Bulma snaked her way cautiously down the confining metal tube thanking Kami for the undeniable fact that she had a slight frame. The cool metal walls pressed in on her from all sides and the total darkness was daunting but she had also always held the singular talent for calling up her more sterling and admiral qualities when necessary. Her determination to get off of this world without help or assistance had spurred her to attempt an escape on the same day as her imprisonment. Not only would this be the last thing the almighty Doctor and his sneering lackey expected but also it was what her pride demanded. Bulma Briefs would show all of the superior inhabitants of this planet she was better than all of them. Lastly, the human woman huffily allotted herself to muse on the fact that without her presence her son would entirely be left in the hands of his father and molded into "the perfect little saiyajin warrior". Vegeta likewise, despite what the short prick thought, would be lost without her. Her father’s Company would go down hill without her as well and Chi Chi wouldn’t have a friendly shoulder to lean on. Hell, she was indispensable and no one was going to suffer due to the lack of her presence.

The scrape of her elbows across a rough edge made her wince. She stopped and looked down squinting in the face of the small patches and pinpoints of illumination as they flooded her face. As her eyes grew accustomed to the light she looked down to see she had arrived over the cloning laboratory and she smirked in a manner worthy of her mate. It was deserted just as she’d hoped.

Unable to move her elbow, she crooked her wrist at an angle and shoved her hand down her shirt retrieving the thin device from between her bosoms. Pressing the end rewarded her with a soft hum and a thin lance of blue light. Quickly, she directed its beam at the floor of her prison. The laser quickly melted a path as she arced and guided it slowly back and forth burning an exit. Bulma smiled again as she watch the red glowing metal shrink back in the white-hot heat of the beam. This method would take longer to make an exit but it was less risky than cutting apiece out that would fall to the floor and loudly announce her presence. All she had to do now was be patient.

***

Vegeta walked briskly down the corridors his every sense alert to all that surrounded him. He knew it wouldn’t be so easy a task to escape Frigid’s planet. No doubt a trap had been laid by one of the twins, if Frigid hadn’t in one of his more rare lucid moments thought of it.

"I’m impressed that you committed the path back to the ship to memory" 17 remarked "I didn’t think a fleshly being capable of the task."

"I did not survive all of those years among Freeza’s treacherous ranks by being unobservant" Vegeta snorted in defiance of the cyborg’s derision.

"So tell me partner of mine, from experience" 17 continued in an irritating tone "do you expect we’ll be able to exit here without much resistance?"

"It depends on who formulated the attack plan" Vegeta answered "if it was one of the twins then it won’t be easy."

"I see" 17 commented falling silent once again. "Do you believe that they will attack us themselves?" searching for any audible signs of an invisible pursuit.

"Unlikely" Vegeta replied "all of the Colds dislike dirtying their hands when they have minions to do the work for them. You have to win the honor of deserving their personal attention before they will intervene."

"And you, great Saiyajin Prince, haven’t earned that honor?" 17 asked wryly halting in the large circular room. "I’m disappointed."

"They remember me as I was 12 years ago" Vegeta answered with a devilish grin.

Both men grew silent as their superior hearing caught a sound ahead of them in the passages to the front and flanking them where the lighting was suspiciously dimmer. 17 grinned at the careless signal of attack but Vegeta frowned. It was too obvious, too convenient for the saiyajin’s taste. He had little time to dwell on it further as a dark howl issued from the dimly lit passage chilling his blood. It was a cry part barbaric yet clarion in its purpose and assaulting him in unmistakable memory, a saiyajin battle cry. Suddenly, a rush of hundreds of men came pouring into chamber all wearing the faces of

Vegeta’s longest companions from Freeza’s service. For a moment the saiyajin froze in consternation and horror seeing the keen features of Radditz and the dark visage of Nappa charging towards him from several fronts.

