really think that he does, Krillin, then maybe you are the problem and not him," Vegeta said.

"Yeah!" Yamcha retorted, shooting Krillin a snooty glare.

Krillin frowned at Yamcha. Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Now, drop the subject or else!" he warned.

Gohan raised a hand. "Vegeta, can I go with you to the cellar?"

Vegeta waved a hand nonchalantly at the boy. "Sure, whatever. Piccolo, Yamcha, would you two like to search the upper levels?" the prince inquired, receiving a nod of agreement from both. "Krillin, Tien, and Chiaotzu can take the middle levels," Vegeta decreed. "Meanwhile, Kakarott will distract the most powerful individuals, including Abo and Cado themselves. By the way, Kakarott, the first thing you should do when you see both of them is to destroy their scouters. That way, no one can communicate with them. And don't let them out of your sight after that."

Goku nodded. "Sure thing!"

"Tell them you're from a distant star and are seeking to challenge them for control of the galaxy. Refrain from destroying the lower parts of buildings at the base. That's probably where King Chrystal's stolen property is. If you want to blow up a few watchtowers in an act of intimidation, go ahead. And, of course, attack balls and other small ships are fair game too," Vegeta acknowledged. "It's important you don't share too much information with them. Don't tell them your real name or that you are a saiyan and don't tell them how you got so strong."

"Got it! But what should I tell them my name is if they ask?"

Vegeta shrugged. "Just make something up, like Cooeyvanderbullseye. I don't really care."

"Okay!" Goku extolled. "That sounds easy."

Vegeta sighed. "Just try to make it believable, Kakarott. I gave a very bad example. Anyway, your goal is to incapacitate them and not kill them if you can help it. We need to take them into custody for questioning to find out who their boss is. I suspect it might be another member of Frieza's family, but I cannot be sure. Whoever it is constitutes a threat to Pellucid and must be eliminated at a later date. Once the search and rescue mission is completed, the others and I can come to help you with the fight, assuming you even need any help. Now, any more questions before we conclude this meeting? You better ask now because I will not be available for the next eight-plus hours," he asserted, panning his gaze from person to person.

Gohan raised a hand. "Do the questions have to be relevant to the search and rescue thing?"

"Yes, or the ensuing battle."

Gohan's shoulders slumped. "Darn," the boy uttered, causing the prince to roll his eyes. No one else raised a hand, so Vegeta dismissed them all and returned to his room to catch up on sleep.

…

The Ox King sped over the highway in his vehicle, heading toward West City. No one had picked up the phone at Capsule Corp when he had called. Rather than waiting to call again later, he hurried over to the complex in the hope of seeing Dr. Briefs in person. Soon enough, he hit the early evening traffic of West City and had to go slowly, which unnerved him to no end.

By the time the Ox King finally arrived at Capsule Corp, he was pretty frantic. He screeched his vehicle to a halt in front of the compound and dashed out, running straight up to the intercom at the front. He pressed the button. "Hello? Is Dr. Briefs here? This is the Ox King and I need to see the guy immediately! It's an emergency," he raved, hopping from foot to foot.

A robotic voice came over the intercom. "Dr. Briefs is in his laboratory. Please come in. I will send word to him that you are on your way, Mr. Ox King," said the voice just before buzzing him in. Having been to Capsule Corp numerous times before, the giant knew just where to go. He raced through the lobby, completely startling the receptionist who was on staff, and into the Atrium. In the gardens, he rushed by a group of Namekians as he headed straight for Dr. Briefs' lab. When he got there, he was about to bang on the door, but luckily the door opened.

"Ah! Goku's father-in-law, what a pleasure to see you again," spoke Dr. Briefs in greeting. "Mr. Ox King, is it? The computer told me you had some kind of emergency. What can I do you for?"

