For not being seen or heard by anyone, Goku sure felt pretty solid when he landed with a splash in sea water, Master Korin and Mister Popo floating up above him. Swimming past him was a young man, maybe two or three years older than Goku himself.
"This is him?"
"Yep," Master Korin said. "That's Tokoro."
"Where's he going?"
"That's what you're here to find out."
"Why isn't he flying? He can, I know that!"
"He can, but not very well at this point in his life."
Goku was disappointed, but reminded himself that Taiki had beaten him easily, and that this was the beginning of Tokoro's journey anyway. He was going to be a Super Saiyan! Goku could be patient.
In any case, Tokoro was a very good swimmer, much better than Goku was. He wasn't just fast, he was graceful, like a fish. The water barely moved around him, while Goku splashed about trying to catch up.
Isn't he scared of sharks? Goku thought.
Time passed quickly, and now Tokoro was coming up against a large ship sporting a familiar flag.
"Is that the Ox King?" Goku's eyes were wide with surprise.
"Hey!" Tokoro banged on the hull, waving his arms and splashing in the water dramatically. "Hey! Help! Help!"
Someone peered over the side of the ship.
"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPP!" he screamed.
A rope was flung down, and Tokoro hauled himself on board. Goku flew up alongside.
He was a scrawny young man, with short hair and haggard look on his face. He was panting heavily, surrounded by the curious crew.
"Good gods, man!" one of them said. "What in the world are you doing?"
"Help," he panted, "being…attacked…"
"Who's being attacked?"
"Islands…slavers attacking…help…"
He collapsed.
The next scene found the trio in a rather plain room. Tokoro was sitting on a chair, looking near tears, while standing around him were the Ox King – Goku recognized him by the horned helmet – and two men, one human, one Saiyan, wearing guard's uniforms. The human was scowling, while the Saiyan had a look of concern on his face and a very familiar hairstyle.
"He looks just like my father!" Goku practically fell over. In fact, the resemblance was uncanny. He didn't have the scars of Goku's father, but he had the same furrowed brows, the same sharp jaw, and the same authoritative demeanor.
"Probably an ancestor," Korin said. "Your family's from these parts, aren't they?"
"Is this Ter-Kader?"
"Remember," Mister Popo said, "in this time the Ox King oversees all from the River Forest to the Great Sea. That includes both Ter-Kader and Kisbaya, where your family is from."
Goku nodded. Meanwhile, the three men were engaged in a tense conversation.
"I do not think this is in any way advisable, Sire," the human was saying. "We have no alliance with the Circle Islands, quite the opposite. Any intrusion would put us in needless conflict with the Floating Palace. And if slavers have become so bold as to lay so open an attack on one of the Kingdoms, then we need to focus on marshalling our resources to secure our own borders."
"I disagree entirely," Goku's ancestor said. "It is because this attack is so bold that we need to meet it head-on. We cannot allow the Circle Islands to fall into the hands of such scum, it will only embolden them to take on the other Kingdoms. And which do you think will be next? River is the next weak link, which means we'll have them right on our borders. And why," he turned his address to the human, "should the Floating Palace object to our help? The commander of their own guards himself sent this boy to seek aid!"
"Yes," the Ox King had been staring into the distance during this conversation, but now turned his gaze to young Tokoro, looking absolutely helpless and pathetic. "Do you know, young man, the history between our two Kingdoms? Do you know that not so long ago my own grandfather attempted a campaign to capture the Circle Islands?"
Tokoro nodded.
"He backed off, but not because he couldn't manage the thing. We outnumbered your forces by a long way. But he couldn't go through with it. Till his dying day, he would say that he had never seen warriors so determined or a people so proud." He paused for a while.
"Commander Barin?" he said finally, not taking his eyes off Tokoro.
"Yes, Sire," Goku's ancestor said.
"Send out two ships, with a medical team on each."
"Yes, Sire!"
"Your Highness, I must-"
"No," the Ox King turned finally to the human, clearly a commander himself. "I understand your concerns, but Barin is right. If the Circle Islands are in such dire straits that they are seeking our help, then we must act. If the Floating Palace falls, the slavers will start picking off the Kingdoms one by one, and the River Forest will be next on the list. I can't allow it. Our alliance with the Forest is longstanding, and besides that, I won't be neighbored with slavers. Send a flying contingent as well," he had turned to Commander Barin, "and trawler ships to pick up any refugees. Don't worry," he turned back to the human commander, "we will secure ourselves here as well. Have some troops sent out from Ter-Kader to the border lands, and put all forces on high alert. And have word sent to the River King, he must be warned. Tell him if he perceives an attack, he's to send for our forces immediately. And," he paused again, biting his lower lip conflictedly, "see if you can't get one of the Saiyan captains to get word to the Cove Mountains."
"Your Highness!" the commander protested.
"I know! I know what the Saiyan peoples think of us, but this is not the time to concern ourselves with ancient enmities and bruised egos. We have a duty to spread word as far and as fast as we can. The Kingdoms must stand! We cannot cede an inch of land to these bastards! It's bad enough they've practically taken over the cities in the north. And besides, if the Cove is willing to send help to their fellow Saiyans on the Islands, we can extricate ourselves from dealing with the Floating Palace."
It was the Floating Palace, with its bright red brick and gleaming gold spires, that Goku saw next. He was on a ship with Tokoro and Captain Barin, and they were yards away from the island.
It was deadly quite but for the waves slapping the side of the ship.
"It doesn't look like –"
Goku's comment was interrupted by the sudden emersion of a submarine practically right up against the ship. Two Saiyans came out and launched three large blasts, and the ship practically tilted over. People screamed as they tried to grab on to anything to stay on the ship, but thankfully it stayed upright.
"Portside, attack!" Commander Barin shouted out, and four men, two Saiyan and two human, rushed to the side and crouched into a familiar pose.
"Kamehame-HA!"
