Empire
Chapter 43: Satirical Chastisement
Vegeta lay awake with his eyes open. Bulma was still curled up next to him. Trunks was between them on the pallet. Both of them were still asleep. Vegeta turned his head and looked into Bulma's serene face.
Last night was the first time he had ever misled his wife. He had never had a reason to lie to Bulma. Vegeta had always been one to practice what he preached. The truth was that he could not take his son with him. That much was a fact.
But, he would also not take Bulma. He could not and would not risk her life. Unfortunately, he could not fight a war and protect his family simultaneously on foreign soil. He also did not trust anyone else to do it.
That was why he was leaving a day early and leaving Bulma in the care of Brolly. She would be angry, but she would live. That is what was most important, right?
Vegeta had managed to peel himself away from his wife and son. He put his boots on and grabbed his gloves. He pulled on his armor and cape. As he headed for the door, Vegeta felt a tug on his cape. He whirled around, clearly startled.
No one was there.
Vegeta glanced at the pallet and saw that only Bulma was there. He glanced down and saw a pair of narrowed blue eyes staring up at him. Vegeta raised an eyebrow at his son, who was standing on his little, chubby legs.
"Fat'er," Trunks said. Vegeta got the feeling Trunks knew what he was about to do. The baby appeared to be on the verge of tears and Vegeta knew it. The last thing he wanted was for Bulma to wake up at the sound of the prince crying.
"Enough, boy." Vegeta picked Trunks up. Trunks held in his whimpers as Vegeta stared at him. "Take care of your mother, boy. Watch her," Vegeta said firmly.
"Mommy?" Trunks raised an eyebrow. Vegeta nodded.
"Yes." Vegeta walked over to the pallet and sat Trunks back on it. With one final glance at both of them, he left the room silently.
Denni watched Cooler tap his foot in annoyance. Over the past couple of days, she had learned not to approach him when he was annoyed. Alas, she had yet to learn not to speak when he was in that sort of mood. She stayed on the plush pillows of his sitting room and hummed softly.
"May I inquire as to why you are so wound up, my lord?" Denni asked. Cooler sighed and faced her. Denni smirked at him.
"Your king is making me leave a day earlier than proposed. What a nuisance. I like running on my schedule," Cooler said. Denni nodded.
"Why the change in plans?"
"He never gave the exact reason why. But, if I had to guess, it would be to avoid bringing the queen along." Cooler chuckled and looked away from her. "Love; what an insipid and foolish emotion. I actually feel sorry for you warm-blooded beings because you have to put up with it," he said. He glanced back at Denni. "Have you ever loved, Denni?"
"No, my lord. I find love just as useless as you. Love only leads to hurt," Denni said wryly. Cooler nodded and walked past her.
"I'm going to see my ship off. Do wait up for me, LOVE," he said with a smirk. Denni nodded. Once Cooler was out of the room, she rolled her eyes and relaxed into the pillows. It was going to be a long eight weeks on the ship alone with him.
Bulma opened her eyes. She rolled over on the pallet. Trunks was across the room, playing with one of his attendants. Vegeta was nowhere in sight. Bulma sighed and ran a hand through her disheveled hair.
I didn't realize just how tired I was. I have been working myself to death lately with this threat coming. It must be at least midday by now, she thought as she stretched and yawned. Bulma jumped as Trunks threw himself into her lap. She smiled down at him.
"How's my big boy? You're mighty hyper today," she said. Bulma stood and walked over to the attendant. "Where is the king?"
The attendant's hesitation in answering her question went over Bulma's head at first. The human queen was too busy making faces at her son. It took a moment, but Bulma finally noticed the long silence and unanswered question. She turned to face the attendant again.
"I asked you a question, Nika. I expect an answer," Bulma said. Nika, the attendant, swallowed. She would have to lie, as instructed.
"I don't know, my queen. I have not seen him today," she said. Bulma stared at her.
She's lying through her teeth, Bulma thought. She stepped forward and gave Trunks to Nika. Then she left without a word.
Brolly was coming from the kitchens with a toothpick in his mouth. He saw the queen approaching him. If she could generate her own aura, the color would probably have been red. She looked like she was angry, but at the same time she appeared to be sad. When Bulma came to a stop in front of the burly Saiyan, she had to catch her breath.