"Thank goodness you're here, doc! I got a real tense situation. You see, when Goku and Gohan left, they didn't get Chi Chi's permission. Well, I was worried about my daughter's health, so I tricked her into thinking that Gohan was just at a friend's house and then I sent her away on a pregnancy retreat. She almost went into premature labor because of all the stress she's been under lately! I can't let her find out that Gohan is off in space somewhere or the poor girl might have a miscarriage, but she called me earlier wanting to talk to her son over the phone. I'm hoping that you know some way to get in contact with Goku and Gohan. Maybe if I tell them about the situation, they'd be willing to talk to her on the phone and pretend that they're still at home. Do you know any way to contact them? I'm really worried about my daughter's health!" the Ox King frantically explained, hopping from foot to foot the whole time he spoke.

"Sir, please calm down. We can certainly reach out to them. Whether they are available to talk or not remains to be seen, but I could easily hook them up on a phone call to Mrs. Son. That is a pretty simple request if I do say so myself," the doctor replied, puffing his cigarette. "Maybe with their reassurance, your daughter will start to feel better and more relaxed. I'm sure your unborn grandson will be just fine. Come, let's go into my lab and see if we can't get those two troublemakers on the line," he said, opening the door wider so the Ox King could enter.

"Goodness gracious!" the Ox King replied, shaking Dr. Briefs' hand. "I can't even begin to tell you what a relief this is. I've practically gone gray this week, I've been so worried about this."

Dr. Briefs led the Ox King over to a small call center in the corner of the vast laboratory that was filled with myriad test subjects and contraptions in different stages of experimentation. There were a few employees milling about, performing different scientific duties here and there. Dr. Briefs did not pay them any heed as he sat down at the small desk, picked up the phone receiver, and pressed a button. "This should page them with a buzzing sound. If they're available, they should pick up any second. Now, all we have to do is wait to hear from them."

It was a tense ten seconds. The Ox King nearly bit his fingernails down to the nub as he waited. Finally, a familiar child's voice came over the line. "Hello? Dr. Briefs? This is Gohan."

"Gohan!" the Ox King cried. "Oh, thank goodness! You're alright. It's Grandpa here. How are things going with you and your father? You getting all that homework done?"

Gohan sounded happy as he replied. "Grandpa! It's great to hear from you. Yes, everything is fine with me and Dad. We're going to reach our destination in the next day or so. With any luck, we'll be able to sneak on board the pirate ship right after they land and find Bulma. Word from the spies on the planet is that Tarble and Bulma are lost aboard the ship. They must be in hiding somewhere and we've got to seek them out. It's not going to be easy I'm afraid because the ship is huge. But Vegeta, Yamcha, Krillin, Piccolo, Tien, Chiaotzu, and I are going to be participating in the search. We've split up the work in the hope of finding them as soon as possible before the war starts. Vegeta thinks Bulma might get hurt if the battle starts before we've found her, so the search and rescue is the first priority. As for my homework, I finished it all yesterday! I was very careful about that so I would not have any distractions when we arrive at the bad guys' planet."

The Ox King placed a hand over his heart. "Oh, my boy, you have no idea how relieved I am to hear that! Oh, thank goodness! Your mom is going to be so pleased," he expressed.

"I'm pleased to hear that too. I've been so worried about my daughter," Dr. Briefs chimed. "If she's managed to evade them, then nobody will be able to hurt her. I've been so worried, but she's a clever young woman. I really must remind myself not to underestimate her."

The Ox King smiled and nodded his agreement. Gohan chuckled. "Yeah, I bet she's outsmarted those creeps! I just hope she can keep it up until we get there to rescue them," the boy said.

"Now, Gohan," the Ox King began in a serious tone, "I'm going to need a big favor from you. It concerns your mother. She's been under a lot of stress lately and she almost went into premature labor. Fortunately, I got her to the hospital in time and they were able to stop the contractions. I sent her off on a vacation with Mrs. Briefs to help her relax. However, I haven't told her that you and your dad left. I'm afraid she would freak out too much and possibly suffer a miscarriage or premature labor. I need you to do me a big favor and talk to your mom over the phone and pretend that you're still on Earth. She just needs to hear your voice so she can stop worrying."

