Chapter 2: The Fallout
"I suppose this is good-bye then isn't it?" Bardock said quietly as he looked over the capital city one last time. "Tomorrow we're going back to Earth." He sighed.
"You know you don't have to come back Dad." Goku chirped happily. "I know that you grew up with Saiyans all your life and being on Earth you feel out of place. I can't imagine why Vegeta's going back..."
"This place brings back painful memories for us both." He whispered back. "You've lied a good life and all you see is goodness." He put a hand on his son's back. "But when I stand here I see all the faces of my friends I couldn't save. All I feel is pain and guilt. I guess Vegeta sees all of us he had to turn his back on in order to gain power to challenge Frieza. But I don't suppose we'll ever know for sure."
---------- ---------- ----------
"Congratulations it's a girl!" The doctor beamed as he held up the new born baby.
"That's it Vegeta I'm done having kids!" Bulma sighed as she took the little girl in her arms.
"That's fine Bulma. I've got what I wanted now." Vegeta smiled as the little girl smiled back at him and grasped at him. He put a finger in her reach and she latched on.
"I'm glad." Bulma smiled. "We're not going to let this one out of our sight. And we're going to take good care of her aren't we?" She looked up at Vegeta who had a dark look on his face.
"And no training or fighting. If she doesn't fight, she can't get hurt." He looked down at her gravely. "And no telling her about Kaykora... I don't want stories about her big sister giving her any ideas. And I'll personally make sure none of those bakas say anything either..."
"If that's what you want Vegeta, that's fine by me." Bulma responded in a mixture of confusion and sadness.
---------- ---------- ----------
"Brolli, Pallas, I want you two to be my Ministers of the state for the planet Aria." Dalina said eloquently. "Please accept." She smiled. Pallas looked at Brolli who was looking at her. They both nodded in agreement.
"Sure we'd love to do it." Pallas responded with a smile.
"Good I already had a residence built for whoever took the position. You can move in as soon as you'd like."
Brolli and Pallas set about packing up their house for the move. Pallas unearthed a book buried in the closet and took it out to read it.
"I finally transformed today with the help of a beautiful soul named Brolli. Ever since I came to Archenakia, he has been nothing but nice to me. Many people fear him because of his massive tremendous strength but in my heart I can feel that he has much goodness in him. But also much pain. I only hope I can get to know him better and help him overcome that obstacle as he helped me overcome mine. We're together in this fight now and nothing can change that. Who knows maybe one day we'll get married."
"What are you reading?" Brolli asked as he came and stood behind her.
"Oh an old journal I started writing right after I met you." She smiled. "Just more memories of why I love you so much." She got up and gave him a kiss before walking off.
"Well I love you too!" He beamed into the room she had gone into. "How about we make it official?"
"Huh?" Pallas looked at him funny.
"Pallas will you marry me? I've had this ring for a long time now and I just didn't have the nerve to ask you. But now seems like as good a time as any." He pulled a ring out from a drawer on his side of the bed. "I never felt complete until the day you hugged me when you went Super. I knew then I wanted to be with you always." He took the ring out and tried to slide it on her finger. They both started laughing. "I see you've gotten stronger and you're fingers are a bit bigger."
"It's all right. Of course I'll marry you!" Pallas was fighting back happy tears.
---------- ---------- ----------
Chichi sat out on a bench under a tree beside her house staring up at the stars. Goten walked out and sat down next to her. "What's wrong Mom?"
"Your father has been gone for months now and I'm going to kill him when he gets back." She sighed. "I miss him so much and it seems I've seen him less time than he's spent doing one thing or another. Now he's off training that kid Uubu and he's been gone for months now..."
"Mom that's just part of who Dad is I guess. It's part of what he is." Goten soothed.
"WELL HE'D BETTER PLAN ON CHANGING SOMETIME BEFORE I DIE!" She screeched lunging up and pulling the frying pan of doom out from some unseen location. "Or I'll hunt him down..." Her eyes narrowed and a vaguely evil look swept across her face. Goten inched away then took off running.
"I'm spending the night at Trunks's house!" He called as he flew off.
