Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Against All Odds ❯ Despair ( Chapter 20 )

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ, which is a pity cause I could really use the money.

Chapter Twenty

Despair

Vegeta slid face first into the cold cavern, out of the icy tube that he had launched himself into in order to escape his eminent death. Following closely on his heels was Raditz's unconscious body that fell to a heap onto the ground with a heavy thud. Vegeta barely had time to kick him aside before Nappa tumbled out of the same hole.

Vegeta sighed deeply as he moved further into the cave, drawn by the tinkling of dripping water. His Saiyan eyesight allowed him to navigate, but the darkness was so complete that even he could only make out shadows. Behind him he heard a soft rustling and then a quick snap before the room flooded with a sputtering red glow.

Vegeta glanced over his shoulder to see Nappa holding up a flare, the orange glare casting him in a sardonic light. Looking ahead Vegeta could see a clear pool of water cradled in a basin of ice. Great crystals reflected the flare, lighting every corner of the glacial cave. With a grimace of disgust Vegeta was able to ascertain that there was no other exit from the glittering room. He knelt down by the pool, splashing the crisp water onto his face, washing away the blood that coated him. He watched the swirl of scarlet, taint the crystal purity of the clear water while trying to stifle the ache of despair that was creeping into his heart. He walked over to the nearest wall and with a tired sigh he slid down to sit on the ground. He swiped his forearm over his eyes to clear away the damp moisture that obscured his vision before looping his arms over his raised knees.

When Vegeta had spied the planet they were being sent to as punishment for daring to rise up against their repugnant lizard Master, he had shuddered as fingers of dread plucked at his spine. It hung, suspended in space, a frozen ball of ice that was bright and luminous like a shimmering pearl. Scans confirmed the temperature to be well below zero with the added wind sheer at a gusty seventy mph. At first glance it seemed as though nothing could survive on the frozen wasteland, but closer inspection uncovered a network of caves beneath the surface that housed some very large, white, furry beasts. The inhabitants of the planet were nothing more than dumb animals that in order to survive the harsh climate had developed an inordinate amount of strength and endurance.

It had taken them two weeks to reach their destination and they wanted nothing more than to finish their job quickly and be on their way. After landing they had entered the frosty caves, eager to escape the bone chilling cold of the surface. The first wave of creatures had been laughably weak compared to Vegeta's fully restored strength. Sure that the strongest of the beasts would live near the entrances, since the conditions were harsher, the Saiyans had ruthlessly pushed deeper into the bowls of the planet.

Raditz had fought like a man possessed, revealing strength that Vegeta never imagined the third class having. He lashed out at everything that moved, his blood lust feeding his growing rage. Vegeta matched Raditz's fury and together they had advanced wordlessly on the woolen subspecies, cutting them down viciously, recklessly wasting their energy, while ignoring the muttered words of caution from Nappa.

Then without warning the tide turned on them. Instead of becoming weaker as they delved deeper into the womb of ice and snow, the creatures grew fiercer with every kilometer. After several hours of heated battle, Nappa and Raditz fell into exhaustion, leaving Vegeta to work twice as hard until eventually even his massive reservoir of power was depleted.

Cut off from every avenue of escape, the beasts began to herd the Saiyans even deeper underground, until they were trapped in an enclosed cavern. With a cry of unobtainable victory, Raditz had surged forward, uncaring that no power lay behind his blows. The throng of beasts swallowed him whole and Vegeta lost sight of him for a several seconds, before he was spit back out by the undulating mob. He slammed against the far wall with enough force to cause it to crack, before he landed on the floor, broken and bloody.

The impact of his body shattered a thin sheet of ice that had covered the opening of a narrow fissure. Without hesitation Vegeta dove through the hole, dragging the unconscious warrior with him. Now here he sat, like a defenseless rat in a trap, waiting for death. His sensitive hearing could make out the sounds of the beasts digging out the trench, enlarging it for their greater girth. He estimated that they would break through in a little less than half an hour, not nearly enough time to regain his strength.

If they weren't buried beneath kilometers of ice and dirt they could retreat back to their pods, blasting off the surface until they gained a low orbit around the planet. Once out of danger, Vegeta could regain his strength and nuke the overlarge snowball from orbit and to hell with any punishment he would receive from Frieza. Surviving this mission was just one of his master's sick and twisted tests anyways. By killing all the creatures on the surface, it would prove that Vegeta was too strong and he would be put to death by the Emperor, but if he blasted the planet from orbit, then Frieza would never know the true extent of his power. Any low class warrior in the tyrant's army had enough power to blow up a world, but it was forbidden to destroy valuable property. Vegeta would gladly take his punishment, since it would mean he would live to see another day. However, getting to his pod was an elusive dream. There was no way that he was going to escape his frozen tomb of snow and ice.

