3: Exploration
"A problem?" Bulma said, her voice edging into concern. "What's wrong?"
"I think there's someone still on Planet Vegeta. A beam nearly killed me!" Jaco replied shakily, his eyes darting all around him, searching for more death beams.
"What?" Vegeta snatched the communicator from Bulma, launching from his seat. "That's impossible. That planet was destroyed over 50 years ago."
"I could be dead, you know." Jaco went on as if Vegeta had never spoken. "Boom, no more me."
"Maybe it's just someone scavenging the planet for whatever is left," Bulma suggested. "Vegeta, didn't you say before that space pirates were pretty plentiful around abandoned planets?"
"Yes, I did, but Planet Vegeta is nothing but several pieces scattered throughout the cosmos. Even if there were some habitable areas, there's nothing there to support life anyway. Besides, Jaco says a beam shot from the planet. There's no doubt that others saw it. For all we know, every pirate fleet in the whole area could be on their way right now looking for treasure, though they'll come up empty." Vegeta said pointedly.
"The beam came out of nowhere," Jaco continued dramatically. "Bright yellow and screaming death."
"Jaco, shush, we're talking." Bulma grabbed the communicator from Vegeta and placed it on the table. "Pirates don't care if it can't support life. As long as some valuables are left, they'll be happy."
"What valuables?" Vegeta huffed. "There's nothing left of that wasteland."
"How do you know?"
"How would I not know? It was my planet!"
"Dad, maybe we should go check it out." Trunks chimed in, grabbing the communicator. "Hey, Jaco, can you send us your location?"
"Sure," Jaco muttered. "Let's hope I'm not killed before then."
"Wait a minute, Trunks." Vegeta snatched the communicator from him, slamming it down on the table. "What do you expect to find? A beam firing doesn't signify something that drastic."
"How are you not at all concerned? It used to be your home. What if Jaco is right, and someone really is left out there after all these years?" Trunks placed both hands firmly on the table. "I for one think it's worth taking a look at, even if it is nothing. It's better to know for certain than to just assume."
Vegeta opened his mouth to argue, but realized he didn't really have an argument. Truthfully, he didn't want to go back to his old home. Not because he was afraid of some pathetic pirates. No, he was more afraid of the disaster he would see on his old planet. The one he was destined to rule but never got the chance. He also didn't believe that someone would still actually be alive on that wreckage. How could any life be supported? The planet was dead, and had no energy to do much other than float around aimlessly. He sighed, knowing that Trunks wasn't going to back down. He was loyal that way.
I don't want to risk it just being a damn pirate, Vegeta thought. Leaving Earth is too dangerous. New enemies keep sprouting up like weeds, and Kakarot and I are one of the only ones who can pull them. Gohan is too much of a family man, Piccolo isn't around much, and I certainly wouldn't count on Lord Beerus stepping in to help. Trunks and Goten are pretty useful when they're not goofing off. Perhaps Whis could watch over Earth? No, he would just eat the whole time. Dammit!
"Vegeta?" Bulma poked his cheek, her eyes wide. "Uh...are you okay?"
"What? I mean...yes, I'm fine." He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms, locking eyes with Trunks. Sighing heavily, he shook his head. "I'm not going to rattle you off of this, am I?"
Trunks stood straight, puffing out his chest. "Nope."
Vegeta looked him up and down, then groaned. "Fine. You, me, and Kakarot will take one of Bulma's ships to Jaco, then investigate. If it turns out to be nothing, then we'll head back to Earth. But, on the off chance that someone actually is still alive on that planet, then we'll play it by ear. But you do exactly what I say, understand?"
Trunks nodded. "Got it. Uh, can Goten come, too? This could be a fun father-son bonding thing, so if Goku is going, maybe Goten should come, too."
Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Father-son bonding thing? What are you, twelve?"
"I think it would be good for you two to get some time together." Bulma said with a wide, motherly smile. "Bonding is just what you need."
"We bonded last week." Vegeta said pointedly.
"You punched me in the face." Trunks said, placing his hands on his hips.
"Exactly, we bonded." Vegeta said with a shrug. "What more do you want from me?"
"What's going on now?" Whis asked, having not paid attention to anything the three had said, for he had found something called 'soda' and was thoroughly enjoying it. "Something about getting punched?"
"Vegeta, Trunks, Goten, and Goku are going to go help Jaco explore Planet Vegeta." Bulma explained. "If you find anything good, bring it back." She picked up the communicator and stood. "Hey, Jaco, you still there?"
