Hey, a few quick words:

I posted an update before this one, but I don't know if that got around to a lot of people. So make sure you've read both this chapter and the last chapter, if you wanna be up to date.

Also, the first chapter of the Future Trunks story is finally up! Go check out Diamond in the Rough. You can also find it on my page. It should be up on AO3 soon - my pen name is the same there as it is here. If you've read to this point in the story, you should be able to read that without getting any spoilers for this story.

Aaaaand that's it. Enjoy!

Planet Vegeta

A few weeks had passed, since the alliance with Earth had been paused. The murders persisted, but the rate had significantly slowed down. The development only strengthened the beliefs of those who thought the Earth, as a whole, was culpable - there had to be some correlation between communication ceasing and the murder-rate decreasing. Perhaps if they continued it, the murders would stop all together.

The investigation team at the lab had been on a winning streak, since Okra had rejoined the team. They were able to find more evidence at the crime scenes, learning more about who was behind them. What they found only further solidified proof that Dr. Gero was the one behind it - every piece of data that could be gleaned was traced right back to him. However, further questions remained. Why was he doing it? How involved was the Earth, as a whole? And, perhaps most importantly, who was the one carrying out the murders?

This should have been a happy time for Mizu. They were finally getting somewhere with their investigation and she was working with her old mentor, again. It was everything she hoped for: everything she had wanted, since this whole thing began. And yet, something felt off. She couldn't explain what it was, but she and Okra just didn't work together as well as they did, before. Anytime Mizu brought up something that might be useful to the investigation, she seemed to just brush it off, acting like it wasn't important. She understood that this was a team effort and it wasn't only the two of them anymore, but she was the one who got her back in the lab - was it unfair for her to expect a little bit more respect from her for it?

Mizu was looking at the dagger, once again. When they had found it, she had been so caught up in the moment and ecstatic that they finally had more dirt on Gero that she didn't have time to think it all over. Now that she did, some things didn't make sense. Okra had pointed her to the exact place it had been located. How did she know? Maybe it was just a lucky guess, but it was an incredibly convenient one.

And then there was the matter of the chip that was in it - the one that contained that letter from Gero to the world leaders. Why would he put that on there? The android was supposed to be super stealthy, able to move in and out without anyone noticing. Why would he include something that could be so easily traced back to him? Didn't that defeat the whole purpose of using the android in the first place?

Something about this wasn't adding up.

"Why are you looking over that, again?" When Mizu looked up, Haricot was standing over her.

She sighed, setting the dagger down on the table. She ran her fingers through her coarse, mahogany hair. "I don't know. I've just been thinking about everything, and… I don't know, there's just something about it that doesn't make any sense. Why would Gero include that chip on here, if the android was made to not be traced back to anyone? It's like: did he want credit for it or not?"

He nodded and hummed. "That is a good question. He had left us those little plastic capsules, in all of the victim's bodies. Perhaps he was trying to give us clues the whole time."

"Yeah, but all we got from those were the little triangles. Had we not gotten the tip from the Earthlings, we wouldn't have known what they meant." She thought, for a moment. "When did you figure out it was Gero?"

"We didn't. Bulma had her suspicions, but we didn't believe it until you brought that here."

"I see." She had assumed that the team had a lead on Gero, just like she and Okra did. Bulma was on Earth this entire time, so she had access to all of that research. So how did Okra figure it out?

The door to the lab opened, as Okra came into the room. She was holding another stack of paper. She had a smug smile on her face. "You all aren't going to believe what I found."

Everyone immediately dropped what they were doing and ran over to the table, taking a seat at it. Mizu shook her head and put the dagger back down, sitting near the far end. She'd have to ask more questions later.

Okra stepped up to the table, and put the papers down. "I did a bit more digging, and learned more about Gero." She sent the stack around the room. Each of the team members took one, before passing it to their neighbor. On it was some kind of a card with Gero's information on it - his name, his face, and some kind of number.

"This was Gero's identification card in his early career - a professor at a highly prestigious school on Earth. He taught many of the Earth's greatest minds for many years."

