Thanks for all your lovely reviews! And thanks to Melina for Beta-ing this
for me!
Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ
Out of Control
Chapter three
As Bulma and the Saiyan Prince were walking through the long corridors, Bulma kept thinking about what the Prince had said, and beside the hate and disgust, she felt fear. She didn't know what would happen; the Prince wanted her to have a child. What did she know about children? What did she exactly know about *having* children, or ummm... *making* them. Of course, she knew some basic things about how reproduction worked, but she had never seen anyone have children. Slaves on board this ship were forbidden to have children. If a slave did get pregnant, the child was aborted, and the slave was sterilized. They couldn't use children on board a large battleship.
But she never had to worry about the possibility of getting pregnant, simply because there was no way she *could* get pregnant. There was no one there that could impregnate her! Like she had said before, she hadn't seen a humanoid in ten years! And Insectoids or Sauria were not attracted to humanoids. Most Insectoids were even disgusted at the sight of her!
She had matured without interacting with other humans. Maybe that's why she had never felt the urge, or need, to get ummm... intimate with another person. She had never felt the want to be close to a person, other than to be friends with Kryt. She had never felt attracted to anyone.
And now suddenly someone wanted to make a child with her. And she didn't know how she could stop him. But she also didn't know how things worked! Was it painful? Would he hurt her? She didn't know what to expect. And she hated feeling insecure, or ignorant about things. Yes, she had been a slave, but she had known the routines, and her duties, and therefore knew exactly what she had to do, to make herself useful.
Suddenly she perked up a little. Maybe they would make her pregnant with an artificial method. She knew that could be done easily. She still would hate them for it, for forcing a child on her, but at least she didn't have to... interact with that Prince!
Bulma had been so deep in thought, that she failed to notice that they had reached the docking bays. Only when they entered it, was she suddenly aware of where they were, alerted by the frantic activity and the loud noise in the large halls.
Immediately after they had entered, several Saiyans approached them. They all saluted their Prince, and one of them started to inform the Prince about the progress they had made. Bulma wasn't listening to them. She was looking around, hoping to catch a glimpse of Kryt. She was so worried about her friend. Maybe she had ran into some soldiers, and had been killed... Or she was wounded, lying somewhere, down a lonely corridor, bleeding, and...
Bulma suddenly spotted her friend; Kryt's height was definitely coming in handy now. Apparently Kryt had spotted her before Bulma had seen her, and was now walking towards her, with a large, relieved smile on her face.
Bulma looked stealthily at the Prince; he seemed to be very preoccupied with his soldiers, giving them orders and such. She took a small step back. When he didn't notice, she took another, then another, and some more. She was almost standing beside a large pillar, which stood about six feet from the wall. The pillar was part of a large row, and the formation formed a narrow corridor. She was about to jump behind it, aiming for the cover that it provided, when he suddenly turned around, and caught her eyes with his. Bulma froze on the spot. She was caught.
"Going somewhere?" His eyes hypnotized her. She meekly shaked her head.
"Really? Now, why do I not believe you?" He had turned completely now, and was now stalking towards her. She opened her mouth to say something in her defence, when all of a sudden a large explosion rocked the entire ship. People started to scream when a large group of Arthrod soldiers ran in and started to fire at the Saiyans.
"It seems we missed some. Where's that fool Nappa?"
"He last reported from the ammunition rooms; it seemed that a whole squadron of those pests are hiding there. He can't get them out, without blowing up the whole ship. He's asking for advice, Sir."
"And where are they coming from?"
"I don't know, Your Majesty. It's a large ship."
"Right. Tell Nappa to station guards at all exits of that ammunition room. We'll wait for them to come out. In case they may enter the room. I don't want to lose this ship. I guess Nappa does have some brains after all; asking me for advice first."
"I'll tell him right away, Sir! And what are your orders considering these insects?"
"What do you do with a pesky insect, soldier?"
"I kill it, Sir." The eyes of the Saiyan were gleaming with the prospect of some more killing.
"That's right. Now, it seems we have some killing to do." Vegeta stated with anticipation. He turned once more towards Bulma. "Girl, you stay here, and you get behind one of these pillars. You won't move. I'll have some soldiers cover this area. Don't think about going anywhere. You are warned. You understand?"
Once more, Bulma nodded meekly.
"Now, go! Hide!"
Bulma hurried behind one of the pillars, while wondering what kind of protection this thing could actually offer her. Oh well, she moved to the other side of it, and almost bumped into... Kryt!
Who grabbed her, lifted her up, and almost crushed her in her hug. Then put her down again, and started yelling:
"I was so worried!!!! How do you think I was feeling when I discovered you weren't following me? I didn't know what to do! I thought you were dead! So, I went over here; I thought that maybe, you had taken a different route to the docking bays, but you weren't there. And now, I see you, standing there, in the company of Saiyans, and you look completely fine! Don't you ever do that again! I'll hurt you if you do that again! I-" Kryt stopped briefly, to catch her breath, then continued with her tirade: "What if they shot you, and you were hurt, or dying? I wouldn't know! Don't you ever do that again! You're just a small human girl, and you're always getting into trouble! You can't defend yourself! You have absolutely no ki! What if those Saiyans had actually decided to hurt you? Don't you ever do that again! Why didn't you just follow me? I didn't run that fast, you could have kept up with me! Were you curious, or something? Did you want to see them fight? Don't you ever-"
"-Do that again. I understand. Now, calm down! I'm sorry! I really am! But you have to keep your voice down, otherwise you might alarm one of those Saiyans, and they come to check out what's causing all the noise."
