War of the World

Chapter 16: Borders

Since learning that Saburrans did not wear armor, Bulma had never stopped to think about what they wore going into battle. She remembered that the guards wore similar clothing to what was worn on the training pitch only they wore long pants. Bulma found out that that was exactly what the soldiers in the field wore. When she walked out to see the soldiers gathering in front of the palace, she took note of what they wore: tight black pants, black boots, and black capes. As usual, they wore no shirts. The most they used for armor were the metal bands on their forearms and greaves on their shins.

"You'd think going into battle that they'd at least put some kind of shirt on," Chichi said from beside Bulma. She was dressed back in her uniform of a full bodysuit and hood. "The women aren't topless, are they?"

Bulma snickered and shook her head. "No. They wear... bands. Though I don't think they provide more protection than if they had nothing on."

"Why haven't you dressed, woman?"

Bulma and Chichi turned around quickly. Vegeta was approaching with Kakarrot at his side. Both women had to blink a few times. They were not dressed any differently than the other soldiers. Slightly behind them were Serori and Kakarrot's parents. Bardock was dressed for battle but Serori and Gine were not.

"Her Grace has not been given any clothes to wear. Is she to travel dressed like this?" Chichi asked pointedly.

Vegeta glared at Chichi but said nothing. He changed his gaze to Bulma. "Follow me, woman," he said. He looked back at Chichi. "Stay." He turned on his heel and walked back towards the palace entrance. Bulma snickered and followed after him.

Gine laughed as she came up to Chichi. "If you glare at His Grace any harder you might set him aflame. Don't worry about your queen. She's in good hands."

"I still don't like him," Chichi whispered. Then she clapped her hands over her mouth. "Forgive me. I spoke out of turn."

Serori waved her hand. "No offense taken, Chichi. Vegeta is... hard to like. But, Gine is right. There is nothing you need to worry about. Vegeta will take care of your queen. Now are you sure that you won't stick out with that outfit on?"

"I won't even be seen," Chichi said.

Bulma followed Vegeta into a dimly lit room in a part of the palace she had never been to. He stepped aside and allowed her to pass him. She walked further inside and looked around while he closed the door. They were in an armory. There were many weapons mounted on the walls and ready to use. From the quality of the weapons, Bulma could only conclude that this armory was specifically for royalty.

"These are the weapons of the former kings and queens. If one is killed in battle, we try to recover the weapon at least," Vegeta said. Bulma could hear his voice but could not see him.

"So these weapons are never used again?" she asked.

"Correct."

"But I thought you were going to give me clothes," Bulma said. She turned around, looking for Vegeta. He came from around a shelf. Bulma narrowed her eyes when she saw him holding a scabbard along with a sack of clothes. "What's that?"

Vegeta stopped directly in front of her. "It's a sword." He held the hilt out towards her. Bulma looked at the hilt then back up at Vegeta. He nodded and she took hold of the hilt. She drew the sword quickly and held it out.

It was remarkably light. She brought it in closer and ran her hand lightly across the blade. It looked like it had never been used before. "It's beautiful, Vegeta. But I shouldn't use a weapon made for your family."

The king resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He took the sword from Bulma and walked over to a table. He dropped the sack on the table and laid the sword out, putting the scabbard beneath it. Then he motioned for Bulma to come over to him. "It doesn't belong to any of my ancestors."

Bulma walked over to Vegeta. She looked down at the scabbard. The seal of her family was engraved into it. She then looked closer at the hilt. It also had her seal engraved into it. Examining the blade once again, she saw the word Vita engraved into the guard.

"Vegeta..."

"I had it commissioned when you started training again. It should work well with your fighting style." He sheathed the sword again. He looked at Bulma. She was smiling at him. "What?"

Bulma closed the short distance between them. She gave him a small peck on the lips. "Thank you, Vegeta," she whispered. She leaned forward and kissed him again, this time slower. Vegeta took hold of her waist. She pulled back away from him and sighed. "I should get dressed."

Vegeta released her and stepped back. He turned and began walking around the armory. By the time he got to the front of the armory, he could hear Bulma walking to catch up to him. He turned around to see her buckling her sword belt to her as she walked. She had put her hair up and tied the scarf around it, hiding her blue tresses. Even disguised, she still lacked the stature and olive skin of a Saburran. Anyone who looked closely would be able to tell she was not from their country. Especially not with those striking blue eyes.