"Oh, yes. I enjoyed being forgotten and ignored." Jaco grumbled.
"Oh, don't be so dramatic. The guys will be coming to your location in a few. Just check out as much of the planet as you can until then." Bulma held the phone in her mouth as she bent down to pick up a now wide awake Bulla from her stroller beside the table, handing her off to Vegeta. "They'll use one of my big ships to get to you."
Bulla cried happily upon seeing Vegeta. He blushed and quickly held her so that she faced away from him, though he couldn't help but smile. Even if it was a small one.
"You really want me to die!" Jaco cried over the phone.
"Oh, come on, Jaco, we love you. We'd be devastated if you died, really." Bulma said in an effort to placate the other's sadness, making her tone as light and reassuring as possible.
"Would we?" Vegeta asked.
Bulma smacked him upside the head. "Yes, we would."
"I'm gonna go get Goku and Goten," Trunks said, and quickly turned on his heel and walked away, not wanting to be involved in another one of his parents'arguments.
...
Goten sat on the porch of his house, bouncing his leg as if anxious for something. His eyes were glued to the ground, ants and other small bugs catching his attention as they slowly passed by. It was a nice day, the weather perfectly bearable and the wind just the right amount of chill to allow lone-sleeved shirts and pants, but not too cold to prohibit shorts and T-shirts. Despite this, Goten was shivering as if he had been locked in a freezer for hours.
I can't believe that just happened to me, He thought to himself, another shiver running up his spine.
The sound of approaching footsteps made him jump, and he leapt up in a battle stance, hands balled into fists. He then realized that it was only Trunks, who was staring at him as if Goten was a ghost. Goten blinked a few times, then stood straight and cleared his throat. "Sorry."
"What's the matter with you?" Trunks asked with a chuckle. "Why do you look so pale?"
Goten thought for a second, then chuckled nervously. "Pale? I-I'm not pale. You're pale."
Trunks stared at him. "Uh...are you okay?"
Goten was silent for a few seconds, leaving Trunks to wonder if the other had hit his head somewhere. He's never acted this weird before. Did Valese dump him? Oh, man, if so, that sucks. Wait, when were they even dating?
Goten sat back down on the porch and buried his head in his knees. "I did something stupid,"
"Oh boy." Trunks sighed. "When someone starts a sentence with that, what comes next is never good." He sat down beside him and folded his hands over his legs. "What did you do this time?"
Goten swallowed hard, then curled into a ball. "I walked in on my mom and dad...doing stuff."
Trunks sat in silence, letting this new information sink in. Doing stuff? What does that mean? Talking? No, Goten wouldn't freak out over talking. So then...wait a minute...oh, god. Trunks turned to face Goten, horror written on his face like a painting. "Really!?"
"It wasn't my fault!" Goten cried defensively. "Believe it or not, they're very quiet."
"That doesn't matter! You always knock!" Trunks shook the other by his shoulders. "Have you learned nothing!? How could you just open the door? What did you expect? Goku's always away, and Chi-Chi is always alone at home. Put 'em in a room together alone, and you better remember to knock."
"I just wanted to ask dad if we had any chips!" Goten whined. "It was horrible, Trunks!"
"What did you see?"
"Everything!"
"Hey, guys."
They both jumped and looked up towards the sidewalk, where Gohan stood holding little Pan in his arms. He looked like a professor, wearing a grey button up, brown dress pants, and black-rimmed glasses. Pan was smiling wide and giggling to herself, shaking a little rattle she clutched in her tiny hands.
Gohan looked at the two of them, then raised an eyebrow. "Why do you look like you saw something terrible?"
Goten threw himself at Gohan, embracing him in a tight hug. Pan screamed in joy and began to play with Goten's spiky hair. "I saw something so terrible that I'll be forever traumatized, Gohan!"
Gohan laughed. "Honestly, you're just being dramatic, brother. I'm sure whatever you saw isn't that-"
"He saw your mom and dad doing it...hi, Pan." Trunks patted Pan's head.
Gohan winced. "Oh. That sucks. Been there, though. I think every kid has had that happen to them at least once in their life."
Gohan jumped back. "What? This happened to you, too?"
"Wow, you really have done everything." Trunks added.
"Well, I was really young at the time." Gohan started, fixing Pan's position in his arms. "Actually, I think that was when they were conceiving you, Goten. Heh. What are the odds."
