Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Variations of Fate ❯ Discovery ( Chapter 14 )

Bulma dropped the last box with a clatter and flopped down on the couch. Savoya calmly sat in the chair beside the couch and crossed her legs, the barest of smiles twinging on her lips. "You know Bulma, King Vegeta didn't tell you all you have on your agenda for the day."

"Eh?" Bulma said, sitting up and peering over at the Saiyan.

"Well, there are loads of things you've got to do..." Savoya began holding her hand out, "...get fitted for different clothing for one. Apparently, we can't have you going about the palace and learning in tattered overalls." As Bulma groaned at the mention of fittings for clothing, Savoya shrugged and rolled her eyes. "I don't see why it matters either. I mean, you'll just be learning more engineering and mechanics and laboratory work. I can see giving you some standard issue lab stuff, but...I don't know. Maybe the King's finally lost it."

Bulma laughed, "I was just wondering the same thing this morning...You know, when he told me he was giving me the chance to learn more. I thought he was completely off his rocker, I mean--"

Savoya blinked at her.

"Oh, it's just a human expression. Completely and utterly crazy."

"Ah."

"Yeah, well, anyhow. That was the last thing I expected to ever happen."

Savoya grinned at her. "I think I'd've fainted or something."

"You? faint?" Bulma shook her head and laughed, "No, I don't think that's even possible. But...speaking of you. Did YOU know I'd be given this chance? And...why didn't you tell me?!"

"Er, well, I sort of knew about it," Savoya began, a thoughtful expression crossing her features, "But, it was only the possibility of you moving in here at the palace. And I was forbidden to tell you of THAT possibility. Sorry, by the way." The Saiyan female paused. "And, well, I didn't learn anything else until Salrud so rudely woke me up at 06:00 to tell me. Then, of course, I was still tired enough to just roll back over for another hour or two. And then...well, I woke up and ran around trying to clean up because I'm really such a mess--"

"HA. You? A mess?" Bulma exclaimed, quirking an eyebrow at Savoya. "A mess is Sukena...and that pigsty she lives in! How anyone can manage to live in that, I will NEVER know. You'd have to flood the entire suite with cleaning solvent to actually clean it at all. I mean...that place is just...DISGUSTING!"

Savoya nearly choked as she snorted out her laughter.

"You know, I had to install the new software and hardware in her room a few days ago? I thought I was going to gag. I'd never seen so much...non-sentient life scurrying around on the floor anywhere in my entire life, and that includes factoring in some of the worst slave lodgings and the cave system I grew up in! It's...a health hazard in there!" Bulma grumbled and then flopped down into the couch.

Savoya adroitly hid an amused smile. "Well, I understand Ava's been doing some "cleaning" around Her Highness's royal chambers."

Bulma cleared her throat. "That's one way to put it."

"But, she'll be doing some serious REAL cleaning in the next few days. Prince Vegeta is, as you know, returning in three or four days."

"That soon?"

"Yeah, that soon. Anyhow. We've done enough...loafing around in here. We need to get you fitted and then get you back here to do some studying. And then after dinner you'll need to take an aptitude test..." Savoya said, getting up and stretching.

Bulma groaned as she rolled off the couch and followed Savoya out the door. Fantastic.

Meanwhile, Ava (garbed in and guarded by protective gear) was stuck cleaning Sukena's suite because Sukena couldn't be bothered to clean it herself and had gone out "training." So, after clearing and disinfecting a spot on the floor, as well as spraying it for vermin, Ava plunked herself down and began sorting through printouts and clothes and disks and trash. Of course, she kept a canister of all-purpose vermin-and-insect killer at hand ... just in case something decided to sidle up next to her.

She made separate piles for everything that might have more use in store for it, and anything that was worthy of the recycling unit went into a stack in one corner. Sadly, that stack was the largest one. But, nothing short of that should have been expected from Sukena, after all.

Ava sighed as she continued cleaning the floor of the current room. It was mostly cleared save for the stacks of useful things and the overflowing pile of garbage.

There. She picked up the last useful item, dropped it in a stack and turned to eyeball the garbage pile. She sighed and then went about scooping it into the trash bin. Needless to say, it took a while, a good while in fact, for her to finish up that single room. By the time she had finished with this -- mind you again --single room, it was 13:00 and well past time for her lunch break, which her stomach had been reminding her of since 12:00.

Heaving a relieved sigh, she traipsed out of the room, tossing gloves, mask and surgical-like outer gear into a corner. Despite the grumbles of her stomach she took her good old time on the way to the outside and the slave mess hall.

