Episode Two

'A Loyal Subject'

The planet bellow was ugly and bizarre. The warrior in his spherical ship found the blue oceans and green grass backwards and strange.

But he'd made it. Earth, he thought, I'm finally here.

He landed in one of the most rundown places he'd ever seen. As he emerged from his ship he realized they were ruins of an old city, but whatever battle had reduced them to rubble had happened years ago.

So not Frieza's men. The warrior thought. Still, there might be someone here.

He took a deep breath of the strange heavy air as his lungs grew accustomed to it. He smiled for only a moment before he sensed the powerful presence rapidly approaching him.

The natives, he thought, I expected this, but this power is . . . overwhelming.

The warrior tensed and prepared himself when the creature in black and lavender armor appeared before him, soaring through the air surrounded by a purple aura and striking the ground like a meteorite. He rose from his landing and slowly turned with a large smile on his face. "Well well well . . . my Prince will be pleased when I bring him your head."

The warrior just looked at the black armor and curled his lip in disgust as he started to power up, "I won't make it easy for you!"

Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z

"Turles has converged on the lower power level, it's spiking but I think he can handle it." Trunks heard his mother's voice through the scouter, "Trunks that other ship is going to land, we already have one computer if you want to take the ship out before it lands . . ."

"No, I've got this!" Trunks answered, "I want to see if I can talk to them, maybe we can work something out!"

His mother didn't ask him if he were crazy, she just said, "If that's what you want. I've got faith in you my son, the others are suited up and ready to back you up."

Trunks smiled and said, "Just have them in position like I said, but tell them not to worry, someday this sort of thing will be their problem."

"I don't think alien invaders will ever stop being everyone's problem." His mother said dryly.

Trunks saw the red and white ship come in for a landing, he sped up wanting to arrive when it did. "I'm intercepting them, no more time to chat." He told her.

"Good luck." His mother said, "Try not to break the planet."

Trunks smiled in spite of himself.

The ship landed on the outskirts of the city and Trunks landed not far from it.

He hadn't taken the time to find his sword but he hoped he wouldn't need it anyway. Besides if he needed to resort to intimidation he could turn Super Saiyan, that usually did the trick.

The ship had a darkened tinted dome at the top of its oval shaped hull. That dome popped open and a feminine creature with blue skin and what seemed like tentacles for hair leapt out. She wore a black outfit, loose fitting pants and a vest with teal trim and a pair of what looked like suspenders hanging at her sides instead of over her shoulders. The irises of her eyes were yellow but the white of her eyes was as black as her pupils. Trunks didn't feel intimidated by her strength but the scouter told him she was no slouch. Sporting a power level of nearly twenty thousand she was stronger than any of his students apart from Turles.

But not the bigger power level the ship detected. Trunks thought. That came next. Another female, this one looking more human with shoulder length raven hair and pale beige skin emerged. She leapt from the ship and landed between Trunks and the blue alien, she looked at him with one blue eye. It was her left eye, the right side of her face had something of a curtain of bangs but Trunks could see a scar going over her right eye and a patch covering it.

Her outfit too was primarily black, but she wore a hunter green scarf and a pair of black and white bracers. She was tall, maybe even taller than Trunks actually by an inch or two.

"Hello there. You don't look like a PTO soldier." Trunks called out to them.

"And you don't look like the last Saiyan." The human-like woman snarled. She held out a hand and said, "Go fetch him for me or it's the end of the line for you."

Trunks offered a forced and empty smile, "Looks can be deceiving. If you're here looking for the Saiyan you've found him."

The woman smirked and put one hand on her hip, the other she kept raised at Trunks and he could feel she was gathering energy. "Oh have I? Funny . . . I don't remember many of my people with lavender hair and lacking tails."

"So you're a Saiyan too?" Trunks asked skeptically. "I don't see your tail."

"Tragically lost when it was too late to get it back." The female Saiyan told him, "But it's helped me avoid getting put down by the Galactic Patrol and the PTO. So I guess I should be grateful. Is that what happened to you?"

Trunks shook his head, he'd pretend this was a friendly encounter for as long as he could, though in reality things were quite tense. He wasn't sure if the woman was just trying to distract him but his response actually seemed to distract her instead. He said, "I don't think I ever had a tail. Maybe it was removed at birth."

