Rating: PG-13
Warnings:
Pairing(s):
Disclaimer: The author makes no represenation that he/she owns Dragonball Z. This story is written purely for enjoyment, not for profit.

King Vegeta, the Sixteenth, had just finished the last piece of mind-numbing paperwork for the day when his fifteen-year-old son entered the room. The boy wore the traditional royal blue clothes and white armor, with the red crest over his heart and the sun medallion around his neck. He was already as tall as his father, though not quite as broad. His muscles were growing swiftly, though, and there was no telling how big he would one day be. The king noted, with mild amusement, that his son was still trying to grow a beard.

"Father, are you done working?" Prince Vegeta, the Seventeenth, asked calmly.

"Yes, I just completed the last item. Why?" the king asked.

"I was hoping you'd spar with me today," the prince said, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly, trying to smile - or smirk; it was hard to say which.

"Did you, now? Fancy a stay in the medical wing, do you? Hoping to impress the females with some new battle scars, perhaps?" King Vegeta smirked back at his son, who sent him a scowl.

"Don't be ridiculous, Father!" the young prince asserted, but his tanned skin looked a bit redder than before. The king chuckled.

"Come now, haven't I told you that the scar across my back played an integral part in how I first impressed your mother?" King Vegeta pressed jovially, and watched his son make a face.

"I don't need to hear that!" the prince said in mock disgust. Before King Vegeta could answer, there was a knock on the door.

"Enter!" King Vegeta called and a guard stepped in and bowed with his arm across his chest.

"Your Majesty, I'm sorry to interrupt you, but there is a visitor here from off-world," the guard said swiftly. "He just arrived a few minutes ago and wishes to speak to you. He says he represents something called the 'Kold Empire.'"

"Kold Empire? I've heard stories about them from some of the soldiers who've gone off-world; they've been conquering planets across the galaxy for some time now," Prince Vegeta remarked, rubbing his stubbly chin thoughtfully. "They like to call themselves the strongest fighters in the universe."

"Do they now?" said the king, a slight smirk curling his lips. "Very well, I'll hear what this messenger has to say. It may prove amusing."

"He's waiting in your throne room, Sire."

The messenger was of a race the Saiyan king hadn't seen before; his skin was pale purple and covered in tiny, nearly invisible scales, his eyes were wide and yellow, and he sported no discernible hair, unless one counted the crown of thin, dark horns that covered his head. He was wearing dark pants and black armor that were of a different design than what the Saiyans wore: chest plate, back plate, and shoulder guards all in one, and made of a material that seemed to move with the wearer better than anything the Saiyans used. He wore white gloves and boots, and a strange device over his left ear that had a piece of blue-tinted glass that covered his left eye. King Vegeta suddenly realized that there were little lights flashing within the glass and the thing beeped a moment later. The king frowned, feeling suddenly like the stranger knew something about him now that he didn't want him to know.

"Greetings, King Vegeta, the Sixteenth, ruler of all Saiyans and Vegeta-sei, and also to you, Prince Vegeta, the Seventeenth," said the alien grandly with a bow, but the king had gotten a distinct feeling he was being slightly mocked. His son's face remained calm and neutral.

"Greetings to you," King Vegeta said stiffly.

"My name is Tenisshu. I am here on behalf of King Kold, ruler of the Kold Empire. He would have preferred to contact you more directly, but it seems you do not have communication screens," the messenger said, and the Saiyans around the room murmured in confusion as to what a "communications screen" might be.

"Whatever we may lack, it is no business of yours. What does your King Kold want?" King Vegeta asked sharply, not liking the alien's attitude.

"He hopes to open trade lines with Vegeta-sei," Tenisshu said, straightening up.

"Does he now?" King Vegeta cocked his head to the side as he regarded the messenger before him.

"Yes, we have much to offer you," said Tenisshu, all charm and friendliness, but with the quiet contempt still somehow present. King Vegeta's expression darkened slightly, but if Tenisshu noticed, he gave no sign. "To begin with, more advanced technology, top-grade space ships, healing tanks, and scouters, like the one I'm wearing. This clever little device reads your opponents' ki levels and tells you how strong they are." Several of the guards around the room murmured in interest at Tenisshu's words, but the king just narrowed his eyes.

