Diclaimer: I do not own DBZ.
Note: This is the last chapter of the "Diversion" part of the story. The next chapters will be under the same story, but it will be called "Formerly Diversion".
DUE TO AN IMPROMPTU VACATION, ALL THREE CHAPTERS HAVE BEEN UPLOADED FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT. EXPECT A NEW CHAPTER IN A WEEK OR SO.
WARNING: Heavy swearing, massive violence and torture.
Diversion
Chapter 6:
Conspiracy Unmasked
~~On Furiza 79~~
Vegeta knelt before the lizard man before him. The others were beside him, also kneeling. He recounted everything that happened on Suet. The arrival, followed by the fact that no humanoids were detected, then the discovery of the Ultima Spawn who were very powerful. Next, Vegeta told how Radditzu left to find his brother, who when he arrived proved a valuable ally; he left out the planet. Then Vegeta recounted the journeys through the jungles, the swamp, and the plains. The city came next, Vegeta described how it was made of crystal, and how it was all ruined. Vegeta told of the adventure in the laboratory, and of the cruel fat that befell the suet-jin. The information that Doctor Rylos left behind Vegeta described in full detail; about the Majin, and Ultimega, and how the planet was now one big creature. Furiza almost flinched when he heard the power level of over a hundred million. Finally, the part of their escape, and the last surviving Suet-jin were told.
"…and that, as they say, is that" Vegeta finished
Furiza sat silently for a few moments "Hmm…the planet is unsuitable for sale then. Recon is oh so out of date. And it can't be destroyed, you say?"
Vegeta pointed to Roland, who stood up "He can vouch for it. His grandfather was one of its creators."
"It is true, Lord Furiza" said Roland "Ultimega is indestructible…even…to you, sir…no offense."
"None taken dear boy. A hundred thousand is well above my power level, even when I am maxed out…still, I am the most powerful natural being in the universe. A freak science experiment is nothing to be jealous of. Now, Vegeta, might you introduce me to your new friend?"
Goku stood up "Don't be shy, boy!" Furiza said;
Furiza offered the hand with the most rings. Goku knelt and kissed the rings…but Then Furiza offered to shake his hand, just because Goku had assumed he wished his rings kissed…when his hand touched the hand of Furiza, Goku felt something. Furiza's true nature was revealed to him, although Furiza knew not. Goku sensed that this man was evil. Cold and cruel. He sensed a blackness in Furiza's heart…a blackness so dense that he almost lost himself. The blood of billions of innocents could be seen flowing in his mind's eye. Billions of souls screamed out in pain in Goku's thoughts. The two aliens at Furiza's side Goku saw…they were robbing, murdering, and even raping the peoples of other planets. Goku saw Furiza laugh as many planets were destroyed. One such planet looked familiar to Goku; red soil and a blue sea. The entrails of many were strewn on a floor on a ship; some of their owners were still alive as they were being ripped out. Goku saw a man with brown hair that looked like Vegeta being killed with one punch; a pendant fell from his neck. Then Goku saw himself…or something like it…being destroyed by a large energy ball along with Furiza's own men. Then he saw Furiza whipping Radditzu and Vegeta…one a teen and the other a mere child. Goku let go of Furiza's hand, and stared into those eyes…those wicked, lying eyes.
"It's a pleasure, Lord Furiza" said Goku
"Oh, dear me the pleasure's all mine! So, I can register your name in our computer…what was it..?"
Goku decided not to tell his Saiya-jin name "Son Goku"
Vegeta was about to object, but he saw something new in Goku. "Kakkarot is…serious for a change…" he thought "…When he touched Furiza something happened…I'd best instruct Nappa and Radditzu to refrain from using his Saiya-jin name."
"Zarbon," said Furiza "Escort Mister Son and mister Rylos to their new Quarters; keep them close to the other three; across the hall, or next door something along those lines"
"as you wish" said the green haired man with a bow; the five persons followed him out of the main chamber, and to the large battle cruiser Furiza called a second home.
