Dragon Ball Z
Misconceptions
By Jeffrey Kopko
The Saiya-jin space cruiser Vegeta's Glory glided
smoothly through space, it's engines humming a monotonous
note as it propelled the massive ship home.
"How much longer now?" Teneral Jouku asked the
helmsman.
"Approximately seven minutes, sir," was the reply.
Teneral sat back in the captain's chair, visibly
tired. The excitement of the anticipation of the day had
been keeping him awake at night. Finally, they would be
rejoined with the rest of their people.
Vegeta's Glory had been on a deep space mission for
almost fifty years. They had traversed the farthest
regions of the North Galaxy, conquering planets in the name
of Lord Freezer.
Teneral had only the most vague memory of Planet
Vegeta. He was much too young to remember the details.
Most of what he knew he had learned from the ship's
computer. What he had seen saw had always amazed him-the
spiral buildings seemingly penetrating the beautiful purple
sky of the world. Little did he know that he would be one
to lead the vessel home!
He sat back in the cushioned captain's chair, basking
in the anticipation. Finally the seven minutes were over,
and they had entered the Vegeta System.
"Put it on the main screen," Teneral ordered.
An image blinked on the screen. However, instead of
seeing the purple hued planet he had waited for for so
long, he just saw empty space. There was no Planet Vegeta.
He stood up briskly. It must have been a mistake.
They must have been at the wrong coordinates.
"Scan the area again!" Teneral cried nervously."
"I've already scanned it three times, sir, and-"
"Do it!"
"Yes sir."
Teneral stared at the screen again. Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
"Sir," the science officer paused. "There's nothing
there."
Teneral sat back down in grief. What had happened?
-----------------------------------------------------------
Chenkis Labroan sat idly watching his computer screen,
"loyally" serving the Freezer Empire by committing suicide.
His weapon? Boredom. The two eyes on his long, lizard
like head were becoming heavier and heavier with each
passing minute.
His job was, simply put, not very exciting. He was
tasked with the duty of monitoring local space for up to
ten light years of a radius. However, the Freezer Empire
had been long since reduced to two lightyears, but one
should never have told Chenkis' commanding officer that.
According to him, Freezer's rule "Must remain, or the
universe would collapse."
Chenkis thought all of the propaganda was garbage, but
he would never have said it aloud. He would have obtained
a one-way ticket to the great beyond.
Suddenly his computer console beeped. He was
startled. It hadn't beeped for almost eight months, and
the cause of that was a minor trade dispute. What could it
be now?
Chenkis quickly locked onto the source of the
anomalous reading- Planet Vegeta. Or former Planet Vegeta,
rather. The young officer was now staring at his computer
console not in boredom, but in amazement. It was a Saiya-
jin space cruiser!
"S-Sir!" Chenkis cried, unsuccessfully masking his
excitement. "I think I've found something!"
"What is it?" the gruff Captain Shener asked. He was a
fat, burly man, but kind hearted nonetheless.
"Sensors are picking up a Saiya-jin space cruiser in
the Vegeta system!"
Chenkis was amused at the wide-eyed expression of
disbelief displayed on Shener's face. "What did you say?"
"A Saiya-jin space cruiser!"
"Contact Emperor Neshet at once!"
Chenkis' heart sank at those words. Neshet was a
loyalist to Freezer. There was no doubt that he would
order the ship destroyed. "Yes, sir."
-----------------------------------------------------------
He was near the breaking point. He tasted the salty
sweat dripping from his brow mixed with blood. But he had
to continue.
Summoning as much KI energy as he could, he once again
attacked the robot menace. He could not lose to a mere
machine.
He fired an energy beam to distract the enemy, then
sped around and behind his foe. When he was in position,
he grasped the robot's metal frame and squeezes. The
machine attempted to resist, but it was to no avail.
Finally, the metal began to give way. Then with a flash of
light, it was nothing more thank a hunk of mechanical
parts.
"Bravo! Bravo!" A woman cried from the sidelines.
The man wiped sweat from his brow. "Thanks, Woman," he
replied. "These Capsule Corp. machines keep getting better
and better."
"Or maybe your getting worse and worse, Vegeta."
"Hardly," Vegeta replied. "But I must be able to attain
the level of Super Saiya-jin 4 more easily."
"Well, I'm sure you will, but you also need some rest,"
she said.
Vegeta glared at her. "I'll tell you when I need rest,
woman!" he yelled.
"All right, all right! And my name's Bulma, you know.
You can call me that. We've only know each other for twenty
years now."
"Would you just leave me alone?"
"Well fine. You don't have to get all defensive."
Human women, Vegeta thought to himself. I'll never
understand them.
-----------------------------------------------------------
"What did you say?" Emperor Neshet asked, leaning
forward as if to get a better look at the message. The
tranquility of Freezer 79 was harshly contrasted by the
rage in his eyes. How could there be even more Saiya-jin
than the ones on Earth?
"We have picked up a Saiya-jin space cruiser," the
Captain on the other end off the comm said. "Shall I order
it destroyed?"
"Yes! Of course!"
"Yes, si-"
"Wait! Belay that order!"
"Yes, sir."
A thought had crossed Neshet's mind. A ship full of
Saiya-jins that were oblivious to their planet's
destroyers…
"I have a plan," Neshet finally said.
"May I ask what it ism sir?"
"No, not presently," the Emperor replied. "I am coming
aboard your ship. I will tell you then."
"Yes, sir."
-----------------------------------------------------------
The exhaustion was overwhelming. All he could do was
crouch to the ground. All he could focus on was breathing.
He had been training for nearly a week straight. He had
had no sustenance whatsoever except for occasional drinks
of water. He pondered the possibility that he may have
pushed himself to far.
"Dad!"
Despite the pain, Vegeta pulled himself up to his full
stance. He could not let his son see him crouching down
like a helpless animal.
"Wanna spar with me?" Trunks asked gleefully.
That was all he could take. Vegeta collapsed to the
ground, unconscious.
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Sir, there is a ship coming in-system!" Teneral's
science officer reported.
"Classification?"
"It is from Lord Freezer's fleet, sir!"
For the first time in hours Teneral felt a small
twinge of relief. Now maybe they could get some answers.
"They're hailing us!"
"Put it on the main viewer."
The image of a reptilian alien appeared. It was
purple, with yellow spots dotting it's lizard-like body.
It wore the uniform of a soldier in Freezer's army.
The creature spoke. "I am Emperor Neshet of the
Freezer Empire," he said. "Who are you?"
Captain Teneral Jouku of the Saiya-jin Elite, loyal
soldiers to the omnipotent Freezer."
"Freezer is dead," Neshet said bluntly.
Teneral was shocked, his mouth open in disbelief.
Freezer couldn't die! He was the master of the universe!
"That can't be true!" he barked.
"Oh, but it is. He was killed."
No, Teneral thought. Impossible. "By whom?"
"By the same ones that destroyed your home planet. Son
Goku and the Z-Senshi on the planet Earth."
-----------------------------------------------------------
Chenkis was genuinely disgusted. He watched as
Emperor Neshet walked onto the bridge, obviously very proud
of himself for "wonderful" idea he had come up with.
Neshet had said that he would trick the Saiya-jins into
believing the Z-Senshi had destroyed Planet Vegeta and use
it to fuel their anger and carry on the cause of revenge
for Freeza's death. Chenkis was one of the few officers of
the Freeza Empire willing to put the past behind them.
Many, though, including Neshet, lusted only for revenge.
"How did your meeting go?" the lumbering Captain Shener
asked.
"Very well," Neshet replied. "I also learned something
of great use to us."
"May I ask what it is?"
"Yes, you may."
There was a moment of silence. The eavesdropping
Chenkis was eager to hear what came next.
"Ummm, what is it?" Shener asked.
"They all have the ability to go Super Saiya-jin."
Obviously everyone on the bridge had been
eavesdropping. At the sounds of those words, Chenkis saw
every officer's eyes light up.
Neshet smiled. "We attack Earth in twenty-five
standard hours."
-----------------------------------------------------------
Vegeta awoke in a daze. He saw the blurred faces of
all those he knew and loved above him, staring down in
nervousness. Am I dead?
"Man, Dad, I've never seen you pass out like that. But
I'm glad you're all right."
I guess I'm not dead.
Vegeta saw up with a low groan. He observed his
surroundings. He was in his home- Capsule Corp. He was
surrounded by people. He felt like an animal being studied
in a zoo.
"What is everyone doing here?" he raged, attempting to
project his voice, but failing miserably. He was not yet
fully awake, and he found it hard to keep his eyes open.
"Trunks found you in the desert," Bulma said. "He said
you passed out from exhaustion, so he brought you here. I
was hosting a dinner party at the time. So here we are."
"Well, you may continue," Vegeta said authoritatively.
He turned to look at his son, Trunks. "You wanted to train?