"I'm not that loud."
"No, I know, but I don't want to draw any attention. We're going to use this distraction to get ourselves a ship, and get out of here! There's no way I'm going to stay here, and to wait for him to return."
"Ummm, who's him?"
"The Prince of the Saiyans."
"So you were in their company! I thought you had sneaked into the room with them, or something. So, you were with them, and they didn't even kill you?!"
"No, they didn't. They think I'm much too valuable to them. They're insane."
"How do you mean, valuable? They want you for your mechanical skills or something? How did they know that?"
"They don't know anything about my mechanical skills, and I'm planning to keep it that way."
"But... what then? You're not strong. You're just a human girl."
"That's the problem. They want me for being human!"
Kryt looked completely puzzled. "Do humans have some special powers that I am not aware of?"
"Would you describe the ability to have children as a special power?"
"Ummm, don't all species have that ability?"
"Yes."
"Then no; I don't see that as a special power. So, what other things can humans do?"
Bulma sighed. "He wants me to have children!"
"What?"
"He wants me to have children!"
"Who? And why?"
"The Saiyan Prince. He wants me to have children, because I'm human!"
"He wants to breed humans?"
"No," yelled Bulma, frustrated. "He's not going to breed humans!"
"I don't think I'm following you."
"He wants me to have a child; *his* child. An heir!"
"WHAT! Why?"
"I just explained the why!"
"No, you didn't!"
"Well, fine! I don't know why!"
"Maybe he's falling for you! Wow girl, you're finally getting some action, if you know what I mean!"
"It's not funny, Kryt! He's not falling for me! He just said to me that I was going to bear him an heir! I don't have a say in the matter! He's going to use my body to get himself an heir! He doesn't want me to work for him! No, he wants me to have a child, even though I don't want that."
"WHAT?!! He can't do that to you- Wait, he can... I guess he's our new owner, or something. How can he even think about it?"
"From what I heard, I'm not the first."
"What, the first to bear an heir?"
"No, I'm not the first human girl they want force a child on."
"You mean, they have more human females? But... why?"
"Argh! I told you, I don't know why! But the Prince was very pleased to have found a human female. It's the fact that I *am* human that makes me so... valuable. And they talked about doing tests on me; the Prince wants to know for sure I'm fertile, and that I don't have any genetic flaws. It's probably for my genes that they want me."
"Don't they have Saiyan females?"
Bulma shrugged. "I don't know. He didn't explained anything to me; he just told me I was now his slave, and what kind of purpose I'm going to serve."
"That's, that's so... wrong! He can't do that to you!"
"He won't. We're going to escape!"
Kryt looked to be slightly panicking. "We can't. All the ships have been disabled by Fiqqu mechanics the Saiyans brought with them. The control rooms are in the hands of the Saiyans. There's no way we can escape."
Bulma looked at her, discouraged. "We'll find some way. I know we can find a way. If it's not now, then later... We have to, *I* have to... I won't... He will not do that to me... Kryt, I don't know what to do. This is worse than slavery!" Bulma started to tear up. She felt so powerless. In one night, her whole life had been ... and not in the way she had hoped or planned. What should they do now? The only thing they could do, so it seemed, was wait and hope for a new opportunity. Hopefully, it would present itself soon.
"What will we do now, Bulma?" Kryt asked her, while she was getting worried about the blank look on Bulma's face.
"Bulma? BULMA!"
Bulma covered her ears. "You don't have to shout!"
"Sorry. I thought that maybe you couldn't hear me because of all the noise in here." Kryt cast a look to the large halls, wincing when she saw the total chaos that ruled there. Saiyans and Arthrods were fighting each other, with no regard for the slaves, who were caught in the middle of the fights. Many slaves were being obliterated, along with the Arthrods. The Saiyans seemed to be playing with them, like cats with their prey. Kryt looked back at Bulma, who also was looking at the scene.
"They are monsters."
"Yes. I've never seen a race that bloodthirsty, or cruel. And stupid." They both saw the Prince, surrounded by the bright light, giving orders to his warriors, and killing off soldiers with a grin on his face.
Bulma said worriedly: "Their Prince ain't stupid. If he were, I wouldn't be in this position."
"That's the danger of it. He has brains, and power. That, and a bad personality, if I may say so. I guess the stories were true then."
"Yes... He is what he calls the 'Legendary Super Saiyan'. Maybe he did kill Frieza, and it wasn't just a rumour."
"It's hard to believe... After all this time, that someone has defeated him. We thought that he could never be defeated."
"Are you happy with the thought that he might be dead?"
Kryt's face darkened. "Happy is not the right word. Ecstatic is better. Finally he got what he deserved. But when I see this, I can't say he's such an improvement."
"Maybe he's even worse. The stories..."