Goten and Trunks stared at Gohan with their mouths gaped open in shock, the only sounds coming from Pan as she aggressively shook her rattle. Gohan just smiled at the two, oblivious to the horrific swarm of images swirling through Goten's mind that would most likely never leave.
Trunks blinked, then shook his head. "Okay...uh, oh, right! Goten, on a much, much lighter note, Jaco thinks someone might still be alive on the remains of Planet Vegeta, so me, dad, Goku, and you are gonna go check it out."
Goten slumped. "I don't think I can be in the same room as dad right now...or ever."
"Did they see you walk in?" Gohan asked. Trunks could tell he was trying not to laugh.
"No, which I'm thankful for. As long as I keep my mouth shut about it, mom won't give me 'the talk.'" Goten replied, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Then he perked up, turning to Trunks. "What, Jaco found life on Planet Vegeta? Really?"
"Yeah! Well, it could be space pirates, but we'll never know if we don't check it out." Trunks said, rubbing the back of his neck. "That is, if your able to ride in the same ship as your dad without...you know...freaking out."
"Life on Planet Vegeta, huh." Gohan said in awe. "Wow. I wish I could tag along, but Videl's out of town, so I have to watch Pan. Keep me posted about what you find though, okay?
Goten sucked in a breath. "I can suck it up, I guess. Just don't tell anyone. Especially Valese."
"Oh, I gotta tell Valese." Gohan joked, then laughed when Goten punched his arm. But the three of them fell into laughter like children on a playground. It's been a while since I've gotten to make Goten laugh. Trunks, too. I guess I never focused on how much I missed hanging out with them. Even though we're not kids anymore, we clearly still act like it. Man, growing up is tough.
...
Jaco's ship maneuvered through the debris of the planet, sliding under large arches of rock and metal and squeezing through holes made by ki blasts. He pushed a combination of buttons, and the ship slowly descended onto the large portion where the blast had materialized.
His thoughts raced around in his head, all of them screaming to turn back, to fly his ship as far away as he could get from this ghost town of a planet. As much as he wanted to run away, he knew he had to stay and make sure nothing dangerous was going on. He wasn't built for fights, but Bulma had said that Goku and company would be arriving soon, so that made him feel a little more comfortable. Though, not by much. His chest tightened as his ship neared the surface.
"Oh, dear." Jaco muttered as he shifted his ship into a suitable landing position. "I better get paid extra for this."
Once all three legs touched the ground smoothly, Jaco opened up the top hatch and hopped out. His feet hit the ground gently, making no sound. He reached to his hip and pulled out his blaster, holding it at the ready as his eyes scanned every surface. He saw collapsed buildings and homes. Toppled Attack Balls and other ships looking like a giant had tossed them around. But what caught his attention the most was a pile of Saiyan armor stacked neatly against a large slab of concrete. He slowly made his way over to get a closer look, mainly to make sure he wasn't seeing things.
Upon closer inspection, it was indeed a pile of badly damaged Saiyan armor, chipped and broken in many pieces. The strange thing was that they looked like they had been cleaned in great detail. Not a speck of dirt showed on any pieces of the armor, even in the tiny grooves. He ran his finger along the chest piece on top, and his finger came back pristine, not any dust or dirt of any kind.
"Huh," He said to himself, then he looked around him in a full 360 circle. "If somebody took the time to clean these, then they must still be around."
Who would clean old armor? It doesn't make any sense. Pirates certainly wouldn't waste time cleaning instead of stealing, so I guess I can rule them out.
He started across the rough and cracked terrain, stepping over metal and glass. Another thing struck him suddenly, making him even more unsettled and confused.
Where are all the bodies? This planet was bombed in a hurry, so wouldn't there be a bunch of dead bodies everywhere? Part of him was grateful for the missing bodies, but the other half was suspicious and scared.
A sudden noise in the distance made him squeak, and accidentally fire his blaster at the ground. He froze, holding his breath. Oh, please don't kill me, I have so much to live for.
Nothing happened. A light wind blew past, sending a shiver up his spine. He took a step, looked around, then slowly took another, and another. He forced himself to think happy thoughts, like cake and survival. Dying on an abandoned planet didn't sound too appealing to him. To anyone, really. Dying in general didn't sound appealing. He had to physically restrain himself from running back to his ship and flying off.
Be brave, Jaco. Soon, Goku and Vegeta will be here, and they'll take care of everything and you can go home and relax and never speak of this again.
Up ahead, the sound of something dragging across the ground sent Jaco screeching to a halt. Oh god. That's it. I'm dead. So long, Jaco. You lived a good, semi-long life.