She found Rory waiting for her at the bottom of the palace steps.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"Took you a while didn't it? My stomach's been killing me, Ava."

A slight smile tugged on the corners of the girl's mouth. "You didn't have to wait. Sorry though. I got a bit wrapped up in cleaning you-know-who's suite. It took me all morning to clean one room." She grimaced.

Rory gave a sympathetic shudder. "Stuff caked on the floor?"

"Something like that," said Ava with a wince, "but that's besides the point. I'm free for, oh, thirty, forty minutes? Let's get some lunch. You can tell me what you've learned then."

"Sure," said Rory. The pair traipsed off in the direction of the mess hall.

Once a safe distance from the palace, Rory glanced over his shoulder and peered about, making sure there were no Saiyans around.

"Okay, you know that Prince Vegeta's coming back in a few days, right?" Rory asked and when Ava groaned and rolled her eyes, Rory waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, I suppose Sukena'd remind you ever stinkin' day. Okay, well, the Saiyans are apparently, actually, in a way, underlings to this jackass Frieza and his father King Cold."

Ava blinked. "Yeah, I'd heard something along those lines...but...what's so important about them?"

"They're more powerful than the Saiyans..."

"...and?"

"AND, they're a lot more...well, they're a lot more violent."

"That's actually possible."

"That's what I said...but, apparently, yeah."

"Okay, well, the point is, even if we were freed from the Saiyans, we'd end up as slaves under Frieza and Cold."

"Oh."

"Yeah, exactly what I said."

"Anyway, these are the people Prince Vegeta has been training with and working for since he was like...seven."

"Wow. How'd you learn all this?"

"Listening in on Salrud's conversations and all that."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, anyway," Rory held the door open for Ava and motioned her into the din of the mess hall. The door clicked shut behind them, "Okay, well, I haven't even gotten to the good parts of the conversation."

"...and...?"

"Okay, well," Rory began, grabbing a plate for Ava and himself, "Here. Okay, well, going back to the conversation Salrud was having with this researcher in the archives. They didn't think I was listening. Then again I was 'typing' a report." Rory rolled his eyes at the stupidity of it all. He slapped a roll down onto his plate. "I mean, they fall for the oldest trick in the book. Um. Anyway. Back to the conversation. They were talking about -- get this -- human-Saiyan hybrids. They've been experimenting on those half-Saiyan kids..."

Ava gaped at him.

"Yeah," Rory said, absently slapping a chunk of meat onto his plate, "Anyway, don't stand there with your mouth open. Get some food and let's sit down before I finish up what Salrud and this other guy were talking about. You might fall over, judging on your reaction just now..."

So both finished getting food and found an out of the way table off in one of the corners. Girl and boy, away in a corner, secluded from the rest of the slaves. Luckily that doesn't look at all suspicious or devious: it looks natural...boy and girl, romance, secrecy, that sort of thing.

"Okay, so what is this about experiments...?" Ava asked as she poked at one of the rolls she'd put on her plate. Her gaze was locked on Rory.

"Well, they're basically looking to breed up an army of half-Saiyans. Apparently human blood somehow strengthens the Saiyan blood."

"So...they're breeding up an army?!" Ava gasped.

"I guess so," Rory said dismally, "Anyway. I thought I'd share that with you. So, um, where's Bulma?"

"Oh, Bulma..." Ava said, chewing on her lower lip, "I'd completely forgotten until just now. Crap...I need to go find..."

As Ava rose, Rory reached out a hand to pull her back down. "Forgotten what?"

"Um, well, Bulma's receiving extra training."

"For...?"

"For engineering and science and ... that sort of thing. King Vegeta...is giving her the opportunity to continue her education."

It was Rory's turn to gape. "Wow."

"Yeah, big wow," Ava said, biting into and chewing on a chunk of roll. "Mom was very surprised and also very proud and very sad...Dr. Briefs -- dad -- was a scientist, you know..." Rory nodded. Ava sighed before continuing, "...and Bulma follows after him."

"I guess I can see that," Rory said, smiling wryly.

"I just hope she finds whatever it is she's looking for," Ava mused quietly, "I mean, she's always wanted to learn more...I just hope that makes her a little more at peace with the world, you know?"

Rory nodded slowly, "Yeah, I guess you're right..."

"I mean, maybe...somewhere...somehow...she can influence it so that we are treated more fairly."

Rory nodded but said nothing.

"Anyhow!" Ava said with a voice and smile that were far too chipper to be what she actually felt. "Eat up! We'll have more changes to talk later, like this evening, maybe? See what you can find on..."