***

Bulma landed with an unladylike thud onto the floor of the room. Sucking in her breath as the yelp tried to escape her mouth she listened intently for any sound. Although she had made certain that there were no censors in the room to detect her she had hoped to make her entrance a little more quietly but no harm seemed to have been done.

Rising slowly to her feet while rubbing her posterior Bulma squinted in the eerie green light glowing from the maturation chambers surrounding her. The door to the storage facility was just up ahead. Listening carefully again she crept on tiptoe into the even darker inner chamber. Gazing into the ports of the stasis pods she advanced down the row until she arrived at her target. It was a pod containing a very skinny purple alien. When she had seen it earlier it appeared that didn’t take up the entire pod leaving her just enough space to cram inside. Of course it was a definite plus that it breathed oxygen.

Bulma smirked very pleased with herself. The oh-so-superior-man-child-machine had made a particular point about how the only way to get off of the Machine Planet was with their transports and so that’s just what she was going to do. They didn’t scan the pods for life signs before loading them, and even if they did Vegeta had time and again made the point of how difficult her "pitiful ki" was to pick up in a group, so the chances she could hitch a ride hiding behind this creature and avoid detection were rather good.

Reaching out she ran her hands over the polished metal until they came to rest on the controls. Closing her eyes she mentally prepared for the hard task ahead of her. Her memory had always been remarkable and she could still see the sequence she had witnessed the meaty fingered technician enter clearly in her mind’s eye but it was what to do after that where she was at a loss. Opening them again she rested her blue orbs intently on the strange being within the capsule. What if it were to wake up before she could get inside? Swallowing harshly the bold woman told herself not to think about it. Besides she would much rather be torn apart by an angry, disoriented clone than be a mindless zombie.

Her resolve once again set Bulma raised her fingers to the pad and she typed in the code breathlessly. The capsule beeped and flashed before disengaging the lid with a powerful hiss. Elated she had made it this far the woman grinned and leaned forward trying step inside. Suddenly she was yanked harshly over backwards and tripped to the ground with a thud on her still tender bottom. She watched bewildered as the hatch was slammed back into place by a pair of small hands.

***

17 charged into the throng headlong clothes lining two hapless clones only noticing the tails with curiosity as he neatly shot them through the heart. He was quite surprised to see saiyajin replicates since to his knowledge Goku and Vegeta were the only two surviving members of the race. Glancing over his shoulder he was amazed to see Vegeta nearly knocked to the ground, as he stood transfixed before the onset before he reacted aggressively flinging them from his sides.

"A little slow saiyajin" the android taunted as he ripped off the offending arm attempting to lay hold of him from behind. "I’ve already way-laid two" he said executing roundhouse thrusting one of the hapless Nappa’s heads form its owner, "make that three."

Vegeta glared darkly at the android as he snapped the neck of one attacker and sent a blast through three more. "I think I’m ahead now" he chuckled launching himself at another Radditz with a deadly blow.

"It won’t be for long" 17 boasted sending a large blast at a charging line of 5. "I tell you what Vegeta" 17 continued coolly as he narrowly dodged several lunges and ki blasts "I’ll bet that I can kill more of these idiots than you."

Vegeta grinned cynically as he punched a warrior behind himself over his shoulder and sent two more flying away with twin blasts at his sides. "If the wager is that you’ll stay turned off until we reach our destination then I’ll take that bet" he added thrusting his hand through the other side of a charging man’s chest and ki blasting the other behind him. With a quick dispatch of another foe he added "I believe that puts me ahead."

"For the present" the android rebuffed taking out two of his own.

For once Vegeta was relieved to have something else to concentrate on other than the strange turn of events since landing on the station, even if the distraction was merely a ridiculous game of the artificial human’s making. Seeing Zarbon, Dodoria and the Ginyu Force alive as clones was unsettling enough but now to be battling former comrades was worse. Even if he had never really been close to either Radditz or Nappa they still were the only other of his kind he had known for most of his life. As he took out two more with a double kick a crackling in his ear drew away his attention for a moment.