His mind conjured up the worst of the worst. A monster ready to snap his tiny little body in half. A pirate fully prepared to blast him to the next time zone. Or both.
Quite literally shaking in his boots, he tip-toed closer, hiding behind a large piece of concrete protruding from the ground like a barrier. He could barely hold his gun on account of how harshly his hands were shaking. He cursed himself for his jumpy nature and slowly, slowly peeked over the top of the makeshift barrier, ready to turn tail and book it back to his ship if need be.
What greeted his eyes on the other side of the barrier was not a big, hairy monster of any kind, nor was it a large pirate. It was a slim, dirty woman dragging a large burlap sack across the ground. She had very long, ratty black hair falling down well past her knees in dire need of being cut, and her skin was tan in color. Cuts and scrapes danced along her arms and legs, a criss-cross of red shades. He watched in amazement as she hauled the sack over to a stack of similar sacks, heaving it down on top with little effort. He saw visibly large muscles in her arms and legs, proving that it was clear she hadn't been sitting around doing nothing for 50 years.
Another thing he noticed about her was that she had a long, brown Saiyan tail curled tightly around her waist, the short fur matted and knotted in several places.
A Saiyan! Jaco crouched down out of sight, his mind reeling. Ha! No pirates or monsters. A lost Saiyan who must have found a way to survive on this planet. Poor thing. Well, I am a gentleman, so I should introduce myself. If she's as friendly as Goku, this won't be as hard as I feared. I just have to approach with caution and assert my male dominance!
He holstered his gun, puffed out his chest, and walked proudly out from his hiding spot. The girl didn't notice him at first. She continued stacking the sacks of mysterious contents, hard at work as if the planet hadn't been blown up. As if she was frozen in time doing her job. Jaco watched closely, then got bored and cleared his throat loud enough for her to hear.
She startled and whirled around, immediately shooting off a ki blast in his direction. Jaco screamed and hit the deck, the blast soaring above him and colliding with a pile of rocks. The blast exploded on impact in a blinding yellow light, shooting debris and dirt in all directions. The sound was deafening, and Jaco threw his hands over his hand, curling into a ball. Tiny rocks bounced off of him, but he was otherwise untouched.
He slowly poked his head out of his ball, looking around with wide eyes. I can't believe she almost shot me! Standing up, he realized that she had either hidden herself or ran off, for she was no where in sight.
Great. Now I have to look around this desolate wasteland for god knows how long. He kicked a rock, sending it skittering away. How rude of her. Shooting someone who's trying to help.
Not a second later, he was tackled from the side, crashing to the ground. He cried out, but a hand slapped over his mouth before he could shout any profanities. Dust kicked up all around them, obscuring his surroundings. Jaco blinked several times, then he began to panic and struggle. The arms pinning him down were powerful, much stronger than him. He thrashed like a fish out of water until the dust cleared and he locked eyes with her.
Now he saw her in full focus. She was beautiful. Her face was scratched, sure, but her eyes were a deep and penetrating black, and she stared at him as if she were reading his every thought before he even thought it. She didn't blink or look away; she glued her eyes to his, seeing into his very soul. Jaco stared back, but he couldn't go very long without blinking.
The girl sniffed him all over, like a dog looking for treats in their owner's pockets. Jaco shifted uncomfortably, praying for the others to arrive soon. When she got a little too close to his special regions, he finally spoke up. "Hey, hey, lady, watch it!"
The girl jumped, leaping off of him to stand a few feet away, her eyes wide in surprise as if she hadn't expected him to speak.
Jaco quickly got to his feet as well, dusting himself off. "Okay, first of all, you don't shoot people who are here to help. Second, you don't tackle people who are here to help. And thirdly, ...I'm here to help." He forced a wide smile, spreading his arms out to his sides. "Your hero, Jaco Teirimentenpibosshi, has arrived."
The girl didn't move. She stood as straight as a reed, her expression blank and unreadable.
Jaco slowly put his arms down, then cleared his throat. "How long have you been on this planet by yourself?"
The girl tilted her head to the side as if to hear better, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
Jaco slumped. "Great. She probably doesn't even speak." He sighed, then pointed to where he had parked his ship. "I have a ship. You follow me. We go to Earth. Friends there to help." He tried to speak in simple terms, but from the looks the girl was giving him, she wasn't getting any of it. He groaned and settled on just walking back to the ship and hoping she'd follow.
