Chapter 117
After just over an hour his training room comes back online and Ryoko would go to take Mihoshi back although a weary looking Gohan arrives at the house to repair and restore another link to Washu's laboratory at Videl's behest. A long and exhaustive rest finishes and Washu awakes. She silently continues on with her work and puts off any-more talk on the matter of Queen Vegeta until tomorrow. Whilst Vegeta trains following the additional delay of Ryoko's punishment there are momentary glitches and changes to settings that Washu explains as her testing out her control and interference over the room and how its security holds up. Random deviations in gravity and simulation he is not against for keeping him on his toes and he sees that even though the security breach should be covered now the video connection to Goku can and is still getting opened and his room is going through the same.
Washu works into the night. Her backlog of work and tasks has accumulated with Gohan having to spend too much time on deciphering what they are before he can even begin. With Vegeta finally asleep and both training rooms empty she tests both simulations of Vegito, Gotenks and Super Buu to see if any of them have the ability to break out of one training room and into the other or compromise her control in any capacity. Test results are promising that none can either teleport or breach the room. There is one additional test she wants to run to truly stress her systems yet Buu absorbing Vegito is simply beyond what she can run or emulate. The room cannot handle that yet. With that done she goes back to the subject of Light Hawk Wings that Jurai are so eager over and compares her data and knowledge on this celestial power to the newly unearthed Counteractor power of Misaki. Since both are classified as originating from Jurai she looks for any similarity or possible symbiosis, in fact they are appear as close to an antithesis of the other as is possible.
Her overworking herself is a constant concern of Yamcha's so not before too long into the early hours of night he drags her away from her terminals. She gratefully cuddles up with him as she struggles to find sleep. With a new dawn rising outside of her pocket dimension she rises for the day and finds Mihoshi in a tizz over having lost her way within this laboratory to any of the multitude of bathrooms. Wanting to exercise any maternal instinct she can Washu guides Mihoshi before going on her way to start her day's work and read any messages she has been sent whilst asleep. There is an urgent request for a call awaiting her from Lady Seto. Washu's lips spread into an impish grin at the many small vengeances she has taken out on the Devil Princess who spawned in Queen Vegeta. First off she sends her latest predictions and estimates on Kagato's locations and planned acts and watches for Seto to have read it before instigating the call. No greeting is allowed before the glacial wrath of Seto befalls her.
" As flattered as I am that you believe myself to still be as flexible and energetic in these later years of my life, both myself and my husband have a strong want for you to desist in manufacturing and releasing these 'exotic' videos of myself." Bubbling rage is close to simmering over into her controlled emotion and tone of voice. Seto is not one to be made a fool of or ridiculed and shamed like this. "My lawyers have been properly informed and provided the necessary evidence I reluctantly had to save and pass onto them. The case for the illegal practise of purposefully using or recreating someone's likeness in pornographic materials against their will and without consent bears a hefty fine if this is taken to court."
"You have only saved one file and there are no communications between you and your various legal teams concerning this harmless fun. I know you are far too vain and concerned about your image to dare take this into a court of law." Washu counters.
"Unnecessary bureaucracy interfering with the legal recognition of your upcoming marriage. Is that what you want instead?" Seto has other ways to make life hard for Washu.
"Nope, for my marriage I want you and Sasami to wear matching flower girl dresses."
"Even Sasami is too old to fall into the role if following Earth's customs correctly."
"It's fine, no-one here cares too much about tradition and Pretty Sammy is eager to do this whilst holding her granny's hand."
"Fine, if this stops you plastering my face and body over any more smut then silence those videos immediately and I shall humour both my granddaughter and possibly yourself." She sighs. This is not the best outcome yet even for her ferocious forces of intrigue and manipulation Washu is one of the few women hard for her to contend with. Dressing up like Sasami will be humbling yet she does require Washu to be less hostile towards herself.
They update each other thoroughly on the full state of affairs on either planet and their work. Seto does like this news that Queen Vegeta even thought to offer peace with Washu over proper construction of legislation as that proves this Saiyan monarch is giving some true thought into possible peace treatises with Jurai. Washu disagrees that this should not be taken for anything more than a token with how antagonistic and superfluously hostile Queen Vegeta acts to keep up her appearances and try and ward off the undisputable fact that she is pathetically weak and redundant by current Saiyan standards. The conversation flows into Washu's issues in personally dealing with this Saiyan and how she is being motivated by Yamcha to be a better person dealing with this yet she will fail given any riling up by Pranis regarding her failures in motherhood or keeping her species alive.
