Disclaimer: What the hell was chapter 2's name again? I've forgotten… -checks- OH! It's called, "Substance of a Remote Universe"! Damn, figures that the legal stuff would be in a chapter with such a name…

College… Applied Music/Classics double major… supposed to have 2 hours of practicing a day… lots of reading for each class…
But, as you guys should have figured from the past, I never get my priorities straight. :)

This information took maybe 10 minutes to spread through the brig. Atsarute-sama had become pregnant and lost the child in battle. Jakkaru was in a state of unusual panic, as if the ground he had walked confidently on for so many years had just been subject to an earthquake, for a good while. There were points of time where he seemed to have been just standing in place, blinking and mumbling incoherent syllables, before he finally got his wits to him.

It seemed that as soon as he allowed himself to calm down, he knew exactly what was going on. He spoke to Dr. Arufuredo briefly on it before going to get in contact with the royal family back at Sui-sei, and confirmed Dr. Arufuredo's diagnosis. Jakkaru's whole family was always quite close to the royal family, so he understood exactly what had happened.

The Chikyuu-jin were taken aside, away from the soldiers who were now fluttering through the halls and passageways like frantic insects. The war brig was already en route back to Sui-sei. Arufuredo tried to explain, to the best of his ability, his findings and what he could surmise after speaking with Jakkaru.

"In my study in some of the oddities of Puroeriun culture," Arufuredo began, "I found that they had unusual laws in their system, particularly ones that were taken off the system many generations ago, as well as some that are still on record but never really recognized anymore. Laws that included sound insulation within hospitals, strange laws about the procedure of abortion that changes between localities, and unusual marriage laws just to name a few. Most of them are thousands of years old and, since I'm not adept with Sui-go as it is, older legal tongues are beyond my grasp. But Jakkaru-san confirmed my suspicions…

"A couple thousand years ago on Sui-sei, they had been enduring a bad overpopulation. I'm not sure if I would say it's as bad as Namekku-sei-jin generally have it, but it was bad enough. Famine was evident throughout the planet, almost every province was overcrowded, and about 70 of the population lived in conditions of poverty. The waters were enduring pollution from this and living underwater at the time was unsafe, so the option to do so for them was not a good one (even though many took their chances anyway). They were unable at the time to colonize on other planets, since their space exploration technology at the time was mediocre and expensive.

"So, the government attempted a great deal of things to ease the population, going from a rise in executions, to public campaigns on abstinence and even sterilization. None of these things worked, and it was getting to the point where they would have to be forced to eradicate whole portions of the population just so that they wouldn't end up starving themselves out of existence…"

Bulma interrupted. "But, wait, why was there such overpopulation in the first place? I mean, usually when cultures get so large, they've already been preparing means to colonize elsewhere, but you said that their space technology was inadequate? Why?"

The doctor nodded. "As far as I've come to understand through Jakkaru-san, there were two reasons: One, the planet had just recently come into peace under one rule, that being the current royal family. Worldwide peace means the eradication of war… something that the people of Sui-sei had to endure perhaps more than even your cultures over the years… and this was a major check on their population. And the second reason…"

He sighed and shook his head. "Puroeriun used to have a genetic problem… well, perhaps problem isn't the right word… It was an evolutionary advantage that they'd obtained. When a Puroeriun female becomes pregnant, she becomes more aware of the child than herself; that's not unusual as most races have similar behaviors. But they seem to be particularly aware, and their hormonal balances are a little different. To be particular, there seemed to have been certain saturations on the vocal cords…

"Laws from this time and before had regulated marriage in accordance to the occupations of both parties, but particularly of the occupation of the woman. There was a lot of attention put on singers, warriors, soldiers, orators, etc. This was because there is something about the saturation of the vocal cords during pregnancy that must be watched and regulated. That something… that something is what happens during a miscarriage, particularly if the miscarriage is late in term and is forced.

"Miscarriage puts hormonal signals to the woman's brain, and she involuntarily starts to scream loudly. The scream is shrill and piercing, able to gain attention from anyone within 4 kilometers… sometimes more if the woman has particularly strong lungs. But the saturation does more than gain attention, but is directly defensive otherwise… It also causes the woman to use her 'ki' involuntarily to travel in the wavelengths of the scream. This combination can be physically damaging… even killing people who happen to be nearby."

