Disclaimer: They're not mine, I tell you! They aren't making me any money!
A/N: For my purposes, the one year limit on bringing people back doesn't exist.
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CHAPTER 9: NEW RULES
____________________
After about a week with the two new additions to the ship's population, things were starting to find some semblance of normality. Rose had resumed her duties as a Security officer, which during peaceful times usually just meant taking her shift at Tactical and training with other Security officers. She had started teaching some of the more capable ones bits and pieces of the Saiyan fighting style, giving them something to focus on other than being bored, and she had decided to try and teach Tuvok how to control his ki. Trunks could usually be found in their quarters sifting through the ship's library, wanting to learn all he could of his wife's people and other Federation cultures. He was fascinated by the diversity of life in this galaxy, and found that the spirit of exploration that was the base of Starfleet's philosophy was infectious, to him at least.
Ben's friendship with B`Elanna solidified once he got over his crush, and they were regularly in the holodeck, taking the Klingon's training programs to their limits. She liked the idea of increasing the gravity to add resistance, and she managed simulate up to 50G, though she herself could go no higher than five. Fifty wasn't a lot for Ben, but with the characters in the simulation not being affected at all by the gravity, they were tougher opponents for him.
Of course, things couldn't stay so calm. One minute the ship's population were just going about their routines, and the next they were all enveloped in a bright flash of light. When it dissipated, Janeway, on the bridge, barked, "Report!"
Ensign Kim said, "Nothing on sensors."
Tuvok was next. "No damage and no casualties reported on any deck. All ship systems functioning normally."
Paris said, "We've changed position somehow. We're in orbit of an M-class planet, The computer can't seem to pick up our coordinates."
x x x
Rose felt it barely a moment before she saw the flash, and she knew that ki signature well enough now to recognize it in a coma! She touched her comn badge. "Briefs to Captain Janeway."
"Go ahead, Ensign."
"Captain, I felt a presence just before the flash. It was Q. I don't know what's going on, but he's certainly involved up to his neck!"
"Understood. Meet Commander Chakotay in the transporter room. I want you to see what you can find out on the planet."
"Yes, ma'am," and she turned to the door of her quarters. As she walked out of the room, Trunks came around the corner. He knew that she had to do what she was ordered, but he didn't like the idea of her going down there without him, especially not knowing what they were going to find. He said as much. "Don't worry, love. There's nothing likely to be a problem, and if there is, then I'm sure the captain will let you beam down, but until that time, you can't get involved. This is my job, Trunks."
He embraced her tightly for a moment. "I know. I'm just worried. Be careful, okay? And give a shout if you need me."
She kissed him lightly and said, "I will." Then she took off down the corridor for the turbo lift.
x x x
As luck would have it, they beamed down in a location that was very familiar to her. She turned around and saw a dome-shaped building. Capsule Corporation Headquarters, the old building that had been nearly destroyed by the androids so many years ago. It had been rebuilt during the reconstruction period and had served as the center for all the rebuilding efforts until they were complete. It was also the home of her mother-in-law.
Chakotay noticed that Ensign Briefs recognized their surroundings and made the connection quickly. He said, "Ensign?"
She turned her head to face him. "Yes, sir. Q must have transported the ship into Trunks dimension. This is Bulma Briefs' home and the headquarters for her company, the best miniaturization based firm in the world. The competition is decades behind CC. Let's go in. He could have put us down in any time frame, but we'll be able to tell from in there."
The first officer nodded and they walked up to the front door. Rose noticed that there was a newspaper on the porch and picked it up, looking for the date. She nearly dropped it. It hadn't even been a day! Bulma was probably still at the check-in station with Vegeta! She was well aware that those two wouldn't separate until it was absolutely necessary, so she wouldn't be back until tomorrow. Rose grinned. Bulma wouldn't mind if she let her crew mates into the house. It wasn't like they could do the kind of damage that a Saiyan could and she was used to that.
Chakotay touched his comn badge. "Away team to Voyager."
The captain's voice said, "Go ahead, Commander."
"It seems that Q brought us into the same dimension that he sent Ensign Briefs to. We're sitting in her mother-in-law's living room and not even a day has passed."
"Well then, it would appear to be his move. Is Mrs. Briefs available to talk?"
