Loren stepped out onto the rocky ground of the earth. She took off
her helmet and shook her hair. It was long, finely stranded pale yellow
hair that fell shoulder length. She brushed it away from her face
and glanced at the horizon.
"So this place has inhabitants. I should have known," she said as she
opened the hatch that held the engine within.
"Why are you here?" Piccolo asked.
"Because my ship broke down."
"THIS is your ship?"
"Yes. Why? Does it look stolen?"
"It looks...it looks familiar. It looks like something I saw as a
child."
"Really? Your friends are coming. It must be nice to have someone
worry about you. I lost those people a long time ago."
"Hey! Were you in that thing when it crashed?" Bulma asked and the
girl turned around. Piccolo stared at her for a moment, memories of
the past surfacing. The ship...he knew why it looked so familiar.
It had once belonged to Rion, one of the few warriors that stood on the
same plane as Nail and his father. But what was this girl doing with
it?
"I didn't land on your property, did I? I'm really sorry. I didn't
know this place was inhabited. If you allow me some time, I'll fix
it. Let me get out of this flight suit."
A glowing light surrounded her clothes and the material rearranged
itself to form a pair of shorts and a close-fitting sleeveless shirt.
Bulma, who had taken the initiative to approach her, looked her over.
"How long have you been in that thing? Are you on your way home?"
she asked and Loren looked at the ship.
"That is my home," she replied.
"Where did you come from? Before the ship?"
"That planet was destroyed a long time ago."
"So you're telling me you've been alone all this time?"
"Yes."
"That's not right. Come on back to the house. We were just getting
ready to eat," Trunks said and took her hand.
"She's getting a bath first," Bulma said.
"Bath?" Loren asked.
"Come on, we'll get you straightened out. Are you guys coming of are
you going to eat off the land?"
"I'm right behind you Bulma. Man, I sure am hungry," Goku said and
Piccolo stepped in front of him.
"A moment before you eat anything," he said and Goku looked at him.
"What's up, Piccolo?"
"Did you sense anything strange about her?"
"Strange? Aside from that weird thing with clothes, no."
"Goku, even I can do that. Did you sense her ki?"
"Not really. Why?"
"There's something about her that I don't like. I think we should
keep an eye on her."
"Trunks is already keeping a close eye on her. I wonder how smooth
his moves are. If he needs help, he can always ask a pro," Krillin
said and Bulma turned around.
"Too bad we don't have a pro. What's wrong, Mom?" she asked once
they had reached her house.
"Well, I didn't know you'd be back so soon and Vegeta looked so
hungry that I told him he could go ahead..." she said and Yamcha
folded his arms.
"You'd think a prince would have some manners. I patiently waited
for your return before I got anything to eat. Hello. Who's the cute
chick?" Yamcha asked.
"A stranger and she's heading for the bath," Bulma said.
"I'll take her."
"You most certainly will not! Where do you think you are, Yamcha?
Come on, dear. Let's leave those pigs alone."
"Even that one?" Loren asked as she pointed to Trunks.
"Even that one. Come on, you'll see all of them later. Be glad you
don't live with any of them."
"Ouch," Krillin said as the women walked out of the room.
"I wish I could have given her a bath," Trunks muttered.
"Pervert," Yamcha said and Trunks stared at him.
"What? No. I wasn't thinking anything."
"You should talk. You're just as bad as he is," Krillin said.
"Hello Father," Trunks said and Vegeta ignored him.
"What's going on out here, Kakarrot? I figured if anyone was in a
hurry to eat, it would be you," he said.
"We've had a strange turn of events, Vegeta," Piccolo said.
"Why should that concern me?"
"A ship crashed near here, Vegeta. Didn't you hear it?" Goku asked
and Vegeta snorted.
"Anyone with the capability of hearing could. Some of us merely
chose to ignore it," Vegeta replied.
"That ship was built on my home," Piccolo said and Krillin looked at
him.
"You mean it was built before Frieza destroyed everything? But when
was a human...?" Krillin asked.
"She's not human," Vegeta said and Yamcha looked at him.
"Don't tell me she's a secret lover of yours," he said.
"Don't even start with your pathetic attempts to annoy me. If it is
who I think it is, our paths crossed once when I was much younger."
"Don't tell me that blonde bombshell beat you," Yamcha said and
Vegeta angrily took a step forward.
"What are you insinuating?!"
