Solution

The court could not reach a decision as to what to do with the child Brolli. What they all wanted to suggest, of course, was that he be killed, but none of them could openly condone that. He was a child, after all, and a Saiyan child at that. But what else was there to do with such a being? King Vegeta sat in some of their debates, sitting in a corner saying nothing and looking intensely gloomy.

The first Saiyan to voice what was on all their minds was Bardock. He came into the debating to chamber to meet Tommo one bright afternoon, stood at the back listening to the listless back and forth of ideas for a few minutes, and spoke without invitation,

'Why don't you just kill him?' he said. The others stared in open-mouthed shock.

'He's just a baby!' Tommo said.

'He's not really a child,' Bardock reminded her. 'You said so yourself.' Tommo scowled.

'He looks like a child,' she said lamely.

'But even so, Captain,' an old man at the far end of the table said. 'Who would be prepared to do such a thing? We could not force the Saiyan people to accept such a blot on their conscience.'

Bardock smirked. 'Oh, I'm sure someone would be prepared to do it.' The others reeled back at the implications of this.

'That's not the point,' a young woman said. 'The order to do it would have to be given by the King, and our whole society would be implicated. Anyway, we don't even know what kind of person this child will grow up to be. Who's to say he will be a conscienceless monster?'

'Why take the risk?' Bardock asked. The girl glowered at him.

'But that raises the whole issue of-' began the old man from the back.

'Oh, let's go home, Tommo,' Bardock snapped. 'There's no point in continuing this stupid so-called debate. You're all in agreement, really. You're saying the same thing- we want to kill a baby, but we haven't got the guts to do it.' The whole debating chamber stared at him, their eyes wide with disbelief and anger. The room was silent for a full five minutes. Then it burst into furious voices.

'Now, see here!' the old man at the back railed.

'Courage has nothing to do with it!' cried the young woman. Tommo leaned over to Bardock.

'You'd better go,' she muttered. Furious, Bardock stormed out of the debating chamber and out into the street. Something would have to be done about this, he told himself. They were just going to argue about it forever…

He had no better luck with King Vegeta. Of course, Bardock didn't suggest the King of the Saiyans didn't 'have the balls' to kill the baby. He argued that it was the only possible course of action, that allowing a monstrous being like that to grow up would be a terrible risk. King Vegeta pressed his hands together and mused,

'I feel like that King in the story who tried to kill that baby because he was afraid the baby would kill him when he grew up.'

'And the baby did kill him,' Bardock said, trying to remember where he'd heard this.

'Yes,'

'You know why?' Bardock asked, an eyebrow raised.

'He tried to rob an innocent child of life?'

'No, the King died because he didn't do it properly. If he'd killed the baby, he wouldn't have died.' Bardock grinned smugly.

'Oh, goddess,' King Vegeta said, burying his head in his hands. 'I knew you were going to say that.'

'It's true, though,' Bardock protested. 'Why don't you just kill him? You wouldn't have to do it. I could do it. I could kill a baby.' King Vegeta sighed.

'Thanks for the offer, but I don't think your descent into total corruption needs my help.'

'What?'

'Never mind. But please, Bardock- it's a baby. Don't let your standards go this much. You must try to fight your worst instincts.'

'Yes,' Bardock murmured, looking off into the distance. 'But don't you think this time a terrible act might be needed for the greater good?'

'I don't know what to do,' the King said miserably.

'This whole thing about babies,' Bardock said in a lighter tone. 'I mean, why are they so precious because they've just been born? Just because they're young doesn't mean they somehow deserve to live more.'

'It's because they're defenceless,' King Vegeta snarled.

'Lots of people are defenceless compared to us,' Bardock pointed out. 'Look at the Tsufuruns during the war. They were as helpless as babies compared to the Saiyans, but it didn't stop us from killing them.'

'Oh, now you're just being ridiculous,' frowned King Vegeta. 'It's not the same thing at all. Babies are babies. And I'm not giving you the order to kill little Brolli.' Bardock bit back an angry response.

'I'd better go, I've got to get back to Stiglitz-Bolstein,' he said. The King nodded, barely looking at him.

'We'll figure out a solution to this,' he said distantly. 'I mean, it's just a baby.'

Bardock flew away through the deep-pink sky, cursing them all. What was wrong with everyone? They were Saiyans. Surely they realised that in a situation like this, one had to get one's hands a little dirty to save oneself a great deal of trouble later on. It was just one baby, after all. It wasn't as if they'd have to kill a whole barn of babies. Bardock smirked, remembering the joke about the pile of dead babies.

He paused in the air halfway to Stiglitz-Bolstein. No one but him seemed willing to do what needed to be done. So maybe he should just take things into his own hands. There would be trouble, of course, but he would weather it. It was just what he was telling the council and King Vegeta- do it, and then face the consequences. He turned towards Pistopon, an unholy gleam in his eye…

Bardock tore into Paragus' inn at Pistopon. He shoved open the door and looked around. Paragus was nowhere to be seen. Bardock went upstairs, rushing through all the rooms, ignoring the shouts and protests of the workers and the customers. But Paragus, Brolli and Mehetabel were gone.

'Damn,' Bardock hissed. They must have anticipated this and run off. But where to? They could be anywhere. Bardock imagined Paragus racing across the hills, holding the monstrous baby in his arms. As if he could run from the Psychic Distortionist… there was nowhere he could go on Vegeta where Bardock wouldn't eventually find him.

Unless he left the planet entirely… There was a spaceship port up at West Point. Paragus could be trying to commandeer a lift out of here even now. Then he could speed away to wherever Turles was, and they could join forces. Bardock snarled. It was a long shot, but to his mind it was already a certainty. He made a beeline for West Point, flying more slowly this time. He should conserve his strength in case Paragus struggled.