Let's go train."
-----------------------------------------------------------
It was easier now. The three years since he had
achieved Super Saiya-jin had been hard years. He had used
the rage of the loss of his parents to go Super Saiya-jin
then.
But now he had new rage. Fists clenched, Cajeta let
the anger of his destroyed home world engulf him. Suddenly
something inside of him snapped. Erupting from within,
golden Ki energy flared around him. His hair turned from
dark black to more gold than a pirate's trove. He had once
again become a Super-Saiya-jin, one of the strongest beings
in the galaxy.
Of course the title of Super-Saiya-jin did not mean
what it used to mean. Hundreds of years ago, individuals
would have given almost anything to become one of the
raging monsters called "Super Saiya-jin." Now, considering
how strong all the remaining Saiya-jins had become, and the
frequent transformations, it could only be considered as
"an honor."
Suddenly the com link located beside him beeped. He
turned and answered. "Cajeta here," he acknowledged.
The returning voice was gruff and filled with an edge.
"We've arrived at Earth. We will be attacking soon."
Cajeta smiled devilishly. It was time for vengeance.
-----------------------------------------------------------
The blows moved faster than lightning, connecting with
the accuracy only a Super-Saiya-jin could display. Trunks
gave his full power against his father, but it wasn't
enough.
Of course, Vegeta wasn't giving his best. If he had
given his best his son would be dead. One day, however,
Vegeta hoped to see his son become just as strong as him.
But no stronger, he thought.
The two Super-Saiya-jins continued to fight.
Trunks was charging up a Ki blast when something
bolted out of the air and struck him on the shoulders,
sending the young man tumbling toward the ground.
"What the?" Vegeta stammered, before he, too, became
one with the ground. When he looked up he saw two Super
Saiya-jin warriors smirking at him.
Vegeta temporarily laid aside his bafflement as he
calmly accepted this new challenge. He hovered up to the
enemy's altitude with a grim expression.
"Who are you and what brings you to this planet?" he
asked harshly.
The warrior on the left responded. "I am Cajeta, elite
warrior of the late Lord Freeza, the one you killed. You
also destroyed our home planet, you traitor. We are here
for your blood."
"Listen," Vegeta replied. "I don't want to know who's
been feeding you this garbage, but-"
"Silence!" Cajeta cried. "We do not hear words from
traitors."
Finally the other one spoke. "You will die slowly."
Vegeta smirked. "We'll see."
At the moment Cajeta attacked. Vegeta sensed the
onslaught just in the nick of time, barely avoiding
Cejeta's fist. Seeing an opportunity, Vegeta kneed Cajeta
in the stomach. He was about to pound Cajeta into the
ground when the nameless Saiya-jin attacked.
Uh-oh.
Vegeta was struck in the face and hurtled toward the
ground. He moaned loudly, feigning pain and vulnerability.
The naïve Saiya-jin who had just struck him took the bait.
He flew down at Vegeta. Vegeta opened both eyes and
blasted his opponent into oblivion.
All too easy.
Vegeta sensed that Cajeta was stronger. Cajeta would
resort to more than just sucker punches.
First Vegeta tried diplomacy. "We didn't destroy your
planet, and I have nothing against you. Just go back where
you came and we will never see one another again."
"I will avenge Lord Freeza with my life," was the
reply.
"Freeza was a fool. By destroying Planet Vegeta he
allowed our rage to grow."
Cajeta glared at Vegeta. "How dare you say such a
thing about Lord Freezer? You will die here!"
With that Cajeta charged at Vegeta in a blind rage.
Vegeta was cautious. Even a Super-Saiya-jin 1 could wound
him at the level he was currently in.
Cajeta through a closed fist at Vegeta. The Saiya-jin
prince latch onto it, and, using the force of Cajeta's
attack, thrust the enemy down toward the ground. However,
Cajeta stopped in midair, glaring valiantly at Vegeta.
Vegeta launched a strong Ki blast with the intent to
end the skirmish.
It didn't. Cajeta deflected the bolts effortlessly.
"Enough of this!" Vegeta cried, as he burst into the
stage of Super Saiya-jin Two. "There! Let's see what you
can do now!"
Cajeta grinned. "Let's see."
-----------------------------------------------------------
The one thing that Teneral hated about being a captain
was that his place was on the bridge, not on the
battlefield. Teneral snarled as he monitored the situation
on earth. He had sent two middle class warriors to deal
with Saiya-jin traitor named Vegeta, but had found that the
warrior was stronger than he was letting on. Cajeta fought
bravely, but it was clear he was losing.
Teneral was going down. He didn't like to waste
warriors. Teneral turned to his First Officer, Neller, and
ordered him to assume temporary command of the ship. With
that, Teneral boarded a pod and blasted to the surface of
the Earth.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Vegeta laughed at the wounded warrior. He watched as
Cajeta struggled to stand but was prevented to by his
broken ribs.
"Agh!" he cried, spitting blood. Cajeta fell back to
the ground, but kept his icy stare directed at Vegeta.
"Wish you had your scouter now?" Vegeta mocked. "Too
bad it exploded when I turned Super Saiya-jin Two. Can you
even fathom my incredible power?"
"Dad!" At that moment Trunks ran over to his father's
side. "Are you okay?"
Vegeta laughed again. "You should be asking him that!"
Just then there was a sonic boom, followed by a bright
flash in the sky. Something was landing. "Come on, Son,"
Vegeta said. "Let's let this guy writhe in agony while we
go over to see who the new arrival is."
Trunks wasn't as excited about the idea as his father
was. "We're just going to leave him here?" he asked in
sympathy.
"Yes," Vegeta said flatly. "We'll be back after we
dispose of this newcomer."
With that they hovered over to the landing are. It
was mostly desert, but a few bushes seemed to peek out from
the dry sand.
"Hmm," Vegeta snorted. "It was a one-man Saiya-jin
space pod. That meant one occupant. This would be easy.
The pod door opened slowly, widening the anticipation
at the new arrival's appearance.
The occupant was a man of medium build. He had
shortly cropped black hair and wore the uniform of a Saiya-
jin warrior.
Vegeta smiled. "You're friends are having a pretty bad
day. Looks like you're gonna have one, too."
Teneral's face turned grim suddenly. He stiffened up,
fists clenched. All of a sudden he launched an attack that
even took Vegeta off guard. The Saiya-jin prince caught
the brunt of the assault and fell backwards.
Teneral suddenly yelled. Vegeta looked up, and to his
horror, he saw Teneral turn Super Saiya-jin Two!
No, this is impossible!
It was a clash of equal powers now. The two Saiya-
jins fought bitterly, each cut off from reinforcements.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Everything was going as Neshet had planned. The
Emperor smiled as he watched the battle on his computer
console. The two Saiya-jin warriors were moving so fast
even he couldn't detect them at some points.
Finally revenge would be his. Freeza would have been
proud.
-----------------------------------------------------------
"We can't let this happen," Chenkis whispered to his
best friend, Lenark. Lenark was a supporter of the
Republic Faction, a small group of people with the notion
of change. They believed the only way the Freezer Empire
would survive is if it would put the past behind them and
move on. They also bitterly despised the Imperial control
they suffered from. That was why they were referred to as
the "Republic Faction." They believed a Republic should be
formed to take the place of the tyranny Neshet was putting
on the populace.
Unfortunately, they were in the severe minority. "What are we going to do?" Lenark asked critically.
"Storm the capital? Take Neshet hostage?"
"I'll think of something."
"Yeah."
They were in the mess hall talking ever so quietly.
If someone overheard the delicate conversation it would be
disastrous. Chenkis winced as he thought of some of the
atrocities he would have to endure had the word gotten out.
But he was going to make sure that the word stayed right
where it was, at least for the time being.
Lenark continued. "We can't recruit many more. You
know what happened to Chank."
Chenkis grimaced.
"I can try to get ahold of Sannar. He has a lot of
troops that are part of the faction. But the question is
'Then what' "?
"We get down to Earth."
"What?!"
"That is the only way we're going to have a chance. We
assist the Earthlings. I've heard that the Saiya-jins there
are just as strong as Neshet."
"I wish."
"Are you in?"
Lenara paused for just a moment, then said "Sure."
-----------------------------------------------------------
Vegeta felt angry and exhilarated at the same time.
It had been so long since he had fought a battle with an
equal. He was also slightly angry because it looked as if
he might not win.
He was sure Teneral felt the same way.
Vegeta glanced over at Trunks and Cajeta. Neither of
them were watching. They were just observing his fight.
Pacifists.
"You ready?" Vegeta asked Teneral.
"Always."
Vegeta sped up to Teneral, making it appear as if he
was going to attack from ahead. But that was just a
diversion. Instead, Vegeta sped around Teneral and kicked
the legs out from under him. Teneral almost fell to the
ground, but caught himself in time and through a fist at
Vegeta. Vegeta, however, was clear of the fist and
charging for a Ki attack. A very large Ki attack.
