Bulma jumped when she felt the object collide with her chest. She flailed for a moment, fearing a Storkrin attack, and instead closed her hand around a plastic package. She opened her eyes and saw Vegeta’s backside walking away. The object was apparently a type of armor she assumed she was supposed to wear. How Vegeta had acquired it she didn’t know. She shrugged and crawled out of the bed, stretching and yawning loudly. She frowned when she felt the familiar and unwanted sensation of her weak and trembling legs.

"Vegeta!" she called. She took a moment to steady herself and trotted after him. She met up with him in the kitchen. He was downing a glass of water and wiping his mouth when she approached him.

"What is this?" she held up the package.

Vegeta scowled. "Do you have to run around like that?" he growled at her, indicating the flimsy tank top.

Bulma was surprised to see a flash of what seemed to be embarrassment in his eyes. He looked away and folded his arms and did not make any eye contact with her. She paused trying to find what to say.

"Well?" she demanded.

"It’s armor." He snapped. "Your father installed a computer in here that can generate any sort of material or clothing I would have needed." He paused. "Although I’m not entirely sure how it was that female components were installed in the program. Anyway, I fashioned this for you. Now put it on, and get outside. I’ll be waiting." Without another word he was gone. Bulma stood alone and confused in the kitchen. Was it last night? She wondered. Did I miss something?

"Whatever." She mumbled, and trudged off into the bathroom. After a quick shower she tore open the package and pulled out the armor. To her complete surprise she found it to be quite attractive, and even more surprising, a perfect fit. She frowned to herself. How in the hell did Vegeta know her size? She shrugged into it and flushed when she realized how form fitting it was. It hugged every curve with deadly precision. Bulma stared at herself in the mirror. The suit was a navy blue, much like Vegeta’s body suit, and was a lighter color around her neck, breasts and midsection. The collar zipped up close to the bottom of her jaw, nearly covering her entire neck. She could move around easily enough, but the material was so snug she found herself close to sweating. What the hell had Vegeta been thinking? Was he trying to get her raped?

There was a zipper that needed to be done up in the back. After much grunting and reaching she gave up; the zipper was far too hard to reach on her own. She was beginning to think that Vegeta had put more thought than she had imagined into this suits making.

"Vegeta?" she stepped out of the bathroom and looked around. He was nowhere to be seen. Then she remembered that he had said he would be outside. She groaned. Now I have to go out there like this in front of those gross creatures?

"Vegeta?" she called, opening the ships door a crack. She jumped back when it swung open and Vegeta stepped inside.

"What?" he eyed her quickly. "The zipper?"

"Yeah."

He motioned for her to turn around. She did, and felt his warm fingers graze lightly up her back as the zipper was set in place. She tried not to blush when she turned back around to face him.

"Looks like you knew my size." She said suspiciously.

"Look, you leave enough bras and clothes around your house when I’m there that it wasn’t very hard." He exited back out the door. "Come on."

* * *

"There are a number of things you must understand about R’haksin and the Storkrins."" Vegeta explained calmly to Bulma, who sat beside him in the strange rubber-like chairs around the oval table.

She nodded, painfully aware of the snugness of her navy bodysuit, and the red eyes of the Storkrins who stared openly. "Like what?"

"This council is devised of sixteen Storkrin elders." Vegeta said, indicating the company around the table. "They decide everything that happens on R’haksin. I do not plan to listen to them if what they suggest is completely absurd." He lowered his voice and moved slightly closer to her ear. "But, I want you to know that as I may come off as the type, I do respect other cultures and traditions, except those of Earth, as they are obviously devoid of any sanity."

Bulma laughed dryly. "So what you’re saying is that you’re going to listen to most of what these slimy jerks say?"

"Yes."

"Unless it’s a potential harm to either one of us?" she finished.

"Correct."

Bulma stared down at her hands clasped tightly in her lap. "I don’t understand."

"They may not seem like it to you, but the Storkrins are a respectable race." He announced. "And though I killed many of them and will not hesitate to do so again, they returned respect by helping me when I was in need, so I plan to go through this next month without having to murder too many of them."

Bulma nodded. "Why do they speak English? And how is it that we can breathe the air?"

Vegeta shrugged. "I am not sure." He said. "Anyway, there are a number of things I have to clear up with the Elders. You can either stay here and listen, or I can accompany you back to the ship." He paused. "You would get a better understanding if you stayed here."

Bulma would have liked to; she was interested in the Storkrins, no matter how creepy they came off as. But the ship had food, and a bathroom, and reading material. She blinked and looked around the room they sat in. She was already sick of the color red.

