A Tail To Remember
by Gie: phowahcs.com


Chapter Seventeen: The Difference Between Dream and Reality

Vejiita's face was set in a firm scowl as he opened the
balcony doors that led to the suite of rooms he shared with his
mate. She had called out mentally to him; that was the reason he
had stopped suddenly in the air. And true to Bulma's character, she
had practically screamed his name in his mind. He had tried to talk
back to her--but received no response to his summons.

As he burst into the room where his mate was, thinking that
Friiezer had come back from hell to exact his revenge against the
dark Prince, his battle cry was caught in his throat when he saw that
his baka mate was just fine.

In fact, she was sleeping.

Bulma was curled up in a tight ball in the center of the bed,
shivering. All of the fancy, and to him, frivolous and unnecessary,
blankets and pillows that adorned the bed during the day were lying
on the floor. As they were every morning. That was one thing the
two of them had in common. Both of them were thrashers. It was a
good thing Bulma had such a large bed--otherwise one of the mated
pair, most likely the Onna, would end up on the floor every night.
But every morning, they awoke to the sight of the other; for they
always started the morning in each other's arms.

Vejiita glanced at the small form; she looked dwarved
compared to the extreme size of the bed. He gathered up the
blankets and pillows; after placing them on the bed he noiselessly
stripped and climbed into bed with her, circling himself around her
shivering frame. After all, he hadn't slept since she had woken him
up the night before to tell him she was leaving.

In response to the familiar body heat, Bulma stopped
shivering and relaxed her body from the tight ball she had wrapped
herself in, melting her frame to the well-muscled one of her mate.
Vejiita buried his nose within her hair and finally let his heavy
eyelids close and his mind to fall into dreamless slumber.

But this peaceful state would not last long.

Vejiita's eyelids were torn open by a scream from the female
he cradled in his arms that rattled his ears. He was about to grab a
pillow and a blanket and find quieter places to rest, but a nagging
feeling kept him where he was. He watched as she tossed back and
forth, her head shaking from side to side. In a fit of compassion he
reached out and shook her, trying to break her from the nightmare's
grip.

"Onna, wake up." He received no verbal response, only a
splattering of raw emotion through their Link.

He shook harder. "Onna. Wake up!"

This time, he received a response. Bulma sat up, sweat
pouring off her brow, gasping hard. Vejiita thought he was going to
get an answer, but Bulma fell back to the bed, eyes still closed,
sleeping.

He growled low in exasperation. As he reached out once more
to try and wake her, she surprised him and sat up, and looked
around. "Finally, Onna. I thought you'd never wake up." Vejiita
pulled the covers around himself and closed his eyes once again.

"Where am I?"

Vejiita cracked open an eye and glared at his mate. "You are
in bed. Now lay down or get up. But shut up."

"Why is it so dark?"

"It isn't as dark as it going to get if you don't be quiet while I
try to sleep!"

Bulma tentatively reached out a hand. "Where'd the mall go?
Where are you, Seiika-chan?"

Vejiita opened both of his eyes and sat up. "Nani? What in
the hell are you talking about, Onna?" He stared into his mate's
face. Her eyes were glazed over, and their attention seemed to be
somewhere else. He raised a hand in front of her face and waved it
back and forth. It did not give him the desired reaction, but
answered his question.

She was still asleep.

Vejiita swore under his breath. He knew what was happening.
She was having another one of those prophetic dreams. His eyes
widened slightly. She mentioned Seiika!

"Seiika-chan? Where are you? Where are we? Why is it so
cold?"

Vejiita held onto Bulma's arms "Onna! What's going on?"

Bulma ignored the external summons. "Why can't I move?"
Her voice began to raise in pitch. "Why can't I move? Oh, Kami!
Seiika-chan! Where are you?" She thrashed back in forth in
Vejiita's grip, futile in her efforts to escape whatever was holding
her in her dream. Vejiita watched her, a fascinated look of dread
moving over his features.

She slumped in his grip, defeated. "We shouldn't have
gone...oh, Seiika-chan...it's all my fault." Her head snapped up, and
she wildly looked around. "Trunks? Trunks-chan? Where are you?"

Vejiita scowled. Was that gaki with her when this happened?
Why didn't he protect her?

"Trunks-chan? Where are you, baby? Where's my baby!
Trunks!" She screamed out his name and fell back, silent.

