16. Reunification


It would take them awhile to get to the nearest Dragon Ball, so all took it easy. Vegeta didn't talk much and Gokuu didn't care really. Silently they worked out with the other. Side by side. Usually taking room 1. The others took the second. A third large room was being created from two large quarters and changed into a third training room. Both ate in silence. During this period, Vegeta did allot of thinking, and allot of sleeping. The doctor fixed her wound as best as possible. But it would still leave a mark.

During training's she mused about her former life never going to be the same again. That she was missing school allot now. Kicking the boys hides and such. Even missing that Chichi girl. They had trained for the most of the day as Vegeta suddenly flopped tired on her belly. Propping her now pointy and feminine chin in her arms and sulked a bit. Darting her eyes to Gokuu who paused.

"You hate me, don't you." She suddenly stated on a flat tone. Gokuu flopped on his chest as well in astonishment. Where did that come from?

"No I don'twhy are you even thinking that?" She smirked sour.
"Because I'm a dark-red hared retard. That's why."
"You are a dark-red. But not a retard. Your very clever! Now stop thinking like that." She lifted her feet and swayed them a bit like she had done as a kid. These long feet just screwed the whole scene. And her breasts started aching. Damned melons.

"Yes I am. And even if you say no, I won't believe it. I used to be smart, I used to be good. Not anymore." She rose and sat up against the wall instead.

"Noif anyone is a retard in this room. It be me" Gokuu stated, flopping beside her as both pulled their feet up and rested their heads on their arms. Both sighing deep.

"You know? Being a teen seriously sucks?" She mused. He nodded.
"Yep. I have another questionI'm acting like a jerk to Bardock aren't I? It's not like me to hold a grudge. It's justI don't know." Gokuu responded confused.

"Hell, don't ask me for advice here. I'm a retard like you, remember?" She smirked as he smiled a bit.

***

"I swear he hates my guts!" Frustrated Bardock turned around in his chair eyeing Solan. Much to Solan's glee Bardock had managed perfectly, and better then he had at his current position.

"Wellcan you blame the boy? His own closest thing to a relative he has, slept with the girl he fancies." Solan replied for the zillionth time since they left the prison planet. Bardock grunted.

"Will you put that in perspective?" He howled. Stopped turning and flopping his hands flat on the desk. Solan who stood before the desk in the commanders room stood unfazed.

"You talk like a broken record. You've been whining about it ever since we picked you two up. Do you want some REAL advice? FIX IT! Your giving yourself a lot of headaches."

"I do NOT have a headache. But the kid is the closest thing I currently have to a brat of my own and he's ignoring me as if I were air! And to top it off, if I really piss him off, he can snap me like a twig." Bardock leaned back and flopped his boots on the table. Sulking. "I mean, if it would relieve steam for the boy to kick me into a healing tank. He's my guest. But NO. Mister doesn't even tolerate me in the same bloody room. None of my brats was this much trouble."

"Bardockcome onwho are you fooling here. You never took a role in the child rearing of your brats" Solan carefully tried. Bardock slammed his fist on the table.

"I KNOW! I hate it when your right. But that's WHY I want to be a father to HIM now! Gimme the star charts...And GET THE HELL OUT! " Carefully Solan handed him the maps and scrammed out. MOODYAfter 2 minutes of menacing glaring at the door he snapped his fingers. OFF COURSE. Stupid that he didn't think of it before. He hit the com.

"Gokuu report to my room ASP." Smug he leaned back. His brat first would have to think it over, make up his mind and come over. Typical Saiya-jinThe door whooshed opened to reveal a moody Gokuu.

"You hollered?" He grunted.
"No, I asked." He retorted. Waving the moody teen over to the wall. On it were charts

Gokuu eyed the specked wall. Noting the round picture of a dragon ball and a small ship.
"How many dragon ball's do we have?"
"4.
"Correct. Here's the 5th. This is us. If we go straight though this here space, invested with Pirateswe'll get there in 2 weeks. If we avoid the nasty buggers, we need to make a detour and end up at the same place in 3 months. Your opinion? It concerns Vegeta's and your planetnot mine. I have to admit that we are ahead of schedule." Gokuu eyed the plotted course.

"How big of a threat are the pirates?" Gokuu asked thoughtful. For the moment ignoring that this was his least favourite person on the ship.
"75% that we will encounter pirate ships. And off that a 100% that it will lead to a confrontation. Something most of the men will love. But if we get a vital hit, your planet is doomed."

"But we're also on a time schedule regardless" Bardock silently left him standing before the wall as he sat back down in his chair. Observing him while he thought. Gokuu eyed al the small tags.

