This is different, Raditz thought. He looked up and furrowed his brows, feeling a buzzing in his ears from all the loud noises in the sticky, stinky place. Everywhere he went, he got batted by adults not in control of their own filthy tails, if he tried to follow Bardock around, he couldn't seem to keep track of his father and Nappa as they were surrounded by all the noisy Saiyans becoming more and more rowdy in the malt bar.
"Tell'ush, big guy, what's it loike havin' a direct view of the queen's juggly wugglies?" A slurring voice shouted out, then the crowd all jeered and laughed together raucously as the big man stood and growled, "Hey, don't disrespect the queen like that!" He scolded, before grinning wildly and gesturing large circles in the air with waggling eyebrows, getting him patted hard on the back. Raditz watched, puzzled, then pulled on Bardock's tail.
"Papa, what's 'juggly wugglies'?" He asked, but Bardock didn't even hear him because he and Tora were having a conversation so important that they had to shout right in each other's ears to hear each other.
"Yeah, then I looked over and her boob was out! Right there, out in the open for all to see!" Bardock shouted, and Tora's eyes widened.
"Woah, what did they look like...!" He exclaimed exaggeratedly back, splashing beer on the floor.
"Hey!" Raditz snapped, shaking the liquid out of his hair.
"What did you just say, Tora!?" A feminine growl startled Raditz, and he backed away as she stomped over and glared at him, her hands on her shapely hips.
"Oh, hey there Fasha, we-we're just saying how it's rude to stare at the queen..hehe!" He stuttered, and Fasha huffed at him, before closing in, her nose nearly touching his as she glared into his eyes and made him back up into the bar, spilling his drink even more as Bardock broke down laughing like a hyena. Raditz looked at his father incredulously, never having seen his father act so odd before.
"Papa?" He whined, tugging on his large hand. "When can we go home for dinner? I'm starving!" He whimpered, and Bardock didn't even seem to hear him. Raditz pouted, then stomped his boot on his father's, which was miraculously much more hard, and jumped around wincing in pain, holding one foot.
"Fasha, I lobe you!" Tora yelled, and she picked him up and kissed him, making everyone whoop and holler, complimenting him on having such a strong female.
"Hey kid, you're gonna get squashed down here!" A gruff voice chuckled, and Raditz suddenly felt gravity change, as he was quickly snatched up off the ground, and rose up so high in the air he squirmed. There was a hearty laugh, then Nappa turned him around and placed him on his shoulder pad. Raditz clambered to hang on, holding around the man's sweaty neck.
"P-Put me down, you're not my father!" He said, and bit into Nappa's giant ear.
"Yoww! Hey, let go!" Nappa tugged him, then squeezed his cheeks with two fingers and made his jaw unclamp. Raditz whimpered, feeling the buzzing in his ears, the heavy, thick air in the room, and then began to wail, shaming his breed, but he couldn't help it, he was only 7 years old and in a strange place not meant for children.
"I hate it here! I want to go home!" He cried, and kicked Nappa in the jaw. Nappa snarled at him and picked him up by his tail and shook him quickly to make him be quiet, then placed him back on his shoulder pad and ruffled his hair, before walking over to the large crowd surrounding Bardock. Raditz watched with a quivering lip as he tapped Bardock on the shoulder and had to scream to even get his attention.
"Hey, I'm taking the runt out for some fresh air!" He yelled, and Bardock flapped one hand dismissively, before going back to yelling about whatever deep conversation he and his friends were having.
"Papa!" Raditz wailed, and attempted to scramble over to him, then fell from the steep height and landed on the floor, running up to the nearest leg and hugging it. "Papa, Papa!" He cried, and the man shook his leg, flinging him off back towards Nappa.
"I ain't your papa, runt! What a wimp! He should be embarrassed to have such a little whiner!" The man said, and then stiffened when Nappa stormed over and picked Raditz up, pulling him tightly to his chest, and growling sharply at the man.
"Oh- G-General! I-I didn't know he was yours, I'm sorry!" He snivelled, getting down on one knee. Nappa huffed at him and turned, flying out of the malt bar quickly and back out into the street, where though it was crowded by market tents, and people shouting about the quality of their wares, it was better than being inside the stinky malt bar, with the hot air so close around them.
