It's the same dream every night. Nightmare. Flashback. Whatever you want to call it.
I'm sure you would understand some of it. You were there at the start. It was...the 22nd tournament, wasn't it Tien? Yes, the year where we battled against the Turtle School students. I remember you, so confident...arrogant, rather. You believed yourself so superior to everyone else...Until you got your lecturing from Roshi and Gohan, the men who opened your eyes.
But that's besides the point. After you told Shen you had enough, you planned on leaving his school with me. And we might have gotten away if it wasn't for that winged demon attacking the tournament grounds. In that chaos, you didn't even notice Tao knocking me out and dragging me off...
You know how close he was to the Red Ribbon Army was, right?
Well, they always mae sure to keep him posted on potential jobs. See it turned out that one of their scientists, Gero, was having trouble controlling his androids. He needed a psychic to stop them acting out and was willing to pay for it. Tao just loved money, didn't he?
He took me to the RRA compound, I can't remember which one. I think the Androids and I were constantly being moved around. In the dream I'm strapped down to the operating table, so drugged up that I can't even use my powers. Gero's standing above me, and his hand reaches into my chest. Then, like a magician with that rag trick, he pulled my organs out in one swift motion as if they're all tied together.
Then I feel the metal. It crawls up my arms like water, like a swarm of bugs crawling over every inch of my body. I fee the wires sink into my brain, it makes me smarter and enhanced my psychic powers beyond compare. I can do ANYTHING with a thought!
But I can't undo what's been done to me.
I once believed that you'd save me, I DELUDED myself for years! 'Oh Tien will save me, Tien can do anything!' but you never came! I was left to suffer alone, in the dark, a slave designed to control those machines...Where were you? Why, why did you leave me?
Do you have any idea what it's like to be deprived of your senses, Tien? I do. I've lost three to this change. Never again can I feel the sunlight on my face. Never again can I enjoy the scent of flowers. Never again can I enjoy the taste of my favourite food. I'm a prisoner in a mechanical shell.
I hate you for abandoning me. I hate myself for what I've become. I hate everyone who's not me, because they have no comprehension of my pain.
But they will, soon enough. In a few years time everything will be ready. I'll burn the world Tien, and everything you love will turn to ash...and then I'll let you embrace oblivion.
I hate you...
Tien awoke with a start, panting for breath. A cold sweat had broken out along his toned flesh, giving an unpleasant clammy sensation. It just made him feel even dirtier after everything he just heard in that dream.
Launch was asleep peacefuly beside him, and the triclops was thankful for that at least.
How real was that dream? Was it just some delusion of guilt that entered his head? Tien laid back on the bed, his brow furrowed in thought. Those twins did mention some sort of emperor that controlled the androids, but...No, no. It couldn't be Chiaotzu.
For now it didn't matter. Tomorrow morning he'd have to teach the other humans how to handle Zen Kaioken. Once they understood how to channel the Kaioken power into localised attributes, no Android would be any match for them.
It had been little over two months since Kakarot started learning Instant Transmission from Miswa. As soon as he started talking about it back on earth, Raditz had wanted in on the lessons, and had been coming out into space to learn with him whenever he could.
At present, the two Saiyans and the two Yardrats were on a domed segment of Telben, roughly five miles away from the main parliament building. Their training exercise was simple, all they had to do was teleport to Soba wherever he went.
"You know little brother, your kids didn't lie, this technique is incredible." Raditz remarked once he appeared behind Soba. The purple Yardrat dashed away in a flash, landing on one deep crater.
Kakarot landed before Soba a split second later, rematerialising out of hyperspace "Believe me I know. When I first heard about this, I didn't think this technique could exist."
"Try and catch me while I'm moving." Soba said with a low growl to his voice. The Yardrat started moving in circles through the air, so fast that only the faintest of afterimages of him could be seen. Despite his hulking frame, he sure could move.
The Saiyan brothers pressed two fingers to their brows, trying to focus on Soba's sizeable energy. The two vanished at the exact same time, and reappeared in almost the same spot, their foreheads accidentaly smashing together.
