to the recycler of his dissection. He would have her face in front of his eyes when, for the first time in five long cycles, he could finally beat his teeth a nice, large cube of egg white.
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............................
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“All right?” Prof. Brief's face on the small monitor radiated concern. "Will you be fine on your own too?"
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"Quite sure," Vegeta was more of a nuisance than anything else."I'm a Saiyan prince and I've flown across space several times. I'd have to worry about you."
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"You checked the oxygen gauge?"
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"Multiple times."
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"And the recycling systems for water and air?"
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"Everything works fine."
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"Replacement energy cells for all systems?"
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"Are available in triplicate." Slowly Vegeta tore the thread of patience. "I should finally go!"
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"It's okay!" Mr. Briefs realized that he couldn't stop him any longer, or Vegeta would clear the way into space with a few balls of energy. "Open hatch!" He said loudly and pressed the appropriate key. The huge gate wings slid silently to the side and the suction of the vacuum tore away everything that was not carefully tied. Vegeta, who had long since started the drive, pushed the cruise control forward. The small dinghy literally jumped up and dashed full throttle through the hatch into the void between the stars.<br />
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"Bulmas Hope" quickly fell behind him.
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<br />
"Have a good trip!", Bulma's father wished him before the Saiyan interrupted the radio contact to save energy. Mr Briefs stared at the blank screen for a few seconds and rubbed his arms. Although it was a constant 25 degrees in the spaceship, he felt as if he felt the frosty breath of a dark premonition. Hopefully Vegeta didn't overtax herself.
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"Oh, what," he said aloud to himself. "He already knows what he's doing. I have my own job to do." His gaze fell on the dragonball radar, which was still on the console. "You didn't bring her luck this time," said Mr Briefs in a low voice. "But with your help, we will see her again, my little girl, my Bulma." Resolutely, he gave the order to take off and the black ship shot like an arrow towards the earth ...
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Vegeta leaned back and closed his eyes.From his many journeys through space he was used to being alone.
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Alone with yourself and the quiet, dark expanse out there.
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Of course there had been other Saiyans there several times, only a radio message away. But the short radio messages never gave rise to a feeling of closeness. Somehow, everyone was still for himself. Not that he had ever felt lonely, although he wasn't the type for meditation like Piccolo, but he had learned early on that total relaxation and immersion helped him build reserves that could be used in an emergency. Such a silence would never have been imaginable in their spaceship. Although she had never interfered with his practice, she was always present. The sound of their steps. A happy hum, a quiet laugh, the clatter of dishes and their delicate scent, which he had not been able to escape in any corner of the ship.
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He remembered the flowers that Frau Briefs had shown him shortly before he left."She planted them here with so much love," she had said to him in a choked voice. "Your flowers that Safrano trampled on. Look, they have got new leaves and blossoms. We will bury your urn here, right next to your flowers. She would choose the exact place herself, believe me!"
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Vegeta opened his eyes and stared at the narrow, gold-white lines of stars that the little ship sped past. They wouldn’t need a place for Bulma’s urn, for a long time.
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Provided he found what he was looking for ...
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.....................
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"What have you loaded fine?" croaked a weak voice.
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Bantor paused and turned to the small, gray-haired gnome, whose sunken face always gave him a stab.
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"Grandfather, you should stay in the shelter as long as your cough is not better," rebuked Bantor and loaded his cargo on the other shoulder.<br />
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“As if I could take a nap there in peace.” Igeras was used to being called a grandfather by all younger humanoids, after all he was one of the few who still remembered their lives in a real world and his stories of Meadows of flowers, babbling brooks and rushing forests sounded like fairy tales to the ears of the younger ones who had been born here in the collector. Still, he never stopped talking about it, almost as if he were afraid of forgetting if he didn't keep the memory alive day after day.
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"Did Querl annoy you again?" Asked Bantor with a smile. "He's just young, please check him out."