Four bright balls of ki launched in perfect unison and caught the submarine head-on.
"Yeah!" Goku cheered.
Seemingly out of nowhere, dozens of warriors launched themselves from behind the stone barricade that protected the Floating Palace from the erosive seawater. Some were wearing uniforms of the Ox King's guards – part of the flying contingent that had been sent ahead. Simultaneously, dozens of Saiyans – the slavers – appeared out of the water to meet them. The second ship had been sent out to the aid of the more distant, smaller islands, so it was up to the 30 fighters on Commander Barin's ship to assist, some flying, others swimming, to aid their comrades.
The fight was brutal. Goku hardly knew were to look. But with the help of Mister Popo, it passed within minutes, and now Commander Barin was on the other side of the barricade speaking to another Saiyan man.
"Commander Lake!" Tokoro rushed to him, and it was only then that Goku realized that he had stayed behind, not joining the others as they fought.
The commander grinned, but it was clear he was exhausted. He was bent over, panting, sunburn blistering even his tanned skin, bright blue and deep red guard's uniform in tatters.
"We have to," he was panting with effort, "go to Satawa and Sirigi. They're overrun."
"Stay here," Commander Barin said. "You're worn out."
"No," he stood himself up, his face hard and angry. "I'll see this to the end if it kills me."
Satawa and Sirigi were two mid-sized islands separated by four yards of water. The Ox King's second ship was docked near a smaller island 20 yards away, and a dozen of the Ox King's men were occupied with their own battle there. At the two islands themselves, the battle was furious. The remaining thirty had joined up with a handful of Island guards, barely fighting off a wave of Saiyan slavers who had come off a much larger ship, nearly half the size of the Ox King's own.
Goku was starting to realize just how bad this attack really was.
Commander Barin, Commander Lake, and their warriors leapt into battle, and this time Tokoro followed, albeit with some hesitation. Once again, Goku hardly knew where to look, everything was moving so fast and in every direction.
"Get down! Get down!" someone screamed, and Goku turned around to see Commander Lake floating above them, holding up a brigt disk of ki.
"HA!"
Around him, guards ducked and rolled out of the way. It wasn't until the thing sped past him that Goku realized how much force it packed. It hit the slaver ship and sliced it in half, and then exploded, bursting the vessel into pieces.
"Well if he could do that, what took him so long?!" Goku demanded.
The answer came almost immediately. Lake was up high and wide open, and just as the blast hit its target, he took a ki blast to the stomach and fell.
"NO!" Tokoro screamed, rushing to him.
"It's…okay," Lake groaned unconvincingly. "I'm fine."
In fact, he was bleeding pretty badly. Tokoro grabbed him and pulled him behind into an abandoned house, then placed his hands on the wound and pressed.
Lake hissed in pain.
"Hang on! I'll get you help!"
Lake placed a limp hand over Tokoro's, his eyes starting to glaze over. "I'll be fine," he breathed. "Just a scratch."
"No, no, no," Tokoro slapped his face gently with a bloodied hand. "Stay awake!"
Tokoro finally broke, and hot tears began streaming down his face.
Goku felt awful. "Are they related?" he asked.
"Depends what you mean by related," Korin said.
Before Goku could ask for clarification, they were in a white room and Lake was laying on a bed, surrounded on one side by Commander Barin and Tokoro, who was clutching his hand, and by two doctors and a young red-headed woman on the other. One of the doctors was human, and Goku realized that he must be part of the medical team that the Ox King had sent with the ships. The woman looked oddly familiar…
"Here, Tavada," the doctor said. "Hand me that ice pack, will you?"
"Yes, Papa."
"Don't worry my young man," the doctor said genially. "You'll be on your feet in no time."
Lake grinned, but was obviously still in some considerable pain. "Good. You can…see to the others," he breathed.
"Don't you worry about a thing. I-"
But before he could finish the sentence, another young woman burst into the room with something for the commander to worry about.
"Oh, thank goodness you're alright! We're in such trouble, Commander. Her Majesty saw the Ox King's ships come in, she thinks they're invading. She's ordered us to stand against their guards."
This got Lake' attention, and he attempted to sit up. "How'd she see-"
"From her window. Now we don't know what to do!"
"You didn't attack the Ox King's warriors, did you?!"
"Well, not yet, but-"
"Not yet!" Commander Barin snapped. "What do you mean 'not yet'! What in the world is going on here? Why should the Queen think we're invading?"
Lake slumped. "She doesn't know I asked for your help."
"What?!"
Tokoro's face went absolutely white.
"She would never have agreed," Lake explained. "But I had no choice. I lost 7 fighters out of 40 in 2 days, and that's not counting the guards lost on the smaller islands. At that rate…we're worn down. We've been fighting these filth off practically every other week for months."
"But how could you make such a decision without her knowledge?" Barin asked.
"She's lain up in bed. With child. She shouldn't be out of bed at all. To be honest," his face turned a bit red, "I was hoping I could get you in and out without her noticing."
Barin shook his head. "Well, what about the king?"
Lake gave him a confused look. "There is no king."
"But you said she's pregnant. She must be married. We'll discuss this with the father, he can speak for her."
"I'm the father," Lake said. "But we're not married. The ruler of the Circle Islands never marries. One throne, one crown, one ruler. That's the law of the islands." He shut his eyes wearily. "I had no standing or authority to do what I did. I was desperate." He looked up at Tokoro. "I'm sorry to have dragged you into this. Don't worry, I won't let her take it out on you."
"Well, this is just ridiculous!" Barin said.
Suddenly, like the devil called out from his lair, the Queen herself burst into the room in a flurry of robes and rage, two maids rushing after her. The sight of Lake bandaged and bloodied caught her off guard and she stumbled a bit, but quickly regained herself.
"You traitor!" she yelled. "How dare you!"
"I had no choice," Lake said quietly.
"Choice? You ceded my sovereignty to the Ox King!"
