A/N: Hello again. Sorry for the delay. School is draining away my free time. Never fear, however, for I make sure to write a little every day to keep on an update schedule. By the way, you should check out my profile anytime you want an update on the progress of a story: I regularly post update information and when I expect to have the next chapter up. Thank you, and please enjoy.

Disclaimer: Dragonball Z belongs to Akira Toriyama.

The assumption that Diminutive Saiyans had superior speed was an understatement: the woman was making herself extremely hard to hit. He could see her movements and could anticipate her attacks, but offensively he simply was not built to accommodate such speed. Unfortunately, she appeared to rely too heavily on speed and not enough on strength. A well-balanced repertoire was always necessary, and her lack of such explained her deficiency of a solid guard.

"Very nice, if you wish to tire yourself before finishing off the enemy." That stopped her. Her eyes were icy and cold, black pits of disdain. Somehow, it was attractive. The mere thought of a challenge sent the heart racing of any warm-blooded Saiyan male, especially if that challenge was a female. Truth be told, the challenge was about the only reason he found an attraction for her. She was small and slender, with tied-back medium length black hair. Her clothes hung modestly. These attributes were no different than the many females of his camp. Once he had rid her of that obstinate attitude, he saw no reason for his attraction to linger.

"I have not even begun to tire. And Tuffles seem to find me rather hard to fight off." Her eyes narrowed. Whatever system was held in place in the Diminutive camp seemed to want to get Aina thoroughly killed anywhere else. She was very dominant with her mannerisms and words, something lesser men than he had been known to kill for. Perhaps it would serve her right to mouth off inopportunely in front of Tervas: the envoy was very tolerant of the Dominant females, but throw the feisty Diminutive in with him for an hour or so and he would be tearing her apart.

"The Tuffles are weak creatures. But those blows you dealt me barely hurt. I believe you need to focus more on developing your guard and your strength than you do on your ability to get out of the way." He saw her huff. "Whether you care to take my assessment as truth or not, what is the harm in trying, other than bruising your pride?" She was just out of range for him to hear her teeth grinding. To his surprise, however, he saw her consider his words and relax her shoulders.

"I'm listening."

Her muscles groaned in protest as she climbed the rocky wall-face. Chief Vegeta certainly had not pulled his punches. It would probably be a good idea for her to learn what exactly she had done to anger him, though she figured she would remain too stubborn to actually take her own advice. She was unsure exactly how to think of the young chief: he had been gracious in accepting her as the Diminutive envoy and had given consideration to her opinion, and yet he could be very cold when they were alone. He saw her as an important asset in public and a thorn in private. Truly she wondered about him.

She pulled herself onto the broad ledge that was her goal and lay flat with her arms crossed behind her head. The moon was visible, had been for a few weeks. It was the thinnest of slivers contrasted with the blanket of stars behind. It would be several more months before it was full, several more months until the winner of the war was decided. If the great beast form of the Saiyan race was not able to conquer the Tuffles, it was only a matter of time before they advanced their technology and wiped every last one of them out. Yes, that day would be the defining moment of the war. The race had been lucky the last time it had happened, lucky that the Tuffles were so caught off-guard. They would be prepared this time. If a decisive strike was not made during that short night of raw power, the Saiyan race would be no more.

The sky seemed so much closer atop the mountain. Though she had grown up in the floodplain, she could see herself being very comfortable here, if only because she could see the stars more clearly. She had, however, not yet been in the village for more than five or six hours and she had already created rumblings. Men were not used to being told off by a woman, even among her people. Though, the Diminutive males would never physically harm a female if she angered him, and she had a strong feeling that domestic disputes between men and women were commonplace among the other Saiyans. She had to be extremely careful about who she insults and how hard she treads. The chief did not take her lightly, but she knew he was just as much a slave to tradition as the others. Perhaps that had something to do with her aching muscles.

She stared into the sky and contemplated for about an hour more before heading down the mountain and into the chief's residence. There was no way to tell how early the Dominants rose, so she figured getting a head start on sleep was prudent. And necessary. She barely had time to pull off her garments before she fell asleep.

She fascinated him for no good reason. He had been focusing on some correspondence and had gotten through the majority of them when he picked up a strange scent. It took him a moment to realize it was the scent of his Diminutive envoy. With the only time alone with her the short time in her room and the training session, he had not yet committed her scent to memory. The scent itself was strange because it did not smell unwashed or dirty. Surely she was not freshly laundered, and he had seen dirt on her clothing, but she did not smell unkempt like those of his camp. She simply smelled earthy.

He had a feeling many tiny details like that would be distracting him over the next few days until he became accustomed to her presence. The way she moved, for example. Each step, each movement seemed calculated and precise. It was slightly unnerving to witness. During the meeting, her hands had stayed clasped atop her lap and her head only moved when changing addressees. On their way into camp, she had stepped carefully over small rocks and did not waste a movement. Patience could do much to temper one's abilities, it appeared. Strategy demanded patience, while his people barely knew the meaning.