Bulma noticed Vegeta's staring as she got closer to him. A smile spread across her face. "What?" she asked as she stopped in front of him. Bulma recognized the look on his face and shook her head. "Vegeta! We have to..." She was silenced with a kiss. He backed her into a wall, unbuckling her belt.

"What is taking them so long?" Kakarrot moaned. He was standing out with the battalion that he would be traveling with. The men and women were lined up and ready to go. Kakarrot faced his father, who just shrugged. The younger man sighed and strapped his shield to his back. When he finished, he looked back up towards the palace. "There they are!"

Indeed, Bulma and Vegeta were descending the steps. Bulma noticed Bella and Ponos were both waiting for their masters. When she reached the bottom of the steps, Bella walked up to her and nuzzled her. She scratched the vulpes' ears.

"Bella, I need you to do something for me," she said, pulling back from the large animal. "Watch over the king for me. Understand?" Bulma searched Bella's eyes for some hint that the vulpes understood. Bella turned her gaze to Vegeta and then back at Bulma. Smiling, Bulma nodded. "Good girl. I will see you back at home." Bella nuzzled her one last time before moving towards Vegeta, her tails swishing behind her.

For his part, Vegeta just stared at Ponos. "Obey the woman. Keep her safe," he said sternly. Ponos gave a small bark and turned away from his master. The beast passed the slightly smaller vulpes. The two eyed each other but kept on to their new charges. Vegeta watched Bella approach. The vulpes seemed just as haughty as her mistress. She eyed Vegeta warily but stayed beside him nonetheless. Vegeta snorted and turned towards the battalion he was to lead.

The call to move out was made and each of the battalions began to move out slowly. Bulma hung back for a moment and watched Vegeta moving towards his own horse with Bella following behind him. Ponos nudged her gently, trying to get her to move but she just stood there and watched him.

"King Vegeta!"

Vegeta stopped mid-mount at the sound of his name. He turned around to see Bulma stalking over to him. She was unraveling the scarf from around her head. Vegeta raised an eyebrow when she stopped right in front of him. She took the tie out of her hair and looked at him. "What are you doing, woman?"

"Give me your arm, Your Grace," she said. Still confused, Vegeta slowly held out his right arm. Bulma grabbed his wrist and wrapped the tie around it. She tied it and released him. "That's my favorite tie. I expect you to return it, Your Grace." With that, she turned on her heel and made her way back to her own horse.

The king looked down at the tie on his arm and shook his head. He glanced back up to see Bulma's battalion moving out. She turned to give him one last look before riding off with them Ponos walked beside her in his usual protective manner. Vegeta was content to stare until something nudged him from behind. He turned his head to see Bella next to him. The vulpes moved incredibly quiet for something so large and with so many tails. He nodded at the beast and mounted his horse to catch up with his battalion. Bella followed dutifully behind him.

Cooler sat in his tent. After a week of mostly nonstop travel, he had finally decided to let his army rest. They made camp just off the main road leading into Sirocco. They were only about 3 days from the city, but it was better to arrive with his men better rested than if they had traveled the whole way nonstop. So he would allow them reprieve for a day or so before they set back out.

During his travel, he had only received one letter from his mother. Other than telling him that the southern and western borders might be compromised, nothing of importance was in it. Cooler was coming from the north. Sirocco was closer to the northern border of Zephyr than the south.

"King Cooler!" The call came from outside the tent.

Cooler glanced up, from the maps he had been studying. "Enter," he said. A soldier walked in carrying a metal bowl. He held it out to Cooler and the king took it. There was some sort of stew in it. "What's this?"

"They were able to find... borrow some livestock from a nearby town. Lamb, I believe, sire," he said. Cooler nodded and sat the bowl down. "Is there anything else you need, sire?"

"Appule, how long would you say it would take to get to the western border outpost from our current position?" Cooler asked, returning to look at the map laid before him.

Appule seemed confused by the strange question, but glanced down at the map nonetheless. He saw where Cooler had marked their approximate position. They were just north of where the Gran Bosque began. "Perhaps six hours if one stuck to the roads, sire. Going through the swamps is shorter but more dangerous. Would you like to send a group to scout the border?"