Vegeta had much altitude. Teneral looked, spellbound,
as Vegeta charged up his energy. He had never seen anyone
else emit this much Ki.
The Ki was as bright as the sun. Vegeta was far in
the sky now, arms outstretched. His veins looked as if
they were about to burst. Finally, he put his arms
together and yelled "Final Flash!"
A brilliant flash left Vegeta's palms as the Ki energy
erupted toward it's target-Teneral. Teneral instinctively
flew away from it, trying to dodge it with all his might.
But as no matter how hard he tried, no matter how much
energy he used to propel himself with, it was not enough to
evade the beam that was doggedly pursuing him. His best
chance was to turn around and try to shield himself as best
he could.
And that was exactly what he did.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Fog seemed to be everywhere. He looked about, dazed
and confused. What had just happened? He was running from
Vegeta's Final Flash and-
Vegeta.
Suddenly Teneral shot up to his full stance and faced
his enemy. The Saiya-jin prince had a wide grin on his
face.
"I was wondering how long you were going to lay there
sleeping," Vegeta mocked. "Are you done?"
Teneral said nothing. Instead, he waited,
contemplating what to do next. He would not let the words
of a traitor rattle his spirit. He would defeat the menace
he was facing.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Vegeta finally stopped attacking with words. It was
time to get down to business.
"Why have you come here?" Vegeta asked, his eyes cross
as if suggesting any haightiness would lead to an untimely
death.
Teneral sighed, as if defeated. "You destroyed my-our-
home planet. You killed the almighty Freeza. You deserve to
die."
Vegeta was shocked at the words. He felt like
blasting the man right where he was for the insult he had
said. Vegeta would give almost anything for his proud
heritage to return, for the Saiya-jins to flourish once
again.
"Who told you that garbage?"
"Emperor Neshet."
"Who is he?"
"Emperor of the Freeza remnant."
Vegeta paused, organizing his thoughts. "How did you
get here?"
"Why should I tell you anything?"
"Tell me or die."
"We just arrived from a deep space mission a couple of
days ago."
"And you trust the words of a non Saiya-jin you met
just yesturday over the words of Prince Vegeta, the
strongest Saiya-jin alive?"
Teneral didn't say anything.
"It was not us who destroyed Planet Vegeta, but Freeza
himself."
"No, I refuse to believe it!"
"It is the truth."
"NO!"
Vegeta sighed heavily. "Look, I'm not going to go
through this again. You must understand reason."
Even though Teneral continued to steadfastly refuse
the truth, Vegeta noticed a slight flicker of consideration
in his eyes. Maybe he would see the light after all.
Vegeta offered his hand to the fallen Saiya-jin
warrior. "Join me, the prince of all Saiya-jins," he said.
"Let us take revenge for the pride Freezer tore from us."
Teneral knew now. With a hard clasp of the hand, he
was eye level to Vegeta. "I need to call my ship."
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Sir, we're receiving a message from Earth," the
communications officer on the bridge of Vegeta's Glory
announced. "It's from Captain Jouku!"
The ship's executive officer, Neller, suddenly looked
alert and professional. His officer training was paying
off. "Open frequency," he ordered.
"Yes, sir."
Just then the image of a beaten but hearty Captain
Jouku appeared on the main viewing screen. The sky behind
him was bright but did not hinder viewing.
Neller looked aghast. "What happened, sir?"
The captain smiled a bit. "I have met Prince Vegeta
and have been enlightened about some things."
"You would trust a traitor such as him?"
Teneral looked angry. "He is not a traitor." And with
that, he explained the true history of the Planet Vegeta's
destruction to his bridge crew. Finally the crew
understood and believed.
"Are you with us?" Teneral asked.
"Yes, sir."
"Good. That's the crew I know."
Little did they know that secretly their every word
was being monitored by Emperor Neshet, and with every
passing moment he was gathering more and more Ki for the
inevitable confrontation that awaited.
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Captain, you can't believe this menace!" cried
Cajeta. Cajeta was stubborn and it was difficult to change
his mind once it was made. Since he had already made up
his mind that Vegeta deserved to die, he wanted very much
to be the executioner.
"You would trust Neshet, an alien we hardly know? You
would call Prince Vegeta, son of the great King Vegeta, a
lier?"
"I would not-"
"My father knew King Vegeta long ago. He used to tell
me stories about how honorable he was. About how much he
exemplified the Saiya-jin race as a whole. He told me that
there was no man he would more willingly trust his life to,
and I believe that his son is the same way. If they are
lying-if that's all that Saiya-jins are-than we deserve to
die. We deserve to go by the wayside in the name of
greater honor. I trust Vegeta, and I-no-we will fight for
him until the day we die."
Vegeta was openly amused at Teneral's speech of Saiya-
jin honor. But he didn't mind being praised, so he said
nothing until it was clear he was finished. "Are we ready?"
he finally asked.
Teneral nodded his head. "Yes, we are." He turned his
head to Cajeta. "Well?"
Cajeta was silent for a moment. "I will follow you,
Captain. And if you follow Prince Vegeta, than I will
follow him as well."
"Good. Now let's get going."
-----------------------------------------------------------
It was a delicate operation to say the least. Chenkis
couldn't help but feel nervous. Why, though? Lenark had
done an excellent job allocating their troops to Earth. It
was all going according to planned. But something didn't
feel right. It was as if Emperor Neshet knew wht they were
doing, but was just waiting for the most opportune time to
clamp down on their rebellion and finish it permanently.
At that moment Lenark entered the room. Chenkis
voiced his concern: "Are you sure about this?"
Lenark looked grim. "No, I think we should stop."
Chenkis' jaw dropped open in amazement for just a
moent before he realized that Lenark was just joking.
Lenark was like that sometimes.
"Look, Chenkis," Lenark said with confidence. "This
will work. Trust me."
"It just seems like it's all going to be in vain. I
mean, just look at the power levels of these Saiya-jins. I
have a feeling it's going to come down to them and we are
going to make very little difference."
"We have to do our part."
Chenkis smiled. You could always count on Lenark to
get you in an up mood when you really needed it.. Or at least he would try.
"Anyway," Lenark said at last, "We have seven full
platoons loyal to the faction in this system. If we wanted
to, I could try to get Neshet to authorize some of us to go
down to Earth. Then we could talk to them face to face."
"No," Chenkis said. "That will be too obvious. We need
to wait until they make a move. Then we can attack Neshet
from the inside out."
"You always come up with the best plans," Lenark said.
"That's why I'm a Lieutenant and you're just a
Private."
-----------------------------------------------------------
"So what are we going to do?" Cajeta asked, a slight
bit of contempt still in his voice.
Vegeta spoke up. "Bring the ship down here."
Teneral looked confused. "Pardon?"
"Have your ship shoot Neshet's ship down or something.
Just get him to come down here. I can't breathe in space so
I won't be very effective up there. All they'd have to do
would be to blow me out of a side bulkhead or something."
"Of course, sir," said Teneral. "What after that?"
Vegeta smiled. "I'll kill him."
Teneral smiled. "I'll send the order."
-----------------------------------------------------------
They were trained for this. As they order came, the
Siya-jinw arriors knew exactly what to do. Wheeling right,
they opened fire on the enemy ship, immediately pulverizing
it's starboard gun turrets. The Saiya-jin broka away hard
to avoid a collision and did another strafing run. But
this time the enemy was ready. The battle ensued for many
minutes.
"What's the status of their shields?" Neller asked.
"They're at forty percent efficiency!" cried the
tactical officer. "Another two good shots and they'll be
down completely!"
"Can I trust you for those shots?"
The tactical officer smiled. "Of course, sir."
-----------------------------------------------------------
The bridge buckled again. Chenkis looked on his
computer monitor and saw that the ship had only twenty-five
percent shields left! Chenkis was half terror stricken,
half joyous. That would mean he would get to Earth after
all, but the question was in how many pieces.
Suddenly the bridge went dim with another explosion.
The deck was eerily quiet. Chenkis swore he could feel the
ship turn, ever so slightly, to starboard. He had the
sickening epiphany that they were going down, and that it
was doubtful he would survive.
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Is it done?" Vegeta asked sternly.
"Yes," Teneral replied. "They are crash landing on the
North Continent."
"Then let's get going," Vegeta said. "We don't want to
miss the party."
"
What about me?" Trunks asked.
Vegeta looked over at his son. He had almost
forgotten that Trunks was even there. "You may come as
well, but you can leaving all the fighting up to me."
"Whatever you say, Father."
With that they flew for the North Continent in haste.
-----------------------------------------------------------
The ship was shaking violently. Chenkis looked around
and saw the terrified faces of his fellow crew members.
