Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of its products nor anything associated with it.

Chapter 37

"Will all passengers please sit down, buckle up, and prepare for landing. Lastly, Capsule Corporation would like to thank you for flying with us", Bulma's cheer filled voice resonated through the small round ship.

Erasa and Eighteen buckled into their chairs as the ship began to shudder when entering the atmosphere of a large green planet. Ok, this is what I've been training for. I can do this, just stay calm and breathe. Gohan taught me how to fight and Eighteen taught me to control myself. Both of them have taught how to control my opponent. Now, I just have to pray that I don't actually have to fight because I'll probably get squashed instantly.

She watched as the flames licked the windows as the shaking increased. Bulma could be seen at the command console pecking away at buttons furiously. Even Eighteen had dropped her calm persona to watch as the planet's surface drew ever closer in awe.

"Hold on tight, using the reverse thrusters to decelerate in 5...4...3...2...1...Now!", Bulma said as she slowly pushed a small lever forward.

The ship lurched violently, making all the two passengers cling to their seats while Bulma animatedly cursed and threaten her safety harness to hold. After several lurching movements, the engines finally seemed to take full effect as the ship slowed to a controllable speed.

Bulma hit the locks on her swivel chair and spun around to face the others, "We have successfully entered the atmosphere and the autopilot will navigate us to the ground from here. Ladies, I present to you the planet known as New Namek!"

The other two chuckled but looked down at the strange new planet just the same. To Bulma looked just like the old Namek, but to Erasa and Eighteen is something entirely new. The blue tinted grass and green water and sky. Hills and cliffs could be seen in every direction. The only thing missing was the actual inhabitants.

Thank Kami for that meditation practice, sensing is so much easier now. There are little groups of life all over the place. These Namekians are so much stronger than us Earthlings on average. I can't believe that my race is this far behind what Gohan classified as a peaceful people. I'm still not even on par with the average power on this planet.

The ship landed and signaled the all-clear before Bulma stood up to give instructions, "Okay, let's go over everything again. Erasa, you are the only one that can sense power so you will have to lead us to the nearest Village. After that, you'll listen to Eighteen and she'll be sure that we all stay safe. I'll be making sure that the Namekians remember everyone and explain the situation. All clear?"

The two blondes nodded and Bulma lowered the hatch to leave. Eighteen stepped out first with Erasa following her and Bulma at the end of the small line. Erasa stopped as the other two turned to her expectantly. Oh right, it's all me right now. Okay, let's see. She shut her eyes and spread her senses out as far as she could. There's a cluster over to my right pretty close, but there's a much larger cluster dead ahead almost out of my range. I bet that is the main village.

"The closest Village is to our right, I don't know how to tell you how far exactly yet, I'm sorry. There's a much larger group straight in front of us though, and I think that it must be the main Village or town. I guess just tell me which one to go too", Erasa explained.

"Let's go for the larger of the two if Moori is still the leader than he'll be there or completely isolated I bet", Bulma explained while pulling out a capsule case.

Eighteen flicked the lid of the small white box close before Bulma could get anything out of it, "We aren't flying around in some slow jet. Erasa can use the practice and our way of flight is still faster even with her still learning."

Before Bulma could protest, Eighteen swept Bulma up and nodded towards Erasa. The teenager grinned and zipped up into the sky with the android close behind her. She headed for the large grouping of powers in the distance at her best speed. I think I can maintain this speed the whole way. I hate slowing Eighteen down like this.

"Hey, slow it up some. If we get there and it just happened to be a threat then you'll be uselessly spent from the flight", Eighteen said as she fell in line beside the teen with Bulma fuming in her arms.

"I just hate slowing you down", Erasa explained while squinting through the wind.

"First off, I'm training you so take my word on this. If we were knowingly rushing into a fight to save our friends than you wouldn't waste your energy on flying recklessly beyond your limit. Find a comfortable medium and use it, that way you can always speed up if you have to but you also don't waste energy", Eighteen explained.

Erasa slowed down considerably but still tried to keep a decent speed before responding, "What about seeing in this wind? Gohan just told me that I'd have to get used to it, but would you have any tricks to teach me?"

Eighteen laughed, "The wind is just part of it. You can erect a barrier of energy in front of you to buffer the wind, but that's normally for more advance flyers. Gohan will teach you how to do that when you're ready but right now it would burn up too much energy needlessly, humans can adjust to seeing at this speed. In other words, Gohan's right. Get used to it."

