Hello! Thank you for reading Dragon Ball Z: Brothers in Blood! My continued, unfortunate, struggles with writer's block and getting distracted kept me from writing this story, so I have no excuse really. Seriously though, thank you all for being patient with my repeated absences and the long droughts between chapters! Also, thank you to daughterofrisingsun, Richardc269, anime411, Luke, pokemonwhite2, and Son of Whitebeard for your comments on Chapter 20, pr0dz for your comment on Chapter 6, and dragoon109 for your comment on Chapter 2. Now then!
In the last chapter of Brothers in Blood, Frieza, having lost patience with Turles' apparent incompetence in dealing with the Earth, has given the Saiyan a direct order to conquer the planet! Turles has no choice but to obey the galactic tyrant, or does he? Raditz, having overheard the orders being given, also wonders what Turles' next move will be. Will Turles once again return to the Earth, this time as an agent of the Planet Trade Empire? Or will the warrior choose another path? Another battle begins in this chapter of Dragon Ball Z: Brothers in Blood!
CHAPTER 21 - THE BATTLE FOR EARTH BEGINS
Silently, Raditz leans against the wall, listening intently.
"You know better than to defy Lord Frieza, Turles." Zarbon warns the Saiyan. "Whatever your feelings are-"
"Don't give me that!" Turles snaps suddenly, glaring at Zarbon furiously. He takes a threatening step towards the blue-skinned warrior, jabbing a finger against Zarbon's battle jacket. "Don't you dare mistake me for a weakling, Zarbon!"
Zarbon's brows raise, and his eyes widen for a brief moment before narrowing, momentarily taken aback by the Saiyan's abrupt outburst.
"I am not calling you weak, Turles." Zarbon replies calmly. "I am only warning you not to let the fact that you may have to kill you brother cloud your judgement."
Turles' lip curls, and he grunts as he shoulders Zarbon out of his way harshly. Zarbon watches the Saiyan walk away, and then starts down the hall to return to Frieza's side. Turles passes Raditz wordlessly, so the wild-haired warrior sighs and walks after him. The two head towards the pod landing zone with a quick pace. As the two cross between inactive pods, Turles reaches up to his scouter and presses the button three times.
"Daiz, are you there?" Turles asks in a lowered tone, likely to avoid being overheard by the other soldiers nearby. Raditz raises a brow, but says nothing. After a moment, Turles hears a familiar voice.
"Yes, I'm here, sir." the warrior replies.
"What is the status of Frieza 446?" Turles asks.
"446?" Daiz's voice asks, sounding surprised. After a few moments of silence, he speaks again. "Status is green, sir. We've had a large number of soldiers, particularly officers, who have agreed to the plan."
"And the strongest of them?" Turles asks hurriedly.
"According to my sources, the two strongest warriors on 446 are a couple aliens from backwater worlds." Daiz replies. "Says here that their power levels rival Zarbon and Dodoria's."
"Are they with us?" Turles inquires, curious.
"With reservations, more or less." Daiz replies. "But they are with us, yes."
"Good, tell them that I will be arriving on that planet in a few weeks." Turles tells his ally curtly.
"Yes sir!" Daiz replies before his end of the conversation turns to a low static.
Turles switches off the channel and presses it another few times. Raditz listens to his younger brother as he contacts several more allies, making similar inquiries to them all. Raditz raises a brow as the two pass by the pod stations and enter the transport section. Thinking Turles had been distracted, Raditz clears his throat.
"Brother, the pods are back there." Raditz tells Turles.
"We aren't using the pods." Turles replies. Shrugging, Raditz follows Turles through the transport section. The ships here look like miniature versions of the large flagship Frieza uses to traverse the universe. "We need to move quickly, and those pods are far too slow."
The two Saiyans come to a halt behind a diminutive frog-like being.
"I need a transport, now." Turles grunts, surprising the frog-faced alien. The being turns around, and almost falls over itself at the sight of the two tall Saiyans.
"Ah, I see! Well, that's no issue sir! I happen to have several transports fully fueled, stocked, and ready for use!" the being replies, wringing its hands. "I just need to make a report for their purpose and-"
"I am on direct orders from Lord Frieza. Time is a commodity currently." Turles growls.
