PROLOGUE
EARTH – AGE 997
Once a planet of peace and prosperity. A place that was safe in a universe full of dangers.
For hundreds of years the people of Earth had faced many fierce terrors who threatened their way of life. Enemies who sought to sow ruin on the planet for all manner of selfish reasons.
The people of Earth have faced many adversities, but through their strength of will they had survived and triumphed over tyranny.
Until now.
For the last twenty years the Earth has been under siege by an enemy force known as the Intergalactic Army. The Intergalactic Army had demanded Earth's unconditional surrender at first contact. All would be spared, and the citizens of the planet would not have their way of life changed. In return they would require total and complete subservience. The Intergalactic Army claimed they served a being who ruled over an empire so vast it dwarfed the colonies conquered by the Emperor Frieza, and commanded an army a thousand-fold larger than the Frieza Force. The same army that had destroyed New Namek sixty years prior after its residents rejected the Intergalactic Army's offer, forcing the planet's residents to relocate themselves to Earth using the Namekian Dragon Balls.
Caught off guard by the sudden invasion, the people of Earth suffered many casualties in the early onslaught. The remnants of the planet's armies and ki sensitive fighters came together to form an organization dedicated to liberating the planet from the forces of the Intergalatic Army.
The Earth's Special Forces began a guerilla war, taking back lost territory, securing the four main cities as a relatively safe haven.
Over the past twenty years many skirmishes have been fought with the Intergalactic Army controlling roughly sixty percent of the planet from military bases established over the two decades, and the Earth's Special Forces keeping the peace from their own heavily defended headquarters. Fortified outposts protect outlying towns, and trained guards patrol the streets of the four cities day and night, prepared to repel an attack.
Now begins a turning point in the fight to defend the Earth. The planet and it's defenders are about to suffer a staggering loss, and this is where our story begins.
…
WEST CITY
Kale pushed open the front door. 'We're home' he called out, dropping his school bag on the floor by the door. His mother stuck her head into the hall way and greeted him with a smile.
'Hello Kale' she said as she walked into the hall and hung up his bag on a hook next to the door. 'How was school today?'
Kale shrugged. 'It was okay'. His expression changed as his sister Jean walked through the doorway.
'Maybe you should Jean how her day was' he said as a wide grin spread across his face.
Jean shot him a look, her eyes narrowed and their mother turned towards his sister.
'Why Jean, what does Kale mean?' she asked.
'He means nothing' Jean replied.
Their mother sighed. 'Did you get called into the principle's office again? Which girl did you have a fight with today?'
Jean remained silent and stood with her hands behind her back looking down at her feet.
Their mother bent down and put a hand on Jean's head. 'You can't go around fighting with other girls when they say something that annoys you.'
Kale was struggling not to laugh at this point. 'It wasn't a girl' he said.
Their mother looked round in surprise at him, then looked back at Jean.
'It was a boy' Jean mumbled as Kale howled with laughter.
Their mother sighed again and stood up. 'My point stands young lady. Your father and I will talk to you about this later.' She walked back down the hallway towards the kitchen.
Kale and Jean followed.
'Where's Dad?' Kale asked.
'Out in the backyard' his mother replied 'he's tinkering with his hoverbike. Get him to come inside and have a drink, he's been out there all day. Once you've said hello come back inside. You two can come with me to the market before dinner.'
Kale and Jean raced towards the back door and flung it open.
'Dad, dad' they called out as they ran towards the shed in the backyard.
There was a clang of a tool being dropped as their father walked out of the shed. He only had a brief moment to prepare himself before the two children slammed into him. He laughed and gathered them up in a tight hug before kneeling down on their level, a wide grin behind his red beard.
Kale and Jean's mother had black hair, but they both took after their father more. Kale's hair was a brown auburn, and Jean had inherited the same shade of red of their father. They were both fair skinned, tall and skinny. Kale was often mistook for someone several years older than twelve due to his height, a common occurrence that Kale took great pride in. Though she was a skinny ten year old, Jean had a powerful body, like a runner's, and she often competed in track sports at her school, and was begged to join the basketball team by the coach for her height.
'How was school kids?' their father asked.
'Good. Jean got into a fight' Kale said immediately.
A weary grimace replaced the smile on their father's face. 'Who was it this time?' he asked Jean.
'Chessy Bree' Jean replied. 'I only did it because he said girls can't play sports as good as boys can. When I told him I can run faster than him, he said boys can do things that girls can't. When I asked what he said girls can't fight.'