There was a momentary pause. "You… you want me to lie, Grandpa?"

The Ox King bit his lip. "Well, it's just a little white lie to protect your ma and your little brother. Once you're back on Earth and she's back from vacation, we can tell her the truth. She might be mad, but at least she won't stress out too much. Heck, if you manage to find Bulma, she might even be proud of you! I'm sorry to put you in this situation, my boy, but I really am worried."

Gohan seemed to shrug over the line. "Well, okay, as long as we come clean afterward. I really don't like lying to my mom. I've gotten in real big trouble when I've done that in the past."

"Yeah," the Ox King replied, "but you're a big boy now. You're starting to make your own decisions and your mom is going to have to learn how to respect that one of these days." He laughed. "Boy! Knowing her, I bet she's going to have a real hard time when you start turning into a teenager. Anyway, Gohan, I'm really proud of you for going on this quest to find the Briefs girl. You're a real hero, kiddo. Do you have some free time now to chat with your mom on the phone? Just, uh… Hm, I think we'll be calling her from a Capsule Corp phone number. Tell her that we came over to Capsule Corp when you got home from school because you wanted to ask Dr. Briefs about a science project at school or something. We need to give her a reason for calling her from a different number. On that note, Panchy Briefs is with her at the retreat and she wanted to know if there was any news on Bulma. Just make conversation and tell her you heard from Dr. Briefs that Bulma had escaped and hidden somewhere on the ship. Hopefully, it'll calm her mama's nerves a bit. Those poor girls, I feel terrible for them both right now."

"Uh, yeah, I guess I can do that. In fact, I did a science paper on human biology yesterday. I suppose I can pretend that I'm still working on it and just came here to get some science advice on it from Dr. Briefs. It wouldn't be the first time I'd used him as one of my sources," Gohan noted. "And, sure, I'll tell her about Bulma and pretend Dr. Briefs told me the news."

The Ox King breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Kid, I owe you a big one for this. For spring break, I'm taking you to Dream Land. Got it? You're doing me a huge favor here, Gohan."

Gohan chuckled. "No problem, Grandpa."

"Shall we go ahead and get Chi Chi on the phone now?" Dr. Briefs proposed.

"Yeah!" both Gohan and the Ox King said in unison.

…

Ten hours later…

Vegeta opened his eyes after the first decent sleep he had had on the Bijou's Justice. He heard a knock on the door as he sat up in bed and stretched. "Enter!" he called, turning on the lights.

Peridot stuck his head inside the suite. "Highness, we are set to reach 392 in four hours' time. King Chrystal just wants to make sure you are ready when the time comes," he said. "Also, he has more bits of intelligence to share with you. You might want to call a final meeting."

"Indeed, I'll be ready," Vegeta confirmed, pulling aside the blankets and draping his bare feet over the side of the round mattress. He stretched his back again before hopping lightly down to the floor. "You can tell the king that I've awakened and am now preparing myself. I need to call another meeting with the Z fighters anyway. Tell him I'll be there in twenty to thirty minutes. Have breakfast sent up to my suite in ten minutes. I'll have showered by then."

"Yes, Prince Vegeta," Peridot replied, bowing. He took his leave.

Vegeta slipped off his black trunks and headed straight for the shower. Fifteen minutes later, he was dressed in a fresh white jumpsuit and silver gloves and boots. Breakfast had been wheeled in and placed on the table in his room, which he rapidly consumed in the usual saiyan manner. After drying and brushing his hair and doing his oral hygiene routine, he finished his dressing by putting on his silver-breasted armor and red cape. At last, he was ready to go see King Chrystal.

