Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters

So there have been a lot of questions, including by guest reviewers I can't PM, about when Bulma will find out about Tights. In all honesty, I can't fully give away what I have planned for the last story, but what I can say is Bulma won't find out until then. It's part of the reason I've been hurrying through this story, because everyone, including me, wants to see what happens once she does. I will not give away how it happens, but it'll be implied in a couple of chapters.

On Planet Vegeta, a new general was chosen, the queen's brother, Zorn. King Vegeta had not expected Nappa to leave his post, but his mate told him that Nappa offered to go and she accepted when she found out about Vegeta. The former general made a huge sacrifice for the king and his lineage, and it was one that the royal would never be able to repay.

Well, except by honoring his son.

The king requested an audience with Celen. He came alone, without his alien assistant, as requested. He knelt down before the king and queen. To be honest, he figured the reason he was summoned to the palace was to be killed for betraying their race even though he was doing everything he could to help. "My king," he greeted, his voice confident as he spoke. He already made arrangements for Tights to return home if he were to die. He was willing to accept his punishment.

"Celen, rise," King Vegeta ordered which stunned the boy. Celen did as he was told and looked on the two royals with carefully hidden distrust. "You have no idea how grateful I am for what your father has done. It is practically unheard of for a Saiyan to abandon their most honorable position to not only take a lower rank, but to guard the son of another man."

"It was the right thing to do," Celen stated, his voice tight with anger as his fists clenched. "It was the honorable thing to do."

"I agree," the king said which shocked the young Saiyan even more. "Because of your father's noble sacrifice, for protecting my heir, I am willing to offer you a high-ranking position in our military."

"With all due respect, Your Majesty," Celen began, "I cannot accept a position in the army. I no longer wish to partake in purges or destruction. I am a doctor, and I would rather heal than destroy."

The king had not been prepared for a rejection, but the queen knew the truth. Nappa told her about what Celen had become. She didn't like the fact that he was with the patrol, but she knew he had Planet Vegeta's best interests at heart. "Then what about an advisory position," Kalina suggested.

"Queen Kalina," Celen breathed out. He was overwhelmed by the suggestion. He knew that she knew about him, yet she was suggesting a higher position than his father's that would require even more trust.

The king also looked at his mate with disbelief. "Why do you suggest this?"

Kalina flashed angry eyes to her mate. "My king, we are in the middle of something that we can't get out of. That monster has our son, our general, and another of our men. We have to prepare for war, just in case, and we need to be smart about it. I have faith that Celen wouldn't advise you to jump straight into battle. If we did that, we would lose any chance at rescuing our child."

The king did not like his mate's tone in front of one of their people. Celen simply turned away; he respected the couple enough to at least pretend to ignore their spat. "Fine, fine. I am prepared to offer you a position as an advisor. Are you willing to take the position?"

Celen's eyes met the queen's before he nodded his agreement. "I thank you both for this honor," he stated. "I don't know how to repay either of you."

"This is our repayment," Kalina assured the boy. "Please, let us know if there is anything you need, all right?"

"Yes," Celen agreed before he left.

Once outside the throne room, Kalina felt the boy's relief and then looked to her angry mate. "I know how you feel, Kalina, but don't you ever go above your authority. How could you offer him an advisory position?"

"You made a decision about my child without discussing it with me," Kalina countered. "My friend fled to protect him. Celen would have been miserable in the army. Clearly you could see that."

"Feh, it's that alien assistant of his that taints his mind," the king scoffed. "A Saiyan who refuses battle… If it weren't for Nappa's actions, that boy would be banished from my kingdom."

A slap resounded in the room; an enraged Kalina stood above her mate. "Never say that again," she demanded before she left the throne room and slammed the doors behind her.

