Once Upon a Dream

Cosmos gasped suddenly as they stood around Camell's bed. Bulma was the only one who heard him it was so soft.

"What's wrong?" She asked. "Everything will be okay."

He shook his head, tears streaming down his face. "It won't be."

"He's right. This is beyond 'okay'." Gavin added.

"If you don't mind," Kat said tiredly, "an explanation would really help things."

"Our Kami is dead!" Cosmos sobbed as Bulma attempted to comfort him. She couldn't really help in this discussion anyway.

"How can that be true?" Vegeta asked. "Why would someone kill the Kami?"

"*How* did someone kill the Kami?" Bra asked.

Goku searched out with his ability, specifically trying to locate the special 'kami' energy. As expected, there was none. "It's true. I guess Vegeta killed him."

"Whoever is giving him orders wanted the Kami dead. I think that person aspires to rule the entire planet." Kat mentioned.

"Chieftess Raven wished that Vegeta-sei was primal and wild like it was in the past. She said that way was the one way to be." Trunks said. "I think he's working with her."

"Boy, did you sense anything unusual about her ki when you were there?" Vegeta asked. Trunks frowned at what he called him but he answered anyway. They could argue about it later.

"Iie. Not really. It was even if that's what you mean."

He nodded. "It wasn't her. At least, she's not the leader. There's someone else behind everything."

"Why do you say that?" Gavin questioned.

"She doesn't have enough magical energy to call Vegeta back," Kat answered for him. "It definitely wasn't her. Is there anyone else that left your society? Someone Vegeta-oui had cast out or something?"

Gavin and Cosmos thought hard about that one. "There was this one woman...." Then Gavin trailed off. "Nevermind. It couldn't have been her. I think she's dead."

"I know who it is for sure." Cosmos said quietly. "When I was young there was a boy that everyone disliked because of his hateful attitude and ways. One day he was captured by some men who had been tricked by his father." He shuddered. "They tortured that poor boy all night long with just a dagger but it was enough. The one behind the multitude of cuts decided to only do the right side of his body. The reason is unknown.

"The boy broke free of his captors and escaped into the forest and no one has seen or heard from him in many years. His captors were found dead, their bodies burnt to ashes, and his father was found beheaded. We suspect he had done it himself but if he had..." He trailed off for a moment, silent. After a deep sigh, he finished. "His name was Vintri."

"He was my best friend."

***

Several days after the most eventful day in most of the saiyans' lives found Kat and her people as well as many prominent figures among the civilized saiyan in the council room of the palace. Surprisingly, Vegeta had returned and was now trying to control everyone he could. He was easy to ignore and therefore easy to escape. He threatened everyone who disobeyed but he had no power to back him up. Kat wondered where his 'skill' had gone off to. Now he sulked on the throne all day, issuing orders that no one even cared about. It was a pretty pitiful sight.

The saiyans were cleanly split into two groups. The Ningai and the Civies (short for civilized) and only one could be on top.

"We have to come up with a *good* way to beat the Ningai!" Camell said firmly as he sat at the head of the council table. Katrinka was at the other end. "We might even have to kill Raven and her entourage but I don't usually condone murder."

"I still go with my earlier idea," Trunks said. "We need to outsmart them. We have technology on our side, that should be enough."

Camell shook his head. "It won't be. My people have many skills but usually deceit and deviousness aren't one of them."

"We're going to be watched constantly by your sibling so that he can report us to his boss." Kat said. "Although I don't really care."

"I still care," Camell sighed. "But he doesn't see that."

"That could work to our advantage." Bulma spoke about Kat's earlier statement. "We can come up with a plan and *let* him overhear everything. Then he would go and tell the higher powers the fake plan and we could surprise them."

There was a general murmur of agreement all around the table. It *was* a good idea.

"Looks like you're finally good at something other than yelling," Vegeta smirked. He continued before Bulma could say anything. "Now what do we come up with exactly?"

***

Kat, Bra, and Trunks stood outside in the main hall in front of the door that led to the throne room. Every now and then one of them would fall silent and listen for approaching footsteps but the time was spent in whispers. Trunks had some doubts about his mother's plan but he was all alone.

