Transitions

by Dark Phoenix Reborn

With one minor miscalculation, people from two very different eras meet. Bridges the gap between The Phoenix Chronicles, and the Android Saga, and is the leadin for When World's Collide. One Shot.

--- Transitions ---

One-Shot - Saga 1.5

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Kaen sighed to himself as he sank down into the chair, located on the bridge of the Icebreaker; technically, the chair was Frost's, but the Aisu wasn't here, so it was fair game. His father and the other men were making sure the other Saiyans were settling in to the internal city. Half a million Saiyans wasn't a lot, considering how many there used to be, but it was more than enough to ensure the continuation of the species; roughly a third were children, and at least half of the rest were already mated.

The sound of a throat being cleared disturbed his thoughts. Spinning the chair around, he noticed Flute standing there, for the first time in a while without his female shadow. Bridging his fingers in front of him, his elbows resting on the armrests, he asked, "What can I do for you?"

"It must be a relief, having all your people safe and sound." The green man replied cryptically.

"Yeah, it is," Kaen replied, leaning forward in the chair as he added, "Now then, I know you didn't come here to discuss the weather. If you want something, all you need do is ask, you know that, right?" There was the subtle, hidden question of 'we're friends, right?' in there; a question neither would ask, nor answer, directly.

The Namek nodded, answering both questions with one gesture, before saying, "I was wondering if a detour would be possible. I was hoping you could assist with my return to my home planet. I have my own ship, of course, but this one can get me there much faster, and... I worry for the safety of my planet. When last I was there, a terrible storm ravaged the land, as you know. I won't feel... right, until I know the people are safe."

Kaen smiled, "I know the feeling, believe me." Turning back to the console, he called over his shoulder, "Just gimme the co-ordinates, and we'll see." Kaen keyed in the co-ordinated Flute supplied, but drew a sharp breath as the computer mapped out the journey.

"Bad news, I assume." Flute remarked almost casually.

"I'm afraid so..." Kaen replied, bringing the map up on the screen, "It would seem we have an unfortunate geometry here. You see, the reactor can only maintain the internal city for just over two months safely, three if we redline it, and take it easy on the other features of the ship. Now, that's long enough to get us from here to that Earth planet we're headed to, and easily long enough to get us from Earth to Namek, assuming we give the reactor time to repair and recover between, but the trip to Namek is too long directly from here; we'd suffer a meltdown a mere week away."

"An unfortunate situation..." Flute commented; he might as well have been talking about the weather for all the inflection in his voice.

Kaen cast a borderline sympathetic look his way, saying, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

"You? Sorry? Now that's a first." Avarrdo's voice called out, fast approaching; Kaen could've kicked himself for not noticing his old man coming this way. Walking into the room, he asked, "So, what's the problem?"

Turning to face his father, Kaen replied, "Flute wanted to know if we could make a detour to drop him home, and I was just explaining that the ship couldn't make it."

Looking over the variables in Kaen's calculations, Avarrdo commented, "Yeah, you'd be right about that. Assuming we used conventional star drive technology anyway..."

"There's an unconventional star drive?" Kaen asked confusedly.

Avarrdo just smirked, "Don't you ever listen boy?"

"What do you mean 'don't I listen'; how can I listen when no one tells me anything!"

"We only do it because it's amusing to see you so angry," he replied offhandedly, before changing the subject back, "Now, as for your original question, the ship has a Hyperdrive system; radically advanced, top grade technology."

"Which means you built it, and it's untested." Kaen translated, a half-grin on his face.

Avarrdo shot his son a wry look, "You know, I liked you better when you were younger. You were more respectful."

"No I wasn't."

"No, you weren't, but I like to dream. Maybe next generation."

Kaen fought with all his might to resist blushing, "Look, I am way too young to start thinking about having kids, so don't even start, and we are way off topic." A surrogate father to his siblings he may have been; ready to have kids of his own, he was not.

"How does this change things?" Flute interrupted.

The older man shrugged, "Quite simply, it allows us to reach your planet in maybe a week, tops, which leaves us plenty of time to go from there to Earth without taxing the reactor too much. However, as my son so casually mentioned, it has never been used, so there might be unforseen complications."

"Which means we need to get the go ahead from the others before we try this," Kaen translated again, explaining the situation with a shrug, "In an inventor's family, this situation arises all too often, so we have a vote before turning any of his more... experimental creations on."

"How many of these votes do you win?" Flute asked curiously.

"Not enough." "Too many." Avarrdo and Kaen replied simultaneously.

"Having meetings behind my back?" Kellre's voice called out, as he too approached the bridge.

"Of course I am," was Avarrdo's reply, "Gotta give you something to bitch me out about later."

Casting a quick glance over the calculations, and coming to a quick conclusion, Kellre commented, "Trying to drum up more votes for the activation?"

Kaen just looked between the two of them, asking suspiciously, "You had this in mind all along?"

Avarrdo just shrugged, "Of course we planned on testing it, and now that we have a purposeful opportunity, why waste it?"

Shaking his head, and muttering a few unkind things under his breath, Kaen asked, "Everyone settled in?"

It was Frost who answered, following shortly after, followed by everyone else, "Every Saiyan is now on board, all supplies have been stowed, all ships are loaded, and all tents packed, stacked, and stashed. I must admit, if nothing else, you Saiyans are efficient."

Grinning a bit, Kaen asked rhetorically, "I 'spose you want me to vacate your seat?"

Frost answered nevertheless, "Unless you want me sitting in your lap." Kaen shot out of the chair so fast you'd swear it was electrified (and, knowing the creators of the ship, that wouldn't have been surprising).

To prevent the coming fight, as amusing as it would have been to see, Pi asked, "So what were you boys talking about?"

"These two clowns want to activate the experimental, never-before-used Hyperdrive system," Kaen replied sourly.

Truniz grinned, "Awesome. I wanna see this."

"Anything that will cut down our travel time has my approval," Flute added, and Viola nodded her assent too.

"It would be interesting to see what this ship can really do," Frost commented thoughtfully.

"Seems we need just one more vote," Kellre remarked casually.

"If it'll help out Flute and Viola, I'm all for it," Pi supplied, "He's done so much to help me, it's the least we can do."

"You too Pi?" Kaen muttered, not sounding nearly as betrayed as he wanted to. "Am I the only one who thinks this is a bad idea?"

"It would appear so son," Avarrdo smirked boastfully; not that the older man boasted, you understand.

"Whatever," the younger man replied, walking away from the, in his opinion, disaster waiting to happen, "When it all blows up in your face, just know I'll be laughing at you."

"If this blows up in his face, you'll be laughing from the other side of yours," Truniz remarked casually.

Kaen just shook his head, visions of his imminent demise all too realistic, as he said, "I'll be in the training room. If I'm going to die within the next week, I'd like to be doing one of the two things I enjoy when it happens."

"What about the other, hmm?" Pi called out, grinning cheekily.

Pausing a moment to get his wording right, half his body already clearing the doorway, he replied, "I... don't think the current situation is suitable for that one, but maybe in a couple hours, assuming the activation doesn't erase everything in a fifty light year radius."

Still grinning, she cocked her head to one side, mock-pouting as she asked, "What, you're not hungry?"

Kaen just mock-glared at her a moment before walking out, and tried to ignore the two 'geniuses' mentioning:

"Of course it won't erase everything in a fifty light year radius; only the HALO drive does that."
"Well, both of these do work off the same fuel intake system."
"True, true."
"Hey wait, what's this about potential explosions?" That was Frost.
"A minor concern; totally improbable."
"But not impossible?" Frost again.
"Of course not. Nothing's impossible."

After he'd left, Kellre just turned to his partner in mad science and asked, "Should we?"

"No time like the present," Avarrdo replied, commandeering the absent Kat's console. Keying in a few commands, and double-checking the destination co-ordinates with Flute, he entered the command, saying, "Hyperdrive, activate." Those assembled could see the pinpricks of light that were the stars around them seem to extend, becoming streaks of light, as the ship's speed increased.

"Huh, whaddya know, it worked." The fact Kellre sounded genuinely surprised sent chills of fear down many a spine.

Trying to think of something else, Frost asked, "So, uh, how does this thing work anyway?"

Both Avarrdo and Kellre opened their mouths to answer, but before they could Truniz jumped in, shouting, "No! For the love of Kami, by all things that are good in this universe no! I have had more than enough of this theoretical physics crap. We're going really fucking fast; that's all you need to know."

o-o-o

The week Avarrdo had predicted it would take to reach Namek-Sei passed relatively uneventfully, especially considering the personalities and quirks of the people on board. Ruefully, as he stood on the bridge to await their exit from Hyperdrive, Kaen had to admit that perhaps his father had been right on this one. Which meant, no doubt, that the old man would rub it in his face later on. Damn. It wasn't that he wanted his father to be wrong; after all, that would've no doubt resulted in his death, as well as the death of his mate, but nonetheless, he knew his father would be hard to live with for the next month.

