The next morning, Lithia was sitting pensively in the disused room she'd transformed into her private training chamber. As an old cargo hold, the room had no security cameras, which meant she was free to do as she pleased. All around her on the floor were the electronic parts and fragments of metal that had once belonged to an out of date battle droid.
The monstrous Nappa was crouching over her, dabbing an old saiyan remedy on her wound.
"It smells funny," she sniffed, wrinkling her tiny nose.
"No matter if it does the job," he replied, pulling away and admiring his handiwork. "That should do. It shouldn't be too late to prevent any scarring."
"Thank you Nappa," sighed Lithia. She rose to her feet and drifted over to a battered old crate, out of which she withdrew several swords. They were all magnificently crafted, with jewelled hilts and gilded scabbards, their styling giving an impression of being both old and valuable.
"Where the hell did you get those?" Nappa gasped, eyeing the weapons enviously. "Surely they're not from Freiza's armoury?"
"Of course not," Lithia scoffed, withdrawing the largest of the swords and inspecting the gleaming blade. "These are far nicer. I salvaged them from my father's ship before the lizard destroyed it."
She spun the sword skilfully a few times then offered it to a surprised Nappa.
"Care to try?" she asked, grinning arrogantly. She knew full well he couldn't use it- most warriors these days couldn't. Sword fighting, they thought, was outdated. After all, what use was a sword against a high-powered energy blast? She agreed on that point, they were useless in most battles. Yet it was the skill and agility acquired through their use that would gain one the upper hand.
As she had suspected, Nappa merely waved the sword uncertainly in his right hand before giving it back to her.
"Are those the only treasures you have been keeping from us all this time?" he asked suspiciously.
"Oh no," Lithia responded, with another secretive smile. "I have a fair few things stashed away. Nothing you'd be interesting in…nothing useful. Just a few personal items."
"Hmmm, still," the gargantuan saiyan muttered, clearly disapproving. "I don't think Vegeta would be too happy if he knew you'd been keeping things from him."
"He doesn't own me!" she snarled, sheathing her sword with an indignant toss of her head.
"He doesn't…yet," Nappa corrected, glowering at her. "Might I remind you, you are still promised to him. The annihilation of our planet does not change that. For a seventeen-year-old whelp, you are rather over sure of yourself... "
Lithia placed the swords back in the crate and covered them, choosing her next words carefully- she did not want to sound like she cared.
"So Vegeta wants me as his consort then?" she asked, her tone a little more cold than airy. No matter, she thought to herself as she awaited a response. Nappa was rather dense- he wouldn't differentiate.
"It's not something he talks about with me," Nappa answered. "It's not something he talks about at all. Yet I can't see why he wouldn't want to honour his father's wishes."
Lithia scowled. So he would take her as his partner simply because of a whim of his father's? No personal interest at all? How insulting!
"I see," she said, slowly. Without warning, she raised an arm and fired three large blasts at the robotic corpse on the floor. Nappa grinned from his spot by her feet.
"Is that not answer you wanted?" he teased, his dark eyes scouring her for some indication of emotion.
"You're implying that I care," she hissed, in perfect imitation of her suitor. "Which I most certainly do not! I'm just not getting any younger, that's all. If he's going to call the shots, he better be quick about it. Let's face it, an obligation to his father is the only reason I'm still here. If it wasn't for that, I'd have left you losers ages ago."
"I highly doubt that," scoffed Nappa, getting to his feet so he could tower over her. "Do you really think Freiza would let you escape? You?! The only hope of continuing the species he went out of his way to destroy? As if! I'm surprised he hasn't slaughtered you already."
The great saiyan's last statement cut her like one of her swords. It was not the underlying threat of Freiza coming to slay her…she knew he wouldn't do that as long as Vegeta was alive. But the full concept of being the only living female of her species, well, it was staggering. Her mind raced back to her mother, her nurse, all the other powerful women who had influenced her as a child. They were gone now. She was the only one left.
"Leave me," Lithia breathed, closing her eyes and biting down on her lips to keep her voice steady. "Just GO!"
Nappa shot her a concerned glance, and then left the abandoned hold, leaving Lithia crouched within a circle of shrapnel, her fair face wrought with anger.