"Your majesty," Brolly said while inclining his head slightly. Bulma moved a lock of hair from her face.
"I have asked every godforsaken servant and guard in this damn palace and I've received nothing but lies! Why is everyone lying to me? If this was Earth, you'd all be dead! I just want the answer to one question!" Bulma yelled. Brolly, completely immune to Bulma's occasional emotional outbursts, simply nodded.
"And what question would this be, your majesty?" he asked dryly.
"Where is my fucking husband?" Bulma screamed. Her voice echoed throughout the wide hallways of the palace.
Brolly stared down at his charge. He knew he would be the bearer of bad news. He had told Vegeta that he would not lie to Bulma under any circumstances. Vegeta understood his loyalty to the queen and acquiesced to him eventually telling Bulma. She would not like it, but she would get over it.
"He's gone," Brolly stated mildly.
"What?" Bulma asked quickly.
"The king has left for Namek with the army. He thought it best if you stayed here. Lady Chi..." Brolly did not get to finish. He watched Bulma turn on her heel and storm off in the opposite direction. He sighed and shook his head.
Women, he thought.
Bulma threw open the doors to the royal chambers. Her ladies were inside, doing their chores. When they saw the slightly demented expression on the queen's face, they all exchanged frightened glances.
"Get out," Bulma growled. The ladies hastily vacated the area. Bulma slammed the doors shut behind them and locked them. Then she leaned against them. She glanced around the room. "He can't be gone. He just can't be."
Bulma pushed herself off of the wall and headed for Vegeta's closet. It was maddening how organized Vegeta kept his closet. His royal armor was still there. A lot of his training gear was also still there. Some boots were missing, though. The missing boots told Bulma little. She searched for something special; something that would tell her if it was true.
Where is it? Bulma began throwing things around until she came to a chest hidden in the back of the closet. She opened it.
There was usually a container full of assorted capsules in the chest. Each capsule had armor, boots, clothing, and medical supplies. This container was missing. The most important capsule was also missing: the little black and white capsule that held the gravity room.
Bulma closed the chest numbly. She sank to her knees on the floor among the mess that she had created. She looked around at the different articles of clothing scattered across the floor of the once-pristine closet. Then she took a deep breath.
Hours later, Chichi unlocked the door to the suite. She walked in slowly, being cautious of airborne objects. Brolly started to follow her inside. Chichi turned and faced him.
"Let me talk to her first. She might be a little impulsive still," she said. Brolly grunted in response and stayed outside.
Chichi closed the door quietly behind her and sighed. She glanced around. Bulma was nowhere in sight. Chichi approached the bedroom slowly. She felt a cool breeze and immediately knew the terrace doors were open. Chichi stepped inside the bedroom.
"Bulma?" she called. She walked around and looked in Vegeta's closet. She noticed the mess with raised eyebrows. Then she turned towards the terrace. Chichi jumped and put a hand to her chest.
Bulma was just standing there. She was staring out at Aenire. Chichi could not see her face. She walked towards Bulma slowly, wondering about her friend's state of sanity. She stopped about five feet from her. After five minutes, Chichi decided to speak, but Bulma cut her off with a long, deep sigh.
"I don't know how to feel, Cheech," Bulma said quietly. Chichi looked confused.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Should I be angry that Vegeta just left me here? Should I be scared that I am alone without him by my side? Should I be worried that my husband is off risking his life for the empire," Bulma sighed again, "and for me?"
Chichi was sort of amazed at the astonishingly even tone in which Bulma spoke. She half-expected the queen to be throwing things about her room and crying hysterically. The blue-haired nymph was still staring straight ahead, though. As Chichi shivered when the wind blew, Bulma remained still as stone.
"I don't know, Bulma. I suppose you could feel all three. Which one do you feel the most?" Chichi asked. A long moment of silence passed between the two women before Chichi heard Bulma hum softly. The queen tilted her head to the side. "Bulma?"
"The most I feel is a sense of irony," Bulma said.
"Irony? Why irony?" Chichi asked. Bulma straightened her head.
