Chapter 30: A New Home?
A new council had finally gathered in the main control room of the great, Saiyan Battleship. A council consisting of family and friends, and the union of two specific races. The survival of rare friendships and much more, between outlawed Saiyans, and their Human companions. The two youngest demi-Saiyans had been left in the care of the Almanac, where the prospects of sword training had distracted the two boys from their initial curiosity of the spaceship. Then various questions and complaining as to why the grown-ups needed to talk in private. ChiChi had of course insisted on preparing a meal first, and then making sure the boys were settled, before they got down to more serious business. A rather quiet Bulma helped where she could, and then distracted herself with odd, outstanding repairs. Now, they were all seated in a circle in the large, white room, and each had many questions. Thanks to Kakarot's explanation, they were all soon pretty much up to date on where things stood. Both in the past, yet more so with the present. Though the news of King Vegeta had hardly been comforting for a certain heiress, who cringed and wailed as the plot thickened. ChiChi did her best to comfort and calm the easily flustered blue-haired beauty, but it was pointless when Kakarot only continued to worsen the situation with further, bitter truths.
"He will stop at nothing to find his son, no matter the cost."
It took a warm cup of herbal tea, and a lot of back-rubbing to ease the hyperventilating Earth woman into a more relaxed state, enabling Kakarot to finally continue.
"The fact is, you're no longer safe here. We need to figure out what we should do. Do we stay and make a stand here? Or do we find somewhere else. Whatever we choose, we need to be aware of the fact that Vegeta will find us."
By which point, the poor Bulma had finally briefly fainted. It was just as well really, though unfortunately, ChiChi was able to revive the struggling woman and again, start to rub her back in soothing attempts. Now that the floor was open to suggestion though, Videl wasted no time in voicing her opinion.
"If he'll find us wherever we go, what does it matter? To me, the choice is simple. We have to pick a planet where we will have allies who could help us."
"We… don't really have any allies," Gohan bashfully added. It was true; Saiyans had pretty much made sure that they were both the strongest, and most hated race in the universe. "We could end up fighting for the right to be on another planet. Even if we somehow gained their help without fighting an all-out war, there's no guarantee that they'll stay on our side."
"Gohan's right," Kakarot interjected with a stoic nod. "The King's power is the only persuasion he needs. Our last stand could come sooner than we hoped for."
"Well you didn't let me finish," Videl scowled in a slightly more raised voice. Folding her arms, she glared at the father and son, heaving a slightly frustrated breath through her nose. "We're not just Saiyans here you know. We're humans as well. You didn't blow up Earth, right? So we still have friends there. The rest is simple." One certain Earthling in particular, was more than excited to hear this.
"YES!" Bulma Briefs leapt to her feet, actually managing to startle the otherwise calm ChiChi considerably. "FINALLY someone who's on my wavelength here! Don't you see? SHE'S RIGHT!"
Though the rest of the outlaw council were a little less convinced by this outburst. At least Videl managed to be calm and reasonable, whereas Bulma was just talking at a million miles per hour at an alarming velocity. Gohan even flinched as he almost thought his ears had popped.
"OH YES! I AM THE CAPSULE CORP HEIRESS! WE HAVE GUNS AND MONEY AND… EVERYTHING WE NEED! IT WILL WORK, I SW-"
Thankfully, she was cut short by ChiChi's sudden tug, that brought the excited woman crashing back down into her chair. At least she finally remembered to breathe upon impact. Videl swallowed slightly, not sure if she wanted to break this news to such an animated woman. The Capsule Corp heiress certainly wasn't what she expected.
"I hate to break it to you Miss Briefs, but uh… Capsule Corp was kinda, bought out."
"WHAT?" The woman was on her feet again, and this time it was the flinching Videl who put her hands over her ears momentarily.
"Mmhmm," she nodded, trying to pick her words a little more carefully. Though it was inevitable that however she said it, the woman would only hyperventilate further. "You see, there was no one to take over the business when your… when Dr. Briefs d-died. So! Erm… the Red Ribbon Corp bought the company and, it's been like that for years ever since."
A dumbfounded Bulma sunk back down into her chair, jaw still dropped as she stared at the harbinger of such terrible news. "My company… sold out? How can that be! Dad would've left everything to me! He… I… oh."
"Right," Videl frowned lightly, cutting in as the older woman finally trailed off. "So you see now? You were kind of, missing, and the planet was in a pretty bad shape after the two Saiyans took over for a while. Or so I'm told. Apparently, the Red Ribbon Army fought so bravely, so in the end, Capsule Corp was pretty much just, given to them. Kind of like their… well, their reward."