'And what did you do then?' their father asked with his eyebrows raised, even though he knew the answer.
'I slammed him on the ground, and made him eat dirt!' Jean said, a broad smile spreading across her face.
Kale smiled too. Despite his teasing, his sister and he were very close and often stood up for each other. Kale liked that his sister was tough, and could look out for herself.
Their father gave an exasperated sigh. 'What did your mother say?'
'She said that you and her would talk about it later.'
Their father nodded. 'And we will, don't think you can get out of this talk.'
He stood up and walked back into the garage. Inside was a Capsule Corporation hoverbike. The number 70 was blazed across the side. Their father said he was 'fixing' it, though more of the bike lay on the ground than the actual frame itself.
'We'll see you later Dad' Kale said. 'We're going to the market with Mum.'
'M-hm' came his reply, his attention already re-engrossed on the bike. 'See you two at dinner time'.
Kale and Jean raced back inside and their mother handed them several empty shopping bags.
As they walked out of the house and down the footpath, two members of the Earth's Special Forces walked past going the opposite direction. Their mother gave a polite smile, but Kale and Jean stared openly at the two. They walked abreast with their eyes fixed forward and ignored the family.
Soldiers were a common sight in the city. The ESF kept a large garrison in every main city, given the amount of civilians present. A city hadn't been attacked in years, but that didn't stop the rising tension that could be felt amongst the soldiers wherever you went in the city. More and more were being pulled onto the frontier as the fighting worsened on the front lines.
These two soldiers in particular looked like they had experienced their share of combat. Both of their armour had been scavenged from fallen Intergalactic Army members, a common sight among ESF troops. Both sets had several large cracks in them, and one soldier's was missing one of the pauldrons. The soldier whose amour was mostly intact had a long, jagged scar over his right eye, which her kept closed.
Kale stared after the two soldiers as they walked down the street, then hurried to catch up with his mother.
'Mum' he said 'I heard that the Earth's Special Forces is recruiting teenagers to fight.'
His mother looked around at him. 'Who put such a ridiculous idea in your head young man?'
'Milky'.
'When has anything Milky ever said been true?' his mother replied. 'The ESF does not recruit children to fight' she continued, though Kale thought she didn't sound entirely convinced.
'Maybe when I get old enough I could join the Special Forces' Kale said. 'I'd love to learn martial arts, and how to fly, and to control ki.'
His mother narrowed her eyes and grabbed his ear. 'Get that idea out of your head right now Kale' she said over his protests and continued to walk down the street. 'No son of mine is becoming a soldier.'
She released his ear and Kale immediately began rubbing the ache out of it.
'It was just a thought' he said quietly.
'Then let it stay that way.'
'I'd love to learn to fly' Jean said wistfully.
Their mother moved between them and put her arms around them as they walked towards the market. 'You two' she began 'are going to stay in school, grow up, and lead happy, safe, boring lives. Got it? I'll go to my grave before I let you join the Earth's Special Forces.'
…
The market was a noisy hub of activity. All manner of people were coming and going from all directions. Shopkeepers stood in the doorways of their stores calling out to people passing by, and stall vendors held up each of their wares trying to entice buyers.
Kale's family lived in one of the poorer neighbourhoods in the southern part of West City near the edge, but it saw a greater number of people from different walks of life.
Kale loved the market because he loved watching the many types of people that gathered in the one spot. Most of them were humans, but there were a few animal citizens. There was even the occasional Namek.
The Namekians of earth generally kept to themselves and their own colonies and towns, but every so often one had the need to come to one of the big cities. The Earth's government had given their people asylum when they had fled their own world when it was destroyed and granted them their own territory on the planet to call home. A number of the ESF was made up by Namekian troops, who were highly valued for their prowess in physical combat and skill with controlling ki energy.
Several kilometres south of West City there was a Namekian village, though and Kale and Jean had never been there and knew little of it's people and culture.
The two children followed their mother closely, staring at the people around them as she went from stall to stall. Each merchant greeted her enthusiastically and asked after her and her family's health.
They smiled at Kale and Jean and acted silly and told jokes to make them laugh.
Once their mother was done and all the shopping bags were full to bursting, the three headed home.
…
Their mother looked for the key and opened the front door to their house, ignoring the whining of the her children behind her about the ache in their arms from carrying the groceries.
