A/N: Sorry for the confusion from last chapter, guys… a few of my readers thought I meant I wanted to re-make the characters currently in play. I was actually talking about making new saiyan cubs. But, I rescind my request; my laptop's been acting funny, and I've already had to reload the operating system, losing a large chart that I'd worked all day on. So don't send me anything; I'll try to keep things general in my descriptions of the next generation, and only give a new character specific qualities when I need to use them in the story. You know… like normal writers do, lol!
A little girl with wild black hair flew back towards the Ox Kingdom. Around one arm she wore a red band with a copper badge with a wavy line on it, and on that arm she wore a red sleeve. However, other than that, she was completely naked, and freezing. All she wanted to do was get home, see her mother and father, and find out what had happened while she was gone. They were out of the Time Chamber, that she knew for certain…
The smoke coming from the Ox Kingdom in the distance caused her to falter.
Snip had always been called a coward by others, as long as she could remember… which, honestly, wasn't that long. She knew she had another side, who everyone else liked better… she was like her mother, who also had two sides. She could sense the other Snip's thoughts when she went Super Saiyan… but otherwise, she only knew that sometimes she was there, and other times… most of the time… she wasn't.
But… now her home was burning…
Swallowing hard, Snip flew more quickly towards the Ox Kingdom, but was suddenly stopped by someone with blue skin and purple clothes. "Well, well, looks like I found a straggler," he said, grinning.
Snip's stomach clenched, and she was intensely aware that she was naked and alone.
Screaming, she flew away in the opposite direction as fast as she could.
"Hehe… this is gonna be fun..." the blue alien laughed to himself as he chased the Saiyan child.
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Baga tossed and turned in his sleep. He hated this ship, he was always so hot all the time, and he hadn't slept well for over a month. Giving up, he opened his eyes to the dark room, and resigned himself to glaring at the ceiling all night…
"Uncle Baga, are you okay?" little Gohan whispered, his back being the one pressed up against Baga's. His father had taken to training late at night with Big Brother, so it was just him, Uncle Baga, Uncle Radditz, and Beet. Jicam had stayed home with Aunt Launch.
Baga growled. "I'm fine."
"You're sweating," Gohan whispered back.
Eyes narrowed, Baga spun on Gohan. "I said I'm fine!" he hissed.
"You two. Take it to the training room. Now," Radditz grumbled, turning back over in his sleep.
Gohan blinked, confused, but Baga smirked. "You're with me, squirt," he said, snatching the back of Gohan's nightshirt, and picked up their armor with his other hand on the way out the door.
Gohan didn't struggle, but he did wriggle out of Baga's grasp and take the armor his uncle handed him. "What are we doing?" he asked sleepily.
Baga narrowed his eyes. "We're gonna see if you can really defend yourself… or if Future You is teachin' you how to be a weakling human," he spat.
"Humans aren't that weak," Gohan protested, pulling his armor on. It had been designed with comfort in mind, but he had a feeling it would receive its fair share of dents by the time they were done.
"Do you even know how to fight?" Baga asked as they entered the training room, and stood on one of the circles in the middle of it. Gohan could sense his father and Big Brother nearby, but they were miniaturized, so he couldn't see them. He could see a few of the circles had force field domes over them, and knew they were fighting in one of those.
"Hey, stupid… hit your watch," Baga said, and, reaching out, pressed a button on Gohan's watch, then on his own, causing the two to shrink down to the size of ants. Gohan could feel the force field over the dome engage, and turned his attention to Baga.
"Is this where you tell me what's wrong with you, Uncle Baga?" Gohan asked innocently, dodging neatly as a fist flew towards his face. "Maybe you should see Uncle Turles?" he said, ducking below a kick to his head.
"I know what's wrong with me..." Baga hissed, sending a fist towards the cub's stomach, only to have it meet empty air. He whipped around to see Gohan standing behind him, staring at him curiously. "Are you going to fight me?!" he demanded, sending another fist towards him… meeting empty air again.
"I told you, Uncle Baga… I don't want to fight you," Gohan said from behind him. "And Papa says, the point of getting stronger, is so that you don't get pushed around by other people. So… since I don't wanna fight, and I'm stronger than you..."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Baga screamed, and ran at him, but the moment before he grabbed him, the cub disappeared again. Frustration pushed Baga over the edge, and he went Super Saiyan without even trying to…
"Why won't you just talk-" A fist to Gohan's stomach cut off whatever he was trying to say, and his eyes widened. A hit to the side of his head, and he went down to the floor. Another kick to the stomach, and he was seeing stars…
Then, Big Brother's training kicked in.