Vejiita still held Bulma's arms in his grip, otherwise she would
have fallen back onto the bed. Baby? That meant that Bulma had
given birth to the brat. So this dream--these events happen at
least six months in the future.

He slowly let go of her arms, letting her fall back onto the
bed. The images that Bulma's dream produced were unsettling.
Something was going to happen after Bulma gives birth to the gaki.
Something to her and Seiika. He needed to know what.

Reaching out, Vejiita shook Bulma none too gently. "Onna,
wake up! Bulma!"

Finally, Bulma slowly blinked open her watery blue eyes, only
to meet deep pools of black staring her down. "Vejiita? What's
going on?" She sat up and blinked a few times, looking around.
"What time is it?"

He shook his head, impatient. "Never mind that. What did
you dream about?"

Bulma's face twisted in confusion. "Dream? What do you
mean?"

Vejiita sighed. "Onna, you had another one of those dreams.
You woke me up with your screaming. You were with Seiika, and
something happened."

Bulma's eyes were wide in fear. She nodded, swallowing hard.
"Hai. We were at the mall shopping." She closed her eyes, picturing
the details of the dream. She shuddered as the memories came
flooding back to her.

"We were shopping at the mall; it's quite a few months into
the future, because we were pushing Tobuma and Trunks in
strollers." A ghost of a smile turned at her lips, seeing the images
of the infants.

Vejiita grunted, getting her attention back to the content of
the dream. "Hai. We were shopping and all of a sudden, a mob of
people started to run in the opposite way we were walking. Seiika
and I got separated in the mass of bodies, but we found each other
after the crowd thinned out. But people started to drop to the
ground all around us, writhing in pain. I knelt next to one..." She
trailed off, the faraway look in her eyes snapping off. She let out a
choked sob and covered her face with her hands.

Vejiita moved closer to her, prying her fingers away so he
could look at her in the face. "What happened, Bulma?" He spoke
quietly, urging her to continue. He had a feeling of what was
happening, but needed to know the details of what she saw.

She swallowed hard, and looked into the fierce gaze of her
mate. "I knelt next to one; it was just a teenager, and he looked so
scared...He reached out a hand to me and when I was going to help
him up, he shrieked and the hand started to change into claws. His
body rippled, and new legs burst through his sides. I screamed
almost as loud as him, and backed away. I ran into something, and
when I turned around..." Bulma's eyes closed tight when the tears
threatened to overflow.

Vejiita sighed and nodded. "Hachi. They were being attacked
by the Hachi."

Bulma nodded, wiping away the trails of tears that ran down
her raw cheeks. "That boy turned into a Drone right in front of my
eyes."

"Where was Seiika?"

She hung her head slightly, staring at the blanket that
covered her legs. She began to pick at the fuzzballs with her
still-bandaged fingers. "She was behind me. I saw her when I
turned around. She had gone Super Saiya-jiin, and was fighting with
a horde of those bee-Drone-things. But they looked--different, I
guess." She raised her head and stared at Vejiita. "You defeated all
of the Hachi Drones out there, right?"

He nodded. "All twenty are gone. Plus the Humans that were
assimilated already."

Bulma's expression was unreadable. "Describe the Drones to
me."

"They are about six feet tall, elongated bodies, four legs, two
arms, clawed hands, antennae, black and white striped. They each
carried four assimilation discs."

Bulma nodded. "Hai. That's what they looked like in my first
dream. But these were different. These were black and green
striped, and had a tuft of purple hair on their heads. Trunks and
Tobuma said that they can't use ki unless they have the discs,
right?" Vejiita nodded. Bulma turned and faced her Prince directly,
placing her hands on his arms. She spoke directly into his face, eyes
locked with eyes. "These were using ki. They had no discs. And
they were deflecting the ki that Seiika shot at them with shields on
their arms."

Vejiita looked skeptical. "Were they deflecting Seiika's ki,
and shooting it back out of their hands, or was it ki produced by the
Drones?"

Bulma nodded her head. "The ki that Seiika shot was being
deflected by the shields, and bouncing off in different directions.
You could track where it went. The ki that the Drones used was
their own--it had a green tint to it, and I could see it originate from
their hands." She collapsed onto his chest, wrapping her arms
around his frame. She shook with deep sobs. "They took her. I
watched as they froze her into place, and they picked her up and
took her away. I sceamed at them, but they didn't turn around. I
started to run after them, and all of a sudden, my feet weren't on
the ground anymore, and I couldn't move."

