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The Young Prince
Chapter 11
The argument started just outside the orbit of Rigel Seven's furthest satellite, when the differences between Freeza's cold, calculating tactics and the fury of a Saiyan warrior eager for battle became evident.
"Are you trying to get us killed? Nothing's happening in the northern latitudes; that's where we should set down."
"And take an hour to fly south to the nearest fight? It'll all be over but the feasting by the time we get there!"
"You don't fly into the thick of an ongoing battle!"
"Where the hell do you think Vegeta's going to be?"
"We're not going to be able to do him any good if we get blown up landing!"
"I'm not--" started Radditz, then glared at the control panel, swearing.
"Talk to me!" Zarbon said sharply as the pod hit the atmosphere.
"It's the signal from Nappa's -- from Vegeta's pod." Radditz tapped on the circular viewport, indicating a sprawling city on an equatorial continent. Blast fields and the spreading flares of explosions were evident from the upper atmosphere. "It's there."
Zarbon pursed his lips, and looked at the Saiyan. "So," he said.
"So," agreed Radditz. "Eh, who wants to live forever? This looks like it might be a battle worth dying in."
Zarbon muttered, "I hope we live long enough to actually fight in it."
Good thing there was a planet here to break my fall, thought Vegeta, hazily.
He managed to get one elbow under him on his third try and shakily pushed up. He couldn't see anything; he'd crashed into soft dirt that blew up around him, and now lay in a deep imprint roughly the shape of his body. One hip was dislocated; gritting his teeth, he forced ki underneath him to make a solid surface then slammed his hip into it at various angles until an audible 'pop' indicated his leg was once more in place, if not completely functional. Pressing his lips hard together to fight off the agony, he struggled to his feet and peered over the depression's lip.
He was surprisingly close to where his pod had landed, only a few hundred yards away. Closing his eyes, he tried to get a fix on anything that might suggest what he should do next.
He mentally sorted through the scattered ki readings: a solid group several miles away, individuals spread out between him and it. Summoning his will, Vegeta forced himself painfully into the air. The cluster was almost due south, on the other side of a glowing city he could see nestled against some foothills. The city itself was the scene of a ferocious battle, if the arcing traces of weapons fire and the faintly sensed explosions of ki energy were any indication. Nothing much seemed to be happening where he felt the concentration of (probably) Saiyan kis.
The logical thing to do, of course, was hook up with the larger force, see if the mission commander was there, and find out what was happening, where his great power might be most effectively used for the Saiyans to purge this planet.
Vegeta smiled, a slow, deadly smirk. He could care less about the eventual fate of this miserable world. Saiyans lurking on the edge of a battle were of no interest to him.
Setting his gaze on the city itself, Vegeta flew toward the area where the bursts of energy were the most intense.
Radditz saw the incoming impact with only seconds left to react. Zarbon gave a startled screech as Radditz suddenly glowed with his power, thrusting arms and legs out, disintegrating the capsule around them. Grabbing Zarbon by the nape, he began to drop toward the planet's surface.
Zarbon may have been in mid-air, but he didn't budge. Radditz released him and started to dive away, but Zarbon gently latched on to the tail at his waist and Radditz froze, too terrified of losing his tail to move. Looking at the incoming upper atmospheric, he knew he would prefer death to a half-life as a tail-less Saiyan.
A clear bubble of ki suddenly enclosed both of them. The missile impacted and exploded, but not even Zarbon's hair moved in the forceful blast. Particles fizzled and spat around them. The bubble disappeared; Zarbon let Radditz go. Spinning around, the Saiyan snarled at him. "You... you can shrug off a hit by an upper atmospheric...!"
There was a note of disdain in Zarbon’s voice. "You forget how powerful I am, Radditz."
"Why the hell were you arguing about where to land?"
Zarbon fixed him with a cruel little smile, his clear eyes glittering from the reflected light of planet-side explosions. "Maybe I just wanted to see," the alien said, coldly, "what flustered you." With that, he dropped rapidly to the planet's surface.
Of course a top Freeza operative, former or otherwise, would have no compunction about playing mind-games at the most inappropriate of times. And he already knew what Zarbon's kind were capable of doing... Feeling very much as if he'd been slapped without provocation, Radditz followed Zarbon down.
Zarbon stood thoughtfully on the edge of a crater, and did not look around as the Saiyan landed behind him. "Our boy was here," he said, conversationally.
The ground bore the marks of a recent battle, with faint wisps of dust and smoke still rising. The twisted remains of a Saiyan space pod were smashed into a smaller pocket, probably the original landing crater; a much larger explosion had since seared and collapsed the soil.
"What now?" asked Radditz, harshly.
