Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or have any rights to it.

Goten was sparring with one of the soldiers. When others had left him behind to perform their high-risk mission and the soldiers had offered to help train him until they could safely return. They were stronger than him, but he was slowly catching up. It wasn't long before he'd worked up a sweat. Fighting on, he eventually felt his muscles ache with the effort he was putting in.

The soldiers let Goten attack them to his hearts content, occasionally striking back with an unexpected punch or kick. "You're doing well Goten," said one soldier before he traded places with another. The new soldier deflected a punch before spinning around to catch Goten with a tail swipe. However the demisaiyan smiled, triumphantly as he caught the tail and pulled one of his father's signature moves. The solider was hurled towards a nearby war, but quickly rebounded, matching Goten's smile as he sailed forward to land a punch. Goten crossed his arms, but was sent several feet back.

Goten's forearms were now bruised, and fell onto his back, breathing heavily to catch his breathe. The soldier chuckled, before helping the young saiyan to his feet. "You should call it quits now. Your body needs rest."

"You're right," replied Goten as he rotated his shoulders and flexed his arms to gauge his muscle soreness. I hope Trunks is getting some rest, he thought worriedly as he made his way to the showers.

Trunks felt groggy and stiff as his world shook. He could hear the blaring alarm and the sounds of frantic voices. Something bad is happening. It was futile to attempt sitting up, his body felt heavy, and his muscles ached when he attempted to move. Can't move. Another blast rocked the base, shaking Trunks into further levels of consciousness.

The door to his room burst open and Tien ran inside. He was out of breathe, but otherwise unharmed. "Cooler found us! He must've been able to detect his drones through their psychic link." He realized something was wrong when the demisaiyan failed to sit up. "What's wrong? The base is under attack, we need your help."

"Can't move," replied Trunks worriedly as he tried to sit up. I should have listened to Goten, he thought ashamedly. He tried to sit up, but his body wouldn't let him. Tien hurried over and helped him sit up, though Trunks knew that he'd be unable to maintain the position without the extra support. "Sorry," he said regretfully.

"Don't mention it," replied Tien. "I'll have to carry you to safety. Piccolo is holding them off so the others can escape. Luckily, Glacer had the base prepared in case something like this happened." Tien carried Trunks through the corridors passed several soldiers that were going to help Piccolo. "Almost there," but before he could go further an explosion knocked him onto his back, causing Trunks to land a few feet away from him.

Trunks managed to turn his head to look at Tien. The human lay unconscious on the ground near him. Then he saw a metallic leg standing behind Tien as well as a matching tail behind it. No…I…I'm completely useless…just like before. Before he could figure things out, he felt a foot connect with his side, sending him into the nearby wall of the hallway. Now that he was leaning against the wall he could see his attacker.

The cyborg grabbed Trunks by the shirt collar and lifted him into the air. If he had a mouth, Cooler would have grinned broadly as he lifted the demisaiyan higher, causing his body to hang limp as if he were a rag doll. "I expected you to put up more of a fight when we met." He let go, and Trunks landed on the floor uncomfortably. "I was hoping to beat you at your best, but it looks like you've done most of the damage for me," he said less cheerfully.

Trunks slowly turned to look up at him, glaring defiantly. However, his eyes widened when he saw that Cooler had picked Tien up. "What are you doing?"

"I'll be taking your friend as collateral. If you want him back, you'll have to face me at full strength. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a base to destroy." He turned his back on Trunks, walking away nonchalantly with Tien slung over his shoulder.

"No!" Trunks tried to get up, but he was only able to raise his upper body and watch helplessly as Cooler disappeared into the flames. His arms soon gave in and he collapsed, lying on the floor for several minutes before he heard a familiar voice.

"Trunks, what happened here?" Piccolo knelt beside the fallen warrior before gently picking him up and letting him lean on his shoulder. "I sensed Tien disappearing from the base, wasn't he supposed to be with you?"

"Cooler captured Tien," replied Trunks weakly as a few tears streaked down his cheeks. "There was nothing I could do about it."

Piccolo clenched the fist of his free hand angrily. "Damn it! If I could've sense his presence here…anyway, do you think you can walk?"

Trunks looked down, allowing his hair to obscure his eyes before shaking his head. "No," he replied ashamedly. "My body won't let me move much."