Haricot looked up from the document. He looked as if he was completely over her rants and ramblings. "Is this at all relevant to the investigation, Okra?"

"I'm getting there. Or are you going to kick me out again before I can?"

Many in the room chuckled. Mizu's eyebrows furrowed. She had been doing that a lot lately: bringing up her termination whenever Haricot tried to ask her a question. It was like she was still bitter over the whole thing. She was back on the team - wasn't that all that mattered?

Haricot rolled his eyes. "Very well. Proceed."

"As I was saying, many of the Earth's greatest minds learned under him: all of whom went onto getting incredible power on that planet. It would simply take too long to go through all of the names, but if you turn your paper over, you'll find a full list on the back." Sure enough, the list was on the other side of the paper. "But there was one name among them that stuck out to me. He was one of our biggest associates on that planet. You'll find his name in the second row, about halfway down."

She crossed her arms, as the rest of the team did as she asked. When they found the name, their eyes went wide with surprise.

"That's right. One of Dr. Gero's students was Dr. Brief. Founder of Capsule Corporation, one of the largest companies on Earth, and the most revered scientist on the entire planet. If he learned under Gero, who knows what kind of influence he had on him? Or what kind of relationship they have right now?"

Mizu blinked. She raised her hand.

Okra smiled sweetly at her. "Yes, Mizu, do you have a question?"

"How is this relevant? Wasn't this a long time ago?"

She looked taken aback by her comment - as if she was surprised that she would be the one to ask it. Nevertheless, she gained her composure and continued. "Oh, but is it? I looked back on all of the information Brief gave us on the Red Ribbon Army. Did you know that I didn't find Gero's name in there once? One of the documents was a book that listed all of the major players in the army: Gero's biography was completely cut out. Why would he purposely omit information unless he had something to hide?

"And, of course, on top of all of those credentials, Dr. Brief is also Bulma's father. And of all of the people who encountered the murderer, who was the one person that was mercifully spared? It's all a little too coincidential, wouldn't you agree?"

Everyone began murmuring amongst each other, mulling over the implications of these new findings.

"So… what point are you trying to get at," Mizu asked.

"Isn't it obvious? If Gero had this much influence over one of the most powerful men on Earth, then who's to say he couldn't convince those powerful people that Saiyans are a problem that needs to be erradicated? If that is the case, then it says quite dire things about the Earth and our relationship with it. Therefore, I ask permission to present my findings to the council. They need to be aware of this."

"Alright," said Haricot. He looked as if he was saying it out of resignation, and not because he believed in her theories. "Is that all you'd like to share, today?"

She smiled, triumphantly. "That is all. You may continue with your business."

While everyone went back to work, Mizu sat at the end of the table, silently. In an investigation like this, it was important to have an open mind, but this seemed like a stretch. Maybe Gero did have an influence on many powerful men on Earth, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. And the thing with Dr. Brief - that was all based on circumstantial evidence.

How did she even find out all of this stuff, with the communications being blocked?

Mizu stood up and ran out of the room, and quickly caught up to her. "Okra?"

She stopped and looked down at her. "Why hello, Mizu. It's good to see you again."

"Can I ask you something? About the evidence you just found?"

She rolled her eyes and smiled. "Oh, you know how much I hate talking about my accomplishments. But if you're so curious, I'll be happy to answer any of your questions."

Mizu couldn't help but feel like she was being condescended to. "How did you find out about all of that stuff? With us being cut off from the Earth and all?"

"Now, Mizu, I thought you'd already know. Since you were always such a smart student. But since you aren't aware, I found them on intergalactic databases - ones that contain important documents from every planet."

"Yeah, but which ones?"

Okra shrugged. "Oh, you needn't worry about that. We have the relevant information and that's all that matters. Between this and the questions you asked at the lab, I'm beginning to think that you don't have faith in me or my findings."

Mizu's heart dropped. "I don't doubt you! Honest! I just… I just wanna be able to help. And I can't do that if I don't know where to start."