"There is no cedeing of sovereignty going on," Barin said. "The Ox King wishes merely to assist a fellow Kingdom."
"Lies!" she turned on him. "He smells blood in the water, and you" she turned back to Lake, "invited him to lunch!"
"Your Highness-," Barin attempted.
"Do you think because I am young that I don't know the ways of the Ox King? For generations he has sought to extend his grasp over the ocean. Lord Taiki himself would have our islands, but he failed! And what the God of Fire could not take, no son of his will ever have!"
"Better the Ox King than the slavers!" Lake shot back.
"So you admit it!" she stomped a foot, her large stomach heaving with the effort. "You admit you sold me to the Ox King!"
"Sold you? How much do you think the Queen of the Floating Palace is worth on the slave market?"
Hot, fat tears plopped on her round cheeks. "You have betrayed me in every way!"
"Are you listening to a word I'm saying?!" Lake yelled. "We are besieged! We have no choice but to take whatever help we can, and if that means we pay tribute to the Ox King and worship at his Temple, then so be it!"
"The Ox King does not want-"
"You want me to so easily give away the crown and Palace my ancestors have protected for a thousand years!"
"Are your crown and your Palace worth more to you than the lives of your people?!"
"You're fired!" she screamed.
"Fine! Fire me! Now the only commander on the Islands is the Ox King's!"
The agitation and strain of it all finally caught up to her, and before Her Majesty could respond she passed out, her two maids just barely managing to catch her before she hit the floor.
"Lita!" Lake yelled, practically jumping out of bed. "You stupid girls! Why the hell did you let her come down here-"
Suddenly he doubled over and groaned in pain. The doctor pushed him back down into the bed.
"Take her to her bed immediately," he instructed the maids. "Tavada, go with them. Make sure she gets fluids, take her temperature and blood pressure, and I'll be up as soon as I can."
The scene sped, and now it was just Barin and Tokoro in the room with Lake, who was sitting up and looking a little better, the color slightly returned to his face.
"You know, I hate to say it, but it only goes to show that women are ill-suited to any kind of responsibility," Barin was saying.
Lake rolled his eyes. "It's only the baby. She is an excellent queen."
"Yes, well, you would say so. But if it's true that you have no authority, then we must have her word on this matter."
"I'll talk to her. She'll see sense."
"I can assure you that the Ox King has no intentions of challenging the sovereignty of the Floating Palace. Quite the opposite. We believe that the safety of the Kingdoms lies in their integrity. But," he paused, considering his words carefully, "we have our personal interests in the safety of the Islands. To have a slaver stronghold a few thousand miles off our own shores is an unacceptable threat, and we'll do whatever it takes to prevent it. I think with more recruits and rigorous training you're well-equipped to handle the thing, but if not, and if the queen refuses to accept an alliance, well then..."
"I honestly don't care," Lake said. "Let him have the Islands. He's a bastard," – Barin scowled – "but everyone says those who live under the Ox King live in peace. More than I can say for us now." He sighed. "I've failed miserably."
"That's not true!" Tokoro said. "You've saved us!"
He smiled at him. "You're a good kid, Toko. I don't think I've thanked you yet for what you did. You're the one who saved us."
"You were very brave," Barin agreed. "It's not any man who can swim with such speed and determination across the ocean the way you did." He turned back to Lake. "I'll need the queen's permission to leave a few men here, and a ship. I can assure you that those bastards are keeping a close eye on the Islands, and if they see us leave, they'll launch another attack. We have to make a show of force. And, I've received word that the King of the Cove Mountains is sending some of his warriors here as well. Perhaps that will ease the queen's concerns about the Ox King's intentions."
"I doubt it," Lake said. "But thank you."
There was a knock on the door, and Tavada came in.
"How's Li-the queen?" Lake said as she took his blood pressure.
"She's fine. Asleep. She was quite upset about you."
Lake sunk into the pillows.
"About your injuries, I mean. She was worried you were hurt badly, or you wouldn't recover. But you'll be on your feet tomorrow, good as new. I told her we could move you up into her rooms tomorrow." She paused. "But then she said she hates you and never wants to see you again."
Commander Barin snorted derisively. "Women. You'd better hope you have a son to sit on that throne next."
"There's no need for that kind of talk," Lake snapped.
"Commander?" Someone had come into the room. "A group of soldiers from the Cove Mountains are here, they asked to see you."
"Bring them in."
A Saiyan man wearing an unfamiliar uniform came in. "Barin," he said, grinning. "Nice to see you again. Good to know the Ox King has enough sense to send us a Saiyan to deal with."
Barin scowled at him. "You'll deal with whoever the Ox King sees fit to send."
"I see you're good friends," Lake chuckled.
"But we don't see enough of each other," the man joked. "You must be Commander Lake." They shook hands. "We can relieve some of your forces now, Barin. I'm sure you'll be getting a call from the Ox King any minute now. I had to drop some of my men off at the River Forest."
"What?!"
"A brief skirmish with some slavers on the outskirts. We caught them coming in on our way here."
"Dammit!"
"Don't worry, it's over. But we'll need to stay on guard, and as you can imagine, the Forest King isn't excited to host us among his human guards. I think a swap is in order – some of your men here for the rest of my men in the Forest."
"This is horrible!" Tokoro said. "What are we going to do? We have to stop them!"
"We are stopping them." The new commander glared at him. "Who the hell is this?"
Lake sighed. "Perhaps you ought to go get some rest, huh kid? And take the human with you." Tavada was still standing there, listening curiously.
"No, I mean we have to take them head on! If they're getting stronger, they're going to keep attacking us, and all we can do is play defense. We have to attack them instead!"
"With what fighters, kid?" the Mountains commander said. "The Ox King is the only one with a standing army. The rest of us barely have enough soldiers to hold onto our own lands. The Plains don't even have official guards, it's every tribe for itself. And Korin's Land is just as bad."