Erasa sighed but did as she was told and forced her eyes to remain open as she flew for the Namekian Village. After what seemed to be hours and several breaks, the two spotted the small white and spiky homes. Eighteen stayed cautious as Erasa seemed to catch a second wind while excitement flooded through her system. Are they going to be like Piccolo? Or will they be less intimidating?

Eighteen brought them down at the edge of the buildings and set Bulma down before turning to her temporary pupil, "I do not know what you're focusing on but I doubt that it's the task at hand. Remember, you and I need to stay quiet and let Bulma handle everything. Unless you got a better crash course on these people than I did then we know next to nothing about them. We are just the silent bodyguards."

Bulma clicked her boot on the ground, "Oh stop being such a stick in the mud. It's your first time on another planet just like Erasa so enjoy it. Look around a little and talk to the people, just don't expect any kinds of shopping or food other than what we brought."

Eighteen grimaced but nodded. Erasa grinned and followed the other two women into the cluster of homes where a small crowd was already gathering. From the group of varied green beings, a short, stocky Namekian with a wrinkled face stepped forward to confront the three travelers. His serious scowl transformed into a wary grin as he recognized Bulma.

"Bulma Briefs, it has been some time since we were on Earth. To what do I owe the pleasure of your Visit?", the Namekian spoke up.

Bulma offered a small bow as she answered, "Grand Elder Moori, it's wonderful to see you again. I wish that I could say this was just a friendly visit but that is simply not true. We are in dire need of your dragon balls. My friends and I are more than willing to perform any tests that require to use them. Would it be possible for us to use them?"

Moori's smile faded as he replied, "Bulma, you know that I would never test you to use the Dragon Balls, but I'm afraid I can not give them to you. Some time ago, one of our own took three of them and fled. We are sure that he is still on the planet and most likely with supporters, but they are being cautious. They keep their powers suppressed and travel on foot to gather the rest of the Dragonballs, which is why they haven't succeeded yet."

Eighteen narrowed her eyes, "Then why don't you just kill them when they attack?"

"As much as I hate killing, I wish it were that simple. This rebel is one of our stronger fighters and that has garnered him strong followers", Moori replied sadly.

"Um, I'm sorry to interrupt, but what exactly do they plan to wish for?", Erasa quietly asked.

Moori frowned, "That's the issue, we don't know. They are adults of our race and as such they know the stories and how the dragon works, but that only makes it worse."

"Can you at least give us a name at the least?", Eighteen rudely challenged.

"Kelo, he has always been one of Guru's strongest offspring. The only one that was stronger was Nail who fused with your friend Piccolo", Moori tried his best to explain.

"How strong are we talking here. If we use Frieza as a reference, where would he stand?", Eighteen quizzed.

Moori stopped to think, "I was not able to get a feeling of Frieza's power, but I was able to sense the power in Vegeta when we got back to Earth. I would say that Kelo is at least one and a half times as powerful as that. I'm sorry that I can't give a better description."

"No matter, it gives me a good enough idea on where we stand against these guys. We will take care of these guys for you, but I need something first", Eighteen paused for a hurried assurance before continuing, "I need some of your fighters to escort Bulma back to our ship so that she can secure it. I would hate for one of those bastards to blow up our transportation. If you can get this done then Erasa and myself will head out immediately."

Moori hurried to fulfill the request. In no time at all, Bulma was being carried back to the ship with three green escorts. Eighteen nodded towards Erasa and took off as the younger blonde hurried to catch up with her. Once in the air, Eighteen pulled out the radar and began to watch it closely while floating high in the air.

"We can't know which village they will go to next so that only leaves the hard option. We'll have to gather the other Dragonballs and let the word get out that we have them. This way the rebels will come to us. We're going to set up camp somewhere far from any innocents and leave two or three of the last four laying out in the open and kill them when they come for them", Eighteen thought out loud.

"Uh, Eighteen, I'm not really comfortable with killing. Couldn't we just come to terms with these people? We don't even know what they want, maybe they are trying to do something good", Erasa tried to reason with a look of panic.

"If they were trying to do good then they wouldn't have to steal the Dragonballs. To top it off, talking won't exactly get us anywhere here. If this Namek is stronger than Vegeta was after Namek's destruction then that would put him nearing the threshold to Super Saiyan, if Gero's records were accurate. I can handle that but you most definitely cannot, and if he's that powerful than his men probably aren't pushovers. Since you'll be struggling with the weakest of them then I can't afford to be merciful", Eighteen calmly explained.

"Okay fair enough, but why don't we just fly to where the three Dragonballs are obviously gathered on the radar?", Erasa asked.

