Dragon Ball - The Heart of Adveturers
By LastationLover5000, Demod20, and Firegod00
Chapter 25 - Shifting Tides
Chi-Chi was ecstatic.
For the first time since she arrived on this world, she was filled with a sense of enthusiasm and hope. The odds were stacked against them ever since they left Earth and things only kept getting worse from there on. The cramped space that grated her nerves, having to look at Gokū's child and be reminded what she didn't have while having to play nice with the woman who stole him away from her. Not to mention the pretentious alien scout, Taco, and the husband thief's sister! Adding to that was the dragon balls being taken by powerful aliens, slaughtering villages wholesale and then nearly killing them in the process.
After meeting with the Grand Elder of Namek she was granted a gift, an awakening of power deep within her core. It felt like a wafting stream of water was released from a proverbial dam within her belly, releasing in winding brooks that were her veins and filled her completely with its energy.
Generating an unearthly momentum she was joined in the air by Kuririn. Caution was thrown to the wind as they moved so much faster than they ever could in the past. Flight enabled to soar them over the many lakes and islands that dotted the horizon. Streaks of ghostly white light trailed over the emerald canvas that was Namek's heavens, the two soaring forward with an untold velocity that shrieked past the sound barrier several times over.
Giggling, she glided down past the water, watching her reflection be disrupted by the scything motion of her speedy frame. Placing her hand into the water, she carved through it, casting large waves in her wake while Kuririn held onto his prized Dragon Ball nearby.
"Oh man! I can't wait to go tell the others the good news!" The ex-monk proclaimed with a laughing grin.
"For once, I'm glad things went as planned," Chi-Chi admitted aloud, turning around to fly backwards with arms cupped behind her head. "I kind of wish we had a more accurate measurement system, so I know just how much stronger I've gotten."
"Well, maybe Bulma's eye-scouter-things can check?" The flying dwarf proffered with a raised brow. "I'm sure if anyone can figure something like that out, it'd be her."
Frowning, Chi-Chi turned around in the air and bolstered her speed ahead, leaving Kuririn behind.
"H-Hey! Wait up!" Kuririn hustled afterwards, flabbergasted as to why she suddenly bolted ahead.
Thankfully due to other forms of inconveniences taking the Saiyan trio off their trail and not crossing paths with Freeza's personal army, they arrived back at the underwater base in record time. Disrupting their aura of ki, the two gently decelerated to the point of a gentle touchdown before rushing to the entrance of the Capsule Corp hatch. Banging on the hatch a few times, they'd wait long enough for Pan's face to blink and grin brightly at their arrival.
"You're back!" Pan exclaimed, jumping up to tackle the floating pair, hugging them with a rub of her face into the shorter man's dragon ball covered chest and Chi-Chi's waist.
The latter looked disquieted by the gesture of affection. Trying to brush the small child off of her, the blinking black eyes tore away confusedly -if only for a moment- at Chi-Chi's look of disdain to one of awe at the large orb that Kuririn held.
"Oh wow!" Pan peered at her bloated reflection at the glassy sphere Kuririn held. "It's so big! This is much bigger than the one papa had or mama had!"
"Yeah, I was surprised to when I saw it up close and personal," The former Orin temple monk admitted with a chuckle. "Let's go inside, before someone catches sight of us, hm?"
"Okay!" Pan exclaimed with a cheery grin, hopping weightlessly down to the bottom with Kuririn barreling afterwards. Chi-Chi, taking a few glances cautiously around herself, took hold of the ladder and the hatch, closing it after herself as she'd glide her heels against the framework of the metal poles to the floor below.
Once she landed, she'd turn around and see Bulma placing her plasma weapon on the table of the adjacent kitchen before scooping up Pan in her arms and hugging her tight. Even though they had been in each other's company the whole time, she was still a doting mother, teasing the fidgeting child, much to her tail-flicking delight. The whole scene made Chi-Chi look cross, and her hands unconsciously gripped at her sides.
Something Kuririn picked up with a nervous side glance.
"Haha," He chuckled sheepishly, raising the artifact up and gaining Bulma's attention forthright. "The Grand Elder gave us his Dragon Ball. With this, they shouldn't be able to find him or the other surviving Nameccians."
