Scene #1240: Salads for the Salad God

Owner	Pose
Vegeta	So far Vegeta has been setting up his saiyan meetings in advance. But with Gohan, there's always a power game, and he did not even bother calling. Instead, out of no where, Vegeta's ship, incredibly similar to Gohan's (Formerly Cooler's and Frieza's respectively), just sort of shows up. It stops directly in front of Gohan's, and a door opens for a platform to stretch out toward it. Apparently he wants to connect so that he can enter.
Gohan	Gohan notes the approach of the other ship, chin resting on his fist as he sits on the main bridge. He waves his free hand, an unspoken command. And his soldiers move immediately, a bridge stretching across space to dock to the open door on Vegeta's ship. He clicks the comm system on his ship on, straightening up a bit. "All soldiers, stand down," he says, making sure to broadcast this command across to Vegeta as well. "We have a special guest coming aboard, and I want him to feel welcome." The sarcasm, if there is any, is masked well. He sounds serious, and most likely is. He clicks the comms back off. "What is he after now?" he wonders aloud.
Serori	Serori is among those on the main bridge. Standing apart from Gohan, she's in the process of reviewing a few scouting reports whenever Vegeta makes his arrival. Unlike the PTO's half-blooded leader, she doesn't seem to be very surprised by Vegeta's desire to talk; in fact, at Gohan's question, she answers in a bland, calm tone -- the kind of tone one doesn't normally use to describe a potential act of war. "He wants to talk, it seems." She hands off the tablet in her hand to a nearby officer, and turns to face Gohan, mild apprehension tightening her countenance in contrast to her relaxed voice. "Taylita heard him out. You might as well do the same."
Vegeta	Vegeta walks across the bridge, Android 18 standing at the door as she stays behind to hold down the fort. He arrives at Gohan's main bridge quite easily, considering that it used to be his ship. Then he crosses his arms and leans against the wall next to the door, not bothering with a seat. "I'm going to get straight to the point. When I build the Saiyan Empire, I want you to have the second highest position under myself and Serori. A rank that you'll share with Taylita and Raditz, if they accept. You'll have control over your own territory, and you can make laws within your territory, though those laws can be challenged by us."
Gohan	Gohan smirks. "You and Serori aren't a thing, so how is she going to rule with you? Besides, I want no part of an empire ruled by an immortal. Especially not you." He stands up, allowing his cape to billow behind him. The Saiyan Royal Crest shines on his chest. "I want the Saiyans to be respected for more than their warmongering ways. And you, Vegeta, are too stupid to rule as anything but a warlord." He crosses his arms, drawing himself to full height. "I won't be brought to the level of Raditz, anyway. And what of Trunks? Where would he fall in all this, or did you forget your own son?" He meets Vegeta's eyes, glaring hard. "You aim to continue a cycle that it has always been my goal to undo."
Serori	Serori glances at Vegeta as he sets foot on the bridge. He earns a slight, respectful nod, but other than doesn't receive much in the way of acknowledgement. It seems she intends to keep out of the discussion as much as she can -- much as she had whenever Vegeta came to Taylita -- and to let Vegeta and Gohan settle the matter as they would. Of course, that the subject matter is so personal makes her slightly uncomfortable, but other than her faint, irritated frown, she doesn't complain. Yet. So, Gohan won't rule beside an immortal? The proclamation calls her mind to the Dragon Balls and her intended wish. Gohan had expressed some unease over her desire for immortality, but had never stated anything like /that/ before. Still, she keeps her thoughts to herself. Some stuff's better discussed in private. She wraps her tail around her armored waist, and cants her head to give Gohan an appreciative stare. She likes what she sees in him.
Vegeta	"You really are thick." Vegeta notes with a slight grunt, tapping a single finger against his crossed arm. "I'm offering the position so that you'll have the opportunity to shape this empire. If you're strong enough, and your ideals can really influence our people as much as you believe, then this is an opportunity. The saiyans I found, they're still new, they can still be influenced by ideas that I consider to be weak." "I don't want Raditz -or- Taylita to influence my people, nor do I want you to do so. But this is an opportunity for different kinds of saiyans to rule, and we allow our people to decide what to believe and who to remain under." He begins to walk closer to the younger saiyan, then stops directly in front of him, peering into his eyes. "If you can become more powerful than me, and if you can show our people that you would make a better ruler, then one day you might be able to take over. However, if you refuse to accept, then I will have no choice but to ban the Planet Trade Organization from all of our territory, once we have it. I refuse to trust anything that Frieza built to have anything to do with my people, unless we're actually working together to build this."
