Videl pressed Navy closer to her chest and turned his face away from where Chayote swooped down, protecting his front from a flux of dust hitting him directly and causing sneezing and irritation. Mark Hercule covered himself up while his total mess of a suit and his unkempt hair rustled in all directions. Chayote sighed at the sight of her boy and could feel her heartbeat slowing down and tranquility washing her over.
Saying nothing, Videl gently handed Navy over to Chayote and stepped back by her father's side, smiling at the sight of a mother and her precious child being reunited after facing mortal danger at the hands of the people both of them were supposed to trust the most.
"So, everything went according to plan then?" Mark Hercule scratched his head, plunging his hooked fingers through an entire heap of dry and dirty hair to do so.
"Not quite," Chayote looked up while gently lulling Navy back to sleep and entertaining his playful tendencies by offering him her hand and all the fingers that came with it for playful wrestling. Being the little rascal that he was, Navy quickly became bored with that and began tugging at Chayote's hair.
"Holy mother of mackerel, what the heck is that!?" Mr. Hercule blanked out in terror after seeing the three artificial planetoids hovering in the Earth's atmosphere within the range of the naked eye.
"Something that Earth shouldn't be dealing with," Chayote grumbled. "A dark chapter from Saiyan history that's come back for its toll at the worst possible time, I guess."
"You mean the one that brainwashed everyone is inside one of those stations?" Videl looked up. "I can't feel anything unusual."
"It's because he's masquerading in Vegeta's body," Chayote pointed out. "Even then, the Ki signature disappeared a little while back."
"Is there any chance that this bad guy figured out it's a bad idea to mess with our planet and just bolted?" Mark Hercule wondered.
"None. The Saiyans have committed genocide against his people. That's not a scorn you forget or abandon just because of some bad odds," Chayote gritted her teeth. She hated every bit of this. No living Saiyan or even their parents or grandparents have taken part in the genocide of the Tsufurians. All that happened before even the fateful encounter with the Frieza Army. The Saiyans here have started new lives, became entangled with Earthling families, and changed their ways.
None of that would reach Baby. He's already shown how personal he's willing to make this by specifically targeting Navy to get to Chayote.
"Say, can't you just blow it all up? Just shoot a couple of those shiny magic blasts at those do-hickeys and blow 'em all up?" Hercule pondered with his arms crossed, staring at the apocalyptic sight of cybernetic planets hovering around Earth's atmosphere and causing gravitational phenomena like tidal waves and irregular movement of the tectonic plates all across the globe.
"It's unlikely that I can fight Baby," Chayote grumbled out. "He's already targeted my son to keep me in line. If I am to confront him and give him a piece of my mind, I need to know that Navy's absolutely safe."
"We can protect him!" Videl insisted. "I've become a great deal stronger while you were petrified, Trunks and I have fought against all sorts of aliens and Destron monsters and against the strongest Machine Mutants too. I would protect him with my life!"
A cheerful yell distracted Chayote while she was contemplating the idea of leaving Navy in Videl's hands and taking off to tackle Baby Vegeta and power-slam him through every mountain and hill on Earth. Upon turning in the direction where the friendly voice came from, the sight of Gohan hovering above and plunging beside them greeted their eyes.
"Gohan-kun!" Videl yelled out, rushing up to the teen and jumping into his embrace, much to Gohan's surprise. After the jolt of initial adrenaline washed away, Videl cleared her throat and jumped off of Gohan, stroking her hair nervously with a light blush. Gohan offered peace by extending his hand, ecstatic to move past the awkwardness, Videl answered in kind and the two held their hands and enjoyed the weight of the moment of both of them being alive and well.
"Something's going on with those two. Honestly, Videl won't even hang out with her school friends. I've even forgotten their names with how rarely I get to see them anymore…" Mark Hercule sighed, placing his hands over his hips. "I just don't like it. Being my mentor in matters of security, do you think this Gohan is a security threat to my daughter?"
"Gohan? No," Chayote shook her head. "Don't worry, those two are just practicing martial arts together. That will naturally pull people closer. Everyone I know met each other through martial arts in one way or another. It's a bond tighter than your quirky Earthling educational facilities. Even if she's into the brat, she can do a lot worse than Gohan…"
"You just had to make me worry even more about that last part, didn't you?" Hercule's face shriveled like a dry prune and his body wobbled weighed down like a deflated balloon man.
"Hey, we need to regroup somewhere, think about our follow-up. We'll need to deal with this whole three-stars situation going on in the sky, eventually. You coming with or are you headed home to your parents?" Chayote wondered, looking at Gohan.
