Chapter One: The Search for Saiya-jins
"Acel! I need you on the bridge now!" Annika's voice came over the intercom.
Damnation, Acel thought. Just when I was finally getting some sleep.
She pushed herself off of the none-too comfortable bunk. That in and of itself was a heroic effort. She pulled the matching robe on over her silk nightgown and paused to admire it. The silk was the finest to be had, white trimmed with a rich red, exactly the color of cherries or rubies. It was hand embroidered and truly one of the most beautiful things she had ever owned. If she closed her eyes she could hear Kaji whispering, "I tried to find something as beautiful as you, Acel. But I realized that if I traveled to Vegetasai and back I'd never find anything that lovely, so this will have to do." It was a birthday present. He gave her this wonderful gift and had cooked her favorite meal, and she told him she was going on a mission--maybe for a long time.
"Acel! I need your help!" came Annika's voice again. Acel shook off her tears and moved out into the hall. "Coming!" she called. She walked quickly down the chilly metal corridors. Luckily her quarters weren't far from the bridge. She didn't look around much as she walked; she was too concentrated on making sure she stayed on her feet. She had been piloting the ship for three days straight--only when she had fainted at the helm from exhaustion had Annika been able to convince her to rest. She knew her copilot wouldn't wake her unless something big had happened. She sped up to a run.
After a short sprint, she was surrounded by the buttons and flashing lights of the bridge. She paused for a minute to look around. Directly in front of her were the pilot and copilot's chairs, both vacant. She looked around for a few seconds more before locating her sole companion on this trip.
Annika stood over a set of sensor relays, frowning. She was a petite redhead who always seemed to be doing something. She was energetic and active but even tempered; a perfect copilot for the seemingly serene but often hot tempered Acel. She turned around and smiled.
"Finally! And just when I got a lock on the signal. We picked up a high power level, Acel. I checked it out. It's Saiya-jin."
Acel couldn't believe their luck. She found herself grinning like a fool. Maybe she'd be home sooner then they thought. "Where is it?" she queried as she quickly joined her friend by the sensors.
"Earth; not very far from here. We can be there in just a couple of days."
Acel suddenly found herself near tears. "Annika, this could be our ticket home! We'd only be away from home a few months, instead of a few years. Do you realize what this could mean for you and Jago? You could move the wedding back up!"
"Uh huh," the younger woman answered, "and you could finally get Kaji to make an honest woman out of you."
Acel laughed, but she was in far too high spirits to argue. They would find this stray Saiya-jin, secure the situation, and go home to report. Then Annika could finally marry her little brother, Jago, and they would be sisters in fact as well as spirit. And she would see Kaji again. After a drink to celebrate, Acel went to bed, full of joy for once on this miserable ship.
The next day was rather dull, full of nothing but souring anticipation and waiting. But when Acel woke up the day after that, she could already tell it would be a wonderful day. The whine of the engines at high speed had been replaced by the gentle rumbling of low power keeping them in orbit. In orbit around Earth, were they would find their excuse to go home.
The two pilots busied themselves with landing procedures. As she calibrated the thrusters for Earth's gravity, Annika glanced over at the sensors. "What?!" she exclaimed.
"What is it, Anni?" Acel asked, anxious. She didn't think she could stand it if something went wrong now. Not with her hopes so high.
"Don't worry, Acel. Nothing bad. Might delay us a little, but it's all right."
"What is it, Annika? Give me a straight answer. That's an order."
"We're registering multiple Saiya-jin power signatures, ma'am."
Acel sighed, partially in relief, partially in resignation. "How many?"
"Two for sure, but there are these others that look like they are but aren't…. I don't know what those are. Anyway they all seem to be close together, so it's not like we'll be scouring the globe to find them."
"It's all right, Annika. Continue with landing procedures. We want to come down as close to those Saiya-jins as we can."
"Yes ma'am."
After a few more minutes of adjusting and preparing, they made their pre-landing checks and went into action. Just as they entered Earth's atmosphere, the ship shook and started spiraling out of control. Acel felt viciously dizzy. She fought the vertigo and yelled, "Annika!"
"All engines on the port side have gone dead!" the copilot exclaimed. "I'll try to restore power—" She paused and rapidly keyed several restore sequences. "This isn't working! I don't know what's wrong!"
Acel's face turned grim. "Then brace for impact." I love you, Kaji, she thought. I'll miss you. May the kaios watch over you and give you a happy life. Goodbye!
Acel abandoned her conscious mind in a desperate, instinctual struggle to survive.
