Credit where Credit is due: Many thanks to MegaKat for giving me kind permission to use her Saiyan language throughout this story.
Words used in this chapter:
ja'ta - father
ma - mother
Ten'ta - 'Big Guy' ... an affectionate nickname Nappa uses for Vegeta
Updated on 1/30/2016 for Saiyan language and minor formatting changes.
After Raditz threw his fit and stomped off into the night, Vegeta and Nappa decided to call it a day. Vegeta closed down his study program without any protests from his guardian. They settled down to wait for the moody adolescent to return on his own, and while the night away in relative quiet until sleep claimed them, in spite of Vegeta's repeated requests for story time. Usually, he could convince Nappa to spin his war tales about the Tuffle uprisings, or yarns about the old heroes of Vegetasai; the tall commander was a great storyteller and relished the chance to tell about his escapades, but he was in a foul mood and did not want to talk much.
Instead of honoring his Prince's requests, Nappa ignored all of Vegeta's demands to groom him, since Raditz had left without doing so. Nappa did a bad job of it anyway; he yanked too hard with the comb and he used too much hair oils, so it did not take much to persuade Vegeta to wait.
Nappa forced Vegeta to shower, which set off a heated argument between the Prince and his guardian about who was really in charge ... and Vegeta lost. As a consolation of sorts Nappa heated up leftover noodles, brewed sweet tea, and they ate their meal on the couch. Once they finished dining, they watched the playoffs for the Galactic Baseball Major Leagues. Nappa yelled at the screen and screamed about losing his bets. Vegeta did not understand the sport, nor did he care much for it. He thought the whole thing was just silly.
The gravity was turned up to match that of Vegetasai, Vegeta was warm, his belly full, and he felt tired in spite of his time in the restorative tank. He could still sense a residual buzz from his recovery; the combination of all those things made him drowsy, so he curled up against Nappa's side and closed his eyes.
Saiyans were a fierce warrior race; their young matured quick both mentally and physically, so childhood was a fleeting time, a luxury that most could not afford. Most species in the galaxy viewed them as volatile savages without mercy. That could be true, yet among their own kind, Saiyans were social beings who interacted with complex body language and drew together in groups for comfort ... and this place was very unsettling.
But now, the Saiyan people were extinguished. Vegeta felt lost most of the time in a sea of enemies who could not and did not understand his language or culture. Nappa and Raditz were the only ones who did, so when Vegeta needed something he had to go to them to meed his needs: to be touched or groomed, to speak their native tongue, or just to have contact. As a result, the three males often crowded onto the couch or sleeping spaces together. It was reassuring for Vegeta, who had grown up surrounded by servants and his large family.
The Prince had fallen asleep in front of the screen covered in all the blankets he could find, but he awoke tucked into the lower bunk when Raditz stumbled in late at night. The older Saiyan smelled of booze, smoke, and some acrid herb that tickled Vegeta's nose and made him sneeze. The screen was turned off and Nappa had fallen into slumber on the couch, his loud snores rumbled through the room. Raditz stripped down to his undergarments, crawled in next to Vegeta, and wrapped one arm around him.
"You stink," Vegeta mumbled, and pushed Raditz away with one foot. "What did you do ... roll in something?"
"Mmph."
"That's not an answer. Nappa is going to kill you for drinking."
Raditz mumbled something incoherent in return, rolled over to his other side and promptly fell off to sleep, snoring with his mouth open.
Vegeta glared at the older Saiyan; no amount of poking or prodding was able to rouse him. The Prince tried to breathe through his mouth, and stared up the bottom of the top bunk. He contemplated crawling over Raditz and USING the upper bunk for once ... but he would be dammed if HE had to do the moving. He curled up and did his relaxation exercises. Breathe in through the nose, out through the mouth, a never ending cycle; just focus on the count. The annoyance he felt gradually faded, until he fell back into a doze.
The little boy ran through the wide halls, his feet swift, his long tail trailing behind as he ran at top speed. He knew he should not run in the palace, he would earn the scolding of a lifetime from the majordomo, but it was raining outside and he just needed to move before he exploded.