"I understand and sympathise. My disdain towards Saiyans is akin to yours, though parents were what I lost. We both shall have to push past our personal emotions on the matter for the good of the Juraian Empire. It is the safest and easiest way for us to secure peace and security for all our other loved ones from this warrior race."
"Yeah I get it. I know what I have to do under the duress of this blasted peace deal. They're unstoppable now and will only get more so as time presses forward."
"All we have to see to is that we outlive and outlast these power hungry warriors as we have the many like them that have come before and continue protecting Jurai." Seto conspiratorially speaks out with the confidence shared between the two millennia old women who hold an irremovable grip over the Juraian Empire. "Although, maybe I should not be saying that if I do have to throw my own hat into the ring in courting this Prince Vegeta, or for Ayeka's sake either."
"100 years more of any Saiyan living and training and the fabric of this universe is going to start ripping apart from their very being with what power they hold, so nothing wrong in us outliving them." Washu agrees with Seto, her 20,000 years of living shall continue for a lot longer.
She ends the call and stretches. Washu lounges back on her floating cushion and tries to amend her age. Nothing happens. It feels so strange having lost this ability yet the inhibitors are doing their work. For the foreseeable future she is now stuck and locked at a certain age, never getting older or younger by want or by time. Washu is physically in her mid 30's as a compromise of being youthful enough to enjoy herself yet old enough to be close to Yamcha and not too young that any future child would look older than her too quickly. She has gotten flattery and approval from Yamcha on this which she enjoys even if this still is an unnatural appearance for her in her artificially extended life – she might be older than Lady Seto yet Seto has done nothing to preserve herself these thousands of years other than be a Juraian bonded with a strong tree. Being stuck at an age feels limiting and restrictive, it is a small cost for a future with a family of her own. She sets off production for a lesser training room for Queen Vegeta and goes to find Mihoshi to mother and pamper.
Training in a suppressed state is Vegeta in Super Saiyan 3 against his Super Saiyan 2 son. Trunks attacks him and the handicap Vegeta has is that he is only allowed to use his tail to defend against his son. It is a good exercise which evens the playing field quite well for Vegeta's speed is hampered by having 1 limb against 4 that has to circle around his back to switch sides and his power impeded by his tail being nowhere near as muscular as his arms or legs. Efficiency is key for the warrior prince as he reads his son's motions and stays one step ahead of him. On the instants he blocks his son's attacks he practises a new technique that he feels shall be pivotal in defeating Goku. Instant Transmission is useful in both offence and defence however he wants more versatility in not just positioning himself in battle but controlling his enemy. Vegeta experiments and works on having Instant Transmission move only another touching him and not himself. On the flip side Trunks uses this sparring time to test out techniques of Gotenks' design to see if his non-fused self can master them too. They ensure that no video link to Goku's training room is active to keep their new developing techniques to themselves until it is time to unleash them.
As they start to tire each other out and their transformations begin to sap away at their energy reserves the two begin to chat. Trunks feels that within a few years he might plateau in power before he grows into a full adult with a strong and old enough body to handle the might of Super Saiyan 3. His father does not offer advice as that is his problem to deal with and Gotenks has proven somewhat otherwise – there is little he can say to Trunks over the matter of unlocking Super Saiyan 3 that the boy is not acutely aware of. Trunks teases his father over when he gets to have fun time alone with his dad like both Ayeka and Ryoko get to ask of him. The answer is curt that this training and the whole year spent together was just that. The son asks if he wanted to go somewhere with his dad if he would come along. Vegeta does not nod but he tells Trunks that he does intend to visit Bulma's grave tomorrow for the reason of bringing along his mother. Vegeta's tail is tiring out from all its work, he wraps it about his waist and catches Trunks' fists and says that it is time for lunch.
It is a harsh reality for Ryoko as she stands in the kitchen. Now if she wants food and is hungry whilst Vegeta is still training she is responsible for making her own food. Previously this never mattered too much, yet now she has a tongue and taste hampering her less then enthusiastic culinary endeavours. She has watched the others cook and it does not seem that challenging so long as she does not aim to be at Sasami's level. Vegetables and noodles get thrown into a wok as she thinks a stir fry limits what she can get wrong without a cookbook or instruction. Ryoko is adamant in her stance that she is cooking alone for herself and not turning into any house wife to care for Vegeta. She prepares enough to feed herself which would starve any Saiyan. Since carrots are thrown into the wok her pet is an eager observer on her shoulder.