"One of the Drones got you, too?" Vejiita's arms came around
her and held her tight, as if he was keeping her safe from the
Drones.

Bulma squeezed tighter. "H..Hai. Trunks started to scream
in my arms, but I couldn't quiet him down, because I couldn't move.
Then everything went black. I woke up in a dark room, alone." She
looked up into Vejiita's face. "That's where I woke-woke up."

He nodded. "You started talking out loud when you 'woke up'
in the dark." Worry and slight fear made him unconsciously grip her
tighter. He sighed and buried his face in her hair. "What am I
going to do with you, Onna?"

Bulma didn't answer. She couldn't, because she didn't have an
answer for him.

Silence coated the room and its occupants for several
minutes, until Bulma reached out and gripped her mate's chin with
her teeth. "Aishiteru, Otoko."

Vejiita just grunted and buried his nose deeper into her hair.

Bulma sighed quietly and stared off into space, her cheek
resting on his shoulder. "Were the Drones difficult? Did you have
any problems?"

She felt Vejiita head shake slightly and a grunt. "Iie, Onna.
They are fairly easy to take care of, if you don't use ki to attack
them until they are disarmed of the assimilation discs."

Bulma nodded. "Did you find Yamucha?" She was met with
silence from the male next to her. She sat up, and made him look
into her face. "Well? Did you, or didn't you? I know you don't like
him," she swatted his chest when he rolled his eyes at her, "but he
is still my friend, and I am worried about him."

"Onna," Vejiita sighed loudly. The sooner he got this over
with, the better. He just hoped his ears can handle her close
proximity. "The scarred Human and the Triclops were assimilated."

Bulma blinked at him, not believing what she had heard.
"Nani?"

Vejiita just nodded. "When Kakarotto found him, it was too
late. And the Triclops flew into a paralysis beam."

Bulma's hands flew up to her mouth, and she shook her head
wildly. "Nani? Yamucha and Tien are gone? Assimilated?" She fell
into Vejiita's chest, bawling. Large, heart-wrenching tears spilled
down her already-raw cheeks and soaked the shirt Vejiita was
wearing.

His expression turned into one of pain. His ears would be
ringing for hours. He buried her face into his chest to muffle the
piercing sounds that sprang from her grief. "Onna, be quiet! You're
killing my ears. They aren't lost for good. Kakarotto will wish them
back with the Dragon Balls when we defeat the Hachi, along with all
of the Human Drones that were disposed of today. And will be
disposed."

The wails quieted down to whimpers. A muffled, "Really?"
came from the blue-haired genius. He sighed and nodded, rubbing
her hair in comfort. Soon, she whimpers ceased and she sat up,
wiping away the salty tears.

Vejiita stared into his mate's face intensely, reading the raw
emotions that fell off her in waves. He crawled out of the bed and
began to get dressed in a fresh set of clothing.

Bulma watched him dress with slight curiosity. "Where are
you going, Vejiita?"

He just grunted. When he finished, he turned to the
blue-haired female sitting on the edge of the bed. He gazed at her
with an unreadable expression. Bulma started to get irritated at his
silence. "What are you doing, Vejiita? Where are you going? And
stop staring at me like I'm some sort of science experiment."

He raised an eyebrow and snorted. Bending slightly in front
of her, he swept his arms under her legs and behind her back,
effectively cradling her in his arms. He strode out of the bedroom,
and onto the balcony.

Bulma let out a small gasp when he picked her up with such
little ease. "What do you think you are doing, Vejiita? Put me down,
now." Her eyes widened as she saw him head towards the balcony.
"Oh, no you don't. You better not be doing what I think you are
doing, baka." Her arms snaked around his neck, holding him tight.
She knew exactly what was going to happen.

Bulma let out a small scream when Vejiita took off into the
air. "Where are we going? Put me down! Now! Bakayaro, I don't
want to go flying, Vejiita..." Her cries became a mess of muffled
words as she buried her face in his neck. The scenery was going by
so fast she started to get sick watching it.

After a few minutes of flying, and not landing, she peeked an
eye out to glare at her mate. "At least tell me where we're going."

"You'll find out when we get there."

