~*****~

If she didn't get that crab out of her butt soon, there was going to be a cat fight between Bulma and I. While the boys were training, I was just sitting off to the side with different fabrics and guides. "Guys!" Bulma suddenly barked. "I don't want to interrupt your training, but this place is filthy! Can't you three find a minute to clean this mess? I like to run a tidy ship!"

I slammed my fabrics down immediately. "That is all your mess, Bulma," I snap. "Not to toot my own horn, but I'd never eat those bad calories. Unlike you, I had to work for my figure. SO YOU CLEAN IT UP!"

"Well, I'm busy." Bulma retorted nonchalantly. "I have too many other important issues to deal with right now. Besides, you three never do anything to help out around here!"

"If you've forgotten, I did half the work programming this ship! I'm the one flying this bitch!" I bark at her.

"You're hopeless! Don't cry to me if I forget about making dinner!" Bulma snapped.

"Your food sucks anyway!" I bark back. "All you do is complain, I swear, if you weren't my friend, I'd rip that pretty blue hair out!"

"Well, why don't you! It'll give me a good enough reason to pull out your stupid white hair!" Bulma shrieked.

"Okay!" Krillen exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around my legs to stop me from advancing on her.

Gohan just laughed. "Anyway--" I snap as I tug away from Krillen. "I've been meaning to ask you something about that short Saiyan." I mention. "Does anyone actually know what happened to him? Did he just disappear?"

"What do you mean?" Krillen asked.

"Well, Raditz said that the Saiyans' home planet was destroyed some time ago, wasn't it?" I reiterate.

"That's right... Vegeta was badly wounded when he finally got away, so he had to go somewhere to recover." Krillen hummed. "But I certainly couldn't tell you where it is..."

I hum thoughtfully and tap at my chin. "What was it that leotard wearing moron said again? Saiyans were Planet Brokers? Raditz and Vegeta found a buyer for Earth, so maybe he's hiding out with them."

"Yeah, I guess that could be what happened, but the problem is we still have no idea where he went..." Krillen stated. "I mean, he could already be on Namek as far as we know!"

"Well, for our sakes, let's just hope he ran out of gas somewhere, choking on his own sweat." I growl.

"Thats... kinda harsh, Mara." Krillen mentioned. "Weren't you saying it was a good thing we showed mercy?"

"Yeah, but I don't control Karma." I explain. A flare burns through space, pulling my field of view towards it. "What is that?" I wonder aloud.

"What is what?" Krillen asks.

"It's not Planet Namek, is it?" Gohan asks.

"It can't be!" Bulma exclaims. "It's much too soon to be Namek! But look... something is coming right at us!"

"Whatever it is, it's moving fast!" I mention.

"We should be able to see it by now..." Krillen mentioned. "You see anything?"

The alarms began to blare loudly. "There they are!" Gohan shouted. "They're gonna attack!"

"DO SOMETHING!" Bulma shrieked at me.

"I'M DOING IT!" I shriek back. "Fire counter attack!" I bellow. The others cheered when the ship followed my orders. "Just hold on, guys, cause we're not in the clear yet!"

"What is that?" Bulma wondered nervously. "It looks... like a spaceship..."

"It looks almost identical to ours." Krillen states.

"Whatever it is, it's getting closer! And if it doesn't change its course, it's gonna ram us!" Bulma states. "Oh, no! Bank left, bank left!"

I swerved the ship off to the side, and the other ship followed our lead. Just as I think we're going to collide, we sink into it. Alarms are still blaring as I land the ship inside the larger ship. "Is this another ship?" I mutter softly.

"Yeah, a big one. Probably full of scary aliens, too." Krillen whimpered.

"Well, I hope you're wrong!" Bulma whines.

Gohan pops out of nowhere, making a freaky face. We all scream in response as the boy begins to laugh. "Hey, look at me! I'm an alien!"

"GOHAN!" I shriek. My fingers tug at his hair violently. Gohan is still laughing as I finally calm down. "Look, sitting here will do us no good. Let's take a walk and check the place out."

The interior was dark, and full of destroyed ships. "Oh, great." Bulma snapped. "I forgot to put some pants on before we left!"

I rolled my eyes. "Figures." I scoff. "You should've invested in one of my Insta-Caps."

"Look, I know-- Just gimme yours!" Bulma complained.

"No, way! This is my original cap, get your own!" I shout.

"Let's just get going!" Gohan complained.

"And Gohan! Don't walk so close!" Krillen barked at the boy.

The first step into the dark hallway triggered a booby trap. Bulma and I shrieked as we dove for the ground when dozens of guns popped out of the walls and began firing. "Can you guys be more careful!" I screech as Bulma and I stand up with our arms wrapped around one another. "There's bound to be more traps around here! We almost got our heads shot off! Be more aware!"

We kept walking on, and got blocked in. "Oh, no! Open this door right now!" Bulma shouted as she slapped at the walls.