Said father was currently sitting at the Hyperdrive controls, preparing to turn them off; Kaen always felt a chill of fear when he realised it was Kat's station. "Hyperdrive disengaging in five, four, three, two, one, now!" The streaks of light outside soon shrunk again, returning to the pinpricks of stars, but there was no planet in sight. "Hmm..." Avarrdo mused, "Damn, we must've come out at the wrong time..."

"No, we're at the location specified," Kellre added, seated at Avery's usual terminal; the catgirl and birdman had been more than happy to give up their positions to capable people. "Did you account for planetary shift?"

"Of course I did!" Was the heated reply. There was nothing Avarrdo hated more than someone thinking he'd made a mistake; whether he actually had made a mistake was irrelevant.

His face grim, Kaen cut the impending argument short, pointing a finger at the screen and saying, "No, we're in the right place..." A gasp went up from the females present when a rock passed by the viewscreen; it would have been mistaken for an asteroid, had there not still been the remains of a tree on one side. "...It's just that it's not here anymore..."

"No..." Flute almost croaked, "I can't have failed..."

"Wait, I'm picking up something." Kellre called out, drawing everyone's attention to him. "Spectral trails, from a ship's engine. Judging by these readings, several ships. At least three dozen came here, but only two left." His face was solemn as he said, "One of the inbound ships was the Ice Queen. One of the outbound was the Ice Lord."

Frost paled, "Both Frieza and Cold were here?"

Kellre nodded, "If I were to hazard a guess, it looks like Frieza went down with the planet, and Cold swung by to pick him up; Aisu-Jin can survive in space, after all." He added the second statement as an after thought, for those who weren't in the know.

"The question is," Avarrdo mused, "What would Frieza want here?"

Kaen and Pi both paled, shouting, "Oh fuck!" Casting a quick eye at Flute for confirmation, and seeing him nod slowly, Kaen cursed again in five other languages. At the confused looks of the older men, Kaen answered the question, "He was probably after the same thing I was helping Flute find: the dragon balls." Knowing they were about to ask why, he got silent confirmation from Flute again before adding, "The dragon balls are capable of granting wishes. Almost anything a person could want."

"That means the question is, if you were the ruler of a galactic empire with numerous enemies, what would you wish for?" Pi supplied.

"Immortality..." Frost uttered breathlessly.

"We've got to go after them!" Truniz interjected, turning to his brother, "Bro, you've-"

"Already taking care of it," Kellre replied coolly, "I've tracked the Ice Lord's location, predicted its path, and plotted the fastest course to intersect. It'll take about a month, if we start now."

Starting the ship moving again, Frost commented, "Let's just hope he didn't get his wish."

"Judging by the way he was on the planet when it was destroyed, I think we can assume he didn't," Avarrdo added logically.

"And if you're wrong?" Flute asked quietly, as he began to walk off the bridge, "What will you do then?"

Tail bristling, Kaen replied sharply, "Immortal doesn't mean invulnerable."

o-o-o

Kaen caught up with Flute again a ways down the hallway, placing a hand on his shoulder and saying, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry. If it's any consolation, it looks like they put up a hell of a fight."

Flute smiled, "It is. I can only hope that some of them survived, as your race did. If not, well, there are ways around that..."

Looking around for a moment, Kaen added, "Look, I know this may not be the best time, but I've got a request..." At the green man's nod, he went on, "How much do you know about telepathy?"

o-o-o

"Ah there you are!" Pi cried, having finally tracked Viola down.

"Even after all this time, the place is still a maze isn't it?" the Namek woman replied with a smile.

Pi smiled back, "Yeah. It's annoying when you can sense where to go, but can't find your way to get there." Sobering a bit, she said, "I'm sorry about what happened to the planet..."

Viola just waved her concerns away, "It's alright. It wasn't even my planet; I guess I just got caught up with Flute's feelings on the issue." Smiling again, she added, "Now, why don't you ask me what you tracked me down for?"

Grinning a bit, Pi asked, "Are you psychic or something?"

"Don't need to be. I can tell by the look on your face."

She just smiled guiltily. "Alright then, I was curious about that elemental form of yours..."

o-o-o

"Hey dad!"

Avarrdo turned his head slightly, a small smile on his face as he called back, "Ah, young Kat, my newest 'daughter'. What can I do for you today?"

Sitting down on the far edge of his workbench, she replied, "Bro said you were the guy to see about technical things..."

He nodded, "Mechanics are my specialty. What did you have in mind?" Reaching into one of the pockets of her trench coat, she produced a notepad, setting it down in front of him. He cast a quick eye over it before musing, "Hmm... This is a little out of my field of expertise..." As she turned to leave, her ears drooping in disappointment, he added, "However, I was looking to expand into nanotechnology, and this is the perfect prototype..."

The girl smiled broadly, throwing her arms around him, "Thanks dad! You're the greatest!"

He laughed, "My, you're certainly easy to please." When she released him again, he picked a box up off the table, holding it out to her and asking, "Could you deliver this to Avery? Just a little upgrade he requested."

She saluted playfully, chirping, "Yes sir!" before taking the box and running off. Avarrdo just chuckled to himself as he watched her leave; it was good to see that, even in dark times, there were still those with upbeat attitudes.

o-o-o

"Alright you two, today we're going to be doing something different."

"Whaddya mean bro?" Oran asked curiously. It was rare that both Kaen and Pi were present for one of their training sessions.

Folding his arms in front of his chest, Kaen replied, "Simply put, I noticed last time you two fought that you were far too dependant on each other. Therefore, I can only assume you've been too long without a different opponent; you've adapted your styles to suit each other. This is a weakness that must be destroyed at all costs, and until it is, you two will not be training together anymore." He waited a moment for that to sink in before continuing, "Oran, you will be training with me. Lime, Pi will be your partner. Any questions?"

The pair shook their heads, replying, "No sensei!"

He allowed a smile to come to his face, one that was mirrored on Pi's face as she added, "Today, however, we're going to be trying something different. We're going to have a two-on-two match, and will do so every week at this same time. However, it will not be you against us; it will be boys against girls. To encourage you to do well, the winners will get a single week-long privilege, and the losers a single week-long punishment, decided upon by each team before the match as the terms of the battle. For this week, Kaen and I have decided what both will be, but next week is fair game. Understand?"

Evil grins broke out on their tiny faces as the thought sank in, but they both shouted respectfully, "Yes sensei!"

"One final thing." Kaen added, as the twins split up to join their partner. "Each week, we will be assessing whether you have improved or not. If you have, you will receive another reward, decided by us. If you have not, you will receive another punishment, also decided by us. This is regardless of who won the duel, understand?"

This time they were a little more subdued, but still clearly excited, "Yes sensei!"

"Well then, without an further ado..." Kaen and Pi smirked at each other as their gaze locked, as did the twins with each other, before the elder two shouted, "Let's get the party started!"

Chaos ensued.

o-o-o

Kaen sighed to himself, draping the towel around his shoulders as he headed off to grab a quick snack. 'He's getting better,' he mused to himself, 'much better. At the rate he's going, he might even ascend before the year is out, and if not, most definitely before the end of the next.' If one were to hear his thoughts, as Pi could, they would've picked up the amazed wonder to them, wrapped in layers of pride.

"Ah, there you are." A voice called out, derailing his train of thought, "I've been looking for you."

Turning around, he watched Frost striding up to him, so he commented offhandedly, "Everyone always is. What did you need?"

"Right to the point as always," the Aisu grinned, "Very well then, I was wondering if you'd fill me in on how you sense power levels without a scouter."

"We were wondering the same thing, actually." It was only pure discipline that prevented Kaen from jumping at the sudden new voice. Turning around he noticed his father, Kellre, and Truniz approaching.

"Geez, you guys really come out of the wood work don't you?" Kaen remarked dryly. "Very well then. Keep in mind it's not perfect, as evidenced by the fact you guys keep finding ways to sneak up on me, but here's what I know..."

o-o-o

The predicted month passed fairly quickly, as those on board trained for the battle on the horizon, trading skills with each other to fill out gaps in each other's style (although many wouldn't admit said gaps existed). Finally, however, the fated day drew nearer; the day the faster Icebreaker crossed paths with King Cold's flagship, the Ice Lord. The group assembled in the bridge, in full battle gear, as they approached their target.

"On screen!" Frost barked. One of the low-level bridge crew activated the external cameras, bringing the viewscreen to life with images of the approaching ship, and the blue and white planet in the background it appeared to be heading to. Turning to Avarrdo on his left, he asked, "What planet is that?"