Nappa spat on the ground and grimaced, shaking the ringing out of his ears. He looked down at the child curled in a ball in the nook of his large bicep, and shook his head. "A bar ain't no place for a boy." He said, and began walking. Raditz felt the movement and stirred, peeking out from a crack under Nappa's arm.
"Evenin' General, would you like to try me pickled rat on a stick?" A man called, shaking an object that looked like green gelatin. Nappa nodded and walked over, taking the stick and slurping off the contents.
"Eh, not bad." He said, but didn't buy any, and instead went to the next stall.
"Aw, is that your youngin'?" A woman asked, walking up to him and batting her eyelashes as she approached him. Raditz peeked up at Nappa, then the big man winked at him.
"Oh, no. I'm just returning him to his mother." He said, and leaned over her with one arm against a brick building. The female gasped and put one hand over her mouth, "I see... how thoughtful, what brings a big, strong elite into town like yourself?" She said, and trailed one fingernail down his breastplate. Raditz growled at the woman and tried to bite her finger off, and she backed away, startled. "Hey, where'r ya goin?" Nappa said, then rumbled with disappointment as she walked away with an indignant huff.
"Come on kid, couldn't you try to be a bit more cute?" He said in a low whisper, and Raditz shook his head back and forth stubbornly. "I'm not cute!" Nappa sighed, then walked down the busy street, looking around for the source of a delectable smell. Raditz's stomach growled, and he popped his head up to watch where the big man was going, his nose twitching at all the interesting smells. He came up to a stall in the back alley, where there was less of a crowd, and slid some coins across the counter.
"Your usual, sir?" The shopkeeper said, and Nappa almost nodded, then looked down at Raditz and smiled.
"Make it double." He said, and Raditz scrambled back onto his shoulder pad to watch as the schwarma nodded, and began slicing meat off a rotating spit, which smelled so heavenly Raditz licked his lips and gulped.
"This is gonna be good, kid. Just watch." He said, crossing his arms, and Raditz watched curiously as the schwarma began piling the succulent meat and vegetables into a cone-shaped flat bread and drizzled sauce onto both, before handing them to Nappa.
"Thanks, Botthe." He said, and the shorter man nodded enthusiastically, waving at Raditz as Nappa toted him away with their food in tow. They walked down the busy street, and Nappa took a large bite out of his sandwich, the sauce dripping down his chin, and flew, over the city and towards the castle walls, where they sat under a tree and ate.
Raditz held his food in both hands, the large sandwich wrap sagging as he struggled to keep all the contents inside, and took the largest bite he could muster, watching the way Nappa ate and mimicking that. His mother always told him not to slurp, and to chew with his mouth closed, but Nappa didn't do either, he ate like a heathen and belched, the food still visible in his mouth as he did, so Raditz imitated that, giggling. Nappa wiped his mouth and smirked at the tiny burp Raditz had managed to muster, and batted him on one cheek playfully with his tail. Raditz flinched back quickly, rubbing his cheek as if he'd been struck, then realized Nappa hadn't been trying to hurt him, and looked up at him, puzzled.
"It's alright kid, don't be scared. My name's Nappa, 'member? I work for the king. Your mom is a good cook." He said, and Raditz tilted his head, licking the last of the delicious shawarma sauce from his fingers.
"Do you know what we do? Well, I mean, your dad? Nevermind..." He suddenly muttered, and raked one large hand through his short hair. Raditz crawled over closer and sat down next to him, frowning.
"What do you mean? Going to work?" He said, and twitched his tail. Nappa mused on this, and leaned up against the tree, looking up at the sky. He pointed, and Raditz observed the white streaks going across the darkening horizon.
"See those? Those are space pods, attack balls, whatever. We get in those things and go to other planets." Nappa said with a sigh, and placed one hand on Raditz's shoulder as the small boy stared up.
"Why?" He said, and Nappa rumbled at this. "Your idiot father didn't tell- I mean, you don't know, Raditz? What we Saiyans are good at?" He said, gently, trying his best not to frighten him, as Raditz looked back up at him and shook his head.
