How did one take a break? That was the biggest question on Vegeta's mind. Strange to say, but he hadn't ever consciously taken one by himself. Normally, he'd go to Bulma and see what she was up to, but he couldn't do that. Sometimes, he'd go hang out with Raditz, but he couldn't do that, either. So he had to figure out some way to entertain himself for the following day that didn't involve training or royal duties.

Defeating Frieza was easier than this.

Eventually, he found himself in the palace library. He did like reading, but he never had the time to sit down and enjoy a book. Usually because he was busy with either royal duties or training. He picked out a random book and just started reading. It was a book series they had imported from another planet. It centered on an adventurous woman going around the galaxy and fighting evil. Bulma called them 'pulp novels', for whatever reason.

It had been a random choice, but he found himself quickly engrossed in it. Behind all of the goofy fight scenes and random technology, there was actually a compelling story about growth and friendship. He was having trouble putting it down. By midday, he had gotten through the last book without even realizing it. When he read the final paragraphs, he put down the book and slipped it back onto the shelf.

He was sitting in a comfortable chair, which he leaned back and relaxed into. It actually felt… nice to sit around and do nothing, for a day. Maybe his father was onto something, and wasn't just trying to get him out of his hair. He snorted. If Bulma were here, she'd no doubt be teasing him about finally grasping such a concept.

He felt a slight ache in his heart, when he thought of her. He hoped she was alright. Knowing that there was a possible threat on Earth did little to ease his nerves. At least when she was here, he could be quick to step in, if something tried to get her. He didn't have that luxury now. The best he could do was just pray to the gods that she was alright. If only he could hear her voice.

His thoughts were interrupted when a guard cleared his throat in front of him. He opened his eyes to see him bow. "Your highness, there's a call waiting for you on the communicator."

Vegeta raised a brow. "Didn't my father tell you all that I wasn't supposed to work?"

"It's from Bulma."

Immediately, he shot up out of his chair and took off running down the hallway.

When he reached the communications room, Bulma had her back turned towards her camera. She was fiddling with something on her backwall. He straightened out his clothes and sat down in the chair, waiting for her to turn around and notice he was there.

She did turn around, and a big smile formed on her face. "Hey," she said, as she came to sit back down. "Sorry, one of those pictures back there was falling down. But hey! Hi! God, it feels like we haven't taked in ages."

He smirked. He couldn't explain why or how, but she was looking especially beautiful today. She was practically glowing. Maybe it was the light. Or maybe it had just been so long since he last saw her that he forgot. "Because it has been. I thought you'd call more often."

"Yeah, I tried a couple months ago, but they said you were busy. Plus, I've been busy with other stuff. I haven't had a second to just," she gestured her hands out, "sit down and talk to someone in a while."

"That makes two of us. My father's making me take a break, today."

"Oh, did he? Does the Prince of All Saiyans really need someone to tell him to relax for a little bit? You're more lost without me than I thought." She had a cheeky grin on her face.

"What's that phrase you say? The one about glass houses?"

She laughed. "Touché." She tucked her hair behind her ears. It was different than when they last spoke. It was short and straight, stopping just under her jaw. And blunt bangs cut across her forehead. It suited her. Practically anything did, to be fair. "Anyways, how have things been, back on Planet Vegeta? Hopefully not too much worse." Her smile faded, as she spoke her last sentence.

"We still haven't caught the murderous scum, but we're getting closer. I managed to encounter him a while ago."

Her eyes widened. "Oh my goodness. Are you okay?"

"Of course I am. He ran with his tail between his legs. He knows he's no match for the legendary. Even managed to save the poor bastard he was trying to kill."

"That's great! Did they tell you about what the lab found?"

"Yes. Said it was someone back on Earth - Dr. Gero, I think, was his name. Said one of the independent investigations found plans for a machine that looks just like the killer. What was it called? A cyborg."

"An android. Those were his bread and butter."

He looked up at her, with a puzzled look. "How do you know all of this?"

She pointed at herself, with her thumb. "Because I was the one who found it."

He did a double take. "You found it? How?"

She laughed, scratching the back of her neck. "Funny thing about that. I might have managed to track down the old Red Ribbon Army base and snooped around there for a little bit, the other day. I found the plans for the android and I think I know where he might be hiding."

He slumped forward. "You went poking around a defunct military base?!"

