~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Chapter 1~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A New Life

It had never really occurred to Gohan just how boring and lonely space could get after a while.  Training was all well and good, but after a time it just lost its appeal.  Without his mother to forbid him from following in his father's footsteps there was no more challenge in seeking time to fight.  The less he felt pestered into studying, the more he enjoyed the intellectual half of his personality, and the more free he was to train at his leisure, the less fun it became. 

He almost missed the studying he'd had to do…

Almost.

He did know, however, that he sure missed his mom's cooking.  Although he wasn't completely a lost cause when it came to food preparation, he found himself increasingly prone to simply eating the stored meat raw, or possibly ki blasting it - it simply depended on his mood.

=^.^=

With a sigh, Gohan turned off the gravity machine.  He had continued edging it up, and he was pretty sure that he could beat Vegeta-san by now.  He could move freely in 300x gravity, and he was working toward 350x.  His training routine basically consisted of entering the GR, turning up the gravity high enough that he could barely stand, but low enough that he didn't fall flat on his face, and doing his warm-ups.  He usually began with stretching, then sit ups and pushups, continued with a couple laps around the room, and finished with meditation - which took extra concentration to keep himself floating above the ground in such high gravity conditions.  After that he would turn the gravity down to where he could move freely, with only minor hampering from the increased conditions, and it was only then that he would begin doing katas and shadow spars.  It was a rigorous training session, one that often left him feeling a bit worn thin.  Because of this, he tried to rotate days between training and working with his mind.

Gohan ran his hands through his hair as he exited the GR portion of the ship.  He hadn't really been in the mood to train much today, so he had simply done his warm-up and meditation before calling it quits.  Deciding to take a shower, more for the hell of it then anything else, Gohan stripped down and stepped into the steady stream of hot water.

As the water poured over him, easing the tension that often built up in his wiry muscles, he let his thoughts drift.  He wondered how his mother was doing.  That was one thing that had been bugging him lately - he knew she hadn't been happy about him leaving for Namek, and he knew she'd been devastated by his father's disappearance, but he hadn't stopped to think about how she was taking his departure.  And to make things worse, he really had no idea where he was anymore - nor did he know what time it was, how many days had passed, or where he was going.  If only he could undo that fateful decision that left him floating alone in outer space…

And as the water poured over him, the young child made a vow.  He would never again make such a rash, callous choice so quickly.  He would never again act without thinking things through.  He would never again leave those he cared for.  He would never again let a decision haunt him this way.

=^.^=

Stretching slightly, Gohan made his way to what he'd designated as his "lab".  He'd found quickly that tinkering with things held a certain peace for him - the same feeling that only studying used to hold, only this was way more fun.  He found that he could so completely lose himself in the mechanics of a gadget that he'd almost forget that he was by himself, thousands of light years away from his family and friends.

~Until I have thoughts like these, of course~ The child thought to himself sarcastically.  Ah yes, sarcasm - another thing he'd grown increasingly accustomed to.  When you had no one else around, you really had two options - babble to everything around you, or make short, derisive comments about yourself and your own stupidity.  Gohan had been expecting to find the first to occur, but had quickly found that he'd underestimated his self-depreciation, as well as his own cynical wit.

Sighing, he settled cross-legged on the ground and picked up his latest invention.  He had set a challenge for himself - using the spare parts and the tools that Bulma had put on the ship, he was building himself a robot.  Not only would building it give him something to do, when it was complete it would also be a source of interaction. 

He had completed the blueprint about a week ago, and was working on some of the wiring right now.  It was fairly complex, and he was very proud of it - he was almost positive that it would work.  In fact, if it did work, it would put him in an intelligence category ahead of even Bulma at that age - the most complex machine she had ever made at age 8 had been some sort of remote control car, nothing near as complex and intricate as Gohan's endeavor. 

Smiling wistfully at memories of the Z Warriors and Earth, Gohan drifted off into the timeless world occupied by all geniuses in the throws of invention.

=^.^=

Gohan grinned from ear to ear as he put the finishing touches on his robot.  He was almost ready to test it, and he'd already decided a name - Goten.  He'd always wanted a little brother named Goten, and he figured that - since his parents would not only never have another kid, they'd also never take his advice when it came to names - this would probably be the closest he ever got.  Goten - his friend and his creation; which actually made it his child, if he chose to think about it that way.  At least, if it was as smart as he hoped it would be...  But there was a staggering thought, having a child (of a sort) at age 8…

Take that mom!  You were always wondering when I was going to give you grandchildren - you could never decide if you wanted me to be your baby forever, or for me to just get it over with and give you new babies that you could spoil rotten… I don't think you meant for me to have kids at this age, especially not a kid like this… He laughed at the mental scene playing itself out - himself showing his mother a silver sphere swaddled in blue cloth… "It's a boy, mom!"   Soon he was rolling on the floor, howling with mirth. 

If space did one thing to you, it certainly enhanced your imagination - and your appreciation of the afore mentioned…

Still grinning, Gohan made one last quick check over before flipping the switch to activate his new friend.  His smile grew even wider as the silver spherical robot levitated up to eye level with the cross-legged Gohan.  It was roughly the size and shape of a bowling ball, but much lighter.  It had a variety of sensors taken from various parts of the ship: everything from the visual communicator's screen all the way down to the on-off switch that the demi-Saiya-jin had pilfered from a lamp in the closet. 

The ball bleeped fuzzily, almost as if asking where he was.  Gohan was now grinning ecstatically. "You're on board my space ship. My name is Son Gohan, and I'm the one who built you." Another questioning beep, and Gohan informed the droid that its name was Goten.  The boy chuckled slightly as the sphere bobbed up and down in an exuberant show of approval for the selected name.

From then on out, the gray cloud of loneliness lifted.  Gohan could walk into any room and, instead of hearing the depressing sound of silence, he would hear a string of beeps and boops that were eventually modulated into actual words. It was heartening to know that he had something to talk to that could at least listen to what he had to say, as well as say something back.  The feeling of claustrophobia that had been building around him the past few months also lifted, though it was still present at times.

Gohan had truly found a new life in space.

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A/N:  There's the second installment!  For the record, I'll be able to update fairly regularly for quite a while – once a week, as I'm thinking.  Granted, this is provided I'm not jinxing myself or something… *knocks on wood* 

Thank you to our first two reviewers, I'm glad you think this story looks interesting! *bows deeply* I hope you continue to enjoy it – after all, not including my Guide things, this is the very first story I've ever written.  I'm lucky in that I do have an old pro writing with me *nudes Lexi, who is currently tapping her foot in annoyance at the "boring a/n"*.

Lexi: Kami this is dull…

Kat: oh shut up, Lexi.

Lexi: *suddenly perks up* Hey!  I'm in the author notes! *laughs maliciously*

Kat: *sweatdrops* aaaaah shit.

Lexi: *quite happy* My turn!  I'm sticking in my two cents worth, and they'll be to mention the fact that this story is rated pg-13 for a reason.  It might look tame right now, but once we introduce the mercenaries…  Blood, guts, swearing – all that good stuff! 

Kat: ie ie ie...

Lexi: Oh!  And as a matter of reputation, the Goten idea was Kat's.  I'd be hard pressed to think up something that fluffy.  My contribution to the Goten idea comes in later. D