Zarbon grinned without amusement. The Saiyan was royally miffed at him, which was patently unfair since he'd handed Radditz two opportunities to prove his worthiness as a partner, and the other man had failed both. He had not yielded to the judgement of the higher ki, and he had not trusted Zarbon to protect him. Sighing -- this was what he got for even considering a mammal as a partner, let alone a Saiyan one -- Zarbon moved a hand towards his scouter.
He paused, eyes narrowing. On the other side of the capsule something was crawling across the scorched plain. He heard Radditz take in a sharp breath, then release it in a chuckle. "Eh, Vegeta wasn't as thorough as he should have been," the Saiyan warrior said, faintly contemptuous. "Rookie."
Zarbon was fairly sure another segment and a few more appendages had once been involved in the distant creature's body plan, but it didn't seem to realize it was, for all intents and purposes, dead. Sighing again, he held a palm out and ejected a small burst of energy, just enough to dissolve it so it wouldn't bother him while he was trying to locate Vegeta.
The creature answered with a blast of its own that sputtered out of a metal rod it was clutching. The approaching glow dissipated his ki blast and raced toward them. Feh, Zarbon thought absently, some entities just wouldn't let themselves be peacefully euthanized...
... dissipated his ki blast?!
Dropping the arm he'd raised for a casual block, Zarbon hooked both his hands into Radditz's elbow, centered himself and expelled ki to move. The blurring displacement almost wasn't fast enough. He heard Radditz yelp as the blast struck close and the Saiyan ripped out of his fingers. Ignoring Radditz, Zarbon held out one arm straight, bracing it above the elbow with the other, and released energy from his flattened palm in a single, massive ki explosion that hit the insectoid before it even realize its targets had survived the first attack; without any form of shielding, the entity blew apart into unidentifiably small pieces of chitin that rained onto the newly-gouged earth. Whipping around, Zarbon picked out the outline of Radditz's form on the ground. "Are you alive?"
The Saiyan moved, shuddering, struggling to one knee. In the indirect wavering light of distant explosions Zarbon saw that one shoulder guard had been ripped away, rivulets of dark blood running down the bared shoulder and arm. "What was that!?" Radditz gasped.
Grabbing Radditz by his good arm, Zarbon took off at top speed. "I don't give fancy names to my ki attacks."
"No, you just wear fancy clothes and jewelry and look like a fancy fashion plate and you smell like I-don't-know-what and you confuse the hell out of me!" wailed Radditz. "I had it blocked, and it still -- what did that thing hit us with!?"
"Something that should have killed us," said Zarbon flatly as he flew, dragging the Saiyan behind him.
"But it had no ki...!"
"It had something better -- a weapon that can get through ki shields." He looked down at Radditz's shocked face and nodded, curtly. "Yes, I know; no weapon short of a high atmospheric or a planet destroyer can get through even a weak ki shield. That's what I've always been told, too. We were told wrong."
Radditz fell silent. Zarbon flew back up into the higher atmosphere, and looked around. The sky under him was traced with arcing small weapons fire; he could see the lights from two cities, one distant, both punctuated with spreading destructive flares. He flicked on his scouter and hissed.
"What?" demanded Radditz, finally pulling free of his grip and floating at his shoulder.
"Too much weapons fire--it's interfering with my scouter. But I'm getting ki readings--" Zarbon pointed at an angle, indicating an area beyond the closer city where the land was folded into small valleys--"there."
Radditz's gaze followed his arm. "Saiyans."
"Probably. Let's check it out."
"No, they are Saiyans. I can see battle armor--"
"From here?" demanded Zarbon in disbelief.
Ignoring him, Radditz charged up and sped toward the distant specks. Cursing under his breath, Zarbon followed him.
The predicament of the Saiyans was evident as they pulled closer. The warriors were pinned behind various rock formations by scores of natives, some of whom wielded those strange, impossible weapons. Glancing at each other, Radditz and Zarbon wordlessly split up to confuse enemy scouters. Taking the near-ground route, Zarbon heard the mini-explosions of scouters set too low as he blurred past and allowed himself a tight smile of satisfaction.
The Saiyans had started a fire between themselves and their attackers to act as an attractant for those bizarre heat-seeking anti-ki weapons. The insectoids were using more conventional weapons to chip away at the rock formations, but if they got around the wall of fire the Saiyans would be outflanked. Crossing his arms to shield his head, Zarbon ripped through the flames, swooped up and softly landed. Glancing around, he saw shadowy figures leaping toward him, and suddenly realized that the Saiyan ground troops probably had no idea who he was. No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than the closest warrior, in battered black and green battle armor, braced himself and raised his arms. The glow of gathering energy briefly highlighted a face with strong cheekbones, a hard, full mouth and a jagged scar across one jaw.