Bulma sighed and tightened her hold on Vejiita's neck. "Just
don't drop me, okay, Otoko?" She received a snort in reply. The
reluctant passenger closed her eyes and snuggled closer to the pilot
of the impromptu flight. She really didn't mind going flying with
him--as long as she was prepared. These sudden 'flights' always
threw her off-balance. But then, that would go against the Prince's
normal behavior. Ahh, she could never win...

Just as her eyelids started to become heavy with sleep, she
felt him slow down, decend and land. She craned her head around,
taking in the scenery as Vejiita gently set her feet in solid ground.

Where they landed was, to put it bluntly, a wasteland.

There was no sign of life, anywhere. A few scattered trees,
bushes, and other such scarce greenery dotted the landscape.
Several large outcroppings of rocks loomed in each direction she
turned. The dried and cracked ground was tough on the tender
soles of her feet--which, unlucky for her, were bare. The heat was
bearable--as long as you were dressed properly for it. She
wandered around in the stillness. She walked up to a small pond that
was glittering dully by a clump of fairly green trees, but no animals
drank from it's calm, murky waters.

She stared at her reflection in the muddy water. Her eyes
were still red from crying, and her hair was in complete disarray
from the whipping she received on the ride over here. It stirred
slightly in a breathy gust of wind. Cheeks bright red from the raw
treatment of the wind and her fists. She sighed and stood, turning
to face her mate. "When did you find this place?"

Vejiita had been standing silent, watching her take in her
unfamiliar surroundings. He shrugged his shoulders. "A few months
ago. I came across this spot after escaping your whining over baka
things."

Bulma stuck her tongue out at him. She glanced around again,
shrugging her shoulders, not very impressed by the 'decor.' "Why
here, though? It's so...desolate."

He glanced around. "It reminds me of Vejiita-sei. Most of
the planet was dry and barren, like this. It was the result of us
plundering our own soil, and not taking care of it. Plus, having two
suns helped dry out the land. We did have some small areas of
green, but they were few and far between."

Bulma nodded, now seeing what he saw in the devoid area.
"So, again, why did you bring me here?"

The Prince sighed and threw a look at his mate. "You needed
to get away from everyone. The deaths of the triclops and the
scarred male hit you hard. Your grieving should be in private, and
not for the entire building to hear and witness."

Bulma's face started to crumple up once again in grief. A few
choked sobs escaped her clenched fist as she began to mourn the
loss of her allies and friends once more. She fell to her knees in
anguish. She clutched at the silent figure that came to kneel next
to her. "Why does this always happen to the ones that I love?"

Vejiita was silent; for now, he was the one that did not know
how to answer. He wound his muscular arms around her sobbing
figure, and rubbed her back in comfort. After a few minutes, her
sobs setttled to sniffles and she relaxed her steely grip on his shirt.

Their silence complimented the barren wasteland's own quiet,
until it was broken by a quiet question by Vejiita. "You love them?"

She sniffled once more and he felt her nod into his chest.
"Hai, I do. They're my friends; I care for them deeply."

Vejiita frowned slightly. He strengthened his hold on the
blue haired female in his lap, and levitated to a cluster of brush. It
provided adequate shade against the harsh sun that beat down on
their heads. He adjusted her small form on his lap so she lay
crosswise. He pressed her head against his chest and, after a few
moments of silence, asked another question, albeit rather
hesitantly. "Like...like you love me?"

She turned to look into his face. His expression was of stone
indifference, but his eyes defied his expression. Need, confusion,
and a vein of jealousy wound its way through the infinite pools of
blackness.

She shook her head and smiled. She sat up and ran her hands
through the thick flames of his raven hair. "Iie, Vejiita-chan. Do
you understand love?"

The dark Prince snorted. "Nani, Onna? What do you mean?
How can you comprehend an emotion? Especially a baka one like
love?"

She shifted once more, so she straddled his outstretched
legs. His tail wound around her waist as she began to explain her
question. "There are several types, or levels, of love, Vejiita. There
is the love between family members. Like me and my parents, or
between you and Seiika-chan."

"There is the love for your fellow man, or 'brotherly' love,
some call it. It's the innate belief that there is good in everyone,
and believing that each one of Mankind will act upon it. Son-kun
showed his love for you in this way when he let you escape the first
time you fought." She paused a minute, trying to gauge his
reactions. He seemed to be following what she was saying--at least
he was attentively listening.

She continued on. "There is the love between friends; ones
you share common bonds with, and experience similar things
together that bring you closer."