"Not to mention not make a wish while we come up with a plan to get the rest. Good work," Bulma congratulated, her gaze shifting from the dwarf and locking with the icy gaze that Chi-Chi leveled at her.
All of the good feelings that the Ox King's daughter had frozen over when the two women were face to face. While it was one thing to bury those feelings and move ahead with the task at hand, there was no clear transference of objectives here. Where were they to go now? Without something to distract her, all Chi-Chi had was this distinct loathing she had for the woman that had stolen her beloved's heart.
"Here I thought you'd be more thrilled," Bulma commented with dull stare back, looking unimpressed by the younger woman's glare. Placing a hand on her hip, she gestured to her with an almost bored look. "What did I do to curdle your milk?"
"Was that a joke?" Chi-Chi hissed, taking a threatening step forward.
"H-Hey now!" Kuririn rushed forward, Dragon Ball still in his arms, placing himself ineptly between the pair of women. "We got the Dragon Ball now! But we still need six more, right? We should check to see if we can find any other villages; we may be able to rescue some of them before it's too late."
Letting out a sigh of exasperation, Bulma pulled her gaze away from Chi-Chi's long enough to look down at Kuririn.
"I already let Tights go and do just that," She thumbed over her shoulder at the cabinetry surrounding the kitchen. "I told her to take Jaco and the radar with her. Apparently there was a Dragon Ball that was all on its own not that long ago."
"A-Are you sure it's safe for her to be out there?" The smaller man asked with a blanched look of worry. "I-I mean, I know she's your older sister, but she's got almost no way of fighting those guys off. Even with Jaco, if one of the big bads is out there, I'm not sure she'd be able to stop them."
"She's been on alien worlds and dealt with nasty people before," Bulma shrugged, waving his worry off with a confident air to her. "I'm sure she'll be fine. They've been through worse."
"Ah...well," Kuririn deflated, feeling a bit useless in this respect. Raising the Dragon Ball up in a presented manner, he smiled ear to ear at his own bloated reflection. "It'll turn out alright in the end, right? We made contact with the Elder, got the Dragon Ball, and even got a little bit stronger."
"How did you manage that?" Bulma asked with a dubious raise of one brow on her left side.
"Oh, it's-"
"The old guy gave us an awakening, as he put it," Chi-Chi interceded coolly, looking less hostile as she raised her hand to touch her own head in emphasis. "He just placed a palm and it felt like something unlocked inside of me. I don't know by how much, but I think we can hold our own a bit better if we run into trouble again."
"We should probably get Pan over to him at some point," Kuririn proposed with a shake of his Dragon Ball and leaning his neck over to her. "I bet she'd get real strong."
"Oh yeah! I wanna get stronger too!" She bounced up with giddy excitement, sparkling coals for eyes shining with anticipation.
"Well, let's wait until at least Tights and Jaco are back," The shorter man proposed with a chuckle. "Once we got both Balls in our possession, we can see where we can go from here. Sound good?"
"Mhm!" Pan nodded with a rapid shake of her head.
"Then I'll be taking a nap if no one needs me," Chi-Chi turned with her arms crossed over her chest, icily keeping her gaze forward and not looking back. "Let me know if I need to show you how to fight properly."
Bulma sighed, rolling her eyes and grasping the artifact from Kuririn, giving him a curt smirk, "I'll be finding a good place to hide this, in the meantime. Help yourself to whatever's in the fridge."
With that, the four began to diverge from each other to make do with the time they had until their companions returned. While the Frypan Princess lied on a bed with a disconcerted expression, Pan bouncing with giddiness, Kuririn actually laughing with a more carefree manner everyone seemed to be in high spirits. But, hiding behind a cagey expression, Bulma could feel something amiss.
Something was happening out there that was turning the tides of this conflict between them and these alien interlopers.
Zarbon was beside himself.
He was actually fearful for his own survival when he locked his proverbial horns with Vegeta. The Saiyan prince, despite being on the initial receiving end of his wrath, had actually began to pay him back for every blow he dished out. Unlike his two cronies he handled easily in his true form, the blue blooded snot had actually wounded him enough that he thought to patch himself up in the infirmary.
