Disclaimer: DB/DBZ/DBGT belong to Toriyama and other rich Japanese guys, not me.

A Brief Moment in Time

Chapter 16: Meeting the Folks

A few hours after breakfast…

Gohan and Goten sat at a table in a relatively plain restaurant. It was a place that Gohan and Videl had found during their college years together when they were 'roughing' it out financially. It had the most excellent food, but the atmosphere wasn't at all in the class of one of the ritzy places they often went to nowadays.

"I'm seriously curious about this boy. I've never heard anything about Panny being remotely interested in a guy," said Goten to his brother.

"Yeah, I am too. Though, I'm a bit worried about her. I can remember her coming home countless of times being heartbroken by boyfriends dumping her. She wasn't at all serious about those boys at all. I guess we can always lynch the guy if he does anything wrong."

Goten just laughed. "True, but try not to scare the guy off."

"Me scare the guy off, Goten? You are the legendary Duke. I'm just a simple scholar. If he's going to be intimidated it's going to be by you."

Goten was about to retort but stopped short when he saw Pan walk into the restaurant arm in arm with a young man. He took one look at the boy and remarked to his brother, "Holy Dende, Gohan. Look at that pretty boy. I didn't know Pan went for that look."

"Me neither, Goten," responded his brother as he looked at Trunks from across the restaurant. Trunks was wearing brown khakis, and very preppy jacket and tie. His long purple hair hung down slightly past his shoulder giving him a slightly feminine look. He had, after all, inherited most of his looks from his mother.

The two of them spotted Gohan and Goten. Pan's shock at seeing her uncle there with her father was noted by both of them, causing the two of them to grin happy Son grins in amusement. As the young couple got closer Goten noticed that Trunks had somewhat of a 'tough guy' look about him. Trunks walked with the practiced grace of a warrior. Gohan noticed it as well.

"I hope this guy isn't one of those new age eastern kung fu wannabes."

"Man… those guys are still in vogue? I thought that would be dead by now. I almost nearly died from laughter when that punk kid told me how he used his Tai Chi skills to fight off five opponents simultaneously," replied Goten.

"I see it all the time at Pop Satan's dojo," laughed Gohan.

"Well your buds with Dende… So I bet he'll turn out alright," said Goten. His obvious lack of faith was appalling.

"Lets hope so… Lets hope so," said Gohan as he rose to greet the all too good-looking young man with his daughter.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Son, and Lord Sirrus. I'm Trunks," greeted Trunks as he shook the hands of both the two older Son men. He couldn't believe that Gohan had grown up so much. The last time he had seen Gohan was when Gohan was a little squirt, albeit a powerful little squirt. Now Gohan was a fully-grown man in his mid-forties, and the father of soon to be official girlfriend.

"Well I'm happy to meet you. You know my little girl is very precious to me," said Gohan.

"Daddy! I'm over twenty years old. I'm not a little girl anymore," scolded Pan.

"I didn't think it would be any other way, Mr. Son," responded Trunks with a little smirk. He had been nervous coming with Pan to meet her father. Surely, like any other parent, he would ask questions about Trunks' background that he couldn't answer. Any form of evasion on his part would undoubtedly lead to a bad repertoire with Gohan, and Goten as well. Trunks did not want that. He had to tread carefully with the two Son men.

"So Trunks, how'd you and Pan meet?" asked Goten in a conversational tone. The opening shot had been fired. Even such a simple question for Trunks was a walk through a mind field.

"We met by chance at an old bar on Imperia-sei," he answered truthfully.

"Trunks helped me get off of Imperia-sei without any suspicion. He was really helpful uncle," interjected Pan. She could sense her uncle wanted to find out about Trunks' past. However, she didn't want Trunks to be put in a compromising position. So, she ended up sticking up for him.

"Where are you from? Originally," asked her father.

"West Capitol. I was born there and lived most of my life on Chikyuu."

"So why were you on Imperia-sei? Not many people from Chikyuu go there. Only a small ex-pat community there," asked Goten.

