"Woman, what is wrong?" he snorted in disgust as she burst into tears. "You're not honesty saying your afraid are you? I told you a million times that there are fewer that are stupid enough to cross me… and I'm NOT going to kill you…"

"How do I know that…"

"Because I gave my world as the Prince of Saiyans… dolt. Which you insult me by considering so little regard for…"

"I'm… sorry Vegeta okay! You happy now?" she snapped. "You're enjoying seeing me humiliated! Aren't you?"

"When were you ever humiliated, woman? Nobody knows you on that world, so stop feeling sorry for yourself," Vegeta snapped. "Be glad that I even tolerate having you around…"

"Why's that?" she asked. "I mean you hate everyone and you're saying you tolerate me?"

"Because you're a spoiled rotten little brat," said Vegeta.

"I'm NOT spoiled!"

"Uh huh," Vegeta laughed. "And I'm your weakling ex boyfriend's plaything!"

"Ewww GROSS!" she gagged.

"That twerp thought we were living together… and I'm as repulsed at the notion of being near that clown as you are," Vegeta snorted. "The very IDEA! If I'm going to mate, I prefer a female! I'm in no way going to let a male mate me!"

"What kind of woman would you want for a mate?" she asked. "Since you told me you wanted my help, and I don't see how I'm doing anything to achieve THAT on this trip…"

"Someone who I can stand, for starters, woman," Vegeta answered. "And since you're so curious I suppose I must tell you more about Saiyan mating habits…"

"Do we have to now? I mean do I have to hear now… I’m feeling sick already…"

"It's just as repulsive as your human oddities… although our species ARE similar in general physiology…" he mumbled. Bulma panted heavily and did not answer. She was squirming tightly on his lap, tearing at the seat belt harness weighing her down. All of a sudden Vegeta smelled fear and her heart rate skyrocketing through the roof.

"I can't breathe in here Vegeta… it's too small… I can't…" she whimpered.

"You really are scared of this, aren't you?" Vegeta mumbled in momentary sick fascination. Her squirming had another unforeseen consequence because her backside was rubbing in a rather awkward place nestled against him.

Tears poured down her cheeks as Bulma shivered convulsively. Punching the autopilot, Vegeta sighed and rolled his eyes. Another human weakness he'd have to put up with no doubt.

"Woman, shut up and listen to me! You're not going to stop breathing if you can keep yapping so annoyingly! So knock it off! If I can breathe, you can too!" he snapped in her ear. "Now will you stop moving!"

"I'm terrified…" she sobbed. "I can't… I’m going nuts…"

"You're driving ME nuts," Vegeta cursed. He unclipped his seatbelt, releasing Bulma. She flailed her arms and legs wildly to his chagrin. Wrapping his arms around her he caught hold of her wrists and squeezed her against him.

"Stop that!"

"IM CLAUSTROPHOBIC YOU ASSHOLE!" she screamed.

"Why didn't you say so, bakka woman," he mumbled.

"You didn't ask…" she sobbed. Vegeta turned her to one side so she sat crosswise on his thighs. He curled his left arm to support her back, and held her legs down with his right. Grumbling he continued to restrain her, making small hushing noises.

"Shh, now stop that… you're safe you idiot," Vegeta mumbled, using a tone that he'd hardly knew his voice could make. "Just knock it off… I'm not going to let you die, so just shush…"

"I'm sorry Vegeta… I can't… it's always been like this…" she sniffled.

"Hush now, woman… I've got you, so do stop crying already…" Vegeta mumbled in her ear. He stroked her bare legs with his gloved hand, wondering where he'd had the instinct to do so. It quieted the woman, to some extent, but she was still sobbing and whining right in his ears. Again he cursed and decided to shut her up in the way he'd found worked twice before. Luckily she didn't taste unpleasant, he thought as he angled his face to block her sniffles with his mouth. She started in his arms, jolting as her breath hit his lips. Clumsily he kept moving his mouth.

