Chapter Five – Finally Free?

Two days passed. Kendra was in the regeneration room and observed Vegeta's body. He was nearly healed and awake already. She put her hand against the glass and smiled. A light flashed at the control panel and she turned the machine off. The liquids were instantly sucked away and she opened the door.

"Feeling better now?" she asked.

"I do."

"I found new clothes in here, I put them there for you."

"Where am I?"

"A spaceship. We're on our way to a safe place."

"And what might that be?"

"An outcast and pirate planet. We have no choice. They'll never find us there."

"Us? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Face it, Vegeta. I'm not a slave anymore. We're no longer on planet Frieza. All you can do is kill me, but if you wanted to do that you would have already done so. So get over it. We're equal now."

"I'm still a Prince," he growled.

"I know you can take care of yourself, Vegeta. You can go your own way as soon as we land, but I strongly suggest that you stick with me for a while. For your own safety."

"We'll see about that."

"Would you get some clothes on? I know you like to show yourself off, but…" She laughed out loud.

"Oh, SHUT UP!"

She ran out, still laughing.

"When will we arrive?" Vegeta asked her. She was sitting at the control panel, he stood next to her.

"A few hours at most. Will you take the controls for a couple of minutes? I'm going to change."

He took the controls and she changed. He looked at her in amazement when she walked back in.

"What the hell is that for?"

"I figured this is more appropriate for an outcast planet," she said, turning around. She was wearing leather pants and a tank top. A long leather coat rested on her left arm.

"Really I have no idea who put these clothes in here, but she sure had good taste. She must have been your bodyguard for years when you were young."

"She was," Vegeta replied.

"You knew?"

"Of course I did! I'm not stupid, woman. I don't know her name, but I could feel her presence all the time no matter how she tried to hide it. She somehow disappeared when I reached the age of twenty-one. The one who assigned her probably killed her because she had become useless."

"How nice," Kendra shivered. "She protected you for many years and what does she get? Dead. Your race is truly a savage one sometimes."

"You should know! Do you consider it normal to spy on people while they're having sex?"

She didn't know what to say.

"I… So you did know?"

"I could feel your energy right through the ceiling. You were aroused and you were jealous."

She blushed. "Was not."

"Stop lying, it's pathetic. Take the controls and get us landed."

"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" she said as she took the controls.

"Hmpf." He turned his back to her.

She couldn't resist. "If you knew, then why didn't you do something about it?"

"I was kind of in the middle of something!"

She looked at his back and began to laugh.

"Now who's lying? You got aroused because I was watching, didn't you?"

"And what if I did?"

"You should be thanking me then," she giggled. "That was one of the most intense orgasms I have ever seen."

"That's enough, woman!" he yelled and turned around furiously.

"What are you going to do, kill me?"

"Don't push your luck," he growled and came up behind her. She felt his hands on her shoulders. He brought his head down and whispered: "The security device is still inside you and I don't need the remote to turn it back on."

She turned her head and looked at him.

"Don't forget I saved your life, Vegeta."

"Huh! I saved yours as well, we're even."

"True. But you have no right at all to try and manipulate me now. I'm a free person, you have no power over me."

"You may be right. But don't mock me, woman. I won't hesitate to hurt you next time you do."

"Don't take it all so personally, Vegeta. I was only joking."

He took his hands off her shoulders slowly. They were silent the rest of the journey.

"We're going to land, Vegeta." Kendra started the landing procedure and watched the outer world on her screen. It was a dark planet they landed on. She felt how the ship was being secured and got out of her chair.

"Let's go."

They got out of the ship and she took a deep breath.

"Great. Now let's find a place to sleep. Follow me." They walked through several small streets and arcades. Vegeta almost bumped into her when she stopped abruptly.

"Now what?" he asked irritated.

"Trouble," she whispered. He looked past her and saw a group of warriors right in front of them.

"Them? No way, I can take them with one hand tied behind my back."

"Trust me, you can't. Let's wait and find out what they want."

She put out her hands to show she was unarmed.

"New in town, huh?" one of the warriors said. "You look like an interesting lady to me… I could make a lot of money out of you."