"Oh, I'd love to come with. My parents will be more than little Goten can handle already, and I don't want to get in the way. To be entirely honest, I'm not sure I'm very good at taking care of little children…" Gohan chortled awkwardly, scratching his cheek in embarrassment.
"That's okay, you just need a little practice," Videl nudged Gohan's elbow with a smirk, making Gohan rub his own sore elbow and sharing a chuckle with his good friend and sparring partner.
"I kind of wish you didn't invite the boy stealing my daughter away from me into our home, but I guess it's your home too…" Mark Hercule rolled his eyes, looking rather disheveled and pathetic. Losing this King of the World election to someone literally using government funds to finance death machines loyal to the Red Ribbon Army really made Hercule look and act like a bum. Even if he was powerless, the Mark Hercule Chayote knew would've flipped out and made a loud scene about Gohan's involvement and his relationship with his daughter.
Then again, maybe he was more useful and less of a handful being emasculated like this. Chayote couldn't imagine the stress of dealing with Hercule's helicopter parent paranoia with everything else going on right now. She'd have flipped out and gone berserk long before even setting her sights on Baby Vegeta.
Steel wires slipped out of Baby Vegeta's limbs and slithered back behind the tiles, hiding back in the hidden compartments scattered throughout the Big Gete Star's labs and hallways. Bare-chested, yet fully recovered, Baby Vegeta slumped on the floor on one knee, using his fist for support before standing up and examining his refreshed body that felt stronger and tougher than ever before. And he already thought he was the apex warrior in the entire universe, donning the body of the King of Saiyans himself.
"Welcome back, Baby-sama!" a Machine Mutant scout cheered with a wave of its stubby, metallic arms over its head. "A successful, full recovery, it seems!"
"Baby-sama is back better than ever!" another Machine Mutant rolled in one lone wheel, cheering alongside his peer.
"We did as you instructed, when the three-eyed Earthling woke up, we sent him to the small Earthling village he requested to be sent to. You were right, he showed no will to exact vengeance on you or to attack anyone. As expected from the wise Baby-sama!" a third Machine Mutant with a long and thin middle section of a body that ended in a bi-cyclical lower platform reported.
"I see, that's great. This just proves that Earthlings are not bloodthirsty lunatics and don't deserve to suffer the consequences of hosting the maniacal Saiyans on their planet," Baby Vegeta nodded. "Now, I need to speak before all the Saiyans. How can I reach all of them at once?"
"Planet Earth has this thing called "television". It is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound via radio waves and projecting them on television screens, called "TVs" found in homes across the entire world," a Machine Mutant from the flock greeting the waking Baby Vegeta reported.
"I see, and this television is that widespread?" Baby wondered.
"That's right! Pretty much every home has a television set to witness the radio wave projections on their screens. Though, the problem is that they would need to all have their televisions turned on to watch you on the frequency we project you on," the Machine Mutant replied.
"Sounds like a hassle and a gamble. Do Earthlings truly use a communication method this shoddy?" Baby scratched his head.
"They do," the Machine Mutant insisted. "However, there are these things on Planet Earth, called "television stations" or "channels", that help categorize the radio signals. Meaning that all the signals relayed by a channel are sent on a single frequency. What we found out during our research is that most television sets on Planet Earth are specifically tuned to only receive signals from all the different channels. Though that still somewhat limits the viewership, because people split themselves into camps based on which channel they think is best."
"Hmm… Can't I just hover above the planet and yell really loud? I'm sure that I could amplify my voice to reach everywhere across the planet…" Baby Vegeta grumbled, realizing the problem he was facing in a part of his plan he had already been taking for granted earlier.
"That's right, but the pitch and volume of your voice would cause incredible calamities across the globe, causing hundreds of thousands of casualties," the Machine Mutant looked petrified to report this to Baby, someone whose voice reigned supreme amongst the Machine Mutant population and say went unquestioned. Though, if they failed to inform Baby of this now, they knew they'd face his wrath later, once this catastrophe happened.
"Darn it!" Baby Vegeta clenched his fist, hunching over into a semi-squatted position. "How do I get enough exposure to reach everyone on Planet Earth at once!?"
"Based on our research into Earthling history, some tyrants and conquerors have achieved great success taking over the airwaves or hacking into the radio waves and projecting themselves across all television screens at once," a Machine Mutant rolling on a unicycle platform pointed out. "That seemed to do the trick."
"Hmm… Taking over a television station sounds awfully intrusive. I don't wish to impose on the Earthlings' day and privacy like that, not to even mention hurting anyone during our takeover," Baby Vegeta stroked his chin, not enjoying that idea very much at first sight. "Are there any legitimate ways of getting on the television screens?"
