Disclaimer: I disclaim Dragonball Z, Dragonball, Dragonball GT and any other dragons that are connected to balls of any kind (yes, even THOSE balls). However! I do claim Chibi Goku, Goten and the Cell Juniors, because they're just so damn cute!
AN: if you read this, review. Even if it's a flame. I like to know how people are finding this Fic.
Chapter 17 – Goku's Next Challenge
Goku sat cross-legged on the hut floor as he watched the Nameks clustered about him, talking in hushed whispers as they watched him cautiously. The Elder sat down across the circle from Goku and nodded at two of the warriors at the entrance, who turned away from them and watched the outside of the building, on the lookout for any of the raiders who had attacked the village.
"Goku Son of Earth, our planet has fallen victim to a terrible evil once again, and out people are being hunted and destroyed without the slightest lenience or mercy," the Elder said. "As a race, we are unable to defend ourselves from such a terrible onslaught."
"Oh…" was all Goku could think of to say.
"Three days ago, a large vessel descended from space and landed on the southern continent. From this vessel spewed many legions who spread across the planet, hunting for the Dragonballs that we keep safe on our world. We heard the evil legions talk of their lord and master, though we have not got a clue to whom they refer.
"What we do know is that this Lord of there is very secluded, and very powerful. It is clear from the way that the legions talk about their master that he is most powerful, and would not hesitate to destroy them because of a wrong they made. If he would do that to his own troops, then think of what he would do to those holding the Dragonballs?"
"This guy sounds like Freeza!" Goku said. The Elder shook his head with a sad expression across his elderly features.
"Yes, this is what we feared. Freeza's heir coming to finish what the Universe's self-proclaimed Overlord started." The Elder looked up with a stern look about his face. "This is something that cannot come to pass! No tyrant wannabe shall have the Namekian Dragonballs! Do you understand me, Goku Son?" Goku nodded.
"I understand, sir."
"Good. Then you will help us dispose of this tyrant before he can assemble the Dragonballs," the Elder stated. Goku smiled grimly and stood up.
"Wait here a moment, I have something which might interest you," he said. The elder frowned as Goku walked calmly out the tent and vanished into the foliage. Moments later, he reappeared, clutching a large golden ball in his hands. Three dark stars were marked on the surface of the ball, and Goku placed it on the floor delicately.
"There, the third ball. The soldiers have already wrecked this place, looking for a Dragonball, probably. I don't think that they'll come back here, will they?" Goku asked. The Elder looked from the ball then to Goku and nodded.
"Hopefully, you are right. These soldiers seem to be more brawn than brain, though I fear a lieutenant or two may be more cunning than these…" The Elder hesitated, searching for a suitable word, then simply looked up with a smile and shrugged. "No matter, all that is important is that you have brought the third ball with you. Now, we must guard this ball with our lives, whilst you, dear Saiyan, find the others."
Goku looked at the Elder and nodded.
"Sure thing, but I'll need to use the balls myself, that's really why I'm here," confessed Goku.
"But of course, it is really the least we could do for someone so brave," the Elder said. A short laugh came from that back of the room and somebody called out "Or somebody so stupid!"
Goku laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess I'm a bit of both."
The Elder looked up and grinned, rubbing his hands together with a small gleam in his eyes.
"Excellent! Now, since time is of the essence, I suggest that you head off immediately. We cannot let any of Balls fall into the hands of the soldiers," the Elder said, and Goku nodded in agreement.
"The quicker I get this done, the quicker I can get the trouble's fixed back home," the Saiyan said standing up and turning towards the door. "I'll be back before you can say Minestrone!" Goku shouted as he strolled through the door and headed away.
The Namek's watched him leave, several giving pleasant farewells as he moved into the foliage, taking out the Dragon Radar out of his pocket and pressing the side-button. The Radar bleeped several times as it tracked the location of the nearest ball, and then it bleeped again. Two red dots appeared on the screen and Goku grinned.
"Wow! Two balls close together! Must be my lucky day!" He looked around, occasionally looking down at the radar to check his location, then with a burst of energy he shot off through the forest,
In the mean time, in a place so far away it was another dimension, Vegeta stood on the gray-stone surface of the Snake Way. He looked down at the pink fluffy clouds beneath him and grumbled, remembering how much he hated this place. Folding his arms over his chest moodily, Vegeta, Prince of the Saiyans, turned his head away moodily and closed his eyes with an "Hmph!" of disgust at his current predicament.