He launched himself into the air and hoped this time he would stay aloft (it had happened once before) but as always he crashed to the ground, skinned his knees, and slid to a stop. He squeezed his eyes shut against the sting; he was not a baby. He was the Crown Prince of Vegetasai, Fifty-fifth of his Name, and he would not cry.
Instead, he shook the pain off and stood up, then looked about to see if anyone had noticed. The marbled floors were stark white, cold as ice, and the walls were barren. This section was unfamiliar, and felt forbidden ... part of him wanted to turn back, but he couldn't go, not yet. Heavy metal portals, dark as night, lined both sides of the hallway. Vegeta was not sure if they led to other rooms, or if they just opened into the cold void of space. He progressed forward slow, unsure of himself, but unable to stop moving.
At the end of the hallway, one last door swung open as he approached. Fear whispered into his ear: don't look, little Prince ... but of course he did. Inside, he saw two figures standing close together. They whispered in hushed tones, but they grew silent and looked up as Vegeta approached.
"What are you doing here, Vegeta? This place isn't safe." A tall man spoke; his hair was like a black flame, his face bearded. He wore a chained emerald pendant around his neck and jeweled rings on his fingers, bracers on his forearms, and a jeweled clasp in front on his wrapped tail. He wore Saiyan battle armor in reds and blacks. Next to him stood a petite woman in similar armor. Her long ebony hair cascaded down her back, decorated with shining diamonds, her long tail adorned with silver rings and bells.
"Oh Vegeta, you shouldn't have come here. Go back now."
Vegeta ran toward them, in spite of the warning, toward their smiling faces, and reached out one hand ...
"Ma ... Ja'ta ..."
... the door slammed shut in his face. Vegeta heard laughter; a quiet rumble at first that soon rose in volume, layers of sound that doubled, tripled, and soon threatened to deafen him. He turned to flee back to safety, to the warm halls above, but his escape route was cut off.
There stood Frieza with an evil smirk on his face, so tall that he blocked the exit, his eyes glowed red as blood. The overlord reached out and grabbed Vegeta by the arm, pulled him in so that they were nose to nose.
"Let go" he howled. Vegeta fought back, pulled against Frieza's hold, but the tyrant's tail wrapped around his neck, and squeezed so hard that Vegeta had trouble breathing, fueled his struggled anew. "Get out of my HEAD!"
"Why are you fighting? You do know that they gave you to me, boy? You're mine now, body, mind and soul ... Vegeta."
Vegeta screamed then, a wordless expression of pain and loss.
He woke up wailing in terror, cold sweat poured down his face. It could not be true. It was all a filthy lie! Vegeta covered his mouth with his hands to stifle any further noise, and looked at his surroundings, not sure if he were free or still caught in the dream. His legs had snarled in the sheets and were soaked with his perspiration. Next to him, Raditz slept; his long hair covered him like a blanket, undisturbed by his outcry.
... It was a dream.
He was home, in his room, not in some cold prison. Vegeta panted, his chest felt tight, and he shook. Raditz mumbled something but did not stir, even in response to the yelling. Focus. Breathe. I won't let a dream win. In spite of his brave thoughts, the Prince was still frightened and it took him a few minutes to calm down. He pressed himself against Raditz' back and stayed awake the rest of the night, staring at the wall.
Vegeta did manage to fall back to sleep only to be woke up by Raditz moments later. He did not mention the nightmare, and Vegeta felt a twinge of disappointment that Raditz had not noticed and did not seem to care. The youth had showered and ran a comb through his mane, then pulled it back out of his face.
"Breakfast, Vegeta." Raditz, a man of few words in the morning, pointed towards the kitchenette.
Nappa was up and moving as well. Tension from last night was in the air; Nappa and Raditz kept growling at each other when they crossed paths. Vegeta was fatigued, and he kept rubbing his eyes. That odd buzzing sensation had faded and left him feeling empty. To top it off, he had a raging headache.
Nappa stood in the bathroom, shaved the sides of his overgrown mohawk and trimmed his mustache while he hollered at Raditz, instead of talking to him - a technique that Nappa employed when he was feeling out of control. "Where the hell did you go last night?"
"Out," Raditz replied, with more attitude than usual. "I came back like I promised, right?"
