Vegeta honestly didn't know what he was doing. An hour of freedom? What good was that to him? Oh yes, he could walk around freely for that short period of time, but he wasn't exactly in a mood for an evening stroll…or whatever the hell time it was on this ship. He couldn't tell. All he knew was he'd been awake since his check-up that morning with Dr. Tottle, and that felt like days ago now. He was more than tempted to forget the Gregorik's 'boon', find a cell, and sleep for as long as he could. But as usual, one thing kept him from performing this spiteful action.

Kakarot. He knew he wouldn't be coming back. He hadn't wanted to come back after his death with Cell, only fortunate – or perhaps not so fortunate – circumstances had ushered his revival. But now he had passed again. And he wouldn't want any of his friends to go through the trouble it would take to bring him back.

Bulma was going to kill him. He was going to kill himself. Because of his patheticness, one of the last remaining Saiyans, the greatest warrior he'd ever known, and the closest thing he'd ever had to a true friend had been disgracefully murdered. As much as an annoying, idiotic clown he had always considered him, Kakarot deserved so much better than that. He couldn't avenge him anymore. He'd acted too slow and had lost his chance. So, with the little time he had, he decided to do the only thing he could do to honor him.

He would see to his remains. Though he hadn't been certain at first, after a little wandering on the civilian decks he'd caught wind of Kakarot's scent. The body was still on the ship. It wouldn't take him long to find it. As for what he would do with it once he discovered it…he wasn't sure. By Earth tradition, the body should be buried. By Saiyan tradition, the body should be burned. Neither option seemed very possible while stuck on this ship. All the same, he wasn't about to let anyone else touch it. He'd just have to figure something out.

Deep in thought and still exhausted from battle, he wasn't even slightly prepared for the python that whipped around his head, clamping over his mouth as a second hand gripped a fistful of his hair.

"I want you to be very quiet…" hissed a voice he'd become all too familiar with these days. His eyes raised slightly as Nevrrest craned over him, an uncanny darkness touching her eyes. She grinned. "Though we both know you'd never call out for help."

What the hell does she want?! Vegeta rattled angrily in his mind, Is she really so eager to break my bones again? So much for the bear's assurances I'd be left alone.

"We need to talk," she said, her smile getting smaller but remaining, "Right this way, if you please…"

Vegeta grunted viciously as he was hauled away from Kakarot's scent, back down many of the halls he had just taken. He didn't struggle, hoping that whatever she was up to wouldn't take much of his time so he could get back to honoring the dead. It appeared she wasn't planning on having him take much of her time either, leading him back to the judicial deck much faster than he had left it. Nevrrest's carnivorous fangs glinted through her beak as the door came into view.

"Just as I thought," she mused aloud, "They didn't even think to post a guard at the door." Opening a panel, she pulled the manual release on the door and shoved Vegeta inside.

Vegeta shuffled, catching his balance as his boot splashed against a red puddle. He glanced briefly over his shoulder at the saiyan body of Un Nettelish, his nostrils overwhelmed with the pungent scent of death that filled the room. Nevrrest's colorful, meaty tail wrapped around the release again and the door shut firmly behind them. Vegeta studied her expression, her eyes dark and relaxed, her normally concealed fangs a constant decoration to her beak. She looked so ridiculously serious, he was tempted to mock her. But he'd lost all his humor hours ago.

"What do you want, Nevrrest?" he flatly demanded. She didn't answer. Instead, her knuckles cracked against his cheek, the motion almost lazy; filled with boredom. He growled, his head turned to the side. He started to open his mouth again and the other set of knuckles cracked against the opposing cheek. Figuring she must have changed her mind about talking, he just glared and bared his teeth at her. But even that was met with more backhanded strikes, each blow mockingly detached until his foot snagged on a corpse and he caught himself on a knee.

Nevrrest's tail thumped the floor patiently as she cracked her knuckles against a palm. "Enjoying yourself?" she mildly asked, "Or are you ready to listen now?" It took every fiber of Vegeta's being to resist giving a retort, his fists quivering angrily as they pressed to the stained and scorched carpet. Her tail weaved back and forth, the fan of blue feathers on the end opening and closing. "It seems you've done well for yourself, Vegeta. I overheard my associates talking. It looks like you're sentence is being cut in half. Five years."