The older man shook his head, almost as if in disbelief, as he replied, "You're not going to believe this, but it's Earth."

"The planet we were going to colonise?" Kaen asked. "I thought you said Frieza wouldn't find it."

"Well he's not here for us," Avarrdo shrugged.

"Proximity alert," Kellre's voice cut in, "We've got a space pod inbound."

"Just one?" Pi asked, a little amazed, "Maybe Frieza's here to meet him..."

"Or maybe he's trying to beat this other guy here?" Kellre suggested, adding, "From these readings, the pod's not sending out a Cold Empire beacon, so I'd say he's freelance."

"Only one way to find out," Kaen and Avarrdo commented together, before grinning at each other; they'd been doing that more and more as the month wore on. Turning to Frost, the younger man said, "Frost, cloak this thing and take her down. We're going in hot, and we could use the backup."

o-o-o

"Oh man, Frieza's really here. I thought dad defeated him..." A young boy commented fearfully, his spiky black hair quivering as his small frame shook, but he held his ground.

The bald man next to him gulped, "Goku, where are you?"

The tall green man next to him remarked gruffly, "He's not going to get here in time... We're going to need to stall Frieza until he does."

The group of fighters were preparing themselves to fight the albino tyrant, cybernetic limbs and all, before their focus was broken as they watched the ship behind him explode, before, in a burst of golden light, they watched a golden haired youth, carrying a sword, make quick work of both Frieza, and the man behind him, before directing them to where he claimed Goku was going to be landing, ignoring all their questions. Then, when Goku did arrive, he demanded to speak to him privately, before climbing in to some weird yellow machine and disappearing in a flash of light.

That, however, wasn't as important as the fact that Goku, friend to all, was back on Earth again. Their celebrations were cut short, however, as Piccolo calmly, and quietly, commented, "We're being watched..." Spinning around to face the direction Piccolo was watching, they noticed four strange people standing on a cliff in the distance, and blasted towards them; well, except for the blue-haired woman, who couldn't fly, and thus had to be carried. They stopped abruptly, however, when one of them raised his left hand, a red ball of ki forming.

"Come on, gimme an excuse!" Kaen growled, as the group of weirdos landed on a cliff face nearby. When they'd first arrived on the planet, the group - made up of just Kaen, Pi, Flute, and Viola - had thought that this group might be in cahoots with Frieza, who, as they'd noticed, was all kinds of fucked-up, having the right side of his face, his left arm, and his entire lower body, replaced by mechanical parts; that theory had been quickly thrown out the window when the golden-haired boy - who they assumed had to be a Super Saiyan like Kaen and Pi were, except for his unusual lavender hair - quickly kill both Frieza and Cold, shattering the thought he may have been immortal; Kaen had muttered an 'I could've done that' at the time.

Then, the space pod they'd been tracking had landed, and these guys had greeted the guy inside, who was wearing this bizarre off-white outfit. Said guy had then proceeded to also flare into Super Saiyan, and show up the first guy, blocking his sword strikes with a single finger; that Kaen had to admit was impressive. It was about then they'd noticed the scrutiny they were under, and proceeded to head towards them.

Glaring determinedly, the man from the pod demanded, "Who are you, and what do you want with this planet?"

"As for the first question, I could ask you the same thing." Kaen replied with a shrug. "As for the second, what makes you think we want anything with this backwater shit hole of a planet? Unless..." Kaen suddenly noticed the Namek among the group, pressing a button on the side of his scouter, before chuckling, "Ah, I get it now." Turning to look at the three behind him, but keeping an eye on the group in front, Kaen commented, "They've got not one, but two complete sets of dragon balls on this planet. That explains a lot."

The strange group visibly tensed, the short bald man calling out, "How do you know about the dragon balls?"

Kaen gave him a deadpan expression, turning to look at Flute for a moment, before looking back and commenting, "Am I the only one who sees the seven foot green man back there? 'Coz I could've sworn he was real."

It seemed they truly hadn't noticed Flute, judging by the looks on their faces. The pod man steeled himself, saying strongly, "We won't let you have the dragon balls!"

"I don't want 'em." Kaen shrugged again, pointing his right hand over his shoulder at Flute, "Got his set if I need something."

"What did you mean by 'two sets'?" The young boy with them asked, seemingly not afraid; the kid had guts, Kaen had to give him that.

Pressing the button on her own scouter, Pi confirmed it, commenting, "Simple. There are fourteen dragon balls on this planet. Seven are scattered across the entire planet, while the other seven are all together over that way." She pointed off to the southeast.

"The Black Star dragon balls," the Namek with them commented, answering the question waiting to be asked. "Made when Kami and I were still one. They're... dangerous, so Kami keeps them on his lookout."

Sighing, Kaen interrupted, "Look, this is fascinating and all, but we've got some questions, and you're going to answer them."

"And why should we do anything you say?" A flame haired man in the group commented, who bore a surprising resemblance to Kaen, "There's nine of us, and only four of you."

"You mean other than the fact that only you, spiky, and the green man are anywhere near our league, and the woman is no fighter at all?" Pressing a button on his scouter, he added, "Frost, would you?" After a few seconds, a massive ship shimmered into view above them, covering the area in shade, and, looking up, the strange group could see hundreds of guns all pointed in their direction. "Now then," Kaen continued, "I don't want to hurt anyone, so let's see if we can get through this without bloodshed, m'kay?" With that, he reabsorbed the ki ball in his left hand.

The pod man with the oddly familiar hairstyle nodded, saying, "Alright then, we'll answer your questions, but we have a few of our own as well."

"And you'll get your chance," Kaen nodded back, adding, "Alright, first question: why the hell was Frieza here?"

The man laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head as he answered, "That would be my fault. He was no doubt a little... upset that I'd beaten him, and I didn't kill him when I had a chance, so..."

"You defeated Frieza?" Pi asked, amazed, "I'm impressed. You must be strong."

The flame-haired man replied gruffly, "He is the first Super Saiyan in a thousand years."

Ignoring that comment, Kaen continued on, "Well, that answers my second question: you're Saiyan. My next question then, is: What are you doing on this planet?"

The man just shrugged, "I grew up here. I didn't even know I was an alien until a few years ago."

"Fair enough." Something about that struck Kaen as odd, but he carried on, "This is more a curiosity than anything, but why do you look so much like Bardock?"

The flame-haired man fielded that question, "Kakarott here is Bardock's son."

Kaen raised an eyebrow, "Bardock had kids? Since when?"

A voice announced over the loudspeaker of the Icebreaker; Avarrdo. "Not long after you left, actually. Two boys: Radditz, and Kakarott; Kakarott was the unrecorded newborn."

Growling slightly as he looked up at the ship, knowing, somehow, that he was glaring directly as his father, he pointed at the man identified as Kakarott and said, "That man is clearly not a newborn; explain!"

"We're working on it." Kellre's voice announced, before the loudspeaker turned off with a crackle; Kaen could still hear them over the radio though.

Kellre: You did take into account the constant between space and time, did you not?
Avarrdo: I'm sure I did.
Frost: Not following here.
Avarrdo: Space and time are constants; to over-ride one is to incur a fault in the other. If we have 'jumped' the distance in space, it may have had a backlash in time that wasn't accounted for.
Kellre: And according to the atomic clock, which seemed to have only just reset itself, it would appear almost thirty years have past.
Avarrdo: Hm... I forgot to carry the one...
Kellre: An acceptable error.

Growling harshly, Kaen's tail started lashing behind him, startling the group on the nearby cliff. Baring his fangs, he shouted into the radio, "You get us lost for thirty years in a time rift and you call that ACCEPTABLE?"

Kellre's voice crackled back through the radio, "Firstly, this little endeavour was to prevent Frieza from finding the remaining Saiyans. Since we have been outside of the realm of reality for thirty years, then he no doubt went to his grave believing us all dead and buried. Acceptable. Secondly, with the error known, we can correct it."

A battle aura flaring to life around him, he growled, "Dad, get down here right now so I can kick the shit out of you!"

His father's amused voice rang out, "You really think that's going to help?"

He sighed, "No, but I need to vent on something." Rubbing his temples, he added, "We are never using that again. Ever. EVER!"

The spiky-haired man from the pod scratched his head, muttering, "Um, I'm confused..."

"We're all confused Goku," the short bald man commented.

Pi turned to face them, smiling, "I'm sorry, where are my manners. I'm Pi, this is my mate Kapskaen, but he prefers Kaen, and we, apparently, have been sent forward in time thirty years."

The man identified as Kakarott laughed, "Well, I'd say that's the weirdest thing I'd heard, but so far today I've already met a man who's come back in time, so why not some who've come forward?"