"Don't worry, Bulma, stand back!" Krillen exclaimed. He reared his hands back. "Ka... Me... Ha... Me...." Krillen wasn't able to finish, due to the influx of sludge flooding the floors. I shrieked loudly and clambered onto Krillen's back. Once in the air, Krillen once again used his attack, and broke through the wall.

"Sorry about your hat..." I murmur as I watch it sizzle and dissolve into the sludge below us.

"It's not a problem." Krillen reassured me.

"Well, whoever owns this ship sure doesn't want us to stay too much longer," I mention.

"What if this is a... a Saiyan Spaceship?" Gohan wondered.

"What do you mean?" Bulma whimpered.

"Yeah, this could be the place that Vegeta went to recover!" Krillen exclaimed.

I let out a groan of distaste. "Enough talk about him! Let's change the subject, I'm getting freaked!"

"I agree!" Bulma chirped.

"But wait... if this is Vegeta's ship, maybe he's in there somewhere waiting for us..." Gohan mentioned.

"I wish Goku had let me finish him when I had the chance," Krillen whined. Once back on foot, Bulma and I had rejoined and strode through the hallways, wrapped in each others arms, and shivering violently. "Hey, wait a minute," Krillen stopped us. "The hallway is starting to curve in on itself and we still haven't found a door."

"There's gotta be one!" I exclaim. "Maybe it's hidden in the walls!"

Krillen lifted his gaze and stared up at the ceiling. "Found it." Krillen mentioned and flew up into it. He struggled with it for a moment while an opening appeared besides us.

"Krillen, another hallway just opened up down here." Gohan mentioned.

"I knew it!" I hiss.

"Great... It must be nice to be right all the time..." Krillen muttered irritably. "All right. Let's keep moving!"

"Be careful, Krillen!" Bulma ordered.

"Yeah, I know," Krillen nodded.

Following up the back, we walked down the hallway. Until a hole opened up right under Krillen, Gohan, and Bulma. I flew back with a shriek and gazed into the pit. "CAN'T YOU IDIOTS FLY?!" I scream. "GET BULMA OUT OF THERE, SHE CAN'T!"

Krillen and Gohan spring into action after the shock wore off and saved Bulma just in the nick of time.

Once back on solid ground, I leapt onto Bulma and hugged her tightly, sniffling in relief. "Wow... I thought I was dead..." Bulma murmured.

"Man, I'm really hungry," Krillen mentioned.

"I'm right there with you, Krillen," Gohan agreed.

An odd smell wafted through the hallway. "Hey, you smell that?" Krillen asked.

"Yeah... smells good!" Gohan chirped.

My stomach grumbled loudly. "Don't tell me we're going to follow that smell like a couple of blood hounds or something...."

At the end of the hallway, we found a literal buffet. "Whoa!" Gohan exclaimed. "Let's dig in!"

"Yep. You're Goku's kid all right." I murmur before stopping the boys. "Tasty looking food aside-- we've hit nothing but booby traps since we've arrived. Don't you dare touch it."

"But this looks really good though," Krillen mentioned.

"Don't you dare." I hiss dangerously.

"Why?" Gohan whined.

I point out at the small wire wrapped around the knife and fork. "Look at that. See?" Gohan hummed and squinted. "Oh, for goodness sakes." I sigh and step forward. I duck under the table and gingerly take the fork. A knife shoots out from the fruit bowl and clatters against the wall behind me. "See?" I chirp cutely as I stand up. A rumble echoed through the corridor, and a giant dome closed over me and the table of food. "HEY!" I shriek.

"You're way too slow, Mara! You gotta be more aware!" Krillen called out.

"IF I WANTED LESSONS ON THAT, I'D ASK YOU, YOU IDIOT!" I start banging on the sides of the dome. "NOW GET ME OUT!"

"I'm going, I'm going!" Krillen shot back. "Just get under that table!"

I let out another shriek as a metal clasp locks around my waist. "LET GO OF ME!" I shriek again, banging my fists against it.

"Don't move." A boy snaps.

"Don't hurt her!" Gohan barks. "Mara, whatever you do, don't panic!"

"Leave her alone!" Bulma cries.

The barrel of a gun pushes against my cheek and I glare down at the small army of children. "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! ATTACKING SOMEONE FOR NO REASON!" I bellow as I kick my legs around. "AND YOU'RE FUNKING UP MY MAKE UP! DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD I WORKED ON THIS LOOK!"

"I don't want to hear your bogus explanations anymore!" One boy barks from the crowd.

"Hey, guys, c'mon now... Wait a minute!" Krillen exclaims. "We have nothing against you! You attacked us so we had to defend ourselves! You gotta believe me!"

"Aw, shut up!" The same boy shot back.

"WILL YOU TWO STOP CLOWING AROUND AND GET-ME-DOWN!" I shout loudly.