'Enough you two' she told them 'It doesn't kill you to help your poor mother out.'
She opened the door and walked inside. 'Kale, you can help me unpack these. Jean, go tell your father to get his head out of the garage and come help me with dinner.'
Their mother looked over her shoulder at them. Kale had followed her in, but Jean was standing outside in the front yard looking up at the sky.
'Jean' she called out 'What are you looking at dear?'
Jean didn't answer immediately.
'Jean?' their mother called out again.
'There's a man in the sky Mum. He's just floating high up there.' Jean replied slowly.
Their mother was silent for a moment. 'It's probably just one of the soldiers, now please come inside Jean' she said calmly.
'Come on Jean' Kale said impatiently, stamping his feet and shaking his shopping bags. 'You've never been interested in soldiers before.'
Jean didn't move but stood looking up at the sky.
Then she said 'This one is different though. He's got a tail.'
A tail, what? Was what Kale thought, but before he could say anything he jumped as there was a crash of glass as his mother dropped her shopping bags and moved towards his sister.
'Jean get here now!' she cried out.
Jean's head slowly turned towards her mother's voice but before she could move there was a blinding flash of light followed by the deafening roar of an explosion.
Kale was flung onto his back as the house rocked from the force of the explosion and all of the windows shattered.
Kale got onto one knee from the fall. He saw his mother at the other end of the hall struggle to get to her feet. Blood ran down the side of her head.
'Kale!' she called out to him. 'Get Jean!'
Jean? He thought, his mind was too slow to think properly.
'Get Jean!' his mother called to him again. 'Get her and get to the bunker!'
Kale got to his feet, his legs shaking. The bunker? What does she mean?
In every house in West City there was a bunker for the citizens to take shelter in the event the city was attacked. The entrance to his family's was in the basement of their house, and the twelve years of his life they had never had to use it.
He could hear his mother shouting his and his sister's name, pleading with him to move. A small voice in his head was yelling Move! Get to Jean and move!
There was the sound of another explosion somewhere else in the city and the sound brought Kale's mind back to normal.
He shook his head as if there was water clogging his brain and ran outside. Jean was still standing in the front yard, but her eyes were wide with fear and her arms and legs were shaking.
Kale grabbed her arm and yelled at her to move inside. Jean either couldn't move or couldn't hear him. Her eyes were fixed on the sky.
Kale followed her gaze and saw a figure small in the sky. He was silhouetted against the orange sky as the sun was setting. A long tail swished back and forth, his shoulders were elongated, or it could have been the armour he wore. In his hand he held a yellow ball of light.
Kale spun his sister around to face him. 'Come on and move!' he shouted in her face. 'We need to get to the basement!'
Jean stared at his face, her eyes wide and glassy in panic and her mouth opening and closing with no sound coming out.
Kale started to drag his sister back to the house, her feet stumbled but she followed. In the doorway of the house their mother lent out, her eyes almost closed, blood covering half of her face. Her arm was out stretched and her hand was open reaching for him.
Kale pulled his sister with one hand and reached out his other arm towards his mother, almost touching her.
Then there was another explosion and the world was thrown into chaos.
Kale and Jean were flung back from the house. They hit the ground hard and rolled crashing through the yard's front fence and landed on the road hard.
Kale groaned and sat up slowly. He pulled Jean up as he got to his feet and they stumbled back into the yard towards their house.
Their house was gone. A pile of rubble sat where their house had stood a moment ago. Not comprehending what he was seeing, Kale kept walking. When they got to end of the yard's path where the doorway was they stopped and Kale's heart leapt into his throat.
A long pale arm was hanging out of the rubble at an awkward angle. The finger nails were broken and bloody, but there was no mistaking it for anybody's but their mother's.
The two children didn't move. Kale couldn't breathe. His throat was moving but couldn't breathe in any air. Jean was making a noise that sounded like a choked sigh.
Kale's vision went hazy and he barely noticed the strong arm wrapping around his waist and carrying him away.
Blasts were exploding all around them. The lights flashed through Kale's eyelids and the rush of hot air hitting his face brought him back to reality.
'Wait' he said dully. 'We need to go back.'
The person carrying him didn't answer.
'Hey, we need to go back' he said, weakly hitting the person carrying him in the side.
'There's nothing to go back to' his father's voice said.
Kale opened his eyes. All he could see was the ground rushing underneath him as his father ran as fast as he could. Explosions flashed and lit the sky as the sun set lower. All round them was the crash of ki blasts. People were screaming, calling for help, and mercy.
