I looked glumly at the destruction surrounding me. Buildings crafted from coppery wood and mud were demolished and smoking while the charred, desecrated bodies of pale, toad-like creatures were strewn violently across the terrorised hellscape. The once green grass which coated the planet was stained with the scarlet blood of its populace.

This was a peaceful place; the inhabitants while simple-minded were kind and friendly. The species were primitive and tribal and lived in tight-knit groups of around thirty. They foraged in their verdant forests for berries and fruit and lived modestly in basic huts. In addition, they were the only life-form, discounting a few smaller reptilian animals as well as a handful of fish, inhabiting the planet. They were content to live quietly in their corner of the universe.

But the universe had other plans.

The world was rich with valuable metals and gases. Resources that happened to be vital in constructing space-faring ships and fuel. And so, when Frieza caught wind of this, he sent a Saiyan Squadron to 'deal with' the local population.

Ordinarily, the locals would have been forced to comply or been enslaved – though there's not much difference. However, due to their simple nature and less-than-stellar physical ability, thanks to them having no natural predator, it was decided that they would have no use at all. Therefore, they were to be exterminated in favour of machines who would instead harvest the planet's bounty for Frieza's Planet Trade Organisation. He would probably later auction the planet off after it had been squeezed dry of its resources as the landscape itself was beautiful.

Before my squad arrived, the grass was a lush green but now was defiled by blood with the clear water being similarly tainted. The forests had been relatively untouched since arrival and were only damaged in places where stragglers had been hiding. The defacement we had committed to the world would heal itself in time, before the extraction of its assets at least.

I turned away from the gruesome scene and reigned in my thoughts as I took to the skies. I pressed the button on the side of my scouter as I connected to my party's radio.

"Captain, I've finished with my sector. I'm heading back to the ship." I said dispassionately.

"Roger that, Gor. Nira is already at the ship, Jagamo and I will be there shortly." Captain Pars responded coolly.

Great.

Nira was the most difficult member of our squad to deal with as well as the closest to me in age, being only two years older. She was needlessly violent and acted more uncivilised than even the ancient Saiyans I'd wager. She often revelled in the bloodshed she caused and fulfilled Frieza's view of the Saiyans to a T and then some. Sadly, she represented what most of the Warrior-class Saiyans were like even if to an extreme.

Captain Pars was the strongest member of our team and the leader. She had hand-picked me from the new enlistees when I was seven. I had been a part of this squad for years now and Pars commanded respect from all of us. Our team was one of two Mid-Class squads that King Vegeta had at his disposal. The other helmed by Bardock.

The captain was no-nonsense and always strived to get the job done quickly and efficiently. She carefully formulated plans which were to be followed or she would terminate you from the squad. I was relieved to know that she was unlike most of the other brutes that filled the Saiyan Army when I joined her crew. I don't think I could bear with having to follow a barbarian for a captain.

Lastly, was Jagamo, who was the final member of our squad on this mission. He was a large man and had served on Pars' team for the longest. The jokes he told were terrible, but I didn't dislike being around him. Apart from when Nira was around too, He was like the weird uncle you only saw during the holidays. He also doubled as the pilot of the ship.

Eventually, I reached the ship's landing site. It looked like a smaller version of Frieza's Spaceship; replacements issued after he took over King Cold's Empire a year ago along with the scouters. Some didn't take to kindly to them and continued using the pods that were commonplace before. In my opinion, anything is better than those cramped pods anyway.

People still used scouters, a piece of technology first developed by the now-extinct Tuffles, out of necessity. The ability to gauge an opponent's power before engaging them was too valuable to pass up – after all, the best way to save your pride was if you did not get into a fight you could not win in the first place. They were also likely given to Saiyans in order to monitor them, probably had people listening in on conversations, too.

He was paranoid about the Saiyans growing too strong, if I remember correctly. Super Saiyan prophecy and all that.

I had never met, let alone seen, the little tyrant in person before but if what I had heard from anyone who had it wasn't a pleasant experience. He looked down on the Saiyan species and found amusement in tormenting them. I, personally, had no love for the race but he's definitely bruised some people's Saiyan pride.

