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Chapter 3
Vegeta strode into the room as confidently as he could. He mustn't give the impression that he was nervous about anything. Freiza had his back to the door and ignored the warrior's presence until Vegeta finally broke the silence.
"My Lord," he said softly. He tried to keep his cool demeanor but he could sense the Iceijin's irritable mood.
"Let's skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point, shall we?" Freiza stated frankly, finishing the last sip of wine from an ornate glass goblet. Before the prince could blink the cup came speeding towards him and shattered against his armor, the glass imbedding itself into his left shoulder. Suddenly he was up against the wall, the tyrant's tail around his neck. Freiza smiled calmly at the bleeding teenager. "You were sneaking around last night. I won't bother to ask why because I know very well that you will lie to me."
Vegeta felt the pressure on his neck tighten, constricting his airway.
"And quite frankly, I am growing weary of your excuses. At this point I doubt very much that you can feed me an original one."
Vegeta cringed, waiting for the blows to start, but instead found himself being released.
Freiza sighed, "Let us say, for the moment, that I am willing to let it slide. How I do spoil you. Zarbon, would you ask Ketriana to join us?"
"Yes sir," he answered before quickly opening the door. A few moments later Ketriana stood beside Vegeta, glancing only briefly at his bloody shoulder and bruised neck.
"Well he certainly got off easy today." She thought absentmindedly.
"I am sending you both to the planet Keit. Pika somehow managed to make himself useful and has befriended Prince Gaphner. His father and I have recently signed an alliance but I doubt his loyalty. The prince is throwing a party which you will all attend. You four are the only ones young enough to look as if you belong. Pika will keep the prince occupied while you two accompany Mahlah to the central computer where she will hack into their mainframe and steal some information."
Vegeta and Ketriana both mentally cursed. They had never been on a mission with Mahlah but could imagine the endless joys that awaited them.
"You will no doubt have to force your way past security. Do whatever you have to do, just get me those files. And make sure Pika doesn't screw things up. I will hold you all responsible for what happens if he does. You are excused."
Zarbon handed them both chips which could be inserted into a scoter, detailing the mission. The warriors bowed and turned to leave.
"Oh and one more thing, Vegeta. If I find out you've picked up any of your old habits…" The tsirijin spoke in an icy tone, "…there will be serious consequences."
Vegeta managed to nod before hurrying out the door.
"What was that about?" Ketriana asked when they were a considerable distance away.
"Don't worry about it." The Saiyan answered, gingerly beginning to pick the shards of glass from his shoulder. Not being one to press, Ketriana sighed and quickly changed the subject.
"Aren't you going to the med ward?"
"No." he stated simply, not being in the mood for conversation.
"Well let's find Pika and Mahlah then. Dammit. This is not going to be fun."
The four of them met briefly in the dinning hall.
"What exactly is in these files?" Pika asked Mahlah.
"That is for me and Freiza to know." She replied snobbishly.
The three of them started back in agitated disbelief.
"I really don't know why he's bothering to send all three of you. I don't even need to get to the central computer. I'm skilled enough that I can do it from a terminal."
"Listen!" Vegeta stood and slammed his hand down on the table. "the only the reason the three of us are going on this mission is to make sure you're pretty little head doesn't end up splattered against a wall. And it would be a real shame if something were to happen while our backs were turned." He shouted with conviction.
"Oh will you two give it a rest!" Ketriana snapped. Mahlah only rolled her eyes and looked away. "Let's just get this over with. We leave first thing tomorrow."
The four of them parted ways. Vegeta went back to his room and tried not to think about the bottle of capsules hidden under his bed. He only lasted about an hour. He counted the remaining pills, calculating how many he would have to hand over to Mahlah to shut her up. He would have to start weaning himself off of them very soon. The withdrawal symptoms would be too much if he tried to go cold turkey, and Freiza would easily figure out what was going on.
Within two days they arrived at their destination. The group stopped at an inn outside the capital city to change into the local dress. The palace was gigantic. Tall, white gates towered over the city, covered in intricate carvings and sculptures. Keit was a wealthy planet, rich in natural resources and rare minerals. The royal family was known for obsessive spending and the local economy had suffered for it, one of the reasons they had given in to Freiza almost without a fight.
Pika was not unknown in the galaxy. He had friends everywhere, in every business and had somehow managed to conceal the fact that he worked for Freiza. This had proved very useful in several situations but unfortunately it had gone to the teenagers head. Pika tended to be sloppy and careless. The others all knew that Freiza would dispose of him as soon as he proved to be more trouble then he was worth. This recent accomplishment, however, had bought him some more time.
Pika got them easily past security and into the main hall where the celebration was taking place. They scouted the room, searching for possible access ports to the computer system. Mahlah managed to locate one with a small handheld device. It wasn't far, but distant enough for them to be out of sight.
"It isn't going to take long is it?" Vegeta asked impatiently
"I don't know why you're complaining! I'm the one doing all the hard labor, you guys are just doing the grunt work." She answered.
Vegeta lunged towards the smirking girl but Ketriana intervened.
"Vegeta I think it would be best if you stayed here for now. You have your mic on, we'll call you if we meet any trouble." The woman grabbed Mahlah by the arm and hurried away, leaving Vegeta to cool down. Pika couldn't help but laugh.
"Shut up!" the prince snapped.
"Will you please relax! Look around you. THIS," he gestured around the extravagant room, "… is called a 'party', Vegeta. This is what normal people do for fun. Now I know it's not exactly blowing the heads off helpless victims but try to enjoy yourself anyway."
Vegeta turned and glared at Pika who grinned back nervously.