"What of it?" he snarled with disinterest, "You here to 'punish' me for it?"

But then she did something that disturbed him. She chuckled. Not the mocking little giggles she had done before, but an earnest, smooth, contented hum. "I'm not angry, Vegeta," she assured, "In fact, I couldn't be more happy with you. You helped me deal with a nasty pest problem. In light of this, I've decided it's time to stop tormenting you and bring our relationship to an end. By that, of course, I mean your end."

Vegeta's attention briefly shifted back to the layer of corpses and got to his feet, rubbing his wrist against a sore cheek. "Brought me here to add my body to your mass grave, did you?"

For the briefest moment, some manner of conscious seemed to attempt to flare up in her, but instead she just smiled. He grunted and stepped back, unsettled. She didn't used to grin so much. "In a manner of speaking," she admitted. She stepped over and gaze down at her reflection in a pool of blood. "Let's be frank here, Vegeta. You don't want to be stuck in this prison for the next five years."

He snorted. "Of course not."

"No, I mean you really don't want to…" she darkly assured, a ripple going through her silky plume, "Spending every day in my shadow, knowing that your son is dead, your wife is dead, your world is dead…"

Vegeta looked straight at her, every wrinkle in his face tight with rage. "What are you talking about?" he demanded.

"The future." She turned, her darkened gaze radiating elegant zeal. "My plans have gone all wrong and there's nothing I can do on my own to fix them. I must accept that you will live." Vegeta's teeth clenched and his face twitched as she craned down to his level. "If I can't have your life…I'll have to make sure I have everything else." Her brow lowered as she grew the ugliest grin that face could hold. "I'm going to rip your heart out and leave you as hollow as a cored apple."

Vegeta could feel the adrenaline starting to gush through his veins again. "What do you want?!" he hissed through his teeth, "You wouldn't be saying this if there wasn't a point."

"You're right." She grasped his shoulders and turned him around to face the bodies. "You left this room quite angry, Vegeta. Resentful, grieved. And in those moments as you walked away, you decided something." She pressed a claw into his cheek, barely not breaking the skin. "To spit their reward back in their faces. You returned here. No guard. No cameras online." A second claw pressed against his cheek. "And in this fit of rage, you decided to punish every single justiciar – me most of all – by desecrating the corpses I made, ripping them apart and strewing them over the judicial deck."

Vegeta could only stare at the bodies in disbelief as she said this. "You're insane!" he snarled with disgust.

Her talons gripped the side of his neck. "Don't like that version? How about this one? You follow every instruction Oom'Bagu gives you and are rewarded with the shortest sentence a man of your sins has ever received. And you spend every waking moment wondering…did she do it? But I won't answer. I'll make you squeal and bleed for five years until you're released. And you return home. Your heart races." Her grip tightened and his neck started to bleed. "Did she do it? Did she do it?! And you come home to…nothing."

"Rrrr!" Vegeta growled and shoved her away, glaring up at her with utter contempt. He pointed a finger up at her. "Save your games, you damn bird!" he snapped, "Do you honestly think I'd buy that for even one second?! Your precious fleet means too much to you for you to risk losing it by destroy the Earth."

"If it were a risk," she shrugged. Vegeta's face faltered. "It's a back-water planet. No one will even notice it's gone. Only Goku would have and he's…" She smiled again. "Well…"

The pits of Vegeta's black eyes absolutely burned. "How dare you?" he hissed, his fists upheld, "You're a monster!"

"Masterfully crafted by the great Prince Vegeta," she stooped in a bow, spreading her arms. She straightened and crossed them over her chest. "Oh, and an important detail about that desecration you're about to perform. You're going to make a small mistake during it. In your ferial rage, you're going do some…eating."

Vegeta's expression was lost between rage and disbelief. "You're joking!" he cried. His brow lowered wrathfully. "You're monstrous and insane!"

"Perhaps, if this were meant to be some kind of bizarre torture of the mind, yes, I'd have to agree," she said, examining her talons, "But it's nothing that freak. You see, your true motivation behind this will be to get yourself executed."

Vegeta's skin reddened and turned shivered at the same time, his heart twisting in knots. He spat and shoved past her. "Try to stop me," he dared her, "I've heard more than enough."