"Father what’s going on" a small voice demanded urgently in his ear.

"Kuso!’ the saiyajin whispered in realization as a clone slammed him taking advantage of his distraction. Shouting the fighter blasted the next on-coming wave of attackers.

"What’s wrong Vegeta, can’t concentrate on more than one thing at once?" 17 mocked continuing the slaughter. "How fleshly of you."

"Shut-up scrap heap" Vegeta snapped tearing off two limbs of a Nappa knocking him to the ground and crushing his skull beneath his booted foot.

"Pa Pa?" the disembodied voice boy insisted more urgently. "Is there a fight going on? Are you okay?"

"Trunks" Vegeta stated parrying a trust at his chest. "We have been delayed slightly by some of Frigid’s minions. I’ll dispatch of them momentarily and we’ll be on our way to you."

"You sound confident," 17 shouted above the ruckus, "but I’m ahead and the victory is mine!"

Gathering his energy Vegeta built his power up flaring his ki and knocking back several clones in its wake. 17 paused in curiosity carelessly batting away a Radditz and knocking him unconscious instantly as Vegeta turned up the light show a notch. With a cry of rage Vegeta released the built-up energy in a large scattering wave incinerating all in its path including the small voice of his son as the transmitter melted off of his ear.

***

"Your ingenuity surprises even me Bulma," Wrench stated gleefully as her face fell in failure. "I thought you might try something tonight but I never imagined something so complex could be dreamed up so quickly."

Bulma glared up at the small boy meeting his deep green eyes as he landed lightly before her. He smiled patronizingly at her reminding her of more than her defeat. He was well pleased to catch her, no doubt relishing in the idea of her punishment. The dark monster of fear that she had succeeded in battling down until this moment nearly succeeded in taking grip of her mind whispering the promise of loosing her humanity. She rallied her spirits finding the anger and humiliation within her heart and set her tongue free. "You caught me" Bulma stated waspishly "stop gloating and arrest me or whatever it is you do here."

"Oh, don’t worry I’m not going to turn you in, not yet anyway" he said fiendishly as the green light played across his face in half-shadow as he offered her his hand.

"Why not?" the woman questioned suspiciously propping herself up without the proffered assistance.

"Like I said before, I like you Bulma," he said ironically the light catching the glinting emerald of his eyes making him appear as if some wicked green fire possessed him. "I don’t want to loose you so quickly."

"You don’t seem like the type to do favors without getting something out of it for yourself," Bulma accused.

"Very observant, aren’t you?" Wrench continued as he clasped his hands behind his back. "I suppose you expect me to explain myself to you."

"It would be nice to know what you want from me for this little favor" Bulma replied.

"It’s in the best interests of my designs to keep you alive and healthy for as long as possible" Wrench stated. "If you aren’t around then Vegeta won’t come looking for you and then I won’t be able to fight him and test my power. Of course, the whole thing will be further sweetened if certain other parties try to reach you for their own private revenge on Vegeta. Cooler and his sisters will be out for blood once they know Vegeta’s alive. That way I can pay them all back for their roles in my deaths."

"Vegeta and a bunch of other guys killed you and so you want to get back at them even though you really aren’t dead?" Bulma questioned incredulously.

"It’s not a pleasant thing to die whether or not it is permanent," he snapped back. "And for the record, Vegeta never killed me, I owe those little debts to one of Freeza’s sisters, although it was Vegeta’s fault that the first hit was ordered on me."

"You mean the same person killed you twice?" Bulma needled. "I’d think the first time would’ve made you keep her at a distance."

"It wasn’t that simple and I really am not in the mood to give you my life’s story" Wrench snapped. "I suggest you go back to your room now before we both are discovered."

"You do realize that when Vegeta gets here the whole place is going to be destroyed?" Bulma continued. "You don’t seem concerned at all for your ‘old friend’"

"If this place is destroyed I’ll pick up the pieces and then I’ll be the one who’s pockets are overflowing with gold, why should I care?" he asked curiously.