*****
The very next day, Vegeta and Radditzu were sent on a purging mission alone, leaving Goku and Nappa. Goku was tense as he ate in the cafeteria; Nappa next to him eating loudly. Goku had hardly touched his meal; Nappa looked in concern at his strangely acquired friend.
"Something wrong, um…Goku?" why Vegeta told him not to use Kakkarot for the time being was beyond him
"I was just thinking about what Radditzu and Vegeta are doing right now." said Goku "all those innocents…murdered so Furiza can sell the planet and get more wealth!"
Nothing could have prepared Goku for what Nappa said next "Well, I hate it every bit as much as you do; the same goes for Vegeta and Radditzu."
"what? If you don't like it, just quit this job!"
Nappa laughed "Job? Don't make me laugh; we get paid almost squat, and most of that is spent on rent of our Quarters and we have to buy our own meals!"
"You and the others are here against their will?" said Goku with empathy
"Yeah…I mean, what choice had we? Our planet was gone, and Furiza ordered us here for our protection."
"Did you know that Furiza used to torture your prince?"
"what kind of accusation are you making? Furiza wouldn't do that!"
"He destroys planets for fun; what makes you think he didn't?"
"…."
"Did you ever hear cries of pain in the middle of the night, Nappa?"
"Yes…I did…In the morning, Vegeta was always in his bed…they told me that he was having nightmares…" Nappa's face became long "I believed them…I never checked Vegeta for wounds! Radditzu too!"
"And it never once occurred to you that you were slaves?"
"Yes, it did! And what the fuck does it matter? Even if we were being threatened for our lives, in fear of him; the fear of being killed after a failure, what we did is inexcusable!" Nappa hung his head low "It is too late…"
This was terrible…now Goku understood. He understood why Radditzu was so damned eager to get him to join, and why Vegeta was adamant about finishing the mission. The same must have been true for all the other missions they were on. If they refused, if they followed what they felt was right, they would be killed. Their actions have made it more and more difficult for them to refuse; for they knew that if they died before they had a chance at penance, such as during a mission, or if they ever failed, they would be sent straight to hell. And no chance for penance would come with Furiza; for he would kill on the spot. Goku then repented fooling his brother. He repented his assumptions about the Saiya-jin. He regretted not really understanding them before.
"No! Do not say that Nappa! Furiza is using you! He's been using you from day one! The bloodstains are on his soul, not yours." Goku put his hand on Nappa's shoulder "And it is not too late! You can still change…you have to renounce Furiza and his ways, and then rebel."
"Rebel? Are you damned crazy? I'd be killed in a flash!"
"I mean get the hell out of here! There is plenty of room in the universe to escape to!"
"Shit…I can't just run away…and I am not as strong a Bardock was"
"Bardock?"
"Yours and Radditzu's father. The strongest Saiya-jin of his day. His power was incredible…though it was unnoticed by Furiza and the other Saiya-jin. One day, on Meat, he and his entire crew were slaughtered. His death made Prince Vegeta the strongest…"
"so, you're saying, if you had the strength, you would fight Furiza and escape?"
"Fuck yes!"
"But what if you knew you could get stronger only on the outside?"
"I do know that. It is a bitch-vicious cycle."
"I know that if we all work together, we can get our freedom! I have people I want to see!"
"You are truly damned soft-hearted."
"Not towards damned mother fucking tyrant pieces of shit!"
Nappa was shocked at Goku's choice of words. Nobody ever dared to speak to Furiza like that. Nappa felt a strange feeling in his chest. Now he felt he trusted Goku; his spirit had been enlightened and lifted. He finished his food, and he left for his own Quarters.
*****
More moons passed. It was now July by Earth's standards. Ten months Goku had known his brother and the other Saiya-jin. During their stay on Furiza 79, and on the Battle Cruiser, the four of them, along with Roland, became truly good friends. On several occasions, Goku would help all four when they felt down. Vegeta was most shocked of all by such behavior; Goku helped him when he was looking weak and yet he still respected him and called him Your highness. Only Nappa and Radditzu used to call him that; an even they didn't say so in the presence of Furiza's men. But that changed when Goku showed up; Vegeta felt others begin to respect him once more, and more people treated him as royalty. Radditzu learned a great deal about the planet that he visited only once. The history, the culture, and what Goku had done for the people there. The Tenkaichi Budoukai intrigued him most. The three Saiya-jin began to realize that if you use your power to help others, greater rewards would come; a total contradiction to what Furiza had always taught. It closer resembled the way Vegeta-sei was before Furiza. One hot night in July…
Goku lay on the hard bed as well as he could "Damn…the floor has to be softer than this!" he ran his toes through the thick carpet "It is!"
