Vegeta was lightly dozing when the morning came. The bed provided in his guest quarters was far too soft for him to sleep in, so he had given up trying after about half an hour. The prince had instead spent most of the night sitting upright against the wall in the corner closest to the marble door. It was a strategic defensive position; if anyone entered unexpectedly, he would be slightly behind them instead of in front of them. After all, a warrior was always prepared.
His legs were stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankles, his arms loosely folded over his silver armor. Undressing for sleep was a luxury he could only do back at base, aided by the knowledge that Nappa and Raditz shared his quarters as well. Being on a mission though, he was more vulnerable, and thus the armor rarely, if ever, came off. This was about as comfortable as he was going to get, and so he tried to get rest, his head leaning to the side against the wall, his eyes closed.
Still, his guard was never fully lowered. Vegeta scowled and slowly opened his eyes when he sensed someone approaching, looking over to the white marble door. A few seconds later, it slid open, and Princess Kyanna entered.
Vegeta quickly got up to his feet, right as the princess turned her gaze to him. Kyanna was still in her elegant white robe, though now she had her long white hair loose, accentuating her soft red skin. The prince swallowed as they made eye contact. His dreaming had been stilted with him constantly waking up, his body refusing to let him relax enough to sleep soundly, but it had been filled entirely with the princess.
Kyanna smiled, a knowing look in her lavender eyes, and too late Vegeta remembered that she could read his mind.
"Good day to you, Prince Vegeta," she greeted. Vegeta just nodded once in greeting. Kyanna's gaze curiously shifted over to the bed. "Something amiss with the sleeping arrangements?"
Vegeta scowled. "The bed is soft compared to what I'm used to."
"Mmm, of course. I'll have that adjusted for you. A prince deserves a good sleep, after all."
"Maybe so, but I am also a warrior, so there is no need. I can make do anywhere."
"I am sure you can," she responded, her smile growing as her lavender eyes almost sparkled. Vegeta had wondered after her departure the previous night if he had overblown her attractiveness in his mind, but seeing her smile now, he was even more captivated. A mischievous look came over her face over the intense way he was staring at her, but she turned back towards the door. "Come now, everyone is gathering. It is time for business," Kyanna said, her voice suddenly turning serious as she walked out, with him following closely behind.
"So who else is part of this?" Vegeta demanded.
"You shall meet them soon, have patience."
"I am not a patient man," he growled, his eyes scanning her over from behind. Her hair looked so soft, he wanted to know what it felt like against his skin. He gripped his hands into tight fists.
"Apparently not," Kyanna almost chuckled. "Unfortunately, we must be patient, Prince Vegeta. Prudent, too. If we make a mistake now, then we will soon be dead."
Vegeta frowned and said nothing to that as she led him through the intricate maze of the palace. In the daytime, everything was much brighter, the sky above them a soft orange that made things seem warm and peaceful. He knew better though – there was nothing peaceful about their mission. Even the princess seemed to walk more stiffly this morning than she did yesterday, something that did not escape his notice.
Finally, they reached the end of a long hallway, and Kyanna motioned for large black marble doors to open. They walked into a large but enclosed room, intricate torches along the walls providing dim, rather ominous lighting. Soft orange flames pulsed beneath the glass floor, matching the sky outside. Instead of feeling warm like the sky, though, it felt like hell to him. There were others already there, mingling about, some eating at a spread that was hovering near the back of the room. Aliens of all kinds of races and sizes, a low murmuring as they conversed in hushed tones.
"We have provided food, if you are hungry," Kyanna said, gesturing towards the back. Vegeta looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "We will begin shortly, once everyone is here."
He nodded, then walked further into the room while Kyanna turned and walked back out. Vegeta quickly spotted Jhainer, standing to the side alone against the black stone wall between torches, and made his way over. The prince leaned up against the wall next to Jhainer, neither acknowledging the other. He was too wired to eat, crossing his arms and impatiently drumming his fingers against his bicep while he scanned over the other aliens in attendance; there were about 15 of them in total. His brow creased with annoyance and mild concern; only a handful were dressed like warriors, though it was difficult to tell how strong they were.
