Chapter Two: New Arrivals
Acel grinned. "Annika! I did it! Starchaser's sensors are up!" she called over the intercom.
Annika ran from the engine room up to the bridge. In spite of her rush, by the time she reached Acel, her friend was already scanning Starchaser's damage reports.
"Anything really horrible that'll take weeks to repair or possibly require having parts sent to us from Areli?" she asked, grinning just as broadly as Acel.
"Of course not," the Captain replied. "You and your team did your job well with this one, Anni."
Annika blushed. "Acel, it's not my team and you know it."
"Maybe not yet, but everyone knows they'll put you in charge when old Sensi retires."
"I hope that's not for a long time," she said sincerely, bending over a console.
"Yeah, he's a genius. But then again," she grinned devilishly, "who knows what you've got waiting in the wings, Annika."
Annika stood up straight and turned to face her best friend, slightly exasperated. "I'm telling you, Acel, I'm nothing compared to him. Look around! We're standing in the most advanced ship Areli has ever seen! This was his idea, his special project, his baby. All the rest of the design team and I did was execute his plans. This ship isn't my creation, I'm just baby-sitting. Now Daddy's little girl fell and scraped her knee. I don't know what I'll tell him, but I plan to do the best first aid job I can before I take her home. So I'm going back to the engine room to get back to work." She smiled at Acel and walked away. Acel watched after Annika for a minute, still bemused by her passion for her ship and her mentor.
Just as she turned back to the computer screen, a voice called from the hatch.
"Knock, knock!"
Acel smiled. "Come in!"
"Where are you?" the voice asked, sounding confused.
"Bridge. Immediate left from the hatch. Follow the hallway. At the end of the hallway, you have to turn right. Walk along that corridor. Second door on the left."
While she waited, Acel began organizing the problems, making a mental list of priority. In a few minutes, Gohan stuck his head through the door.
"Hey Acel."
"Hey Gohan." She turned around and smiled pleasantly. She gestured expansively at the bridge. "Welcome to my office. Can I help you?"
Gohan walked into the room with a grin. "Actually, I was wondering if I could help you. Anything you need a hand with?"
"Hmmm. I'm not sure. You could go down to the engine room and see if Annika needs a helper. I'm playing with the computers just now."
"Oh! I almost forgot. When I was looking at your computers the other day, I found-"
"Woman? Where are you?" bellowed a new voice from the hatch.
Gohan and Acel looked at each other. "Vegita," they said in unison.
"I will not have someone that destructive on my bridge," Acel said firmly. "Come on, let's meet him at the door." She turned and pushed the intercom button next to the pilot's chair. "Annika, we've got company, and possibly trouble. The gracious Prince is bellowing at our door."
"All right. I'll wipe the grease off my hands and hurry up to meet you guys."
Acel walked to the exit from the bridge and beckoned for Gohan to follow her.
Vegita, never precisely cheerful, was obviously in a fouler mood than usual. He paced back and forth in front of the ship, muttering unpleasant things under his breath.
Acel grinned at him, leaning against the side of the hatch. "Problems, Vegita?" she asked smoothly.
Vegita's eyes snapped up to her. "I presume this has something to do with you?" he demanded, pointing up at a bright streak in the sky.
Acel said something sharply that neither Saiya-jin could understand and ran back into the ship.
After checking the sensors, Acel ran back out and leaped into the air, speeding off in the direction of the hurtling object. Annika, who had just arrived at the hatch, glanced around and took off after her. After a few seconds of hesitation, Gohan and Vegita took to the air as well.
The two strangers were surprisingly fast, and by the time the Earthlings caught up with them, they had already landed and were staring at a ship. The men found themselves staring too as the hatch opened and an obviously irate woman climbed out, tail lashing in irritation, followed by two men. As Vegita and Gohan looked at each other in shock, the unsaid word vibrated clearly in the air. Saiya-jins!
Annika and Acel stared at the ship, its Arelian markings standing out clearly against the glossy metallic sheen of the hull. Annika gasped as a familiar figure climbed out of the hatch; long, flame red hair cascading down her back, tail thrashing viciously, cursing in their native tongue.
"What the hell did you think you were doing? I told you to LAND my ship, not CRASH it, idiot!" the woman ranted.
She was followed by a figure that took Acel's breath away. A very familiar voice replied to the redhead's commentary, in a tone that told Acel he was smiling wryly. "And I told you, I'm a warrior, not a pilot. I had no idea what the hell I was doing!"
The third figure to climb out of the ship chuckled. "That's probably true. He doesn't know how to do much besides break things and be charming."
The three climbed to the ground, and Acel and Annika snapped out of their shock.
Annika charged toward them, crying out as she ran. "Takarra! Jago!" She jumped onto two of the figures, the first and the third, an arm around each.
The figure that had come out of the ship second locked eyes with Acel, smiled, and opened his arms. Acel grinned and ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him. "Kaji! What are you doing here? And Jago, and Takarra too?"
Kaji grinned. "I missed you too."
