Chapter 56

“Dodoria,” he whispered as the dust that obscured his vision was whipped away by the hot, dry winds of Arlia. He was conscious of the pounding of his heart and the sharp rocks beneath his soft-soled shoes, but nothing else intruded upon his concentration on the form in front of him. Anticipation rattled inside his stomach as the large, pink alien slowly turned, their eyes meeting for the first time in what seemed like eons. He watched in satisfaction as the purple, fleshy folds beneath Dodoria’s eyes stretched as the other warrior’s eyes widened in shock.

“Z-Zarbon,” Dodoria burbled. “What are you doing here?”

Zarbon took a corner of his cape in his hand and executed an exaggerated bow. “You stole my line. I think that’s a first for us,” he replied grimly.

Dodoria turned to face Zarbon, and even from the distance that separated them Zarbon could see the rivulets of sweat coursing between Dodoria’s spine. The repugnance that the pink alien had always elicited in him quickly bubbled to the surface and gagged him. “Freeza sent us. Freeza’s killed both Cold and Cooler and finally nothing stood in his way of regaining Vegeta,” Dodoria stammered.

“I see,” Zarbon said, golden eyes glittering. “And what of the Ginyu Force?”

“They’re assisting with the cleanup at Cold’s place. We barely got out of there with our skins.”

Zarbon let a small, cold smile crystallize on his face, his golden eyes glittering. “Oh, you’re such a good underling,” he said, amused. “You answer all my questions even now, although we’re enemies.”

Dodoria’s yellowed eyes widened and his thick lips flapped as his mouth opened and closed uselessly. “Enemies?”

Zarbon laughed, the sound slicing through the angry noise of confused battle. “Of course, Dodoria. I’m here, on this planet. Why do you think that is? Did you think Vegeta had somehow managed to enslave me?”

Zarbon could hear Dodoria’s wet, nervous breathing from where he stood. “I-I had hoped. We all figured you were dead. We didn’t even know if Vegeta was still alive.”

“And what were Freeza’s orders, if you found that I was indeed alive?”

“We were to kill you and bring Vegeta back.”

Zarbon sighed and shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. “And who was supposed to kill me?”

Dodoria stared at Zarbon for long moments. “Anyone who could. Me.”

Zarbon examined his fingernails, feigning boredom. His mind raced as he tried to come up with a plan, any sort of plan. He reached up and detached his scouter, re-capsulizing it, smiling at Dodoria’s shocked expression. “Oh, we have all sorts of new toys now,” he said with a smile, noting that Dodoria’s own scouter was gone. The Arlians had been given orders to destroy enemy scouters first, and Zarbon was still impressed by their marksmanship.

“We?”

“The New Saiyan Empire. Guess who heads it?”

“You made Vegeta an emperor?”

Zarbon smiled and nodded, his braid whipping about in the wind. “Absolutely. A lot has happened since I embarked on my mission to eradicate the Saiyans.” He was glad Dodoria was so easily distracted. Dodoria normally wouldn’t have been a problem to destroy; Zarbon was fairly certain he was stronger than Dodoria still. However, Zarbon had taken a bad blow to the ribs from an enemy blaster. He could feel the blood slowly oozing from the wound and down his side and he was glad that his cape concealed it from Dodoria’s sight. Still, it was a fairly nasty wound, and it weakened him considerably. A slight frown appeared on his perfect brow as he tried to redirect his concentration to their conversation.

“Why did you do it, Zarbon?” Dodoria rasped. “Why did you betray Lord Freeza?”

Zarbon cocked his head. “When I first got here all hell broke loose and circumstances prevented me from exterminating the Saiyans. Instead, I was nearly killed myself by the weaponry they had on this planet. You know as well as anyone does that Freeza kills those who fail him. I had three choices: return to Freeza and be killed, let Vegeta kill me, or help Vegeta kill Freeza. Being fond of life and not yet prepared to leave it, I naturally chose the latter.”

“Then you’re an enemy of Freeza!” Dodoria gasped, his eyes widening.