If Bulma's jaw could drop any lower, it certainly did.
"Then he just have to get my company back! WE HAVE TO! IT'S RIGHTFULLY MINE! I worked my ass off for that inheritance, not to mention that I, am a NOBEL PRIZE WINNING WOMAN! … Or I would be if YOU didn't help kidnap me in the first place!" As she pointed at the wide-eyed Kakarot, it was ChiChi who took over on the Saiyan defensive side.
"HEY! Don't you blame my Goku for anything! He did nothing of the sort!"
"OH YES HE DID! Him and that… Toma.. Tora.. Whatever-guy! They told me all I had to do was fix their engines. Make them run faster, they told me. Make them better, but then, BAM! There I was, being hauled into outer space with them! I did exactly what they asked of me, and look what ha-"
"LIAR!"
"Your precious 'Goku' is the liar!" Now the so-called 'Goku' had two very furious women staring at him expectantly, and could only rest his hand behind his head in the same, simple-minded bashfulness that his son had previously shown.
"I was just following orders," he countered in his honest defence, and received an unimpressed 'humph' from both women. "And can we not argue about what happened in the past? This isn't the time to bicker. We need to figure out what we're doing to secure our future."
"That's right!" ChiChi quickly agreed, wasting no time in shooting Bulma a harsh, scolding glare. It didn't stop the heiress from childishly sticking her tongue out. Gohan and Videl exchanged uneasy glances. At this rate, the conversation was going to take forever.
"So, back on topic." Videl attempted to steer the conversation back to her idea again. "If we did move to Earth, we would have the possibility of Bulma's uh… of Capsule Corp, and maybe the Red Ribbon guys. Plus we have my dad, and the rest of the E.D.F too. It wouldn't be the first time we dealt with Saiyans either."
"Shugesh and Borgos were strong," Kakarot calmly explained. "But that was then. This is now. Vegeta is an extremely powerful opponent, quite possibly the strongest Saiyan living. Who knows what else he'll bring to Earth. We could face an all out war."
"I don't want to even think about the damage a whole army of Saiyan Elite warriors could cause." Videl frowned to Gohan as he added his own input, but was stubborn enough to voice the full potential of her plan.
"And you're both underestimating the power of humans. As a nation, we're a pretty strong force combined. We'd have time to prepare ourselves for the worst, and we've already proved that we can handle two Saiyans, and that was in the past. We're amazing strategists. We'll figure something out. We have to!"
"You didn't exactly put up much of a fight this time though." Gohan hated to be so frank, but he didn't like the loopholes in Videl's theories. "When we returned to Earth, you guys pretty much just let us take over again. One Oozaru later, and the trade agreement was back on track."
"If your E.D.F can't handle one Oozaru, then how will you expect to take on the potential of dozens?" Gohan nodded to his father's equally blunt addition, leaving a very irritated Videl to growl and fold her arms.
"What other choice do we have? If you're so full of options, why not make your own suggestion? Then the rest of us can have a chance to shoot down your so-called bad ideas."
"I don't think it's a bad idea." All eyes turned to ChiChi, no longer quietly listening and judging the options for herself. "She… Oh I'm sorry. I mean, Videl, is right. We would have allies on Earth. But there is still one problem that worries me. That is, the moon." While the woman briefly paused, the others had already grasped the concept of what her continuation would be. All except for Videl, who blinked in clear confusion.
"The… moon?"
"Yes. I'm sure Goku and Gohan could control themselves but, it's the boys you see… They still have their tails, but they've never actually turned. They wouldn't know how to control their Oozaru form. It could turn out to be a complete disaster."
"We could always just have them removed?" Now all eyes shot to Bulma, who instantly became defensive under the various motives behind the harsh stares. "What? I don't want my son being called names at school! He can't be a normal kid on Earth with a damn tail! What will the neighbours say?"
Sadly, only Videl seemed to agree, while Kakarot very openly growled at the notion. "I will not see either of my sons removed of their Saiyan pride, and you would be wise to consider this for your own son also. This is no longer up for discussion."
"Oh yes it is!" Kakarot growled once more as the heiress slammed her fists on her thighs, trying to gain attention and strength in her argument. "I don't give a damn about your Saiyan pride! If we're moving to Earth then we will have to live as humans. That means no tails, and definitely no more giant apes! Don't you think you're hurt our planet enough?"
The only full-blooded Saiyan in the room snapped, baring his barking feral teeth as he stood to his full height. Though the blue-haired woman reared back slightly, it was in fact Videl who continued with the argument.