"...Eating? Or maybe fighting? Yeah, fighting, that's what my papa does! He fights on other planets, then when he wins he can come back." He said, and waited for Nappa's confirmation.
"Well... yeah, you're right. We do like to eat, and fight. But, we aren't really fighting fair." He said, carefully choosing his words.
"Oh! You mean, like when I hit you below that belt, and my papa said that's not fair?"
"Yeah, yeah, that's right. But it didn't always used to be that way. We used to choose where we wanted to go, we fought battles like men. Now we, well..." He sighed once again, rubbing his creased brow, and Raditz sensed the big man was conflicted, and purred very softly in his throat. Nappa snorted at him, and shoved him over onto his side as if he were contagious.
"What was that for?" He said, and shoved his arm back.
"Don't ever purr, Raditz! Only females purr. That's very weak! Others will think you're weak if you purr." He admonished him, and brushed himself off quickly, standing up.
"But I want to make you feel better, that's what my momma does!" He said, lowering his head, pouting.
"What is it I do, now?" A familiar voice said, and Raditz whirled around quickly, seeing Gine exiting the castle grounds. He flew to her quickly, so hard he almost hit her like a bullet before she caught him, laughing. Raditz nuzzled his nose in her short hair that smelled of her musk, and many delectable foods, and purred, as she walked up to Nappa.
"You'll have to break him of that habit, all the other boys will laugh at him if he purrs!" He said jokingly, and Gine huffed at him.
"Raditz can purr if he wants, there's nothing wrong with a child showing affection. Why, was he doing that to you?" She said, suddenly surprised. Raditz looked back at Nappa and the big man's cheeks reddened, and he looked away.
"Nah, uh, I was just saying..."
"Wait a minute, where's Bardock? Wasn't he with you?" She said, and looked down at Raditz, seeing his hair was shiny and clumped in places, and sniffed him.
"Beer!" She exclaimed, gasping.
"How could you, you took my child into a bar!?" She growled, storming up to Nappa.
"I didn't take him! Your mate was the one that thought it was a good idea! I had one drink, then next thing I know Bardock was wast-"
CRACK! Gine slapped Nappa across the face, and he stiffened, glaring down at her, clenching one fist.
"Don't you dare talk about Bardock that way! And stay away from my son!" She screamed, and stormed away, as Raditz struggled in her arms and looked at Nappa, and began to cry, before Gine pushed his head down firmly, and the big man turned away. Raditz curled against his mother's apron and sobbed, wondering what the end of the story could have been.
Nappa left, flying up towards the front entrance of the castle. What a fool woman, she blames me for her own mate's failure, he can't even tell his son the truth so that he'll be prepared for the future. He snorted, eyeing the large double doors, and landed, brushing the grass off his backside with his tail quickly before approaching the two guards on post, that leaned up against the door with their burly arms crossed over their red and black breast plates.
"You're out late, Nappa, visiting the slums again?" One sneered, sniffing the lingering scent of beer and schwarma meat.
"You don't smell like slave women, what is that, brat I smell? Smells like low-class." The other snorted, and Nappa stormed up to the two of them, and pinched both their noses shut, both guards stiffened in fear of the large elite towering over them.
"Why don't you keep your wet little noses up your own asses where they belong, not in my business!" He growled out, and twisted, until the two howled out in pain and struggled to get their noses out from his fingers that were hard as steel.
"Fine, fine! Mum's the word!" One squealed, then the other yelped, "It ain't none of our business what you do, General, promise!" Nappa at last released their noses, and wiped the snot off his hands in both their hair, with a smirk, as the others bowed their heads and cowered shamefully.
"That's right. Just do your goddamn job, and we won't have a problem." He said, and the others nodded, opening the doors for him. It was growing late, as he noted by the lit torch sconces by the entryway.
"Evenin', General Nappa." The maids and butlers milling about, cleaning up any remnants from the day all greeted him as he went to the Elite quarters, pulling off pieces of armour as he did. He sighed, pushing open the door to his personal quarters. The door slammed behind him and he locked it, then strolled over to the bed and sat down heavily, tossing his armour on the floor. He removed his scouter, shut it off, and set it on the bedside table, before picking up an object on the table, and stroking his fingers across it.