"Like between you and Kakrotto's companions?" he
questioned. She nodded in agreement. "Do you feel love for
Kakarotto?" A flicker of jealousy ran underneath his words.

A quirky smile danced on her lips and Bulma nodded. "Hai, I
do. He's the big 'little brother' I never had. I don't have any
siblings, and Son-kun was the first senshi I encountered on my quest
for the Dragonballs. We've been together from the beginning."
She smiled wider. "Hai, I love Goku very much."

Vejiita opened his mouth to speak, but was stopped short by
Bulma's bandaged finger on his lips. She stroked the soft skin and
stared deep into his eyes. "But then there's the love between a man
and a woman; a male and a female. This is the strongest type of
love, and the most powerful. It also can be the most painful. This is
the love that we share; that Serori and Seiika share. Love so strong
it can move mountains with just one phrase, and form unbreakable
bonds. Love that fuses the very souls of those involved for
eternity." She reached for his hand and placed it on her stomach.
"Love strong enough to create new life. This is the love that
withstands all and will not bend to anything, or anyone. This is the
love I have for you, Vejiita-chan." She leaned forward and proved
her love for him by claiming his lips for her own.

His hands moved from her stomach to her back and he
crushed her to him in his embrace. After a few breathless minutes,
she relinquished her hold on his mouth. She glanced her fingers
over his forehead, stroking his widow's peak lovingly. "Do you
understand love now, Otoko?"

He answered with a small shake of his head, no. Bulma
smirked and chuckled lightly. "That's okay, Otoko. Neither do I. I
really don't think many people do." She blinked a few times. "So
what brought this on? I didn't think that the mighty Saiya-jiin no
Ouji cared for such baka emotions and unnecessary things like
that?" She teased him and poked his nose a few times. "Or are you
getting soft, Vejiita?"

He raised an eyebrow at her and rolled his eyes. "Whatever,
Onna. The Saiya-jiin no Ouji is never soft." He paused, thinking.
"Curious, maybe, but never soft."

Bulma shook her head in amazement. "You are so full
of...something, that's for sure." She shift positions once again, so
her back was against his chest.

He wrapped his arms around her, fingers making imaginary
paterns on her stomach. Resting his chin on her shoulder, he
breathed into her ear. "So...do you want to go back now?"

She shivered despite the heat of the wastelands and shook
her head. "Iie. I should, but I don't want to. Not yet, at least. I'm
enjoying being away from everyone, and spending some 'quiet time'
with you. We should do this more often."

He nodded in agreement, but frowned slightly. "We may not
have many chances, with the Hachi starting their assualt on
Chikyuu."

Her frown mimicked her mate's. "I know." A thoughtful look
replaced the unpleasant frown. "If you think about it, next time, try
to keep one of those assimilation discs intact. I'd like to take a look
at it; see how it works, and examine those nasty DNA-changing
nanoprobes. I might be able to come up with something to combat
the effects, or maybe armor to withstand the probes." Bulma
started to get excited as ideas started to swarm her genius mind.

"Or maybe I find a way to reverse the process; a way to change an
assimilated Drone back to Human. I wonder what ideas my future
counterpart came up with. I'll have to ask Trunks-kun and see if any
are similar. She might not have thought of the same things I did, or
I could put a different twist to some of her ideas and make them
stronger, or better."

Vejiita rolled his eyes at his mate's enthusiasm for all things
mechanical and scientific. He was secretly very impressed with her
ideas. She may not be able to fight the Hachi directly with fists
and ki, but she pulls her own weight behind the scenes, taking a
chunk out of the enemy with her inventions and genius. The pride
that his heart and soul held for the blue-haired female in his lap was
so overwhelming, it felt like he could explode.

Is this love?

Was this limitless feeling welling up inside him what his Onna
meant?

Bulma interlaced his fingers within her own. "Hai
Vejiita-chan, it is." She spoke softly and leaned against his bicep.
pillowing her head upon his muscle.

Vejiita leaned forward and nipped at Bulma's exposed
shoulder, working his way up her neck. She moaned softly, shivers
tingling down her spine. She dragged her finger up and down his
arm, tickling the fine hairs that rested there. For a species that
turns into an extremely hairy monkey during the full moon, the
Saiya-jiin was a fairly hairless creature.

Bulma sat up and twisted around in his lap, so she faced him
once again. Locking her eyes upon her Prince, with a smoldering
smile, Bulma crossed her arms and pulled her shirt over her head,
exposing her nakedness for her mate. She reached forward and
tugged at his shirt. Getting the idea quickly, Vejiita helped her
undress the both of them.

