What had been a near impossible task had gone from bad to worse. Goku clenched his teeth as his vision went dark, leaving him blind. Whatever was still sustaining him was beginning to fail, and he still had a foot more to go before reaching the table where his capsules were. It didn't matter, though. He would just have to get by without his eyes for now. Once he got his hands on Misado's fruit, everything would be come back anyways. He just had to make it there. Just a little further!

Goku's fingers dug into the carpet as he slide himself another inch forward. Every breath he took was agony, barely able to feel anything his flesh was so cold and numb. But he didn't think about that. He focused on the image of Earth and all its beauty. He thought of Gohan and Goten. He thought of Chi-Chi. He thought of every friend he'd ever made, on Earth and beyond. It didn't matter that his eyes had quit cause he could still see them all in his mind. With every inch he dragged his limp body forward, he could almost hear them cheering for him.

I'm almost there! Just a little bit more! Come on, body, just hold on just a little bit longer!

His fingers bumped into something and he gasped softly. The table leg! He'd reached it! Now he just had to reach up on the table and grab his capsule case. He felt up the table leg, trying the find the table edge, the strain almost too much to bear. Finally he found the lip and grasped it as firmly as he could. He cried out as he heaved himself up, flopping against the tabletop and trying not to slide back down. A dry, gargling noise escaped his throat as he felt across the surface, desperately searching for the case.

His hand at last met it, but his numb fingers felt it too late as he bumped into it. Despair filled Goku's heart as he heard it land on the floor somewhere. The air fled his lungs and he slumped down on the floor, his heart starting to slow.

It's…it's just too much, he thought mournfully, I'm sorry, guys…I just don't have the strength left.

But as he thought this, the visages of his friends rushed through his mind, settling on one in particular. Now where have I heard that one before? In the darkness of his quieting mind, the image of Vegeta folded his arm and gave him a scolding look. All that fighting for survival and you're just going to quit, just like that?

I…I can't help it, Goku protested, I should have been dead by now as it is…I gave it my best shot. What more can I do?

Shut up, the image answered, There's more at stake here than your mere life and you know it. You and I…we're the last of a once proud race. A new generation of warriors looks to us, Kakarot. It's not only our duty, but our privilege. And you're forsaking it.

Goku's fingers twitched against the floor. But…how much longer can I go on like this?

Longer than anyone else. Now quit your whining and do what you must. Get up. Get up, Kakarot. Get up and fight!

He gripped the carpet, gasping in a squeaky breath. Okay…I'll do it…I'm going to do this…I'm going to do this!

Letting out a short, weak cry, he stretched out both arms, beginning to search for the lost case.

(**Scene Break**)

Sepis was doing his very best not to be afraid. He was in his element, after all. What was there to be afraid of? Aside from hundreds of monsters throughout the ship that would be looking for him. Would they find a way into the mechanical? Was it best to keep moving or just to hide? His mind whirled so fast it made him dizzy. No. He had to press on. He had to resist being a coward. He had to get to the core. What would his life matter, after all, if those monsters took it from him? The Quantum Fusion Core was his greatest invention, his life's work. He had to protect it! And he could do it. All he had to do was get to the core and change the codes to a randomized algorithm – which would mean he'd have to hack it once this was over but it was a small price to pay to keep his creation and everyone connected to it safe.

Crawling through the tight spaces of the mechanical lines – spaces designed for access by repair bots, not people – he found himself incredibly grateful to be so small. Had he been hatched any larger, there was no way he could have fit in here. That was another solace he had. Even if the escaped prisoner did realize where he'd gone, very few of them would be able to squeeze in here to go after him…unless they decided to just…blow him up. He started shaking violently again as he climbed up some wiring. It was useless. He just couldn't help letting terrifying thoughts creep in.

But then he heard it – the most beautiful sound in the world – the hum of the Quantum Fusion Core. Gasping softly, he pressed one of his tools to the panel above his head and pealing it back. Yes! He'd managed to find an exit right into the monitoring station. He sealed the panel again, puffing air rapidly as he hurried over to the computer bank.