Rose grinned. "No, Captain. She's still at the check-in station. She and Vegeta haven't seen each other since he died, so I imagine they're making up for lost time." She looked over at the clock. "It's only been about five hours. She'll likely be back tomorrow. Captain, we're going to need to be careful. Darijan is either still unconscious on my front lawn, or he'll be looking for Trunks. Also, if the rules of Q's bet have been changed sufficient to allow him to bring the entire ship and crew here, then the other might have the ability to bring back anyone he wants from the Otherworld, and there are some very nasty people in the HFIL. Frieza, the androids, Cell, along with any number of historical evils and creatures from all over this universe could be brought back. In fact, I wouldn't want to meet most of the Saiyan race if I had a choice in the matter. The entire race were pirates for centuries."
An amused voice that none of them recognized came from behind them. "That's right, we were, but I wouldn't worry about it if I were you."
Rose whipped around. There in the doorway were three figures. One was Bulma, one was Goku, and the other was-- "Vegeta!" He stood there in his tattered, ancient Saiyan armor, cracked in places and filthy with dried blood, his hair and features reminding her forcefully of her son, though his hairline was much higher and his face much older. The Saiyan had his arms around his bond-mate as though he would never let her go, and even Rose, who had never met him, could tell that he had changed drastically during his time in Hell.
There was a flash of light in the kitchen, which was open to the rest of the house. Q said, "Well I imagine you've guessed by now that there's a lot going on. The council has decided to give us one last chance at this bet, but the rules had to be changed. Both of us were given a few concessions. The Otherworld was opened to both of us, but we were only allowed to take three people. I grabbed Vegeta and Goku, but I don't know who else to get. As for him, Darijan counts as one of his group, so he can only take two more. Voyager was allowed to come in to add some spice to the mix."
Chakotay said, "Any more rules that we should know about?"
"Neither of us is allowed to interfere, and neither is anyone else. If they do, the game becomes null and any injured parties will be returned to their original state of health. We aren't allowed to see who the other is bringing back from the dead. And we have to follow the rules of this dimension. We can't change anything once things are set up."
Rose spoke up. "Well it seems as fair as they could make it. Did you have any idea who you want to bring back as your third person?"
"None at all."
Vegeta, who Bulma had made to sit on the couch and who wasn't protesting in the least with her sitting on his lap, said, "I would suggest either Kakkarot's brat or the Namek."
Bulma looked at him sourly. "Translation: either Gohan or Piccolo. I'd go with Piccolo, since with the Dragonballs we'd get Gohan, too."
Goku said, "Yeah, and then over time we could get everyone back!"
Rose raised an eyebrow. "But I thought that you couldn't wish a person back more than once. Most of those guys have already been wished back."
Bulma said, "With the Earth dragonballs, yes, but not with the Namekian ones. Porunga can bring people back as many times as he wants to. All we'd have to do is wish someone to the new Planet Namek and gather the dragonballs there. He can only do one per wish, but it would just take a little time. Their year is about a third of ours, so within one Earth year of getting to Namek, we'd have everyone back!"
x x x
Trunks had gone to the bridge, wanting to hear what was going on. As he listened to the conversations, he grinned. This was great! There would probably be problems in the near future, but they were going to get everyone back! Well if Q agreed, that is.
Over the comn system, the entity could be heard to say, "Very well." Trunks grin widened.
"Captain, I should get my son and go down there. If the other Q is making as good choices in resurrecting enemies as we are in friends, then we are going to have major problems before too long. We'll probably need every fighter we can get down there."
Janeway looked at him. "I can't send you any people, you understand. That would..."
Trunks interrupted her. "No, Captain. I wouldn't want any fighters who can't control their ki to even attempt to get into this fight. The kind of battle we're talking about here could destroy a planet easily! That's another reason that we need the dragonballs. If things go south, we can fix it."
Tuvok said, "What are these dragonballs, and why do you need this person, Piccolo to use them?"
"Piccolo is one half of another Namek named Kami, who was the guardian of the Earth. One cannot exist without the other, so if Q brings back Piccolo, he is also bringing back Kami. Kami created the dragonballs, so when Piccolo was killed by the androids, taking Kami with him, the dragonballs became worthless round stones. When he comes back they'll be active again. Now, what they do is, when you have collected all seven, you can summon the Eternal Dragon, Shenron, who will then grant one wish, as long as it doesn't take more power than Kami can give. He can bring great numbers of people from the dead, but he will only grant a specific wish once. That's why we'll have to go to Namek. We'll have to bring back those who have already been wished back once with the Namekian balls since Porunga, the Namekian Dragon, can wish people back as many times as he wants. But he can only do one at a time, so it would take a while. He will grant three wishes instead of just one, and Namek's year is shorter than Earth's by quite a bit, but it's still a long time."
