Chapter 19

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The Saiyan was training in 400 times Earth's gravity when a heavy collision sent him and his ship tumbling head over heels across the planetoid. Vegeta crawled over to the console and shut off the gravity. Exiting the pod, he discovered himself in the midst of a meteor storm. After training in such high gravity, the usually simple task of blowing up space rocks became a formidable one. Having destroyed most of the larger meteors, Vegeta collapsed onto the planetoid's surface. It's thin atmosphere provided him with little relief. Meteorites, unable to disintegrate through such thin air, continued to pelt his body.

A shadow loomed over the Saiyan. Opening his eyes, he realized with horror that the mother of all rocks and moons was on a direct course toward him. His weakened ki-blasts proved ineffective against the oncoming asteroid. A small chunk of rock broke off and beamed him on the forehead. Vegeta cursed as his strength continued to ebb. He was too tired to fight it. He did not care anymore. He did not care that a third-class Saiyan surpassed him in power. He did not care that he never became the legendary Super Saiyan. He did not care that his life was about to end. He let his mind and body relax and accepted the inevitable.

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Elsewhere

Nappa stared up at the giant red ogre. As large as he was, the warrior only stood as tall as King Yemma's thumb.

Yemma addressed the Saiyan elite standing on his desk. "Nappa, the parole council has decided to grant you a furlough."

The warrior folded his arms and regarded the dead's bookkeeper. "I never asked to leave HFIL." He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "What are you planning?"

"I just have one small task for you. Complete it and you will be duly rewarded," announced Yemma. "How does an extra bowl of rice with each meal sound?"

An extra bowl of rice! Nappa suppressed his elation. If he played this right, then he may be able to bargain for more. "I'm listening."

"The Earth is in danger," explained Yemma. "And you have a chance to help save it."

"Psh. That useless planet could disappear for all I care. I'm dead because of the cretins on that rock."

Yemma sighed. The kais may be altruistic, but he had a selfish reason for saving the Earth. If the inhabitants died en masse, then he would be one overworked bookkeeper. The afterlife had no concept of paying overtime, much less paying him time and a half for his hard work. Yemma considered how to persuade the Sayian. "Your prince requires your help."

"Prince? Vegeta? You mean the little runt who killed me? Why would I want to help him? He could rot in HFIL for all I care."

Yemma saw the opening and pounced. "Exactly," boomed the big red ogre. "Vegeta would most likely end up in HFIL with you. Now what do you think would happen if I told him that you had a chance to save his life but refused? Hmm?"

Nappa's arms dropped to his sides. The veins on his forehead pulsed. "You wouldn't."

Yemma nodded.

Even in death, Vegeta could easily kick his tail. And what would happen if the prince tried to send the dead Nappa to yet another dimension? The brute's imagination shut down at such horror.

"Fine," conceded the Saiyan. "But I deserve at least fifty extra bowls of rice and dessert for this. And pants. I want pants. What do I have to do?"

Yemma filled Nappa in on his mission.

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"Prince Vegeta! Hey, Prince, wake up!" Nappa nudged the limp body with his toe.

Vegeta blinked several times in disbelief. If he could feel his arms, he would rub his eyes.

"Nappa, are you alive, or have I died and this is my hell?" He had difficulty focusing because of the jostling. "Quit kicking me, you fool!"

"Oh, ahem. Sorry, My Prince." Nappa desisted with the nudging. "It does not matter where you are, Prince Vegeta. What matters is that you must return to Earth."

"Earth," repeated the exhausted Saiyan prince. He remained unmoving on the ground.

"Your highness, the supreme beings informed me that you have yet a role to play in saving that planet."

"I owe that worthless planet nothing," Vegeta declared.

"But sir," persisted the larger Saiyan, "Don't you want to return and battle the androids?"

"Let Kakarott defeat them. At least he is a Saiyan," countered Vegeta.

Nappa spat in disgust. How could his prince, the prince of the greatest warrior race in the universe, give up so easily? After all, Vegeta had killed him because he failed to defeat Kakarrot. Nappa decided on another tactic. Two bowls of rice, an extra fruit tree, and a pair of pants rode on this. Yemma was one cheap negotiator.

"If you do not do it for the planet, then do it for your woman."

Vegeta snorted. "My Woman? Do not be absurd. I do not have a woman."

"My Prince, even the kais can see that you greatly care for this female. If you did not, then why did you complete the bonding ritual?"

"That was a mistake! The Woman caught me unawares on those occasions," protested his highness.

"Those occasions?" inquired the large Saiyan. "You must really love her if you allowed it to happen more than once."

Vegeta grimaced. No matter what excuse he gave, he would seem like an idiot. "She made a mockery of the Saiyan ritual, so it does not count."

"Your highness, they speak of her incredible strength here in the afterlife. The demons say that she had bested you on more than one occasion. Surely you do not want to give up on such a..." Nappa searched for the correct term. Yemma had used 'loud, obnoxious, persistent,' among others in describing Bulma Briefs. The large Saiyan finished with "...unique woman."

"She never defeated me. That is pure speculation!" cried Vegeta. "I was weak from training and lack of food."

"Or did you fear hurting your lover?" Nappa was pushing it. "This Bulma must be quite a female if you dared not harm her. Or perhaps, you accept her dominance." The bald one snapped his teeth together and chuckled, indicating that he knew the nature of their "ritual."

"Nappa, if this were not an absurd delusion, then I would get up and kick your fat ass."

The large Saiyan looked down at his rear and frowned indignantly. He was in perfect shape, keeping fit through daily spars with the HFIL demons and Radditz. Truth be told, Nappa enjoyed his time in HFIL and found his penchant for violence waning without the influence of Frieza.

"Continue deceiving yourself, My Prince. But remember, if the androids succeed in destroying the Earth, then your wife's doom would be sealed. Can you live with that knowledge?"

"Shut up, Nappa. I lived with your death." Vegeta turned his royal back toward the other Saiyan.

Nappa's patience snapped. "Why you little brat!" He pulled his left leg far back and released it with the momentum of the launch coils on an aircraft carrier. Oh, this would be sweeter than all the apples in HFIL. It was payback for being blasted to the next dimension. That had hurt! With his foot only a hair's breath away from contacting the prince's backside, POIT, the giant bald Saiyan disappeared.

"Damn you Yemmaaaaa...!!!!" echoed in Vegeta's ears as he bolted upright. He shook his head to clear the cobwebs. He had been out for mere seconds, but it seemed like an eternity. Amazing how quickly neurons and synapses fire during phases of unconsciousness and sleep. The shadow of the asteroid continued to spread wider around him.

Vegeta's hands clenched and unclenched. Death laughed at him and beckoned a finger. Anger and humiliation coursed through his body. He had almost given up on his destiny. And he had a wife, damn it! He had a gorgeous wife which fate had decreed for him to marry twice. Only one thing strangled Vegeta's pride more than being surpassed by a lowly country bumpkin -- and it was to realize his own stupidity. Here he was, stuck on a desolate rock with another giant one ready to flatten him like an aphid -- absolutely no glory and no Woman. The asteroid broke through the atmosphere and careened toward the Saiyan. Electric currents crackled through the air. A tortured scream rang through the vastness of space.

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