A delicate peck on her cheek the other side of where Ryo-Ohki's whiskers are tickling her shocks her and turns her head. She sees no-one and puts her hand to her cheek and turns back to the hob and her wok has gone. It clatters empty on the dining room table behind her and now she senses his indomitable ki. Ryoko's cheeks heat for she was not imagining that touch, he did kiss her to distract her, and so she messes pushing her hair back behind her ear cuff and with an unimpressed frown she looks to the one who stole her food. A disheartened meow comes from her ear and the cabbit bounds onto the table and sniffs and inspects where her beloved carrots once were.
Vegeta critiques her food in its failings of lack of proper seasoning, being dry and overcooked and that she threw too many ingredients together making it busy. He then heads over to a pantry to grab more as she sternly states that she was not cooking food for him but her as she is hungry. Whilst he stuffs his face he teasingly warns her that her dress has been reserved and so to keep an eye on what she eats for the size cannot be altered now that measurements have already been taken. Ryoko huffs at the insult and the hypocrisy as Vegeta consumes all in his path.
"You kissed me. Ayeka's said something to me about you trying to bribe me with love and affection so I behave nice with you. Why can she not accept it's just your true feelings spilling out finally?" She jumps onto his back to annoy him and reach over him for any snacks she can get to before he eats it all.
"I expect she also said any nice thing I say to her is manipulation and all my acts are for some grand scheme of evil and adultery. For the mature and worldly woman you pose as you blush like Ayeka does at one small kiss."
"Oh no she don't trust my Vegey, how dare you give her advice on a job, bad man. I really better get over all that 40 years in prison and you attacking me quick so she doesn't lose any sleep over someone actually caring about me. I'm not cheap, Vegey, I need more bribes. If you're outta ideas I am still broke as well." She sarcastically continues the joke and tries to swipe any food Vegeta picks up out of his own hands as revenge for him eating her cooking. "C'mon house husband, cook for me, serve me~."
"No more, I need you pleased but not too full of yourself. Tomorrow we go to Bulma's, I have a mother now to introduce to her. What do you want for lunch?"
Early afternoon and Chichi is truly unimpressed. There is no positive to having to babysit the Queen of Saiyans and it is disrupting her home life to no end. She pesters her husband, antagonises her, attacks her son for training, gets in the way of chores and will not lift a finger to help anyone. Now she is being an embarrassing nuisance after stealing from her. Chichi does the laundry for Queen Vegeta so she has clothes to wear but her house has been raided and this young Saiyan found something fun. For some ungodly reason Queen Vegeta has taken her blue and pink bikini armour from childhood and is opting to wear it and from the pleased smile on her face actually likes it.
If it were not for her dyed blonde hair this would be up there as the most aggravating thing done recently. Chichi stands stern and menacing at the door to her house looking out at Queen Vegeta parading around in what she would prefer to keep tucked away and secret. Even though Queen Vegeta is a short woman Chichi was shorter still when a young teen and by no means was she as large in any other dimension as this toned warrior is. What little material there is stretches and barely manages to fit on her making the shameful getup look even more ludicrous. Queen Vegeta laughs as she fire a laser from the helmet and plays with the detachable blade. Armour is preferential to clothes. Armour worn by a rival female she thinks she has to be worthy of and might improve her chances with Goku. How it shows off a lot of her skin and physique she enjoys, the cape adds a touch of regality and how it gets under the skin of Chichi tickles her to no end. Chichi calls her a pervert posing and strutting around wearing her armour. Queen Vegeta rebukes she is the only Saiyan alive not perverted by giving into sexual deviancy outside of their prescribed mating seasons.
