Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ. However The Eternal Star is mine… * muahahahahaha (evil laughter)* It's all mine!! Kidding, but I wish!!
Notes: Vegeta and his pointy hair* are hatching a plot to keep himself from dying of boredom…Here it is… the stuff that happened in the Bardock special!! You didn't think I'd forget that did you?? Anyway, Bra interrupts the story again and Yamcha still won't pass out like a good boy…* lol *… he's still drunk and mouthy… has been since the Prologue, actually…
Shadows of the Past: Chapter 14
Vegeta was furious… this so called training exercise was nothing more than combat drills!! All he had been doing for the last MONTH was an endless succession of drills. He still hadn't even met Radditz yet. That made him more suspicious than anything. What was Frieza hiding? What was it about Radditz's presence that made the prince growl every time Napa brought him up in conversation? There were too many questions and not nearly enough answers.
Frieza hadn't even made him eat dinner with him in two weeks. True, the last time had gone rather poorly… but he was getting tired of not knowing what was going on. It wasn't his fault that he was bored and Frieza was sooooooooo busy… Vegeta snorted and barked a command at Napa to release some more Saibamen. But if this was how Frieza wanted to play he knew he couldn't do anything about it.
Waiting for the stupid green monsters to attack, Vegeta began to formulate an idea. Not a very wise one… but he was bored enough to kill the next thing that pissed him off. And that didn't just include these pathetic excuses for training partners, either. He allowed himself to be surrounded. Feeling rather than seeing their advance, he dodged without striking back. Vegeta stood and relaxed for a moment, and as the Saibamen thought they had him… Vegeta summoned his ki into a force field and smirked as the stupid creatures hit it, sizzled and were thrown into the surrounding walls. With hardly a second thought, he raised one finger, and blasted the remains of his attackers. He could almost hear the oooh and ahs of the tech rats in the next room.
But, the last thing he was in the mood for was more of their curious stares. They were truly irritating, always wanting to test things on him… just because he was the strongest Saiyan ever born. He was still young, but he wasn't stupid, how many times did they think they needed to take samples of his DNA, blood, even his hair and Kami only knew what else… by now there had to be at least a dozen clones of him running around… For some reason he found that thought a little amusing, but didn't dwell on it.
" Open this door right now! " He snapped at the heavy blast door, and after a moment it slid open. Not surprisingly, Napa was waiting in there with the button pushing techs. His bodyguard handed him his cape and armor but as he put them on, Vegeta's thoughts were already on his plan. He was bored… bored enough to try behaving like an impatient 5-year-old. " The time will soon be here when we won't be taking any more orders from Frieza. "
Vegeta could almost hear the glee in the ecstatic features of his huge bodyguard as they made their way down the corridor. " Do you really think so? "
" I know so. "
" Really, that's great… but Uh, where are we going? "
" I'm going to go talk to Frieza. "
" But he hasn't summoned you yet. "
" I know. Napa, return to my quarters and get my gear ready. "
" Uh… Yes, my Prince. "
Never one to make a dull entrance, Vegeta barged into the antechamber of Frieza's meeting room and noticed that he could just make out a conversation between the tyrant and his two favorite henchmen. Something about a serious threat that had to be observed closely or eliminated. He was also almost positive that he had heard Zarbon say his name at least once. He smirked, knowing somehow that they actually were talking about him. He wouldn't be able to get away with this in a few years, but for now, no matter what he heard, Frieza didn't consider him a threat, even if Zarbon did. He let himself in, and wasn't disappointed when Zarbon turned toward him angrily demanding to know why he had intruded.