---------- ---------- ----------
"Say Elsie! Yeah it's Pallas how are you?" Pallas beamed as Elsie's face popped up on the videophone.
"Hi Pallas! I'm great how's everything over there?" Elsie replied happy and excited.
"Wonderful but see I need you and Carlia's help. Brolli and I are going on a 6-month trip around the planet to settle some problems and disputes. We were wondering if you and Carlia would be interested in sitting for Starfire and Parago our twins." Pallas said cheerfully.
"Well I'll have to talk to my Mom and Dad but I don't see why not. Just give me one second."
"We'll pay you well!" Pallas called out right before Elsie got up to talk to her parents.
"They said it's fine as long as someone is going to be there. Like an adult." Elsie replied with a smile.
"Wonderful! Aarian and her husband, oh what is his name... Anyways they live right next door and she promised to check up on anything and take care of whatever you might need. How soon do you think you can be ready?"
"Probably about 3 hours or so." Elsie said after a moment of thought.
"Great I'll reserve your ticket on the evening flight over and we'll pick you and Carlia up at the docks." Pallas said a bit relieved.
"Cool. I'm really looking forward to it." Elsie chirped excitedly. "See ya then! Bye!"
"Bye." They hung up and Pallas called up the interplanetary airlines. Within hours Elsie and Carlia were relaxing by the pool at the Minister's Mansion with the 9-year-olds.
Starfire was a smart, quite but powerful little girl who enjoyed sparring with her brother and sitters as much as she liked reading. The first month of her parents' absence flew by like a spring breeze full of ice cream and fun she didn't always get to have.
Parago seemed to be stronger than Starfire and far more interested in training and sparring with Aarian and her husband than anything else. He was very disciplined and had learned many of Aarian's mental techniques.
"Hurry up Elsie or they're going to come home before we're ready!" Carlia screeched as they frantically tried to finish setting up party decorations.
"Can't we call their friend's house and have them stall or something?"
"We've already had them stall for two hours! Now we only have 15 minutes!"
"There that's everything... I think..." Elsie sighed just as a hover car pulled up in front of the mansion.
"Think they'll be surprised?"
"After all this, I hope so!"
"I suppose this is good-bye then isn't it?" Bardock said quietly as he looked over the capital city one last time. "Tomorrow we're going back to Earth." He sighed.
"You know you don't have to come back Dad." Goku chirped happily. "I know that you grew up with Saiyans all your life and being on Earth you feel out of place. I can't imagine why Vegeta's going back..."
"This place brings back painful memories for us both." He whispered back. "You've lied a good life and all you see is goodness." He put a hand on his son's back. "But when I stand here I see all the faces of my friends I couldn't save. All I feel is pain and guilt. I guess Vegeta sees all of us he had to turn his back on in order to gain power to challenge Frieza. But I don't suppose we'll ever know for sure."
---------- ---------- ----------
"Congratulations it's a girl!" The doctor beamed as he held up the new born baby.
"That's it Vegeta I'm done having kids!" Bulma sighed as she took the little girl in her arms.
"That's fine Bulma. I've got what I wanted now." Vegeta smiled as the little girl smiled back at him and grasped at him. He put a finger in her reach and she latched on.
"I'm glad." Bulma smiled. "We're not going to let this one out of our sight. And we're going to take good care of her aren't we?" She looked up at Vegeta who had a dark look on his face.
"And no training or fighting. If she doesn't fight, she can't get hurt." He looked down at her gravely. "And no telling her about Kaykora... I don't want stories about her big sister giving her any ideas. And I'll personally make sure none of those bakas say anything either..."
"If that's what you want Vegeta, that's fine by me." Bulma responded in a mixture of confusion and sadness.
---------- ---------- ----------
"Brolli, Pallas, I want you two to be my Ministers of the state for the planet Aria." Dalina said eloquently. "Please accept." She smiled. Pallas looked at Brolli who was looking at her. They both nodded in agreement.
"Sure we'd love to do it." Pallas responded with a smile.
"Good I already had a residence built for whoever took the position. You can move in as soon as you'd like."
Brolli and Pallas set about packing up their house for the move. Pallas unearthed a book buried in the closet and took it out to read it.
