Hello dear readers!

So here's the new chapter, which I took a little longer to write, because it contains crucial information for the development of the story, and I had to think a little more about how to put them into place. I am also at the very beginning of a new pregnancy :D and the discomforts that you all know well can sometimes interfere with my efficiency and my inspiration. But I'm getting better, and I cross my fingers that this step of the pregnancy is behind me.

In addition, I know that some people are disappointed that Vegeta and Bulma are separated for the moment. I just need to set the table for the rest of the story before our lovebirds get together for good, which should happen very soon :3

Otherwise, thank you for the reviews/messages I received. It's always a pleasure to read you guys!

Enjoy! :)

Chapter 8 - Vegeta

Upon his birth, Prince Vegeta was quickly identified as one of the Saiyans with the greatest combat potential to ever exist. This is why, after the annihilation of his people by the meteorite that crashed on his planet, Frieza was quick to welcome the boy in his army. His care and training, as well as that of Raditz, still a young teenager at the time, had been entrusted to Nappa, one of the last three Saiyans remaining alive. Over time, Vegeta's talents and devotion had allowed him to climb the ranks in the hierarchy of the Cold's army. His status as a prince having helped him build a name and reputation, he was quickly named General, and since then, he actively participated and orchestrated various operations within the Empire.

Last month, during yet another assembly of the army's Generals, Vegeta was given a new task, on Earth this time. He hadn't been surprised. The majority of operations over the past year have targeted this particular planet. Frieza, obsessed with power and wealth, only had eyes for this blue rock that had just been discovered. In order to limit the movement of his troops, he had even requested that his main ship be stationed in its orbit. The operations, mainly political at the moment, had first aimed to gain Humans trust. But Frieza was not used to this kind of strategy. And above all, he was impatient, and gaining trust took a lot of time. Step by step, over the months, his speech had progressively transformed into something more aggressive, more possessive. And he ended up asking to get what he wanted more quickly.

He then asked Vegeta to do what Saiyans knew best; instill fear and submission in Humans to take this treasure from them. Vegeta's blood naturally boiled with anticipation when he learned the nature of his mission. Knowing that this planet had a moon, he had even planned to attack on an evening when it was full.

But… there was a but.

One day, Vegeta had requested for the plans of the building in which the attack would take place. The choice was strategic, since the targeted nightclub was actually located right below one of the main hideout of the Human Resistance, this group of idiots who thought they could prevent Frieza's soldiers from achieving their purposes. Over the months, this initially negligible group had grown considerably, enough to become a significant nuisance in the eyes of the Emperor. The latter had therefore demanded that the attack targeted this group, in order to send a clear message and make them understand that their pitiful resistance would be no match.

Studying the requested plans, Vegeta, however, realized that he had been given, by mistake, documents intended for Frieza himself. He glanced at it, not expecting to find much. But these plans, very precise and identified as highly confidential, rose his suspicions when he saw how detailed they were. On it, there were directions to a particular room, located at the very top floor of the skyscraper owned by the Resistance.

The mutual trust between the Saiyan Prince and the Emperor being naturally weak, Vegeta thought it would be interesting to venture there. If Frieza had asked for this room to be described to him in such detail, it was probably because he coveted something in it. And if he hadn't talked to the General officially in charge of the mission about it, it was because what he coveted was certainly of great value.

Vegeta was not an idiot. He studied this plan, even memorized it, before burning it, secretly thinking this mission was starting to look much more like a diversion rather than a notice of war.

And here he was, taking advantage of the series of unplanned explosions in the nightclub to slip away towards the top floor of the building, towards this mysterious room that Frieza had failed to mention.

Once there, Vegeta stopped short and crossed his arms over his chest.

He was furious.

He had meticulously followed the directions in the plan. In front of him, as described, stood a reinforced metal door. Except that it had been torn from its hinges, and was hanging miserably on the side. Inside the room was a complete mess, and he could see by the dim light that the drawers and shelves that adorned it had been roughly ransacked.

If he had ever doubted the hidden intentions of this military intervention, it was no longer the case now.

Vegeta seethed with rage. Once again, he, the Saiyan prince, the warrior with the greatest potential in the universe, had been used as a pawn. Why he, responsible for the operation, had been kept away from the real objective? Why he, the best strategist in the Cold's army, had been voluntarily excluded from operations? What was Frieza hiding? What was he coveting that was so precious that he deemed inappropriate to inform him?

Vegeta, his arms still tightly clutched to his chest, spat on the ground before flying away. He walked down the thirty flights of stairs that would take him back to the nightclub. He turned on his scouter, which he had deliberately deactivated to avoid being spotted during his escapade. As soon as the device communicated with the central system, he saw that the troops had already received orders to return to the ship. Then, he felt his blood turn as the device indicated the presence of a particularly powerful energy level. He immediately identified who it belonged to.