"My mother was in an accident, and she was sent there. I went there looking for her, but I ended up missing her. She's on her way back here, and I guess she'll be here in a day or two. I'm really anxious at her well being," he answered. Every word he just said was true. How Goten and Gohan took their meaning was not his fault. Trunks was quite glad that he had inherited some of his father's cunning, not to mention his mother's smooth negotiation skills.

"Ahh… my condolences. I hope she's alright," said Gohan. Goten on the other hand just looked at Trunks.

Trunks… you idiot! Thought Pan. She knew her father would buy pretty much whatever Trunks said, but by dodging that last question he had just challenged her uncle outright. Question evasion was not something the Duke de Sirrus tolerated. Ever. Her uncle could sniff out when people were telling half-truths two hundred and three miles away. Fifteen years of hard politicking and warfare did that to a man. She could only hold her breath for what was to come. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, it came from a direction that she didn't expect.

Trunks knew that Goten hadn't bought what he had said. He could see it in the man's eyes and demeanor. Even though Goten's face was a perfect mask and his emotions were undoubtedly well under control, Trunks knew instinctively that Goten was gearing up to unleash a question that would probably blow everything wide open. Time was running out and he needed to do something drastic or face the music. There was only one thing he could do, and so he did it.

"You know, when I heard that you were Pan's father, Mr. Son, I couldn't believe it. In fact, to be honest, I was quite intimidated in meeting you. It's not everyday someone gets to meet the man that defeated Cell."

Silence struck the table like a tsunami wave. Gohan and Goten immediately turned their eyes to Pan.

"He already knew," she said simply with a shrug of her shoulders.

"What made you think that Mr. Satan didn't defeat Cell?" asked Goten. It wasn't everyday that someone figured out that Mr. Satan had stolen the credit for killing Cell. Moreover, if this guy knew and hadn't made a big stink about it then there was certainly more than met the naked eye. Goten was curious.

"Lord Sirrus. It is obvious for anyone who has any real training in ki combat. Anyone who has met Mr. Satan knows that he has no significant Ki at all," answered Trunks. He knew couldn't let Goten get a chance to pick him apart. He had to go on with his explanation and then move to phase two of his plan. "Please allow me to explain how I know."

Gohan nodded his approval and Trunks quickly took the initiative to start speaking again before Goten could open his mouth. "Like I said… anyone with any ki training knows that Mr. Satan could not have possibly defeated Cell. This leaves the other fighters who were using Ki. If I remember correctly, Son Goku fought Cell but forfeited letting his son take his place. The cameras went out then, and then later when they came back on Cell was dead and Mr. Satan took the credit. It really was obvious."

"Well… I'm not admitting anything," said Gohan carefully.

"I don't expect you too. Though… I did have a few questions like if you knew who fought the androids and what happened afterwards and how many androids were there? " Trunks intentionally left the questions a little vague since there were certain to be discrepancies between the last timeline he had visited and this one. He was very curious about what happened to his father.

"How does he know that they were androids?" asked Goten to Pan, completely ignoring Trunks. Listening to Trunks' hurried explanation, he figured that Trunks didn't want to embarrass himself in front of Pan and that was fine. He could understand that, so long as Pan knew the truth about the boy it didn't matter. He trusted her. Anyway, he had already figured out the boy's biggest secret. He'd have to double check of course but it would all be clear within a day or so.

"I have no idea?" asked Pan. Her words were dripping with sarcasm. Turning to Trunks, she asked, "How do you know about the androids? Your mother tell you about them too?"

"No, I know all about them from being up close and personal," stated Trunks flatly. His eyes took on a haunted look. "I realized then that they were intricately related to Cell, and I'm really curious as how it all fit together. My understanding is imperfect… and sorry this is just such a great chance for me to figure everything out."

"I see… Well, it's quite a long story. Do you want to hear it?" asked Gohan.

Trunks grinned. "I most certainly do."

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Goten smile and then lean back in his chair. He seemed to have avoided the collision for now. Right before Gohan started the story, the waiter brought them a their food. Gohan gestured for them to all start. "Well, my father defeated the original set of Androids. There were two of them, 19 and 20, Dr. Gero. My dad defeated 19 and chased off twenty. Unfortunately he suffered a heart attack and that allowed Dr. Gero to escape."