"Hello, beautiful," he said briefly to the core, wiggling his fingers over the keys before getting to work, "Don't worry. Nobody's gonna touch you. I just gotta—"

A hand planted on his shoulder. "Just gotta what, Sepis?" Nettelish hummed, leaning over him. His antennae went erect as he began to shake violently. "Aw…what's the matter, Sepis? It's only me." Her fingers delicately played over his shoulders. "Oh I see…I had a feeling you were the one who managed to set Vegeta free. Told you some nasty stories…did he?"

Sepis shut his eyes, shaking even harder as she stroked him. "No…please…"

"I'm sorry, Sepis…" she said sweetly, touching the top of his head, "This wasn't exactly ideal. I have no reason at all to want to do this while you're awake…a coward like you will taste so unimaginably foul. I tried to get to you in your sleep, but like Horkion, there's no way I could pierce that hard flesh without you feeling it." She massaged his neck. "So, I tried finding other ways of making you bleed. Tried to put you in harm's way so many times…but your 'friend Nevrrest' always managed to protect you. So, it's come down to this, I'm afraid."

"Please…" he squeaked.

"And there's no good reason to not make a perfect copy of you at this point," she continued, her glowing eyes watching him thoughtfully, "It's true, I could just keep you as a prisoner, but why go through all the hassle of intimidation tactics when I could just become you instead?"

"You're…you're going to kill me?"

"Yes."

He couldn't even cry out the terror was so great, oil oozing from the crevices of his hardened flesh.

She shook her head, picking him up and holding him out with disgust. "Without a doubt, you will make for the most horrendous of meals." She brought him close, pulling down her mask and smiling as she grew fangs. "But…you shall be my bitter toast…to victory!"

A squeal erupted from the Arlian as her fangs harshly broke through the hardened plates of his neck and green blood gushed into her mouth.

(**Scene Break**)

Vegeta's heard jerked in mid-flight, feeling Nettelish's energy signature suddenly flooded with a different one. His teeth gnashed. "Damn it, she's found the Arlian!" he cursed, a second plume of energy exploding around him as he increased his speed. He ricocheted around a corner. Even though he didn't know where she'd gone, he could sense her clearly and Oom'Bagu's presence kept him from taking any turns that would lead to dead ends. And then, a inclination came that gave him the answer.

"The core, of course!" he cried, moving even faster now as the bond guided him.

Suddenly, he saw a wall coming at him and fell to a halt, the energy dissipating off his back. Vegeta's boots touched the deck and he walked up to the blast doors, putting a hand to it and turning an ear to his gut.

"Curses," he growled, "Should have known she wouldn't leave the door open for me." He took a step back and looked the blast doors up and down. These were the doors that he had once determined would be difficult for even Kakarot to break through. But difficult wasn't the same as impossible. "It's going to cost me a lot of energy, but there's no time to waste. Let's hope the shielding within the core chamber is as powerful as you're suggesting, Oom'Bagu."

He floated into the air again and threw out his arms to the sides. He began to howl, his hair flashing gold and energy swirling and sparking around him. The energy shot up and down his limbs, growing even more intense by the second. Finally, he thrust his wrists together, feeling the power condense between his curled fingers. For a moment, he almost hesitated. If this went wrong, he'd be potentially blowing a hole straight through the Hammer. But at this point, what did any of them have to lose?"

Nettelish froze in mid-feeding, her eyes jerking with horror towards the entrance to the chamber. He wouldn't.

Vegeta's brow shot down. "Final FLASH!"

The pure yellow beam struck the blast doors, eating through each layer in a matter of seconds. As it was made to, the beam kept going, blazing into the Core Chamber and impacting with the shielded far wall. The shielding turned white and sparked as it fought to hold the incredible beam back, the wall behind the shielding beginning to crumble, revealing pipes and wiring, the cracks spreading out from the impact zone all the way across the glass that held back the core's containment fluid. The glowing green coolant began to ooze through the cracks, the shielding blazing brighter still. But at last, it rippled back, dispelling the attack and the energy fading.