"Goku, you're going to trust them?" the bald man asked, obviously startled by the concept.

He laughed again, "Why not Krillin? I can tell they're good people, and we could use all the help we can get." Pointing to everyone in turn, he introduced his group, "This is my son Gohan, and my friends Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotsu, and Bulma. The Namek there is Piccolo, an old rival of mine, and the grumpy guy is Vegeta."

"Vegeta!" Kaen shouted, startled from his radio argument by the name. Growling, he made as if to dive at him, but before he could move, he was tackled to the ground by Pi, who proceeded to sit on him.

"No, we are not killing him; this Vegeta is clearly the prince, not the king," she chided good-naturedly, but firmly.

Still growling, he tried to get up, but she wouldn't budge, "I don't care! Get off me woman!"

Her playful mood instantly disappeared, and the temperature in the area seemed to drop several points as she said too calmly, "What did you say?"

Fortunately for his continued safety, he noticed that he'd crossed a line, replying, "Uh, I won't do anything drastic if you don't."

Her good mood came back instantly, like a switch had been flicked, as she chirped, "Good." Climbing off him, she offered him a hand up.

Snickering, Krillin remarked, "Man, you are so whipped."

"Watch what you say shortie," Kaen replied sagely, dusting himself off, "When I was a kid, I swore I would never be one of those Saiyans who let their mate boss them around, and I've learned the hard way that fate enjoys making you eat your words. Not that it's without its bonuses, of course."

"I thought your name was Kakarott; why do they call you Goku?" Pi asked, adding as an afterthought, "And if you, Gohan, and Vegeta are all Saiyan, where's your tails?"

Vegeta scowled at this remark, but Goku was his usual cheerful self as he replied, "Oh, I had mine cut off when I was younger, as did Gohan, for safety reasons. Vegeta's was cut off when he tried to kill me a few years back."

Kaen scowled, his expression oddly matching Vegeta's, "You would give up your birthright so easily? You would rob your son of his? Crippling an opponent is one thing - it's underhanded, but people have done worse - but giving away a mark of pride, of honour? I'd sooner die."

"I had no choice," Goku replied, strangely serious, "On Earth, there was a full moon every twenty-eight days, until Piccolo blew it up anyway."

"So you took the cowards way out?" Kaen spat, "Figures, for a third-class..."

"Kaen..." Pi stated warningly.

"Don't start Pi," Kaen replied tiredly, "We may be settling here, but that doesn't mean I have to like him."

"Settling here?" The blue-haired woman, identified as Bulma, asked curiously.

"Oh right," Pi muttered sheepishly, "I never got around to telling you the full story. See, before we were kinda booted forward in time thirty years, we set about rounding up all the survivors of Vegeta-Sei's destruction, who are, at this moment, on board the ship above us. We'd planned on heading to Earth to settle down, rebuild our race, but we took a detour to Namek-Sei first, only to find it destroyed, and followed Cold's trail here, which, as it turns out, is Earth anyways. Funny coincidence huh?"

"How many survivors are there?" Vegeta asked gruffly.

"'Bout half a mill," the girl replied with a shrug; Vegeta's jaw dropped, as, for the first time ever, the stoic man was stunned.

"And you were all going to settle here?" Krillin asked.

She shrugged again, "Not like we were gonna conquer the place or anything. Just find a piece of dirt to call our own, build a city, and start anew."

Shaking herself from her stupor, Bulma said calmly, "Look, I've got a large complex on the outskirts of a city a ways south of here. Why don't we all head there, you can unload everyone, and we can work this out?" Turning to Goku, she added, "You should probably get Chichi and meet us at Capsule Corp."

"Just one thing," Flute, silent until now, interrupted urgently, stepping forward and asking, "You, Goku. You were on Namek-Sei before it was destroyed, correct?" When the man nodded, he asked, "The other Nameks, did they get away?"

Goku scratched his head, replying, "As far as I know, they all got away. I mean, I used the dragon to wish them all to Earth, so..."

"As far as I know, the only casualty was Elder Guru," Gohan added, speaking up from beside his father's leg, "But he died of age, so Muri is Elder now. They moved on to a new planet about a year ago."

Flute heaved a sigh of relief, saying, "Thank you. I - we - would like the co-ordinates to their new planet."

It was at this time that the group took full notice of the fourth, and Krillin, first to see the person clearly, gasped, "Holy hell! She's a she!" The group looked at him for a moment, confused, until Viola drew back her hood, revealing her red hair, and clearly female green face, for the first time, and their jaws dropped; none to much as Piccolo's.

Confused, Gohan asked, "Uh, I thought Nameks were asexual?"

Viola smiled, crouching down to his level, "Technically, they are; I'm from what could be called the 'sister' race of the Nameks. Once, eons in the past, the two races were one, but they evolved apart for the safety of our collective species."

"What's going on?" A new voice interjected, as Frost beamed down from the ship. A gasp went up from the Earth group, as did a war cry from Vegeta as he leapt at the newcomer, but Kaen was faster, drawing his sword; Vegeta stopped with the very tip of Kaen's sword just touching his Adam's apple.

Sighing, Kaen muttered, "Frost, you really have no concept of timing do you?" Addressing the group, he called out, "Before any of you panic, this is Frieza's illegitimate half-brother, he stole this ship, and he hates the little fucker as much as the rest of us." Looking into Vegeta's eyes, he added, "Now stand down, before I give you another hole to breath out of." When Vegeta relaxed, Kaen sheathed his sword again, spinning around to continue bitching Frost out, "I mean, come on Frost; you just saw Frieza get destroyed, did you really think they were going to welcome you with open arms? If you guys needed to know the situation, why didn't one of the others come? Or why didn't you just use the radio, like a normal person?"

Looking down, Goku put a hand on his son's shoulder, saying, "Gohan, do you think you could go with them, show them the way to Capsule Corp.?" When he looked a little hesitant, he added, "Don't worry, I trust them. Besides, you'll get to see the inside of that ship."

Kaen grinned, saying, "Come on kid, I'll give you the grand tour."

Steeling himself, Gohan walked forward to the odd group, asking, "So, how do you get on board anyway?"

Pi just grinned as well, replying, "Just, don't move." The six of them disappeared in a flash of light, leaving the others to find their own way.

o-o-o

"Wow, that's so cool Mister Kapskaen. Could you tell me some more please?"

Kaen smiled down at the child. They'd been on Earth a couple of days now, and already, with the help of Bulma (who was apparently one of the richest people on this planet) and Gohan's grandfather (who, as it turned out, was the ruler of an entire nation), they'd managed to secure a small area to be made into a Saiyan country; Vegeta had chosen it, claiming it held sentimental value, as it had been where he and Goku first fought. The Saiyans had been set up with temporary accommodation inside the fledgling country, as the city was being constructed; being super-strong and able to fly assisted the process greatly.

Currently, Kaen and Pi, and their family, were staying at Capsule Corp. while Avarrdo and Kellre, with the assistance of Bulma, worked to recalibrate the Hyperdrive system. Once that was done, they were going to use the ship to return Frost to Planet Frieza No. 79, where he was looking forward to filling the power vacuum left in the wake of the death of both Frieza and Cold; fortunately, as he'd said, his mother was not on board the ship they had arrived on Earth in, so she, hopefully, would back his claim to the throne.

In the mean time, Kaen was currently regaling the young Gohan with tales of his travels, who was proving to be a most attentive audience; he may have disliked Goku for his willingness, even eagerness, to be rid of his tail, but Gohan he had no problems with.

"You are possibly the most polite boy I've ever met." Pi giggled, "And you're so cute too."

The young half-Saiyan flushed, stuttering, "Th-thanks Miss Pi."

"And what did we tell you about all this 'Mister' and 'Miss' business, hmm?" She chided good-naturedly, "I'm just Pi, and he's just Kaen. We're both way too young for titles."

"But Mister Vegeta always-"

"Ah, Vegeta," Kaen grinned, interrupting the boy, "The stories I could tell you about him... He had such a stick up his ass even when he was a kid... Anyway, where was I?"

"Uh, it was down to just you, and three of them."

Kaen smiled, "Ah, yes. As I was saying, there were three of them left, and I knew I only had enough energy left for one final attack, so I..."

Vegeta paused outside the doorway, listening to the time traveller's tales for a moment. He'd been on his way inside to bug the servant woman for something to eat after another hefty session in the gravity chamber of the ship the woman had built, when something struck him about what he was hearing. It was a single word that brought back the memories, as he barged into the room barking, "Phoenix? You were Phoenix?"

"'Are', Vegeta, not 'were'." Kaen replied, "I never really stopped, although I did take a few months off my crusade towards the end to help Flute; not to say I didn't still continue to be a thorn in Frieza's side, I just never went out of my way to do so." Turning to face the older man, he added, "Why? What's it to you?"