"I lied to Vegeta to keep him safe. In turn," she started to giggle, "he lies to me! It's like some sort of satirical chastisement from him!" Bulma calmed her giggles before speaking again. "You know something? He's never lied to me before yesterday," she said.
"Never?"
"Nope. Never! Amazing, huh?"
"Yeah, it is."
"I've always wanted to say something to Vegeta, but I've always been kind of afraid. Plus, I've never really had the chance. It fits the moment right now so well, but damnit, HE'S not here!" Bulma started to laugh again. "Do you know what it's like to have a good insult and not be able to use it? It's so damn frustrating!"
"Just scream it up to him now. It'll probably help release some steam," Chichi said. She still could not see Bulma's face, but she knew that there were tears on it. She took a few steps forward.
Bulma stared up at the crescent moon. The giggles disappeared and her smile faded. A frown formed over her features as she searched the stars for where she thought Vegeta could possibly be. She took a deep breath.
"Was it lonely on that pedestal you placed yourself on, Vegeta? Is that why you had to lie and join us mere mortals? You stupid shithead! You had the nerve, the audacity, the unmitigated gall to berate me for a fib! Less than a week later, you do the same! You... You... You... CHARLATAN!" Bulma lowered her head.
Chichi watched her friend for a moment. Bulma was breathing hard. The queen took a deep breath and released it slowly. Chichi nearly fell back when Bulma whirled around to face her. Tears had clearly been on her face. Bulma's eyes were red and her cheeks were puffy. She looked at Chichi and straightened her stance.
"Has Trunks been put to bed?" Bulma asked as if nothing had happened. Chichi smiled.
"Yes," she answered. "You should send Vegeta your little tantrum in a message."
"I hardly remember what I said."
"I remember it word for word, dear." Chichi giggled for a moment. "Charlatan, Bulma? Out of all the insults you use charlatan. Who uses that word in everyday conversation?" Chichi asked. Bulma shrugged and walked past her friend while wiping her face.
"I wasn't really thinking that hard about the word. Besides, it'll confuse him. Won't it? I know what it means and that's all that matters. Would you prefer I say hypocrite?"
"That sounds a bit better than charlatan," Chichi said while still giggling. Bulma rolled her eyes and sat on her bed. The smile disappeared from her face as she sighed. Chichi went and kneeled in front of her friend.
"He left without saying goodbye, Cheech," Bulma whispered. Chichi nodded.
"Would you have let him go if he had, Bulma?" she asked. Bulma looked at Chichi. What she said was true. Bulma would have put up a big fuss. Still, she pouted.
"He could have at least left a note."
A few days later, Vegeta sat in a space pod. Kakarrot and Raditz stood outside of the pod, looking down at him. Vegeta set the coordinates. When he noticed that he was still being watched, he glared up at the two larger Saiyans.
"I'm leaving you two in charge of this fleet. I'll catch up in a couple of days. Try not to destroy anything," Vegeta said.
"What gives you the idea that we'll destroy anything, Vegeta?" Raditz asked while feigning innocence. Vegeta gave him the evil eye.
"No parties, Raditz. I mean it. Kakarrot, you have permission to kill your brother if he throws a party," Vegeta said. Kakarrot blinked and looked at Raditz. Raditz was glaring menacingly at Kakarrot.
"Want some, get some," Raditz whispered. Kakarrot winced.
"Vegeta, are you sure I can't come with you?" he asked, looking at Vegeta. Vegeta frowned and pressed the button to close the pod's door. He watched the two brothers fight amongst themselves before sitting back in his seat. The pod took off away from the main ship and headed for his little pit stop: Earth.
Eighteen marched down the hallway to the palace in East City. She was surprised when she heard that the king had arrived. He had not given any notice that he would be arriving. From the reports, he had arrived in a pod. This meant that he was alone. Krillyn caught up with Eighteen. Even for a pregnant woman, she walked pretty fast.
"Dear, should you really be on your feet? I can greet King Vegeta," Krillyn said. Eighteen shot him a hard glare. Krillyn sighed.
"What did I tell you about calling me that in public, Krillyn? I'm still your superior. Act like it. Besides, I feel just fine. My condition does not render me useless. You men are all the same," Eighteen said.