The king stared dumbfounded at the door. Who did Kalina think she was? Not only did she undermine his authority, but she dared to lay a hand on him in malice and offered up a position—for his most trusted person—when the king truly held no respect for the Saiyan reject. Zorn entered through a side door having witnessed the king's humiliation. He cleared his throat awkwardly and said, "If I may, Your Highness." The king nodded. "My sister is blinded by the soft spot she had for Nappa and what he is doing for her child. She will look after Celen, regardless of the boy's motives, as her own like Nappa is doing for your son. Therefore, she is not of rational mind when it comes to Celen."

"What do you suggest I do?"

"Give Celen a task, sir," Zorn instructed. "We are still trying to figure out who leaked the information about Prince Vegeta's existence to Frieza in the first place. My money is on his alien assistant. If his loyalties truly lie with you and he finds her out in his investigation, he will have no problem turning her in."

"And what if it isn't the alien?" the king asked, even though he too felt the outsider was responsible.

"Then he must provide you with indisputable evidence. If he can prove who it really is, then we should all be able to trust him."

"Poor Celen," Tarble murmured. "Why wouldn't Dad trust him?"

"He brought in an outsider and abandoned our people for a time, and no one knew what he did during that time, except that he became a doctor. It wasn't until after his death, once we all returned home and Nappa confessed, that Celen was found to be part of the Galactic Patrol."

"But you said that the alien girl helped bring down Frieza," Trunks countered. "How? If Grandpa wouldn't listen to outsiders, what power did she have?"

"Trunks…" Vegeta stated. "I don't want to jump ahead in the story, but I will explain this. After the alliance was made, she was able to hack into Frieza's systems and gather information about the leak. Then, she and Celen received vital information on the Arcosians' plans, but they were eliminated after they divulged the information to the other planets and the Galactic Patrol."

"What happened to the plans?" both boys asked, awed.

"The girl escaped to her home planet, wherever it was, in hopes to evade what remained of Frieza's men, and she was never heard from again. We could only assume she died—either en route or on her mother soil."

"That's terrible," Trunks scoffed, affronted.

Vegeta nodded his agreement. "I will tell you more on that later. There is still the matter of how the alliance got started, and how Celen found the mole. Obviously, it was not his alien assistant."

Celen couldn't believe that the king summoned him privately and told him just how much he distrusted him. The Saiyan was insulted by the king, yet he only felt disgust. He was angry that his mate was under suspicion. He knew that Tights did nothing against them. In fact, she involved him with everything she did. He trusted her completely, and he needed her help.

The two of them spent days trying to find something, anything that would clear her name, but they kept coming up empty. "I guess we have to figure out who had motive," Tights suggested. "The only ones who knew were those on the king's council. Did your father ever complain about anyone?"

"I don't know, Tights," Celen sighed. "It's not like on your planet where the families come home and discuss their day. Saiyans keep close mental connections, but for an actual connection…even my parents didn't discuss their daily lives."

Tights sighed and shook her head. "Can we agree our child will never be put through that? I want him to grow up knowing that he can trust us."

Celen nodded his agreement. He still couldn't believe she knew the gender of the baby. He saw it himself when they visited her world on that crazy machine, but he was still awed. "For now, I need to work on clearing your name, or we'll never make it that far."

"So, who is on the council?"

"Well, my father was," Celen started as he counted on his fingers. "The queen's brother is another, but he's out. He would never betray his sister or nephew."

"Okay, so two out. Who else?"

"Tomata, Leta, Benea, Paragus…wait a minute," Celen pondered. He went towards the computer they had. "Run Paragus through the system."

"Why?"

"Just do it," Celen stated. "Something about him always felt off."

Tights did what her mate asked and found a squeaky clean record, something completely unheard of for a Saiyan. Even Celen's record was ridiculously long. "Uh…" she murmured before she looked to her mate fearfully. "This really isn't normal."

"No, it's not, and my distrust of him doesn't help, either."

"What did your father ever say about him?"