Ostrum's king nodded very slowly. "Yes. Only three are needed. They are to only scout the outpost. Do not interact with anyone there, even if they are my men. Report back as soon as possible. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sire. But what if they don't come back?"

"Then that tells me all I need to know. Make haste. I am moving out in twelve hours," Cooler said sternly. Appule nodded and left the tent quickly. Cooler sat back and picked up his bowl of stew. He could hear Appule barking orders at his men. Instinct told Cooler that he was sending three men to their deaths. But his instinct was also telling him that the border was compromised. This would let him know and he could be properly prepared. As far as he knew, Saburrans did not do subtlety very often. Still, it helped to be ready for when they would strike.

"There's a checkpoint at the border. Modest contingent. They've set up a gate of sorts that allows them to have a lookout. They cannot see us from our current position but the closer we get the more obvious we will be. We should be able to take them out and keep moving almost simultaneously," Paragus was saying.

Bulma stood near the circle of men as they went over battle strategies. They were only an hour or so from the border. The trees of the Gran Bosque were visible on the horizon. She could not wait to get underneath their shade... Shade... Bulma's eyes widened. She stood up and walked over to the men.

"Do you have any input, milady?" Paragus asked politely.

"Yes, I do. I would rather we not make too much noise entering Zephyrus. Word could quickly spread to the wrong sorts. How many would you say are at the checkpoint?" Bulma inquired.

"Twenty, maybe thirty. Nothing about ten of us can't handle," Paragus responded.

The queen nodded. "If that's the case, then those ten should be able to sneak past the lookout using the shade of the trees. Take them out as quickly and quietly as possible, then send word for the rest of us to follow. There's no reason we should make this particular battle a grand affair," she said.

Paragus stood still for a moment, thinking. Then he nodded. "I agree. We'll go with your idea, milady." He turned to face his rather large son, Broly. "Gather ten of the stealthiest. Make sure there is an archer in the group. Also, impress upon them how important it is that this remains as quiet as possible."

Bulma watched the Saburrans plan their attack in silence. She turned to look back towards the Gran Bosque. She was so close to home. It felt surreal. She found herself wondering what Baba was doing at the moment. The wind blew from behind her and she closed her eyes. When it died down, she faced the Saburrans again. "I'm coming along."

Everyone paused at the sound of her voice and looked in her direction. "I'm sorry?" Paragus blinked a few times.

"I am coming. I will be one of the ten." Her tone did not leave it up for discussion. The queen turned on her heel and left the circle. She headed towards where Ponos was lounging next to her horse. Before she got there, Chichi appeared behind her.

"I must advise against this," she said.

"Your advice is duly noted. But, you'll be with me to watch me. So what's the problem?" She turned her head to smile at Chichi. The raven was seething, but said nothing else. She just disappeared from her position beside Bulma. The queen chuckled at Chichi's childish behavior just as she came up next to Ponos. The large wolf-like creature gave her a sidelong glance before closing his eyes again. "And hello to you, too. So much like your master," she said, moving over to her horse. Ponos gave her a huff, blowing sand in her direction. Rolling her eyes, she started going through her things, searching for what she would need.

The sun was on the horizon when Cooler's men arrived near the border outpost. The area was quiet around them. From their vantage point, they could see men in their uniforms milling about the place. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"Should we get closer?" one of them asked.

"The general said we are not to interact with anyone there. We're just here to observe and report back," another answered.

"That doesn't make sense. Everything looks fine, but what if it isn't? Those could be imposters masquerading in our armor," the last retorted. They stood in silence for a few more minutes. "I'm going to get closer. We have to be absolutely sure and we can't from this distance." He dismounted his horse and tied the reins to a tree. Then he began walking through the tall grass leading up to the outpost. The others exchanged cautious looks before following along with their partner.

The sound of insects and amphibians in the marsh was loud, but it and the high grass disguised their approach. At least, they thought it was disguising them. None of them saw the arrow coming until it had already planted itself in the leader's forehead. The other two turned to look at the man between them. His eyes were staring ahead and he seemed as though he was trying to speak. Then he fell back. The other two looked at one another and then started running back the way they came.