"And what does he hope to gain from us in trade for such things?" King Vegeta asked carefully.

"I'm afraid I don't know that for certain," Tenisshu said. "You would have to ask King Kold himself what he has in mind."

"Then I'll be doing just that. Inform your King Kold that if he wishes to bargain with us, he must do it face-to-face; and also tell him not to get his hopes up too high, we don't trade much," King Vegeta said, the harshness of his tone leaving no room for argument. The messenger's cordial expression became cold for the first time, and he bowed again.

"As you wish. I shall relay to him what you've told me," Tenisshu said coolly. "And I do feel it only fair to warn you, King Vegeta the Sixteenth, that King Kold doesn't usually take 'no' for an answer." Tenisshu bowed curtly, then turned and left the room, heading swiftly back to his space pod.

"'Doesn't usually take no for an answer', does he?" Prince Vegeta spoke for the first time, scowling at the departing messenger's back. "If he thinks we'll just roll over and give him anything he wants, he knows nothing about Saiyans." King Vegeta gave a short nod.

The Truffles had also made a "friendly" offer, when they first came to Vegeta-sei, asking only for some land in which to settle and offering in exchange secrets so that the Saiyans could obtain better food and clothes. Instead, they quickly took up every fertile and habitable spot on the planet, using their superior technology and weaponry to force the primitive Saiyans into the inhospitable badlands to starve for four generations, and giving nothing in return but gunfire. The fact that the Saiyans survived so long was a testament to their hardiness and tenaciousness, though their numbers dwindled with every generation. Then, one fateful night, with the fortuitous advent of a full moon over Vegeta-sei, they finally rose up and took back what was rightfully theirs. That had been many, many generations ago, but many a Saiyan scholar still wrote about it, to keep the remembrance of the Truffles' treachery alive. A friendly offer could just as often be a trap in disguise and, given what the Saiyans had experienced at the Truffles' hands, they weren't about to accept another alien's offer at face value.

King Vegeta contemplated for a few moments more before speaking again: "My son, tell me everything you know about the Kold Empire."

A second messenger from the Kold Empire arrived a few days later to set up a formal meeting between King Vegeta and King Kold. A date was agreed upon and preparations for the meet were begun. King Vegeta was starting to become leery of the whole situation; the agreed-upon day was only three days away, which indicated that King Kold had already been on his way to Vegeta-sei, even before he sent the first messenger. Now, the Saiyan king was not the nervous or superstitious type, but something about this whole thing felt wrong. His troubled mind was only soothed a little when his mate, Queen Rutani, finally returned from a mission to the southern continent the day after the second messenger arrived. She strolled into the throne room with her customary strength and grace, and greeted her family as warmly as any Saiyan did when others were watching.

"It's good to have you back, Rutani," King Vegeta said. "Your mission went well?"

"Perfectly," she answered. "But what's this I hear about alien visitors seeking a trade deal?" The king and prince explained to her what had been happening in her absence and she frowned slightly. "And you've already arranged this meeting?"

"Yes, I have. He'll be here in two days," King Vegeta said.

"I think we should all be on our guard when the time comes," Queen Rutani said, a pensive look on her face.

The remaining two days passed in a seeming blur, and all too soon the day of the meeting arrived. As soon as word reached them that the visiting ship had entered orbit, the Saiyan royal family, accompanied by a handful of their best guards, went down to the landing area to await the ship's arrival. The sound of the ship descending reached their ears before they could see it clearly; it was huge compared to what they were used to, and disc-shaped. The exterior of the circular vessel was dotted every few feet with a bubble-like window and other designs with which they weren't entirely familiar. King Vegeta and Queen Rutani watched the ship as it descended, both feeling a strange sense of apprehension in the air. Prince Vegeta was holding himself as straight and tall as he could and was keeping his face stony.

"Try not to look so concerned, my Rutani - it's just a trade talk, after all," King Vegeta said under his breath after a few minutes of silence. Rutani shot him a skeptical look, but pulled her face back under control.