"Apparently, there's a rivalry in the bloodline. Both King Vegeta's father and Paragus's were strong warriors, and during the Saiyan-Tuffle War, they were both looked upon as leaders. Paragus's father attempted to challenge the king to a friendly duel for leadership of the tribe but lost. Paragus, however, did not agree with his father's decision, or so he said, and his strength still rivaled the king. King Vegeta brought him on as a councilman. Still, Paragus should have at least taken a mission or two, or it would have drawn a red flag with Frieza."

Both Celen and Tights looked to each other and put the dots together. "He wanted Frieza to contact him. He…he…"

"Tights, I need proof, or the king will never believe this. He would never believe an alien or me over a trusted official."

"How do we get proof?"

"That camera thingy you have," Celen suggested. "I can get Paragus alone and confront him and you can record everything."

"Why would he admit anything to you?" Tights asked. Her eyes were full of fear. "What if he kills you for figuring it out?"

"He won't," Celen assured her as he took her hands. "You have to trust that I know what I'm doing and I know my people. Paragus will confess because he knows the king will never believe a Saiyan who has become an outsider. No one knows about video recorders."

Tights was still skeptical, but she trusted her mate. She placed his hand over her abdomen and said, "You better be sure about this, Celen."

"I am."

Paragus entered the room indicated in the strange note he received at his home. Someone left a note on the door and demanded an audience regarding dealings of his. It was so cryptic, and Paragus really didn't know what it was about, but he decided to go. He was wanted back at the palace, at the docking bay. There was a pod there, ready for departure but nothing else.

"So, you showed up."

Paragus looked up to see Celen leaning against a wall, his arms crossed, with an accusatory glint to his eyes. The old Saiyan chuckled. "Well, if it isn't the third-class who shirked on his duties. What reason have you to call me here?"

Celen pushed himself off the wall. "As I said on the note, I am here to discuss your dealings."

Paragus chuckled. "Dealings with what, boy?"

Celen looked into the eyes of the elite. "With Frieza," he stated coldly.

Paragus didn't react for a moment, and then he started laughing. "Boy, you are foolish to think I'd have any dealings with Frieza."

"You told him about the prince," Celen accused.

Once he said that, all amusement left Paragus. "The king would never believe you. You are nothing to him, and I am a trusted member of his council."

"I just want to know why you did it," Celen remarked. "Why would you betray your king who you had so loyally served for decades?"

"Why?" Paragus sneered. "Because that pompous bastard had no right to lead our people. My father should have done away with his and taken his place as a leader."

"But throwing in your lot with Frieza?" Celen pressed. "Why? Why not just challenge the king to a fight? Why work with someone who wishes to destroy us?"

"I don't know where you are getting your information, boy, but tread carefully," Paragus warned. "The king wouldn't give two shits if something happened to you. Just because you're the son of Nappa does not mean the king has forgotten your treachery. You ignored your orders and abandoned you post. And of all things to become, a doctor? A healer? Nonsense. You are hardly a Saiyan anymore."

"Dishonor me all you like," Celen accepted, "but do not say I am not a Saiyan anymore. I remain loyal to the crown where you betrayed them. You are the one who can no longer call himself a Saiyan. What did Frieza tell you to get you on his side?"

"What did he tell me?" Paragus chuckled at the boy's ignorance. "He told me nothing. Promised me nothing. I simply informed him of the prince's birth, for I knew he would take the king's heir. Once the king dies, there will be no one to lead the people, and I will take over. The best part is that Frieza will be willing to make agreements with me, for I was the one out of all the Saiyans who knew the truth and was willing to risk my neck in showing Frieza loyalty. Soon, my son will be born, and I will have my own heir. My lineage will be the one to rule this planet, not Vegeta's."

"Are you sure about that?"

Both Paragus and Celen were shocked and stunned into silence when the voice of the king resounded in the room. The younger Saiyan looked to the angry king and then to the space pod and realized that Tights's energy was nowhere to be found. "Where is my assistant?" he demanded.