"He made you what you are and saved your life" Bulma said surprised "doesn’t that earn your loyalty?"

"The only person I’m loyal to is me" the boy stated. "I’m grateful that the doctor has provided me the means for immortality and I’ve paid him back many times with my services. As long as he can keep me in the lap of luxury I will continue to assist him. The moment his arrogance ends up getting him killed then I’ll start anew."

"And the moment I stop being useful to you?" Bulma asked.

"Then you will no longer be needed," Wrench answered in a sinister tone. "Just try to stay more useful to me alive than dead."

Bulma watched as he vanished into the shadows of the room with more questions than ever. The boy was clearly determined to do battle with Vegeta and would go to any lengths for his vendetta and the thrill of fighting a Super Saiyajin. "What kind of power does he have that makes him so confident" she wondered. "And who are these other people that he wants to kill?" She especially wondered at the statement about Freeza’s sister. "I thought every last member of that family was gone, Cold, Freeza and Cooler* all were destroyed but according to Wrench Cooler and other’s are still out there. That’s not a comforting thought."

Swallowing down the lump in her throat the earthling woman suddenly felt small and lost. It would be a while before she would feel confident enough to attempt escape again and until then she was friendless and powerless.

***

"Yikes!" 17 shouted quickly diving down to the hard marble floor with a metallic thud dulled by flesh. After the moment of imminent danger had passed the android lifted his ebony head and discovered the entire force had been destroyed.

"It looks like I’ve won" the Saiyajin Prince gloated leveling his dark gaze to the prostrate android.

"Maybe" 17 grumbled as he rose from the floor "but we may meet more as we continue on and I can even the odds."

Vegeta chuckled satisfaction evident in his arrogant smirk as he watched the android dust himself off. Ice blue locked onto his ebony full of discontent at having lost the wager sending a tendril of mirth through the saiyajin’s otherwise black mood. The overwhelming desire to grind the tin man’s nose in his defeat grew as the android’s frown increased manifesting itself in a deep laugh.

"17" the android’s earpiece crackled with the voice of his compatriot "is everything okay? Trunks lost contact with Vegeta and is concerned."

"Yeah 16" 17 frowned glaring at the laughing saiyajin "Vegeta pulled a fancy trick and managed to destroy his communicator in process. We’re fine."

"Let’s go" Vegeta said sharply as he turned to continue on the trek to the ship having been once more reminded of his son.

"We’re on our way again" 17 began to say to 16 until Vegeta stopped dead in his tracks in front of him nearly causing a collision. "What is it?" he asked Vegeta.

"I think you’ll get your chance to even the odds" Vegeta answered his voice tainted with disbelief.

Suddenly, a screaming mass of clones came pouring out of the passage behind them. This one was clearly the squadron from the throne room being filled with Freeza’s most powerful fighters. Readying himself to meet the force Vegeta calmly turned to his partner.

"Tell 16 to get Trunks out of here" the saiyajin ordered the cyborg.

17 looked at him and didn’t like seeing the uncertainty in the saiyajin’s crinkled brow beneath the determination. Vegeta was rarely on guard for a fight and, especially when his opponents were far weaker than himself. He looked up and saw more saiyajin clones burst out of the other surrounding corridors charging them from all sides.

"16, get yourself and Trunks out of here now!" the android shouted desperately trying to defend himself against the failing arms and legs swarming around him only noticing too late that the transmitter had already been lost in the beginning Malay.

****

"Pa Pa answer me!" Trunks demanded of the buzz. "Damn it, answer!"

16 looked at the boy sideways. He looked frantic and angry. "Trunks we have lost communication."

"I know that!" Trunks shouted angrily. "We have to get them back."

"We should go" 16 said evenly.

"We can’t just leave them there!" Trunks reprimanded.

"We must" 16 answered, "It is what your father told us to do."

"He didn’t know that this would happen" the boy continued.