She actually stopped gathering energy for a moment as she shuddered, "Ugh . . . that's monstrous! To just . . . just cut away a part of a child's body for literally no reason? This world doesn't even have a moon!"

"It used to," Trunks said, defending his planet in an unexpected way. "Anyway what are you doing here?"

The woman smirked and said, "Doing what Saiyans do. I'm here to conquer or be conquered. It's our way, isn't it?"

With that she unleashed a blast that Trunks easily took, he let her energy wash over him when he sensed the other alien had gotten behind him. Her arms stretched out and she grasped his wrists. She tried to pull them back but Trunks didn't let them budge, he stood like a statue.

Show them they have no affect on you and maybe this can still end peacefully. Trunks thought to himself.

He looked over his shoulder to see the blue-skinned alien was nearly thirty paces behind him and still walking backwards, obviously straining. Her arms were stretching like giant rubber-bands and Trunks had to admit to being surprised by that.

Not intimidated. Just surprised. "Whatever you're trying it won't work." He sighed.

The scouter bleeped a warning, Trunks had just enough time to register the number three hundred thousand as he glanced back towards the Saiyan who sprang forward and struck out punching him in the stomach hard enough that he actually felt it.

He heard a sound like rubber bands snapping and felt the blue woman's knees hit him in the back.

It was an effective team attack, unfortunately the two just didn't know who they were dealing with.

Trunks coughed, an unconscious acknowledgment that he'd felt what they'd done . . . but it hadn't bothered him much. He turned Super Saiyan, blasting both of them back from the force of his aura alone.

"Oh my gosh . . . Cauli that's-" The blue woman began but her partner cut her off.

"It's nothing! It proves nothing!" The human-like woman, Cauli, he supposed, snarled.

But Trunks smirked, his warrior's blood flowing more freely now that he was a Super Saiyan. He taunted them, "That wasn't a bad tactic, but you're just a flea to me. Maybe this will help you out . . ." He tossed the Saiyan woman his scouter, "You do know how to use one, right?"

She scoffed, but she put it on. Trunks knew already the scouter would be showing her that he was a lot higher in numbers than she was, he was just glad it could record him without exploding. Numbers might not matter too much to me, but since I know they matter to you let me show you the magnitude you're dealing with.

Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z

Karuto was watching the scene play out from the ship's bridge. Genora and Missus Bulma's two human slaves had come up from tinkering with the engine room to put up a full display.

"This is insane!" Genora gawked, "A bounty hunter with a power level over three hundred thousand? That's even higher than Commander Chillax!"

"She says she's a Saiyan," Missus Bulma said, "how can that be?"

But Karuto already knew. He rushed for the console, shoving past Genora and activating the communicator. Mister Trunks had given the Saiyan his Scouter so Karuto knew he could talk to her. He shouted into the controls, "Cauliflora! I know it's you, you have to stand down!"

"W-what? Who is this? How do you know my-"

"I'm a friend of a friend," Karuto said, then realized it was probably more like a friend of a friend of a friend but he decided not to over-complicate things. He told her, "You need to stand down, you can't win and whatever you're trying to accomplish it wont work! Don't fight us, join us!"

The Saiyan woman seemed to hesitate for a moment before she finally raised her hands and shouted, "Tathy, stand down. We've gotten what we wanted . . . he's a Saiyan after all."

Mister Trunks smiled and Basil whooped in celebration.

Even Genora whispered in awe, "Another Saiyan . . . a survivor that just slipped through the cracks? But with a power like that . . . she must have been a really successful bounty hunter, can you believe it?"

Karuto looked to Missus Bulma, she was smiling at him approvingly. "Well then . . ." She said, "if this works out it looks like we might just have a proper prison guard now thanks to you, Karuto."

Karuto smiled, "Happy to help! Oh! But I've got to talk to Cauli, I've got to know what happened to her!"

"How do you know who she is?" The tall human male Thyme asked him.

"Well Konpeito told me a story once, she was one of the characters. I memorized her face going over the personnel files, I had to know more about her and how she escaped Goulder . . . now I have a chance!" He turned to Missus Bulma, "I mean if you'll let me . . ."

The human matron smiled and said, "I think you've earned a question or two. But let's take it slow, we should make sure she's safe before you pester her too much." Bulma asked Genora, "What about Turles?"

"He's got his opponent down already, he's bringing him back alive it seems." Genora answered. "I'm not detecting any other high power levels or other ships. It looks like the threat is over."