Nettelish stared at the smoking, gaping hole that had once been the entranceway and the walls around it. A golden light shown through the smoke and slowly Vegeta emerged, his shoulders squared and face intent. His hair faded back to black and he pointed at her. Were it not for her teeth still sank into Sepis's neck, she would have been gaping.

"Drop the bug, freak," Vegeta commanded, "Your business is with me now."

Sepis gasped as the fangs dislodged from his carapace and he hit the deck. Pale and weak, he cracked open his eyes, expecting to see his old friend come to save him. But instead, he saw a criminal dressed in red. "Ve…Vegeta?"

Nettelish ran her sleeve over her chin, staring at the prince. "Are you out of your mind?" she demanded, "You nearly killed us all."

Vegeta's chin lowered a notch. "You underestimate what I am willing risk to win in battle – especially against you. Coward!"

"You're just going to keep pestering me until I kill you, aren't you?" she said, giving him a disgruntled look. She smiled, her mask still hanging below her chin, and something whipped and rippled beneath her robes. "So, it seems you've taken out all my men. I suppose you think that you've set me back somehow…that you've won." She laughed merrily. "Hardly."

"Oh please, go on," Vegeta hatefully encouraged, "Give me even more reason to make you suffer than I already have."

"Even if you'd killed them, I wouldn't be worried," she happily obliged, "After all, there's always more where that lot came from. But the kind of power that your Kakarot provided me? The kind of power that the core delivers?" The side of her mouth lifted in the most crooked of smiles. "Priceless."

Vegeta's brow narrowed. Just what he needed, another fool who was in love with their own blathering. But then again…that just might be her undoing. She wouldn't be stupid enough to waste more than a minute talking…but a minute of rest after that blast would do him some good. And perhaps, if he was lucky, he could even tempt her into spilling more information about herself. After all, it wasn't purely raw strength that won battles. Knowing your opponent could make all the difference in the worlds.

"Of course," Vegeta scowled, "You never have to pay a price for strength when that power is stolen. Which makes me wonder, is there anything about you that isn't borrowed from another? Or are you just a compilation of others rightful glory?"

"Ah," she brightened a little, "You ask very good questions, Vegeta. I do like that aspect of you…you're intelligent…when you're not letting your ape blood stink up your brain." She giggled. "Not that I can't sympathize. I've drank my share of monkey blood in my time." She drew closer, resting a hand on her hip. "But anyhow, what makes you think this form isn't mine?"

Vegeta snorted. "If you were the real Nettelish, you would have been found out by now – especially by either Oom'Bagu or Nevrrest. They're both far too smart to fall for complete lies. So, Nettelish must have been a true ally of theirs at some point." His expression darkened. "And you're friend to no one. Therefore, you were never the true Nettelish."

She clapped. "Very good, Vegeta! Well then, to answer your question…yes, I do have a body of my own. I even had a name of my own once." She pressed her hand into her cheek, blushing lightly. "My dear Lord Frieza gave it to me. Oh what was it…?" She giggled. "Oh yes! Un. That was it. He called me Un…ah, memories…"

"If I'm not mistaken, that means 'no one'," Vegeta remarked, thinking back to the trade language Frieza had sometimes used.

"Hmhmhm, right again, Vegeta," she smiled, her glowing eyes shimmering, "You're on a roll today! And such nostalgia you've managed to awaken in me…" She hugged herself and rocked about, Sepis weakly crawling away behind her ankles. "Oh…how I long for it, Vegeta. All alone with my Lord Frieza, sitting on the arm of his chair, whispering secrets in his ear. Those were good days. The universe was his and he gave me everything and anything I wanted. And in return? I made myself invaluable to him."

"You're a fool if you think that man truly valued anything," Vegeta spat scornfully. He chuckled. "Is that all you are, then? A love-sick woman? Just muling for the return of her master?"