"I don't think he'll fall for this. Vegeta can't be *this* stupid!"

"Trunks-" Bra started.

Kat elbowed them. "Shh. I hear him coming." She cleared her throat. "So we're supposed to gather as many people as we can outside the city limits for the attack on Raven?"

Trunks nodded and remembered that the boy wasn't even in sight. He opened his mouth and out came the worst acting in existence. "Yes. That is the plan. We meet about a mile away from the Capital about three hours before dawn so that we can be there when the sun rises."

Bra frowned but she said her line. "Kaasan's plan was *really* good! No one will suspect that we're attacking tomorrow at all!"

"I can show you the fastest route when I took the job Gavin offered. It paid really well." He added that last part to make it sound convincing.

Kat blinked. "You got paid?"

Bra shot her a look that plainly read 'This is not part of the act!'. Kat continued with the right words. "We need to go tell Camell that everything is okay in the palace and we can start moving everyone to the location."

Trunks smiled and winked. "Right!"

There was a loud clatter as if someone had knocked over something large and metal and the quick pattering of feet on the polished marble floor in the direction away from the large potted tree as Vegeta hurried away to contact Raven and the other person. There was more pattering and then a solid thump that made them muffle their laughter.

"I think he just slipped and fell," Bra said around her giggles.

The trio pretended to ignore all of the other commotion that he made and smirked to themselves when he was both out of sight and out of hearing range.

"I guess I was wrong," Trunks commented. "This was too easy!"

"What's next?" Bra asked.

"We do report back to Camell and the others. We go to the Wasteland just as we said we would."

Trunks was confused. "But I thought that was the *fake* plan!"

Kat lightly hit him on the back of his head. "Baka, we're going to show up as they prepare for the fake attack. We'll use the confusion to surprise them."

"Oh I think I get it now."

"Thank kami! We have a miracle!" Bra said in mock surprise.

"Shut up underwear girl!"

She snorted. "You're one to talk."

"Children, children!" She clapped her hands to get their attention. "We need to get going! We only have less than twelve hours to make our final preparations!"

They shut up immediately and nodded. "Right!"

***

The desert air was dry and dusty and actually made you cough if you took a deep enough breath. The Saiyans, who were so used to the clear air of the city, forgot this and many were sent into violent fits. After about ten minutes of this they finally got the command tent set up and the leaders were inside going over the map and the plans all by candlelight.

"It's so hot and humid out here even at night," Trunks complained. He seemed to be doing a lot of that lately.

"Be quiet boy!" Vegeta snapped and he shut up.

"Now Lord Cosmos," Camell said.

"Yes, milord?"

"I need your group to sneak into the back way and steal," he winced as he said this word, "as many of their weapons in their storage area as you can. Lord Avon, your group can go with him."

A man with a completely gray beard and bright dark eyes nodded. "Aye, aye Commander."

Camell continued to issue out orders to each individual Guild Master and Lord until only Kat and her crew were left. "My friends," he said with a deep sigh, "I truly hate to tell you this."

Bra moved closer to his side and took his hand. "Go ahead. We have to know."

He smiled at her briefly and nodded, filled with a new sort of strength. "Your group, Katrinka, will attack Raven and the rest head on. I want you to only capture my brother, however, and deliver him to me."

"Don't tell me that you're still going to try 'cleansing his soul'!" Vegeta exclaimed. "He's a lost cause. Get over it!"

"Papa!" Bra gasped. "That was cruel!"

"It was Vegeta." Goku agreed. "I know how he feels. I tried to get Raditz to change his mind about killing everyone on Chikyuu. If your brother or sister is being evil, you're sort of compelled to try and change them." He shrugged. "It's just the right thing to do."

"It worked on you, didn't it?" Bulma said to her husband. "When we first saw you, you were a cold blooded killer. Now you're a warm blooded one." No one laughed at her joke.

"Your name is really Vegeta, isn't it? Not the other one you told my father." Camell was certain of this.

He nodded. "Does that bother you?"

"No. I was just curious. Since Vegeta said that you guys were from another world, maybe there are tons of Vegetas there."

