Chapter 9: Massacre
By: senzubean
I do not own Dragon Ball Z in any way. I make no profit from this story. I just wrote it for fun.
Frieza was in a very good mood. Better than usual. It wasn't everyday he got a new plaything.
Absentmindedly he swirled his drink around in his glass. He was thinking about all the uses his new saiyan would have. How convenient he would be and what a conversation piece. His know it all older brother didn't have such an interesting pet. Frieza couldn't wait to flaunt his little saiyan around his father's palace and rub in the fact that he possessed something no one else did.
"Lord Frieza." The reverie was broken by the voice of Frieza's minion Zarbon. "King Vegeta has arrived."
"Excellent, send him in." Frieza ordered setting down his drink. He rotated his hover throne to face the doorway, for once he was going to greet the King of the Saiyans face to face.
The king entered promptly and bowed.
Frieza was very disappointed.
"Vegeta, didn't we have an agreement?" Asked Frieza casually. He immediately noticed the missing Prince.
"Yes, we did and I apologize. But upon further reflection into the agreement, I've come to the conclusion that it is not in my son's best interest."
"Really?" Frieza demanded annoyed. "Is that the conclusion you've come to, Saiyan?"
King Vegeta suppressed his rage at the most insulting address. "It is. My son has made it clear that he has no interest in leaving our planet. And since his life is not mine to deal out , I cannot hand him over to you."
Frieza growled under his breath, enraged that he was actually being refused something that he wanted.
"And your life, Vegeta? What will you do with yours?" he asked ever-so -patiently, but not masking his anger very well at all. He had never ever been refused anything in his life. He did not appreciate being refused what he so desired by a mere lackey.
"My life, lord Frieza, is yours. I give it to you in exchange for my son's."
Frieza glared at the king mercilessly, he didn't want King Vegeta. It wasn't King Vegeta that he was worried about.
King Vegeta felt the urge to cringe under the stare but remained where he was. Knowing Frieza's unpredictability, he had good reason to be afraid.
"Fine." Frieza replied finally, with a pleasant smile. "That's fine. I believe that is for the best anyway."
The King looked at his master stupefied, he had expected a much different reaction form Frieza.. "Th..thank you, Lord Frieza."
Frieza merely chuckled in response. "Now then, " He continued. "I have a mission for you, one that I want you to oversee personally."
Prince Vegeta sat cross legged in the very middle of his huge king size bed. He was dressed in his ceremonial garb. His armor gleamed, freshly polished and not a scratch on it since it had yet to be worn. He clenched his little fingers in an attempt to stretch the leather of his new white gloves and did a similar exercise to break in his new boots. If anything, he looked impressive and very princely. It made Vegeta feel regretful, he doubted he would ever feel like a prince again.
Even though his mother had made some excellent arguments as to why he should remain on his home world, Vegeta knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he'd be leaving. His father was too afraid of Frieza to refuse a request from him. Any request, no matter how unthinkable.
Also, after careful thought, which was incredibly profound for a child of such a young age, Vegeta concluded that Frieza would want the saiyans around for a while anyway, for manpower. And his father would know that, because his father knew Frieza and his mother did not. She had never even met him, so how could she know what the lord of the universe truly intended to do with the saiyans.
Vegeta also concluded that his father didn't really love him for who he was. It wasn't as if he was irreplaceable. He was only irreplaceable in his mother's eyes. This fact comforted him, but it did not help him in his plight at all. For he knew his mother, and as intelligent a person as she was, she was a very naive warrior and this was a battle. She stood no chance against strategical masterminds such as his father or Frieza.
The Prince had been completely alone now for about a half an hour. Beana helped him get ready and then said that she was going to bring his breakfast to him. Vegeta found that strange, he usually ate breakfast in the dining hall. Even stranger, his father was no where to be found. Vegeta knew that his father would normally never keep Frieza waiting, ever. He didn't understand why he hadn't been hurried away sooner.
His uneasiness grew with every passing minute, he was waiting for the doors adjoining his father's chambers to be flung open at any minute and was afraid that he wouldn't be able to say goodbye to his mother. Why had his mother left his room so hastily, anyway? He didn't understand why everyone was acting so strangely.
"I told you to stay at the palace." Zorn chastised Recely as she helped carry crates into the ship.
"Hmph," Recely scoffed at Zorn's paranoia. "You underestimate the power of a mother. His Majesty obviously has changed his mind about Frieza's request and has left without my son."
"What if someone saw you leave and followed? And it could also be a rouse for you to let your guard down and leave him unprotected ,which you've done!" Argued Zorn as he followed her into the ship.