"You know," Rory began thoughtfully, "if Bulma's learning up there, at the palace...she'll have access to all sorts of information..."

Ava lifted an eyebrow as she ate a few chunks of a fruit that would be the Vegetasei equivalent to the grape.

"I'm serious. She'd have to learn things and...she'd have access to stuff...and...it could just..." Rory shrugged, "She could research stuff for us." And then he dug into his meal. Ava merely nodded.

Sukena was off sparring with Melopa. Not Savoya, with whom she would usually spar, as the guard was off on assignment elsewhere, or Kukora, with whom she was closer to insofar as friendships could go, since the girl was mending broken bones, but instead she was training and sparring with Melopa who happened to have a power rating that COULD rival her own though it happened to be a good thousand or so below hers. And, by the way, Melopa had been the one to deliver the blows that had given Kukora several broken ribs and a cracked femur.

The pair was going punch for punch and kick for kick; Sukena simply couldn't seem to shake Melopa. Incidentally, that probably had to do with Melopa's views on Sukena. Melopa despised Sukena, despised her more than Savoya or any human could or did. They had been childhood playmates and nearly every day Sukena had administered several bruises to the weaker Melopa.

Right now was payback time; Melopa was feeling rather vengeful and vindictive at the moment. She'd already connected both a punch and a kick to the face concerning which Sukena was so vain. Already the bruises were beginning to show. This was of course much to Melopa's pleasure and Sukena's great displeasure.

It was no surprise, considering the circumstances, that Sukena was the one doing all the outraged squealing and squawking while Melopa was the one smirking. Melopa was enjoying herself. Whether she won or lost, it didn't matter. She'd given Sukena quite a few bruises and had the spoiled Elite in quite incensed and in quite the little tizzy.

CRACK. Melopa's foot connected with Sukena's chin; Melopa quickly somersaulted away and took up another ready stance. Smirk.

Sukena half-squealed, half-roared in outrage and took off after Melopa, throwing several irate punches and kicks at the other's face. None managed to hit their exact target though they did connect several times with Melopa's hands, arms and shoulders.

Okay, so Melopa was taking the brunt of the fight, but she'd managed to bruise Sukena's face three times and Sukena's face and body were some of her most prized possessions. There's no sweeter feeling than revenge, especially when you've inflected damage upon one or two of your enemy's most prized possessions.

THWACK! Melopa managed to land a fist in Sukena's gut. Sukena went flying and slammed against the wall behind her. Melopa beamed happily as the other female stumbled up and waved her away, wheezing and coughing. "That will be enough for today, Melopa..."

After those words of dismissal, Melopa turned and headed out the door, whistling a string of celebratory notes. Meanwhile, Sukena was slumped against the wall, growling her annoyance and touching the now-bruised spots on her face.

She pushed herself up and balled her hands into fists. Rigid and tense, she stalked out of the training area. It would be best to get her bruises treated. They wouldn't heal up in time for Prince Vegeta's arrival unless treated.

"Salrud!" barked the King from his throne as he sat watching the security screen with only mild interest. He had a brooding look on his face and it was apparent enough that whatever he was demanding the little lackey's attention for, it wasn't anything to do with security. "Salrud!"

"Yes, sire?" panted the obsequeous little Saiyan as threw himself on the floor before the dais. "My...apologies...for...the...delay..."

"Ah, there you are," drawled out King Vegeta as he watched the Archivist's actions with scornful eyes and a derisive expression. "How are the plans coming for the festivities involving my sons arrival?"

"Oh, they're going wonderfully, Highness!" came Salrud's gushing though muffled reply; his forehead was still planted to the floor.

"Get up!" barked Vegeta. Salrud hopped up and stood stock still save for the frightened quaking of his body. "Now, Salrud, you have been watching over those in charge of planning the event, correct?"

"Yes, sire!"

"Good. Now, how are these...festivities coming along?"

"Wonderfully, Highness! There hasn't been a single hiccup!"

King Vegeta nodded thoughtfully. "Good. And...there had better not be. Here is a list of the human slaves I would prefer to have in attendance for their special skills." He handed Salrud a nearby datapad. "Please notify them that they are expected as...guests. My son needs to be introduced to these men and women, all of whom shall have great influence on Vegetasei in the future, I am sure."

Salrud wrinkled his nose distastefully, but carefully and wisely covered up his expression before King Vegeta gave it a second thought. "Yes, sire."

"Good. Now run along and do have Lady Sukena report to me."

"Yes, Highness." Salrud made his usual tail-between-legs retreat.