I mention in this part a species called the Tsufuru-jin. It doesn't really have much to do with the series I'm writing, but I think I should explain what they are so you guys aren't confused. The Tsufuru-jin were only mentioned a couple of times in the DBZ series (Kaio-sama called them the 'Tuffles' in the American version.) They were a highly intelligent species that shared the planet with the Saiya-jin, and, for the most part, lived in peace. Of coarse it never stayed peaceful when Saiya-jin are involved, so a war broke out--Saiya-jin chi versus Tsufuru-jin technology. The Saiya-jin won, killed off the Tsufuru-jin and named the planet Vegita.

The situation between the Tsufuru-jin and the Saiya-jin must have been tense even before the war broke out, as the Playdia OVA shows. In one of the scenes, Vegita, Goku, Gohan, Trunks and Piccolo are talking to Dr. Raichi, the last remaning Tsufuru-jin (who, through the movie, is the antagonist, out to eterminate all the Saiya-jin in the universe) and the doctor says something like 'I will never forgive you Saiya-jin for what you did to my people.' (I'm not sure exactly, since the subs were worthless and I was forced to resort to my limited Japanese. I tell you now I'm none too good at translating.) Vegita seems to get very angry and yelled, 'You Tsufuru-jin treated us Saiya-jin like slaves! It is me who will not be doing the foriving!'

So, it wasn't just the Saiya-jin to blame. The Tsufuru-jin were asking for it. Like I said, this had nothing to do with my series, but I still think it's interesting. ^_^

Contradicting Mission

Part 6

The room they entered was even colder than the hall they had been traveling through. When the door swished open, a frigid blast of air welcomed them with sharp teeth, biting at noses, cheeks, eyes, ears, fingers and any other unprotected area of soft flesh. Only Freeza went unaffected. Garlic pulled his cape in tighter around his body, nestling his head lower into his hood, and even then felt chilled. Gohan and Bojack could only wrap their bare arms around themselves in a pitiful gesture to attempt staving off such a harsh temperature

The room was neither small nor large, and sparsly decorated. Four plain white walls, a light pink carpeted floor, a cealing dotted with excrutiatingly bright halogen lights, one wall lined with chairs. In one corner was nestled a small receptionist desk, behind which sat a medium sized Aeesu-jin with mostly sky-blue skin and midnight blue accents whose attention was inclined to whatever he was reading on the computer installed in his desk.

The normality of the room made the rocky, primitive caves they had thus travled through seem rediculous. Ludicrous. Gohan glanced back over his shoulder to take one more look at the caverns as the door slid shut behind them with a silent hiss.

"State name and intention," the Aeesu-jin receptionist behind the desk said, speaking in the same, drolling monotone as the Aeesu-jin who had greeted them.

Gohan wondered if that was simply how Aeesu-jin greeted one another, with indifference--if not ignoring eachother completely. That would, after all, explain the absolute silence even in the bustling hub-bub they had been forced to navigate through on the way up. The boy had to constantly beat away at his curiosity to avoid spilling out hundreds of questions at rapid-fire intervals, asking questions ranging from Aeesu-jin anatomy to social mores.

"Freeza, off-planet Aeesu-jin requesting temporary on-planet identification. Also, I need a permit to be accompanied by these three servants while I'm here."

"Freeza." The other paused to check in on the computer installed in his desk, "Ah, here you are. You're right on time, that's good. Please, come this way so we can ask you some questions while we examine your three escorts."

"Examine?" Bojack asked, his breath was slightly visible in the cold. The frosted air spumed up over his mane and soon vanished from sight.

"Yes, we have to test and examine each species to make sure that they're not carrying any form of harmful bacteria or disease. We have to look out for the welfare of our people; you never know what one can pick up while out in space."

Gohan hesitated to argue. He, indeed, had no particular desire to be poked and proded by people who, no doubt, saw him as nothing more than a slave. Still, he could understand, and even respect their precautions. In cases like the Aeesu-jin, where coming and going, on planet, off planet, was as regular as breathing, it would be almost necesary to take such safety steps.

That didn't make the thought any more pleasant. He chewed his lip in indecition.

"Please, walk through these doors to get the process started," the receptionist said, gesturing toward an open door way.

Taking a deep breath, Gohan started forward first. Bojack and Garlic moved to follow, but were stopped.