The king looked to Celen and sighed. "She was caught snooping around in here and informed me of your plan. I hadn't truly believed her, but I figured that I should at least hear for myself. She is currently in the dungeon and will be released to you, though we have some things to discuss, boy. For now, remain here, for I have something to say to Paragus."

Paragus was appalled. His eyes flashed to the boy and narrowed in rage. Celen set him up. "How dare you?"

"Silence!" the king snarled. "You do not get to berate him. I gave him the task of investigating the issue thinking he might betray me for the alien, but all the while the real snake was one of our own. You power-hungry, greedy bastard. My father was willing to accept you and your father into our courts, and you repay me by putting my son in harm's way? You have committed treason, a serious offence, and you will be put to death."

"You wouldn't da—"

"I most certainly would," Vegeta replied, and then an idea his him. "Or I could sentence your son to death as you have practically done to mine."

Even Celen was astonished by that declaration. "King Vegeta, I—" But the king glared at the Saiyan, and Celen clamped his mouth shut.

The king continued, "In fact, maybe I should put both you and your mate to death now. That way, your treasonous line ends here."

"Leave my son out of this!" Paragus demanded.

"It's too late for that!" the king snapped. "You have no idea what you have set in motion, and for that, you must now pay. The soldiers were already tuned into this call and are apprehending your mate currently as we speak. They said that the power reading coming from her womb would have rivaled my son. Too bad for all of you that it won't matter in a few hours."

Paragus was about to protest, but the king blasted a hole in his chest, and Celen watched in horror as the man dropped to the ground. The boy instantly looked at the king, the king's eyes hardened and cold, and Celen felt the room drop a few degrees. "I don't know how you narrowed it down to him, or what you did, but I will interview you and that woman in the main throne room after the Paragus's woman's execution."

"The woman and the child have done nothing to you," Celen returned. "Why can't you just let them be?"

"The power level of the child is unstable, and the mother is already weak," the king explained. "I do not trust that the boy wouldn't be a threat. The due date was in a couple of months, and he is already stronger than Vegeta."

"So you're doing it for your pride?" Celen guessed, his voice bitter.

"Vegeta's power was stable," the king continued, "but this child's is not. He would be a danger to our planet."

"To our planet or to you?"

"Does it matter, advisor?" King Vegeta sneered. "Just be lucky I didn't kill your assistant. She refuses to give her name and planet of origin, and her words were unbelievable. She told us that Paragus hadn't gone on a mission to attract Frieza's attention, an incredible claim. How did you even find that information? What was your source?"

"My king, I want to tell you, believe me," Celen said cautiously, "but I have to keep my assistant's safety in mind."

"You talk of her as if she were your mate, boy," the king countered, and Celen panicked. "Is she?"

"No," Celen choked out, not wanting to deny her, but he knew her life would be in jeopardy if he didn't. "Just my assistant."

"So her child is not yours then?"

"She was pregnant before we met," Celen explained. "She was a patient of mine and I took pity on her. She will return to her home world before the birth so the child will not be born on our soil."

"See that she does," the king demanded. "Celen, for uncovering this deceit, I will allow the girl to live, so if there is anything else you wish to tell me, now is the time to do it before you lose my favor."

"There is nothing else, my king," Celen lied as he bowed. "Just release her. She is just an innocent bystander who planned on helping me uncover the traitor."

"Understood. I still will interview you for your statements."

"I understand."

"So, Grandpa actually suspected them being mates?" Trunks asked as his heart raced. "Did he ever have any proof?"

"No, boy," Vegeta returned not understanding why he felt the child panic. He also felt his relief after he said that his father never had proof. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Trunks lied. "I just overheard a Saiyan somewhere out in the city say that it used to be outlawed for Saiyans to mate outsiders."

Vegeta nodded. "It was, but that has obviously changed," the prince reminded him.