That stumped Vegeta for a minute; he wasn't exactly going to tell the man he'd admired him when he was a kid. Instead, he replied in his usual gruff way, "I just don't believe you. There's no way Phoenix was as young as you, and besides, he was reported dead."

"The Phoenix can never die; he just rises from the ashes of his demise," Kaen replied with a grin. "Sorry to disappoint you Vegeta, but I am Phoenix; I'm sure you'll find I fit the description. And as for my death, I assume that report came in about a month after Vegeta-Sei's destruction? Yeah, that's when we got caught in that time rift." Vegeta said nothing to that, merely scowling and walking off, so Kaen turned back to his one-man audience.

o-o-o

"Are you sure about this?"

It was a couple of days later, and they were preparing the Icebreaker for departure. The mission: return Frost to his home planet, then swing by Viola's home planet to pick up the Namekin, and deliver them to the new Namek-Sei. Packing the last of his things into his backpack, Kaen shouldered it, turning to face his mother and replying, "I'm sure mum. Assuming dad fixed the Hyperdrive properly, I should only be a couple of months, but if not, well, I assume I'll be gone less than fifteen years; I've never seen one of dad's repair jobs leave anything more than half broken."

She crossed her arms, saying sternly, "That's not funny son. I don't want you missing any more of Oran and Lime's life than you have."

Before Kaen could respond, the twins themselves barged into his room, each with a pack over their shoulder, and stating, "We're coming with you."

Kaen raised an eyebrow at them, asking simply, "Why?"

The pair looked at each other for a moment before Lime started, "You said that we were to train with Pi and you until we could fight on our own well enough..."

"Which means if we stay here, we can't train until you guys get back!" Oran finished.

Turning back to his mother, Kaen shrugged, "Well, that solves that problem." As he opened the door to leave, he almost ran into Kat, who also had a pack, and her hand raised to knock. Grinning, he asked rhetorically, "I assume you're coming too?" Quickly steeling herself, she nodded firmly. He just nodded back, before the odd family began the walk to the ship.

When they arrived, they found Pi and the two Nameks waiting with the rest of their family, while Flute's ship was being lowered from the cargo bay, and further across the lawn was Kaen's space pod, already unloaded. Walking over to his green-skinned comrade, Kaen raised a single eyebrow in question, but said nothing. Flute, however, understood the unspoken question, answering, "Viola and I have decided to go ahead directly from Earth, and to prepare for your arrival. If our calculations are correct, we will arrive on Namek-Sei about a month before the Icebreaker arrives."

The Saiyan just nodded, grinning slyly as he prodded, "Are you sure you just don't want a bit of alone time, hm?" As the tall man's face turned a darker green - the Namek version of a blush - he continued on, "Don't worry, I get it. I will warn you, however, that in order to transport everyone, we will need to use the Hyperdrive, so we may be a little... late, but we will be there sooner or later."

Flute nodded, replying, "I understand. I'll make sure to pass that message along."

Walking over to the group, Bulma asked, "Is there anything you need to do before you leave?"

A thought occurring to him, Kaen replied, "Actually B, now that you mention it, there is something. Do you think you could convert my stash into Earth currency while I'm gone?"

The blue-haired woman just laughed, "Sure, while I'm laundering everyone else's money, I might as well do yours too. Just gold and gems, right?"

"Right." Walking over to his pod, he climbed inside, reaching in to the hidden compartment and pulling out a bag. And another. And another. And the bags just kept on coming. By the time he was finished, there were two piles of bags, the first of which was almost as large as the ship itself, the second of which was roughly half that size. Climbing out, he noticed the look of shock on their faces, he asked, "What?"

It was his father who spoke, "Geez son, where'd you get all that? Hell, where'd you keep it?"

He shrugged, "You're not the only one messing around with fourth-dimensional space. As for how, well, I was a mercenary, and I was damn good at my job. Some of it's payment for service, some of it was offerings in thanks from those I saved from Cold, and a small part, less than five percent, was just stuff I found lying around. The large pile's gold, and the smaller pile gems."

Hands on her hips, but a smile on her face, Pi cried, "And you were worrying about me sending you broke with my shopping sprees?"

He grinned back, "If you'd known about all this, you would have."

Shaking herself from her stupor, Bulma said, "Well, it may take a little while to get all that converted, but it'll be done before you get back."

He smiled, "Thanks B. Owe ya one." He looked at the others, saying, "Alright then, we'd better get going."

As they started to climb aboard, Gohan ran up to him, saying, "Wait!" When he paused, Gohan asked, "You're going to be back in time to help us with the androids right?"

He smiled down at the young warrior, "I'll see what I can do, but I make no promises." Crouching down, he looked the boy in the eyes, adding, "I sense a great potential in you. I look forward to seeing you reach it." Standing up again, he grinned, "Now, remember what I told you the other day, and if I'm not back in time, kick some ass for me, okay?"

The boy stepped back, grinning, "Yes sir!" Smirking, the group waved, before the cargo hatch closed. The others quickly cleared the area, and within minutes, the Icebreaker was airborne again, shortly followed by Flute's ship, and the two tore through the atmosphere in different directions, speeding their occupants away in a flash of light. It was the last they'd see of them for quite a while.

o-o-o

"Unidentified craft: identify yourself at once, and state your business, or we will be forced to shoot you down!"

"Pfft, like to see 'em try," Frost muttered under his breath, before activating the communications relay to respond, "This is Lieutenant Frost of the Icebreaker."

The voice on the comm. sounded smug as the next message came in, "Ah, turning yourself in are you traitor?"

He snorted, "Hardly. I come with word of Frieza and Cold for Queen Shiva."

"Very well traitor," the voice stated, "You shall have your audience with the queen. Land in bay 23. You will be met there by members of the royal guard, who shall escort you to your meeting, before taking you to your cells."

Shutting off the comm. system, he snorted again, "Yeah, that'll happen." Five minutes, and one tense journey through the complex for the all concerned, the group found themselves before Queen Shiva. Bowing his head, Frost said, "I need to speak to you alone."

"Very well." She was the pinnacle of regal grace as she waved the guards away, but as soon as they'd gone she rushed up to him, throwing her arms around him and saying, "My son, I thought you were dead!"

Putting his arms around her awkwardly, unused to the attention, he replied, "I'm fine mother. I was just stuck in a... what was it called?"

"Time rift." Kaen supplied.

"Right, a time rift, for thirty years." Smiling, he added, "I bring good news mother. Cold and Frieza are both dead. I witnessed their death with my own eyes. You're finally free."

"This is good news indeed my son," she smiled back, "When we lost contact with the Ice Lord, I thought as much, and feared the planet would fall into civil war for the throne. Now, with you back, we can set things right." Suddenly, she seemed to notice the other people in the room, and started, "Oh, I'm sorry, I never got your names."

Frost smiled, "Mother, this is Phoenix, and his family. I enlisted their aid."

Still smiling, she said, "Son, we will have to make an announcement to the public immediately, before any rumours break out. Do you know what you will say?"

He nodded, "Yes mother, I came prepared. I am just a little worried they may not listen to me."

"Just believe in yourself, son, and everything will be fine. Come, we'd best do it now."

"People of the Cold Empire." Queen Shiva's voice rang out over the amphitheatre, in which the entire population of Planet Frieza No. 79 was assembled. "I have called you here today for a very special announcement, and to give it, I direct your attention to my long-lost son, Frost."

Frost stepped forward, nervous inside at the reaction of the people below to his name, but he steeled himself and began. "I am Frost, son of Queen Shiva, half-brother to Frieza, and former Lieutenant in his army. I know many of you label me a traitor, as my brother did, but the truth is Frieza and Cold were the traitors. Through their tyranny, they were driving the Empire to the brink of destruction, and they were killed because of it. I myself watched as they were killed at the hands of a single Super Saiyan, as vengeance for the destruction of Vegeta-Sei some thirty years ago."

"But Super Saiyans are just a legend, and Saiyans are extinct!" Someone in the crowd called out; a sentiment soon joined by the rest of the group.

Raising his voice above the din, Frost continued, "I can assure you the Saiyan race is still very much alive, and Super Saiyans very much exist. I know you will never believe my word alone, so I have brought proof." Pressing a button on the small remote he had with him, the massive screen behind him flared to life, replaying the recorded scene from Earth, where the youth they'd learnt was Trunks dispatched Frieza and Frost with ease; Frost knew he'd never get tired of seeing that. As a gasp rose up from those assembled, Frost stated, "This man is a Super Saiyan, and you can see how easily he overpowered Frieza and Cold."