If it hadn't been for the damnable monkey whelp of Freeza's, he'd arguably be in an even worse shape.
"Relax, Zarbon. We're on the same side."
He hadn't forgotten those few words that were exchanged. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was being lied to, but his actions were contradictory to the presentation of his language.
After he had cleaned himself up and changed into a proper set of armor that was fitted to his desired aesthetic, he exited his personal quarters of the dreadnought and walked over to the healing chambers that he had last left them. He had no way of knowing what kind of shape they were in, only that when he and Tullece had hauled them back, they were bloodied and deathly still.
When the door automatically slid up, Appule -a banna headed alien with protruding spikes along his ovular cranium with a purple pigmentation and yellow spots along his head- looked up from the scanners with a slightly unnerved expression on his face. Zarbon was unconcerned about the image of rage he had permeated, having crushed the head of Blueberry not long ago because of his own incensed anger. Walking up past him, there was an evenly divided row of liquid filled pods, each of them holding floating bodies of the Saiyans still encased in their worn down armor that was mangled by his own hands.
"How are they?" He asked simply, his eyes chiefly fixed on Vegeta's respirator covered face.
"It's a good thing you brought them in when you did," Appule remarked in a nasally voice, swallowing hard as he looked at the instruments that measured their vitals. "Especially Vegeta. Had it been any later, I'm not sure our healing tanks could've prevented him from meeting an untimely end."
"That's fine," The caped, emerald haired lieutenant intoned with his sleeved arms wrapped around his freshly picked armor plating covering his sizable chest. "As long as they don't expire before Freeza has found out information they have. Who knows what they've done since disposing of Dodoria."
"R-Right," The lower minion of Freeza swallowed nervously. "I-Is that all?"
"Yes, everything seems to be in order," He informed, flourishing his cape and stalking out of the chamber with a measured sense of purpose to inform his lord and master. His eyes would make the slightest sign of recognizing Tullece's shadow, leaning against an adjacent corner of the ship. But in a blink of his eyes, he'd see he was gone.
Shaking his head, he was determined to remove the filth of that monkey from his mind and pursue his objective unimpeded.
Unaware that Tullece was likely making his own movement beyond his scope of understanding.
Stopping in front of his superior's door, he knocked, and heard a brief muttering of, "Enter," from within. With permission, he let the door open automatically and he'd be greeted with floating screens of shadowy shapes familiar to his gaze. Freeza was finishing up speaking with them, floating down to the floor and turning to show a pleased smile spread over his pale face.
"Welcome back, Zarbon," Freeza lauded with a silky purr escaping his throat, his hands clasping ahead of himself and rubbing with anticipation. "I heard you managed to trounce the Saiyans all on your own after all."
"Y-Yes," Zarbon intoned, raptly taking the credit -regardless if it was true- if it meant recovering his image to the lizard-man he called 'lord'. "They were quite formidable together, this was true. However, none of them stood a chance when I transformed. With all of them captured here, you'll soon find the answers as to where the other Nameccian villages are and the Dragon Balls he's doubtlessly hidden."
"He better," The horned devil snarked, his smile lessening and his eyes narrowing up at Zarbon's. "I had just gotten report from one of our scouts that there was a sizable clearing left in the land that was around large enough to have been a settlement like the others we came across. No Dragon Ball in sight. This means that one of them, if not all, knows where the Dragon Ball is. I'll personally see to it that they squeal with that kind of information I so desperately need."
"All according to your aims, Lord Freeza," He bowed to his master, smiling as he placed one arm over his chest to signify his loyalty. "Shall I keep watch over them until they awaken?"
"No need," The horned despot dismissively waved, raising himself up to stare out at the vast vista of Namek once more. "You may standby until I have need of you once more."
"O-Of course," He anxiously responded, turning to leave out of his superior's chambers.
"Oh, and one more thing," Freeza added, freezing his number one soldier in place. Turning to look over one shoulder, he smiled decadently as a crimson eye glared at him. "Good job."