"All right. Look, you two. We've got more important things to worry
about. The Cell games are almost at hand," Piccolo said. "Let the
females deal with the stranger. The rest of us have more important
things to worry about."
her helmet and shook her hair. It was long, finely stranded pale yellow
hair that fell shoulder length. She brushed it away from her face
and glanced at the horizon.
"So this place has inhabitants. I should have known," she said as she
opened the hatch that held the engine within.
"Why are you here?" Piccolo asked.
"Because my ship broke down."
"THIS is your ship?"
"Yes. Why? Does it look stolen?"
"It looks...it looks familiar. It looks like something I saw as a
child."
"Really? Your friends are coming. It must be nice to have someone
worry about you. I lost those people a long time ago."
"Hey! Were you in that thing when it crashed?" Bulma asked and the
girl turned around. Piccolo stared at her for a moment, memories of
the past surfacing. The ship...he knew why it looked so familiar.
It had once belonged to Rion, one of the few warriors that stood on the
same plane as Nail and his father. But what was this girl doing with
it?
"I didn't land on your property, did I? I'm really sorry. I didn't
know this place was inhabited. If you allow me some time, I'll fix
it. Let me get out of this flight suit."
A glowing light surrounded her clothes and the material rearranged
itself to form a pair of shorts and a close-fitting sleeveless shirt.
Bulma, who had taken the initiative to approach her, looked her over.
"How long have you been in that thing? Are you on your way home?"
she asked and Loren looked at the ship.
"That is my home," she replied.
"Where did you come from? Before the ship?"
"That planet was destroyed a long time ago."
"So you're telling me you've been alone all this time?"
"Yes."
"That's not right. Come on back to the house. We were just getting
ready to eat," Trunks said and took her hand.
"She's getting a bath first," Bulma said.
"Bath?" Loren asked.
"Come on, we'll get you straightened out. Are you guys coming of are
you going to eat off the land?"
"I'm right behind you Bulma. Man, I sure am hungry," Goku said and
Piccolo stepped in front of him.
"A moment before you eat anything," he said and Goku looked at him.
"What's up, Piccolo?"
"Did you sense anything strange about her?"
"Strange? Aside from that weird thing with clothes, no."
"Goku, even I can do that. Did you sense her ki?"
"Not really. Why?"
"There's something about her that I don't like. I think we should
keep an eye on her."
"Trunks is already keeping a close eye on her. I wonder how smooth
his moves are. If he needs help, he can always ask a pro," Krillin
said and Bulma turned around.
"Too bad we don't have a pro. What's wrong, Mom?" she asked once
they had reached her house.
"Well, I didn't know you'd be back so soon and Vegeta looked so
hungry that I told him he could go ahead..." she said and Yamcha
folded his arms.
"You'd think a prince would have some manners. I patiently waited
for your return before I got anything to eat. Hello. Who's the cute
chick?" Yamcha asked.
"A stranger and she's heading for the bath," Bulma said.
"I'll take her."
"You most certainly will not! Where do you think you are, Yamcha?
Come on, dear. Let's leave those pigs alone."
"Even that one?" Loren asked as she pointed to Trunks.
"Even that one. Come on, you'll see all of them later. Be glad you
don't live with any of them."
"Ouch," Krillin said as the women walked out of the room.
"I wish I could have given her a bath," Trunks muttered.
"Pervert," Yamcha said and Trunks stared at him.
"What? No. I wasn't thinking anything."
"You should talk. You're just as bad as he is," Krillin said.
"Hello Father," Trunks said and Vegeta ignored him.
"What's going on out here, Kakarrot? I figured if anyone was in a
hurry to eat, it would be you," he said.
"We've had a strange turn of events, Vegeta," Piccolo said.
"Why should that concern me?"
"A ship crashed near here, Vegeta. Didn't you hear it?" Goku asked
and Vegeta snorted.
"Anyone with the capability of hearing could. Some of us merely
chose to ignore it," Vegeta replied.
"That ship was built on my home," Piccolo said and Krillin looked at
him.
"You mean it was built before Frieza destroyed everything? But when
was a human...?" Krillin asked.
"She's not human," Vegeta said and Yamcha looked at him.
"Don't tell me she's a secret lover of yours," he said.
"Don't even start with your pathetic attempts to annoy me. If it is
who I think it is, our paths crossed once when I was much younger."
"Don't tell me that blonde bombshell beat you," Yamcha said and
Vegeta angrily took a step forward.
"What are you insinuating?!"
"All right. Look, you two. We've got more important things to worry
about. The Cell games are almost at hand," Piccolo said. "Let the
females deal with the stranger. The rest of us have more important
things to worry about."