"Yes, de... Eighteen." Krillyn turned the corner with her only to come face to face with Vegeta. Eighteen nearly fell back but Krillyn steadied her.
Vegeta stared at the Head Delegate and the shorter, bald one. Eighteen was obviously with child, though she was trying to hide it with her over-sized robes. Vegeta grunted his greeting and started walking again. Krillyn and Eighteen turned and followed him. They waited for him to speak.
"Where is my mother?" Vegeta asked after a minute. Eighteen and Krillyn exchanged bemused glances. Eighteen looked at the back of Vegeta's head.
"I will take you to her, sire." She turned to Krillyn. "Go tell the others that the king is with me. That's all they need to know," she said decisively. Krillyn nodded and walked away in another direction. Eighteen watched him go before stepping up beside Vegeta. "Follow me."
Crenia was sitting on the floor against the wall. She was staring inside the reinforced glass that held the former Saiyan queen. Mieke was leaning against it. She appeared to be dozing. Crenia sighed as she watched her best friend's chest slowly rise and fall from her measured breathing.
It pained her to watch Mieke's health deteriorate as it had been doing. What hurt even more was watching Mieke's sanity go along with it. Crenia's eyes fell to the heavy bandage on Mieke's left arm. Mieke had woken up in a hysterical fit, scratching at her own skin. She had torn so deeply into it that one could actually see the bone after all the blood was cleaned away.
Crenia jumped when the door to her right opened. Mieke also seemed to hear it. Her eyes fluttered open slowly. Crenia stood up when she saw Eighteen walk in wearing a mask. Eighteen nodded her acknowledgment and then stepped to the side. Crenia almost gasped when she saw Vegeta. Instead of speaking, she immediately looked at Mieke. Mieke's eyes were locked on to his.
Vegeta stared down at his mother through the glass. It was like looking at her through a prison cell and he did not like it. She looked sickly and pale. Most importantly, she looked every bit as un-Saiyan as possible. Saiyans don't get sick and here his mother was. She was sick.
"Let me in there," Vegeta said stiffly. Crenia nodded and looked at Eighteen. Eighteen left the room. Crenia walked over to the door to Mieke's cell and unlocked it. Vegeta stepped through it and entered it. The door closed heavily behind him.
Mieke did not move from the floor as she watched her son approach her. She just watched him with a vacant expression on her face. Vegeta stopped about a foot in front of her and kneeled down to her level. He took her left arm in his hand and examined it.
"What happened here?" he asked. Mieke shrugged.
"My arms got into a little fight." Mieke pulled her arm back away from Vegeta. "The right arm won," she said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
"How long have you been hiding your illness from me, Mother?" Vegeta asked. Mieke shrugged again.
"It's difficult to tell, really. I never showed any real signs of being sick other than my ability to heal being slower than usual. What you should be asking is how long I have been denying that I am ill," Mieke said. Vegeta noted the roughness of her voice. He raised an eyebrow.
"Denial, huh? You asked my wife to lie to me, Mother. That wasn't very nice," he said. Mieke stared at him for a moment. Then she smiled and rested her head back on the wall.
"You've been eavesdropping. Shame on you, Vegeta. You should give your wife a little privacy. She can't tell you everything. Besides, it was for your own good," Mieke said. Vegeta frowned.
"I'll decide what's for my own good, Mother," he said, elevating his voice. Mieke lifted her head a bit.
"Temper, temper, son. I don't think I can take yelling." Mieke sighed. Her eyes became glassy as she looked at the fluorescent lights above Vegeta's head. Vegeta sat down completely and relaxed his shoulders.
"I fight him when I lose control. He still haunts me to this day," Mieke said after a long moment of silence. Vegeta looked back up at his mother. Mieke was still staring up at the ceiling of the pasty room.
"Father?" Vegeta whispered. Mieke nodded slowly.
"That's who I envision when I destroy things around me. After all these years, that bastard still lurks around in the dark, haunting me." Mieke started to laugh. "How... ironic!" she yelled. Vegeta tried to hide his startled jump at her sudden outburst.
"I see nothing ironic about this," he said. Mieke shook her head. For the first time, Vegeta noticed that his mother's hair had been cut short. "Your hair..."