"One at a time please."

Gohan paused in the door way, forced himself to not look back, took another deep breath, and plunged in.

It was a very sterile and shrilly boring looking room. The walls and floor and cealing were all white tile, gleaming with cleanliness. The room smelled of disinfectants so strongly that the boy's stomach hurt and his eyes stung. In the center of the room was an examining table. Two of the walls extended into table tops, one of which was covered with various tools--some recognizable, some guessable, and some Gohan felt he would be better not knowing what they were. The other table had a small sink installed in it, other than that it was bare.

It looked like a doctors office, clear as day.

Gohan slowly walked deeper into the room, his tail hanging strainght down behind him except for the tip, which was turned upward. The door swished shut behind him. He glanced back at it for a moment, but his sight soon returned forward. He was too curious about what would happen next to worry about getting back. Besides that, he wasn't exactly eager to go rushing back to Bojack, Garlic and Freeza.

He made his way slowly to the examining table in the center of the room and leaned against it, waiting.

It wasn't too long until a door on the other side of the room whooshed open and an unfamiliar Aeesu-jin entered, looking down at a clip board. Gohan assumed he was the doctor. He was rather large--a good four heads above Gohan-- and seemed slightly plumper than the other Aeesu-jin the boy had seen. His skin was a soft yellow color, brownish-orange accompaniments and horns that curved forward like a bull. He would have been very intimidating if he were to scowl, but his face was soft and emotionless as he carried the Aeesu-jin indifference Gohan was begining to get used to.

The man stopped in the middle of the room, his attention wrapped up in whatever he was reading on his clipboard. Gohan shifted his feet and cleared his throat noisily to notify him that he was not alone. The Aeesu-jin glanced up from his work, looked pointedly at Gohan.

"State name and intention," the doctor said, tearing a sheet off of his clipboard to make room for a new one.

"Uh, Son Gohan," the boy said, missing a beat. He had heard Freeza answer that question twice now with out pausing to think. It had come out of him so naturally that until this moment Gohan hadn't thought of what he would say if he were asked, "I'm here to get ......examined."

The doctor hardly blinked as he asked, "And are you an off-planet Aeesu-jin's or are you a freshly bought on-planet servant?"

"Neither," the boy said, "I'm here with Freeza, but no one owns me."

The doctor looked at him for a while in tense silence, sizing him up, reading into the sharp point of his chin and the fire of freedom blazing in his eyes.

"Okay, then," he said finally and jotted something down on his clippoard. Gohan sagged in relief that he wasn't going to be challenged. "What species of alien are you?"

"Ah....I'm a human, Saiya-jin hybrid," Gohan said. Saying it sounded funny, he just thought of himself as a person; the term 'hybrid' just didn't feel like it fit him.

The doctor smiled for a moment and said--momentarily dropping his professional finess--, "Hybrids have always fascinated me. Saiya-jin you say? How's that civil war of theirs going?"

Gohan blinked, mildly surprised by the sudden change in the doctor's mannerism, "Civil war?"

"Yes, I hear that there's some major dispute going on between the Saiya-jin and some other people about the control of the planet. We don't know much about the other guys other than that they aren't too strong; they fight their side with highly developed weaponry. Very interesting stuff from what we hear from the Saiya-jin."

He must be talking about the war with the Tsufuru-jin, Gohan thought, "So you Aeesu-jin are in contact with the Saiya-jins?"

"Yes, indeed," the doctor said, his ocre eyes shining, "In fact, Saiya-jin slaves are growing more and more in demand as time goes by for hard labor and planet clearance. They can clear a planet faster than any species we've come across yet. They are very intesting, but few allow themselves to be subject to study. They're kind of secretive in a way. Very interesting people, indeed."

Gohan studied the tiles beneath his feet as he thought about what had been said. This was the birth of the Saiya-jin's temporary chance to own their own planet and rule it as they wished. How many years until their planet blew up? Quite a few, Gohan was sure. Over a thousand. Still, it wasn't pleasant to know there was a planet floating in space out there with an unconrtrolable fate to be destroyed at a predestined time. The hair on his neck and tail stood on end for more reasons than the cold. His scalp tingled as a shiver ran up his body.

The doctor's voice broke through his thoughts.

"Back to the task at hand, I need a few samples from you for analysis. Blood, hair, skin, that sort of stuff."