Kale twisted under his father's arm. Soldiers were flying all across the sky. It was impossible to tell which army they belonged to.
'Dad we need to go back, stop!
His father looked down at him with an angry look on his face. 'Stop moving! I need you-'
An enormous explosion flashed behind them and they were flung forward. A fiery pain lanced up Kale's back. When he hit the ground stars flashed before his eyes and he gasped in pain when he collided with a the side of a car.
Kale stood up trying to shake his senses back. Jean was struggling to get to her feet beside him.
Kale gasped as he tried to move his right arm. When he couldn't move it he looked down and saw it was hanging limply by his side. He could feel someone grabbing his leg trying to pull him away from the battle.
Someone was calling his name. Kale looked up and saw their father running towards them.
Their father was yelling something at them but Kale couldn't hear what he was saying. One of the soldiers flew over head and there was a bright flash of light and when Kale looked again their father had vanished.
Kale looked round at Jean. She was staring at the spot where their father had last been with a blank expression on her face. Kale grabbed her arm with his left hand and began to drag her further away from the city.
'Come on Jean' he said, his voice heavy with fatigue 'We've got to go.'
As the children moved further down the road away from the city, Kale heard a voice shout behind them.
'Hey! It looks like I missed a couple of small fry!'
Kale looked back and saw a soldier that looked like a man with a pig's head. Behind him was a pale alien with wide eyes and big lips like a fish. Both of them were wearing the armour of Intergalatic Army soldiers, and they were heading straight for Kale and Jean.
A light glowed in the pig-man's hand as they gained in the children.
'Die!' he yelled as he drew back his arm and threw an energy blast at them.
The blast sped towards them but just before it hit a figure appeared out of no where in front of Kale and Jean. The stranger struck the blast attack with his forearm and for a moment it stopped in mid air before ricocheting away over the heads of the soldiers and exploding behind them.
For a split second Kale thought the stranger was his father but when the dust cleared it was a tall Namek that stood before them. By the light of the burning city Kale could see he wore a long coat made in tradition Namekian fashion, with a white collar. He couldn't see the Namek's face because his eyes were fixed on the two soldiers before him.
'What the...?' the pig man began.
Before the soldiers could do anything the Namek thrust both of his hands forward, fingers splayed and fired his own blast attack at the pig man.
The pig man gave a short scream and then vanished in a blinding yellow blast.
The pale soldier gasped. A look of anger contorted his features, and he rushed at the Namek head on.
'Why you!' He yelled.
As he sped towards them a smaller Namek came out the sky above the soldier catching him off guard. The Namek's elbow slammed down on the back of the soldier's neck and as the soldier crashed into the ground the tall Namek shot another ki blast to finish him off.
The smaller Namek glided towards them and called out to the tall Namek.
'Did you see that Corro? Did ya see me?!' he asked gleefully.
The tall Namek crossed his arms and glared at the other Namek.
'Yes I did see' he said reproachfully. 'I told you to stay back at the village Reed. It's too dangerous for you to be here.'
'Yeah right. The elders told you to stay back on the first place.'
Corro sighed and turned to face the humans.
'Enough. We'll both be getting a scolding when we get home. Lets get these three back.'
Despite all the chaos and the pain from his injuries Kale wondered what the Namek meant.
'Three?' he choked out.
'Yes' the Namek replied. 'He is with you isn't he?' motioning towards Kale's leg.
Kale looked down and saw that there was a small boy clutching his leg. He must have been what I felt. I thought it was Jean. The boy looked up at Kale, tears were streaming down his face and his eyes shone with fear.
Kale looked back up at the Namek who smiled at him.
'I'm Corro. And this is my brother Reed.'
The other Namek Reed landed beside Corro, a smile on his face too. He wore a pair of purple pants and a loose purple shirt tucked into a red belt.
'Hey! You guys don't look so good. Don't worry though, you'll be fine once we get you back to our village.'
Kale smiled weakly at the young Namek.
'I'm Kale, and this is Jean. Thanks for the offer, but I don't think we can get very far.'
Reed did a small jump and laughed.
'Don't worry, my brother will take care of you.'
Corro stepped forward and put one hand over Kale's right arm, and another over his back.
'Just hold still' Corro said gently.
A soft blue light began emanating from the Namek's hands, and a strange energy began to slowly flow into Kale. The burning of his back faded as what felt like cool water ran down his back. His arm itched and his bones clacked as they fitted back together.