Finally he realized that his own face no doubt looked the
same-a face that knew that it's end was coming and that
there was nothing he could do to stop it. It was
inevitable.
Or was it? If Chenkis get just the right
aerodynamics, he could blast a hole into an outside
bulkhead and fly out to safety. But if he didn't time the
jump perfectly he would be sucked out and would die from
suffocation or some other non-inviting death.
He rushed over to the side wall. To his surprise, he
saw Lenark not far away.
"Lenark!" Chenkis cried. "Over here!"
The Private rushed over. "Ready to die?"
"No, I have an idea."
"I thought so."
"If we can blast through this wall just the right way
we could fly outta here without getting ripped around by
the wind too much."
"Sure. I don't have any better option."
The decision was made. Chenkis slowly raised his
laser cannon up to the wall. He didn't have the ability to
manipulate Ki as well as the Saiya-jins, so he had to use
mechanical devices.
He looked at Lenark. He nodded.
With the pull of the trigger he shot through. Then it
all went wrong. The entire wall ripped off and before the
two of them knew it they were halfway to the ground.
"Was this part of the plan?" Lenark asked.
Chenkis ignored his companion's sarcasm. He was more
interested in living then giving a smart comment in return.
Manipulating all the Ki he could, Chenkis started to level
his decent.
The clouds were gone and Chenkis could see his landing
area. Mainly open fields with a small forest to the
northeast. Chenkis and Lenark braced themselves for the
connection they were about to have with it.
They both hit the ground with a lard thud. Besides
having the wind severely knocked out of them they were
fine. In the distance they watched the fiery ship they had
served on for so many long years descend in flames and
explode on the ground. Even though Chenkis had tried to
rebel against the ideals that ship had represented, he
still felt somewhat crushed when it met it's fate. But he
had more important matters to attend to. He knew Neshet
survived the crash and that a battle would soon erupt that
could quite possibly be the worst fight the Universe would
see.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Vegeta could finally see the burning ship on the
horizon. He could taste the scent of battle in the air.
He would defeat Neshet and bring even more honor to his
name.
There was a flash of light in front of them as two
soldiers in Freezer armor suddenly appeared before them.
Vegeta was about to kill them when one of them spoke up.
"My name is Chenkis Labroan," the reptilian one said.
"We are on you side, leading a rebellion against Neshet. We
have seven platoons standing by to assist us but we cannot
contact them since both of our scouters were destroyed when
our ship was hit. We-"
"I don't need seven platoons help me defeat one man,"
Vegeta scoffed.
"With all due respect-"
"If you still had your scouters you would realize that
I am perfectly equip to fight this battle alone. You may
watch if you want, though."
"Um…Yes, sir. Whatever you say."
"Then follow me."
With that all six of the warriors descended to the
burning crash site. Wreckage was strewn for almost a mile
radius, but the main ship was heap in a pile of twisted
metal. They could see some charred bodies among the
wreckage, but none even hinting the slightest bit of
remaining life.
"Are you sure he survived?" Trunks asked Teneral
hesitantly.
"Yes, I am sure," he replied. "He is around here,
somewhere."
"Come out, you coward!" Vegeta cried. "Come out!"
Dead silence.
Vegeta turned to Teneral. "What is going on?!"
Teneral looked strangely pale. It took a moment for
Vegeta to realize there was a hand sticking right through
his chest. But before Vegeta could do anything, the
strange attacker vanished.
They all rushed over to Teneral-all except Vegeta. He
was busy trying to sense the presence of Neshet-the obvious
attacker. Maybe this will be more challenging than I
thought.
Teneral coughed up blood.
"It doesn't look good," Trunks said. "But maybe if we
get him back to my mom-"
"No," Teneral gasped. "All of you are needed here.
Don't be troubled just because of me."
Suddenly there was a huge explosion in the west. A
figure darted out of it and attacked Vegeta with full
force. Punches and kicks flew, and Vegeta seemed to lose
ground fast.
"Neshet!" Cajeta cried.
The punches and kicks stopped and they both returned
to fighting stance. The first round was over, and Vegeta
was badly bruised. Most of all his pride was injured.
"So you're Neshet," Vegeta said. "Tell me, how well do
you fare fighting against an opponent who is ready for you.
Or do you always use sucker punches to attain victory?"
The lizard-man smiled. "I do what it takes to win."
Vegeta smiled back. "So do I." He disappeared.
Well, he didn't actually disappear. He was moving
faster than light, so it projected the illusion that he had
vanished. But to the naked eye, he was as good as gone.
Little did they all know he was far up in the
stratosphere collecting Ki energy for an attack. He would
collect as much possible, then fly straight at Neshet, then
at the last possible second he would go Super-Saiya-jin.
His logic was that if he collected as much energy as
possible and then transform it would suck less life out of
him. He had never tied this exact maneuver before, so he
could only hope it would work.
Finally he was ready. With a loud scream he hurtled
himself down at Neshet. He could see the surprised look on
Neshet's face as he exploded into Super-Saiya-jin and
pummeled him with everything he had. He broke his enemy's
armor and sent the Emperor flying. Then he summoned all
the energy he could muster.
"Big Bang Attack!" he cried as he let out a monster Ki
wave that hit Neshet without mercy. The Emperor fell to
the ground and didn't move.
It was then that Vegeta seemed to pay consideration to
Teneral's injury. He rushed over to where the man was
laying.
"Will he live?" he asked to no apparent person.
Cajeta spoke up hesitantly. "Doubtfully."
Teneral spoke to Vegeta. "Keep the Saiya-jin honor
alive. Don't let people like Neshet enslave us like Freezer
once did. Do you understand? The Saiya-jins are meant to be
free. The bonds they place on us only help to dampen our
sense of loyalty and out love for battle. Thank you for
convincing me of the truth. Wherever I go now, I will
always remember you." His eyes closed and his body went
limp. Teneral was dead.
Rage swelled Vegeta. Teneral was a very honorable
man, not deserving to die lying on the ground bleeding. He
turned to stare at Neshet, the dishonorable one that had
killed him, but found that he was gone! I should have
known.
"Look out!" Cajeta cried. The Saiya-jin jumped up and
kicked the oncoming Neshet to the ground.
"So there you are," Vegeta sneered.
"W-Wait!" the nervous Neshet stammered.
"Too late." With that, Vegeta jumped at him. The
anger rushed all around him. Then, inadvertently,
something happened. Vegeta didn't know what it was at
first. All he knew that he could kill Neshet. With a wave
of Ki energy, Vegeta vaporized Neshet once and for all.
Vegeta stood, motionless, panting hard. Why was he
breathing so hard. Then it all bexame clear. He felt the
long black hair envelope him. He had gone Super-Saiya-jin
Four! But before he could relish it any more, he winked
out of consciousness.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Five days later it was rime for the Saiya-jins to
leave. Vegeta went to send them off. He walked up to
Cajeta.
"So where are you headed?"
"I don't know," the younger Saiya-jin answered.
"Somewhere far away where we can start over and build a new
Saiya-jin Empire. It was what Teneral dreamed for before he
died."
"I wish you luck," Vegeta said.
Cajeta looked quizzical. "Why don't you come with us,
Vegeta? You could be with your race again. You don't have
to be the last of the Saiya-jins here."
"I would have liked to say that my time on Earth hasn't
mellowed me, but it has. I owe it to this planet to protect
it-to be it's defender. But maybe someday I'll decide to
join you."
"How will you find us?" Cajeta asked.
"I'll find a way."
"If that's what you wish."
"What about Chenkis and Lenark?" Vegeta asked.
They're coming along," Cajeta replied. "They will
become strong one day."
"I almost pity the fact that they could neverpossibly
become as strong as us."
"They will reach their limit, and that will be enough
for them."
"Have a safe journey, Cajeta," Vegeta said. "You are an
honorable man. Keep training."
"I will. Thank you."
Them Cajeta boarded his ship. With a loud exposion,
the Saiya-jin cruiser was propelled upward into the sky and
was soon out of sight.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Sweat beaded on his face. His body felt like it was
going to explode. Vegeta clenched his fists and tried once
again to go Super Saiya-jin Four. It took a couple of
tries, but he once again felt the rush of energy as he
jumped from Super Saiya-jin Two to Super Saiya-jin Four.
Once again, he did it. He had reached the ultimate level
possible. He let the pure Ki energy absorb him, relishing
the pain and the pleasure together.
Kakkarotto, he thought. Wherever you are, I am sure
you are training. You always are. But so am I. And even if
you are stringer than me, I will never settle being your
inferior. One day, when and if you return, I will want to
challenge you, either through myself or through my
offspring. I will beat you one day, Kakkarotto. I am the
Prince of all Saiya-jins, and strength means everything to
me.
With that thought in his mind, Vegeta continued to
train, using the anger of past defeats and losses to quell
his need for strength. He continued to transform into
Super Saiya-jin Four until it became almost too easy.
