Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball, nor DBZ, not GT. I don't know anyone that has anything to do with it. Although I respect Akira Toriyama greatly, I've not even met him. Damn.
I have several excuses for not working on this immediately, but I'll skip them. If you've yet to have read the fics leading up to this, I think that you'll be fine. You'll probably be confused in the beginning, but it should phase out as the fic goes on.
This was the planned fic; the one that I intended to put the most depth in and last the longest. This gives me a bit of a worry, as my previous fics weren't supposed to be that long. Not on my life did I imagine that GVD would reach such a number of chapters.
Piccolo didn't dream much that night. All he saw was that woman in the dress, again. She stood upon a hill, with a dim, bleak sky behind her. This time, her face wasn't obscured as a lack of form, but he still didn't see it. To be more precise, he saw her face, but it had no skin upon it.
Earth remained uneventful. As far as it could be told, the serial killings did not continue past that one night, and life didn't take long to go back to normal. There was still peace, and there wasn't a slight of hostility in the air. It was so calm and blissful that it was almost creepy.
Goku and Gohan managed to not worry about the strange feeling that they had. They decided that it had passed, and it was probably only that string of murders (however, "only" didn't hold well in their minds, since they felt somewhat ashamed that they weren't able to help anyone). After they put it behind them, they didn't even remember it until several months later, when that ship landed.
They touched down in an area that was certainly meant to keep them from gaining any unnecessary attention, but nothing that large could hope to get past the radar systems at Capsule Corp. Bulma immediately took her two Saiya-jin men with her to check it out.
"It should be over here," she said, looking up momentarily from a small console.
Vegita grunted. "I don't see why it's necessary for you to drag us along. I don't give a damn about some alien ship. Not like there's anybody that can pose a threat to us."
"Yeah, Mama," Trunks concurred, "What's the point?"
"Really! Just because you two are practically invincible doesn't mean that I'm not. Do you think that I'm going to go somewhere where there might be a potential threat to my life by myself?"
Although this actually made Vegita quit his confrontation, Trunks continued, "Not my fault you're weak..." A simple glare from his mother made him repeal these words.
Bulma finally caught a glimpse of a large, foreign-looking object and sprinted ahead. Upon approaching it, she was able to tell by its intricate and unusual design by the hull that it was created by makers that she had yet to have seen, perhaps an entirely different race. The outer surface didn't appear to be made of any material that she was familiar with, formed in a fashion that reminded her of an upside-down acorn on stilts. Protruding from the bottom was a cylindrical object that she figured was the entrance, but it showed no seams of any doors.
One peculiar feature was these vase-shaped things that was all over the "cap" of the acorn. She watched it a while as gas was expended from them every once in a while, being the only movement it made in the hour that she sat there (she would have waited longer, but Vegita was becoming impatient).
It didn't take long before the whole group was informed. The way that Bulma described it, it sounded big enough to hold and maintain a score of people, perhaps more depending on the inner layout of the ship. However, they questioned whether there was anyone in there or not. Not a sound came from it past the mechanical functions, and they couldn't sense a soul in there.
Their questions didn't remain unanswered for too long. Right when Bulma was about to set up a mini-surveillance camera to watch it after they left, the cylindrical figure rose to reveal four people.
A man, very distinguishably dressed and definitely alien, was surrounded with others that looked lesser in stature or rank than he. They stepped forward to the (predominantly) Human group in unison, displaying a pace that was almost military, and stopped before them.
The first man motioned in an exaggerated way, forcing back the loose folds of his coat as he did something between a bow and offering a handshake. The gesture was almost comical, and it didn't get any reaction other than some sweat drops. He remained in that position until the man at his left (with a uniform that, although similar, looked more like a doctor's or scientist's) coughed and spoke himself. "Sir, that's not the proper greeting. You just combined three different Earth gestures."
The superior shot up into upright position and towards the doctor. "You told me that they were greeting gestures!"
"Yes, but you don't do them all at once, sir."
He groaned and looked back at the Human group. "My apologies. I'm not used to your customs, and my top scientist gave me misleading material to go by."
"My material was not in any way misleading! I'll have you know--"
The superior ignored him and continued, "I am General Rabiori of the Pasuko Empire, under the order of Queen Komugiko."
After a moment of silence, the doctor rolled his eyes and pushed his glasses up a little farther on this nose. "We were sent here to study the amount of leylines and streams that seem to crisscross on this very planet, and during the research, I discovered local media about you and your achievements. We know of your strength, and we bring no malevolence to you or your socie--"
"Before the good doctor gets long winded," interrupted Rabiori, causing the doctor to seem even more annoyed, "may I escort you into our modest ship?"
As the general gestured towards the cylinder, the group seemed reluctant to enter with them. Even though these aliens were trying to treat them as superiors, they were definitely suppressing their ki, and it was pretty easy to tell that these people were strong; even the doctor, who looked thin and frail, seemed to be much above average. However, they didn't show any nature that they would attack them inside, so the Saiya-jin (except the children, who were held back by their mothers) agreed to enter.
The aliens (which they found were called "Pasuko-jin") predominantly had pale, yellowish with blue markings that came from behind. Their hair was in strands as thick as the Ethernet cords from the early days of computer networking, and ranged in colors from a bold yellow, to red, to spinach green. Otherwise, they were rather similar to most Humanoids that populate civilized galaxies.
General Rabiori was a rather high-ranking military officer, and he didn't try to hide the fact. His dark uniform was elaborate and covered with clanging medals and bright ropes. It was obvious that he liked to brag and, generally, hear himself talk. He was most proud of his most recent achievement: assassinating the head General of the opposing empire.
Dr. Arufuredo managed to introduce himself properly and get a few words in before Rabiori could cut him off again. The bangs of his short, green hair had a habit of falling over into his eyes whenever Rabiori referred to him coolly or ordered him to do something menial. He hardly talked unless Rabiori made a factual error or simply faltered in the conversation.
The two explained the mission that brought them to Earth: there are a series of leylines and communication streams that reach into vast distances, which several scientists have gone into research to use these lines effectively, and there's already a lot of progress. However, the progress was largely that of scientists in the Puroeriun Empire, whose army seized without mercy. They were known to wipe out whole populations of planets under a "pillage and burn" operation. No man, woman, or child was ever left alive, and the people who lived in the Empire lived in terror; nothing was more frightening than the tyranny that was thrust upon them.
Rabiori didn't hesitate to ask them to enlist, trying to assure that it was for a good cause. The three Saiya-jin thought for an awkward moment before declining; their women certainly wouldn't allow it, and they were positive of this. The general nodded and continued, "Don't worry, then. We will not be bringing a fight here, since the empires are both far away from here. We're only here to study. However, if you change your mind, let me know."
Many of you guys must be confused to no end. The tone is rather light (considering), everything is vague, and now you have to read about these weird alien creatures, one of which has the same arrogance scale as Vegita and the same level of pompous behavior as Bulma (to make similies with familiar entities, so to speak). The tone should even out as the story goes along, but I can't guarentee anything.
Furthurmore, if this or any chapters get way too confusing to read, I could take them back and rework them if necessary. I mention this because it seems that my writing ability has been stressed lately.