Author: Birgit "Lee" Kohls
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimers: Dragonball belongs to Bird Studios/Toriyama. The Star Trek universe
and Starfleet belong to Paramount. Both were used without prior permission. No
profit was made from this story.
Author's note: Ever since I saw that drawing of Goku in a Starfleet uniform, I
had this idea spinning in my head... How about if I integrated the DBZ universe
into the Star Trek one? Well, here's my attempt on it.
For rough time reference, this story plays some time after TNG and Voyager.
Chikyuu is not our Earth, but is a planet system in the 'outskirts' of the
Alpha Quadrant and was discovered by the United Federation of Planets
50-something years ago. I tried to stick with the Dragonball timeline as close
as possible and hope that the characters don't get too much off character by the
changes the adaption to the Star Trek universe brings along.
A special thanks to the two people who posted reviews for the first attempt of
this story, especially to the guy who posted "It's dead, Jim". You were
absolutely right. I hope, the story is a bit more alive now. :)
Finally, English isn't my native language and this story isn't betaed yet.
Constructive criticism is highly appreciated! 'Flames' are okay, too, but keep
them directed at the story. If you flame me, I'll sick Chaozu on you. You've
been warned. :)
Prologue
“…and what you think you’re doing, Vejita?” Captain Muten Roshi glared at his security chief, knowing perfectly well that the Saiyan prince didn’t take him serious. Sure, Vejita obeyed orders if it pleased him or if it served his purposes. Still, everyone on board the USS Dragonball was certain that the stubborn and arrogant prince would blow up the ship and get them all killed in a fit of rage some day. “You want that useless Namekian back, I’ll bring him back,” Vejita snarled and continued to pack things into a small backpack. None of it was a weapon. Not that the Saiyan needed any Federation weaponry to begin with. Like most of the native species of system Chikyuu, he was able to harness the powers that slept inside every living creature and fire huge, destructive energy blasts. “That low level pest Kakarrott might not be able to find him, but I can. I’m the Saiyan no Ouji.”
Roshi’s eyes narrowed. Indeed, Son Gokou hadn’t been able to track down Piccolo’s ki energy yet, which either meant that the tall, green skinned tactical advisor was dead, unconscious or too far away to sense his presence. The Captain sighed. Vejita was right. He knew how to intimidate people to get whatever he wanted, and the planets that belonged to the Ice-jins were a turf he knew only too well. The mentioning of Vejita’s name alone made many tremble in horror, just like Piccolo’s reputation made the Namekian extremely unpopular in the Chikyuu system. But while Piccolo was mostly feared because of something his father had done, Vejita no Ouji had earned his questionable fame by destroying dozens, maybe hundreds of inhabited worlds and committing genocide over and over again. Add in the Saiyan’s volatile temper and frequent tantrums and you had a volcano always on the verge of eruption, a lethal threat to all. “Fine. But don’t expect me to bust you out should the Ice-jins find out you’re down there.”
“I don’t need your stupid Starfleet or Federation to ‘bust me out’, old man, because the Ice-jins won’t get me in the first place,” Vejita smugly announced, stuffing the last badge of encapsulated equipment into the bag. “Now, get out of my way and let me do my job.”
“Report to me every four hours. That’s an order.”
Vejita’s look told Captain Roshi quite clearly where he could put his order when he stepped on the transporter platform, but the Captain also knew that his annoying chief of security would not take unnecessary risks.
“Did Kakarrott’s brat wake up?”
The question surprised Roshi. Since when did the prince care for anyone but himself? “He’s still unconscious. Doctor Yamucha managed to revive him, but the kid took some serious injuries.”
“So he could still die?” The permanent scowl on Vejita’s face deepened, making Muten Roshi fear for whoever would be on the receiving end of the Saiyan’s quest for Piccolo.
“Yamucha is a good doctor, he’ll save Son Gohan.”
“That renegade desert doctor would cut off his own fingers if you let him,” Vejita growled. “I don’t understand why you just put Kakarrott’s worthless spawn into a regeneration tank and be done with it.”
“Because our nanobots do the repairs as efficiently, and you know that.” Roshi partially shared Vejita’s loathing of Federation technology. Considering that the Chikyuu system was fairly sophisticated in science and the Ice-jin Empire was on a completely different level of technology altogether, the Federation couldn’t offer many new things. Well, maybe except for Transporter, nanobots and food synthesizers. “I didn’t know you cared.”
“I don’t,” Vejita snarled. “But if the brat dies, Kakarrott’s harpy will become unbearable.”
“True, true.” Roshi smiled. Lieutenant-Commander ChiChi Son, Gokou’s wife and the ship’s second officer, usually was a very kind, though determinate person. However, if you riled her up enough, she managed to scare even the almighty Saiyan prince. “Good luck.”
Vejita didn’t reply, just nodded briefly to the transporter chief to beam him down to planet Ice 710’s surface. Fortunately, system Ice 710 was neutral territory, situated on the border between the huge Ice Empire and Federation space. Before Vejita had eradicated the Ice-jin outpost on the only inhabitable planet after Lord Frieza’s death, the system had been part of the Ice-jin’s vast property.
Captain Roshi, lost in thoughts for a moment, watched the Saiyan dematerialize,. If anyone would’ve told him that he would send a mass murderer after the son of Piccolo Daimaou, he’d declared that person insane and send him or her into the capable care of the ship's resident psychologist Lieutenant Kuririn. But Piccolo had changed. Originally nothing more than a carbon copy of his father, equipped with all his sire’s memories and knowledge, Piccolo had been out for revenge, world domination and destruction. If it hadn’t been for Lieutenant Son and his uncanning fighting abilities, all three inhabited worlds of the Chikyuu system would be under the Demon King’s control by now. That Son Gohan had formed a close friendship with the Namekian had been an additional bonus to wake the good side of Piccolo and had helped to integrate him into the crew. Though, just like Vejita and several others, Piccolo wasn’t a member of Starfleet, they did their share to protect the sectors around the Chikyuu system and keep up the power balance between the Federation and the Ice Empire.
Commander Tenshinhan, his first officer, wasn’t exactly pleased about Piccolo’s or Vejita’s presence aboard the USS Dragonball and had run into more than one confrontation with the two over time. What was worse than the bad weather between those three was the constant power struggle between Piccolo and Vejita. Lieutenant Son had stopped the two from obliterating each other on several occasions already, and though things had calmed down considerably after Piccolo had fused with Chikyuu’s guardian Kami, they still were at each other’s throat every once in a while. Maybe the fact that Bulma Briefs, the ship’s engineer, had given birth to Vejita’s son had helped to cool the situation, too. At least, Vejita had stopped to blow up the gravitation chamber every once in a while.
Roshi shook out of his brief reverie and focused on the present. Son Gohan was in sickbay, fighting for his young life, Vejita no Ouji was on his way to threaten the living daylights out of the inhabitants of planet Ice 710 and Lieutenant Son was still trying to hook on to the ki signature of their lost Namekian friend. Not to mention that his second in command had to be restrained physically from hunting down whoever had harmed her ‘baby boy’.
On top of it, Captain Roshi was sailing dangerous ground, being this close to Ice Empire space. The Ice-jins weren’t known for their patience and if they could get their hands on any of Roshi’s crew… he didn’t even want to finish the thought. The peace between the Ice Empire and the Federation was fragile enough as it was, and there was no say what would happen if the delicate balance of power would be destroyed.