Chapter Twelve: And The Winner Is…
Diamonique repeated, "Like I said, Prince, just remember how I usually am." Her lips slowly brushed against Vegeta's.
"That shouldn't be hard at all," Vegeta whispered as Diamonique rubbed herself against him once more, stroking his leg with hers.
Vegeta's hands tightened on Diamonique's slender shoulders. Slowly he began pushing her towards the wall. She relaxed and purred, deep and soft.
"Oh, Vegeta…" she murmured.
He had her pressed between his hard-muscled body and the cold wall. His fingertips dug into her shoulders.
"Whisper sweet nothings into my ear," she ordered in a loving whisper.
He smirked wickedly, as his lips traveled to Diamonique's delicate ear. She smiled, as she awaited Vegeta's words. She closed her eyes and panted excitedly in quick, ragged breaths.
And finally his long awaited words came…
"You wench! You could have ruined everything!"
"What?" she screamed.
Vegeta seized her tighter and shook her roughly. "You could have caused Reccoom to be disqualified, if he had drank that punch! What the HELL was you thinking? You nearly forced me to lose my bet with Zarbon!"
"Vegeta, now calm down," Diamonique pleaded.
He growled, "You should consider yourself fortunate that I'm not going to report your part in this to Frieza!"
She laughed nervously. "That's very gracious of you. So you do care for me at least a little bit?"
"Not in the slightest," he told her icily. "You are nothing to me in that capacity. I am sparing you from Frieza's wrath for one purpose only--to increase Reccoom's chance for victory."
"And just what would that be?" She was irritated that Vegeta was just using her, the way he always seemed to do.
He replied coolly, "You're going to carry out your plan, exactly as how you said you would."
Diamonique's face brightened. "Oh, well, thank you, Vegeta. I can't wait until Frieza finds the Dezarc bottle on-"
He interrupted her. "With one exception."
"Exception?"
"Yes, exception. I didn't stutter. And you will carry this part out, if you don't want me to expose you to Frieza."
"Oh, fine! So, just what do you want me to do?"
With a chuckle, Vegeta replied, "Why frame Karilyn instead of Cypress, of course."
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Nappa and Raditz were interviewing the contestants. The interview subject this year was simple: "Describe Your Ideal Man". Normally the contestants would be judged on poise, articulacy, and honesty, but as the judges wanted to end the contest as soon as possible, both had decided not to be very particular. If the interviewees gave fairly sensible answers, they would receive generous marks.
"My ideal man is tall, slim, yet with great muscles and purple and white skin. He'd be rich, powerful, and treat me like a princess. That's my Coola, of course!" Karilyn replied briefly with a giggle. Nappa visibly retched and Raditz quietly snickered, but they gave Karilyn a reasonable score anyway, since she had no more to say.
Cypress, who was next, smiled slyly at the Saiyans. She swished her thick tail and slid her long fingers through her hair. Both Saiyans tried not to look at her for too long, but her tempting curves and seductive smile were hard to resist.
"My ideal man?" Cypress asked, now grinning. "Well, gentlemen, I can't describe him."
"And why not?" Nappa wanted to know.
"Because I'm really into women."
"WHAT?" both Saiyan judges exclaimed.
Frieza, in the VIP platform, spat out some wine. "WHAT? HOW ARE YOU INTO WOMEN?"
"But you were flirting with both Vegeta and Frieza-" Raditz began.
"Excuse me, gentlemen, but I don't see how that has anything to do with your question. Does my sexual orientation disqualify me?"
"Um…of course not," Nappa replied quickly.
"Yeah, no rules saying that lesbians can't enter," Raditz added nervously.
Cypress smirked. "Good, but I'll describe my ideal man anyway. He'd have to be open-minded with a great sense of humor. Especially when it comes to jokes."
"Jokes?" Raditz inquired, curious.
A deep feminine chuckle followed. "That's right; especially since what I said about being a lesbian was a complete joke."
"WHAT?" both Saiyans exclaimed again.
Cypress grinned and chuckled. Frieza looked visibly pained, and the judges were recovering from their shock. Raditz was the first to be able to speak again.
"Well, you've earned points for originality," Raditz commented, hoping that Cypress was done.
"Thanks, gentlemen," she purred, uncrossing her long, slender legs. She winked at the men and left.
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"Um, guys, are you going to interview me or what?"
Nappa gulped and nodded slowly at Reccoom. "Sure thing,"
"Just one problem though," Reccoom said slowly. "I'm a man myself, and I'm not gay."