Descending from the air, I was met by Nira who waltzed out of the ship with her mouth stuffed with jerky. She was tanned and wore the standard issue black and yellow Frieza Force armour sans the hip and groin plates but was stained with blood. Her legs were particularly muscular alluding to her favour of kicks when fighting. She had a small scar on her right cheek and her short, black hair sat messily atop her head. Her face was almost always contorted into a playful snarl but when it wasn't I would consider it to be charming.

"Is that you, Gor?" She grunted at me, "I was getting tired of waiting by myself."

I nodded at her as I brushed past the girl who was a few years older than me and entered the ship. Heading towards the stash of rations in the small kitchen, I grabbed a snack for myself and unwrapped the foil-like material it was encased in. What was uncovered was a brown biscuit-like block that I eagerly took a bite out of. The salty taste defused in my mouth as I continued to snack on the ration.

"Though, with you here it's not gonna make much of a difference," she added, disgruntled.

I nodded.

Her scowl contorted back into a playful grin, "so, why did'ja take so long to finish up your sector, huh?" Nira asked mockingly. "I'd have thought that Mr. Rising Star would've got it done quicker than me."

Another reason why Nira was infuriating was because of how confrontational she was. She would take any chance she could to get someone riled up. I'm sure she probably gets a kick out of it or she's just looking to fight.

I glanced towards the doorway she was standing in for the moment before I replied.

"You do know that the difference between our power levels isn't that much right?" Intentionally ignoring her childish taunt.

My own power level stood at around 5,800 while hers was only a mere four-hundred lower at 5,400, stronger than the average Saiyan warrior – Captain Pars' own power level was around 7,200 for comparison. In addition, the Royal Family's power levels often exceeded the 10,000 mark.

"Besides, the Captain's not here yet and she's stronger than the both of us." I added as I finished the last of the biscuit.

"You know what Pars is like! She likes to be thorough; she's probably gone to patrol our sectors too. Just to make sure all those overgrown frogs have been killed," she exclaimed.

I winced faintly at her slight at this planet's people but suppressed my urge to rebuke her. A mid-class squad like ours was only sent because of how valuable the assets were. We were to remove the natives and guard the planet until a mining ship arrived. If pirates caught wind of this planet's riches then we would deal with them.

"Uh-huh, well, she and Jagamo will be back soon in any case so sit tight until then." I boredly replied.

She huffed and sat down across the table from me continuing to devour the jerky she had earlier, ravenously tearing it apart with her teeth. I rolled my eyes and stood back up before deciding it would be good to wash the blood from my armour and body.

"I'm going to the refresher. You should probably wash the blood off at some point too," I remarked and headed to do just that.

She glanced down towards her armour before shrugging and standing up. "I s'pose I'll be joining you then," she said with mischievous grin.

Looking back her way I held out my palm, "I'd rather you didn't."

"Oh, come on, Gor! It's just a quick shower." She purred as she approached me, her tail playfully swaying behind her.

"You know I like to be left alone after missions," I groaned, pointing a finger at her.

I had turned to face her completely before she placed a hand on my shoulder. Nira was a few inches taller than me at five-foot-six. Her hand slunk up my neck until she had her hand on my cheek.

"And you know why I'm doing this," she taunted.

"If you want someone to fool around with wait for Jagamo or even Pars."

She scoffed.

"As if! That old man couldn't even get it up," Nira grimaced, "as for Pars, well, let's say, you're a better prospect. You've not had your last growth spurt and you're nearly as strong as she is."

Saiyans had three growth spurts. The first at six, the second at twelve and the last at sixteen – at which point they were fully grown. Saiyans were artificially incubated in a pod – usually, as soon as the mother realised she was pregnant – in order for the mother to continue fighting without the inconvenience of a baby in her stomach. They aged normally until they turned four, at which point their growth stunted until eight in which they grew up suddenly overnight. It was the same at twelve and sixteen. This was all because of the species natural inclination towards combat even at a young age. It would be difficult to adapt to a body that was growing constantly if you were fighting. Consequently, Saiyans only need to acclimatise to this three times in their life in order to maximise the amount of fighting possible.