"She kinda, has a point." And then refused to flinch as the furious glare of Kakarot turned to her instead. "I mean, it would be hard trying to get you guys accepted. It might even mean you guys laying low for awhile. Bulma and I are your best shot at negotiations. Then any potential accidents that could jeopardise that allegiance, aren't going to help in the long run. Are your tails really that important?"
The only answer however, was Gohan's hand finding the curve of her knee, and squeezing lightly. When she gave him her attention, he just shook his head, silently asking her to drop it. Rolling her eyes, she sighed loudly. "Oh fine. Be difficult then, but don't say I didn't warn you."
"Let's move on," ChiChi swiftly suggested, having moved to soothe her husband now. He finally settled again thanks to her constantly palm-rubbing between his shoulder-blades. "Bulma will do what she think is best, and well, we'll just have to be very careful with Goten. He will be our responsibility."
Gohan also nodded, trying to catch Videl's hand in his own, slightly larger grasp. She finally gave in, sighing again and relaxing next to him. They shared the same chair, with her perched on the sturdy arm. At first, ChiChi had been more pre-occupied in staring at the young, rather adorable couple, until Videl had shot a glare back at the older woman. Even when the mountain woman had looked away, Videl had started to feel very uncomfortable. So she'd tried to move to another chair, but Gohan's arm at her back was unrelenting. It still was, even as he now tried to steer the conversation back to the main topic.
"Do we even have enough resources to make it to Earth? How far away are we even? Two weeks? More?"
"Roughly two," Kakarot nodded. "The main issue is the engine. It hasn't had chance to cool down, so it's over-heating easily on max power. As we found out already."
"Let me handle that," Bulma chirped slightly. No one dared to disagree with her, since she was finally making herself useful. Besides, Kakarot and ChiChi both knew how the heiress could work her magic with a spanner in her grasp. Sometimes she mumbled things in a whole other language.
"And we have some food supplies here," ChiChi added helpfully. "At least enough for two weeks. We'll just have to go a little easy on them." It was better than nothing, so no one dared to complain, even if two Saiyan stomach's grumbled lightly at the thought of smaller rations.
"So is it settled then? Please tell me we're going home! C'mooon, you guys owe me! Have you any idea how horrible it's been here? I can't bear another minute here!"
Though Bulma's incessant whining was hardly going to sway the decision in her favour, the council of outlaws did exchange glances overall. At last, Gohan gave the final nod to his father, and the decision was made by the eldest male.
"To Earth then."
Bulma of course shrieked and leapt back to her feet in a mighty, celebratory gesture. "YES! Ooooh! I have to start packing! What do I pack? Hmm but, right. Let's see to that engine first, shall we?"
Even ChiChi was excited, though kept herself contained with nothing more than a light smile to show for her true feelings. Though Videl mentally joined in with Bulma's more open response, she physically remained quite still. Until Gohan pulled her onto his lap, and made his understanding of how she really felt know by the sudden focused eye-contact, followed by the capture of her lips before she could question his strange antics. He wanted to show her that he was going to support her, even if he did hold some slight reservations. The support was well-received, leaving a cooing mother to clasp her hands adoringly at the affectionate couple. 'Grand-kids,' she sighed to herself longingly. Kakarot however, was the only person still not even 50% convinced by this. But he was over ruled, and didn't exactly have any better ideas. In the end. He just wanted to train harder, so he could protect his family when the time came. Any home-base would do, because he believed it would all lead to the same, inevitable conclusion. Still, he made sure he muttered his final resolve on the matter.
"Let's just hope we're making the right choice."
Little did they know, that the so-called weak Planet Earth, had already made preparations for their own assault against the universe's most hated alien race. At the Red Ribbon Army main base, a certain Champion sat amongst various corporation officials in a grand board room. At the head of the long table, was the very short yet much-esteemed albeit slightly balding Commander Red. Together with various biotic enhancements including a strange, red eye and mechanical hand, he smoked what seemed to be an endless pipe and silently listened to the reports offered by his employees. One row was occupied by Generals and Sergeants, while the other held Scientists, including the infamous Dr. Gero and his personal favourite twin prodigies. Hercule Satan sat on the other end of the table, with his feet up, and the odd lecherous glance to the blonde female known as Dr. Juu Hachi, or preferably just 'Eighteen.' Today she was dressed in a very fetching, tailored lilac and pastel pink dress-suit, together with an expensive set of pearls and designer shoes. It was amazing a woman who could easily be a model, was pursing a career in science. Or so Hercule thought rather grumpily. She would make an except trophy wife, and the Champion hated to be denied such an exceptional trophy.