"Wait… are you telling me there was a heart attack, not a heart virus?"

"It was just a regular heart attack. My dad was out of action for a little while, but he ended up just fine. Anyway, apparently Dr. Gero went to unleash Eighteen and Seventeen on us, but they ended up turning on him and killing him. They released Sixteen and begun to hunt for my father. They were so powerful that none of us could stop them until Piccolo went and fused with Kami. Once he did that he was able to stall them a bit. I think things would have been fine except that Cell showed up." Gohan stopped for a minute and took a bite of his food before continuing. "Cell managed to absorb Seventeen, but Eighteen and Sixteen managed to escape, barely. They made it off the islands and onto the continent. It's a big place out there and Cell was at a loss as to how to find them. Meanwhile, my dad and I were training so that we could get the power to defeat the Androids and Cell."

Trunks took another bite of food as he sat listening to Gohan's story. It was entirely different from the timeline that he had fought Cell in. It was probably due to the fact that neither him, nor his father had been there. One question tickled his mind though. Exactly how did Cell get to this timeline if he hadn't come back. He decided that he'd have to ponder that later. He turned his attention back to Gohan.

"Eventually, Cell got tired of looking for the two androids and he set up the Cell games. He demanded that the world help find the Androids or he'd destroy everyone. That's when my dad and I went to fight him. We'd only tried for about half the time we thought necessary but we had to act or it might have been too late. Anyway, the rest of the story was pretty much captured on TV. My dad wasn't strong enough to beat him so he had me fight Cell. He had a lot of faith in me, and I really wish that it had been well placed."

There was a bit of a sad look on Gohan's face. Trunks knew the reason why though. Gohan still blamed himself for his father's death. Apparently that had happened in this timeline as well.

"Well, Mr. Son, you did defeat the monster. I have another question though. Did Cell ever reach his perfect form?"

"Oh… Thank Dende no. I don't know if anyone would have had the power to defeat him if he did. Eighteen was smart enough to stay away from the Cell games."

"Yah, he'd have been tough to stop then," mused Trunks thinking back on his own battles with Perfect Cell. "That really is some story, Mr. Son and wow… that was a heck of a meal. This place was fantastic Mr. Son."

"Oh… yeah. Pan's mother and I love this place. I'm glad you like it," said Gohan, "So what do you do for-".

"Daddy. I hate to interrupt but Trunks and I have to get going. Thanks for the meal." Pan stood up and dragged Trunks up by the arm. She knew she was bailing him out, but it was for the best.

"Oh… where are you guys going, Pan?" asked her father.

"We're going to catch the premier of the Attack of the Simulacrums. We'll see you later."

"Well… have fun Pan… and it was a pleasure to meet you Trunks," said Gohan as the young couple got ready to leave.

"It was a pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Son and Lord Sirrus."

"Please call me Gohan. There's no need to be so formal," said Gohan shaking Trunks' hand.

Goten just looked up at Trunks with an all too knowing smile. "Yes… Enjoy the movie you two. We'll meet again soon." And as the two were walking out, "Be careful! I think it's the right time of the month for a full moon. All types of strange things happen on those days."

He smirked as he watched Trunks stiffen for a second. It was all too easy. He flashed another smile and gave the young couple a wave as they walked out.

"Not bad. He wasn't what I expected, thank Dende," said Gohan to his brother. "I can't believe the little green guy actually came through for me."

Goten didn't say anything. He just motioned for the waiter to come over. "Can we get about fifty more orders of what we had?" he asked.

"I was wondering what was wrong with you guys today, " he said with a grin. He regularly served the Sons, and had made a fortune in tips. In fact he probably was the world's richest waiter. He waved over to some servers and they started bringing out a ton of food. "We prepared ahead of time for you guys. Had us a bit worried for a second."

"Sorry to worry you, but we didn't want to scare Pan's new boyfriend off," explained Gohan as the food was brought.

"No problem Mr. Son. You are always welcome here. Enjoy," said the waiter as he walked off.