Zarbon.

-Fuck! he shouted, accelerating.

The descent was significantly faster than the climb, and Vegeta quickly found himself on the ground floor. As he pushed open the door to enter the nightclub, he noticed that the place now looked much more like a battlefield than a dance floor. Everywhere, he could see flames, smoke and dead bodies.

This was a rather familiar landscape to him.

Unfazed by the savagery of the scene, Vegeta scanned the place summarily. Among the few soldiers still remaining there, he quickly spotted Raditz and Nappa, who were having fun fighting against the last Saibaman still standing, a glass of beer in their hands. Zarbon was nowhere to be seen.

Furious, he headed towards the Saiyans without even bothering to avoid the freshly burned Human corpses.

"Where is he?" he asked them dryly.

Nappa looked up at him, the Saibaman tightly tugged under his arm. Vegeta didn't need to specify who he was talking about.

"He just left to the ship" Nappa replied before taking his last sip of beer. "He asked where you were and kindly demanded me to remind you that the General in charge of operations should always be present and available on the battlefield."

He threw his empty glass over his shoulder and punched the struggling Saibaman on the head. He laughed before continuing.

"Damn Zarbon. What an idiot! I wonder why he blew up our plans. I would have loved to transform tonight. After a meal like the one I just had, I would have been in my best shape!"

"It's obvious." replied Raditz. "He wanted all the glory for himself. You know how he loves to lick Frieza's boots. His dick must be hard just thinking about the report he's going to give when he gets back to the ship."

"I dream of the day where I'm going to strike one in his balls."

"And I'll be there to hold his arms behind his back while you do it." said Raditz, grabbing the green gnome.

"Fools." said Vegeta disdainfully. "If Zarbon was here, it was because Frieza asked him to intervene. Not the opposite. Apparently, he was given the task he didn't want me to have."

They both turned to Vegeta.

"Zarbon looked like he was eager to denounce you to his master, just like a good little dog." said Raditz.

"Frieza won't be very happy" added Nappa.

The prince took a quick glance around him. Among the rubble and the corpses, they were the only living being remaining. All the other soldiers already responded to the order to return home. Outside, sirens and helicopters could be heard, announcing the arrival of the Human military services.

Vegeta clenched his fists at his sides. Not only had the mission been sabotaged, but he had also been caught red-handed sticking his nose where he shouldn't.

Nappa glanced sideways at him. He knew the prince like the back of his hand. He had practically raised him after all. And the boiling aura that emanated from him betrayed his irritation.

"You didn't find what you were looking for?" he asked his prince cautiously.

"No." Vegeta spat furiously. "Someone visited the place just before me. The door had been forced, and the room was pretty much empty."

"Do you know what they were looking for?"

"No idea. But at least, I know that Frieza doesn't trust me enough to assign me this mission."

At that moment, Human troops began to pour into the nightclub. They did not hesitate to open fire in direction of the trio standing in the middle of the rubbles.

"We should go." said Raditz, using the Saibaman as a shield.

Vegeta nodded. All three powered up, making the dust that had slowly begun to fall fly again, and rushed towards the exit. A squadron of Humans armed to the teeth blocked it, but the metal bullets ricocheted off their armor and skin without any harm. Annoyed by the constant pinch the machine guns caused, Vegeta raised his arm and created a purplish orb in his palm. He released the energy on the Humans, who were savagely eliminated on the spot. Then, all three fled into the sky through the gaping hole that had just been created in the wall of the building.

The return trip in their respective space pods was short. As the communication system of these pods was connected to the main ship, none of them dared to discuss what had just happened. Only the voices of Nappa and Raditz, who were still raving about the chicken wings they had eaten, could be heard in the cabins. Vegeta was having a little less fun and he had to control his anger alone.

They arrived at the Imperial ship in less than ten minutes. Once their space pods were secure on the landing ramp, the three Saiyans exited the narrow cabin and strode towards the main entrance. There was a disturbing tumult in the room, caused by the numerous soldiers who had just returned and who were trying to contain the new hostages. Most of the Humans, still in shock, were hysterically crying, piling on top of each other in a corner of the ship to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the soldiers.

"Pathetic Humans" Vegeta spat, quickly passing through the group.

Followed by Nappa and Raditz, he headed towards the Command Room, where he knew Frieza and the other Generals were waiting for him to receive his report. Vegeta took advantage of the distance he had to walk to get there to calm down. He desperately wanted to tear off the head of this sneaky and dishonest reptile, but since he was in no position to oppose him, at least not yet, it was wiser to be cooperative.