"Oh! Right! One moment, please!" the frog-alien reaches over to grab a square, flat object. After a few seconds of pressing on the object's screen, the being points to the left. "That transport is ready to go immediately, sir! I'll take care of the paperwork!"
"Thank you, that'll be all." Turles smirks, heading towards the ship with Raditz in tow.
The two Saiyans board the shuttle and settle into the two seats in the cockpit. Turles seems to know fully how to operate the ship, to no surprise for Raditz, as the Saiyan goes through the take off procedures. Making sure to disengage the clamps holding the ship's landing legs, Turles pilots the ship skyward, retracting the legs and bringing the ship to full speed as it rockets towards space.
Raditz takes his scouter off and sets it on the dashboard, and then crosses his arms over his chest. The eldest brother looks sideways at Turles, wondering just what his own future has in store for him.
"You aren't thinking of disobeying a direct order, are you?" Raditz asks in a very serious tone. Turles doesn't reply right away; instead, he sets coordinates into the ship's navigation system, and pulls back the hyper jump lever. The planet below suddenly vanishes from view, and the stars streak into lines across the forward screen. Only once they entered into the jump, did Turles lean back in his seat.
"As if I could." Turles grudgingly replies. "Compared to Frieza, I am still little more than a speck of dust to be brushed off."
This admittance comes as some surprise to Raditz, but he remains silent.
"To be honest, I was hoping to convince Kakarot to come to our side. But I don't think that is going to happen." Turles continues. "At least, not as long as he considers us his enemy."
"Why does Kakarot matter that much to you?" Raditz asks for what he feels like the hundredth time. "Yes, he and his whelp are getting stronger, but those two couldn't possibly make that much of a difference to whatever it is you have planned."
"My plan, as you put it, is revenge." Turles replies. "You know the truth, just as I do. Frieza destroyed our homeworld, our people."
Raditz's brow furrows. For several moments, the two sit in silence.
"What about Prince Vegeta, and Nappa?" Raditz asks. "If you want it to be a Saiyan that kills Frieza, why not include them?"
"I intend to, eventually. But Vegeta will want to call the shots." Turles grunts. "He still clings to his title, but he's the prince of a dead race. His title means nothing now. But that doesn't keep him from acting all high-and-mighty."
"So what are you going to do with Kakarot?" Raditz asks again.
"I can't ignore Frieza's orders. Kakarot's planet will belong to Frieza. As for Kakarot..." Turles pauses thoughtfully. "If he proves impossible to get around to our side, then I won't have any choice. His boy is young and strong, and impressionable. If Kakarot can't be reasoned with, then I'll have to kill him. Maybe our dear nephew will come into his own if I raised him myself."
"Well, we're already half way there." Raditz says, looking at the galactic map. "We'll see what happens soon."
"Goku~! Gohan~! Lunch is ready!" calls the wife of Kakarot, cupping her hands around her mouth to focus the sound forward through the open doorway. She turns around to make sure that the table is properly set. Within moments, Kakarot and his son land from above and enter the humble home.
"Ho boy! It smells delicious, Chichi!" Kakarot compliments as he and Gohan sit at the table.
"Thank you, Goku. Eh-?!" Chichi's expression becomes exasperated at the sight of her husband and son's dirty hands and faces. "Ooooh no you don't! You boys go get washed up before you eat! Honestly!"
"Oh, right!" Kakarot chuckles, getting back up. A few minutes pass as the father and son wash their hands in the kitchen sink. Kakarot happily sits back down at the table and beams at the feast his wife had prepared. "Let's eat! I'm starving over here!"
Gohan laughs happily as his father begins practically inhaling every morsel on his plate. These times had become precious to the little half Saiyan; what with all those evil people out in the universe. But, they couldn't all be bad, could they? For Chichi, she is just happy to have her son studying and her husband around for taking care of certain chores, even though the man had yet to get a job.
"We're here." Raditz mutters gruffly.
Turles grunts and sits up in his cot. The warrior glances at the elder brother, who nods curtly and leaves the small room. Turles yawns and cracks his neck, and then dons his battle suit. Making sure his boots and armguards are firmly set, the Saiyan leaves the room and settles into the second seat in the cockpit. The trip had taken only a few days; a huge difference to the several weeks it would have taken the pods.