"Then there's no helping it. I'll have to carry you out of here. Most of the rebels have either escaped or were killed in the attack. We don't know what happened to Tunder. There's a cave a fairly short distance away from here that should be secure. Cooler apparently doesn't know about it, so several of us agreed to meet up there." Without another word, Piccolo hoisted Trunks over his should before heading towards the cave he had just spoken of.

"Hello there," said Nail soon after his face appeared on the monitor at the makeshift saiyan headquarters. "At least we can communicate again. We've also established communication with several other planets that the Triceratons currently control. They need our help. Apparently they are using some large robots to suppress the rebel forces. Those robots are supposed to be immensely strong."

Nappa, who was currently on duty in the control room immediately, recognized the description of the mechs that the Triceratons had defeated Vegeta with. "They used those same robots here. Assuming they're the same models, you'll need someone at the super saiyan level to defeat them. I'm not joking; they're really that strong. The best you can hope for is to destroy them when they're not in use, like we did here."

"Alright, I get it," replied Nail, somewhat taken aback by how seriously Nappa took the robots. "I'll be sure to pass the warning on to them. However, right now, we're just trying to re-establish the channels of communication. How are you holding up on New Vegeta. Can you afford to send some reinforcements to help the rebel in these other planets?"

"I don't know for sure, but I doubt it considering that our numbers have taken a hit, and Vegeta isn't fully recovered. Once we finish rebuilding the healing chamber, our strength will recover much faster."

"I see, replied Nail. "on a side note, Dende was curious about Gohan. He'd tried to heal him shortly after Slug was defeated, but Gohan was still unconscious. Has his condition changed?"

Nappa grinned broadly. "I'm happy to report that Gohan's fully recovered. He actually helped us expel the Triceratons." His expression turned more serious as he remembered one of the major players in that battle. "Actually, Gohan really saved us back there, because without him, we'd all be dead now. Apparently the Big Five have their own super saiyan on their side."

The Namekian gasped, something that seemed out of character for a hardened warrior. "That honestly sounds scary, though I take it that Gohan was able to hold his own against him since you're all still alive over there. Anyway, elder Mori said that we should try to drive the Big Five back to their strongholds. After Slug was repelled from our planet, we only faced token attempts to conquer us. We think that their forces might be spread thinner than they'd like us to believe and that super saiyan obviously can't be on every planet at the same time."

"I agree," replied Nappa. "A collective offensive will probably throw them off balance. I'll have to talk this over with King Vegeta before I can give you an official response though."

"That's fine," replied Nail with a nod. "That's all I have to talk about for now. Feel free to contact us whenever you get your answer, though we'll try to call you again in a few days." After brief good byes, the transmission ended and Nappa left immediately to go talk to Vegeta.

He met Gohan in the hallway. "Oh hello Gohan," said Nappa, surprised because didn't expect to see him heading towards the communications room. "What brings you here?"

"I was hoping to talk with people on other planets to find out if there's any sign of Cell." Just thinking about the android caused him to clench his fists so that his pent up feelings frustration wouldn't show up on his face. "That android is currently roaming the galaxy unchallenged, and I at least want to know where it is."

"Well I do have some good news," replied Nappa. "The Namekian, Nail called just a few minutes earlier. The interplanetary communication system is coming back online, and it looks like the Big Five's forces are spread more thinly than they'd like us to believe. If we can attack them in enough places at the same time, we might be able to force them back to their stronghold."

"So you were on your way to ask Vegeta for the go-ahead." It wasn't a question, but a statement of fact, and Nappa nodded, confirming it. "Well I think it would definitely be better than sitting around here." Then a Vegeta like smirk appeared on his face. "Besides, I want to fight that bulky super saiyan again. It'll be good practice for fighting Cell later on."

Nappa couldn't help chuckling at that. "I agree, and I wish I was stronger so I could fight him too. I'm sure Vegeta would rather go on the offensive as well. Anyway, I'll see you later." He patted Gohan on the shoulder before continuing to find Vegeta

Vegeta was with his wife, Norcina and their child. The young one sat on the ground, watching his parents sparring. Vegeta wasn't at his maximum yet but he wanted to at least get in some light exercise, though his punches were sill flying faster than the human eye can see. However, they both stopped when Nappa entered the room.