"He suspected it would" 16 said.

"But…" Trunks stumbled.

"Your father left you in my care" 16 stated "and I must do as he wishes."

"How could you be so unfeeling? Don’t you care that they’re in danger? " Trunks questioned throwing down his headset. "Oh, I forgot you are nothing but a machine, how could you feel anything?"

16 felt an odd feeling in his chest as the angry child glared in full force at him so resembling his father that it was unsettling especially as the last words spilled from his lips. However, the giant knew that it was the boy’s emotion taking and not he. There was no reason for concern that the child mistrusted him.

"I don’t wish for them to be hurt, but the likelihood of our being of help staying here is not great. We should go to the coordinates set by Vegeta. " 16 said after a slight pause watching the fire within the demisaiyajin’s blue eyes ebb.

"If we go down there…" Trunks began uncertainly.

"If we go down there we will most likely get into trouble ourselves and will be of no help" 16 stated.

"There has to be someway we can help" Trunks pleaded.

"Yes" 16 answered calling up the computer screen. "By not staying here and getting captured we will be of the most help. We can decide what to do after that."

"Can’t we just wait a little while?" Trunks pleaded. "What if they’re in the ship and heading for us. Just give my Dad a little more time."

"I don’t know if that is wise," the Android frowned.

"Please" Trunks begged.

The android looked into the child’s blue eyes wide in panic and fear and he felt a stir of the empathy that had made his creator believe him to be flawed. "Alright" he conceded, "We will wait for another 2 minutes."

"Thank you!" Trunks exclaimed. "I know my Dad will make it. You’ll see."

***

Lealia leaned out of the doorway and gasped in amazement not to meet the expected sight. Instead of Vegeta and the stranger barely keeping up with the battle they were annihilating the clones with strong ki blasts and superior strength. They shrugged the blows they were receiving off as if they had merely been tapped lightly on the shoulder. One glance at Zenac and Bel proved that they were just as amazed but not enough to apparently affect a change in her commander’s plans because he gave the two fingered salute signaling battle before jumping out and firing his radical weapon against the clones.

Both men turned and stared briefly at them in surprise as she and Bel also joined in the free for all. The blue-eyed alien smirked at the effort they were making before continuing on, but the saiyajin, in true disinterested fashion, didn’t even acknowledge their assistance. The woman narrowed her odd eyes in hatred continuing her assault. She felt the vice like grip of guilt clamp down on her heart. She was a traitor to both her mother and her father by helping the Saiyajin no Ouji this way.

Then, one of the clones turned its empty golden eyes on her and rushed to face her. Of all the replicates in the hall it was some cruel twist of fate that the mindless being with the face of her…no it wasn’t him. She beat back her confusion of emotion and mindlessly pulled the trigger. The world seemed to go in slow motion as she watched the blast tear straight through the clone’s heart and her own rented itself into two. She watched in guilty horror as it slumped over and landed almost at her feet. She was frozen looking down into the face of her father and the world went out of focus, as the burning pain in her breast became a blaze. A rock solid wall hit her and her lungs burned for breath as the world went black. She was vaguely aware of her entire body becoming soft, numb rubber as she sunk towards the ground. Suddenly she felt a solid arm snake itself around her waist. She swayed towards the solid form and leaned against it as it pulled her away from the cacophony of the surrounding battle still drumming in her ears.

"Lea-chan are you alright," the soft voice demanded.

"Zenac" she fairly sobbed focusing on his hazy face. "I’m sorry…"

Pressing her hand to his lips he smiled reassuringly. "Stay here and pull yourself together or you’ll be discovered" he said lightly brushing her tail. "I’ll be back for you."

She gasped as he slipped out the door and back into the field of battle her hands darting up to touch the hard half-halo around her head. In her brief lapse of consciousness she had failed to continue concealing the traits she had earned from her non-kyouryuujin heritage and Zenac, ever her protector, had spirited her away to shield her from harm. "What if someone saw me?" she thought in horror. If they knew they hate her as they hated her kinsman that now held this world under his iron thumb.