Trunks left the bridge for the turbolift and headed for Ben's quarters. He wasn't there, so he went to the nearest wall console and hit the comn button. "Computer, where is Benjamin Briefs?"
"Benjamin Briefs is in Holodeck 3."
It didn't take him long to get there. He moved to enter the holodeck and the computer said, "Warning: increased gravity simulation in progress. Training program BVB3 running at 50 times Earth gravity, character safeties off."
"Understood." At Trunks' acknowledgment, the doors slid open. Instantly, the Saiyan was plunged into a jungle. The weight increase was negligible to him, but he could see how it would add at least some challenge to the exercise. Trunks easily found his son's ki and followed it to the sounds of battle. Fifteen massive warriors of some armor-skinned race were trying their damnedest to land a punch on the young man before them, but they were not fast enough. Trunks called out to his son to get his attention.
"Yeah, Dad?" Even that distraction was not enough to cause the boy to lose ground to the holographic warriors.
"We've got a problem. Q's brought us back home, and the rules of his little game have changed." Quickly, Trunks outlined the new developments to his son. "We need to get down there, just in case the other guy is making good choices."
Ben nodded, ducking another well-aimed blow from one of the simulated warriors. "Yeah. He could bring back the androids."
Trunks shrugged. "Them, I can handle. There are other things that could go wrong, though. Remember about three years ago when my alter ego showed up from the other time-line?"
"Yeah, he said he had to warn you about something, but I didn't catch the whole conversation." He snorted. "Mom made me go inside."
"He was there to warn me about a wizard named Babidi who would come to Earth and revive an ancient evil named Buu. With the warning, I was able to take out Babidi before he could do anything, but if the other Q were to bring him back, we could have a big problem on our hands. Very big." Trunks knew that it would be very difficult for him to defeat such a creature. Buu had been able to take full on assaults from men whose power far exceeded his own.
x x x
Listening silently, his energy pattern masked, a Q grinned. He knew what to do now. Cell, who had tracked down the androids in Hell and absorbed them, was now in his perfect form. The creature was annoying in his superior attitude, but he could be dealt with. Now he knew whom to choose as his third player. The wizard Babidi.
x x x
AN: Chapter nine, finally here! Sorry about the time length. It has been a long time since I've worked in the DBZ universe, but I'm back, at least for a little while. I intend to finish some of the things I've left undone, this story being one of them, as well as my Valdemar X-over.
A/N: For my purposes, the one year limit on bringing people back doesn't exist.
____________________
CHAPTER 9: NEW RULES
____________________
After about a week with the two new additions to the ship's population, things were starting to find some semblance of normality. Rose had resumed her duties as a Security officer, which during peaceful times usually just meant taking her shift at Tactical and training with other Security officers. She had started teaching some of the more capable ones bits and pieces of the Saiyan fighting style, giving them something to focus on other than being bored, and she had decided to try and teach Tuvok how to control his ki. Trunks could usually be found in their quarters sifting through the ship's library, wanting to learn all he could of his wife's people and other Federation cultures. He was fascinated by the diversity of life in this galaxy, and found that the spirit of exploration that was the base of Starfleet's philosophy was infectious, to him at least.
Ben's friendship with B`Elanna solidified once he got over his crush, and they were regularly in the holodeck, taking the Klingon's training programs to their limits. She liked the idea of increasing the gravity to add resistance, and she managed simulate up to 50G, though she herself could go no higher than five. Fifty wasn't a lot for Ben, but with the characters in the simulation not being affected at all by the gravity, they were tougher opponents for him.
Of course, things couldn't stay so calm. One minute the ship's population were just going about their routines, and the next they were all enveloped in a bright flash of light. When it dissipated, Janeway, on the bridge, barked, "Report!"
Ensign Kim said, "Nothing on sensors."
Tuvok was next. "No damage and no casualties reported on any deck. All ship systems functioning normally."
Paris said, "We've changed position somehow. We're in orbit of an M-class planet, The computer can't seem to pick up our coordinates."
x x x
Rose felt it barely a moment before she saw the flash, and she knew that ki signature well enough now to recognize it in a coma! She touched her comn badge. "Briefs to Captain Janeway."
"Go ahead, Ensign."
"Captain, I felt a presence just before the flash. It was Q. I don't know what's going on, but he's certainly involved up to his neck!"
"Understood. Meet Commander Chakotay in the transporter room. I want you to see what you can find out on the planet."
"Yes, ma'am," and she turned to the door of her quarters. As she walked out of the room, Trunks came around the corner. He knew that she had to do what she was ordered, but he didn't like the idea of her going down there without him, especially not knowing what they were going to find. He said as much. "Don't worry, love. There's nothing likely to be a problem, and if there is, then I'm sure the captain will let you beam down, but until that time, you can't get involved. This is my job, Trunks."