The mated pair began to explore the already familiar
territories of their opposite, caressing and tasting the other's skin,
committing scents and textures to memory. Passionate cries in
lilting soprano and resounding baritone created in perfect tune a
harmony that criss-crossed against the other; singing a song of
Bonded Love, and Unparalleled Happiness. The eternal melody
echoed over the plains, resounding back and forth against the
outcroppings, creating a haunting accoustical performance that was
heard and understood by only one soul.

One soul that occupied two forms.

As the passions cresendoed, gleaming bodies moving together
in unison, and finally climaxing in a symphony of screams and shrieks
that uplifted each to the highest level, a blasphemously blinding
yellow light flashed brilliantly in the air, illuminating the horizon.
The Union would have been seen for miles, if one was there to look
for it.

This Ancient Song sung by the Bonded pair has been sung for
millenia before them, and will be for a milnenia beyond.

Space, Somewhere around Uranus, Bridge of the Tokemonu

Activity was as busy as normal. The ship's air and attitude
was laced with a feeling of excitement and anticipation. Each crew
member was anxiously awaiting the news from the fleet of Scout
Drone sent to the next Hive, Chikyuu. What are the natives like?
Will we be successful in our first attempt? Will there be a need for
a second, and third? These and many more questions were swirling in
the minds of the Drones of the Hachi aboard the starship
Tokemonu. Her officers, minus Daisy, who was en route to the same
planet, were gathered on the bridge, performing their routine tasks.

Iris was reading over a report in his Captain's chair when a
loud beeping noise startled him from his reading. Marigold, the
Communications Officer, punched a few buttons on his console in
front of him. "Sir, the relay from the Scouts on Chikyuu is here."

Iris set his papers aside and turned to Marigold. "Is there a
visual?"

He nodded. "Aye, Captain."

Iris smiled. "Well, let's see it then. We've been waiting for
this for awhile." Marigold transferred the relay to the main viewer.

The image was one of fuzzy static, but then a picture slowly
began to develop. All Hachi eyes were riveted to the screen as the
first scene of Chikyuu came into view. Green trees, green grass. A
waning moon shined in the background--nighttime.

Everyone watched as the camera panned around and focused
on two unknown Chikyuu inhabitants, one female and one male.

"Well, it looks like we have our first two Chikyuu Drones."
Violet commented from the Helm. The male spoke, but his voice was
too garbled to understand.

Iris frowned and turned to his Comm. "Don't we have audio?"

Marigold was busy playing with several buttons. "We do, sir,
but that asteroid belt ahead of us is making the signal bounce
around. I'm increasing the buffers."

The audio became clear, just in time to hear the male fire off
his first ki shot.

"The natives have ki abilities. Are these two part of the 'Z
Senshi' that we talked about earlier?" Rose, the First Officer
commented, next to his Captain.

"Where's Daisy when you need him..." Marigold muttered to
himself.

"The female has control of her ki, as well, Captain," Rose
pointed out, antennae twitching as he observed the female's
abilities. "She'd make a good candidate for the Queen."

Iris agreed. "Remember her." He concentrated on the
screen in front of him as he observed the male avoid his own ki
returned to him via the Scouts. He looked familiar to the Hachi
leader, but did not know where to place him. He turned to Rose. "Do
you recognize the male? He strikes a chord in my memory for some
odd reason."

Rose nodded. "No, I don't recognize him, but I also feel I
know him. But I have never been to Chikyuu, or even close to the
system. Maybe we read a report with him in it."

"But what would an alien be doing on this backwater planet?
There is no outpost or spaceport around here for light years." Iris
sat back, frowning. He called out to Marigold. "Patch me through to
Daisy, Marigold. Be ready to relay the audio and visual to him, as
well.

Marigold nodded and began to work. "Got him, Captain."

A soft-spoken, but rather deep, voice resounded over the
intercomm system. "Daisy here, Captain."

"Daisy, we've got audio and visual from Chikyuu. Marigold will
patch the feed through to you."

"Yes, Captain." Iris nodded, and the feed was connected to
outer space. "Got it, Captain."

Iris stood up. He walked around his rather large bridge,
keeping a lazy eye on the scene enfolding on the screen. "Do you
recognize the male? Rose or I can't place him. He seems awfully
familiar to us."