"My Prince." Nappa's quiet utterance jerked Vegeta out of his thoughts.

"What?" He snapped angrily, he was bone weary and taut with fury so he had no words of consolation for the tough warrior across from him.

"Raditz will not last much longer if we don't get him stabilized. We need to put him in stasis in the pod." Nappa knew that his words were meaningless and that they would earn him a harsh reprimand, but he felt that it was his responsibility to keep his prince appraised of Raditz's condition.

Vegeta's lips pulled back into a wicked sneer as the scathing words formed on the tip of his tongue. When he saw the quiet acceptance in the older man's face he swallowed his bile and nodded his understanding instead. Six months ago he would have shredded the warrior with his razor tongue, but along with his new strength he had also amazingly found a very small measure of temperance. It would do him no good to reproach the man, who was only fulfilling his duty, loyal to his prince until the bitter end.

Vegeta rested his head back against the cold wall, watching the twinkling lights above him. He wondered what the woman was doing right now. She was probably cuddled up in some environmentally controlled lab, all nice and cozy while typing away at her terminal. He had long since run out of energy to control his body temperature and another shiver wracked his frame. He imagined how she would screech in outrage if he put his cold hands on her body right now. A small smile flitted across his lips as his eyes drifted closed. Behind his lids he saw flashes of colors as white, crimson and teal swirled together in a sickening dance. He jerked his head away from the wall, uncertain why the vision disturbed him so deeply.

Something sharp jabbed his thigh and he shifted to relieve the pressure. He reached down to pull out the cylindrical tube that had been passed to him before he left Primus. There was writing on the side of the capsule and he squinted to make out the words.

Care Package, it read in bold pink print. Vegeta rolled his eyes. It was undoubtedly the Onna's doing.

He popped the capsule, curiosity momentarily distracting him from his dilemma. Several items clattered to the floor and he pawed through them. There was another capsule that was inscribed with the words Gravity Room on the side. A thoughtful gift, but useless to him at the moment. There was a vial of green fluid that he recognized instantly. His lips curled back into a snarl and he almost destroyed the serum on principle, but reason stayed his hand. Perhaps he would, by some small chance of providence, have the opportunity to use it to his advantage. A vial of yellow serum sat next to it, marked antidote, Vegeta pushed it aside to look at the third vial. It was a shimmering blue liquid that he had never seen before. On the side it was labeled as Booster. His brow furrowed with confusion as he dropped the useless bottle onto the ground. Several syringes were littered in with the contents and Vegeta almost missed the holo chip that had fallen to the ground.

He cocked his head to the side, listening to the clamor of the creatures on the other side of the wall. He figured he had about fifteen more minutes to live and he might as well use the time listening to the last words of the onna.

He activated the chip and a six inch image of Bulma sprung to life. She was dressed in her lab coat, a clipboard in her hand and her hair was gathered up into a knot on her head. She was pale and drawn as a few teal strands straggled down around her face. She must have created the hologram only a few hours before the lab exploded and he was shocked to see how worn she looked. She had obviously not been sleeping well and he wondered if she had worried about him while he had been imprisoned.

"Hey Vegeta" she smiled wearily up at him, "I hope you are okay. If you a watching this it means we got royally fucked, but of course I have an alternate plan." He rolled his eyes anticipating her egotistical, "I'm a genius" soon to come. Instead she surprised him by looking up with a cheeky grin. "Of course I am and stop rolling your eyes at me." He snorted. "I heard that" was her pert reply. It was annoying that she knew him so well that she could pre-record her replies to his comments, but at the same time it was oddly comforting.

"Anyways, one of two things must have happened." She looked down at the floor, uncomfortable for a moment, before she looked back up at the holo recorder. "I'm either dead or you have been sent away." She shifted as a grimace flitted across her face. "Either way we have been separated, but as long as you are alive there is hope." She smiled subtly, her faith in him shinning in her eyes. Vegeta looked away guiltily, the sounds of his pursuers echoing in the cavern.

