Disclaimer: There's some hot disclaimer action in chapter 2.
I'll be trying to pull back most of the OCs into the background. They're dominating a bit too much.
Though they were allowed/encouraged to stay behind in the ship, there was effectively nothing for the Earthlings to do otherwise, and curiosity to see this strong general promised at least some sort of amusement for them since the warriors had no place to train and the wives had no subject left on which they could converse.
Walking through the landing port, they look around at the area around it, noticing it's bleak landscape that would seem almost like a desert if it weren't more rock than sand. Videl tugs Gohan aside from the rest of the group. "What did he say this planet was again? It looks...dead."
"He said it was used for some sort of scientific study. Hey, Arufuredo-san," he called out, "Why is this place so desolate? To be able to experiment with a controlled environment more easily and minimize any damage that could be caused by a miscalculation?"
The doctor looked back at him. "Precisely. This planet is small and on the outskirts of the Empire, which people think is strange that we do some of our most coveted studies in such a seemingly unprotected area, but it's the best place because if something can go so far as destroy the planet, it will not affect any of our other planets. It does have cities and a population of civilians, but they are kept distant from the labs."
Bulma nodded. "I see. That makes perfect sense. My father, however, likes to keep his lab in the middle of one of the biggest cities on our planet. For commercial purposes, I understand, but it gets a bit annoying that people quickly crowd around whenever something happens in the lab like an explosion and such. Plus, it bugs the Hell out of the local police."
Arufuredo nodded, as if he knew of such problems himself and was sympathizing. They stopped before a large ship (obviously owned by the Empire) and waited a while until a port on it opened and a ramp came down. A rather simple, but tough looking, land vehicle with a box-like body rolled out onto the ground. When it stopped by them, they could see the slits in the metal on either side of it's walls, exposing whatever inside to the planet's air and sunlight.
The driver opened his window and greeted Arufuredo. "Doctor, we were given word that you and your friends would be accompanying us on the way to the lab. Will you help with the research operation, as well?"
"I would be honored with such an opportunity to do such a study." He bowed and then commenced to introduce the others.
Everyone loaded into other land vehicles separately; with Arufuredo was the girls, and the men were split up with the soldiers. "Arufuredo," Videl said after they started up and proceeded on the dusty, hard roads, "Are you going to sabotage the operation?"
"No. I might want to help General Atsarute to win this war, but it doesn't change the fact that I'm a scientist. I can't possibly pass this up because of politics."
"I'm so excited; I have to see what your labs are like!" Bulma was practically bouncing around in the vehicle. "It must be much more advanced than the one you had on the ship back on Earth."
"Yes. With all of the equipment, specimens, and materials abundant, its a scientific paradise."
"Aren't you afraid that if Atsarute's armies defeat the Empire, those labs will be destroyed?" Chi-chi said.
"Not at all. The scientists that Atsarute is affiliated with are the most revered in the universe, and their labs make ours, as good as they are, look like sheds full of old beakers. Hell, the Computer Planet is under their control."
Videl raised a brow. "Computer Planet?"
"That's what it translates in your tongue. Basically, it's an entire planet consisting of, and operated by, computers. It's just about the size of your Jupiter."
The three looked dumbstruck. "...Wow."
.----------------------.
Piccolo landed several hours later and, instead of following his instincts immediately, asked for directions to the nearest down. He declined getting anything to travel the land, picked up his few belongings, and began walking.
Why aren't you going after it? asked Kami-sama You said that it was the key to fixing the problem.
He thought back, It is, but I need to recuperate. You guys are going to sleep again soon, and that's the only time that I can unwind correctly--
By killing people? Neil broke in.
Piccolo sneered and looked around at the planet's landscape. With the lack of vegetation and other forms of life, it shouldn't be difficult to catch up with it later. It's been captured, anyway, and its captors aren't moving nearly as quickly.
"What do you do on those days, Piccolo? Steal? Maim? Kill?" Kami-sama interrupted his observations with his own vocal cords.
"It doesn't matter. Leave it be." He began to anger; he hated it whenever they did that against his will, whether it was on purpose or unconscious.
"It obviously does! I know that it's to keep us from succumbing entirely to the mania, but it's not worth it for the lives of others!"
Piccolo audibly screamed at them in response, but their voices followed, and a sudden, sharp pain in his right arm cut it off quickly. He looked at it a moment, and noticed a small line of his purple blood budding along the side of a red seam. "We can't argue," he said through his teeth, "There's already enough tension. Leave it; we can discuss it after we fix this."
.----------------------.
A message came through the other intercoms, and the carrier vehicle slowed to a halt. All other land vehicles did so.
"What's happening?" Vegita demanded, "Why are we wasting time by stopping here?"