"He doesn't know what to do," Bulma realized. Her heart pounded for another reason because the whole world burned several degrees hotter. She raised her arms to thread them around his neck, finally getting another chance to see what his hair felt like. Oddly soft and only remotely stiff as horsehair. Wiry enough to snap into that permanent style, much as Radditz had been. While washing Son-kun's hair as a kid, she had held the boy down in sudsy water to keep him from leaping out. Gohan had the same hair texture. Neither smooth, nor silky, but wiry and stiff, but still pleasant tot he touch. Vegeta's movements were calculated, stiff and mechanical. But his taste was spicy, and his smell somewhere between musk and that blasted old spice her mother had given him last Christmas. It smelled to a lesser degree of when she'd first seen him come off the spaceship that day in Capsule Corps yard and lure him to take a shower before he blasted everything in sight.

"What's the blasted damn deal about this ludicrous waste of time," he panted as she surfaced for breath. Their mouths had remained closed, limited to tenuous continued presses of his lips over hers and her response.

"Simple…"

"I'm NOT sucking your face in that DISGUSTING manner…" he grumbled.

"Nobody said you had to, jerk…" she answered, fingering his lips, and amazed he was actually doing this.

"Stupid human customs. I suppose you'll shut up if I continue this?" he mumbled. "As disgusting as you taste…"

"You smell as bad as you did when you first showed up. You're going to take a shower the first thing when we land, bud," she panted.

"Annoying female," he grunted.

"Monkey's uncle," she countered. "This is what a kiss is supposed to be like…"

About to protest, Vegeta's mouth opened and Bulma used the chance to kiss him again. His word was caught away in that rasping half growl he used when annoyed or unsure of what human word to use for cursing appropriately. He stiffened in his usual manner when she slid her tongue into his mouth, overtop sharp simian teeth. Bulma hoped he wouldn't try anything feral such as biting her tongue in two. She turned her head occasionally from one angle to the other, using her lips to massage overtop his. He didn't know what to do with his gloved hands that were stiffly raised on either side of her shoulders.

Although he said she tasted nasty, he could not be more contrary in meaning. That salty taste of human saliva was not so unlike his own. Greasy lip paint slid over his mouth. Her tongue was soft and delicate and warm moving against his. He grabbed her chin in one hand to hold her face in place so he could show her what he realized she was doing. Not unlike the disgusting task of food sharing that he'd often see with the female slaves in the nursery, chewing up the food for their male babies till their teeth fell in. A memory of a conversation with Radditz hit him full between the eyes. One of the rituals of mating involved the female chewing up part of her meal and placing the moistened mouthful onto that of the male. He would do the same in turn, and they would chew one another's food to share in this manner. That was the closest Saiyan equivalent to this 'kiss' that Bulma rated so highly. It clicked that it wasn't so disgusting after all.

Lightly he nipped her tongue with his teeth and she shivered. He then rubbed the sensitive place with his own tongue, making slight biting motions and movements that one did when eating. Instantly she relaxed in his arms, falling limp against him. Pheromones burst into full intensity, causing his own heart rate to skyrocket to the rate of the human earth woman.

"I can't breath…" she gasped, panting.

"Food sharing without the food, weird but as all human customs has some basis in reality," he smirked.

"I'm not even going to ask what you just said."

"Will you be quiet or do I have to continue this pointless ritual of yours?"

"I don't know… I think I feel an urge to ask you all sorts of…"

"That's quite enough out of you for ONE evening, girl," he said. Bulma giggled against his kiss, knowing that he'd played right into her hands. Too bad it was just his lame effort to keep her silent so he could have peace and quiet. Vegeta realized the more he continued the 'kiss' the more excited he grew, and the more impossible it became to hold back the urge to tear off her clothes. The instinct to rut and take the female right there arose in him, as it had before with the two concubines that he'd managed to train so well. Sex toys only went so far, and since he refused common whores, the logical alternative was a bed slave that was his alone.