There was a flash from the Saiyan's hand. Zarbon folded his arms, prepared to deliver his best oh-was-that-for-me? smirk, but Radditz popped in front of him. The bolt ricocheted harmlessly off his chest.
"I could have taken that," said Zarbon, annoyed.
Radditz ignored him, staring down at the other Saiyan coldly. "Hello, father."
"Radditz." There was surprise in the other's voice, and no warmth. He looked around Radditz at Zarbon, frowning. Zarbon cleared his throat.
"Bardock," stated Radditz, as much of an introduction as he was likely to get.
Bardock was still staring at Zarbon. "This is--? You're--?"
"No," Radditz said, dangerously.
"Eh?" Bardock switched his gaze back to his son, then shrugged. "Well, if you're not mating, you should be off in a cave someplace."
"I'm well aware of what state I'm in," Radditz growled at his father. "Although how we are ever going to get this 'taint' out of the population with morons like you breeding indiscriminately--"
"I do not--!" Bardock spit out. He stopped, and then did a very un-Saiyan thing -- he took a deep breath, and calmed down.
Well, thought Zarbon in surprise.
Then Bardock did a very Saiyan thing. In the middle of a battle that could mean their end, he grabbed his taller, stronger, more powerful son by the throat and punched him hard enough in the solar plexus for Radditz to lose his footing.
Well, thought Zarbon again, resigned.
Snarling, Radditz planted his feet and glared at his father, one fist beginning to spark. "Come on," said Bardock softly. "We can do this now. Then you'd be in charge of the squad, wouldn't you, guardsman? If that's what you want."
Radditz grimly stared at his father, then turned his back.
"That's what I thought," murmured Bardock, contemptuously. He twisted a hand into Radditz's long hair and pulled, putting his muscular arm around Radditz's neck and speaking clipped into the other man's ear. "If you ever imply dishonor to your mother again, I don't care what class warrior you are, I will find a way to destroy you. Don't think I can't do it, guardsman."
Well, thought Zarbon for a third time as his thin brows arched to his hairline. Apparently it's not just the royal family. The entire species is dysfunctional.
Nothing in Radditz' face indicated he heard, let alone cared about, his father's threat. Releasing him, Bardock nodded brusquely at Zarbon. "So--you're back."
"No. I mean, I don't know who you think I am, but--"
"Ah. You're the Prince's plaything."
Zarbon's mouth set grimly. "Hardly. But I am here to find Vegeta. I don't suppose you've seen him, have you?"
"Who-- WHAT! He's here?"
"Somewhere. He swiped Nappa's space pod."
"Of all the bloody irresponsible--!" Bardock again performed that remarkably un-Saiyan feat of calming down, no doubt remembering he was close to speaking treason against the Heir. "No wonder we haven't been able to raise the Commander, and we lost contact with the mission head half an hour ago. We're cut off here. " Radditz's father stared into the distance, the flaring light from small arms fire and countering ki blasts casting warring shadows across his face. He said slowly, to no one in particular, "There's something I've been working on. Now's as good a time as any to try it out."
The absent-minded comment had an electrifying effect on Radditz. "Oh, are you thinking again? Ha! This squad needs a real leader!"
"Any time, brat. Although that would be such a waste of your almost Elite-level ki rating, wouldn't it?"
Radditz growled, and flung himself toward the shadowy figures of Bardock's squad. One of them, a female, patted him on the shoulder as he crouched next to her, speaking in a quiet tone as they both looked toward the pinning enemy fire. Zarbon watched for a second -- personally, he found the females virtually indistinguishable from the males, which might explain Radditz's peculiar attraction to him -- then turned back to Bardock, standing behind the shielding outcrop of rock with his brows drawn together. "Me, I'm open for suggestions."
Bardock started slightly, turning his head to look at Zarbon. He spoke slowly, his eyes slightly unfocused. "I have to get away from here so I can concentrate."
"I didn't see any indications of fighting on the other side of the ridge," offered Zarbon.
After eyeing him in marked distrust, Bardock spoke over his shoulder in one of the growling dialects of Vejiitasei's native language. There were answering growls; the female raised a hand and waved it, as if saying, go on, get out of here. Radditz, snarling, started to get up and turn toward his father; the female kicked the back of his knee hard, bringing him down, and said in Standard, crossly, "He knows what he's doing, baka. Let's see what palace duty has done to you. You do remember how to fight?"
Bardock watched his son settle back behind the rock, the younger man's mane of hair puffing out in his fury. He nodded at Zarbon. Climbing over the rocks; they did not want to attract the attention of the weapon wielding insectoids by flying; the two began to work their way up the dark, quiet hillside.