"I would have preferred to have been there with you when you agreed to this meeting," Queen Rutani said quietly as they watched the massive space ship come in for a landing.

"But you weren't there; you were on the southern continent dealing with that back-stabbing regent," King Vegeta said calmly. "It's not as though your presence would've made any difference. Let the fools talk; who knows, maybe they actually do have something worth trading for."

"If that ship is any indication, they certainly do - but what is it they want from us?" Queen Rutani observed, and this time her husband remained silent. He'd been pondering that same question and had yet to find a satisfactory answer.

The ship landed lightly, considering its size, and after a few moments a hatch opened in its side. Six aliens, all dressed in the same kind of dark armor as the previous envoys had worn and all wearing boots, gloves, and scouters, descended from the open hatch and then stood in formation in front of the Saiyans, three on the left and three on the right with a sizable gap between them. The alien assemblage was made up of different races and they regarded the Saiyans with a strange mixture of looks, ranging from contempt, to mockery, to something akin to pity. Just as King Vegeta was about to demand to know where King Kold was - he knew an honor guard when he saw one - one last alien exited the ship.

For a moment, the Saiyans were startled; they were a tall race by nature, but this creature was gigantic. He towered over everyone there and was twice as broad as King Vegeta. He also wore armor, but his was obviously of a more elaborate design, and a heavy cape draped over his shoulders. His large head was devoid of hair, but the top of it was a strange, shiny dark green, edged with some kind of white, bony growth. As if his stature wasn't already imposing, two large, black horns curved up over his head, increasing his height. His face was long and rectangular shaped, pale purple, with glossy black lips and cruel red eyes. His large, muscular arms and legs were pink and had thin black stripes. A long, thick, serpentine tail swayed behind him casually, pink and striped like his other limbs, but with a white, bony cap on its pointed end. He wore no boots or shoes of any kind, leaving his huge four-toed feet bare. King Kold smiled in perfunctory greeting at the Saiyans, but there was no warmth in it.

"Good day, King Vegeta and Queen Rutani! And Prince Vegeta, of course! It is an honor to meet you at last!" said King Kold with a slight bow to show respect. The Saiyan royals returned the gesture, never removing their eyes from their visitor.

"The honor is ours," King Vegeta said. "Welcome to Vegeta-sei, King Kold. We have a meeting area prepared in our palace, if you'll come with us."

"But, of course!" King Kold said and followed them to their palace, his honor guard automatically falling into place behind him.

The room that had been prepared for the summit was one of the largest rooms in the palace, with a high ceiling and tall windows in the walls. Huge, decorative tapestries bearing the insignia of the Royal House of Vegeta-sei hung in the spaces between the windows. A long table sat in the middle of the room, upon which fresh food had been placed. King Kold arranged his large body as comfortably as he could on one of the taller chairs, which appeared to be about two sizes too small for him, and his entourage took up positions right behind him. King Vegeta and his family took their own seats, flanked on all sides by their own guards.

"Now, then, what kind of trade deal did you have in mind?" King Vegeta asked once they were all comfortably settled.

"What I wish to propose is less of a trade deal, really, and more of an alliance between our peoples," King Kold answered, smiling broadly.

"Really?" said King Vegeta.

"Oh, yes! And you ought to feel quite honored, for I seldom extend the hand of friendship to anyone!" King Kold said, holding out his massive, violet hand briefly in a token gesture. King Vegeta eyed the hand and its owner warily for a moment. From what his son had told him earlier of the Kold Empire's reputation, the Saiyan king knew exactly what his guest was saying - typically, he just conquered the worlds he came to and took what he wanted. The fact he had bothered to come in person to negotiate meant there was something on Vegeta-sei he wanted and didn't think he could get in the usual way. But what the hell could it be?

"Very honored, I'm sure - but what is it you hope to gain from this alliance?" King Vegeta asked bluntly, but King Kold's expression didn't waver.

"Well, quite specifically, you…as well as your people," said King Kold.