"And here," he said shoving a glass of green liquid into the prince's hand, "drink this. It's not a capsule but it'll loosen you up a little. Ketriana and Mahlah are getting the files, I'm going to keep to the prince occupied and all you have to do is sit tight and not look conspicuous."
Before Vegeta could protest Pika disappeared into the crowd. He stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do next. He stared down at the drink and briefly considered drinking it until a voice called out from behind.
"Geta, darling!"
Vegeta's eyes widened and he slowly turned, hoping he was wrong. But there she stood anyway, the only other Iceijin that side of the galaxy. She smirked at the Saiyan, in her fourth form, thick white locks cascading down her back.
"What the hell are YOU doing here?"
"Just making a delivery, and you? I suppose Freiza sent you to check up on the King. That man can be so paranoid… I saw Ketriana." Ilya said sweetly, voiced laced with female rivalry.
"Yeah? Well, it's been great talking to you, bye!" he spat sarcastically and attempted to walk away. He only got a few steps before Ilya materialized in front of him, looking him up and down.
"My, my Vegeta, how time does pass. You're almost a man. I remember when you were just a homesick little boy. You were adorable back then; I remember I once tried to get Freiza to sell you to me. I thought you'd make a nice pet." She smiled sarcastically, walking around the prince to observe him more closely, "But he refused. He's quite attached to you, you know. You're his 'special project', the ONLY successful specimen from that little experiment he conducted all those years ago. I suppose that's why he killed all the other's, except Ketriana and Pika of course, but they just sort of survived accidentally didn't they."
The woman knew just how to get underneath his skin. He grabbed her wrist roughly, stopping her rotation.
"Are you done?"
"Not even close." She whispered as she leaned into his face and yanked her arm free.
"First off, give these to Ketriana." She handed him a small brown parcel. "Second, I have a little proposition for you. I need to be scarce for a while. Someone just placed a rather large bounty on my head and the Hunters are all over my ass. If you agree to make a delivery for me I'll keep a steady supply of capsules coming your way at normal price."
"I thought capsules were over"
"I have a private seller so don't believe everything you hear, especially from a member of the Ginyu Force. Hell, if you do a good job I might be willing to give you a permanent position. I pay in hard cash, not those worthless 'credits' Freiza dowels out."
"Not that I'm saying no but if Freiza finds out we're both dead."
"I am not afraid of Freiza," she stated frankly. "He's made it very clear that as long as my interests don't conflict with his, he'll let me be. And since he would never lower himself to dealing narcotics, I'm safe. So what do you say?"
Vegeta was torn. If it was anyone else he'd immediately agree, it's not like he hadn't done it before. But Ilya was bad news. She was too close to Freiza for starters.
And while she hadn't started the underground market running through the tyrant's base, she had helped it evolved a great deal.
Freiza himself was mostly to blame. He had managed to collect all the most morally corrupt and morally indifferent people in the galaxy and cluster them into one location. It was no surprise then that an intricate black market had formed right under his nose. There wasn't much you couldn't get. But it was a delicate system, always on the verge of collapse. Bribes had to be made to Freiza's spies, whose rates steadily increased. Exchanges could only be made at certain, specific times, in certain specific locations. There were certain things one had to say, certain movements one had to make. Most importantly, all these certain things had to be changed regularly. It was almost ritualistic.
The only thing that kept the fragile structure from caving in was a checks and balances system of leverage. Everyone had dirt on everyone else, if one of them went down, they all went down. All this and the fact that no one was truly dedicated to Freiza or his cause. No one was blindly loyal to Freiza except Zarbon and Dodoria. Even the Ginyu Force could be swayed. And everyone knew Captain Ginyu secretly harbored desires to overthrow Freiza, although he was much too cowardly to ever act on them. As long as the relationship remained profitable he was willing to be a faithful servant.
The problems didn't start until Ilya signed a treaty with Freiza, agreeing to be his eyes and ears in certain sectors. It was she who introduced hard drugs into the system. For years no once could get their hands on them. The occasional bottle of capsules or tabs might be obtained for the right price but large shipments were unheard of. It was too difficult to find someone willing to supply narcotics to anyone associated with Freiza. Ilya was their key into the market. Once the drug lords found out there was profit to be made the drugs flowed from all corners of the galaxy. Prices were low at first and it wasn't long before most of the crew was addicted to something or other. But Freiza was not stupid, and it wasn't long before he caught wind of it. Many crewmembers met mysterious deaths and several key planets were destroyed. It was Ilya's fault Vegeta had gotten caught doing them himself. Prices began to rise until only higher ranking officers could afford them.
"Forget it. Freiza's already suspicious of me. Not to mention you are a lying, backstabbing, deceitful bitch who isn't worthy of my time! " he pushed past her and began stalking away.
"You don't want these then?" she asked holding up a small red bottle. Vegeta turned and stared back at her before quickly snatching the container.
"It's only half full!"
"Yes, you'll get the other half when the job is finished."
Vegeta sighed, as if making a decision.
"This is a one time deal. I'm not your fucking lackey."
"You're right, Freiza's already got dibs on that one." She shot back. "It's quite simple, all you have to do is deliver some tabs to Benzain, you can do it on your way back to Freiza's base."
"I still don't see why he hasn't killed you yet." He scoffed arrogantly.
"Kill me? His own flesh? Ha! I'd like to see him try. His father would have a fit. And the last thing Freiza wants to do is upset 'Daddy'. But that's a story for another day. Have fun!" Ilya exclaimed before making a hasty exit.
"I'm going to regret this…" he thought grimly.