"I finally transformed today with the help of a beautiful soul named Brolli. Ever since I came to Archenakia, he has been nothing but nice to me. Many people fear him because of his massive tremendous strength but in my heart I can feel that he has much goodness in him. But also much pain. I only hope I can get to know him better and help him overcome that obstacle as he helped me overcome mine. We're together in this fight now and nothing can change that. Who knows maybe one day we'll get married."
"What are you reading?" Brolli asked as he came and stood behind her.
"Oh an old journal I started writing right after I met you." She smiled. "Just more memories of why I love you so much." She got up and gave him a kiss before walking off.
"Well I love you too!" He beamed into the room she had gone into. "How about we make it official?"
"Huh?" Pallas looked at him funny.
"Pallas will you marry me? I've had this ring for a long time now and I just didn't have the nerve to ask you. But now seems like as good a time as any." He pulled a ring out from a drawer on his side of the bed. "I never felt complete until the day you hugged me when you went Super. I knew then I wanted to be with you always." He took the ring out and tried to slide it on her finger. They both started laughing. "I see you've gotten stronger and you're fingers are a bit bigger."
"It's all right. Of course I'll marry you!" Pallas was fighting back happy tears.
---------- ---------- ----------
Chichi sat out on a bench under a tree beside her house staring up at the stars. Goten walked out and sat down next to her. "What's wrong Mom?"
"Your father has been gone for months now and I'm going to kill him when he gets back." She sighed. "I miss him so much and it seems I've seen him less time than he's spent doing one thing or another. Now he's off training that kid Uubu and he's been gone for months now..."
"Mom that's just part of who Dad is I guess. It's part of what he is." Goten soothed.
"WELL HE'D BETTER PLAN ON CHANGING SOMETIME BEFORE I DIE!" She screeched lunging up and pulling the frying pan of doom out from some unseen location. "Or I'll hunt him down..." Her eyes narrowed and a vaguely evil look swept across her face. Goten inched away then took off running.
"I'm spending the night at Trunks's house!" He called as he flew off.
---------- ---------- ----------
"Say Elsie! Yeah it's Pallas how are you?" Pallas beamed as Elsie's face popped up on the videophone.
"Hi Pallas! I'm great how's everything over there?" Elsie replied happy and excited.
"Wonderful but see I need you and Carlia's help. Brolli and I are going on a 6-month trip around the planet to settle some problems and disputes. We were wondering if you and Carlia would be interested in sitting for Starfire and Parago our twins." Pallas said cheerfully.
"Well I'll have to talk to my Mom and Dad but I don't see why not. Just give me one second."
"We'll pay you well!" Pallas called out right before Elsie got up to talk to her parents.
"They said it's fine as long as someone is going to be there. Like an adult." Elsie replied with a smile.
"Wonderful! Aarian and her husband, oh what is his name... Anyways they live right next door and she promised to check up on anything and take care of whatever you might need. How soon do you think you can be ready?"
"Probably about 3 hours or so." Elsie said after a moment of thought.
"Great I'll reserve your ticket on the evening flight over and we'll pick you and Carlia up at the docks." Pallas said a bit relieved.
"Cool. I'm really looking forward to it." Elsie chirped excitedly. "See ya then! Bye!"
"Bye." They hung up and Pallas called up the interplanetary airlines. Within hours Elsie and Carlia were relaxing by the pool at the Minister's Mansion with the 9-year-olds.
Starfire was a smart, quite but powerful little girl who enjoyed sparring with her brother and sitters as much as she liked reading. The first month of her parents' absence flew by like a spring breeze full of ice cream and fun she didn't always get to have.
Parago seemed to be stronger than Starfire and far more interested in training and sparring with Aarian and her husband than anything else. He was very disciplined and had learned many of Aarian's mental techniques.
"Hurry up Elsie or they're going to come home before we're ready!" Carlia screeched as they frantically tried to finish setting up party decorations.
"Can't we call their friend's house and have them stall or something?"
"We've already had them stall for two hours! Now we only have 15 minutes!"
"There that's everything... I think..." Elsie sighed just as a hover car pulled up in front of the mansion.
"Think they'll be surprised?"
"After all this, I hope so!"