"I have news from Namek," said Nappa without needing to be asked. He proceeded to tell Vegeta what Nail had told him. "So basically, if we were to mount a sufficient offensive on multiple fronts, we should be able to push the Triceratons away from many of the planets they're currently occupying."

"Yes, that does sound appealing," replied Vegeta after a moment's thought. "The problem is that we're not strong in number. There are only a few hundred of us left and a several of us, myself included, are not in peak fighting condition. We'll need as many warriors as possible here to protect our own planet, so we cannot afford to send enough troops to help out other planets. We can send a few, but nothing short of a super saiyan could help turn the tide."

Nappa was stumped until something else occurred to him. "What about Gohan and the cyborg? He's a super saiyan and she's at the level of one, and they're both capable of reaching the other planets in a short amount of time. We'll only be short two people, and most of our forces will still be here to hold down the fort."

Vegeta smiled at the thought. "Yes…sending a crack squad out to assist other planets while the main force stays at home is a good idea, but I won't feel safe sending Gohan out until I've fully recovered or until we can verify Broly's location. If Broly comes here while Gohan is away and before I've recovered, it wouldn't matter how many soldiers we have here."

"I agree," replied Nappa. "Well, that's all I have to report. What should I do now?"

"Inform Nail of our situation," replied Vegeta, "and then tell Gohan about your idea. I feel like I'm close to recovering, so he should get ready, and talk it over with the cyborg."

"Understood," replied Nappa before bowing to Vegeta, then Norcina, and giving their child a small smile. He then left for the control room where he found Gohan talking to an alien that resembled Cui. The alien appeared distressed and Gohan looked anxious.

"What's going on?" Nappa walked up to Gohan, looking at him, and then to the screen with the alien's image on it.

"It's Cell," replied Gohan angrily. "That monster just wreaked havoc on his planet," he said, directing Nappa's attention to the alien onscreen.

"It came out of nowhere," said the alien in a distressed tone. "At first we were happy that the Triceratons' ships were destroyed, but then it turned on us and now we're struggling to feed our children! Our remaining hospitals are overrun with the dead and dying!" The alien looked to be on the verge of tears. "Why couldn't it just destroy our planet? At least then we wouldn't be living in this hell!"

Nappa was stunned, and he could sense Gohan's power fluctuating as he tried to get his anger under control. However, he remembered the Namekians and something clicked. "I have any idea, but I'll need to contact planet Namek first to see if it'll work." Gohan nodded and stepped aside, to allow Nappa to work. "Hang in there," he said to the alien onscreen before opening up another channel of communication with Planet Namek.

Before long, a Namekian appeared onscreen, but it wasn't Nail. "Hello," he said politely. "You must be the saiyan Nappa. Nail informed me that you might be contacting us soon."

"I'd like to continue the conversation we had, but there's something urgent that's come up." Nappa sent the details of the besieged planet to the Namekian. "If you have any healers to spare, could you send them over there to help out?"

"We'd be happy to," replied the Namekian. "I'll contact them as soon as possible, and I'll talk with the elder about who to send."

"Thank you," said Gohan, over Nappa's shoulder. Then when the Namekian began contacting his elder telepathically, Nappa switched the channel back to the other alien, who was waiting anxiously "Don't worry," said Gohan reassuringly. "We've asked the Namekians to send some healers over to help you out. They should be contacting you real soon."

"Oh, thank you," replied the alien. "We're grateful for all you've done for us." After a brief goodbye, the alien hung up, and Nappa switched the channel back to the Namekian, who was now waiting patiently.

"We've informed them that you were willing to help out," said Nappa

"Good," replied the Namekian. "The Elder told me that he would gather a group of healers to send over there. Now about what you and Nail talked about, did King Vegeta make a decision?"

"He said that we can't spare any troops yet, but we might be able to send a few of our strongest to help out. There aren't many of us, so we need the bulk of our force here, but I'm sure Gohan, could make a difference by himself, or with help from the cyborg." Nappa then turned to Gohan who smiled and nodded.

"Sure I'd be up for it," he replied before turning back to the screen. The Namekian nodded. "That's good. Please inform us when you're ready so I can tell our allies to prepare for it."