"If I'm dead, it doesn't mean anything has changed." He glanced back up at her image incredulously. Her eyebrows were drawn together and her mouth was pressed into a straight line, seriousness ebbing off of her. He could see the hard inner core of steel that had kept her alive for so many years. She was a strong woman who refused to buckle under the pressures of her unstable life, but instead twisted the world to suit her to the best of her ability. "We made a deal and I provided you with all the tools that I promised. I fully expect you to keep your end of the bargain. Once you have killed that bastard you will be given a list of all the people whom I promised freedom too. I know you will abide by your honor and free them. My agents will be watching you always and they will lend you hand when they can. They don't know what your intentions are, only that my dying wish was that you be kept safe." Her eyes burned into him for a moment and he shifted in shame. She was putting so much faith into him to save her and her people and here he sat waiting to be slaughtered like a suckling pig.

Suddenly her face brightened as she brushed away her dark mood and not for the first time he was unsettled by her mercurial temperament. "On the bright side, I could be alive and we are just momentarily separated by circumstance. If that's the case I will continue to work on some tools to help you get stronger." She held up a metal cuff. "I am already working on some gravity bracelets for you." She glared down at the object for a moment before shrugging and setting it down. "It's not really working out, but I'm sure I will figure it out, I always do. After all I am a genius." She snickered up at him and his lips quirked into an answering smile.

She picked up a green vial, showing it to the holo camera. "I have managed to reproduce the serum that the Resistance used to capture you," she set that down to pick up the yellow vial, "and I have sent the antidote with Red Ribbon to inject you with when they free you. I have included these in your care package, just in case you need them. I have also discovered something fascinating." She picked up the blue vial. "I have created a new compound that boosts a person's ki level exponentially. So someone who has no ki could inject themselves and suddenly find that they are ten times stronger or if you have depleted yourself you could use the injection for an extra boost." Vegeta sat up and stared at the image his mouth gaping open in shock as he reached for the blue vial at his feet. He couldn't believe it, the woman had pulled his ass out of the fire again and this time she didn't even intend too. He was so busy gawking at the vial that he almost missed her next words.

She frowned at the vial she was holding while shaking her head. "The only problem is that I can only get it to last for about thirty seconds, which means it's pretty much useless. I mean what are you going to do in thirty seconds?" She shrugged and put the vial back down. "Oh well, I'm including it just in case." He glared down at the bottle a plan forming in the back of his mind. Thirty seconds wasn't long enough to kill all the creatures, but it may just be what he needed to get out of the cavern. His thoughts were broken by the quiet voice of the woman.

"Vegeta. Just in case this is my last correspondence, you know if I am dead." A pale hand fluttered up to rest at her neck as her face paled slightly. "I just wanted you to know that for a brief while I was truly happy in the world that we created together. With you near I was able to forget what waited for me outside of Primus and I am truly thankful for that. I wish you success with all my heart Prince Vegeta, you deserve your own brand of happiness as well. I know you will avenge your race, you will accept nothing less." She gifted him with a sad smile before she blinked out of existence.

Vegeta's heart clenched as he allowed her words to wash over him. She was relying on him to defeat Frieza. She had chosen him to be her champion, in the fight for survival. He felt a momentary flash of anger. Why did he have to be the one to save the woman? How did he go from the ruthless monster that she had hesitated at entering into a compact with to her one and only savior? It was unfair. He had gone so long in life concerned only with keeping his own hide intact. He didn't even have to worry about Nappa and Raditz; they were strong warriors who could take care of themselves. Now he was saddled with the expectations of one woman and the overwhelming knowledge that he could not betray her faith in him.

Her actions on the base wounded him deeply, but he understood her reason behind them. If he had died, she would have been left alone without any hope in the suffocating darkness that surrounded her. Even though they were separated now, she waited for him to fulfill his oath to her and he could not disappoint her by dying on this iceball of a planet, crushed by substandard species that could barely reason.

He filled a syringe with the blue fluid, laying it aside as he quickly encapsulated the rest of the items, tucking them away safely before standing. Nappa had heard the message, though he had turned his head to afford his prince privacy and now he stood assured that Vegeta would have a plan.

"Pick up Raditz and hold on to me." Vegeta ordered calmly as he rolled up his sleeve to bare his bicep. Nappa slung Raditz over his shoulder and moved around to grab Vegeta from behind. Vegeta took a deep breath before stabbing the needle deep into his vein, injecting the glittering fluid into himself. At first he felt nothing and he almost cursed the woman, but then suddenly power crashed down onto him in a blinding wave. He nearly dropped to his knees under the intensity as his muscles swelled with strength and his blood boiled with energy. With no time to lose he powered up quickly, gathering his ki in the palm of his hands and aimed for the ceiling of ice above them. With a fearless roar he released his power, flying closely behind the tail of the comet.