Okra grabbed her face with both of her hands. "Oh, I was just teasing. But didnt I teach you? You can't be expecting someone to hold your hand for your entire life. I know you're clever enough to find that out on your own. Okay?"

She looked down and sighed, nodding her head. "Okay."

Okra smiled down at her and patted her on the head. "Now, I'll be getting back to my work. Remember all that I've told you, my pupil." With that, she turned around and continued on her way down the hallway.

Mizu stood there, watching her disappear. Normally, that'd be the end of it: she'd accept it and do as she was asked. But she had the strangest feeling that she wasn't being told the entire truth. Why wasn't she giving her a straight answer? Was it just because she wanted her to learn on her own? Or was it because she was the one who had something to hide?

There was a big piece of the puzzle that she wasn't seeing. And she intended to figure out what it was.

As the lab was continuing its investigation, Vegeta and Nappa were trying to find a way around the ceased communication. Nappa was working on trying to restore the old Tuffle communication tower on the edge of the city. He had managed to convince Beets, the Saiyan that Vegeta had rescued months earlier, to aid in the restoration. With the condition that he wouldn't be implicated for treason if they got caught, he agreed.

"Anything in there," Nappa asked.

Beets had the powerbox open, looking inside of it. "Everything looks like it's in good shape, so far. But, I'm not finding any kind of power source. Like, there's no battery or fuse in here." He dug his hands through the wires, carefully parting them to see what was in there. "I'd say maybe it didn't use them, but that doesn't make any sense. It has to get its power from something."

Nappa leaned in over his shoulder to look at it himself. He wasn't a technology guy, but maybe a new pair of eyes would get them in the right direction. And yet, as Beets had said, there was nothing there.

"Wait," Beets said. "I think I see something." He leaned in closer, running his finger against the back of the generator box. "Aha!"

Nappa was squinting his eyes, trying to see it. "What did you find?"

"I think this thing is powered by a microchip. There's a really tiny slot right around here and it's empty. Nothing else in this thing is missing, so I have to assume that's the missing piece. I don't know why they'd take it out, though."

"I do. When the Tuffles retreated during the first war, they took as much of their technology with them as they could. They probably didn't want to give us any advantages and thought that they could retake the planet, eventually." Nappa stood up straight, crossing his arms over his chest. "So, do you think you can get it to work, again?"

"Maybe. If I can find something small enough to fit inside. But if what you said is accurate, I don't think there'll be any of those little chips laying around."

Beets sat up and scratched his head, as he thought of a solution. Nappa sighed. That was going to be an insurmountable task. He hadn't thought that restoring the old station would be difficult. But without the right materials and parts, it was all for nought.

"Nappa, you were at the palace, back when all of Frieza's goons were there. They had some way of communicating to each other, didn't they?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, the scouters. I always hated those things. Why do you ask?"

"In order for those to work, they'd each have to have their own source of power, right? And with how compact they are, the batteries would have to be pretty small too, right? If I can get my hands on a scouter and figure out how it works, I could maybe use it to bring power to this thing. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." He paused. "I think we still have a couple of those lying around the palace somewhere. We haven't used them at all since we returned, so they should be in decent shape. Do you really think that's possible?"

"I can't say for sure, but I can try."

He nodded. "Then that's the best that we can ask for. When I find one, I'll have someone drop it off at your flat. If you can figure something out, you know where to find me."

While Nappa was working on the station, Vegeta had begun to contact other worlds, seeing who they were on good terms with. If they couldn't get the station running, they could, in theory, use another world as a middleman between them and the Earth. Much of it would depend on how much they wanted to cooperate with them and how fearful they were of the kingdom's wrath. If they were caught, their planet could befall the same fate that befell Earth.

He had talked with a few of their allies, but so far, there wasn't a suitable candidate. The Kanassans, the Heras, the Arlians - fine groups of people, but they had their fatal flaws. The Kanassans' rumored psychic abilities might have proved more trouble than it was worth. The Heras were rather infamous for their inability to keep secrets. And the Arlians were a newer ally - time would tell if they were trustworthy with these kinds of secrets. Similar and differening problems plagued the Saiyans' other allies.