There was a beeping, and the door opened. It was Nappa, Vegeta, and Radditzu.
"hey guys" said Goku sleepily
Vegeta spoke first "Kakkarot…we need to talk to you."
"Well, I got stuff I wanna ask too…" said Goku
"No… we have to tell you something." said Nappa
Goku got up and sat at the round table "all right…what is it? Can't sleep anyway so…"
The others sat down too. Vegeta broke the ice "Kakkarot…these past months the four of us have been through a lot together…"
Nappa put in "And you have taught us so much…"
Radditzu spoke up "That after careful consideration…and after much deliberation…we have decided…NOT to destroy the earth."
Goku's heart skipped a beat "What?? You're kidding me, right?"
"No joke" said Vegeta "We…have come to be very fond of you Kakkarot. In only ten short months you have shown us that life has meaning…that we do not have to kill others to be respected, and that power is not the most important thing in the world. As thanks, we have decided to not destroy the planet you love so much."
"And we've decided to take you up on that offer" said Nappa "We intend to rebel against Furiza after all now."
"How? He's so strong!" Exclaimed Goku
"We're gonna run away and humiliate Furiza" said Nappa
"How?'
Radditzu shook his finger slowly "The same way you saved your son…with our heads!"
Goku had an epiphany "You know about how I tricked you? How did you…? Why aren't you…?"
"How you used pre-dead corpses instead of killing them yourself? How did I find out? Why am I not angry with you?" asked Radditzu "We'll tell you why."
~~Flashback: Goku's hotel room on Planet Vegas~~
Goku slept peacefully in his bed; he had been drinking a lot, so he decided to hit the hay before he drank too much. Radditzu and Nappa came back from their trip to The Hyena Sorority to hear talking. It was coming from Goku's third of the suite. Nappa summoned Vegeta, who arrived shortly. What they heard was something like this.
"No, no…it has…look like I did it…the morgue won't miss em…come on…help me…open the door…room 6b…cult suicide…at least…100...dead…humans…save Gohan…so what if it's sick….I don't care what it smells like…Piccolo…Ka me ha me ha…break that one…let's clod dance…pile em…Pic, I distract them…you train Gohan…"
Radditzu stared in disbelief "Kakkarot tricked me?"
"Disgusting…but effective…" said Nappa
"Brilliant scheme…bet he never thought he'd befriend us, huh?" said Vegeta
The three Saiya-jin went to Vegeta's suite to discuss things.
"What do we do?" asked Nappa "I mean, he tricked Radditzu-"
"And then he saved us from certain death" pointed out Vegeta "Don't forget that. He also awakened a feeling in my heart…peacefulness."
"Yeah...he kinda did that for me too" said Nappa "Plus he gave us a vacation I'll never forget…boy am I in debt…"
"What about you, Radditzu?" asked Vegeta "Are you angry with your brother?"
Radditzu stayed with his eyes closed "No. I am not. True, I do have mixed feelings…but anger is not one of them. My emotions are mixed between amusement, disgust and respect for the brilliant scheme he pulled, and pride that my brother stuck with his ideals like father did."
"So what happens?" asked Nappa
"We need to decide what is to be done." said Vegeta
A month later, The same three debated in Vegeta's Quarters.
"I…I think we should suspend purging of planet Earth…permanently" said Radditzu
"I agree…Kakkarot has done so much for us" said Vegeta "He has taught me many a valuable lesson."
"Me too…" said Nappa "He even suggested that we rebel against Furiza. And he said that penance is possible if we can only escape"
"The burden of guilt is heavy" said Vegeta "Every life I have taken hurts me every day…"
"Yeah, that's why I refuse to fail a mission" said Radditzu "I do not wish to die before I have repented."
