Vegeta stood in the middle of the deserted dirt road. In reality it wasn't deserted. The road was the deathbed of twenty or so bodies. They weren't bodies of fighters. They were bodies of women and children. The men had long been disposed of. Nappa was in a clearing, starting a large fire. They couldn't leave the planet messy for its future inhabitants, now could they? No. It was long decided that the bodies would be cremated in huge bonfires. They were doing the last of the villages. They had killed the last of inhabitants a few days ago. Now it was just the cleaning up. Nappa called to him, to start bringing the bodies. Vegeta couldn't move though. He was too lost in thought.
The four pods landed on the planet engraving deep craters into the soft earth. After the dust cleared Vegeta stepped out of his pod. He was trembling slightly, literally shaking in his boots. No. He wasn't a baby. He wasn't going to chicken out. He was going to go through with this. This was his first field mission.
What could you expect from a nine year old though? Actually his birthday had only been two weeks ago. Stepping onto that soft dirt triggered the recent memory.
Cherris stepped into his room. Vegeta was dressed in his sleeping clothes and sitting on his bed. "You wanted to talk before I went to sleep?" he asked, his small legs crossed. She sat down on his bed and looked at him. He looked up at her and into her eyes.
She looked different. Her face was softer. It was no longer held in the strict hard way, but something close to a mother. Unlike during the day, her hair fell softly against her face. For the first time, Vegeta wasn't afraid of her. He didn't worry about her reaching out and slapping him for saying the wrong thing, not that she ever had. Though in the few weeks he had been taken unwillingly under her wing he was always scared of her. With right cause, many of the soldiers were, save the real powerful ones.
She looked at him and smiled. "I was looking at your file. Says today was your birthday." She told him. He nodded slowly. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small item wrapped into brown paper. Cherris handed it to Vegeta. "Go ahead. Open it." She urged. Vegeta hesitantly opened the round package. He held up a necklace with a dark blue gem. "It's a gem from my home. It's called, 'Enachular Dassadra'. It means stone of the heart. My father gave it to me when I was your age. There's an old legend to it, but that's another story for another night. Keep it well." She told. The gem was beautiful. Vegeta stared at it long after she had left.
The rock was now sitting in Vegeta's pocket. He reached in and gripped it for a moment. Maybe by touching it, he could have a little bit of her strength. Maybe he could get strength from Cherris.
Vegeta stared. He stared at the small body in front of him. The dead child didn't look more eight or nine years old. His mother was not, but a foot away from the small child. Vegeta felt his stomach churn. Blood was draining from the young boy's mouth. Vegeta noticed the pool of blood around the body. He covered his mouth and knelt down. He felt the vomit coming up. Why? Why? Why was he getting sick? He'd only been killing for six years. It was nothing knew. Why was he getting cold feet now? Vegeta was on his hands and knees and the vomit was coming up from his stomach.
He stood up after the last of it had drained from his mouth a few drips were on his chin and he quickly wiped it away. Then he heard Nappa's voice right near him. "You okay, Vegeta?" he asked. Vegeta stared at him.
"I'm fine Nappa. That last meal just didn't sit right with my stomach, that's all." Vegeta insisted. "Now. Let's get the rest of these bodies into the fire and get out of here."
A few hours later they were heading back to the planet. Vegeta quickly leapt from his pod and bounded towards the sleeping quarters, silently praying Cherris was okay. He pressed a few buttons and ran into her room. It was empty. Damn, he thought. He turned on his heel and ran towards her office. She had to be okay. She had to be here. Where else would she be? Zarbon could've snaked her into some sort of mission to get her away from Vegeta when he returned. Zarbon would do that. He'd lead Cherris away so he could have her way with her.