Eighteen fixed her with an empty stare, "Because that's asking to get killed. Look there's two of us and who knows how many of them. Moori only said followers, that could mean two or twenty. I can take on a couple of Super Saiyan if they aren't working as a team, but if more then two of these guys are nearly that strong and they work together than we are dead. We need them to come into our trap. They'll only sense you and they'll believe it's you and one who is skilled at hiding when they hear the other villages report in. I'd beat they'll come along pretty fast since your power is obviously different than a Namek's. Now, unless you have a death wish, let's get moving."

Before Erasa could continue the conversation, Eighteen sped off with the teenager following close behind. Can I really do this? I knew that there might be threats here but I wasn't thinking I guess. I thought maybe some dangerous wildlife or rabid aliens, but not Nameks. What if I can't do it?

Over the following days, Eighteen and Erasa went to the four Villages that still had their Dragonball and retrieved them. Moori had sent a telepathic message out to all of the elders to ensure them smooth interactions. Each village willingly handed over their guarded possession and agree to tell the rebels when they invaded. Eighteen had ordered Erasa to keep her power as high as she could so that they would be found easier.

"Alright, I'm going to go hide this nearby. I'll try to hurry back, but you should keep your eyes open either way. If the elders haven't sensed Kelo moving around then I doubt you will and I can't. Now, stay safe and stay here, I'll be back soon", Eighteen lifted off the ground and took off to hide the bike.

Erasa sat on the four star oversized Dragonball and watched her companion fly away. So, she has come up with a simple and solid plan for everything up until now when she suddenly decided to leave me here all alone with the bait. How the hell does that not scream a bad idea to her?

Looking to the sky, she watched the discolored clouds drift by as heat waves rose off of the ground. I bet that it's starting to get cold back home. Gohan is probably having a mental breakdown from dealing with Videl, or he just left her on the mountain and went to train with Vegeta. I wonder how Vegeta is doing? I hope he hasn't had any more trouble. Then again I'd almost feel sorry for whoever tried to control that guy. They'd probably have a conniption just trying to give him orders. How did that Frieza ever manage it? Vegeta seems like he would rather die than be someone's slave. I miss home.

Erasa continued to gaze upwards as three figures stepped out of hiding in the distance and began their approach. Erasa was humming the tune that she had heard Gohan always whistling as a small part of her brain screamed for her to move. Not understanding but listening to her instincts and training, she threw herself to the side as a green fist punched the empty air.

Spinning on her heel and landing in her trained stance she saw three unfamiliar Namekians standing several dozen yards away. The one in the center was tall with a build reminiscent of Piccolo while the other two were large and burly compared to most of their kind. The middle grinned as he stepped forwards.

"This would've been a lot quicker if you'd have just died, but sense you survived I'll give you a chance. Just walk away and leave the planet. We have no interest in outsiders. What do you say?", he asked in a light, smooth voice.

"Sorry, but I need the Dragonballs also, and I gathered mine with permission. Now, why don't you call this off? Moori seemed a nice guy, I'm sure he'd be lenient if you just talk to him", Erasa countered.

"Oh no, Moori is a large part of the problem. He's too accepting of outsiders. Frieza did nothing but kill our People, Goku only aided in destroying our planet, Cooler found our new home and tried again, every group of outsiders we've come in contact with has brought us nothing but trouble. We want to wish all this trouble away and go back to how it used to be. We want to be rid of all of you", the Namekian explained.

"I don't understand, what do you mean? Are you Kelo?", Erasa questioned as she tried to figure out the problem.

The Namekan placed a hand on his chest as he began his speech, "Yes, I am Kelo. You see, the solution to our problems is simple. Together, my men and I are stronger than our ancestors, which means we can enforce the rules where they couldn't. We want to be sent back in time and kill any outsider who learned of the Dragonballs or any Namekian who left the planet. That is the best way to ensure that our planet will be forever peaceful. If we can do that then the legendary Namekian will have never been allowed to leave. That will stop the Earth from getting Dragonballs, and Goku will never have heard of them. That means the Saiyans won't learn of them and Frieza won't invade. That also keeps Cooler away.

If we do this we will avoid that entire crisis. There were other times in the past that outsiders threatened us because of their desires and greeds, but no more! If we fix the past and keep our secret like we should then our race will be safe until the end of time. If that means going against the Grand Elder than so be it! This is the best way!"

Erasa shook her head, "No, don't you see, this isn't what your people want as a whole. You're doing the same thing that the ones you hate are doing. You're imposing your will on everyone. Goku may not have saved your planet but he is the reason you could be brought back to find a new one. Frieza was evil and evil people do evil things. You're planet just had the bad draw on that one. The same thing with Cooler. Earth has had it fair share of bad luck as well. You don't need to do this."