It gets worse for Chichi as these antics have got her son thinking it is fun. Goten jogs out the house in his Great Saiyaman 3 gear he is using to make up for Gohan's absence in dishing out vigilante justice and thinks of this as some dress up game now they both have costumes on. The Saiyan based styling of his clothing she appreciates yet compared to hers it is lesser since it has no armaments and all her scars are showcased with her bared muscle as opposed to that identity concealing outfit. Goten is up for play sparring with her like this which she is for. This is not ideal for Chichi, her son playing with a strange woman dressed in the clothes of a little girl rubs her the wrong way entirely. Queen Vegeta accepts the sparring yet when she fights there is never any 'play' about it. This always worries Chichi for her fighter instincts can tell that what this mass murderer is aiming for is harm towards her child. Goku's view on this being a benefit in aiding Goten's fighting style for this is a kind of opponent he has to be used in facing is only stopping her intervening until the first sign that Goten gets injured.
Several minutes into the sparring under the watchful supervision of Chichi Goten gets distracted and looks off to the horizon. He still has no issue avoiding the low power level of Queen Vegeta and points off whilst looking back to his mum and shouts that Gohan is coming. This garners the Queen's attention as she starts focusing on that direction. With all these goings on recently Chichi suspects this visit to be more for business than seeing his family as she gets Goku to leave the training room. Washu arrives being carried by a flying Gohan and dismounts to immediately face Queen Vegeta. She frowns in revolt at what her dreaded foe is wearing and also mocks Queen Vegeta as a pervert for wearing the not-too tasteful outfit of a 12 year old. Queen Vegeta is all too happy to retaliate that she is free from using the armours of Washu's design and is nowhere near as perverted as the casual sex having Tuffles.
"Chichi, she's a bad influence to kids so here's something to get her outta your hair." Washu throws down a capsule on the ground at Queen Vegeta's feet, presenting it as a gift on Chichi's behalf rather than something to the Queen to soften the delivery for her. "A training room and healing tank - limited for your strength - take it and you can go off and train to your heart's content."
Queen Vegeta picks up the capsule and throws it down on the ground next to Goku's training room. In a puff of smoke the hemispherical room appears and she smiles at this offering to her majesty. So long as this one does not actively try to kill her with gravity this shall accelerate her plans to greatness magnificently.
"Training alone is idiotic. My male here knows hundreds of techniques to provide for my growth. Power is meaningless without the knowledge that all these other fighters hold over me. With Kakarot training next to me I shall know what my goal is. I shall go with this from that name on my grave and retake my title as a Vegeta by my strength gained here." She proudly states. Being a Vegeta does not give her the same solitary mindset as her son. Growing up in an army and fighting together she stands by the strength of the Saiyans as a people and is not arrogant enough to seek her strength only by herself and limit herself that way. "Kakarot here has even schooled me on a technique to free myself from being restrained to your scouters to sense energies, something I would not have sought out or tried alone. In the company of Super Saiyans I shall ascend."
"... This would be easier for me if you did not act a thousandth of my age like you are so much, your immaturity is grating when I have to reason with you. Have you made any progress towards peace and diplomacy with Jurai?" It is never a good sign when she wishes she were talking to Prince Vegeta of all people instead, his level of boasting does not come with such an air of sad desperation.
With an uninterested shrug as she walks towards the door to her very own training room Queen Vegeta says she threw away what she had written as it was unsatisfactory. She goes into her training room. Looking at the main console she immediately frowns. This is not in Saiyan lettering for her to use, it is the same gobbledegook of this planet that Goku can read. Washu explains that knowing how Prince Vegeta trains and how near suicidal it can be she has implemented this security level of her requiring someone else to work it for her so that she does not break herself and expire through training. The warrior Queen beckons in Goten and asks him to put on 10G for her, the kid sees no reason not to since that is a weak level for training. As her weight increase a pleased and relaxed face births on Pranis' face. She lays down and relaxes on the tiles, happy and delighted at this feeling. This is natural, this is what her body is made for. In her home gravity her body no longer has to work at artificial levels and she can just be and relax – no being careful with floating, no manually regulating her blood flow and an air density that suits her lungs.
From behind them Gohan steps forward and into the training room. Out of a pocket he pulls a rolled up wad of papers. Holding it out he states he has taken the liberty of drafting out a 30 page preliminary document for a Saiyan Empire legal structure. He places the sheets on the floor by where she lays and explains he took care into accommodating what he knows of Saiyans and it is open to review and restructuring by her.
"And you wrote this? When would you have been schooled in the Saiyan language to write this?" She suspiciously eyes him.
"Washu did not interfere in this document, though yes I did have to rely upon translation software within her lab."