It was a small piece of armour, polished so smooth by time that the engraved lines of what looked to be a fragment of a shoulder pad, were nearly melded into the material. Nappa sighed, and set it down carefully, his hands hanging between his thighs as he closed his eyes.
682. That was the battle at Fraktal. When I lost them. My father, Reddka and my brother, Saavoy. He rubbed one hand over his tired eyes, and scratched his nose with one finger, then smirked, catching Raditz's scent from when he'd mussed his hair with one hand, and the boy looked up with those big eyes so full of curiosity and fear.
That boy reminds me so much of Saavoy... He's a tough little thing, but he's got his mother's weakness. That father of his just doesn't know how badly he's failing his son by not being around... A Saiyan father's duty is to teach his sons... everything he knows. He mused, then growled to himself, swinging his thick legs over the bed, and lying flat, staring up at the ceiling.
That's not my problem though, not if I'm not wanted, then fine. They'll find out how badly they messed up when his pod never returns. He'll be just another casualty.
He fell, not knowing where he was falling, Raditz fell to the floor, and watched in terror as the door slammed behind him.
There was a sharp hiss that sent a spike of fear down his spine, as the sounds outside reminded him of wild animals, then he flinched as there was the clatter of objects, then a snapping sound like a table breaking.
"If you don't quit drinking, I'm leaving! And I'll take Raditz and Kakarot with me!" Gine hissed, and Raditz jumped at the low seething quality of her voice.
"You can't do that! Those are MY sons! It's my right, you have no idea how lucky you are! Other males would have just left and never returned, look at Paragus and his wench!" He growled back, and Gine suddenly sobbed out, and Raditz recoiled, curling up on the small cot in fear, pulling his pillow up around his ears to muffle the sound.
"Is that what you want?! You did forget about Raditz, for the first year of his life, he was nothing but a burden to you!"
"He was weak! He couldn't walk, all Saiyan pups can walk, but his legs were too weak to carry him! I don't blame Paragus, he gets drunk and beds the wrong wench, now he's been embarrassed by her before the entire royal court!"
Raditz squeezed his eyes shut and tried to barricade the torrent of tears threatening to burst from his eyes, as he breathed rapidly, his heart racing with fear, feeling lanced with his father's confession.
"Is that all I was to you, when we fought side by side, some way to pass the time after you'd had your fill of battle?! Kalabrylea will never see her son again, a child is a beautiful thing! And just look at what we do to them, you could at least treat him better while we still can!"
"Shut UP! I've heard enough of your screeching! And by the end of the week, I'll be gone anyway!"
"GREAT! LEAVE!" Gine screamed, and Bardock roared back at her,
"I WILL!" he bellowed back, before the door slammed shut, and Raditz looked up from his bed, the tears falling down his cheek as he heard his mother fall to the floor and began sobbing hysterically. He frowned, wiping one eye, and felt his chest aching from the sorrowful sound she was making. He felt angry with her before for slapping the big man, but now that she was hurting, Raditz couldn't help but feel sympathetic for his mother. He stood, and crept out of his room, to the small living area, and watched as Gine wrapped her arms around the glass birth pod and cried onto it. He walked over cautiously, gulping as he wiped the other eye, men didn't cry.
"Momma...?" He said softly, and she tensed, her petite shoulders quivering as they loosened around the pod where Kakarot was now awake, his small hands on the glass as he wailed from inside. Gine rested her face to the glass and purred, stroking it as Raditz crept forward, then laced his arms around her back and did the same.
"I...I'm sorry, Raditz...I should have never left you alone to chase my dream. I should have taken you with us, you would have never become weak like you did..." She sobbed, and Raditz swallowed down his cries, not understanding.
"If you would have been raised in battle, you would have been stronger, Raditz, I'm sorry, but it's true... You would have been born like your father, without the time to be nurtured, you would have woken with the strength already in you to walk."
"But I can walk, Momma. I can fight, I don't get it, where am I going? What are we fighting? Please, tell me... I want to know!" He insisted softly, and she shook her head, turning to face him, lacing her fingers with his as she shook the tears from her cheeks.