Raditz bit his tongue to prevent himself from commenting that the way Reccoom danced and posed all the time left some room for doubt concerning his sexual orientation. Nappa merely grunted and shrugged his broad shoulders.
"Ah, just describe your ideal woman then."
Reccoom grinned. "Sure thing! She'd be young, of course, with nice boobs, a cute butt, great legs, long and soft hair, and willing to do anything to make me happy in bed.
Nappa and Raditz couldn't but grin then; they could relate. "Anything else?" Raditz inquired.
"Yeah, she's got to know how to dance and pose and be really strong! She'd have to be willin' to wrestle with me both in and out of the bedroom! She's got to be able to take anything I can give! And, well that's it."
"Okay, good," Raditz chuckled, as he marked Reccoom's score. Reccoom's response wasn't stellar, but he had been given extra points for honesty.
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Journa winked at Raditz, and replied with a seductive smirk, "My ideal man? I'm looking at him, of course. He's from my own race, tall, beefy, gorgeous, with that long, thick hair that I can run my fingers through. And, of course, it helps that he's a great warrior with strength and honor. Everything I want in a man." Journa gave him a smile that was meant to be reassuring, but Raditz was so tense that he was afraid to acknowledge her too much.
After Raditz and Nappa gave her a good score, Journa left and mouthed to Raditz, "It's going to be okay," and left. After she left, both Raditz and Nappa were drenched in sweat, and the two anxious Saiyans tried to steady their nerves when a gently smiling Eclipse glided herself into the chair where Journa had been sitting.
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"Well, there have been many men in my life," Eclipse replied sweetly, "but now, there's only one I would say is my ideal. Of course, he's strong and handsome, but underneath that 'tough guy' exterior is a man who's always been good to me. So he's my mate, but I also call him my…"
*Please, please don't call me Cuddle-chimp * Nappa begged his mate silently.
"One and only," Eclipse concluded, winking at him.
Nappa breathed a sigh of relief, but his brow was washed in sweat. He looked sideways at Raditz; his partner's face was pale and anxious.
Even though he was no telepath, Nappa knew what Raditz was thinking: how were they going to let their mates down easily, when it came to the final judging? They couldn't very well pick their mates for the winners…or could they?
No, they couldn't! Completely out of the question. Frieza and everyone else would kill them! Vegeta would be the first in line, and then perhaps Coola.
But if they didn't pick their women, they would surely never forgive them. No woman liked being passed over for another. Nappa chewed nervously on his lower lip, as Raditz slowly inquired, "Anything else?" Nappa kicked him under the table for prolonging the agony.
Eclipse giggled. "Nope, that's it." She blew Nappa a kiss and arose to leave. After she was gone, Nappa was visibly relieved. He couldn't concentrate, and his tail lashed back and forth.
Raditz gave Eclipse her scores, as his heart pounded rapidly; he was worried about how Journa was going react, if he didn't pick her for Miss Frieza. Anxiously, he studied the scores: Reccoom had scored highest in talent, but lowest in eveningwear (there weren't many men in Frieza's army that actually looked good in a dress). Karilyn, Eclipse, and Cypress, were tied in eveningwear at the highest; in interview, all scores were fairly even, and that was because the judges had given everyone good scores just to speed things up.
And the final judging would include one last score: best overall. Both Saiyan judges knew honestly that Cypress and Reccoom and Eclipse were at the top, but Eclipse had won Miss Frieza before. But what if Eclipse still expected Nappa to choose her? And what about Journa? Journa was the Saiyan princess, and she would surely expect her fellow Saiyans to pick her as Miss Frieza. She wasn't as demanding as her brother, but still she was their princess and second in line for the Saiyan throne.
But Coola expected Karilyn to win or else, and of course, Vegeta expected Reccoom to win or else. So obviously, either Karilyn or Reccoom would be the best choice, right?
If Karilyn won, Coola would spare the two Saiyans and the most treasured parts of their anatomies. But Coola wouldn't be around or even care when Vegeta would eventually punish his men for disobeying him and causing him to lose the bet with Zarbon. But if they chose Reccoom, they would suffer just as badly.
Either way, there would be hell to pay.
Nappa and Raditz silently agreed that Cypress was a great choice for Miss Frieza; she was a looker, talented and witty. But as far as the beauty contest went, she was nobody; there was nothing to lose, if Cypress wasn't chosen. She could always be made a first or second runner-up.
No matter how they looked at the situation, they were likely to die, or at least wind up permanently maimed or crippled. And if they did choose Reccoom or Karilyn, Journa and Eclipse would be furious. And then both Saiyans would likely die with their mates' anger fully intact.