"Worse than Frieza? I sure do hope not. The universe will never survive..."
****
Bulma was leaning against the pillar, while she was watching her best friend. After mentioning Frieza, she had been silent, deep in thought. She was probably reliving the memories of the raid of her planet. The memories were really painful. Bulma could know; she herself had gone through a raid, and the memories still haunted here. Many times, she had wondered if it wouldn't have been better if she were killed together with her family. Until today, she didn't know why she had been picked as a slave, and not her father. He had been the most brilliant scientist on Earth, and even though she was already showing her genius, she wasn't anywhere in her father's league. So why her? She would probably never know.
She noticed that the sounds of the battle were dying out. Still, commands were yelled, and occasionally, a scream could be heard. As she listened more closely, she heard all kinds of other sounds too; mumbling, weeping, shuffling of feet. It seemed that the slaves who had survived the ordeal had sought cover in the corners, and along the walls of the docking bays.
She shuffled over to the side of the pillar to check the situation. Several Saiyans were flying up and down, looking for any surviving Arthrods soldiers. Others were... executing wounded Arthrods and slaves; she couldn't give it another name. Bodies were scattered over the floor; blood was everywhere. Bulma was reminded of the dining room, where she had seen a similar sight. She felt the nausea stirring in her stomach. She moved herself once more behind the pillar, and sat down. She was deeply breathing in and out, trying to get a hold on her shaking body.
This seemed to bring Kryt out of her memories. She hurried to Bulma, and sat down next to her.
"What's wrong?"
"D-Don't look! It'll make you sick. There's... So many are dead."
"The fight is over, isn't it?
"Yes, and the casualties are the ones who don't have anything to do with this war."
Kryt sighed deeply. "Yes, that's the way it usually goes... The innocent suffer."
"It's so unfair."
"It is."
"Is it ever going to change?" Bulma asked. "I'm hoping for it, but am I deluding myself? Should I give up hope, and resent myself to this? I remember the stories and hope of my people. I can still remember them... Hope for a better future. A future without war and famine and diseases. My father worked hard for that ideal. He always told me about his dreams. He invested huge amounts of his money and time in it. What would he have done if he knew the future?"
"I can't give you answers. Maybe you have to hold onto those dreams. Maybe we can make a better world for ourselves... The universe is so big, maybe we can find a place, in a desolated part of it, where we can build ourselves a new home."
"First we have to get there. And for the moment we are stuck here."
"I know. And I'm fully aware of our reality. And I don't count on our dreams to become reality. But dreams are what's keeping us going.
Bulma couldn't answer her, because their conversation was interrupted when a Saiyan Prince dropped down before them.
They both were staring up at him. He smirked at them.
"It seems you've found your friend."
Bulma and Kryt both jumped up. "Y-yes sir, I did."
"Hmmm. How fortunate for you." He turned to Kryt and looked her over. "I see you're indeed a Saalien. What a strange couple you are. A humanoid and a Sauria; those usually don't mix well. And I've seen there are plenty of other Saurian species around here. Why did you ever befriend a human on a ship full of Insectoids? It seems to me that it can be a... disadvantage."
"We're friends." Kryt dared to reply.
"We'll see." The Prince then dismissed her, and turned his attention back to Bulma.
"Now it seems we're finally able to leave this ship without getting interrupted. Those bugs can be very annoying. Soon, they will be dealt with. Now come along." He turned around and walked back into the docking bays. A Saiyan gestured for Bulma to follow the Prince, but she wasn't to go without knowing what would happen to her friend. She didn't know what to do, but when one Saiyan approached her friend and started to drag her along into another direction, she made a decision. Even though Kryt motioned to her to go along, she couldn't leave her!
She disobeyed, and ran after the Saiyan who had her friend.
But she didn't get far; suddenly she was pulled back. The Prince had her arm in a vice-like grip, and had used it to stop her. He was snarling at her, his turquoise eyes flashing with rage.
"Didn't I tell you not to disobey me?" he roughly pulled her arm, until they stood, once again, nose to nose. By now, everyone was looking at them, and even though Bulma didn't have notice of it, Vegeta did. He decided to show them all what happened when he was disobeyed.
"I-I am s-sorry! I just... S-she's m-my friend! We've been friends for almost s-seven years! W-where she's going, I'm going!" She didn't know where she found the courage to say that; her knees were shaking so bad, that if he hadn't held her up, she certainly would have crumbled to the floor.
"Is that so? Well, I've got news for you. You are a *slave* and you don't have a say in what happens to you, or to your friends, lovers or children! You're property! *My* property. I don't care for your friend. I don't care what happens to her, understood?!"
"But I do!!" Bulma yelled.
He squeezed her arm so hard she heard the bone crack. She moaned with pain. He threw her away from him. She landed on her back, and clutched her broken arm to her body. He walked to her until he stood towering over her.
"If I didn't need your body, you would be dead by now. He leaned over, grabbed her by her broken arm, and hauled her to her feet, while she whimpered in pain. He started to drag her with him, but then he stopped abruptly.
"Just a second," he smiled cruelly at her. Her eyes widened with fear; what was he going to do?
"Cabba," he barked at the Saiyan which was holding Kryt, "step away from the female."