THE END
Misconceptions
By Jeffrey Kopko
The Saiya-jin space cruiser Vegeta's Glory glided
smoothly through space, it's engines humming a monotonous
note as it propelled the massive ship home.
"How much longer now?" Teneral Jouku asked the
helmsman.
"Approximately seven minutes, sir," was the reply.
Teneral sat back in the captain's chair, visibly
tired. The excitement of the anticipation of the day had
been keeping him awake at night. Finally, they would be
rejoined with the rest of their people.
Vegeta's Glory had been on a deep space mission for
almost fifty years. They had traversed the farthest
regions of the North Galaxy, conquering planets in the name
of Lord Freezer.
Teneral had only the most vague memory of Planet
Vegeta. He was much too young to remember the details.
Most of what he knew he had learned from the ship's
computer. What he had seen saw had always amazed him-the
spiral buildings seemingly penetrating the beautiful purple
sky of the world. Little did he know that he would be one
to lead the vessel home!
He sat back in the cushioned captain's chair, basking
in the anticipation. Finally the seven minutes were over,
and they had entered the Vegeta System.
"Put it on the main screen," Teneral ordered.
An image blinked on the screen. However, instead of
seeing the purple hued planet he had waited for for so
long, he just saw empty space. There was no Planet Vegeta.
He stood up briskly. It must have been a mistake.
They must have been at the wrong coordinates.
"Scan the area again!" Teneral cried nervously."
"I've already scanned it three times, sir, and-"
"Do it!"
"Yes sir."
Teneral stared at the screen again. Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
"Sir," the science officer paused. "There's nothing
there."
Teneral sat back down in grief. What had happened?
-----------------------------------------------------------
Chenkis Labroan sat idly watching his computer screen,
"loyally" serving the Freezer Empire by committing suicide.
His weapon? Boredom. The two eyes on his long, lizard
like head were becoming heavier and heavier with each
passing minute.
His job was, simply put, not very exciting. He was
tasked with the duty of monitoring local space for up to
ten light years of a radius. However, the Freezer Empire
had been long since reduced to two lightyears, but one
should never have told Chenkis' commanding officer that.
According to him, Freezer's rule "Must remain, or the
universe would collapse."
Chenkis thought all of the propaganda was garbage, but
he would never have said it aloud. He would have obtained
a one-way ticket to the great beyond.
Suddenly his computer console beeped. He was
startled. It hadn't beeped for almost eight months, and
the cause of that was a minor trade dispute. What could it
be now?
Chenkis quickly locked onto the source of the
anomalous reading- Planet Vegeta. Or former Planet Vegeta,
rather. The young officer was now staring at his computer
console not in boredom, but in amazement. It was a Saiya-
jin space cruiser!
"S-Sir!" Chenkis cried, unsuccessfully masking his
excitement. "I think I've found something!"
"What is it?" the gruff Captain Shener asked. He was a
fat, burly man, but kind hearted nonetheless.
"Sensors are picking up a Saiya-jin space cruiser in
the Vegeta system!"
Chenkis was amused at the wide-eyed expression of
disbelief displayed on Shener's face. "What did you say?"
"A Saiya-jin space cruiser!"
"Contact Emperor Neshet at once!"
Chenkis' heart sank at those words. Neshet was a
loyalist to Freezer. There was no doubt that he would
order the ship destroyed. "Yes, sir."
-----------------------------------------------------------
He was near the breaking point. He tasted the salty
sweat dripping from his brow mixed with blood. But he had
to continue.
Summoning as much KI energy as he could, he once again
attacked the robot menace. He could not lose to a mere
machine.
He fired an energy beam to distract the enemy, then
sped around and behind his foe. When he was in position,
he grasped the robot's metal frame and squeezes. The
machine attempted to resist, but it was to no avail.
Finally, the metal began to give way. Then with a flash of
light, it was nothing more thank a hunk of mechanical
parts.
"Bravo! Bravo!" A woman cried from the sidelines.
The man wiped sweat from his brow. "Thanks, Woman," he
replied. "These Capsule Corp. machines keep getting better
and better."
"Or maybe your getting worse and worse, Vegeta."
"Hardly," Vegeta replied. "But I must be able to attain
the level of Super Saiya-jin 4 more easily."
"Well, I'm sure you will, but you also need some rest,"
she said.
Vegeta glared at her. "I'll tell you when I need rest,
woman!" he yelled.
"All right, all right! And my name's Bulma, you know.
You can call me that. We've only know each other for twenty
years now."
"Would you just leave me alone?"
"Well fine. You don't have to get all defensive."
Human women, Vegeta thought to himself. I'll never
understand them.
-----------------------------------------------------------
"What did you say?" Emperor Neshet asked, leaning
forward as if to get a better look at the message. The
tranquility of Freezer 79 was harshly contrasted by the
rage in his eyes. How could there be even more Saiya-jin
than the ones on Earth?
"We have picked up a Saiya-jin space cruiser," the
Captain on the other end off the comm said. "Shall I order
it destroyed?"
"Yes! Of course!"
"Yes, si-"
"Wait! Belay that order!"
"Yes, sir."
A thought had crossed Neshet's mind. A ship full of
Saiya-jins that were oblivious to their planet's
destroyers…
"I have a plan," Neshet finally said.
"May I ask what it ism sir?"
"No, not presently," the Emperor replied. "I am coming
aboard your ship. I will tell you then."
"Yes, sir."
-----------------------------------------------------------
The exhaustion was overwhelming. All he could do was
crouch to the ground. All he could focus on was breathing.
He had been training for nearly a week straight. He had
had no sustenance whatsoever except for occasional drinks
of water. He pondered the possibility that he may have
pushed himself to far.
"Dad!"
Despite the pain, Vegeta pulled himself up to his full
stance. He could not let his son see him crouching down
like a helpless animal.
"Wanna spar with me?" Trunks asked gleefully.
That was all he could take. Vegeta collapsed to the
ground, unconscious.
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Sir, there is a ship coming in-system!" Teneral's
science officer reported.
"Classification?"
"It is from Lord Freezer's fleet, sir!"
For the first time in hours Teneral felt a small
twinge of relief. Now maybe they could get some answers.
"They're hailing us!"
"Put it on the main viewer."
The image of a reptilian alien appeared. It was
purple, with yellow spots dotting it's lizard-like body.
It wore the uniform of a soldier in Freezer's army.
The creature spoke. "I am Emperor Neshet of the
Freezer Empire," he said. "Who are you?"
Captain Teneral Jouku of the Saiya-jin Elite, loyal
soldiers to the omnipotent Freezer."
"Freezer is dead," Neshet said bluntly.
Teneral was shocked, his mouth open in disbelief.
Freezer couldn't die! He was the master of the universe!
"That can't be true!" he barked.
"Oh, but it is. He was killed."
No, Teneral thought. Impossible. "By whom?"
"By the same ones that destroyed your home planet. Son
Goku and the Z-Senshi on the planet Earth."
-----------------------------------------------------------
Chenkis was genuinely disgusted. He watched as
Emperor Neshet walked onto the bridge, obviously very proud
of himself for "wonderful" idea he had come up with.
Neshet had said that he would trick the Saiya-jins into
believing the Z-Senshi had destroyed Planet Vegeta and use
it to fuel their anger and carry on the cause of revenge
for Freeza's death. Chenkis was one of the few officers of
the Freeza Empire willing to put the past behind them.
Many, though, including Neshet, lusted only for revenge.
"How did your meeting go?" the lumbering Captain Shener
asked.
"Very well," Neshet replied. "I also learned something
of great use to us."
"May I ask what it is?"
"Yes, you may."
There was a moment of silence. The eavesdropping
Chenkis was eager to hear what came next.
"Ummm, what is it?" Shener asked.
"They all have the ability to go Super Saiya-jin."
Obviously everyone on the bridge had been
eavesdropping. At the sounds of those words, Chenkis saw
every officer's eyes light up.
Neshet smiled. "We attack Earth in twenty-five
standard hours."
-----------------------------------------------------------
Vegeta awoke in a daze. He saw the blurred faces of
all those he knew and loved above him, staring down in
nervousness. Am I dead?
"Man, Dad, I've never seen you pass out like that. But
I'm glad you're all right."
I guess I'm not dead.
Vegeta saw up with a low groan. He observed his
surroundings. He was in his home- Capsule Corp. He was
surrounded by people. He felt like an animal being studied
in a zoo.
"What is everyone doing here?" he raged, attempting to
project his voice, but failing miserably. He was not yet
fully awake, and he found it hard to keep his eyes open.
"Trunks found you in the desert," Bulma said. "He said
you passed out from exhaustion, so he brought you here. I
was hosting a dinner party at the time. So here we are."
"Well, you may continue," Vegeta said authoritatively.
He turned to look at his son, Trunks. "You wanted to train?
Let's go train."