"But if we all band together-"
"And leave our lands undefended?" Lake said. "Not likely."
"Besides, I think I can safely speak for the King when I say we're not putting our hands into the grubby hands of the bandits of the Harasai Desert," the Mountain commander said.
"That makes two of us," Barin said.
"Nor the human King of Yunzabit Heights."
Barin shrugged. "He's an unreliable ass."
"But-"
"Get some sleep, Toko," Lake said. "Go on."
Tokoro got up reluctantly and moved towards the door. Goku followed him.
"By the way, Barin, when you see the Ox King again, tell him the King of Cove Mountains says may the throne of Lord Taiki never be empty."
Lake laughed. "And may he be forever praised."
The door shut.
"How do you know the commander?" Tavada said.
Tokoro stepped back a bit, looking at Tavada as though he had never seen her before. "Um, uh."
"Are you one of the guards? You don't have a uniform."
"I'm training, sort of. But I'm not in the guards officially. Master La-I mean, Commander Lake says he'll get me in eventually, but I'm not warrior class so it'll take some time."
"Warrior class?"
"Guards work for the Palace for generations." Tokoro shrugged. "My family has worked for Commander Lake's family for generations. That's what I am."
"So you're his servant."
"Yeah. But…he says he'll help me come up in life, you know? He says I have potential, and that I'd be wasted in service my whole life. He's known me since I was a baby."
Tavada gave him a skeptical look.
"You're a doctor, right?"
"Me?" her eyes widened. "Oh no. I wish. No, it's my father who's the doctor. I just help." She sighed. "Women can't be doctors in our kingdom. But I saw you have some women in guard uniforms?"
"Yeah."
"And they really fight, too. I saw them when we were coming in. They're so lucky. Women aren't allowed to do anything where I come from, it's so unfair. The only reason my father lets me help him at all is because I have no brothers. I've been helping him for three years now, and before that I observed his practice all the time. I'd be a great doctor!"
"Why is that?" Tokoro asked. "Why are your people so rude about women? Your commander in there was really rude about the Queen. Women can do as well as any man, in my experience."
Tavada shrugged. "I don't know. Why are your people so rude about humans?"
"Well, everyone knows humans are weak, they don't make good warriors."
Goku didn't see her hand move, but he did hear it ring across Tokoro's cheek.
"Ow!" the Saiyan squealed.
"Tell that," she spat, "to all the human soldiers who came out here and saved your sorry asses!"
"Alright, I'm sorry!" He rubbed his reddened cheek. "Well, why don't you just be a doctor? Why don't you just start a practice?"
"Without a degree?" Tavada said.
"What's a degree?"
"Oh, really now!" Tavada said. "I mean, I know things are different around here, but surely there must be some professionalism in your lands!"
Tokoro shrugged.
"You can't practice medicine without an official degree from a university. And no university in the kingdom will take women. But you're right, you know. I probably know enough now that I wouldn't even need a degree. But it's no use."
"So what will you do for work?"
Tavada shrugged. "I won't work. I'll get married and hope he's not a bastard with no conscience."
Tokoro's eyes widened in disbelief. "But…that's so unfair! It's such a waste, if you're really a good doctor."
"I know! Well, anyway, I should probably get going. I'm sure my father is wondering where I've gone to."
"Right."
He watched her walk away. Goku curiously examined the bright red mark on his cheek.
The scene swirled, and now Tokoro was a bit older, standing with Commander Lake on the beach in a guard's uniform. Next to them, a small child splashed about in the water.
"Commander Barin is preparing his ship to leave tomorrow morning," Tokoro was saying.
"I know," Lake said, "I'll be sure to see him off tomorrow. These last two years in the Four Kingdoms Alliance have been a huge relief for us."
"Four Kingdoms Alliance?" Goku asked curiously.
"The Ox King, the Floating Palace, the Cove Mountains, and the River Forest," Korin said. "Within a few months of the attack on the Circle Islands, they made a formal alliance, with each setting up outposts in the others' lands. It won't last much longer than this."
"I, uh, I was hoping to get your permission to leave with him and join our outpost there."
Lake stared at him in surprise. "You want to leave? You've barely been in guards a year, and it took me months to get you in."
"I know, and I'm grateful, I really am!" Tokoro said. "But I've been talking to some of the people who've come back from the Ox King, and they say the training there is totally different from what we do here, and they've learned a lot. And there's someone there called the Turtle Hermit who's supposed to be the greatest martial arts master alive!"
"I've heard of him," Lake said.
"Well, I hope to train with him, maybe. And, to be honest…" he paused.
"What is it?" Lake said. "Come on, spit it out."
"I'm curious about their standing army. I just can't picture it. How it's different from guards, you know?"
Lake nodded quietly. "I don't want you to go. But I won't stop you."
"I won't go then."
Lake smiled. "Really?"
"I owe you everything good in my life."
"That's true," he chuckled. "But you're not my servant anymore. I did all this for you because I don't want you to spend your life in service. You can do better than that. You're smart, strong, talented. Curious. You can do better." Lake sighed sadly. "Go, Toko."
"Are-are you sure?"
Lake shrugged. "You have my blessing. I've given you every good thing. What's one more?"
Tokoro heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much! I-"
Lake held his arms out, and Tokoro practically fell into the embrace. Lake ruffled his hair affectionately. "Make me proud, alright? Show the Ox King that the skin of saltwater is tougher than the the blood of iron."
Now they were in Korin's Land, and Tokoro was much older, in his late 20s or even early 30s. Out of the bright sun of the Circle Islands, his tan had faded, and now his arms and face were scarred. He wasn't alone. He was surrounded by convoy cars and something like 60 people, men and women, human and Saiyan, in a variety of guard uniforms. Tavada was standing next to him as he spoke.