Gohan	Gohan smirks again, looking down at Vegeta. "Yes, because that's how you operate. With the potential for your subjects to follow other leaders. Don't give me your shit, Vegeta. If any of that were to come to pass, you would try and have me killed and throw a tantrum until you were ruler again. So don't try and sugar-coat your crap, alright?" He laughs at the threat of banning the PTO from his territories, shaking his head. "First off, you controlled the PTO before me, so clearly you trusted it at some point. Second, BAN the PTO? Because that works. We respect all sorts of decrees put forth by weakened territories to stay away. That's how we stayed in business. That's how we got all the planets you took over. Yep, that sure works." He turns his back on Vegeta, looking out toward space. "You're trying to take the high ground when you have no leg to stand on. I am what you made me, and now you want to try and back away from it. No dice, Vegeta. You don't just get to dust your hands of the PTO's actions. You may have been even worse than Frieza."
Serori	"Gohan..." Serori makes a soft interjection, sounding cautious about doing so. "You have to know that I won't permit war to break out between the saiyans and the Planetary Trade Organization. I won't risk saiyan life in a needless expression of pride. If you won't ally with Vegeta in some form, you have to at least keep the peace and respect the boundaries he establishes in his rule, otherwise you'll only be forced to kill my people. We'll destroy each other, just like Taylita said we would." "It's not my position as a Colonel which leads me to say this. I am your subordinate in this Organization, and I respect your authority, but...I will not fight these saiyans. I have been spending some time among them -- I won't kill them without good reason."
Vegeta	"Hah! If I were worse than Frieza, I'd have wiped the Earth away out of sheer spite when I returned. No, you seem to be mistaking my actions for pure altruism." Vegeta doesn't budge, though his power does spike, as if to raise the threat level of the situation. "I don't commit the treachery that your beloved humans are so fond of. Every evil deed I have committed, I entirely own, and I did without a second thought. I feel no guilt nor do I feel a need for redemption, but I do want to shake the stink of almost becoming Frieza off of me. I want to make our people stronger, I want to make -myself- stronger, and that will only come with conflict. If I'm the only ruler, then we'll become weak and complacent."
Gohan	Gohan notes the rise in power, raising his own in response. He takes a breath, allowing his anger to subside. "Alright. Let's say I agree. Let's say that, somehow, you've managed to make some manner of logical sense. I'll admit, your rationale isn't the most unsound I've ever heard." He turns back toward Vegeta. "You're admitting to weakness, which is strange for you. You seem to have genuine concern for these Saiyans that you've found. I'd be heartless not to recognize these facts as something more than I'm used to from you. So, I admit a small amount of sway. However, if you want my agreement, then there's one demand I make." He points toward Vegeta, then toward Serori. "You will stop acting as though Serori is your property. She is her own person. She can decide what sort of life she wants to lead, and who she wants to be with, and all of that. You said that you and Serori would be above the rest of us. I take that as you haven't given that up. And when you first reappeared, you called her your woman. You will drop that mentality, and I will abide by your terms. You refuse, and I will show no mercy to you or the Saiyans you command. What do you say?"
Serori	Serori visibly bristles. All the power in the room, the tension, this bartering over her life and future, the threats made against both Gohan and the saiyans under Vegeta's command -- her hands coil into fists, and her tail whips free of her waist to snap at the air. She also grits her teeth, but all that's seen of /that/ is the flexing in her jaw muscles -- she's too disciplined to snarl, here, or to set fire to the powderkeg by going off on either one of them. Let the royalty have it out among themselves.