He'd only had two of them, and both had been stolen away by his fellow soldiers. Nappa and Radditz had done their best to find the right compatible sort that was a close match for a Saiyan. Only the pleasure girls of Idsar or Velure were even desirable. Till he'd laid eyes on the blue haired creature in search of Freiza's dragonballs. Perhaps this kiss wasn't so useless after all because he felt extremely calm and satisfied. Would she become a rutting concubine or the mate he'd desired? It all seemed so bothersome, but nobody was around to see him embarrass himself with this human. She was a willing servant before, but this side to her use gave him other ideas that were more towards the side of diversion and entertainment. To a Saiyan, fighting, food, hunting and sex were three past times that were used for pleasure. All games were variations of fighting or hunting. Sex with one's mate or a designated royal concubine was often a nice way to end a challenging fight, his father had said long ago.

So caught up was Vegeta in learning this custom that he forgot about the sleep gas piping into the ship. Bulma fell limply against him, and he wrapped his arms possessively around her in his lap. He lay his forehead against hers covered in soft blue hair then joined her in hibernation.

"Sleep well, Bulma," he mumbled.

Meanwhile, Krillen had considerable problems of his own. Unknowing that one of Vegeta's old friends was sitting right next to him, he panicked. Bulma had been dragged away, and he struggled to get up. His new 'friend's arm went around his waist and sat him down. "Relax… if you get up now you'll piss Mr. Zocolotto off! Now here's your pleasure slave!"

"But wait! They took someone else! Bulma!" Krillen yelled. Yumi was wrestled back, and shoved into his lap. She panted and clung to him shakily.

"What are they doing to Bulma?" Yumi gasped. "She's gone!"

"Rats, I knew she'd get into a mess… where's Vegeta when you need him?" Krillen groaned. "Man I wish I could understand what the heck's going on…"

"You made a fortune I see," said Yumi, helping wipe his face off. She pointed to a pile of coins and bills stacked neatly in front of him. Another whack on the back from his armored friend sent him almost flying.

"You're a lucky male, shortie," grunted the red scaly being to his left. "Now why are you so worked up? Did you end up accidentally selling one of your females by mistake?"

"You can talk my lingo? How?"

"Just configured my scouter. Don't you know how to use yours to ring up universal standard? Or are you a new recruit?" asked his friend.

"Um… yeah I just sighed on," Krillen blushed. "I'm… this is my second time out in space…"

"Ah… well I don't recall seeing you on the roster, but this little backward suburb doesn't have the best records. You're an ensign I see… and we're in the same colors so you must be a trainee…"

"Pardon me but you are…"

"Lieutenant Marrow," he laughed. His voice was deep and accented. He must have been about seven feet tall, judging by his legs curled under the table. "Bok Choi division one…"

"Um… I'm Ensign… Kurin…" Krillen said.

"What are you doing?" Yumi hissed.

"Keep it down!" Krillen snapped. "This might be our only way to get out of this mess… play along!"

"So you've quite a female there… how long have you owned her…"

"Well a few weeks… say, I had another female with me, she had blue hair…"

"Oh weren't you selling her?"

"Uh… I'm not familiar with how they sell and buy… women here… it's different where I'm from," Krillen said.

"You look like you're from Idsar. Typical. You peaceful sex fiends always like more than one female. But hey, I think you'll be doing yourself a favor by letting them sell her…"

"But she belonged to my… commanding officer… and he's gonna be TICKED if he finds out…she got sold…"

"Don't worry. I'll see if I can get Mr. Zocolato to get her back…" he said. He waved to the barkeep.

"Yes sir?"

"My comrade says that blue haired female wasn't for sale… she belongs to his comrade…"

"I'm sorry sir…but there were a lot of bidders and since you left her in the viewing area for showcasing I thought that she was available. She's already up for auction…"

"But she belongs to my friend… he'll blast me into smithereens if I don't get her back…" Krillen groaned.

"You have enough there from your female slave to buy her back… unless the bids go higher," Mr. Zocolato said.

"How much?"

"143,000 gringles," said Mr. Zocoloto.

"That's a bargain… how much did he get her for originally…"

"Um… for free? She was um… she had just been bought from… what am I saying? I need to get her back!"