They didn't want to die with their women being angry with them; that much they knew. So, what were they going to do?
Raditz scratched his head worriedly, as Nappa looked agitatedly around the auditorium. The bald Saiyan dared to take a quick glance towards the VIP platform, and Coola saw him and smiled malevolently. Coola silently pointed towards the backstage entrance with his tail, mouthed the word, "Karilyn", and then he drew his index finger across his neck in a cutting motion. Afterwards, he mouthed, "Or else."
After that, Nappa quickly turned away, trembling. Raditz didn't reassure him, for he was too involved in watching the face of a certain Saiyan prince peeking in the doorway to the backstage. Vegeta was smiling confidently, crossing his arms and mouthing, "Remember…Reccoom…got it?" When Raditz didn't respond, Vegeta scowled and mouthed, "Right?" Unhappily, Raditz nodded, and Vegeta smirked in approval and disappeared.
As Hickey announced to the audience that the judges would now began to make their decision, Raditz whispered to Nappa, "We're screwed, no matter whom we pick for Miss Frieza."
"Yeah," Nappa moaned softly in response.
"So, what are we going to do?"
"What does it matter, Raditz? We're going to die after this contest is over. Face it; we're dead where we sit."
"Didn't we say at one point we were going to do this with honor?"
"Yeah, and normally I'd say you're right, but what good will that do us, when we're dead, and our mates hate our guts?"
Raditz was thoughtful. "You have a point there. Hell, if our mates hadn't entered, I would have just gone along and voted for Cypress."
"Same here, but Journa and Eclipse had to show up. Why did they have to pick this year to go for Miss Frieza?"
"Believe me, I know! Maybe we should have told them the truth, and then they might have stayed out of the contest. But it's too late now, and we're stuck.
"Yeah..." Nappa sighed. He frowned heavily for a few moments, but then, suddenly, a thought came to him.
"But, you know something, Raditz? Since we're about to die, no matter what, why should we die with our women mad at us? They're going to be miserable enough when we're gone, but…we can give them a great parting gift."
"What do you mean?"
Nappa smiled reflectively; now that he had just thought of this idea, he felt totally at peace. He leaned over and whispered in Raditz's ear his idea, and Raditz first looked at him in shock, but then, as Nappa spoke further, Raditz too was smiling.
"Yeah, why not? Since we're about to be killed, we can lay our pride aside for just this once. At least when we die, we'll die happy, knowing we did something good."
Nappa grinned and laid his hand on Raditz's shoulder in a rare display of friendship. "It's been good working with you, Raditz; I'll never forget all we did together, even if much of it was for Frieza."
"Yeah, same here, Nappa. It's been fun, some of it; it wasn't all bad."
"Nah, it wasn't. And our mates sure helped, didn't they?"
"Yeah." And Raditz and Nappa shook hands with each other warmly. Nappa gestured to Hickey to come over to the judges' table, and Hickey hesitantly did.
When the emcee arrived, Nappa, grinning widely, calmly and happily told Hickey who would become the next Miss Frieza and the next runner-ups. Hickey looked at him and Raditz, as if they were crazy, and he asked, if they were sure.
Raditz chuckled. "We've never been more sure in our lives, Hick. Now go tell everyone what we decided."
Hickey gulped, as he crept back towards the center stage. He just hoped that the audience and Lord Frieza wouldn't decide to kill the messenger. With his gigantic ears twitching fearfully, he took a very long time walking back to his spot.
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Coola was smirking, as Hickey hesitantly arrived at center stage. Any moment now, Hickey would be announcing Karilyn as Miss Frieza. That would make his day; perhaps Nappa and Raditz weren't as stupid as he had thought they were.
Only briefly did he wonder why Frieza had so abruptly left for the backstage after he had received a scouter message from Diamonique. Ah, well; that was Frieza's problem, not his.
Diamonique. Coola smiled wickedly to himself, as he thought of the sultry Gemstarian Top Elite, with her supple limbs and voluptuous figure. Not to mention that she was truly smart and wasn't afraid to go after whatever she wanted. Had Frieza ever thought of seducing her? If he had been Frieza, he would have already done so. He wouldn't have been surprised, if his brother had enjoyed Diamonique's charms at one time or another. He grinned; there was no reason why he couldn't find a way to get better acquainted with Frieza's most luscious Top Elite officer. He'd have to extend Diamonique a personal invitation to visit him someday. Karilyn would likely object, but she'd just have to learn to share him; he considered himself to be too much man for just one woman.