And before Kryt or Bulma had any time react, the Prince threw a small ki- attack at the unsuspecting Kryt. It hit her square in the shoulder; the power behind it threw her in a wall behind her. She crumpled down to the floor, where she lay unmoving. Blood seeped out of the wound at her shoulder. Bulma didn't know if she was still alive or not.
"Kryt!!" She yelled, and started to struggle, putting pressure on her arm, but she didn't feel the pain. "Kryt!!" She trashed wildly, trying to get out of his grip, but he didn't budge.
"Be silent, Girl! And stop that struggling!" The Prince snapped at her.
"Let me go! I have to... Why would you do that? She didn't do anything wrong!"
"I said, be silent!" The Prince yelled back at her.
"Kryt!!!" She yelled to her friend. She was desperate for her to say something, but Kryt was unconscious. "No, no!!" She whimpered.
"Shut up!!" The Prince pulled her arm violently, making Bulma gasp for breath.
Her legs gave out under her, and she slowly slid to the ground, defeated.
"Stupid Girl," he muttered, while he bent down and once more hauled her to her feet. Then he dragged her to one of the gates, through which more Saiyans were moving.
That's probably where they docked their ship, Bulma thought dejectedly. What will happen now? Is Kryt still alive? What will happen to us? Will I ever see her again? The questions kept repeating themselves in her mind. She stared at the bloodstained floor, but it didn't register. It didn't register that she had entered another ship, or that she was led down through corridors, or that the Prince was looking at her with what seemed like confusement.
She suddenly came to, when her arm was carefully lifted and examined. A creature from a race that she had never seen before, was carefully putting pressure on certain spots on her arm. He had dark brown skin and had some yellowish hair on his head. He looked rather friendly. A sauria specie?
"Well," The Prince said impatient.
"Her arm is broken."
"Yes, I could see that myself. But what are you planning to do about it?"
" I will set her arm, and splint it. I think it will be healed within four weeks."
The Prince scowled at this. "No, that takes too long. I want her completely healed within the day."
"Then, I suggest a couple of hours in the Regeneration Tank. I assume that five hours will do the trick."
"Five hours?! For a broken arm?!"
"I'm sorry, sir, but she is human. She doesn't heal as fast as Saiyans. The fracture needs some time."
"Fine." He turned to Bulma and snarled at her. "You heard what he said. Get in the Tank."
"O-ok..." Bulma hesitated. She had never seen a Regeneration Tank up close. Those were reserved for the Arthrods, and therefore weren't present in the sickbay which was used by the slaves.
"Don't worry, you've never seen a tank up close?"
Bulma shaked her head. The medic smiled at her. "I'll explain the procedure to you. But first, I do have to set your arm. The process in the tank will heal the bone, but it doesn't set bones. Now, if you will sit down here." He gestured at a chair. "Majesty, if you would care to help; I need someone to hold her still."
The Prince nodded, and came to stand behind the chair, and putted his hand on her shoulders. Bulma tensed up; whether by his touch or by the prospect of a painful procedure, she didn't know. The medic moved over and picked up her arm.
"This will hurt, but it will be over in a second." And before she had time to react, he pressed on the fracture, and set her arm. It hurt. Very much. Bulma blinked away some tears, and tried to relax again. But her arm kept throbbing.
"I'm sorry I didn't use any drugs, but you're going to be unconscious in a matter of minutes. Now, you're ready to go in the tank."
He gestured at a tank which wasn't used yet; In spite of the pain, she noticed that all most of the other tanks were occupied by Saiyan warriors. She stood up, and tried to walk after the medic, but she swayed lightly on her feet, and for a moment, she thought she would fall. But the Prince steadied her, and walked her along to the tank. There, the medic helped her get in, and applied some sensors to her body, and placed a breathing mask over her mouth and nose.
"Now, just relax. In a moment, you'll be asleep, and the tank will fill up. You won't drown, because of the breathing mask. And before you'll wake up, the tank will be drained. There's nothing to worry about."
Bulma looked a bit undignantly. She wasn't a child! They wouldn't have put her in it, if she could drown!
The medic smiled at her. "Now close your eyes."
Bulma rolled her eyes, but still closed them, and immediately, she started to fall asleep. As sleep overwhelmed her, the tank's hatch started to close. The Prince still stood there, looking at her, with a unreadable look on his face.
The last thing she heard before sleep claimed her was a whispered: "Sweet dreams."
****
There it is, chapter 3! I'm such a evil person! Is Kryt dead? I don't know, but that blast did some serious damage! I also wanted to explain something about Bulma; maybe you didn't notice, but she isn't quite like the Bulma we all know in DBZ. She's a lot more insecure, and a lot more careful with what she says, although Vegeta seemed to make her lose caution. She has been a slave for the bigger part of her live, in a hostile environment. She had to adapt to survive, meaning, she never insults or yells at her masters. Maybe she never learned to do that. But she still has that stubborn streak, and I'm planning on using it! *** Now please tell me if you liked it! Thank you! P.S. I'm going on a vacation. To France. For two weeks. No computer... But! I'll promise to keep writing! But don't expect any updates for a couple of weeks. Everyone, enjoy the summer!
Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ
Out of Control
Chapter three
As Bulma and the Saiyan Prince were walking through the long corridors, Bulma kept thinking about what the Prince had said, and beside the hate and disgust, she felt fear. She didn't know what would happen; the Prince wanted her to have a child. What did she know about children? What did she exactly know about *having* children, or ummm... *making* them. Of course, she knew some basic things about how reproduction worked, but she had never seen anyone have children. Slaves on board this ship were forbidden to have children. If a slave did get pregnant, the child was aborted, and the slave was sterilized. They couldn't use children on board a large battleship.
But she never had to worry about the possibility of getting pregnant, simply because there was no way she *could* get pregnant. There was no one there that could impregnate her! Like she had said before, she hadn't seen a humanoid in ten years! And Insectoids or Sauria were not attracted to humanoids. Most Insectoids were even disgusted at the sight of her!
She had matured without interacting with other humans. Maybe that's why she had never felt the urge, or need, to get ummm... intimate with another person. She had never felt the want to be close to a person, other than to be friends with Kryt. She had never felt attracted to anyone.
And now suddenly someone wanted to make a child with her. And she didn't know how she could stop him. But she also didn't know how things worked! Was it painful? Would he hurt her? She didn't know what to expect. And she hated feeling insecure, or ignorant about things. Yes, she had been a slave, but she had known the routines, and her duties, and therefore knew exactly what she had to do, to make herself useful.
Suddenly she perked up a little. Maybe they would make her pregnant with an artificial method. She knew that could be done easily. She still would hate them for it, for forcing a child on her, but at least she didn't have to... interact with that Prince!
Bulma had been so deep in thought, that she failed to notice that they had reached the docking bays. Only when they entered it, was she suddenly aware of where they were, alerted by the frantic activity and the loud noise in the large halls.
Immediately after they had entered, several Saiyans approached them. They all saluted their Prince, and one of them started to inform the Prince about the progress they had made. Bulma wasn't listening to them. She was looking around, hoping to catch a glimpse of Kryt. She was so worried about her friend. Maybe she had ran into some soldiers, and had been killed... Or she was wounded, lying somewhere, down a lonely corridor, bleeding, and...
Bulma suddenly spotted her friend; Kryt's height was definitely coming in handy now. Apparently Kryt had spotted her before Bulma had seen her, and was now walking towards her, with a large, relieved smile on her face.
Bulma looked stealthily at the Prince; he seemed to be very preoccupied with his soldiers, giving them orders and such. She took a small step back. When he didn't notice, she took another, then another, and some more. She was almost standing beside a large pillar, which stood about six feet from the wall. The pillar was part of a large row, and the formation formed a narrow corridor. She was about to jump behind it, aiming for the cover that it provided, when he suddenly turned around, and caught her eyes with his. Bulma froze on the spot. She was caught.
"Going somewhere?" His eyes hypnotized her. She meekly shaked her head.
"Really? Now, why do I not believe you?" He had turned completely now, and was now stalking towards her. She opened her mouth to say something in her defence, when all of a sudden a large explosion rocked the entire ship. People started to scream when a large group of Arthrod soldiers ran in and started to fire at the Saiyans.
"It seems we missed some. Where's that fool Nappa?"
"He last reported from the ammunition rooms; it seemed that a whole squadron of those pests are hiding there. He can't get them out, without blowing up the whole ship. He's asking for advice, Sir."
"And where are they coming from?"
"I don't know, Your Majesty. It's a large ship."
"Right. Tell Nappa to station guards at all exits of that ammunition room. We'll wait for them to come out. In case they may enter the room. I don't want to lose this ship. I guess Nappa does have some brains after all; asking me for advice first."
"I'll tell him right away, Sir! And what are your orders considering these insects?"
"What do you do with a pesky insect, soldier?"
"I kill it, Sir." The eyes of the Saiyan were gleaming with the prospect of some more killing.
"That's right. Now, it seems we have some killing to do." Vegeta stated with anticipation. He turned once more towards Bulma. "Girl, you stay here, and you get behind one of these pillars. You won't move. I'll have some soldiers cover this area. Don't think about going anywhere. You are warned. You understand?"
Once more, Bulma nodded meekly.
"Now, go! Hide!"
Bulma hurried behind one of the pillars, while wondering what kind of protection this thing could actually offer her. Oh well, she moved to the other side of it, and almost bumped into... Kryt!
Who grabbed her, lifted her up, and almost crushed her in her hug. Then put her down again, and started yelling:
"I was so worried!!!! How do you think I was feeling when I discovered you weren't following me? I didn't know what to do! I thought you were dead! So, I went over here; I thought that maybe, you had taken a different route to the docking bays, but you weren't there. And now, I see you, standing there, in the company of Saiyans, and you look completely fine! Don't you ever do that again! I'll hurt you if you do that again! I-" Kryt stopped briefly, to catch her breath, then continued with her tirade: "What if they shot you, and you were hurt, or dying? I wouldn't know! Don't you ever do that again! You're just a small human girl, and you're always getting into trouble! You can't defend yourself! You have absolutely no ki! What if those Saiyans had actually decided to hurt you? Don't you ever do that again! Why didn't you just follow me? I didn't run that fast, you could have kept up with me! Were you curious, or something? Did you want to see them fight? Don't you ever-"
"-Do that again. I understand. Now, calm down! I'm sorry! I really am! But you have to keep your voice down, otherwise you might alarm one of those Saiyans, and they come to check out what's causing all the noise."