"So," Piccolo pointed, "that song that she always sings…"

"It's from before those times when the Puroeriun still had that physical property… actually dating back before they had mechanical transportation, I surmise. I could barely touch the Sui-go version of that song because of how old the language is, so it's good that you had an English version, too."

"Wait a minute, Arufuredo-san." Gohan's eyes went big. "When they 'still had that physical property'? Isn't this what Atsarute-san did?"

He nodded. "Yes, but let me finish. Back to the time of overpopulation, they might not have had a very good space program at the time, but they were advanced in genetics and were already working on a way to eradicate the scream though a recessive trait that did not have the lethal effects of the scream in the population. The procedure was perfected and every pregnancy after this point was regulated and altered to ensure that the baby wouldn't carry the lethal-scream gene. But there was one family that did not, out of reasons to ensure heirs, go through this process."

"The royal family," Kuririn finished, then shook his head. "That's awful. I mean, I can see why it'd be useful, but isn't every person in that family a warrior, and generals to boot? Atsarute's lucky that she only effected Funzen and Komugiko…"

"I doubt Atsa was so much lucky as much as she planned for it," Piccolo spoke in, "She would not let me enter into battle with her, as well as she kept my own forces, which she cannot control, from entering. She was completely isolated from her men, and she didn't let soldiers like Jakkaru, who doesn't leave her side in battle, so much as step foot on the field. She knew what could happen."

Arufuredo nodded. "This is what the royal family laws on marriage comes from, too. Old laws, from what I was able to surmise, had similar restrictions on warrior females' marriages, and the family was a warrior family as far back as could be defined. This is to keep the husband, in case they are side by side in battle or if they're sparring, from dying if she something like this happens, since he'd likely be able to handle the ki output in the scream if he's stronger."

"So that law isn't so much misogynistic as it is from practicality." Bulma nodded.

"Correct."

Piccolo seemed to have gotten enough of the conversation and went for the door. The others shot their eyes towards him, most worried, some at least a little agitated. He felt their eyes on him and looked back at them sharply. "I'm going to go talk to her."

"Piccolo-sama, I don't think," Arufuredo shut his mouth and swallowed his words. Gohan stared intently at the ground while his father continued to look on with a face mixed with worry and half-dead confusion from the whole conversation.

Vegita merely sneered more. "Want to make that stupid woman feel worse about herself, or get her pissed off at you since you're the one responsible for all this shit in the first place?"

"Vegita!" Bulma growled and hit his arm. Surprisingly, Instead of pressing on, Vegita dropped his scowl and glanced over at her.

His angry glare came back quickly, however, when he redirected his attention to Arufuredo. "You said that Bulma's pregnant, right?"

Arufuredo frowned back at Vegita, but decided not to get defensive. "Yes. With a girl, I surmise."

"You were able to tell that from those readings you have of her?"

The scientist shook his head. "No, it's too early for the sensors in my weak field device to pick up biological gender, but Atsarute-sama seemed to have been able to. When she said 'No, that one's female'... it makes sense because the fetus in Atsarute-sama was male."

"How would that woman be able to figure that when she was half-insane?"

"I told you before, the hormonal balance in a pregnant Puroeriun makes them sensitive to their children. It likely made her sensitive to other fetuses as well."

The Namek shook his head. "If you'll excuse me…" He opened the door, nearly slamming into Jakkaru as he was coming in from the other side. Piccolo quickly moved around the large man and went down the hall.

Jakkaru looked back at the Namekkian's wake. "Uh, I just came to say that we've reached Sui-sei orbit… And… Derosen and King Naiosai are now on board."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Piccolo was almost to Atsarute's quarters when he felt someone grab him from the back of his neck and thrash him against a wall. He turned around, screaming, "What the fuck's your problem?" before realizing the person responsible was Derosen.