"What do you think?" Vegeta asked quietly.
Jhainer also crossed his arms over his silver armor, frowning as he did. "Tough to judge without a scouter."
"Only those three along the opposite wall look like fighters, though they don't look like very good ones," Vegeta scoffed arrogantly.
Jhainer's soft voice sounded amused when he responded, "Yes, and Nappa looks like a more dangerous threat than you, and Raditz dwarfs your small recruit from Planet Drokania, though the boy is twice as powerful. Looks can be deceiving, Saiyan."
"Hn," Vegeta grunted, frown deepening with disdain over the reminder that he was not as tall as he should have been. His gaze shifted to the spread of food that was vanishing quickly. "Did you eat?"
"Not hungry," Jhainer softly replied. Vegeta grunted in understanding, and then they both fell into a tense silence. Vegeta couldn't help but notice that this was the first room besides his personal quarters that was fully enclosed. He figured the conversations to be had, even at the insane altitude and with Kynton's rigorous vetting, were much too dangerous for the open air.
Finally, the black marble doors opened again, and Felsin walked in, followed by Princess Kyanna, who was followed by her father. As soon as Kynton stepped in, the doors closed, and suddenly all the murmuring in the room died, all eyes on them.
"Good day, everyone," Felsin greeted, and Vegeta noticed he somehow looked older than when he'd seen him at the tournament, the white fur on his body seemingly more worn than before. Even his large red eye looked darker.
"First let me say thank you to all of you for being here. Some of you are here at great personal risk, and we recognize that and thank you deeply.
"Let us be under no illusions regarding the perils that lie ahead. This mission is to eliminate Frieza and end his family's tyranny in the universe. This mission is extremely dangerous, and if we fail, everyone in this room will most likely die, along with everyone you have ever loved. All of you have been touched in some way by Frieza's cruelty, so you know that your deaths will not be painless should we fail. In light of this, if you are not prepared to do everything that is necessary, to include sacrificing your own life, please leave now. You will not be harmed, nor judged, nor stopped. We understand if the personal risks are too great, so now is the time to leave. After today, there is no turning back."
Felsin paused, and a tension filled the room. No one moved or said anything. After a few moments, he looked over at Kyanna. The princess nodded. She raised her hand, and a circular cut in the glass floor suddenly rotated and rose before everyone, forming a large round table in the middle of the room, along with levitating slabs around it where they could sit. Everything was briefly flickering with red flames, until her fingers drifted to the side, and then the table and levitating slabs became black stone. Everyone approached, settling around the table, except for Jhainer and Vegeta who remained against the wall. Felsin took slowly took a seat at the table, Kynton and Kyanna both sitting on either side of him.
"Now that we have your commitment, we must have your discretion," Kynton said, his voice strong, firm, and commanding.
Vegeta perked up; he could recognize that the man was royalty with the authority that laced his every word. For just a moment, the Saiyan Prince felt the flickering of something akin to camaraderie with Kynton and Kyanna, who knew what it felt like to rule over a kingdom that could be counted on one hand. Kyanna had alluded to him the evening before that they were similar in this regard, but it was only now that the sorcerer king was formally addressing everyone that it resonated with the young prince. After all, there were not many royals who survived after Frieza intended on annihilating their whole race.
"What we say in this room cannot leave this room," Kynton continued, slowly making eye contact with everyone there, his natural eye stern, which made his digital eye menacing. "A slip of the tongue outside of here can jeopardize not just our lives, but the fate of the universe. Even under the harshest torture known, you must never give in. Is that understood?"
Murmurs of agreement and nods followed. Jhainer and Vegeta remained stoic, neither reacting. Torture did not frighten either of them – in this regard, Frieza had trained them both extremely well. His brutal regime had paid off in both young soldiers having ridiculously high pain tolerances. Vegeta would bet his life that no one in the room could withstand more pain than them. The thought simultaneously made him proud and resentful. Vegeta's nose twitched, his fingers again drumming along his bicep impatiently.