"You doing this is quite the affront to my authority as Queen of all Saiyans and legal head of our Empire. I could engage you for execution on the grounds of usurping me – if you were female and a threat to my role as Queen."
"I'm not after any titles. First you have to accept this before you recognise me as a hybrid as a full citizen of your Saiyan Empire."
"I shall amend what needs to be amended as necessary, when I can spare the time to get out of this lovely room of mine." She smiles, satisfied with this exchange. Queen Vegeta sits up and slides the document closer to her. "Washu, are you here with any mind to accept my challenge to you?"
"Jurai is getting peace from you without a duel to the death and so as a citizen of Jurai I shall also decline you attacking me in the name of our cultural differences. I'm not going to volunteer to be beaten down and have whatever humiliating degradation you will push onto me." Washu is concentrating on keeping herself calm and composed as she speaks.
Queen Vegeta stands. A displeased snarl appears on her face. She presses the button on Chichi's helmet to fire its laser and a shimmering force field surrounds Washu and blocks it. She tuts in displeasure and watches the late reaction of Washu flinching.
"Yet I have to continue to live with the humiliation and shame you hang around my neck. You are so confident in dealing with me – what would have been the zenith of Saiyan might during our war – and even in Super Saiyans, and your war was lost and your weapons overpowered through a long and drawn out exchange. You held back. You went easy on us. I know you have more in your arsenal. You did not use it against us!" A roar bellows from the Saiyan at an opponent for over a decade not using their full might.
"Whatever weapons I design and maybe manufacture are not necessarily what the Tuffle army adopt. I am a scientist, I was not their general or any kind of military leader. The weapons not used for humanitarian purposes was not my decision even though I agree on that front with them. I did not want my people to die, but I also did not want our planet to die either." Washu counters. "Too many on either side were dying. As Tuffles we fought our war as Tuffles and not as you would by any means necessary. Far, far too many barbaric and cruel tactics were used against both of us. Our decision was sound, without that full moon our victory was steadily assured. Since your original home world fell your species has only dwindled in size, you were destined to run out of troops until you reach the population you face now."
"And you sit there thinking your hands are clean! You made most of the toys your weakling soldiers threw our way, you built that species into the force they were and were as close to a deity as they had. My war was with you as much as it was with the Tuffle people! Yet here you stand preaching innocence and possible victory whilst you sent others to die for you and your flesh unmarred from combat."
"... Your Oozaru scorched the planet. You won. What do you want from a war you walked away from as the victor? You chose to invade us, and the invasion-"
"Do not write off the orders of King Vegeta as some light whim! The invasion was inevitable. Your race or ours had to die. We had to grow as a species and the resources on your planet could not support both populations with our need for food. You know as well as I do how exquisitely rare habitable 10G planets are, we needed it after losing our original world, and if there was any other to take then your Tuffles would have spread to there too instead of all being on that lone red planet." She defends the Saiyans and their actions and how unavoidable their fight was.
"No matter who won that war the result would be the same. Frieza destroyed the world we fought over. The people on it destroyed. We both lost. I am with Jurai now as they took me in whilst as a refugee for my uses same as your son inhabited this world. … That war … it is over. If you want a Tuffle to kill then you have Kagato to face, he is not under the banner of Jurai like myself, he wants you dead." Washu cares little for their reason, she understands her point but in the end it was all moot.
"As if you do not." The Queen seethes back. She will not be stabbed in the back by someone pretending to be her ally after seeking her death the day before. Tuffles are not to be trusted in her eyes.
" … We need this to end. I need it to end." Washu forlornly sighs out.
"If you need something then why should I freely give it?" Is snapped back in response.
Washu looks at this young Saiyan woman. The same hatred consuming the warrior is even now threatening her rational mind. Together they are trapped and locked in a bubble 40 years in the past when near the other. It is ugly seeing herself and her rage reflected in this Saiyan Queen. Through it all though Washu is not yet blind enough to see they share the same reason for their fury at the other, and she can see right through into the Pranis standing there in her gift. Scars run rampant down her body caused by Tuffles and Saiyans and Frieza's elite forces alike. Those horrific burns and her cropped short hair are deafeningly loud reminders of what transpired throughout that war.
"I never wanted for children to be set ablaze, Saiyan or not." Washu softly speaks in a half apology.
"Your underlings disagree! You had me aflame and paralysed and deaf and inches from death, all for you, all done in your name, all by your soldiers, all with your traps!" She shall not hear it. Her face warps in wrath and a blast charges pointed towards the scientist.
