Chapter 29. Plunder
Piccolo returned at the end of the day like he said and by that time most of the preparations had been made. The Marauder was about ready for take off to New Namek.
Vegeta watched the Ardian walk over in her long, easy strides.
"My Prince." Ruirdo saluted him. Her seductive comport had completely left her now that she knew he wasn't interested in her.
"Major." Vegeta replied just as formally.
Ruirdo turned to Akane where she stood with Ringo at the other end of the entrance hall and hollered: "Captain! What is the status?"
Akane, who was wearing a scouter on her scowling face, removed a hand from her hip and pressed a button on the side of the device. "How far are we, Turles?" she barked.
There was the sound of static before Turles' booming voice could be heard from the scouter: "Finished, Captain. We're on our way back. Five minutes tops."
Akane pressed the button again and took in her previous pose repeating ill-temperedly: "Done in five minutes, Major."
Ruirdo turned to Vegeta again. "Do we have the coordinates for New Namek yet?"
Vegeta motioned to Piccolo at his side wordlessly and the green warrior gave her the coordinates in his trademark guttural voice.
"The ship is ready for take off when the provisions are in." Ruirdo reported. "When do you wish to depart, my Prince?"
"At sundown." Vegeta said.
Ruirdo gave another nod and raised her voice to announce: "We lift off at sundown." She saluted Vegeta again and disappeared down the hallway.
Akane watched her go with an annoyed twitch in the corner of her mouth. Her unnerving eyes whizzed across the hall to Vegeta and she bared her teeth in that familiar snarl before fixing her stare to the entrance again. It was obvious she was still narked for some reason. He thought, and hoped, she might be feeling some of the territoriality he had suffered from with her in the beginning, and that unlike him she wasn't putting it into words. She chose to leave him guessing after it and feeling frustrated by how much this all affected him. He just wasn't sure. She was the most manipulative and volatile person he had ever met. He could just as well be guessing wrong...
Vegeta was brought back from his thoughts by the bustling arrival of Turles and his platoon.
Akane and Ringo joined them immediately when Turles halted in front of Vegeta with a salute.
"Where did you get all that chicken?" Akane asked with a look of amazement on the continuing stream of Saiyajins passing by through the hallway with boxes of chicken meat.
"My brother helped us out." Turles said while taking off his scouter and rubbing a hand through his wild black hair. "We have enough for a year."
"I don't care for it much anymore." Akane said dismissively. "So Kakarot, how exactly did you get all this chicken?"
"This guy at the factory gave it to us for free. Said we should just take everything we liked." Goku told her happily. "Isn't that the nicest thing?"
Piccolo at Vegeta's side sighed wearily. "Goku, you hulking boob. Isn't it more likely that the man was scared out of his mind by you and all those Saiyajins and that he told you to take everything because he feared for his life if he didn't?"
Goku looked at him as if such a thing was ridiculously far-fetched. "Nah, we asked if it was really okay and he said it was no problem at all."
"Well." Turles said rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Come to think of it, he did seem kind of harrassed."
"Of course he didn't, big brother." Goku cheered.
"Yeah, he did." Turles said.
For all his bitterness Vegeta couldn't hold in his laughter. "Kakarot, you idiot. Do you realise you just sacked a meat factory?"
Goku scratched the back of his head. "You think we should take it back?"
Piccolo shook his head at Goku's stupidity. "And give the poor man a heart attack? I think you should stay clear of him and his factory for the rest of his days."
Goku nodded gravely in understanding.
"Well done, Kakarot. We'll make a Saiyajin out of you yet." Akane complimented. Her rough laugh was cut off abruptly by her catching breath.
Vegeta watched startled how the colour drained from her face suddenly, making the pink streak across her temple and the sneer at her mouth stand out fierce and very pink. She looked as though she was about to throw up.
"What is with you?" he demanded realising that this question applied to more than just her ashen face.
Akane pursed her lips and locked Turles with an urgent stare. "Store that stuff away on the lowest level of the ship, as far away from me as possible and make sure that I will never, ever have to smell it again."
"S-Sure, Captain." Turles answered with a puzzled look.