"You're too young for bars," Nappa reprimanded, "so where did you get the booze? And don't tell me it was Zarbon or I'll have his pretty head."
Raditz sighed and rolled his eyes dramatically. "Master Zarbon is taking good care of me, Nappa! It's my fault that I got drunk. I was helping him out at one of his ... " Raditz paused and thought ... "soirees, helping clean up. And there was some left over fizzy. I just wanted to try it. I didn't think it would be that big of a deal."
"I thought you learned your lesson after the Ginyu incident. Are you trying to get your ass kicked again?"
"I haven't touched anything since then. I promise." Raditz pleaded with the large Saiyan.
"Can you two stop arguing, my head hurts." Vegeta snapped, and was not surprised when they ignored his request.
Vegeta shuffled to the cold store, grabbed a supplement drink then sat at the table. He poured himself a glass of water and checked his tablet while Nappa and Raditz continued to squabble. Today was another training day with Dodoria.
Just what I need, Vegeta thought, and huffed. Their last group mission had been a week ago, and Vegeta felt restless and trapped. He wanted to move, to test out his supposed new power level to see if zenkai was worth it. He checked the time, noted that morning meals were ready to start at the residential mess hall.
"Why didn't you wake me up earlier," Vegeta asked Raditz. The youth rolled his shoulders, and Vegeta scowled at him.
"You looked really tired. I didn't want to wake you. A-And I'm sorry I yelled at you last night." Raditz' apology caught the Prince off guard.
"Oh ... Well, now we have to eat at the mess, and I still need to be groomed."
"Didn't Nappa do it last night?"
"No, and I didn't want him to, Nappa sucks at it." Vegeta folded his arms and furrowed his brow. "He almost pulled my hair out of my head last time."
"Hey, that's not nice. You hurt Nappa's feelings," Nappa spoke up as he came out of the lavatory, deposited a few pain pills in front of Vegeta, than grabbed his tablet. "Here, big guy, take these for the headache."
Vegeta grumbled, tossed the pills in his mouth and washed them down with the water. Raditz sighed again; he had hoped to get out of grooming duties.
"Fine..." He grabbed the Prince's hair kit. "I'm just going to do a quick run through. We'll do a more thorough job tonight, okay?"
"Tch!" Vegeta drank his supplement while Raditz combed and oiled his wiry hair. The bangs still insisted on flopping in front of his face. They were getting so long that they sometimes blocked his vision, but he did not wish to cut them.
Nappa wandered into their sleeping area and dressed. As the large man pulled on his boots, his tablet dinged a reminder: morning meal time. He turned down the gravity and the heat, then motioned for Vegeta and Raditz to follow him.
As a unit, the three Saiyans exited their tiny quarters, made the trek to the residential main hallway, then took one of the elevators to Mess Hall 3. Residential housing was located in a gigantic dome composed of many different levels. High ranking officials had penthouse suites near the top, while the masses dwelt in tiny boxes on the lower levels. The Ginyu Force also called FP-79 home, and had a not-so-secret fortress somewhere on site.
The din of soldiers talking and sharing meals greeted the Saiyans as they entered the wide room filled with tables, chairs, and masses of beings feeding themselves. The ever present screens lined one wall and showed news, entertainment, and sports feeds. Vending machines offered automated choices to PTO troopers in a rush, and the cafeteria section served those who wanted fresh made fare ... although the quality was not the best, and Vegeta often wondered just where they got their meat from.
The noise could be overwhelming during peak meal times, and The Saiyans tried to miss the rush hours when they could. Vegeta's headache still pounded in his temples, and the last thing he wanted was a barrage of noise. To make it worse, when they entered there was a long queue of individuals waiting to be served, and most of the tables were in use.
Nappa, Raditz and Vegeta tried to sit by themselves if possible. They were often the butt of criticism from other soldiers; Saiyans were not well liked, and they encountered prejudice every day. Some men picked fights, most of the Elites showed them anything from thinly disguised scorn to outright hostility, and they had to take it. They were outnumbered, outranked, and always walking on thin ice. It was enough to drive them mad ... and one day, Vegeta thought, he would just go insane and start killing them all. It would serve them right.