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Nearby, Kakarot and the Ox King stopped mid-battle, and turned their heads the same direction. "Whoah…. Gohan's gotten a lot stronger..." Kakarot breathed, then frowned. "What's he doing up so late?"
The Ox King gazed in that direction, concentrating. "Baga..." he murmured, frowning.
Kakarot's eyes widened. "Oh… yeah. Wow… it's weird watching your kid brother grow up..." he said, then glanced at his completely grown-up kid. "Guess you've already been through all of that, huh?" he asked.
The Ox King stared at him blankly. "Been through all of what?" he asked, curiously.
Kakarot's cheeks turned pink. "Well… you know… mating stuff," he said, rubbing the back of his head.
"I don't know… I don't have a mate," the Ox King replied, frowning.
Kakarot blinked at him. "Didn't you ever go through a time, where you ran a fever, got real grumpy, and started only thinking about girls?" he asked.
The older Gohan frowned. "Hmm… no… not really. A fever, you say?" he asked thoughtfully. "No, I think I would have remembered that..." he said.
Kakarot smirked. "Guess being part human pays off, then," he said. "You can thank Chichi for that. Now..." he said, getting into fighting stance. "Where were we?"
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Snip hid behind a car, trying to keep her energy low. She had to get away from that… whatever it was. It seemed like it could find her, no matter what tree she hid behind, so she went to a place where there were people, instead. After a few moments, she slipped down a nearby alley, holding her arms to herself. Maybe she could find something warm…
"What are you doing here?" a voice asked, and Snip turned to see a girl with black spiky hair, wearing human clothes, standing there with her arms folded, watching her closely. Snip swallowed hard, backing away slightly, trying hard not to scream. The girl seemed human, but… she smelled Saiyan…
"P-please… don't hurt me..." she said, tears in her eyes as she backed away, her bare back hitting the cold wall of the building behind her.
The human-looking-saiyan blinked. "You're… not a typical Saiyan, are you?" the girl asked, looking her over critically. She then glanced around, as if seeing if anyone was watching, then shrugged. "Neither am I," she said conspiratorially, smirking. She looked down at her feet. "You know… I really should eat you," she said conversationally, causing Snip's eyes to widen in fear, "...but, lucky for you, I just had a big meal," she added, picking up a few items off the ground. She stepped towards Snip. "Here… put this on, you look cold," she said, holding the items out to her. It was a large white t-shirt and a black leather jacket. "Oh, here," the girl said, and ripped the sleeves off the jacket. "So you'll have your hands free. It'll hold you 'till you can get some more armor," she said kindly.
Snip's eyes went wide, and she took the clothing gratefully, slipping them on. "So… why is a Saiyan cub in the big bad human city?" the girl asked once Snip was dressed.
Snip bit her lip. "The Ox Kingdom… it's under attack, and I… I..."
"You got scared and ran away," the girl said, nodding. "Flight is a good strategy, when you know an opponent is stronger than you," she said. "Not very Saiyan, though..."
Snip frowned. "I know. I'm… I'm a terrible Saiyan," she said, tears in her eyes. "Mama and Papa are gone, and aliens are invading, and all I can do is-"
Suddenly, a blue head fell down by Snip's feet, its eyes staring up lifelessly. Snip couldn't help but scream and back away. The other girl looked up, and smiled.
Snip risked a glance in that direction… just to see Ruta land next to her.
"You're looking a lot better, Maca," Ruta said, arms crossed.
Maca shrugged. "It was just a broken neck," she said, looking her sister over. "You're older now."
Ruta smirked. "Time Chamber. Guess you'll have to catch up," she said, stepping towards her.
Suddenly, a tail emerged from beneath Maca's shirt, and the two brushed their tails against each other.
"Missed you, sister," Ruta said softly.
"Missed you, too," Maca replied, her eyes meeting Ruta's. "Ruta… Dr. Gero's alive," she said softly.
Ruta's eyes went wide at that. "What?!" she hissed.
"It's my fight," Maca replied. "Just like Kaka is my fight," she said, scowling.
"Kaka?" Ruta asked, frowning.