As he exited his suite, he was followed by his two guards as usual. The trio marched straight to the intelligence room on one of the middle floors of the ship where King Chrystal was waiting with his technicians and top officials. He rose to greet Vegeta as the prince entered. They each patted their own right breast in a formal gesture and then sat down at the conference table.

…

Bulma sighed and refocused her small light source. The week she and Tarble had spent in hiding had been very hard on them both. Everything was a challenge. And working on something as tiny as a micro band inside a shipment crate with such pathetic lighting was a real strain on the young genius's eyes. "Ugh, I'm still missing some pieces. I need to find some more circuits in the other crates. Unfortunately, I can't make an exact replica because the parts aren't exactly the same kind I used on Earth. But this one should perform the same function once it's done. It might end up being a bit bulkier to wear, though. Not that that should cause any major problems."

Tarble nodded. "Alright, I'll check to see if the coast is clear."

Bulma rubbed her forehead. "Sorry this is taking so long. I would've had this done in a day back on Earth. Normally I have ample space and lighting, but this is really a serious challenge."

"Hey, don't be sorry," Tarble replied, lightly patting her shoulder. "Maybe if we look around enough, we might be able to find another battery-powered lamp of some kind."

Bulma put her tools back in their case and leaned back against the wall of the crate, closing her eyes. "Give me a few minutes. I seem to be developing a headache here," she remarked.

Tarble grinned. "Hey, maybe I can use the original micro band while you're taking a break. I'm starting to get hungry again. I can go to the galley and get us some more food."

"I'm not hungry, but go ahead and get some for yourself," Bulma replied, closing up the old micro band and handing it over to Tarble. "I could use some more water though. I think our canteen is almost out. This brain work really gets me thirsty sometimes."

"Sure thing!" Tarble replied, snapping on the micro band. He shrunk himself down to the size of a mouse and hopped up to the peephole in the side of the crate. "I'll be back soon."

The first thing he did was assess the area that he could immediately see. Nobody was around. He hopped up onto the top of the crate, crouching low, and checked out the rest of the vicinity. An alien in a white coat with a clipboard in hand was taking inventory of the crates a fair distance away. Fortunately, there was only one individual. Tarble shrugged and hopped up to the overhead vent that he had used many times before. Before long, he was traveling through the ventilation system. It was a complicated maze that he had had to memorize. Fortunately, he now knew precisely where the galley was located. Getting food was just a matter of stealing it from there and transporting it down to the cellar. It was a chore to be certain, but at least Bulma had given him a DynoCap with a briefcase he could stash the food in and shown him how to use it.

When Tarble was about halfway to the galley, he happened to overhear a hushed conversation from a hanging vent as he jumped over it. He stopped in his tracks and turned back, deftly sliding down to the vent cover over the speakers and peeking out through the slits. Abo, Cado, and Captain Marek were in a private conference room together. "So don't worry, my lords. They may have avoided us thus far, but they won't be able to much longer. In a few hours, we'll land on 392 and bring the heat-seeking units aboard. Once all the men are off the ship, we will scan the whole thing top to bottom until we find them," Captain Marek indicated with a sly grin.

"Finally, a real solution," Cado extolled. He chuckled. "I can't wait to get my hands on that blue babe. I'll march her butt-naked off of the ship in chains as punishment after we catch her."

Tarble gritted his teeth. Like hell you will, he thought, putting a hand to his ear so he could hear better. He had to know the details of their plan or he and Bulma would be in real trouble.

Marek was the next one to speak. "Heh, heh," he chuckled. "All we have to do is unload all the troops the moment we get there and send in the men with the sensors. Make sure every man has his helmet off as he exits the ship so the saiyan and woman can't pull one over on us and sneak out with the crew. Let's not forget how clever they are. I am sorry we have to go to this much trouble, my lords, but I'm sure it'll be very rewarding in the end when the prisoners are ours."

Tarble felt his heart speed up. They were setting a trap and he could not see any easy way to get out of it. I've got to tell Bulma about this as soon as possible. Maybe she can think of a way out.