But today, he'd let her have her day. He smiled smugly, waiting to hear that she had become Miss Frieza. He steered his traveling pod away from the VIP platform, until it was just above the stage, directly over Hickey, who was trembling violently, unwilling to speak.
"C'mon, Hicks, tell us who won!"
"Yeah, who won? Who won?"
"We want to know, we want to know! NOW!" A series of indignant shouts and cries followed, but Hickey hesitantly remained silent.
Paying only mild attention to the commotion, Coola leaned back in the pod, as his scouter beeped.
"Yes?"
"Coola…" Frieza's voice was tightly controlled. "I hope you made out yours and Karilyn's wills, because I'm tempted to destroy both you and your treacherous concubine!"
Coola chuckled nervously. "Calm down, little brother! What has your horns shaken?"
Frieza growled, "You know very well! That little whore of yours thought she was so clever in trying to sabotage my beauty contest! And I'll bet anything you were behind it! You'll do anything to make me miserable, won't you? And you thought you were going to get away with it, didn't you?"
"Get away with what?" Coola asked, just slightly uneasy. He was stronger than his brother, but Frieza's temper could equal his own.
"She denies my accusations of course, but one of my Elites busted her! So, you two thought you were going to fix my contest, so that she could win? She must be that good of a lay for you to interfere with the contest in order for her to become Miss Frieza! And you thought you two would get away it! Well, you're sadly mistaken, and don't think I won't tell Father! What you and your tramp did to ruin my birthday and my beauty contest was despicable! In fact, I'm contacting him right now!"
"No, no, Frieza, wait!" Coola begged. "Don't get Father involved!"
"And why shouldn't I? Why would you want to ruin my birthday that badly? You just wait until Father finds out! You'll really be sorry!"
"Frieza, come on," Coola protested, laughing lightly. "Honestly, does it really matter to you who wins that silly little beauty contest? So what if I blackmailed those two monkeys judging your contest? So what if I threatened to emasculate or kill them in order for Karilyn to win? They're just monkeys, disposable. And it's just a beauty contest; I didn't have to let Karilyn enter, you know-"
"Wait," Frieza said coolly. "Let me get this straight--you blackmailed my judges and threatened them into voting for Karilyn?"
"Well, why are you surprised? I thought you already knew, from the way you sounded, otherwise--oh no…what have I done?"
"You are definitely in for it, Coola!" Frieza roared. "I was yelling at you because Karilyn had spiked the punch to intoxicate the other contestants! I didn't know about your blackmailing scheme! How dare you? You did worse than I even imagined! Oh, Father will definitely hear about this!"
"No, no, Frieza, don't-"
"You really stepped in it this time, didn't you, Coola? Oooh, I can't wait until Father finds out! I'll never forgive you for this! And oh, and one more thing, big brother…"
"Wh-what's that?"
"Nobody, and I mean NOBODY blackmails or threatens my monkeys, but my Top Elites or ME! They may be monkeys, but they're MY monkeys! GOT IT?"
Coola gulped, fearing his father's coming wrath after what Frieza would tell him. He tried to keep from shaking, as he saw Frieza's pod leave from backstage, heading up towards the VIP platform.
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"We want to know, we want to know!" the men in the audience shouted. "Tell us NOW!"
Hickey was on the verge of tears, as he spoke in a very low tone for him (but was still loud enough to be heard in the audience), "Would the contestants come out on stage please?"
Slowly, Cypress, Reccoom, Journa, and Eclipse strolled out onto the stage. Eclipse leaned over and said quietly that Frieza had disqualified Karilyn for spiking the punch. Hickey nodded once, afraid to move.
Hesitantly, he said, "The sec-second-runner-up is…Cypress."
Some cheers and wolf-whistles followed.
"First run-runner-up was to be Karilyn, but since she was disqualified…it'll be Reccoom."
"WHAT?" the loud, angry voice of Vegeta roared backstage.
Drenched in sweat, he gulped, and a couple of tears escaped his eyes. "This year is ra-rather unusual, as in we have two winners…nothing against the rules about that, so this year…the-the two Miss Friezas are…"
As the audience waited with bated breath, Nappa and Raditz started skittering towards the center stage, knowing what would happen next. They had paid no mind to Karilyn's absence, or even to Hickey's quiet announcement that she had been made ineligible.
The two Saiyans whispered to each other, as Hickey spoke the fatal words:
"…Princess Journa and Lady Eclipse."
And after those words, a blue-mouse-emcee, three Saiyans, and a Ginyu Girl Squad Leader uneasily waited for the coming backlash--and the possible end of all of their lives.