Acel felt like she was waking up, even though her body had never slept. In the copilot's seat lay Annika, limp. The movement had stopped.
Acel leaned over and checked Annika's pulse. It was still strong. She lay back and relaxed in relief. She'd done it. They were alive.
"Come, is that the best the son of Kakarrot can do?" Vegita taunted.
Goten glared at him. "Don't you have something better to do?" he asked as he continued to spar with Trunks. He really didn't need Vegita distracting him now. Trunks was so fast! Before he could blink, he was on the ground and helpless. Or so his opponent thought. As Trunks leaned over him to tease him and help him up, he kicked upward sharply, catching his unsuspecting victim square in the gut. Trunks flew backwards, only to meet an axe-handle smash to the back of his neck, swiftly followed by a knee to the stomach. After lying on the ground for a moment, breathless, Trunks opened his eyes to see his best friend standing over him, a ki blast ready to fire. Trunks held out a hand for help up.
"Okay, I give up!" he exclaimed. As Goten pulled him to his feet, Trunks couldn't help but compliment him. "I didn't expect that. Where did that come from?"
"Well, I am the son of the most powerful fighter in the universe," the ebony haired boy reminded his counterpart with mocking pride. "I have a few tricks up my sleeves."
Trunks grinned, but his father just grumbled. Before Vegita could say something stinging and critical, all of them heard a high-pitched scream. They felt the power echoing from the crashing ship and followed the streak with their eyes. As soon as it appeared to have landed, they took to the air after it.
They reached the ship quickly. It was a beautiful piece of work: sleek and silver, obviously made to spend long periods of time in space. It was also very small as interstellar ships went. Before they could examine it in detail, a hatch that blended perfectly with the rest of the hull opened outward and out stumbled two women, leaning heavily on each other. The three men stared. The two women stared back. Eventually, the taller of the two shook off the shock of the landing and of seeing the strangers. She stood up straight and gained a sudden military bearing that was impressive and professional.
"Gentlemen." She nodded coolly in greeting. "I am Captain Acel Myst of the Arelian Fleet. This is my copilot, engineering officer Annika Nyte."
Trunks recovered his wits first of the men and quickly made introductions in return. "Welcome to Earth, Captain. My name is Trunks Brief, this is my friend Goten Son, and this is my father, Vegita."
Acel thought she would scream or faint or dance from excitement. Not only had they found a surviving Saiya-jin from destroyed Vegetasai, they had found royalty! The cool discipline bred into her through hundreds of generations of warriors held back her reaction. Their mission would be best served if they feigned ignorance. She bowed her head politely. There was an awkward silence for a moment, until Goten spoke up.
"That's a beautiful ship. Where'd you get it?"
Annika grinned. "Well, she certainly was a beautiful ship. Who knows when she will be again. Gentlemen, meet Starchaser, the finest ship in the Arelian fleet. Or at least one of them. Good enough to rate the best captain, anyway," she teased, winking at Acel. "She's a prototype of the new M47 line. Made for a crew of two to four, and could be run by one in a pinch." She gazed at Starchaser and sighed. "I love this ship."
"Well," Vegita cut in coldly, "if you are finished blathering on about this hunk of metal, we have training to get on with." He glared at his two companions. As Acel scrambled for a reason to stay with them, a voice called from the woods.
"Hey guys! What's going on?" A man with spiky black hair walked up. He strongly resembled Goten, so the two strangers were not surprised when the young man said, "Hi Dad. This is Captain Acel Myst and her copilot, Annika Nyte. They just crash landed. Oh, and Captain, Annika, this is my father, Goku."
"Well hello ladies. Where are you all from?" Goku asked with a charming grin.
Acel couldn't help but answer. He was so cute with that dopey schoolboy grin that, for the first time in months, she felt like laughing. "Oh, a small planet off that way a few light years or so," she replied, pointing.
"Sounds like a long trip. You must be hungry. Come to dinner! Everyone is eating at Capsule Corp, and I'm sure Bulma and Chichi won't mind cooking for two more." He smiled that charming grin again, and they agreed.
"Kakarrot!" the one called Vegita exclaimed. "Only a fool invites possible enemies into his home. But then again, you always have been a fool."
Acel stared at the foul tempered Saiya-jin royal and thought about all she had been told of Vegetans. It appeared to be true. "Well," she cut in contemplatively, "maybe not." She rested her chin on her left fist and held her elbow in her right hand, a thoughtful expression on her face. "It could be considered that his offer is a sign of confidence, that he's sure he can handle us. Or perhaps he's just civilized and a nice guy and you," she pointed at Vegita, "are overly suspicious. Who knows?" she shrugged. She didn't bother to restrain her hard, confident grin and began to climb off the ship with Annika. Goten and Trunks were waiting at the bottom to help them down. The ladies each took a young man by the arm.