The sneering prince of Sui-sei gathered up Piccolo's collar into his fists and held him up, slamming the Namek into the wall again. The Namek winced, remembering that Atsarute's older brother was stronger than herself, and knew instantly that he wouldn't be able to get out of this unexpected situation easily.

"My problem! How about your problem!" Derosen hissed, his pale, green face, darkened by his flush of anger, only a few centimeters from the Namek's dark green face, "Do you have any idea what you've done! Do you know what could have happened to her! You damned Namek! This whole thing is your fault!"

"It began as her idea. I wasn't even aware until—" Piccolo's protest was cut short by Derosen slamming him into the wall again, effectively knocking out his breath.

"Don't give me excuses, Namek! What you've just done is unforgivable! She could have been lost in that battle because of this! What the fuck were—"

"Derosen!" King Naiosai appeared behind him and pulled him away, causing him to drop the winded Piccolo onto the floor. "I understand your feelings, but you shouldn't let your anger take over your judgment like this."

Derosen looked back at his father with hurt anger and wrenched his shoulder out from under his father's grasp. He then stomped over to Atsarute's door, just 10 meters down the hall, and, instead of pressing a button that acted as a doorbell to these rooms, banged his fist loudly on the door's surface, reverberating throughout the hall with its volume. "Atsa! Come out! I want to talk to you!"

There was a slight hum as the sound of pounding settled coming from the door, and a voice from the other side said, albeit muffled, rather clearly, "Go away."

"Atsa! Atsa, damnit come out! Or at least let me in. Please!"

Piccolo and Naiosai didn't move, only glancing over at him. Piccolo kept looking back at Naiosai, who, although didn't look at him in anger and hate as Derosen did, kept his eyes averted from the Namek stubbornly, and even fidgeted slightly when he felt Piccolo's eyes fall on him. He might not have been raging like his son, but he didn't seem comfortable in Piccolo's presence all the same.

"Look, Mother doesn't know about it yet, and when she find's out, she'll likely have a fit. Knowing her, she probably got it in her mind to hate that Piccolo as it is, and when she finds out about this… I don't know what she'll do, but it won't be pretty. There's no way I'm going to tell her, and Father…" he looked over at Naiosai.

The king's dark face paled to the shade of his son's and his eyes turned wide. He set his mouth in a thin line and shook his head slowly. It would figure. Out of all the people in Sui-sei, the one who fears Queen Aikanefi the most is her husband. He was even known to disappear for weeks on end to avoid her wrath. Of course, it was known that he was one of the strongest Puroeriun, much stronger than his wife since he was able to best her in combat. The scenario would sound eerily familiar to anyone who knew the Son family back at Earth very well.

"Father is out of the question. So you should be the one to tell her."

This got more of a rise from the door. "Oh Hell no! You're not going to get me to tell her something like that! I'll never hear the end of it, and I'll probably have to sneak off of the planet to get away. God, I don't want to have to do that again. I'd feel childish, sneaking away like I did when I was younger. Get Jako to do it!"

"Jako will turn into a sniveling babe ten minutes into explaining it. Either that, or he'll feel defensive and start yelling at her. We all know how that'll end. Look, at least let me come in, and talk to you."

The other side was silent.

"Derosen, it'd be best to leave her be," Naiosai suggested from the side.

He didn't listen. Still livid, he banged on the door again. "Atsa! Let me in! We really have to talk about this! I don't care about the Namek, I don't care about the public, I don't even care about what Mother might think! Damnit all, just let me in! Please!" Pause. "Atsa!"

Still silent.

Derosen's own anger seemed to have been dying, the flushed anger in his face dwindling and the furrowed brows dropping back. His whole face could be seen falling into sorrow, and his bellowing voice even softened. "Damnit, Atsa. Please… Let me in…" He bit his lip and wiped roughly at his own face, which Piccolo realized had started to glisten with wetness. "Please Atsa…damnit, you… you promised…"

He choked for a moment and spoke again. His sonority had risen, but this time his voice had no anger, but was instead full of anguish. "You promised me you wouldn't let this happen to you, Atsa!"

I love finishing things in practically one sitting (it would have been one sitting if I didn't have to do to class about halfway though it). I even already started the next chapter.