Maca scowled. "He's the one who broke my neck," she said darkly.
Ruta's hands became fists. "I'll kill him," she swore.
"No," Maca said, placing a hand on her arm. "Kaka's mine. I wouldn't have told you, any of it, except..." She glanced at Snip, then at Ruta. "I'm not my own, Ruta. Gero did something… I have to follow her orders. If I come after you..." she stepped closer, grasping her sister's arm with the one the red cloth was tied around. "Swear to me that you'll survive… no matter what," she whispered.
Ruta looked down at the red cloth, then back into Maca's eyes. "I'll survive. Just make sure you do, too," she said, her eyes hard. As one, both sisters nodded, then stepped back from each other. Ruta glanced down at Snip. "I see you've met your niece, Snip," she said.
"THAT'S Snip?" Maca asked, looking the girl over with new eyes. Her eyes went to the red band on her arm. "Huh… she's like Launch, then," she mused. Her eyes slid to Ruta's. "Aliens, huh?"
"They're almost dead, that guy was the last one in this area, everyone else is giving the all clear. Too bad you weren't home, you coulda had a real meal, like Zarbon," she said, shrugging.
Maca smirked. "It's okay… I'll just wait 'till you guys piss off something stronger," she quipped, then looked down at Snip. "It was nice to meet you, Snip. Good luck trying to be a saiyan. If you suck at it too badly, you can try to fit in with the humans. Just… don't come back here. Next time, I might eat you, like it or not," she said seriously.
Snip blinked, not knowing what to say, and soon had her head softly thwacked by Ruta's tail. "C'mon, squirt. Let's get you back home. And on the way, you can tell me why the hell you were running from battle," she said dangerously. Snip's eyes went wide, and she pushed herself into the air quickly, heading home. Ruta glanced at Maca one last time. "If you fight me, fight me with everything, I mean it, Maca," she said.
Maca gazed at her sadly. "Just don't let me absorb you," she responded.
With that, Ruta took to the air, brushing tears from her eyes as she flew after Snip.
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Gohan wiped tears from his eyes as he looked down at Baga. "I didn't wanna do that, Uncle Baga..." he said, as the much older boy groaned from his place on the ground, many of his bones broken. "Why did you make me fight you? I… I hate fighting..." he said, sitting next to his battered uncle.
Baga hissed in pain. "Why?" he gasped. "Why… don't… you want…to fight?"
Gohan met his eyes with his tear-filled ones. "I just want everyone to be happy. I want people to like each other. And… when I..." He wiped his eyes once more. "When I get mad…I get mean. And, not mean like you're mean… I get… cold inside. Big Brother's been teaching me how to control it, but… I hate it. I hate feeling like that, and I don't ever wanna feel that way unless I have no choice. Okay?" he asked, looking Baga over. "Do you promise you'll stop making me fight you?"
Baga gasped in air. "Okay, Gohan… you win. I'll leave your training...in the hands of that… 'Big Brother'… of yours. Just…don't go soft on me… okay, Gohan?" he said more than asked.
Gohan nodded, wiping his eyes once more. "Okay, Uncle Baga. I promise," he said, smiling. He then bit his lip. "I gotta get you to Uncle Turles… sorry if this hurts," he said, then gently pressed the button on Baga's watch, as his uncle hissed at the contact with his shattered wrist. Quickly, Gohan pressed the button on his own watch, as the force field automatically dispersed and they returned to normal size.
Standing nearby was his father and Big Brother. Tears filled his eyes again. "I…I didn't mean to..." he began.
Kakarot smirked, leaning over Baga. "Still alive?" he asked.
Baga managed a smirk. "I'm fine… just… a scratch..." he quipped.
Kakarot glanced at Gohan. "See? Uncle Baga's fine. Now why don't you let Big Brother take you back to bed. You've got training in the morning. I'll get Baga over to Uncle Turles" he said, smiling at his gentle but not-so-gentle son.
"Thanks, Papa," he said, and his tail brushed against his father's, who tousled his son's hair. With that, Gohan took Big Brother's hand, and they left the training room.
Kakarot looked down at Baga. "Don't worry, Baga. We'll be back home before you know it, and you can tell Heaven all about how you got your ass handed to you by a cub," he smirked.
Baga groaned. "Why are you always so mean to me, Kaka?" he demanded as Kakarot gently placed a hand on his chest, his other hand holding two fingers to his forehead. "We're family, you know."