"Is it really that bad?" Ringo asked surprised.
"Worse." Akane breathed and clasped her hand over her mouth.
They all watched nonplussed how she bolted through the hallway and dove into the nearest chamber.
"I fucking mean it Turles! Keep that kack away from me!" with that she disappeared inside and the door to the chamber was thrown shut behind her so violently that it quivered in its hinges.
Vegeta stared at the closed door. Could that be it? That she was with child? Maybe that was why she was even more impossible to deal with lately. He would very much like to believe that. It seemed too much to hope for, her hostility was reserved for him alone.
"What was that about?" Goku wondered aloud.
"It's probably the princess in her belly. The Captain hasn't eaten any chicken since." Ringo mused.
"We better get rid of these boxes before she comes back out." Turles said and he spurred his platoon into motion hurriedly.
Vegeta, Piccolo and Ringo were the only ones remaining in the entrance hall. Piccolo and Vegeta stood with their backs against the wall, their arms folded and their eyes fixed to the closed door where Akane had vanished behind. Ringo stood next to it waiting for his charge to get back out. It was good to see that both him and Turles took their guard duty so seriously and that they hadn't refrained from it, even if Akane was continuously threatening to end their sorry existence or rip of their balls for hounding her heels.
"The child your female carries is building power at quite a rate." Piccolo spoke nonchalantly. "How long before it arrives?"
"Eleven weeks." Vegeta replied in the same manner.
"Pretty amazing." Piccolo grumbled.
"Quite." was Vegeta's curt reply.
The silence between them stretched. Vegeta didn't mind and he knew the green warrior didn't either. Talking wasn't their strong suit. They mostly spent their time together with sparring and meditating or talking about sparring and meditating. Or about Kakarot of course. Any other subject usually didn't last long between them. Vegeta certainly couldn't talk to the Namekian about his concubine problems.
Piccolo snorted to break the silence. "So, do I get a room in this place or do I have to spend my time out here in the hallway?"
"You don't sleep." Vegeta pointed out offhandedly.
Piccolo snickered. "I know but I would like to have some place private where I can meditate."
"You can use one of the training chambers." Vegeta said.
Another silence.
Vegeta's eyes followed the young man that just hurried by them through the hallway. "You." he called. "Show this man to one of the training chambers and make sure that it is for his private use."
"Immediately, my Prince." the young man replied with a respectful salute.
"There you go. Your very own chamber." Vegeta said to the green warrior at his side.
"Thank you." Piccolo answered quietly as he pushed himself away from the wall and followed after the young man.
"We can spar later." Vegeta called after him.
"Fine." Piccolo's gutteral voice sounded through the hallway.
Vegeta drew his leg up, foot resting against the wall at his back. "Fine."
He waited for his little concubine to emerge from the chamber and when she finally did it was sneering. That on its own wasn't strange, the unpleasant expression came to her naturally, but lately it had turned into plain enmity when she crossed paths with him. At least, he noted, the healthy colour had returned to her cheeks.
"Are you still here?" Akane hissed over to Ringo when he followed after her.
"And not going anywhere." Ringo simply said.
Akane focussed her threatening glare on Vegeta as she passed him. "I don't think your daughter likes chicken very much."
Vegeta seized her from walking on by placing a hand on her arm.
"Are you about finished?" again a question that applied to several things. Was she indeed about finished with her fucking games.
"Not quite." Akane spat.
Vegeta scanned her face but the imperviousness she had cloaked herself in allowed him no access. It never did. Why wouldn't she just tell him what was giving her this arse ache? Why was he still standing here guessing and looking like a fool? He could just strangle her.
"If it is that pressing you might want to find someone else to help you out with that, Prince." the way her unnerving eyes darted to his crotch made it very clear what that referred to.
Vegeta sighed and let go of her arm. "Oh for fuck's sake, Akane. Go on then."
The little thing threw her wild hair back with a quick jerk and walked away spitting abuse at Ringo following behind her. She left Vegeta standing in the hallway certain that whatever it was that he had done to make her act this way, it had been regretfully wrong.