Diamonique repeated, "Like I said, Prince, just remember how I usually am." Her lips slowly brushed against Vegeta's.
"That shouldn't be hard at all," Vegeta whispered as Diamonique rubbed herself against him once more, stroking his leg with hers.
Vegeta's hands tightened on Diamonique's slender shoulders. Slowly he began pushing her towards the wall. She relaxed and purred, deep and soft.
"Oh, Vegeta…" she murmured.
He had her pressed between his hard-muscled body and the cold wall. His fingertips dug into her shoulders.
"Whisper sweet nothings into my ear," she ordered in a loving whisper.
He smirked wickedly, as his lips traveled to Diamonique's delicate ear. She smiled, as she awaited Vegeta's words. She closed her eyes and panted excitedly in quick, ragged breaths.
And finally his long awaited words came…
"You wench! You could have ruined everything!"
"What?" she screamed.
Vegeta seized her tighter and shook her roughly. "You could have caused Reccoom to be disqualified, if he had drank that punch! What the HELL was you thinking? You nearly forced me to lose my bet with Zarbon!"
"Vegeta, now calm down," Diamonique pleaded.
He growled, "You should consider yourself fortunate that I'm not going to report your part in this to Frieza!"
She laughed nervously. "That's very gracious of you. So you do care for me at least a little bit?"
"Not in the slightest," he told her icily. "You are nothing to me in that capacity. I am sparing you from Frieza's wrath for one purpose only--to increase Reccoom's chance for victory."
"And just what would that be?" She was irritated that Vegeta was just using her, the way he always seemed to do.
He replied coolly, "You're going to carry out your plan, exactly as how you said you would."
Diamonique's face brightened. "Oh, well, thank you, Vegeta. I can't wait until Frieza finds the Dezarc bottle on-"
He interrupted her. "With one exception."
"Exception?"
"Yes, exception. I didn't stutter. And you will carry this part out, if you don't want me to expose you to Frieza."
"Oh, fine! So, just what do you want me to do?"
With a chuckle, Vegeta replied, "Why frame Karilyn instead of Cypress, of course."
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Nappa and Raditz were interviewing the contestants. The interview subject this year was simple: "Describe Your Ideal Man". Normally the contestants would be judged on poise, articulacy, and honesty, but as the judges wanted to end the contest as soon as possible, both had decided not to be very particular. If the interviewees gave fairly sensible answers, they would receive generous marks.
"My ideal man is tall, slim, yet with great muscles and purple and white skin. He'd be rich, powerful, and treat me like a princess. That's my Coola, of course!" Karilyn replied briefly with a giggle. Nappa visibly retched and Raditz quietly snickered, but they gave Karilyn a reasonable score anyway, since she had no more to say.
Cypress, who was next, smiled slyly at the Saiyans. She swished her thick tail and slid her long fingers through her hair. Both Saiyans tried not to look at her for too long, but her tempting curves and seductive smile were hard to resist.
"My ideal man?" Cypress asked, now grinning. "Well, gentlemen, I can't describe him."
"And why not?" Nappa wanted to know.
"Because I'm really into women."
"WHAT?" both Saiyan judges exclaimed.
Frieza, in the VIP platform, spat out some wine. "WHAT? HOW ARE YOU INTO WOMEN?"
"But you were flirting with both Vegeta and Frieza-" Raditz began.
"Excuse me, gentlemen, but I don't see how that has anything to do with your question. Does my sexual orientation disqualify me?"
"Um…of course not," Nappa replied quickly.
"Yeah, no rules saying that lesbians can't enter," Raditz added nervously.
Cypress smirked. "Good, but I'll describe my ideal man anyway. He'd have to be open-minded with a great sense of humor. Especially when it comes to jokes."
"Jokes?" Raditz inquired, curious.
A deep feminine chuckle followed. "That's right; especially since what I said about being a lesbian was a complete joke."
"WHAT?" both Saiyans exclaimed again.
Cypress grinned and chuckled. Frieza looked visibly pained, and the judges were recovering from their shock. Raditz was the first to be able to speak again.
"Well, you've earned points for originality," Raditz commented, hoping that Cypress was done.
"Thanks, gentlemen," she purred, uncrossing her long, slender legs. She winked at the men and left.
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"Um, guys, are you going to interview me or what?"
Nappa gulped and nodded slowly at Reccoom. "Sure thing,"
"Just one problem though," Reccoom said slowly. "I'm a man myself, and I'm not gay."
