The War Room (Zuqetta)

The sun crested overhead as mid-day shifted into the afternoon; the typically stale air of the Vegeta region given a moments respite as a light breeze graced the day. Smiles on the face of the Saiyans wasn't an all too unfamiliar sight, the people used to hardships from their many years of war, these times of peace made it easy to relax. Guards clad in the formal attire of Zuqetta's creation patrolled the streets, deescalating unnecessary brawls where they could, while refereeing others when it seemed like throwing down was the only option a citizen wanted.

Less children roamed the streets than usual, Zuqetta's decree for mandatory schooling keeping a majority in both the Royal Academy, and the freshly renovated Sadalan Military Institute, now renamed Sadalan Primary for its refocus on basic education. Of those attending, the majority of which were from the Radditsu District; once dubbed the lower class, Zuqetta's dismantling of the archaic feudal system of class allowed all the chance to learn and broaden their horizons. Of course, the free food and supplies to return home with were a decent incentive to increase the children's interest.

Ironically, it was those from well off families, ex-noble families, that forsook the chance for schooling, their parents considering it beneath them. Something that had Zuqetta deep in the city this fine, breezy day...

"Nope! Still wrong." Zuqetta would say with a bit of a laugh, "C'mon, its the most basic of basic math, you can do it! Use your fingers ta count if ya have too."

She sat in an alleyway, one nestled between a clothing shop and newly built jeweler in the noble district. Crates and barrels at the back of the alley acted as seats for she, and a couple children. While the older children sat on the paved ground with sheets of paper marked all over with number sporadically. A pair of royal guards were stationed much further towards the front of the alley, leaning against the wall, waiting patiently; one yawning from the lack of action happening today.

"This is stupid!" an older boy would shout, biting the pencil in his hand, "My dad says all I need is POWER!! None of this stupid number stuff is important!" he'd exclaim, a boy beside him nodding in agreement as he was rallied on.

"Oh? Just power, huh?" Zuqetta would remark, giving an inquisitive expression, "I see, so, lets say you're hungry, starving even!" she'd begin, her tail moving around and pointing at the silent boy, "And your friend here has the only food for miles, whaddya do?"

"I'd challenge him and TAKE it!" he'd say proudly, much to the confusion of his friend, "That's how a Saiyan does it! I'm stronger, so I get the food!" he'd continue, slamming his fist into his palm.

"Nuh uh, I'm stronger!!" the previously silent boy would speak up defiantly, standing quickly as if ready to brawl in that very moment.

Before either could react unnecessarily, Zuqetta would quickly speak up, "Now now, none of that! It doesn't matter who's stronger between either of you!" she'd remark, then leaning forward to look down at both the boys with a smug smile, "Because I'm stronger, hehe, so lets say I have the food. Think you can beat me for it?" she'd ask, the tip of her tail flicking about playfully.

"N... No..." the more silent boy would respond, looking away sheepishly.

"That's no fair! You're the Queen, you're obviously the strongest so you get all the food!"

Zuqetta would laugh, "Hehe, not quite, there's plenty stronger than me."

"That's not true, my dad says the King and Queen are the strongest of ALL Saiyans!"

"Pfft, sounds like your dad says a LOTTA things, but I'm tellin' ya myself, I'm not the strongest." she'd say, leaning back on her crate and giving the boy a smile, "There's plenty stronger than me, yet I still have the food. Thing is, you don't need ta be strong ta get the food too." she'd remark, first tapping the side of her head, then pointing back down at the paper at the feet of the boy, "Like right now, rather than strong, all ya gotta be is smart, and you'll earn your prize." she'd continue, her tail shifting sides as she got more comfortably seated, "So why not try it again? You were so close after all, and all those "lower class" children your dad dislikes can do it. Are you gonna lose to a lower class Saiyan?"

She didn't like using such a thing as motivation to drive the boy, but it seemed effective as unfortunate as that was. The boy would grit his teeth defiantly, before sitting back on the ground, staring intently at his sheet of paper. The second boy did the same, though not quite with the same aggressiveness. The two looked over their respective papers, each beginning to count on their fingers, before the more reserved boy suddenly lit up with an expression of realization.

"I got it!!" he'd exclaim, suddenly scribbling an equation down on his paper before jumping up to show Zuqetta, "Is it this?"

Zuqetta only took a brief look over the paper before smiling and throwing up her arms, "Huzzah!! We've got a winner!!" she'd cheer, her tail reaching behind her and wrapping around a bag before pulling it before her, "Great job, I knew you could do it! Here's your prize kiddo~" she's say happily, handing off the bag to the boy before looking towards the rest of the children, "And remember what I said, no stealing. He won it fair and square, if I find out ya took it from him, I'll sic my royal guards on ya!" she'd warn with a wag of her finger.