Still, the thought of being alone in the ship without Vegeta’s annoying yet comforting presence was unnerving, so she shook her head. "I’ll stay." She said. "I’d like to hear what you have to say."

He nodded once and looked to Treskor, engaging in a conversation. Bulma tuned the strange guttural hissing of the Storkrins out and focused instead on the furnishings of the building they were in. It had surprised her when she had first entered. The Storkrins by no means had the decorating talents of Martha Stewart, but they had a strangely pleasant manner in which they furnished their buildings. The rooms were all made of marble she had quickly learned, and had no doors. Since the weather stayed particularly mild they had no need of it. Instead where doors should have been there were only oval shaped holes that one stepped through into the next room. Bulma had found herself genuinely happy with the room they were seated in, although everything was still the same dark red coloring. She only wished the Storkrins were not so menacing. If she had not known what Vegeta was capable of, she would have put them on the same intimidation level as he. Such gargantuan creatures they were. Their arms were as wide around as most of the tree trunks in the Capsule Corp. backyard. She shuddered.

She sat back in the chair and waited patiently for Vegeta to finish his questioning. It was then that an odd thought struck her.

"Excuse me…?"

Every Storkrin in the room whirled their blunt heads toward her when she spoke. Shrinking back a tiny bit in her seat, she timidly asked her question.

"Where are…the women?" her voice sounded strained. Vegeta shot her a dangerous look. Treskor narrowed his eyes.

"We do not have femalesss." He hissed shortly. "That isss all."

Paling, Bulma nodded and squirmed as far down as she could into her chair, wishing she could vanish completely from view.

* * *

"How was I supposed to know?" Bulma growled at Vegeta as the two of them walked back to the ship.

"You weren’t," he said, "You just shouldn’t have asked."

Bulma slammed her hands into the spandex pockets of her bodysuit and shook her head. "So then where are they? What happened?"

"Woman! Drop it, all right?" Vegeta stopped in the middle of the path they were in and grabbed her by the arms, yanking her to face him. "It’s a bad place to poke your nose in. Just leave it at what I told you."

She tore her arms from his electrifying grip and glared defiantly back. "There is no way their population could be this big without any women."

Vegeta looked at her for a very long time before sighing loudly. "Look. Remember when I told you about the Fortricres epidemic when I crash landed here?"

"Yes…"

"It attacked the women. None of the males were infected. It dwindled their population to a handful. When they finally discovered the cure it was too late. There were only a dozen of them left. Eight men and four women. It took years for them to rebuild their population. That’s why they hate and fear you. They want nothing to do with you; you remind them of what happened." Vegeta’s eyes were cold in the red glare of the sky. "The women that survived were too infected and diseased to be considered proper mating material. They were sent to a maze of underground caverns that they later called ‘The Dungeons’. Hundreds of cells were built. Every female child born for the next two years afterwards was either malformed or infected with traces of reproduction deficiency and was sent there." He seemed to catch himself and trailed off. "Just…don’t pry into it."

Bulma felt numb. "What…do you mean?" she whispered. "Reproduction deficiency?"

Vegeta tried to shake his head but Bulma wouldn’t have any of it. "Tell me!" she demanded.

"All right!" Vegeta said. "It impairs your ability to have children. Fortricres directly attacks the reproduction system and leaves permanent damage. If it is treated quickly enough it can be prevented." He looked at her squarely. "It will be soon enough for you, if that’s what you’re thinking."

"How do you know?" Bulma cried.

Vegeta pointed a finger at her. "I am going to tell you this once, and I’m not going to tell you again. Don’t go looking for the Dungeons." He said. "You wont like what you find, and the Storkrins wont either. Who knows what they’d do, if I weren’t there to defend you. They don’t want anybody prying around down there. Got it?"

Bulma nodded mutely, and they continued on in silence back to the ship.

She knew before she crawled into her bed that night that she would find the Dungeons, and openly confront their terrible secret.

* * *

Again the light touched R’haksin at an insanely early hour, bleeding dark reds and streaks of blacks across the endless sky. Bulma hugged her coffee mug closer to her body as if trying to extract any bit of warmth that she could find. Such a dismal place…she shook her head. A ways down the hall and to the right, Vegeta still slept soundly. She had been awake for hours.

I know I shouldn’t, but I have to see those women. All through the night, Bulmas thoughts had been of the poor diseased women trapped away in the dampness of the Dungeons. Not being able to think of anything else, she had climbed out of bed and made herself breakfast after only three hours of restless sleep.