"Don't let them get away," Vegeta said. He was standing on the roof of the outpost where a lookout would be stationed. Cabba, a young and masterful archer in the Saburran army, nodded. He quickly reloaded and shot the remaining soldiers in their legs. Both of them went down face first into the wet marsh. Vegeta nodded his approval and turned to others standing on the roof. "Have them brought inside. Add the dead one to the pyre."

"We should've never listened to him!" one of the shot soldiers yelled at his partner.

"It wouldn't have done you any good, anyway." They both looked ahead of them to see two burly Saburran soldiers walking towards them from the forest they had just come from. "The moment you stepped within this area, your fates were sealed," he said.

"Yeah. We just wanted to see if you'd be dumb enough to enter an open area like that. You should've stuck to the forest. What do they teach you all in Ostrum?" the other said as he yanked one of them to their feet. He whistled when he saw where the arrow had entered his leg. "Cabba is a fucking artist with that bow. Any further over and the moment you remove that arrow, you'll bleed to death."

Kakarrot looked up from sharpening his weapon when the doors to the outpost opened. The soldiers dragged in the Ostrumans. The arrows were still lodged in their thighs. He winced when he noticed where they were. Cabba must have shot them. He put his whetstone away and sheathed his sword as Vegeta descended the stairs from the roof. He followed closely behind him, knowing what was about to happen: a Vegeta interrogation.

The king looked at the two soldiers with arrows sticking out of their thighs. He, too, was impressed with Cabba's accuracy. For someone so young, he truly was gifted. Setting those thoughts aside, he looked the Ostrumans over. They had the typical Ostruman look about them: very pale and like they had never seen sunlight. It was a miracle these men didn't shrivel up in the heat. One of them was frowning at the king while the other had no issue with showing the terror he felt. His eyes flitted about the room and everywhere but the king.

"Either you both go back, one of you goes back, or you both die. It's completely up to you two," Vegeta said. Both Ostrumans looked in his direction. "Who you ordered to come here?" Vegeta asked, breaking the silence. Both of the Ostrumans looked in his direction, but neither spoke. Vegeta nodded. He walked forward.

Kakarrot tensed when Vegeta took hold of the nose of the Ostruman who'd been looking as if he wanted to cry. But he did not look away when Vegeta broke his nose with sharp jerk of his hand. The king released him and walked back to spot next to Kakarrot.

"I'll ask again. Who?" When he got no response again, Vegeta went over to the one who looked like he wanted to kill everyone in the room. Without much fanfare, the king reached forward and snatched his right eye clean out of his face. Vegeta dropped the eyeball in the Ostruman's lap and returned to his position next to Kakarrot. "Eventually I will run out of things to take out of your face. That or until I get bored. Whichever happens first. So?"

"K-K-King Cool-l-ler," the one with the broken nose said. Vegeta looked in his direction, expecting him to elaborate. "He sent us to sc-scout the outp-p-post. Then we were supposed to c-c-come back. We had twelve hours."

Kakarrot frowned. "He sent you to your deaths. How cruel."

"Come now, Kakarrot. How would Cooler know that we'd already claimed this outpost for ourselves?" Vegeta asked. He knew full well that what Kakarrot said was true. Cooler did not really expect them to come back. If they did, it would be a miracle. If they didn't, it was no big loss. "How many days were you outside of Sirocco?"

"M-M-Maybe three."

The king had not quite expected this one to sing like a bird. "And how many of you with him?"

"Maybe f-f-five hundred."

Vegeta nodded. He had 300 men with him. He had no problem being outnumbered. It never stopped him before and it certainly wouldn't stop him now. If the rest of Cooler's army was as smart as these men had been, then the odds were even better. "And how long did it take you to get here?"

"S-S-Six hours."

Six hours, Vegeta mused. And their time limit was twelve hours. What to do?

Kakarrot watched the wheels turn in Vegeta's head. The king looked up at him and nodded. Then he left the room. Kakarrot sighed and looked the soldier that held the stony-faced Ostruman in place. "Fix him up end him back. Kill the other."

"B-B-But I told you everything!" the frightened Ostruman yelled.

"To save your own skin. King Vegeta would have had more respect for you had you kept your mouth shut," Raditz said from behind Kakarrot. "No one likes a tattle."

The one-eyed Ostruman turned his head just in time to see his partner's neck be slit. He closed his remaining eye and sighed. When he opened his eye again, he saw Kakarrot standing right in front of him. "Tell Cooler everything. Leave nothing out."

