Dragon Ball: Age 1000

by Lewibaton

It is the year 1000 and the Earth finds itself under siege from an alien army of terrifying strength! The planet's only hope lies with Kale and Jean, two young Earthlings who have had their world and family torn apart by the ravaging Intergalactic Army! Read on as they join the Earth's Special Forces, and the famous Z Squad, as they fight to free the planet, and restore peace.

2. Dragon Ball Saga - Part One

DRAGON BALL SAGA

PART ONE: A WISH MADE UPON A DRAGON

Author's note: This story takes elements from the Dragon Ball universe, but is set in a similar setting as Dragon Ball Online. It is not necessary, but I would recommend doing a quick read on the Wiki in regards to topics such as Gohan's Groundbreaking Science, and the advances made among humans in regard to Ki manipulation. Some events from the story of DBO are also used, such as the destruction of New Namek, and the characters portrayed in the story are loosely based on the promotional characters for the game.

Also, I have chosen to primarily use the English names for titles such as the name's of techniques.

...

CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA

EGAO URUTORA ZETTO DE

KYÔ MO AI-YAI-YAI-YAI-YAI

SPARKING!

...

THE EARTH'S SPECIAL FORCES HQ – AGE 1000

A wash of colours and images danced before his eyes. Images of a place almost forgotten, a place he only dared venture in his dreams.

A pale and bloody arm was out stretched towards him from beneath a pile of rubble. It's fingers clutched at the air trying to grab him.

A woman called his name.

When he reached out to grab the hand, it was as cold as ice. Every time.

It seemed so full of life, but the moment his fingers clasped around the hand it became still and unmoving. No matter how hard he pulled, he could never pull it's owner from beneath the rubble.

A man was calling his name. He saw a man he almost recognised running towards him. Then the next instant the man would vanish in a flash of light.

Then the man would be running again, but he would never reach him, for there would be another flash of light.

Again, and again, and again.

Someone was calling his name.

Someone was calling his name.

'Kale, Kale!'

Kale's eyes snapped open. He blinked to quickly adjust his eyes to the sudden bright light of day. The image of a white arm slowly faded from his mind, and instead he focused on the green canvas of the bunk above him.

Standing beside him was a tall Namek Warrior. He had been the one calling Kale's name. His name was Nett.

Nett stood a clear foot above Kale. His arms and legs were as thick as tree trunks.

Despite his impressive physical appearance he was know among the Earth's Special forces as a skilled wielder of Ki attacks.

He had a heavy brow and his face was two toned. Most of his skin was a dark green, the most common colour among Namekians, but that of his face, and the muscles on his arms, legs and chest was of a yellowy-green .

At the moment, Nett wore a blue tight fitting singlet, and a pair of skin tight black pants, and black armoured boots.

He had a stern face, but Kale knew he had a good heart, and was someone you could trust and respect.

Currently, Nett was frowning, but Kale knew he wasn't angry by the small smile he wore.

Nett kicked Kale's foot under the blanket of the cot he was lying under and said 'Come on, get up Kale. Today's the big day. Your first real assignment.'

The Namek turned and walked away as Kale sat up and threw the blanket off, grogginess and the memory of his nightmare forgotten in the wake of Nett's announcement.

'What is it?' Kale asked, standing up, 'Have we received the orders yet?'

Nett crossed the small space of the tent floor and stopped in front of a small square mirror that hung on the tent wall to look at himself.

'Not sure yet,' he told Kale, 'we haven't had any word on the mission yet. All I can tell you is that it's going to be a big one, and a hell of a way to start your time with the Z Squad. So get dressed and get over to the mess hall to get something to eat something quickly. Meet us at the command tent in fifteen.'

He paused to stop admiring his reflection and looked over his shoulder in the mirror at Kale standing in his underwear with fists clenched in excitement, a wide smile across his face, standing in the middle of the room.

'What are you doing!' Nett thundered, turning around to face Kale. 'Get dressed and get moving!'

As Nett strode to the tent exit Kale rushed over to the mirror and began to frantically wash himself with water from the basin beneath the mirror.

Nett paused just before he left the tent, looked over his shoulder at Kale and asked, 'Was it the same dream?'

Kale looked up from the basin into the mirror, water droplets falling from his face and into the water below, and looked at Nett's reflection in the mirror.

He didn't speak, merely nodded.

Nett looked down at the floor of the tent for a couple of seconds then left leaving Kale alone in the tent.

Kale briefly studied himself in the mirror before returning to frantically scrubbing himself.

Over the last three years his body had changed dramatically. His body had once been that of a teenager bordering on puberty, threatening to become a long-limbed lanky mess.

Now his body was covered in hard muscles. Because of his aged they weren't large, but they were well defined.

Since joining the Earth's Special Forces Kale had been through a strict training regime.

He had been right about the army accepting teenagers. The other teenagers were mostly orphans like himself. They were all put into training class to make their bodies stronger, and taught basic martial arts and Ki manipulation.

Kale and the other children, roughly twenty in total who were all Humans, were told that only one of them would have the opportunity to join the ESF.

Over the next two and a half years Kale had thrown himself into his training, focusing all of his will power in being the best. In addition to training, the young recruits performed menial duties around the Special Forces Headquarters. It wasn't easy, and many of the recruits had dropped out over the first few months.

Kale had persisted and over time his skill became apparent to the soldiers in charge of the recruits.

Promoted to a lowly grunt squad, Kale had quickly demonstrated in several skirmishes a skill in combat and determination that made it clear to the army's officers that he was being wasted in a mere attack and retreat unit.

A golden opportunity soon opened up. One of the members of the famed Z Squad had been killed in action on an especially dangerous mission.

The Z Squad was the most famous of the units in the ESF army. The different squads were lettered A to Z, Z being last letter of the alphabet and hence the highest ranking and strongest fighters in the world. Nett was the leader of the unit.

Kale had been honoured to be named a member of the Z Squad and was determined to show the faith that had been showed in him was not misplaced. Since joining he had only participated in small battles, nothing serious.

Until today. Hence his excitement over Nett's announcement.

Kale dried his face and body and examined his face, deciding that he didn't need to shave this month. In some ways, he was still an ordinary fifteen year old.

He briefly struck a pose in front of the small mirror to show off his muscles, Oh yeah, before hurrying back over to his cot, and flinging open the trunk at the foot of the bed.

Grabbing a fresh set of clothes from inside Kale stood and quickly dressed. He wore a long sleeved black skin tight shirt, and a pair of skin tight black pants.

The material of the clothes was strong and rarely tore outside of battle. It was designed to regulate the wearer's body temperature to make it comfortable in both hot and cold conditions.

It's design had been easy to study and reproduce by the egg heads of the Earth's Special Forces.

Over his dark clothes Kale pulled on his armour. The armour was very light, but very strong. It came in a small size, but stretched to meet the wearer's physique.

Copying the armour's design had been met with less success. Sets were often scavenged from defeated Intergalactic Army soldiers. Kale's reflected his newbie status.

The armour had passed through the hands of several owners. It had originally been designed for maximum protection. It had wide pauldrons, and both a cod piece and armour that hung from the sides to protect the calves of the wearer.

At least it had before it came into Kale's possession.

The chest and back's black paint was scratched. The pauldrons and leg protection had once been painted tan. Both the left and right pauldron had been blasted off. The calf protection was still intact, though the codpiece had been removed by one of the previous owners.

Most notably was the large hole that had been blasted through the stomach and out the back. The armour was a liability, and Kale had hoped that he would have been furnished with an intact set following his promotion. He had been wrong.

In addition to the chest piece Kale pulled on armoured gauntlets and armoured boots. These too had been taken from fallen enemies. Though intact, they were mismatching colours. One gauntlet was black, while the other was a dark purple. Both of the boots were a dark cool green.

Last of all Kale fixed a green scouter to the side of his head over his left eye. It was an older model, but it worked perfectly.

Once he had finished dressing Kale rushed over to the mess hall. Ignoring the calls and cajoles of the numerous members of the army already inside, Kale grabbed a tray and bolted down a quick breakfast.

At least eating this fast has a perk. I can't taste how bad the food is.

Finishing his breakfast Kale bolted to the command tent with two minutes to spare.

Two of the other members of the Z Squad were already waiting when he arrived.

Both of them laughed as Kale bent over trying to catch his breath. Kale looked up at them. They might be laughing, but their smiles told him that they weren't laughing at him. Both of them cut a very striking figure.

Kinwa was a head shorter than Kale. She had shoulder length white hair, which she was constantly flicking out of her bright blue eyes. Kinwa disregarded any sort of armour in favour of attire that suited her training.

She wore a short black sleeveless top that left her midriff bare, a wide white cloth belt, and a pair of tight black shorts that covered her calves, over which she wore a long black skirt that left the sides of her legs bare and free to move.

Pulled up over her knees she wore a pair of dark purple tights of the same material Kale's clothes were made of. She wore a pair of green and red trimmed boots, that matched the arm bands that covered her forearms.

Kinwa tied the whole outfit together with a purple scarf she wore tied around her neck.

Over the front of her shirt she bore the insignia of the New Crane School. Kinwa had graduated top of her class. Despite her short stature and petite frame, Kale knew her to be a deadly warrior. She was a master at manipulating Ki, and he had seen her easily bring down large numbers of weak enemies.

The other member of the Z Squad was Lanthal.

Commonly called Lan for short, she stood a few inches above Kale. She had long dark brown hair, which she wore tied back in a pony tail, leaving a few strands to frame her face.

Lan wore a much simpler outfit than Kinwa, but no less impressive. She wore a black tank top tucked into a pair of grey pants, which she had tucked into a pair of yellow Capsule Corp. boots.

Over this she wore a dark black trench coat made of soft leather with a high collar that she folded down. The right sleeve had been removed and a makeshift piece of armour for her right shoulder had been made from a piece of brown leather.

She kept her right arm bare to show off the number of tattoos she had. Starting on her upper arm, just below her shoulder was a number of strokes grouped in fours with a fifth line through them. There were over forty strokes that continued down her arm above her elbow.

It wasn't the coat or the tattoos that gave Lanthal her fearsome appearance. Slung over her back was a hand-and-a-half sword with a wide hilt she kept in a simple brown sheath. Lan boasted that each stroke she had tattooed onto her arm represented an enemy that had fallen to her sword.

Lan had studied with the Kikoukenjutsu Sword School, and was known to be a master swordswoman.

A long piece of thin black material was wrapped around her right wrist and was tied on her forearm allowing her a better grip on her sword. On her left hand she wore a leather glover that left the palm of her hand as well as her middle and ring finger bare.

Both of the woman were older than Kale. Kinwa was in her early twenties, and Lan was eighteen. They had both forgone scouters in favour of sensing their enemies from their Ki.

Kinwa crossed her arms and asked Kale slyly, 'So Kale, have you heard about the big assignment?'

The warrior was known for her cool demeanour, but she had always been kind to Kale.

'Haven't heard much,' Kale replied, straitening up, 'Nett just mentioned that it was going to throw me in the deep end.'

'Damn right,' Lanthal said, her brown eyes shone with excitement, 'I haven't heard much either, but all the COs have been abuzz lately.'