"We know, Vegeta, I hear you in the night." Goku does not move from where he is and makes no action against Queen Vegeta's aggression.
Pranis dissipates her ki blast. Her eyes avert from Washu and the rest of the company and she recoils. She has been called out again. His simple words threaten the fractured foundations her identity is teetering upon. Queen Vegeta shakes her head and loudly growls whilst the eyes of Pranis are filled with terror. Washu looks upon Pranis and the devastation that both the past and her own actions with the piece of paper she gave her has wrought to render this Saiyan to appear so vulnerable. Queen Vegeta shall not allow mention of the emotions that Pranis holds that are not allowed under Saiyan custom, she shall allow no weakness within herself that deviates from the doctrine she has followed her entire life.
"Strike me!" Queen Vegeta roars an order at a confused Gohan. She issues challenge but only in fact that as a Saiyan she has to be hit, she has to be attacked and hurt to suppress and discipline her failings. If her son were here he would attack her. She needs this to get herself back in line. This is how she was raised and how she raised the child she survived birthing to parent.
"Gohan if you wrote in that complicated paper that kinda thing for her new Saiyan Empire then take responsibility and hit her." Goku speaks to his son calmly.
Queen Vegeta drops down onto the floor and begins rummaging through the many sheets to see what is contained about her Saiyan culture. No strike comes to interrupt her.
"If I wrote that then Goten and Chibusa would be in danger of harm of my making, and that wouldn't make me much of a big brother would it." Gohan answers and walks out of the training room to leave Queen Vegeta to incinerate the sheet of paper currently in her hands. She blasts at his uncaring back and screeches that she shall correct his grievous mistake.
Washu steadily walks up to the entrance of the training room passing Gohan and looks down at Queen Vegeta impotently raging to herself. Her forcefield reacts to the wild power of her and the document gets scattered into corners of the room.
"I do have spy satellites in orbit, you cry for your dead son like I do mine." She sadly speaks of the similarity they share, that she callously forced in Queen Vegeta's face.
The fingernails of her right hand crack as Queen Vegeta's hand strains and breaks through the forcefield to grasp at Washu's neck. She could squeeze so that the bones in her neck crumble but she wants her conscious for this moment to hear. Gohan instantly separates Queen Vegeta from Washu and holds back the enraged Saiyan.
"You might see my shame but you cannot see my thoughts! My grief is for birthing a Tarble not for the w-worm's perishing" Queen Vegeta lies.
"This is only a shame if you recreate the Saiyans into the same broken way they lived before."
"No Tuffle has the right to state how I, Queen of all Saiyans, can live and think, nor will I listen to your deception to erase the Saiyans. Our traditions shall live on through me even if my son strays bit by bit from its path."
"Goku-"
"Kakarot!"
"Mr. Son is the strongest of your species, and of any single individual I know. He does not adhere to your culture." If they are playing a game of names she shall throw in the face of Queen Vegeta Goku's formal Earth Title.
"For now. First the Prince shall dethrone him. Later on myself. This perversion shall be rectified." She barks her arrogant and ingrained desire for power.
"You choose to live by that Saiyan manner and you hypocritically seal away any chance with Goku, and so you fail then as a Saiyan being the alpha female who cannot attract a mated partner." Washu tries to see if some warped logic could sway the Saiyan.
"I don't care what his strange preferences for female company are once I obtain significant enough power to use in my season those thoughts shall not be relevant. Then my legacy shall once again be of true Vegeta lineage."
"For a species so singularly minded on ascending power and growth in combat you are moronically aligned to wallowing in an archaic mindset and not evolving your ways of thought into similarly strengthening ways."
"Those who stray from the Saiyan way die! We live by this way or we fall by the wayside and our corpses litter the floor by foolish compassion or life threatening hesitation. We exploited those very things from Tuffles and massacred them for it. There is no evolution in transgressing away from what makes us the absolute ideal for a warrior."
"You did fall by the wayside, all Saiyans have fallen to death, your great idea of survivalism and pragmatism and living by martial ability alone did not save your race from the extinction you face."
"Our end came about as the cowardly King forsook his title and his race. As soon as he had us surrender to Frieza he sealed our fate by selling us all out. He stopped being our King that day and I shall never forgive his failings."