"Ow..." Kakarot whined, pressing a palm to the swelled purple lump on his forehed.
"Good GOD Kakarot, is your skull made of titanium or something?!" Raditz yelled, rubbing the lump on his own forehead. Miswa made a small tittering sound at the spectacle.
"Uh...Lord Miswa, what time is it? I'm supposed to be meeting representatives of the Galactic Bank soon if I recall..." Kakarot said, trying to change the subject.
Miswa paused and pulled a time-keeping device from the inside of his robe "Oh well let's see...Yes you told me of your meeting, it should be starting in 10 minutes time..."
Kakarot nodded and pressed two fingers to his brow, honing in on a ki signature inside the parliament building. "I best be off. Raditz you feel free to continue practising, I'll call if I need you." and with that, he vanished.
The three representatives of the Galactic Bank were a mixed bunch to say the least. The one on the far left was a wrinkly yellow-skinned brench with wispy white hair, a man by the name of Andai. Sitting beside him was a Litt so old that he seemed to be more machine than man, with a resporator covering his beak and one of his eyes replaced with cybernetics. Shoto, supposedly one of the oldest beings in the galaxy, he certainly looked the part.
Lastly there was a lime green Space Lemur in a gunmetal grey chestplate. He seemed to be the youngest by comparison to his cohorts, and spoke for them. Suika was his name, and Kakarot seemed to have a natural distrust of him.
"Most noble of Saiyans. It is truly an honour to meet with you in person, after our lengthy extranet communications." Suika began, pulling a fig from his pocket and lazily punching on it. "I trust you are aware what we have come to discuss with you today?"
"Yes. Frieza had given the Galactic bank several planets during his reign, places where your people have created forges for weapons and massive vaults to store valuables. Now that Frieza is gone, the people of those planets want sovreignity from you." Kakarot replied flatly "It's not a conflict I want to dip my hands into."
Andai took a wheezing breath and then drawled out "No need to be so rash. This could be quite beneficial to you if you side those two squadrons of yours with us."
Kakarot frowned and then slowly shook his head "I don't take bribes. Money won't sway me, no matter how much you can throw my way."
A metal sqwuarking sound came from the metal voice box on top of Shoto's robe, and a synthesised voice spoke through it "Have you not considered the profoundly negative effects that will befall these worlds if we leave them? They were poor and so underdeveloped before we set up business there. If we leave, then we will take all the wealth and industrial technology with us. It is OUR property, after all. And what few resources these worlds ever had were mined away long ago. If we go, then those worlds will fall to poverty and anarchy. You don't want that on your conscience, do you?"
Now that was unsettling. He himself lacked the resources to keep such planets afloat, and letting those worlds people die...It seemed they'd curse his name regardless of the choice he made. He sat back and steepled his fingers before his face "And in what way would I benefit from helping you keep control of these worlds?" he asked.
"We managed a great deal of the Cold Family's finances, and many of their assets technically belong to us." Suika began "Lord Frieza owned about three mercenary corps, who we would be more than willing to give to you. Financing them would fall to us, but their contracts would leave them entirely in your control."
"And why would I want mercenaries?" Kakarot objected. He adjusted himself in his seat, and noticed some unease in the three bankers whenever he moved "From my understanding most of them would prefer to live poor than to die rich..."
Andai smiled softly at Kakarot, but there seemed to be a menacing undertone to that smile. He looked like the kind of guy who would embrace you with one hand, and then stab you in the back with the other "Noble and most mighty Super Saiyan, you must know that your high position in the galaxy will make you a target at some point. And you can't possibly be around all the time to defend your adopted homeworld from attack, attack from the kind of people who want to get to you. But the mercenaries, the mercenaries would keep your world nice and safe."
That sounded vaguely like a threat. 'Take these mercenaries as a gesture of goodwill, or we'll use them to destroy your home for defying us.' Still, Kakarot could see the unease on the bankers. They feared him, wouldn't make a ove against him unless they were desperate. Letting the bank keep a hold of those planets certainly didn't make Kakarot happy, but it was his best choice right now.
