Chapter 1
Preperation
"Men! Close ranks!" roared an extremely burly man. His name was Commander Aspar, one of the few remaining leaders of the Saiyan Task Force. He was tall and lean, with very tan skin and short cropped black hair that came forward in his face, as if permanently swept by the wind. His face was buried behind a thick black beard. Like all Saiyans, Aspar had a long monkey tail that protruded from the small of his back though, like most warriors, he kept it wrapped around his waist. In a large gymnasium, Aspar was running a final inspection of the few soldiers he had left - a measly six. Six of the seven of the Saiyan men were wearing the standard issue armor; skin tight yet flexible blue fabric as an underlying layer and a full breast-and-back plate with large shoulder pads. Their gloves and boots were made of a white material harder than steel. Aspar, to show his ranking, had the King's crest engraved on his left chestplate. The soldiers could see their commander's teeth glistening behind the beard - he was grimacing. They were the last of the elites, the last remaining hope of the Saiyan race. Aspar cleared his throat. "Remember! The Crekets know our weakness! If you allow your tail to be grabbed, you are as good as dead!" He walked up and down the row of his strongest men. "They've planned their invasion on the cycle of our moon," Aspar continued with his warning, "so don't hope for a full moon to save your skins. We've got another month before it comes and we'd be lucky to survive half that long." The man sighed heavily and placed his hands behind his back. "Never before have I encountered foes like the Crekets...crafty insects they may be, but that's all they are!" The man slammed his fist into the wall. The six soldiers behind him did not move or bat an eyelash. "Their blood will be spilled and we will have our vengeance! Are you with me men?" Aspar turned to the Task Force, who responded with a gruff 'Sir!' All of them, except for one, who remained very stern faced. Unlike the other members of the Force, this particular Saiyan was considered a Lower Elite. He found the traditional Saiyan battle armor too cumbersome and opted out of it. Instead, he wore the pants of a green martial arts Gi with a red obi, complemented by matching wrist bands. His upper body was covered by the same skin tight fabric with a matching color to his pants. He wore brown boots and had his pants tucked into the tops. Due to his outfit, this Saiyan could not comfortably wrap his tail around him; it was left out in the open, swaying about as if it had a mind of its own. He was staring down at the floor and did not notice his commander's hand on his shoulder. He jumped a bit.
"Nauris!" Aspar exclaimed, "What is it that troubles you, lad?" Nauris look at his Commander with diction. Despite his strength, his full potential had not yet been reached - He had shown flashes of greatness but it was clear that his true power was based purely on his emotions. He ran a hand through his unkempt black hair. It draped his shoulders and stuck out in the back in small spikes. He took a deep breath.
"My family, sir," he said. His voice was deep, and scratchy, the voice of a hardened warrior. "When the Crekets invaded, they swept through my village and took my wife and son. I can't imagine what they've done to them, but I can rest knowing that they will pay for it." Though the group had been through many battles together, not a soul among them knew Nauris' story. What kept him going? Why was he here? He had appeared out of the blue one day, emitting a strange and powerful energy. He looked down the row of the rest of them, at all of the men he had called 'comrades' for the last month. "I don't care what happens to you," he said coldly, "I'm here to get my family back." With that, Nauris left them behind, closing the door behind him. The five soldiers remaining in the room didn't and couldn't find the ability to respond. They looked among themselves, whispering things until Aspar cleared his throat.
"Well, no time to waste. Let's get some training in. We attack at dawn!" With a cheer, the six men broke into pairs and began their intense training.