"Don't worry about what your father said, you don't have to go, Raditz. Do you want to be a engineer..?" She asked gently, stroking her finger on his palm.
"A, a what...? Engineer? No! I want to fight too!" He argued, and Gine looked down at the floor and sighed, wrapping her tail around his to comfort him.
"If that's what you want, perhaps it would be best. Please, try your hardest for your father. I'm sorry you had to hear us fighting, but it's ok. He'll come back later, he always does." She said to reassure him, as well as herself as she looked discreetly out the window and back.
"Are you leaving? I don't want to go!" Raditz cried out, burying his face in her chest.
"No, no... We aren't leaving. Bardock will be back, he will never abandon us. Now come on, let's get some rest." She said, standing, their tails and hands still interlocked as she turned away from the pod.
"Wait! ...What about Kakarot? Won't he be lonely..?" He said, looking back at the child with sleepy eyes, sucking one thumb, the other pudgy hand still on the glass. Gine chuckled softly, and nudged the ball with her foot, and to Raditz's amazement, it rolled across the floor as the child inside crawled, and they went back into his bedroom. Kakarot rolled to the center of the cot and yawned, making Raditz smile.
"He wants to be in the bed too!"
"Yes, isn't that cute?" Gine said, and they placed a blanket over the pod, before laying on the either side, holding hands, keeping the infant inside warm.
Darkness had fallen over the Planet Vegeta, as the soft glow of the dark violet sky flooded through the high glass window panes, and moved the mottled colors of the stained glass over the sleeping faces inside, as the King and Queen rested, his arms laced around her waist, then onto the the floor, where it crawled across to the low light of a dying torch in the hallway, where Zorn's head drooped as he rested, his arms crossed as his head bobbed once in an to attempt to stay awake, then he sighed and muttered softly,
"Those is some good fruitcakes, nan, don't mind if I do..." He licked his lips and his eyelids twitched as he dreamed, not hearing the soft padding of bare footsteps across the floor. They paused, as there were low voices coming from down the hallway.
"We can't leave post, Zenaya... The children inside are our responsibility to guard." Candor said lowly, then rumbled his warning growl as the female tugged on his hands, attempting to drag him away. The shadow moved, and darted towards the near wall, concealing themselves there.
"Oh, come on, Candor! When's the last time you saw the night sky! We're always stuck in this stuffy castle!" She whispered, a playful grin on her lips as her tail wagged behind her backside and thumped on the wall.
"Shh! Stop that, damn it!" He growled at her, his tail stuck out straight down to the floor, frizzing up as if he were anxious.
"Let's go! Just for a few minutes, then we'll come right back! I want to eat some of the honey nectar lilies in the garden, you know they only bloom at night!" She whispered playfully, and Candor reached over and grabbed her tail to stop it from wagging. Zenaya made a sound almost like a squeak, as he held it carefully as not to hurt her.
"I haven't had a taste of nectar lilies since I was a whelp, hmm. And you promise you'll be quiet, Zenaya?" He said softly, and she nodded, wrapping her tail around his hand, and hugging him around the waist.
"I promise! Hehe! You're so kind, Candor!" She said, and he snarled at her, pushing her away. "You're such a child, haven't you grown up at all since we were young?" He said, and a smirk curled up on one cheek. Zenaya lifted into the air, and whipped past the shadow, giggling, "Catch me if you can, slowpoke!" And he followed, flying past quickly with only the soft ripple of his cloak making a sound as they left.
There was a shaky sigh, then, movement as she stepped out from her hiding place. A Saiyan female in a white night dress came out of the shadows, her hands clutched before her nervously as she took a careful step past Zorn, who now was snoring quite loudly, as he clicked his teeth in his sleep, dreaming that he was dining on his Grandmother's fruit cakes.
"Mm... that's good... can I have some juice nan? I'm thirsty...eheh..." He slurred through his lips, and the girl sighed with relief, and reached for the key ring dangling from his tail, where as it moved the keys jingled just barely. Her heart raced in her chest like a frightened rabbit as she reached out with her own tail, and gently touched his.
"Mmm...that's not nan.." He purred, and she stroked her fur against his very gently, making the guard smile in his sleep as the caressing of the sensitive bristles made him feel relaxed, as she flirted with him in a very Saiyan way.