"You lie as you did forgive him. Whether you held a grudge or not he was still your mated partner afterwards for the conception of your second son. You chose no other male out of all Saiyans but him."
"And that cost me my life for being a fool of taking of his sullied stock and it brought nought but a Tarble whereas before I had a Vegeta." She curses aloud. Resolute in not giving an inch as Washu backs her into a corner with words. Queen Vegeta thrashes to get release from Gohan's strength and spits at the feet of Washu. She rages on. "Go on and just say it instead of hiding behind all the falsehoods that Tuffle's wrought. I am a true Saiyan, yet what you want to call me is the same as every other damn weakling out there. 'Archaic', 'un-evolved', 'savage', you dance around that damn insult that has always haunted us because of those envying our power. We are not animals! We are no beasts! Do not hide that you are trying to call me a 'Monkey'. We are Saiyan, and we are people – damn you!"
Washu pauses as Queen Vegeta seethes at her – anger and fury pent up from her years living as a warrior and the discrimination that all Saiyans shared both under Frieza and from the Tuffle troops they fought. She growls out to be let go and for now Gohan obliges. He releases her arms and steps by the side between her and Washu to act if necessary. Queen Vegeta's tail swishes about restlessly in the air. She stomps a foot in frustration. Everywhere any Saiyan goes they always face hostility towards their way of life. In the back of her mind though she knows that the advent of Super Saiyans has come and abandoned her in the past, out of all Saiyans she is the one with least worth and is merely being humoured. She sniffs and rubs at her face.
"If I have to give up my ways due to extinction, then how is it not hypocrisy you not facing me as a True Tuffle here?" The Saiyan monarch finds some logic to refute back to Washu, to find an edge to get back in on this conversation.
" 'True Tuffle' … that is ridiculous. Sure my existence was put on a pedestal due to my longevity and what advancements I gave to my civilisation, but I am nowhere near a 'true' or 'pure' Tuffle. I have several genetic differences from the modern Tuffles you fought. 20,000 years is a fair few generations for most species – though not Juraians – and they kept moving on through a gradual process of minor evolution. Every few centuries I have to compare my current genetic structure to records I have saved, and if need be amend any nuisance mutations that have occurred within my cells. The way I live is not that of those born millennia after me, or of those born when I was truly in my youth. How I live is as a 'True Washu', nothing more, and by no means governed solely by my species like yourself."
Surprisingly for Washu she sees that her foe is listening to her counter argument. Her tail stands attentive. Saiyans are not the most learned of species in general yet due to their natural instincts and culture leading to a civilisation built around a eugenics program for selectively breeding stronger soldiers she is glad to see that at least Queen Vegeta understands the biology she speaks of. It does not leave much for Queen Vegeta to argue back with. She eyes the scientist. To be honest for the Queen it equally boils more down to her living like a Vegeta as no other Saiyan creed exists and likewise she is of old blood from before the mighty Saiyans ascended into legend. Being some ancient relic of the past is not a goal of hers. Queen Vegeta rebelliously raises her head and flutters the cape of Chichi's old armour.
"It is not nor never shall be your place to make demands to the Queen of all Saiyans regarding her lifestyle. However, one compromise I have already put on the table to appease the Earth lifestyle of the majority of my subjects already exists. You shall teach me on it. Since I am the lone ruler with complete authority over what Saiyan-hood should denote then if I so choose I shall adapt, but never from the words of another. Woman, you are having a marriage soon, I shall observe what it is and whether it is deserving of my Super Saiyan thralls to take part in." With the arrogance of a Vegeta she pushes ever forwards and invites herself to Washu's wedding on the grounds of what Washu is arguing for. She grins and holds a hand out to Washu. Splatters of blood steam and hiss down from her ruined fingernails. Her tail coils about her waist. By whatever means she shall become a Super Saiyan and take her place again.