He moved to the table full of medical instuments; Gohan noticed he waddled slightly as he walked, his huge, heavy-set body swaying back and forth as his swollen tail seemed hardly able to do more than jut out of his back and gradually slope to the ground. He almost laughed when he realized the doctor waddled like a turkey. This was certainly not the time for humor! He clamped his teeth down on his tounge to keep a smile from creeping across his face. It was good to know that Aeesu-jin got fat, too.

"We'll start with the blood sample," the doctor muttered to himself as he picked a syringe off the table top, "It seems to be the most unpleasant, so we might as well get it done with first."

The Aeesu-jin neared Gohan, paused. He looked perplexed.

"Is something wrong?" The boy asked.

The doctor took a deep breath, let it out and said, "Could you please show me a good vein to get the blood out of? I know nothing about Saiya-jin anatomy, and have never heard of a human."

Gohan nodded and slipped off one of his weighted arm bands. He seached over his now bare wrist until he found his pulse.

"Right here," he said, tapping the spot for the doctor to see.

"Ah, thank you," the doctor said, and took the boy's wrist in his hand, his other hand holding the syringe, "This will sting for a moment, but please hold still."

Gohan didn't have to be told. He certainly didn't want a single drop of his precious blood falling into the Aeesu-jin's hands, but he wasn't afraid of it. A tiny sting? Compared to the pain and agony he had expirianced in his short life, he had a feeling he wouldn't have to worry. Despite that, he closed his eyes. He didn't want to see that needle vanish under his skin.

There was a sharp prick in his wrist, but as the doctor said, it only hurt for a second. A few square inched of his arm felt warm for a moment, but that, too, subsided. Gohan waited, eyes still closed.

"All done," the doctor's voice said. The boy opened his eyes and looked at his wrist. He hadn't even felt the needle leave his skin, but it was true. The deed was done. Gohan slipped his armband back on his wrist and slid his weight up onto the examining table. His legs dangled over the edge on one side, on the other side his tail dangled, swaying back and forth like pendelum in a clock.

The doctor moved across the room, carefully holding the specimen of blood, back to the table. He opened a cabinet under the table and pulled out a larger device. It was about as big and round as a five gallon bucket, but one side jutted out slightly and was dotted with knobs and buttons. The top of the device opened when the doctor hit a code into it, revealing a carefully contained interior. At a glance, Gohan saw that the lid, when closed, was held shut by a high powered magnet lined with rubber.

Nothing, not air, water, or even germs could find a way out of it. Gohan was impressed.

The doctor carefully emptied the gleaming red half-pint of Gohan'd blood into one of the small viles he took out of the container, and just as carefully replaced it. He typed a few more commands into the device and the lid shut with a hiss, letting out all oxygen and other gasses before cealing itself tightly.

The doctor turned back around to see the boy looking very interestedly at the container. He smiled at the child's open wide eyed curiosity.

"Do you know what this device is?" He asked. Something about the gleam in the boy's eyes exclaimed he was not from normal Saiya-jin stock. And the fact that he was a hybrid had nothing to do with it.

"I can guess," Gohan said, "It's used to isolate a substance right? To keep other chemicals, even ones in the air from affecting it until you can run tests on it?"

The doctor's dark brown lips curved in an amused smile, "That's right. Anything put in here would be in total and utter isolation status. Of coarse nothing alive would survive more than thirty seconds in one, but anything not living can be preserved for any number of time. Early expiriments concluded that a raw piece of meat could be put in one, and three years later be removed in the exact same--exact same, mind you--state that it was in when it was put in. It wasn't frozen, there was no sign of rotting, hell, there wasn't even a smell! Scientists have been using this baby ever since to keep samples clean. Fascinating, huh?"

Gohan nodded vigously and said, "For the short time I've been on this planet I've already noticed that Aeesu-jin scientists have made some remarkable break-throughs. Would it be alright if I asked you a few questions about some of them?"

The Aeesu-jin hesitated, "I'm a doctor, not a scientists. Besides that, do you know the penalty for debulging top scientific information to an alien?"

"You don't have to tell me anything compramising," Gohan said. He reached into the front of his gi and pulled out the phosphorecent plants he still carried with him. The blacklightish glow had faded severly, but still gave of a few glimmers of pale light, "I'm just curious about things like how this plant was made. Was it gene splicing? Purposeful mutation? Selective breeding?"