-----------------------------------------------------------
It was easier now. The three years since he had
achieved Super Saiya-jin had been hard years. He had used
the rage of the loss of his parents to go Super Saiya-jin
then.
But now he had new rage. Fists clenched, Cajeta let
the anger of his destroyed home world engulf him. Suddenly
something inside of him snapped. Erupting from within,
golden Ki energy flared around him. His hair turned from
dark black to more gold than a pirate's trove. He had once
again become a Super-Saiya-jin, one of the strongest beings
in the galaxy.
Of course the title of Super-Saiya-jin did not mean
what it used to mean. Hundreds of years ago, individuals
would have given almost anything to become one of the
raging monsters called "Super Saiya-jin." Now, considering
how strong all the remaining Saiya-jins had become, and the
frequent transformations, it could only be considered as
"an honor."
Suddenly the com link located beside him beeped. He
turned and answered. "Cajeta here," he acknowledged.
The returning voice was gruff and filled with an edge.
"We've arrived at Earth. We will be attacking soon."
Cajeta smiled devilishly. It was time for vengeance.
-----------------------------------------------------------
The blows moved faster than lightning, connecting with
the accuracy only a Super-Saiya-jin could display. Trunks
gave his full power against his father, but it wasn't
enough.
Of course, Vegeta wasn't giving his best. If he had
given his best his son would be dead. One day, however,
Vegeta hoped to see his son become just as strong as him.
But no stronger, he thought.
The two Super-Saiya-jins continued to fight.
Trunks was charging up a Ki blast when something
bolted out of the air and struck him on the shoulders,
sending the young man tumbling toward the ground.
"What the?" Vegeta stammered, before he, too, became
one with the ground. When he looked up he saw two Super
Saiya-jin warriors smirking at him.
Vegeta temporarily laid aside his bafflement as he
calmly accepted this new challenge. He hovered up to the
enemy's altitude with a grim expression.
"Who are you and what brings you to this planet?" he
asked harshly.
The warrior on the left responded. "I am Cajeta, elite
warrior of the late Lord Freeza, the one you killed. You
also destroyed our home planet, you traitor. We are here
for your blood."
"Listen," Vegeta replied. "I don't want to know who's
been feeding you this garbage, but-"
"Silence!" Cajeta cried. "We do not hear words from
traitors."
Finally the other one spoke. "You will die slowly."
Vegeta smirked. "We'll see."
At the moment Cajeta attacked. Vegeta sensed the
onslaught just in the nick of time, barely avoiding
Cejeta's fist. Seeing an opportunity, Vegeta kneed Cajeta
in the stomach. He was about to pound Cajeta into the
ground when the nameless Saiya-jin attacked.
Uh-oh.
Vegeta was struck in the face and hurtled toward the
ground. He moaned loudly, feigning pain and vulnerability.
The naïve Saiya-jin who had just struck him took the bait.
He flew down at Vegeta. Vegeta opened both eyes and
blasted his opponent into oblivion.
All too easy.
Vegeta sensed that Cajeta was stronger. Cajeta would
resort to more than just sucker punches.
First Vegeta tried diplomacy. "We didn't destroy your
planet, and I have nothing against you. Just go back where
you came and we will never see one another again."
"I will avenge Lord Freeza with my life," was the
reply.
"Freeza was a fool. By destroying Planet Vegeta he
allowed our rage to grow."
Cajeta glared at Vegeta. "How dare you say such a
thing about Lord Freezer? You will die here!"
With that Cajeta charged at Vegeta in a blind rage.
Vegeta was cautious. Even a Super-Saiya-jin 1 could wound
him at the level he was currently in.
Cajeta through a closed fist at Vegeta. The Saiya-jin
prince latch onto it, and, using the force of Cajeta's
attack, thrust the enemy down toward the ground. However,
Cajeta stopped in midair, glaring valiantly at Vegeta.
Vegeta launched a strong Ki blast with the intent to
end the skirmish.
It didn't. Cajeta deflected the bolts effortlessly.
"Enough of this!" Vegeta cried, as he burst into the
stage of Super Saiya-jin Two. "There! Let's see what you
can do now!"
Cajeta grinned. "Let's see."
-----------------------------------------------------------
The one thing that Teneral hated about being a captain
was that his place was on the bridge, not on the
battlefield. Teneral snarled as he monitored the situation
on earth. He had sent two middle class warriors to deal
with Saiya-jin traitor named Vegeta, but had found that the
warrior was stronger than he was letting on. Cajeta fought
bravely, but it was clear he was losing.
Teneral was going down. He didn't like to waste
warriors. Teneral turned to his First Officer, Neller, and
ordered him to assume temporary command of the ship. With
that, Teneral boarded a pod and blasted to the surface of
the Earth.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Vegeta laughed at the wounded warrior. He watched as
Cajeta struggled to stand but was prevented to by his
broken ribs.
"Agh!" he cried, spitting blood. Cajeta fell back to
the ground, but kept his icy stare directed at Vegeta.
"Wish you had your scouter now?" Vegeta mocked. "Too
bad it exploded when I turned Super Saiya-jin Two. Can you
even fathom my incredible power?"
"Dad!" At that moment Trunks ran over to his father's
side. "Are you okay?"
Vegeta laughed again. "You should be asking him that!"
Just then there was a sonic boom, followed by a bright
flash in the sky. Something was landing. "Come on, Son,"
Vegeta said. "Let's let this guy writhe in agony while we
go over to see who the new arrival is."
Trunks wasn't as excited about the idea as his father
was. "We're just going to leave him here?" he asked in
sympathy.
"Yes," Vegeta said flatly. "We'll be back after we
dispose of this newcomer."
With that they hovered over to the landing are. It
was mostly desert, but a few bushes seemed to peek out from
the dry sand.
"Hmm," Vegeta snorted. "It was a one-man Saiya-jin
space pod. That meant one occupant. This would be easy.
The pod door opened slowly, widening the anticipation
at the new arrival's appearance.
The occupant was a man of medium build. He had
shortly cropped black hair and wore the uniform of a Saiya-
jin warrior.
Vegeta smiled. "You're friends are having a pretty bad
day. Looks like you're gonna have one, too."
Teneral's face turned grim suddenly. He stiffened up,
fists clenched. All of a sudden he launched an attack that
even took Vegeta off guard. The Saiya-jin prince caught
the brunt of the assault and fell backwards.
Teneral suddenly yelled. Vegeta looked up, and to his
horror, he saw Teneral turn Super Saiya-jin Two!
No, this is impossible!
It was a clash of equal powers now. The two Saiya-
jins fought bitterly, each cut off from reinforcements.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Everything was going as Neshet had planned. The
Emperor smiled as he watched the battle on his computer
console. The two Saiya-jin warriors were moving so fast
even he couldn't detect them at some points.
Finally revenge would be his. Freeza would have been
proud.
-----------------------------------------------------------
"We can't let this happen," Chenkis whispered to his
best friend, Lenark. Lenark was a supporter of the
Republic Faction, a small group of people with the notion
of change. They believed the only way the Freezer Empire
would survive is if it would put the past behind them and
move on. They also bitterly despised the Imperial control
they suffered from. That was why they were referred to as
the "Republic Faction." They believed a Republic should be
formed to take the place of the tyranny Neshet was putting
on the populace.
Unfortunately, they were in the severe minority. "What are we going to do?" Lenark asked critically.
"Storm the capital? Take Neshet hostage?"
"I'll think of something."
"Yeah."
They were in the mess hall talking ever so quietly.
If someone overheard the delicate conversation it would be
disastrous. Chenkis winced as he thought of some of the
atrocities he would have to endure had the word gotten out.
But he was going to make sure that the word stayed right
where it was, at least for the time being.
Lenark continued. "We can't recruit many more. You
know what happened to Chank."
Chenkis grimaced.
"I can try to get ahold of Sannar. He has a lot of
troops that are part of the faction. But the question is
'Then what' "?
"We get down to Earth."
"What?!"
"That is the only way we're going to have a chance. We
assist the Earthlings. I've heard that the Saiya-jins there
are just as strong as Neshet."
"I wish."
"Are you in?"
Lenara paused for just a moment, then said "Sure."
-----------------------------------------------------------
Vegeta felt angry and exhilarated at the same time.
It had been so long since he had fought a battle with an
equal. He was also slightly angry because it looked as if
he might not win.
He was sure Teneral felt the same way.
Vegeta glanced over at Trunks and Cajeta. Neither of
them were watching. They were just observing his fight.
Pacifists.
"You ready?" Vegeta asked Teneral.
"Always."
Vegeta sped up to Teneral, making it appear as if he
was going to attack from ahead. But that was just a
diversion. Instead, Vegeta sped around Teneral and kicked
the legs out from under him. Teneral almost fell to the
ground, but caught himself in time and through a fist at
Vegeta. Vegeta, however, was clear of the fist and
charging for a Ki attack. A very large Ki attack.