"I'll do that," replied Nappa, and then the communication ended. He then turned to Gohan who looked eager. "Vegeta says tat you should stay here for a few days until he's fully recovered. That way we'll have at least one super saiyan here in case Broly returns."

"I understand," replied Gohan. "Should I take Juu with me as backup?"

Nappa smiled. "Vegeta made the exact same suggestion. You really are his apprentice." Gohan chuckled in response as they walked out of the control room. "I guess that's it for now. We should just sit tight until Vegeta gets better, maybe do some light training to prepare."

Gohan nodded. "I'll go tell Juu what the plan is. I'll also ask Glacer if he wants to come."

Nappa nodded. "I really wish I could go with you, but I'm needed here. Anyway, I'm going to find Raditz and spar with him." Nappa went further into the building, the control room being near the outer walls, while Gohan went outside, he knew that Juu didn't like staying inside the building if she didn't have to.

"I thought you'd be here," Gohan said as he found the cyborg atop one of the many ruined buildings. She looked up at him with a smile, which he couldn't help returning, and then motioned for him to join her. After taking his seat next to her, he decided not to waste anytime. "I'm got some news. As soon as Vegeta is fully recovered, I'll be leaving to help some of our allies."

"So you want me to come with you," she said, as if reading his mind.

"Off course, I know that I can count on you to watch my back after all we've been through." He felt her leaning over and resting her head on his shoulder. "So do you want to come along?"

"Off course," replied Juu as if the answer was obvious. "I don't have anything better to do, and I'd rather not be left here all by myself. Not that I dislike the locals, I just prefer your company."

"I'm glad," replied Gohan before they settled into silence.

"Are you sure you're back to full strength," asked a concerned Goten as he communicated with Trunks through the rebels' communication network. It was based on cables running deep underground, and therefore in less danger of being tapped.

"I'm fine now Goten," replied Trunks confidently, "This time I've been extra careful not to push myself," he added, his face becoming more serious as the memory of Tien resurfaced. "We're planning to attack Cooler really soon."

"How?"

"Before we escaped, one of the soldiers had enough foresight rip out the brain of one of the drones we captured. We have a pretty good idea where Tien is, and Cooler said he would be waiting for me there, so we might be able to send a false message to the drones, to draw most of them away, and then make our move."

"Will I be able to fight too?" asked Goten eagerly.

"Yes, in fact we'll probably need you to help fight off the remaining few drones. It shouldn't be too difficult because we'll have more people on our side, and once Cooler is defeated, we have reason to believe that the drones would either shut down or come under our control."

"All right Trunks," said Goten somewhat warily. "I'll be going to bed now. The soldiers will probably tell me when it's time to fight."

"Goodnight Goten," replied Trunks. "Oh, and Piccolo said he would be at your end tomorrow. He just left a few hours ago." Goten nodded and said 'goodnight.'

Tien's eyes opened slowly as his body began to wake up. Slowly, he regained an awareness of his surroundings. There was something restraining him, and judging by the pull of gravity, he was being held in a standing position. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized that he was in a holding cell, and memories of the attack flooded his mind.

"Oh no…what happened to Trunks," he muttered to himself, or so he thought.

"You needn't worry about the super saiyan," came a voice from the darkness. Moment's later; Cooler's metal form stepped into Tien's view. "I let him go, and he'll be on his way here to face me. No doubt the rebels are planning to attack me here."

"They wouldn't," said Tien worriedly. "They know it's too dangerous to mount a sustained attack! They'd be overwhelmed by the sheer number of drones."

Cooler began laughing, which sent a chill down Tien's spine. "They will attack. They think that they'll be able to divert my main force away from here. I know all about the drones they captured, and I'm sure they think they'll be able to send false signals to draw my main force away. They've underestimated my intelligence."

Tien just stared in horror, as Cooler turned away and receded into the darkness, laughing all the while.

Sorry for taking so long, and yes, there will be more action in the next chapter. I hope I'm doing a good job relating Trunks situation with Cooler to his past with the androids, and I was also trying to make Goten a bit more like Chichi than his canon self. Also, I'm going to be be taking some liberties with time skipping in different planets (ie: on one planet it might be one day later, but on the other it'll be two days later).