"Would you get on with it already?" Vegeta peevishly demanded, drawing everyone's attention. "Tell us how you're going to defeat him before we all die of old age."
"See? This is what happens when you invite trash that works for Frieza," a deep voice from the table said.
"What was that?" Vegeta snarled, pushing off the wall as everyone suddenly stood up.
Jhainer instantly seized Vegeta's arm in a hard grip, stilling the Saiyan as both of them watched the alien who had spoken so daringly take an aggressive stance like he was about to fight the young prince. He was slightly taller than Vegeta, with dark skin and orange hair that stood straight up and ran down the center of his head to his neck like a mohawk. He wore a black uniform from head to toe with blue and orange stripes on the side over his ribs bearing some military rank in a language Vegeta didn't understand. A smaller and stockier alien with similar coloring and matching uniform seized his arm to hold him back. Vegeta sneered hatefully in response, braced for a fight.
"Enough," Kynton said forcefully. "Vegeta. Dassius. Stand down."
At that, Dassius tore his stare away from Vegeta and settled it on Kynton instead, his orange eyes becoming accusatory. "You did not tell us that these two would be here." He extended one accusing finger towards both teenage soldiers. "We know who they both are. The Saiyan Prince, and the Trikan shapeshifter. They both have slaughtered billions in Frieza's name, people we knew, people we loved. And you bring them here and make them part of this movement?" he demanded, his voice rising with his passion. Others looked among themselves, some murmuring, some giving Vegeta and Jhainer scrutinizing stares. "Do you realize-"
"I said, stand down, Dassius," Kynton ordered, giving the ranting alien a steely glare, his digital eye pulsing as well as the orange orb on his staff. Dassius grit his teeth, but shut his mouth. "I am aware of who we have invited to be here. The reality is that we need insiders if we are going to succeed. Vegeta and Jhainer are both favored soldiers in Frieza's regime, giving us direct inside access that we could only dream of otherwise. Let us not forget, they are arguably at the most risk by being here today." He paused, and then frowned at the teenage soldiers as he added, "In addition, they will help with the rescue of Orrin. We will discuss that more in private when we have a break."
Vegeta glanced back at Jhainer, who shrugged in confusion. Neither of them knew who this Orrin was, but whoever it was, the prospect of their rescue almost immediately eased the tension. Dassius visibly relaxed, as though a heavy burden had been removed from his shoulders. He stepped back towards the table and begrudgingly took a seat, accepting what Kynton had said, though he still passed Jhainer and Vegeta both hateful looks. Still, this was enough for everyone else to gradually sit back down, which was enough for Vegeta to step back next to Jhainer.
"Now that we've gotten logistics out of the way," Princess Kyanna spoke, drawing all eyes to her. Her voice was somehow soft and strong at the same time, the confidence getting everyone's full attention. "We will lay out what we have planned thus far. We are open to your suggestions on what to improve to better our chances of success.
"First, we will lure Frieza off base and invite him here to Planet Pilaz. Once he is here, we will launch three simultaneous attacks at three different locations. The targets are Frieza's soldiers, Cooler along with his father and soldiers, and finally, Frieza himself.
"The first attack will target Frieza's base, on Planet Frieza #21. The target here is not Frieza, but rather, the heart of his Galactic Army, his soldiers. Our goal is to kill everyone we can – obviously, there are some exceptions. Jhainer and Prince Vegeta, the other living Saiyans if Prince Vegeta wishes, and any slaves and young children who are not yet corrupted, will be safe."
A holographic picture of the planet appeared over the center of the table – the coloring was perfect for Frieza's base planet. Vegeta on sheer principle refused to call it home, refused to even think of it that way, though it was the closest thing he had to it. Red dots gathered densely on the northern end of the planet.
"The red dots here represent the population, which consists solely of Frieza's soldiers and slaves. In an ideal world, we would destroy the whole planet – but that technology is being saved for the second attack. Additionally, there are some we wish to save. Thus, we will attack directly.