"Are you that pretty girl from the kitchen...?" He mumbled, and she nearly jumped out of her skin, as she looked back to him, then saw he was still asleep.
"Can I have a kiss, love...?" He mumbled, and Kalabrylea gulped, recoiling back. Zorn was handsome, but she wasn't trying to get that kind of reaction from him, only his keys. Then, to her surprise the man whined low like a canine and slumped his shoulders, his head drooping as he snorted, then mumbled again.
"Girls never like me, anyway..." Kalabrylea lifted his chin, and gave him a peck on the cheek. She jumped back quickly as his entire body shuddered, and his cheeks reddened as the sleepy Saiyan reacted.
"Gosh, eheh... " He muttered, and his quivering tail loosened, and he dropped the key, allowing her to quickly catch it. What she wasn't expecting though, was for him to suddenly swing out his arms and try to embrace her, so she squirmed out quickly, then ran away. Zorn fell back to the wall and bumped his head, grunting, before slumping to the floor.
Kalabrylea sighed at last, as she finally approached the downward slope to the nursery, where she came to the staircase and turned, crawling down slowly on her hands and knees. Joy burst in her chest as she stood and put the key in the door, and heard it unlock. She placed one quivering hand on the wood, then pushed, and gasped at the sight before her, as the green light lit her pale features. Kalabrylea walked into the room, closing the door behind her softly. She looked around at all the sleeping infants, her irises darting quickly as she searched for her own.
"Broly..?" She whispered, hoping the child might respond to his own name. All she heard was the low, electrical hum, as she placed her palm flat on a pod and peered inside at one of the children. No. She sensed it wasn't hers, as some of the infants began to stir and whimper. She froze as there was a bubbling sound, and the tubes overhead gurgled, and liquid came down, pumping nutrients through their umbilical cords and to their stomachs. The infants became quiet, some cooing as they received nourishment.
Then, she felt a spike of something that made her own ki flare for a second, and turned her head quickly to the source. Her heart pounded rapidly as she felt it, there was an immense power coming from one of these infants, and it was spiking rhythmically as if calling to her.
"I'm coming! Mommy's coming!" She whispered, and ran up to the pod, seeing the child inside as she ran, and fell up against it, making the feeding tube rattle, as Broly opened his eyes and looked directly at her. She leaned down to view him, eye to eye and cocked her head at him. Broly did the same, blinking.
"Broly, I'm your mother. Kalabrylea." She whispered, and stroked the glass. His eyes widened, as if he understood, and he struggled against the weight of the water, moving his arms and tail as he began to fuss. "Shh! Shh! It's ok! I'm here!" She reassured, tapping on the glass. Kalabrylea looked back quickly, trying to sense if there was any other disturbance that could be bothering him.
She looked back then, and smiled, her watery black eyes shining as she looked to him, and made the low purring sound in her throat to calm him. Broly wailed, then whimpered, hearing the sound, then closed his mouth and looked up at her, blinking tiredly as he heard the strange sound. "Ooo." He cooed, and Kalabrylea giggled, making the sound back. Then he giggled too, after hearing her make the new sound. Kalabrylea smiled, with tears in her eyes as she stroked the pod.
"I love you, Broly. Mommy loves you." She whispered, as she heard noise from down the hall.
"I assure you, there was an abnormality in the readings, Planthorr!" A reptilian voice hissed in a low whisper, then there was a gravelling response back.
"Fine, fine, but you'd better be right, waking me up at such a late hour!" The elderly alien spat back, and Kalabrylea heard their footsteps on the marble coming nearer as she listened. She looked to Broly, her eyes downcast as she waved goodbye, and ducked into the darkness, hiding behind a pile of equipment as the scientists approached the door.
"Where's the guards? Guards!" Malaka shouted, and Zorn ran over.
"What's the problem?"
"The doors unlocked, you idiot ape!"
"My keys are right here! I mean- They were!" Zorn stuttered, and they burst through the door, looking around for any intruders.
"Is anybody in here? Show yourself!" Zorn shouted, then stopped in place, and sniffed, pausing, tilting his head slightly towards the source. Kalabrylea stiffened as she felt his eyes rove over her in the shadows.