He embraced her tightly for a moment. "I know. I'm just worried. Be careful, okay? And give a shout if you need me."
She kissed him lightly and said, "I will." Then she took off down the corridor for the turbo lift.
x x x
As luck would have it, they beamed down in a location that was very familiar to her. She turned around and saw a dome-shaped building. Capsule Corporation Headquarters, the old building that had been nearly destroyed by the androids so many years ago. It had been rebuilt during the reconstruction period and had served as the center for all the rebuilding efforts until they were complete. It was also the home of her mother-in-law.
Chakotay noticed that Ensign Briefs recognized their surroundings and made the connection quickly. He said, "Ensign?"
She turned her head to face him. "Yes, sir. Q must have transported the ship into Trunks dimension. This is Bulma Briefs' home and the headquarters for her company, the best miniaturization based firm in the world. The competition is decades behind CC. Let's go in. He could have put us down in any time frame, but we'll be able to tell from in there."
The first officer nodded and they walked up to the front door. Rose noticed that there was a newspaper on the porch and picked it up, looking for the date. She nearly dropped it. It hadn't even been a day! Bulma was probably still at the check-in station with Vegeta! She was well aware that those two wouldn't separate until it was absolutely necessary, so she wouldn't be back until tomorrow. Rose grinned. Bulma wouldn't mind if she let her crew mates into the house. It wasn't like they could do the kind of damage that a Saiyan could and she was used to that.
Chakotay touched his comn badge. "Away team to Voyager."
The captain's voice said, "Go ahead, Commander."
"It seems that Q brought us into the same dimension that he sent Ensign Briefs to. We're sitting in her mother-in-law's living room and not even a day has passed."
"Well then, it would appear to be his move. Is Mrs. Briefs available to talk?"
Rose grinned. "No, Captain. She's still at the check-in station. She and Vegeta haven't seen each other since he died, so I imagine they're making up for lost time." She looked over at the clock. "It's only been about five hours. She'll likely be back tomorrow. Captain, we're going to need to be careful. Darijan is either still unconscious on my front lawn, or he'll be looking for Trunks. Also, if the rules of Q's bet have been changed sufficient to allow him to bring the entire ship and crew here, then the other might have the ability to bring back anyone he wants from the Otherworld, and there are some very nasty people in the HFIL. Frieza, the androids, Cell, along with any number of historical evils and creatures from all over this universe could be brought back. In fact, I wouldn't want to meet most of the Saiyan race if I had a choice in the matter. The entire race were pirates for centuries."
An amused voice that none of them recognized came from behind them. "That's right, we were, but I wouldn't worry about it if I were you."
Rose whipped around. There in the doorway were three figures. One was Bulma, one was Goku, and the other was-- "Vegeta!" He stood there in his tattered, ancient Saiyan armor, cracked in places and filthy with dried blood, his hair and features reminding her forcefully of her son, though his hairline was much higher and his face much older. The Saiyan had his arms around his bond-mate as though he would never let her go, and even Rose, who had never met him, could tell that he had changed drastically during his time in Hell.
There was a flash of light in the kitchen, which was open to the rest of the house. Q said, "Well I imagine you've guessed by now that there's a lot going on. The council has decided to give us one last chance at this bet, but the rules had to be changed. Both of us were given a few concessions. The Otherworld was opened to both of us, but we were only allowed to take three people. I grabbed Vegeta and Goku, but I don't know who else to get. As for him, Darijan counts as one of his group, so he can only take two more. Voyager was allowed to come in to add some spice to the mix."
Chakotay said, "Any more rules that we should know about?"
"Neither of us is allowed to interfere, and neither is anyone else. If they do, the game becomes null and any injured parties will be returned to their original state of health. We aren't allowed to see who the other is bringing back from the dead. And we have to follow the rules of this dimension. We can't change anything once things are set up."
Rose spoke up. "Well it seems as fair as they could make it. Did you have any idea who you want to bring back as your third person?"
"None at all."
Vegeta, who Bulma had made to sit on the couch and who wasn't protesting in the least with her sitting on his lap, said, "I would suggest either Kakkarot's brat or the Namek."
Bulma looked at him sourly. "Translation: either Gohan or Piccolo. I'd go with Piccolo, since with the Dragonballs we'd get Gohan, too."
Goku said, "Yeah, and then over time we could get everyone back!"