She crossed her arms and puffed out her chest.

'And we're going to be in the centre of it.'

Kale couldn't help but grin as he shared in her enthusiasm. Lan was known to have a relaxed personality, but when it came time to fight she became a whole different person entirely.

She was a proud warrior, who delighted in vanquishing foes and who knew her position in the Earth's Special Forces was well earned.

Lan attributed her skill on combat and confident personality to her Saiyan heritage.

When he joined the Z Squad, Kale was keen to find out as much about his new comrades as possible. He was shocked to learn that there had once been a small number of an alien race known as the Saiyans that had lived on the Earth several hundred years ago.

Delighted that she had found such an interested listener, Lan had shared much about her Saiyan heritage and Saiyan culture in general over the few months Kale had been with the Z Squad, much to the exasperation of the other members who had all been treated to similar lectures concerning Saiyans many times before. Lan had explained that despite being a different species, Saiyans were very similar to humans, which had allowed them to interbreed.

Lan may have been a human, but she was fiercely proud of her Saiyan heritage.

Kale squatted on the ground next to the others. As he watched various members of the ESF go by, his mind thought back to the dream he'd that last night.

It wasn't the first time Kale had dreamt of the day his parents died. For the first month after he joined the Special Forces he had woken up each night drench in sweat, calling out for his mother and father. Amongst the young recruits he hadn't been the only one.

Over the years the nightmare came less and less, until Kale had hoped he'd stop having it altogether. But for whatever reason, since he had joined the Z Squad he had begun to have it again.

Sometimes Kale wondered if it was his Mother's spirit haunting him from beyond the grave as punishment for disobeying her wishes and joining the military. Since he had begun having the dream again there would occasionally be a different, more terrifying ending to it where Kale would succeed in pulling his mother from beneath the rubble pile, only to find that her body had rotted away to a corpse half eaten by worms and other insects. That version had happened only a few times, but each night it had Kale woke up screaming.

Kale let out a choked sob which he quickly stifled behind one hand.

Kinwa was standing next to him and had heard. She looked down at him and asked, 'Are you alright Kale?'

Kale turned away and pushed his dreams out of his mind.

'I'm fine,' he replied.

Kinwa paused before asking, 'Same dream?'

Kale didn't answer at first. He watched a bear-man lumber past carrying a towering stack of wooden crates before nodding.

Kinwa didn't push the matter and the group fell silent until Lan spoke up.

'Does anyone want to know what I dreamt about last night?' she asked the other two.

'No,' Kinwa replied immediately.

Lan placed one hand over her heart in mock emotion.

'Kinwa, my dear friend, you wound me.'

Kinwa rolled her eyes before saying, 'I don't need to ask because I already know what your dream was about.'

Raising her eyebrows in feigned ignorance Lan asked her, 'How on Earth could you know what my dream was about before I told you? Are you some sort of god?'

Kinwa turned to face Lan. 'Because all of your dreams are about Saiyans,' she stated in a bored voice.

'But can you guess that this one was about Saiyans?'

'I don't need to guess, I already know.'

'You don't know that for certain. Go on and ask me what my dream was about.'

Kinwa snorted. 'I'm not going to fall for that one Lan.'

'Go on and ask me, I promise it wasn't about Saiyans.'

'I swear Lan, if you're lying...'

'You wont know for certain unless you ask me.'

'I'm not interested.'

'Come on. Aren't you just the teeeensiest bit interested.'

'...Fine. What was your dream about.'

'I dreamt I was locked in a cake shop and I ate strawberry cream cakes all night.'

'...Really?'

'Of course not Kinwa, that'd be far too ridiculous. I dreamt about Saiyans.'

Kinwa growled through gritted teeth and stamped the ground as Lan fell back and rolled around on the ground howling with laughter. Kale grinned as he watched Lan on the ground. After a monent Kinwa's frustration faded and she too smiled and laughed with Lan.

Presently, Kale stood up and said to the other two, 'Here comes Nett.'

The many fighters that crowded the base all parted for Nett as he strode towards the three of them. It was plain to see his reputation proceeded him. He had changed into his armour which only served to complement his fearsome appearance.

Nett wore a perfect set of black armour. The armour was scratched in various places, but that was the only sign of damage. The set was not designed to have pauldrons or parts to cover the wearers calves for protection, but Nett made up for it with armour pieces that protected his uppers arms, calves, with gauntlets and grieves to cover every part of his body. If that wasn't enough, each of the pieces belonged to the same set.

Behind the Namek walked, or skipped would be more accurate, the final member of the Z Squad, Bobo.

Bobo was a Majin whose reputation was just as famous the the other members of the squad. Though simple of thought and speech, Bobo was a fierce fighter, and had a talent for blowing things up.

The Majin had pale salmon coloured skin. His eyes were small, black and very round. On the top of his head side by side sat two tentacles combed backwards.

He wore a white piece of armour that consisted of the chest piece alone with no undershirt. He wore grey loosely fitted pants that we wore tucked into a pair of bright red boots. Over his hands he wore a pair of mitten like gloves which were so heavily padded they resembled boxing gloves.

Bobo was the first Majin Kale had ever seen in person. He had heard rumours there was a second one in the ESF, but he had never seen them. Bobo had a carefree and innocent nature and he had quickly warmed to Kale during their first meeting when he had joined the Z Squad.

The Majin waved at the three of them as the approached, oblivious to the stares it drew from the people around it.

Kale grinned and waved back, and when Nett and Bobo stopped in front of the other three they greeted each other warmly.

Lan had only one thing on her mind.

'Well?' she asked Nett.

Nett strode past her towards the command tent and the rest of the group followed him.

'You wont have to wait long,' he told her, 'General Dykon is briefing us directly.'

Kale's earlier excitement began to return. General Dykon had been the commanding officer for the Earth's Special Forces for the last six years. He was regarded as one of, if not the most, powerful warriors on the planet. He also had a brilliant mind for strategy. Under his command the ESF had made some daring comebacks against the Intergalactic Army.

It was widely considered that the reason the IA had chosen to destroy West City, a target of little military significance, out of frustration at the success the guerrilla forces of the Earth's Special Forces had been having at taking enemy position and reclaiming lost territory.

This would be the first time that Kale would meet the General face to face, just another reason he was determined to do well on his first mission with the Z Squad.

'Nervous Kale?'

Kale looked around at Bobo, who was wearing the comical smile he always had on.

'Of course not,' he told the Majin with a smile, 'are you?'

Bobo laughed. 'Bobo is never scared. Bobo has been in danger many times, but Bobo always comes back. If you ever get scared just stick close, and Bobo will blow away the bad guys!'

Kale laughed at his friend's exuberance. Ahead of them Nett held the flap to the command tent open and called out to them, 'Come on, the General's waiting.'

…

NAMEKIAN VILLAGE – AGE 1000

In the lush forest that surrounded his village Corro walked down a track that had been beaten into the earth by hundreds of footsteps before him. He was carrying a large bundle of kindling, and as he bent to retrieve another stick from the ground he stiffened, then smiled.

He added the stick to his bundle then started to walk back to the village as though nothing was amiss.

Waiting until the very last second Corro dropped the firewood and whirled around as a fierce shout came from behind him.

Jean shot towards Corro from one of the trees above him. He blocked her incoming kick and her shin slammed into his right forearm.

At the same time he reached his left hand around behind his back and grabbed Peppe's fist as he went for the back of Corro's head.

Twisting Corro grabbed Jean's leg with his right hand and swung both her and Peppe into Reed as he shot out of the brush to Corro's right.

The three children collided in mid-air and landed in a twisted mess.

'Owws' of various pitches came from the pile of children as they tried to untangle themselves and stand up. Corro laughed the whole time. The three of them trying to jump him when they thought he wasn't expecting it had become a regular occurrence.

Jean was the first up and began to dust herself off, a scowl on her face.

'Nice going Reed,' she said to the young Namek, 'if you hadn't got in the way I would have flipped over and come back at him.'

Reed jumped up off the ground, his fists clenched. 'Yeah right,' he said to Jean, 'there's no way you could have righted yourself while you were tangled up with Peppe.'

'It's not my fault,' Peppe said, still sitting on the ground shaking dirt out of his hair, 'Jean was the one who got in my way.'

Jean opened her mouth but before she could say something nasty Corro stepped between the three of them and said, 'Alright that's enough out of all of you.'

He smiled and bent down to grab Peppe's hand and help him up, then turned and pointed at the pile of sticks he had been carrying.

'Now, as punishment for losing you three can carry those back for me,' he said, then told them over their groans of protest, 'no, no I don't want to hear it. You three have been slacking off on your chores lately. You've spent too much time training and not enough time helping out.'

The three children grumbled and began to pick up the spilled kindling, then all four of them walked back to the village.

'What gave us away?' Peppe asked Corro on the way back.

'Jean,' Corro answered automatically.

Reed groaned. 'I tried to tell her,' he whined, 'she never suppresses her power.'

'Reed's right Jean,' Corro told her, 'you'll never catch me unprepared if I can sense you a mile away.'

Jean only snorted and said confidently, 'What's he point of hiding my power? I'm not afraid to show it off. Let my enemies feel it and shake in fear.'

'But Jean,' Corro said shaking his head, 'you'll never surprise someone if they feel you coming.

Jean stuck her nose in the air and said, 'I'm not one for sneak attacks anyway. I'd rather blast them head on.'

Corro just shook his head and smiled. As they came to the end of the path the trees on either side parted and gave way to the Namekian Village. Corro told the three children to store the firewood inside and then come straight back for their next chore.

As they shuffled inside he turned away and rubbed his forearm where he had blocked Jean's kick. A large purple bruise was already forming, and his whole arm was still numb from the blow.

I can't believe how strong she's gotten. I had no idea she was going to put me through this.

As Corro stood there, his mind thought back to a night over three years ago when he had agreed to train Jean in martial arts.

…

NAMEKIAN VILLAGE – AGE 997

The moon had risen high into the night sky when Jean opened her eyes and threw off the bed covers.

Silently she get up and dressed in the clothes the Namek elders had made for her. She pulled on a pair of loose white pants and tied a piece of white material around her chest. Over the top of this she pulled a pale blue dress that was designed to leave the right side of her body bare. Around her middle she tied a white sash to keep her dress in place, and on her feet she wore a pair of traditional Namekian shoes.

In a bed next to her own Peppe slept on interrupted. Jean cast a quick glance at him, a mixed feeling of both relief that he hadn't woken, and guilt that she wasn't taking him with her. In the past three weeks since she Kale had left Peppe had done nothing but cry.

Jean was done crying. She'd cried for her parents. She'd cried for her home. She'd cried for her brother. It had done nothing to bring them back. All the Nameks treated her like she was made of glass. She tired of sitting around feeling sorry for herself. It was time for action.

The house was dark and everyone was asleep when Jean quietly crept into the living room. Moonlight streamed in through the windows into the house casting an eerie light on the interior of the house.

As quickly as possible without making any sound Jean grabbed a leather satchel and began to fill it with the fruit that was sitting on the kitchen bench. When the bag was full she took an empty clay jar from a shelf and crept out of the house into the night.