Vegeta had retreated back to the roof. Cabba was sitting across from him, his eyes constantly scanning the area. Vegeta found himself wondering if the boy had taken a break all day. "Cabba," he called. Cabba looked in his direction immediately. "How long have you been up here?"

Cabba appeared contemplative for a moment. "Since first light, Your Grace."

"Go and rest. Send another archer up."

"But, Your Grace! I can..."

"There is no point in pushing yourself right now. You are of no use to me if you are not rested. Do as I say," Vegeta reiterated. Cabba nodded stiffly and gathered his things up. Just as he was passing Vegeta, he yawned. Vegeta glared at him pointedly and the kid swallowed thickly.

Vegeta was left alone for the time being. He walked to the south side of the roof and looked towards the horizon. The light of the day was almost completely gone. He glanced down at his wrist, seeing the band tied to it. Not for the first time in the last few days he found himself thinking about Bulma. Of course, his mind was generally blank when fighting. But when he had moments alone, he thought of her. For the first time, Vegeta found himself worried about someone else's wellbeing in a war. He need to believe in her more. Still, he could not help it.

"That woman has made me soft," he whispered. He inhaled as the wind blew and with it came the scent of the Zephyrean queen. He stood up straight, eyes wide. "I'm going crazy," he said with a shake of his head. Behind him, the hatch to below opened. Another archer climbed up and saluted him. Vegeta nodded and turned around. He sat with his eyes closed and began thinking up his next strategy.

Bulma held her eyes closed as the wind blew in her face. If there was one thing she missed about Zephyr it had been how the wind caressed her. With a sigh, she opened her eyes and looked ahead of her. They were just outside the checkpoint. The area was generally empty except for a few soldiers wondering about.

Where are all the residents? Bulma thought to herself.

"We will take out the soldiers. Your Grace, you and I will go to the checkpoint and clear it out. The highest rank should be in there," Broly said. He turned to see Bulma was still staring around the scarcely populated square of the town. "Your Grace!" Broly hissed.

"I heard you, Broly." Bulma still did not look at him. Instead, she moved forward, staying low to the ground. Broly watched her for a moment. She was headed in the direction they needed. Sighing, he gestured for the others to move out. Then he followed after he quickly.

The queen moved much quicker staying low than Broly gave her credit for. Her size allowed her to squeeze into smaller spaces where he usually had to go around. They hid behind a bush right in front of the door to the main building. Broly heard the queen whisper something and mere moments later, the soldier guarding the door was dragged backwards into the shadows.

"What the hell just happened?" Broly whispered. Bulma simply smirked and move forward to the door. Sighing again, Broly followed after her.

Bulma crept inside. There was no one in the front, which she found strange. She could hear voices coming from upstairs and from the back. She stood up straight and Broly came in behind her. "You go around back. I'll go see what's upstairs," she said quickly. Without waiting for an answer, she headed for the stairs. Broly shook his head again, but did as he was told.

Upstairs was mostly one large open area. Bulma frowned at the smell. She kneeled at top step and looked around the area out of sight. Lanterns lit the area, but it was still quite dim. There were only two Ostruman soldiers, but they were not alone. There were 3 young girls, probably no older than Bulma's age, sitting against the far wall. Clothes in tatters. Hands and feet tied with sharp wire. Vacant expressions in their eyes. From their appearance, it was not hard to tell what they had been up there for.

"Wait for an opening," came Chichi's whisper in her ear. The bodyguard could see Bulma tensing up. She could not just go in without a plan. Luckily, the men had shed their armor and were open to an attack from behind.

"Have they eaten today?" one of the Ostrumans asked his friend.

"I don't think so. Go get them something." He gestured to the exit.

The other turned and walked towards the steps. As soon as he turned around to the staircase, a dagger was drawn quickly across his neck. Shock covered his face and he reached up for his neck as the blood began pouring from it. He looked ahead of him and saw nothing. What had happened? He took a step and missed the first step, but he did not fall.

The last Ostruman left kneeled down in front of the girls. He grabbed the one in middle by her chin. She tried to move away from him, but he only laughed at her. She glanced up and saw a figure moving towards him from behind. Before she could react to it, she saw the shadowy figure motion for her stay quiet. The girl tore her eyes away from the figure. The others had noticed as well, but made no attempt to show that they saw.