"What is it? Well?! You can smell better than us!" Planthorr urged, and Zorn rubbed the back of his head where he hit it, and looked at his hand to see if it was bleeding.
"I dunno, I think I hit me head."
He said, slurring his words a bit, he blinked brokenly, but Kalabrylea could have sworn he winked at her.
"What!?" Malaka hissed, and the two looked at him in surprise as Zorn walked crookedly over to the pods, leaning his arm over one. He clicked his scouter, and the two rushed over, "Hey! What did we say about scouters in the nursery!"
"Oh, did I forget?" He chuckled, and patted Broly's pod as the child looked up at him.
"10,000! That's quite the power level for a little guy!" He said, his eyes widening.
That's nearly the same as King Vegeta's!! Zorn thought, then gulped. The king would not approve of this... How shall I go about it...?
"Oh, y-your scouter must be malfunctioning, give it here!" Planthorr said, reaching up to grab it off the tall Saiyan's face. Zorn grabbed his wrist quickly, holding it firm.
"I think it's working just fine, how long did you plan on trying to keep this a secret from us? From King Vegeta?!" He said lowly, standing before Broly's pod in almost a protective stance as Kalabrylea had to stifle her gasp with her hands, as she cowered behind the pile.
"We simply, ah, simply would like to approach the subject...delicately, unless that is, you'd like our Lord Frieza to know of this..?" Malaka simpered, his claws out in supplication as he pleaded with his heavy brow lowered, as he licked his slimy lips.
"Surely, a Saiyan as strong as this one, could grow to become a great threat one day? Maybe not, our Lord is immensely more powerful than that puny brat!" Malaka growled, looking to Planthorr.
"Then maybe, if people thought logically, he could be used to serve us...!" Planthorr said, and Zorn balked, looking down at the child in the pod, he scoffed.
"Sure, 'serve'. Whatever uses your superior desires. King Vegeta shall know of your insolence!" Zorn sneered, whipping his blue cloak out from his back. The cloak landed over the pod, concealing Broly.
"And there will be a Saiyan in this place at all times from now on, I'll see to it that one of our own is assigned here, after all, these are our young. Not yours to steal." He growled threateningly, and the scientists backed away, leaving him with the pod. Zorn waited until they were gone to pull his cloak off of the glass, and turned, sighing.
"You can come out now, miss." He said softly, and Kalabrylea hesitated, recognizing him as one of King Vegeta's most loyal elites. Zorn was the most loyal of all, and she feared what could happen if the king knew of this.
"I won't bite." He shrugged, and Kalabrylea stepped forth out of the shadows, revealing herself to him. Zorn swallowed and looked away from her, knowing it wasn't polite to stare at a lady in her nightgown.
"I'll have one of me own posted here, I can't promise that those Frieza goons won't be back. But, if you're as stealthy as you were tonight, you can get through with no issue. I'll notify the guard that you'll be here." He said, and sniffed, looking away as he turned.
"Thank you..."
"Oh, and my keys, miss...?"
"Kalabrylea."
"Kalabrylea. You're Paragus's mate?" He said, his eyebrow twitching as he looked back.
"Ah, no... Here, your keys." She whispered, and tossed him the keys. Zorn caught them with the tip of his tail and turned back, then put out one elbow.
"Come on, back to your quarters then."
She hesitated, looking at Broly's pod.
"Goodnight, Broly. Mother will be back." She whispered, then took Zorn's arm and left, looking over her shoulder. The child seemed to follow her with his eyes a moment, then closed them, and rested.
Zorn walked the woman back to the servants quarters, all while mulling over what he should do.
A/N: Hi! Sorry for the wait, everyone! I have lots of different stories I'm working on, and I go by rotation, so I hope you all didn't mind the brief wait until this one's back in rotation. I may start making my chapters slightly shorter like this one in order to post more often. Also, I will address the class level concerns soon. Thank you for your input and advice, I truly appreciate your suggestions. Please be patient, and rest assured that the corrections will be made. Keep in mind that any changes here will affect my story Gemini Saga, and seeing as this is the prequel I can't quite alter what's already written there. Alright, thanks for reading everyone!