"I'll scan the image through my databanks, sir. Hang on for a
minute."

"The female got a good hit in, Captain." Violet pointed out.
"It damaged a Scout."

Iris turned his full attention to the battle before him. He
watched as the female distracted the Scouts for the male. "They've
worked together before. They compliment and protect each other
in a battle."

Daisy's deep voice broke through once more. "Captain, I
identified the male, and you'll never guess who it is."

"Big Bang Attack!"

Iris grunted as he sympathized with the Scouts that just got
their wings fried and their backs scorched. "Ill be glad when we've
reinstated the new line of Drones into the fight. That self-healing
trick will be very useful." He glanced up at the ceiling. "So who is
he, Daisy? He's definitely a warrior. He has masterful control over
his ki."

A snort was heard. "Well, he should! Remember who we were
worried about in our first briefing on Chikyuu? Well, guess who
resides on the waterball. Everyone, meet the Saiya-jiin no Ouji,
Roku no Vejiita, himself."

All personnel on the bridge were silent in surprise and shock
with this outstanding revelation.

"Saiya-jiin," Rose spat, as if the word was a deadly curse. "I
knew we'd have the dumb luck to run into that bastard on one of our
missions."

Iris gave his Second a warning glance and held up a hand to
calm him down. 'Control yourself, Rose. He will be no threat soon.
The Scouts have captured him." The view screen showed Vejiita
surrounded by the paralyzing green light, unable to move.

"He'd make a powerful Drone, Captain." Daisy commented
from his ship. "We could use him to command Scouting parties."

Iris nodded. "He's yours, then, Daisy."

"Thank you, Captain."

Rose sat forward eagerly, awaiting Vejiita's transformation
into a Scout, as he watched one of the Scouts place an assimilation
disc onto his chest. "Finally, the last of the Saiya-jiin is
exterminated."

But everyone ducked in reaction to the bright light that
illuminated the entire bridge. The female, still unidentified, was
bright with a corona of yellow aura surrounding her; so bright she
was blinding the optical sensors of the starship. The crewmembers
recovered just in time to hear the female scream and launch an
impressive volley of ki at the Scouts as bright as her aura.

Iris blinked a few times, clearing his vision, very impressed
with the amount and level of power the female was releasing. Daisy's
voice broke back into the bridge. "Captain, are you seeing what I'm
seeing?"

"If you mean a bunch of spots in my vision, then yes. What
do you make of this, Daisy?"

"Trouble."

The Captain of the Tokemonu twitched an antennae in
confusion. Rose looked intrigued. "What do you mean, trouble?"

There was no sound from the distant crew for several
moments. Then Daisy came back over the intercomm, somber.

"Have you ever heard of the Legend of the Super Saiya-jiin?"

Iris blinked a few times. "Are you saying what I think you're
saying?"

You could almost hear the grim smile in Daisy's voice. "Yes,
Captain. The female is Saiya-jiin. A Super Saiya-jiin to be exact."

Violet sputtered, unbelieving. "That's impossible! There are
no Saiya-jiin left. Nevertheless a female! Friiezer destroyed the
planet years ago!"

Iris watched the newly identified Saiya-jiin female fire off
her blasts, and in the process, get struck with them in the Scout's
retailiation. He saw, and heard, her scream of agony as she fell to
the ground. His attention then swiveled to Vejiita, when his aura
burst bright, and he screamed a name.

Seiika.

Frowning slightly, he spoke out to his Security officer out in
space. "Daisy, run a check on the name 'Seiika' in all the known
information we have on the Saiya-jiin."

"Right, Captain."

Rose cursed out loud as another blinding flash came from the
screen. The Prince went Super Saiya-jiin as well. "There's two of
them, now, Captain."

Iris nodded. "I can see that, Rose." He blinked a few times,
the scene on the screen disturbing his sight. "What was that?
What just took out the Scouts?"

Marigold fiddled with some buttons. "I'm rewinding the feed,
sir. I'll slow it down." The crew watched carefully as the last
scenes of Vejiita switching to Super Saiya-jiin flickered on the
screen. Then suddenly, a figure, more like a streak of purple,
knocked out one Drone, and another, a tri-colored streak, took out
the next. All cringed away as they gazed in horror and fascination
as the two unidentified Chikyuu natives sliced and diced their
Scouts to pieces.