Above all else, however, the detail that had not yet surfaced but soon would was the particular scent a female produced when she was in heat. She was of the proper age to bear children and he had not scented blood on her at any point, so she would become fertile very soon. He was able to control himself, to some degree, around the women of his clan when they began their cycle. But those women were usually mated or being sought after, yet Aina was not. The women of his clan also did not reside in his residence. Moreover, his own temptations were less of a concern when compared to the other men of his clan. At least he had dignity enough to accept the arousal and find a quiet place to relieve himself. Others might not be so inclined. Unwanted sexual contact was looked down upon, but not uncommon. If someone ballsy enough wanted to, they would not ask for his envoy's permission.

An uncomfortable subject, but he would need to speak with her tomorrow about it. Until the men of the clan became accustomed to her presence and her scents, she would be vulnerable.

There was no loud noise or a stream of shouting, just the sinful scent of breakfast to wake her up. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, stretching before standing from the bed. Quickly, she donned her furs and boots, wanting the distance between her and her quarry to disappear. This morning, it was only she and the chief eating, and he had a head start. He looked up sharply when she came into the room and stared for a few seconds before returning to his meal. Since he made no objection when she sat, she assumed she was welcome to what was on the table. A good rule to remember around Saiyan males was to always test their willingness to share food. Too quick of an assumption had led to severe injury and even death over the simple matter of sustenance. The chief seemed to be quite the opposite of the hoarding beast, at least this morning.

As she ate, a thought came to her mind. "Chief, if you don't mind my asking, where do you get all of this food? I hardly think you prepare all of it, but I have not scented any other permanent residents here." He looked up and finished his piece of meat.

"We maintain large public food stores: you will learn soon enough that hunting parties go out nearly every day to replenish the stock. As for the preparation, the women have taken it upon themselves to work in rotation to prepare each of my meals." When she gave him a look of disdain he chuckled. "Do not give me the feminist look. They volunteered. My father kept a cook, since he tended to eat more than his fill and could not cook to save his life. I, on the other hand, feel uncomfortable with someone underfoot. After several poor attempts at cooking my own food, though, the women decided to prepare my meals at their homes and deliver them quietly."

She looked at the amount of food, not including what already lay within Vegeta's stomach. "They must really like you," she condescended.

"Well, what can I say? I am quite the catch." She almost laughed. If she been any less stubborn, she would have. She cleared her throat and blanked her face.

"By the way, I have not scented Envoy Tervas here either. Does he not guest here as well?"

"I live near many people, and those many people have many conflicting customs with his own. When he first arrived, it was deemed by me, and agreed on by him, that he live as far away from the women as possible. He resides with Commander Nappa and the commander's mate." Now she had to laugh.

"That oaf has a mate? I daresay your women have a lack in taste. And Tervas wanted to live with him, even when he paraded the man around upon his arrival?"

His eyes hardened. Well, she expected that. She had called his commander an oaf. But there was no way she was going to hold her tongue about that. "Tervas, for all his reservations, has an easy understanding with Commander Nappa. The commander's wife is stubborn, but willing to adhere to the envoy's culture. However, I must agree with you that we were all very shocked when he chose a mate and she accepted. Nappa is…very rough around the edges." At least his voice had not softened. "Aina, has your fertile cycle started? I can smell something of it on your person."

She about spit out her food. "What kind of question is that?! We go from speaking about the Dormant envoy and Commander Nappa to my monthly bodily functions; is there some sort of order to that brain of yours, or is it all for show?"

"I ask because it is of particular importance that you stay on your guard while fertile. The men of my clan are very sensitive to the scent of a female in heat, and are not prone to holding themselves back. You should stay within doors for awhile until the men have gotten used to your presence." She eyed him suspiciously.

"And what do I do about you? You're definitely male, and I have not been around you very long. Am I in danger even now?" She crossed her hands under her chin and leaned closer to him.

"No, you are safe in my home and around me. I have a great measure of control. But do not leave here without either myself or an escort of my choosing. I am very serious about this," he added, cutting off her scoff. "Now, shortly the commanders will arrive and we will begin strategizing for the elimination of the Tuffle satellite base. If you can keep your head level and your body carefully poised, the men should pose no more of a problem than they did yesterday. Understand?"

She wanted to be stubborn and say "no" but everything told her he was correct and she should obey, as much as it pained her to admit it. "Yes."

For all that he had told her, she had followed his instructions carefully and fully. Yet, she still managed to find trouble.