"Nonsense, Beana is with him and she has an emergency escape plan. And I'm not an idiot, I was very discreet in getting myself here!"
Zorn mumbled an apology for his insult if his Queen.
"There's noting to apologize over, not after everything you've done for me." Recely stated warmly. "I'll never be able to thank you properly for this." She then quickly turned her back to him and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. She forced herself not to let any others escape, she had to be strong now. "I am better used here. We can get away faster if I help too."
Recely put the crate down and began to secure it in the storage area with all the others. "The King has informed Frieza that he will not be getting his Prince. I think it best we all get out of here in the probable event that Frieza does not accept the refusal."
"Everyone is ready." Zorn replied. We just have to wait for a clear flight path, not even you can help speed up that process."
"When will it be clear?" Recely demanded impatiently. Her paranoia was going strong.
"As soon as the rest of the elite return from Tasbah. They should all be landed in the palace launch pad in little under an hour.
"Good, I'm going to get Vegeta and Beana then. The commotion of the elite returning will be good cover."
Recely hurried off to do just as she said. Before she reached the exit to the launch pad, she was met by Argo, who looked distraught.
"What's the matter? Recely asked hesitantly .His expressions made her anxiety increase.
" I'm missing something." Argo replied in the same tone.
"What?"
"Sala."
Recely forced a smile of reassurance. "Don't worry, she'd bound to be around here somewhere. I bet she's with Letta or….
"No," Argo interrupted. "She wasn't at home with that Tuce kid and I checked their usual hang outs and they weren't at any of them." Argo huffed in frustration. "I wish she had've obeyed me, I told her not to leave the Palace as I would be picking her up later."
"She never goes very far."
Argo sighed in dispair. "I didn't tell her what we were doing Recely, I was scared she'd tell Little Veg and if something went wrong.."
"Nothing will go wrong." Recely replied quickly in order to dispel any doubt whatsoever, even her own.. "It just can't."
Argo sighed sadly. "If I can't find Sala before you're ready to leave, then you'll just have to go without us."
Recely shook her head stubbornly. "I'm not going with out you two Argo. Vegeta will need you both." She gave him a look silently indicating that she needed them too. Argo understood and smiled warmly.
"We'll find her." Recely stated assuredly. " I'm going to get Vegeta now, I'll keep an eye out for her on the way."
Letta overheard all of this and hurried to catch Recely before she departed for the Palace.
"Why don't I look for Sala while you get Vegeta. It'll be quicker."
"No." Recely replied shaking her head in disagreement. "I want you to stay here where it's safe."
Letta was about to protest further but a piercing glare from Recely, none like she'd ever given her little sister before stopped Letta's argument.
"I'll find her." Recely assured Letta more gently and then quickly continued on her way.
I just hope it's sooner than later.
"Vegeta!" a voice yelled as a rock shattered the window to the Prince's chambers and landed on the foot of his bed.
Vegeta crawled off his bed and went to his balcony. He peered over the side to see Sala standing below waving art him.
"You broke my window!" Vegeta exclaimed.
"So what? It's not like you'll be living in there anymore."
Vegeta sighed, understanding that antagonism was just Sala's way of hiding her feelings.
"Come down!"
"I can't!" Vegeta replied.
"C'mon!"
"No, I can't, Father will be coming for me any minute."
"Come on Vegeta, Tuce is waiting behind the outer wall. He wants to say goodbye to you."
Vegeta sighed, he didn't want to say goodbye to anyone.
"Tell him to come in, then."
"There's not enough time for me to go and get him, just come down!"
"No, Father will be angry if he has to look for me. And I don't want to get him angry, not today."
" He'll understand, just five minutes." Prodded Sala.
"I can't…" Vegeta mumbled. Now he wanted to go.
"Please?"
With that, Vegeta jumped over the ledge and lowered himself to the ground. Sala smiled, proud of herself.
With a torrent of spacepods raining down on the planet Vegeta from Tasbah, No one noticed the un-welcomed guests. The five landed in the palace's garden, destroying the landscaping that was pretty messy to begin with anyway.
The Prince was exchanging his good-byes with his friends when the disturbance occurred.
"What the..?" Tuce mumbled. All three children levitated to the ledge of the wall to see what had happened.
"Mother's Garden!" Vegeta exclaimed as he saw the massive crater where his Mother's favorite reading spot used to be. He growled in anger and was about to express his displeasure to those who destroyed it, when he saw who were in the space pods.
The first to get out of his ship was Recoome.
Vegeta jumped down from his perch on the wall. He quickly motioned for his comrades to follow his example.