Acel blushed a little. "Well, of course I missed you, Kaji." She kissed him again, a long, deep, lingering kiss that left no doubt as to her feelings. She pulled back and put her hands on his chest. "There. Now tell me what's going on!"
Kaji laughed. "Yes, milady." He paused, looking concerned. "I felt you call out to me...you seemed like you were in trouble. So I convinced Jago we needed to come find you ladies, and we together convinced Takarra. Takarra convinced Sensi to let us use that new technology...the instant transporter he's been working on. It took some doing, but he eventually agreed the situation warranted a field test." He half smiled. "The good news is, the device works. The bad news is, in spite of all your attempts to teach me, I still can't fly a ship, much less land one."
Acel laughed. "Why did Takarra let you fly her ship anyway?"
Kaji shrugged. "There was a problem in the engine room. I guess she was desperate."
"She must have been."
"I was, believe me," a familiar voice said sardonically from behind Kaji. Acel looked over his shoulder and faced the redhead who had climbed out of the ship first.
She slid around her lover and hugged the woman. "Takarra! How nice of you to drop in."
"Well, I had to make sure my baby sister wasn't getting you into trouble...or vice versa," Takarra said teasingly, gesturing over at Annika, who was chatting in a romantic fashion with Jago, who looked utterly enthusiastic to be with her.
"Question is, did you keep my baby brother out of trouble?" Acel asked, raising one eyebrow.
"I tried...but then, he is a Myst. There was only so much I can do," Takarra replied, grinning.
"Friends of yours?" a rough voice asked sarcastically. Acel spun around to face Vegita.
"As a matter of fact, Vegita, they are. This is Captain Takarra Nyte, sister to Annika and also a pilot for the Arelian Fleet. That," she continued, pointing at a tall man with longish, dark hair pulled back in a low ponytail and dark eyes, "is Kaji Draken, an officer of the Special Forces of the Arelian Army. And last and certainly least, that," she gestured to a young looking man with short, messy dark hair and large, expressive brown eyes, "is Jago Myst, my little brother."
Vegita stared superiorly at the group, still in various stages of affectionate greeting. He turned an icy glare on Acel. "You didn't tell me you were Saiya-jins."
Acel struggled to keep the expression of dismay off of her face. She glanced sharply around at the newcomers. They all should know the importance of discretion--they should have their tails carefully hidden and their kis concealed. Takarra, realization hitting her face, quickly hid her tail behind her back, buried under her bright red hair. She'd been so angry before she'd forgotten the importance of hiding her true nature on a strange planet.
The redhead did her best to look surprised and confused. "Saiya-jins? What are Saiya-jins?"
Vegita crossed his arms and glared at her, disbelief and disgust plain on his face.
Takarra sighed in irritation. "Fine. So what if I am a Saiya-jin? And how the hell do you know what a Saiya-jin is anyway?"
Acel, having failed to interrupt Takarra in time, sighed in resignation and disgust. Trust Takarra to be unfailingly blunt. Ah well. I guess this deception is over...may as well clear this up. Acel sighed once more and gave Takarra a disparaging look. "Takarra, darling, allow me to introduce you to Vegita." The meaningful look she gave her friend as she spoke reinforced the fact that yes, this was THE Vegita.
Takarra turned and stared at him, shocked. This is Vegita? Vegita, prince of Vegetasai? It could be.... The longer she stared at him, the more plausible it seemed. There was a definite physical resemblance between him and the former Saiya-jin rulers. He also had enough power...not to mention the arrogance that was evident in his tone and body language. Well I'll be damned, it is him!
Vegita smirked in anticipation. The new arrivals all bore expressions of shock--obviously they didn't know their prince had survived the destruction of Vegetasai. The redhead seemed especially stunned. He waited for them to bow.
Takarra was the first of the newcomers to snap out of her revere. She glared around at her companions. "What are you all staring at? This is Vegita, prince of all Saiya-jins! We should be honored!" Vegita smirked confidently and the others stared at her in shock. Takarra continued. "We are the first of our people to meet him, to have the chance to greet him as all true Saiya-jin warriors should!" Vegita's grin widened. Takarra's reverent expression altered to a confident, wicked smirk as she spit at Vegita's feet.
Vegita stared uncomprehendingly at the ground before him. After long moments, an expression of rage spread across his face and his eyes snapped up to Takarra. She stood, clearly confident, a broad, mocking smirk on her face. Most of the others looked shocked, though Takarra's companions were clearly more than a little amused. The prince snarled in rage and lunged toward the cocky female, only to be caught and held back by Gohan.
"Let me go boy!" he roared fiercely.
"No. Vegita, calm down."
"I will not calm down! I intend to make that bitch pay!"
Takarra's smirk grew. "Go ahead. Let him try."
"No. Takarra, that's enough. Kaji, help me get her back on the ship," Acel directed, looking sternly at Takarra. She turned and faced the ship the redhead and the others had arrived on, only to sigh in resignation. "Come on, Takarra, let's get you to Starchaser."