Silent as a shadow Jean moved past the houses to the stream that through the village. She bent to fill the jar with water, and as she knelt there a voice spoke in the dark behind her.

'Going somewhere Jean?'

Jean dropped the jar in fright and it landed in the stream with a loud splash. She whirled around and standing before her was Corro. He stood there with his arms behind his back, still fully dressed and wide awake.

'It seems like I caught you just before you were about to leave,' he said casually, 'would you mind telling me where you're going?'

Jean didn't respond. Home caught in her mouth so instead she said, 'Away.'

Corro nodded and stood there silently.

When he didn't say anything else Jean asked, 'Aren't you going to stop me from going?'

Corro shrugged. 'I could stop you from going,' he said, 'but I'd rather that you chose to stay instead.'

Jean had expected him to be angry or to admonish her, but not for him to say that.

'I don't get it,' she told him, 'aren't you mad I tried to run away.'

The Namek took a step forward towards her. From the light of the moon she could that he had a sad expression on his face.

'I can't stop you from leaving Jean. But your brother asked me to look after you. And the best way for me to do that is for you to stay here, where it's safe.'

'Kale-' Jean stopped speaking suddenly choked up. She couldn't speak about her brother. If she started to think about him than she wouldn't be able to control her emotions.

Corro took another step towards her and put a hand on her shoulder. 'Jean,' he said gently, 'I wont try to understand what you've been through.'

Jean looked away from him and squared her jaw, trying to keep from crying.

Corro must have noticed her emotion because it was a full minute before he spoke again.

'I know you're angry,' he began but Jean cut him off.

'It's not anger. I...' She trailed off, unable to find the words to describe how she felt.

Tch. Damn it. Don't cry now.

She put her her forearm over her eyes, trying to hold the tears back. When they began to fall Jean knew that she had lost. Corro sensed the change. He put his arm around her shoulder and gently led her back to bed.

Once back in her bed Jean let her emotion out. Her body racked with silent sobs as she cried into her pillow. She couldn't explain to Corro how she felt. It was anger. It was anger over her home being destroyed. Anger over her parents deaths. Anger over Kale abandoning her and leaving her in this place alone with her grief.

Most of all it was anger at herself and how helpless she was. She hated being stuck being stuck in the village. Corro didn't have to stop her because she simply had no where to go. And she hated how Kale thought he had to be strong for her.

Jean clenched her teeth and gripped her pillow tightly.

Why can't I be strong? I want to be strong so Kale has to depend on ME.

…

Jean avoided speaking to Corro the next day. She only saw him briefly and it seemed that Corro had figured out that she wanted to be left alone.

The next night Jean had already been sound asleep for several hours when suddenly she awoke. A new and strange sensation had woken her up. It felt like an itch she needed to scratch, except it was coming from inside her head.

Jean sat up and groaned. She rubbed her temples but the feeling wasn't an ache like a headache. She sat still and closed her eyes, trying to clear her head. Her chest moved up and down as her breathing regulated.

The buzzing in her mind began to focus at the front of her head. Frowning, Jean turned her head to the right. The feeling moved to the left side of her head. She turned the other way to face her left and it moved to the other side of her head, as if it was pointing in that direction.

What the heck is going on? Not another bad night's sleep. What does this mean?

Jean had heard that one of the skills the members of the Earth's Special Forces were taught was to sense the spirits of others, but she had never contemplated learning such a technique, let alone experienced it herself.

Suddenly wide awake and full of excitement Jean quickly dressed and headed outside.

The village was silent and deserted as Jean passed by the houses. She followed the feeling right to the edge of the forest where she stopped. Little moonlight filtered down between the branches of the dark tress, and the path ahead was almost pitch black.

Jean took a deep breath to steel herself and plunged into the undergrowth, following the sensation like a compass. On and on it led her. She had only been in the forest around the village several times and never this far in.

Just as she was about to give up and go back to bed no matter what she felt, Jean caught sight of a faint light shining through the trees ahead. As her pace quickened the feeling got stronger and began to solidify into a presence.

She pushed aside a leafy branch and as she did the source of the light and the power came into her view.

Jean had come to a circular clearing of trees. The ground had been beaten flat and the trees that surrounded the clearing were cast in an eerie bluish white light.

Floating in mid-air with his legs crossed and his hands resting on his knees was Corro. His eyes were closed and his brow was furrowed in concentration. His shirt was lying on the ground next to him, his bare chest was beaded with sweat. The light was emanating from him.

As Jean watched the Namek, the air around him began to hum, and small rocks began to rise off the ground to hover in the air. The trees around the edge of the clearing bent inwards towards Corro, and tiny sparks of electricity ran across his skin and off his body to fizzle out on the ground below.

The pitch of the air reverberations suddenly changed. Corro flung his arms out on either side and splayed his fingers wide. The trees on either side where his hands gestured out to exploded as if they had been hit by a sudden force, yet there had been no sign of an attack from Corro.

From his sitting position on mid-air Corro flipped over backwards and landed with his feet on the ground. He clenched his fists and the splintered trunk of a tree from either side rose into the air. With a yell he swept his arms through the air bringing them together on front of him and as he did the two tree trunks shot forward and both collided with a larger tree in front of Corro, exploding in a mass on splinters.

Jean covered her eyes and ducked behind the tree next to her as shards of wood hit the trunk and fell to the ground. She chanced another look and saw the splinters that would have hit Corro ignite just before they reached him and slowly fall to the ground.

Corro was breathing heavily. His chest heaved up and down and sweat shone on his forehead. As Jean watched he said something to himself, then sat with his legs folded beneath him and began to slowly regulate his breathing.

Jean slunk behind the tree again. As she stood there in the quiet of the night she realised the pressure on her mind had all but vanished. Only a minute portion remained, like a ripple in her mind that still pointed to the clearing behind her.

As quietly as she could Jean headed back to the village and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow of her bed.

…

The next morning Jean waited until she could get Corro alone before speaking to him. When he went to collect water from the stream she had her chance.

Approaching him silently from behind Jean said, 'I saw you last night.'

It was Corro's turn to be startled by somebody from behind at the stream. He jumped and dropped the bucket he was filling with a heavy splash.

He turned and saw Jean standing there. 'Jean, you startled me,' he began awkwardly, 'sorry, what was it you just said.'

Jean waved her hand dismissively. 'Spare me Corro, I saw you in the forest last night training.'

Corro frowned. 'I...what?' he spluttered. 'You saw me?'

Jean stepped forward and looked up into his face smiling slightly.

'What's this about? And how did you find me?' Corro asked her.

'This isn't about blackmail,' she told him, 'you have something I want, so I think we can come to an agreement.'

Corro crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows. 'Oh?' he asked, 'What is it you want?'

'You're strong,' Jean said, 'I've seen your power. And I saw how you killed those two soldiers as if it were as easy as throwing a stone when we escaped the city.'

She paused and Corro said, 'I'm not sure I like where this is conversation is headed, but keep going.'

'I want you to teach me,' Jean told him, 'teach me to fight and to control my energy.'

Jean's teeth flashed white as her smile widened. 'Do this for me, and I promise I'll stay. I'll stay and I wont try to leave.'

Corro was silent for a minute and Jean could tell he was thinking it over. After a minute he asked her quietly, 'Why do you want this Jean?'

Jean's face grew hot and she could feel tears beginning to form. They weren't tears of sadness though, and she didn't let them fall.

'I want to get stronger,' she told Corro, 'I want to be strong enough to fight.'

She took a deep breath before saying, 'Kale's going to get stronger. He thinks he needs to be strong to protect me, but he's wrong.'

Speaking of her brother was almost enough to let her tears fall, but Jean squared her jaw and was able to keep talking.

'I want to be stronger than Kale. He's not strong now but he will be soon. My family wasn't strong and now they're dead. The people of West City were weak, and the soldiers were fools to think it was safe. None of them were strong enough.'

Jean clenched her hands into fists so hard that her nails bit into her hands and drew blood.

'I want to be strong enough to protect everybody,' she told Corro, holding up her hand before him so he could see, 'I want to be strong enough to protect my family, my home, and those who I care about. But most of all I want to fight those that would seek to harm us. I want them see fall beneath me, and see how foolish they were to challenge me as the lights leave their eyes.'

She let her hands fall to the side and ducked her head, staring at Corro's shoes.

'I want to be the strongest,' she finished quietly.

Corro didn't answer at first. Jean had expected him to refuse, or to be angry and tell her not to say such things.

When he didn't speak Jean looked up at his face, but his expression was indiscernible. She couldn't tell if he was angry, upset or sad. He seemed to be merely studying her.

'Say something,' she said to him.

Corro breathed deeply in and out through his nose before asking, 'How was it you found me last night?'

'I...I don't know,' Jean stammered, suddenly taken aback. Of all the things she had expected Corro to say, this hadn't been one of them. 'I can't explain how, but it's like I could feel where you were in my mind and just followed it.'

'Has this happened before?' Corro asked.

Jean shook her head. 'Last night was the first time. I didn't know it was you I was feeling until I saw you. I didn't even know what it was I could sense, just that I had this sensation that was telling me where something was.'

'Interesting,' Corro stated, and for the first time Jean had confronted him he smiled.

'What you're describing is the ability to sense another person's Ki, or power,' he told her, 'It's fascinating that it would manifest in somebody as young as you, especially without training.'

Frowning, Jean said, 'I don't understand, does this mean you'll train me?'

'This doesn't impact whether or not I'll train you Jean, it just makes our work easier to start with.'

Jean's heart leapt. 'So you mean you'll teach me to fight?'

Corro nodded. 'Yes it does. But before you get worked up-' he said as Jean gave a cheer and punched the air '-we will be doing this my way, and you do exactly what I say, however I say it.'

'Thank-you Corro!' Jean said throwing her arms around his middle, 'I promise I'll follow your instructions to the letter!'

Corro seemed taken aback for a moment, but then he smiled and put his hand on top of her head and told her, 'I'll hold you to that.'

They stood like that for a moment before a voice behind Jean said loudly, 'I want to be strong too!'

Corro and Jean broke apart and she spun around and saw Peppe standing behind her.

His whole face was screwed up, his mouth set in a hard upturned smile and he had his hands by his sides, fingers tightly clenched.

Before they could say anything he said again, 'I wont to be strong too!'

It was the most Jean had ever heard him say, and it was the first time she had seen him with tears streaming down his face.

'Peppe, I-' Corro began, but the boy interrupted him.

'I want to learn to fight, and I want to be strong so I can hurt the ones that hurt Mama!'

He stopped speaking and became suddenly shy. His eyes cast down at the ground in front of him and his voice dropped to just above a whisper.

'C-can you teach me?'

Corro strode past Jean and knelt down in front of the boy. Peppe raised his eyes to meet the tall Nameks gaze. To Jean, he seemed very shy of Corro. She didn't blame him. He had come from West City, and given his age he probably had never met one.

It must be terribly confusing for him to suddenly be surrounded by them.

Jean felt suddenly guilty that she had barely spared a thought about what Peppe must be going through.