"The Kingdoms are unwilling and unable to take action," Tokoro was saying. "But it's not enough to stand by and wait to be attacked. I'm asking you to join forces with us, to take a stand, to do what the Kingdoms will not – send an army, and dismantle the system that allows slavers to do their dirty work with impunity."
"We've just fended off an attack," one of the people of Korin's Land said. "And now you want us to leave our Land and our Holy Tower undefended to follow you to an unknown fate?"
"You imagine you will be safe if you stand at your borders, but you will never be safe as long as the slavers walk free. Will you spend the rest of your lives, and your children's and grandchildren's lives, waiting for attack? Risking yourselves and your people, not knowing what attack will come or how large it will be? Is that safety? Is it peace? Look at yourselves! Are you warriors, or are your tattoos just for show? What happened to the proud people of Korin's Land, that they shrink from battle and cower in fear!"
"We cower from no one!" someone yelled.
"Prove it!" Tokoro shouted back. "Stand and fight! Or spit out your lying words onto the ground and pray the Guardian forgives your cowardice! I leave in one hour for the Harasai Desert, and I have good word that even among the bandits there are honorable people who will join the cause, and right now it's more than I can say for the people of Korin's Land."
Time sped, and the convoys left piled with the fighters, among them a dozen of Korin. And he was right – once they arrived in the Desert, another dozen joined, but then they were attacked. It was a short-lived battle, however – Tokoro and his crew defeated them with ease, and afterwards more joined. Then they arrived at Yunzabit Heights, and again 20 people joined without hesitation. It looked as though word of Tokoro's mission was spreading ahead of his arrival, as the convoys were greeted at the borders. By the time they arrived at the tribal lands in the Plains, his crew was composed of over 100 people.
He gave the same speech, but this time he wasn't as successful. The tribal leaders were hardly listening, constantly interrupting and taunting him.
"I pity you," one said. "Do you really think you can stand against the cities with that ragtag bunch? And half human, a pathetic species if ever there was one. You're a joke."
"The reality is," another said, "we do good business with the city leaders. We have nothing to fear from the slavers."
Tokoro snorted with derisive laughter. "You pity me? I pity you and your idiocy. If you think for one second the slavers will not turn on you as soon as you outlive your use, you are living in a fantasy."
"What your suggesting is suicide," a third person, a woman, said. "If we attack the slavers, they will come for us. We are safe now as things are."
"A temporary safety, nothing more," Tokoro said. "The slavers have attacked the Circle Islands, the River Forest, Yunzabit Heights; if they're not afraid of the Kingdoms, do you think they'll be afraid of you?"
"Those are human kingdoms," the second man said. "And the Islands are on the open ocean. Their weakness makes them targets."
"You're on open land!" Tokoro countered. "What do you think makes you safe? The Kingdoms have armies and guards and fortresses, and you have nothing but empty land and tiny plots and flimsy tents! The Kingdoms stand with each other, but you stand here alone!"
"Exactly!" the man said. "The Kingdoms don't give a damn about us! They sit on their mountains and in their valleys and care about nothing else but their own wealth and safety. They don't want anything to do with us. The sons of Lord Taiki," he sneered, "are too good to deal with likes of us."
"The Ox King is willing to ally himself with anyone who stands against the slavers," Tavada said.
"Don't address us, human," the man sneered. "We don't talk to the likes of you, and we don't make deals with humans, no matter whose son they are."
"You won't talk to the Ox King but you'll talk to the slavers?!" Tokoro said.
"The Ox King is human. The dirtiest Saiyan is his better."
"Lord Taiki was human!" Tavada said.
"Lord Taiki was a god. His sons are nothing. And neither," he looked Tokoro in the eye, "are you."
Toko looked at him for a minute, then grinned. "Aren't I?" He stepped up to him. "You're the leader of your tribe?"
The man nodded. "Last ten years now."
"That makes you the strongest?"
The man grinned. "You thinking of challenging me?"
"You," Toko looked around, "or anyone else who wants to step up."
"I'll take you on." One of Toko's men, from Korin's Land, jumped off a convoy car.
"Me too." This was a human, wearing a guard uniform Goku assumed to be from the River Forest. "I could use the exercise."
The tribal leader laughed. "I could take you all on."
"Good," Toko said. "Take us all on. Any one of you! Take us on, and prove that you have nothing to fear from anyone, and nothing to gain from an alliance."
It wasn't that the tribal Saiyans weren't strong. Goku could see that now, finally. But they couldn't counter the variety of techniques that these new fighters from new places were using. They couldn't, or wouldn't, work together, they couldn't coordinate even when they were given the opportunity. They couldn't, or wouldn't, change their tactics or their approach to the fight.
Even so, it was a long, bruising battle. But when it was over, only Tokoro was left standing.
Barely.
"I leave," he panted, stumbling slightly as he wiped blood from his temple, "in one hour. If you want to fight, and stand, and live up to the pride of the tribes, now is the time."
It was maybe his biggest coup to date. Over 50 people were squeezing into the convoys as Tokoro prepared to leave, weighted down with supplies, blankets and food and bottles of water. Just as they were about to drive off, a high-pitched voice chased after them.
"Wait!" A tiny boy with a deep widow's peak and hair spiked high was running after Tokoro, catching him around the knee.
Tokoro looked down, confused. "What is it?"
"Take me with you! Please! I can help!"
Tokoro laughed. "How old are you?"
"Twelve, but I'm training and I'm really strong! I'm a Tovos!"
"A Tovos? That's a big tribe, huh?"
"The biggest and the strongest!"
"I'm sure they are," Tokoro smiled. "But even so, you're too young for this. I can't take care of you."
"I don't need taking care of!"
Tokoro leaned down and ruffled his hair. "What's your name?"
"Jascki."
"Tell you what, Jascki. When you're Grown, come find me."
And in the next minute, Jascki was Grown, and he was sitting with a large group of warriors in what looked like a run-down municipal building. Tokoro was pacing back and forth.