As the murmur in the crowd started dying down, Frost continued his speech, "Some thirty years ago, when I was Lieutenant for Frieza, I could see the self-destructive nature of the dictator that was my brother, and sought out others who believed as I did, and together, we tried to help others free themselves of the iron fist of the Cold Empire. Now, I know all of you have heard stories of the man known only as Phoenix; I myself was fortunate enough to meet the man, and work with him. It is this man that stands to my right."

Another gasp went up from the crowd as a flame aura burst to life around Kaen, who floated slightly into the air, before announcing, "Many of you will not believe I am the Phoenix, but believing in my identity matters not. The Phoenix - me - single-handedly destroyed or freed no less than thirty planets, and I am merely one Saiyan. Imagine the devastation just one Super Saiyan could do? I can assure you, no less than half a million Saiyans still live on. However, we do not feel the need to fight the Cold Empire; in our minds, with Frieza and Cold dead, justice has been served. Here, today, I am declaring the end of the Saiyan-Aisu war, but know this: if we are attacked, we will retaliate, and it will be swift and brutal."

As Kaen landed back on the ground, Frost's voice rang out once more, "Today marks the end of the Cold Empire, and like a phoenix rising from the ashes of it's own demise, with its destruction shall come a new order, the Planetary Alliance. No longer will the planets of the galaxy be ruled with an iron fist, and instead shall come a time of peace and prosperity, of planets and people banding together willingly for the benefit of all. I, Frost, son of Queen Shiva, rightful heir to the throne, shall lead our people into a glorious new age!"

The nerves within him died as a cheer rang out from the crowd. Frost knew the going would be tough - many people would be stuck in their warmonger ways - but it was a start, and it was more than he expected from a single speech. He smiled to himself as the group walked back; perhaps it would work out after all.

"Well, I guess this is it."

Kaen nodded, "I guess it is."

"It was good working with you," Frost commented, extending his hand, "But I most certainly won't miss you're spiky-headed ass."

Grinning, Kaen should his Aisu friend's hand, shooting back, "I hope you take this the right way when I say, I hope we never meet again."

Smiling, Pi said, "You will keep in contact right? Let us know how things are going?"

The Aisu smiled back, "Count on it." Looking over the group, he added, "Well guys, it was a blast. Kat, Avery, I hope you two find your place on Earth."

The birdman extended his hand, replying, "You and me both comrade."

Kat just chirped, "I've found my place; it's right here, with my family." She threw her arms around Kaen and Pi before adding, "As long as I'm with them, I'm home."

"That's good to hear." He turned back to Kaen, "Well, according to our agreement, the Icebreaker is yours, lest any of the more unscrupulous people get their hands on it. Take care of her; she's been good to me."

Kaen just nodded, "Look after yourself, friend." The group, now one member less, boarded the Icebreaker once more, and, with one more wistful glance from Frost, the ship sped away, leaving behind an old friend, now living his dream.

o-o-o

"I must say Bulma, this capsule technology of yours is fascinating. And you say you and your father created this all on your own?"

The Brief's matriarch smiled, "Why thank you Avarrdo. To receive such praise from a master technician like you is an honour. If what I've heard about you is correct, you were the one who designed the space pods, correct?"

He laughed, "That is one of my more widely known inventions, yes."

"Well the design is amazing," Bulma went on, "All those functions in such a small frame. I must admit my father and I used the information we'd gleaned from Goku and Nappa's space pods in designing our own line of space craft."

"That's quite alright Bulma," Avarrdo waved the thought away. "It's not like you're the only one to change my design. To be honest, I like what you've done with it. You've done amazing things for, no offence, a technologically primitive planet."

This time, she waved it away, "No biggie. I know we humans are kinda behind in the race." Smiling again, she asked, "So, will you and Kellre be joining the Capsule Corp. family?"

The Saiyan shook his head, "Sorry, but no. Kellre and I have decided to found our own company: Full Moon Industries."

Bulma was visibly worried about this, saying, "Uh, I'm a little concerned about that. I mean, you two have intimate details of all my designs, and-"

He just laughed. When he'd managed to get himself under control, he replied, "Oh, don't worry Bulma. We have no interest in driving you out of business, especially after all you've done for the Saiyan people. In fact, we plan on using the knowledge we have of your designs to ensure ours don't copy yours. Besides, FMI will mainly be a dumping ground for our experiments, and a way to get funds for the next one. Plus, with independent companies working together, we'll have 100 of the field; it'll be a two company monopoly."

She just laughed, and the two walked off to have a business lunch, discussing logistics.

o-o-o

"Everyone loaded up?"

Kat turned to face him, giving him a crisp salute, but the image was ruined by the grin on her face and the laughter in her voice, as she replied, "Aye aye Cap'n. Everyone is stowed aboard safely and ready for departure."

Kaen grinned back, matching her salute. "At ease." It would be a great weight off his mind to get this job done. They had arrived on Namekin-Sei about a fortnight after leaving Planet Frieza No. 79, and their welcome hadn't exactly been a warm one; the Namekin were wary of strangers. Fortunately, Viola had thought ahead, and prepared a letter to hand to the council of elders, to convince them that they (Kaen and co.) could be trusted.

Their arrival turned out to be more fortuitous than they'd thought, as the welfare of the Namekin was even worse than Viola had anticipated, but not for a reason anyone could have foreseen. The declining reliability in their asexual reproduction wasn't the cause of this latest threat to the Namekin people - if anything, having less people lowered the effect. The planet itself, like it's people, was dying out, and this, as it turned out, was one of the greater causes to the decline of the Namekin people.

The letter indeed convinced the council to trust them, and with that trust, it didn't take much to make them believe that, for their continued survival, a complete evacuation and relocation was in order. Down any other path lay death; the core of the planet was de-stabilised, and before the week was out, the planet would self-destruct.

"Prepare for take-off then. Let's get the hell out of here." Once the ship had cleared the atmosphere, Kaen sighed, saying, "Alright then, I know I'm going to regret this, but we have no choice. Activate the Hyperdrive system."

"Aye," Pi called back, a grin on her face too; she was at Kat's old console because, quite frankly, Kaen didn't trust the catgirl there. Ever since they'd left Planet Frieza No. 79, the girls had been acting like it was something between a pirate ship, and a military camp, never being consistent about which it was, but Kaen just played along; it helped relieve the trip of boredom. "Hyperdrive will be active in 5...4...3...2...1...engage!"

The ship vanished from space in a streak of light, and it would be many years before it would return.

o-o-o

"You who have gathered the seven dragon balls, I will grant you three wishes! Speak them now, so I may return to my slumber!"

Three years. It had been three years since they had left, and there was no sign of them. Much had happened in those three years. Frost had kept them up to date with the status of the fledgling Planetary Alliance. The independent nation of New Saiya had been born, and their capitol, known to the people just as the City, was built. Trunks had returned from the future. Bulma and Vegeta had gotten together, and produced a child, solving the mystery of just who Trunks' parents were (although Goku claimed he'd known all along, and truth be told Gohan had worked it out too).

The androids had come, events playing out differently to what Trunks predicted. Piccolo and Kami had fused into one being again, and a new opponent, Cell, had arisen. They had trained in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, also known as the Room of Spirit and Time. Cell had achieved his perfect form, thanks largely to Vegeta's blinding ego. And less than an hour earlier, Cell had been killed, when Gohan achieved a new level of Super Saiyan, but their victory was marred by tragedy; Son Goku, was dead.

Now, however, it would all be set right. Before the Cell games, Goku had travelled to the new Namek-Sei, requesting the assistance of one of the Nameks to fill the role of Kami, and the young Namek Gohan had saved accepted; Dende. With more information about the true potential of the eternal dragon, thanks to Flute's presence, they had managed to redesign Shenron, granting him more power. However, that visit had proven something else they feared: the Icebreaker had not made it to Namek-Sei, meaning the Hyperdrive system had failed again, if they were lucky; if they were unlucky, the ship, and all aboard it, were no more.

But such morbid thoughts were better kept for later. Walking a few steps forward, Gohan, who had been elected to make the wish, being the saviour of the planet and all, called out, "We wish for all those killed by Cell to be revived!"

Shenron's eyes glowed red for a moment, before it's booming voice announced, "It has been done! State your next wish!"

Taking a deep breath, Gohan cried out, "We wish for the man known as Son Goku to be brought back to-"

"Hey guys, don't I get a say in this?" A disembodied voice called out; a very familiar disembodied voice.

"Dad?" Gohan asked the air tentatively, "Is that you?"

"Yup." The cheerful voice declared. "I'm talking through King Kai right now."

"Lousy home wrecker..." muttered a nasal voice several of them knew quite well as King Kai.

"Anyway," Goku continued, "I want you guys to hold off on wishing me back."