" I'm bored. I want another assignment. No more drills, they're a waste of my time. "
" What… you little. "
" The boy doesn't mean any harm Zarbon. He just hasn't learned to control his passion yet. Give him an assignment Zarbon. Make it the hardest one you've got. "
" What? "
" Thank you Sire. "
" No need to thank me Vegeta, you certainly are earning your keep around here. You may want to mind your manners a little better though. Oh yes, and do come back alive. "
" I will sire. " Vegeta almost laughed as he walked out. That had gone better than he had thought it would. On his way back to his chambers, he passed the Mission Command office, and walked in. The man sitting behind the computer terminal had to stand up to see him. Seeing him as a just a little boy, the Mission Control Specialist just chuckled, but Vegeta darkened his expression and the man looked away nervously. " Uh, sorry kid, this area's for Purge specialists and officers only. "
" Prince Vegeta reporting for assignment. "
The orange skinned alien tried again to meet his gaze, but finally just checked his computer. " Uh… Prince Vegeta, huh? Well, Sir, you are scheduled for drills for the next 3 weeks, in the training room. "
" Not any more. I just spoke with Lord Frieza. I am to be given the hardest assignment you have. "
" What?? " He stammered, looking at the screen. " I'll have to confirm this with Zarbon. "
" Go right ahead. "
After a ten-minute wait, and then a lot of one-sided yelling, the Mission Control Specialist yelped and closed the connection with Frieza's second in command. He looked at Vegeta as if stunned. " Uh, When is it that you wished to leave, Prince Vegeta? "
" Now. "
" What?? Err… ok I can have your pod prepped and ready in thirty minutes from Bay 4… "
" Fifteen. "
" What?? Twenty-five would be pushing… Twenty? "
Vegeta pretended to consider it. He nodded slowly and watched with no small degree of amusement as he gave him a quick salute and began typing at his terminal. As He turned to leave, he heard the man turn to his coordinator at the next terminal. " Do you believe that? It's only his second time out and he WANTS to go to Calderas?? And he's going alone? "
" I thought we were sending Dodoria down to Calderas later on this week? "
" Not that it matters, no kid is gonn'a be strong enough to take this job. It's been on the list almost as long as Conassa was… I mean really, his first outing was impressive, but this job' taken some great fighters already! "
" Well, you know, the Conassa mission was finally completed by a bunch of Saiyans. Low-level Saiyans, and Vegeta is their prince. Don't put Calderas back on the available list just yet. "
" You don't actually think that arrogant little brat can survive it do you?? "
" I… I've just heard some weird rumors about that kid… I don't know if I'd bet money on Calderas… but I do know no ordinary kid could've stared you down. Besides, Lord Frieza put him on this job; it's none of our business anyway. "
" Daddy… " Bra whispered. " Did you really want to destroy that world? "
The Saiyan Prince rolled his eyes. " I was five and dying of boredom. So yes. It seemed like a good idea at the time. "
" But… But what about all the people who lived there? You once wanted to destroy the earth too. You've lived here for almost 20 years… you wouldn't still hurt Earth, would you? "
" I have no interest in destroying this miserable little mud ball… for now. "
" Vegeta! "
" What woman? She asked! "
" And of course you just had to go and hurt her feelings by saying for now! "
" It's ok mom. " Bra said softly. " I… should've known better than to ask him like that. I was just scared that he still didn't think of earth as home yet. "
" My home was destroyed when I was five, Bra, nothing can change that, and more than anything… it taught me that nothing is permanent. Empires, galaxies, even planets, they all die. I will continue to defend this worthless chunk of rock because this is where my family wants to reside. But IF something happens to it, I will not mourn its loss. Do you understand that? "
Bra studied the guarded expression on her father's face for a long moment, especially his eyes, but as only cold indifference showed there, she sighed and looked away. " No… But I think I can accept it. "
He seemed to like that, his eyes warmed considerably, and he almost smiled, but covered it up with a smirk instead. Trunks, Bra, Bulma and Goten all chuckled a little at the near lapse in his perpetual arrogance, leaving everyone else to wonder what they had missed.
" Uh, Vegeta… " 18 ventured quietly. " Since your daughter was kind enough to interrupt for me… what is this Eternal Star thing? "
" A diamond thought to have been magical. "
" When you say thought to have been… does that mean you found it? "
" Yes. I always get what I want. "
" So, where is it now? You don't wear it too, do you? I never thought you were the jewelry type. "
" Your opinion of me doesn't concern me in the least. I do have the Star, and it isn't magical, but it is too big to wear. It is about the same size as the old pervert's TV in there. It's a little over a foot in diameter and weighs 15 pounds. "
" Diamonds are measured in Carats. " 18 said doubtfully.