Nappa went in first and scanned for empty seats. The only available spot was in the middle of the room, surrounded by their enemies.
"Maybe we should come back later," Raditz suggested. "We DO have leftovers."
"That has to last us. We can't afford to skip meals. C'mon, let's just get in line." Nappa was right, of course.
Raditz sighed; he had been doing that a lot as of late, along with moping and mouthing off. Vegeta did not respond. He rubbed at his forehead and wished they would all shut the hell up. He just wanted to get his food and get the hell out, he hoped the headache would be gone when he got to the training rooms.
They joined the slow moving line; Vegeta and Raditz pulled closer towards Nappa, an unconscious Saiyan reflex. Nappa was one of the tallest and most muscular individuals on the base, and could often intimidate people just by his appearance. He had also cultivated an image as a ruthless warrior with a short fuse; most lower ranked individuals tended to give him a wide berth. It was helpful, but it did not work for everyone in Frieza's employ, however. Some of the Super Elites not only were not frightened by Nappa, but took any chance to mock him or the other Saiyans ... especially in public.
Most days on base included some form of ridicule. Today was no exception. Vegeta closed his eyes, trusting that Nappa would keep watch for a few seconds. Next to him, Raditz gasped, drew in closer to Nappa, and stepped on Vegeta's foot. Irritated, the Prince hissed and opened his mouth to reprimand the older boy, until he saw Raditz' body language. The long maned adolescent's tail had frizzed out and he bared his teeth.
"Ohhh..." Raditz moaned, "The Ginyu Force ... Why now?"
"Ooooh look, Burter. Monkeys! Didn't know we were going to the zoo." Jeice's brash accent was easily identifiable, along with his bright red skin and long white hair.
"Saiyans. There goes the neighborhood." Burter slapped his red comrade on the back in response.
Loud guffaws followed, and Vegeta felt his hackles go up. Next to him, Nappa tensed up, clenched his fists, and drew in a quick breath. Behind the Saiyans, all five members of the Ginyu Force sauntered up and joined the queue. What were THEY doing here? They could certainly go to better places to have breakfast instead of the common mess hall. The Ginyu Force laughed and strutted; they were masters of all they surveyed.
Vegeta knew that there was nothing the three of them could do that would even touch Frieza's High-Level Executive Class mercenaries. They would have to sit there and take the abuse in front of hundreds of watching eyes. Vegeta hated not being able to strike out, to be made passive. The Ginyus knew it; they loved an audience.
"We'd better cut the line, there will be nothing left if they get to it first." Recoome grinned, flexed his bulging muscles, and struck a pose: hands on his hips, head turned to the side, orange locks curled over one eye.
"Right, mate. How about ... here?" Jeice pushed his way past Nappa and his group, purposely elbowed Vegeta as he did so. The Prince stumbled back against Nappa's great thigh. Nappa steadied him by placing one large hand against his back. Burter and Guldo followed Jeice's lead, and forced the Saiyans back. They ignored Nappa's growls, snickering the entire time.
"Idiot," Vegeta snapped at Jeice, unable to stop himself. "Watch where you're going."
"Oh, sorry about that, short stuff. Didn't see you down there. Besides, this is a place for grown up men, not little kids," Jeice mocked.
"You can't speak to me like that," Vegeta growled, his tail lashed in futile anger, his eyes narrowed.
"You got something to say to us, monkey?" Guldo spoke in his gurgling voice, trained all four of his eyes on the Saiyans. He was one of the few people in the Frieza Force shorter than Vegeta, but the Prince did not dare to point that out, or mock Guldo in return.
"I thought not." Guldo smiled, a smug expression that Vegeta wanted so badly to wipe off the Ginyu's face.
The mercenaries laughed at the Saiyans' expense again. Vegeta felt his cheeks burn red with embarrassment. In his head, he added this new slight to the ever-growing tally list of slights.
"Hey Blue, look who it is," Jeice exclaimed, then elbowed Burter in the ribs. "It's Raditz, right? Zarbon's pet Saiyan? Fancy another ale with us?"
The two comrades roared into loud laughter and clasped their stomachs as if that was the best joke ever. Raditz flushed in response, and tried to step behind Nappa. It was obvious to Vegeta that something had happened between the three of them.