"It's really not worth the trouble." It was said so simply, flat and cold. Something in that voice froze him in his steps, drawing him back to a dark place where he was small and soulless voiced man sat in a hovering chair with a glass of wine. "Honestly, when I stop and think about it, destroying a planet is much easier than dealing with you. But I'll be thorough. I won't risk your family somehow miraculously surviving. I'll go planet side first and personally make sure they're dead. I'll even rip your woman's stomach out just to be extra careful."

Sweat ran down Vegeta's forehead. Why can't I just ignore her – I know she's bluffing! he raged at himself, The peacock would never do such a thing –she wouldn't dare! His mind flashed to that moment, cuts on Goku's cheek as he glared and Nevrrest shivering back in horror. She doesn't have the will. She's too afraid!

"What do you think?" she casually asked, "Should a wait a few months before doing it? Perhaps a couple years would be best. After all, a true fiend needs to keep their victim guessing, wouldn't you agree?"

That low, eerie voice. It wasn't the same voice, but he knew the quality of it. Sweat trickled between his eyes over the bridge of his nose. The smiles. The confident, disinterested tone. He looked over his shoulder, glimpsing her eyes and saw death.

Vegeta's breath escaped him, his eyes turning to dots as he stared at that pitiless face. Something swelled inside him. Something he hated. Something he refused with every inch of his being, but still it froze his skin and boiled his insides like a rough disease – terror. She wasn't lying. There was no twinge of hesitation in her gaze, no claim to self-righteous fervor. Just a cold, apathetic ultimatum.

You see, young prince, said Lord Frieza in his mind, raising a finger as he sat with his back to him, If all this talk of your home and father keeps distracting you, I just might have to remove both from the picture. You wouldn't want that now, would you?

"Who knows?" Nevrrest mused, her dark face smiling as though in the midst of a tease, "Considering the trouble you're giving me, perhaps I'll find a way to feed a bit of them to you instead."

"Krrrr…!" Vegeta shivered through protruding teeth, the blood gushing up to his head like an exploding volcano, "You…!"

"What was that?" she calmly asked.

Yet her calm faded into a deep frown as he turned about, his tail whipping behind him like a snake and his eyes filled with something terrifying and unspeakable. "You maniacal BASTARD!"

He caught her completely unprepared, because she had never seen someone with an energy dampener move that fast. But there he was, leaping into the air, his fist sinking deeply into her cheek. He hit the ground and ran up her tail, his fists clutched together and clubbing her shoulder blade so hard she swore she felt it rattle.

Nevrrest's eyes widened with disbelief. "What the hell are you—?" He leapt over her and drove a kick as hard as he could into her ribs. Her eye twitched, shuddering back slightly. That…had…actually…hurt a little! Growling with annoyance, she caught him and punched him in the gut. He doubled over, spitting up a small spray of blood. Still, she stared at him, honestly perturbed. How in all the worlds had he moved so fast and hit so—

He wasn't done. That blow should have taken the fight out of a powerless man such as he, but not a moment after he had stumbled back he roared again, darting around her. This time she kept with him, not even considering the idea of blocking as he struck a blow at the armored plates of her chest. She hissed, again feeling that slight twinge of pain, like someone had just pinched her harshly. She seized him by the top of his skull and threw him down.

She pointed an upside-down finger at him, as if she were offering a hand. "And you call me insane. What are you trying—" Vegeta seized her wrist and slammed his elbow down on hers. That hurt a little more. She seized him by the throat with the opposing arm. "You're actually trying to damage me!" She slapped him back and forth across the face and slammed her knee into his gut, making him spit up once more. Again, she threw him down but he leapt right back at her. But this time she wouldn't take it. She blocked his strikes like she was brushing aside butterflies. "You little saiyan fool," she scowled, her tail whipping around his waist, "There is nothing within your power you can do to stop me!" She cracked his head against the ground and threw him.