"Can't you just enjoy the victory for once, To?" one was saying. He was a human, from the Ox King's guards.
"I am enjoying it," he said unconvincingly. "But this is just the beginning. Just…we can't stop now. We can't."
"No one's saying we stop! Let's sit and decide what our next step is."
"There is no next step," Tokoro said. "Not without more people. We barely took this slaver outpost with all of you!"
"Thanks a lot for your faith in us, pal," a woman grinned.
"We could be attacked. We overran this place, freed the captives. They're not going to let it alone." Tokoro rubbed his face, breath shortening.
"You're underestimating what we've done here, Tokoro," Tavada said. "We won't be attacked, not yet. Word will spread, and it will take time for them to mount an attack they can be confident in. That gives us time to raise more fighters, to train."
"Training is easy. Where are we going to get more fighters?"
"From the same places we got them before. You don't realize it, but word won't spread only among the slavers. It'll spread to the Kingdoms, and they'll know that you did, we did, what they couldn't do. They'll send more people. Or their guards will leave on their own. Or other people will come. Whatever. But they'll come. And if the slavers do try and take back this post, they'll be met by a force they never expected."
"You don't know that's true. We have to-"
"Give it two days." She smiled confidently. "If we don't have twice as many people here, then we'll panic."
And she was right. In fact, there were more than twice the fighters, and by a long way. They'd come flying and in cars and trucks and buses, carrying supplies, some wearing armor and uniforms and boots, some in long tunics and soft shoes.
"Lake!" Tokoro rushed out and into the arms of his former mentor. The commander had wrinkles around his eyes and around his mouth, and a big smile for the young Saiyan. "Commander, I-"
"I hear you're the commander here now," Lake grinned. "I knew you'd do great things, but I admit I never thought of anything like this."
"I can't believe you came here yourself to help me."
"I'm not alone. You remember Commander Barin," he gestured toward Goku's ancestor.
"Yeah, of course!"
"I want to introduce you to these fine young men," Barin moved aside, revealing two young human men in their early 20s. "These are the sons of the Ox King."
The older one smiled and put a hand out to shake. "Younger sons," he said. "We figured he only needs the one heir."
"Wow," Tokoro's mouth fell open. "I can't believe it."
"Oh, believe it, kid." Another Saiyan had come up, followed by a younger woman, and Goku recognized him as the commander from the Cove Mountains. "I never even bothered to learn your name."
"Tokoro."
"I know it now, trust me. And the Ox King's not the only one sending his children to fight."
The woman shook his hand. "The King of the Cove Mountains sends his daughter, and his wishes for a successful campaign."
"The King of Yunzabit Heights sends his son, too, and his guards," another human walked over.
"I-I…I don't know what to say," Tokoro seemed stunned. "I don't know…I don't even have a campaign planned."
"Well then, you'd better get started, Toko," Lake said.
Convoys rolled across the lands, forcing themselves through into a large city in the north, this slaver stronghold that Goku had heard so much about. Now, he recognized it as Ta-Leikimi, and at the center of it was a huge marketplace, each building sporting a banner announcing the kind of slave trade it specialized in – Saiyans, women, children. The convoys spread out to surround it, and slavers were coming out to see the commotion. Many held weapons, and many wore armor, all with hard faces and cold stares.
Tokoro jumped off a convoy and marched into the center, inches away from the crowd.
"We," he announced, "are Vegeta United!" Behind him, the convoys held up the bright flags of the Kingdoms and the Tribes and the Bandits, their warriors in their uniforms standing, ready. "You are besieged! Surrender this city, and set your captives free! Let us take this city peacefully, or prepare to die!"
"You're insane," one said. "We've heard of you, Tokoro. If you think the might of the Kingdoms scares us, you have another thing coming. The Kingdoms are weak, everyone knows it. They hide in their mountains and forests, with barely enough forces to protect themselves. The Kingdoms are falling. To us."
"The Kingdoms won't fall because their people stand proud," Tokoro responded. "And if you think we're hiding, well then," he spread his arms wide, "here we are. We're not hiding now. If you think we can you fight us, fight me, go ahead." He spread his legs out wide, thrusting his chest forward. "You won't get a better shot than this."
There was pindrop silence for one minute. Two minutes. Three.
Then the man threw a punch.
And Tokoro blocked it.
The guards rushed in.
Goku thought the battle on the Circle Islands moved fast, but it had nothing on this fight. Everyone was moving, everyone was blasting, everyone was yelling – Goku tried to keep his eyes on Tokoro, but it was useless. He was moving too fast, surrounded by people fighting – every time he caught a glimpse of him, he lost him.
He felt a familiar vibration, and once again that bright disc of ki whirred past him, connecting with a building in the slave market. He turned around to follow it, and once again Lake was wide open to attack, but this time he'd learned his lesson – Commander Barin appeared in front of him just in time to block the blast aimed at him, returning it with his own Kamehameha wave.
All around him, Goku could hear the sounds of attacks being called out, explosions rippling through the air.
"TSUNAMI BLAST!"
"TRIBAL TORNADO!"
"MOUNTAIN CASCADE!"
"KAME-HAME-"
"DODON-"
"MASENKO-"
"KI-KO-"
"-HA!"
"-PA!"
"-HA!"
"-HO!"
Instinctively, Goku attempted to dodge the attacks, even though he knew they couldn't hurt him.
"Come on," Master Korin said. "Let's show you something else."
He was transported into one of the buildings of the slave market itself, were two convoy cars had busted in. Tavada was grabbing children right and left, pushing them towards the hole in the wall the cars had made.
"Go, go, go!" she screamed. Fighters were attacking slavers in the market, Jascki at their head. Meanwhile, two others loaded their captives into the cars, and as they drove away others took their place. Some of the slavers were dragging children away with them as they tried to escape, and Tokoro's fighters tried to stop them.