This is not a hand Washu wants to accept. Sympathy for this Queen is possible yet that is a hand that has taken lives and caused immense pain. In no part of this did she want the cost of neutralising the threat of Queen Vegeta being her at her wedding. That is her day. A day she has waited for longer than the Saiyans have history. It will not be ruined by this barbaric killer. Though there seems little option in denying her. Washu recalls the agreement with Lady Seto, that could work wonders here looking at what Queen Vegeta is already willingly wearing. For lack of an alternative Washu tentatively puts her own hand out. Queen Vegeta seizes it firmly and yanks Washu fully into the gravity training room so they both stand under their natural gravity. The Saiyan comically shorter than the adult Washu pulls again so Washu goes down on her knees and tells the scientist to be grateful for the blessing of her company. Washu motions with her foot and Queen Vegeta immediately releases her hand and dodges to the side. A smug smile is on Washu's face as she stands up and leaves the training room with a comment about designing suitable formal wear for such an esteemed dignitary. Gohan follows her out and Queen Vegeta loudly slams the door shut to her training room.
The scholarly son jogs over to his mother and out from a pocket in the long lab coat he is wearing he hands her over some vitamins and supplements that he and Washu designed to promote healthy growth for Chibusa and Chichi. His mother warmly hugs and thanks him for this. Gohan looks to his father during his mother's embrace and warns him that he will have to take some responsibility for taking away Queen Vegeta's training room at night to prevent her training schedule running rampant like Prince Vegeta's does. Goku waves off that concern and says for now it might be better for this to run its course and her to get it out of her system now and find out the detriments to stressing her body too much before seeing the advantages of his more relaxed style. Washu looks back to the happy family.
"Chichi, since I want my own kid one day to have some friends of their age I am going to give you all the aid I can around little Chibusa." She begins, talking to the expecting woman. "You already know its gender but I have more information on the child based off its current growth patterns and genome that will be of use to you, if you wish to know."
Chichi looks to Washu with a sign of worry and wants to know what is important about her child that already has undergone a severely sped up initial gestation. She asks to know all that she can as she likes to be prepared and have a plan for these things.
"It is nothing alarming for the child itself. However, as the medical professional attending to you at this time I am urgently warning you to not go through with another home birth for your third child. Contact me and have Goku bring you over ASAP when your water breaks in several month's time. How much that child's power grows and possibly endangers you I cannot predict given your husband's monstrously high amount of ki and the differing potentials shown in both Gohan and Goten. You will need me to aid you in the birth, and it might be necessary prior to that for your safety for the sweet baby to be surgically removed and the final months of its growth to pass in an incubation pod – and do not listen to the horror stories Queen Vegeta can tell about how those operated during her time under Frieza's sabotage." Washu explains.
There is concern for the Son family over Chichi's well-being here. As strong a woman as she is she is still fragile compared towards Saiyans and their might. Even Queen Vegeta and her power was felled by the runt of Tarble, these dangers exist that Washu shall do all that she can to circumvent. Chichi's hands go from her son to around her stomach protectively. She anxiously asks why her baby would need to be taken from her.
"Chichi, I will not take or steal the child from you. The incubation pod can be safely housed within your house if you want so you can watch over her growth. Genetics has outplayed you and you as a mother are not safe. Chibusa will be a perfectly healthy and happy girl. She will also be inheriting genes from both your father's side of the family and Goku's Saiyan side. Goku knows how physically large his brother Raditz was, and Nappa, and those two were not the largest Saiyans got to. Your father has gigantism, and so too will Chibusa though amplified by her Saiyan heritage." Washu sternly warns Chichi of the impending danger of Chibusa's estimated stature and size.
A giantess of height surpassing that of her grandfather the hulking Ox-King when fully grown is expected. Washu has seen enormous Saiyans, the Vegeta line are outliers in terms of height and Goku is not much bigger than them himself coming from a 'low ranking' family. A C-section is the only safe method for Chichi beyond removing the growing fetus before it grows too large for her mother. Chichi's eyes grow wide. That is going to be one big baby and an even bigger child. The prospect is daunting. It scares her thinking how she is going to cope raising her as properly as she can. Beside her Goku makes a sound of shock and excitement. He claps his wife on the back and lets out a laugh, smiling and proud at this though of what his daughter is going to be like. She is comforted by his enthusiasm and lack of fear but stands there quietly absorbing this news of Chibusa's fate. Gohan smiles at his mother and reassures her that it will all be OK, whilst Goku turns back and shouts at the house for the guilty party of the Ox-King to come out as they have something to tell him. Inside the training room Queen Vegeta listens and grumbles loudly at this future female Saiyan who will massively tower over her in both stature and power. She shall not lose her royal status to a hybrid whether she is thrice her height and born from the bloodline of a Super Saiyan 3 or not. Her training as a Vegeta in this room made by Washu begins.