'Are you sure about this Peppe?' Corro asked him. 'This wont be easy. You'll be knocked down again and again, but you'll have to keep on getting up no matter how much it hurts.'

Peppe nodded. 'I can do it,' he mumbled, 'I...I know it wont bring Mama back, but Jean is right. We have to be strong.'

Corro smiled. 'That's right,' he said quietly, then stood up.

'What do you think Reed?' he called out.

It was only just now that Jean noticed the young Namek leaning against the wall of a nearby house. When Corro called out to him a wide smile broke out across his face and he launched himself forward off the wall coming to a stop floating in the air above Corro and Peppe.

'So we're finally doing this?' he asked Corro eagerly.

'Looks that way,' Corro replied.

Reed's smile broadened. 'Cool!' he exclaimed. He turned to Jean and said 'I wanted to train you anyway, but Corro said not to say anything. He said that if you wanted us to teach you then you'd ask.'

Reed began to circle in the air above Jean. She tried to keep her eyes on him but had to stop when her head started to spin.

'This is so cool,' Reed continued, 'we'll make you super strong! Don't worry though, we'll be sure to go easy on you.'

Reed landed in front of Jean and crossed his arms. 'If you put in a lot of hard work you might be able to become half as strong as me.'

'Enough Reed,' Corro told him. He put his hands on his brothers shoulders and said to him, 'You'll be working hard too. You still have a long way to go.'

For the first time since Jean had come to the Namekian Village, she felt like she really belonged.

Just you wait and see Kale. The next time I see you I'll be the stronger one, and then you'll have to be the one asking me for help!

…

NAMEKIAN VILLAGE – AGE 1000

Corro was jolted out of his musing on the past as the three children ran back out of the house, talking loudly as they came.

They shot past Corro and the three leapt into the sky. Peppe and Reed went for Jean, but she blocked both of their attacks and countered with her own.

'Alright that's enough you three,' Corro called out to them, 'Come down from there.'

When they didn't respond Corro sighed and reached out for Peppe and Reed, his arms extending to grab around their ankles to pull them back down to Earth.

Jean landed behind them as Corro's arms retracted. 'Not just yet,' he told them, 'you still have your chores you need to finish before you can slack off and train.'

Ignoring their groans of protest he continued, 'I don't to hear any complaining out of you.'

He put his hands on his hips and added, 'If you hurry it up and there's time before dinner maybe then we can see how strong you've gotten, so get moving!'

As the three children ran off to their respective duties, Corro smiled to himself and rubbed his forearm again.

I can already see for myself how much stronger they've all gotten. Especially Jean. I'll have to watch out because pretty soon she'll be as strong as me!

…

EARTH'S SPECIAL FORCES HQ

The commanding officers command tent acted both as a centre for action and planning for it's army, as well as the living quarters for the senior officers. The entrance to the tent led into a large room which was dominated by an enormous circular interface. The computer was waist high and the top was a flat screen that showed a map of various parts of the planet. It could also project a three dimensional image of the Earth and highlight which areas remained under Intergalactic Army's control, and which the ESF had secured.

The tent was double storied and even had working plumbing in the officers quarters.

Standing bent over the map of the planet was the leader of the Earth's Special Forces; General Dykon.

The General was a tall man who'd passed fifty, yet was still in prime physical condition. He wore a plain white singlet which showed off the size of the muscles of his arms and the definition of the muscles on his body.

He wore heavy black boots and a pair of dark green cargo pants. His arms, neck and face were covered in crisscrossed scars from a lifetime of battles, which only served to add to his intimidating aura of authority. His sandy hair was worn in a crew cut, and he sported a moustache goatee combination, cropped short.

As the Z Squad entered and gathered around the electronic table the General gave no indication he had noticed them, his attention fixed on the map. He pressed a button and the screen wiped clear then a flow of pixels came together to form an image of the planet floating above the table.

Most of the planet's surface was coloured red. This represented the estimated area of the Intergalactic Army's influence. Less of the planet was coloured in blue, to represent areas held by the Earth's Special Forces. Chief among these areas were the three main cities; North City, East City and South City.

Kale noticed painfully that the area where West City had once stood was a discoloured grey patch, to indicate unoccupied land.

A flap in the wall on the tent behind General Dykon opened and through it entered the two officers who served as his seconds in command, Major Howl and Brigadier Lettis.

The Major was wolf-man with dark blue fur and wiry arms. His physical appearance was very misleading. Howl was an extremely strong and savage fighter. His chest and feet were bare, and his tail lashed from side to side as he observed the Z Squad.

Brigadier Lettis was a renowned veteran fighter. She had fought in many battles against the IA and had the scars to prove it. Years ago she had been captured and while she was held prisoner she had been tortured for information. Her left eye was white and unseeing, and ever since her prison had been liberated by ESF troops the hair on her head had not grown back. She had been rendered mute and spoke only with strange hand gestures. Only a young boy assigned as her aide understood what she meant and would act as her translator. Kale didn't see him anywhere today though.

Her attire was plain but for one thing. Over her shoulder Lettis wore a long, curved nodachi, sheathed in a scabbard of black lacquered wood. Like Lan, she too had graduated from the Kikoukenjutsu School of swordplay.

Over time those closest to her, such as Howl and the General, had learnt a bit of her sign language and could sometimes recognise what she was saying without the translator's aid.

Howl and Lettis stood behind Dykon on either side. Lettis looked at them all blankly, but Howl's lips curled back over his fangs as his small orange eyes swept across the room, glaring at the squad members one by one.

It was only when the two officers were standing behind him, did the General finally take his attention off the map.

He lifted his eyes from the projection and focused them on Nett for a few seconds before pressing another button causing the Earth to dissipate and instead show a birds-eye-view of the Earth's Special Forces headquarters and the surrounding area.

Nett and the rest of the squad stood to attention. Even Bobo was standing up straight.

'At ease and listen well soldiers,' Dykon told them. He spoke in a deep rumbling bass. He spoke with such authority that even the simplest of sentences was enough to demand the attention of anyone.

'General Dykin,' Nett said, 'The Z Squad is reporting for duty. The order was to assemble as soon as possible for a high priority mission.'

The General stood up straight behind the table and clasped his hands behind his back.

'Yes Nett. This mission may represent a turning point in the fight for the freedom of our planet'. Dykon paused briefly and his eyes quickly swept across the faces of those standing before him.

'I don't mean to sound pretentious,' he continued, 'but the next twenty four hours could tip the scales of victory in our favour, or throw them terribly onto the side of the enemy's.'

Dykon pressed a series of buttons on the table and the map zoomed out to show a large area of territory. Most of the table coloured red, but spots of blue were here and there.

'Being held in this patch here-' the General indicated with his finger to a small patch of red in one of the corners of the map '-is a complete set of Dragon Balls.'

Around the table the Z Squad stirred. Nett stood up straighter and Kinwa and Lan exchanged a glance. Bobo made an 'Oohhh' sound. Kale stood still, staring at the map and trying to look like he knew what a Dragon Ball was.

'I see your understand the seriousness of this mission,' Dykon went on.

'Yes Sir,' Nett said quietly.

The General leant over the table again. 'We received word that the last of the Balls had been obtained by the enemy around six hours ago. The information of their current location was discovered around two hours ago.'

Nett bent over the table as well to look at the small patch of red Dykon had indicated to.

'Such a small base though. Why would they risk holding them there?'

'Small,' Dykon replied, 'but highly defended. We believe they are being held in this location for either imminent use or off world transport. Which brings me to your orders for this mission. Obviously, retrieving the Dragon Balls is the prime objective.'

Dykon tapped the screen on the base where the Dragon Balls were being held and the screen zoomed into provided a detailed top down view of the base's layout.

'Your orders are as such: Under cover of darkness you are to infiltrate the enemy base undetected. Once inside you will need to enter this building here.'

Dykon pointed to a large square building in the centre of the base.

'This is where we believe the Balls are being held. Capture them and escape undetected if possible. If you are discovered after you have obtained the Dragon Balls-'

He broke off as Lettis made a gesture where she swept her right hand over her left and out in front of her, then pointed the first two fingers on her right hand into the palm of her left, then formed a fist with her right hand and punched it into the palm of her left, curling her fingers around it.

'-One member of the squad must escape and return to HQ with them while the others stay behind to draw the soldiers attention from the retreating squad member,' Dykon concluded.

The General raised his eyes from the board to look at all of the members of the Z Squad.

'I know this may sound very simple to you,' he told them, 'but rest assured this will not be easy. We know that this base is under the command of Captain Ivy, and we have reason to believe that Commander Cackas may be present as well.'

Despite trying to look confident, Kale shivered. Commander Cackas was the man who led the Intergalactic Army's siege on the planet. A man whose reputation was as storied as Dykon's. He was known to be intelligent, ruthless and extremely strong.

Given his position, he was rarely seen on the battlefield as he directed his troops from the centre of IA held territory. When he did enter a fight, victory always went to the Intergalactic Army's forces, leaving few Special Forces troops alive.

Nett stood straight with his shoulders back. 'We'll get it done Sir,' he said, 'When do we set out?'

'Immediately,' Dykon replied, 'we can't risk you being detected while travelling there so you'll be driven out there and then proceed on foot. If you're compromised before you reach the location, or before the Dragon Balls are retrieved the enemy could take steps to move them off world and by then it will be too late.'

The room was silent for a moment so Kale took the opportunity to ask, 'Sorry sir, but what exactly is a Dragon Ball?'

Kale's face burned and turned a brilliant shade of red. He stared straight ahead at a blank part of the wall as all the eyes in the room turned to look at him. Howl curled his lip again and a low growl sounded in his throat.

'Welcome to your first mission Kale,' Dykon said.

Kale looked at him and relaxed slightly.

'They're magic boy,' Howl said. His voice was low and guttural, as if he chewed on each word before spitting it out.

'If you bring all seven of them together a dragon appears and grants you any wish, if you believe such nonsense,' he added.

'They are real,' Dykon said, somewhat exasperated, 'and what Howl says about their power is true. So you can see Kale, why the Earth's Special Forces would want to keep such objects from falling into the hands of the enemy, and why we would want that kind of power to change the rules of battle in our favour.'

Kale turned towards Nett as he spoke.

'For the last twenty years since the war broke out the ESF has been searching for them,' he said, 'finding them is no easy task.'

'We managed to find five of them over the course of fifteen years,' Dykon said picking up the conversation, 'however we suffered a major setback five years ago when the stronghold the five we'd obtained were being stored was sacked and the Balls stolen.'

Howl stepped forward and put his hands on the table, his claws curling around the edge. 'About two years ago we received intel that the IA had found a sixth Dragon Ball. This wasn't a concern, as without all seven they're nothing but a fancy paper weight. Now it seems that the enemy has found the last.'

Dykon came around the table and stood in front by the entrance flap to the tent and looked out at the soldiers going past.

'If we pull this off, we may have our first real chance,' he told them, 'we could wish for anything, our troops to be immortal, all of the IA soldiers to drop dead. Anything.'

He turned back to face the Z Squad. 'If we fail, then before we can blink the Dragon Balls will be off the planet and on their way to the hands of Rose, and any chance of victory will be gone.'