"I cannot believe I just did that!" He growled under his breath. A passer-by gave him a curious look. And Vegeta's eyes snapped open to give the dead man a hard stare.
"And what are you looking at!" The Prince snapped irritably.
"Nothing!" the man said quickly and hurried on his way along the coiled surface of the road. Vegeta grumbled something and went back to staring down glumly, yet surprisingly moodily, at the clouds beneath him.
"All I can say is that Kakkarot had better hurry up and wish me back! That baka will have no idea about the amount of trouble he is in if he doesn't do it soon!" snarled the irate Saiyan.
"That was surprising, wasn't it?" Said a familiar soft voice from behind Vegeta. He whirled around and stood face to face with the pale skinned and haired being who had been around at his last death.
"Oh, it's you again," Vegeta said, glaring at the Supreme Kai. Shin returned the glare with a careful smile and stepped to the side and forward, standing beside Vegeta, though facing the opposite direction. The Saiyan Prince responded by crossing his arms over his chest and turning his head just enough so that he could see the governor of the Universe out of the corner of his right eye.
"Yes, here I am," Shin said with a slight smile on his pale lips. "Now, that was most unexpected. I didn't expect him to become so powerful. In fact, I am sure that was impossible."
"What are you babbling about, man!" Vegeta snapped.
"Hmm?" Shin said, turning to look at Vegeta. "Oh, just Gohan's new ability. I was pretty sure that the Super Saiyan and Mystic abilities were non-compatible."
"Yes, well obviously you were mistaken, Supreme Kai," scoffed Vegeta. He was still in a bad mood after being killed, again. Shin kept smiling as he turned back and looked downwards.
"You know, Gohan's powers could be the key you earthlings were looking for in defeating this rogue Saiyan of yours," Shin said calmly.
"Yes, yes I already know that. Now would you please tell me something I don't already know?" Vegeta said.
"Certainly. I could tell you that right now a brand-new species of has just evolved in the Hydrundi system on the edge of the third Galaxy." Vegeta glared at Shin.
"Something useful!"
"Well, Goku's quest for the Namekian Dragonballs has gone astray. How's that for information?" Shin said, still looking down at the clouds below him.
"It's what!?" Vegeta couldn't believe what he'd just heard. It was a very simple plan. Get the Dragonballs; make the wish. What could have possibly of gone wrong?
"Well, that Saiyan has a very generous heart, and it seems that the locals have been having a few problems," the Supreme Kai said, picking up on Vegeta's thoughts.
"What?! That baka always did have a soft spot for those pathetic Nameks. Could you out me through to that complete fool?" Vegeta asked. Shin thought for a moment.
"No, I'm afraid it's beyond my powers," he lied. Knowing full well the sort of abuse that Vegeta would hurl through his mind, and Shin wasn't sure that even he, the Supreme Kai, would be able to tolerate that much shouting and raving.
"Damn! Guess I'll just have to do it the old fashioned way," Vegeta snarled, closing his eyes and concentrating. Shin opened his mouth to ask what Vegeta meant, when the Prince's eyes snapped open and he grinned.
One of the invading legionaries looked at his standard-issue wristwatch and smiled. He liked the way the dura-plaz glistened in the multi-solar light of the Planet Namek. When he saw what the read-out said, he gave out a long, drawn-out sight, sagging slightly in his Saiyan armour. The legionary was tall and strong looking with crystal-blue skin that sparkled slightly in the light and topaz-blue eyes without pupils that gazed everywhere almost lifelessly.
He readjusted the fusion rifle strap into a more comfortable position and started to drum his fingers against the rifle stock. He had been on gate-duty all morning (at least, he thought of it as morning; it was hard to tell with all the suns in the sky) and he still had another two and a half standard hours to wait until he was relieved from his post.