Abo laughed wickedly. "I can't wait. How long until we land?" he inquired.

"Just seven more hours," Marek replied. "If it weren't for us losing that hyperspace jet some days back, we'd be there already. But we'll have the ship repaired as soon as we get there so it'll be nice and fast again, not that that'll do us any good for now. We'll just have to be patient."

Cado rubbed his hands together greedily. "Well, at least there's the anticipation. We're going to catch them for sure. I just know it. Oh ho, when I get my hands on that saiyan again, he's going to wish that he was never born. I have something great in store for him this time, oh yes…"

Tarble's face turned a slight tinge of blue and he swallowed a lump in his throat.

"What's that?" Abo wickedly inquired.

Cado grinned evilly. "There's a powerful illusionist and mind-reader on 392. It'd be fun to have him pretend to be the saiyan's Tech-Tech girl so we can pretend to torture her in front of him."

Abo raised a brow. "Why not just send some ships back to Earth and capture the real thing?"

"She's not very powerful. That'd be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. I figured it'd be easier to use the illusionist. Besides, we don't really need the real girl for anything. I highly doubt the saiyan shared any information about King Vegeta's treasure with her. He would've been sworn to secrecy as a child. Our only use for her would be to use her against the saiyan. He might be able to keep quiet when we take the skin off his back, but just imagine if he thought we were going to hurt his girl. I bet he'd start singing like a bird in no time at all," Cado pointed out.

Tarble wiped some sweat from his forehead. At that moment, he could not have been more grateful that the Briefs had offered to house his wife for him. The possibility of Abo and Cado hurting her in front of him was unthinkable to him, so he forced the notion to the back of his mind. He simply could not stomach it. He could not even begin to imagine the reality if such a horrible thing came to pass. Tarble knew they had wanted to get their hands on her ever since she had humiliated them back on Tech-Tech. Fortunately, it did not appear to be one of their top priorities now, but there was still a possibility they might return to Earth later to seek out Gure. Or heaven forbid they go back to destroy the whole planet and Gure along with it.

"Good point," Abo said. "No need to go out of our way for that."

Captain Marek cracked his fingers. "My lords, that sounds like an awful lot of fun. I wish I could join you, but I'm going to have my hands full when we land getting all the cargo unloaded."

"Any other business to attend to, Captain Marek?" Cado inquired.

The captain shook his head. "Nope. I just had to inform you all about the plan to find those two stowaways. We'll have them back at our mercy in less than ten hours. I'd say that's worth a small celebration. Shall we go get some drinks, my lords? If you have time, that is."

"Of course!" Abo declared, jumping up.

Tarble hopped back up the duct and continued on his journey to the galley, thinking deeply about what he had just heard. He reached the mess hall first and took the opportunity to snatch a big sandwich off the plate of a crewman who had excused himself to go to the bathroom. The result had been an all-out brawl between pirates over the missing food that the saiyan prince had found hilarious. Once he was done devouring the sandwich, he proceeded to the galley and brought as much as he could carry in the encapsulated briefcase down to the cellar for Bulma. He truly was fascinated with how little food humans needed to survive. In a way, he envied them for that fact.

When Tarble got back to the hideout crate, he found that the alien who had been taking inventory was out of sight around a corner. The saiyan prince unshrank himself and knocked three times on the crate to gently alert Bulma to his presence. "Come in," she said in a bare whisper.

Tarble cranked the top open. "Hey, Bulma," he uttered. "The coast is clear. We can look for the missing pieces as long as we keep the noise down. We need to hurry because we're going to be landing in seven hours and the bad guys on the ship have a plan to find us when they arrive at their destination. I overheard a conversation between Abo, Cado, and the captain."

Bulma looked slightly alarmed. "Only seven hours? Oh, geez. Tarble, while I'm looking for the missing circuits, you need to look for an additional light source. Either that or we keep the top open while you stand guard in case anyone comes along. In fact, I think that second plan sounds better unless you find something quickly," she replied, climbing out of the shipping crate.