"Thanks," she said. "But I'm already spoken for." She pointed to Vegeta.

"He doesn't look like much of a pimp to me," the warrior continued. "You're coming with me."

"No she's not," Vegeta snapped. "Who the hell do you think you are, rookie?"

"Are you calling me a rookie?" The warrior looked Vegeta in the eye.

Shit, Kendra thought. Now he's done it. They're mind controllers, doesn't he know that?

Vegeta stood there, without moving an inch. The warrior kept staring at him and Kendra saw how Vegeta clenched his fists. Soon he started to shake, but still he didn't give up. Blood dripped to the ground from underneath his gloves.

The warrior looked surprised when Vegeta slowly stepped forward.

"Man, he's a tough one!" the warrior yelled. "Alright, if you want to play it that way." He turned to Kendra and entered her mind easily. She screamed. Vegeta flew towards the warrior, but Kendra jumped in between them.

"Don't," she groaned. "He can kill me… any time he wants."

"You SON OF A BITCH!" Vegeta cursed. "Don't you have any idea who we are?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. It's all here in her mind."

"I demand to talk to your boss. You have no right to treat us this way."

"Right? Ha! That's a good one! I like your style, prince. Come with me."

"Do it," Kendra whispered. They followed the warrior and entered a bar. Behind the bar was a trap door. Suddenly they were in a large room. A man sat at the end of the table, obviously their leader. Next to him was a man in a dark cloak. He hid his face in the shadows of his hood.

The warrior pushed them forward.

"Look what I found, Master. A fallen prince and his dishy companion."

"Well well, what a coincidence. We still have a vacancy in the Flesh Factory, don't we?" He laughed out loud.

Kendra was desperately looking for a way out, but they didn't stand a chance with mind controllers all around them. Then she noticed the man in the dark cloak. He whispered something in the leader's ear.

"What's your name, girl?" he asked her.

"My name is Kendra. What's yours?"

He laughed again like a madman. "She sure has spirit!" The man next to him pulled down his hood and cried: "Kendra! You're alive!"

She took a closer look at him and almost fainted. "Marshall?" He embraced her as if he never wanted to let go.

"I can't believe it," she whispered. "You escaped? But how?"

"I was literally blown away when the planet exploded. Master Roshi picked me up and took me in. I'm head of the defence department of this planet now."

"Why didn't you just return to…"

"To nothing, you mean? Everything is gone, Kendra. I figured I'd better go my own way from now on."

"I see…" She let go of him. "What are you going to do with us?" She looked at Master Roshi.

"Marshall will find you a place to stay. We'll find you a suitable job as well."

"Thank you," she said and bowed. "I have one request."

"Which is?"

"Prince Vegeta is to stay with me the whole time. He's my bodyguard since many seek to destroy me."

"Fine with me."

They left the room and Marshall took them upstairs. He opened the door and they entered a small bedroom with two beds in it.

"You can stay here as long as you want. Do you need money or anything?"

"We have money," Vegeta answered and sat down on one of the beds.

Marshall turned to Kendra and said: "We have a lot of catching up to do. Will you dine with me tonight?"

"We'll be glad to," Vegeta said before Kendra could even think of an answer. She couldn't help herself and smiled when she saw Marshall's disappointed face.

"See you tonight then," he said and left the room. Kendra walked over to Vegeta and punched him playfully.

"That was so rude!"

"See if I care. You proclaimed that I'm your bodyguard, fine. I'm sworn to protect you even from your own stupidity."

"What do you mean by that?"

He grinned silently.

"You don't like him, do you?"

He shook his head. "I can see why you think he's cute, but he's not your type."

She laughed out loud. "Now who's jealous?"

"I'm not jealous. I'm just telling you the truth."

"We'll see about that. Behave yourself tonight, will you?"

"I can't promise that I will." He took off his shirt and laid down on his bed.

Kendra yawned and got into bed as well.

"You don't snore, do you?" she asked Vegeta.

"How the hell am I supposed to know? I can't hear myself when I'm asleep."

She smiled and dozed off.