Dangerous pirate spaceless pirate invested spaceno pirateswell if they wouldthen they would have to pass that super novabut if they wouldno black holehe scratched his head thoughtful. ButCalmly Bardock started seeing into paper work. This would take awhile. Took him 40 minutes to figure it out. 30 minutes passed in which Gokuu wracked his brains. Grabbing a measuring rod he drew a blue line over the plastic covered charts. Bit on the pen's butt and chewed on it as he closed his eyes to do some math. Hated it but he wanted that ball. He wanted it to give to Vegeta. He knew she was getting homesick. He was too. Happy he finished the line onto the dragon ball. THERE. Hiding his pride before Bardock he dropped the ruler and pen on his desk to get his attention.

"Do you still hate me for it?" Bardock suddenly shot. Gokuu took a step back, not expecting this bluntness. Um "I don't mind your honestyin fact I would appreciate it." Bardock continued. Searching the teens face.
"I do hate you for what you did with her." Gokuu admitted.

"You do know, that after getting on this ship, I only saw her during dinner? I haven't even spoken to her. I haveas they so nicely put it, backed off for your sake." Gokuu eyed him as he sighing walked up the dais and peered outside. Crossing his arms before him. Behind him he saw Bardock's reflection.

"There is a chair you know" He offered.
"I don't need it."
"Okay"
"Look." Gokuu began. "I don't really hate you personally. Just what you did."
"Shall I explain something that I feel is vital to tell you?" Silently Gokuu nodded as Bardock flanked him. Crossing his arms as well. Stars shot past them.

"A long time ago, I had my last son. And I hated him for his low fighting power and the fact our old planet's customs were to shoot weak children off planet. I never even touched him. All I did was look at him through glass and be pissed over his Ki level and his crying. I regret that I never took Celipa's advice. She said I should go see him. The child I'm talking about was your ancestor. His Saiya-jin name was Kakaroto. His Chikyuu name became Gokuu. And man was I mistaken by his power level. His spirit compensated his shortcomings of birth and made him the first super Saiya-jin in aeonsI was so proudbut very much dead." Bardock shook his scarred face.

"Look I suck at mushy stuff. All I ever wanted was trying to be a good father. Only one son was strong enough to stay on the planet and I barely saw him because of all the missions I went on. I must admit being an average fighter. But even the king told me I was one hell of an scientist." He smirked proud. "What I mean isI had hoped I could be a father figure to you as I've heard you don't have one. Only an adoptive grandfatherand he's humanThen I discovered I wellslept with the girl you had set your eyes on. I must admit, she never once told me about you. So how could I have known about you two" Gokuu smoothed out the involuntary mental hit Bardock gave him. She never mentioned him? Once? Bardock was right. If she never told him abouthe couldn't possibly have known

"On the other hand, she lost allot of bloodand she needed allot of time to recover. She was only up a couple of days before you arrived. All she talked about was how she missed her home planet and that she needed to perform a task to save it. With the help of a friend. She never specified more then that." Gokuu hid a smile. She had called him a friend?

"SO. That's what I've been trying to tell or explainyou never gave me the chanceif I fail againso be it. But at least I tried." The latter was more stated to himself. Gokuu understood that much. For 10 minutes they stood in silent contemplation. Gokuu's hand shot out. Bardock stood stiff. Here came the beatingbeen expecting that muchinstead his left arm was clasped and he was yanked against the teen.

"I couldn't hate you. I haven't. it's not in me to really hate someone. And now be honestyou already plotted the coursedidn't you" Stunned Bardock was pushed away again near breathless. One heck of a grip! Coyly Gokuu eyed his face as he smirked back.

"Yes. Only it took me 40 minutes. Not 32. Care to be my advisor? Orsecond in command?" Gokuu blinked.
"Umdo I have to do math again?" he eyed Bardock soar as Bardock laughed. Pulling him to the desk drawer and retrieving a hand held calculator. Gokuu started laughing too. Wracking his brains, if only he would have asked! Bardock slapped Gokuu's back in the laughter fit as Gokuu slapped him back and across the room. Sweat dropping he raced to Bardock who was upside down against the wall and still laughing.

"What a punch! Too much!" He laughed and laughed. "Power house! And my kid!" he flopped over as Gokuu checked him for a head injury as Bardock wiped away tears. Too funny.

"I'm okay kidtakes more then a slap to the face to get me down." He eyed him. "Tell you what I did. I destroyed Dodoria's supposed super elite team. What a blast. Damned idiots. Alone! We should go spar sometime. Only if you promise to watch my weak physique!" He burst out laughing again as Gokuu joined him. Solan peered inside after hearing the slam into the wall. Did Bardock need a helpful hand to drag him to rehab? Instead he found two Saiya-jins in a laughter fit and unable to get out of it.

"Umdon't wanna spoil your funbut ah4 pirate ships on intercept course?" They paused and eyed the other, bursting out laughing again as one pulled the other up. With arms over the other they strolled weakly inside the command room. Bardock coyly smacked the communication button.