"What are they talking about, Raditz?" Although he was worried, Vegeta also felt a surge of morbid curiosity.
"Not now. I'll tell you later, Vegeta, please." Raditz whispered, then looked into Jeice's grinning face. "Just leave us alone. We didn't do anything to you."
"Ooh, cheeky monkey. You really should be more polite to your superiors. After all, I'm just tryin' to be friendly." Jeice raised his hands up and shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't know why Frieza keeps them," Guldo said. "They're just so ... primitive."
"Right you are. Well, see ya' around, monkeys." Jeice gave a dismissive wave with one hand, then turned his back toward the Saiyans and left them to stew in anger.
Vegeta looked up to Raditz, crossed his arms and looked up at the spiky haired adolescent. "Now are you going to tell me what happened?"
"This is SO not the time. And ... no I'm not." Raditz broke eye contact with his Prince, turned his face away in shame.
"Nappa ..."
"Awww... don't pull Nappa into this one," Nappa grumbled. "Just let it go for now."
"No one tells me anything."
"You don't need to know this, Prince Vegeta," Nappa offered, then patted the boy on the shoulder. "Line's moving. Let's ignore those assholes, get some chow and get out. How's your head feeling?"
"Fine." Vegeta was sure that the two older Saiyans were keeping things from him - important things - and it upset him. They, just like everyone else in the galaxy, were treating him like a child. How many people did he have to kill to get some respect?
Twenty minutes after they entered the line, the Saiyans finally got their allotted 'slop allowance' as Nappa called it, a selection of nutrient dense food that had no distinct flavor: patties of protein, thick grains that clumped, squares of dubious matter in unappetizing colors of tan and grey that might or might not have featured fiber. It was as if someone had gone to great lengths to create the worst meal in the universe. To the food obsessed Saiyans, it was akin to hell.
As they walked to the common tables, they had to go past the Ginyu Force, most of whom hooted and hollered and called out vague threats. Only their leader, Captain Ginyu, refrained from the verbal barrage.
"Watch your backs, monkeys," Jeice called out as Raditz passed by with his shoulders hunched defensively.
Vegeta stopped moving and Nappa bumped into him.
"Don't, Vegeta..." Nappa knew him well, could tell he was nearing a snapping point. "There's no point in it. A wise warrior knows when to pick his battles. Don't give 'em the satisfaction."
Vegeta could hear the comments and snickers from the surrounding tables; nothing that could be attributed to any one person, but a barrage of insults that kept wearing at him day after day: 'Savages', 'monkeys', 'dirty Saiyans', 'they shouldn't be allowed to eat with civilized people'.
"I hate this. I hate this place. I hate them."
"I know, Ten'ta. Here's some seats. Let's grab 'em before they're gone. Keep your tail wrapped."
The Saiyans selected three seats side by side: Vegeta in the middle, Nappa to his right and Raditz to his left. Nappa pulled out his chair to sit down ... and fell on the floor, spilled the contents of his tray. The chair which had just been in his hands rested several feet away.
For a second, the scene did not process, and Vegeta blinked in confusion. Nappa snarled a stream of curses, brushed himself off and stood, rubbing his backside. Off to the side, Guldo and Burter chortled and pointed. Vegeta covered his mouth and bit his lip so that he would not laugh too, even though it was not really funny. He just could not help himself.
"Damn you, Guldo," Nappa roared, "this has gone far enough!"
This only earned more howls of amusement from the Ginyus, and praising of Guldo for his clever use of his time halting abilities.
Once seated, the three Saiyans drew closer together in a defensive huddle and began to eat rapidly, not wishing to remain as targets for longer than necessary or draw further attention to themselves. Vegeta took a bite of his tasteless meal and blinked. Something had changed ... His tail was unwrapped and the tip was stuck inside his glass, soaking the fur. Granted, it was a harmless prank and could have been so much worse, yet Vegeta felt humiliated. He pulled his tail out of the liquid; it dripped, and behind him he heard the laughter start up again. Vegeta wiped his tail clean, tried to pretend nothing had happened, but Raditz noticed.
"That's it. They can't treat you like that." Raditz rose, pushed his chair back, and stood.