"It grows back faster than I can cut it, Vegeta. That much hasn't changed, at least." Mieke coughed violently for a moment. Vegeta began to stand, but Mieke stopped him. "I'm fine. Don't go." Vegeta nodded and returned to his seat.
"Explain this irony you speak of," Vegeta said. Mieke nodded.
"That jackass met his end quick and painless. Here I am, suffering slowly in this rotting body of mine from the inside out until I die. If I had to have a choice, I would've picked his death over this one." Mieke started to laugh. "It's like he's in Hell and asked the powers that be to deal me the worst possible hand; it's almost like a satirical chastisement. I bet Vegeta is laughing his spiky little head off!" She continued to laugh until she started to cough again.
Vegeta had never seen Mieke enter one of her coughing episodes. He watched as she doubled over and spit blood up out of her mouth. She covered her mouth and tried to hide it from Vegeta. Vegeta frowned and moved towards her. Mieke tried to push him away. Vegeta ignored her refusal and helped clean her up. Mieke just sighed and allowed him to help.
"You're not dying," Vegeta said sternly. He handed her a glass of water that was sitting next to her bed. Mieke looked at him. She drank the water and spit it into a basin, rinsing the blood out of her mouth. She looked at Vegeta and went back over to him.
"Yes, I am," she said simply. Vegeta frowned at her. "You know it as well as I do. You knew it the moment you found out I was sick."
Vegeta knew it was true. Mieke was dying. He did not want to believe it. After all, this was his mother. Sooner or later, she would die. But, she was still relatively young by Saiyan standards. She was only middle-aged by human standards. She was still talking to him at the moment, but Vegeta had tuned her out for the moment. How would he break this to Bulma?
"Vegeta, are you listening?" Mieke asked loudly. Vegeta brought her back into focus. Mieke sighed and looked away from him. "Send me back to Vegeta-sei. I want to see my home before I go. I don't want to die on Earth."
"Stop saying it like that," Vegeta mumbled. Mieke glanced back at him. He was staring at the floor. Mieke walked over to him.
"Son, look up at me," she said. Vegeta glared up at Mieke. Mieke smiled. "That's better. Give me that 'war face.' You were starting to get a little out-of-character on me. You have a war to fight. Go and kick ass. You have legions to command. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine," Mieke said.
Vegeta promptly gave Mieke a "yeah, right" look. Mieke laughed.
"Just go. Make them send me home or I'm breaking out and contaminating this whole damn planet," Mieke said. Vegeta sighed and headed for the door. He turned and looked back at Mieke before walking through.
Bulma and Chichi sat in the Royal Library in Venova. It had been three weeks since the army's departure. The ladies had been doing nothing but reading up on war protocol. Chichi said all she knew was Universal Laws. She knew almost nothing about war protocol. So, they went to the library to see just how Saiyans did it.
"Oooh! I found something, Cheech. Trunks, that is not food," Bulma said as she took the cover of a book out of Trunks' mouth. Chichi walked over to her. Goten was bundled up in a makeshift baby carrier on her chest. She sat next to Bulma.
"What is it?" Chichi asked.
"The one book in this entire library that's not written in the native language! How did you study law?" Bulma asked. Chichi smiled.
"The law books were all written in the Universal language. I mean, it looks like no one has been in here for years, Bulma," she said. Bulma laughed.
"People come in here all the time, Chichi. No one comes over here, though. This part of the library is restricted." Bulma went silent as she skimmed the pages. She stopped on one word. "Haj...dee?" she asked. She glanced up at Chichi. Chichi looked in the book and shrugged.
"It's obviously a Saiyan word that's been transliterated. I don't think that's how it's pronounced, though," Chichi said. Bulma made a face.
"Well, let's just see what it is. We can find out how to say it later." Bulma turned the page. The next page was missing. A cluster of profane words left her mouth. Chichi covered Trunks' ears. Once Bulma calmed herself, she looked back at Chichi. "Who tears out a whole page? That's defacing library property!"
"Yes, well. This isn't Earth, Bulma. I don't think they have fines on Vegeta-sei." Chichi released Trunks as Brolly walked in the library. They both looked at him.
"What is it, Brolly?" Bulma asked.
"My queen, the Queen Mother has just arrived."