"Commander Dassius and his men," she gestured to the alien with the mohawk, the one who had wanted to take a stand against Vegeta, making the Saiyan frown. "They are the finest galactic aerial combat pilots in the universe with the most advanced aircraft, a strength that Frieza surprisingly lacks in his Galactic Army, as he prefers ground assaults, hand-to-hand combat, and ki manipulation.
"We will exploit this weakness. We will rely on Prince Vegeta and Jhainer to weaken the soldiers beforehand with a poison that will either kill or drastically weaken the soldiers, before we use our jamming technology to neutralize all the scouters. This way, they will not sense us coming until it's too late. The lead technician on the base unfortunately will need to die beforehand so he cannot find a way to bring the systems back online – we will again rely on Prince Vegeta and Jhainer for that. Once the soldiers are weakened and cut off from their scouters, Commander Dassius will launch an aerial offensive while a ground force led by Lieutenant Mallax and his men from Planet Vylan, all skilled and adept with ki manipulation, land on the planet and neutralize from below."
Princess Kyanna finished, nodding to another group of aliens that drew Vegeta and Jhainer's attention. They were the aliens that the Saiyan Prince had easily plucked out earlier as fellow warriors, a stoic handful of men who wore black armor and carried what looked like swords at their sides, though the blades were not sheathed and were pulsing blue with smoke. Their leader, who he guessed was Mallax, shifted his gaze to Vegeta. The prince was comforted by the coldness in his eyes, eyes that were as dark as his own, the eyes of a ruthless killer. He could recognize one when he saw one. Mallax would need that if he was going to lead a direct assault on Frieza's men. He appeared young, not much older than Vegeta. His skin was as black as his uniform, a white scar running diagonally across his face from his eye to his mouth, nastily splitting his lip.
"Are there any questions before I continue?" Kyanna asked, her gaze moving from Mallax, to Dassius, to Jhainer, and then to Vegeta.
"You're going to have to do more than jam the scouters to attack base," Jhainer said.
"He's right," Vegeta chimed in. "Frieza constantly has the planet under surveillance, specifically for something like this happening. Even if you do jam the scouters, you'll have to eliminate the surveillance, which won't be trivial. The satellites and probes around the planet are poised to detect an assault and fire back. They won't be easily destroyed, not without giving your hand away."
Murmurs went up around the table. Kynton and Kyanna exchanged a glance, then looked at Felsin. "It won't be enough to kill the lead technician then. We will need a scientist on the inside of the technician ranks, someone smart enough to help us neutralize the surveillance," Kynton said. "We need someone with satellite expertise specifically."
Felsin nodded. "I will find someone." He glanced over at the young teenage soldiers against the wall. "If you two eliminate the lead technician, I'll find someone who can take over in their position, and we'll have our inside person."
Jhainer nodded back, but Vegeta scowled. "Also, the poison angle – a bit cowardly, don't you think?" the Saiyan asked, his dark eyes shifting to Kyanna in disapproval. "Do you not have enough faith in the aerial and ground attacks you are planning?"
"We have the utmost faith in both Commander Dassius and Lieutenant Mallax," Kyanna asserted. "However, we must not allow pride to come before a victory. Frieza's men do not fight honorably," she added pointedly.
Vegeta's lip twitched, his stare somehow intensifying, but he said nothing to that. While he had never been beaten in one-on-one battle with anyone outside of the ranked men in Frieza's Army, he had occasionally gotten more trouble than he'd bargained for on his missions because of his viewpoints. A poisoned, weakened, or generally not-at-their-best enemy would cheapen his victory on the battlefield, and thus Vegeta avoided such cowardly tactics and had no qualms about going out of his way to ensure a greater challenge. It was not an honor code – he had no such thing – but more to satisfy his Saiyan desire to fight the very best, to challenge his limits as much as possible. A few times, he had almost paid with his life because of it, but that was of no consequence to him. Death against the very best was always preferable over a hollow victory.