She shrugged. "If none of my books were going to give me answers, I had to go right to the source."

Vegeta couldn't believe it. Here he was, worried that maybe Gero would be a threat to her safety, and she was actively looking for him. This woman astounded him, sometimes. "Whatever," he finally said. "If you want to get yourself killed, I can't stop you."

She shook her head, smiling. "Vegeta, you worry too much. I'm a big girl - I can take care of myself. It's not like I waltzed in, willy nilly. I had a plan. I looked out for the traps. Raditz went with me. And I got us one step closer to solving these murders. Anyways, how did you find out about it?"

"We were briefed on it at the council meeting, yesterday." He paused, wondering how he should go about saying it. "One of the scientists - they said they had evidence that the murder was apart of a bigger plan from the Earth."

Her smile faded. "Oh. That. Yeah, one of the weapons had a note from Gero, asking some world powers about 'mitigating the Saiyan threat'." She did air quotes, when she mentioned the threat. "That was the first time I ever heard anything about it. It doesn't make any sense. Sure, we've got people that dislike Saiyans, but that doesn't mean there's some big conspiracy going on."

"I said that too, but a lot of the council are convinced otherwise. They're planning on discussing what to do going forward. They're… considering cutting ties with Earth until the murders are solved."

Her eyes widened. "What?! That's insane!"

"I said the same thing."

"But… what's gonna happen with us? Me and Raditz are still here - are we just not going to be able to talk to each other, for however long this takes?!"

"I don't know. And I don't think they even considered that. Which is why we need to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible. And why I need to get stronger to defeat him, myself."

She sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "I guess I've got more digging to do."

"Bulma," he said. She looked up at him. "Promise me you won't go hunting for this Gero bastard, by yourself. I mean it. I don't want anything to happen that I can't stop."

"I… I promise."

He nodded. "Good." He glanced at a clock on the wall. The council meeting was going to end soon. He needed to be briefed, break or no break. "I have to go. I'll be calling you soon."

"Wait." He stopped, before he got out of his chair. "There's…. there's something I have to tell you, Vegeta."

He sat back down. The tone in her voice told her it was serious. "What is it?"

She bit her lip, looking down at her feet. After seconds of silence, she shook her head. "Nevermind. It's not that important. I'll tell you later." She gave him a strained smile. "I love you."

He wanted nothing more in that moment than to hold her in his arms. "You too," was all he said. He stood up, shut off the communicator, and the screen turned black. He had almost wanted to prod her more, but if she wasn't ready to tell him, then he'd just let her be. They could speak about it another day.

He left the dark communicator room and headed straight for the meeting room. He wanted to be the first to know what had happened.

"Alright," said the king. "We have spoken in-depth about this situation. We have heard arguments on both sides. Now, we will take a vote and decide - will we continue our relationship with Earth or will we cut ties with them until further notice? I will not be voting in this, not even in the event of a tie-breaker. Whichever gets the majority will be our mode of action. Does everyone understand?"

The councilmen nodded.

"Alright. All in favor of cutting ties with the Earth, say aye."

Seven hands went up.

"All opposed."

Nappa was the only one who raised his hand.

The king sighed. "Then it is settled - we will not continue our relationship with Earth until further notice. You are dismissed."

The doors to the meeting room opened, and all of the men filed out. Only the king and Nappa remained at the table.

"I can't believe we're doing this," Nappa said, dejectedly. "This is a mistake."

"I wouldn't disagree with you, Nappa, but rules are rules." The king put his hand on his forehead. "How am I going to tell my son? He'll no doubt be furious."

He sighed. "I'm just thankful he wasn't here during that debate. We'd be lucky if he only yelled, like he did yesterday."

The king nodded. "Oh, yes. Probably would have been much worse."

Speak of the devil: Vegeta walked right into the room as they were speaking.

"Vegeta, I thought I told you to take a break," the king said, exasperatedly.

"Have you decided yet?" He didn't even need to say what it was.

He sighed. "Well, there's no point in trying to keep it from you. The council debated the subject, and they voted to cut ties with the Earth. It was 7-1, so I can't veto it."

"What?! But the only proof they had was a conspiracy!"

"It was enough to convince most of them," Nappa interjected. "Believe me - I tried to convince them otherwise, but they wouldn't listen."