"Several!" the Machine Mutant replied ecstatically. "Talent and reality shows are really popular on Planet Earth. You could probably receive unparalleled viewership if you came onto an Earthling talent show and delivered your message through an Earthling pop song, or you could shut yourself and fifty more Earthlings inside of a locked building for an entire television season and film your every waking hour as a reality show. Then, if you win that, you'd get some wonderful prizes, Baby-sama!"
"Hmm… I must admit that I have a rather melancholic personality, I don't really feel like just bursting into song. Besides, I'm not too sure King Vegeta's voice would fit that style of music. It's quite raspy. And that reality television idea sounds an awful lot like kidnapping, which I've already ruled out," Baby Vegeta scratched his head and tapped his foot, deep in thought.
"Oh, you could ask a major television network to organize a press conference! Popular television personalities and Earthling politicians do that all the time. Not too long ago, a popular pop idol had a press conference declaring the sex of her baby she was pregnant with. It was quite heartwarming if a little… As Earthlings put it… Extra," the Machine Mutant snapped his tiny, mechanical fingers as if this idea had been settled already.
"Excellent!" Baby Vegeta nodded enthusiastically, enjoying this idea thoroughly. "How can we make this "press conference" happen?"
"Well… We would need a lot of Earthling currency called Zeni, for once," the Machine Mutant pointed out. "It's why major television networks devote airtime to soulless, corporate ad time and send their prize-winning journalists to report the sex of a random Earthling baby that hasn't even been born yet."
"Hmm… How can we get some of this Zeni?" Baby Vegeta wondered with childish wonder beaming through his expression.
"Well, most Earthlings earn it through jobs. It's something they do for a measure of time corresponding nearly to the period of the moon's revolution and amounting to approximately 4 weeks or 30 days or ¹/₁₂ of an Earth year for a measly amount of Earth currency that's just enough to afford basic living accommodations and necessities like food and roof over one's head," the Machine Mutant suggested.
"Sounds… Grueling," Baby's right eye twitched. "Besides, I don't wish to put you all to work like that. Not that we even have an Earth's moon's revolution of time."
"You could inherit loads of Zeni from an important or rich relative. That's how most wealthy people earn their Zeni. It's either that or taking it from people who earn it through jobs by having them give it to you for one reason or another…" the Machine Mutant pointed out.
"I don't have any important Earthling relatives, do I? Besides, taking Zeni away from hard-working Earthlings who need it for living needs and food sounds an awful lot like a robbery. I don't want to commit any transgressions against innocent Earthlings unless they can't be avoided," Baby Vegeta pouted.
"Well, King Vegeta's wife is the president of the largest corporation in the world! She has her influence and hands in pretty much every single aspect of the Earth's industry or entertainment section and her Capsule Corporation is the most well-known industrial complex in the world! As her husband, you'd be entitled to a grand inheritance in the event of her unfortunate passing such as a missile blowing up Capsule Corporations from space!" a Machine Mutant hovering on a burning fuel jet above ground reported with a voice full of excitement.
"I'm not murdering an Earthling woman, if she is foolish enough to marry someone like King Vegeta," Baby put his foot down, scaring the passionate and murderous Machine Mutant into tucking behind his peers. "Although this gives me an idea. Perhaps I should contact her and request her assistance? I will also require clothes. I'm feeling a light breeze."
"We have Machine Mutant military uniforms and custom battle armor ready for you, Baby-sama!" a Machine Mutant reported.
"I'd rather not speak to the Saiyans and pretend to be King Vegeta wearing a Tsufurian battle armor or a Machine Mutant one. I suppose I will have to get my hands on some Earthling clothing… Though, I'd imagine, that will cost me some of that infernal Zeni too!" Baby Vegeta gritted his teeth with a scornful expression.
"Don't worry, the Earthling clothes-making process is elementary. We can easily weave anything you can find on Earthling television or on the magazines for you, Baby-sama! Much higher quality too!" a Machine Mutant opened a compartment, unrolling a compact conveyor belt with a stack of fashion magazines.
"This…" Baby Vegeta tapped on a male model dressed in a pink shirt on a cover. "For some reason, this feels right to me…"
"I see, Chi-Chi-san, so Goten-kun is alright! That's great to hear. I was wondering if you or Son-kun would do anything about Baby soon. Tenshinhan just went up there some time ago and a cerulean sky beam came from the Capsule Corps Star a few hours ago. Who knows if that was Baby Vegeta transporting him back to Earth or if it was a Machine Mutant agent invading our planet… I've lost any semblance of contact or control with that station," Bulma was speaking to someone before an alerting message popped out on the side of the screen.