What would Vegeta do to her, if she went? What would she find? Would it be too horrible to erase from her memory? Her fingers grazed the porcelain sides of the mug as she stared out the single glass window of the ship. How could they just shut them away in the darkness to die? All thoughts of having respect for the Storkrins as a race of peoples vanished from her mind. They should at least have a decent way of disposing of their dying. Rotting away in a damp cell was no way to go.

She glanced behind her. Vegeta would be asleep for another good hour or so. It would be long enough to dress herself and investigate. You’re being stupid again, Bulma. She frowned at herself. In coming here she had been stupid enough, and had already endangered her life further and made Vegeta’s task far too risky than should have been necessary. But when something wormed its way into her thoughts, there was no way of getting it out.

She knew deep inside that the one thing she feared most about confronting these women was that she would see the effects of Fortricres herself, up close and personal. Would she be able to handle that?

I have to find out for myself. She knew she did. They were spending a month on R’haksin, how could she ignore the fact of those trapped Storkrins somewhere beneath their very feet?

Bulma gulped back the last bit of coffee and turned to her room to dress for the chill of the morning.

* * *

Vegeta awoke with a start, surprised that he had slept so late. His internal clock was screaming at him that it was well past the hour that he should have awakened. His thoughts turned instantly to Bulma, a habit he had found himself doing every morning since they had left. He was still unsure as to whether or not it was a good thing.

He pushed himself up and threw his legs over the bed while he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Where was she, anyway? The usual annoying music of hers that she played wasn’t blasting in its too early glory and Vegeta experienced a tiny twinge of unease. He slid off the bed and grabbed the dark green towel from his nightstand, wrapping it around his waist in a slight attempt to cover his nakedness.

"Woman?" he called. He grimaced at the morning taste in his mouth. Why was it taking him so long to wake up? He padded into the kitchen and looked around. She had been here. A coffee mug sat on the counter, still half full of a few warm drops. He frowned.

"BULMA!"

No answer.

Vegeta swore to himself as he made the connection. He was out the door within seconds and running.

* * *

"Earthling female."

Bulma nearly screamed as she collided with the red bulk of a Storkrin, who appeared nearly out of nowhere. It stood and regarded her carefully with cold red eyes.

"H-hello." She stammered. Should I say Hello? She wasn’t sure what their typical style of greeting was, nor was she sure how she felt about being referred to as ‘earthling female’.

"Where isss the Prince?" the Storkrin hissed. She knew by its size and voice that this Storkrin was not Treskor. Bulma had learned to identify the Storkrins status by the strange bark-like armor they wore. If the armor was a dark blue the Storkrin was of less importance in the society. If the armor was black, they lived on a slightly higher rung of the ladder. Treskor had neither; his armor was a brilliant shade of Gold, which she assumed to be accurate for his standing. She eyed the Storkrin before her and noted the black armor. She swallowed hard.

"Sleeping." She muttered. Beyond him the path narrowed into more darkness. She still did not have the slightest idea where The Dungeons were. What if she was close? What would this Storkrin do?

"Sssleeping?" he hissed, hunching lower to the ground. She watched as he flexed the muscles in his hands and clenched them repeatedly. "What are you doing about, female?" she did not miss the accusation in his voice. Something told her she was close.

"Exploring…" she tried to make herself meet his gaze. He blew foul smelling breath into her face as he leaned even closer.

"Do you know where it isss you explore?" his eyes glinted.

"No."

"Perhapsss you ssshould explore sssomewhere elssse." He said. The trail fell silent as each waited to see what the other would do.

"Perhaps." She agreed, though not whole-heartedly. "I’ll do that." She turned and started back the way she came, her heart thudding in her chest. What was I thinking? Her shoes sunk deep in the crumbling dirt as she hurried along knowing well that the Storkrin remained on the path, not moving, waiting for her to turn so that his suspicions would be confirmed. She forced herself to go faster, willing her exhausted body to get as far away from the creature as she could.

It was at the end of the path that she stopped and sat down, her chest heaving with her labored breaths. "Oh Kami…" she panted. She slumped down the smooth boulder she was sitting on and rested against its refreshing coolness. Had that Storkrin known that she was looking for The Dungeons? Has she even been close to them? Bulma whimpered and reached down to massage her calves. The hurried jog had not done her ever-weakening body any good. She wondered if Vegeta had noticed she was gone yet. How long had it been, anyway? An hour?

Bulma didn’t remember how she had found the path and was suddenly afraid that she was lost.

Vegeta’s going to kill me. She thought. If a Storkrin doesn’t get to me first.