"So why would the PTO just send two ships and three fighters?" Missus Bulma asked.

"They wouldn't." Genora said. "These were bounty hunters, it's more likely that the Frost Clan decided to try to keep you busy while they geared up for a full assault, but it doesn't make a lot of sense since Saiyans get stronger the more they fight and sending opponents to get slaughtered peace-meal is only going to make your fighters stronger."

"Could they be up to something else?" Basil wondered.

"Could be. Who cares?" Thyme asked. "Didn't you see Trunks? He's not a fighter he's a force of nature! As long as we've got him we're not in any danger at all."

"True," Missus Bulma said, "but remember what happened to us when we didn't have him."

Thyme actually seemed to shrink and he nodded solemnly, "Y-yes ma'am, I'm sorry."

Karuto was sorry too. He'd had time to learn that the earthlings took all their losses very hard. He wondered suddenly if that was why Cousin Chillax was being so uncooperative. Is Chillax resisting because he doesn't want to submit to a stronger force, or is he resisting because Mister Trunks wiped out his squad? Karuto wondered.

The little Arcosian would have to ask when he got the chance.

Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z=Z

Trunks had filled the two fighters in as they flew back to West City. Cauliflora was more than a little surprised to learn he was descended from her King, Trunks was more than a little surprised to learn she was sixty seven. She barely looked any older than him.

Saiyan aging is ridiculous! He thought, but he kept it to himself. Instead he asked her, "So you knew my grand father?"

"Yeah, actually. We were from the same clan, the stories I could tell you about him and how he led our people!" Cauliflora said actually sounding wistful, "My father was one of his advisors, I even had a chance to meet your father before he was sent off to serve Frieza."

"What was he like then? He would have been a kid, right?" Trunks asked.

Cauli said, "He was . . . a gifted child. Very powerful for his age. He was my Prince, but if he's passed as you said then I suppose that makes you my Prince."

They'd arrived back at Capsule Corp. and were on the stairs just outside the main doors when Cauli fell to one knee and said, "As the daughter of Zorn, advisor to your grandfather I pledge myself to your service, Prince Trunks!"

Embarrassed Trunks urged her to get up, "Uh no need to be so formal, if you'll help me protect this world I accept your pledge but please don't call me Prince."

"Yeah, if the King and the King's son are both dead that makes him King Trunks." Tathy pointed out.

"N-no, not that either!" Trunks said, waving his hands. "Look there'll be time to explain later, but right now we're expecting some really important visitors so we should probably get cleaned up. Come with me."

The young warrior led his two new companions into the building and Trunks was greeted by the amazed faces of his three students.

"You captured the both of them, Master?" Schip gawked.

"They're our guests," Trunks corrected, "They came peacefully . . . after a while."

"Turles didn't have as much luck with his." Rhyce said. "I'm sure he'll tell you all about it himself though."

"Turles?" Cauliflora asked but the booming voice from the top of the stairs cut off further query.

"Tell him myself? Just you try and stop me, Earthling!" Turles shouted, "You should have seen it Prince Trunks, you would have been impressed! The green man's power level spiked to nearly double what it was but it wasn't enough and I put him down! Or at least I would have if I hadn't remembered that my Prince wanted him brought back alive so at great risk to my own body I—Cauli?"

Trunks smiled a bit, it was fun to see Turles thrown off his stride mid-boast. "You two know each other?" Trunks asked.

Cauli folded her arms, "He knows me, but there's no way that's the Turles I know. You've barely aged!"

Look who's talking. Trunks thought, considering that Cauli was even older than his mother.

But Turles protested, "I'm over a head taller, now!"

"But you still look so young!" Cauli gawked.

Tathy cleared her throat and said, "You know introductions would seem to be in order . . . I mean it's not every day stone-heart here is this emotive but really I'm feeling lost."

Trunks nodded and Turles said, "Cauliflora and I were both assigned to clean Goulder, you know, the world you found me on three months ago. She escaped just before you found me."

"Three months? Turles, that was fifty years ago!" Cauli gawked.

Turles smirked, "Not for me it wasn't. I got here the quick way. I've been training with Prince Trunks in all that time and look at me, I'm already his second in command."

"Whoa there, when did that happen?" Rhyce demanded.

"It hasn't." Trunks assured her.