Vegeta had much altitude. Teneral looked, spellbound,
as Vegeta charged up his energy. He had never seen anyone
else emit this much Ki.
The Ki was as bright as the sun. Vegeta was far in
the sky now, arms outstretched. His veins looked as if
they were about to burst. Finally, he put his arms
together and yelled "Final Flash!"
A brilliant flash left Vegeta's palms as the Ki energy
erupted toward it's target-Teneral. Teneral instinctively
flew away from it, trying to dodge it with all his might.
But as no matter how hard he tried, no matter how much
energy he used to propel himself with, it was not enough to
evade the beam that was doggedly pursuing him. His best
chance was to turn around and try to shield himself as best
he could.
And that was exactly what he did.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Fog seemed to be everywhere. He looked about, dazed
and confused. What had just happened? He was running from
Vegeta's Final Flash and-
Vegeta.
Suddenly Teneral shot up to his full stance and faced
his enemy. The Saiya-jin prince had a wide grin on his
face.
"I was wondering how long you were going to lay there
sleeping," Vegeta mocked. "Are you done?"
Teneral said nothing. Instead, he waited,
contemplating what to do next. He would not let the words
of a traitor rattle his spirit. He would defeat the menace
he was facing.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Vegeta finally stopped attacking with words. It was
time to get down to business.
"Why have you come here?" Vegeta asked, his eyes cross
as if suggesting any haightiness would lead to an untimely
death.
Teneral sighed, as if defeated. "You destroyed my-our-
home planet. You killed the almighty Freeza. You deserve to
die."
Vegeta was shocked at the words. He felt like
blasting the man right where he was for the insult he had
said. Vegeta would give almost anything for his proud
heritage to return, for the Saiya-jins to flourish once
again.
"Who told you that garbage?"
"Emperor Neshet."
"Who is he?"
"Emperor of the Freeza remnant."
Vegeta paused, organizing his thoughts. "How did you
get here?"
"Why should I tell you anything?"
"Tell me or die."
"We just arrived from a deep space mission a couple of
days ago."
"And you trust the words of a non Saiya-jin you met
just yesturday over the words of Prince Vegeta, the
strongest Saiya-jin alive?"
Teneral didn't say anything.
"It was not us who destroyed Planet Vegeta, but Freeza
himself."
"No, I refuse to believe it!"
"It is the truth."
"NO!"
Vegeta sighed heavily. "Look, I'm not going to go
through this again. You must understand reason."
Even though Teneral continued to steadfastly refuse
the truth, Vegeta noticed a slight flicker of consideration
in his eyes. Maybe he would see the light after all.
Vegeta offered his hand to the fallen Saiya-jin
warrior. "Join me, the prince of all Saiya-jins," he said.
"Let us take revenge for the pride Freezer tore from us."
Teneral knew now. With a hard clasp of the hand, he
was eye level to Vegeta. "I need to call my ship."
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Sir, we're receiving a message from Earth," the
communications officer on the bridge of Vegeta's Glory
announced. "It's from Captain Jouku!"
The ship's executive officer, Neller, suddenly looked
alert and professional. His officer training was paying
off. "Open frequency," he ordered.
"Yes, sir."
Just then the image of a beaten but hearty Captain
Jouku appeared on the main viewing screen. The sky behind
him was bright but did not hinder viewing.
Neller looked aghast. "What happened, sir?"
The captain smiled a bit. "I have met Prince Vegeta
and have been enlightened about some things."
"You would trust a traitor such as him?"
Teneral looked angry. "He is not a traitor." And with
that, he explained the true history of the Planet Vegeta's
destruction to his bridge crew. Finally the crew
understood and believed.
"Are you with us?" Teneral asked.
"Yes, sir."
"Good. That's the crew I know."
Little did they know that secretly their every word
was being monitored by Emperor Neshet, and with every
passing moment he was gathering more and more Ki for the
inevitable confrontation that awaited.
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Captain, you can't believe this menace!" cried
Cajeta. Cajeta was stubborn and it was difficult to change
his mind once it was made. Since he had already made up
his mind that Vegeta deserved to die, he wanted very much
to be the executioner.
"You would trust Neshet, an alien we hardly know? You
would call Prince Vegeta, son of the great King Vegeta, a
lier?"
"I would not-"
"My father knew King Vegeta long ago. He used to tell
me stories about how honorable he was. About how much he
exemplified the Saiya-jin race as a whole. He told me that
there was no man he would more willingly trust his life to,
and I believe that his son is the same way. If they are
lying-if that's all that Saiya-jins are-than we deserve to
die. We deserve to go by the wayside in the name of
greater honor. I trust Vegeta, and I-no-we will fight for
him until the day we die."
Vegeta was openly amused at Teneral's speech of Saiya-
jin honor. But he didn't mind being praised, so he said
nothing until it was clear he was finished. "Are we ready?"
he finally asked.
Teneral nodded his head. "Yes, we are." He turned his
head to Cajeta. "Well?"
Cajeta was silent for a moment. "I will follow you,
Captain. And if you follow Prince Vegeta, than I will
follow him as well."
"Good. Now let's get going."
-----------------------------------------------------------
It was a delicate operation to say the least. Chenkis
couldn't help but feel nervous. Why, though? Lenark had
done an excellent job allocating their troops to Earth. It
was all going according to planned. But something didn't
feel right. It was as if Emperor Neshet knew wht they were
doing, but was just waiting for the most opportune time to
clamp down on their rebellion and finish it permanently.
At that moment Lenark entered the room. Chenkis
voiced his concern: "Are you sure about this?"
Lenark looked grim. "No, I think we should stop."
Chenkis' jaw dropped open in amazement for just a
moent before he realized that Lenark was just joking.
Lenark was like that sometimes.
"Look, Chenkis," Lenark said with confidence. "This
will work. Trust me."
"It just seems like it's all going to be in vain. I
mean, just look at the power levels of these Saiya-jins. I
have a feeling it's going to come down to them and we are
going to make very little difference."
"We have to do our part."
Chenkis smiled. You could always count on Lenark to
get you in an up mood when you really needed it.. Or at least he would try.
"Anyway," Lenark said at last, "We have seven full
platoons loyal to the faction in this system. If we wanted
to, I could try to get Neshet to authorize some of us to go
down to Earth. Then we could talk to them face to face."
"No," Chenkis said. "That will be too obvious. We need
to wait until they make a move. Then we can attack Neshet
from the inside out."
"You always come up with the best plans," Lenark said.
"That's why I'm a Lieutenant and you're just a
Private."
-----------------------------------------------------------
"So what are we going to do?" Cajeta asked, a slight
bit of contempt still in his voice.
Vegeta spoke up. "Bring the ship down here."
Teneral looked confused. "Pardon?"
"Have your ship shoot Neshet's ship down or something.
Just get him to come down here. I can't breathe in space so
I won't be very effective up there. All they'd have to do
would be to blow me out of a side bulkhead or something."
"Of course, sir," said Teneral. "What after that?"
Vegeta smiled. "I'll kill him."
Teneral smiled. "I'll send the order."
-----------------------------------------------------------
They were trained for this. As they order came, the
Siya-jinw arriors knew exactly what to do. Wheeling right,
they opened fire on the enemy ship, immediately pulverizing
it's starboard gun turrets. The Saiya-jin broka away hard
to avoid a collision and did another strafing run. But
this time the enemy was ready. The battle ensued for many
minutes.
"What's the status of their shields?" Neller asked.
"They're at forty percent efficiency!" cried the
tactical officer. "Another two good shots and they'll be
down completely!"
"Can I trust you for those shots?"
The tactical officer smiled. "Of course, sir."
-----------------------------------------------------------
The bridge buckled again. Chenkis looked on his
computer monitor and saw that the ship had only twenty-five
percent shields left! Chenkis was half terror stricken,
half joyous. That would mean he would get to Earth after
all, but the question was in how many pieces.
Suddenly the bridge went dim with another explosion.
The deck was eerily quiet. Chenkis swore he could feel the
ship turn, ever so slightly, to starboard. He had the
sickening epiphany that they were going down, and that it
was doubtful he would survive.
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Is it done?" Vegeta asked sternly.
"Yes," Teneral replied. "They are crash landing on the
North Continent."
"Then let's get going," Vegeta said. "We don't want to
miss the party."
"
What about me?" Trunks asked.
Vegeta looked over at his son. He had almost
forgotten that Trunks was even there. "You may come as
well, but you can leaving all the fighting up to me."
"Whatever you say, Father."
With that they flew for the North Continent in haste.
-----------------------------------------------------------
The ship was shaking violently. Chenkis looked around
and saw the terrified faces of his fellow crew members.
Finally he realized that his own face no doubt looked the
same-a face that knew that it's end was coming and that
there was nothing he could do to stop it. It was
inevitable.