But he could concede that at least in this situation, the Ginyu Force alone would prove brutal to defeat, to say nothing about the other soldiers under Frieza's command. And so he remained silent, frowning when he observed Kyanna's own scrutinizing gaze on him.
"We will do what we must to ensure victory while keeping our casualties to a minimum," Kyanna added, as though speaking only to him and addressing the thoughts that Vegeta had kept to himself. His frown worsened, hating her mind-reading ability, as she looked around the room. "Any other questions?"
No one said anything. The princess waited a few more moments, and then continued.
"The second offensive will target Cooler and King Cold. It does us no good to eliminate Frieza and his forces, only for Cooler and King Cold to step into the void, or pursue us for vengeance. Thus we will eliminate them at the same time, along with all the men under Cooler's command in his Galactic Army. Our intelligence says the two Ice-jin almost always are together, on Planet Cooler #32, the homebase for his soldiers."
The holographic changed again over the table, but this time, it changed some kind of weapon. It looked like some kind of launcher of sorts, a thick and menacing weapon – the trigger indicating that it was meant for one person to wield.
"We call this weapon The Destroyer. It shoots out a death beam with enough strength to destroy an entire star system, but it can only be used once, as it will take many months to power again. It was built by our team of weapon experts who hail from Planet Tiragon but reside here on Planet Pilaz," Kyanna explained, gesturing to two small red aliens in white coats who nodded to her. Instead of a scalp, their brains were visible, molded with their skin. "They will be on the aircrafts with Vice Commander Rokk, who is second to Commander Dassius," she said, gesturing to the stockier alien who had restrained Dassius when he had wanted to advance on Vegeta. Rokk sat with his arms crossed, a tense look on his face as he eyed the holographic weapon rotating above the table.
"Together, they will use The Destroyer from space to destroy Cooler's base planet, thus killing Cooler, King Cold, and all of Cooler's men. Since our intelligence tells us that unlike Frieza, Cooler does not have sex slaves or servants, nor does he recruit child soldiers, we will spare no one. In case of any technical failure, Vice Commander Rokk and his men will take over and launch an aerial assault to destroy all life on the planet."
"Do they have the same surveillance as Frieza's base planet?" Rokk asked, orange eyes shifting over to Vegeta and Jhainer. The two young soldiers exchanged a glance, reading each other, then looked back to him.
"Not sure," Jhainer admitted. "We rarely venture into Cooler's sectors."
"He isn't as paranoid as Frieza, so the guess would be no," Vegeta added, scowling. "Best for you all to check though with your resources."
Kyanna nodded. "Anyone else?" When no one answered, she looked towards Kynton. "Father?"
Kynton nodded to her, then leaned forward, interlacing his real hand with his exoskeleton one on the table.
"The third attack is targeting Frieza specifically. First, we will lure him away from his base planet. We made an arrangement through diplomatic means for Planet Pilaz to be brought into alliance with Frieza's empire, and then orchestrated a ruse in which I had enslaved the planet. Frieza either does not remember my name from 15 years ago when he destroyed my planet, or he has sorely underestimated me – regardless, either scenario is to our advantage. This allowed for Vegeta and Jhainer to be here, and allows for the next phase of our approach.
"Upon Planet Pilaz being "freed" from my tyranny, we shall throw a parade here in Frieza's honor, and invite the tyrant here personally to celebrate in his name. We will evacuate the civilians first; fortunately, they already do these drills in preparation for the planet running out of resources. The rest of the men here," he gestured to the remaining aliens in the room, a mix of different races. "They shall provide the warriors on their planet, who will masquerade as civilians during the celebration. It is at that time, ideally with Frieza's guard lowered, that we will launch the third offensive."