Rose was the being the Intergalactic Army claimed to serve. The only information the Earth's Special Forces had on him had been obtained at first contact with the Intergalactic Army. They had claimed that he was a being of immeasurable power, and that to defy him was like spitting at a god.

Dykon looked at Kale and smiled slightly seeing the young warrior shifting uncomfortably. 'Don't worry,' he told Kale, 'You just make sure that you get the Dragon Balls back here. We'll take care of the rest.'

'Scared Kale?' Howl asked him.

Kale squared his shoulders and looked the wolf-man straight in the eye. 'No sir, only eager to get out there.'

Howl smirked but by his side Lettis gave Kale a half smile.

'Don't screw up boy,' Howl growled at him, 'This is your first real mission and it's going to be hell. It's a joke that we're sending someone as green and untrained as you, but Dykon says the Z Squad can do it. Just make sure you don't bring them down.'

'That's enough Howl,' Dykon said walking back around the table to look at the map, 'Kale was named to the Z Squad because we believe that is where his potential lies.'

The wolf-man gave a short growl in response.

'You have your orders Z Squad,' Dykon told them, 'Head over to the vehicle depot now, your ride leaves in ten.'

He saluted them and the Z Squad returned the salute before exiting the tent.

Kale was the last to leave but before he stepped outside Dykon called out to him.

'And Kale...'

Kale turned to look back, one foot already outside.

'...make sure you don't stuff up.'

Kale smiled wryly. 'I don't plan on it sir.'

He stepped out of the tent and followed the rest of the squad jogging to catch up with them.

They were already talking about the mission ahead.

'I don't know what they're thinking wasting their wish like that,' Lan was saying.

'What do you think they should wish for?' Kale asked catching up to walk beside her.

'Well what's the point of wishing a bunch of dead guys back to life,' she told him, 'If they were killed in the first place they can't have been very strong.'

'There have been warriors stronger than us in the past twenty years,' Nett said ahead of them, 'Warriors even stronger than Dykon and the others. It doesn't matter though, the dragon can only restore those who have died in the past year to life. That doesn't help us much.'

'How do you know that?' Kinwa asked him, but Nett didn't answer.

'Immortality's useless as well,' Lan went on, 'Even if you made it so your strongest warriors couldn't die, I bet there's warriors who are ten times stronger than us in the Intergalactic Army. So then immortality doesn't do you much good if you can't touch your enemy. Plus even if you can't die you can still have your head cut off, and who wants to be a talking head stuck in the same spot for the rest of time.'

Kale bit his bottom lip as he thought over what Lan had said.

'You have a point,' he told her.

Lan folded her fingers together and rested her hands behind her head as they walked on.

'Now,' she began, 'You know what I'd wish for?'

On Lan's other side Kinwa rolled her eyes and said, 'I knew this was coming.'

Land ignored her and continued. 'I would wish for a group of Saiyan warriors to come to our aid.'

Her voice rose as Kinwa gave a derisive snort. 'Scoff all you want Kinwa, the Saiyans who once lived on this planet were ledgendary warriors. With a group of them, even a dozen, we would have all the man power we needed to push the IA back. They were a fierce warrior race, one of the most powerful in the universe.'

'So tell me then Lan,' Kinwa asked her, 'If they were as tough as you say they were, why aren't they around now.'

Lan looked at Kinwa with daggers in her eyes before answering. 'Their homeworld was destroyed by an even powerful warrior and their species was pushed to the brink of extinction. Only a handful survived and their descendants live on in the blood lines of a few Humans today.'

'The short answer being they all died,' Kinwa said looking around Lan at Kale.

'Mark my words Kinwa,' Lan told her, 'If we had just a few Saiyans on our side it would change everything.'

She turned to look at Kinwa, put a hand on her head and bent down to look in her face with her eyes narrowed.

'It may also interest you,' she said in an annoyed tone, 'That the warrior who destroyed planet Vegeta was in turn killed by a Saiyan.'

Lan straightened up an spun on her heel and marched quickly after Nett leaving Kinwa and Kale behind.

Kinwa stood with her arms crossed, looking somewhere between annoyed and admonished.

'They're still all dead!' she called after Lan, who ignored her.

Kinwa turned to Kale and laughed when she saw the look of apprehension on his face.

'Don't worry about it,' she told him, waving her hand dismissively and walking after the rest of the group, 'I only tease her because I love her. She knows that.'

Kale looked around at Bobo who had been walking behind them. The Majin had a confused look on his face.

'What do you make of all this?' Kale asked him.

Bobo only shrugged.

Kale smiled and said to him, 'Come on, lets get a move on before Nett sees we're lagging.'

Before the squad climbed into the truck that would take them close to the enemy base Nett handed Lan and Kinwa a scouter each to use on the mission.

'We're going to be on this truck for many hours, so I don't want to hear any bickering out of you two,' he told the two women.

Lan only shrugged and Kinwa looked prim.

Frowning, Nett said, 'I mean it. I don't want to hear anymore about Saiyans,' he said pointing to Lan, 'And I don't want you to be giving Lan a hard time because of her crazy family tree,' he added turning towards Kinwa.

Nett looked at Kale before climbing aboard the truck. Seeing that Kale was grinning broadly, he gave him a small smile in return.

'Need a hand getting up there?' Lan asked Kinwa.

'Shut up,' Kinwa replied as she climbed up and took a seat.

Kale took a seat next to Nett as the truck began to pull out of the yard.

'Howl is right you know,' he said to the Namek, 'I am green and untrained.'

Nett looked at him and seemed taken aback that Kale would be so humble.

'Try not to worry about it,' he told Kale, 'Everybody is green on their first mission. You've got to start somewhere.'

'I guess,' Kale replied, 'still, I've only been through the basic military training. All of you have had formal martial arts training.'

Nett fell silent and mused on what Kale had said while the truck pulled to a stop while it waited for the front gate of the base to be opened.

'Try not to think about it too much,' he said as the truck began to move again, 'That can't be helped. We were all taught before we joined the military.'

Across from Kale Lan said to him, 'Don't worry about it Kale. It's obvious you've got potential, otherwise they wouldn't have put you with us. Once we get back, we'll find you a real martial arts trainer. Give it a few months, and you'll be kicking arse and taking names like a pro.'

Kale smiled at her and Lan added, 'You know who would be a really good trainer? A really good trainer that everybody could learn a lot from?'

Next to her, Kinwa put a hand over her eyes and said, 'Don't say it Lan.'

Lan put her hands out and shrugged casually. 'I'm just sayin'.'

A vein twitched in Nett's forehead. 'ENOUGH!' he roared, and the rest of the Z Squad began to laugh as the truck bounced along the road to their destination.

…

SEVERAL KILOMETERS SOUTH-EAST OF THE Z SQUAD'S TARGET

The sun was setting as the Z Squad disembarked from the truck. As it turned around and drove off in a cloud of dust they hurried to take cover in the thick forest that bordered either side of the road.

As the moon rose over their heads the Z Squad moved slowly on foot towards the base where the Dragon Balls were being held.

It was essential that secrecy was maintained so they had to avoid flying and keep their power levels pushed down. Each of them kept their scouters on high alert and their senses ready to detect the presence of an enemy scout.

Several times the squad had to take cover and wait hidden while an enemy patrol passed overhead.

After over an hour of slow going through thick bush land Nett signalled for the squad to stop and bunch up.

He put one hand inside his armour and drew out a small piece of paper.

'Alright, the base is just over the next rise. We know that from the angle we're approaching from there will be a small blind spot that will allow us to quickly scale the wall undetected. From there we move on the building where the Dragon Balls are being kept.'

He passed the piece of paper to Lan and told her, 'Read this quickly and memorise it,' then he turned to Kale.

'Once we've secured the Dragon Balls I want you to be the one to take them back to HQ.'

Kale's eyes widened. 'You want me to be the one holding onto them?' he asked Nett.

Nett nodded as Lan passed the paper to Kinwa.

'That's right,' he said to Kale, 'Getting out will be a lot harder than getting in. If we're jumped I want you to get out of there as fast as you can while we keep the soldiers attention focused. Hopefully they'll think it's a botched surprise attack and they wont notice you.'

Kale took the piece of paper from Bobo and said, 'That's putting you four in a really dangerous position.'

'Are you doubting us Kale?' Lan asked him.

'Have a bit more faith in us, we're professionals,' Kinwa added.

Nett smiled. 'No offence Kale, but all of us have a lot more experience than you. We can handle whatever they throw at us. Just make sure you get away from the base as fast as you can. Then you'll have to drop down into the forest and keep going on foot otherwise the sentries will sense you leaving.'

Kale nodded and looked down at the paper and began to memorise what was written.

'Keep heading south-east for several clicks,' Nett continued, 'Don't worry, somebody will know you're coming and pick you up.'

Handing the piece of paper back to Nett Kale asked him, 'And what about you guys?'

Taking it back, Nett put his index finger to the paper and ignited it. By the light of the brief flickering flame Kale could see his brow was furrowed and his face set, but he still had that smile.

'We'll find our own way,' he replied, leaving the paper to curl to black ash and fall to the ground.

The group continued slowly and silently onward over the last part of the journey to reach the base. All of them moved with expert stealth and guile. Kale was surprised that even Bobo moved quietly, despite his immense bulk.

As the squad crested the hill the enemy camp came into view. It had four high metal walls and at each corner sat a watch tower which spread spotlights over the base and the surrounding area.

Nett had been right about their location. They had come at the base from the side and in the middle of the wall there was a small patch of darkness where the spotlights didn't reach.

'There,' Nett breathed, pointing to the place, 'That's where we go over. Large outposts like this rely more on detecting power levels than posting sentries.'

'We'll all have to go over at the same time,' Lan said, 'That'll minimise the risk of their scouters picking us up.'

Nett got up onto one knee and the others followed suit. 'That's right, keep to the area between the two spotlights, when we reach the wall we all go straight over together. Once we land on the other side move to cover immediately. We clear?'

The others all nodded.

'Then lets go!'

The Z Squad burst out from the tree line and sprinted towards the wall of the camp. Kale's heart was racing as he ran towards the fence. He kept his eyes on the back of Lan's head in front of him, trying to focus on her movements rather then get caught up with what was ahead.

The group moved in single file as they passed between the two spotlights. In amazed Kale how they all moved in unison, already knowing what to do and where to move without Nett telling them. This is what it meant to be one of the elites.

Nett, Kinwa and Lan had reached the wall. As Kale passed between the lights he looked back at Bobo who had sucked in his weight and stretched his body taller to distribute it evenly to be able to pass through undetected.

Kale would've laughed if he had the time. As soon as Bobo joined them at the wall, the squad jumped up and over without a word. Kale was only half a second behind them, trying to feel for the same instincts that the rest of the group had.

As the five of them came over the top they had a brief view of the layout of the base before they landed behind the warehouse in front of them. Inside the grounds were very well lit, and Intergalactic Army soldiers patrolled in groups of two.

Kale landed softly then quickly dived behind a large crate in front of him. The rest of the squad stood still in hiding waiting on tenterhooks for the a sign their entrance had been detected or not.