He jerked as she moved swifter than he had expected, appearing over his shoulder, her lips just by his ear. "I am many things…" she whispered. To his frustration, the feeling of her breath sent a shiver through him and…there was something else. Her smell. There was something appealing about it. Something almost familiar. "…An entire gallery of power and skill," she continued, drawing nearer still, "I am man and woman and servant and master. I am a universe…and I am a speck." Her fingers every so lightly brushed against his shoulders. "And once your Bulma hands Goku…or should I say…Un Goku…the dragon ball radar with a smile…anything I want will be mine." Her fingers slide up the side of his neck into his hair, her mouth moving closer. "Anything…and everything…the sort of things you once dreamed of." Her lips brushed against his neck. "And I wonder…what you would be willing to do…to keep your little corner of the reality safe…what this little do-gooder…would offer up to protect what he loves…"

The smell, the feeling of her breath, the sound of her words – it had all been a momentary intoxication. But in those last few sentences, he felt the rage ignite in him again. His brow began to twitch and his teeth gnashed as her lips pressed to his neck. It went no further. Un Nettelish screamed as Vegeta seized her hand in a crushing grip, making her fall to her knees.

"You dare," he seethed, tightening his grip on her hand even more mercilessly, "Try to rob my good sense from me?!" She screamed louder as her bones cracked. "Yes, I see now. You're nothing but a trickster!" His eyes turned deadly, the mauve flames burning bright. "No, you're worse. You're a cheap charlatan – a worthless wretch cowering under a mask." He bent her painfully backwards. "And you dared to rob Kakarot of his life and honor. For that, you will not see a quick end." He cackled viciously through a gritted smile. "What will I do to protect what I love? You misunderstand me, Un, I care for none of that right now. My only concern is seeing every drop of Saiyan blood squeezed from your pathetic body." He reached down, collapsing her shoulder in a terrible grip. "What was that? Nothing more to say? I can't understand you under all that squealing you're making!"

Un Nettelish continued to scream and writhe, struggling to break from his grip on her. But through the shrieks of pain, a second sound began to break through. It was laughter. The laughter grew stronger and her other hand reached up and clamped his elbow.

"Ha!" Vegeta cried out.

But before he could defend, her laughter reached its peak and she lurched forward, sinking her fangs into his arm. Immediately, her throat began to ripple as she gulped down blood as fast as she could.

Vegeta roared and raised his fist. "Oh no you don't, you damn parasite!" He brought down his fist like a hammer repeatedly on the center of her forehead. He struck her again and again until the blood began to run between her eyes. He swore her skull was cracking now, but still she held on, feasting off his energy. His mind raced, wondering if he should transform to force her off when suddenly she let go.

She laughed, her face broken and bloodied. She reached up to the clasp of her cloak as he stumbled back, snarling at her as the wound in his arm closed. The cloak started to fall and there was a slurping noise. "That's the one trouble I've had with that form," said Vegeta's replica as the cloak fell onto the floor, "Nettelish…such a tease. Never knew when to shut up. And as I said before, the personhood I assume effects me." Un Vegeta cackled, grinning viciously. "I wonder what effects your form will have?"

"What?" Vegeta scoffed, scowling at his mirror image, "Am I supposed to be frightened of my own face?"

"Oh no," Un Vegeta chuckled, "But perhaps you'll notice something?" He held up his hands and flexed his black-gloved fingers. "All the damage you just inflicted – nowhere to be seen. It doesn't matter how much you hurt me. Every time a form is unreasonably damaged, I'll just slip on a new one. After all, it's just a simple matter of replicating another's body."

"Yes, but I can already tell you've used a small portion of your energy changing bodies like that," Vegeta shot back, "Do you even have energy of your own?"

"Why would I need my own energy when I can just take all the energy I want from others?"

"You really are a moron," Vegeta spat and then laughed, "If that's the case, then I can assume that energy is limited. You'll run out eventually, especially if you have to keep changing forms like that. And when that happens, you'll have no way of generating more."

"I don't need to," Un Vegeta chuckled, folding his arms, "I have an entire super saiyan to keep feeding off of and restoring myself with."

"That's where you're wrong." Vegeta slide a foot back, strengthening his stance. "You got lucky once. But now that I know what you're game is, I'll make certain you never taste my blood again." The mauve flames in his eyes rose and his eyes shifted back. "You get all that, Oom'Bagu?! I want you focusing your power on keeping me very aware of all my blind spots. This freak isn't getting her teeth in me again."

"Her?" said Un Vegeta, actually looking slightly offended, "Does this look like a female's body to you?"

