24
Disappearing inside his two-person tent, the black, flame-haired teen stuffed every single extra ration pack he had saved into his pack. 'Everything alright?' Yes… Why are you asking, Woman? 'I felt… …same thing… …as before… …you left.' Vegeta sighed, I'm really hating the Bond right now… But I'm planning on going after Freeza alone. 'Why alone?... Why is… …Nappa not… …going with?' Because people will just slow me down. And I've grown attached to the idiot; if you tell anyone I said that I'll make sure your first three years of being full-Mates is miserable. 'You're secret's… …safe.' Good.
"Oi! Prince Vegeta! Come on out and meet ya squad mates!" A very odd accented voice called, a few feet away from his tent opening. Can't I get a moment alone in peace? 'Nope! You're… …a Prince… Deal with… …it.' Vulgar Woman. I'll talk with you later. Sighing, the teen stepped out to find a man, roughly his height, with bushy white hair and dressed in a simple black combat suit with red accents around the cuffs and collar.
Nodding, the white-haired man introduced himself, "My name's Jeice, second-in-command of Squad 419." Jeice pointed to each of the men around him; the short, round man with a shaved head, two twins who came up the Vegeta's shoulder, and a tall, tan man with freckles everywhere. "These blokes are Guldo, arguably the best sniper in Ee-arth; those two are Jinga and Beru, don't let their size fool ya, they aren't your normal ankle biters and are skilled in hand-to-hand combat. And that right here is me best mate, Burter; the fastest sharpshooter around."
"What about me?" A spiky-haired Saiyan with a brilliant grin hollered as he jogged up to the group. "Don't tell me it's been a week already, Kakarot." Vegeta smirked, crossing his arms while trying to subtly look for that familiar head of blue hair. Finally with the group of men, Goku's dopy smile didn't diminish, "Nope. But Bulma said that you needed me and Chi-Chi said that she could use the break. So I hopped on the next transport and here I am."
Still looking around for his Mate, the Saiyan Prince scoffed, "Tch, if your Mate needed a break then you're doing it wrong." Blushing as the words spilled out, Goku rubbed the back of his neck, "I don't think I was. If the sounds she was making was what I had to go by. Bulma's not with me, 'Gete's." Vegeta's mouth dropped open for a split second before he started stammering, "Wh… I wasn't looking for Her."
Another Saiyan approached, his wild, spiky hair held back by a blood red band around his forehead and was followed by a much taller Saiyan who only had a thin, wispy mustache. "Cut the chatter you two." Bardock snapped as he placed a holo-device and a small, zippered case on a table. "I'm leading Squad 419, Jeice here is my second-in-command followed by Nappa. Now, I know we're all elite warriors but I've received orders that we are to be a non-combat unit. Instead, we will be following behind the front line and medics to serve as the on-screen faces of the last battle of this war."
"On who's orders?" Vegeta questioned darkly, a scowl firmly in place. "Paragus." Nappa answered with a sharp glare that brokered no arguments from the younger Saiyan. Continuing on as if his Prince had never spoken, Bardock said, "We've seen how you have affected the masses. Your whole job in these propaganda clips is to intimidate and inspire surrenders. Remember, even though we'll be working in abandoned streets, we are in an active war zone. We'll probably still find active Pods and roaming Freeza Force mooks, so stay on your guard at all times."
Opening the small case, Bardock took a tiny, clear capsule filled with a black liquid before passing the case around. He held it up as he spoke, "This is a Deathberry pill. In the event that you are captured, bite or swallow the pill and the poison within will kill you in under a minute. We are all high-value targets, so you can bet your life that Freeza will try to throw everything he has at us should he discover where we're at." Vegeta saw that there would be one extra and picked up two pills, subtly sliding both under the collar of his suit.
Bardock picked up the holo-device to explain it next. "This is our radar. It also contains our map of the Pods, but we have no way of knowing how complete it is since new Pods could've been added since this morning. No one moves without this device. The last thing we need is for someone to set off a new Pod and bring the whole of Freeza's Force down on us. In the event of our capture, it has a self-destruct switch." He pointed to the red switch, "Flip this and say 'Deathberry' three times. Anything within ten feet of it will be blown to bits, especially us. Above all else, stay with your squad." The scarred Saiyan warrior level a heated glare at the two teenagers.
Leaning over, Goku whispered into Vegeta's ear, "Welcome to the 76th Annual Dragon Games." "My tent after your dad's done talking." The Prince whispered back. Nappa's rough voice brought their attention back, "If you two are done whispering like schoolgirls, it's time to get your tails in bed. We've got an early day tomorrow and this'll be the last time you'll get to sleep in a bed for a while." "You go on. There's something I need to ask about." Vegeta said to Goku before standing in front of Nappa.
After waiting for everyone to leave, the younger Saiyan arched an eyebrow, "What do you mean Scar Face gave us orders?" Running a hand down his face, Nappa sighed, "Just because he's no longer in charge, doesn't mean that he's lost all his sway. My best guess? He talked Shenron into it." I should've killed the idiot when I had the chance… Vegeta scowled, "Fine. I guess we have no choice but to play along. For now anyway."
Hurriedly making his way to his tent, Vegeta was glad that someone had listened to him. Speaking a hushed voice, the Saiyan Prince stated, "I'm killing Freeza. My question is, are we still allies?" "Of course we are, 'Gete's." Goku chuckled quietly before staring at the other teen quizzically, "You're planning on going off on your own, aren't you?" "Yes." Was his simple answer. Confused, the spiky-haired teen asked, "But why tell me? I know you, Vegeta. You'd rather not have anyone tag along, least of all me."
Still unsure of why he was trusting the third-class clown, Vegeta replied, "I've got less than a week before I go completely insane. So, if you really are my ally, you're going to help me get that holo from your dad so I can make it to Freeza's mansion." "Before I can agree to that, you've got to tell me why you think you're going crazy." Coal black eyes stared into his Prince's onyx orbs as he waited for the other to speak.
"Don't worry Kakarot, this won't happen to you unless your Mate dies." Vegeta found his words coming easier with Goku's relieved expression, "Me and the Woman are not full-Mates like you and the Harpy are; therefore, I have different struggles than you. It's getting harder and harder for me to be away from my Mate; the nightmares are worsening and I feel my mind slipping away. That's why I want Freeza dead as fast as possible. So I can reunite with my Mate and be whole once again." "Ok." Goku nodded determinedly, "I'll help you, Best Buddy. But only if I get to come with." Oh, what I put up with to get back to Her… "Fine. Not a word about this to anyone; not even your Mate. Now shut up, I'm sleepy." "Good night, 'Gete's." Goku yawned as he laid down on the other cot, asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.