There was no sound of an alarm or troops moving towards where the group hid, and after a few moments the group followed Nett as he led them through the few shadows the buildings cast around them to the centre of the base.

Guards patrolled the base in groups of two and once the Z Squad had to flatten themselves against a wall and wait in the shadow for the soldiers to walk past.

Nett demonstrated his skill as a soldier by getting the group towards the centre building without being discovered. The squad waited in the dark while Nett checked the entrance to the building where the Dragon Balls were being held.

He ducked his head back around and told the other four, 'There's two guards standing in front of the door. Looks like the door has a hand print lock.'

Kale heard this from behind Bobo's back as he was waiting behind the Majin and was unable to see around him.

'Lan and I duck out when it's clear,' Nett went on, 'We grab the guards, I'll force mine to put his hand on the plate to unlock the door, then we all go in and stash the unconscious two somewhere discreet.'

'And what if they don't have clearance to open the door and those two are just guarding it?' Lan asked him.

Nett paused before answering. 'Then we blast the door open and make a break for the Dragon Balls. That's the worst case scenario.'

He turned around and Lan followed him to the edge of the building to check if any patrols were coming by.

When it was all clear the two of them moved around the corner quickly to subdue the two guards silently.

The remaining three waited with baited breath. Neither of the guards sounded the alarm. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of boots being scuffed against the ground. Kale looked around from Bobo's back and as he did Lan stuck her hand around the corner and beckoned them over.

Kale realised he had been holding his breath and let it out as his head began to ache. He followed Bobo as he and Kinwa came around the corner to the entrance on the building. Nett was standing inside the door with his foot in the doorway to stop it from closing and he was holding the two unconscious guards under his arms. He passed them both to Bobo to carry as the group ducked inside and the door closed behind them.

Leaving the two guards in a small storage room near the entrance, the squad moved quickly down the corridor keeping alert for anyone approaching. The corridor was brightly lit and the walls were metal painted white. The brightness of the interior made Kale's eyes smart until they adjusted.

Nett led the group through the building. Several times they came to other corridors that led in a different direction, but Nett seemed to know where he was going and the others followed without question.

Kinwa was moving in front of Kale. He tapped her on the shoulder and asked, 'How is it Nett knows the right way to go?'

'It's on his scouter,' Kinwa replied in a hissed whisper, 'the blueprints were sent to all of us. Didn't you check yours?'

Kale's face burned as he raised his hand to his scouter and checked for new messages. There were three new ones and his stomach plummeted as he checked the most recent one and saw it contained the schematics for the enemy base.

Crumbs, I really dropped the ball on that one.

The squad continued until they came to a large grey door at the end of a corridor. It had a plain design except for a symbol embossed at eye level that Kale didn't recognise.

'This is it,' Nett said quietly, 'This is Ivy's office.'

He didn't make any move to try the door.

'Why are there no guards? Where the heck is everybody?' Kinwa said looking around.

The door to Captain Ivy's office didn't have a hand print lock, just a regular handle. Nett put his hand on the handle and said to the others, 'It may be that there's no one here because there's nothing to guard. Otherwise Ivy might have left and taken his guards with him.'

'Only one way to find out,' Lan said, drawing her sword.

The Z Squad positioned themselves on either side of the door. Nett nodded to them, quickly twisted the handle and flung the door open.

They rushed in, weapons and fists raised and energy attacks at the ready.

The office was empty. It was plainly furnished, and like the rest of the building it had a white metal floor, ceiling and walls. A black desk sat at the other end of the room. The only chair was positioned behind the desk.

Behind the desk was hung a large portrait which served as the room's one decoration. It was an electronic display which showed an image of the leader of the Intergalactic Army, Rose. Every few seconds the picture would change to show different portraits of Rose painted by various artists.

Sitting on the desk itself was a standard sized black briefcase. Kale looked at Nett, his eyes widening in disbelief. The group quickly crossed the room and crowded around the desk.

'I wonder if it's possible for us to catch a break,' Nett muttered as he put his hands over the briefcase.

He swivelled it around to face. He glanced at the rest of the squad who held their breath as he tried the lock. It wasn't locked.

As Nett opened the case the three humans couldn't help letting out a 'Yes!' and punching the air.

Inside were all seven Dragon Balls. An orange light pulsated slowly and a strange humming could be heard in the air around them.

'There so pretty,' Kinwa said reaching for one.

Nett snapped the case shut. 'That's enough,' he told the squad, 'Don't forget where we are. First half of the mission is over, but this has been too easy. I have a feeling this it's going to get a lot harder from here on out.'

'Lighten up Nett,' Lan told him, sheathing her sword and wearing a wide smile, 'Lets just try and get out of here quietly so we can head back to base and make our wish.'

'My thoughts exactly,' Nett said, handing the case to Kale.

He looked at Kale hard before letting it go.

'You know what your job is. You know what's at stake.'

Kale nodded calmly. 'I wont let you down.'

Nett checked the corridor before they headed back outside.

Kale was feeling giddy. His stomach was doing somersaults and he couldn't stop smiling. Despite still being in the middle of enemy territory, the rest of the squad were having a similar reaction to their success. Only Nett stayed serious.

'It may be harder to get back out than it was getting in,' he told them, 'If we're detected as we go over the wall that's no so bad. If that's the case we can all go with Kale and escort him to the rendezvous point. Otherwise we stick to the plan and keep the soldiers attention here, while Kale escapes to-'

Nett broke off speaking as the squad rounded a corner. Coming towards them from the other end of a corridor were two Intergalactic Army soldiers. The one on the right was a short red skinned man, with a squashed in face and a pair of stubby black horns that protruded from his forehead. The other was tall and skinny, with a sickly grey pallor. Both were dressed in standard IA battle armour.

The Z Squad froze at the sight of them. The other two soldiers didn't notice them immediately. They kept walking down the corridor without breaking off their conversation.

'Those two are asking for it,' the short one said to the tall soldier, 'Leaving their post when they're supposed ta' be guarding this place. Ivy will have their heads if they don't show up real s-'

He broke off as he and his comrade caught sight of the Z Squad standing frozen at the other end of the corridor.

'Hey!' the short red soldier barked at them, 'What do you think you idiots are doing with those Dragon Balls! You know that Captain Ivy is the only one allowed to handle them!'

'Are you idiots trying to get yourselves killed?' his tall friend asked them, 'And what's with that weird get-up? You guys are gonna be court marshalled for walking around out of uniform.'

The short soldier scratched his chin and looked at them intensely. 'Come to think of it, I don't remember any Humans joining up, let alone Nameks and whatever that pink thing is.'

There was an almost audible 'clunk' as the soldiers minds slowly put two and two together, their faces turning blue.

'Intrude-' the short one began to yell but Nett lunged forward and his arms stretched out to grab the soldier's jaws and hold their mouths shut.

The Z Squad sprinted down the corridor towards them. The tall grey soldier was trying to pull Nett's hand off as his face turned red from lack of oxygen.

When he couldn't pull Nett's hand off him, the short soldier gathered a ball of yellow energy in his hand. Kinwa dived forward to try and suppress it, but the soldier fired it behind him. The blast shot down the corridor and exploded when it hit the wall.

Nett yanked both soldiers off their feet, slammed their heads together then threw them at the walls on either side of him. There a brief moment of silence then a wailing alarm began to sound.

'Run!' the Namek yelled at the group.

Kale's heart was pounding as he sprinted down the corridor. He kept the case containing the Dragon Balls close to his chest and as they burst outside Nett yelled, 'You all know your jobs, go Kale!'

The Namek swept his arm wide sending a wave of purple energy into the building opposite them. As the building exploded in an enormous fire ball Kale shot into the sky and flew as fast as he could out of the base.

Nett smiled briefly after him then spun around as Lan roared, 'Here they come!'

Soldiers were running towards them from every direction. Others flew out of the sky, making a bee line for the four troops. Nett, Kinwa, Lan and Bobo ran to meet them. The Majin gave a high pitched laugh, already firing enormous pink blasts from his hands.

The two forces crashed together in a blaze of fists and explosions.

Nett ducked under the punch of one soldier and slammed his palm into the soldiers stomach sending him flying backwards. He blocked another's kick, then flipped the attacker over and swung him by his leg into the path of another soldier sending them both down.

Lan moved with less finesse than her commander. Her fighting style was much less practical and brutal. She blocked one punch, then another as her attacker swung his left fist at her. She held his fists tightly in her own then pulled his arms out wide and slammed her forehead into his face. As the soldier crumpled beneath her she drew her sword and her fighting style changed.

She became much more graceful as she moved through the crowd, cutting those around her down. Two soldiers came at her with short swords in their hands. Lan blocked the attack of the first one, then swung her sword around over her back to block the second from behind. As the first came at her again she adjusted her stance before kicking his wrist. He dropped his sword with a short yell of pain as Lan spun around to face the second soldier. She arched her back backwards, her hair lightly touching the ground, as he swung his sword through the air above her, then swung her own in a wide circle and beheaded him.

A line of soldiers ran towards her, faces twisted in fury. Lan settled into her stance, then swung her sword in a wide arc, letting her energy flow through her into the sword's blade. An enormous wave of yellow energy shot out of her sword and it crashed into the soldiers bringing them down.

Being surrounded by angry soldiers, most of whom were bigger than her, did not deter Kinwa. She moved slowly with poise as if she were dancing. Two streams of blue energy flowed from her fingers as a vibrant aura shone around her. Her eyes glowed blue as she spun away from one soldier, then sent him flying with a blast to his back. First she pushed her arms out to the side, fingers splayed, and fired a wave of blue energy at the soldiers on either side of her.

Slowly and gracefully she moved first to blast the soldiers above, then behind her. Kinwa spun around to face the only soldiers left. She dropped any sense of grace and poise as she clapped her fingers together. Kinwa opened her hands, keeping her fingers and thumbs together to form a diamond.

She lined up the soldiers in front of her in her sights, as energy sparked and danced off her body, crackling in the air around her. Her face twisted in a savage grin, Kinwa roared, 'Tri-Beam, HA!'

A burst of energy shot from Kinwa's hands and consumed all of the soldiers in front of her.

Oblivious to the punches and kicks the soldiers around him landed, Bobo laughing that high pitched childish laugh. With both hands stretched in front of him Bobo launched continuous blasts which exploded around him, striking soldiers and igniting buildings.

One soldier grabbed the tentacles on Bobo's head from behind and attempted to pull his head back. A jolt of purple electricity shook through the soldier and he disappeared in a puff of purple smoke. When the smoke cleared all that remained of him was a block of dark chocolate.

Leaning forward Bobo snapped his tentacles forward and sent sent a stream of purple energy into the soldiers around him, turning them all in various shades of chocolate.

…

As Kale shot through the sky towards the rendezvous point the sounds of the two forces joining in battle could be heard behind him. He tightened his grip on the case containing the Dragon Balls, but did not look back.

They'll be fine. They're all much stronger than you. Don't worry, they'll be fine.

In his haste to escape the enemy base, Kale had forgotten the patrolling sentries. Too late, his scouter picked up the signature of the surrounding scouts' power levels.