"Well… what do you think?" asked Gohan as he began to eat.

"He's crafty. I'll give him that. We have to figure out exactly what he's hiding though. I think it's really important," replied his brother as he began to dive into his food.

"Hmm… wike wut?" asked Gohan with his mouth full of food.

Goten waited until Gohan finished chewing and swallowed. "Like he's a Saiyan."

"WHAT?" exclaimed Gohan. "What do you mean he's a Saiyan?"

"What does it sound like I mean? He's a Saiyan. You know, full moon, turn into an Oozaru type of Saiyan?"

"So that's what that comment was about," laughed Gohan. "How do you know this? He doesn't look like a Saiyan. I mean we don't get purple hair like that do we?"

"No, I've never ever seen anything like that, but I can smell it Gohan. I can smell it," answered Goten cryptically. "I'm not 100 percent sure yet. I'll find out tomorrow since he received some medical treatment on one of my ships. I'll know for sure once I take a look at his records."

"Make sure you let me know Goten… I want to know who this guy is if he's with my little girl."

"Don't worry, Gohan, I will. Also I'm putting my fleet on full alert. I have a bad feeling that his mother will just happen to arrive in a few days. She may be coming with some friends."

"Do you think he's working for the rebels?"

"I don't know Gohan, but I intend to find out."

Meanwhile…

Unbeknownst to Goten or Trunks, Bulma and Vegeta had already arrived on Chikyuu. At the same time Trunks and the Son family was having their light hearted lunch, Bulma was fulfilling a final request.

Bulma slowly walked up to a small house with a white picket fence and looked around. It was a peaceful place. The house was situated at the edge of a farm in the lush Ohio valley on the Western Continent of Chikyuu. She wasn't sure what the family cultivated, but she could see the acres upon acres of open field. Their rich greenness was a welcome sight for her. He Chikyuu didn't have much greenery. Horses were out to pasture, and there was an orchard within her line of sight. The sounds of children laughing and playing drifted down to where she stood. .

Bulma glanced down at the letter she had in her hand. She turned it over several times while mustering the courage to go up to the door. How does one tell a parent that their son had died? How does one bring the news to a brother, or a sister? These questions flashed through her mind. She had known the young man for such a short period of time. He had been full of youthful vigor, and charisma. The future had been there for his taking. Instead, his ashes were now decomposing on Imperia-sei. Bulma could only shake her head at the injustice of it all.

"Can I help you Ma'am?" came the voice of a young woman.

Bulma's head snapped up as she saw a young woman walk towards her. The woman wasn't more than thirty years old. She wore a simple pair of jeans and a red shirt. She had a guarded look on her face, and didn't seem to be happy seeing Bulma.

"Hello," Bulma started hesitantly, "My name is Eiko Ikegami… Are you Mrs. Angles?"

"You aren't one of them people from the Bank? We told you that we'd find the money… just please give us some more time."

"I'm not from the bank, I'm a…" Bulma groped for a word to describe her relationship with the young guardsman. She surely wasn't a friend. "An acquaintance of Saxon's…" Bulma waited for her to supply a name.

"Oh!" cried the young woman. There was a look of profound embarrassment on her face. "I'm so sorry… I didn't mean to be rude… My name is Sara. I'm Saxon's elder sister… It's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Ikegami."

"Uh… Saxon asked me to a letter to you and your family. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding," said Bulma.

"Oh… I think you're mistaken that's not me, but our younger sister. Come on in. You must have come a long way," said Sara. "Did you just come in from off planet?"

"Yes… just about forty minutes ago," replied Bulma as she followed the young woman towards the house.

"Mamma!" called Sara as she entered through the front door. "There's someone here with a letter from Saxon!"

At the mention of the young man's name the entire family seemed to appear. Several young children ran into the room followed by three older men, and two other women. "Saxon did you say? The boy finally took some time to write eh?" said the eldest of the men. His graying hair and weathered face marked him as the father of the family.