"Nooooo, I coulda done it too..." the previously aggressive boy would whine, a fist clenched tight around his pencil as he other hand clutched angrily at his head.

Zuqetta was about to speak, hoping to console and encourage the kid to try harder next time. Before she could however, the boy who'd won his prize would approach his friend, patting his back and giving a smile.

"It's okay, you can have some too if you want." he'd remark, reaching into the bag and revealing a handful of candy before offering it to his friend; he'd glance up to Zuqetta and smile, "It's not stealing if I give it to him."

"Heheh, I suppose it's not." she'd say with a wholesome smile, watching as the rest of the kids jumped from their seated positions to receive a share themselves, something the boy was more than willing to give.

The more aggressive boy accepted the offer of his friend reluctantly, his face tensed with an livid expression before he'd look back up towards Zuqetta, "Just you wait!" he'd exclaim, "I'll figure it out next time, and I'll win it all myself! Then it'll be ME sharing it with everyone!" he'd challenge, jumping up and taking his paper with him before storming off.

Zuqetta couldn't help but laugh at the strange sense of competitiveness the boy seemed to have, but smile as he and his friends began to make their way out of the alley. This wasn't the first time she'd held this little challenge, secretly educating the kids bit by bit as best as she could through a method such Saiyans most agreed with, challenge. It was as fun as it was rewarding, and with how enthusiastic they were becoming, she wondered if sometime soon they'd choose to attend school themselves rather than avoid it as they'd been doing.

It was something she'd considering asking them the next time she visited; she stretched her arms above her head, unfolding her legs before laying across the crate she sat on. It was truly a pretty peaceful day and seemed like it'd continue to be, but said peace was broken as a rather short stature Saiyan dropped down from the sky towards the front of the alley.

"Your Majesty!" he'd exclaim, prompting Zuqetta to lift her head to see the slicked hair, little mustache man, "I've looked all over for you!" he exclaimed, Zuqetta realizing who it was and jumping from her crate to approach.

"Ohhh, Mr. Chamberlain guy! What's up? I don't normally see you out of the castle!"

"Aspra Caesar Gus, as I've told you countless times, my lady." the Chamberlain would say with an almost annoyed tone, "And I'd STILL be in the castle, if you could remember your own schedule!" he'd remark, causing Zuqetta to tilt her head with confusion, "Hmmmmmmmmmm--- It's well past noon, my lady. Master Vocado? The War Room?? The-"

"OH SN-! VOCADO!!" Zuqetta would suddenly exclaim, energy erupting around her form before she'd suddenly burst into the air; only to quickly back track to her guards in a tizzy, "Thanks Mr. Chamberlain! Guards, make sure Chamberguy gets home safe!" she'd say, getting a salute from her guards before she'd rush through the air at full speed once more.

"ASPRA CAESAR GUS!!"

--

Two hours late, maybe three, Zuqetta couldn't have been sure; she didn't wear her scouter often and didn't have a watch. Whatever it was, it couldn't have been THAT long, maybe it was even less than two, but considering it was already past noon and the meet was AT noon... Well, hopefully Vocado had something to entertain himself. Hopefully he was still there, which was something Zuqetta was much more focused on rather than if he was entertained. Surely he'd still be, castle staff could have brought him food or drink while he waited, and Vocado had made the importance of his visit clear, so surely he wouldn't have left!

Zuqetta raced through the halls, alarming some few guards as she did before she'd suddenly stop and depower just before the large doors to the War Room. She'd set down, feet daintily touching the floor as she adjusted her crown and patted down her attire. She'd shifted from her dress to her armor to appear more official for the occasion; patting down her hair and clearing her throat, she took a deep breath before entering.

The doors creaked back open steadily, Zuqetta standing center, somehow suddenly flanked on both sides by Guards who'd rushed to protect her, believing there to be danger. she didn't want Vocado to know she'd rushed her, and so treated the guards as if they were stationed with her the whole time. She'd wave a hand towards them both, informing them to remain stationed outside the doors before heading inside herself and allowing the doors to close behind her.

"Warmaster Vocado, apologies for my delay. A Monarchs work is never done, hehe..." she'd greet, taking notice of the stack of sheets upon the table before attempting to get a handle on the lay of the room. A small, cold sweat rolled down her cheek as she hoped to have gotten away with the little act, and more so hoped she wasn't questions as to why she was late... the true reason of which possibly not being to Vocado's liking.