Next on his list were the Namekians. Vegeta had a bit more faith in them than the others. They had proved themselves loyal and trustworthy allies, after they aided them in the fight against Frieza. And with how they preferred to live in solitude, there was less of a chance for them to run their mouths off about sensitive information. Not to mention how close some of them were with Bulma - they'd understand why he'd want to reach Earth.

He sat in front of the communication screen, waiting for an answer to his call. In a matter of minutes, it flashed on. Elder Moori was sitting on the other end.

A pleasant smile formed on his face. "Oh good afternoon, your highness. What brings you here?"

"I have a few questions to ask of you," Vegeta answered.

"I'll answer as best as I can."

"Your communicator - is it able to reach far-away worlds?"

"I think so. We've never had to contact worlds far from our own, but I believe we can. May I ask why?"

Vegeta breathed out of his nose. It might have not been wise to tell others, but he knew the Namekians wouldn't gossip. "Are you aware of the crisis we're facing on our planet?"

Moori frowned. "That I am. I am so sorry to hear that you're going through such senseless murders."

"And do you know what happened between us and the Earth?"

"No. I didn't realize anything had happened. I hope it was nothing serious."

Vegeta closed his eyes, as he explained how the alliance had been paused. How they had found proof that an Earthling was behind the attacks and the council voted to sever the alliance to prevent anymore. And how it meant no one could contact them under any circumstances.

"Goodness," Moori said, looking surprised. "That seems like a hasty decision to make."

"I agree. Which is why I must ask you for this." He looked around the room, double checking to make sure he was alone. "If we needed to contact the Earth, could we count on you for help?"

He blinked. "Under other circumstances, I would. But with the entirety of your planet cutting them off… I'm not sure. Do you remember that your father declared that we were honorary Saiyans?" Vegeta nodded. "Would we have to follow the same rules that the rest of you do, because of it? Especially in regards to something like an alliance?"

Damn. He hadn't thought of that. If that were the case, then the entirety of Planet Namek could be implicated, if they were caught. As much as he wished to get through to Earth, he didn't want to be responsible for an entire planet being accused of treason. "I don't know," was all he could say.

"If worst comes to worst, we will be more than willing to help. I would need to discuss this with the rest of the elders, but I'm certain I could convince them."

"I won't have you risking your planet's wellbeing for our sake."

"Even so, you are still our friends and allies. Please, if there is any way we can help, you need to only ask."

Vegeta nodded. "Noted." He glanced out of the corner of his eye - footsteps were coming near the door. "I must go. If any new developments happen, we will alert you."

"Until then, we wish you all well." And with that, the transmission was cut off and the screen went black.

The door to the communications room suddenly opened. Vegeta stood up, tense and fearful that someone had caught him. He relaxed when he saw that it was Nappa.

"Any luck," Vegeta asked.

Nappa closed the door behind him. "Beets has a theory on how to get the station working, again, but nothing concrete. What about you?"

He huffed. "I couldn't find a worthy candidate. Namek seemed willing to help, but with them being honorary Saiyans and all, I don't know if they can."

Nappa put his hands on his hips. "That's gonna be a problem." He paused. "Who all have you spoken to, so far?"

The prince rubbed his temples, as he tried to recall them all. "Kanassa, Jung, Arlia, Hera, and Namek. There are others, but I'm less hopeful for them. We just do not have a lot of options."

He nodded, thinking for a moment before responding. "There might be one other option. But you won't like it."

"Who?"

"Let's just say that we'd be even more in for it, if we got caught negotiating with them."

Vegeta was confused for a moment before realization hit him. Then, he glared at Nappa. "Surely, we aren't desperate enough to need their help."

Nappa shrugged. "I'm not exactly thrilled at the prospect, either, but if we really have no other options, they might be our last hope."

He hated thinking of them as any kind of hope, last or not. But options were wearing thin. If restoring the old station failed, then they might have to set their pride aside and look in unscrupulous places for help.

Vegeta sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'll talk to them tomorrow."