"How many ships do I gain from this?" Kakarot asked.
It was Shoto's synthesised voice that answered him "From the three companies you will gain access to four top of the line dreadnoughts, 98 bomber craft, 285 fighters craft, 50 stealth craft and 2 spatial mass drivers, useful for taking out pesky asteroids that threaten your adopted home."
"All sounds rather impressive, but I'm willing to bet their worlds that utterly dwarf those numbers in terms of armed forces." Kakarot replied dryly. And if that was the case, what good would they be for defending Earth and the rest of the Sol System?
"Radiant Super Saiyan, consider the mercenaries an early warning system." Andai replied, his wrinkled face contorting into a smile "They shall patrol your system. Should any threat reach your world they will dispatch a telepathic message to you, and then you can use that instantaneous movement of yours to reach them and use your limitless might to vanquish any foe foolish enough to assault Earth."
Kakarot frowned, slowly tapping a finger on the arm of his chair. He thought of the future, of the upcoming battle with the Red Ribbon Army. When these mercenaries heard he had died of a heart virus, had they fled to find new employers? He'd need to ensure his own survival this time around, their firepower would prove invaluable. If only Kakarot knew where this 'Emperor' figure was hiding out, he could put an end to all this before his health went into decline...
"Alright. I accept your terms." Kakarot replied solemnly. He could see the three bankers start to smile, with the obvious exception of Shoto, but Kakarot was quick to wipe the smile from their faces. "Let me be clear on one thing. If I hear of you mistreating the natives of those worlds in any way, or if you try to betray me, I will make you regret it. You all may have feared Frieza's power, but I was the one who killed him after all. Be good, and I'm sure we'll be just the best of friends."
The tension in the air was thick, and Kakarot kept his face stoic as he got to his feet and left the three bankers to think on what he was capable of doing if they enraged him.
Namek was recovering nicely, all things considered. Much of the greenery had been returned, along with the populace of the planet thanks to the magic of the Dragon Balls. When Kakarot had reappeared out of hyperspace in the heart of the village, he realised just how beautiful this world had been before being brutally mutilated by the Planet Trade.
He thought back to his conversation with the bankers two days ago...what had those worlds been like before being claimed by the Galactic Bank? Would a similar fate have befallen Namek if Frieza had gotten his immortality?
Thankfully, no more tyrants would ever come to plunder Namek. Kakarot had made sure to expunge any references to Namek and its Dragon Balls from galactic databases.
The villagers were quick to flock toward Kakarot, slowly at first out of fear that it was another invader, but they quickly rushed to him once they realised it was the one who saved Namek and brought the species back from the brink of extinction who was visiting them.
"Kakarot! Always a pleasure to see you again." Moori, the newest Grand Elder and the current keeper of Porunga, greeted.
"Elder Moori, the same to you." Kakarot replied, managing to smile. He still felt some guilt because of the decisions he had been forced to make in parliament, but he could get some happiness seeing the peace that had come over Namek.
"So what's brought you to our planet today?" Moori asked. He cocked his head to one side, and a furrow of worry briefly came over his face. He feared some new threat was coming this way.
Kakarot gave a nervous chuckle and tried to calm the other Namekians "Relax Grand Elder, I'm not here with bad news. There's no threat to Namek...But there is one coming to my home, Earth. We recieved a warning from the future-"
Moori looked shocked "From the future?" he gawked in disbelief.
"Yes. Just trust me, I was amazed too." Kakarot replied. Well Moori owed him that much trust after everything that had happened. "In any event, the messengers told us that I died of a heart disease in their future and when I died Shenron went with me, leaving the people of earth without access to his magic. While they gave me something to prevent me dying of that same disease, the prospect of my own mortality has led to me thinking...I need to transfer keepership of Shenron to someone else, while I retain my position as Earth's Guardian."
"So you want for a Namekian to go with you to Earth and take ownership of Earth's Dragon?" Moori remarked, looking over the other villagers.