When Corro was finished Kale held up his fist and flexed his fingers which worked perfectly.
'Better?' Corro asked.
Kale smiled. 'I still feel like I've ran a marathon, but at least it doesn't hurt anymore.'
Corro turned to Jean and knelt down in front of her.
'What about you?' he asked. 'Where does it hurt?'
Jean didn't answer. Instead she just looked at Corro with a puzzled look on her face. The Namek looked at her expectantly but Jean still didn't answer. It was only then that Kale noticed for the first time that blood was leaking out of Jean's ears.
'I don't think she can hear you' Kale told the Namek and pointed to the blood on Jean's head.
Reed sucked air in through his teeth and grimaced but Corro only nodded.
'Not a problem. I can fix that.'
He held his hands over Jean's ears and again a blue light shone as he began to heal the inner workings of Jean's ears.
When he was finished Corro snapped his fingers next to her ear and asked 'how's that?'
'That's good' Jean said in a small voice 'Thank-you.'
Jean began to fall forward but Corro caught her before she hit the ground. Kale's legs felt very shaky. He bent down and picked up the boy before he pulled Kale over. The boy gripped Kale's school shirt tightly and began to cry into his shoulder.
'Is your village far?' he asked Corro. 'I don't think I can walk very far.'
'No need' Corro said with a smile. 'I'll carry you both.
'That's good' Kale said as his knees gave way. Corro caught his around the waist then gently took off and began to fly away from West City.
Reed circled around them in the sky his eyes fixed on the city watching for anyone following them.
Kale watched Reed as he flew trying to keep his eyes from closing. I hope that Reed can teach us to fly. He was dimly aware that Corro had begun to descend over the forest south of West City towards a clearing in the forest. From the last rays of the sun Kale could see clusters of white buildings and make out the figures of the village residents.
As Corro and Reed landed a crowd gathered around the group. Kale pried the boy away from his shirt and set him down on the ground. The boy wrapped his arms around Kale's leg and continued to cry.
Kale looked around at the Nameks. He had never seen so many before in his life. Most of them looked to be very elderly. Corro and Reed were the youngest. There weren't any other children. All of them wore a similar fashion of clothing in traditional Namekian style. All of them looked uncomfortable with the strangers that landed in their midst.
One especially wizened Namek stepped forward. His heavy brow was set in a frown, and he was glaring at Corro and Reed, his hands clenched into fists by his sides.
'Corro just what were you thinking?!' he demanded. 'We told you not to go, and not only do you disobey us, but you take Reed with you too and put him in danger!'
Corro stood tall, still holding Jean who was asleep in his arms.
'I wanted to help the people of West City. We arrived just in time to save these three from two soldiers.'
'Regardless of your intentions you could have been going to your death! Or worse, you could have been captured and tortured to reveal the location of our village!'
Corro shook his head. 'There's no use talking about what might have been. We're both back here and we're safe. If you want to talk about what might have been, maybe if we had left earlier and disobeyed your wishes sooner we might have save a handful more lives.'
The memory of his father's last moments flashed before Kale's eyes and he struggled to hold back tears. A storm of emotions was brewing in his tired mind. Struggling to hold it in, Kale covered his eyes with his forearm. He could hear Corro arguing with the other Nameks.
Kale felt someone touch his elbow. He looked down and saw Reed looking up at him with a concerned look on his face.
'Kale, are you okay?' the young Namek asked.
Kale became concious that everyone in the clearing was watching him. It was the final thing his exhausted body and mind could take, so he closed his eyes and slumped backwards onto the grassy ground into unconsciousness.
…
NAMEKIAN VILLAGE
The next morning when Kale woke up it took him a moment to realise why he was lying in an unfamiliar bed. Then all of yesterday's events came back to him. Kale began to cry and couldn't stop. He put his head under the bed covers and let all of his emotion out.
For hours he lay there and every time he was tried to pull himself together, he would think again of his mother or father or home. Nothing mattered in that moment. Not where he was, not what happened to Jean, or what happened to him. At one point he heard somebody come into the room. He ignored them and they left quickly.
The sun was setting when Kale finally found the will to get up and walk out of the bedroom. His whole body felt exhausted and his eyes hurt from crying so much.
Kale pulled aside the curtain that hung over the doorway to the bed room and walked into the living room of the house. The house and all of the furniture was made of white stone. It had a simple design and was plainly decorated. Dusk light shine in through glass windows but Kale couldn't see any signs it had electricity.