Zuqetta tilted her head, clearly just a bit confused by Vocado's initial statement, but would enter the room regardless as he dismissed the mention himself. Rather than worry further, she'd give a subtle sigh of relief that it'd only been just over an hour, her fears of taking well longer put to rest. She took notice of the papers sprawled across the table as she took her seat, shooting Vocado a kind smile as she glanced over the titles to some of the papers, listening to his question.

"Hehe, hardly!" she'd laugh, "Well, I wouldn't say things have been too rough, all things considered. There was certainly the issue on Namek, then Lottus being... well, Lottus." she'd say with a happy shrug, "And of course, quite the opposite, there's been no end to the challenges! Nobles, and surprisingly, the Lower Class alike, didn't take too well to the whole "changin' of society" thing, plenty stuck in their old ways as they are." she'd explain, "But considerin' what the change was about? It's easy to expect what kinda people keep showin' up ta fight me! Typically old nobles who take me for granted, usually mockin' my energy level first, then my size, then my age..." she'd say in quick succession with a droll tone, "Only ta then fight me and get their but kicked since they spent their lives usin' their money ta get their way, and never trainin' a day in their lives!"

The exasperation in her voice made clear her annoyance with such people; she couldn't even keep track of how many had received the "Tulse Special", a name come up with by the guards who witnessed the challenges after Tulse's defeat. It was severely hampering her "kind" visage she wanted to have, just as the fight with Yakito did; so much talk about her power, strength, ruthlessness, NONE of this was the kind of image she wanted! she was a Saiyan though, as were her people, so... it was expected...

"But don'tcha worry none about the challenges or nothin'! Hehe, I've got that handled." she'd remark, getting comfortable in her seat, her tail swaying behind her happily, "As for your messages? Ehh, it's fine, right?" she'd ask in a rhetorical manner, "I trust ya more than enough! You don't gotta worry about a thing like that, hehe, you're just as stiff as ever!" she'd tease, a mischievous grin across her face before she'd then turn her attention back to the table.

"So then! I'm excited! Tell me all about these rogue planets you've liberated! Any bandits? Crime lords? Pirates!?" she'd question excitedly, "I wanna know all about your adventures the past few months! The whole story! That'd be WAY better than the quick minute updates you've been givin'!"

The excitement Zuqetta displayed could hardly be contained; she knew full well her station, and knew that her ability to make leisurely trips was limited. Of course, that meant going on the space adventures she used to go on was a complete thing of the past. Any excitement she had was either local, or political; and considering being political meant something like war, something like what happened on Namek... that was the furthest thing from fun she could imagine. Even now, she couldn't shake the heartbreak she felt at losing Patch, but she wouldn't let that affect her meeting with Vocado.

She could at least live vicariously through him, he was off having the space adventures her young heart wanted!

"Hehe, don't worry, I haven't gone and gotten a big head or nothin' just cause of a few wins!" she'd remark with a grin.

If Vocado knew the truth of her experiences lately, he know just how utterly truthful she was being. From the realization of how weak she was without her magic and ki, to the losses she'd suffered while in disguise; not to mention the constant waterworks, Vocado might've flipped his lid if he knew about all that. The point was, Zuqetta only felt more and more humbled, and was beginning to have a better grasp on herself and her abilities. She never was one to hide her feelings in any measure; even if she was against something but agreeing to it anyways, it was with reluctance and difficulty.

Such was what would be displayed in her expression almost immediately when Vocado mentioned something about a boot camp.

"Wha-!? I have plenty of finesse!" she'd remark, "I'll have ya know that I've had the Underground Colosseum beneath the palace temporarily renovated into a training facility, and I use it daily!" she'd say proudly, "My stamina' never been better!"

While this was true, her training did nothing to increase her strength or endurance, the latter of which being the bigger issue. So often she'd either dodge or deflect an attack that came her way, that she'd never suffered any major damage before. It wasn't like she'd never had her own butt kicked before, training with her father as a child, training with her sister Vennel, they never took it easy on her; the difference between training and real combat had steadily become more and more apparent however, especially with the growing power of her opponents.

The bruises she suffered against Zuci, her fractured wrist against a simple punch from Gira on Namek.

She was fragile, those being just two examples picked from a flood of situation; the most terrible of which being at the tournament on Earth. Her eyes had truly been opened then, but all this was something that needn't have been said. Vocado was already coming off anxious enough by simply mentioning it, it wouldn't have done to send him into a tizzy by the additional knowledge.