"Oh daddy, you know that Saxon writes when he can." She turned to Bulma and began to make introductions. "Ms. Ikegami, this is my father John, husband Brad, my mother, Jolie, and the two love birds, Lucy and Rich. Everyone this is Eiko Ikegami."

Greetings were exchanged all around, and Bulma suddenly felt sick. They were a tightly knit family and a happy one. She could see the joy in their eyes at the news that their beloved son and brother from space had written them. She could taste the anticipation in the air. She resolutely shoved her emotions downwards, but couldn't manage to keep her nervousness from showing.

"Eiko… are you alright," asked Jolie Angles, the mother.

"Yes. Yes, I'm ok." Bulma took a deep breath. "Saxon asked me to deliver this letter to you all." Bulma handed the letter over. Her hand shook badly as she held out the letter. The youngest daughter, Lucy, walked over and took her hand, as well as the letter. "Sit down Ms. Ikegami, you don't look too well." She helped Bulma sit down and then opened the letter. Her eyes widened and she yelped in glee. "Saxon says he's coming back for the wedding!"

The room burst into laughter and jubilation. The family was absolutely delighted that their loved one was coming home. It had been three years since they had last seen him and there had only been a few letters. It was a complete surprise for them, and their faces were lit up with joy and even a few happy tears. Bulma knew that those tears would soon become ones of a different sort. She steeled herself for what she had to do.

"Mrs. Angles… Please… I need to tell you all something," said Bulma. Her voice was firm now as she stood up slowly. "Forgive me but I shouldn't have let you have the letter like that… I have some bad news."

"What? Is Saxon sick? Is that why he's coming home… was he hurt?" asked his mother worriedly. The room fell abruptly silent and that silence nearly took away Bulma's resolve. She took a deep breath and plunged in.

"No, Mrs. Angles… he was killed in combat three weeks and a half ago," she said. Her own eyes began to water as she remembered the last heroic deed of the young man. "He gave his life so that the Emperor might live, and his last words to me were to tell you all that he loved you."

Bulma saw the shocked looks on the faces of the family. Saxon's father's face looked as if it were carved of solid granite. Yet, there were tears shimmering in the old man's eyes. He immediately moved and held his wife who was silently shedding her tears. The elder sister was softly crying against her husband's chest. The youngest simply sat there.

"But… but… it says here… He wrote that he was coming on leave… this… this can't be… he was coming to my wedding…" she sobbed quietly.

"I'm sorry to be the bearer of this news," Bulma said as she quietly stood up and walked out. It was best to leave the family to their grief. Her heart went out to them, and she couldn't help but shed tears for their loss. She knew the feeling of losing loved ones. After all, she had lost all her family and loved ones to the androids. She had found happiness in her son, and again in this new dimension. She was sure that they would survive. Yet, guilt plagued her. Saxon had given his life for Vegeta, and it was his self-sacrifice that had given her the chance to find her own happiness again. She felt that she owed this family something, and as she walked away from the small farm, she resolved to help them if it were ever in her power to do so.

That Evening in Space…

Marron stepped off the shuttle onto Goten's flagship. It had been years since she had last traveled in space. Yet, when she arrived on the ship she felt strangely at home. Is this where I belong? She asked herself. There was an old saying on Chikyuu that once a man falls in love with the sea that it shall forever be his mistress. Was that not true of space as well? She didn't know. Somehow, after half a decade the siren song of the universe still called to her. She could feel the pull upon her as strongly as ever.

"Excuse me, Ma'am," said a young lieutenant as he approached her. "This is a restricted area. Do you have a reason for being here?"

"I am the Marchioness de Toulon. I have an appointment with Lord Sirrus," pronounced Marron in a tone of voice that dripped with self-assurance and power.

"Ma'am, I'll have to see some form of identification, and I'll have to check with my superior. I'm sorry but its procedure on a full alert."

"Please feel free to contact the Duke himself. He knows I'm here." Sure enough she saw Geoff, the old aide hustling her way.

"My lady Chaitagne," said the old man as he smoothly interposed himself between the lieutenant and Marron. "His lordship waits for you in his cabin. If you will please follow me."