Tarble offered her a hand in assistance, which she accepted. "Good thinking."

…

"This is a critical tidbit of information, King Chrystal. We need to call another military meeting to let all of our armed forces know about it. If we're careful with how we coordinate our attacks, we can prevent any of the hostages from getting hurt. We might even find captured Pellucians among them," Prince Vegeta expressed. "First and foremost, we need to ensure all the officers know where this underground prison is located. We must avoid firing any missiles at it."

"Yes," King Chrystal replied. "I think that is a good judgment call." He rose from his seat and addressed the intelligence officials in the room. "Call another meeting in the Atrium right away."

Vegeta stood up as well and brushed himself off. "I'm going to go find Kakarott and the Z fighters. Once we have found their friend and my brother, it might be wisest to send them off to liberate the prisoners before the war even starts. They might be able to get most of those people to safety, given they are all strong enough to overpower the average prison guard. Besides, it's just about time to suit up for the mission anyway. I'll make sure they're all ready."

"I have an idea," Chrystal said. "You take them off for a second meeting and I'll make the announcement to the rest of the troops. We'll meet up again just before we send you off."

Vegeta nodded and headed out of the room. As he exited, his two guards followed him as usual. The prince put on a headset and pressed the call button. "Come in, Kakarott. I need you to bring yourself and all your friends to Spy Room B2 right away. It's on the top floor. I'm sending word so you will be given security clearance. This is very important. I need you all to meet me there ASAP," he announced into the speaker before taking his finger off the button.

Prince Vegeta and his guards made it to Spy Room B2 first. It was not long before the Z fighters flooded into the room as well. "Hey, 'Geets," Goku greeted. "I got your message. So what's up?"

"Greetings, Kakarott," Vegeta declared as Peridot and Feldspar removed his cape and folded it up. Just as the last of the Z fighters, Chiaotzu, entered the room, the Pellucian spies arrived as well, bearing saiyan armor and other garments. "It's almost time to suit up for the mission. Are you all mentally prepared? If anyone has any hesitations whatsoever, you better tell me now."

"We're ready," Goku returned, shooting his fellows a serious look.

Vegeta glanced at the other Z fighters, all of whom appeared to be just as determined and prepared as their orange-clad leader. The Pellucian special forces started laying the garments out on the conference table. Prince Vegeta removed his bulky gloves. "Everyone partaking in the search and rescue is expected to wear a ki-dampening invisi-suit over their armor. I've had our spies bring the right fit in all vestments for each of you," Vegeta explained as he started pulling on his own invisi-suit over his armor. It was a semi-transparent bodysuit with a hood to cover the whole head. He left the hood off at the start as he demonstrated its use. Built into the suit were a utility belt and wrist controls covered with the same material as the rest of the suit.

"Did you say that thing is called an invisi-suit, Vegeta?" Krillin inquired.

"Yes!" Vegeta barked. "Now, shut up and pay attention." As he turned a dial on his wrist, his body gradually began to disappear until only his head and neck were visible.

"Whoa!" cried the whole Z crew at once.

Yamcha appeared astounded. "That's the coolest thing I've ever seen in my life!"

"We get to wear that?" Krillin asked enthusiastically.