"Hehehehe…can't really say," Vegeta cackled viciously, eyeing the imposter again, "I don't honestly care what you are anymore. But I know now you can bleed…and that's all I need to know."

Un Vegeta's expression fell and his teeth clenched. "I think it's time you die now."

"Yes, you've certainly kept me waiting on that long enough," Vegeta agreed, lifting a corner of his mouth, "Time to see what you're made of."

The two Vegeta's glared at each other, one dressed in crimson the other in black. Both of them clenched their firsts and began to howl, white plumes of energy lighting around them. Sepis hugged one of the legs of the monitoring station, eyes wide as he watched. Seconds later the charging stopped and they both flew at each other, the Prince of All Saiyans striking fiercely at himself.

(**Scene Break**)

Nevrrest stood bent over Misado, her magenta eyes extremely focused on the crack as the vines pressed into the door. Laswe blinked at her several time and sighed, leaning against Horkion. "Nevrrest…have you heard the saying 'watching the grass grow'?"

"Shut up," Nevrrest snapped, not moving.

"Oh boy…" Laswe sighed, slumping against Horkion's side again.

Horkion perked up, leaning to see past Nevrrest. "The crack's gotten a good deal bigger," he remarked hopefully.

"Not really…" Laswe grumbled, putting his chin into his palm. He looked over at Oom'Bagu, the Gregorik's face twitching slightly. "Hey. What's going on with the monkey?"

Oom'Bagu grunted, sounding strained. "The battle between Vegeta and the entity has begun. Vegeta lured as much information as he could from his opponent and they are now testing each other's stratagems."

"Good," Horkion spoke up, standing, "Better not to rush in, even if he can turn super saiyan. After all, none of us know what this creature is capable of."

Laswe leaned back and closed his eyes. There was a long pause. "Uh…"

"Hmm?" Horkion looked at him, "What is it, Laswe?"

"Unless I've gone bonkers, I'm sensing two Vegeta's right now," he stated, opening his eyes again, "Two identical energy signatures…except one's stronger than the other."

"You're not mistaken," Nevrrest spoke up, not turning, the tip of her tail thumping rhythmically, "I can sense the same…the stronger one is Vegeta. The imposter's energy changed from Nettelish to his, but the strength did not."

"Well that's great news then!" Horkion exclaimed.

"What?" turned Laswe, "That I'm not crazy?"

"No! Well yeah, but—what I mean is if Vegeta's the stronger one he's probably gonna win!"

"You know well as I that isn't the case," said Nevrrest, hissing softly. Her eyes narrowed at the crack in the door, her tail thumping harder. "So Vegeta's power is currently higher. That can change in an instant. Don't forget, this monster has Nettelish's fusion band."

Horkion's face fell with horror. "Oh no…so if the battles starts going against the entity, all they have to do is activate quantum fusion and Vegeta's chances of winning will fall drastically!"

"But Vegeta knows that," Laswe reminded, putting a hand on Horkion's shoulder, "I don't think we should underestimate the guy. He held his own against Quantum Nevrrest on back on his planet."

"All that means is the battles he's faced during his time on Earth have taught him how to take a beating," Nevrrest stated coldly, "Not how to win. I'm afraid all Vegeta can do for us right now is delay the creature long enough for us to make our escape."

The room was silent for a long moment. "I…I don't believe that!" Horkion spoke up. Nevrrest's eyes shifted sharply to him. "I don't think that's what Goku would tell us if he was here. If he was still…I think, he'd say that the Vegeta he knows is the kind of warrior that can still win even if his opponent manages to outclass him. At the very least…I don't think he's the sort that will ever quit."

"Hehehehehehe…" Nevrrest cynically chuckled, "Of course he would say that…he was a Saiyan…rest his soul. They all think that way." She looked off. "But no one knows Vegeta like I do. He's brazen and full of confidence. But that confidence is all too easily broken…the moment he realizes victory is completely out of his reach." Her brow narrowed again. "That's why we have to focus on getting out of here as soon as possible. I don't want to think what will happen to my fleet and…and to Sepis once he fails."