"Who are they?" Sala asked.
"The Ginyu Force. I saw them on Frieza's ship once. Father told me that they're Frieza's most elite squadron and that they're incredibly strong."
"They can't be stronger than the saiyan elite?" Tuce said in disbelief.
"Much stronger." The Prince admitted gravely. Then he gulped, trying to hide his intense fear from his friends. He had a feeling who the Ginyu wanted in the Palace, and he wondered what they were going to do when they found him.
Inside, the Ginyu force didn't waste any time and began to wreak havoc on King Vegeta's palace.
"Fun as this is, we should really complete our mission." Captain Ginyu stated after a few minutes of destruction. " Frieza seemed very impatient on the telecom."
The Captain scanned the hallways, wondering just where their quarry would be. All five activated their scouters and were all very confused by the readings.
"Damn it!" The captain exclaimed. "It'll take forever to sort through all those power readings. Better do it the old fashioned way." He chuckled menacingly then turned to his team.
"Burter, Jeice, you two go down the south wing." The Captain ordered. "Guldo and Recoome you go North. I'll take both east and west. Destroy any resistance, but do not harm the Prince, Frieza wants him in perfect condition."
Agreed, the respective groups spread out . Captain Ginyu chuckled. "They can find the little rugrat." He said to himself. "I'm going to check out some of these power readings. It's been a long time since I've had a challenge, and I think I deserve it."
The Captain then went to find some opponents.
Meanwhile, Guldo and Recoome were checking every room in the North Wing.
"Saiyans sure are boring." Recoome stated as he tossed another door behind him down the hallway. It slid across the floor and landed in a pile of all the other doors he removed. "I haven't even seen a T.V or video game yet."
Guldo didn't answer, he was ahead checking the rooms at the end of the hall they were searching.
"I don't see why we had to split up like this."
"It's more fun this way." Recoome replied and Pulled of another door, then promptly killed the servants that were behind it. "It's like hide and seek."
"I guess so." Agreed Guldo unconfidently.
"Hey!" Recoome exclaimed when he pulled the next set of double doors from their hinges. "A Dining Room!" He knew full well where there was a dining room there was a kitchen close by. " There's rooms extending off this one, I'm going to check them out."
Guldo didn't have time to object, Recoome was gone. The frog-like alien grumbled nervously to himself and cautiously continued his work.
"What are they doing in there!" Prince Vegeta exclaimed in apprehension. He didn't like the fact the Ginyu force waltzed into his home uninvited. But he was more worried that it was taking them so long to realize that he wasn't in there.
He flew over the wall and landed in the ruined garden.
Sala followed suit. "Where are you going? You said yourself that they were dangerous."
The Prince looked over his shoulder at his friend. "Mother is in there! She'll attack them if I don't stop her! " Vegeta started to run towards the palace after finishing his sentence.
"I'm coming too!" Sala yelled and followed in the air.
Tuce levitated to look over the edge of the outer wall.
"I think I'll stay put. I'd just get in the way."
Recely saw the pods as she landed in the Garden.
"What idiots!" She exclaimed annoyed, thinking that some of the elite had misjudged their landing . The last thing she needed was that kind of added attention at the Palace. It would make it that much harder to sneak her son out.
Disgustedly, she examined the mess . Then she noticed the insignia on one of the pods. She didn't know who it belonged to, but she knew that it wasn't a saiyan character.
She gasped in horror when she realized what that must mean.
"Vegeta!" Recely yelled and ran at top speed to the main doors to her home.
Prince Vegeta reentered the palace through his smashed bedroom window. He was surprised to see his bed disheveled. The covers were hanging off the side and the pillows were torn apart, down tossed about the room.
He walked inside and examined it curiously. His bedroom door was open too, so was his father's. They had both been shut before.
They work fast. I should've came in sooner!
Sala joined his side and examined his room as well.
"You know , Vegeta, you really ought to keep your room more tidy."
"It wasn't like this before I left." Vegeta replied in a soft voice. The appearance of his little living space frightened him. What purpose did destroying everything have? And what was worse, the room was silent. There were no far off screams of protest from within the palace. There was no noise at all. This wasn't good.
Vegeta went to his father's door and looked inside. As expected, his room was a mess as well.
"Sala, there's something very wrong here." Stated Vegeta nervously. His father would never leave his room in such a mess. Some of his souvenirs for m other planets were broken. Vegeta knew that his father wouldn't break his own things, no matter how angry he got.
Vegeta wandered around with a blank expression on his face. He advanced towards his bed and was startled when his foot bumped something hard just before he reached the side. He looked down to see something covered up by his bed clothes. He took a hold of the fabric and tugged it off the object.