Zarbon closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head slowly. “It took you long enough to figure that out. Didn’t you notice who was wiping your troops out by the hundreds?”

He watched as Dodoria’s eyes flickered to the palace and the buildings of the capital. “Then I’ll have to destroy you all,” he grated.

Zarbon smoothly lowered himself into a fighting stance, hoping that Dodoria wouldn’t notice how he favored his side. “I invite you to try,” he said with a frigid smile.

“I’m just following orders. You know that,” Dodoria said, flabby brow rumpled.

Zarbon laughed. “You’re apologizing to me?”

Dodoria looked uncertain. “You used to be my commanding officer. That’s hard for me to forget.”

“Well, this isn’t difficult for me in the least. I never liked you, anyway. You know I hate ugly things.”

Dodoria looked as if he’d been slapped, making Zarbon laugh even harder. “None of it matters now,” the pink warrior growled. “I, at least, am still loyal to Lord Freeza.”

“And I’m loyal to Lord Vegeta,” Zarbon declared, and leveled two fingers at Dodoria.

The fat alien was barely able to avoid the powerful ki blast that rocketed past his head. “You started it,” Dodoria shouted.

“No,” Zarbon yelled back. “Freeza started it. That’s why he has to die.”

Dodoria lowered his stance and fired a two-handed ki blast in return. Zarbon whirled neatly to the side and smiled at Dodoria. “The Saiyans would have done exactly the same thing!” Dodoria protested.

“Maybe so,” Zarbon countered, holding a hand straight up in the air and frowning as he concentrated energy above his palm. “But you remember the horror of that day. You and I stood at the porthole looking at the destruction, don’t you recall? The disgust we both felt?”

He saw with satisfaction that Dodoria’s features slackened a little in recollection. Zarbon released a battle cry and launched the ball of energy at Dodoria. The pink warrior looked up in horror, throwing his arms in front of his face and throwing up a ki shield at the last second. When the smoke cleared Dodoria still stood, barely singed. Zarbon felt like ice was forming in his chest. He was still aware of the blood running down his side, and it seemed to him as if it was coming more quickly. With a desperate roar he rushed Dodoria, careful to avoid the spikes on the other alien’s arms as he swung and blocked. A brief flurry of punches were exchanged before Zarbon planted both feet on the ground, lowered in a crouch, and launched himself upward, kicking as he went. He felt a satisfying crunch as he rose and he landed lightly on his feet a few yards away. A smile stole across his face and he cocked his head as he watched Dodoria rub his jaw. “That hurt, you prissy bastard,” Dodoria snarled.

Zarbon burst into laughter. “Oh, the truth comes out! You hate me for my beauty just as I hate you for your lack of it!”

“You’ve always lorded your looks over others! Besides, I’m considered very attractive for my race!” Dodoria shouted.

Zarbon crossed his arms over his chest and raised his nose into the air slightly as he tossed his braid over his shoulder. “That doesn’t help you in the greater scheme of things, does it?” he chortled.

Suddenly the smile fell from his face as Dodoria came rushing toward him. The pink man was a lot faster than he remembered, and if he actually took any of that force his wound would definitely worsen. There seemed no way he could dodge- he couldn’t drop in between the other warrior’s legs because of Dodoria’s low ground clearance, but he couldn’t jump or take flight in his weakened state. Dodoria grew near, and Zarbon did the only thing he could think of- he backed up. “Running away?” Dodoria cackled, a crazy gleam in his eyes.

“Sort of,” Zarbon replied, watching critically as Dodoria chased him. He hovered above the ground just high enough to avoid obstacles, pacing himself until Dodoria was only an arm’s length away but was no longer gaining on him. Thankful for his longer reach, Zarbon reached out and grabbed the straps of Dodoria’s armor, sinking at the same time to the ground and planting a foot on the other warrior’s hip. Dodoria yelped as he was sent sailing into the air, landing in a pile of rubble. Zarbon smiled and rose painfully to standing. The blood was running all the way down his leg and he wouldn’t last too much longer. He was tempted to transform, but the strain that would put on his injury would sap him faster than in his present state. He kept his face expressionless as Dodoria extracted himself from the stones, his pink countenance twisted with rage.