"I'm not that loud."
"No, I know, but I don't want to draw any attention. We're going to use this distraction to get ourselves a ship, and get out of here! There's no way I'm going to stay here, and to wait for him to return."
"Ummm, who's him?"
"The Prince of the Saiyans."
"So you were in their company! I thought you had sneaked into the room with them, or something. So, you were with them, and they didn't even kill you?!"
"No, they didn't. They think I'm much too valuable to them. They're insane."
"How do you mean, valuable? They want you for your mechanical skills or something? How did they know that?"
"They don't know anything about my mechanical skills, and I'm planning to keep it that way."
"But... what then? You're not strong. You're just a human girl."
"That's the problem. They want me for being human!"
Kryt looked completely puzzled. "Do humans have some special powers that I am not aware of?"
"Would you describe the ability to have children as a special power?"
"Ummm, don't all species have that ability?"
"Yes."
"Then no; I don't see that as a special power. So, what other things can humans do?"
Bulma sighed. "He wants me to have children!"
"What?"
"He wants me to have children!"
"Who? And why?"
"The Saiyan Prince. He wants me to have children, because I'm human!"
"He wants to breed humans?"
"No," yelled Bulma, frustrated. "He's not going to breed humans!"
"I don't think I'm following you."
"He wants me to have a child; *his* child. An heir!"
"WHAT! Why?"
"I just explained the why!"
"No, you didn't!"
"Well, fine! I don't know why!"
"Maybe he's falling for you! Wow girl, you're finally getting some action, if you know what I mean!"
"It's not funny, Kryt! He's not falling for me! He just said to me that I was going to bear him an heir! I don't have a say in the matter! He's going to use my body to get himself an heir! He doesn't want me to work for him! No, he wants me to have a child, even though I don't want that."
"WHAT?!! He can't do that to you- Wait, he can... I guess he's our new owner, or something. How can he even think about it?"
"From what I heard, I'm not the first."
"What, the first to bear an heir?"
"No, I'm not the first human girl they want force a child on."
"You mean, they have more human females? But... why?"
"Argh! I told you, I don't know why! But the Prince was very pleased to have found a human female. It's the fact that I *am* human that makes me so... valuable. And they talked about doing tests on me; the Prince wants to know for sure I'm fertile, and that I don't have any genetic flaws. It's probably for my genes that they want me."
"Don't they have Saiyan females?"
Bulma shrugged. "I don't know. He didn't explained anything to me; he just told me I was now his slave, and what kind of purpose I'm going to serve."
"That's, that's so... wrong! He can't do that to you!"
"He won't. We're going to escape!"
Kryt looked to be slightly panicking. "We can't. All the ships have been disabled by Fiqqu mechanics the Saiyans brought with them. The control rooms are in the hands of the Saiyans. There's no way we can escape."
Bulma looked at her, discouraged. "We'll find some way. I know we can find a way. If it's not now, then later... We have to, *I* have to... I won't... He will not do that to me... Kryt, I don't know what to do. This is worse than slavery!" Bulma started to tear up. She felt so powerless. In one night, her whole life had been ... and not in the way she had hoped or planned. What should they do now? The only thing they could do, so it seemed, was wait and hope for a new opportunity. Hopefully, it would present itself soon.
"What will we do now, Bulma?" Kryt asked her, while she was getting worried about the blank look on Bulma's face.
"Bulma? BULMA!"
Bulma covered her ears. "You don't have to shout!"
"Sorry. I thought that maybe you couldn't hear me because of all the noise in here." Kryt cast a look to the large halls, wincing when she saw the total chaos that ruled there. Saiyans and Arthrods were fighting each other, with no regard for the slaves, who were caught in the middle of the fights. Many slaves were being obliterated, along with the Arthrods. The Saiyans seemed to be playing with them, like cats with their prey. Kryt looked back at Bulma, who also was looking at the scene.
"They are monsters."
"Yes. I've never seen a race that bloodthirsty, or cruel. And stupid." They both saw the Prince, surrounded by the bright light, giving orders to his warriors, and killing off soldiers with a grin on his face.
Bulma said worriedly: "Their Prince ain't stupid. If he were, I wouldn't be in this position."
"That's the danger of it. He has brains, and power. That, and a bad personality, if I may say so. I guess the stories were true then."
"Yes... He is what he calls the 'Legendary Super Saiyan'. Maybe he did kill Frieza, and it wasn't just a rumour."
"It's hard to believe... After all this time, that someone has defeated him. We thought that he could never be defeated."
"Are you happy with the thought that he might be dead?"
Kryt's face darkened. "Happy is not the right word. Ecstatic is better. Finally he got what he deserved. But when I see this, I can't say he's such an improvement."
"Maybe he's even worse. The stories..."
"Worse than Frieza? I sure do hope not. The universe will never survive..."