"Well I just assumed since I'm the second strongest," Turles said sounding deflated and only slightly apologetic, "I mean-"

"You were the second strongest, now I am." Cauli said sharply.

Turles' tail came free from around his waist and he said, "Oh? What happened to your tail?"

Cauli actually seemed to hesitate. She folded her arms and said, "Well then . . . I guess maybe you're a bit stronger when you transform."

"A bit?" Turles grinned.

"But you can't control it yet, can you? Maybe if you'd gotten here 'the long way' you'd have practiced enough to be in control but if you really got here from Goulder I doubt it. All the power your tail provides is useless if you can't manage it."

Turles shrugged. "Stronger is stronger."

"Wow, I'm so happy that now we get to watch two Saiyans brag about the size of their-"

"Power levels." Schip interrupted Rhyce who glowered at him then nodded.

"Yeah, that." The nomadic girl sighed. Trunks offered her an encouraging smile.

"Saiyans advance quickly but remember with hard work you can close the gap." Trunks said.

Cauli took a challenging step towards the Blue team and snarled, "That's right, stop sniveling with jealousy and commit yourselves! If you want to be better then be better, if you want me to call you warriors in the service of my Prince then earn my respect, Earthlings!"

"Warriors in the service of your Prince, is it?" A new voice scowled from the stairs behind them, "And here our King insisted you had no delusions of grandeur, Golden Warrior."

Trunks frowned and turned around to see a pair of women standing at the bottom of the stairs. One of them was short with spiky black hair, the other was about his height with long straight black hair. Both were wearing the uniforms of the royal army, though the taller woman was also wearing a uniform greatcoat.

Trunks smiled as disarmingly as possible and said, "Uh you must be the King's new Liaison . . . this isn't what it looks like, I promise. We just-"

"Averted another world crisis? I noticed." The shorter woman said sternly. She looked like she would have been from the same generation as Gohan actually so Trunks hoped she wouldn't see Turles' Saiyan armor as a threat. He quickly descended the stairs to greet her.

"I'm Trunks, uh this is Cauliflora and Tathy, they just arrived from outer space, but they've decided to be friendly." Trunks said reassuringly, "And these are my students, Kodva, Rhyce, Schip and Turles." Trunks explained, naming everyone as they came out of the Capsule Corporation building to stand to the left and right of him.

Tathy whispered a quiet, "Yay! Now I know everyone. That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Shut up." Cauli hissed at her, then at the two women in uniform she barked, "Your King is not my King, the only authority I'll recognize on this world is my Prince's, now tell me your names before I execute you in his name."

"No, no, we don't want that!" Trunks said urgently waving his hands, "They're friends, this is their world," He told Cauli, "I am a loyal subject to the King."

"What?" Cauli gawked at him. She shook her head, "You need me more than I realized . . ." She folded her arms and went over to Turles, a whispered argument was held between them, he caught the words 'you didn't tell him' from Cauli and 'I assumed he knew' from Turles but Trunks ignored them and smiled at the soldiers.

"I-I'm so sorry, she just arrived, she doesn't understand how things work here yet. But I really am loyal to the King, I assure you. Can I maybe have your names?"

"I'm Captain Videl, this is my second in command Lieutenant Mai."

"Pleased to meet you!" Trunks said bowing slightly, this elicited a disgusted gasp from Cauli but it actually made Videl smirk.

"It will be an honor to serve alongside you, sir." Mai said as Trunks stood up straight. She was pretty but her dark eyes seemed somehow older than she looked. Like Cauliflora Mai seemed like a much older person in a body far too young, she seemed about his age but her eyes were as weary as his mother's.

Not that he doubted she was human of course. That look of world-weariness could have come from witnessing any number of atrocities while the Androids had run the show. Even if she were exactly as young as she looked though that wouldn't have surprised Trunks, Soda had said that most of the command staff of the Royal Army were promoted ahead of their time to fill empty slots in the chain of command.

Turles scoffed, "You're a captain? You don't seem like much. When the others tell me about their Captain Soda she sounds like a real warrior but you just seem like a tiny old woman."

Videl's smirk widened into a smile, "Soda was a hot shot and a fast riser. I was one of those who said she wasn't ready to be a Captain but I'll agree that she was a real warrior to the end. All the same everything you taught her I expect you to teach me."