The questions brought the doctor back to his younger days when he had been a student teacher, teaching young Aeesu-jin the basics of life in their community. Of coarse, it was a massive, nightmarish trial to him. The children were loud, rude, disrepectful cheaters that couldn't get an honest grade simply because it was 'honest.' Their parents called it ruthless business instinct, natural molding for the future.. He called it poor parenting and spoiled brat-ism.

Saddly, the work was so unrewarding that he gave it up and went to medical school. He had always thought to himself, in those hecking school days, that if just one would ask a good question, then his job was worth it, that his teaching was affecting at least one sharp mind. None of the children seemed interested in learning about the simplistics of society, or the past, or the harmless conspiricies. He worried for the future.

But here was a boy, not an Aeesu-jin child but still a boy, who was finally asking the questions he wanted to hear. And the boy was asking out of the truthful want to understand. He looked so interested! He leaned forward from his seat on the examining table in eager anticipation.

"Well, Son Gohan," the doctor said, "Those are very good questions."

"What is that kid doing in there?" Garlic asked, annoyance creeping into his voice as he shifted in his seat.

Freeza, long since done filling out his paper work and answering his questionairs, also sat in one of the seats. His legs were crossed and his sharp chin resting on his palm, tail hanging over one of the arms, lazily swaying back and forth, occationally slapping against his chair. He eyes were fixed on the door through which the boy had vanished. He was growing impatient.

Tap, tap, tap, went his tail.

Bojack had not taken a seat. He remained standing by the front desk, arms crossed and his head slightly tilted down. Like Freeza, his attention was focused on the door Gohan had gone through. The blue giant's scowl was deep and in some ways irritated the jagged scar running down his face. His eyes were narrow, ready to fix the kid with a sharp glare the instant he emerged.

Tap, tap, tap, Freeza's tail continued to sway to and fro against the chair.

Garlic's eyes were not centered on the door like the other two's. He was looking with dire concentration at Freeza's tail. It swayed back and forth, back and forth. His eyes followed it so much that he was getting a head ache right between his eyes. Each time the Aeesu-jin's tail hit the chair leg his head throbbed, a thick, swollen lump of pain that reverberated through his body like melted fat. He wasn't simply getting a head ache from annoyance at being forced to wait--he had known the hellish agony of being forced to wait years in his own little hell. Year after year, he had developed a good sense of patience.

His body was also suffering. He needed water with a passion. While in his hell, he hadn't needed to drink, but now that he was free to roam the real world again he was feeling the needs of his body. And his body needed water. His stomach hurt, right along side with his head.

Tap, tap, tap Freeza's tail swayed.

The receptionist watched them over his desk top. They looked impatient, irritated. He glanced down at the time kept by his computer. It was supposed to be a simple, rutine check-up that shouldn't have taken more than ten minutes, but the boy had been in there for nearly fourty. The large blue alien, who looked particularly formidable, was growling deep in his throat. A tone so low it was hardly audible.

"This is rediculious," Freeza finally said, and stood up. He turned his sharp, crimson eyes on the receptionist, "Can't you go in and see what the hold up is?"

The Aeesu-jin behind the desk nearly declined, shrugging the question off in the lackadaisically typical Aeesu-jin way. But then the blue giant turned his deep, brooding eyes on him, and he felt a cold chill run down his spine all the way to the tip of his tail.

"I suppose I can," the receptionist said, getting out from behind his desk.

He moved to the door to the doctor's office and the other three followed him. The palmed the door open, and the other's pushed in around him to see into the room.

Inside, oblivious to the fact that they were being observed, the kid and the doctor were wrapped up in an indepth, scientific conversation. Gohan had pulled his legs up onto the examining table and crossed them, leaning back and looking very comfortable. The doctor had set his incredible bulk onto the counter with the sink, his legs crossed and his thick tail strewn across his lap.

"-so what you're saying is that you have three blood types?" the doctor was asking.

"Yeah," Son Gohan said, his boyish enthusiasm shining brightly yet, at the same time, strangly subdued by the intelligence behind his words, "I got curious about it not too long ago so Bulma-san, she's a friend of ours, let me use her laboratory to run some tests on my DNA."

"She must be a very giving person. Most scientists are very possesive about their place of work," the doctor mused.