He looked back at his daughter, who nodded. Princess Kyanna spoke, "We are not so foolish to think we can destroy Frieza in head-to-head combat, for we cannot know the full extent of his power. As such, I have created over the years a prison realm on a different plane using sophisticated magic, just for Frieza, nothing but a vast emptiness of space. Our goal then, is for my father and I to lead the direct assault and engage him in battle, to weaken him just enough so that I can transport him into the prison realm and out of our current plane of existence. Once he is there, I will collapse the realm back into nothing, like a dying star imploding on itself, and Frieza will be no more."
Upon her words, everyone looked at each other, having never heard such a thing. Jhainer leaned in closer to Vegeta, who leaned his head in enough for the Trikan to whisper in his ear.
"I've heard of things like this," Jhainer whispered. "It's black magic. There is always a price to pay."
Vegeta frowned, but did not reply. If it meant Frieza's destruction, then whatever price was paid was good enough. Especially since he would not be the one paying it.
"The energy that allows the realm to exist, the magic that binds it together and gives it the strength we need, is stored in secret, a secret only I know," Kyanna continued. She then paused, before asking, "Any questions?"
When no one spoke, Felsin spoke up. "In order to succeed, the three assaults must happen simultaneously. The timing will be crucial. We have not determined when we will move forward, for there are still some moving parts that must be sorted. We will go over all of this in more detail over the next few days, breaking down dependencies, especially on the technological side. For now though, let's take a break, and meet again this afternoon to break down individual roles further."
Kyanna then stood up, and everyone stood as well as the stone table and the slabs around it turned to fire again, descending back to the floor. The aliens all went back to talking among themselves, giving opinions and commentary to their cohorts over all the information presented. Vegeta surveyed all of them, his eyes hard, one gloved hand thoughtfully stroking his chin. This was it. Yes, there were others involved on the peripheral, but this group gathered here, above the rings of this one planet, would decide not just his fate, but the fate of the entire universe.
He had no doubt about his own role. The tasks they'd given him to do, he could do. It was less than he deserved, being cast into a supporting role, but he once again reasoned that he'd rather play a small part and save himself years of forced servitude, than wait for his time to come, knowing it would be many years before he could face Frieza alone.
Still, there was a low anxiety drumming through his lower stomach now, his eyebrows rigidly drawing together. The plan was not so simple and straightforward, and much could go wrong. A failure of any kind, a warning, a betrayal, a suspicion, a wrong look, and the whole fucking thing would crash and burn. Yes, he wanted this mission to succeed, as Jhainer had pointed out to him not long ago when they had spoken their treasonous talk at the south end on their base planet. But that did not mean it would.
It was one thing to say he was prepared to die – it was another to be in this room, with somber tones and tense faces, and hear these treasonous plans, which made everything suddenly feel so very real. Survival had driven him since he'd started working for Frieza, had pushed him through difficult missions, had given him strength to fight when he thought he could fight no more. He had a destiny to reclaim, and the weight of an entire warrior race on his shoulders to avenge; he had to survive, no matter what.
Granted, there were occasions when he tossed this desire to the side, moments when the pain of his continued servitude felt too heavy to bear and he was indifferent to death – even yearned for it. These moments were usually when he was punished to the breaking point, as though Frieza's lieutenants wanted more than to simply beat him within an inch of his life, but also to beat his very will to survive right out of him.
But these moments were also fleeting; his pride and strength always returned, and he would forge ahead, stronger than before and more committed than ever to surviving so he could have his bloody and violent revenge one day. Survival was an art form, a state of mind; try as they could to drag Vegeta away from that mentality and break him into the depths of complete hopelessness and insanity, they could only succeed in small spurts.
Now the prince had to place his life on the line once again, which was normal enough on his missions. But this was different. On his missions, he was in full control, thriving on the battlefield where he was very quickly gaining a reputation for not just his cruelty, but his expertise in battle. He was a bastard and a tough kill for anyone who dared try, but should he die in battle, he could accept that. That was the way a Saiyan should die – on the battlefield where they were most alive, dying a warrior's death.
What was harder to accept was dying as a casualty if this movement failed. What was harder to do was relinquishing control of his fate, putting it in the hands of others, some who even hated him on reputation alone. It went against every survival instinct he had, to give up control to this degree, to risk a dishonorable death; for the first time, he wondered if he had made the right decision.