Sitting on plush cushions around the table talking in low voices were Corro, Reed and the elderly Namek who had admonished Corro the night before. The old Namek fell silent when he noticed Kale had entered the room. The other two Namekians followed his gaze and broke off their conversation.
Corro stood up and came over to Kale.
Putting a hand on his shoulder he asked 'Kale, are you feeling any better? You must be exhausted after last night.'
'I'm okay' Kale croaked, his voice hoarse.
The elderly Namek at the table whispered something in Reed's ear. Reed got up, grabbed a clay jar off the kitchen counter and ran out of the house.
Corro put a hand on Kale's back and led him over to the table. As they approached the elderly Namek stood up.
'Kale, this is Elder Vert. He is the oldest member of our village, and the one presides over all of the Namek's in this area' Corro explained to Kale.
Vert held out his hand and Kale shook it.
'I must apologise if I seemed inhospitable last night' the old Namek said 'The whole village and I was upset about Corro and young Reed going to West City.'
The Namek smiled and it lifted years off his wrinkled face.
'You, your sister and your brother are welcome in our village' he said.
Reed back inside the house clutching the the jar and set it down in front of Kale. It was filled with crystal clear water.
'Here Kale. You should drink something' Reed said sitting back down next to Vert.
Kale lifted the jar and drank deeply. The water was cool and as he swallowed he realised just how hungry he was. The last meal I had was at lunch yesterday, so it's been over twenty four hours since I ate something! Just the thought was enough to make his stomach ache.
The Nameks must have guessed what Kale was thinking.
'If you feel up to it Kale, we should head over to the house where your sister and brother are staying' Vert said standing up. 'We were planning to have dinner there and hoped that they would join us'.
Kale stood up and followed the three Nameks outside. The sunset had turned the sky a burning scarlet which cast a red glow over the white stone buildings of the village. The houses of the village were almost all identical, with the same squat, domed style as Corro's. The residents had all retreated indoors and the sounds of talk and laughter could be heard from the windows of the houses they passed. Somewhere in the village Kale could hear the trickling of a stream.
Vert stopped at the doorway of one one the houses near the centre of the village, knocked twice on a stone door knocker built into the wall then ducked his head and passed through the doorway.
Corro and Reed followed, and after a moments hesitation, Kale did too.
Inside there were five Nameks who all stood up and bade their guests welcome. Two of them looked to be near Vert's age. There was a flurry of movement as the guests mingled with their hosts. Corro and another Namek led Kale to the table and sat him on a stool.
Vert and the other Nameks left the room and returned a moment later bearing large wooden patters piled high with all sorts of different fruits and vegetables. Strangely though, Kale couldn't see meat, bread or grains of any sort as the trays were lowered onto the table.
Corro took a seat next to Kale.
'We only drink water for sustenance he explained, gesturing at the food. 'But Nameks learnt long ago that a lot of the fruits and vegetables of Earth have a very high water content.'
Corro smiled. 'The elders always say that drinking water got very boring.'
One of the Nameks led Jean and the boy from West City into the dining area. Jean sat on Kale's other side, and the boy on her's.
Jean looked as exhausted as Kale felt, and the boy was still crying.
'What's your brother's name?' Corro asked Kale and Jean. 'We haven't been able to get anything out of him, even his name. He seems too distraught.'
Kale looked at the boy closely for the first time. He looked to be very young, about three or fousnyears old. His brown hair was stuck over his forehead wet with sweat, and his face was red and puffy from crying.
'He's not my brother' Kale told Corro. 'He grabbed onto me when we were running. I didn't notice until you and Reed saved us.'
A Namek seated on Corro's other side spoke up. 'His name is Peppe. He also mentioned he saw his mother disappear in a flash of light, as he put it' he said, dropping the level of his voice so only Corro and Kale could hear.
The image of his father running towards him and vanishing in a flash of light jumped into Kale's mind, and he quickly grabbed a mango and ducked his head to avoid anyone see him trying not to cry.
The sweetness of the fruit stoked his ravenous hunger and he quickly finished it and reached for another. The boy Peppe tried to eat but couldn't hold back his tears, which ran down his face mixing with the sticky juice of the fruit. Jean just sat, as still as a statue.
Around the table the Nameks made polite and quiet conversation with each other out of respect for the three Humans.