"Not Bulma. There must be at least five laboratories in the Capsule Corperations building, so she can afford to be giving."

"Ah. So what were your findings?"

"Well, I had originally thought that all of my blood cells would be codominant, each either a pure Saiya-jin gene or a human gene. As it turns out, I was only partially right. Not only were there Saiya-jin and human DNA signitures, but a strange third one that Bulma-san's computer couldn't recognize! After hours of further research my studies turned out that the third cell was a mutation in which the human and Saiya-jin sides had fused to create a new muta-"

Only then did the two of them notice they were no longer alone.

"Dr. Koda," the receptionist said, his voice slightly strained, "What on Aeesu-sei are you doing? Don't you know we have people waiting?"

The doctor quickly got off the table, his feet making a definate thump sound as he landed, "I was checking the subjects background. It is within my limits, Fronzen-san, or are you doubing my intentions?"

The last half of what the doctor said had a warning edge to it, and the doctor, a good three feet taller than the receptionist, approached the other until he was within a close proximity. He looked down at the smaller Aeesu-jin with benevolence.

"No, of coarse not.....doctor. I was just wondering when you were planning to be done." Somehow the recepionist, Fronzen as the doctor called him, managed to keep his voice even.

"Finishing up right now," the doctor said, "Please, all of you, go wait in the lobby. We'll be done in five minutes."

The receptionist signed and turned to the group of three that had followed him in, "Please, everyone. This way, the wait is almost over."

Freeza, Bojack and Garlic allowed themselved to be ushered out of the room, and soon Gohan and the doctor were alone again.

"Guess we had better finish this up, then," the doctor said.

He waddled back to the intrament table where he sorted through various tools until he found one that looked like a handle with three little green buttons by the thumb, it sported at the top a broad, flat platform the curved up slightly on two of the sides.

He picked it up, thumbed the first button and approached Gohan, who had remained silent since the four people had stormed in. He looked questioningly at the miniture device, and realized it was giving off a soft humming sound. His ebony eyed darted up to look at the doctor.

"It's a skin graphting tool," the robust Aeesu-jin explained, "May I please see one of your arms?"

Hesitantly, the boy raised his left arm. The doctor rested the flat end of the tool against his skin, half way between his shoulder and his elbow. The flat surface shifted and moved, looking like it was melting to fit half way around the boy's arm, perfectly hugging each curve where a muscle jutted out or in, "Please hold still."

He pushed the second button on the miniture device and Gohan jumped involuntarily as a small layer of his skin was stripped from his arm. It stung, and the pain and surprise instantly triggered in his body to intensify his chi. He quickly got control of himself.

When the doctor removed the skin graphter from his skin, there was a small, noticable, square shaped section of pale skin where it had been set. The skin immidiatly surrounding it was slightly red and irritated. Gohan rubbed his arm.

The doctor returned to the cabinet and got out two more isolation containers, opened one of them. He held the skin grapher above the opening--Gohan could see the small portion of his skin dangling from it--and hit the third green button. The giggly piece of skin fell into the container onto a waiting petre dish. The doctor closed the lid and opened the third container. Retrieving a pair of scissors from the counter, he returned to the examining table.

"I need a few hair samples," he explained to Gohan, who was still absent mindedly rubbing his arm. Nodding, the boy lowered his head; the doctor took a lock of hair between two of his large fingers and with a snip it was no longer attached. "I'll also be needing a few hair samples from your tail."

The doctor reached for Gohan's furry appendage, but the boy quickly jerked it away from his grasp, "I'd like to do that part. Saiya-jin tails are sort of......sensitive."

"So I've heard," the doctor said, and handed Gohan the scissors. The youth carefully snipped a few hairs from his tail and handed them to the doctor.

"Alright, then. That's all I need," the doctor said, marking off a few things on his clip board, "You can go and wait in the lobby while I check the other two."

Nodding, the boy hopped off the examining table and to the floor without a sound. He walked briskly to the exit, which slid open at his approach. Through the door, he could make out Garlic and half of Bojack, waiting impatiently.

"Oh, and Son Gohan?" the doctor called after him. The boy paused and looked back, "Would it be alright to schedule a time when we finish our conversation? We don't have time now, but I can find out where you're staying and contact you later."

Gohan smiled, "I'd like that."

To be continued..........