Vegeta's body flopped and bounced several times, sliding to a stop face down, a little blood running from his forehead. His fingers tensed, digging across the carpet as he stirred. "And you're a fool," he growled, "To think there is anything you could say or do that would make me submit to you." Nevrrest crossed her arms and started to open her mouth. "However." She stilled, frowning slightly as his head came up, his eyes serious and stiller now, pushing himself up. His mouth twitched. "I will make a bargain with you." Nevrrest cocked her head to the side with interest, being drawn closer to him as he stood up, wiping the blood from his brow. The flat line of his mouth twitching once again. "You are familiar with the Blood Pact?"

Nevrrest's ever heavy brow shifted. "A universal tradition among warriors, as ancient as the class itself, yes."

"Good." He pointed a finger vindictively up at her. "I demand one with you."

"Under what terms?" she asked, her interest growing.

"You will offer up your blood and with it your life and your honor," he instructed, his gaze never moving once, "And foreswear your revenge from my entire bloodline. You will also make an oath to never directly or indirectly do harm to the Earth or my kin. And that neither you nor your bloodline shall ever come near my family again."

"Hmph," she smirked at him, "And why would I do that?"

"Because my blood shall also be offered to the pact, and with it I stake my life and honor," he answered, "In answer to your vow, I will give up my life, my strength, and my body to your hands. Whether through my pain or my death you seek to sate your revenge, you will have it. I will forgo my right to resist you."

Nevrrest made a deep, trilling sound, stroking her chin slowly as her talons trailed across her beak. "Hmm…I need better than that…" She folded her hands behind her, drawing closer. "I don't want you just not resist. I want you to ensure that I get what I want." She held up a finger. "Swear to obey me."

"I will not."

She chuckled. "Still desperately holding onto your pride I see. Very well." Her brow narrowed. "Then you will also vow to facilitate my revenge in any way you can."

His teeth bared for a moment. "Very well." He held out his palm.

Nevrrest extended a glistening claw and sliced it, his red blood seeping out. She did the same to her own right hand. "Then we have a Pact."

Their hands clasped and their blood mixed.

(**Scene Break**)

Sepis wondered if this was how warriors felt just before victory in battle. The entire elite of the tech division huddled eagerly behind him as a digit hung over the activation key. Sepis's feathery antenna shivered with excitement and he firmly tapped it.

"Recognized, all systems online," chimed the familiar voice of the computer.

"YES!" someone cried out over loud gasps and applause.

Sepis winced and chirped a little as his back plate and spines were grabbed, slapped, and shook in congratulations, his techies whooping and giving each other high-fives. As exciting as it all was, Sepis could only sigh in relief. With the computer back to working order, the system would work quickly to reestablish order in the fleet. That just left him with the Core Chamber to repair…which was no small task, but still, one less thing to worry about.

"Great job, Sepis," smiled one of his companions, his small, leathery wings giving a short flutter as he patted him on the shoulder.

"It-it wasn't just me," Sepis bashfully remarked, "It was a team effort."

"Hah, you're always so modest," the techie grinned, "Sure makes you a fun boss. But that aside, really, take some credit. After all, you were cracking the system patch during the prison break."

"Yeah, boss," said another techie – a tiny little female creature, "You're a real hero!"

Sepis's antenna quivered nervously and he turned aside, allowing them to continue their celebration. A hero? he couldn't help but think to himself. His mind flashed to Vegeta and that glowing hand of light and he shivered. No. No, I wasn't the hero in this. Shutting his eyes, he rested his chin on his hands, allowing himself to relax for the first time in what felt like weeks. But still…at least everything's going to be alright now. Those monsters are caught again, the fleet's on the mend, and Goku's—

Sepis shot up out of his chair so fast he nearly knocked one of the techies over. "GOKU!" he cried.

"What?" said several at once, highly confused.

Sepis grabbed the little female and shook her excitedly. "Goku's alive! And in all the excitement I forgot to tell anyone!"

"A friend of yours who survived?" asked one, trying to understand.

"YES!" Sepis squeaked, letting the little woman go and spinning around, "Goku! My friend Goku! He's alive!" He caught himself, clasping his hands. "I'm sorry, I must go see him immediately!"

All the head techies were grinning to see him so happy. "Go on, boss," said one in the back, holding out his arms as though to wrap up his fellows, "We can handle any other issues from here. I'm sure your friend will want to see you."