"Why haven't we landed yet?" Turles asks as he places his scouter on his left ear.
"We literally just now arrived." Raditz growls back, irritated at the insinuation. He watches Turles reach over to a small projector and switch it on. A holoprojection of the Earth appears. Turles points at a small blinking red dot, which expands and shows the home of the youngest brother. Turles grunts, and spins the small projection, seemingly searching for something.
"There. This wasteland will do for our landing." Turles mutters.
"Why a wasteland?" Raditz inquires.
"Kakarot's a soft-hearted fool. I doubt he'll fight in a city where any of those insects will get harmed." Turles replies. "Once Kakarot is put down, we'll take care of the rest of the planet."
"Why don't we just destroy whatever city we land in and be done with it?" Raditz asks, further irritated by this unnecessary precaution.
"I want to crush Kakarot at his best. Unhindered by anger." Turles replies, sounding hungry for battle. "Perhaps conquering this world will work more to our advantage than I gave it credit."
"Finally." Raditz grunts, smirking. "Let this be the last time we come to this pathetic mudball."
With that, the eldest brother inputs the landing coordinates, and the ship flies towards the planet's atmosphere. Within moments, the transport arrives at its destination, and extends four pointed landing legs from its belly. The ship touches down lightly, and the top of the ship opens, allowing the two Saiyans to float up through. Turles rises into the air, and sets down atop of a stone pillar. He crosses his arms, smirking as he looks around.
"So what, are we going to wait for Kakarot to come find us?" Raditz grunts.
"Yes, we are." Turles replies flatly. "Don't worry, it won't be long until he figures out where we are."
"He doesn't have a scouter though, how could he know?" Raditz asks, raising a brow.
"He and his little friends didn't have any trouble finding us before, did they?" Turles replies, still smirking.
"No, I suppose not." Raditz reaches up to his scouter, pressing the button. His eyes widen as he reviews the readouts. "What... what the...?!"
Turles blinks and looks at his brother curiously.
"What is it?" the powerful Saiyan inquires.
"Look for yourself," Raditz suggests. "Their power levels have increased!"
Curious, Turles checks with his own scouter. He sneers at the readings.
"The highest power reading is eight thousand. Obviously, that's Kakarot." Turles says confidently. "There's a few that would have given you a challenge before you increased you own power level."
"Easy for you to say." Raditz huffs. Turles laughs loudly at his elder brother's concern.
Kakarot blinks, and looks off towards the horizon. Chichi notices, the worried look in his eyes. She sets down a set of Gohan's trousers and walks over to him.
"Goku? Is something wrong? You stopped chopping wood..." Chichi asks tentatively. Kakarot sets down a gigantic log he had been preparing to toss into the air, and closes his eyes in concentration. His eyes open again as Gohan comes running out of the house.
"Dad, did you feel that?" the boy asks worriedly.
"Yeah, I did." he replies, opening his eyes to look at his young son. "They're back."
"They?" Chichi asks, then her eyes widen. "You mean those jerks that came to our house and beat up my little boy?!"
"Yeah. And it seems like they've gotten even stronger." Kakarot nods. He turns away from his son and wife, clenching his fists. He starts to take another step, when Gohan runs up beside him.
"Dad! I'm coming with you!" Gohan insists.
"No, not this time, Gohan." Kakarot turns to pat the boy on top of the head. "You stay here and look after your mother."
"But dad-!"
"Gohan!" Chichi barks at the boy. "Your father said no! So go back inside, and get back to your homework!"
The boy doesn't move at first, but frowns in defeat and walks to his mother's side.
"Be careful dad." Gohan tells his father, to which Kakarot offers his son a thumbs up and a smile.
"I will, Gohan." Kakarot levitates off the ground slowly. "Chichi, you two take care."
Without waiting for a reply, the Saiyan rockets off over the treetops. He drops the smile and his expression becomes serious as he flies towards those high power levels. This would be the last time his brothers would dare set foot on the Earth. The scenery below changes from the forested mountains to plains dotted with small towns. Kakarot feels a familiar presence coming from his left.
"Hey! Goku!" came a certain human's voice. Krillin quickly catches up with the Saiyan. "Looks like they're back again, huh?"
"Yeah." Kakarot nods. "But they aren't gonna have things their way this time!"
