Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ nor its characters…except
for Irioni who I created out of my own imagination…
Bulma,
the Varlian Princess: Part 3 – the war
Irioni
stood in mid-air watching her troop train zealously for the upcoming
battle. She knew the King would be
furious once he found out that she had taken half his army away from him, but
then again his son far surpassed his powers.
Everyone knew Prince Vegeta had the ability to kill their current King
within a blink of an eye, but this battle he was raging against Lord Frieza was
taking up most of his time. 'Rioni was
no fool. She knew where she pledged her
loyalties to. The strongest
Saiyan. And there was no doubt in her
mind that it was the Prince. He was
suppose to be the legendary Super Saiyan.
That would be a glorious day to witness the superior power of the SSJ
form.
Perhaps
the Prince had already reached that stage, she bemused. Wouldn't Lord Frieza be surprised. The Prince was right to begin this long
belated war. No Saiyan liked being
under that purple alien's rule. Their
treaty with him said it was an alliance but everyone knew better. Lord Frieza and his empire was the dominant
one. They had the power to crush the
Saiyan Kingdom but they kept them around to do their dirty work for them.
Now
'Rioni was on her way with about 5,000 warriors to meet her Prince and join him
in his battle. She only hoped it wasn't
too late. They had been receiving
distressing news from their scouter ships who had been sent on tiny little pods
that could travel faster than their heavy warships. The scouters had yet to reach the planet of Varlia but they
detected a massive power surge both on the planet and around its outer
atmosphere. It could be that the war
had already begun and the Prince only had two other Saiyans with him. Nappa and Kakarot.
Kakarot
she knew was only a third-class warrior but held much potential. He would be of great aid to the Prince but
Nappa…let's just say she didn't have much respect for that bald-headed elite. Especially not since he tried to hunt her
and mate with her. She smirked at the
thought. He was stronger than her but
didn't have much in the brains department.
She easily outmaneuvered him and managed to get away. But still the thought of him having even the
opportunity to touch her made her convulse with horror.
At
least by Saiyan law since he failed he would no longer be allowed to pursue
her. Those five long days of the mating
hunt was now in the past and she'd rather go to hell five times over than
relive those days.
"Captain
Irioni," a voice called for her. She
didn't turn around and gave a slight nod to acknowledge his presence was known
to her.
"It
has been confirmed. Lord Frieza's ship
has been detected orbiting around the planet."
She
frowned at the news. This was bad. "Tell the engineers to pump more power into
the propulsion system. Route all
unessential power to the main core and shut down everything but the backup life
system." He nodded and left.
Doing
the calculations in her head she figured she had cut down their travel time by
at least three weeks. The scouter ships
should arrive on the planet within a couple of days which should give their
Prince more time until they arrived.
Even if he was a SSJ he would still need his troop to fight off Lord
Frieza's men. All 10,000 of them from
the last count.
The
lights in the room dimmed to the bare minimum.
Pretty soon she might have to put the ship in total darkness if the
situation became worse. That was all
she could do for her Prince for now.
She hoped it was enough and that it wasn't too late. He was their last hope for freedom.
-----------
The
first of Frieza's henchmen had landed.
All the citizens of Varlia had been routed underground and the palace turned
into a fortress. Thanks to Bulma's
ingenuity they were able to erect a thin energy shield which protected them
from some of the ki blasts. It wasn't
much but it helped.
Vegeta,
Nappa, and Kakarot had separated themselves to three different corners trying
to hold back Frieza's army. The Varlian
soldiers spread themselves around the whole perimeter armed with a ki blaster
(which she made stronger this time) and picked off the weaker ones. But that wasn't the only invention she had
up her sleeve.
She
along with Lady Chi-Chi grabbed a handful of capsules containing her special
weapons and each went to a corner to help their army.
"Woman,
what are you doing here?!"
She
hadn't realized she had arrived at the same corner Prince Vegeta had decided to
station himself. Before saying anything
she popped open her first capsule. "I'm
here to fight. There is a war
going on."
He
gave her a disapproving look after shooting some ki blasts out into the
field. "I am well aware of that. As you can see I have my hands full trying
to keep Frieza's army at bay. And now
you expect me to look after you as well?"