"Yes, thank you!" he piped, darting out the door. He looked at and thought of nothing else as he ran down the hall, his tattered cloak fluttering behind him. "Goku!" he cheered, "My friend Goku!" Suddenly, he stopped, sliding to a halt and blinked in wonder at himself. Had he been calling him…friend Goku? It wasn't something most understood, but among Arlians, to put the title 'friend' before someone's name was more than just calling them a close companion. To say 'friend someone' was to say you valued that person more than anything else in existence. And he'd been calling Goku friend without even thinking about it. He blinked again, but then squeaked happily. "Yes, he is!" he proclaimed, beginning his flight once more, "He is my friend Goku! Friend Goku!"

(**Scene Break**)

Going through paper hardcopy logs was the most tedious thing Oom'Bagu had ever done in his life. But with the computer still offline, the paper copies from emergency data storage was all he had to go off of. Just locating Vegeta's data set had been a nightmare. And now he sat at his desk, trying to sort through it all and finding nothing that pertained to what he needed so far. He flipped through another page and groaned softly, pinching between his brows.

"To all personnel," the computer's voice suddenly chimed, "All systems online. Please report to your station and receive instructions."

Oom'Bagu brightened greatly. So Sepis had finally broken through the locks Un had created. Good, very good. This would greatly speed the fleet's recovery. And it would aid him in his search as well. Though, this both made him relieved and grim. He had been grateful to have found nothing so far that would confirm his suspicions about Nevrrest. But was that reality or a vain hope? He wanted desperately to hold onto his belief that while his dear friend could be occasionally cruel, that she would never intentionally go against the very moral code she helped create. She was a cold, bitter, and angry person, but had always stood firmly for what was right and just in the universe. He wanted to hold her as nothing else.

But then, he also wanted his family to still be alive, and no amount of desire would change the truth.

With a brief touch a computer console folded out of his desk and lit up. He sighed and rubbed at his horns wearily. "Computer."

"Recognized: Justiciar Oom'Bagu."

"Bring up all date pertaining to Prisoner 0001."

Instantly, a complete profile crammed with statistics soared across the screen. "Prisoner 0001: Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans. Race and Sex: Saiyan Male. Age: Thirty-six standard cycles…" It yammered on. "…Status: Convicted. Sentence: Pending."

He rubbed at his chin now. "Show me Triple-Zero-One's bio log." A panel opened up that shimmered in a rainbow of colors, showing an outline of Vegeta's body and all the physical activity going on in it – heart throbbing, oxygen and other chemical shooting about, the pulse of electricity dancing through his nerves. "Show me the medical log." Another panel brought up the recorded entries concerning Vegeta's health and injuries. Oom'Bagu trailed his finger down the list and plucked one. "Show me the bio log of when this injury was received." He watched it closely, seeing the nerves carry the pain up to his brain, seeing the bones crack and flesh bruise. He couldn't make out anything exceptional, but he was no medical expert. Perhaps Dr. Tottle could review the log on a later date.

He stared at the screen for a while. "…Computer, show me the security feed of Triple-Zero-One's cell." It came up on command, revealing a cell was currently empty, Hameus's body still resting against the front of it. Oom'Bagu's chest tightened, but he forced himself to move on. "Show me the security feed for the dates the injuries occurred on." The computer obeyed and he rested his head on his palm as he watched each of the periods zoom past. "Well that was completely unremarkable." He reached out to close the panel and froze. His white fur stood on end and he felt his heart starting to slowly beat faster. "Computer. Run those recordings again." He watched. "Again." It played. He watched it thrice more. Each time his heart pounded harder. He reached to play it again and at last he faltered, his face sinking into his arms.

And he wept.

(**Scene Break**)

Sepis panted outside the doorway, absolutely giddy with excitement. He almost scolded himself for not immediately contacting all the remaining justiciars and telling them the good news. But he wanted them to see him for themselves, hold the glimmering joy before their eyes as he had – as he was about to again! Straightening his cloak as though he were about to enter a costume ball, he pressed the release panel and hurried inside.

"Goku!"