"Yeah! Let's show 'em, Goku!" Krillin agrees.
"Actually, I'd rather you stay back. They might mean business this time." Kakarot requests.
"Heck no, I'm not gonna leave you to fight those guys on your own!" Krillin argues with a smile. "Besides, I'm a lot stronger now too! And I owe those guys one for Yamcha."
Kakarot smiles back and nods. The two friends speed up, flying to meet the challenge that awaits them.
Turles' scouter beeps in warning, catching the Saiyan's interest.
"And there he is." Turles grunts confidently. He chuckles and turns to face the direction of his younger brother's approach. Raditz, who had been eating the cooked carcass of a deer, stands and tosses a bone into a small fire.
"About time." Raditz growls. He flies up into the air and settles down onto a stone pillar parallel to Turles, raising one foot onto a large rock.
The two invader's did not have to wait much longer; Kakarot and the small bald human appear in the distance. At first only just dots, the two defenders arrive and land on a giant boulder adjacent to the two Saiyans.
"Good to see you, Kakarot." Turles sneers down at them. "I figured it was about time I came and checked on you."
"Well, you can leave." Kakarot barks back.
"This again?!" Raditz growls. "How many times must you be knocked down before you get it through your thick skull, Kakarot?!"
"You guys have had your way in the past, but this time, it's a different story." Kakarot warns his brothers.
"You've gained some power, that's clear." Turles retorts smugly. "But you're still no match for me."
"We'll see about that." Kakarot smirks back, making Turles raise a brow.
"Raditz, Kakarot is mine." Turles tells the eldest brother, lowering his fists to his sides. "You can have the little bald one."
"Right." Raditz agrees, cracking his knuckles.
"Kakarot, your time is up. I've been more than generous, but since you obviously will not ally yourself with us, you leave me no choice." Turles calls over to the youngest brother. "This time, I'm going to crush you."
"We'll see about that." Kakarot retorts. Earth's mightiest defender clenshes his hands into fists, and hunches his shoulders. Turles raises his left hand, but to his shock, Kakarot disappears from the boulder, reappearing in front of the former. Kakarot's right fist collides with the left side of Turles' jaw, sending the surprised warrior off the pillar of stone and crashing through another.
The act leaves both Krillin and Raditz speechless. Turles pushes a large stone off himself, and rubs his jaw with his forearm, glaring up at the younger brother. He sees his own blood smeared on his armguard, and growls.
"Well, well..." Turles grunts, a sneer appearing on his face as he rises into the air. "You've improved far more than the scouters showed. Maybe this will be fun after all."
Raditz stares at Kakarot incredulously. How could this be possible?! Almost a year ago, Kakarot's power level was less than half of his own! Why? Why was Kakarot so much more powerful now?! Gritting his teeth, Raditz turns to the bald human. Could they both be hiding such power?
"Only one way to find out..." Raditz mutters to himself. He jumps off his pillar and flies at Krillin, who drops into a ready stance. The short human leaps forward to meet his opponent in the air, and the two crash forearms together, sending a small shockwave outward, and pushing both combatants back. Raditz grits his teeth; no, this one is more around his own level than Kakarot's...
(You can do this, Krillin!) the human thinks reassuringly to himself. (Do it for Yamcha, for the Earth!)
Krillin leaps and flies backwards away from Raditz, who shouts angrily and chases after him. Once enough distance had been made between them and the other two, Krillin flies straight up into the sky, and waits for his opponent. His wait is short, as Raditz arrives at speed and throws a powerful kick aimed at Krillin's head. The human raises an arm to block the strike, and aims a punch at the much larger Saiyan's jaw. The two clash in the distance as Turles and Kakarot square off, sizing each other up.
"You've both been training hard, it seems." Turles compliments. "Too bad you won't be able to make much use of that power."
"I already said it before, but you'll see that I'm not going to be pushed around like the last time you were here." Kakarot replies.
"You made that clear with that hit you landed. Which is good for me; I like an even match." Turles sneers, feeling the his excitement growing. "Now then... Let's begin!"
Thanks for reading! I hope you all enjoyed! In the next chapter, the battle heats up! Can Kakarot defeat his brothers this time and save the Earth? Or will this be the end for the people of the Earth? Find out in the next chapter of Dragon Ball Z: Brothers in Blood!