Her
eyes glared daggers. "I can take care
of myself. Don't worry your little
spiky head about me. I'll be fine." The first gadget she grabbed was a light
bomb which caused a blinding light about 20 picres across. It launched through a gun so that it would
explode far enough away not to blind her own men.
He
watched as she pulled the trigger to some device. "I suppose you expect your little machines to save you from
them." He gestured at the field which
was slowly filling up with dead bodies on both sides.
"Yes,"
she said curtly and launched another gadget.
"If
you run into trouble don't expect me to come to your rescue, woman," he said
and turned back to the battle.
"Well,
don't expect me to scream for your help either, Saiyan," she said firing her
blaster.
During
their verbal exchange several Varlian guards had fallen while the number of
Frieza's men remained strong although many were injured. They would not be able to keep this up for
long.
---------------
"Lord
Frieza, a hundred of our warriors so far have been confirmed dead, fifty-seven
are missing, and many of the remaining soldiers are injured in various degrees,"
a guard reported. "With all due
respect, Lord Frieza, why do we not just blast the planet itself?"
Frieza
answered, "That would be too easy.
Besides I want the Prince brought to me alive."
The
guard bowed low and crept backwards out of the room as required for his rank.
The
loss of those hundred or so warriors did not bother him. He still had plenty left while the Varlians
on the other hand were dropping out like flies. This battle would be soon over, he thought confidently. Then he would make a little visit to
Vegetasei. *They will pay for going
against me. Treaty or no treaty. They were becoming a burden anyways.* But he would keep their Prince alive…for
now. He had plans for him.
-----------------
The
battle was going downhill and everyone could feel it.
"Frieza
is just toying with us," Vegeta growled to no one in particular.
She
looked up at him "What do you mean?"
He
hated to explain himself but he did just that.
"He hasn't even sent in his elite warriors. These are a bunch of weak losers who are weakening our
forces. Soon he'll send in the real
wave. Then we can kiss our…you
know…goodbye."
"Are
you sure?"
"Of
course I'm sure, dammit! How dare you
question me?!"
She
kept her calm, her fear of dying being worse than her fear of his anger. "Are we going to die?" she asked in a low
whisper almost choking on her words as she held her tears back.
His
anger dissipated as quickly as it had come.
"Maybe. If we're lucky."
She
drew in a sharp breath. *If we're
lucky…* She didn't want to know
what that meant but curiosity got the better of her. "What do you mean?"
He
let out a frustrated sigh. *Always with
the explanations! Damn her curious
nature!* "You're a female, right? A drop-dead gorgeous one at that. What do you think will happen to you
once Frieza sees you?"
"You
mean--," she couldn't finish, the image it conjured was too horrible. She wanted to hurl.
"Not
for him. He…he doesn't swing that way
so to speak. But his guards…once they get
through with you you'll wish you'd die.
Even the most horrible death is better than their form of torture. I've heard stories…from the few that had
escaped…," now it was his turn to be all choked up and unable to continue
speaking. There was a long pause as he
tried to gather himself. "Pray for a
swift end if worse comes to worse.
Don't let yourself get captured.
You don't…if you do…he'll…just…just trust me."
"I
trust you, Vegeta," she said nodding her head wholeheartedly. "I trust you."
He
stared at her for what seemed to be minutes before he caught himself and turned
away. *What did I ever do to deserve a
woman like that? She trusts me…* For some reason that created a warm feeling
inside him, something very foreign but he liked it. He hoped he would live long enough to feel that feeling again.
--------------
'Rioni
stood in the dark and prepared herself for battle. The scouter ships had reported landing on the surface without too
much trouble. The last bit of
information they had sent was distressing to say the least. All available energy was now being routed to
propulsion and they should be arriving in the Puaan System within half a
day. Lord Frieza had yet to send in the
Ginyu Force which only reinforced the idea that this war had hardly begun.
She
took in a deep breath and began the Stx ritual which was suppose to bring
balance between the mind and the body allowing one to harness both resources
during a battle. One cannot win a
battle against one's enemy with strength alone but with cleverness of wit
working alongside the physical power of the body. Frankly most Saiyans had no respect for this ritual, her
including. But when going against a
battle with Lord Frieza, these little nonsensical rituals brought some comfort
to her and her warriors. A wave of
superstitious behavior had recently spread among her crew as the time for the
eminent battle drew closer.