Rock and ice crumbled around them, but Vegeta followed the blast as it burrowed its way through the frozen layers of the planet. He could feel his strength rapidly draining from his body and he felt a momentary twinge of panic that they would not make it to the surface in time. Without warning they burst through the skin of ice in a geyser of suppressed energy, the freezing wind nearly shocking his body into inactivity. He raced for their pods, gradually losing elevation as his power wore away.

Suddenly he had nothing left to give and he toppled to the ground in a crumpled heap. He was more exhausted than when he had first started and he couldn't force his weary body up out of the bed of snow that he lay in. The pods were only a hundred yards away, but they might as was well be on another planet, for all of his ability to reach them. He felt a strong hand grasp him by the scruff of the neck as Nappa dragged both him and Raditz across the snowdrifts towards safety.

*~*

Bulma lay back on the large soft bed staring sightlessly at the ceiling. It had been two weeks since she had been separated from Vegeta and she was now on Frieza's ship traveling back to Capital World. She wondered what he was doing right now. Getting stronger? Cursing her? Surviving? As her thoughts swirled around his image, an unfathomable cold settled deep into her bones causing her to shiver.

Her eyes refocused as her mind pulled away from him and she found herself staring up at her reflection in the mirrored ceiling. She lay naked amid white satin sheets, her body pale sprinkled with bruises and red scratches. She knew that she would have to get up soon to spread some salve over the bite marks so they wouldn't get infected. With her teal hair spread out around her she looked so frail, as though a rough hand could shatter her like delicate porcelain. She stared into her cobalt eyes, made darker by the shadows both inside of them as well as underneath. She was exhausted and all she wanted to do was to go to sleep and never wake up again.

She didn't want to go on anymore. She just wanted it all to stop. All the pain, all the humiliation, everything. She imagined how beautiful it would look if she were to slit her wrists here in the middle of the snowy white sheets. How the blood would flow out of her, along with all her agony and despair, spreading crimson pools on the white fields, until all she felt was the comforting chill of death.

She blinked as the sensation of overwhelming cold washed over her again making her think of Vegeta. She heaved a great sigh as his smirking countenance glared down at her, mocking her for being weak and taking the coward's way out. As long as he still lived then there was hope. She would be able to wait for the day that he would come back into her life and destroy Frieza. He may hate her for what she had done on Primus, but he would honor his oath and free her.

Her heart seized at the memory of his dark eyes blazing with loathing as he was dragged from the receiving room two weeks ago. His last look of betrayal was forever etched into her mind and it haunted her in her dreams. Before meeting Vegeta she had been aloof from those around her. She protected her loyal companions and saw to their well being, but she never connected with them on an emotional level. It was necessary to be cold in order to survive the sadistic lifestyle of Frieza's court. But without even trying Vegeta had broken through her emotional barrier and demanded without words, her unconditional love.

He didn't even know how much she had come to care for him or how much it cost them both. In the past she complied with her court duties without complaint, stoically enduring Frieza's attentions while silently plotting against him. Now that she was once again firmly in the tyrant's scaly grasp her soul screamed for Vegeta's, crying out for respite against the harshness of her existence, begging him to save her. She needed to feel the shelter of his arms around her. She wanted to lean against his strength and be reassured that it was going to be okay in the end. But his last look of hatred was burned into her mind and it offered her no comfort.

She felt a rustling in the bed and she looked over to see the slender back of a pale golden woman sitting on the edge of the bed, head down with waves of cascading platinum hair shielding her profile from view. Bulma followed her lead and sat up as well, gingerly stepping out of the bed. Without a word she took the young woman's arm and led her to the bathroom, seating her on the toilet, while she fished around for the healing salve.

Since the day in the receiving room back on Primus, Delia had not spoken a word unless commanded by Frieza. She never looked anyone in the eye, instead staring blindly over their shoulder. Gently, Bulma knelt down and began to tend the girl's wounds, like she had done every morning for the past two weeks.

"I was happy once." The whispered words, startled Bulma from her own thoughts and she looked wide eyed up at Delia.

"I had a husband who loved me. He owned one of the biggest factories on Avearn." Avearn was a production planet, it was one of the largest producers of parts and micro chips necessary to create most of Frieza's technology. They built everything from scouters to war ships and in return they didn't get purged.