“Damn you for humiliating me!” Dodoria bellowed, raising his arms and bringing them, bent at the elbow, to his sides. Suddenly he thrust both hands out in front of him and released a monstrous ball of ki towards the palace.

“No!” Zarbon screamed, eyes widening as his face paled. He held out a single hand, as if that action could somehow stop the explosion from happening. The complex of buildings seemed lit from within by a glorious light, then the stones came apart and rained down upon them. Zarbon swore under his breath as he dodged this way and that, eyes on the sky. He barely managed to get away from one of the gigantic stones from the wall, part of his cape becoming pinned underneath it. Still, better his cape than him, and the quickly tore himself free. He heard Dodoria’s laughter over the din of the falling stones and suddenly a white rage that he had never felt before took hold of him. “Dodoria!” he roared, racing forward, heedless of the flying debris. He planted his feet a few yards from Dodoria, close enough that the dust did not obscure his view of the other warrior. “You will pay for destroying what I have worked so hard to build!”

Dodoria turned his head and stared at Zarbon as if he had grown another head. Zarbon threw his head back and howled his rage to the sky, reaching more deeply inside himself and his power than he had ever dared to before. He felt the wind pick up directly beneath him, his hair torn from its braid and streaming around him like a green halo. His hair stood straight up and whipped about in the wind, his entire body feeling oddly numb. Extending a hand, he pointed his palm towards Dodoria and braced the arm by placing the hand of the opposite limb on his own elbow. With a shout he released the ki that burned inside him, watching as the glowing blue ball sprang forth from his hand. Time seemed to slow down, and he seemed oddly detached as he watched the burst of ki moved toward Dodoria, its progress strangely sluggish. He observed Dodoria’s face slowly contort in fear, his movements seeming as if they were suspended in molasses. A scream reached his ears, and although he knew it had to be coming from Dodoria, it seemed as if it originated from all around him. The light hit Dodoria’s body and the other warrior’s flesh appeared to slowly disintegrate, turning black before scattering like ashes into the wind. The screaming continued to swirl around him, echoing even after the last particles of Dodoria’s body had disappeared. He blinked in confusion and wonder, and gasped as time suddenly snapped back into place. He was aware of his hair suddenly reclaimed by gravity and falling heavily along his back. Cold tears sprang to his eyes as he gingerly turned his head towards where the palace and capital buildings had once stood, his brow wrinkling with a sad frown. He gasped gently as he felt every ounce of his strength leave him and he collapsed backward onto the ground, the tawny sky rippling above him as if it was a body of water. His breathing was soon the only sound he could hear, and he blinked up into the dust, wondering what had happened. His thoughts were fuzzy and his head felt as if it had been packed with mud. A few small stones hit him in the face as he looked upward but he paid them no mind, instead concentrating on the sticky mass of blood that was spilling from his side and onto the ground. Was this it? Had he burned himself out, just like he had always warned Vegeta to be careful of? He chuckled to himself, whispering, “I think I overdid it.”

“Of course you did, fool,” a hoarse voice answered him, and he thought he saw burning black eyes above him before he lost consciousness.

---

Radditz heard the first blast and nearly panicked. The rising tightness of anxiety made him realize just how safe he had come to feel in his new company. As much as he hated Vegeta sometimes, he also realized that he had complete and utter faith in Vegeta’s ability to protect them all. Had he honestly thought they’d be safe forever? He realized as he looked about him that he apparently had, otherwise he wouldn’t be so afraid and shocked as he was at the moment.

“Radditz, what was that?” a voice asked, and the turned to see that Bulma had poked her head outside her chambers.

“We’re under attack,” he said, not seeing any need to lie to her.

“I could have guessed that,” she said with a scowl. “By whom?”

“Probably Freeza’s forces,” Radditz said, still scanning the hallways. A troop of Arlians armed to the teeth ran past him down the hallway. “Stay in this room.”

“What? You expect me to just stay here? Where’s Vegeta?”