*Besides,
what harm could they do.* Luck would be
a formidable ally to have on their side.
TWO
HOURS UNTIL PLANET VARLIA IS WITHIN VISUAL RANGE, the computer voiced.
---------------
The
reinforcement, though small, did help the Varlians hold back Frieza's forces
for a while longer. The news of the
Saiyan warship was a blessing to the Varlian soldiers. To the Prince it was only a reminder of his
failure to defeat the enemy himself.
"Don't
be ridiculous, Vegeta. You couldn't
possibly defeat all them by yourself," she had screeched at him.
As
usual he paid no heed to her words.
"Leave me alone, woman. I have
training to do." He had gone back to
using the gravity machine every chance he could and with the addition of a
handful more Saiyans to keep up the battle he had more time on his hands. He knew it wasn't far until he reached that
seemingly unattainable SSJ level. Now
if only his annoyingly loud mate would give him some peace so he can train to
his fullest.
"You're
such an arrogant bastard! I can't
believe you're going to train. You
should be out there helping your troop.
Don't you even care they might die?!"
"No." He shut the door and started the
machine. The woman, he could sense, was
still out there by the door and it was another minute until she left. He snorted at the thought of her last
statement. Why should he care about
them? Didn't she know it was the
greatest honor for a warrior to die in the heat of battle rather than wither
away into shameful old age?
Furthermore, why should he care of her opinion of him? That question plagued him the most as he
trained unrelentlessly, a layer of blood already coalescing on his body from
his own brutal ki attacks. Still he
could smell her fragrance, a mixture of bodily oils and foreign textures the
woman occasionally put into her hair and skin.
*Even when she's gone she's still here bothering me.*
Then
a horrific image came to his wandering mind as his previous words came back to
him… You're
a female, right? A drop-dead gorgeous
one at that. What do you think will
happen to you once Frieza sees you?…
*Nothing! That damn alien won't lay a finger on her
because he'll have to get through me!*
Even before he could finish his thought he switched the machine up
another notch almost folding over himself as the greater force of gravity
pulled him down. It took nearly all he
had to keep himself upright. *I'll become
a Super Saiyan or die trying.* His
motto, so to speak, that ran through his head.
*If I don't, we're dead anyways…*
--------------
Bulma
stared at the closed door in shock but quickly shook herself out of it. *Well, I suppose I should've expected
that. He is a jerk…no a first-class
mother of all fucking jerks!* With that
matter thoroughly cleared up in her mind she went to her lab to work.
She
turned on her super computer and scrolled through her list of inventions, some
were completed and some were in their initial planning stage. She liked to write down all her ideas and
the ones she liked the best she would go ahead and build them. Her finger suddenly stood still over the
keyboard as something caught her eye.
Could that possibly work? Her
mind started whirling with a hundred and ten possible outcomes. It was too simple. There was no way she wouldn't be detected by Frieza's ship. But then again they wouldn't be expecting a
tiny little pod going after their huge warship. In addition to the cloaking program she had been working on…what
harm could there be in trying?
*Well,
you could get yourself killed. Or
worse…* She shook her head as Vegeta's
words came back to her. *No, don't
think about it.* The tiny little pod
also had a self-destruct program. *If
it comes down to that…then I'll use it.
I'll do anything to save my world.*
Her motto, so to speak, that ran through her head. Quickly she gathered all the needed
equipment and took off without a word or warning to anyone.
As
the pod shot through the sky she looked out the lone tiny window thinking this
could be the last time she laid eyes on her beautiful planet and she prayed to
the unknown gods for luck.
----------------
Frieza
was unhappy at the lack of skill his soldiers were showing. Even with their enemy being outnumbered they
could not penetrate their palace/fortress.
For that they deserved to die.
But soon he planned on going down to the surface himself to get rid of
their pesky allies. Or rather former
allies since Prince Vegeta so generously decided to break their treaty. A smug grin appeared on his face at the
thought of the Prince begging for mercy.
Of course, he knew that would never happen. Not his Vegeta. He was
too proud for his own good. But, no
matter. He would still enjoy seeing him
die at his feet. After he had some fun
that was.
"Lord
Frieza," the tall, green-haired alien calmly strolled into the half-darkened
room. He noticed the small, barely
perceptible nod of acknowledgement and continued. "A tiny space pod has been detected coming toward our general
location."