"What?" Gohan cried, feeling a little betrayed, "Why?"

Goku's disembodied voice sighed, before he replied, sounding as serious as they'd ever heard him, "I could be selfish and say it's because there's good training to be had here, but that's not the truth. The truth is I bring nothing but trouble to the Earth, just by being there. I think it would be best for the Earth if I wasn't on it, at least for a while; I'll be back some day, you can count on it!"

"But dad," Gohan uttered quietly, fighting back tears; he would not cry in front of everyone else! "I need you..."

"Not as much as you think, son." Goku's calm voice replied. "You are already stronger than I could have ever hoped for, and I don't mean physically; I mean your strength of soul. You've had to grow up too fast, and never really got much of a childhood; that, too, was my fault. Seeing you now, I can tell you don't need your old man any more. It's time for you to stand on your own two feet. Just remember, I am always with you." His voice regained it's usual cheer as he added, "Besides, it's not like you'll never see me again. Even if I have to break out of here, I'll come visit from time to time. Just think of it as me being away for work."

Wiping his eyes, lest any water slip out, Gohan said calmly, his voice showing maturity beyond his years, "Dad, I'll make you proud."

"I already am, son." The group could almost see Goku's smiling face. "So long guys; I'll miss you!"

"We'll miss you too Goku," Krillin smiled sadly, before turning to the young hero. "Gohan? Are you alright?"

"Yeah Krillin, I'm fine," the young boy smiled. "Guess we'd better get on with the wishes huh?" Turning back to Shenron, Gohan called out, "We wish for the ship titled the Icebreaker, and all on board, to be returned to Earth!"

The dragon's eyes glowed for a second before it announced, "That wish can not be granted! It is beyond my power to return something outside of time!"

"Bugger, there goes our careful wish-planning," Yamcha muttered, turning to the group, "Anyone else have any wishes?"

Nervously stepping forward, Krillin supplied, "Uh, I do. I wish for Androids Seventeen and Eighteen to be returned to humans, but keep their power."

"You wish is granted."

"What was that about Krillin?" Yamcha asked curiously.

Eyes widening, Gohan shouted, "I get it! Krillin's got a crush on Eighteen!" From the teasing that followed, it was quite obvious Krillin would never live this down; it was also obvious he'd find a way to get back at Gohan later.

"What are we gonna use the last wish for?" Tien asked.

Thinking deeply, Gohan closed his eyes, reflecting on what the time-travelling teen Kaen had told him before he left.

-Flashback - 3 years earlier-

"Gohan, I'm going to give you some advice for the future. I want you to remember it, okay?"

Gohan nodded, giving his full attention to the flame-haired youth, and Kaen just smiled down at him. He didn't know what it was, but he'd developed an attachment to the kid, despite his dislike for Kakarott; he had yet to correct Kakarott's claim as 'the first Super Saiyan in a thousand years', and had no intention of doing so, preferring to keep his powers under wraps.

Ordering his thoughts, Kaen began, "Okay, the first piece of advice is this: You are a Saiyan, be proud of it. The blood of a warrior race as old as time itself flows through your veins. For eons, Saiyans were against mating with other species, fearing the strength in the blood diluted, but you, Gohan, are proof this is false. You have the strength of body the Saiyans possess, but the strength of character these humans convey; in truth, you have the best of both worlds. You are proof that, against all adversity, the Saiyan race will continue, regardless of what hazards come our way. You, Gohan, are the way of the future; take pride in it."

Gohan nodded quickly, replying, "I will Mister Kaps- I mean, Kaen." There was something in the teen's words that made his blood sing.

Nodding once, Kaen continued, "Second: 'Sic vis pacum para bellum'. Repeat it to me."

Gohan nodded again, stumbling over the unfamiliar words, "Uh, sic vis pacum para bellum. Right?"

"Right." Kaen smiled at the boy, "I have used this phrase to shape my life. It is the reason I train harder, fight stronger, and strive further. I want you to take this phrase to heart."

"How can I? I don't even know what it means!" Gohan's voice was not the whining tone one would expect from a child; just pure curiosity.

Kaen just smiled again, "Well, your first task will be to find that out, won't it?" As Gohan's face scrunched up in dissatisfaction at that, Kaen continued, his voice solemn, "The third piece of advice I have for you is possibly the most important. This is something I have learnt myself. Whatever happens in your life, don't let tragedy own you. Don't let the bad times in life shape how you live your life. Hardship is as much a part of life as life itself; everyone goes through them. If and when something bad occurs in your life, don't let it turn inward, because believe me, once those negativities take hold, your heart will never be free of them. Understand?"

Gohan nodded in reply, his voice as solemn as Kaen's, "I understand."

Kaen grinned again, "Now then, why don't you run along and find the twins, hm? It's been too long since they had someone their age to play with; it'll do all three of you a world of good."

-End flashback-

Opening his eyes again, Gohan made up his mind, cutting off the background noise of the others arguing about what the wish should be. Looking up at the dragon towering about Kami's Lookout, Gohan shouted out, "Shenron! My wish is this: I want all Saiyans to have their tails returned to them, but for Saiyans to be able to control whether they will change into their Oozaru form in the light of the full moon, instead of having it forced upon them!"

"Gohan? What's this about?" Krillin asked.

Gohan turned around, not listening as Shenron announced the wish done, as he replied, "I am a Saiyan. The blood of a warrior race as old as time flows through my veins. It's past time I acknowledged that." At this point, his newly regrown tail decided to make itself known, but he carried on regardless, "A Saiyan's tail is a mark of honour, of pride, and a centre of power. It's as important as a limb, and I have been without mine too long. Besides, we're no longer slaves to the moon; not that Earth even has a moon anymore."

This speech caused Vegeta to look at the boy with different eyes. He had come to the lookout to see his future son revived, and nothing more, before Kakarott's speech left him feeling empty, and without purpose; after all, becoming stronger than Kakarott was his purpose, but without Kakarott around, how could that be achieved? Now, however, he saw the boy he'd written off as a human with Saiyan strength show newfound interest in his heritage; perhaps this would prove interesting...

As if reading his thoughts, Gohan walked up to the elder Saiyan, saying, "Vegeta, before he left, Kaen told me this phrase: 'sic vis pacum para bellum'. What does it mean?"

Unfolding his arms, Vegeta replied, "It's ancient Saiyan, from a time long ago, the last remains of which were stored in the palace of Vegeta-Sei. It means 'if you want peace, prepare for war'."

Gohan nodded determinedly; he would indeed take this phrase to heart. He would not be caught unprepared when evil came again. "Vegeta, I'd like to learn more about Saiyan history."

Vegeta smiled; yes, this would prove interesting indeed.

o-o-o

"Okay Cellotto, it's time for you to learn the Saiyan language," Vegeta remarked gruffly - as was usual for him - addressing Gohan by the Saiyan name he had been given, in honour of both his achievement (defeating Cell), and his father (Kakarott). Vegeta held a black cloth out to the boy in front it him, saying, "We'll start with the basics. You will wear this blindfold, and I will announce my attacks in Saiya-Go, until you learn what they mean, understand?"

Gohan nodded, replying, "Yes my prince." The older man insisted he call him that while he was being taught his heritage, and he'd feed the man's ego if it got him what he wanted. Tying the blindfold around his eyes, and ensuring he couldn't see, he added, "I am ready."

"Bihlr!" Vegeta threw a hard punch to Gohan's chest, which connected with a resounding thump, and a squawk from the boy. "Pay attention boy! Gelg!" That was followed by a kick, also to the boy's chest, which sent him flying across the gravity chamber. Vegeta grinned; it was going to be a long day, but no one said he couldn't have fun along the way.

o-o-o

"Oh Goku, what am I going to do with that boy?" Chichi mused to herself, talking to herself like her deceased husband was still around to hear her; in truth, he could hear her, but she didn't know that. "First he wishes his tail back, and announces he's keeping it regardless of what I say about it, then he says he wants to learn about his heritage. Now he spends all his time training with that man, and it's gotten worse since he found out about this little guy..." She rubbed her stomach affectionately; she was quite obviously pregnant, and due soon too. "Oh, what am I going to do with him?"

"You could always try talking with him." A voice announced from behind her.

She spun around, gasping, "Goku? But, you're-"

"Out on good behaviour," Goku grinned at her in his usual way. "Because of all the good I've done, they're letting me come back for the day, for special occasions."

She threw herself into his arms, unshed tears in her eyes, "Oh Goku, it's good to see you again, even if it is only for a day."

He wrapped his arms around her, saying, "Chi, I know you worry about Gohan, but this is something important to him. While I may not have truly accepted my Saiyan nature, I think Gohan has, and denying him the chance to learn about his heritage is only going to make him bitter. I know you're worried about his studies, so just talk to him, let him see your side of things, and listen to his. I'm sure you can come to an agreement you both can live with."