Eventually Kale turned to Corro and asked 'Tomorrow could we head back to West City?'
Silence fell around the table and all of the Nameks' eyes turned to Corro.
'Thank-you for your hospitality' Kale told Corro 'But we need to get back...'
Back home stuck in Kale's throat, so he left it at that.
Corro looked like he was trying to say something difficult, so Kale pressed on, not wanting to appear rude or ungrateful.
'We've been a lot of trouble for you. I was thinking that Jean and I could stay at a friend of our family for now, if we could trouble you to take us back to the city.'
When Corro didn't reply, an older Namek beside Vert spoke up.
'City's gone boy' he said.
A feeling of cold crept over Kale. It was a new feeling. Instead of grief, for the first time since they had fled West City Kale felt fear.
'What do you mean?' he asked.
The old Namek sighed and rubbed his forehead before speaking again.
'It's gone. West City is destroyed. The whole thing's a pile of rubble. There's nothing left.'
Kale didn't say anything. Beside him, Jean sat just as still, as if she hadn't heard.
'It's true' Corro said gently. 'We flew there this morning.'
Kale swallowed before asking 'Did you see any people? You might have missed them.'
'We didn't go all the way. We didn't need to. All that's left of the city was a smoking ruin. We didn't see anyone. No people or soldiers. It's deserted.'
Kale looked down at his plate, his appetite completely gone.
The room was silent for a while, the only sound being Peppe's quiet crying.
Eventually Vert said gently 'Corro told us what he saw during the attack. Is there any family that you can stay with?'
Kale shook his head, unable to speak.
Vert paused before saying 'You have been through a terrible ordeal. My people are no strangers to suffering. At our worst hour you Humans accepted us without hesitation. You three are welcome to stay with us for as long as you want. Everyone is in agreement.'
Kale looked up. Around him on all the faces of the Namek's were wide, warm smiles. He felt humbled by their generosity.
'I...we, can't thank you all enough' he said finally. 'You have been so kind to us all, I only wish-'
Kale broke off. Someone was loudly and frantically beating the door knocker against the wall.
Vert, Corro and two other Nameks got up and walked into the entrance way of the house.
'What is it? Vert called out.
'Elder Vert, you must come quickly!' came the reply. 'Two strangers have just arrived.'
Vert opened the door and a short Namek rushed in.
'Who are they?' Vert asked. 'Are they soldiers?'
'Yes' the other Namek replied 'but not IA soldiers. They are from the Earth's Special Forces!'
Vert stood silently but around the table the other Nameks bent their heads together and began to whisper amongst themselves.
'What is it they want?' Vert asked after a pause.
'They're asking about survivors from West City' the other Namek replied, looking over at Kale and the other children.
Vert shot a glance at them as well before telling the Namek in a low voice 'Alright, I'll speak with them.'
Vert walked out of the house. The rest of the Nameks, including Corro and Reed followed leaving Kale, Jean and Peppe alone.
What could ESF soldiers be doing here? Unless they've come to take us away.
Kale had heard that people who had their homes and villages destroyed and had no family or friends to turn to for help were often forced to settle in refugee camps. With the focus being on the war their wasn't enough resources to resettle those displaced by the fighting.
After a minute of thought Kale stood up and went outside. Jean didn't look at him as he got up and Peppe only cried.
The two soldiers stood in the centre of the village. What looked like the entire population of the village surrounded them. The only light came from the last dying rays of dusk. Vert was talking animately with them. His hands were clenched into fists by his sides.
As Kale got closer he could hear what Vert and the soldiers were saying.
'What do you mean you wont take them?!' Vert demanded angrily. 'It's your job to protect the people of this planet!'
'I already told you old man, we aren't here looking for refugees' one of the soldiers replied. Half of his face was obscured by a bloody bandage that was wrapped around his head.
Kale looked at the other soldier and noticed that he had a large scar over his eye. Kale realised that these two must be the same soldiers his family had passed on the street the day before.
The bloodied soldier continued 'We're looking for soldiers, from either side, that may-'
Vert cut him off. 'I don't care what excuses you make, it is clear that you do not care one iota about what happens-'
The old Namek stopped talking as the soldier with the scar stepped forward. He had a massive mane of black hair, and with his broken armour and scar he looked very intimidating. For a moment it looked as though he was going to hit Vert, but instead he put a hand on his comrade's shoulder.
'Come on' he said to the other soldier 'lets get out of here.'