Bulma crept up directly behind the man. Just as he released the girl and started to stand, Bulma lowered herself to the dusty floor and slashed the tendons at his ankles. His eyes widened in surprise and he fell clumsily to the side. Bulma stood up straight as he rolled around in pain on the floor.

Chichi appeared beside her. "I'll watch him. You untie the girls," she said. Bulma nodded and walked over to the girls. Chichi stepped over to him while he moaned and writhed. She kicked him in the face. "Shut up or I'll cut your tongue out," she threatened. The man held in his cries and opted for staring at her murderously.

The queen gently untied the girls. The wire that had kept them captive had dug into their skin, leaving their wrists and feet bloody. Each had several cuts carved into their right forearms. The one in the middle had at least 20. Bulma mumbled words of comfort to the girls. Two of them had started crying. Once she was done, Bulma looked them over. "How are you all? Any broken bones or other wounds?" The girls shook their heads. "Good."

One of the girls cleared her throat. "W-Who are you?" she whispered. Her voice was hoarse, from either screaming or inactivity. Bulma had no way of knowing. Bulma waited a moment and then she removed the scarf around her head. The girls' eyes widened when they saw the blue locks fall down. "Your Grace," the girl whispered.

"Yes, it's me."

"But, we thought you were dead."

Bulma snorted. "Do I look dead?" They shook their heads. "Ladies, I have a job for you. Are you up to it?" she asked. The girls looked among each other and then back at Bulma. They nodded. "Good."

Downstairs, Broly was finishing off the last Ostruman. He looked back at the trail of bodies he had left. It would suck to make a pyre for all of them. He would probably relegate that duty to the lower ranks. His thoughts were interrupted by one of the loudest cries of anguish he had ever heard. He quickly ran back to the stairs. He nearly tripped over a dead body but kept going. When he got upstairs, he came to a stop when he saw the queen and her lady simply standing there. He walked over to them.

Chichi moved her eyes to the side when she heard Broly approaching. Figuring he was no threat, she turned her attention back to the sight in front of her. They had given the girls their weapons and told them to do whatever they wanted to punish their abuser. So far, she had to give the girls their props. They had quite the imagination.

"What's going here?" Broly asked, standing next to Bulma. Looking at what the girls were doing, he felt the inexplicable urge to curl up into a ball to protect himself.

"Justice," Bulma said as one of the girls pulled out the Ostruman's tongue and held it. Another one used Bulma's dagger to cut it out of his mouth. His yelling became a garbled yodel as blood filled his mouth. The other one was using one of Chichi's knives to cut into the Ostruman's skin on his chest. The other two had moved the man's lower extremities while she continued to carve into his skin.

Broly winced and decided he had seen enough. "I left one alive downstairs for us to get information from," he said, hoping to draw the women's attention.

Bulma nodded. "Chichi, watch them. I'll go talk to this other one downstairs. When they're done, bring them downstairs," she said. Chichi nodded stiffly, still watching the girls exact their revenge. Bulma followed Broly back downstairs.

The burly Saburran had used what looked like similar wire used to tie the girls up to tie up the last Ostruman left alive in the house. Or at least the last one who could speak. He growled when he saw Broly coming back, but his eyes widened when he saw Bulma behind him. Bulma wondered why he seemed so surprised. Then she recalled that her hair was still down. She quickly and haphazardly put it back up in the scarf. Then she stopped in front of the Ostruman. She kneeled down to his level.

"I have a few questions. It would be in your best interest that you answer them. There are three very angry young ladies upstairs. You don't want to know what they're doing to your friend." As she finished speaking, there was another garbled cry from upstairs. "They're really drawing it out."

The Ostruman narrowed his eyes. "What do you want to know?"

"Let's start with the road leading into Sirocco. Where is the Ostruman army positioned on it?" Broly asked from above Bulma.

The Ostruman shook his head. "We aren't. We're pretty scattered around the country in different villages. The roads are clear unless they go through a village where we would be camped. Most of the army is in the main city," he said stiffly.

Bulma narrowed her eyes. "Sirocco. Why?"

The Ostruman shrugged. "To protect the king, I guess."

"One more question," Bulma said. The Ostruman rolled his eyes and looked at her. "Those girls had cuts on their forearms. Why?"