"Relax… I'll see what I can do… where is your commanding officer?" asked Marrow.

"Um… he wandered off…"

"Lieutenant Marrow, report!" Grunted someone.

"Here sir… just a little R and R… I found one of the missing trainees… he says he wasn't aware of being assigned here…"

"Both of you report back NOW! Lord Bok Choi doesn't like to be kept waiting! Get that rookie and your self back here NOW!"

"Um yes Commander Kumquat," Marrow said. "Um you heard him…"

"But she… I…"

"Hurry it up…"

"But the female… my friend…"

"You can't just leave…" Yumi protested.

"Hush up! I can't think!" Krillen grunted.

"NOW!" shouted a voice directly over his shoulder.

"SIR!" Marrow stood to attention. He kicked Krillen in the shin to do the same.

"I… wait…" Krillen stammered. "Yes sir… sorry sir… but…"

"What's going on here?" asked the tall green skinned fellow, who was rather slender with purple hair. His features resembled the one that had worked for Frieza named Zarbon.

"Ensign Kuring said that he accidentally sold a female… and he's sure that his commanding officer's going to kill him…"

"Mr. Zocolato, what's he talking about? Have you been cheating my men again?"

"Sir… I can't help you out…s he's already been sold…"

"Oh no!" Krillen groaned.

"Stop mucking around and REPORT! And you, bright eyes, get into gear! You're in Bok Choi's troops now. I don't know what shit they fed you in Dudoria's regime…but you can't use that excuse of Namek blowing up to justify being out to lunch! You work for a new master now!"

"Um… I um…" Krillen stammered as he was picked up by the front of his armor.

"What is your problem! Am I not getting through to you?"

"No sir… I just… I came with…"

"Don't say anything!" Yumi hissed. "Just play along."

"Shut your bed slave up! Don't you know the proper…"

"Shut up Yumi!" Krillen said weakly.

"That's better. Now, take him to quarters and get him sorted out! We meet in 200 hours Refrig standard!" Commander Kumquat sat, wrinkling his attractive green face into a parody of what it should be.

"Wow, you were stationed on Namek?"

"Um… yeah," Krillen gasped as Marrow elbowed him to salute. He grabbed Yumi.

"Here's a leash compliments of the house. I don't know the customs on your world of Idsar well, but every bed slave must be registered. And she needs to be trained. I have a discount…"

"Thanks sir, but I'll take it from here," said Marrow, locking a collar round Yumi's neck. She bit her lip, fuming in rage as the leash end was given to Krillen. Groaning he let his new 'friend' march him off after several other officers in similar armor. The color was identical to Marrow's, and he soon realized the awful mistake. Whoever had owned the armor before had now become his identity. Glancing down, he fumbled in the pockets and pulled out an identity card. The image there showed a balding orange skinned guy with roughly similar features. Barely he made out a name.

"Put on your scouter…" hissed Marrow. Krillen numbly did so, and Marrow punched a button on his visor. To his shock he saw that he could read the letters through the pink eyepiece. Why didn't Vegeta tell him this thing had a translator?

"Um sure… sir…" he mumbled. "And um, by the way, Kurin's my first name. The rest of my name's um… Lettuce…"

"You served in Freiza's elite at Namek… wow…" he mumbled. "Almost nobody survived that… before Bok Choi took over this quadrant…"

"Well, it was hairy… for a while…" Krillen mumbled.

"Well my cousin was in that unit…"

"Ginyu squad, right?"

"That'd be it. I'm not as advanced as he is, but the family name must continue… I can't wait to see what you can do, short stuff…"

"Um my records…were blown up in the crash…"

"Well we'll just get you some new ones. And your friend if he's smart enough will be at the barracks when we get back. Don't worry about that woman. Mr. Zocoloto will keep track of who she's sold to, so you can buy her back… unfortunately you don't have enough to make the matching bid… but it's a lot…"

"My female… she's gonna stay with me in my quarters right?" Krillen chuckled as Marrow bustled him onto one of the waiting sky sleds with Kumquat and two other officers.