Vegeta shot them all a look of aggravation. "You all need to take this seriously. If one of you botches this operation, whoever does so will have to answer to me. Now, listen closely. These invisi-suits are very delicate. They work with micro-electrical circuits wired throughout the suit to bend light around the wearer. You are not perfectly invisible. As you can see, if I move, I distort whatever is behind me," he said as he demonstrated said motion in front of one of the spy's faces, making the man appear momentarily deformed. "This suit simply makes me much harder to see. However, if you break so much as a single fiber, a whole section of the suit will become visible. Try not to touch anything sharp or wiry. If you must, take off the suit or part of the suit in order to do so. Another advantage to the suit is that it makes not just your body but also your ki invisible where scouters are concerned. The ki-dampening switch is on the underside of your left wrist," he said, showing them. He turned it on. "Now, try to detect my ki. You can't. It's because the suit has weakened my ki signature. This makes it difficult to fly when the ki-dampening effect is turned on. Kakarott is going to have to gradually teleport us down onto the planet in freefall. Fortunately, the gravity on the planet is only about seventy-five percent that of Earth, so we should be able to land on our feet without injury. That's why, Kakarott, it's very important that you aim to have us fall onto land. If we fall in the acidic oceans, we're dead."

Goku nodded his understanding as Vegeta clicked a button on the table panel. A holographic image of 392 appeared over the conference table where the high-tech garments were laid out. The locations of the bases were highlighted in bright blue against the red globe. Vegeta pointed to an area outside of the main base and highlighted it in green. "This is a cloudless planet. As we fall from the atmosphere, you should be able to see where we're going Kakarott. We need you to aim us toward this area using your IT technique. We will be wearing special spacesuits over our invisi-suits over our armor. The spacesuits have cushioning on the inside which should prevent these invisi-suits from getting damaged when we land on the planet's surface," Vegeta detailed.

"Once we land in this open plain here, we shed our spacesuits and rendezvous to the outskirts of the main base FZ1. There's a mountainous ridge surrounding the southern border, so it should be relatively easy to sneak up without being spotted. As a precaution, we'll turn on our invisibility as we get close. From there, we watch and wait for the arrival of the Dark Oblivion. Any questions about any of that?" Vegeta inquired, glancing around from Z fighter to Z fighter.

Several of the Z fighters raised their hands. Vegeta called on Gohan first, who asked, "What's the belt for? I noticed it has lots of stuff on it. Is it something we're going to use for the mission?"

"Ah, yes," Vegeta replied. "I'm glad you asked about that. I had almost forgotten." He turned himself visible again and pulled out what looked like a small handgun. "This is a tranquilizer gun and all these little cartridges are full of tranquilizer fluid. This is what we use if we need to get rid of someone without making a scene. The cartridges self-destruct within seconds of hitting a target, so there are no clues left to the cause of the victim's sudden bout of sleepiness. If one dose isn't enough, hit the target with a second dose. Larger targets usually require larger doses. Keep that in mind. Once you hit someone, hide the body somewhere that it won't likely be found if possible. I don't expect we'll need to use these much as long as we're careful not to get spotted. Now, any other questions about the utility belt, the mission, or the ensuing battle?"

Yamcha raised his hand and Vegeta pointed to him. "When you're wearing that, are you able to see yourself if you look down at your own body?" Yamcha inquired curiously.

"No. You will be invisible to yourself, but you should be able to feel where your body parts are," Vegeta answered shortly. "It's not as disorienting as you think. Anyone else?" Vegeta asked. Tien raised his hand next with a very serious look on his face. "Yes?" Vegeta said.

"What if we bump into each other?" Tien inquired.

Vegeta nodded. "Another good question. While we're moving together, we might have to hold hands while one person leads everyone else in a line behind them. That way, we'll know where everyone else in our party is in proximity to ourselves," Vegeta explained as Tien seemed to cringe. "I know, I don't like the sound of holding hands either, but it might be necessary. While we're sneaking onto the ship and during the freefall, I would suggest that we go in this order: me, Kakarott, Gohan, Piccolo, Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, Krillin, and the Pellucian spies. Does anyone have a problem with that order?" he asked. No one said anything. "Good. Other questions?"

Chiaotzu raised his hand and Vegeta called on him. "Do we all need to wear that headset you have on under our invisi-suits?" Chiaotzu asked. Vegeta nodded. "Why?"