Suddenly, Recoome loomed behind Raditz - he moved so fast it was like he had teleported - and Raditz collided with him. The giant man towered over them. He crossed his massive arms, stared down at the Saiyans.
"Aw. Don't get mad, silly monkey! We're just having some fun with you." He reached out, patted Raditz on the head, and ignored the look of rage and disbelief that crossed the adolescent's face. Then he grabbed Raditz by the hair with one hand, and yanked him off balance. In the other hand, Recoome held a knife that he showed off with a flourish.
"Wh - what are you ..." Raditz stuttered, then fell mute when Recoome chopped off a handful of his long black mane, his pride and joy.
"That'll do it. Thanks for the donation, monkey. Guldo's been having a bad hair day, and you've got plenty to spare. Figured you wouldn't mind helping. Oh, and tell your 'master,' Princess Twinkletoes, that we said hello."
Recoome waved his trophy in Raditz' face, then pirouetted away, leapt into the air and performed a grand jeté for the crowd. The giant rejoined his company and handed the swatch of hair to Guldo, who grinned. If it had happened to any one else, Vegeta would have laughed, the situation was so ridiculous ... but it was happening to them. Raditz' face fell; the youth crumpled into his chair, hid his face in his arms and started to shake. Nappa snarled in impotent rage; he knew that attacking the entire Ginyu Force would be a futile and painful choice.
I can't do this ... I'm going to lose it. Unbidden in his mind, a dark portal opened; Vegeta saw all the insults, all the humiliation, all the laughter into a blazing orb which he tossed inside. It felt like reality slipped and he was looking through another set of eyes. Someone else was being tormented, not him ... and without meaning to, he stepped aside. Numbness set in and Vegeta stopped reacting, stopped caring.
After a minute of back slapping and posturing, Captain Ginyu held up one hand to still the festivities. "Are you done with the petting zoo, Recoome? We have things to do."
"Yes, Captain," Recoome replied and stood at attention.
"All right." Captain Ginyu stood up and drew attention to himself. On his cue, the five members took up their signature poses.
"Good morning, Base 79! We are the Ginyu Force! We would like to announce that we are holding open tryouts for our squad at Training Section 13, 1000 sharp. Come one, come all, and see if you have what it takes to be ... Ginyu!" The purple skinned fighter swept his arms upward, then pointed one hand towards the Saiyans in a dramatic fashion. "Monkeys need not apply."
As one, the Ginyu Force filed out. Vegeta kept his head down for the most part; every time he looked up, he saw the people staring, pointing, laughing, but it did not really bother him. They set in to eat as fast as possible before anything else could go wrong. Nearby, Raditz sat in tears and for once Vegeta did not mock him for it.
At the end of their daily quota of humiliation, the Saiyans exited in silence. No one could think of anything worthwhile to say. They bused their trays, left them at the counter, then left the common hall in a hurry. Nappa looked worried, Raditz was busy clutching his mangled hair, and Vegeta kept his eyes forward and ignored any attempts at conversation.
They rode the elevator up in uncomfortable silence and exited. Nappa parted ways with them, off to a solo day mission while Raditz and Vegeta went by the tram to the training halls for their martial lessons. After five minutes of quiet travel, Raditz turned to Vegeta and cleared his throat.
"Why are you just ... sitting there, Vegeta? The hell's going on with you?"
"Nothing," Vegeta whispered. He knew he should be feeling more, saying more, raging perhaps, yet ...
"Nothing? Really? Were you awake for what happened in the mess hall with the Ginyus? I can't believe you're not screaming for revenge."
"Hn." Vegeta rolled his shoulders. "It didn't really bother me."
"Now I know there's something wrong with you."
Raditz eyed him with a mix of concern and ire, but Vegeta looked away. He could not explain it, nor did he wish to deal with Raditz' emotional issues.
Why do I feel so ... odd? Raditz is right. I should care. So, why don't I? Even his thoughts seemed far away and disconnected as if he were dreaming. I guess I should be thankful.
"I said I'm fine, Raditz. Now stop pestering me." Vegeta crossed his arms, ended all attempts at conversation, and put his head down for the rest of the journey.