Kakarot grinned. "That's why I'm mean to you," he quipped, as they disappeared.
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"Who the hell is Lord Cooler," Chao demanded of the green-skinned alien on his knees before her. When he wouldn't talk, she shoved her hand into his side, fingers extended. She had obviously hit a nerve, as he began screaming and lost control of his bowels. "Tell me, or I do it again," she said dangerously.
"He…he's the rightful ruler of… of this part of the galaxy! King Cold…put him in charge…after Frieza was… reported dead..."
At a nod from Meron, Chao pressed a spot above where she had just pressed before, and the alien started to relax.
"You will tell us everything about Lord Cooler and his forces," Meron told him in no uncertain terms. "Then I will kill you."
The alien blinked. "Why… why would I tell you anything, knowing you will kill me?!" he demanded.
Chao cocked her head. "Because, if you don't talk, I'll kill you. Which should take, I don't know… anywhere from a few days, to a week… gotta find out where all your nerve endings are, can't do that with you dead..." she said nonchalantly. "Meron would kill you in a matter of seconds," she said darkly. "So, do me a favor, don't tell her anything. I've been dying for a new toy..."
"I'll talk! I'll tell you anything you want to know, please, don't let this monster touch me anymore!" the alien begged at Meron's feet.
"Lord Cooler's forces," Meron repeated, hands on her hips.
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"They're doing what?!" Ruta demanded. They were back home, and Snip was washing the filth out of her long hair. She'd come to learn that the smoke she had seen was from an alien ship crashing into the middle of the arena, after the EDS had shot it down. There had been an alien attack, but the EDS had taken care of them swiftly. Snip rinsed her hair and pulled it back, tying it back with the red ribbon her other half liked to tie in a bow on top of her head. She put on the armor Ruta handed her, missing the human clothes she'd received from Maca.
Snip frowned. "They said the workers were doing experiments on them. They… they were born wrong, Aunt Ruta…one of them didn't even have legs or arms, he just kinda dragged himself with his arm stumps..." she said, tears in her eyes. "I… I had to..." She looked away in shame.
"You did the right thing," Ruta said, pulling the girl close, brushing her tail against Snip's. "You found yourself in a bad situation, and you made it right. You should be proud of yourself for that," she said, tilting the girl's chin up. "I'm sure that, wherever their souls went… they're thanking you," she said.
Snip swallowed hard, then nodded.
"But… flying away from battle..." Ruta said dangerously, causing the girl to wince. "I know you have a gentle nature, but that was just cowardice, plain and simple. You and me have some long-overdue training ahead of us. And no sneezing into your other half, either. This is between you, and me. I'm gonna teach you all the stuff I taught my sister. Speaking of which," she said, and knelt down to Snip's level, glancing around. "You can't tell anyone she's still alive, Snip. And, just in case she's listening… if your other half tells anyone, I will personally smother you both in your sleep," she said darkly. Snip nodded hurriedly. "Maca's on her own path, now. But, she needs us to keep quiet about it if she's gonna survive."
Snip blinked. "She said… she'd eat me..." she said hesitantly.
Ruta fixed her with a look. "She wasn't joking. Maca's dangerous. Even if she doesn't mean to be," she said sternly. "But, she's still family, and we protect what's ours. Understand?" she asked.
Snip bit her lip, then nodded. "We protect what's ours," she agreed.
"Good. Now, let's go to the Queen… she's gonna want to hear all about those human experiments..."
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"I HATE YOU VEGETA!" a woman's voice cried out, and everyone in hearing distance cringed, giving a sympathetic glance to the obsidian side of the castle. Inside the bedroom, Tanmen and Snow stood on either side of a red-faced Bulma, holding each of her hands, as Sadala sat between her legs, her hands covered in blood and other fluids.
"Push harder," the girl instructed, earning a glare from the queen.
"I AM PUSHING!" she yelled, just as another contraction hit, and she cried out with a hard push.
Sadala smiled. "First one's out," she said, and Snow quickly came with a clean towel. She cleaned the baby girl off as Bulma continued to push. Just then, Ruta and Snip entered the room.
"You'll want to leave or be ready to help," Snow told them quickly. Ruta stepped forward, holding her hands out, and Snow looked them over critically. However, as it seemed they had just come from the baths, she handed the baby to Ruta and went back to Sadala's side, toweling off the second one.