Kakarot shook his head "Not just any Namekian." he replied. He scanned the crowd and then quickly approached one child at the head of the group. "Dende, you were able to restore Porunga to life. You have a great mystic affinity, and if you were the one tending to Shenron then I think you could make him even more powerful."
Dende blinked, his mouth open in shock "You...You want me to come to Earth with you?" he asked.
"You...You can't just take him from Namek like this. He's only a child." Moori remarked.
"Now now Moori, it's perfectly safe on the Lookout. And besides, nobody can handle the Dragon Balls half as well as a Namekian, especially one with his natural talent." Kakarot explained slowly, wanting to keep the situation calm. He turned his gaze toward Dende "I know I'm asking alot of you to leave your home, but I'd be glad to take you to Namek whenever you felt homesick."
Dende looked hesitent, slowly biting his bottom lip "Well um...I-I guess if it's important I can go with you." Dende replied sheepishly. He gave a quick glance to his surroundings. He'd see it all again in the future, Kakarot promised as much. "Goodbye everyone! I'll come to visit soon, but our friends on earth need us. And we owe them for everything they did for us."
There was sadness in the crowd, but they understood Dendes reasoning. He made sure to say his goodbye's to everyone in his village, and once he was finished Kakarot locked onto Mister Popo's ki signature and transmitted to earth with Dende.
It was evening when Kakarot returned to Bulma's home, helping her put the children down for a nap. Their future counterparts hadn't returned yet, worryingly, but Kakarot was sure they were fine.
How odd it was when he looked at the two babies, how he could see that they already had traces of their future personalities. Tanip was a loud child and constantly tossed and turned...and she always laughed at the oddest things. Yesterday she spent half the morning laughing at a sock she found on the floor. Gohan on the other hand was an oddly quiet baby. Very rarely made any noise aside from breathing, and the occassional gurgle. An oddly intense infant, but he'd grow into a smart young man.
"I just can't help but feel that I've screwed those people over, you know? I try to do the right thing, but...Well thinking back on that situation I don't know what the right decision was. And what's worse I just know other questions like that will come my way..." Kakarot explained in a hushed whisper.
"I know this goes against what Kami may have taught you, but...Well sometimes things aren't black and white." Bulma replied, setting Gohan down. She turned the light out and then strolled into the next room with him "How should I put this in a way you can understand...oh! Think of it like that. Every action you take has a ripple effect, and it does something that even you couldn't see coming, something that might only happen years into the future. Like...Killing Frieza for example. At first that seemed a good thing to do, and it was, but for us it had the unforeseen consequence of his brother and father coming after us. And it had the other effect of forming a power vacuum in the galaxy, which could have caused a war if you hadn't intervened in time." Bulma explained.
Kakarot frowned and leaned up against one wall "So what you're saying is, even if I do something good that doesn't mean something bad won't come from it?"
Bulma shrugged her shoulders "More or less. But conversly, good things can ripple out of something bad. Like...You being sent to earth. You were supposed to destroy us, but instead you were taken in and raised to be a hero. Or those androids attacking the planet. Our kids grew into adulthood, and they were able to come back in time to prevent the same disaster here. Maybe you'll be forced to do bad things, but something beneficial can come from that. Like those mercenaries that'll be coming out here to protect the solar system."
"Sheesh. Now I'm gonna be overly cautious over every decision I make..." Kakarot murmured in response. Bulma sighed and touched to side of his face with her warm hands.
"C'mon, you're still a hero. You can make good decisions, but now that you're involved in politics you need to be more pragmatic in your choices." Bulma explained.
"Honestly, I was never meant for politics, I'm a warrior. But what else was I supposed to do? I couldn't risk those other planets tearing each other apart for new worlds to rule. And I certainly couldn't risk other people going after Namek's Dragon Balls." Kakarot explained, rubbing his brow slowly.
"You've got a big heart. Even if it does make you a blockhead." Bulma replied, a teasing smile on her face. "In any event, what do you want to do tonight? I was figuring we could watch a movie like last night, then see where that goes."
A grin crossed Kakarot's face "That does certainly sound appealing. I was thinking that-" he trailed off, suddenly hearing a telepathic message burrow into his mind.