Regardless, he was committed now. He had come and listened to the details of a resistance movement designed to take down the entire Cold Empire and the Planet Trade Organization. Not only listened, but agreed to actively participate. Even if he went back to Frieza and confessed, and begged for forgiveness – something he did not think he could ever do, for his pride would never allow it – his death would be guaranteed. In addition, it would be cowardly to turn back now, something else that his pride would never allow. He had made the decision long before landing on Planet Pilaz, and now he had to accept the full weight of that decision, no matter how heavy it now felt that it had all been laid out in front of him.
He caught Kyanna's gaze then, the princess looking away from her father who was speaking to her. She said something to Kynton, then motioned for the Saiyan to follow as she left the room. In his brooding, he hadn't noticed that Jhainer was talking now to Mallax, the scarred lieutenant that would lead the ground forces on their home base, both standing and gazing seriously at each other with crossed arms and conversing in hushed tones. With Mallax standing at an angle, Vegeta could see that his sword at his side was actually made up mostly of pulsing blue smoke – he had seen something similar before, where it became solid and lethal upon touch. He looked absently for the surly pilots, Dassius and Rokk, in charge of leading the aerial assaults on Frieza and Cooler's home planets, but they were no longer in the room. It did appear that everyone was beginning to scatter.
Vegeta pushed himself off the wall and left too, going after the princess, black cape flowing behind him. He also wanted out of the room and into the open air, where the weight of imminent death felt lighter. He wanted to get Kyanna's insight, having such a central role, and see what she truly felt about this plan. The prince glanced left then right, and then saw the princess gracefully strolling down the hallway, away from the others. He quickly followed.
Vegeta rounded a corner, and almost ran right into Kyanna, who had paused there as though waiting for him. He stopped just in time, frowning as he regarded the sorceress princess closely. She looked less playful now, her lavender eyes more serious and tense. She looked like the weight of the universe was on her shoulders, which he supposed it was. Still, it only increased his attraction to her, something that was undeniable now that they were close again.
"Best to step out and breathe, the air gets dry in there," she said half-heartedly, before her eyes became scrutinizing. "So what are your thoughts on what you heard?"
He scowled, eyeing her suspiciously. "Don't you already know?" he gruffly demanded.
"I'm not reading everyone's mind all the time, I have to concentrate on it individually. I was tuning everyone out when I was speaking, but I listened in a little to different men when Felsin and my father were speaking. I do not believe I caught your thoughts however."
It was true enough that she could not easily read the mind of another when she was bringing complex plans forth regarding overthrowing an intergalactic tyrant, and so when she had spoken, she had indeed tuned out everyone else. However, it was a lie that she had neglected Vegeta when she was not speaking. She had been curious about what was really behind the guarded, stoic, soldier mask that never wavered during the briefing.
Upon brushing the fringes of the Saiyan's mind, she was both unprepared and fascinated by the weight of Vegeta's brooding thoughts and emotions. It was entirely different to the evening before when he had been solely focused on his attraction to her, his thoughts dominated by an equal amount of lust and uncertainty. No, in the room during the briefing, it had all been vacillating between determination and wariness, a struggle between the necessity of surviving for his race and what, if anything, he was willing to die for. There was also an occasional, small trace of fear that pulsed dimly in the recesses of his mind, something he kept buried until the briefing was done, when it unconsciously began to manifest as anxiety.
It was normal, she supposed, considering he and Jhainer were the closest to Frieza and had the most exposure to him and his cruelty. Many would consider fear a weakness, the prince included; she doubted Vegeta was even aware of that emotion inside him. She thought the opposite, that some fear was good, for it meant that he wasn't stupid and he realized the gravity of their mission. The princess had listened to the others' minds as well, not wanting to probe deeper into the Saiyan's psyche than necessary (he deserved some privacy), but none had resonated with her own feelings the way the Saiyan Prince had. Despite the horrific cruelty Vegeta had unleashed in his short life, her attraction for him had only increased. After all, though she had not massacred to the degree he had, Kyanna was far from innocent and had spilled much blood of her own surviving as long as she had.