"Beana!" Vegeta immediately threw himself to his knees and started shaking his unconscious nursemaid. "Wake up! Come on!"
Vegeta continued to shake then was halted by Sala's whimpering. He looked up at his friend who was trembling with her eyes wide and fixed on Beana.
"What.." Vegeta started, Sala answered by slowly extending an outstretched index finger and pointed at Beana. Vegeta followed it and screamed at what he saw.
Beana's body below her chest was completely incinerated, only a charred mess smeared allover the floor, under the bedcoverings remained. Vegeta hadn't noticed it, his shaking her upper half pulled off the coverings allowing Sala to see.
Vegeta sat on the floor hyperventilating at the corpse that was once a person he had loved so much. It had been the first time he had ever witnessed death.
"Prince Vegeeeetaaaaaaaa!" An unfamiliar voice called out from within his mother's rooms.
Vegeta was broken out of his shock and lunged for Sala's arm. He grabbed it and pulled her under his bed with him.
He placed his index finger to his lips, indicating for Sala to be silent. Then he crawled to the other side of the bed, facing the doorway into the hall and waited to see who owned the voice calling his name.
Guldo appeared in the hallway and turned to enter the chambers of the Crown Prince.
He laughed menacingly. "I heard you! Come out come out wherever you are." He sing-songed in a mocking tone.
Guldo was coming in and heading straight towards the bed. Vegeta crouched in the dark, and watched him advance. Guldo then veered off towards the window out of sight, then stopped. Vegeta held his breath in order to hear better. He was afraid to move into another position in order to watch Guldo. He remained like that for a good five minutes.
Suddenly he was ripped from his hiding spot and tossed into the middle of the room. Guldo immediately took a hold of his arm and held him tight. Vegeta instinctively let out a bloodcurdling scream of terror.
Guldo pulled back his free arm with the intent of slapping Prince Vegeta across the face to silence him.
"STOP!"
Guldo's head snapped up at the sound of the new voice. He then laughed unimpressed at intruder. He activated his scouter and was a little taken aback by the number that was displayed on the screen.
"You've got a pretty hefty powerlevel, even for a saiyan." Guldo observed. "You must be the queen"
"Unhand him!" Recely ordered, ignoring Guldo's statement.
"I don't think so. It would be stupid of me to leave without what I was sent to retrieve, wouldn't it?."
"You'll take him over my dead body!"
"That's the plan." Guldo chuckled. "So, since we're both in agreement, let's get this over with. I hate this filthy planet of yours and I can't wait to……..!"
Recely charged even before Guldo finished his sentence.
She drop kicked him in the center of his slimy green face propelling him across the room, taking Vegeta with him part of the way but dropped him before his body slammed against the opposite wall. Recely then grabbed her shocked and confused child and tore out of the room squeezing him tightly in her arms. She made it halfway down the hall just as Recoome was catching up to his comrade.
She halted and turned back in the opposite direction, running as fast as she could. Recoome yawned in boredom and blasted Recely from behind.
She bounced down the hallway and landed right back where she had started, before the doorway to Vegeta's room. She lay on her back stunned, but still clinging onto her cringing child. She quickly made to get back up when she felt her body hoisted into the air. Vegeta emitted an urgent cry as they both were lifted off the floor.
Realization of several things hit Recely all at the same time. She didn't feel Recoome's massive hands glomming on to her because he wasn't touching her. He had Vegeta by the tail and what she first mistook for a cry of terror was actually a cry of pain.
Recely gasped in horror at the situation. Vegeta dug his nails into her flesh, trying to combat the intense pain he was experiencing.
Recely saw no other course of action, she had to let her son go.
"Don't let go!" Vegeta cried out as if he read his mother's mind and knew the decision she had made. " "Please! Don't let me go!"
Recoome chuckled at his prisoners. "Stubborn Saiyans." He squeezed his hand tighter around Vegeta's tail. The Prince tried desperately to utilize the pain management techniques his father taught him, but it was too much for him to bear. Recely could feel her little boy going limp in her arms, passing out from the pain.
She let go.
Vegeta whined weakly as he continued to dangle in the air. Recely landed on her feet two feet away from Recoome.
Enraged, she started yelling. Energy sparked around her trembling body and she yelled at the top of her lungs.
Recoome's scouter blinked numbers in front of his eyes at an incredible speed. It finally settled on one.
"Holy shit!" Recoome exclaimed. "How can you be a mere saiyan?"