Raditz bit his tongue to prevent himself from commenting that the way Reccoom danced and posed all the time left some room for doubt concerning his sexual orientation. Nappa merely grunted and shrugged his broad shoulders.
"Ah, just describe your ideal woman then."
Reccoom grinned. "Sure thing! She'd be young, of course, with nice boobs, a cute butt, great legs, long and soft hair, and willing to do anything to make me happy in bed.
Nappa and Raditz couldn't but grin then; they could relate. "Anything else?" Raditz inquired.
"Yeah, she's got to know how to dance and pose and be really strong! She'd have to be willin' to wrestle with me both in and out of the bedroom! She's got to be able to take anything I can give! And, well that's it."
"Okay, good," Raditz chuckled, as he marked Reccoom's score. Reccoom's response wasn't stellar, but he had been given extra points for honesty.
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Journa winked at Raditz, and replied with a seductive smirk, "My ideal man? I'm looking at him, of course. He's from my own race, tall, beefy, gorgeous, with that long, thick hair that I can run my fingers through. And, of course, it helps that he's a great warrior with strength and honor. Everything I want in a man." Journa gave him a smile that was meant to be reassuring, but Raditz was so tense that he was afraid to acknowledge her too much.
After Raditz and Nappa gave her a good score, Journa left and mouthed to Raditz, "It's going to be okay," and left. After she left, both Raditz and Nappa were drenched in sweat, and the two anxious Saiyans tried to steady their nerves when a gently smiling Eclipse glided herself into the chair where Journa had been sitting.
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"Well, there have been many men in my life," Eclipse replied sweetly, "but now, there's only one I would say is my ideal. Of course, he's strong and handsome, but underneath that 'tough guy' exterior is a man who's always been good to me. So he's my mate, but I also call him my…"
*Please, please don't call me Cuddle-chimp * Nappa begged his mate silently.
"One and only," Eclipse concluded, winking at him.
Nappa breathed a sigh of relief, but his brow was washed in sweat. He looked sideways at Raditz; his partner's face was pale and anxious.
Even though he was no telepath, Nappa knew what Raditz was thinking: how were they going to let their mates down easily, when it came to the final judging? They couldn't very well pick their mates for the winners…or could they?
No, they couldn't! Completely out of the question. Frieza and everyone else would kill them! Vegeta would be the first in line, and then perhaps Coola.
But if they didn't pick their women, they would surely never forgive them. No woman liked being passed over for another. Nappa chewed nervously on his lower lip, as Raditz slowly inquired, "Anything else?" Nappa kicked him under the table for prolonging the agony.
Eclipse giggled. "Nope, that's it." She blew Nappa a kiss and arose to leave. After she was gone, Nappa was visibly relieved. He couldn't concentrate, and his tail lashed back and forth.
Raditz gave Eclipse her scores, as his heart pounded rapidly; he was worried about how Journa was going react, if he didn't pick her for Miss Frieza. Anxiously, he studied the scores: Reccoom had scored highest in talent, but lowest in eveningwear (there weren't many men in Frieza's army that actually looked good in a dress). Karilyn, Eclipse, and Cypress, were tied in eveningwear at the highest; in interview, all scores were fairly even, and that was because the judges had given everyone good scores just to speed things up.
And the final judging would include one last score: best overall. Both Saiyan judges knew honestly that Cypress and Reccoom and Eclipse were at the top, but Eclipse had won Miss Frieza before. But what if Eclipse still expected Nappa to choose her? And what about Journa? Journa was the Saiyan princess, and she would surely expect her fellow Saiyans to pick her as Miss Frieza. She wasn't as demanding as her brother, but still she was their princess and second in line for the Saiyan throne.
But Coola expected Karilyn to win or else, and of course, Vegeta expected Reccoom to win or else. So obviously, either Karilyn or Reccoom would be the best choice, right?
If Karilyn won, Coola would spare the two Saiyans and the most treasured parts of their anatomies. But Coola wouldn't be around or even care when Vegeta would eventually punish his men for disobeying him and causing him to lose the bet with Zarbon. But if they chose Reccoom, they would suffer just as badly.
Either way, there would be hell to pay.
Nappa and Raditz silently agreed that Cypress was a great choice for Miss Frieza; she was a looker, talented and witty. But as far as the beauty contest went, she was nobody; there was nothing to lose, if Cypress wasn't chosen. She could always be made a first or second runner-up.
No matter how they looked at the situation, they were likely to die, or at least wind up permanently maimed or crippled. And if they did choose Reccoom or Karilyn, Journa and Eclipse would be furious. And then both Saiyans would likely die with their mates' anger fully intact.