The meeting had convened as planned and Aina was careful to lean only as much as needed when explaining the plan. She had grabbed a sheet of slate and a sharp rock to make a rough diagram of a satellite base she had experience with, making corrections as needed for any changes in the current base. Despite her tempered movements, eyes still followed her hungrily. Yes, she certainly had started her fertile cycle. The scent was mild during breakfast but had intensified over the course of the day. Even he could not say truthfully that he was unaffected.

"…three groups to take out the generator, missile launchers, and the wall, respectively." He came back to the present and listened as the Diminutive envoy explained the strategy. "Each group should be no larger than twenty to thirty men. While the first group is destroying the shield generator, the other two should be blasting missiles from the sky. There will be laser fire, which will need to be avoided. Some projectile fire is expected as well, but other than fragment grenades they should pose little danger. Once the shield is destroyed, the generator and missile groups will take out the missile launchers and the men stationed at the turrets. The third will begin their assault on the walls. Once the walls are breached, all three groups will make their way inside and destroy the systems inside. I estimate this should take no longer than a few hours to complete. Is anything unclear?"

"According to this plan, fewer than one hundred men will be needed. Doesn't that seem a little low a number?" Edza, the commander from the main camp, asked. He appeared much more civilized today.

The envoy nodded her head. "Yes, it is a small number in comparison with what has been tried before. But trust me when I say this is a generous number. Comparative to my clan, the strength wielded by ninety Dominant warriors is three-fold that of one hundred Diminutive warriors. There should be no problem executing the plan with low numbers. Besides, too many men would only serve to confuse the ranks and more casualties would be the result." Surprisingly, Commander Edza nodded in agreement.

Edza towards him. "I will relay the plan to my men and will inform you when it is ready to be executed."

"I will be a part of it as well. Whichever group is fine." His commander nodded. "Dismissed." He hung back as Nappa came to his side. They both stayed silent until the little envoy took her leave. "So old friend, what do you think of the Diminutive's plan?" The commander gave a short, dry laugh.

"I have never been much for plans and strategies. As long as I am given a target and a direction, I'm perfectly content. For everyone's sake, though, I hope it works. She sure sounded confident enough. By the way, was it just me or is she…well, you know." He did not sound hungry, simply intrigued. It must be nice to be mated and have that sort of self-control.

"Yes, she is. That reminds me. While her condition will likely change before the battle commences, I think she will still need an escort while I am away. She hates you, but—What was that?" A sonorous crash resonated along the walls into the meeting room.

"It came from your guest quarters." One moment they were standing in the meeting room, the next the pair of them were outside Aina's room, witnessing the aftermath of who knew what.

Goda, one of the junior commanders, was lying on the ground just inside the door, a hand clutched tightly over the left side of his face. Blood seeped through his fingers. "You bitch! What the hell did you do?!" He was obviously unaware of either his chief's or Commander Nappa's presence. The Diminutive envoy was facing the door, but she, too, was oblivious.

"Touch me again and I will take your eye! I don't care who you are!" She was raging, but unharmed. Her furs were slightly askew, and her tail was extended and ruffled, but her body was unscathed.

The junior commander began to stand. "I will end--!" Goda had no time before he grabbed his junior commander and spun him around.

"You best be careful what you do around my envoys or any female for that matter." He delivered a swift uppercut to Goda's stomach, just enough to knock him unconscious. "Commander Nappa, carry out his punishment, and make sure he is an example to the other men."

Nappa grabbed the unconscious body and slung it over his shoulder. "Yes, sir. Oh, and I think she would be fun to guard." He waited for his commander to leave before turning to the heated female before him.

"I did nothing wrong!" Her voice cracked. "I was leaving, getting out of the way of all those males, and he followed me. He pushed me against the wall, grabbed at me, ground himself against me. I defended myself, I—" He silenced her by wrapping his arms around hers, and felt her shaking.

She did not know why, but the warmth from his body soothed her. All the thoughts swimming in her mind became untangled and calmed. It was true, then. Chiefs certainly held a power that no one else did. He pulled away from her and broke all physical contact. The embrace had been to calm and collect, and now it had no purpose.

"I imagine he felt you were easy prey and decided to act upon his desires. He is not a bad boy, but he is very young. You are new here, and you are in heat. He deserved what you did, but he will learn from it and his subsequent punishment, and will be better for it. I am glad you did not blind him." His voice was confusing, because it was soft but not condescending.

"There are not many Saiyans left, and blinding him for his transgression, while appealing, was not my choice to make." She damned herself for the still uneven voice, but at least she could speak without being hysterical.

The chief nodded. "I am glad you understand. But now you see my concerns at breakfast were not unfounded. Commander Nappa will provide escort whenever I am not available. He is the strongest of the Dormants, next to me, and will keep you safe. Can you live with that?"

She sighed and wanted to scream. But she realized Vegeta was correct in his assessment and hated him for it. The oaf was, well, an oaf, but she believed they would come to an understanding. "I can."

A/N: Hope you enjoyed.