He felt a stabbing in his heart as she uttered her husband’s name. Of course she would wonder where the man she loved was. How could he ever forget? “I don’t know. Last I heard he was in the throne room, but I imagine he’s probably out there fighting by now.”

“I have to go to him!” she cried, clutching her robe to herself. “What if he’s hurt?”

He shook his head and put a heavy hand on her shoulder. “You’d know if he was hurt badly, if you’re truly bonded. Besides, what sort of good could you possibly do out there? All you’d accomplish is getting yourself killed. He’s too strong to be defeated this easily. You have to believe in him, Bulma.”

She looked up at him, blue eyes uncertain. “But. . .”

He scowled. “Don’t you trust me? Am I not your friend?”

Her eyes widened and she blinked. “Yes, of course, Radditz,” she said quietly.

“Then stay here. Do not leave this room. Put on some real clothes in case we need to move you and stand in a doorway. They’ll be the most structurally sound in case something happens.”

Her fine eyebrows plunged in a frown. “I know that! I’m a scientist and engineer,” she snapped. “I think I know what parts of a building are safe!”

He smiled despite himself, feeling his heart sink in his chest. Oh, what business did she have being so beautiful at a time like this? “Fine,” he said gruffly, trying to cover up his adoration. “Just take care of yourself until I get back, all right?”

She looked down and nodded her head. “All right,” she murmured. “But I’m afraid.”

Without thinking about it he put his arms around her and crushed her to him, bending his neck so he could inhale the scent of her hair. “I know. I am, too. Have faith in us, Bulma. Vegeta will pull us through this.”

“Radditz,” she whispered, and he felt her muscles relax as she leaned her head against his chest. “Thank you.”

“I should go,” he said, clearing his throat awkwardly. “Remember what I said.”

“I will. Be careful,” she replied, and slipped out of his arms and back into her room, closing the door behind her.

He stood in the hallway like a mannequin for several moments, simply staring at the door and savoring the feel of her in his arms. The sound of exoskeleton scraping against stone snapped him out of his reverie and he stopped a passing Arlian.

“What’s going on?” he demanded.

The Arlian executed a brief bow and stood at attention. “The report is that Freeza’s forces are attacking us. No word has come on the Emperor’s or Lord Zarbon’s whereabouts.”

“And Commander Nappa? Lord Atlia?”

“Atlia is organizing troops in the outlying hangars, but as to the Commander I have no idea, sir.”

“Carry on,” Radditz barked, watching as the troops scurried down the hallway. Atlia would most likely be safe. He was intelligent, and the exoskeleton would come in handy. Where in the hell was Nappa? It wasn’t like the Commander to disappear during a fight. What in the world was going on? He finally remembered that he had troops of his own to command and started off down the hallway. After a few steps he stopped. He needed more information. Perhaps he could use the little trick his brother taught him. Standing perfectly still, he cleared his mind and focused his attention on the energies around him. He wished he could do it with the practiced ease with which Goku had done it, but as it was he had to sort through every ki signature until he found the ones he was looking for. Vegeta was heading towards a large power to the north, the thought, whereas Zarbon seemed to be slaughtering troops by the hundreds in the thick of the battle. There was another large power source elsewhere, but his technique wasn’t good enough to pinpoint where it was or who it was. Nappa was nowhere to be found.

Radditz opened his eyes and cursed under his breath. Damn that meat-headed Nappa! He picked up his feet and flew down the hallway, going as quickly as he dared through the curving corridors of the palace. The building, being built by bugs, resembled nothing so much as an anthill, with hundreds of twisting, rounded hallways and tiny little storage rooms off of the main chambers. He had no idea how people without ki-sensing abilities managed to navigate the place. Now, where were his own troops? He began to try to find their kis, but he remembered the special scouter Zarbon had given him. Landing quickly, he fished in his armor for the capsule and released his scouter. He fastened it to his head and clicked the button, pleased when the device hummed to life. It had been a very, very long time since he had worn a scouter. Zarbon had told him that these scouters were programmed to operate on a private, secure frequency, and that his troops had been instructed to wear them at all times. “This is Captain Radditz,” he said, hoping the scouter was transmitting.