He looked around the barren landscape again, seeing nothing but dry ground and several trees with their balls of leaves waving in the gentle wind that drifted lazily across the plain. The land about the hastily erected and fortified base-camp had once been broken by clusters of trees, but His Lordship had argued that they could have been used to cover up a group of retaliating Nameks, and the order had been given to clear the land. The process was still ongoing, and as the guarding legionary listened, he heard a cry of warning and the crash of a tree falling to the ground. Then there was the sharp sound of a fusion beam biting into the tree's tough wood, cutting it into manageable chunks to be loaded onto the larger transport sleds and brought back to base to be used for fuel for the camp fires in the barracks.
The guard gave a sigh again, then looked at his heavy black boots as he kicked around a small pebbled in the dust. He reared his foot back and kicked it away, watching it bounce across the parched ground and out of sight. As his gaze carried on upwards, he saw something come into sight. It hovered off the floor and growing bigger a sit headed towards them.
The legionary took up his rifle and a topaz eye to the scope and zoomed in on the approaching object. As the auto-focus clarified the vision, he sighed as he recognized the markings of His Lordships crest on the nose of a hover sled. He let his rifle hang back at his side and he waited on the sled to approach patiently, silently growing hopefully of a conversation that would pass away several minutes of the next couple of hours.
The sled rocketed towards the guard quickly and then slowed down. As he was trained to do, the guard grabbed the handle of his rifle and raised his chin before shouting across the plain to the oncoming vehicle.
"Who passes! Friend of foe!"
"It's me, you burke!" a voice replied.
The Guard hesitated, then shouted "Me who!" back across the plain.
"Keldr, it's me! Mor! Now are you going to open the bloody gates or not! Fui's injured!" Mor shouted. Keldr, the guard, jumped and quickly entered a pass code into his arm consol. There was a loud humming noise as the shield that surrounded the base parted slightly at the heavily armoured gateway. The gates themselves opened with a mechanical clank and several faces peered through the gap in the wall as the mighty plaz-steel gates parted.
As the sled came closer, Keldr could make out two figures in the small transport, one leaning over the handlebars, the other slumped in the sidecar behind the laz-gun mounted on the fuselage. The slumped figure had a hand held over one eye, and purple blood slowly trickled over his hands and down his face. Keldr swallowed hard and watched as the sled shot through the gates, then waited for them to hiss closed again before reactivating the defense shield.
Mor skidded to a halt outside a small hut with a bright blue symbol embossed each side. He clambered off and helped his wounded companion out the sidecar and then half carried, half dragged the soldier into the M.A.S.H unit. Mor placed Fui down in a chair and stepped aside as a medical lieutenant and several medics rushed forward to examine the wounded one. Mor left Fui to be fussed over and be examined as he stepped outside into the pleasantly war, but unpleasantly dry and stale, air, taking a deep breath before heading over to the sled. He reached into the sidecar and brought out his ruined rifle, the sight-scope blown clear off when he had tried to take a power reading of that thing in the lake.
The legionary turned around and nearly swallowed his own tongue as he got an eyeful of uniform. He looked up into the glowing red eyes of Gamma, one of His Lordships Combat Officers. Gamma was tall and strongly built with long black hair and pale skin. His ears were pointed slightly, and on his forehead were a triangular crest of three short spikes that gleamed with a slick darkness against the suns. Lieutenant Gamma's eyes darted immediately to the ruined rifle in the private's hands, and Mor swallowed silently as Gamma reached down with a large hand and plucked the weapon from him.
Gamma never carried a weapon, it was rumored that he didn't need them, even though no legionary had ever seen the officer in actual combat.
The glowing red-within-red eyes inspected the rifle carefully as the powerful, pale hands turned the thing this way and that, then he settled on looking at the damage section where the plaz-steel had been ripped away by the explosion.
"What happened, legionary?" Gamma asked. His voice was deep, but quiet, as though it was directed solely at Mor, which it just happened to be. "Run into a band of local peasants?" Gamma's lip turned at the corner into a small smile as he handed the rifle back heavily, Mor being pushed until he nearly toppled backwards into the sidecar.
"Nossir," Mor said quickly, pulling himself to attention. "We saw something in a lake several clicks east by north east, sir. We used out scopes to scout the power level of the thing, and the scopes blew, sir."