"Hello there, cub," Ruta said softly, brushing her tail against the cub's, causing her to stop crying. "That's a good girl… you're gonna be a powerful warrior, aren't you, princess?" she cooed, warming the newborn with her energy. Snip looked on in wonder at the baby, then at Bulma, who was pushing out her third.
Suddenly, Sadala cursed, something Ruta had never heard her do. She reached both arms into Bulma, causing the queen to cry out in pain, and pulled the third baby out.
It wasn't crying. It was blue.
"You will not die," Sadala hissed, unwrapping the umbilical cord from its neck. She then turned the blue baby over, hooking her finger into its mouth to remove anything inside it, and placed a hand on its back, her eyes closed. "You will breathe," she commanded, as her eyes began to glow white.
Suddenly, there was a gasp, and the baby began to cry.
Everyone in the room breathed easily, and Bulma was crying, as Sadala toweled the third baby off and gave it to her. The queen looked haggard, but with tear filled eyes, pulled Sadala towards her and kissed her forehead. "Thank you, Sadala… you saved her life," she said, almost choking on her tears.
Sadala smiled at the little one. "She must live… she is destined for great things," the girl said simply.
Queen Bulma fixed her gaze on Sadala's. "I want you to name her," she said. "If she's destined for great things… she needs a great name."
Sadala blinked at that, then gazed down at the girl. "The sixth child of Vegeta will become the savior of the Saiyan race," she said softly. "You are Princess Shugo, daughter of Vegeta," she said. She raised her eyes to meet Bulma's. "The seventh child of Vegeta will be named Vegeta," she told her.
Bulma scowled. "Well, he's gonna have to wait on that one until I'm damned good and ready," she said heatedly, but smiled as she looked down at the baby. "Hey, there, Shugo! Welcome home!" she cooed.
Ruta and Snow were standing nearby, holding her two other children, and Tanmen raised an eyebrow in amusement. "What about your other two daughters?" she asked.
Bulma's eyes widened, and she looked at the babies in Ruta's and Snow's arms. "Oh, my gosh, let me see them!" she exclaimed, and they laughed as they brought the little cubs close to their mother. "Okay, you're Corset, my darling," she said, stroking the girl's cheek that Ruta was holding. Then she turned to the one Snow was holding. "Hmm… and I'll name you after my aunt Lingerie… you've got her eyes..." she said softly, stroking the tiny whisps of blue hair that were already curling around the baby's ear, as her own eyes drooped heavily.
Sadala, who was finishing her work, glanced at the others. Ruta had gently laid the cub in her arms on the bed next to the queen, and was gesturing for Snip to come with her out the door. She turned her gaze to Princess Tanmen. "The cubs will need mothering while their own mother rests. She's lost blood, and will sleep long," she said, even as Queen Bulma began to nod off. "She'll need hot broth, and a nursemaid, she won't produce enough milk for all of them," she said.
Tanmen nodded. "Parsi volunteered to be a nursemaid, Turles gave her something to make her produce more milk for this very purpose," she said. "Thank you for your help, Sadala," she said, smiling. "Did Saru teach you, that, or…?"
Sadala turned back to gaze at the three cubs, now resting against their mother, with Snow wrapping each one in a warm diaper and blanket. "I've been doing this for more lifetimes than I can remember," the silver-eyed girl said softly. Then she turned and left the Queen's bedroom.
Tanmen stared after her. She'd watched the girl grow up, but this latest announcement didn't surprise her nearly as much as it should. Ever since Sadala was small, she'd seemed to have knowledge well beyond her years.
Sometimes, she wondered if Saru ever really taught her anything… or if it were the other way around?
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Meron glanced at Ruta, who had just walked up with Snip. Ruta looked down at the green alien sniveling at Meron's feet. "Please… please let me go..." the alien was begging. Snip's eyes were wide at the sight, but Ruta was scowling at the alien in distaste.
Meron gazed at him coolly. "You have kept your end of our bargain," she said, and lifted her hand. "Now I will keep mine," she said to him. Before he could cry out, she fired a blast that neatly vaporized him in an instant.
She then turned to Ruta and Snip. "Report," she told Ruta.
"Took down five, but one got back to his ship before I could stop him. I blew it up, but I don't know if he sent any kind of transmission," Ruta reported.