The soldier at the wheel turned to him. "The specimen is getting restless. We have to stop transport until it calms down."
He snorted and got out of the vehicle. "What kind of idiots are you? Make it calm down if you have to. I'll show you how." He stormed off towards the cage, with Kuririn at his heels to tell him to stop, and looked into one of the slits on the side.
A shadow was pacing about inside furiously like a captive panther would. It sensed Vegita before he could yell at it, and stared right at him with piercing, demonic eyes. The glare made him slightly uncomfortable, so he shifted a little to the left, and its eyes followed. It didn't shift away until Kuririn stepped forward to try to convince him to go back to the vehicle, and then the glare passed back and forth between the two.
"What the Hell is that idiot up to?!" Bulma exited, followed by the rest of the people in her vehicle, and then everyone emptied out and surrounded the carrier.
It didn't pay mind to anyone else until Goku and Gohan approached. It watched and studied them perhaps even more closely than Vegita or Kuririn. The transport driver was beginning to get concerned that everyone crowding around would upset it even more, and urged them to return.
"Wait," Goku said, "It's acting a lot like a wild animal does back on Earth. Perhaps I can calm it down a bit..." He came closer and almost pressed his face into the slit so that he might appear non-threatening and said in a friendly tone, "Are you afraid of something?"
It stopped pacing and sat before Goku, completely focused on him.
He nodded. "What is your name? Are you General Atsarute that I've been hearing so much about?"
It didn't answer.
"Why are you so quiet? Are you hiding something? Can you still talk?"
It made a little growl, which made Goku fidget a little, letting some light into the chamber. It moved to avoid it.
"Why are you staying away from the sunlight? Do you fear sunlight?"
The transport man whispered to him, "The sunlight seems to aggravate it physically. Besides, you don't want to see it. It's rotted so much during death that its skin's falling off."
"So do you not like being seen in the light?" Goku said, and continued speaking thusly, doing as much as he could to seem non-threatening and wanting to help. He really did want to help it; it was so much like a wild animal in captivity that it saddened him to see it pace about the cage as it did. His one-sided conversation seemed to mesmerize it.
It sat and stared at him for a full 20 minutes before it lunged forward and slashed Goku's throat open through the slit.
How about that? I got out another chapter pretty quickly, eh? Merry Christmas, folks. Hope that you've enjoyed yourselves. And, since I neglected to do explain this earlier, here's the holiday's extra:
Dr. Arufuredo's Explanation of Namekku-sei-jin Females
First of all, they look similar to your Ningen females... except like Namekku-sei-jin. Simply replace the masculine attributes of the men you saw with female equivalents, and you've gotten the basic idea... What do you mean a "female Piccolo"? Well, to continue, I have some proper pictures of anatom-- HOLY SHIT THIS ISN'T IT! I swear that poster's Rabiori's! Okay... here's the real layout...
((Cough)) Anyway, where as your female population is slightly over half your population, the female population of Namekku-sei-jin is about a-hundred to one. They only make 1 of the population. However, the Namekku-sei-jin, despite this set-back, grow in population so rapidly and with so much girth that they've easily become the largest fraction of all intelligent lifeforms in the universe. This is due to their great connection with nature due to their inherent adaptation of sorcery... that and they're biologically urged to have as many children as possible to increase the chances of getting a daughter.
I'll skip the mating process as its not unsimilar to yours, but they're born through eggs instead of live birth. Both female and males are able to carry the egg, but it is fertilized in the female womb and can not be carried by the male until after she lays it, whereas she may carry it before or after. The alternate place to carry the egg is in a thick-walled, largely hallow chamber in the upper chest cavity, just behind the shoulder. The egg is carried here by swallowing it and re-directing its path to the chamber. When in this chamber, the host parent provides nutrients and is able, depending on his or her willpower, to modify the egg. The most common and more simpler of ways is to set its time of birth, or even delay its birth until it's convenient.
Their is another draw-back. A female can carry both male and female eggs in these ways, but a male cannot carry a female egg. If he tries, the hormones and gender-specific chemicals will seep through to his bloodstream and immobilize him. Also, he is unable to provide nutrients to the egg or initiate its birth.
Now, back to female Namekku-sei-jin, you see what looks like your hair follicles on their heads? These are actually producers of those chemicals, the very same that can poison a carrier male. These chemicals are evolutionary mechanisms that allow them to manipulate the male's behavior, usually in a form of depressants. They can soothe or calm down their mate, and even knock out or paralyze an aggressive male, which is essential in their minority position. Among the other chemicals and hormones that they produce, they can, again depending on the individual's willpower, control their ovulation and estrus.
Now... any questions? ..What? I'm blushing?! I-impossible!