Rose raised an eyebrow. "But I thought that you couldn't wish a person back more than once. Most of those guys have already been wished back."
Bulma said, "With the Earth dragonballs, yes, but not with the Namekian ones. Porunga can bring people back as many times as he wants to. All we'd have to do is wish someone to the new Planet Namek and gather the dragonballs there. He can only do one per wish, but it would just take a little time. Their year is about a third of ours, so within one Earth year of getting to Namek, we'd have everyone back!"
x x x
Trunks had gone to the bridge, wanting to hear what was going on. As he listened to the conversations, he grinned. This was great! There would probably be problems in the near future, but they were going to get everyone back! Well if Q agreed, that is.
Over the comn system, the entity could be heard to say, "Very well." Trunks grin widened.
"Captain, I should get my son and go down there. If the other Q is making as good choices in resurrecting enemies as we are in friends, then we are going to have major problems before too long. We'll probably need every fighter we can get down there."
Janeway looked at him. "I can't send you any people, you understand. That would..."
Trunks interrupted her. "No, Captain. I wouldn't want any fighters who can't control their ki to even attempt to get into this fight. The kind of battle we're talking about here could destroy a planet easily! That's another reason that we need the dragonballs. If things go south, we can fix it."
Tuvok said, "What are these dragonballs, and why do you need this person, Piccolo to use them?"
"Piccolo is one half of another Namek named Kami, who was the guardian of the Earth. One cannot exist without the other, so if Q brings back Piccolo, he is also bringing back Kami. Kami created the dragonballs, so when Piccolo was killed by the androids, taking Kami with him, the dragonballs became worthless round stones. When he comes back they'll be active again. Now, what they do is, when you have collected all seven, you can summon the Eternal Dragon, Shenron, who will then grant one wish, as long as it doesn't take more power than Kami can give. He can bring great numbers of people from the dead, but he will only grant a specific wish once. That's why we'll have to go to Namek. We'll have to bring back those who have already been wished back once with the Namekian balls since Porunga, the Namekian Dragon, can wish people back as many times as he wants. But he can only do one at a time, so it would take a while. He will grant three wishes instead of just one, and Namek's year is shorter than Earth's by quite a bit, but it's still a long time."
Trunks left the bridge for the turbolift and headed for Ben's quarters. He wasn't there, so he went to the nearest wall console and hit the comn button. "Computer, where is Benjamin Briefs?"
"Benjamin Briefs is in Holodeck 3."
It didn't take him long to get there. He moved to enter the holodeck and the computer said, "Warning: increased gravity simulation in progress. Training program BVB3 running at 50 times Earth gravity, character safeties off."
"Understood." At Trunks' acknowledgment, the doors slid open. Instantly, the Saiyan was plunged into a jungle. The weight increase was negligible to him, but he could see how it would add at least some challenge to the exercise. Trunks easily found his son's ki and followed it to the sounds of battle. Fifteen massive warriors of some armor-skinned race were trying their damnedest to land a punch on the young man before them, but they were not fast enough. Trunks called out to his son to get his attention.
"Yeah, Dad?" Even that distraction was not enough to cause the boy to lose ground to the holographic warriors.
"We've got a problem. Q's brought us back home, and the rules of his little game have changed." Quickly, Trunks outlined the new developments to his son. "We need to get down there, just in case the other guy is making good choices."
Ben nodded, ducking another well-aimed blow from one of the simulated warriors. "Yeah. He could bring back the androids."
Trunks shrugged. "Them, I can handle. There are other things that could go wrong, though. Remember about three years ago when my alter ego showed up from the other time-line?"
"Yeah, he said he had to warn you about something, but I didn't catch the whole conversation." He snorted. "Mom made me go inside."
"He was there to warn me about a wizard named Babidi who would come to Earth and revive an ancient evil named Buu. With the warning, I was able to take out Babidi before he could do anything, but if the other Q were to bring him back, we could have a big problem on our hands. Very big." Trunks knew that it would be very difficult for him to defeat such a creature. Buu had been able to take full on assaults from men whose power far exceeded his own.
x x x
Listening silently, his energy pattern masked, a Q grinned. He knew what to do now. Cell, who had tracked down the androids in Hell and absorbed them, was now in his perfect form. The creature was annoying in his superior attitude, but he could be dealt with. Now he knew whom to choose as his third player. The wizard Babidi.
x x x
AN: Chapter nine, finally here! Sorry about the time length. It has been a long time since I've worked in the DBZ universe, but I'm back, at least for a little while. I intend to finish some of the things I've left undone, this story being one of them, as well as my Valdemar X-over.