"Any
idea what or who it is?"
"No,"
replied Zarbon. "Should we blast it or
let it by?"
He
thought for a moment. "Let it by. I doubt even Vegeta could be foolish enough
to send a lone ship to attack us."
Zarbon
bowed and left to relay the news.
Something
in his periphery told him to be wary of that ship. Frieza made note to keep a careful watch of it, just in case.
--------------
*Almost
there.* The warship was now in
sight. With any luck, she shouldn't
have to go any further and that ship would be no more. She entered the coordinates into the ship's
computer and loaded her weapon. It was
more of a virus, really, the purpose of which was to infect the ship and then
cause it to go into self-destruct mode, silently. The program was heavily encoded with passwords and several levels
of protection. She was sure no one
would be able to bypass them. They
shouldn't even know it was in effect until it was too late.
"Here
goes nothing," she muttered and pressed the little red button marked 'Launch.'
--------------
Frieza
was at the computer console monitoring the pod's activities. Her little virus package did not go
unnoticed. So maybe he was foolish
enough. With just a push of a few
buttons he sent a laser beam straight at it blowing the projectile into space
dust and with the other hand he activated the tractor beam to tow the pod
inside.
He
walked out of his room and onto the ship's boarding area to greet his new and
unexpected passenger. *Let's see what
stupidity that Prince is up to.*
-------------
Vegeta
was slumped on the floor gasping for breath but determined not to stop. He ordered the computer to increase the
gravity and before he could regret his words he was flattened all the way
down. He could feel his bones slowly
crushing down threatening to break through his muscles and he flared his ki to
give him some measure of protection. Not
much happened and he stayed down on the floor stretched out for what seemed like
hours until someone had the gall to turn off the machine. Immediately he leaped up ready to behead the
person that dared to interfere his important training.
"KAKAROT! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
he yelled as the door to the chamber slammed open. His eyes were so red from anger that he failed to notice the
disheveled, worried look on his fellow Saiyan's face.
"Forgive
me, my Prince, but…" he found he could not continue as the words got stuck in
his very dry throat.
"Spit
it out!" he barked, the thought of beheading him still fresh in his mind.
"It's
Princess Bulma. She—she has left the
planet," he said his words barely over a faint whisper.
"What?!" He could not hide his surprise or the flash
of fear that crossed his face.
He nodded. "By the tracking device she is heading
straight for Frieza's ship."
He
cursed. He could not believe his
ears. She was a foolish woman, indeed,
but he had thought she would have enough smarts not to go against Frieza
herself…and alone. What the hell was
she thinking? Did she really think she
could defeat that monster single-handedly?
And what of that speech she had given him earlier of trying to defeat
them all by himself? *Foolish,
stubborn, foolish, damn, stupid woman! Curse 'em. Curse them all. Damn female species. Who needs them.* He ranted and raved to himself.
"What
should we do?" Kakarot's voice broke through his harsh thoughts.
"Nothing,"
he spat out. His eyes widened but
Vegeta chose to ignore it. "It was her
fault. If she wants to get herself
killed then let her. It would
definitely free me from this stupid sham of a union. I'm still going to need a couple more days until I'm ready to
face Frieza. Any direct attack now
would only end in disaster. Go and tell
the King of the bad news so he can mourn for her. There's nothing we can do."
His stare icy and unmoved.
"You—you
can't mean that," he stuttered, so sure in his beliefs that his Prince was in
love with his new mate.
Vegeta
crossed his arms and stared straight at him.
"I do and don't you dare question me again or it'll be your life. Now leave me. This conversation is over."
He
stood staring at his Prince totally shocked and unafraid. Then his expression turned into one of anger
and disgust, something he had never felt toward his shorter companion. "If you won't go after her then I will. You may be afraid of Frieza but I'm
willing to risk my life to save the Princess and she's not even my mate. I wish you well on your training, Great and
Mighty Prince Vegeta." The sarcasm
dripped down his words like blood out of a freshly cut wound. Vegeta was so stunned he didn't make a move
as the lower-class Saiyan walked away from him. Then his anger flared up three times more furious than before and
he made a note to kill that bastard the next time he saw him.