In addition, the species also experienced explosive increases in power during these growth spurts. The greater a Saiyans' battle power was the greater the increase during was. It was especially important due to the race's general disdain for traditional training and would henceforth dictate your status within Saiyan society.

My own battle power was notable even among the Mid-Class. When you considered that I was not yet fully grown it was easy to see why I was consider 'Mr. Rising Star'.

Nira was attracted to strength, like most Saiyans. So, when it came to the prospect of mine, it would seem I was mighty attractive.

I sighed before turning around and heading towards the refresher. I felt the coquettish Saiyan press up against my back with her head on my shoulder as I pointedly tried to ignore her advances, to some success.

As I arrived at the door, Nira still glued to my back, it glided open before I asked another question.

"What will you do when they come back and we're still in there?" I questioned with a smirk as I shot a quick look towards the ship's entrance, "you know how Jagamo gets about you trying this sort of thing in his ship."

She froze.

"Uh, well, hopefully the fact that you're doing this willingly and I'm not attacking you this time means he won't care?" She replied sheepishly.

As if on cue, the metallic thuds of footsteps rang out as the two remaining Saiyans entered the ship.

"Oh, I don't think that's got anything to do with it."

Coming into view were two figures. One larger than the other.

Captain Pars was around six-foot and well built. Her hair was spiked straight up with the rest of it tied at the back. Short bangs hung over her forehead and half of her left ear was missing. The left side of her body was covered in prominent scars all the way up to her neck. Her face was a steel mask of impassiveness as she stared at the both of us.

Next to Pars, with an annoyed expression, was Jagamo. He was a head taller and looked more like a bear than a man. His hair was extremely short in what amounted to a buzz cut.

"Nira, if you're doing what I think you're doing, in my ship, then I'll leave you on this planet." Jagamo's voice bellowed through the ship.

Instantly, I felt the pressure on my back alleviate as she swiftly turned to face the pair. She fiercely marched up to the mountain of a man and furiously glared up at him.

"Try it," a toothy grin marked her face, "you're just jealous the captain doesn't wanna' give any up for you."

Wordlessly, a huge paw wrapped itself around her throat and she was thrust into the air. Jagamo's face was contorted in silent fury. In retaliation, his taunter's legs furiously kicked at his stomach until a blow finally winded him. Nira landed gracefully as he was brought to his knee. Instantly, she leapt, feet first, with the intention impacting his chest.

All of a sudden, she was flung through the ship's entrance and bounced into the mud outside. Jagamo's face was met by a boot before he, too, was catapulted from the shuttle.

"I will leave you both on this planet." The Captain admonished them sternly, "deal with your petty squabbles outside and stop being so pathetic. We're still on the mission. I expect you to act accordingly." Nira and Jagamo scowled at each other before another glare from Pars forced them to settle down.

This was how things usually went. Immature arguments quickly turned to scuffles. It was the way with Saiyans. They would do all they could in order to appear strong lest their pride be damaged.

I must admit, when I first realised the world I had arrived in, I was excited. What would Saiyans, the Warrior Race, be like? I expected prideful and battle-hardened, and some were. But, most were contentious and belligerent; careless and destructive. They were nothing like Goku or even what Vegeta came to be.

I was disappointed.

Truthfully, I felt those urges too. The need to fight, to be strong. For freedom and power. It was in my blood, you could say. However, most of all I felt fear. The fear that I would lose to those desires and become like Them. Another raging, uncaring machine of war that brought death and destruction. That's what they did in the war with the Tuffles; they just do it under Frieza's banner now.

It felt like a pointless existence – getting stronger for the sake of getting stronger.

No, I wanted my new life and power to mean something.

I wanted more.

A Saiyan protagonist isn't all that original, I know. But, I've been reading a lot of fanfiction about them recently and thought I'd try my hand at it.

Hope you enjoy!