"What?" King Vegeta said before he could stop himself. Queen Rutani and Prince Vegeta also looked confused.

"My armies can always use new warriors. You Saiyans are quite skilled and strong - though not so strong as some, perhaps, but sufficiently strong for the kind of work I need done. I personally guarantee that you'll all be well compensated for your contributions," King Kold said as he casually helped himself to a piece of fruit that was sitting in a bowl on the table.

"Mercenary work? Well, I'm sure that some of my lower-level warriors would agree to -" King Vegeta started, thinking this didn't sound so bad after all.

"I'm afraid I must not have made myself very clear," King Kold said swiftly, cutting him off. "What I meant to say is that all of your people will serve my Empire. Or else you will all die."

For a fraction of a second, the Saiyans in the room were all too stunned to reply, but then they all began shouting at once in objection:

"WHAT?!"

"Bastard!"

"You dare -?!"

"Should kill you where you stand -!"

"Who do you think -?!"

"ENOUGH!" King Vegeta suddenly bellowed and the angry, protesting voices fell silent. He then fixed a dark glare on the alien king. "How dare you! Do you think the Saiyan race so weak that we'd just roll over and be your willing slaves? I will extend to you one opportunity to leave our world and never return. If you do not take it, you will not leave this room alive!" he said in a low voice, power and promise of great pain emanating from every word. Despite the clear and overt threat, King Kold just sat back in his chair, remaining quite calm, and still smiling. His honor guard snickered to themselves, as if King Vegeta had just told a particularly funny joke.

"I'm afraid that's not how it works, King Vegeta," King Kold said as though addressing a particularly stubborn child. "You don't seem to understand to whom you're speaking."

"I seem to be speaking to an arrogant ass!" King Vegeta bit back. "You're the one who doesn't understand the situation!"

"Oh, I assure you that I understand perfectly! You see, we Aisu-jin are a warrior race as well, and we, too, can appreciate the need for a show of power," King Kold said, still smiling the same infuriatingly smug smile, and raised a hand which rapidly overflowed with ki. Before any of the Saiyans had a chance to react, the Aisu-jin flung out his arm to the side and released the ki blast through the palace wall. The explosion that followed was immense, blinding, and deafening. When it was over and the king, queen, and prince could take full measure of what had just happened, they found, to their horror, that not only had the western half of the palace been destroyed, but the entire western half of their capital city was gone. No remains were left save ash and smoldering ground. King Kold sat at the table, calm and undisturbed, and still smiling. "That was just a small example of my power," he said. "Now, am I making myself clear?"

King Vegeta fought to keep his face under control, while feeling as if the very air was being crushed from his body. How could one being have that kind of power? Saiyans were strong, but it would've taken at least two oozaru to cause the kind of destruction the alien had just caused with a single, careless gesture. Somewhere in the distance, he could hear voices being raised in alarm and anger. King Vegeta drew in a slow, deep breath to steady himself as he mentally prayed to Biitoru, the God of Vegeta-sei. Queen Rutani was now glaring at King Kold with a deep hatred her husband had never seen in her before.

"What is it, exactly, we would be doing for you?" he asked slowly.

"Purging planets, mostly," King Kold answered. "My empire does a good business in the planet trade, but sometimes the planets we want are already occupied - so, we send in teams to wipe out the current residents so the new ones can move in. And, of course, there's the usual mercenary work, and those that are particularly faithful and work hard may even earn a place in the ranks of my personal armies."

"Why do you seek out our strength, when you alone can do all of that without breaking a sweat?!" Queen Rutani suddenly exploded, pointing to the destruction visible through the hole where the wall once stood. For the first time since he arrived, King Kold's smile faltered.

"Please, don't be ridiculous - I have an empire to run, and I can't waste my valuable time on every battle that crops up. There are far too many, and I have better things to do," he said coldly, then the haughty smile began to return. "But think of this - in return for your services, you'll get access to all of the latest technology, greater knowledge of the universe, all the worthy opponents a warrior could ever hope for, and, most importantly, your lives," he said, his red eyes darting toward the devastation he'd already caused.