They didn't want to die with their women being angry with them; that much they knew. So, what were they going to do?
Raditz scratched his head worriedly, as Nappa looked agitatedly around the auditorium. The bald Saiyan dared to take a quick glance towards the VIP platform, and Coola saw him and smiled malevolently. Coola silently pointed towards the backstage entrance with his tail, mouthed the word, "Karilyn", and then he drew his index finger across his neck in a cutting motion. Afterwards, he mouthed, "Or else."
After that, Nappa quickly turned away, trembling. Raditz didn't reassure him, for he was too involved in watching the face of a certain Saiyan prince peeking in the doorway to the backstage. Vegeta was smiling confidently, crossing his arms and mouthing, "Remember…Reccoom…got it?" When Raditz didn't respond, Vegeta scowled and mouthed, "Right?" Unhappily, Raditz nodded, and Vegeta smirked in approval and disappeared.
As Hickey announced to the audience that the judges would now began to make their decision, Raditz whispered to Nappa, "We're screwed, no matter whom we pick for Miss Frieza."
"Yeah," Nappa moaned softly in response.
"So, what are we going to do?"
"What does it matter, Raditz? We're going to die after this contest is over. Face it; we're dead where we sit."
"Didn't we say at one point we were going to do this with honor?"
"Yeah, and normally I'd say you're right, but what good will that do us, when we're dead, and our mates hate our guts?"
Raditz was thoughtful. "You have a point there. Hell, if our mates hadn't entered, I would have just gone along and voted for Cypress."
"Same here, but Journa and Eclipse had to show up. Why did they have to pick this year to go for Miss Frieza?"
"Believe me, I know! Maybe we should have told them the truth, and then they might have stayed out of the contest. But it's too late now, and we're stuck.
"Yeah..." Nappa sighed. He frowned heavily for a few moments, but then, suddenly, a thought came to him.
"But, you know something, Raditz? Since we're about to die, no matter what, why should we die with our women mad at us? They're going to be miserable enough when we're gone, but…we can give them a great parting gift."
"What do you mean?"
Nappa smiled reflectively; now that he had just thought of this idea, he felt totally at peace. He leaned over and whispered in Raditz's ear his idea, and Raditz first looked at him in shock, but then, as Nappa spoke further, Raditz too was smiling.
"Yeah, why not? Since we're about to be killed, we can lay our pride aside for just this once. At least when we die, we'll die happy, knowing we did something good."
Nappa grinned and laid his hand on Raditz's shoulder in a rare display of friendship. "It's been good working with you, Raditz; I'll never forget all we did together, even if much of it was for Frieza."
"Yeah, same here, Nappa. It's been fun, some of it; it wasn't all bad."
"Nah, it wasn't. And our mates sure helped, didn't they?"
"Yeah." And Raditz and Nappa shook hands with each other warmly. Nappa gestured to Hickey to come over to the judges' table, and Hickey hesitantly did.
When the emcee arrived, Nappa, grinning widely, calmly and happily told Hickey who would become the next Miss Frieza and the next runner-ups. Hickey looked at him and Raditz, as if they were crazy, and he asked, if they were sure.
Raditz chuckled. "We've never been more sure in our lives, Hick. Now go tell everyone what we decided."
Hickey gulped, as he crept back towards the center stage. He just hoped that the audience and Lord Frieza wouldn't decide to kill the messenger. With his gigantic ears twitching fearfully, he took a very long time walking back to his spot.
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Coola was smirking, as Hickey hesitantly arrived at center stage. Any moment now, Hickey would be announcing Karilyn as Miss Frieza. That would make his day; perhaps Nappa and Raditz weren't as stupid as he had thought they were.
Only briefly did he wonder why Frieza had so abruptly left for the backstage after he had received a scouter message from Diamonique. Ah, well; that was Frieza's problem, not his.
Diamonique. Coola smiled wickedly to himself, as he thought of the sultry Gemstarian Top Elite, with her supple limbs and voluptuous figure. Not to mention that she was truly smart and wasn't afraid to go after whatever she wanted. Had Frieza ever thought of seducing her? If he had been Frieza, he would have already done so. He wouldn't have been surprised, if his brother had enjoyed Diamonique's charms at one time or another. He grinned; there was no reason why he couldn't find a way to get better acquainted with Frieza's most luscious Top Elite officer. He'd have to extend Diamonique a personal invitation to visit him someday. Karilyn would likely object, but she'd just have to learn to share him; he considered himself to be too much man for just one woman.
