((Author's note::

I'm not going to lie, this wasn't my favorite chapter to write. In true DBZ style it's somewhat a filler piece.

With that said though, it is a lead in to chapter 27, which was a very fun one to write.

I'm taking a few liberties with the Frost Demon race, but I like the way it fits in with my AU.

I do hope you're enjoying the story so far.

As always, reviews and comments are appreciated.

Thanks again,

Beepx22

P.S. If you're looking for a really good Saiyan coming of age story check out:

'Baby Bloomer' by the Author "Vegus" right here on FanFictionDotCom))

Chapter 26

It had been years since Bea had seen an actual spaceport.

This was also one of the biggest he'd ever seen in person.

Multiple soft pads for pods, large docks for the myriad of saucer shaped ships used by the Planetary Trade Organization. Large gantry cranes for moving ships and cargo, monorail tubes for moving cargo and people.

It was hugely impressive.

It would have been even more impressive if most of it wasn't in burned-out ruins.

"It's… changed." Said Icer as he strode to Bea and Pikada's lowered ramp.

The saiyans said nothing, instead they closed their eyes and searched for strange energy. Multiple energy sources were nearby.

They opened their eyes to see the tall Frost Demon standing and staring. He looked deflated, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"When I left, this was a bustling center of activity. Now it's all ruined." Icer turned towards the Saiyans.

Pikada shrugged. "We've done worse." His intonation was flat and emotionless, as if he'd done no more than commented on the weather.

"Far worse." Bea agreed. He looked up into Icers solemn face. "And we did it for your cousin." Bea looked at the sky and pondered. "In fact, this place seems familiar." He shrugged, then pointed towards the nearest concentration of energy sources. "Let's move." With a push of ki and a cloud of dust they took to the air.

They landed near a bombed out dome, reminding Bea and Pikada both of the Capsule Corp buildings. Bea grabbed a twisted steel beam and carefully pulled it aside. Once it was clear that nothing was going to collapse Pikada darted through the tear in the wall that had opened in front of them. He emerged moments later with two beings.

They were slight figured, with reptilian features, skin the color of pure snow with scales laid in patterns of turquoise and violet.

Both slightly resembled Frieza and his kin, but only at the most basic level.

They blinked their eyes to adjust to the brilliant light outside of their former prison. Through squinted eyes one saw Icer.

"Lord Icer!" It exclaimed. "You've returned!"

Icer smiled. "Yes, little one. I have indeed."

The Frost Demon turned to the Saiyan duo. "These are my people, true arcosians, not mutated. This," he swept his arm around in a vast arc, "is the result of my enemy."

Bea and Pikada looked decidedly unimpressed.

"So?" Asked Pikada, "Where is he now?"

"Who?" Asked the Arcosian.

"Fhuar." Replied Bea.

"His fleet left orbit not more than one day ago."

Bea looked at Icer. "Is he searching for you?"

Icer looked at his feet and his eyes furrowed in thought. "Perhaps. Why did he leave survivors though?" The question seemed directed at himself.

Just then the heavens flared with intense crimson energy.

"Live bait." Pikada stated.

The energy coalesced into a wildly rotating orb as it burned through the clouds.

Bea screamed and his body transformed into the Super Saiyan 2 form. At the same moment Pikada also went Super Saiyan and held his cybernetic arm aloft.

Two barriers formed over the two saiyans and two arcosians. One green, produced from the assimilation of Gero's technology, the other golden streaked with blue.

Icer was just a moment behind, and a Scarlett wave shot out to reinforce the dual shields.

Then the blast hit.

The shields held, but the ground outside of the bubble blistered and exploded.

As the attack faded Icer spoke. "Fhuar was trying to destroy us."

"No kidding?" Jabbed Pikada.

"That wasn't ki!" Bea looked up through the sparking atmosphere, he gazed out a perfect tunnel driven through the over head clouds. "At least not…" he paused, as if tasting his next words, "not real ki…"

Icer grimaced. "He must have perfected the technology."

"Technology?" Asked Bea.

"A few decades ago there was research done by the Arcosians to perfect an artificial ki cannon. It never worked, though a small version was made as a personal weapon. Some of Frieza's men…"

"We've seen the arm cannons, what the hell is that though!" He point up past the clouds which were starting to swirl together.

"Our doom." Icer sounded as though he was only partially joking.

"I doubt that." Bea looked around to survey the damage, did some quick calculating in his mind and nodded. "If that's it's top power, it's about as strong as I am at my base level." He looked towards the stars again. "What's weird is, I can't sense any power levels. Pikada?"

"Yeah, same. Nothing from above. A few dozen survivors near that loading complex." He pointed to the distant cranes. Then He looked up. "Shit!"

Another flash of crimson spread over the landscape. Again a perfect tube burned through the clouds and a rolling sphere of energy slammed into the very complex Pikada was pointing at.

The buildings boiled away to nothing as the attack released its energy.

"Well there were energy signals there at least." Pikada said nonchalantly.

From over the horizon, three more explosions illuminated the clouds.

"This seems random." Says Icer.

"Hmmm?" Bea looked up at him skeptically. "How so?"

"The blasts aren't originating from a centralized location."

Bea nodded. The gazed into space. "I can't feel the ships through the interference…"

"My scouter is still connected."

"Well that's good." Pikada said.

"So, orbital weapons?" Bea asked.

"Seemingly." Icer said quietly.

"It's dying down." Pikada replied.

And, he was right. Darkness returned, though the fires of destruction lighted the horizon like a false dawn.