She stood up on her shaky legs and scanned the horizon. It wasn’t going to do her any good to just sit here; she had to find a way back to the ship. "This disease is making me stupid." She mumbled aloud. "Why the hell else would I do something like this? Still…"

She looked back over her shoulder. She was certain that the Storkrin had been so defensive because of The Dungeons. Why else would he have basically demanded that she turn around and leave? She cupped her hands to her cheeks; the wind was bitingly cold. She had been so close…she had to try again. Perhaps she could get around the massive alien without alerting him. After all, he was roughly eight feet tall and 300 pounds, whereas she was 5’6 and 110. She could easily move through the brush undetected.

Could she?

She would have to try.

* * *

"Treskor!" Vegeta’s harsh voice rang out through the stillness of the morning. The enormous Storkrin turned and raised an eyebrow. "Yesss, Prince?"

Vegeta ran up to Treskor who stood a good few feet from the Storkrin Councils Tower. He was surrounded by at least eight other Storkrins who wore their respectable black armor. They all stopped in their gate and waited for him to approach them.

He stopped inches from Treskor. "Have you seen the earthling, Bulma?" he asked. "She was missing when I awoke."

"Misssing?" Treskor hissed. "I would not know, Prince." He paused and turned to the small group surrounding him. A number of strange guttural words were exchanged between them. "My men have not ssseen a thing."

Vegeta scowled and swore softly to himself. The woman was insufferable! He would have to keep looking.

"Fine." He turned to look for her in another direction. Treksor stopped him with one clawed hand.

"I could have a ssscout sssent out, Prince."

"It’s all right." He said shortly. "I will find her."

Treskor turned his bulk around to face Vegeta. "Sssee that you do, Prince." He narrowed his eyes meaningfully. "I do not want prying eyesss where they are not needed." With that, he turned back to his men and they continued into the Council Tower, leaving Vegeta standing alone in the vast redness of R’haksin.

"Bulma…"

He growled softly and kept running.

* * *

Bulma released a breath that she had been holding for what seemed like hours with exaggerated relief. She had made it past the Storkrin and had found his secret.

The Dungeons.

She stood at the base of what seemed to be the entrance and stared down into the rocky abyss. She could not be sure what she had stumbled upon, but judging from the sounds coming from below, she assumed whatever was being kept down there was not happy.

The entrance loomed above the ground and stood at a height of 6 feet. It was made of marble, like most of everything the Storkrins built, and looked to be ancient. Weeds and vines covered the majority of the ‘door’ that led down into the darkness, and small unidentifiable insects scurried across the crumbling foundation as she stepped closer.

Can I do this?

She leaned against the cool stone for a moment, catching her breath. Her navy blue armor was muddied and torn at the knees from her sneaking around through the forests. She swallowed against the fear in her throat and peered ahead into the hole. She could make out the faint images of uneven, crumbling steps. She stepped forward and tested the first with her foot. When it did not give under her weight she tried the other as she held firmly onto a thick vine outside the door. It held. She released another breath and started into the darkness.

Bulmas eyes were quick to adjust to the darkness. She was walking down a long winding staircase. Occasionally she would slip on a spot of mold. Nearly twice she went down, but was saved by the overhanging vines that hung like party streamers from the unending ceiling. It took her a good ten minuets to get to the bottom.

What are those noises? She paused and listened at what she assumed to be the last step. Wisps hung in her face and tickled her nose. Spiderwebs. Is it…breathing?

The noises stopped, whatever they were. Bulma could scarcely breathe or hear herself think over the intense pounding of her heart. For a moment she feared she was about to faint, but the feeling passed, and she forced herself to calm down. It was almost to dark to see but an inch in front of her. She took her first step forward onto the recently undisturbed concrete. Thick layers of dust from years of neglect rose from her feet as she stepped tentatively into a long, wide hallway. A sudden smell assaulted her nostrils and she covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes tearing at the horrendous scent that filled the air…

Death.

Her eyes made out images, faint at first, but they grew as she walked closer. She stopped inches from the first object to her left and dug around in her pocket while her other hand remained over her mouth and nose. She had been wise enough to bring a small Capsule flashlight. Her thumb lingered on the switch, trembling, as she realized that she was absolutely terrified of what she would see.

She closed her eyes and forced herself to turn the flashlight on. A ray of dim light filtered into the hallway and Bulma heard the strangled shrieks of creatures as the unfamiliar light attacked their frail eyes, accompanied by the frantic beating of leathery wings. Her entire body shook from head to toe as she stood with closed eyes and prayed for the courage to open them. She heard something to her right shuffle around close to her. Something large stood up. She heard a metallic clinking, almost like chains…

Bulma opened her eyes.