Meron gave her a nod, then turned to Snip. "Your other half didn't report when I called. I take it you've lost your scouter," she said, mindful of which version of Snip she was now talking to.
"I didn't have it when I woke up. I was… tied up..." she said, looking down in embarrassment.
Meron frowned. "Tied up? With… with rope?" she asked, confused as to why the girl had been in that predicament in the first place…
Snip fidgeted nervously. "My friends were playing a prank, I think. But… then they knocked me out, and I woke up in a human lab of some kind," she said, looking up at Meron, who was regarding her carefully. "The humans are doing experiments… with Saiyans. I met a group of them who were… deformed," she reported, biting her lip. "They were barely able to defend themselves," she added, tears springing to her eyes.
Meron scowled. "Is this lab still there?" she asked.
Snip shook her head. "I… I helped them… turn Oozaru, and..." She swallowed hard. "We destroyed the lab. But, when we turned normal… I..."
Meron nodded, beginning to understand. "You did what any caring Saiyan would do in your situation," she said, and placed a hand on Snip's shoulder. "I am glad that you were there for them." She glanced up at Ruta. "Go with Snip to that location, I want to find out if any trace of the lab or its workers remain. If they do, I want survivors," she said, glancing at Chao. "I owe Chao a toy," she added wryly. Chao smirked, giving a nod.
"On it," Ruta said, and she and Snip turned and left.
Chao glanced at Meron. "We reporting this to the king?" she asked, curiously.
Meron raised an eyebrow. "He's not here, and the queen is. Matters of Earth's safety belong to her, anyway," she said, shrugging. "Gather reports from the others, and have everyone stay on alert. This was a scouting party; the enemy's main forces won't be far behind."
Chao gave a nod, and Meron made her way to the castle.
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"Are we in range yet?" King Vegeta asked, entering the ship's bridge.
Prince Tarble glanced up. "Just came into range," he said, putting a display on the main viewer. Before them was a planet surrounded by asteroids. The picture zoomed in, and they saw a rather large building with multiple clearings for ships to land. "It's a basic Cold outpost… one of Frieza's, but see the flags? They're broadcasting as Galactic Patrol. They must have taken it over after Frieza died," he said.
King Vegeta smirked, just as Kakarot entered the bridge. "Hail them," he said. In moments, a fat green alien appeared on screen. "I am King Vegeta, of the Saiyan race. I hereby claim this station in the name of my empire. I'll give you a chance to flee, if you wish… any who remain will die," he said in no uncertain terms. He could sense Kakarot tensing up, but to his credit, his royal guard remained silent.
The alien, however, did not. "What? Who do you think you are-"
As the alien was talking, two things happened. King Vegeta glanced over at Prince Vegeta, who was manning the weapons, and the boy gave a nod and disappeared. The next second, he was standing behind the green alien, crushing its skull between his hands. Seconds later, Prince Vegeta returned, wiping green stuff off of his hands with a towel.
"They all seem to be fleeing," Prince Tarble said, and on the view screen they could see multiple ships taking off at once.
King Vegeta gave a nod, sitting in the command chair. "Allow them one hour. Then, start sending our men down in teams of five to clear the station out, and place this ship behind one of the larger asteroids. General broadcast," he commanded, and Prince Tarble soon gave him a nod. "Attention everyone: I am King Vegeta, of the Saiyan race. Planet Baru is now a part of the Saiyan Empire. Anyone who refuses to follow Saiyan rule is free to leave," he said, and gestured for Prince Tarble to end the transmission.
Distinctly aware of Kakarot's discomfort with this situation, he sent a glance to Tarble. "Alert me when the outpost is cleared out. Only Saiyans are allowed inside its walls," he said, receiving a nod. Then, he turned and left the bridge, knowing Kakarot would not be far behind.
"Speak," Vegeta said once they were away from the others.
Kakarot was scowling. "Is this why we're out here? To conquer other planets?" he demanded hotly.
"What else should we be doing?!" Vegeta demanded, scowling at his royal guard. "Running around the galaxy blindly, hoping we find one single fat tub of lard in a universe full of people?"
Kakarot frowned at that. His eyes widened. "That broadcast… it will go out to anyone in range. And you let all those people go..." He grinned. "It's a trap for Dodoria."