"Lealia get a hold of yourself," she chided under her breath. She closed her odd eyes and concentrated on calming her spirit and gaining control of her abilities once more willing her offending features to vanish into her body. She had almost completely lost it when she had had to pull the trigger. "It wasn’t him" she reassured herself softly "it wasn’t my father I killed." Her words however didn’t have any effect on the searing pain in her chest or abate the tears streaming down her cheeks. She could still see his eyes staring blankly up at her, the same eyes she remembered sparkling with affection from her childhood, devoid of life. Her breath hitched as an anguished cry escaped her lips. She couldn’t go back, not now, she’d have to face more of those things with her father’s face and she just couldn’t. Nor could she face Zenac after she had failed him. Like a lost child she willed herself to be invisible to the world.

***

"You see!" Trunks cried excitedly as the small craft approached the ship. "I told you they’d make it back."

"Father, 16 are you okay?" the boy shouted into the microphone.

16 frowned and concentrated on the ki inside the ship as the transmission crackled in response. It seemed like Vegeta’s but somehow it was wrong, different.

"Of course we are brat" Vegeta’s snapping reply came back. "Scrap heap put on the light-thrusters as soon as we are docked."

16 looked at the excited child next to him as he rushed to peer at the window into the docking bay. He didn’t like the disquieting feeling he was experiencing one bit.

***

Vegeta snapped the head of the Dodoria clone instantly killing the ugly pink imposter. Raising his eyes he found that the mysterious trio of kyouryuujin had managed to mow down the rest of the army quite easily. Turning his head toward the tallest kyouryuujin male he noted the man’s attire. Tough dressed in a tsirijin uniform he had on the tiara and earrings peculiar to the upper class kyouryuujin he remembered in his youth. He stood out from his companion, having a bearing of nobility as well.

"I suppose you expect a thank you warrior" the saiyajin remarked.

***

Trunks stepped back excitedly nearly falling backwards as the ship lurched forwards. The hatch doors opened and he raced to the small vehicle as the door opened up. Though the lighting was dark he grinned and his heart lightened as a spiky haired silhouette exited the door.

"Pa Pa!" he cried rushing forward and hugging his legs. "I knew you’d make it back safe!" Even in the dark the boy could see the strange grin that broke out on his father’s face.

The lights of the bay flashed on and the saiyajin and android looked up.

"You are back Vegeta and 17" 16 stated carefully meeting the black eyes of the saiyajin before him.

"And now you know how to find Mother don’t you Father?" the lavender-haired demisaiyajin questioned rapidly as he stepped back.

"Yes son" the man said shortly flashing a smirk in the other android’s direction "everything will be just fine from now on."

***

"No!" the irate tsirijin bellowed as he witnessed the destruction of the last of his favorite detail destroyed over the visual feed.

"Stupid, stupid saiyajin!" he growled pounding his fist onto the seat. "I should have known better than to trust those conniving natives," he ranted as he slammed his fist onto the com-button while he witnessed the two male kyouryuujin males lower their weapons. "Snow and Blizzard" he bellowed "search the entire base for the saiyajin prince and his companions and kill them on sight!"

***

"Well I guess that means Frigid is watching us" 17 stated. "How else would he know about our success so soon?"

"Every inch of this hallway is being recorded" Zenac stated hefting his rifle up onto his broad shoulder "but that can be rectified quite easily."

***

16 frowned and glared at the two men. He was certain however that these two weren’t Vegeta and 17 because it wasn’t like them to smile at each other. Even though the two men’s eyes were their normal color the ki he felt from Vegeta seemed artificial.

"Trunks" 16 announced. "Come with me and let them rest."

"But I’m not bothering you Father am I?" Trunks asked.

"Of course not brat" Vegeta said placing his hand on the boy’s shoulder.