Or was it? If Chenkis get just the right
aerodynamics, he could blast a hole into an outside
bulkhead and fly out to safety. But if he didn't time the
jump perfectly he would be sucked out and would die from
suffocation or some other non-inviting death.
He rushed over to the side wall. To his surprise, he
saw Lenark not far away.
"Lenark!" Chenkis cried. "Over here!"
The Private rushed over. "Ready to die?"
"No, I have an idea."
"I thought so."
"If we can blast through this wall just the right way
we could fly outta here without getting ripped around by
the wind too much."
"Sure. I don't have any better option."
The decision was made. Chenkis slowly raised his
laser cannon up to the wall. He didn't have the ability to
manipulate Ki as well as the Saiya-jins, so he had to use
mechanical devices.
He looked at Lenark. He nodded.
With the pull of the trigger he shot through. Then it
all went wrong. The entire wall ripped off and before the
two of them knew it they were halfway to the ground.
"Was this part of the plan?" Lenark asked.
Chenkis ignored his companion's sarcasm. He was more
interested in living then giving a smart comment in return.
Manipulating all the Ki he could, Chenkis started to level
his decent.
The clouds were gone and Chenkis could see his landing
area. Mainly open fields with a small forest to the
northeast. Chenkis and Lenark braced themselves for the
connection they were about to have with it.
They both hit the ground with a lard thud. Besides
having the wind severely knocked out of them they were
fine. In the distance they watched the fiery ship they had
served on for so many long years descend in flames and
explode on the ground. Even though Chenkis had tried to
rebel against the ideals that ship had represented, he
still felt somewhat crushed when it met it's fate. But he
had more important matters to attend to. He knew Neshet
survived the crash and that a battle would soon erupt that
could quite possibly be the worst fight the Universe would
see.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Vegeta could finally see the burning ship on the
horizon. He could taste the scent of battle in the air.
He would defeat Neshet and bring even more honor to his
name.
There was a flash of light in front of them as two
soldiers in Freezer armor suddenly appeared before them.
Vegeta was about to kill them when one of them spoke up.
"My name is Chenkis Labroan," the reptilian one said.
"We are on you side, leading a rebellion against Neshet. We
have seven platoons standing by to assist us but we cannot
contact them since both of our scouters were destroyed when
our ship was hit. We-"
"I don't need seven platoons help me defeat one man,"
Vegeta scoffed.
"With all due respect-"
"If you still had your scouters you would realize that
I am perfectly equip to fight this battle alone. You may
watch if you want, though."
"Um…Yes, sir. Whatever you say."
"Then follow me."
With that all six of the warriors descended to the
burning crash site. Wreckage was strewn for almost a mile
radius, but the main ship was heap in a pile of twisted
metal. They could see some charred bodies among the
wreckage, but none even hinting the slightest bit of
remaining life.
"Are you sure he survived?" Trunks asked Teneral
hesitantly.
"Yes, I am sure," he replied. "He is around here,
somewhere."
"Come out, you coward!" Vegeta cried. "Come out!"
Dead silence.
Vegeta turned to Teneral. "What is going on?!"
Teneral looked strangely pale. It took a moment for
Vegeta to realize there was a hand sticking right through
his chest. But before Vegeta could do anything, the
strange attacker vanished.
They all rushed over to Teneral-all except Vegeta. He
was busy trying to sense the presence of Neshet-the obvious
attacker. Maybe this will be more challenging than I
thought.
Teneral coughed up blood.
"It doesn't look good," Trunks said. "But maybe if we
get him back to my mom-"
"No," Teneral gasped. "All of you are needed here.
Don't be troubled just because of me."
Suddenly there was a huge explosion in the west. A
figure darted out of it and attacked Vegeta with full
force. Punches and kicks flew, and Vegeta seemed to lose
ground fast.
"Neshet!" Cajeta cried.
The punches and kicks stopped and they both returned
to fighting stance. The first round was over, and Vegeta
was badly bruised. Most of all his pride was injured.
"So you're Neshet," Vegeta said. "Tell me, how well do
you fare fighting against an opponent who is ready for you.
Or do you always use sucker punches to attain victory?"
The lizard-man smiled. "I do what it takes to win."
Vegeta smiled back. "So do I." He disappeared.
Well, he didn't actually disappear. He was moving
faster than light, so it projected the illusion that he had
vanished. But to the naked eye, he was as good as gone.
Little did they all know he was far up in the
stratosphere collecting Ki energy for an attack. He would
collect as much possible, then fly straight at Neshet, then
at the last possible second he would go Super-Saiya-jin.
His logic was that if he collected as much energy as
possible and then transform it would suck less life out of
him. He had never tied this exact maneuver before, so he
could only hope it would work.
Finally he was ready. With a loud scream he hurtled
himself down at Neshet. He could see the surprised look on
Neshet's face as he exploded into Super-Saiya-jin and
pummeled him with everything he had. He broke his enemy's
armor and sent the Emperor flying. Then he summoned all
the energy he could muster.
"Big Bang Attack!" he cried as he let out a monster Ki
wave that hit Neshet without mercy. The Emperor fell to
the ground and didn't move.
It was then that Vegeta seemed to pay consideration to
Teneral's injury. He rushed over to where the man was
laying.
"Will he live?" he asked to no apparent person.
Cajeta spoke up hesitantly. "Doubtfully."
Teneral spoke to Vegeta. "Keep the Saiya-jin honor
alive. Don't let people like Neshet enslave us like Freezer
once did. Do you understand? The Saiya-jins are meant to be
free. The bonds they place on us only help to dampen our
sense of loyalty and out love for battle. Thank you for
convincing me of the truth. Wherever I go now, I will
always remember you." His eyes closed and his body went
limp. Teneral was dead.
Rage swelled Vegeta. Teneral was a very honorable
man, not deserving to die lying on the ground bleeding. He
turned to stare at Neshet, the dishonorable one that had
killed him, but found that he was gone! I should have
known.
"Look out!" Cajeta cried. The Saiya-jin jumped up and
kicked the oncoming Neshet to the ground.
"So there you are," Vegeta sneered.
"W-Wait!" the nervous Neshet stammered.
"Too late." With that, Vegeta jumped at him. The
anger rushed all around him. Then, inadvertently,
something happened. Vegeta didn't know what it was at
first. All he knew that he could kill Neshet. With a wave
of Ki energy, Vegeta vaporized Neshet once and for all.
Vegeta stood, motionless, panting hard. Why was he
breathing so hard. Then it all bexame clear. He felt the
long black hair envelope him. He had gone Super-Saiya-jin
Four! But before he could relish it any more, he winked
out of consciousness.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Five days later it was rime for the Saiya-jins to
leave. Vegeta went to send them off. He walked up to
Cajeta.
"So where are you headed?"
"I don't know," the younger Saiya-jin answered.
"Somewhere far away where we can start over and build a new
Saiya-jin Empire. It was what Teneral dreamed for before he
died."
"I wish you luck," Vegeta said.
Cajeta looked quizzical. "Why don't you come with us,
Vegeta? You could be with your race again. You don't have
to be the last of the Saiya-jins here."
"I would have liked to say that my time on Earth hasn't
mellowed me, but it has. I owe it to this planet to protect
it-to be it's defender. But maybe someday I'll decide to
join you."
"How will you find us?" Cajeta asked.
"I'll find a way."
"If that's what you wish."
"What about Chenkis and Lenark?" Vegeta asked.
They're coming along," Cajeta replied. "They will
become strong one day."
"I almost pity the fact that they could neverpossibly
become as strong as us."
"They will reach their limit, and that will be enough
for them."
"Have a safe journey, Cajeta," Vegeta said. "You are an
honorable man. Keep training."
"I will. Thank you."
Them Cajeta boarded his ship. With a loud exposion,
the Saiya-jin cruiser was propelled upward into the sky and
was soon out of sight.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Sweat beaded on his face. His body felt like it was
going to explode. Vegeta clenched his fists and tried once
again to go Super Saiya-jin Four. It took a couple of
tries, but he once again felt the rush of energy as he
jumped from Super Saiya-jin Two to Super Saiya-jin Four.
Once again, he did it. He had reached the ultimate level
possible. He let the pure Ki energy absorb him, relishing
the pain and the pleasure together.
Kakkarotto, he thought. Wherever you are, I am sure
you are training. You always are. But so am I. And even if
you are stringer than me, I will never settle being your
inferior. One day, when and if you return, I will want to
challenge you, either through myself or through my
offspring. I will beat you one day, Kakkarotto. I am the
Prince of all Saiya-jins, and strength means everything to
me.
With that thought in his mind, Vegeta continued to
train, using the anger of past defeats and losses to quell
his need for strength. He continued to transform into
Super Saiya-jin Four until it became almost too easy.
THE END