Kale shot towards the treeline and hit the ground hard, running and jumping over fallen trees as the forest exploded around him. He kept running as splinters shot through the air and bounced off the back of his armour.

Damn it, I'm going to get killed down here!

Another blast hit the ground behind Kale. The explosion pushed him forward and Kale used the momentum to shoot up and out of the forest into the sky. He flipped over and fired to energy blasts to cover his escape, then kept going, flying as hard and as fast as he could.

…

Nett's scouter beeped. He realised the power levels it had picked up in the distance must mean that Kale was caught escaping with the Dragon Balls. Nett grimaced, sent the soldier he was grappling with down with a hard punch to the jaw, then began to fire rapid blasts indiscriminately around him.

We have to keep their focus on us. If we can buy Kale a bit more time, he'll be able to get past the sentries!

...

On the other side of the IA base, the door to one of the towers opened and out marched Captain Ivy. He was flanked by two guards, and wore a scowl on his face.

He was neither tall nor short, but he was very broad. His arms looked like a pair of giant pincers with his short, sharp fingers. Small horns stuck out of his bald head, and his skin was a dark shade of green.

Two small slits served as a nose and he inhaled deeply as he surveyed the battle before him. A veteran of many battles, he was not one who took everything off of his first impression. This made him a more cautious and calculating, and possibly better, leader than his superior Commander Cackas.

Almost one hundred of his troops were currently fighting the Z Squad, but he made no move to direct them or assist. Using his scouter he zoomed in on each of the Earth's Special Forces fighters, recognising them from their reputation and intelligence gathered against them.

The fighting was happening nearby the building that housed the Dragon Balls. The doors to the bunker were hanging off their hinges, and had clearly been blasted off from the inside. Ivy had known that in the short time the Dragon Balls were being held here there would be a high chance that the ESF would launch an attempt to steal them if they learnt of their location.

Ivy's eyes narrowed as he quickly scanned the battlefield with his scouter, noting that several kilometres away there were several other power levels proceeding away.

Something isn't right here...

'Shall we go and join in with the fun Sir?' one of his guards asked, cracking his knuckles.

'No,' Ivy said slowly, stepping up and leaning over the railing as he realised just what was happening.

'IT'S A DIVERSION. LEAVE THOSE FOUR ALONE,' he roared to his troops, loud enough to be heard over the fighting.

Heads swivelled around as most of the troops broke off trying to get at the Z Squad. Nett felt a cold feeling settling in his stomach.

Ivy swung his arm wide and pointed in the direction Kale had fled.

'GET AFTER THAT POWER LEVEL, HE'S THE ONE WHO'S GETTING AWAY WITH THE DRAGON BALLS!'

Half of the troops below him rose into the air and sped off in the direction he had indicated.

Nett elbowed one soldier in the face, blocked the punch of another and followed up with one of his own, then called out to his squad, 'Kinwa, Lan, get after them! We can't let them catch Kale!'

The two fighters took off without a word in pursuit of the soldiers. Nett and Bobo stood back to back, as the remaining soldiers encircled them.

…

Kale ducked and spun through the air as the sky exploded around him. He looked back just as an enormous energy ball shot towards him. Kale thrust his hands out below him and he shot upwards, the blast missing him by a hair.

Before he could adjust his trajectory one of the enemy scouts appeared above him and slammed his fist into Kale's face sending him crashing towards the ground. Kale grimaced and squinted through the pain in his face. Another soldier had appeared below him, readying an attack.

Kale saw it coming and quickly fired an energy attack at the soldier. His head throbbing from where the other soldier had hit it, Kale flew through the smoke from his attack and quickly righted his trajectory back on course.

The shouts of the other sentries could be heard behind him. He still hadn't managed to shake them.

More blasts shook his body as the soldiers tried to bring him down. Sensing that they were all close behind, Kale readied a powerful attack then flipped over, catching the sentries by surprise in an enormous explosion.

Satisfied, Kale smirked and continued on. But as he flipped back over, his scouter beeped and there was a flash of light from within the smoke from his explosion. One of the soldiers had managed to escape and Kale reacted too late as the soldier's blast struck his back.

Right where hole in his armour was.

Damn that quartermaster.

Pain shot through Kale's body and the cold air stung the blasted area of his back. He cried out in pain, struggling to stay airborne, slowing down and tilting towards the ground.

There was a cry of rage behind him and the soldier who had fired the attack launched himself forward and wrapped his arms around Kale. He smacked his forehead into Kale's forehead and stars danced before Kale's eyes.

'You're mine Human!' Kale heard him say, as the soldier flew them both towards the ground.

Between the pain in his back and the two blows to the head, Kale's mind was struggling focus on stopping the soldier. The world was spinning around and around as the two of them plummeted towards the ground.

'Stop,' Kale said thickly, his tongue slow to form the words, 'you'll kill us both.'

The soldier didn't reply but began to laugh as the ground rushed up to meet them.

Unable to free his arms from the soldier's iron grip, Kale twisted his hand and managed to focus enough to fire a blast that grazed the soldiers side. The soldier grunted and his arms slackened enough for Kale to almost twist out as they crashed into the tree line.

There was a crash as the soldier hit a tree trunk hard, and his grip vanished. Kale's momentum was completely changed as his legs hit a thick branch. Spinning out of control he flew through the growth until another branch hit him square in the chest. Winded, Kale slowly slid off the branch and fell straight down landing spread eagle on the soft grassy ground.

Less then a second later the soldier who had attacked him landed several feet away with a sickening crunch. Kale slowly turned his spinning head to look at the soldier. He had hit his head on a rock when he had landed, and lay there unmoving with his arms and legs stuck out on odd angles, blood slowly trickling down the side of his face.

Kale struggled to his feet. He was trying to regulate his breathing and he was close to passing out. The wound on his back burned and he hissed with pain when he twisted his body, feeling blood flowing down his back.

In the quiet of the forest his scouter suddenly beeped loudly. Kale blinked and focused on the readings. His stomach twisted as he realised dozens of power levels were in pursuit of him, only minutes away.

Kale looked around and saw with relief that the Dragon Balls had landed nearby where he had fallen. The case was still intact and shut.

At last some luck.

Kale took a step towards the case but before he could set his foot down his other leg gave way and he slumped forward, landing on his face.

Damn, come on!

Kale put one arm outwards and began to slowly drag himself towards the Dragon Balls. As he put his hand on the case his scouter beeped again, indicated that the approaching perusers were closing in.

There's no way I can fly in this condition, let alone fight. But I can't let the Dragon Balls fall into their hands again.

Kale looked around at the small clearing he lay in.

Maybe I could bury them. But then how would anyone know how to get hold of them? It would be better that no one could use them, than the IA getting hold of them.

As Kale's scouter beeped again, images of the Z Squad members, of his family, his sister and everybody he had known flashed in Kale's mind, and through the pain he felt over his body and his mind, Kale gritted his teeth and began to open the case containing the Dragon Balls.

No. Dykon was right. This is our chance. It's our time to fight back, to go on the offensive.

The Dragon Balls pulsed with an orange light as Kale laid them one by one on the the grass beside him.

This is Humanities time. Even if I'm caught and die here. I have to give the Earth the best chance to win.

Kale focused his mind back onto the words that Nett had him memorise.

It's up to me.

'ETERNAL DRAGON, BY YOUR NAME I SUMMON YOU; SHENRON!'

A blinding flash of yellow light lit the clearing and an enormous stream of energy erupted out of the seven Dragon Balls, climbing high into the sky.

The light in the sky began to slowly take shape, and began to curl around itself over and over again until it filled the black night sky. It began to solidify taking the shape of a great green dragon.

A short pair of legs and arms grew out of it's long body, and as it's heavy head took shape it let out a deafening roar, causing all the birds nesting nearby to take flight.

It lowered it's head to be almost level with Kale's eyes as he lay on the ground, twisting it's neck around the end of it's tail still inside the glowing balls.

Slowly, it's eyelids opened to reveal a pair of deep red eyes.

As it regarded Kale it said in a deep, rumbling voice that shook the trees around them and made Kale's throbbing head ache, 'You, who have summoned me, I will grant you any two wishes that are within my power.'

Kale froze, his mouth open.

What on Earth am I supposed to wish for? Nett never specified. And I have to make two wishes!

After a short pause the dragon slightly raised it's eyebrows expectantly.

So what do I wish for? Immortality?

In a brief moment of selfishness Kale considered asking the dragon to restore his parents to life.

Don't be stupid. Nett said it could only revive those who had died less than a year ago anyway.

A low growl sounded from within the dragon's maw.

'Well?' it asked, an impatient bite creeping into it's voice, 'Speak your first wish.'

Kale's scouter began beeping frantically and a feeling of panic began to creep over Kale as he could sense the power levels of the approaching soldiers.

Oh man, think Kale, think! Immortality? But for who? Lan said it was next to useless.

As Kale lay there struggling to think straight, he remembered what else Lan had said.

"With a group of them, even a dozen, we would have all the man power we needed to push the IA back..."

A wide grin slowly spread across Kale's face.

That's it!

Pushing himself up onto one knee, Kale said loudly, 'I have my first wish Shenron. Long ago there lived a race of powerful warrior race on this planet known as the Saiyans. My wish is to bring as many Saiyans like them to this planet!'

Shenron didn't answer at first.

'This wish,' he began slowly 'cannot be granted.'

Kale looked aghast. Any sense of hope or confidence that had been briefly kindled a moment ago was snuffed out.

'B-b-but w-why?' he stammered. 'Why not?'

'Because none of the Saiyans you describe still live. It is true they once resided on this planet, but they have long since died. They interbred with Humans, and over the years their bloodlines have dwindled but there are Humans today with a drop of Saiyan blood that carry their heritage.'

Lan must be right then. Her ancestry is where her strength comes from. It's hard to believe that she's so strong, considering it must have been generations ago that one of her relatives was a full-blooded Saiyan. She's so powerful for someone with only a small part of Saiyan DNA.

It was at that moment that an idea came into Kale's mind. A crazy idea. One so mad that Kale almost laughed at himself.

She's only part blooded...

Straining every muscle in his body Kale pulled himself to his feet.

'Alright dragon, I have my wish,' he shouted at Shenron, pointing his finger at the dragon's face. 'I wish for all of the descendants from the Saiyans of Earth, all who carry their bloodline, anyone who has even a drop of Saiyan blood, to be made a Saiyan in full. Change them in body and mind into the powerful warriors they are descended from!'

Shenron turned his head slightly, and growled again, except this time it sounded more thoughtful than hostile.

'That,' he began at length, 'is not an easy wish. It will take some time.'

Kale could have screamed.

'WHAT!' he said shrilly, spit flying from his mouth, 'I don't have any time!'

The dragon's eyes narrowed slightly.

'Wishes are granted in my time, or not at all.'

Kale glanced over his shoulder nervously, his scouter indicating the pursuing soldiers were less then a minute away.

'Then can I just give you my second wish now and get that out of the way first?' he asked.

'Very well,' Shenron replied, 'speak your second wish.'

The soldiers shouted as they caught sight of Kale at the centre of the source of the light, and shot towards him, already charging energy blasts in their hands.