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"The toddler hasn't been able to keep me from sleeping for a long time," the old man waved off. "It's more about it," he said, patting his stomach, which seemed to have been waiting for it, and growled audibly.
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"That will soon come to an end," Bantor assured optimistically."Here I have the fresh body of a young humanoid. In return, we get a good portion of protein and fat for the three of us."
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A shadow slipped across the wrinkled face. "You don't have to share with me, Bantor. It is important that you stay strong, otherwise the greedy necks of the other sectors will attack us like rats."
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"Oh yes, rats," Bantor steered the conversation in a different direction, "is Querl successful with his new trap?"
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"Not much, he did at least three, but according to the evidence there should be at least a few hundred under the pile." He shook his head. "Either the beasts are too smart or we are too stupid."
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"Three is better than nothing," said Bantor. He knew Querl and his pride when he could add something to her meager portions every now and then. "What about ballast, was there anything in the pile?"
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"A few pieces of wood and something that looks like leaves.Almost four handfuls in total. I've already used them, mostly fiber and only a few carbohydrates. "
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"We can't be picky here, if we're lucky, I'll be with the next away team and then we'll get more units. Besides the body, I've also found this. Do you know anything about such parts?" He put the parts of the spacesuit on before Igeras.
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"I have to take a closer look at them first," muttered the old man. "My eyes are not that young either. Don't worry, I know how important it is that you get the third degree. Without him you can only get into an away team by bribing . "
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"The next exam is in a week," Bantor told Igeras. "If we are not further in assessing technical elements by then, I will fail."
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"Don't worry, I'll figure it out," Igeras assured hastily. "Just leave the pieces here. Tomorrow ... I'll know more tomorrow."<br />
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"I rely on it," said Bantor with more confidence than he actually felt and took off the parts of Bulma's spacesuit in front of Igeras before continuing to follow the narrow path that led through the mountains of rubble. The recycler could not be overlooked. The monstrous machine towered over every pile of rubble. A steep staircase led up to a funnel that was over two meters in diameter and height.
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"Look here, Bantor, I caught them!" Called a pale boy voice from the top of the stairs. Bantor put his head back and shielded his eyes with the hand that was still free. The boy's blond head couldn't be overlooked, dirty and matted like all of her hair. For the hundredth time, Bantor resolved to collect enough units to be able to use one of the bathing cabins, but at the moment he could be happy if his supply was enough for the disposal of the body here.
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"Good performance!" Bantor called up."I also have something here, we can throw it together in the recycler, that saves units."
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Querl scratched his forehead between the matted strands and nodded hesitantly. "Good, but then I also add a unit, otherwise not."
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A smile crossed Bantor's face. "No question about it, after all, your part is also in the material."
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Bantor climbed the steep stairs with little difficulty. The prospect of a decent meal was a wonderful drive. When he reached the top, he put the body on the scale, which was next to the funnel. Querl cast a curious look at Bantor's prey and winced at the sight of the pale woman's face. "Does ... really have to be, Bantor?"
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"Hey, you know the rules, kid," Bantor put his hand on Querl's shoulder. He remembered all too well how Querl had lost his mother only a year ago. Illness and malnutrition had weakened Zisella so much that she simply fell asleep and never woke up.The boy had buried her in a heap of rubble. Back then, Bantor and Igeras had talked to him like a sick horse before the little one showed them the spot, but rats from another district had long since come before them. A hole gaped in place of the grave. Since the tracks had been relatively fresh, they had been able to follow them and catch the thieves when they were on their way back with the yield of protein and fat rations. They were only too happy to leave these to Bantor. Bantor thought of the sad feast he and Igeras had shared, for the boy had steadfastly refused to take a bite.
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"That's a stranger, not your mother," he said to Querl, "we'll throw them in together, your rats and them, okay?"
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Querl leaned over the filthy display and read the values. “Five units.” He looked at Bantor. "I have three, you can have one of them."
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"Meets well," said Bantor.“Then I'll add four of my eight.” They both drew their cards and inserted them into narrow slots below