Marron nodded and began to follow the aide. She stopped a second when she saw that the young lieutenant had visibly paled when he had realized that he might have mortally offended a member of the high aristocracy. She gave him a reassuring smile. "Lieutenant." She looked at his nametag. "Lt. Tannerson, you were doing your duty. Such devotion in the face of higher authority is rare. I will be sure to commend you to the Duke."

She turned and walked away from the man but not before she saw a look of relief pass over the man's face. She couldn't help but feel the taste of power at her action. She could have ground the man's career and life under her foot if she had chosen to. To have such control had always been intoxicating for her. It scared her. She had only to look at Trunks to see what power did to a person. He would have no doubt destroyed the man's career. Yet, there were other ways to use power and influence for good. Noblise Oblige. The words flashed through her mind. Once, long ago, she had touted these words to the peerage again and again. She had been insistent that the strong must protect the weak. That it was their duty to do so.

Duty. A word that Goten had used against her. Was he right though? Was she skirting her duty? Was she now a hypocrite that she went against all that she had once demanded from others? Had she come to Chikyuu and abandoned those who had come to trust her, to rely on her, to need her? She had spent the last few days thinking things over and had come to a decision. It was time for her to resume her duties though perhaps in a different capacity. She wasn't sure if she could be the Marchioness—the one they called the Hollow One—again.

"Lady Chataigne to see you milord."

The words snapped her out of her reverie. She hadn't noticed that they were now standing in front of Goten's office. Marron quickly reorganized her thoughts and stepped through the office doorway.

"Marchioness de Toulon. Please sit," he said gesturing to one of two chairs before him.

"So formal Lord Sirrus?" she smirked. "I would think that on a matter of personal business with an old friend that you would allow yourself some casualness."

"I'm not sure if this is personal business, my dear. You had Pan hand me a note that simply said that you wished to meet me privately. And besides, I just merely wish to remind you of who you really are," he said. His tone and his posture remained business like.

"Is this why you brought me here? To remind me of what I have given up? Chikyuu isn't all that bad, Goten. It's peaceful and lends itself wonderfully to study." Marron said as she sat down. She glanced around the room before letting her gaze settled back on him. The office was relatively Spartan. The walls were completely unadorned except for the one directly behind where Goten was sitting. There hung a golden eagle with wings outstretched in front of a disc, the Imperial emblem. Goten sat directly underneath it adding to his already regal look.

"Yes, I heard you spent much of the last few years in pursuit of a degree in History from Satan City University. I hear you did a PHD in less than two years. Quite remarkable."

"Not really. After all, who on Chikyuu really knows that much about the Imperium?" she asked rhetorically and shifted in her seat. After a moment, she continued, "Did you have a chance to consider my request?"

"When you leave, I'll have Geoff provide you with a terminal and datalink. I believe all your old access codes work. Not that we could keep you out of our databases anyway," answered Goten. "I'm glad you've decided to help."

"I owe you… and I owe our master. I cannot let you two face this alone, and besides the two of you would just make a mess out of things. I have no idea how you guys let things get so unraveled over the last five years."

"Things have been very quiet the last three years, Marron. After you left, there was a brief upswing in rebellions, but once that was done with and people started realizing that the Imperium could be a good thing… well there hasn't been any trouble almost at all in the last three years."

"There's always trouble, Goten. You just have to look for it."

"My mommy told me never to go looking for trouble. That's why I don't do what you do," he said half-jokingly. Goten reached into his drawer and pulled out a folder and flipped it across the desk to her. "Anyway, take a look at this for a second. This one might be related to the coup, but I don't think so."

Marron looked at him quizzically and then opened it. It was a dossier on a man.

"Trunks Briefs? This isn't Trunks… at least not my fiancé," she said as she looked at the name and picture next to it. Her lips twisted upwards. "My, he is quite handsome. Very high on the sex appeal."

"Well obviously not your Trunks then," scoffed Goten. "Speaking of which, now that you are…"

"I haven't decided to come back Goten. I'm just helping you out right now… and I haven't decided what to do with my fiancé, yet…" she said as she interrupted him. She didn't want to talk about their relationship. Things were messed up as it were. "Let's talk about us later, ok?"