"Look kiddies. Were a bunch of Saiya-jins in a happy to kill mood. Suggestion? BEAT IT! Off course your welcome to stay. It'll make our happy day." They off course played dead so Bardock stated to hunt them down. Happily on Jewel's suggestion Jazz made a stamp and each time they blew up a ship, he'd make a stamp with red paint on the white wall. Within 2 days they had 8. Life was grand!

***

Vegeta flopped on her bed and sighed tired. Bardock found her a job. Her room was scattered with building plans and calculations. Groaning she rubbed her temples. Good thing granny wrote lots in her diaries about her projectsshe did a recap. Bardock waited for her in his office with Gokuu behind him. Vegeta entered calmly and eyed the two.

"You called?" She asked weary.
"I did. I heard this interesting thing from Gokuu. Seems you used to have a gravity machine? To train in?" her face fell as she glared at Gokuu who smiled back. "I also heard you are very inventive and clever, and if someone can pull it off. It's you Vegeta. Seems to run in your family? Anyway. I wand a similar thing ASP for my training rooms. That would make 3."

"BBUT." She stammered. "I don't have any plans, I hardly know how it worked!"

"Have some understanding for us old Saiya-jins? We used to be top score? We're now outdated power wise? We need that invention. So get to work and produce." He send her out smugly as she stomped out. SHISH. Men, as if it was a piece of care designing and inventing something from bloody SCRATCH. And so for the last 2 days she hadn't slept and scribbled paper stacks of data. She even went so far as nicking anti-sleep pills from the medical supplies. But they weren't working at all. Might as well have been breath mints. Yawning she kicked her boots out and flopped wide out. Yelled the lights out and fell asleep.

Outside her door Gokuu paused. With paint 'do not disturb, bloody thing isn't done yet, bug off.' was written. He smiled. Still busy? Every day the cleaning maid would erase her message. So each would walk past the door day by day to see if there was any change. Every now and then they changed. Sometimes up to twice a day. From, Buzz off, to I hate men, to I'm brain dead. Or I'm pissed. Hilarious to all of the crew. Saiya-jin or no Saiya-jin. But he had also suggested this to his father for her sake. Her moral had fallen down from high to absolute bottom. Maybe making the machine would make her proud of herself again. Sighing content he walked on.

***

During the weeks of terrorising by pirates Vegeta worked nearly 24 hours a day until she'd simply fall asleep. And proud walked with bags under her eyes through the ship. Stifling a yawn she thrashed in the command room and absently braced for impact as they were being shot at again.

"BARDOCK!" She whined. "Just blow them up already. I'm DONE."
"WHAT?" Energetic Bardock glanced up from the battle. His eyes gleaming in excitement. "What did you say? I'm a bit busy"
"THAT THING IS COMPLETE!" She howled angry. Slapping a rolled up paper which had been repeatedly been taped onto his head.


"OH, why didn't you say so before. Jewel? Jazz. Fix up that bugger. Come on Vegeta." He strolled inside his room where Gokuu turned up from the desk with charts scattered around.
'Sorry for the mess." Bardock waved it away as he also waved Gokuu out of his chair. Wiping his desk clean while charts crashed onto the floor.

"Okay, show me what you've got." She coyly plucked on her suit.

"Well I have" He sighed deep.
"NO, your plans?" She snickered. Deprivation of sleep did weird things to her. She groaned. Wondering what it had made her granny do
"Wellonly this." She rolled the roll out. It with ease rolled over the table and rolled on to the other wall. Bardock eyed it impressed. Bend over it and started eyeing the calculations added to the different machine parts. The strain they could take and the materials used. Funny think washe understood it! The scientist in him rejoiced at the intricate calculations no average Saiya-jin could perform. Even some proved a nice challenge for him. Nice

"I don't get any" Gokuu mused eyeing the calculations which went way above his head. Smug Vegeta eyed him. Loosershe was smarter NAH-NAH.

"Wellyou made the plansyou are in charge of making it work. I'll tell Meat to allow you access to all the supplies you want. And before you begin? Get some sleep?" She tossed her hair back.

"Why? Don't I look my cute self?" he snickered with Gokuu.
"Your cute self has a difficulty in hiding dark eye bags." He snickered. She snorted and wanted to reply with something smart when Jazz stormed inside.

"YOH! CAP, party tonight! We have a nice number of 30!" He was hinting at the ship count as Bardock rubbed his arms. Goody.
"Take care of it. Vegeta get some sleep, we have a party tonight and you can't just fall asleep on us. OUT." He smugly watched Vegeta roll her plans up and stroll out. As she did, he heard Jewel and Ronin laugh and celebrate all ready. Kids