"I can feel both ships again. And quite a few survivors on the planet yet. I think we should first go back up, see if the ships sensors picked anything up. Then see to the survivors." Bea said.

Icer began to argue, then seemed to see Bea's logic. "Agreed."

Pikada and Icer both grasped Bea's shoulders. With a whoosh they appeared on Icer's ship.

As Icer and Pikada began to translate data logs to useful information, Bea locked his focus on the largest cluster of energies on the planet.

OoOoOoOoO

Fhuar sat in the center of his bridge. Left leg crossed above the right, a goblet of thick amber liqueur was perched in his right hand, he gently swirled it in a slow counterclockwise circle. His left fist propped his head up and he stared out into space. He listened to the reports from the weapon platforms.

"Good, Icer is taking the bait. And he's brought Saiyans! I though that bastard Frieza wiped them out."

He switched his crossed legs. Fhuar was a striking example of a mutated Frost Demon, skin the color of a robins egg shimmered as he moved. His bio armor was an obsidian black, the light reflected from it in iridescent splashes and the surrounding area was mirrored in its surface.

He drained his glass, and as if my magic a petite arcosian appeared and scuttle away with the empty, as another appeared with a tray teeming with a variety of other selections.

Fhuar took a thin tube of ice blue liquid and took a small sip, it hit hard and hot then cooled to ice as it evaporated. "Ah, I love the taste of hellchill, it's a shame that the planet where it was made was destroyed by Frieza."

He examined a holographic map. "Set a course for Frieza planet 202, we'll set our trap for Icer and his pet Monkeys there."

He drained the beverage, stood and briskly strode from the bridge.

OoOoOoOoO

Wreckage spun away from the last orbital ki cannon as Pikada's rolling thunder wave washed over it.

On the planet below enough arcosians had been rescued to begin their own recovery and rescue operations.

Bea lay on his bunk, exhausted from two solid days of using instant transmission to rescue the arcosians.

Icer monitored both ships from the bridge of his vessel, while Pikada had waged a one man war on the orbital weapons.

Now the time had come to break orbit and move along.

Their circular ships both speed away from the world

They had been cruising for a couple of days when the distress signal was received.

"Play it again, Icer." Bea spoke.

The Frost Demon did so.

"This is …zzzzzzzzz… defense unit of Frieza Planet 202. We've receive…zzzzzzzzzz…orbital bombardment, de…zzzzzzzzzzz… ellites have been destro…zzzzzzzzzz…

All major …zzzzzzzz… ties destroyed."

Bea's lips pursed in thought. "Icer can you point to that system?

"It's too dangerous, Bea…" Pikada said.

"Icer…" Bea put his fingers to his forehead.

"Bea…" Pikada took a step towards him.

"Point!" Bea glared at the Frost Demon.

Icer pointed. Bea turned to concentrate.

"Damn it, Bea! You can't go rushing off on this, we have two ships, we need to plan." Pikada shoved his leader to break his concentration.

Bea's hair flared gold and he turned towards Pikada. "You son of a…"

Pikada narrowed his eyes and flashed into his super Saiyan form.

He stared hard at Bea.

Neither of the two were known for backing down, but Icer broke the tension.

"Pikada is unfortunately correct Bea. Rushing in will not serve or purpose or my people." The Arcosian spoke softly.

Bea took a deep breath and held it for a long moment. As he exhaled his hair returned to normal. Pikada followed suite.

"You are both right. Sorry, my emotions got the better of me." Bea turned to Icer. "We do need to go there though, see what this Fhuar is up to."

Icer nodded. "I believe he is setting a trap. I think we take both ships in, let him see that we're coming." He then winked at Bea. "And when we're a few days out you slip in with that instant transmission trick of yours. You reconnoiter his set up, and you make a plan then."

Bea absentmindedly stroked his beard. "That sounds like a workable plan."

OoOoOoOoO

"We're picking up both vessels on long ranger scanners now, excellency." The arcosian warrior kept their face nearly pressed to the screen showing the two hostile ships. "Computer estimates they're four days out."

"How goes the deployment of the orbital weapons?" Fhuar swirled a pink tart liquid around a long stemmed glass. A different crew member spoke up. "In place, all tests show good."

"Good." He smiled. "'Step into my parlor', said the klikner to the zarbite…"

He drank his wine

OoOoOoOoO

"Wish me luck." Bea stood wearing nothing but his gray bodysuit, boots, and thin pair of gloves. He had his hair tied back, and it hung past his waist in a tight pony tail. He wrapped his tail around himself, and placed two fingers to his forehead.

Pikada nodded. "Good Luck."

With that Bea disappeared.

A few moments in the void and he appeared in the cargo hold of Fhuar's ship.

Bea quickly suppressed his ki then looked around for anyone who might have noticed him. Seeing that he was alone he then found a cubby to prepare himself.

Bea quieted his mind, listening, tasting the air, passively sensing the energies through the ship.

Fhuar was powerful. That was clear. Stronger by far than Frieza had been when Trunks had dispatched him.

Stronger than Bea, at least in his base form.

He shook his head. An hour passed and no one entered the hold. Bea silently crept to a life support inlet, released the mag-locks and climbed inside. He inched through the ventilation system until he above the bridge.

Once again he hunkered down to listen. It didn't take long for him to hear the information he wanted.

Ambush.

He placed his fingers to his forehead and reappeared on his own ship.

Below the now empty ductwork on the bridge of his ship, Fhuar smiled as the scent of the intruder slowly faded away.