Rose watched the entire scene, his mouth set in a grim line.
He noticed Vejiita was still in his Super state. "Why hasn't the
Prince trasformed into a Drone? He should have at least started by
now." He pointed to the screen. "The disc is still attached to his
chest."

Violet shrugged. "Maybe the switch to Super Saiya-jiin fried
the nanoprobes."

Daisy broke through once again. "The Scouts did not activate
the disc. They were taken by surprise when the female attacked.
They didn't get a chance. Captain Iris, I have the information you
requested."

Iris sat back down in his chair. He gave his commanding
officer a glance. "Let's hear it, Daisy."

They all heard him sigh. "Well, she is definitely Saiya-jiin.
There isn't much information, but what I have, is that Seiika is
Seiika-oujo, Roku no Vejiita's twin sister. She was supposedly
declared dead when Friiezer destroyed her spacepod. Also with her
was Serori, her Honor Guard and mate. He was the youngest
Saiya-jiin ever to become an Elite in Vejiita-sei's history, outside of
Royalty. She was supposed to be quite a powerhouse, herself. You
can see she is, as evidenced here."

Iris smiled, leaning back in his chair. A Saiya-jiin female.

A Super Saiya-jiin female.

The freaking Princess of the entire race.

Well, this Princess is going to become a Queen.

Iris watched the interaction of the Royal twins with the
other two newcomers, seeing the Prince's face turn angry and
hostile, while the future Queen of the Chikyuu Hive tried to placate
her brother. He frowned and sighed when the two, now identified
as Saiya-jiin, showed their true colors--Golden. He shook his head
when Rose swore under his breath.

"Where in the hell are all of these blasted Saiya-jiin coming
from? Do they dwell in the woodwork like Tgghire-jiin?" Rose
fumed, getting more and more disgusted as the events enfolded in
front of him.

"More Super Saiya-jiin?" Violet muttered to himself, arms
crossed as he stared at the screen. "We are going to have one of
the biggest fights we've ever had for control of Chikyuu."

Iris nodded, standing up. "How far away are you from
Chikyuu, Daisy?"

"About two weeks, sir."

"And how long until we reach Chikyuu?"

Violet plotted out the course. "At maximum speed, now,
several months, sir."

He swiveled his antennae at his Helm. "Why so long?"

Rose sighed. "We have two plasma coils being repaired, and
one of our engines is completely fried." He reminded his
commanding officer. "We haven't docked at a spaceport for quite
some while, Captain. We are going as fast as we can with the limited
supplies we have, now."

Iris sighed as well. "I realize that, Rose. We haven't hit a
neutral spaceport so we can dock. They've all been loyal to Friiezer."
He grunted as the the Saiya-jiin made short work of the Scout
ships. The screen faded, and went fuzzy. He noded to Marigold,
and the feed was cut, and the main viewer went back to the outside
view of Uranus.

Violet spoke after a few minutes of silence. "So what's the
plan, Captain?"

Iris's face was neutral. "Stay on course as normal, Violet.
Try to increase repair speed on the ship's engine and coils. We want
to get there as soon as we can. Diasy, you will have a fight on your
hands. Good luck."

"I realize that, Captain. But I am prepared. Daisy, out."

Rose spoke to his captain. "Well, one good thing came out of
this. It looks like we found the perfect candidate for Chikyuu's
Queen in the Saiya-jiin female, Seiika-oujo."

Iris moved toward the doors. "Right. Increase production of
the ki nanoprobes, Rose. Make sure all of the Warrior and Scout
Drones have been 'upgraded,' so to speak." He glanced around at his
officers. "You all might want to consider the ki switchover, as well.
With who knows how many Saiya-jiin on Chikyuu, we're going to need
every advantage we can get. It's your bridge, Rose. I'll be in my
quarters."

As Iris walked down the twisting corridors of the Tokemonu,
he watched the reactions of the Scouts' defeat at the hands of the
Saiya-jiin. Most were subdued, but some, mainly the Warrior
Drones that he came across, had an intense look of anticipation.
They were willing to fight for the advancement of their race. No
matter what the conditions they come across, or what the
consquences may turn. He nodded at a group of Warriors, actively
discussing the battle. He enjoyed seeing the determined masks they
wore on their faces. It meant they were not going to go in the fight
clap-happy. They would be prepared for what may come.

For who knew what may come, for this will be the greatest
battle the Hachi ever will have to face in their quest for survival.