Krillen and Gohan began powering up until a little girl struts up to Krillen, and kicks him in the shin.

"Hey! What was that?!" Krillen exclaimed as he grasped at it.

"Don't move!" The boy from earlier shouted as the girl hid behind his leg. "Or I'll shoot you, I swear!"

"Zeshin, why don't you just kill them all right now!" A different boy shouted. "We know they must be allies with Frieza!"

"Okay," Zeshin hummed uncomfortably. "You four shouldn't have come here... I'm sorry..." Just as he moves his finger, the ship rocks wildly and tilts. "What's happening?!"

"We're in big trouble, sir!" Another boy shouted. "We just entered a huge asteroid field!"

Zeshin ran towards the boy. "Hey! Keep an eye on those four, and if they do anything strange, you have my permission to shoot 'em!" The boy from earlier shouted.

"KRILLEN!" I shout again. Krillen and Gohan nodded at one another and leapt into action. Gohan lifted up Bulma as Krillen leapt up to me and broke through the restraints. I wrapped my arms around his neck and curled around him.

Gohan and Krillen stopped running as we neared the ship. "Hey, guys! Let's keep moving!" Bulma cried.

"But..." Krillen murmured.

"WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF AN ASTEROID FIELD!!" Bulma cried. "No ship can take an asteroid hit, especially with those kids behind the controls! Now let's go!"

"But guys, wait! We can't just leave them here like this! They're scared!" Gohan exclaimed.

"And if we don't get outta here, we'll be dead!" Bulma retorted.

The ship rocked again. "Aw man--" I whined. "C'mon guys, we gotta help. They're just kids!" Gohan and Krillen nodded and ran ahead of me. I ran past the damage and went straight to the control room. "Who the hell is flying this thing?!" I ask loudly when the ship shook again. I ran towards the cockpit and a boy is sitting there, nervously pressing at some buttons. "MOVE!" I shout and shove him out of the seat before grasping at the controls.

"Who do you think you are?!"

"An actual pilot, so shut up and grab onto something!" I retort loudly.

"I think she's a dirty liar, Boon!" A boy with a gun yelps.

"I know how to fly this ship!" Boon shouts.

"Apparently, not, otherwise I wouldn't have to navigate this thing out of an asteroid field!" I exclaim. The ship jerks and rocks wildly as I tug and pull at the controls. Once we're clear, I sag against the seat and slide down a little. I wave my hand as they start cocking their guns behind me. "Yeah, yeah-- let me catch my breath..." I murmur. "You know, I save your butts, and you're still acting hostile."

"Well, we still don't trust you!" A young boy shouts.

"And how could we?!" Boon shouts. "You and your friends are responsible for destroying our home!"

"What are you talking about?" I ask irritably. "What friends are you talking about?"

"Don't pretend you don't know!" The young boy snaps.

"We're talking about your homicidal buddy named Frieza!" Boon shots.

"Who the hell is Frieza?" I retort loudly.

"Mara!" Krillen shouted as he tries to run for me with Bulma and Gohan, only to have another gun shoved in his face.

"They think we know some guy named Frieza." I explain irritably.

"We don't think, lady! We know who you are! Just look at how strong your two brothers are!" The young kid exclaims.

"They think we're brothers!" Krillen exclaims to Gohan.

"You've got this all wrong!" I snap. "Those two aren't my brothers! And don't accuse us of being friends with somebody that we don't even know!"

"Mara, wait!" Krillen barks.

"I say we throw these liars out of the airlock! Now!" Boon barks.

"I don't think so." Zeshin mentioned.

"Zeshin?" The young boy hummed.

"It's all right, everyone. You can put your weapons down." Zeshin mentioned.

"Have you lost your mind?!" Boon barked. "These four are allies with Frieza! We have to treat them like a serious threat and eliminate them!"

"If they're allies with Frieza, explain to me why they chose to help us. They would have killed us just like he killed our parents." Zeshin explained.

"These people actually care about us!" The little girl shouted. "They aren't like Frieza and his men! They wouldn't attack us in the middle of the night without warning us!"

Boon flinched. "I... I remember...." He doesn't speak for a moment before going towards Gohan and ruffling his hair. "I think we can trust them."

"Boon?" Zeshin hummed softly.

"Well, I'm glad you guys believe us now." Bulma sighed.

"I wonder if the people who attacked with Frieza were Saiyans..." Krillen muttered.

"Hey, do you remember if the people that conquered your planet had tails that came out about this far?" I ask as I gesture to the length.

"A tail? I didn't see a tail on any of them." Zeshin shook his head.

"So much for that brilliant theory." Krillen muttered.

"That just means that there's another group of warriors out there even more evil than Saiyans." Bulma explained.

"What kind of planet did you live on?" Gohan asked. "I mean, before Frieza?"

"Our planet was successful. A truly wonderful and peaceful place to live. Until that terrible night!" Zeshin exclaimed. "When they took our innocence..."