"T-Thank you," Zarbon stammered out, unnerved by the compliment as it was presented in such a way. Exiting the chambers, he couldn't help but wonder why he had a deep gnawing pit in his stomach like something was wrong. What was eating at him so fiercely?
Shaking his head, he turned right and began to walk towards his quarters to at least get some shut-eye. This world's damnable absence of a night cycle was starting to agitate him into bouts of paranoia. If he didn't get the reprieve he needed, he might do more than throw a fist at a disposable soldier on the ship; and result in something far more consequential than near defeat to Vegeta.
The automatic door to the medical bay opened again. Appule turned, expecting to see Zarbon; his bulbous eyes widened in surprise, of course, when it wasn't Zarbon who walked in. A man clad in a dark navy combat jacket, his familiar spiked hair recognisable to anyone in the Freeza Army. His stern faced was framed by these black locked and adorned with a confident smirk. Stepping in with a gait that matched his expression, it was clear that Appule was intimidated to see Tullece — and it was even more clear that the Saiyan certainly enjoyed this.
"T-Tullece...!" hesitated the purple alien. "What...what brings you here?"
"Please, Appule," replied Tullece pleasantly. "Am I not allowed in here? We both know who is in these medical machines. Of course I'd be concerned."
"I—" Appule couldn't argue this logic, given what he was fully aware of. "Of course, sir."
"That's it," Tullece's smirk relaxed into a smile that didn't reach his beetle-black eyes. "Now, why don't you take a break, Appule? I'm sure you've been guarding the prisoners for some time. I can take over the shift, if you would like?"
Taken aback by this sudden gesture, Appule agreed hurriedly. "Oh! You...want me to...have a break? That's...nice of you, sir. I'll go and...uh...do that." Exiting room with haste that would have made him a splendid soldier on the battlefield, Tullece waited for a full five minutes to check that he would indeed not be interrupted. Once he had assured himself the coast was clear, he busied himself over the machine detailing the healing process. As if the deities themselves were conspiring to aid him, he saw the bulk of the healing had long since concluded; the process occurring was the final attempts at treatment and the assessment of vitals.
Certainly a Saiyan could survive the plug being pulled early. Pressing a button, he deactivated only a single Medical Machine for now — the one containing Aspara. The liquid surrounding her wounded form receded, her shoulder-length hair sticking to the back of her broken Combat Jacket. Her consciousness flickered in and out momentarily, the effects of the sedatives in the liquid, most likely, but she soon felt herself coming to. Multiple emotions registered at once.
Glee. She wasn't dead. For whatever that bastard Zarbon had done to her, she'd survived.
Confusion. This was clearly a Medical Machine in Freeza's ship, meaning she had somehow been taken back to his ship, and then for whatever reason, healed.
Relief. Whoever was standing before her was neither her cousins nor Vegeta and Nappa, four people with whom she'd trade many things to never see again, unless it was their corpses at her feet.
Then blinding fury. She recognised the man in the navy-hued combat jacket the moment her vision at come back in full, and she felt anger bristle through her body at a rate unprecedented. Not even Vegeta drew this sort of reaction from her; when she spoke, her voice was full of nothing but venom for the man standing before her. "You." The young woman snarled. "I suppose you're expecting thanks from me, Father?"
People lesser than Tullece would have found their progeny's attitude worth of drawing their ire, but to Tullece, it was instead a source of utmost amusement. Unable to resist embracing the humour, Tullece gripped his own side, barking a sharp laugh which rolled over into barking bouts of chortling. This did absolutely nothing to diffuse Aspara's tension; giving no heed to whether she'd slip on the slick bottom of the medical machine, Aspara leapt through its glass dome. Shards of glass in varying sizes danced in the air around her, yet the young woman ignored them entirely. Her arm cocked backwards, lunging madly for Tullece's throat.
The exchange was over in seconds. Tullece easily overpowered Aspara, forcing the woman to the glass-littered floor. He pulled her dominant arm behind her back, and casually sat himself atop the woman to keep her pinned.