"I still think it's crazy that Dad hated outsiders so much," Tarble grumbled. "She only wanted to help us."

"Father was very black and white at the time, Tarble," Vegeta explained once again. "If you weren't one of us, you held no loyalty to us and could stab us in the back at any second. Celen's assistant was on our side, for whatever reason, but our father couldn't see that until she put her life at risk when Celen went to confront Paragus."

"So Paragus's mate was really killed too?"

"Yes, but not just because my father demanded it. A visitor arrived on the planet that day, another outsider, a Kanassan."

The king scheduled the execution of Paragus's mate for that evening leaving Tights in the dungeon overnight. Celen went to explain the situation to the woman and had not returned to the king as of yet. It was during that time that a strange reading appeared on the scouter. A Saiyan came to him with a Kanassan. He looked like some humanoid turtle, and his hands were on his head as he entered the king's chamber.

"He demanded an audience with you, sire," the soldier relayed. "He said it was important and would change the course of our history."

"I come in peace, King Vegeta," the Kanassan stated. He got onto his knees. "I come here with no wish to fight or declare war, but to inform you of the horrors about to occur."

"The horrors about to occur," the king scoffed. "I should kill you where you stand."

"You may kill me if you wish," the Kanassan remarked, "and leave my people without their king, but at least let me say what I must first. Then I will gladly accept my death."

The king was taken aback. Surely the leader of that race wouldn't come without soldiers, alone. Vegeta looked to his soldier who held up a singular finger, indicating that it was exactly what the Kanassan had done. "Speak. I will hear what you have to say."

"King Vegeta," the Kanassan ruler began, "I have travelled here knowing that a team of your soldiers will assault our planet." The king was once again astonished. "Our race is known for the psychic abilities to see the future. Bardock is the team leader, I believe. We saw our demise at his team's hands; however, his men have been getting sick and his mate is expecting a child. She has also been ill, so he has been delaying the purge."

The king didn't make it his business to know about third-class teams, but he had noticed that Bardock took the mission that even Frieza's elites shied away from. He also noticed that the deployment date was put off multiple times due to illnesses. "You have my attention, Kanassan."

"Frieza is planning to turn on you," the Kanassan reported. The king was about to protest, but he was interrupted. "I have seen visions of Planet Vegeta's destruction in addition to that of Planet Namek. Due to our race's abilities, we are already scheduled to be purged. However, there is a way we can stop Frieza's warpath and defeat him once and for all."

"And what is that?"

"A lowly soldier on my planet, Demetrious, saw a vision that could change all of our history," the Kanassan king explained. "He said that he saw a vision of me prostrated before you, imploring you to make a deal. We cannot offer much except our ability to see the future and our mystical powers. All we can do is humbly ask that you ally yourselves with us. Demetrious has gone to Namek to ask their elder the same. If the three planets work together, we can take down Frieza and rescue the prince."

"And why should I believe you?" King Vegeta questioned.

"Because my race will be doomed anyway," the king explained. "Bardock's team has been dispatched today. It doesn't matter if you believe me or not, for we will be too late."

"Then what is the point of making an alliance in the first place?" the king asked abruptly.

"Because most of my race left with Demetrious to Namek and will be saved. Only a handful of soldiers chose to stay behind."

King Vegeta instantly turned his scouter on. "Soldier Bardock, report."

It took a few minutes, but an irritated 'Yeah?' sounded over the line.

"Abort mission," the king commanded. "Do not attack the people of Kanassa. Their king is with me." He looked to the stunned Kanassan in his presence. "They are our allies as of now. If you and your team attack them, you will be considered traitors. Return to Planet Vegeta immediately."

There was silence on the line before Bardock's gravelly voice responded. "Copy."

"Thank you, King Vegeta," the Kanassan praised. He bowed his head as low as he could. "I can never thank you enough."

"No," the king responded. "We can never thank you. I can believe what you said about Frieza. He has threatened the planet many times before. You are certain that we can save my son?"