Tavada grabbed one by the hair – he was carrying a screaming little girl. He pushed her off, kicking her in the stomach, but she grabbed his leg, tugging. He kicked, again and again, and she grabbed a glass bottle on the floor, smashed it into shards, and thrust it into his calf. Blood spurted out onto her hands and arms, and the man howled in pain. He stumbled, and the little girl fell from his grasp.
"Run!" Tavada screamed at her.
Jascki pulled him off of her, but when he let go of him to help Tavada up, the man grabbed the girl again and ran out towards the main entrance.
Suddenly, Goku was back in the fray of the main battle, and Jascki and Tavada were there too, panting and covered in blood. What was left of the slavers were surrounded, but the man who had grabbed the girl was holding her up for Tokoro and his forces to see.
"Surrender!" Tokoro called out. "This fight is over!"
"I don't think so," the man hissed. "You don't know who I am, what I am."
"Let the child go." She was sobbing, shaking in fear. She couldn't be more than 8 or 9. "Let her go, and you can leave the city peacefully."
The man grinned maliciously, and a ball of ki formed against the girl's back. In response, one of the Circle Island guards aimed his own ki at him.
"No!" Tokoro blocked him with his arm. "Wait. You don't have to do this, you will gain nothing from it. Look around you! You're only hope of leaving here in one piece is to surrender, and let the girl go!"
"I don't surrender."
She screamed a horrific, echoing scream as the ki as it burned her back. She fell to the ground, lifeless.
"WHY?! WHY?!"
Tokoro's whole face was red, eyes wide with rage, a thunder shaking his body, and he screamed, and rocks flew around hi, energy cascading from his body, deep groves penetrating into the asphalt. The man stepped back, terror in his eyes, recognizing that he'd unleashed some terrible thing, and Tokoro's muscles bulged, his dark eyes gleamed bright green in the sunlight, his hair shooting up around him, flickering from black to yellow to black and then finally to a blaze, and in one movement that Goku could barely discern, the man, the murderer, lay dead, his head torn from his body.
The other slavers tried to run, but it was too late. They turned to fight, but Tokoro took them all on in one swoop. His crew of Vegeta United stood frozen in shock. It was as though time froze around him. Only Tokoro existed. Only Tokoro could move.
Only Tokoro had power.
And then he was standing there, panting. His opponents were dead. He stood, hair ablaze, eyes bright, and the guards and fighters stared at him in awe. No one moved.
Then the aura was gone, like a light turned off, and he collapsed onto the ground.
It was the great hall in the castle at Ta-Leikimi. A large, long table occupied its center, and around it sat seven people. Goku recognized the Queen of the Floating Palace and the Ox King, both much older now. The others, presumably, represented the other Kingdoms – the Cove Mountains, the River Forest, Yunzabit Heights, as well as the Plains, Korin's Land, and the Harasai Desert. Five kingdoms, and three federated unions, as Goku would soon learn.
Tokoro closed the door and sat at the head of the table, with Tavada on his right. "Thank you for coming to this meeting. I'd like to call it Vegeta United, if you don't mind."
"Depends on what you have to say," a tall Saiyan man with a thick beard said – he was representing the Tribes of the Plains. "We appreciate what you've done for us all, Tokoro, and I believe all our guards," he looked around the room, "speak highly of you." Others nodded. "But I think we all agree that we won't cede our lands to you."
"I don't expect you to, and I don't want you to," Tokoro said. "My purpose was always to preserve the sanctity of the Kingdoms and the safety of all the people of Vegeta, human and Saiyan, men and women. I'm hoping we can agree on an alliance, and a set of unifying laws that will guarantee that. Here are some ideas I've come up with." He passed a stack of papers around the room.
"Abolishment of slavery in all forms," the Ox King read aloud. "Well, that's an easy one to agree with. Equality of women with men, and preservation of land and property rights to women." He paused.
"Don't you agree with that, your Highness?" Tavada leaned back in her chair, arms crossed and eyes piercing.
"Well, I mean, equality is all well and good, but land rights? I don't even know what that means."
"I think it's absolutely necessary," the Queen said. "I've heard some ugly things about how women are treated in other Lands. Practically none of you allow women to inherit any land or property, and you," she threw the Ox King an accusatory look, "don't even allow them to purchase it."
"What would women do with land? They can't farm it, or build on it," the King of Yunzabit Heights said.
"Can't they? If so, then men would still be in control," the Queen said. "So you have nothing to lose."
"Think about it," Tokoro said. "I'm sure we can come to an agreement. But I think it's important. I'm going to adopt it in the cities, now that I've taken them."
"Alright. What's next? Freedom of movement for humans," Cove Mountains read. "Movement where? On Saiyan land?"
"Why should there be Saiyan land and human land?" Tokoro said. "We can all benefit if we work together."
"That I agree with," the Ox King said. "Lord Taiki did good trade with the Saiyan kingdoms, back before they were Saiyan kingdoms."
"But even in your own lands, human and Saiyans don't live together, not anymore," Cove Mountains pointed out. "It's been a long time since the days of Lord Taiki, and no offence, Ox, but you're no Fire God."
"I don't dispute that," the Ox King laughed. "But it doesn't mean we can't go back to those days. Or something similar, anyway."
"Well, I know I like good trade," another man said. He was representing the Desert federation. "I know you all think we're just a bunch of thieves, but that's not true. We have a strong history of good commerce. You just think you're too good to trade with humans."
"I don't know about that," the Queen said. "But," she shifted uncomfortably, "even I have to admit that some limited trade might be useful for my people."
"I'm happy to trade," the King of Yunzabit Heights said. "We've been isolated from the rest of the planet for a long time. My guards are reporting that there's a lot to be gained from living among other Kingdoms and Lands."
"So there's agreement?" Tokoro said, grinning.
"Let's take things slowly," the Queen said. "I'd like to test this out a bit first. Maybe some limited agreements, until we see some benefit."