Nauris took a deep breath of the night air. His body shook with anticipation. This was to be the climactic battle to decide the fate of the Saiyan race - Seven Saiyans against the entire Creket army. He closed his eyes and thought back to the day they first arrived. Disgusting creatures, the lot of them, he thought. Each one stood a towering seven feet, much taller than any of the Saiyans. Being insects, however, the Crekets were not very powerful themselves. It was their technology that gave them the upper hand in the fight. Each of their four arms had enhancements to boost their strength and Ki energy. These robotic attachments allowed them to manipulate the Ki blasts of others, which was a huge advantage. Their legs were augmented with similar technology, increasing their speed and stamina. To protect their sensitive abdomens, a device that brought up a protective barrier whenever their front was attacked had been implemented. Damaging a Crecket in battle was nearly impossible. In battle, the Crekets moved along the ground on all six limbs, jumping wildly and shooting whatever moved. On the rare occasion that a Saiyan would see one outside of battle, they stood like gorillas, with all their weight forward. A Creket had four eyes, one on each side of his head which allowed for it to be on top of a battle at all times. It was incredibly difficult to fight them one on one, and the chances of victory were even less the more there were. The idea that they were going to fight tomorrow put fear into Nauris' heart. He looked up at the moon. If only they could wait that one month, then the Crekets would have much more trouble enslaving them! A light smirk appeared on the man's lips. Yes, it was the perfect plan! Once each Saiyan transformed into their much stronger Oozaru form, their power increased 100 times. An experienced warrior, one that can control the form perfectly, is considered to be an unstoppable killer. "If only...Dammit!" Nauris slammed his fist into the ground so hard, it cratered around him and the rocks that shot up into the sky landed yards away. "If only we had more time!" The Saiyan felt tears glide down his cheeks. He couldn't leave his family to die. He hit the ground harder and harder, the ground shaking violently with each strike. His tail whipped around, expressing the same helpless rage. The man gulped down the lump in his throat. The idea of his family being slaughtered both saddened and enraged him. As he slowly stood up and brushed his face, he heard the door open behind him. It was one of his comrades. This one was almost bald and had no facial hair to speak of. A nearly hairless Saiyan was a sight to behold.
"The commander would like to speak with you," he said simply. Without a word, Nauris nodded to thank Cumber for this notification and headed back inside.
Nauris and Cumber entered the facility together, and walked down one of the empty hallways. A building on the outskirts of one of the largest cities on Planet Saiya. It had been long abandoned to time. At one point, it had been used as a training station for children, to gauge their power and test their abilities, ultimately deciding their rank within the Saiyan society. Once the Saiyans developed larger cities and better technology (though nothing compared to the Crekets), this station had been left behind. In the course of this short war, it was used as the base of operations for the Saiyan Task Force. The two soldiers separated from each other and Nauris went ahead to the commander's room. The Saiyan felt his tail settle down, which allowed him to calm down. His body stopped shaking. Another soldier had strolled by and suddenly felt Nauris' power take a significant drop. Slowly, the man opened the door and stepped inside. "Commander?" he whispered.
"Nauris!" Aspar stood up and swept over to the other man, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "I'm concerned about you. Lately, you've been showing much more aggression. As a pure-blooded Saiyan male myself, there's nothing I love more than aggression!" He laughed heartily, patting Nauris on his back so hard that the soldier stumbled forward. "But there is a time and place for that aggression! Do you know where that is?" He didn't want to answer. His hands shook a bit and he clenched them into tight fists in a poor attempt to calm himself. "The battlefield! Tomorrow, take all this rage you have, and unleash it on the Crekets! I expect great things out of you! I exp--" he was cut off with a swift punch to the jaw, and sent flying across the room, into the concrete wall. Nauris was shaking all over, a red aura surrounding his body like fire. Small bolts of lightning shot out around him, shattering a light bulb here and breaking a floorboard there.
"Expect!" He roared, "All you do is expect out of me! I'm not a soldier, Aspar!" Nauris took a step forward, "I'm not for you to mold! I am my own!" He grit his teeth together, "I'm only fighting alongside you because I know it could be our only chance for survival. When I said I didn't care what happened to you, I meant it!" His aura burst out from around him and he fell to his knees, panting heavily. His shaking had stopped. Aspar had gotten to his feet and brushed himself off. The look of terror upon the commander's face was indescribable. Aspar pulled Nauris up to his feet and brushed him off.
"Listen," he whispered, "You may not be my soldier, but you are my brother in arms. We share the same blood. The Crekets are spilling the blood of our brothers. We don't need to spill our own." Aspar let go of Nauris forcefully. The Saiyan took a step back and exited the Commander's room. As the door shut behind him, Aspar shuddered with fear. The power within that man was unreal. Though he knew, deep down, that no amount of power could be enough to take down the entire Creket army. Aspar sat down and placed his hands on his desk. He knew this resistance was futile. He opened a drawer and pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen, scrawling a message.