Kale closed his eyes and said very fast, 'Please send me to the home of the home of the greatest martial arts tutor that ever lived!'

Shenron grunted. 'An easy wish. Granted.'

His eyes began to glow red, and Kale vanished in a small flash of white light.

The soldiers who had been pursuing him stopped dead in the air, staring at the spot where Kale had disappeared.

'But, where is he?' one asked dumbly.

'He must be somewhere,' another yelled, 'spread out and look for him!'

'Screw that!' a third one said. He flew up to Shenron's face and shouted, 'Hey dragon, make me immortal!'

'No,' the first one who had spoken said,pushing the third out of the way, 'make me immortal!'

Then all of the soldiers began to crowd around Shenron, pushing at each other, all yammering for immortality. Shenron, for his part, remained as still as a statue.

…

THE PLANET OF THE NORTH KAI

Before he even had opened his eyes, Kale knew the wish had worked. The sounds of the forest and the humming of energy emanating from Shenron had vanished. Instead there was only silence.

Kale opened his eyes. He was standing in a grassy field with a pale purple sky filled with yellow clouds above him. Kale had only a second to take all of this in when he was suddenly driven down to his hands and knees by a powerful force.

Struggling to keep himself from being driven to the ground, Kale's arms began to shake with the effort of merely keeping his body propped up.

Man! What is going on here? It's like there's some invisible force that's pushing me down. My body feels like it weighs a ton!

Kale's arms and knees gave out and he landed flat on his stomach, his face in the grass and his arms and legs spread out.

Could it be that the gravity is stronger here? Is that why I feel so heavy?

There was a sound to Kale's right and, with an incredible effort, he managed to turn his head around to see what it was.

Sitting on the grassy ground next to him was a plump monkey, with pointed ears and a simple face.

The monkey looked at Kale, and cocked it's head, staring at Kale.

'Umm,' was all Kale could say.

Letting out an excited hoot, the monkey began to bounce up and down on the spot.

Kale gaped in disbelief.

How come this little guy can move so freely, while I can barely turn my head?

'Oh dear,' said a strange voice on Kale's other side, 'you seem to be having some trouble moving about.'

Straining his arms Kale managed to flip his body over onto his back, air hissed from between his teeth as his wound smarted. The person standing over him was by far the strangest thing he had seen here so far.

He was an odd looking, short man, with blue skin, dark sunglasses and black cap. Out of the cap grew two long antennae.

'Yo,' the strange man said when Kale didn't speak, 'can I help you?'

Kale coughed and tried to sit upright. 'I sure hope so,' he said, struggling with every word, 'you see I came here looking for the greatest teacher of the martial arts of all time.'

Despite his blue pallor, the stranger blushed a deep shade of red. 'Well I suppose some might call me-'

'Can you direct me to him?'

'…'

'Sorry,' Kale said, noticing that the blue stranger was grinding his teeth, 'I didn't mean to imply you were a doorman or anything.'

A vein stuck outwards in his blue forehead. 'I AM HIM!' he roared at Kale, 'HE IS ME! I AM THE GREATEST MARTIAL ARTS TEACER OF ALL TIME, KING KAI!'

'Oh... I see. Well, why didn't you say so to begin with,' Kale said with a weak smile, 'It's just that you don't really look the type.'

King Kai turned around with a 'Humph' and clasped his hands behind his back. 'Says the guy lying on the ground with the hole in his back.'

Kale let out a weak laugh. 'Sorry about that King Kai. I'm Kale. I'd bow but I don't think I can move much now.'

'You'll have to get used to the gravity here,' King Kai said, turning back around to face Kale, 'that is if you came here with the intent of training under me.'

'Yes, you're right. I came here using the Dragon- RAAAAGGGGHHHHH!'

Suddenly, Kale began to scream as if he was in immense pain. His arms and legs flailed uncontrollably as his body twisted so violently it was unaffected by the stronger gravity.

'BLAAAARGH!' King Kai cried out in alarm, falling backwards, 'Kale don't do that!'

King Kai stared. 'Kale?'

Kale gave no response except to scream even louder. His voice became so strained that his screams turned from a high pitched painful wail to a low groan. Kale's eyes rolled back into his head and his veins stood out over his body.

'Oh boy,' King Kai said, trying to move close to Kale to help, whilst simultaneously avoiding Kale's limbs, 'I probably should have patched him up the moment he got here.'

…

SITE OF THE DRAGON BALLS

'Your wish has been granted.'

The crowd of IA soldiers all stopped talking at once at Shenron's declaration.

'Hey did ya hear that fellas?' one of them spoke up, 'He must a finished making us immortal!'

The soldiers began to whoop and cheer in excitement, as the seven Dragon Balls began to rise into the air.

'Farewell!' Shenron cried as he vanished in a flash of light. The Dragon Balls began to spin rapidly, continuing to rise above the tree line before all seven shot out across the horizon in different directions.

'Well, Ivy wont be too happy that we lost the Dragon Balls,' one of the soldiers said, 'but at least we became immortal!'

'But I don't feel no different,' another one said, 'how do we know it worked?'

One of the soldiers appeared in front of him with his arm outstretched. 'Like this!' he roared, firing a blast through the chest of the soldier.

The soldiers around them all began to laugh, others following suit and attacking one another. It was only when they had managed to kill half their comrades that they began to doubt the dragon had granted their wish after all.

SEVERAL KILOMETERS SOUTH-EAST OF THE INTERGALACTIC ARMY BASE

Kinwa's eyes widened in shock. The enormous yellow light Lan and her had been speeding towards had been where they were sensing Kale. Now only the soldiers they had been pursuing could be felt. As she looked on, the light flashed brightly once and then vanished.

'Lan, I can't sense Kale anymore,' she called to Lan beside her.

Lan gritted her teeth. 'I know, I can't either.'

A cold feeling came over Kinwa. 'But what can that mean?'

'I don't know. That bright light wasn't an attack, Kale must have been attacked and forced to use the Dragon Balls. His power level was dropping just now. If he felt he was cornered then- GRRRAAAAAAGGGHHHHH!'

Lan broke off in mid-sentence and stopped dead. She grabbed the sides of her head hard, clenched her jaw and screamed through her teeth.

'Lan!' Kinwa yelled out, rushing to her friend. As she reached her Lan began to fall out of the sky, unable to keep herself airborne and Kinwa quickly caught her.

'What is it Lan? Tell me what's wrong,' Kinwa pleaded desperately.

It was as though Lan couldn't hear her. She threw back her head and screamed in pain.

Kinwa put one of Lan's quivering arms around her shoulder and with her free hand she pressed her scouter to open a channel to Nett.

She had to wait only a few seconds before her scouter pinged and Nett was on the other side.

'What is it?' he shouted over the sounds of the battle back at the base, 'Did you catch up to Kale.'

'No, we couldn't make it in time' Kinwa replied, speaking loudly over Lan's yells, 'we can't sense him anymore and I think he had to use the Dragon Balls. That's not the most immediate problem right now, Lan's having some sort of seizure and she wont snap out of it.'

'What?' Nett asked impatiently, 'Are you kidding me?'

'I'm serious Nett! Something is really wrong with her. We have to try and escape and catch up to where Kale was. We can't fight with Lan like this.'

There were several cries of pain from the other end of the line before Nett answered. 'Alright keep heading towards where you last felt Kale and we'll be there shortly. One way or another.'

Kinwa sped as fast as she could, weighed down by the weight of Lan.

Kale, what's happened to you?

…

EARTH'S SPEACIAL FORCES HQ

Major Howl pushed open the flap to the command tent and walked inside. Lettis and Dykon stood around the table, both looked up when Howl entered. Both looked tense.

'No word from Nett?' Dykon asked Howl.

'None,' Howl replied, shaking his shaggy head, 'No word directly but the units stationed at the rendezvous point where the Z Squad was supposed to meet them have picked up raised power levels on their long range scanners.'

Dykon nodded. 'Seems there is a battle going on somewhere.'

'So is that it?' Howl asked, his fangs bared, 'We just sit back and do nothing?'

Straitening up, Dykon walked around the table to Howl. 'At this stage, there's nothing we can do. We have put our faith in Nett and the others, and I believe- RRRRAAAGGGH!'

Dykon fell flat onto the floor in front of Howl. At first Howl thought he had only tripped, until Dykon began to scream as if in terrible pain and thrash uncontrollably on the floor.

Lettis and Howl stood still for a moment, too shocked to move, then both of them moved to help Dykon.

Howl quickly tore off his belt and tried to stuff it in Dykon's mouth to prevent him biting off his tongue.

'Get a medic, quick!' Howl shouted to Lettis.

As Lettis ran from the tent Howl desperately tried to hang onto to Dykon's head. The General moved as if he was possessed by a demonic spirit.

Howl swore and yelled, 'Medic,' through the open tent flap.

As his sharp ears picked up the sound of running footsteps, Howl whispered to Dykon, 'Hang on big guy.'

…

NAMEKIAN VILLAGE

Jean piled up the meal's dishes and made her way over to the kitchen sink. She, Peppe, Corro, Reed and Vert had just finished their dinner, and it was her turn to do the cleaning.

Soon after Jean and Peppe had come to their village, the Nameks had been quick to expand their cuisine to adapt to their village's new residents.

The stream that ran though the Namekian village had plenty of fish to catch, and there was never a shortage as the Humans were the only ones who ever consumed them. The Nameks had also cleared some of the forest near the village and had grown rice fields. Rice had caught on and the Nameks had found it to their liking.

Jean returned to the living area to collect the remaining dirty dishes. Peppe and the Nameks were still seated around the table laughing at a joke one of them had made.

As Jean bent over the table a line of pain shot of her spine. Arching her back, Jean screwed up her face and opened her mouth in a silent scream. Her legs gave out beneath her and she fell to the ground.

Corro, Reed and Vert stared in shock as across the table Peppe began to suffer a similar fit.

Coming to his senses, Corro jumped up and moved to Jean's side.

'What's going on? Heal them Corro!' Reed cried.

'I-I'm trying,' Corro stammered, his hands glowing over Jean's body, 'but there's nothing wrong with them!'

'Wha...what!' Reed said in disbelief.

Vert jumped up and threw his stool to the edge of the room. 'Leave them for now,' he called to the young Nameks, 'move everything or they could hurt themselves!'

The old Namek pushed the last stool out of the way and together the three of pushed the table against the wall, leaving Jean and Peppe thrashing on the open floor of the living room.

'Vert, what's wrong with them?' Reed asked, echoing Corro's thoughts.

'I don't know,' Vert said, putting his hands on the two Namek's shoulders, 'All we can do is hope they come out of it, soon and unchanged.'

…

The dragon has been summoned and the wishes have been made, but what does it mean for our heroes? Will it be enough to tip the balance in favour of the Earth's fighters?

What's to become of Kale, Lan, Dykon, Jean and Peppe stricken by the same sudden fit? How will the rest of the rest of the Z Squad fare, deep in enemy territory? And what must King Kai have in mind for Kale, if he ever recovers at all?

The answers to these questions and more will be revealed in the next chapter of Dragon Ball: Age 1000!