Eighteen, I really need you to hurry back. I still don't know how strong these guys are. I don't even have anything to compare them to when I find out. I haven't ever even sensed Gohan in Super Saiyan. He's always stayed just above my power level while training me. I should've asked him or Vegeta to power up so I could learn what it felt like to sense a large power.

"I see what you are trying to tell me, but you are the one that is wrong. I am not imposing my will on my people. I am fulfilling it. My people are the ones who will follow me. Once I have all seven Dragonballs, I will offer my fellow Namekians a chance at joining me in our new life. The smart and strong ones will be able to stand proud and declare their wishes to join me, but the rest will deserve what is coming to them. You see, I am giving my race a chance to restart from scratch.

We will gladly accept those smart enough to see the wisdom in our actions while also being brave and strong enough to follow us when their simple and weak friends do not. No longer shall we have to deal with the inferior specimens. No longer will others be able to demand their wishes be granted! When the clock is reset and our race is fixed, the Great Dragon Porunga will finally be able to do as he was meant to. The best of the best will be gifted with eternal life, always striving for greater power. The rest will follow them, and they will all follow me. I will be a living legend!", Kelo ended with a shout.

Erasa cringed as his power began to bubble up. This is just from his emotions. He's still suppressing, and he already outclasses me a ton. Maybe Eighteen will look at the radar and see...They don't have the Dragonballs. Did they leave the Dragonballs? So are more of these followers guarding them?

Kelo took several deep breaths as he calmed down before motioning towards her, "Kill the girl and take those three balls somewhere safe, remember not to fly. We don't want to be found until we have all seven, which means you'll have to be fast about. I'm going after the other Earthling."

Erasa was astonished at the sudden calmness he possessed beforing blasting into the sky. Eighteen, please hurry. The two burly fighters began a to limber up before sinking in their respective stances. Erasa took the brief pause to toss her weighted over shirt aside, leaving her in her black undershirt. The two grinned at her with their fangs showing as her much smaller power level rallied to stand against their combined might.

"Almost feels like a crime to kill someone so weak, doesn't it Lire?", the one of right rumbled mockingly.

"You know what, I think you're right. Let's be fair and give her a ten-second start. What do you say, Viol", Lire played along.

Viol laughed, "Sure. Do you hear that? You get ten seconds for fairness. You can run and hide or attack or even beg. We won't do anything. Starting now. 10."

Erasa eyes widened in panic as Lire pitched in, "9"

I've got to do something. I need to attack, right?

"8"

Right, running would be pointless. I need to attack! How though?

"7"

I guess it's all or nothing.

Erasa lifted her hand in front of her as she began to gather energy. Deart Kami, please help me overcome this challenge.

"6"

A white gold orb began to gather in her palm. I know killing is wrong, but I don't think I can survive in any other way.

"5"

Streaks of red began to slither throughout the Ki. If these guys aren't stopped then innocent Namekians will die, and maybe even others.

"4"

As her resolve slowly hardened, the Ki ball became stronger and redder. The two Namekians looked on in curiosity as their opponents energy began making small jumps in power. I guess what I'm asking for is actually pretty straight forward.

"3"

Will please help me overcome this challenge and forgive me if you do?

"2"

A heartbeat passed and both Namekians forgot to finish the countdown as her power and resolve became steadfast and the Ki ball changed to a familiar dark red. Even if you don't forgive me, at least know that I'm willing to do this if it will help others.

Viol seemed to realize that the head start was over and moved at the last moment as Erasa shouted, "Grand Smite!"

Viol watched as the conical attack ripped across the ground and collided with his still dumbfounded partner, "Good thing I moved. I didn't expect the wimp to have an attack like that. Don't matter, Lire's going to be rather annoyed after that little burn."

On the other end of the attack, Erasa was panting at the surge of energy coursing through her. In a few short seconds, it came to an end leaving a large cloud of dirt and dust obscuring all sight. Gohan would be proud of me, but now I'm all out and I can still sense them both. At least Lire's power has dropped some. It's not much but maybe it'll help.

Before she could think any further, a surge of power had blown the dirt away and revealed the angry Namekian. His clothing was intact but there were some minor bruising and burns on him, but Lire was still standing firm as he glared down at the blonde opposite of him.

"Viol, since you ran away, you can leave this to me. I'll put this outsider in her place", Lire sank into his stane once more and let his power out completely, much to Erasa's shock.

He was holding back that much! I didn't do anything. This is unbelievable.