" Not this one. "
" Yeah right, didn't you also say it's purple? "
" I would've liked it better blue, but yes. It doesn't have any impurities that give it color, but it has a 50-carat diamond inclusion near its center that creates the illusion of color. The light… "
" Inclusion? " Bulma interrupted wide-eyed.
" Yes woman, a diamond within a diamond. "
" Yes, I know what an inclusion is! I've just never heard of one of that size. "
" When was the last time you heard of a diamond measured in pounds? BEFORE tonight! "
" Wow… " Gohan thought for a moment looking at Vegeta with some surprise. " If the inclusion was 50 carats, and it's almost in the center of that diamond… imagine how big the diamond the Eternal Star was cut from must have been! Inclusions are extremely rare, I've never actually seen a stone that has one, and for it to be such a big one… wow, no wonder it was thought to be magical. With so many surfaces within the diamond for the light to bounce around on, I'll bet it looks like it's glowing. "
" Always. " Vegeta nodded thoughtfully.
" So why is it called the Eternal Star?
" If there is any light at all, even a single candle makes it shimmer, it almost looks like it burns in the dark. It can blind you during the day… but it's most beautiful at night. It is called the Eternal Star for a lot of reasons. But the main reason is that it was created to fight evil. The symbol of evil is the night, the darkness. What lights the darkness was believed to be symbolic of good. "
" But wouldn't that be the Sun? "
" The Sun is a star. Not all cultures call their world's light source a sun. But every culture I have seen, destroyed or read about has a word for the stars. "
" I think you ought to show us this Eternal Star. I just don't think it's real. "
" Yamcha, you better shut up. " Bulma growled, but Vegeta didn't even look at him.
" I can show you later, I don't carry the damn thing in my pocket. "
" What did I tell you… he's making it up. "
" No, he's not. Yamcha, it's real, I've seen it. " Bulma snapped.
" When? "
" Years ago, in my dreams, and I asked him what it was and he showed it to me. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, you just forgot to tell me it had an inclusion. "
" You didn't ask about its color, and I didn't think to mention it. "
" Is it prettier than the Dragon Tear? "
" They are both beautiful, Bra, " Bulma said, " But Vegeta, if Frieza wanted it, why do you have it? "
" I will be answering all of these idiotic questions later, including that one, after all, it took me 18 years to find the damn thing. "
" Really, he made you look for it for that long? "
" So what was so special about planet Calderas? " Trunks asked, abruptly changing the subject.
" They had attempted a rebellion and Frieza wanted it put down. Its inhabitants were clever, but not powerful enough to warrant a full-scale invasion. Besides, Frieza had the war with the Henara Star Quadrant to worry about. They were once his allies, so their tech and soldiers were about equal in strength. Frieza just had more soldiers and all the purge teams to call on. But Henara had been the source of his best strategists and advisors with the exception of himself and Zarbon, so he didn't want to take them too lightly. His father and brother would be furious if he allowed himself to loose even a little skirmish in the coming war. It was Frieza's very first actual war as the head of his own empire. So he wanted everything to be perfect. Because of that, he had been keeping about half of the best purge teams on available status, this included me, I found out later, but I couldn't help being bored. It was while I was on Calderas that I found out planet Vegeta had been destroyed. "
Hahahaha… I'm sooooooooooo evil. Poor Vegeta… So, did Frieza destroy Planet Vegeta when he took Vegeta? Or was it destroyed as part of his preparations for war? With Napa and Vegeta gone, no one else on the planet had the authority to enter the King's chambers without invitation to find out that they had been empty since Vegeta was taken. Sort of a combination of what happened in the Bardock special and in the flashbacks we got to see from the Namek saga. Radditz knows… but is he smart enough to keep this knowledge from Vegeta? It'll get him killed if he can't, one way or another.
* Sorry about the thing with Vegeta and his pointy hair… I just really thought that was adorable when Shani said that… trying to get Vegeta to lighten up… lol