"Of course it's a trap," Vegeta said, rolling his eyes. "You think I want anything from Planet Baru? Their natives all look like short, fur-covered bears, and their strongest fighters couldn't take down our weakest cubs. But, at least the food here is decent," he said with a sigh. "And they happen to be close enough to Earth for them to receive our hails in a timely enough manner, in case we fail."
Kakarot smirked. "Sorry, sire… I should have had more faith in you," he said sheepishly.
Vegeta narrowed his eyes at Kakarot, closing the gap between them. "But I will conquer whatever world I please, Kakarot. When I find one with something that I want. And while I have no desire to slaughter a planet of weaklings, I will not permit dissension in my ranks, and will destroy any who oppose me. Do you understand?" he hissed.
Kakarot gazed at him for a long moment, his expression unreadable. "I understand, sire," he said, his voice neutral.
"See that you do," Vegeta responded, then walked down the corridor, leaving Kakarot to his thoughts.
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Princess Tanmen met Meron outside of Queen Bulma's door. "Queen Bulma's resting," she whispered. "She won't be able to attend her duties until she recovers."
Meron frowned. "We've received important information that affects Earth's safety," she said.
The princess thought for a moment. "Give it to me. I'll take over for her until she wakes up," she said.
Meron gave her a simple nod. "The forces who attacked were sent by someone by the name of Cooler, Frieza's brother," she reported. "That was a scouting party. We should expect a real attack at any time. They are looking for whoever killed Frieza, and have received information that we are to blame," she said. "The alien I interrogated didn't know anything of the informants, only that they were sent to see if it was true. But, they were told exactly where on Earth to find us, and their orders were not to touch any other human cities… but that the Ox Kingdom could be destroyed, with all the Saiyans in it. We think they've been in contact with one of the human cities. We're also certain some of their men sent broadcasts back to their fleet."
Princess Tanmen frowned. "Is there anything else?" she asked.
Meron nodded. "One of the cubs, Snip, ran afoul of a human lab doing experiments with Saiyans," she said. "It seems they had made a group of deformed ones. The lab was destroyed, but I sent Ruta and Snip to check for survivors," she said. "This makes the third one we've found so far, and Mai says she's heard rumors of more."
Princess Tanmen sighed. "We had just forged a new treaty with the Earth King, too," she said, shaking her head. "This has got to stop… we can't keep fighting on two fronts," she said, glancing at the door to Queen Bulma's room just as it opened.
A pale Bulma was standing there, the door frame holding her up. "Bulma, you should be in bed!" Tanmen said, eyes wide.
Queen Bulma was looking at Meron, though. "Those Saiyans they were experimenting on… what happened to them?" she asked, allowing Tanmen to help her stand.
"They are dead, your highness," Meron said, equally concerned for the Queen's health.
Queen Bulma scowled. "I won't let them keep making Saiyan babies, just to run their sick experiments. Mai's been telling me about other facilities where they have been trying to create Saiyan super soldiers to fight on their side," she said, as she eased herself into the chair Meron retrieved for her. "We need allies we can trust, like the Ox Kingdom," she said, glancing up at Tanmen. "Tanmen… here, take this," she said, reaching towards a dresser drawer. Tanmen opened it so she wouldn't have to strain, and pulled out a small metal ball. "That's it. When you press the button, it sends a broadcast to everyone nearby with any kind of transceiver device. Every radio and television on the planet will get the signal. Go to King Whiskers. Demand to know why he's allowing this to happen. Let his people know why..." she said, slumping a little.
"You should be lying down," Tanmen said, frowning, but Bulma would not be moved.
"Tanmen… it's time for us to take over. We have to go from just protecting this world, to actually ruling it. It's time for humanity to step up," she said, feeling faint. This time, when Tanmen tried to guide her to her bed, she complied, lying down next to the three sleeping infants. "I trust you to handle this, I know you'll do fine," she said, yawning, as her eyes drooped closed.
Princess Tanmen nodded. "I won't let you down, your highness," she said, but Bulma was already asleep. Taking a deep breath, she turned to Meron. "Come on… we have work to do," she said softly, and they both left the room.
The princess wasted no time. She had Meron gather the EDS, while she went to speak with the Ox King. The large man was a fierce warrior, but largely unskilled in politics; people followed him out of respect, not because he had somehow convinced them. He did, however, have plenty of people he trusted well. She asked him to gather them together. In the end, Princess Tanmen, the Ox King, ten members of the EDS, including Meron, and ten of the Ox King's most trusted allies, all appeared in King Whiskers's throne room.