"Hn. Well, I think there are a lot of moving parts. Lots of chances for error," Vegeta said as he frowned, oblivious to the depths Kyanna had traversed through his mind. "Three simultaneous attacks will be difficult to coordinate."
She looked pensive, musing, "Hard to avoid, unless we get everyone into one place. From what I'm told, that endeavor is close to impossible."
"Yes, Cooler and Frieza have hated each other since I've been in their ranks." Vegeta paused, brow furrowing in thought. "Well, there are The Trials, where soldiers are tried in front of King Cold and one of his sons, and almost all of Frieza's and Cooler's men attend. But we just had one not too long ago, so it will be some time before the next one. Plus like I said, one of the brothers always misses it."
Kyanna nodded. "Yes, I've heard of it. A brutal affair, with a night filled with violence."
"Yes, it's quite entertaining," he smirked maliciously.
"I think the current plan will work as it is, providing everything falls into place."
At that, Vegeta's smirk vanished. "Do you trust everyone in that room?" he asked, his intense stare studying her reaction.
"We have vetted everyone as much as possible. We have no choice but to trust in everyone now."
"And you are prepared to die if that trust is betrayed?" he pressed, needing to hear her say it. It would not mean he would trust in anyone, for he was not capable of that, nor did he want to be. Trust was foolish, something for the weak, something that was beneath him. But it would help him sleep better at night, if he knew that the central player at the heart of this resistance movement was prepared to die for the cause. One could not emerge victorious in a difficult battle without being prepared to risk it all, and as he would not be fighting the key fight, he had to know.
"Yes," Kyanna answered resolutely, and Vegeta felt a small hint of tension in his shoulders ease. "I've run with my father long enough from Frieza. Everyone has suffered long enough…to include you, Prince Vegeta."
"Tch," the prince responded in disgust, as though she had offended him. "I don't suffer, Princess Kyanna. I survive."
Vegeta could feel her mood shift as her lavender eyes seemed to darken with a mix of desire and something close to understanding. She smoothly came closer to him, and heat flooded through him, his heartbeat suddenly quickening as she came just inches away. He could not look away from her if he tried, mesmerized by not only her looks, but her courage for being willing to die if it meant destroying Frieza. It earned his respect, which was not an easy thing to earn. Vegeta swallowed hard, staying perfectly still as this woman came so close that her breath mixed with his. She smelled like citrus mixed with fire, and he felt a stirring in his crotch as she came even closer.
"Perhaps one day, you can do more than just survive," she whispered. Vegeta just grunted absentmindedly, more interested in her body now than her words. Not quite knowing what to do, for he had (apparently) been too rough kissing her the night before, he subtly leaned forward.
Kyanna took his invitation, closing the distance and initiating the kiss that ensued, deciding to show him how it was done. It was not gentle, but it was not rough like his had been the night before. Vegeta's tail unwound from his waist, the fur standing on end with electric energy – a usual, primal response when he was enraged, and also, apparently, when he was kissed like this. His tail flicked behind him unconsciously in growing excitement. His first two kisses, one with Aradeen and one with Kyanna, had been rough and brutal, and neither woman had kissed him back, much less enjoyed it. Feeling Kyanna kissing him back, tasting the delicious warmth of her mouth and feeling her enjoyment, it had him rock hard in seconds. The pleasure he felt building in his loins was indescribable, pushing away all the rest of his brooding thoughts and anxieties for perhaps the first time in all his years working for Frieza.
Kyanna pulled away sooner than he wished, making him unconsciously growl from deep in his chest. Vegeta clenched his fists painfully tight at his sides; he hadn't allowed himself to touch her, and he refused to do it now, though the energy thrummed through him. Kyanna lingered close, both of them slightly out of breath as she whispered against his lips.
"Perhaps, one day, you will get to finally live."