"Alright, it's been five years… what's a few days more," said Goten in a lighter tone than he actually felt. "So?"

"There's nothing on this guy. No birth date, no place of birth, nothing except for this medical record…" She quickly glanced at T.V. Briefs medical record. She could see that it was taken the day prior on one of the Imperial Starships that were orbiting Chikyuu at the moment. She looked it over and then frowned. "Ki level of six is normal but these other results are strange. He has unusual muscle density for a human. Strange… his DNA doesn't quite match a pure blooded humans… This guy is a hybrid isn't he?"

"Yes, keep looking."

"Hmm… Kidneys, hearts, and… fascinating, are these his x-rays?"

"Yes."

"Interesting… he has… or he had… a tail? His tailbone is significantly larger than a human's, and," she made the connection. "A human hybrid. There is only one race that we know of that can interbreed with humans and that race just happens to have a tail. He's a Saiyan isn't he Goten?"

"Yes… that was my thought. My instincts tell me he's one as well."

"Why the interest Goten? So he's a Saiyan. Confront him," she asked. She tossed the folder onto his desk and leaned forward putting her elbows on his desk.

"He's dating Pan," he answered.

"Oh… Now that is interesting," she replied. "You think he's working with the rebels?"

"Perhaps."

She nodded. This was very interesting. An unknown Saiyan happens to show up and start dating Goten's niece. Not only does he have an access point to Goten, but Pan herself was quite important in the grand scheme of the Imperium, even if not many people knew it.

"So… what does this have to do with me, Goten," she asked as she reclined back in her chair. It was almost a rhetorical question. She knew what he was going to ask.

"I want you to find out what you can about him. Meet him, and such… find out what he's really doing here."

"You know, I'm already engaged to one Trunks. Are you trying to pawn me off to another?" she asked teasingly. "I might not think much of my fiancé, but this one is a delicious morsel of man-flesh. What is it about you Saiyan men?"

"Don't be a tease," rebuked Goten. It always annoyed him when she started behaving like this. She could go from perfectly demure classy lady, to sensuous and even borderline whorish, to a stone-faced killer in seconds. It unnerved even him sometimes and he knew her as well as one could. "I'm sure Pan wouldn't be too happy about that either."

"Pan doesn't like me anyway. I think she takes life a bit too seriously sometimes."

"Huh? I never got the sense she didn't like you… why not?"

"She's smart. She could always tell that I was putting on a demure act and she doesn't like it when people try to pull one over on her. Still, she couldn't quite pin down what I was and it drove her crazy. It's insta-dislike from someone like her… or someone like me. We're very alike in some ways."

Marron glanced down at Mirai no Trunks' picture. "You know, he does kind of look like my Trunks a bit. I think they could pass as brothers if you changed the hair color and gave him a different set of eyes and nose; they have the same lips and same facial construction. I'd love to do a DNA sample. Now wouldn't that be interesting, Bulma Briefs with a bastard. Anyway, what do you want me to do if he turns out to be… involved in this mess? Should I terminate him?"

"I haven't made a decision on that yet… let me know what he's up to first. Will you do this for me?"

Listening to his tone she realized he was asking her as one friend to another and that her answer had to be serious. If she answered yes, then she was committed. She thought carefully before answering. Did she really want to get back into Imperial politics? Strangely the answer came almost instantaneously.

"Yes. I'll find out for you… and if you need it, I'll terminate him."

Goten just nodded. "Do you need anything?"

"Just that handheld terminal so I can link up to your databases."

"Ok… You can take one with you when you leave here. I'll go with you back downside. I need to make dinner with the family anyway."

"Speaking of family, my Trunks wanted your entire family over for a 'friendly' party tomorrow afternoon and evening."

Goten scowled. "I… I would prefer not to attend."

"Bring Pan and Trunks with you as well as your dad and brother. It'll be a good opening for me to meet him. You introduce me."

Goten signed, "Fine… I'll come for a little while at least. What time tomorrow?"

"How about 4ish? That sound good?"

"Fine. I'll see you then."