Gohan struggled to hold Vegita still. "Uh, question. Wouldn't it be easier just to put her on this one?" Vegita lashed brutally at the half-Saiya-jin with his tail. "And quickly?" Gohan added, a touch of pleading in his voice.
Acel stared at Takarra in a mixture of disgust, frustration, and respect. "We could put her on this one, but we could never keep her there. This is Midnyte, Takarra's personal ship. She built every inch of it herself. There are more tricks and escape routes on this thing than you can imagine. Sometimes I think even Tak can't possibly remember them all."
Takarra grinned wickedly, pride clear on her face. "Of course I can remember them all. It's just that no one else can. That's the beauty of it."
Acel glared at Takarra and spoke to her rapidly in a language that neither Vegita nor Gohan understood. Vegita stopped struggling in his effort to understand. Strange... he thought. It sounds like Saiya-jin, but it's not. There was also something different about the sound--too smooth and fluid to be the coarse, heavy common Saiya-jin tongue. It was more like the elegant high language spoken at court…but there were differences….
Takarra let Acel go on for a while before nodding. Acel said something sharply, and Takarra stared at her and replied in their native dialect.
"No! I refuse to apologize to that ridiculous, idiotic, inconsiderate, thin-blooded, weakling excuse for a Saiya-jin prince!"
"Takarra, you will apologize, and you will treat him with respect."
Takarra growled. "Don't make me pull rank on you, Acel...."
"Sorry Princess, but this is my mission you walked in on. That puts you under my jurisdiction unless you have orders stating otherwise from the king. Do you?"
The royal Saiya-jin's expression showed the answer clearly.
"Thought not. Now apologize. I will not make you bow to him, but you will give him the respect due a fellow Saiya-jin warrior."
"Even if he deserved to be called a Saiya-jin warrior, which he doesn't, I wouldn't owe him any more respect. I've treated honorable warriors much worse than I just treated him." The way she stressed the word honorable made it clear she thought Vegita was the absolute opposite.
"I said the respect due a Saiya-jin warrior, not the respect you give them. Apologize, or I swear, I will have you charged with insubordination and mutiny."
"Then I'll have you charged with treason. I am not apologizing."
"By coming on a military mission you put yourself under military command--my command. Besides, I can't be charged with treason for acting in your best interests, Takarra. And I'm just so worried that you'll come to harm if you don't apologize." Acel's voice was heavy with sarcasm, and she purposely didn't say who exactly would harm Takarra if she failed to apologize.
Takarra growled. The annoying thing about the situation was, Acel was right. Takarra hated it when Acel was right. Finally she sighed, pulled away from Acel, and walked back to the still restrained Vegita. She nodded, making the gesture slightly mocking, and said, "That was rude of me. I shouldn't have done it." Takarra added something in her native dialect, turned, and walked toward Midnyte, throwing a glare over at Acel. That was the closest the stubborn pilot was going to get to an apology, so she would just have to deal with it.
Acel nodded wearily to Takarra. That was better than she had expected, even with the comment at the end. Tak had said, "But I did, so deal with it." What is it about Saiya-jin royals that makes dealing with them like plucking tail hairs? she wondered. All of them. Vegetan and Arelian both, as just proven. Acel shook her head and gestured at Gohan to release Vegita. The Saiya-jin prince glared at the ship Takarra had disappeared into, then took off into the air.
"He's not going to get over that in a hurry," Gohan said softly. "And he'll never forget it."
"I know," Acel sighed. "And Takarra's going to angry at me for a while, too." The thought upset her. As irritating as Takarra could be, Acel genuinely liked her. Besides, Takarra specialized in making life hell for those she didn't like at the moment. Acel felt warm, comforting arms wrap around her from behind. Surprised, she turned and looked, only then remembering that Kaji had been there. She leaned back against him, taking comfort in his strength. She looked up at him, conjuring a half smile from somewhere. "Well, my life's ruined for a while. Mind if I borrow yours?"
Kaji smiled down at her, that warm, charming grin that made her feel that everything was going to be okay. "Of course. Anytime." He leaned down and kissed her gently, tenderly…then more passionately….
They were interrupted by a loud throat clearing. Acel identified the source as Annika. The brunette looked speculatively at her copilot, who usually didn't mind such shows of affection. Annika gestured over to Gohan, who was blushing with typical human modesty. Acel resisted the urge to laugh. She decided to get the others interested in something else.
"So everybody, did I introduce you all to Gohan? He's the eldest son of Kakarrot."
Instantly Gohan was the center of attention. He didn't seem to like it much, but he wasn't left out or blushing, so Acel decided he would be fine. She took a few moments to regain her composure, then jumped in to rescue Gohan.
"Okay guys, that's enough. Give him a break. Come with me and I'll introduce you to his father." She glanced over at Annika. "Anni, could you...?"
Annika caught her unspoken request and nodded. "Sure. Tak and I will meet you there."
Acel smiled gratefully. "Thanks." She turned back to the others. "All right folks, follow me!" Acel jumped into the air and headed for Capsule Corp, with the others close behind her.