They had gone some distance from the fight when Bardock stopped and softly lifted off the ground. Zarbon did the same. The two turned back, looking at the distant curtain of fire that separated the combatants. "They aren't picking us up," murmured Bardock.
"I may have overloaded all their scouters."
Bardock gave a little grunt, and beckoned. Zarbon followed him as the other man floated over the rise and landed in a small, shielded clearing. Looking up into the sky, Bardock shook his head. "Put all those planetoids together, and you might have a viable moon. But as it is..."
Zarbon said to him, slightly acerbic, "Although moonlight does show off all my best features, I don't think now is really the time. Do you?"
In the faint light the shadow of a slow smile was evident against Bardock's cheek. "Saiyans always have time for the moonlight." He fixed Zarbon with a measuring stare. "I'm going to try a different sort of ki manipulation. If it works, this battle is over. If it doesn't;" he shrugged; "well, it was a good fight. If that damned idiot Vegeta weren't on the planet, I'd be willing to go out on this one."
"Of course you would," Zarbon said, not bothering to hide his skepticism.
Bardock narrowed his eyes. "I don't like you." His tone held faint surprise.
"It's mutual," Zarbon assured him coldly.
"Oh, but I liked the other one. Radditz's taste has definitely taken a nose-dive. Of course, he is in rut, so he's not going to be very particular. And you he'll forget five seconds after he's done with you."
"You have three seconds to get on with this," hissed Zarbon between his teeth.
Shrugging, Bardock turned away. Zarbon saw him cupping his hands in front of him, and a faint glow of energy rising from the palms. "Guard my back," Bardock said shortly. He turned his head and grinned grimly over one shoulder. "Oh, and if I start to turn into a big, hairy monkey, get out of the way or I'll kill you."
Zarbon snorted -- the whole race is delusional -- and hovered with his back to Bardock, watching the battle. He began to drift upward, frowning. Was the fire wall failing? Perhaps the insectoids had brought up some sort of fire retardant. "It doesn't look like it's going well." There was no reply from Bardock. Impatiently, Zarbon glanced down, and stared in surprise. He was suddenly casting a shifting shadow. "What--?"
Twisting around, Zarbon looked up into the sky at a broad bright ball of light that was just reaching the apex of its journey from Bardock's hands. He was serious about that moon stuff. The wretch brought me away from the fight to make artificial moonlight. Is there no sane member of the species? "Very pretty!" he called down, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "Should we get back to the battle --" What was Bardock roaring about? "--now?" Glancing down, Zarbon froze and blinked. "What the bloody--?!"
There was no Bardock. There was a great, dark, simian shape stretching up from the ground, massive fists raised to the sky, and a broad, furry head with an elongated muzzle just under Zarbon's dangling feet. Zarbon stared into angular red eyes and a snarling maw that looked like it could swallow him without noticing. The maw gaped wide--
--and Zarbon's battle instincts kicked in. He dropped straight down feet first, the fierce flare of ki energy exploding out of the creature's mouth catching and vaporizing the fluttering edge of his cape. Swooping between the creature's bowed legs, Zarbon spun and hovered behind it, ready to defend himself. The creature, however, just glanced at him scornfully over its shoulder and leapt toward the city that Bardock's team had been assigned to purge. Beyond it, impossibly, Zarbon could catch the fire-silhouetted forms of more giant monkeys, literally springing up from no where, all converging on the city.
The little Saiyan prince leaned near the regeneration tank, a wordless threat in his dark, scowling eyes. "We Saiyans transform too, you know."
That was Bardock, thought Zarbon numbly. He shook his head, once, to clear it, staring after the giant beasts in disbelief. They aren’t changelings. They’re were-beings. Were-monkeys.
Closing his eyes, Zarbon tapped on the edge of his scouter. As he half-expected, it exploded over his face. The scouter had been set to his level -- Vegeta's level -- and somewhere out there, in the city or beyond it, something suddenly had a ki that eclipsed both of them. A ki Vegeta's mind wasn't ready to handle...
Zarbon opened his eyes and waited with detached curiosity to see if the planet was going to vaporize. The planet remained intact. If Vegeta were alive, it could be just a slow-building reaction that had not yet reached critical mass. If the Saiyan prince were dead, then Saiyans in their transformed state increased ki by a much larger factor than the reported ten. Frowning, Zarbon regarded the distant backs of the huge monkeys. He would have to get into the city, perhaps beyond it, to see what had happened to Vegeta; none of those beasts were going to let him pass unchallenged. Unless...
If that was Bardock, one of those other creatures has to be Radditz. Steeling himself, Zarbon flew toward the city and the great monsters that were beginning to trample it underfoot.
Read The Young Prince: Chapter Twelve
Return to Vejiitasei Ascendant
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