Princess Tanmen pressed the button on the device, and it floated behind her.
"What… what is the meaning of this?" King Whiskers demanded, as some of his security guards came to stand between him and the Saiyans.
"I am Princess Tanmen of the Saiyan people. You know the Ox King. We are here because, despite all our attempts at forging peace, you have done nothing about the institutions creating and experimenting on Saiyan cubs," she said, narrowing her eyes. "We just destroyed another one, where your people had created Saiyan cubs so deformed, they could barely survive. We are trying to protect this planet from attack. I'm sure you noticed the aliens who just arrived. We acknowledge that there weren't that many of them, but we couldn't help but notice the fact that NONE of your forces made a move against them. We also couldn't help but notice how none of your cities were hit, or even investigated… it was as though they had prior knowledge of exactly where to strike," she said, taking a step forward. The king's guards raised their weapons at her, but she ignored them, focused instead on King Whiskers. "Well?"
King Whiskers stroked his orange fur. "We've investigated these claims of labs, and we haven't found a single one," he said, and licked the fur on the back of his paw. "As far as your aliens, we knew you would be able to handle them, we saw no need to rally our forces for nothing."
Tanmen scowled. "Did you or did you not communicate our position to invading forces?" she asked, eyes narrowed.
King Whiskers considered the question for a long moment. "We may have sent an emergency broadcast when they arrived. We didn't want a repeat of last time, where they were targeting innocent human cities for a grudge they had against your people," he said distastefully. "And, like you said, there weren't that many of them… no need for innocent people to suffer..."
"There are innocent people in the Ox Kingdom, too!" the Ox King growled, moments away from stomping on the small feline king, but Tanmen put up a hand.
"We live in a time of war, King Whiskers," Tanmen said in no uncertain terms. "If we fail, all of humanity will suffer. We won't abide your shooting us in the back while we defend you any more," she said, and nodded to Meron. In seconds, the weapons the guards were holding were in her hands. Tanmen continued. "The Saiyan people no longer recognize your rule over this planet," she said, and stepped back. The Ox King stepped forward, battle axe in hand, and soon, King Whiskers and his guards were dead. Tanmen turned to the ball that was broadcasting. "It's time for humanity to step up. We're not hiding behind the legs of stronger beings anymore. It's time for us to become stronger, as a people," she said, and glanced at the Ox King.
The big, burly man stepped forward, rubbing the back of his helmet awkwardly. "I'm the Ox King. My people have been training to fight against the aliens who keep attacking. I think, we should all be training to fight them, instead of fighting each other. We don't live in a time of peace anymore… too many bad guys know where we live. It's time for us to stand up for ourselves. If you think you can do a better job of making sure we're all ready when the aliens come, then come here and tell me to my face. Otherwise, we're gonna start working together to prepare, instead of just hoping someone else will come and save us," he said, cocking his head. "That's all."
Princess Tanmen stepped forward again. "The Saiyan people recognize the Ox King as ruler of Earth, and consider all humans to be our allies. We urge you to prepare yourselves. The next attack will be much more massive. Whoever wishes to survive, needs to be ready to fight." With that, she plucked the little ball out of the air, and pressed the button.
Tanmen looked to the Ox King's most trusted allies. "We're going to take each of you to a center of power on earth, where you will become the governor of that region," she said, glancing to the Ox King, who nodded his agreement with the plan. "You will be accompanied by a member of the EDS for now, until you are certain you have a fighting force around you that you can trust. We only ask that you find out who else is experimenting on Saiyans, and put a stop to it," she said.
"You have our word, Princess Tanmen," Merrick said, and the others nodded.
Tanmen gave a nod, and they disappeared, each accompanied by a member of the EDS. Tanmen looked to the Ox King. "So… ready to clean house?" she asked, cracking her knuckles.
"Heh… you remind me so much of Chichi," the Ox King sighed wistfully. He gave her a grim nod, and readied his axe as Tanmen opened the door.
Outside were a number of men, all holding their guns up in the air. "We surrender!" they exclaimed.
A/N: Sorry if this feels rushed, guys. Truth is, I'll be focusing on school soon, and won't be able to write, so I want to get this story finished. One more big battle, then I can focus on school and we can have some closure until the next major part of the story… the long-awaited Buu saga.
Besides… you guys saw this day coming, right?