Then came the efforts of Vocado's mission, opening with a holographic display before his explanation.

"Hmmm, is that so..."

Zuqetta interacted with the display herself as Vocado spoke, scrolling up the manifest to take note of particular points of information. Her face stretched a bit as she held back a yawn, but despite her lacking interest in the numbers, her focus remained.

"Ideally, I wish we could liberate any suffering world." she'd begin, "But I suppose that's just me being optimistic. Looking at these numbers, I see you've kept the costs down where you could, but such an endeavor is still pretty hefty, huh?" she'd say, moving aside the hologram with a slightly disappointed expression, "We're not heroes of the galaxy, if a planet neither gives a profit or has resources that'll be beneficial to the Kingdom, we have no choice but to ignore them."

She didn't like saying it, something that clearly came across in her tone and through her expression, but there was no other choice. There were Kingdom forces to pay, food to be put on tables, not to mention economies to be stabilized on the worlds that WERE liberated. The kingdom's coffers weren't infinite, and if they tried to liberate each and every single world they came across then the Kingdom would surely collapse. Vocado had likely already taken note of this, and made his decisions thusly.

"Excellent work." she'd say, giving the War Master a smile, "Maybe one day we can help those worlds, for now, keep them under watch ta make sure things like those pirates don't try to raid trade routes in Kingdom territory." she'd say, a slight command to her tone, "I'm interested about those robots you mentioned though... did you have a chance to interact with these things?" she'd ask, "Did they seem sentient? Or was it just some kinda coding error on a massive scale?"

The last thing the universe needed was some rogue AI seeking to destroy all life like something out of a movie. If there was no sentient life, and no resources to be safeguarded on the planet, then destruction might've been a good idea to prevent an outbreak. She couldn't be sure however, and making such a brash decision could've led to plenty of unforeseen consequences. If Vocado did verify it as rouge AI, robots now capable of free thought as they assimilated knowledge, then she felt that approaching Cheri on the matter would've been a good course of action.

Zuqetta's cheeks puffed with a slight annoyance, her gaze on Vocado narrowing suspiciously, but she'd make no remark against him. In truth, extra training was something she was growing more and more interested in, especially after recent events. She had another plan in mind however, but that didn't mean she couldn't partake in both. If one work out well enough, who knows, maybe she'd surprise someone in the other! It was something to think about for another time, by the way Vocado was setting the dates, sometime a good while out.

For now, there was the issue with the worlds Vocado was visiting in his expedition.

He spoke frank, his intentions plain enough; Zuqetta didn't know if he had ulterior motive, but also didn't think of such things. To her, he'd just gone up a few point in her book with his comment. She was happy to know that he held an interest of his own in helping less profitable worlds, her tail swaying about behind her to display this wordlessly.

She examined the map, taking note of star points she recognized; one caught her attention immediately.

"Oh! Ya better take off that one for now-" she'd remark, leaning forward and pointing at the star map, Earth specifically, "-there President wouldn't take kindly to us makin' pit stops on Earth, as annoying as it is, we'll need ta take an alternative route." she'd remark, some small bit of ire in her tone.

She would then pause, a bit of contemplation overtaking her as she examined the map.

The direction planned seemed to go deeply into Earth's territory; of course, it wasn't really a "territory", was it. Earth had plenty of tech, but was well behind the galactic norm, at least from how Zuqetta saw it. They were a solo act, not an empire; their territory just Earth and it's moon at most, despite a solar system of multiple planets. Mars, just a dust bowl of salt and iron; but those gas giants could be a source of easy fuel, and those two planets nearer to the sun with those precious gems...

Zuqetta crossed her arms, apprehensive to her own thoughts, but she would finally speak up.

"It... wouldn't be right to claim planets in their system." she'd remark, with clear hesitation, "They're not advanced enough yet, but one day they'll catch up. And if we claim the worlds behind their belt, they'll be worse off in the future." she'd explain, feeling somewhat regretful; the idea of at least claiming a world nearer to the sun for the precious gems would've made her gush with excitement, but it wasn't right, "But, if we could reach an accord with their leader... maybe we could help them reach out to their neighboring planets, and maaaaaaybe we might even get a reward if we do!"

She was thinking optimistically, but even she knew that wasn't likely. She wasn't even sure the President would speak with her considering how her ship had been shot down a while back. Not to mention, the Dragon Law was known to be in response to aliens, their President may have had a clear prejudice. Then there were these Oilborn he'd spoken of, that sounded concerning, and gross... but she'd ignore it for now, she needed to handle things one step at a time.