"Mom, move aside, I want to see the baby!" Trunks whined, tugging at Bulma's skirt from behind and trying to hover over and behind her to see the communications screen.
"Sorry, Chi-Chi-san, I have a call coming, and it sounds important. I'll call you back soon," Bulma nodded her head and winced in apology for cutting the call short before picking up the call and seeing the image of her husband, altered with cybernetic patterns across his face and white hair flashing across her screen.
"Greetings, my Earth-wife. I was calling you wondering you if you could give me Earth currency for a press conference I could use to address my Saiyan people," Baby Vegeta waved his hand in a nonchalant greeting and a fake smile.
"Nice try, Baby," Bulma crossed her arms with a sassy look. "I know you've slipped your true body inside of my husband and are prancing around the universe inside it. If you're willing to negotiate, I'll pay you any amount of money for leaving Vegeta's body."
"Hmph…" Baby Vegeta grumbled. "Apologies for tricking you. I wanted to address the Saiyan people to get this out of the way. That's the only reason I need this body. Once the Saiyans collect the Dragon Balls for me, I will have no need for this body and I can freely relinquish it for whatever use you have of this abominable man."
"Dragon Balls?" Bulma raised her right eyebrow. "Why would you need the Dragon Balls?"
"You give me back my dad, now!" Trunks kept on pushing and shoving to get onto the screen from the side.
"Calm down and let the adults talk Trunks. You're not helping," Bulma tried calming her son down.
"Don't worry. I don't intend to cause any harm to Earth, to you or your family, or even the Saiyans. Even if they didn't show the same mercy to my people long ago. I have simply evolved beyond the primitive principles of eye-for-an-eye. I merely intend to use the Dragon Balls to restore the demolished Planet Vegeta back to how it was when it was still Planet Plant, that is to say, terraform it into Planet Tsufuru," Baby Vegeta said in a calm and reasonable tone. "Then, I will leave your planet and people alone and I will abandon King Vegeta's body for the body that my creators originally intended me to inhabit–Hatchiyack's."
"Good luck with that, dirtbag!" Trunks slipped over Bulma's head and pressed his furious face to the computer screen. "The moment you slip out of my dad's body, he'll blast you away with one go! He's the strongest warrior in the universe!"
"Sorry to say this, but by now my true body has matured to a stage where leaving Vegeta's body shall be incredibly painful to him. After I leave him behind and move on, he will be in no condition to attack me. If you waste too much time, I'll grow to my adult stage and, at that point, leaving Vegeta's body will be the same and shedding it, meaning certain death to him," Baby Vegeta replied even though it wasn't necessary, given the pettiness of the threat.
"Very well," Bulma crossed her arms and nodded with a tranquil look on her face, somewhat surprising Trunks with the fact she was negotiating with a body-snatcher prancing around in her husband's body. "I'll arrange an immediate press conference so that you can address the Saiyan people. Then, you will fulfill your end of the deal, right? I find it difficult to negotiate with someone who once brainwashed me and had me dancing to the beat of his drums!"
"I have neither the intention nor the use to lie to you. Also, I'd like you to know that I didn't have control over the parts of me that possessed you or the other Earthlings. Had you not extinguished them yourselves, I'd have crushed them myself upon my arrival. Please understand that the Saiyans have massacred my people without mercy, and treated them like wingless flies crawling beneath their feet. I only took over Vegeta's body because I had no other choice and did whatever I could to survive. It gives me not even the slightest amount of pleasure to be inside it. Frankly, it feels despicable! You have no reason to expect betrayal in a mutually beneficial deal," Baby Vegeta nodded in agreement while explaining himself. "Once we're through with this interaction, we will leave each other alone. The Saiyans will not come into the system Planet Tsufuru is on and neither Tsufurians nor the Machine Mutants will come anywhere near, let alone attack Planet Earth or its people. Saiyans or Earthlings."
"I can live with that," Bulma nodded. "Vegeta might not, but I'll keep him in line. I'm the only one who can."
"Hmph… You're one powerful woman, Bulma. You have the strongest warrior in the universe under your heel, it seems," Baby Vegeta offered a sly smirk. "I'll be awaiting future instructions once you make the arrangements."
Just like that, Baby Vegeta canceled communications. Bulma shivered upon realizing the similarities between this deal and the deal that her future counterpart made with Dr. Puri in a different timeline. It was almost like she just couldn't shake off the tendency of making dark dealings with the absolute worst of the worst. Though speaking eye-to-eye with this Baby, he didn't seem all that bad.