"Hmm, most interesting…" Gamma said, looking at he sled with the second rifle in its holding rack, the scope rack also ripped apart from the explosion. "Where is your partner?"
"He's in the MASH, sir. Got hit in the eye, sir." Mor answered smartly. Gamma looked at the small legionary and grunted unhappily.
"I want a full report on the matter on my desk before the morning is over, legionary."
"Sir?" Mor asked in shock.
"Did you hear me?" Gamma asked, glaring down at the legionary.
"Yessir," Mor said quickly, ripping of a salute.
"Good. By the end of the morning, legionary." Gamma said, then turned and walked away. His armour, along with all the other combat officers, was deepest black with crimson-red trimmings and no shoulder guards. The stomach plate was a deep charcoal gray in hue and the crest of His Lordship was located on the right breastplate, lined in gold to show their importance. The overall effect could be quite impressive, especially when worn by people like Gamma, where his pale skin was shown off even more by the deep black of his armour and the long hair which his face and hung down his back.
As Gamma left, Fui pushed the MASH hut's door open and appeared in the bright daylight, a dark leather patch bolted around his eye, the colour of the patch the same deep purple of his armour. Mor turned and watched the approach of his friend and comrade-in-arms and gave a gentle nod, the hue slowly returning to his purple flesh.
"What did he want?" Fui asked, nodding to Gamma as he ducked under the doorway to his own office building.
"He wanted to know about what had happened," Mor answer.
"And?"
"And what?" Mor asked, looking at his old friend.
"And what did you tell him?" Fui said, narrowing his intact eye.
"Oh that and," Mor said glumly, looking away from Fui's expression. "I just told him what happened."
"What did happen?" Fui asked.
"I just said that we investigated an occurrence at the lake, and when we checked the power levels with the scouter-scopes on our rifles, they over loaded and blew," Mor explained. Fui looked at him, then relaxed.
"Oh right, that's okay I guess."
"Yeah, he wants me to write up an official report about it," Mor said moodily.
"What? Why?"
Mor shrugged and absent mindedly brushed dust from his armour.
"Reckon His Lordship will find out?" Fui asked, receiving another shrug from his partner.
"As long as he doesn't expect us to fight that thing, I don't give a fuck," Mor answered.
"Yeah, same here. C'mon, lets go to the mess hall. I'm starving," Fui said, slapping his partner on the shoulder before walking towards a nearby hut. Mor nodded and followed, trying to throw off the feeling that he had just looked death in the face and just narrowly survived.
Goku frowned as he looked at the Radar's green digital display. One of the blips that symbolized a Dragonball had started moving away rapidly, and that could only mean one thing in Goku's mind; the enemy had gathered one!
Gritting his teeth, Goku suppressed his power level, then very slowly increased it, pushing it into his speed as he flew away over the landscape, his black Saiyan hair flowing in the wind as he sped onwards. Goku narrowed his eyes against the wind, gazing a head of him and sometimes turning his attention to the Dragon Rader held tightly in his hand.
"What ever it is, its fast!" Goku said to himself as he pushed himself forwards faster, trying to close the gap between himself and whoever held the Dragonball as much as possible. He dodged around a mountain, rolling in the air to avoid crashing through an outcropping of splintered rocks as did so. As soon as the mountain was behind him, he saw a small cloud of dust rolling in front of him on the horizon, and he smiled to himself. The gap started to close quickly, and Goku recognized that what he was chasing was a vehicle of some description, looking similar to a motorbike with a sidecar. Except this was floating and moving much faster.
Up ahead on the cart, the pilot gunned the throttle harder and felt a surge of energy wash over him. As the hover-sled surged forward, a small bleep in his helmet's earpiece alerted him to a small flash on the consol embedded in the fuselage of the motor sled in front of the handlebar assembly. As the pilot looked at it, the display changed ever so slightly; a counter's numerical displayed lowered down by several notches, and the pilot frowned.
In the sidecar, the gunner sat behind his laz gun checking his own monitors and displays. Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed the pilot tapping a display with his gloved finger, and he turned, leaning towards the motor sled to close the gap between the two.
"What is it?" the gunner shouted to be heard above the rush of the wind. The pilot turned and shrugged.