Trunks was surprised, "What? I uh . . . I mean I guess, but you two will be pretty far behind."

"Not the both of us." Mai said helpfully, "You'll only have to train her."

"You trained Soda," Videl scoffed, "So did I. Besides I'm the daughter of Hercule Satan, the mightiest warrior of Earth before you came along."

"Oh!" Trunks realized, "Hercule? Oh . . ." He hesitated. Was there a delicate way to tell Videl that her father hadn't been anything near what even Soda had been when Captain Kalt showed up? He decided not to bother. Instead he said, "Well if you've got some martial arts background we can try. I assume you plan to repeat that training to the Royal Army?"

"It shouldn't matter to you if I do." Videl said simply. "Unless of course our King's faith in you is misplaced."

"It isn't." Trunks said. He turned to his two Saiyan . . . well, subjects he supposed, and told them, "I am loyal to the King of Earth."

"Of course." Cauliflora said. "If Prince Trunks is loyal to the King of Earth then Cauliflora is as well."

She hit Turles in the stomach and he quickly added, "So am I! In serving my Prince I will serve your King."

Videl smiled, for a brief moment Trunks suspected there was a softer woman beneath the exterior of the battle hardened soldier. He smiled back at her and at Mai and said, "Well uh I'll show you to your quarters."

"Mai." Videl said.

"Y-yes ma'am," Mai said, she seemed to have been distracted by something and the look Videl gave her suggested that wasn't normal. She recovered and checked her clipboard, "We'll need housing for at least a full platoon of soldiers."

It wasn't unexpected, the Royal Guard had posted a couple squads temporarily before, "How many are in a platoon?" Trunks asked.

"Forty." Mai answered. "That's not including our command staff."

"Count yourself lucky," Videl told him, "I'm a captain, I command a much larger force than just a platoon, I brought the minimum force I felt necessary to show the people that this facility is under Royal jurisdiction."

"Mother's not going to like this." Trunks muttered.

"I don't like this either." Videl told him, and Trunks was surprised she'd heard him, "But that's how things are going to be, Prince Trunks."

Trunks was having second thoughts about Videl having a softer side but he nodded, "We'll figure something out if you give us time. We can just house them in Capsule Houses on the grounds if that's what it takes. Shall we begin the tour?"

"Yes, right away." Videl nodded. "Come along, Mai!"

"Yes ma'am!" Mai hurried after her.

"Prin—um Trunks," Turles said, "I know how to read a room and I know this didn't go as well as you planned, but I suggest you forestall any attempts to salvage a bad situation and let the bald man lead the tour. You should come with me, you're going to want to see the prisoner I brought back."

Trunks nodded, "Kodva," he said, emphasizing the name as a hint to Turles to start referring to the others by name, "Can you show everyone around? I need to look in on our uh . . . other new guest."

"Yes, Master Trunks." Kodva said.

"Oh it's Master too is it?" Videl teased.

"Yes, it is." Rhyce told her, eying her fiercely. The two were about the same height so Rhyce could glare her in the eyes, "And if you want to train under him it'll be Master Trunks to you too, it's a matter of respect."

Videl smiled and nodded, "Ah, so that's what you mean by it. Well all right then, that's not so bad."

Turles smirked as the others were led away, Cauliflora and Tathy lingered but Trunks said, "Go with them, please let yourselves get acquainted with the place too. But don't kill anyone or destroy anything."

"There are two subjugated Arcosians in the facility, one of them is our ally the other is our prisoner, Pr—Trunks wants them both spared." Turles added.

"I understand the concept of prisoners." Cauli scoffed but she turned and caught up with the rest of the group.

Tathy lingered a moment longer and whispered, "Don't worry, I'll make sure and smooth talk the Cap'n for you!"

Trunks wasn't sure if he liked that idea or not but he didn't argue. He also fought down the urge to ask Tathy just what she was anyway. Obviously some kind of alien, but she wasn't Saiyan and it'd probably be rude to just ask.

He turned to Turles who was still smirking. "Don't worry, when you see what I captured it'll make today one of the best. After the day you added me to your ranks that is."

"What'd you do, find a working Dragon Ball?" Trunks joked.

To Be Continued . . .

On the Next Episode of Dragon Ball COED . . . Trunks meets his newest prisoner as Bulma meets Videl, and Karuto finally gets a chance to meet Cauli, but what is Master Roshi up to?