Vegeta's eyes narrowed and he huffed out a sigh. He probably should have expected as much. Some of those fools wouldn't know reason if it knocked their teeth in. When he became king, he would find a better method of governance - one that didn't leave the fate of the planet to eight men's will. "So what does that entail? What does 'cutting ties' mean?"

"Effective immediately, it means that no goods can come from Earth or go to Earth. No one from Earth is allowed to come, and no one from Planet Vegeta is allowed to go. And any communications, no matter the type, will be strictly prohibited. We will tell the leaders of Earth tomorrow, and cut off all contact with them after that."

Just as he had suspected. Not that it made him feel any better. All because of one nutjob, he was going to be cut off from his girlfriend. Right as he learned that the threat was closer to her than he had hoped. Especially with her doing her own investigations. If something happened, he wouldn't be any wiser. "This is ridiculous," he spat.

"I'm sorry, Vegeta," said the king, "but there's nothing more we can do. Until we can put these murders to rest, this is how things are going to be."

He was wrong. There had to be another way. "If you're unable to stop it, then I will."

The king stood up and walked over to Vegeta. "My son, let's not act so rashly. You would be going against direct orders - direct orders from the council, no less. If they were to find out, they could charge you with high treason."

"Only if I got caught."

The king sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "If you're going to talk like that, at least do it when I'm not in your presence. I'll be in my office, if either of you need me." With that, the king finally exited the meeting room.

Vegeta rolled his eyes. Now that he was out of his hair, he could think. There had to be a way around it. There had to be some way around this communication block. But what was it?

"Vegeta." He turned over his shoulder. He had completely forgotten Nappa was still with him. "Under any other circumstance, I'd agree with your father. But this decision… like you said, it's too rash. Not to mention, we have friends still on that planet. If Gero's as big of a threat as we believe, then we can't abandon them. We must find a way to stay in contact with them."

"I'm glad you see it my way," said Vegeta. "But how?"

"I may know a way." Vegeta turned around to face him. "Out on the very edge of the city, there's an old station that the Tuffles once used for communication purposes. We've tried restoring it several times, but we still haven't cracked the old Tufflian technology. If I am to be believed, it's secured on its own network. If we were able to restore it, then we might be able to bypass any of the blocks that they'll put up on the main network."

"Who else knows of it?"

"Few, if any. Most people just walk right past it, not knowing what's inside."

That sounded perfect. Like it was meant to be. "Then that has to be it. That has to be the key to all of this. How will we restore it?"

Nappa crossed his arms. "Leave that to me. I think I know someone that owes us a favor or two. In the meantime, you will need to converse with other planetary leaders. If the communicator plan fails, we'll need to find outside means to reach Earth. So finding out who we're on good terms with will be a boone. Does that make sense?"

Vegeta nodded. "We'll get through this and put a stop to it."

He smirked down at him. "That's what I like to hear."

And so, with a plan set in motion, Vegeta and Nappa set off on their quest to reconnect with the Earth. It was a race against the clock, before something drastic happened. Another murder spree. Another catastrophy. There was little time to waste, as the fate of the two planets hung in the balance.

Mizu flew over the city at a breakneck pace. She had just gotten the best news, from the council meeting. Soon, she was back at Okra's place. Without wasting a beat, she knocked on her door eagerly.

Soon, Okra opened the door. She tilted her head to the side. "Mizu. You're back. I thought you had abandoned me, when you went back to work for the palace."

Mizu's eyes widened and she shook her head. "No, never! I could never do that, Okra!"

She smiled. "I'm just teasing you. Anyways, what is it you need?"

Mizu was practically jumping in place, with excitement. "I got to talk to the council, and I mentioned that you were the one helping me. I asked if they could bring you back to solve the murders. They voted today, and they said yes! Isn't that great?!"

"Did they, now? I'm flattered you even thought to do this, for me." She turned around and went back into her hur, closing her eyes. "But I'm not sure if I want to go back. After I was run out of there the first time, I'm not eager to have that happen again."

Mizu ran in after her. "Please, you have to! You were the reason we got our big breakthrough, finding that Gero guy! The Saiyans need you!" She grabbed onto her arm, making her stop. "I need you," she admitted, lowering her head.

Okra took her chin in her hand and tilted it up. A wry smile formed on her face. "Oh, alright. Only for you, my faithful student." She tapped her on the nose, making her grin from ear to ear.