But today, he'd let her have her day. He smiled smugly, waiting to hear that she had become Miss Frieza. He steered his traveling pod away from the VIP platform, until it was just above the stage, directly over Hickey, who was trembling violently, unwilling to speak.
"C'mon, Hicks, tell us who won!"
"Yeah, who won? Who won?"
"We want to know, we want to know! NOW!" A series of indignant shouts and cries followed, but Hickey hesitantly remained silent.
Paying only mild attention to the commotion, Coola leaned back in the pod, as his scouter beeped.
"Yes?"
"Coola…" Frieza's voice was tightly controlled. "I hope you made out yours and Karilyn's wills, because I'm tempted to destroy both you and your treacherous concubine!"
Coola chuckled nervously. "Calm down, little brother! What has your horns shaken?"
Frieza growled, "You know very well! That little whore of yours thought she was so clever in trying to sabotage my beauty contest! And I'll bet anything you were behind it! You'll do anything to make me miserable, won't you? And you thought you were going to get away with it, didn't you?"
"Get away with what?" Coola asked, just slightly uneasy. He was stronger than his brother, but Frieza's temper could equal his own.
"She denies my accusations of course, but one of my Elites busted her! So, you two thought you were going to fix my contest, so that she could win? She must be that good of a lay for you to interfere with the contest in order for her to become Miss Frieza! And you thought you two would get away it! Well, you're sadly mistaken, and don't think I won't tell Father! What you and your tramp did to ruin my birthday and my beauty contest was despicable! In fact, I'm contacting him right now!"
"No, no, Frieza, wait!" Coola begged. "Don't get Father involved!"
"And why shouldn't I? Why would you want to ruin my birthday that badly? You just wait until Father finds out! You'll really be sorry!"
"Frieza, come on," Coola protested, laughing lightly. "Honestly, does it really matter to you who wins that silly little beauty contest? So what if I blackmailed those two monkeys judging your contest? So what if I threatened to emasculate or kill them in order for Karilyn to win? They're just monkeys, disposable. And it's just a beauty contest; I didn't have to let Karilyn enter, you know-"
"Wait," Frieza said coolly. "Let me get this straight--you blackmailed my judges and threatened them into voting for Karilyn?"
"Well, why are you surprised? I thought you already knew, from the way you sounded, otherwise--oh no…what have I done?"
"You are definitely in for it, Coola!" Frieza roared. "I was yelling at you because Karilyn had spiked the punch to intoxicate the other contestants! I didn't know about your blackmailing scheme! How dare you? You did worse than I even imagined! Oh, Father will definitely hear about this!"
"No, no, Frieza, don't-"
"You really stepped in it this time, didn't you, Coola? Oooh, I can't wait until Father finds out! I'll never forgive you for this! And oh, and one more thing, big brother…"
"Wh-what's that?"
"Nobody, and I mean NOBODY blackmails or threatens my monkeys, but my Top Elites or ME! They may be monkeys, but they're MY monkeys! GOT IT?"
Coola gulped, fearing his father's coming wrath after what Frieza would tell him. He tried to keep from shaking, as he saw Frieza's pod leave from backstage, heading up towards the VIP platform.
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"We want to know, we want to know!" the men in the audience shouted. "Tell us NOW!"
Hickey was on the verge of tears, as he spoke in a very low tone for him (but was still loud enough to be heard in the audience), "Would the contestants come out on stage please?"
Slowly, Cypress, Reccoom, Journa, and Eclipse strolled out onto the stage. Eclipse leaned over and said quietly that Frieza had disqualified Karilyn for spiking the punch. Hickey nodded once, afraid to move.
Hesitantly, he said, "The sec-second-runner-up is…Cypress."
Some cheers and wolf-whistles followed.
"First run-runner-up was to be Karilyn, but since she was disqualified…it'll be Reccoom."
"WHAT?" the loud, angry voice of Vegeta roared backstage.
Drenched in sweat, he gulped, and a couple of tears escaped his eyes. "This year is ra-rather unusual, as in we have two winners…nothing against the rules about that, so this year…the-the two Miss Friezas are…"
As the audience waited with bated breath, Nappa and Raditz started skittering towards the center stage, knowing what would happen next. They had paid no mind to Karilyn's absence, or even to Hickey's quiet announcement that she had been made ineligible.
The two Saiyans whispered to each other, as Hickey spoke the fatal words:
"…Princess Journa and Lady Eclipse."
And after those words, a blue-mouse-emcee, three Saiyans, and a Ginyu Girl Squad Leader uneasily waited for the coming backlash--and the possible end of all of their lives.