The two turned away from Vert and began to walk away. The villagers parted before them, muttering darkly to themselves, but the soldiers strode on, eyes fixed ahead.
Kale didn't remember telling his legs to to move, but when he blinked he was running forward, telling the soldiers 'wait!'
Everybody looked around and stared at Kale as he stood between Vert and the two ESF soldiers.
The soldiers stared wide eyed at him, unsure of what to say.
Vert put a hand on Kale's shoulder and said 'Don't bother with them young one.'
Kale ignored him and said to the soldiers 'take me.'
The look of surprise on the soldier with the bandaged face changed to an annoyed scowl.
He turned and walked towards Kale and stopped in front of him, so Kale had to crane his neck to look at his face.
'Didn't you hear boy?' he asked Kale. 'We aren't taking any refugees. Someone will come here in a couple of weeks to take you to a refugee camp.'
He turned and began to walk away but Kale called out 'I don't want to go to a refugee camp, I want to join the Earth's Special Forces!'
The Nameks around them gasped and Vert cried 'Kale, no!'
Kale shook Vert's hand off his shoulder and walked forward up to the soldier, his hands clenched into fists so hard his fingers hurt.
He looked up into the face of the soldier again, but this time it didn't feel like he was towering over Kale.
'I want to fight.'
The bloodied soldier didn't move or speak.
Kale knew what he must have looked like to the two of them.
A child, in a bloody, dirty and torn school shirt, eyes still red from crying so hard.
When the bloodied soldier didn't speak, the other with the scar strode forward and bent down and put his face close to Kale's. There was a strange expression on his face. He looked like he was sizing Kale up, but there was something else. A small modicum of respect?
'What's your name son?' he asked finally.
'Kale.'
The grizzled soldier was silent for a moment, then said 'If you want to join the Special Forces, come with us.'
He stood up and began to walk away. 'Make sure you don't fall behind' he called back over his shoulder 'we wont slow down for you.'
The Nameks began to all speak at once, trying to dissuade Kale from leaving.
Kale turned back to face Vert. The old Namek was one of the few who was silent. A dumbfounded look was spread across his face.
'I'm sorry Vert' Kale told him 'I appreciate everything you and your people have done for my sister and I, and this feels like I'm throwing your hospitality back in your face, but this is something I have to do.'
Vert didn't reply. He simply stared silently at Kale.
Kale turned to Corro. 'Thanks again Corro. I hope we meet again. Look after my sister please.'
'Of course' Corro replied after a pause. He too looked shocked by Kale's decision.
Kale turned away and began to walk after the two soldiers. The village had fallen silent. The only sound was the heavy footfalls of the soldiers feet, and the trickling of the nearby stream.
The three reached the edge of the trees as the last of the sun's light dipped below the horizon. Just before they stepped into the forest, someone called out Kale's name behind him.
Kale looked back and saw Jean running after him. He turned to face her and when she stopped in front of him, he could see tears were welling in her eyes.
'Jean, I-' Kale began, but found he had no words to say to her.
Jean's whole body shook as she struggled to hold her emotion back.
Finally she said 'Please Kale, you can't leave me too.'
Kale's breath caught in his throat. He tried to breathe, tried to think of something to say to her that would explain his choice.
The two soldiers were silent behind him. The Nameks were looking on at the two Humans. Kale could see Peppe looking out at them from behind the leg of one of the villagers.
Kale looked back at Jean. Her blue eyes swam with tears, but they didn't fall.
He swallowed, but all he could say was 'I'm sorry Jean. I'll come back for you once I'm strong enough.'
Jean didn't reply, so Kale turned and walked away. He strode past the soldiers and into the dark of the forest, vanishing from sight.
The two soldiers exchanged a glance, then followed after him.
The Nameks began to disperse. Vert stayed in the centre of the village, standing still. Corro and Reed moved towards Jean, but stood a short distance behind her, not wanting to move any closer out of respect.
Jean stood in the same spot, her head, shoulders and arms shaking as her tears began to fall.
…
A way of life devastated, lives changed, and promises made. Does Kale have what it takes to join the Earth's Special Forces and stand against the merciless onslaught of the Intergalactic Army?
And what about Jean? How will she fare alone in new place full of strangers?
Will the two young children prosper? Or will the horrors of their past come back to haunt them?
There's only one way that you're going to find out, and that's to read on in the very first exciting chapter, of Dragon Ball: Age 1000!