He only had to wait a few moments. “Go ahead, Captain. We await your orders,” someone said. By the sound of the voice it was definitely not an Arlian. Interesting.

“What’s your location?”

“Hangar east, sir.”

“Is the whole unit there?”

“Affirmative, sir.”

“Good. I want half of you to report to the queen’s present chambers immediately. Protect her at all costs. Station four people to stay within fifteen feet of her at all times. Half of the rest of the group should be positioned outside in order to intercept any attack from outside the building.”

“Yes, sir.”

“The soldiers not assigned to her should be prepared to meet me at gate twelve in three minutes.”

“Yes, sir. We shall set your orders in motion.”

“Excellent. Out,” he said, taking the scouter off but leaving it on. He wanted to be able to hear the communication going on between his soldiers. Taking flight again, he sped towards gate twelve at the perimeter of the compound.

When he arrived he was pleased to see that his troops were waiting for him. He put on the scouter and scanned their exact power levels, pleased to see that Zarbon had assigned him all elites. They were from five or six different races, and he only spotted one Kijaran and two Arlians. As he approached they all snapped to his attention, and he realized with interest that the Kijaran was a male. He tried to not stare and wondered how Zarbon had managed to convince Anpane to release one of her precious male citizens into the armed forces. He scowled as he was sure he didn’t have to wonder how Zarbon persuaded any of the Kijaran females. Clearing his mind of such thoughts, he saluted his troops in return. “I’m glad you made it here so quickly,” he said. “You have two objectives: locate and defend the Emperor and locate and destroy any sort of ship still in our atmosphere. I’ll transmit the clearance to Hangar north and they’ll designate spacecraft there. Remember- I don’t want any sort of communication reaching Freeza.” He clicked the scouter again and surveyed the troops, picking the four strongest. “You four,” he said, pointing. “You’ll locate the Emperor. I want you to try and take the highest-ranked prisoner you can, then follow the Emperor at a safe distance. Most likely he’ll know you’re there, but you are not to assist or interfere with him whatsoever unless the situation becomes life or death. Then, and only then, are you to act. I expect you to keep me informed on his position. I am going to go in search of Commander Nappa.”

“Understood, sir,” one of the soldiers said with a salute, and he recognized the voice as the one he had spoken to before.

“Excellent. If you need to contact me do it through the scouter. Do your best not to do so unless absolutely necessary.”

“Yes, sir,” the troops answered as one.

“Go to it,” he said, and watched as the troops flew away, whether under their own power or assisted by packs on their backs. Satisfied, he closed his eyes and searched again for Nappa. Still no sign. That bastard must have learned how to repress his ki somehow. As much as he hated to admit it, Nappa’s military experience would have come in handy at the moment. Wasn’t this sort of thing supposed to be the Commander’s forte? With a sigh he turned and began to fly back toward Bulma’s chambers, contacting Hangar north in the process.

He finally arrived at Bulma’s chambers and entered without knocking. His eyes widened in shock as he saw her screaming. She roared inarticulately and launched a vase at one of the soldier’s heads, and the confused warrior caught the vase before it could hit him. Bulma screamed again, eyes ablaze, and began to look about for something else to throw.

Radditz smiled to himself. “You shouldn’t have caught it,” he said to the poor soldier. “It just makes her angrier.”

“Sorry, sir,” the soldier mumbled, bowing as he offered Bulma the vase.

She grabbed it and promptly turned on Radditz. “This is your fault!” she screamed, throwing at him. He didn’t move as the vase smashed to pieces on his chestplate.

He scowled at his soldiers. “Station yourselves outside, all of you. I want this room guarded from all sides,” he barked, watching as they hurried to follow his orders.

Bulma blinked. “You’re efficient,” she said with evident surprise.

“Saiyan society was a military society,” he said simply. “Now what’s wrong?”

The anger returned to her face. “You bastard!” she shouted. “I’m just sitting here, worrying to death and minding my own business, when all these armed soldiers barge in and start babysitting me! Who said you could do that?”