"Nothing I guess. The scanner just picked up an abnormal power level behind us for a moment that's all. I guess it must have been…" The pilot broke off and frowned behind the visor that gave his skin a blue tint. "It did it again!" he cried. The gunner raised his eyebrows.
"You sure you're not imagining things?" he asked skeptically. The pilot turned on him and glared through the helmet visor.
"You want to come over here and see for yourself?" the pilot asked with an annoyed edge to his voice. The gunner looked down at the ground speeding past and decided that he wouldn't like to risk jumping sleds.
"Uh… no, your alright thanks," he said. The pilot nodded and kept a close eye on the monitor, looking for a raise in power level as the gunner flipped several switches in his gunnery sled.
"Hey, turn on your targeting scanners, huh? Maybe they'll pick something up," the pilot suggested. The gunner looked over at the man sitting astraddle the motor sled and nodded, activating the scanners mounted to the front of his gunnery sled to allow the laz gun to aim it self and track an opponent. All that the gunner had to do, really, was point the thing in the right direction and pull the trigger. The laz gun itself was mounted on a ring frame which ran around the outside of the sled and allowed the gunner to swing the weapon around, giving the vehicle a one hundred and eighty degree arc of fire on the left side of the motor sled, though the scanners systems only tracked in wide cone coming from the front of the gunnery sled, so any lateral or rear firing was up to the gunners own skill.
The gunner looked at his readings and shook his head.
"No, I haven't got anything on scope. What about you?" he asked, still shouting to be heard over the roar of the wind. The pilot shook his head, tearing his attention away form the landscape to give the display another look.
"No, nothing. Try using what the gods gave you," the pilot shouted back. The gunner looked blank.
"Huh?" he asked, not getting what his partner had asked of him.
"Use your eyes."
"Oh, okay," the gunner said, turning in his seat and looking back behind them. It was difficult going, the sled's anti-grav motors were kicking up a thick cloud of dust behind them, which made visibility poor at best. But there was something in the wake…
The gunner reached into his sled and brought a pair of binoculars and aimed them at the distortion in the dust cloud and paled. The pilot turned and looked over to his right, frowning at what the gunner was so afraid of.
"What? What is it?" the pilot shouted over the roaring of the wind.
"…" Said the gunner, opening and closing his mouth, but unable to get the words to come out.
"What was that? I can't hear you over this wind," the pilot called back, mistaking his comrade's speechlessness for the wind snatching the words away before they could reach him. Instead of a response, he heard the mechanic whirring as the gunner brought the laz-gun around and aimed it behind them as his right hand pulled back the cocking handle. There was a loud metallic click as the bolt snapped back, loading the fusion cell in the firing chamber.
"Wait, what are you doing!?" the pilot asked, but al he got in response was the cackle of gun fire from the gunner. The laz-gun fired blast after blast into the wake cloud behind them, crackles of static rising up through the cloud in bursts of electricity. The pilot muttered to himself and gunned the engine even harder, pushing the sled faster away from whatever it was his companion was firing at.
Behind them, Goku narrowed his eyes as he saw something flash in front of him. Then a bolt of energy shot past his arm, the electrical charge from the dust cloud sending a small spark of lightning into his arm.
"Ow, hey. What was that?" he asked as more of the energy blasts started to rain past him. Several bounced of his arms and chest as the gunner shot charge after charge into the cloud, the fusion bullets just bouncing harmlessly off Goku's body. Another static charge earthed itself in Goku's hair and he gave a grunt of annoyance at the idea of being electrocuted. Rearing back, Goku ascended upwards and out the cloud, moving so high that he could see the sled far below him, the gunner still blasting at the cloud with the laz-gun.
Goku narrowed his eyes and growled slightly, charging a bolt of kai in his right hand as he swooped downwards and back into the cloud, not caring about the pathetic blasts of fusion energy as they ricochet off his tattered clothing.
The pilot looked down at his display as it gave a shrill cry of warning.
"What the hell!" he shouted as his scouter readings soared upwards. The gunner wasn't paying attention; he was too busy emptying the laz-guns power cells into the cloud whilst laughing gleefully. The cloud behind them swirled and parted as a golden blast of energy shot from its depths, momentarily revealing Goku's form. The gunner paused for a second as Goku's outstretched body became visible, then ducked as the kai blast shot over his head, the heat scorching his hair.