We could try to fight him. . .enough of us together might be able to take him down. . . King Vegeta thought to himself for a moment, but then his eyes darted over to the guards who stood aligned with the alien king, who all looked terribly amused at the proceedings. King Vegeta got a strange and sickening feeling the Aisu-jin's minions were almost as powerful as their ruler, and any attacks on him would have to go through them first.

"And we would be reporting to you for our. . .duties?" King Vegeta asked, forcing the words out. His body was so tense he could barely move his jaw.

"Oh, you won't be reporting to me much. You see, I'm planning to give this sector of the galaxy to my youngest son, Frieza, as a coming-of-age gift in a few months! But you mustn't tell him that. It's a surprise!" King Kold declared with a wide smile that was all at once friendly and threatening. He knew he had them; once he made an offer, no one refused it. "Come now, relax a little, you shall still be the King and Queen. It's just that you will also be subjects in my Empire."

Prince Vegeta started to rise from his seat, clearly about to make a move on King Kold, but his father pushed him none-too-gently back down. Vegeta stared at his father for a moment, not sure what the elder Vegeta was thinking. They couldn't let this happen! The Saiyans were a proud warrior race; they would be no one's slaves! Even as the young man's blood boiled with the desire to fight the invader, the heavy smell in the air, a mixture of burnt buildings, land, and flesh, burned his throat, and somewhere deep down, he knew battle was pointless now. As he wrestled internally with these conflicting emotions, he watched as his father slowly walked up to King Kold.

The Saiyan king spared a brief glance over his shoulder to his wife and son, both looking furious and hopeless at the same time, and then leveled his gaze with the Aisu-jin giant. In a sudden, desperate move, King Vegeta swung a fist full of ki at King Kold's head. Moving faster than anything that size should have been able to, King Kold deftly dodged the blow, and then threw King Vegeta back across the room to crash into the wall. The Saiyan guards began to shout, but Kold's guards subdued them all before they could move more than a step. King Kold got up from his seat, strolled over to where the Saiyan monarch had landed, and looked down on him calmly. He was used to being on the receiving end of such foolish, last-ditch efforts, and didn't much care.

"Now, then, I trust no further demonstrations are necessary? Or shall I arrange for the decision to be made by your queen? Or would it be your son? I don't know how it works in your society," King Kold mused for a moment as King Vegeta pushed himself back to his feet, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"No, you've made yourself perfectly clear. We. . .we accept your offer," King Vegeta said quietly, his entire body rigid with hate and anger. His son started to object, but Queen Rutani silenced him.

"Excellent!" King Kold said, smiling his widest yet. "I'll have some of my followers come within the next few days with new equipment, armor, and ships for you, and we'll get started. A pleasure doing business with you, King Vegeta! Queen Rutani, Prince Vegeta, good day to you both!"

King Kold and his guards flew out of the newly opened hole in the palace wall he had created with his earlier attack. The Saiyan royal family spoke not a word as their new master left and remained silent until after they saw his ship leave their world.

"Father, how could you agree to that?!" Prince Vegeta, the Seventeenth, yelled once they were alone again, springing to his feet.

"I had no choice!" King Vegeta snapped at his son.

"There was a choice! We could have fought!" Prince Vegeta snarled.

"And we would have died!" King Vegeta barked harshly, holding his damaged ribs. Then he drew in a deep breath to calm himself. "Listen to me, son, we can't beat that bastard right now; no Saiyan alive is strong enough to defeat the likes of him. But we will survive, and we'll train, and we'll grow stronger. And someday, there will be a Saiyan strong enough to rise up and destroy him and his followers, and we will have our freedom once again."

"Your father's right, Vegeta. There's nothing else we can do now, except live and become stronger," Queen Rutani said evenly, though her eyes were haunted. Prince Vegeta had no response and stormed off mutely to resume his own training. Outside, the sun was setting; when it rose again, the Saiyan people would begin their new lives as warriors in the Kold Empire.

How quickly and easily the hand of friendship became the fist of slavery!

End.

(For anyone who wondered, our Vegeta is Prince Vegeta, the Nineteenth.)