She smiled at him, playfully bopping him on the back of the head as she replied, "That sounded so mature; how can I be sure you're really my Goku?" At this point his stomach decided to make itself known, rumbling loudly; she just laughed, as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I guess that solves that-" She cut off as she felt something... "Goku... I think the baby's coming."

He smiled, "That's why I'm here; did you think I was going to miss the birth of my second child?"

"Goten," Chichi breathed out, "His name is Goten."

"Gift from Heaven." He smiled again, placing two fingers to his forehead, "Come, let's pick up Gohan, and have this gift delivered."

o-o-o

"Vegeta, you wanted to talk to me?" It was a few days off from Gohan's thirteenth birthday, and Vegeta had insisted Gohan come today; he made it sound very important

Vegeta grinned, "Ah yes Cellotto, I did indeed. Close the door boy." When the young demi-Saiyan closed the door of the gravity chamber, Vegeta motioned towards the floor in front of him, before sitting down cross-legged himself. "Now Cellotto," he began, "You are coming of age, and since, quite frankly, I don't trust that baka of a father of yours, it's up to me to give you 'The Talk'."

"'The Talk'?" Gohan asked, confused, before sudden realisation hit him, "You mean... the sex talk?"

The older Saiyan's grin widened, "Yes, that talk." Vegeta then went on to explain what he referred to as 'the basics' - the facts that applied to every race - much to the embarrassment of the near-teen, before going on to the Saiyan-specific information. "Now that you know the basics, we'll move on. Many races in the galaxy believed the Saiyans were promiscuous, and for some, this was true, but only in unmated Saiyans."

"Unmated?" Gohan asked in confusion, his cheeks still flushed from the first part of 'The Talk'.

"A Saiyan may warm their bed with a number of people, but they will never sleep beside someone they don't trust; family won't kill you in your sleep, but another Saiyan might. When Saiyans do find that one person they will start a family with - and many don't - then that is it, they will never again be with another, and some Saiyans, such as your father, or that boy Kaen, find their mate first time. Saiyans mate for life. To this end, the Saiyan and their mate, who need not be a Saiyan, as I myself have discovered, mark each other through a bite; the mate need not know this, as, after bitten, they will be instinctively driven to complete the process. Once both partners have tasted of each other's blood, the bond is formed."

"Bond?"

Vegeta smiled, but this time it seemed almost... fond. "The bond is... something that can not be adequately explained in words. The two partners experience each other's lives, too quickly to remember most, and from then on, they can converse telepathically, and can feel each other's emotions. When one of the mates dies, the bond is broken." At this, the stoic man shuddered. "I myself hope I never feel that. I have witnesses Saiyans who have lost their mate, and it was... not pretty. The loss drives many, if not all, to accept suicidal missions, so that, when they die, they can be reunited with their mate; they just give up on life. No Saiyan, however, would ever kill themselves; we have too much honour."

"Wait a second," Gohan interjected, "If Saiyans give up on life when the bond is broken, then how come my mother..."

"The answer to that is fairly simple," Vegeta replied, almost sounding compassionate. "Your mother is a human, not a Saiyan, and thus the bond would affect her differently. Some Saiyans managed to hold on to life because of their family, because they were needed, and this too would be true of your mother; she clings to life for you and your brother. Being human would lead her to depression, over a desire for oblivion. Besides," he snorted, "That fool Kakarott thought marriage was a type of food. The fact he knew where to stick it was miracle enough, let alone knowing enough to bite her."

Gohan held his hand with his hands, groaning, "He thought marriage was food? Why does that not surprise me?"

Vegeta grinned, "Indeed. While we Saiyans may not believe in the ceremony of marriage like they do here on Earth, the effect is similar, only significantly more permanent than Earth marriages. Compared to humans, we Saiyans are all about extremes: loyalty, anger, happiness-"

"Hunger?" Gohan interrupted, a grin on his face.

Vegeta just laughed. "Yes Cellotto, hunger. I myself have extreme disdain for all beings lesser than myself; this is what it means to be Saiyan."

Gohan put a hand to his chin, muttering thoughtfully, "Ah, so that's why you and Bulma got together..."

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Vegeta asked, actually curious.

Gohan grinned again, "Who else has enough of a superiority complex to match you, my prince?" He drew out the last few words a little too much for Vegeta's liking.

The older man growled, "Don't push your luck boy."

Heedless, Gohan continued, "And an ego to match, and a temper to match..."

"I'll show you temper brat!" With a shout, Vegeta launched himself at Gohan, and the conversation was called on account of a brawl.

o-o-o

In a flash of light, a massive ship appeared where before there was only empty space. With a sigh, the 'captain' of the ship called, "Damage report."

"What do you mean?" His second questioned, "The ship wasn't damaged in transit."

"I meant: how many years did we lose?" He replied.

Looking down at the console, she entered a few commands, her tail waving behind her, as she said, "It'll take a few minutes for the atomic calendar to reset, so I calculated the year by way of the stars. It's not the most accurate, mind, but judging by these figures, we've been out of time for..." She looked up at him, "Roughly nine years."

He sighed again, "Better than I'd feared, but worse than I'd hoped." Sitting up straight again, he said, "Right, let's just finish this delivery and make for home. I fear we've already missed too much." And with that, the Icebreaker sailed the silent waves of space once more.

o-o-o

"Ah, Gohan, what brings you here today?"

"Hey Bulma," the teen called back, waving his hello to the heiress and her company. Apparently, she was having a 'business lunch' with representatives of FMI. Translation: she was having Avarrdo, April, Kellre, Raene, and Truniz over for lunch, to chat about the state of the world as they played cards; well, the women played cards, the men drank and watched TV. "I'm actually here to spar with Vegeta."

"Oh, I thought your weekly session was a couple of days ago," Bulma replied, discarding a card from her hand and drawing one from the pile, before grimacing.

"It was," Gohan replied, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, "It's just, it's mum and dad's anniversary today, so..." Nothing else need be said on the subject. "I've got Piccolo watching Goten and Trunks; he's taking them on a survival camp." Before anyone could reply, an alarm went off throughout the complex. "What's that?"

"It's a proximity alarm," Kellre replied, quickly setting his drink down and rising to his feet. "We set it up over six years ago, using a series of satellites, to detect incoming ships."

Reaching the console first, Avarrdo called out, "We're picking up a beacon." He turned to the others, a hopeful look on his face. "It's the Icebreaker."

Quickly rushing out onto the Capsule Corp. lawn, and surprised to find most of the rest of the Z Fighters already waiting, they watched as the giant ship came in to a landing in the exact spot it had taken off from almost ten years ago. As the cargo bay door opened, revealing a very familiar group of people, in exactly the same state they'd left in, Kaen grinned, "My, I didn't expect such a turnout. Miss us?"

April and Raene answered this question by running forward, the pair of women grabbing their eldest, or in Raene's case only, child into a massive Saiyan hug, before releasing them again, April bending down to scoop up both her youngest children. The men, however, merely acknowledged their return with a nod; in their eyes, however, the group could see how glad they were to have them back. The first of them to speak was Avarrdo, asking simply, "Hyperdrive?"

Kaen just nodded, "Hyperdrive."

Cursing, the three geniuses fell into discussion about the cause.

Bulma: I knew I should have re-calibrated the warp-space capacitor.
Avarrdo: No, it was fine, it had to be the flux attuner.
Kellre: ...I wash my hands of this.
Avarrdo: You're giving up?
Kellre: Hardly. But if you two are so certain it's not the hyperspace inverter, then I see no point.
Bulma: Oh, I completely forgot.
Avarrdo: Well, that changes everything.

From the sidelines, Tien asked, "What the hell are they talking about?"

Truniz just shrugged, "They screwed it up again."

"Ah."

"You don't seem like a technically minded guy..." Yamcha commented curiously.

Truniz just shrugged again, "Oh I'm not; I just know screw-up-ese."

Yamcha just shrugged in kind, replying, "Well, I'm gonna grab a couple beers and watch this unfold. You guys in?"

Truniz grinned. "I think we'll get along just fine."

"Are you sure it wasn't something you screwed up yourself?" Gohan asked, a massive grin on his face.

Kaen just scowled, replying, "You know Gohan, I liked you better when you were a kid. You were so much more respectful..." He suddenly paled, blurting out, "Oh my Kami, I've become my father!"

Grinning madly, Gohan quipped, "It's Dende now."

Pi joined Kat and the rest of the group (who was listening anyway) in laughter, before asking, "So, what'd we miss during our trip?"

Gohan just shrugged, replying, "Where should I begin?"

"How about at the start?"

End Transitions

Fin.