"I don't know. I guess they were keeping a tally."

"And your king approves of this behavior?" Bulma stood up straight.

"As long as we do our jobs efficiently, he doesn't really care what we do."

"I see." Bulma turned her back on him and looked up at Broly. "I'm done with him." She walked off. She left the house and walked out into the cleared square. The other Saburrans were dragging the bodies of the slain towards the center of the square. Some of the residents had come to help. When Bulma came to a stop just outside the square, she saw a woman walking up to her. She appeared frantic.

"Did you come from that house?" she asked. Bulma nodded slowly. "Were... Were there any girls in there? Were they alive?"

Bulma smiled and took the scared woman's hands. "I assure you they are safe. They should be coming out soon," she said. The woman nodded and stepped back, looking past Bulma at the house. True to her word, one of the girls opened the door and peered out into the darkness. She slowly came outside, still looking around cautiously. "Is that who you're looking for?" Bulma asked.

The older woman nodded. She left Bulma's side and ran towards the girls. They recognized the woman immediately and practically smothered her with their hugs. Bulma watched with a sad smile, knowing those girls were forever changed by their ordeal. It only served to make her angrier. One of the girls caught her eye and she opened her mouth to call out to Bulma. Bulma immediately put a finger to her lips. The girl nodded but still mouthed her gratitude to Bulma. Bulma nodded and turned to walk out into the square.

The Saburrans and men of the village continued to pile the bodies up. Broly came up from behind her, somehow hauling all three of the men who had been in the main house in his arms. Bulma stood still for a moment, admiring his strength. Saburrans really were freaks of nature.

"What is this about?" Bulma asked when Broly returned to her side.

"A pyre," he said. "They fell in battle. Sort of. It is believed that to show respect to those we have defeated will bring good fortune in battle. So we burn the bodies."

Bulma snorted and crossed her arms. "This bunch has done nothing to deserve being respected in death. Scarring young girls with the tally of how many times you raped them? What is honorable about that? They deserve to be strung up by their innards so that the birds can pick them apart," she said, her tone sharp and biting. "I refuse to show them any respect." She spat on the ground and turned on her heel.

Broly watched her walk off. The young queen was certainly a spitfire. He could see why she'd caught King Vegeta's eye. If it were not for her odd coloring, she'd fit right in with the Saburran woman. He flinched when a burst of heat hit his face. He turned forward to see that the pyre had been lit. He looked around to see the residents of the village looking at the pyre. Broly was not surprised to see the disgust and relief in their expressions. He wondered if all the villages the Ostruman soldiers had taken up residence in were like this.

Yelling and the sound of people running shook Cooler out of his dozing state. He sat up straight and saw that it was still dark out. What was all the commotion about? He pulled himself to his feet and exited his tent. He could see his men crowded around a horse, but tending to something beneath it. He walked forward, his men parting when they saw he was trying to get through. When he got to the center of the circle, he saw that Appule was kneeling in front of one of the soldiers he'd sent off.

"What happened to the other two?" Cooler asked.

Appule looked up at Cooler. "He says they were killed. The Saburran king himself took out his eye. They were questioned and he refused to talk, but one of them did."

"And what was shared?"

"Our approximate position and our total. From that outpost, he could catch up to us or even get to Sirocco before us," Appule said.

Cooler nodded. "I doubt Vegeta has as many men as I have here. He's most likely split his forces to come from the south as well. It would be my luck that he decides to come north. If he comes, then he comes. Send a crow to my mother warning her." He paused for a moment. "And send one to Frieza telling him the situation."

Appule got to his feet. "You expect the prince to send reinforcements?" he asked. The look on his face was one of incredulity.

"Not in the least," Cooler said with a shake of his head. "But I am interested in what actions he will take. He was quite secretive when he arrived back in Palatium. It was clear he knew something I did not. Be quick about this. I want to move out in no less than thirty minutes." He turned around and stalked back to his tent.

Coryza walked out onto the terrace of Bulma's quarters. The sun was coming up and the sky was still a myriad of colors. Clouds appeared to be moving in from the sea. She could smell the rain coming. She felt like trouble was brewing. In fact, she had no doubt that it was. She just needed to figure out what kind of trouble it was.

Where are you coming from? When will you be here?