*He's
right you know.* He tried to hush his
mind but to no avail. *You are a
coward, Vegeta. You let a third-class
nothing insult you. Mate or no mate you
should be going over there to defend your honor.*
"Shut
up!" he screamed to nobody.
*Coward…* "I'm not a
coward!" He realized he was yelling at
himself and stopped. *I'm not a
coward. Damn fucking woman!*
--------------
Kakarot
decided not to mention the news to the Varlian King but try to go and rescue
her first. It was easy enough to secure
a ship without being seen since everyone was busy fighting outside. He had never tried to navigate a ship before
but looking down at the controls it seemed easy enough. If worse came to worse then he would simply
fly up there using his ki. Suddenly
something activated his keen senses and he spun around.
"Chi-Chi,"
he cried out in surprise. From the look
on her face, he knew she was not happy.
-------------
Vegeta
found the room that held their ship and walked in unannounced only to have a
certain dark-haired girl rush past him as he opened the door.
"What
the FUCK are you doing?!"
With
a hard resolve, Kakarot managed not to turn around to face his ill-tempered
Prince. Would he die today, he wondered
slightly amused.
Vegeta's
jaw dropped in shock. Nobody had ever
dared to show such defiance and live.
Never had he expected such insolence to come from Kakarot although he
had come to detect a bit of soft-heartedness when it came to the opposite
sex. "Don't you dare get in that ship,"
he ordered, his tone low and deadly. He
was ignored. Now what was he going to
do? *Blast him. What are you waiting for?* But even as he raised his palm he knew deep
inside he didn't want to kill him. Did
he really enjoy that fool's company so much?
*You're such a weakling…*
"What
do you plan to do once you're up there?" he tried a different tactic. "Even if you manage to get on Frieza's ship
you'll most likely be killed by the Ginyu and at worst taken prisoner and tortured. That woman is probably already dead. Then you would've given your life for
nothing."
Kakarot
slowly turned around and took a deep breath.
"I know you care for her."
"Bullshit. I care for no one. Especially that blue-haired bitch."
"No! Don't give me that crap! I know you, Vegeta," he said leaving out his
title in his rage. "I've seen how your
eyes light up when she's in the room or how your tail wags when she's giving
you a tongue-lashing. How can you give
all that up to that monster?! Do you
know what he'd do once he captures her?
She's your mate. How could you
allow her to be touched by who knows what?
How—"
"That's
enough, Kakarot!" he cut him off. "I
know very well what Frieza will do! And
don't you dare tell me what to do you low-class fuck. Do you think I enjoy sitting down here while Frieza makes a
mockery of us? There is nothing better
I would like to do than to go up there right now and beat that little purple
shit senseless. But how? How am I suppose to do that Kakarot
when that fucking bastard is hundred times stronger than I?! Huh?
Tell me. What the FUCK am I
suppose to do?!!"
"I—I,"
he was rendered speechless and he bowed his head in shame.
"Now
you fucking show some respect," he huffed looking down at his crouched
form. "Now move out of my way."
Kakarot's
head popped up and he moved to the side only to see his Prince step inside
their space pod. "Y-you can't," he said
alarmed.
He
just stared back and leered. "First you
tell me to go and now you're ordering me to stay. I swear Kakarot.
Sometimes I think you were dropped on the head as a child."
"At
least allow me to go with you, then," he tried once more. He had been too rash in his actions and
words, he could admit that now. His
Prince had more honor than all of them put together and he had been wrong to
say those things, his heart getting in the way of his Saiyan thinking. He always did have a weak thing for
women. Especially that dark-haired one
who had been at the forefront of his mind ever since they landed on this
planet.
"It
won't be necessary." He tilted his head
as if he heard something.
He
stepped forward, his hand outreached.
"Please—"
Vegeta
hushed him and indicated with his finger to listen. "Don't you feel it, Kakarot."
His
head perked up and a frown set upon his face.
"I can't believe this."
"It
seems we won't have to journey to Frieza's ship after all. He has decided to pay us a little visit," he
flatly stated and he flew out of the room intending to go toward the landing
site. Kakarot swiftly followed his
trail after alerting the other Saiyans.
What new trick could Frieza be up to now?
End
of part 3
--------------
A/N: I am having trouble writing part 4 – the
arrival. If anyone has ideas please
share. Email is KittyCatJ80@hotmail.com. Please review, good or bad, I don't mind
either.