The others nodded.
"What's next?" Cove Mountains said, looking down at the paper. "Shared forces?"
"I was thinking we could build a united standing army, with forces from all the Lands," Tokoro said. "That would affirm the alliance."
"No," the Queen said. "I can't afford to let any of my guards go."
"Me neither," River said. "I barely have enough as it is."
"But a shared army would guarantee peace for everyone!"
"Or they'll fight amonst themselves," the Ox King said.
"Why should they?" Tavada said. "Why wouldn't they instead learn to cooperate with each other, respect each other, even befriend each other?"
"You're being too idealistic," Cove Mountains said, and the others nodded. "I'm happy to agree to peaceful relations, trade, even joint training efforts among guards. I think we can all learn from the techniques of others. But I can't have my guards swearing allegiance to another force, another ruler."
"I don't require allegiance."
"Every ruler does. You'll soon find that out."
"That's true," the Plains representative said. "Every among the tribes, we all swear allegiance to federation. Ain't that so?" he turned to the representative of Korin's Land, who nodded.
"We swear allegiance to our Chief," he said.
"But can we agree that we'll stand together against any threat?"
"With you controlling the cities, I don't see what threat there could possibly be," the Ox King said. "Between the Kingdoms and the Lands, there is very little of Vegeta that lies outside our authority. We really are Vegeta United in this room."
"Let's agree anyway," Tokoro insisted. "You never know what might happen. We have to think of the generations after us as well."
"We can agree to that," Cove Mountains said.
"And can we agree on freedom of movement for all?"
There was a pause around the room. Finally, the Queen spoke. "I can agree to freedom of movement, but not to equal rights for humans, or anyone who isn't from the Circle Islands."
"I think that's fair," Yunzabit said. "After all, we don't expect any of our people to try to settle in other Kingdom."
The Ox King shook his head. "We need to agree on some kind of identification system. I'm not willing to let just anyone cross my borders. What if they're a criminal or something? We need to know."
The others nodded assent.
"Well, we can work on that," Tokoro said. "And I, for one, will guarantee the full rights of all who pass through the cities."
"What about women's rights?" Tavada said. "It's important. I don't think we'll reach a proper agreement without settling this. Women need preferential property rights. Men work, and they can aquire property through their own means. Women don't have that advantage."
Tokoro nodded. "You have to admit it's true."
"I agree completely," the Queen said.
Around her, the men shifted uncomfortably.
"I think we need to decide what it means for women to inherit property beyond just ownership. What does it mean for the titles of those lands?" the Ox King said finally. "If the daughter of the Duke of Ta-Meini inherits his lands, does she inherit his title as well? Because frankly, I can't allow that. We have to preserve the lineage of our Kingdom. Only the sons of Lord Taiki can sit on his throne."
Cove Mountains nodded. "The Mountains pass through one line. It won't pass to women just because. If you want this to work, Tokoro, you'll let us run our Lands on our own."
"Thrones and leadership can pass as you please," Tokoro said. "But let's agree on women's rights."
There was a long silence.
"I think," Yunzabit said finally, "we can make some arrangements. Limited. Maybe split inheritance between sons and daughters, for example. Or inheritance only of the husband's property, not the father's."
"We can't have land split, it loses value," the Plains representative said. "But maybe women could inherit other stuff. Jewelry, things of that nature."
Tavada scowled. "That's not enough."
"But it's a start," Tokoro said, turning to her. "Hmm? We can work on this." He smiled broadly at the leaders. "This is good! Let's think of this as a starting point. If things go well, maybe we can expand it, right? Increase cooperation, expand rights?"
"We'll see," the Queen said.
"Great! So," he held up his cup, "to Vegeta United?" he said hopefully.
The Ox King smiled at him, and raised his own cup. "To Vegeta United!"
"To Vegeta United!" The others reached out and clinked with each other.
They were walking together, Lake and Tokoro, down a hall. It had been a few days since the meeting of Vegeta United.
"We're going home tomorrow. The Queen and me," Lake said. He stopped, and smiled at the man who was once his loyal servant and his protégé. "I guess you won't be coming home any longer."
"I'll come back," Tokoro said. "I-I don't know when, exactly. But I will. I can't stay inland, after all. I can't sleep without the sound of the ocean."
"You've been sleeping without it for a long time," Lake said.
"That was different. I'm done now."
"On the contrary. You're just getting started."
Tokoro looked around the castle. "I-I wasn't planning on this. I want to go home."
"Maybe you'll visit the Islands. But you are home now." Lake paused. "Are you happy with the human girl?"
"I love her," Tokoro said unhesitatingly. "I can't imagine life without her. She's the only thing that makes living inland bearable."
Lake shook his head. "I want you to be happy, I really do. But I can't accept a human and Saiyan union."
"Why not? What's so wrong about it? Explain it to me, because I don't get it, I really don't. You were desperate for the Ox King's help once. He's human, just like Tavada."
"No," Lake snapped. "The sons of Lord Taiki are not truly human. He wasn't ever really human."
"He was," Tokoro insisted. "Why can't you admit that?"
"It was a different time. Humans and Saiyans lived together. He probably had more Saiyan blood in him than human. And anyway, he was a god. You can't compare him to ordinary humans. I notice," Lake said, "that you have no children."
Tokoro winced. "Well, you know, with everything going on we haven't been thinking about kids, but now that things are settled, we can start trying."
Lake shook his head. "You've been together a long time. If you were meant to have children, you would have them by now."
"I'd rather be with her and have no children," Tokoro said quietly, "than have children and be with anyone else."
Lake nodded. "Okay then. Well, I'll miss you, Tokoro. Try to come visit, at least your poor mother who worries about you so."
"I will!"
"I was jealous of you when you were born, you know," Lake smiled. "Because she was my nanny, I thought she ought to love me more than she loved you."
And Goku was back on the Lookout.