"Everyday he would come home to the house that he had built me by the sea and bring me a gift. Beautiful dresses, expensive jewelry, anything my heart desired. He spoiled me terribly." She wasn't looking at Bulma, in fact it didn't even seem like she knew she was there. She just stared at the wall blankly as though she was speaking to herself or maybe to someone Bulma couldn't see.

"Then Frieza came." Her voice rang like a death knell and Bulma grimaced. Everyone Bulma had ever met had their happiness shattered by that phrase. In the end Frieza always came and the pain began.

"He was inspecting the factories and he saw me. Instantly he wanted me, because of my beauty. My hideous curse of beauty." She spat the last words and her face screwed up into a grimace of disgust. Her entire life had been ruled by the perfection of her face and body. Men pressed against her like animals in heat, demanding her attention, fawning on her like she was a living doll. They never saw beyond the brilliance of her golden hair or the shimmer of her flawless skin. They thought of her as an ornament to be displayed, a possession to be owned.

The only man to see behind the façade of beauty was Kale, her loving husband. He touched her soul unlike anyone had before. He spoke to her as though she had a thought worth hearing in her pretty little head and he treated her as though she was an equal. He lived for her happiness and in return she gave him her heart.

"My husband protested of course, but he died suddenly. A lot of people die suddenly around Frieza." Delia's hands were clenched tightly in her lap and she shifted her gaze from the wall to her fisted hands. She remembered clearly the day that Frieza's servant had darkened her doorway. He claimed that there had been an accident at the factory. An explosion that killed Kale along with several workers, but she knew the truth in her heart.

The man ordered her to gather her things and to follow him to Frieza's ship. She was to become a ward of the court and her wealth was to be confiscated for the good of the empire. But she had seen the sheen of lust in the Emperor's eyes the day before and she knew that her husband's death was no accident. The tyrant had wanted her and he arranged it so that he could have her.

Bulma reached out and covered the woman's hand with hers, providing her with the limited amount of comfort that she could. She was angry at Delia for her betrayal and still confused as to why the woman lied to Frieza about Vegeta's power rating, but she understood the pain of loss and what it was to suffer under the Ice-jinn's rule.

"I fought. I fought so hard that he almost killed me several times." Delia turned her head, her lavender eyes piercing into Bulma's azure ones. Her small body shook with anger and Bulma was surprised that the delicate woman had it in her. In the past few weeks, Delia had yielded her body to Frieza without comment, without the slightest struggle. Even Bulma, who tried so desperately to continue the game, could not give in so easily, especially after her night in Vegeta's passionate arms.

"I know you despise me and I don't blame you. There is nothing that I can ever do to make it up too you. Just know this, in the future if I have too, I will betray you again." Her vow was uttered quietly and with conviction. Bulma gasped and removed her hand from the woman's, staring at her in astonishment. After their time spent together, Bulma knew the woman's body more intimately than she cared to admit, but it was obvious that she had no idea what went on inside the woman's head. Bulma thought Delia felt remorse for her actions back on Primus, but here she sat, callously promising to deceive her again if called upon to do so.

"Why are you doing this?" Bulma asked shakily.

"I am telling you this so you know. I am tired if the lies, the betrayal. It`s best for you if you know the truth. I can't be trusted Bulma." Her words had a hard, cold edge that lent truth to her convictions.

"Why?" Bulma didn't understand why Delia would tell her not to trust her if she planned to betray her again in the future. By forewarning Bulma, Delia ruined her chances of any lies working against the blue haired scientist.

"Frieza has my son and I will do anything to ensure his safety. Anything." Delia stressed the last word while looking deeply into Bulma's eyes. "He took away my husband. He cannot and will not take my son!!" She hissed vehemently. Her son was the last thing she had left of Kale and she could not stomach the fact that Frieza had him. He was her world and she would endure a thousand years of torment in the seven hells to see him safe

"What about Raditz?" Delia looked away to stare at the wall again. Raditz was the one man since Kale that seemed to see beyond her stunning beauty and see her as a person. Not as a prize, but as an individual. Their time spent together had been precious and she would forever hold it sacred in her heart, but she could not allow herself to mourn something that could not be. Her devotion to her child outweighed any other relationship. Delia's first and only concern was the welfare of her son. Bulma having no children couldn't grasp the depth of protectiveness and sacrifice a mother felt. Small tremors ran through her body and the golden woman swallowed before she replied.

"He hates me now anyways, so it doesn't matter. Only my Jarrell matters."

Before the woman could say more they heard the door to the outer chamber open and they quickly finished their chore before exiting the room to greet their Emperor.