Sure enough, she did. She was slow at first, taking cautious steps a few feet behind him, but she got closer once she had declared him no longer a threat. She was like a puppy, interested yet too scared to get close. Jaco looked over his shoulder every now and then, and she would flinch and jump back like a bird, only to get closer as he walked.
What strange behavior. I've never known a Saiyan to act like this, but then again, I don't know many Saiyans. It's probably due to her being alone all her life. Strange.
Jaco stopped in front of his ship and turned to face her, hands on his hips. The girl jumped back a few feet, her eyes locked on him, awaiting his next move. "Okay. You wait here, I have to make a call."
The girl watched as Jaco pulled out his communicator and dialed Bulma's number. It took a few seconds for her to answer, but when she did, he made sure he spoke first. "Bulma, you'll never believe it. That beam belonged to a Saiyan, and it's a girl!"
"What, really?" Bulma said excitedly. "Wow, another Saiyan? And a girl, too? I didn't think there were many female Saiyans still around, that's awesome!"
"Did Goku and the others leave yet?"
"Oh, yeah, they all left a few minutes ago. Though Goten was acting really strange..."
"Yeah, yeah, that's great. Now, I don't think she understands what I'm saying, so what do I do?" Jaco looked back to were the girl was a few seconds ago, then jumped when she was directly in front of him, staring at the communicator as if it were some foreign object. Technically, to her, it was.
She poked the square-shaped object, then snatched it from him and stood, holding it awkwardly in her hands.
"Hey, give that back! I need it! Don't break it!" Jaco jumped up and down around her, waving his arms wildly. The girl ignored him and began pressing buttons on the phone, flinching when one of them made a noise. One button she pushed opened up a holographic screen that showed Bulma's face, the space equivalent of Face Time, just more high tech. The girl startled and dropped the phone. It bounced off of Jaco's head and hit the ground.
The screen fizzed for a second, then came into focus. "Jaco, what-" she saw the girl looking horrified at the object and smiled. "Oh, hi! You must be the Saiyan! I'm Bulma."
The girl cocked her head to the side, looking from Jaco to Bulma.
Jaco grabbed the phone and wiped it off. "Yeah, she doesn't understand English."
"Well, then what am I supposed to say? Kon'nichiwa?" Bulma asked. "Just stay with her until Vegeta and Goku get there. I'm sure they'll know how to handle this." In the background, a voice that sounded like Piccolo spoke, but Jaco couldn't make out what he said. "Oh, right," Bulma nodded, then turned back to Jaco. "Okay, so Piccolo says that you should try using hand gestures and stuff."
Jaco raised an eyebrow. "Hand gestures? Really?"
"Yes, really. Piccolo knows what he's talking about." Bulma said, and looked at the girl with a warm smile. "We're friends. We won't hurt you, okay?"
The girl stared at Bulma in wonder, unmoving.
A beep was heard from the other end. "Oh, I'm getting another call. I gotta go, Jaco. Don't do anything stupid. The others will be there soon, bye!" And with that, the holo-screen vanished.
Jaco and the Saiyan girl stood in silence for what felt like an eternity. The only sounds came from and wind blowing by. Jaco glanced at her occasionally, and each time she was staring at him.
Then, she spoke. Her voice was quiet and sounded like a whisper, like she was too afraid to raise her voice any louder than that. "You...friend?"
Jaco blinked, then nodded. "Yeah. I'm Jaco, the Galactic Patrolman."
"Jaco," She said softly, testing the word on her tongue. "Jaco...is a friend?"
"Yeah. And more friends are on their way here."
She looked up at the sky, a smile slowly stretching onto her face. "So...it worked then, huh?"
Jaco raised an eyebrow. "Worked? Wait, you can talk?"
"Yes," She smiled down at him. "I didn't know if I could trust you, so I kept quiet."
"I don't know if I should be insulted or not." Jaco muttered. "Now, you sent that distress signal, right? That was you?"
She nodded. "I did. I got an old ship to work for a few seconds, but it busted before I could use it to fly off this planet. So, I used it to send out a signal to any nearby ships. That beam was in case the signal didn't work. You received both?"
Jaco nodded. "The beam nearly killed me."
She chuckled. "Sorry." She crouched down, extending her hand. "I'm Basil. Thank you for coming here to help me, Jaco Galactic Patrolman."
"It's just Jaco, but no worries." He shook her hand firmly.
The girl, Basil, stood straight and put her hands on her hips. "Now. Got any food on that ship of yours?"