"It's good to see you haven't changed, Aspara," Tullece's voice was causal, yet laced with the faintest hint of annoyance which no longer matched his amusement of before. Aspara squirmed underneath her father's weight, but could not move; nothing truly had changed. He was still her superior in every facet, and the woman could only growl in sheer fury. This didn't escape Tullece's notice, who chuckled with mirth. "You have a free arm, my dear. You're welcome to try and throw a tantrum. If you can get away from me on your own, you're more than free to run to distant plant child."
A very pregnant paused followed this statement, and Aspara's resistance faded, as Tullece had expected. Aspara broke the silence, trying her level best to ignore the discomfort of having her face pressed against the tile of the floor. "...What do you want? It's not like you to save me for no reason."
Had he not been pressed for time, Tullece would have agreed to this point with some measure of sarcastic delight. Yet Zaron could come back at any time, and it would be much harder to weasel his way out of that situation without sacrificing a few pieces. In true form, he simply stated what he wanted directly. "It seems you're still off with Vegeta and his ilk. While I'm surprised you've been able to tolerate the Prince for this long, it is certainly of benefit to me."
"...What do you mean?"
"Use your head, silly girl," replied Tullece. "I want you to tell me everything you know; I'm fully aware at this point that you, Vegeta, and Nappa are hunting Dragon Balls." Aspara shuddered beneath him, but Tullece gave no indication he'd felt him, remaining firmly in his sitting position. "The issue is, Freeza knows as well. You three have been far, far too reckless, running all across Namek as if you own the place." He let out a sigh. "But I'll give you a chance to rectify your errors, my dear. Tell me; what are the Prince's aims with the Dragon Balls? What could someone as hopeless as he hope to gain through these arcane orbs?"
Aspara frowned. "What good does any of this do you?"
Being a man of patience, Tullece humoured this further inquiry. "You never paid attention in your lessons, child. The brain is just as vital as physical strength; logic and reasoning can be as deadly a weapon as a honed body, and yet many of our kind did not possess an ounce of either. Information," he finished, "is crucial."
"Immortality," Aspara's reply was cut and dry. "He thinks that, if he uses those damn orbs to wish for immortality, he'll be able to kill Freeza."
This gave Tullece pause. Immortality...that almost seems like the obvious answer, when you look at it plainly, thought the Saiyan, simultaneously impressed and disgusted. Though I don't know how he can stomach the idea. "Immortality, is it? And I'm to assume he promised you a share of the spoils, didn't he?"
"...Yes," came Aspara's answer.
"But do you think he's actually going to go through with that?"
The effect of words on a person can vary, from extreme to mild. Tullece's words already had a unique effect on his daughter, yet stringing them forward in a sentence such as this, the woman's eyes widened.
"We all know the Prince," Tullece went on, once again pretending he'd sensed no reaction from Aspara. "You and that large oaf are as dispensable to him as an entire planet is to Freeza. Once he's used you two for his dirty work, neither one of you will have a place at his side. If he does become immortal, he will kill the both of you before he turns his attention to Freeza." Chuckling, Tullece had to admire the beauty of it. Vegeta despised Freeza as much as any Saiyan, yet that sort of behaviour was almost quintessential to their tyrant.
"Just what are you getting at?" Aspara's voice, trying and failing to be angry, could only quietly interrogate her father. She knew his words held truth; she'd known it from the moment Vegeta had tried to slay her on Earth during their attempts to kill her traitorous cousins, and time and time again during their reunion in the medical bay and their stay on this damned planet. Nappa was a yes man, so of course Vegeta was not nearly as harsh on him. But she? Vegeta was an enemy as much as anyone else, and she knew this, yet she'd been tagging along with him like a coward.
"Return to me, child," carried on Tullece. "We've had our differences, but if I'd wanted to kill you, girl, you'd have been dead as early as your fifth birthday. Your existence is all because of me, and you will serve your purpose. At my side, my dear, you will live, and you will become powerful."
"...The Super Saiyan..." The words escaped her mouth before she could swallow them.
"That's right. That fool of a prince thinks the Super Saiyan is his birthright, but I know it to be you!" Tullece's voice was reaching a feverish passion. "But only through me, Aspara, will you reach this apex! Continue to fraternize with Vegeta and shun my generosity and you will wind up a corpse on the side of a rundown Nameccian village!"