"Lead on!" Acel said enthusiastically. "I'm starved!"
They were greeted with interest by the large group of people at what was presumably "Capsule Corp." There was some quiet grumbling from Chichi about uninvited guests, but when they offered to help she adamantly refused. "No! I'm sure you two are very tired. I'll give you a chance to rest before dinner. Believe me, you'll have to sprint to the table if you want to get anything."
The two women grinned, thinking of Vegita and his son, Trunks. Little did Chichi know that her new guests were very much used to competing with unbelievable appetites.
Soon they were all seated around a big table heaped with food. Vegita, Goku, Goten, Trunks, and a young man Goku introduced as Gohan all ate like, well…Saiya-jins. Chichi, a woman named Bulma, and Vegita's daughter, Bra, had more restrained appetites. Acel and Annika ate as elegantly as guests at a state dinner—a definite contrast to the males they shared the table with. Still, the food was gone in a surprisingly short amount of time. When everyone was finished, the two hostesses showed the newcomers to guest rooms.
"Really Chichi, Bulma, we could sleep on the ship. The cabins weren't hurt by the crash. We'd be just fine there. You've already fed us, you don't have to house us too!" Acel protested.
"No, I won't let you sleep on that ship. I simply won't hear of it. It's a pleasure to have you here, Captain Myst." Chichi was adamant, and firmly backed by Bulma. Acel already had the former pegged as a proud housewife. She'd put her money on Chichi having no career, keeping herself busy taking care of the house and feeding and bossing around her husband and sons. Still, she was glad she wouldn't be sleeping on the ship.
"Please, call me Acel. Well, all right. Thank you, Chichi, and you too, Bulma. But we need to go back to the ship and pick up a few things. Is that okay?"
Chichi positively glowed at having Acel ask her permission. "Of course. Here, I'll send Gohan with you to help."
Before they could protest, she was bellowing for her older son. "Gohan! Gohan! GOHAN!"
He ran into the room, frantic. "Yes Mom?" He obviously possessed a healthy fear of the consequences of angering his mother.
"Gohan, will you go help these two go get their things from their ship?"
"Um, sure Mom."
"Good." Chichi walked out with Bulma close behind, restraining a laugh.
The three they left behind exchanged looks and shrugged.
"You can stay here if you want," Acel said, almost laughing at the confusion on his face. "We don't really need any help."
"That's all right," Gohan said with the same charming grin as his father. "Besides, Mom would kill me if she found out I let you go alone."
"All right then," Annika said with a soft smile. "This way!"
Annika slipped into Acel's quarters alone. "What did you do with Gohan?" Acel asked.
"I got him interested in the main computer. It should keep him busy for a while." She grinned. "He is too cute!"
Acel grinned back. "I know. Anyway, what did you want to tell me?"
Annika's face got a little more serious. "I finally figured out those weird Saiya-jin signatures we picked up from space."
"Really? What are they?" Acel asked, intrigued.
"Half Saiya-jins."
"What? I thought Vegita and Trunks were our two Saiya-jins!" Acel's voice raised and grew a bit shrill. She couldn't have this mission ruined now! Not when home was so close….
"Shhhhh! Keep it down! Vegita is a Saiya-jin, but the second pure Saiya-jin is not his son! Besides, did it occur to you that Vegita has two children, but there is only one other Saiya-jin?"
Acel sighed in frustration, not wanting to admit her partner's point. "Well spit it out, Anni. Who's the other Saiya-jin?"
"You'll never believe this…."
"Annika!"
"It's Goku."
Acel gaped for a moment before finding her voice. "What? You're kidding me, right? He can't be a Saiya-jin! At least not one from Vegetasai! He's not…. I don't know! Vegetan enough!" Even as she said it, something stirred in Acel's memory...what was it Vegita had called Goku? Kakarrot! Goku is Kakarrot, the Super Saiya-jin that rumors have been flying around the space stations about?
"I know! I can't explain it either, but it's true. And so the other Saiya-jin power signatures are Trunks, Bra, Goten, and—"
"Me." Gohan walked in slowly. He stared at them for a moment. "I found something interesting on your computer and came looking for you," he explained.
The two women just stared at him. "Gohan…." Annika began hopelessly.
"What do you want with my dad?" he asked, coldly determined.