They arrived there in silence. The enormous, circular room was already crowded with high-level soldiers lined up along the glass walls providing a breathtaking view of Earth. Vegeta immediately spotted Frieza, enthroned at the end of the room, proudly seated in his oval chair padded with velvety cushions. He listened with attention to the report of a soldier who was in charge of the hostages, whom the Emperor liked to call his new recruits. The prince joined the ranks along the wall without taking his eyes off him. He tried, in vain, to swallow the bitter taste stuck on his tongue the reptilian face inspired him.

"Master Frieza." said the soldier. "We have collected two groups of new recruits. In total, we got seven females and nine males.

"Ohh!" Frieza exclaimed with his grotesque voice. "I love it, this is exactly what I needed. Bring in the first group, introduce me to these Humans, I've wanted some in my ranks for so long!"

The soldier nodded and tapped on his scouter. Seconds later, a group of frightened Humans entered the room, followed by two armed soldiers who urged them forward. Vegeta noticed Frieza's face light up when he saw them. He opened his arms wide in welcome.

"Humans!" said the Emperor with pride. "I am very happy to welcome you to my ship, to my home, to our home! Don't worry, I know you were taken here by force, but you should know that you are safe here. Soon, you will be assigned to your duties. We have so much to offer in return of your services. You will be very comfortable here!"

Frieza gave them a sharp-toothed smile. Seeing it, Vegeta's eyes narrowed. Anything that came out of that filthy mouth could be considered a lie. And Vegeta hated liars. He felt his lips burn with insults, dreaming he could tell that monster what he was thinking about his talking.

"Fucking liar!" said a female voice, rising in the room with force.

Vegeta's heart skipped a beat in his chest. He recognized that voice.

He turned away from Frieza and, like everyone around him, fixed his eyes on the Human who had just spoken.

It was her. The woman with blue hair. She was there. Right in the center of the group of Humans.

His eyes widened as he saw her stride forward to approach Frieza, her cerulean irises resting on the creature. Her hands were trembling, but her back was straight. Her previously smooth and neat hair was rendered dirty and tangled. Her yellow sweater was torn at the shoulder, stained with soot, blood, and a sticky green liquid that Vegeta quickly identified as the bodily fluids of a Saibaman. Her left arm was bloody and he could clearly see where she had been bitten by a Quisa before being taken away against her will.

"Zarbon got her." Raditz whispered to his right.

Vegeta growled. He flicked his tail behind his back to indicate him to shut up. One of the armed soldiers rushed at her to stop her, but Frieza ordered him to stay still. His smile widened as he saw them both comply.

"Liar? Me?" he said. "Of course not. You can trust me, pretty lady, you will never feel more welcomed than on my ship!"

The woman burst into hysterical, forced laughter. She didn't believe a word he had just said. Vegeta inwardly congratulated her for that.

"You want to know what I think of you welcome us here?" she said, taking a few more steps in his direction.

The soldier pretended to catch up with her. This time, Frieza did not object, and he reached to catch her arms. She had time to raise her right arm in the air before he got her, offering everyone a breathtaking view of the middle finger she was giving to the Emperor.

All over the room, offended and astonished voices raised. Raditz and Nappa giggled. Vegeta couldn't help but stretch his lips to one side. When all eyes were on this obscene finger, he did not fail to see a flash of gold shine on her wrist.

"Let me go!" shouted the woman to the soldier who held her arms behind her back. "You have no right to do that! Dirty monsters! Bring us back to Earth! Immediately!"

Frieza began to laugh as he watched her scream and wriggle in all directions in an attempt to free herself.

"Ahhh, I like it when new recruits have strong personalities." he said, placing his hands behind his head to watch her being dragged away. "They usually have a lot of potential! Soldiers! Get the Humans out!" he ordered. "Valres. Zhoutë. Nappa. You will supervise their arrival tonight. Follow them."

Hearing his name, Nappa sat up. He left his rank to head towards the group of Humans who were moving in the opposite direction.

"I want this bracelet." Vegeta subtly said to his vassal in their native language when he passed by his side.

Nappa glanced sideways at him. He followed the prince's gaze, still fixed on the blue-haired woman who was struggling as she was being dragged towards the exit. Then, he made a small rotating movement with his tail to indicate that he had understood the request.

Vegeta watched with interest as the group left the room. Just before the door closed behind them, the woman's voice echoed one last time in the Hall.

"Frieza!" she shouted angrily. "You're going to pay for this! You hear me? Disgusting lizard! Fuck you and go eat a dick!"

Vegeta, a mocking smile on his lips, his anger completely gone now, quietly turned towards Frieza to see his face. He was happy to see his arrogant grin had disappeared.

With a pinch of inexplicable pride, he said to himself that he wouldn't have to deliver the message she'd asked him to tell earlier in the nightclub, because she'd done it on her own.