*~*

Vegeta saw Bulma stretched out naked on a field of snow, her cobalt eyes staring sightlessly up at him. The snow around her was drenched in crimson where the blood had flowed out of her. Frieza stood over the woman, laughing mercilessly at Vegeta. No matter how much he struggled he couldn't move and all he could do was stare down at the woman's lifeless body. The wind blew around him, shrieking with intensity. In the onslaught of the storm he thought he could make out the woman's voice wailing in sorrow. "Kill him" it cried and soon it was followed by more voices. The din rose until it sounded as though millions of voices filled the air, all chanting, "kill him" over and over again in the language of his dead race. Unable to withstand the incredible volume, Vegeta fell to his knees covering his bleeding ears in desperation, while Frieza still laughed down at him.

Vegeta shot awake, confused for a moment as to where he was. Realization dawned on him as the pale planet floated into view. He felt anger and helplessness rise up inside of him. If he was too weak to destroy some brainless animals on a frozen world, how would he ever defeat Frieza, the strongest being in the universe? Vegeta glared at the offending planet, frustration spilling though him as his keen mind worked furiously.

By now the woman was probably back on Capital World safely ensconced in her laboratory, inventing some brilliant gadget. His dream was nothing more than conjuration of his feelings of inadequacy and was not a precursor to future events. Frieza would not kill a woman that was so valuable to him.

Vegeta's brow furrowed as the image appeared in his mind and he examined it with deliberate detachment. The blood that stained the ground was mainly around her hands that were flung wide away from her body. On her wrists were long bloody gashes that could only be self inflicted.

Vegeta flinched at the new insight to his dream. While he was asleep he had assumed that Frieza had killed the woman and was laughing at Vegeta with scorn, but now he realized what he was really seeing was the woman taking her own life. Vegeta shook his head knowing that Bulma would never do that to herself and he had nothing to worry about.

Unless she lost all hope.

Vegeta's growling echoed in the small pod as the stray thought infiltrated his mind. There was no reason for her to loose hope, she made sure that he got away from Frieza and she would undoubtedly hear that he had survived this mission. He would blow up the planet and be on his way.

You are too weak to kill those pathetic ice beasts and you are too weak to kill Frieza.

Even though the woman had provided him with a GR, he would not be able to use it daily. In fact he would only have access to it when he was sent away on purge missions and no one was around to witness his training. He would have to leave the purges to Nappa and Raditz and try to spend as much time on the planets as he could get away with. At that pace his ability to increase his strength would slow to crawl and it could take him years before he was strong enough to fight Frieza.

Years that she doesn't have.

Vegeta could be indefinitely patient as long as he had an achievable goal. He would stalk his prey until the perfect opportunity arose, but instinctively he knew that Bulma was at the end of the line. Mentally she was one of the strongest people he knew, but he also knew that she would not be able to withstand the pressures of living in Frieza's court much longer. If left without any hope, she may choose to escape any way she could.

Vegeta glanced down at the planet and made his decision in the space of a heartbeat. He needed to become stronger and walking away from such a prime opportunity would be wasteful.

He opened a comlink to Nappa to relay his next orders. The nearest world happened to be right outside of the badlands. The area of space that was claimed by no one and was infested with criminals and cut throats, which meant the planet itself was not entirely hospitable, but was an excellent place to hole up if one needed too. Nappa would take Raditz to get healed and then rent a room in a seedy area of one of the cities. Nappa would then make sure that a steady supply of alcohol was shipped up to the room while complaining loudly to anyone who would listen that his prince would not leave the room no matter how much he coaxed.

If all went well, word would get back to Frieza that Vegeta had gone on a binger and would not be returning to duty anytime soon. This would give Vegeta the time necessary to go down onto the planet and methodically clean out the den of beasts, increasing his power every step of the way. Now that he knew what to watch for, he would not get trapped again. Dumb as they may be, the ice creatures were the only challenge for hundreds of light years and he would sacrifice them at the alter of power. Once he had killed them all, he would open up the GR and train vigorously for as long as possible.

He figured that he would have about a month before anyone would become suspicious and wonder why he still hadn't left his room on the neighboring planet. Once done he would blow up this iceball and Frieza would never know any different.

He would report back to duty and take his punishment for destroying the world and then going awol for a month. His power still wouldn't be great enough to defeat Frieza but he would be much closer than he was now. With a breath of steady determination, Vegeta set the coordinates of his pod to land near the ice caves so he might begin his newest challenge.