Acel saw clearly in the boy's firm protectiveness how much he cared for father and couldn't help but relent. "It's kind of a long story…. But I'll explain." She sighed and sat down. "Well, here goes confidentiality. Oh well. You might want to find a seat. This could take a while. Gohan, I want to explain to you that we don't want to hurt your father. Annika and I are part of a group of highly trained pilots and fighters. Our specialty is search missions. This is one such mission. It was unique in that it was intended to be both search and rescue and search and destroy.
"Of course, the people of our planet know about what happened to planet Vegetasai and the Saiya-jins of that planet. To be perfectly honest, I doubt there were many of my people who didn't sigh with relief that we didn't have to worry about Vegetans anymore. You see, there is nothing an Arelian is taught to hate more than a Vegetan. In any case, we lived on for years, blissfully unaware of any danger. Then came the rumors. Outsiders told us stories of Saiya-jins that survived the destruction of their home planet. As these rumors grew in number and credibility, we started to worry. That's where Annika and I come in.
"We were given Starchaser and sent to find these rumored Saiya-jins. We were told to find them, decide whether or not they were causing trouble, and solve the problem if they were. Then we could go home and report, with the Saiya-jins or their bodies along for the ride. We'd been flying aimlessly for months until we picked up Saiya-jin energy from this planet. So we started to land, but something went wrong, and you know the rest."
Gohan was still for a moment. When he spoke, it was quiet. "So, what are you going to do with him…and me?"
"I don't know," Acel admitted with a sigh. "You all seem so natural here. I mean, it's obvious Vegita's a Saiya-jin, but the rest of you seem to belong. You're definitely not causing trouble. In fact, according to Goten, both you and your father have saved this world on several occasions. I'm not going to hurt you, that's for certain, but I don't want to drag you all the way back to Areli either…."
Annika walked over and stood between Acel and Gohan, her back to the other woman. She put a hand on his shoulder. "Gohan, you must listen to me. You can't tell anyone this! Not your mother, not your father and not Vegita. Do you understand?"
He looked up at her, confused. "Why not? If you're not going to do anything…?"
Something strange flashed in Annika's eyes. "We don't know why we crashed. I think it was sabotage, but I have to figure out how and why. We don't what's going to happen next, so the truth needs to stay a secret. Do you understand me?" As he met her intense gaze, he noticed the strange reddish-brown color of her eyes. Why hadn't he noticed it before? Shaking off surprise, he answered.
"Yeah, I guess."
"Good." As though by magic, her gentle smile returned. "Well, I'm done packing. We'd better go before Chi-chi gets worried and sends a posse of Saiya-jins out looking for us. She left the room, beckoning for the others to follow. Acel got up and followed her, then turned around, looking at the waiting Gohan.
"Coming?" she asked, cocking her head inquiringly.
He shook his head slightly in confusion before looking up at her. "Yeah." He stood up slowly and walked out after the strangers.
Gohan sat on the edge of the roof, his legs dangling over the long drop to the ground. He sighed, wondering again about the two mysterious women sleeping in the house below him. Why did her people hate Saiya-jins so much? What were they going to do? The muscles in his back tensed as he sensed someone nearby. He turned sharply to see Acel sitting at his left.
"Hey Gohan. You look thoughtful."
Gohan jumped, almost falling off the edge of the roof. "Wha--what are you doing here?"
"Sorry. Is this private property?"
"N-no. You just startled me. How did you get there without me noticing?"
Acel grinned dryly. "Lots of practice."
Gohan sat silently for a moment, recovering his composure. Acel just stared up at the stars. Finally, the half-Saiya-jin spoke. "So, why did you come up here?"
Acel sighed. "When I can't sleep, or I'm thinking about something complicated, I look at the stars. It's soothing. At home, there's a big skylight right over my bed, so I don't even have to get up." She paused for a moment. "Is it hard to be a half-Saiya-jin in a world full of humans?"
Gohan looked at her in surprise, confused by the non sequitur and not seeing why she would ask such a thing. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, I'm curious."
"But why?"
Acel sighed. "I just am. I've wondered if it's hard--not fitting in and everything, I mean."
"Well, I mostly don't have too much trouble fitting in. I'm kind of a geek, but beyond that I don't get any special prejudice. Then again, not many people know I'm not human, so I couldn't really say."
Acel nodded understandingly. "I see." She looked at him and smiled. Not a witty or a teasing smile, not a confident grin—just a smile. It made her face look…softer. "Thanks for sharing your roof with me, Gohan."
Before he could respond, she was gone.