'L-Lord Kakarot, s-sorry to disturb you! We've recieved distress signals from a planet called Queddo, reports of space pirates pillaging the port planet. We need your help investigating it, the leader is really powerful!' The voice in his head was female, vaguely familiar. Didn't matter in all honesty.
He briefly thought and where his allies were. Tien and the other humans were learning that new form of Kaioken. Raditz was likely doing more Instant Transmission lessons. He knew jeice and Burter were handling that bank business for him (And had been instructed to use no unnecessary violence against the natives.) Kami was busy training in the gravity chamber...Ah, this was a matter Kakarot could handle alone.
'Prepare an attack ball set for this Queddo planet, I'll be there soon.' Kakarot messaged back, before glancing back to Bulma.
"You gotta' go, don't you?" she asked, frowning at the spiky haired Saiyan. She gave an annoyed sigh and crossed her arms " don't be too long getting back. You never know what might happen here while you're gone."
Kakarot nodded in response before leaning in and giving Bulma's lips a quick peck. With that he pressed two fingers to his forehead, focused on an an energy signal in the parliament structure, and then he was gone.
A/N: Next chapter, Kakarot contends with a small contingent of Lord Slugs army, while the evil Namekian himself pays a visit to Earth. Who will be the one to take him down?
Okay, so, before I actually get into answering reviews I'll adress the (Irritating) question people have been posing about Kami's power level. First of all, would it have made for an intersting story if Kai had started off stronger than Frieza? No. No of course not. It's a little thing called dramatic tension, there would be no peril in the story if one of the protagonists was already stronger than the villains of the first two arcs?
In addition, Namekian fusion is vague as fuck. We have no idea how strong a Namekian becomes after fusing with one of his kin, and we have no clue how high the power multiplier for fusion is. We have word of mouth to go on, but in a series like DBZ where every character speaks in hyperbole, we can't trust word of mouth.
Lastly, Kamicollo fusing in canon was vastly stronger for a reason: Piccolo Jr was almost hundreds of times stronger by the time he merged with Kami. He had trained over the span of 14+ years, merged with the single most powerful Namekian left on Namek. If Piccolo Jr had merged with Kami by the Saiyan saga, would he even be close to as powerful as the Kamicollo that fought Android 17? No. No I didn't think so.
-Shmike: 1. It appears the future the twins came from had 13-16, but here it's presented with Chaotzu and Cell. Did these two exist in the future timeline or did things just skew really quickly here?
Chiaotzu is the emperor who controlled the androids in the future timeline. Cell also exists in the future timeline, but he's still in his containment pod because Chiaotzu hasn't had any threat big enough to warrant releasing him.
2. Could 13 absorb the power cores from 16 also?
Yup
3. Android Vegeta? Please?
Nah.
4. Will Doctor Wheelo make an appearence?
Of a sort...
5. Why didn't this so called galactic empire do anything to save their ruler's adoptive world from being conquered by the RRA?
As was explained, without Kakarot's presence to keep the other worlds in check, in-fighting broke out and the other major powers kicked off a civil war for dominance.
-Jack: Kree, shi'ar, skrull, and salarians? Nice marvel and mass effect tie ins.
Yes indeed. But I'm sorry to see nobody got the Doctor Who references.
-Reishin was that assistant of gero 18?
Yes indeed. I figured 18 and her brother might have had some closeness to Gero in the past, or had some involvement in the old RRA.
-Super Vegetarott: I noticed that you've changed the character filter from "Goku and Kami" to "Goku and Raditz." Does this mean that Kami won't be receiving such a big role anymore?
Oh no no good sir. That was simply a pragmatic decision on my part, I figured that more people would search for fics involving Goku and Raditz together, and that might draw in more attention.
-SoulAuron: only thing that makes me a little disapointed is kami not fusing with nail, will he do that in the future?
Uh...Kami did fuse with Nail.
-Ultimate Black Ace: Is 18 an android in this or is she a normal human?
She's had a few bits of cybernetics, but not the same super-powerful ones that she had in canon.