Stomaching her pride — which took an immense amount of effort, and seemed to cause Aspara physical pain — she was able to bring herself to nod. Smiling with the utmost satisfaction, Tullece finally removed himself from his daughter's back, bring himself back to his full height. Aspara rubbed the wrist that Tullece had been gripping, and rubbed the small of her back, trying to remove the tension and pain. She glared mutinously at her father, but made no physical movements; a symbol of her willingness to cooperate.
His smile never fading, Tullece asked the young Saiyan woman the final question that was the most critical. "Now tell me, my dear...where did Vegeta hide the Dragon Balls he acquired?"
"We...hid...one of the Dragon Balls right before Zarbon ambushed us. It was by a lake that circled a small distinctly pear shaped island; one of the only unique things on this boring planet. As for how they work, when we acquired ours, it seems we need all of them gathered in close contact to each other. If they're too far apart, they may not harmonize," She explained, her eyes shifting away, almost averting from her father as she put her thoughts in order. Hitching at her through, a reflex when she had to stomach through hiding things, she explained further without making eye contact. "But I'm not sure it'll work. The Elder, he made some statement they won't be of use to us. At first I thought he was being a stubborn old fool, but...now that I think about it, maybe that's what all the elders could have said as a warning. What if there's no way for us but only Nameccians to use the Dragon Balls?"
"That's not our problem, then, now is it?" Tullece waved the question off. "Our goal isn't to use the orbs, not at all. But if we want to stay one step ahead of our enemies, knowing their location is paramount to waylaying them. If neither Vegeta nor Freeza can use the Dragon Balls, then it's all the better for us, isn't it?" Placing a finger to his own chin thoughtfully, he processed the next phases of the plan. "I won't be able to interfere directly with Freeza's hunt for the Dragon Balls — not yet, anyway — so keeping the Dragon Balls in your care is, for now, our best bet. As long as neither Vegeta nor Freeza have the full set, they can't get their wish...and they're bound to seek out one another, desiring the other parties' spoils."
Aspara followed Tullece's logic, whether she liked admitting it or not. "...Alright, so you've got it all planned out. But how are we getting out of here?"
"I'm not," said Tullece. "But you three are." In response to Aspara's bewildered expression, Tullece busied himself once again with the console tied to the medical machines. The liquid within both machines receded, yet Vegeta's hair stood tall regardless. The two of them regained consciousness much quicker than Aspara had, surveying their surroundings with surprise. Vegeta's eyes narrowed when they settled on Tullece, flickering from surprise to mild annoyance within seconds.
"It's you," Vegeta said, remarkably like Aspara. "Fancy seeing you here now, Tullece. AWOL just before our raid on Earth, and yet here you are, bold as brass, yes?"
"Calm yourself, Prince," Tullece's voice was cautious. "I'm not your enemy; in fact, there is no reason not to still consider me an ally."
"Colour me surprised," replied Vegeta, his voice laced with acid. "I'm controlling myself for now, Tullece, but it is becoming incredibly difficult. Your sneak attack — yes, I know it was you, the ki that attacked us and yours are identical — is hardly the work of a man who claims to be my ally. Had you not interfered, Zarbon's body would be floating at the bottom of that lake."
"And yet if I didn't," Tullece shot back, "Your faithful attendants would have been left for dead and you yourself would have been far too exhausted to continue running freely across the planet. You and Zarbon were neck and neck; did you develop a sudden preference for running and hiding in broad daylight while your body's natural healing processes did their work, my Prince?"
"You'll want to watch your tongue if you'd like to keep it," Vegeta stated icily. It was clear he got along with Tullece as well as he did with the man's daughter; the Prince of the Saiyans walked towards Tullece, staring directly into his eyes. "If you're any sort of a Saiyan, you should know what would happen if you challenge me." It was taking a considerable amount of control for Vegeta to not strike the older Saiyan, and only the fact that they were standing inside enemy territory kept him in check — something that Tullece was more than aware of.