Recely lunged at him throwing her arm back ready to swing at the intruder's face but was unable to continue the action. She tried with all her might to punch him, but her arm, along with the rest of her body, wouldn't budge. She was inches away from Recoome, hovering in midair.
"Wha..what's going on?" Vegeta mumbled weakly, he was very confused and scared by his mother's appearance.
Guldo entered the hallway from the Prince's room and laughed at Recely's increasing rage at not being able to budge.
"Confused Saiyan? Don't feel bad, no one ever expects my mind freeze attack."
"Coward!" Recely spat, unable to see her attacker. Guldo grew red with fury. He jumped up and kicked Recely as heard as he could in the back of the head.
"There! What do you have to say now? "
Recely spat some blood and laughed disgustedly at her captor. "The only reason you're using this parlor trick is because you know that you'd both lose against me."
Recoome burst out laughing. "This saiyan is funny!"
Hyperventilating with rage, Guldo powered up.
"DIE SAIYAN BITCH!" He yelled then threw a surging power-sphere, the best Guldo could muster up, at her back. She was Propelled down the hall, her body slammed against the far wall taking some of it with her as she fell to the floor in a broken and bloody heap.
"NO!" Screamed Vegeta as he watched her body fly. Tears brimmed his eyes when he saw that she wasn't moving or making a sound. "No." he repeated in a soft sob, he assumed the worst for her. His mother was dead.
"This is what we came for?" Recoome wondered as he dangled the sobbing Vegeta in front of his face like a Christmas ornament.
"Why would Frieza want this ugly little monkey for?"
Vegeta recovered quickly from his devastation and was determined to avenge his mother. He squeezed the last of his tears from his eyes, swallowed his next sob and enraged like he had never been enraged before, let loose what had to be his most powerful energy beam ever. Right into Recoome's face.
"FUCK!" Bellowed Recoome, holding his face with the hand that wasn't grasping Vegeta.
Vegeta, seeing an opportunity, decided to seize it immediately by launching another energy beam at his captor in the hopes of being dropped.
But instead of dropping him, Recoome ripped his arm back behind his torso, swung, and smashed Vegeta against the wall with all his might.
This action rendered Prince Vegeta unconscious, severely injured and completely helpless.
"Recoome!" Guldo exclaimed in agitation.
"What?" asked Recoome defensively. "The Kid would've fried my eyeballs if I let him do that again."
"Frieza said he wanted him unharmed."
Recoome examined his now silent prisoner. "ooohhhhh, that's right, I remember now."
"Great, now!"
"Don't get your eyes all twisted out of proportion. We'll just say he put up a tremendous struggle and had to be quieted for his own good."
"Quieted? I think you've probably killed him! Explain that to Frieza!"
Recoome laughed and swung Vegeta over his shoulder, carrying him like a sack. " I didn't kill him, Guldo. Saiyans are tough. You worry too much. I bet Frieza will be so pleased to have him in his possession that he wont care what condition we brought him in."
"I don't know." Guldo replied nervously.
"Frieza's not the person to be upset here." Recoome smirked. "King Vegeta is the one who'll be upset. What with us wrecking his digs and killing his whore and abducting his brat. Now that's who you'd have to worry about if he was powerful….."
Recoome and Guldo continued their arguments as they walked down the hallway away from the body of the Queen.
Still under the bed, Sala curled up into a tight little ball, shivering and praying that the two monsters would leave, knowing full well that they were taking Vegeta. She knew that if she was found there she would be killed like Beana had been. She prayed with all her heart that the scouters would not reveal her location. Miraculously, they didn't
She heard them leave with her injured friend. Fearful of being caught, she remained put until she heard the space pods take off from the back yard. Only when the palace was silent, did she emerge from her hiding spot.
The eerie silence was then broken by her soft, frightened footsteps on the tile floor. Cautiously, she peered around the door casing of the room and scanned the hallway. Blood streaked the floor and was smeared down the far wall, with Recely crumpled on the floor beneath it. A smaller trail of a few droplets here and there marked where the Prince had been taken.
Sala stumbled down the hall towards Recely, afraid of seeing what she looked like up close. The little girl was positive that she was dead. Guldo had said that that was his plan.
Sala came to a halt about four inches from Recely's pale white arm. Her long black hair was sopping wet with her blood. Her Armor was hanging from her torso in loose broken pieces. Her clothes were scorched black. Her face blank. Her chest still.
Sala choked out silent sobs. She fell to her knees with too much overwhelming tragedy to deal with. She didn't know how to control her outburst of emotions. There was no one around to antagonize, no one could hear except her.
So, with no one able to hear, Sala cried.