Radditz scowled. “It was for your own safety. I couldn’t be here and I wanted to make sure you were protected.”

“I don’t want to be protected!” she screamed. “I want to be left alone!”

Radditz sighed. “I can’t allow that, Empress. It is my duty to ensure your safety.”

His formal tone must have surprised her, since most of the anger, although not all of it, drained from her face. “It’s your job?”

“You know that,” Radditz said, formality cast aside. “And you know what Vegeta would do to me if I failed.”

Bulma paled. “I think so, yes.”

Radditz chuckled. “He’s not soft-hearted, that one. I would be, as you earthlings say, toast.”

Bulma laughed weakly. “Yeah.”

Radditz took a few steps closer, smiling down at her. “But I want to protect you, Bulma. I always will. I want to be sure you are always safe and as happy as you can be.”

“You’re a lot kinder than you used to be. You smile more, too.”

Radditz immediately pulled his features into a scowl. “Hmph. It must have been the time I spent with that damn brother of mine. He’s no longer a Saiyan, you know. It’s a tragedy.”

“I don’t think so,” he heard her start to say, but his attention had been claimed by a tugging on his ki-sense.

He picked up his scouter and screamed into it, “All palace troops scatter, now!”

“What?” Bulma gasped.

He didn’t reply, only tucked the scouter into his armor and pulled her into his arms, running into an archway on the outside wall of the room. He curled around her so that she was completely shielded, then closed his eyes as the entire palace was filled with destructive ki and the building broke up around them.

---

“Wake up, you fool! You had better not do this to me!” a sharp voice was snarling into his ear, and he was dimly aware of being shaken gently.

“What?” he asked, his own voice thundering through his head until he thought his skull would burst.

“Damn you!” the voice spat.

“Shut up,” he whispered. “My head’s splitting.”

“Damn you,” the voice whispered again. “Don’t ever do that to me again!”

He opened an eye a crack, the light boring holes into his brain. “Ouch,” he said.

“Do you have any idea what you could have done to yourself?” the voice shouted again.

“Please, gently,” he urged, opening his other eye slightly. He waited until his eyes could bear the light before blinking and looking around him. The light still hurt, and his head still throbbed, but he finally felt as if he would live. He glanced around and was surprised to find himself looking up into Vegeta’s sharp features. “Oh, it’s you,” he said blandly.

“Zarbon,” Vegeta acknowledged softly, if angrily. “What in the hell did you do?”

Zarbon laughed weakly until he realized it hurt to do so. “I think I killed Dodoria.”

“I don’t think, I know,” Vegeta snapped. “But that’s not what I want you to tell me.”

Zarbon scowled slightly, still squinting into the light. Vegeta’s features kept going in and out of focus, although he could have sworn he saw concern in those black depths. “I think I nearly did what I always warned you not to do. Nearly summoned too much ki and burned myself out like a light bulb.”

Vegeta growled something under his breath. “Well, you’re alive now, if barely. You’re bleeding all over the place. Who did this to your side?” he demanded.

“They’re already dead, Vegeta. You won’t be getting any vengeance for me.”

“Fine,” he growled. “Now steel yourself. This is really going to hurt.”

“Hurt worse than I already do?” Zarbon said with a half-laugh. “It feels like every single nerve has burst!”

“Trust me,” Vegeta whispered, and Zarbon screamed as he was lifted into the air.

Zarbon felt his scream echo throughout his entire body, his insides almost feeling as if they were burning themselves up. He nearly fell back into the blackness, but he could hear Vegeta saying his name. “Damn,” he wheezed. “You weren’t kidding.”

“I never kid,” the Saiyan replied, and Zarbon could feel himself wrapped in Vegeta’s cloak. The hard muscles of Vegeta’s brawny arms pressed into his back and behind his knees as he was carried. “Here, this will make it easier,” Vegeta said, and hovered above the ground.

“Yes, that’s a bit better,” Zarbon said, closing his eyes as they drifted along slowly. He let them flutter open after a few moments, feeling like a baby carried in Vegeta’s arms, and scowled as he saw a figure kneeling on the ground off to their side.