"same here" said Nappa and Vegeta
"So we are agreed?" asked Vegeta "We spare Kakkarot's planet, and we erase it from the hit list. Then we figure out a plan."
~~End Flashback~~
****
That night, Goku and the others were led by Roland as he showed them the plan. every route, the position of every guard, all the traps and alarms; they were all memorized. Goku and Radditzu set up explosives in hidden areas, and also the art gallery where Furiza kept his prized statues and paintings. Nappa coated the inside of a copy of Furiza's armor with green quick-dry paint, and kept it wet with paint drenched sponges. Vegeta strategically placed energy nets hidden on the walkways. When done with that, he carefully weakened the walls of Furiza's palace with a few slight punches.
Roland tampered with the engines on all the ships but one. Furiza's newest ship, the newly finished Indestructible. It resembled a tremendously large black dragon, with arms and legs as landing gear, and instead of a tail, large Hyperdrive engines. Instead of wings there were four large sails that moved to conform to any land mass (1). The intent was to steal it right under Furiza's nose. The stage as set, and the next day, the play would be set into motion.
*****
Furiza awoke every morning at six as usual. Also as usual, he went to take a refreshing hot shower. He took his armor from his closet, and lay it near the door. Then he turned his shower on, and stepped in; he forsook all around him. While he showered, he did not notice a hand switch his armor for another, and then put a bucket over the door. At this time, Goku and Roland walked up to the open air hangar where Indestructible was stored.
"Hey! Do you have clearance?" demanded the guard
Goku waited. "Clearance?" he pulled out a strange device "Here's my clearance" he pushed a button; it was 6:15. Suddenly, all the guards, including this one, were caught in energy nets, and Furiza's palace exploded in several places. There were also several explosions on the lawn, just outside of Furiza's balcony. Furiza heard the commotion, and he jumped from his shower and put his armor on. He found himself covered in sticky green paint. He threw the armor off in disgust, and ran out, only to be hit with a bucket full of feathers. Then he slipped on some sort of oil and hit his head. Quickly, he rushed to his balcony. On his lawn was a word spelt out in explosion marks: WHO'S THE MONKEY NOW, BITCH?.
"what the fuck?" growled Furiza "Who would do this to me?"
Then he saw the Saiya-jin get onto his precious ship "Now you are in for it, monkeys!"
*****
Nappa struggled with the activation "Damn! There's something wrong with the core!"
"Furiza will be here any minute! We have to fix it!" Roland rushed off to Engineering
At that moment Furiza did arrive.
Goku jumped out "I'm gonna stall him!"
"Kakkarot! No!" objected Vegeta
"You guys have to get this thing running!" said Goku "I'll stall him!"
Radditzu and Goku did the old Double Dragon arm link "Brother…please return…"
"I'll try" said Goku, as he ran off to face the tyrant
Furiza looked at the man before him "So…you came to surrender?"
"No." said Goku; he spit "I am here to defend my friends!"
Furiza punched Goku in the gut; the Saiya-jin felt the worst pain ever. Furiza picked him up by the neck with his tail. Furiza recognized his face, and realized who his father was.
"Pitiful…you will die defending them…just like your father died…when he tried to defend your planet against me!" then he laughed maniacally
Goku then put it all together. The vision of the man consumed by a fireball was his father…defending his homeworld. He looked at Furiza's neck and saw the same pendant that the Vegeta look alike dropped at his death. King Vegeta.
"You did it!" growled Goku "You killed all the Saiya-jin! There was no comet…you blew up Vegeta-sei!"
"Yes…I killed them…damned proud of it too…I couldn't risk a Super Saiya-jin appearing" Goku felt a hand jab through his stomach "Now you die…you die with the truth…by the way, I will send two of my best men to find your ship, if you escape…we can track it once it has stopped!"