****
Bulma was leaning against the pillar, while she was watching her best friend. After mentioning Frieza, she had been silent, deep in thought. She was probably reliving the memories of the raid of her planet. The memories were really painful. Bulma could know; she herself had gone through a raid, and the memories still haunted here. Many times, she had wondered if it wouldn't have been better if she were killed together with her family. Until today, she didn't know why she had been picked as a slave, and not her father. He had been the most brilliant scientist on Earth, and even though she was already showing her genius, she wasn't anywhere in her father's league. So why her? She would probably never know.
She noticed that the sounds of the battle were dying out. Still, commands were yelled, and occasionally, a scream could be heard. As she listened more closely, she heard all kinds of other sounds too; mumbling, weeping, shuffling of feet. It seemed that the slaves who had survived the ordeal had sought cover in the corners, and along the walls of the docking bays.
She shuffled over to the side of the pillar to check the situation. Several Saiyans were flying up and down, looking for any surviving Arthrods soldiers. Others were... executing wounded Arthrods and slaves; she couldn't give it another name. Bodies were scattered over the floor; blood was everywhere. Bulma was reminded of the dining room, where she had seen a similar sight. She felt the nausea stirring in her stomach. She moved herself once more behind the pillar, and sat down. She was deeply breathing in and out, trying to get a hold on her shaking body.
This seemed to bring Kryt out of her memories. She hurried to Bulma, and sat down next to her.
"What's wrong?"
"D-Don't look! It'll make you sick. There's... So many are dead."
"The fight is over, isn't it?
"Yes, and the casualties are the ones who don't have anything to do with this war."
Kryt sighed deeply. "Yes, that's the way it usually goes... The innocent suffer."
"It's so unfair."
"It is."
"Is it ever going to change?" Bulma asked. "I'm hoping for it, but am I deluding myself? Should I give up hope, and resent myself to this? I remember the stories and hope of my people. I can still remember them... Hope for a better future. A future without war and famine and diseases. My father worked hard for that ideal. He always told me about his dreams. He invested huge amounts of his money and time in it. What would he have done if he knew the future?"
"I can't give you answers. Maybe you have to hold onto those dreams. Maybe we can make a better world for ourselves... The universe is so big, maybe we can find a place, in a desolated part of it, where we can build ourselves a new home."
"First we have to get there. And for the moment we are stuck here."
"I know. And I'm fully aware of our reality. And I don't count on our dreams to become reality. But dreams are what's keeping us going.
Bulma couldn't answer her, because their conversation was interrupted when a Saiyan Prince dropped down before them.
They both were staring up at him. He smirked at them.
"It seems you've found your friend."
Bulma and Kryt both jumped up. "Y-yes sir, I did."
"Hmmm. How fortunate for you." He turned to Kryt and looked her over. "I see you're indeed a Saalien. What a strange couple you are. A humanoid and a Sauria; those usually don't mix well. And I've seen there are plenty of other Saurian species around here. Why did you ever befriend a human on a ship full of Insectoids? It seems to me that it can be a... disadvantage."
"We're friends." Kryt dared to reply.
"We'll see." The Prince then dismissed her, and turned his attention back to Bulma.
"Now it seems we're finally able to leave this ship without getting interrupted. Those bugs can be very annoying. Soon, they will be dealt with. Now come along." He turned around and walked back into the docking bays. A Saiyan gestured for Bulma to follow the Prince, but she wasn't to go without knowing what would happen to her friend. She didn't know what to do, but when one Saiyan approached her friend and started to drag her along into another direction, she made a decision. Even though Kryt motioned to her to go along, she couldn't leave her!
She disobeyed, and ran after the Saiyan who had her friend.
But she didn't get far; suddenly she was pulled back. The Prince had her arm in a vice-like grip, and had used it to stop her. He was snarling at her, his turquoise eyes flashing with rage.
"Didn't I tell you not to disobey me?" he roughly pulled her arm, until they stood, once again, nose to nose. By now, everyone was looking at them, and even though Bulma didn't have notice of it, Vegeta did. He decided to show them all what happened when he was disobeyed.
"I-I am s-sorry! I just... S-she's m-my friend! We've been friends for almost s-seven years! W-where she's going, I'm going!" She didn't know where she found the courage to say that; her knees were shaking so bad, that if he hadn't held her up, she certainly would have crumbled to the floor.
"Is that so? Well, I've got news for you. You are a *slave* and you don't have a say in what happens to you, or to your friends, lovers or children! You're property! *My* property. I don't care for your friend. I don't care what happens to her, understood?!"
"But I do!!" Bulma yelled.
He squeezed her arm so hard she heard the bone crack. She moaned with pain. He threw her away from him. She landed on her back, and clutched her broken arm to her body. He walked to her until he stood towering over her.
"If I didn't need your body, you would be dead by now. He leaned over, grabbed her by her broken arm, and hauled her to her feet, while she whimpered in pain. He started to drag her with him, but then he stopped abruptly.
"Just a second," he smiled cruelly at her. Her eyes widened with fear; what was he going to do?
"Cabba," he barked at the Saiyan which was holding Kryt, "step away from the female."