“Nappa,” he said.

“What?” Vegeta said, turning sharply. Zarbon gasped in pain and Vegeta looked down at him, brow furrowed with worry.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine,”Zarbon breathed. “The movement was just too sudden.”

Vegeta nodded and fixed his eyes on Nappa. “Where in the hell were you?” Vegeta snapped.

“Attending to things, sire,” Nappa mumbled.

“Unacceptable,” Vegeta hissed. “Report to me immediately once calm has been restored."

“Yes, sire,” Nappa said as Vegeta began to move forward again.

Something seemed odd to Zarbon, so he expended the considerable energy necessary to turn his head as Vegeta moved away from the bigger Saiyan. He saw Nappa’s gaze fixed on him with unutterable hatred and he felt a chill run through him. The chill was nothing compared to what he felt when he saw that Nappa quickly tucked a scouter with an orange lens into his armor. All the scouters that Vegeta’s empire used had blue, green, or red lenses. He was about to voice his fear to Vegeta when he realized that the man carrying had stopped.

“Is he okay?” he heard a voice say, the tones familiar.

“You!” he heard Vegeta gasp. “How in the hell did you get here?”

“I borrowed a ship. I guess I missed the party.”

“Some party,” Zarbon wheezed.

“Is Zarbon okay?” the voice asked again, and soon another pair of black eyes looked down upon him.

“I’ll live. Could you not speak so loudly?” Zarbon asked, squinting and trying to move the thoughts around in his fuzzy brain so he could identify the speaker. He knew he had seen him before. It seemed as if he had seen him often, in fact.

“You could have shown up before the fighting,” Vegeta snapped angrily.

“I tried. I knew something was happening, but my ship wouldn’t go any faster. Do you want me to take him? I’m sure you have things to do.”

Zarbon moaned as he was transferred from one set of arms to another. His new bearer held him more easily, most likely because the arms were significantly longer. Zarbon blinked as he found his face pressed against a shoulder clad in orange cloth. He glanced up and peered at the face of the person holding him. His eyes widened in shock and his ribs protested as he took a deep breath of surprise. “Goku!” he exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to help. Sorry I was late,” Goku said with a grin. His eyes left Zarbon’s and he turned his head back and forth. “Wow, this place looks really trashed. The rest of the planet’s okay, though, more or less.”

“What?” Zarbon asked, blinking through his pain.

“Oh, I landed on the wrong side of the planet and had to take the long way around,” Goku said sheepishly. “I got to take in the sights, though. It’s not a very green place, is it?”

“No. Giant bugs don’t need much water, though,” Zarbon said with a weak smile.

“Follow me,” Vegeta interrupted, his gesture visible in Zarbon’s peripheral vision.

“Okey-dokey,” Goku said brightly. “At least I came in time to help clean up!”

Zarbon scowled. There was something he was supposed to tell Vegeta, something terrible. “Wait,” he said, trying to grasp at Goku’s clothes and failing.

“Vegeta, hold up a second, please,” Goku said.

Suddenly Vegeta appeared in Zarbon’s vision, shading him. “Something...” Zarbon breathed. Then it occurred to him, the realization striking him like lightning. He sat up in Goku’s arms, crying aloud with the pain of it, then extended his arm and pointed a finger in the direction that the palace and capital compound had been. “There! The palace! It’s been destroyed!” he exclaimed, golden eyes yellow with fright.

He watched as Vegeta’s face became deathly pale, his black eyes going cold with fear. The Saiyan prince’s eyes rose to Goku’s face and he stared for a while, blinking. “What?” Goku whispered, his face also pinched with apprehension.

Vegeta turned to face the pile of rubble where the palace had been, then returned his gaze to Zarbon. “No.” His eyes went wild with agony and Zarbon thought he could see the glimmer of tears in the corners of the Prince’s eyes.

“What?” Goku asked. “What is it?”

“Bulma!” Vegeta screamed, the sound raw as it burst from his throat, and took off at a dead run towards the palace ruins.

---

55 / Bulma’s Hideout / 57