"When we go our separate ways on the ship for the search, we must remain in communication with each other, as well as the mothership. That is what these headsets are for. Do not worry, they are pretty comfortable," Vegeta indicated, pointing to his. "And they won't tear the invisi-suits either." Krillin raised his hand next. "Yes, Krillin? You have a question as well, I take it?"

Krillin opened his mouth to speak, but before any sound could come out, a Pellucian guard suddenly burst into the room quite unexpectedly. "Your Highness, forgive this interruption," Feldspar announced, glancing around at the Pellucian spies as well as the Z fighters.

The man appeared to be quite flustered, so Vegeta waved him over and he rapidly started whispering into the prince's ear in Pelluci. Every other person in the room raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What? Oh, really? You don't say…" Vegeta uttered. Feldspar drew back and nodded. "Excellent, thank you for letting me know. You may now return to your post." Feldspar bowed and then left the room. Vegeta turned his attention to the Z fighters. "He was just coming to inform me of the most recent intelligence we have received from base FZ1. Our spies have discovered that not only are Bulma and Tarble still missing aboard the Dark Oblivion, but the captain of the ship and Abo and Cado have formulated a plan to discover their whereabouts as soon as the ship lands at the base. They are planning to send the whole crew out of the ship before they send in three specially-trained individuals with heat-sensing technology to find them. This gives me an idea, in fact. Before the Oblivion lands, we must all be right at the landing field. We will follow these three individuals onto the ship. As soon as they discover the missing persons for us, we can knock them out and snatch Tarble and Bulma right out from under their noses. This is going to be easier than I thought, but it is of utmost importance that we discover who these three seekers are going to be and find them before the Dark Oblivion lands at FZ1."

The Z fighters blinked at the new information. "Any more questions?" Vegeta inquired, panning his audience. "We'll split up the way we discussed before, but this time to follow the heat seekers onto the ship and rescue Bulma and Tarble before the enemy gets their hands on them."

"I forgot what I was going to ask," Krillin said.

"Well, try to think of it," Vegeta replied. "I have one more part of the plan to share with you all before we're done. Then it will just be a matter of time before we all have to suit up and deploy."

"And what's that, Vegeta?" Goku inquired.

Vegeta had a serious look on his face as he pressed a button on the panel. The spinning globe hologram started to zoom in to base FZ1 as the image became more detailed. What appeared to be a large underground area became highlighted. Vegeta pointed to it. "This is one area of base FZ1 that must be protected under all costs. Kakarott, when you go to the base to terrorize Abo and Cado, make sure above everything that you do not damage this area. It contains an internment camp of kidnapped men, women, and children who are destined for a covert slave market that services all planets that have been bought off the Cold family market."

All the Z fighters gasped and Vegeta nodded solemnly. "That's right. The planet trade market may have been Frieza's number one most lucrative business, but it went hand-in-hand with his second most lucrative business: the slave trade. The reason I'm concerned about these people is that Chrystal and I believe that some of them may be Pellucians who were captured during mercantile missions to other planets. They are loyal Pellucian citizens. It is our duty to free these individuals and return them to Pellucid so they will not be subject to the horrors of slavery."

"That's horrible!" Gohan cried. "Those poor people!"

"Oh," Vegeta replied, "it's worse than you think. These people are beaten into submission, permanently branded, and some of the males may even be castrated depending upon what type of slave duty they are destined for. The most beautiful females are sold as pleasure slaves to be subject to a life of humiliation and rape at the hands of powerful lords. It's not a pretty picture."

"Castration?!" Yamcha, Tien, and Krillin all bellowed at the same time in abject horror.

Goku and Piccolo scratched their heads. "What's castration?" Goku inquired. "Is it bad?"

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at Goku. "I wouldn't expect the ballless green man to know what castration is, but you, Kakarott?" he remarked, shaking his head in disapproval. "Yes, it's bad. Don't worry about the details. Just know that it is very, very, very bad. Got it?"

Goku nodded his head and swallowed in apprehension.