He was greeted by gentle, contended snoring. Blinking twice, he turned his head, spotting the Saiyan. He was stretched out across the carpeting, his arms and legs spread as though he'd been trying to fly like a bird in his sleep, his mouth open as he deeply breathed in and out. Sepis glowed at the sight. Why, he'd already made a complete recovery! He knew Misado's magic was powerful stuff, but still! Goku's skin had a honey warmth to it, his thick saiyan hair glistening with health, his muscles pumped with fresh, new blood. Sepis clutched the sides of his face with glee and skittered over to him.

"Friend Goku," he said, clasping his shoulder and shaking him, "Friend Goku!"

Goku gave a little groan and sat up, his eyes still half closed and sleepy at first till they seemed to focus on the Arlian. "Hey! Sepis!" he remarked cheerfully, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, "Boy am I glad to see you! How is everyone?"

"Alive," replied Sepis, eagerly clapping his hands, "Very much alive – the whole fleet is! Vegeta defeated that monster!"

"Yeah! I sensed how you and the rest of the fleet helped him out there at the end." He smiled, patting and stroking the top of the Arlian's head. "Thanks so much for that, Sepis."

Sepis's antenna fluttered sheepishly. "I…I really didn't do anything…"

"Sure you did!" Goku encouraged, "You gave Vegeta your energy when he needed it most! And I'm really proud of you for that." He gave him a kind, serious look. "I know it couldn't have been easy. After what he did to your world."

Sepis felt the plates of his carapace start to rattle and quickly decided to redirect the subject. "But…how can you even know about all that?"

"Well I was sensing it," Goku shrugged and then rubbed at his mess of hair with a laugh, "Jeez, Sepis, I know I was sleeping but it's not like I wasn't paying attention or anything." Sepis stared at him for a few seconds, which were interrupted by a monstrous, vengeful growl that emerged from Goku's stomach. Goku clutched his gut and got an anxious look on his face like an angry female had just come through the door. "Oh man…I feel a lot better, but now I'm really hungry!" Goku leapt to his feet and hurried over to the food receptacle, pounding at the buttons like his life depended on it. "Gah! Why isn't it working?!"

"Goku! Goku! It's alright!" Sepis urged, tugging on his arm and trying to calm him down, "It's just the cooks are all busy right now with other jobs!"

Goku froze in the middle of reaching desperately inside the machine, his big, sweet eyes blinking with realization. "Oh." He tapped his forefingers together, his face pleading. "Well, is there some other way I could get something to eat? Pleeeeease?"

Sepis rubbed at his shoulder. "Well…they usually keep some field rations in the barrack but—"

"Great!" Goku exclaimed, bending and pumping his fists, "Let's go get them before someone else eats them!" He grabbed Sepis, who could only blink as they sailed out the door. "Come on!"

The next thing Sepis knew, they were both on the mostly vacant security deck, Goku sniffing out the promised food like a bloodhound. As soon as he found the locker it was stored it, ripped it open and started stuffing the packaged squares into his mouth without even bothering to remove the wrappers. Sepis watched, wondering if this was anything like witnessing a galaxy being sucked in by a black hole.

"Oh no!" Goku cried, shaking the locker which he had emptied in under a minute, "Where's the rest of it?!"

"Um…that was all of it," Sepis half-lied. Of course, the other ships would have their own stash of field rations, but he didn't want them all disappearing down Goku's throat.

"Aw," Goku whined, rubbing a circle around his belly, "Well, at least I got to have a snack."

Sepis took his hand. "So, are you ready now, friend Goku?"

"Hmm?" Goku looked at him, "Ready for what?"

Sepis laughed. "Well to let everyone know you're alive!"

"Oh!" replied Goku, smacking a hand to his forehead, "Hehe, yeah, that would probably be a good idea." He started to walk off.

"Wait!" Sepis chased after him, "Let me go with you!"

"Oh?" Goku glanced back with surprise, "You can if you want, but are you sure?"

Sepis stopped and cocked his head. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well you see the thing is…" He looked off anxiously. "I was kinda planning to go see Vegeta first. And I know how you feel about him…"

Sepis cringed a little. "I…yes. Yes, you're right, I don't want to…" His gaze fell painfully, but then he squeezed Goku's hand again. "But come with me afterwards! I'll go find Nevrrest. I know she'll want to see me after all that's happened. She does worry about me so."

Goku nodded. "Alright, Sepis. I'll come join you soon."

Sepis watched him put two fingers to his forehead and vanished.