"Ensign Lettuce, here are your squad mates for Choppa squad. This is Ensign Lettuce… my new buddy," said Marrow, slamming Krillen on the back.

"Um hi," Krillen laughed, as Yumi was strapped into a section on the back with several other 'bed slaves'. They had collars identical to hers, and all were silent. They helped her wrap her long robe around her again, and bade her be silent though she was fuming.

"Meet ensign Mai-tai…" here Marrow pointed to a heavy set brown skinned being with an elephant's trunk for a nose, and four arms coming out his side. Then he pointed to the other two, a large rotund scaly being with long tentacles and a bulbous head, sitting next to a medium sized fellow about Vegeta's height, with purple skin, four eyes, and just two arms and a pair of horns jutting out of his black and white streaked mane. "Then there's Lieutenant Slushee, and Ensign Cosmopolite…"

"My pleasure. Nice to have an Idsarian here…"

"Yeah… well, I don't remember much about it, you know…"

"You're too modest. We had a great time on Idsar 7 last shore leave. Your women are just the best bed slaves this side of the spiral arm… but you've got this weird complex about having them for life… what's up with that…" asked Cosmopolite.

"Just local customs… I mean they're quaint… but it keeps the ol' VD's down…"

"You guys don't use the universal sheathes? That's interesting. Here, I'll throw you a sample… I got these in Mr. Schlomo's exotic protection store… the one that's on the main corner of Ferro street and chew…" said Kumquat, handing Krillen a box. He flushed when he realized the implication.

"Thanks a million buddy," he said awkwardly. All of the men laughed, and Krillen inwardly groaned.

"Vegeta, what the HECK have you gotten us into! Kame, I hope you notice what's up with Bulma and rescue her!" he thought frantically as the sky sled rocketed away towards the desert. Groaning he tried his best to joke with his new comrades and not appear nervous. If they'd worked for Freiza at one time, they would be a nasty bunch indeed. Especially if they were anything like Ginyuu squad. What he didn't get was why they all didn't just revolt when the word came of Freiza and King Cold's demise?

Vegeta had mentioned a number of 'tin pot dictators' that had taken over from Freiza. Bok Choi was one of them, and he was the 'head man' around here. Krillen hoped that once Vegeta came to his senses he'd find a way to make contact with what was going on. All he could do was hope they didn't find him out, and play along as best he could with his new squad. Fortunately his training was enough to equal the lowest ranking men. As he punched buttons on his scouter, he was nudged off the sky sled.

They'd pulled up to a cluster of white domes and pinnacles jutting out of the sky. He realized from the sky sleds careening in and out that it was a military base. His 'name' was barked and he tumbled out, standing in the line with the others in his squad. Kumquat marched up and down, and then barked at them. Each one was handed the leash of his female 'bed slave'.

"You all have the right to personal bed slaves as members of squad Choppa. R and R is over for today, so I suggest you get settled in. Those of you who are new will be under the direction of your squadmates and will live in the same compound. You are to confine your bed slaves to quarters during duty hours. They are not to speak to one another. If you should desire sharing, you will work it out amongst yourselves. No sharing is permitted without the mutual consent of your teammate. I won't have you fools squabbling over women like the fools on Archalis! Now you're dismissed!"

"Excuse me, but is there an info place?" asked Krillen.

"Wanna bone up on regs… sure," said Marrow. "And we'll need to get you some spare uniforms and get you quarters. Anything else?"

"I need to find a comm. port… and some… well… entertainment or access to information banks… I wanna catch up on what's going on locally on ol' Idsar 7…" Krillen said.

"You can access those through your… Great Refrig! You need a new scouter! No wonder you're lost! Those models went obsolete when the Great monarch passed on to the great fighting fields…" Marrow shook his head. "Come this way, we'll fix you up. Right after we show you your quarters and you secure your bed slave…"

"C'mon… Yumi…" Krillen grinned. She shot him a nasty look, as he tugged the leash.

"I'm gonna so get you for this," she whispered in his ear as he followed his squad mates. He hoped Vegeta wouldn't blow his top when he got wind of this.