"Shit, shit, shit!" the gunner cursed as he looked back up. Goku had vanished back into the cloud, and the gunner was about to continue firing when the blast from an explosion hit him from behind.
"Hold on!" The pilot screamed as the sled veered to the left, and then to right, almost tipping over the turn was so violent. The gunner growled as he swiveled the laz-gun on its frame and sent yet more blasts into the cloud, charging it up again. Again, a bolt of lightning struck Goku, angering him even more.
The gunner started to laugh again as the pilot righted the sled, sending it speeding away on its original destination when a much larger kai blast explode din the ground right next to them. The gunner growled and set the controls of the gun to emit larger bolts by dangerously over charging the gun's energizers. The fusion blasts shot back into the cloud, and again another kai blast thundered from the cloud straight towards them, revealing Goku's large form in the clouds as they parted in the kai ball's wake.
Had the pilot no swerved to the left, both legionaries would have perished in the explosion that ripped the ground apart. Goku growled as more of those insignificant energy bolts sizzled against his skin and clothing, and then grunted as he was struck by another charge of lightning. Now the Saiyan was seething and he powered up, the dust cloud around him swirling around him in a vortex as a white aura enveloped him.
With a blast of power, the clouds were blown away and Goku shot forwards, overtaking the sled in an instant. He twirled in the air and dropped a barrage of kai blasts into the path of the sled, devastating the ground and sending up large gouts of flame into the air along with shards of rock. Goku landed calmly and turned to watch the results of his anger.
The sled was over turned and it bounce and rolled and skidded across the landscape until it came to a standstill several paces in front of Goku's feet. The gunner lay twisted and broken in the shattered gun sled, the bone of his neck speared through his throat and his right arm twisted in many different directions.
The pilot, however, Goku found several meters further back lying on his, staring up at the sky without a mark on him. The Saiyan reached down and plucked the creature by the collar on his Saiyan armour, scowling threateningly. When the creature slid out of the armour easily and hit the floor with a sickening squelch Goku almost dropped the armour. Goku looked down at the shattered man, the rigidness of his body destroyed by the blast of the explosion which had also shattered all the bone sin his body and ruptured the organs within. As Goku watched, purple blood and what Goku guessed to be the creatures brains started to ooze from the ears, spreading out in a disgusting purple and blue puddle around the legionary's head. Goku gave the crumpled figure one last disgusted look before reaching into his pocket and bringing out the Dragon Radar and studying it. He zoomed in and looked at the display, the bleeping noise it emanated sounding urgent. He walked back to the sled and flipped it upright with his foot, looking inside its depths as he studied the Radar screen. He rummaged around and then grinned as his searching hand wrapped around a sack. Bringing his hand out, he saw himself holding a plain hemp sack that, when opened, revealed the number six ball.
"Alright! Now, now lets get that other Dragonball and I'll have three!" Goku said with triumph before he powered up and charged back across the plain, back to where the Radar had detected the third ball.
Vegeta skidded to a halt on the gray stone surface of the Snake Way and looked around. The signal was feint, but Vegeta could still feel his presence around here somewhere. He wasn't far from the check-in station, and he could see airplanes leaving and arriving from nearby at regular intervals. He watched the metal birds moving across the undead sky and shook his head sadly.
"Pathetic weaklings, using this technology to fly…" the Dead Prince muttered.
"Not everybody is as powerful as you, Vegeta."
Vegeta looked up at the sound of the voice and grinned.
"I've been looking for you, how kind of you to come to me first," the Prince said.
"Hah, well yes. I'm as kind as the next Saiyan," the voice said with a chuckle.
"Indeed, unfortunately the next man is me," Vegeta responded. He turned around and faced King Kai with a gleam in his dark eyes. King Kai smiled wanly as he looked into the dark orbs and swallowed. Bubble peeked out from behind Kai and blew a raspberry at the Prince, then ducked back behind King Kai before Vegeta could respond.
"Hah, yes. Good point. Now, what can I do for you, Vegeta? A spot of training perhaps?" King Kai asked politely, adjusting his sunglasses slightly.