And before Kryt or Bulma had any time react, the Prince threw a small ki- attack at the unsuspecting Kryt. It hit her square in the shoulder; the power behind it threw her in a wall behind her. She crumpled down to the floor, where she lay unmoving. Blood seeped out of the wound at her shoulder. Bulma didn't know if she was still alive or not.
"Kryt!!" She yelled, and started to struggle, putting pressure on her arm, but she didn't feel the pain. "Kryt!!" She trashed wildly, trying to get out of his grip, but he didn't budge.
"Be silent, Girl! And stop that struggling!" The Prince snapped at her.
"Let me go! I have to... Why would you do that? She didn't do anything wrong!"
"I said, be silent!" The Prince yelled back at her.
"Kryt!!!" She yelled to her friend. She was desperate for her to say something, but Kryt was unconscious. "No, no!!" She whimpered.
"Shut up!!" The Prince pulled her arm violently, making Bulma gasp for breath.
Her legs gave out under her, and she slowly slid to the ground, defeated.
"Stupid Girl," he muttered, while he bent down and once more hauled her to her feet. Then he dragged her to one of the gates, through which more Saiyans were moving.
That's probably where they docked their ship, Bulma thought dejectedly. What will happen now? Is Kryt still alive? What will happen to us? Will I ever see her again? The questions kept repeating themselves in her mind. She stared at the bloodstained floor, but it didn't register. It didn't register that she had entered another ship, or that she was led down through corridors, or that the Prince was looking at her with what seemed like confusement.
She suddenly came to, when her arm was carefully lifted and examined. A creature from a race that she had never seen before, was carefully putting pressure on certain spots on her arm. He had dark brown skin and had some yellowish hair on his head. He looked rather friendly. A sauria specie?
"Well," The Prince said impatient.
"Her arm is broken."
"Yes, I could see that myself. But what are you planning to do about it?"
" I will set her arm, and splint it. I think it will be healed within four weeks."
The Prince scowled at this. "No, that takes too long. I want her completely healed within the day."
"Then, I suggest a couple of hours in the Regeneration Tank. I assume that five hours will do the trick."
"Five hours?! For a broken arm?!"
"I'm sorry, sir, but she is human. She doesn't heal as fast as Saiyans. The fracture needs some time."
"Fine." He turned to Bulma and snarled at her. "You heard what he said. Get in the Tank."
"O-ok..." Bulma hesitated. She had never seen a Regeneration Tank up close. Those were reserved for the Arthrods, and therefore weren't present in the sickbay which was used by the slaves.
"Don't worry, you've never seen a tank up close?"
Bulma shaked her head. The medic smiled at her. "I'll explain the procedure to you. But first, I do have to set your arm. The process in the tank will heal the bone, but it doesn't set bones. Now, if you will sit down here." He gestured at a chair. "Majesty, if you would care to help; I need someone to hold her still."
The Prince nodded, and came to stand behind the chair, and putted his hand on her shoulders. Bulma tensed up; whether by his touch or by the prospect of a painful procedure, she didn't know. The medic moved over and picked up her arm.
"This will hurt, but it will be over in a second." And before she had time to react, he pressed on the fracture, and set her arm. It hurt. Very much. Bulma blinked away some tears, and tried to relax again. But her arm kept throbbing.
"I'm sorry I didn't use any drugs, but you're going to be unconscious in a matter of minutes. Now, you're ready to go in the tank."
He gestured at a tank which wasn't used yet; In spite of the pain, she noticed that all most of the other tanks were occupied by Saiyan warriors. She stood up, and tried to walk after the medic, but she swayed lightly on her feet, and for a moment, she thought she would fall. But the Prince steadied her, and walked her along to the tank. There, the medic helped her get in, and applied some sensors to her body, and placed a breathing mask over her mouth and nose.
"Now, just relax. In a moment, you'll be asleep, and the tank will fill up. You won't drown, because of the breathing mask. And before you'll wake up, the tank will be drained. There's nothing to worry about."
Bulma looked a bit undignantly. She wasn't a child! They wouldn't have put her in it, if she could drown!
The medic smiled at her. "Now close your eyes."
Bulma rolled her eyes, but still closed them, and immediately, she started to fall asleep. As sleep overwhelmed her, the tank's hatch started to close. The Prince still stood there, looking at her, with a unreadable look on his face.
The last thing she heard before sleep claimed her was a whispered: "Sweet dreams."
****
There it is, chapter 3! I'm such a evil person! Is Kryt dead? I don't know, but that blast did some serious damage! I also wanted to explain something about Bulma; maybe you didn't notice, but she isn't quite like the Bulma we all know in DBZ. She's a lot more insecure, and a lot more careful with what she says, although Vegeta seemed to make her lose caution. She has been a slave for the bigger part of her live, in a hostile environment. She had to adapt to survive, meaning, she never insults or yells at her masters. Maybe she never learned to do that. But she still has that stubborn streak, and I'm planning on using it! *** Now please tell me if you liked it! Thank you! P.S. I'm going on a vacation. To France. For two weeks. No computer... But! I'll promise to keep writing! But don't expect any updates for a couple of weeks. Everyone, enjoy the summer!