Vegeta opened the bomb bay doors and watched in horror. He was too paralyzed with fear to move. Furiza slashed at Goku's body with his claws. Blood dripped everywhere. ..Many bones were broken. Despite being near death, Goku had the courage to say "fuck...you…lizard breath…". With that, one mighty ki blast went straight through the warrior's chest, sending him flying, but Goku was able to snatch the pendant from Furiza and to poke his eyes enough so that he had to grasp them. Vegeta shouted his loudest "no!". Roland and Radditzu came and took Goku into the ship as the engine finally started.
Before Vegeta got on the ship, he had one final thing to say to Furiza, who cradled his injured eyes. Tears were in his eyes and rage in his heart "Furiza! Some day…I will make you pay for this…Kakkarot's blood…will be avenged tenfold when I rip your god damned soulless heart out…and watch it stop beating in my grip…"
The ship took off, and exited the atmosphere. While Radditzu tried to help his injured brother, Nappa still struggled with Hyperdrive. Ships began to rally after them.
" Damn! If we can only go into Hyperspace!"
"I'm working on it!" complained Roland from the bridge/engineering com link.
"Come on! The whole armada is after us!" we're the only ones with Hyperdrive!" said Nappa
****
Roland struggled with his machine.
"Damn it…think Roland…damn it of course!"
He powered up a weak ki blast and hit the core crystals. Suddenly, the area through the windows changed. The starts went faster, and then a new dimension was entered. All around them were bright colors. But they had no time for awe…a friend was in pain.
"It is no good" said Roland. "He can't even take one of those Senzu things. He's…not likely to live…"
Nappa hit the wall "Dammit! And he saved us all! What's it all for? why the fuck…?"
Radditzu held his brother's hand "Kakkarot…thank you…but…why did you do that? Why the hell did you challenge him? You're the only family I have left!"
"B...brother…you…have…them…and…Gohan…"
"yes…but you are my only brother!" Radditzu wept into Goku's hand
"…my…liege…this…" Goku struggled and gave Vegeta the pendant he took from Furiza
"The pendant of Kind Vegeta! How did you get it?"
"F…Furiza…took…from…King…"
"Try not to talk!" said Roland
"no…! The…truth…must…be…known………Vegeta……...our…………..."
Goku coughed violently, he jerked, and he lay still. He was gone.
Radditzu tensed he slammed his fists into the floor "NOOOOOO!! KAKKAROT!!" then he fell down and wept
Nappa also fell down; Roland tried his best to console them. Vegeta remained stoic, except for his look of shock.
"Kakkarot…you gave us hope…and you helped us escape…you changed our hearts…and taught us…the meaning of Friendship…and the meaning of true power…now you are…no…your legacy is in your son…on my honor…I will see to it that you do not die in vain…you were a brave warrior…thank you…Kakkarot…no…" his clenched his eyes shut "…Son Goku…" a single tear dropped from his face, and it landed amid Goku's blood. Vegeta's first tear since childhood.
*********
Nappa sat in the pilot's seat with the others next to him. "so...what is to be done?"
"About what?" asked Radditzu "About our lives? What is to be done about Kakkarot?"
"We can nip both in the bud at once" said Vegeta "It is our duty as his comrade in arms to inform his loved ones…his mate...his son…that Buruma woman…The Kuririn he always talks about…Muten Roshi…they must all learn of what has transpired these past moons. There is also the remote chance that they will accept us into their culture…and we can live out our lives there…"
"Agreed" said Nappa "Then we must set a course for planet Earth."
*******
High over the Earth, Kami sensed a new arrival at the Check in Station; someone he knew. He teleported there to see. Indeed Goku was there. Kami restored his body at the check in station, causing it to vanish on the ship. Goku awaited for the time when all could be reached at once. The information he held was critical.
*******
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::Sniff:: I can't believe the Diversion portion is done! Next portion is "Space Fighters". The story will now be called "Space Fighters (Formerly Diversion)". Please read, please review. The same rules are as always.
Next Time: Vegeta, Nappa, and Radditzu arrive on Earth as expected…but they ignore threats from the other Z Senshi and head straight to Mount Paozu, where Piccolo and Gohan are eating a pre-fight meal. nobody can prepare them for the news they are about to receive…
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