"Training? From you? Hah! Somehow, I think not!" Vegeta said with a bemused expression on his face. "What I require is to be able to talk to that third class warrior, Kakkarot!"
"Oh, is that all?" King Kai said, looking a little downcast. Vegeta glared at the Kai.
"All!? I happen to be dead! That is no laughing matter!" Vegeta responded sharply. King Kai looked up and hastily jumped back as he saw the expression on Vegeta's face, then swallowed his pride and, almost, his tongue.
"Y-yes of course it is… I mean not… I mean…" Vegeta shot the Kai a glance that shut him up.
"Will you do it or not?" Vegeta asked.
"What choice do I have," muttered Kai.
"What was that?" snapped Vegeta.
"Nothing!" Kai responded quickly with an innocent grin, the halo above his head shinning a little brighter.
"Fine, now lets get this over with," Vegeta said moodily.
"Fine, fine. Just place you hand flat against my back and we can begin," Kai said turning his back to Vegeta. A moment later, he felt Vegeta place the palm of his hand flat against his back. Knowing where Goku was usually wasn't a problem for King Kai and he quickly picked up the Saiyan's kai signal on the Planet Namek. For some reason, kai wasn't surprised.
"So… uh… how's it going with Brolli?" Kai asked, trying to make conversation. Vegeta looked at him.
"Not that well," he said, a touch bitterly.
"Oh? In what way?"
"Well, I'm dead aren't I?"
"Ah, point taken. Oh look, here he is!" King Kai added cheerfully as he connected Goku and Vegeta's minds.
Gamma sat at his desk, looking through the planetary reports that the battleship had received through the scans they had made from orbit. None of them had mentioned anything about a glowing golden form of life, never mind a high power level that was beyond the capabilities of the scouter-scopes. He sighed and placed the data pad down and pinched the bridge of his nose, then reared his head back over the back of the chair, his long black hair hanging down until it nearly reached the floor.
A knock at the hut door let his head snap back upright and he watched as the door swung open and another figure walked in. The figure looked similar to Gamma, having pale skin, jet-black hair and glowing red eyes.
"Captain Nu," said Gamma, standing to attention, so quickly that the chair shot backwards and shattered against the hut's alloy walls, and saluted.
"As you were, Lieutenant," Nu said returning the salute. Gamma relaxed slightly; letting his body loose some of its rigidity. The captain walked to the other side of the desk from Gamma and sat down, crossing one leg over the other as he read the report that his underling had been reading.
"Anything interesting?" he asked. Gamma sighed and sat back down.
"Recon-sled fifteen-B failed to check in. That was nearly an hour ago, and no other sleds have seen or heard from them since," he reported, flicking the pad slightly.
"What do you suspect?" Nu asked, shifting his weight.
"Who knows? It could be anything from a faulty transmitter to…" Gamma hesitated, wondering whether to report the findings from the other scouts from the lake area.
"To what, lieutenant?" Nu asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, sir. A couple of legionaries reported a sighting several clicks away, by that unusually round lake," Gamma said.
"What sort of sighting?" Nu asked, his interest peaked.
"Well, they claim that a creature with a impossibly large power level was sighted inside the lake."
"Impossibly large? How so?"
"Well sir, when they used their scouters, the devices blew up."
"Blew up?" Nu asked in disbelief. Gamma nodded and continue.
"I was wondering whether the two events could be related somehow…"
"In what way?"
"I'm… not sure, sir. It's more of a hunch, I just have a bad feeling about this, that's all."
"I'm sure His Lordship knows what he's getting us all into," Nu said standing up. Gamma nodded.
"I certainly hope so," he said.
"Well, anyway. Keep me informed on any further developments," Nu said heading for the doorway.
"Yes sir," Gamma said. The door closed and Gamma sat there staring at it, then he shook his head.
"I have a very bad feeling about all this…" he whispered.
Now that Goku has two out of the seven Dragonballs, he heads earnestly for the third. How long will it take him to collect the remaining five and will Lieutenant Gamma's bad feelings become reality? And as Goku romps across the Namekian landscape destroying sleds and causing trouble for His Lordships legions, how will the Z Fighters fare back on Earth as they struggle against Brolli? Find out, in Total War!!!!!