Vegeta	"I have more respect for Serori than when I returned, I understand that she's more than a common saiyan woman now. So I have no problem with your terms. And her being queen does not necessarily mean marriage unless she wants it to mean such. As of right now, if she gets around to accepting it, it will simply be a position." Vegeta holds out his hand, offering the olive branch. "I've seen what Raditz has become, I know what you're -trying- to become. I won't simply sit around allowing everyone to surpass me." "I want the threat of you constantly there, waiting to try and take my position. But as I said, before I will accept such a challenge, you have to win my people as well. -Prove- that you can lead them. They're not like these common morons that we've led for so long. These people are our -blood-, and that should mean something to you, half-breed or not." A pause, another brief glance to Serori. "We will work out the details later. But I will leave you in charge of finding a suitable home planet. Find one without a native species, one completely unspoiled."
Gohan	Gohan uncrosses his arms, stepping forward. He still feels a bit of hesitation, but he reaches out and accepts the handshake. "Something has happened to you, Vegeta. I don't know what the time away did to you, but..." He shakes his head. "You better believe I'm going to be there. One mistake, and it will be your last. That has never changed, nor will it ever change. But I would be lying if I said I didn't have a modicum of respect for your position right now." He smirks, then allows his face to fall into a businesslike state. "I'll see what I can do in that regard. It's what I was working on before you came back, anyway. Of course, with full-blooded Saiyans back in the mix, it will make things a little more simple. They can give me feedback on what they want from a homeworld. If you'll gather that data, I'll do the rest." Gohan glances toward Serori, then back toward Vegeta. "Despite what some may think, I have always had only one goal. Only now I don't think I'll have to... never mind. I'll accept your terms."
Serori	/That/ exchange at least settles Serori's rattled nerves and shaken temper. Nevertheless, she flushes a red, embarrassed color and turns her back on the two, as if whatever black field is visible through the viewport is a fascinating sight. She tucks her arms across her chest, too, though her tail remains free, arching up behind her like a relaxed hook. Huff.
Vegeta	"Good. Saiyans barely require more than humans do, but we're accustomed to a home planet with ten times Earth's gravity." Vegeta explains before releasing Gohan's hand, then he turns around to begin heading for the door. "I have training to do. Get back to whatever it is you were doing." He doesn't seem to express curiosity over what Gohan was going to say, instead showing himself out after shoving a guard out of the way.
Gohan	Gohan shakes his head as Vegeta shoves one of his guards. He clicks the comms back on. "Withdraw the bridge. All members of the PTO. We are now working with the New Saiyan Empire. I want all scouts to look for an uninhabited planet, gravity levels ten times that of Earth, with enough natural resources to support life. Report to me." As he clicks the comms back off, he sinks back onto his throne. "Well then."
Serori	Serori turns away from the viewport. After a moment's hesitation, she crosses the room, and sits herself down beside Gohan's feet. She looks over her shoulder and up at him, then looks back to the door Vegeta's taken. "Raditz and Taylita are both in loose agreement, too. They want to see Vegeta make good on his word before agreeing to anything more permanent, or accepting him as their Prince." She sighs away her lingering apprehension, the tautness draining from her shoulders as she sags a little forward. "S-saa...I want what's best for the saiyans -- you know that, don't you? Even these saiyans, who've come from some other world and who are all but barbarians..." Pause. "Thank you for helping to find them a new homeworld."
Gohan	Gohan closes his eyes as Serori sits down, turning the information over in his head. "I want to see them flourish again, too," he says, placing his chin on his fist. "They're... we're? They're an odd race with a lot of turmoil. I think they deserve another chance. Frieza stripped them of it, but here we are again." Gohan smirks, moving to rest a hand on Serori's shoulder. "I can't just leave them homeless. It's what I planned on doing from the start, remember?"
Serori	Serori turns her head to lean her cheek into his fingers, and nods. "I know. You've been very good to my cause. I haven't forgotten that, just because Vegeta's come back. Don't get so worried about things." "I will do whatever is best for my people, but you're not so secondary to that."
Gohan	Gohan smiles again, brushing his fingers across her cheek. "I'm... I'm not gonna get worried. I'll just do what needs to be done. It'll all work out."
Serori	Serori smiles back at him, and then stretches her arms above her head. This action seems almost to pull her to her feet; she gets up bouncing lightly up and down on her toes. "Let's go train, hm? You're overdue for a work-out today."