"Prince, as much as I appreciate your candor, you aren't in control in here, and I know you know that," asserted Tullece. "Make no mistake, I am no ally of Freeza. The four of us in this room know one thing to be certain; it will be a Saiyan who slays Freeza. Which means this isn't the time for infighting, my Prince."
"Hold on there!" Nappa interjected before Vegeta could retort. "You're acting real cozy to us when you've bailed on us before. And now you expect us to take you at face value? How stupid do you think we are? I bet you got some scheme to screw us over the moment we make a break for it, aren't ya?"
Running his hand through his family's signature spiky cut, Tullece barely repressed a groan. "Nappa, I'm glad to see your loyalty to the Prince has yet to waver, but your intelligence has also remained the same." Ignoring the snarl that rose from Nappa's throat, Tullece carried on. "I need you two to see the bigger picture; Freeza is our enemy. And he fears the strength of the Saiyans. If we work together, Freeza won't make it off this planet alive. Ally yourself with me, Prince Vegeta."
Following a brief pause, Vegeta spoke again. "After so long of sticking by Freeza's side, you want to ally yourself with me, Tullece? What, am I to assume you want the Dragon Balls as well?"
"Hardly," clarified Tullece, truthfully. "I want what Saiyans have wanted since the reign of Freeza's father — freedom. The Saiyans were never meant to live under the rule of anyone, much less a the family of a foreign tyrant. With Freeza out of the picture, we Saiyans will be free to do as we please; conquer worlds on our own terms, eat good food, drink all we like. Without Freeza, anything is possible."
Even Nappa and Vegeta, who wanted nothing to do with Tullece right now, were able to accept what Tullece said as the truth, though Vegeta himself remained considerably wary. "While I don't consider you my ally, I will make use of you, Tullece. That, at the very least, can be considered our compromise." Conceding to even this much was causing Vegeta a great amount of mental discomfort, yet he was the furthest thing from a stupid man. Freeza was too powerful to directly challenge, and he did not yet possess all the Dragon Balls. "A man on the inside will be quite useful; until that use expires, of course."
How like-minded we can be, Princeling, thought Tullece. "I'm glad we're seeing eye to eye. Then consider our partnership reinstated. And the first step—" His eyes swiveled to the door, then to the ceiling itself "—will be aiding in your escape."
Aspara spoke up for the first time since Vegeta and Nappa had risen from their slumber. "How do you propose we escape from here, Father?"
"It's quite simple," Tullece snickered, "and the Prince will love it. I'm going to intentionally attract the Freeza Army to this spot, right before Vegeta levies a near fatal wound to me. Courtesy of my daughter's recklessness, it'll appear to be that she burst out of her own medical machine, freed you two, and then you lot escaped. Hindsight doesn't count for much here." He took in a deep breath. During the entirety of this exchange — beginning when rendered Aspara unable to move — he'd been slowly lowering his combat strength to a level suitable for this, with none of his comrades any the wiser. In response to their puzzled faces, Tullece continued. "Freeza considers me very valuable; a 'tame' Saiyan, you see. While this may harm my reputation, the chances of my not being healed are non-existent."
Without warning, Tullece extended a hand towards the automatic door, expelling a shot of ki which exploded on contact, destroying the door and creating a raucous noise, sure to echo around a large portion of the ship. Immediately hissing at Vegeta to "Do it now!", Tullece's voice reached a feverishly high volume, "VEGETA! YOU BASTARD! JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DO—!"
Whether it was to make it convincing, vent much needed frustration, or both, only Vegeta knew. But the Prince of the Saiyans slammed his palm into Tullece's stomach, a gush of lavender ki erupting out of his backside. Blood flowed freely from the wound, Tullece himself slipping to his knees, colliding hard with the ground. Neither Aspara nor Vegeta could bring themselves to feel much for this sight, as, being on the same page for once, would rather it have been genuine.
"What was that sound!?"
"It came from the medical bay!"
"Did the prisoners escape?!"
Frantic voices poured into the smoke from the distance; they hadn't much time. It was Nappa, surprisingly, who acted first. His hand coated with a golden lighting aura, he blew apart the ceiling of the ship with ease. Without sparing a final look towards Tullece's body, which only continued to bleed more profusely, the trip of Saiyans leapt from Freeza's ship. On Vegeta's orders, they submerged themselves in the water. Even if they lacked Scouters, a soldier with a keen eye could spot them flying and might deduce the direction with enough accuracy for Freeza himself to pursue.