"Prince Vegeta will be returned to you," the Kanassan told him, "but it may be a while before he truly returns."

The king hadn't understood what the Kanassan meant, not until Vegeta had been rescued and returned home. Of course, he wanted to defeat Frieza and get his child home. He had been waiting for Zorn to tell him the troops were ready to storm Frieza's ship after his next visit, the visit where he'd drop Vegeta off for his studies. They had about a month to prepare.

"I take it a lot happened in that month," Trunks pondered. "So that was the birth of the alliance."

"Yes, Trunks," Vegeta replied. "Father hadn't wanted to trust any outsiders, but the fact that the Kanassan had been willing to truly lose his planet and was prepared to lose his life, was proof enough to him that the threat was very real."

"What happened with Celen and his assistant, though? Did father interview them? And the execution? You said there was another reason," Tarble replied.

"Paragus's mate was brought to the throne room, and when the Kanassan saw her he had a vision that she would give birth to a very powerful child with the power to destroy worlds and no mental control. His unstable power would have driven him to madness and he would have destroyed Planet Vegeta and any other planets in his wake."

"Still, couldn't it have been handled differently?" Trunks reasoned.

"Now, yes," Vegeta explained. "A lot of research has gone into unstable power. Unfortunately, back then managing it was only a pipe dream. The woman and child were put to death."

Both boys looked a bit saddened by the thought before Trunks asked, "So…what about Frieza? The Kanassan said he was planning to destroy all three races. How long had he been planning that?"

"From before he took me," Vegeta explained. "When Nappa informed me that we would be returning home within the month, I knew that it was a lie—not that he knew it. Frieza had made it clear that he never intended to let me go. In fact, he became more brutal with me after that, scheduled back-to-back missions. I honestly lost track of time between the missions. Everything started to blur, and races all started to look the same. I am not proud of what I became. I was nothing but a killer, and for a short time I enjoyed it. All of that destruction was great stress relief for me."

The two children seemed to understand and nodded, not feeling any animosity towards him as he confessed that to them. He wondered if he was being graced by such understanding and unconditional love as a reward for changing so much over the years. Telling the boys his pain of the past seemed to help, for he was able to unload and confide, and they did not look at him any differently.

"It's still so weird, though," Trunks murmured as he crossed his arms and scratched his head. "I mean, if Frieza wanted to take out our race, why did he take you? He was afraid of you getting stronger, so why…?"

"I have long given up on trying to understand that bastard," Vegeta answered, "but to be honest, I think he wanted my undying loyalty, and instead of trying to gain my favor, he wanted my fear instead. He hoped I would one day become the perfect mercenary. Had I been with him longer, it most likely would have happened."

"Well, he was an idiot," Trunks countered, earning Vegeta's surprise. The boy then smiled. "Mama always says that the perfect soldier is one that has something to protect. No matter how bad the odds, when fighting for something or someone of importance, the odds don't matter."

The prince smirked as he thought about his mate and her words. "Your mother has always been very wise in that regard," he stated.

Out of nowhere, the three princes' stomachs rumbled with hunger. "Ah," Trunks gasped out in embarrassment while Tarble blushed.

Vegeta barked out a laugh. "I guess that means we missed lunch. Let's go boys. We all must keep up our strength."

Both children stood up and saluted him. "Aye, aye, sir!"

A/N: I just wanted to let people know for this chapter, the history wasn't being told verbatim to the boys. I added a couple of Celen X Tights scenes that obviously Vegeta nor anyone else would know about, even Nappa since I revealed that Nappa never saw his son again. Sometimes elements of the history will just be for you guys. I debated so long if I was going to do any subsequent scenes between them, and in this chapter, I guess I made my decision. So for future reference, if I add anymore Celen X Tights scenes, know that no one else truly knows about them, unless said otherwise when the boys ask their questions.