"We androids don’t need rest 16" 17 stated wryly. "If I didn’t know better I’d think you didn’t trust us."

Trunks looked earnestly at 16 and didn’t like what he saw in the normally relaxed cyborg’s face. He looked up at his father in question reaching out to him and for the first time noticed how wrong everything felt.

"Don’t be silly" the boy chuckled "of course we trust you but maybe I should go with 16."

"Not so fast boy" Vegeta said tightening his grip with a sinister smile. Before the child knew what was happening he was hoisted in the air into a headlock from behind. He watched from the corner of his eyes as the familiar features he knew grew pale blue and transformed into those of the tsirijin his father had shown them. "One move android and the kid here’s neck will snap like a toothpick."

"I have to hand it to you Snow" Blizzard laughed as she morphed from the disguise of 17 to herself "we did learn quite a bit coming here."

"And now we have Vegeta’s half-breed as a bargaining chip" Snow added holding on to the struggling boy.

"It would be even better if we could get his mate as well" Blizzard continued. "We could kill two birds with one stone that way. Take care of the Machine Planet geeks and last of the saiyajin royal bloodline to revenge our father and brothers."

"Yes sister I think it’s time to reveal just who has been running the Cold Clan all of this time to the sexist Tsirijin Counsel**" she answered. "Impersonating Cooler all of these years will finally pay off."

"You will not make it from this ship alive" 16 stated menacingly furrowing his brow.

"Well see who makes it out and doesn’t" Snow said with a grin.

***

Frigid watched as one of the kyouryuujin men turned and faced the camera training his weapon on it. "Zenac" he hissed as a bright flash of light enveloped the picture "so you are a traitor after all."

Turning from the fuzzy holo he changed the channel to one of the nearby barracks. "All soldiers are to report to my compound at once and arrest every single kyouryuujin on staff and throw them into the dungeons before reporting to me."

"Snow and Blizzard will not fail," he muttered aloud into his empty throne room.

"No!" he shouted at it gripping the sides of his head. "Father, you are wrong. They would not. They love me. They both do. They are my wives."

"I won’t listen to you!" he shouted to the room his voice echoing off the walls. "I will find them," he said fumbling with the controls on his chair. "I will have the computer show you where they are" he insisted typing the commands.

He watched wide-eyed as the internal censors couldn’t find them and the laughter of the two ghosts filled his head until he screamed in anger over the throbbing in his head.

***

"Prince Vegeta" the man said, "I suggest you follow me and my companions. We can show you a way out of this compound. The way to your ship will be thoroughly guarded by this time and it would make escape difficult. You and your associate will be safe with us until you can get another ship off of kyouryuusei."

"I don’t see that we have any other choice but to trust you" 17 replied with a smile "at least one that doesn’t end up with this entire palace destroyed."

"You would kill innocent people to escape?" the silent until this moment Bel queried.

"We will trust you kyouryuujin," Vegeta answered ignoring the lower ranking man "you have nothing to fear unless you cross us. I will let nothing stand in the way of my mission."

"We can discuss this later" Zenac interrupted with an urgent wave. "We just need to pick up one of my companions."

The kyouriyuujin commander exited the door with the younger one at his heels and Vegeta next. 17 hung back for a moment before joining them checking one last time for a pursuit visible or invisible. Turning the corner he found a confused set of aliens.

"Where is Lealia commander?" Bel asked in concern.

Vegeta glanced back up at the handsome kyouriyuujin some distant memory stirred by the name. Just why this name sounded familiar the prince could not decide but it did enough to arouse suspicion.

"She has probably gone ahead of us" was the answer "and we should be heading back as well. Follow us."

17 glanced once at his companion to gauge his reaction to the events however he lacked the mysterious gift to decipher the saiyajin’s mind that only his family seemed to possess and was left to merely follow the two aliens to god knew where. At the very least it appeared Vegeta felt unthreatened by them so they couldn’t be stronger than either of them.

* * * * *