Kat muffled a snicker. "Luckily there's just one."

Vegeta frowned. "Not funny."

"We have more important things to worry about," Bulma said. "Like a back-up plan just in case the other one fails."

"I hadn't thought of that," The prince admitted. "I just thought that we would improvise if it came down to that."

Goku shook his head. "That's a good way to get killed, you know."

"You're actually being logical, Kakarott?" Vegeta asked.

He smiled. "You're the one that's reckless. Not me. I always have a plan."

Kat rolled her eyes. "Anyway, just in case Bulma-chan's plan fails, do you want us to just go in killing everyone?" She said this with a slight smile on her face.

Vegeta stroked his chin. "That's actually not a bad idea."

Both Camell and Cosmos widened their eyes. "Vegeta!" "Sir!"

Vegeta started to laugh and laugh hard. Everyone was pretty much shocked to hear such a sound coming from him outside of a battle.

"I was joking!" He said trying to calm down. Tears were leaking from his eyes and sliding onto his cheeks. "Can't you take a joke?"

"This must be getting to Papa," Trunks commented. "He's starting to crack."

Bra nodded. "How are we supposed to know that he's joking anyway? Most of the time he mentions killing something, he means it."

"What about Tousan?" Goten asked.

Bulma smiled. "He never means that one."

"Excuse me?" Vegeta interrupted. "Who are you to tell me what I mean? Of course I mean to kill Kakarott someday!"

Goku tried to keep silent but he just couldn't do it. "First you have to beat me at sparring. Then we'll talk." And he said this with a completely straight face.

"Fuck you Kakarott."

Bulma gasped. "Vegeta watch your language around Bra-chan!"

Bra shrugged. "It doesn't matter much. He curses all of the time."

"Can we get back to the discussion?" Kat asked. They all nodded. "Thank you. Now, how do we now that the mission has been compromised?"

"Compromised?" Trunks repeated. "Have you been studying the dictionary again?"

She hit him. "Shut up."

Camell frowned. "Well, if the battle cries have gone silent. Then you know that our people are dead."

She shook her head. "I would like to have warning before that. We want to *prevent* deaths. Not get revenge."

"Alright, how about this. If you hear the hoot of an owl three times," he demonstrated, "from any leader of any group, they are in serious trouble."

"I like that. But," she sighed, "the Chieftess and her people are supposed to be 'one with nature' remember? They would notice."

"Katrinka, owls are very common to that area." Gavin explained to her. "In the midst of the battle, they'll probably be too busy to even care."

"What else do we need to decide?" asked the Communications Guild Master, Odin. "It will be soon time to attack."

"After the attack is over," Goku said, "where do you want us to meet? The survivors that is."

"We should return to this spot. It's the safest place." Camell frowned as another thought came to him. "Oh and one other thing. Don't kill the leader, Vintri was it?" Cosmos nodded. "We need to question him."

Everyone began to slowly file from the room then, their expressions brave and their voices silent. Camell had an almost joyous look on his face as he watched them, proud that they weren't going to back down. He began to gather up the maps on the table and pack them away in the case that they had come in.

"Everyone do your best!" He shouted after them. "And take care! We'll make it through this!"

Cosmos spoke softly, his head held down as he studied the ground. "Sire, are you really so sure that we will triumph? The chances are so very slim..."

The boy suppressed the urge to sigh as he turned to the lord. "Cosmos, if you choose to give up, it's the same as letting them win and we cannot allow that. I choose to believe and have faith in my people. I can't force you to choose the same but only hope that you will share some of my thoughts. It's your decision."

Cosmos thought this over from all points and came to the conclusion that Camell was right. "I apologize, Sire, you are correct."

He smiled, but the look was slightly tired. "We must all do what we can to get through this and hope that we can see everyone on the other side. I ask no more of my people than I ask of myself."

"Hmm," the lord smiled, "I guess the ancient folklore was true after all."

He was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"It says that in both the good times and the bad, a young child will lead the way. Thank you, Sire, I have hope now."

He nodded absently, his mind already on the battle. 'Please be safe everyone,' he prayed silently, 'and may whatever higher power that still exists watch over you.'