While it wasn't quite on the terms Vegeta had wished for, the three of them left Freeza and his ship behind them.
Saiyans were capable of holding their breath for an impressively long time, if they put their minds to it. Surfacing infrequently — Nappa much less, having larger lungs than Vegeta or Aspara — they glided through the dark water, searching for their previous campsite. To their great fortune, it took what had most likely been an hour or two; the trio surfaced one final time, taking in great lungfuls of air.
Vegeta was loathe to admit it, but they had indeed lucked out. Had Tullece not intervened, Aspara and Nappa would be dead, Vegeta exhausted and without aid. These thoughts, however, did nothing to appease the Prince's irritation. The Saiyan's thoughts were going to become even more furious within the next moments; sitting with his back against a jutting rock on the ruined island, his sharp eyes noticed fresh disturbances. Different from the burn and crags caused by their fight with Zarbon, imprints of varying sizes, clearly footprints, could be seen afresh on the ground.
Suspicions immediately formed within Vegeta's mind. Grinding his teeth, Vegeta said, "Back into the water! Search for the ball!"
Taken aback by the sudden aggression in Vegeta's voice, neither Aspara nor Nappa saw fit to argue. Quickly submerging themselves beneath the emerald waters, silence fell upon Vegeta. He allowed no thoughts to penetrate his mind for the coming moments, until his comrades surfaced empty-handed. It was then when his suspicions were confirmed. Standing upright, ki began to waft upwards from Vegeta's body; the gentle flames licking his body erupted into a vibrant conflagration, the force of which sent Aspara and Nappa careening off the island, which crumbled and gave way beneath the weight of Vegeta's power.
"STEAL FROM ME, WILL YOU?!" snarled Vegeta, his voice echoing and filled with a deep hatred. "I WILL FIND YOU, THIEVES! AND WHEN I DO, YOU WILL REGRET CROSSING ME!" Swiveling on the spot, Vegeta called out to Nappa and Aspara, who were currently treading water. "YOU TWO! WE MOVE OUT NOW! WE WILL FIND THEM AND TAKE BACK THE DRAGON BALL!"
A/N:
Demod20: This chapter was another simple one, but it has some good character moments. I enjoyed conveying Chi-Chi's inner conflict when dealing with Gokū's family, let alone his child and wife. Resentment is clearly built up inside of her that she's trying to bottle up. Kuririn can see it and Bulma knows she's spiteful for what she doesn't have. Still, it's a good indicator for what's to come. As for Zarbon feeling uneasy about Tullece's assistance (even pulling an Azula to give all the credit to him when reporting to Freeza), the groundwork for this seemingly yes-man Saiyan's plans march forward. Speaking of which, I thoroughly enjoyed the scene of Aspara and her father speaking; there's clearly a hostile, abusive method of raising this girl to be his ideal weapon and he treats her as a prized beast and less of a mad dog that Paragus did in the recent film. I like that Vegeta still has no love nor trust in that Tullece wants to be completely on their side, even Nappa doesn't see this as being completely charitable. Still, he's convinced all enough that this is for the betterment of their race in hopes of taking down Freeza; something they all have in common. Makes me wonder how this will all play out in the coming chapters!
LastationLover5000: So, in good news, my Pokemon hype is finally dying down, which means I can properly write again. My personal issues haven't been resolved, but if I wait for my life to fix itself, you all won't see anything new. I'm sure my co-author and editor feel the same, so it's time to cracking! This was quite an interesting chapter; every faction in play with the exception of the Super Saiyan Bros. are in play, making movements and measuring their actions and I absolutely love it, I've never really had a chapter like this. Demod's section was quite interesting, as I do love how we write our Chi-Chi; you see the tension between her and Bulma and it is brilliantly written. I hope you all enjoy my section; I wonder how many people predicted Tullece and Aspara's familial relation? Regardless, you'll see us soon, in the next chapters of the Heart of Adventurers!