"So as you can see," the male twin of said trophy, pointed to a star chart on the main screen. "The payload is making impeccable progress. It is well on the way to the final target, within a timeframe of approximately… ten more days."
"Make it go faster!" The champion hammered his fist on the desk, gaining the frowning attention of several individuals. The white, fuzzy haired and very wrinkled Dr. Gero, chuckled at the Champion's loud enthusiasm.
"I am afraid that is quite impossible, Mr. Satan. The Saiyan cargo ship is designed from rather old blueprints now. We fear it would attract suspicion if we tampered with what the Saiyans believe to be their impressive technology."
"That's right," an old, white-haired man bearing the badge appropriately labelled 'General White,' contributed his own, strategic opinion. "If the Saiyans knew how behind their technology is now, it would only have bad repercussions on us. We already fooled them back into the trade agreement. Let's not be too hasty now."
"Hmph!" Hercule was clearly not impressed, as he closed his eyes, sat back and folded his relatively large arms. So naturally, it took a woman's metaphoric touch to close the deal.
"Oh Mr. Satan," the dry yet sultry voice provoked him enough to regard her with one eye under a raised brow. The blonde lightly smirked, tucking strands of golden hair behind her ear with delicate fingers. "Let us not quarrel over pre-agreed plans. We must focus on seeing your supreme moment be set into motion now. You are about to make history, Mr. Satan. No longer will you be just a Champion. Everyone will regard you as Earth's Saviour. A real Hero."
"AHAHAHA!"
To everyone's surprise, the Champion threw his head back, and burst into maniacal, booming laughter. General Blue Jr almost cracked the mirror he consistently gazed into, while Commander Red rarely choked on his own cigar. Even the normally calm and collected twins, pouted and raised quite stunned, very neatly shaped brows.
"Mr. Satan? Is… everything alright?"
"MM-HAHAHA!" The Champion hammered his fist on the table again, to finally cease his laughter as he jumped onto the table, and struck a heroic pose. "Yeah! A Hero! That's right!"
If sweat drops were possible, each member of the board would currently own one. Instead, various members cleared their throats and regained their calmer and collected composure. The commander re-lit his cigar checking his watch impatiently, while Gero re-gathered his paperwork. Eighteen and Seventeen exchanged glances that clearly spelt the word 'buffoon' to each other. They nodded in perfect unison, stating that it was time to wrap up this pointless façade.
"We are of course extremely grateful for your contribution," Seventeen continued on behalf of his sister. "So do not fear. The most careful consideration has been placed into organising your little.. Trip."
"Huh?" That caught the Champ's attention, and he struck a more dumbfounded pose, still standing tall on the table. "Wasn't the plan to er… just wait it out here?"
Again, the twins exchanged smirking looks. "That is exactly what we thought," Eighteen continued. "But we have a very comfortable ship for you, that could leave within the next few days."
"B-but, wait! What if it doesn't work! Ah mean… er… YEAH! No problem! Those Apes ain't no match for the Champ! Eheheh… yeah!" It was clear however, that he wasn't exactly confident with his assumptive idea, so Seventeen was quick to explain the new plan further.
"Oh don't you worry. We wouldn't send you all the way to the Saiyan's Home Planet. There's no need for you to go all that way. We will know when the payload is successful."
"That's right. Consider this instead, Mr. Satan. If you are missing from this planet altogether, no one will suspect…well, a set-up."
"B-but ah'm the champ! The champ doesn't lie!"
"Of course not," Eighteen soothed with a drizzle of sarcasm in her voice, but proceeded in pouring the man a shot of whiskey. Patting the table in an attempt to get him back to the floor, he complied, and downed the offered glass in a single swig. "But consider the media attention if they saw you actually boarding a spaceship, and then actually being launched into space. You could make your own little web-diary. It's perfect."
Smiling lightly, she poured another shot glass. "Don't tell me you're not even slightly tempted?" And shook the glass teasingly. The Champ gulped, hesitantly reaching out, to grasp the glass in his large and hairy hand. They wanted him to actually leave the planet? But he'd never been on a spaceship before. Wouldn't it get lonely up there, all alone? Still, the blonde woman was right. The media attention would be off the charts, and when he was ready to return bearing his victorious news, he'd be made into a legend. That was that. The Champ was officially sold.
"I'LL DO IT!" He loudly declared, making a 'cheers' gesture before downing the shot contents once more. Several men grinned and chuckled to themselves, while the twins folded their arms and nodded in satisfied unison. That was far easier than they expected.
"So er… ehehe... when'd we launch?"
To be continued…