I wish I owned DBZ, but I don't. I own DVD's and tapes, but it just isn't the same. I also don't own the right to Starcraft or any of the music pieces you see selected, just copies of merchandise, such a shame. The artists that created them are geniuses and we all must bow to them.

Chapter 55: Decision of Distress

"What are we facing, how large of a force?" I asked as one of Tassadar's new officers found out for me. We had sent the other Saiyans to some place in the capitol that Zorbon reserved for us. Vegeta and the others didn't agree with me handling the Zerg without their help, but I insisted that I needed their help when we went on the offensive, and I wanted that to be within a day or two. They had called most of the Protoss Senate to order to allow the Conclave to re-establish themselves as the ruling body once again. They took a full democratic vote, and with the help of Fenix's appearance, they had an overwhelming margin of victory. He had placed Tassadar and Fenix as commanders of the entire Protoss army for the time being until the crises was over. We were currently aboard the Ganthithor II, some sort of sentimental name that Tassadar gave it, I didn't bother asking why.

"It will take a moment to compile the necessary data on the numbers of Zerg we face, as well the various types of Zerg there are," the Templar replied. I rolled my eyes slightly, but Tassadar saved me the trouble of snapping at him.

"Just a straight number will do young Templar, Verto is well versed on the different strains of Zerg," he said in a kinder tone than I would have used.

"Yes Executor," he said in a slightly apologetic tone. The display screen then popped up to a planetary view showing a large swarm of signals moving towards the capitol city.

"Phew," Raynor whistled beside me.

"Our estimates show about seven hundred thousand Zerg signals out there. A large mix of strains, though there seems to be more flyers than anything else," he said, reading his displayed language.

"Any abnormal energy signals within that clouded swarm, anything out of the ordinary for Zerg?" I asked carefully as I scanned myself, reading nothing else.

"Reading nothing but Zerg coming our way, they will begin to arrive within the hour," he answered, turning back to Tassadar and I for orders. I glanced at Tassadar, wondering what he was thinking of for a battle plan. I already had one drawn out for what I was going to do if there was indeed nothing but Zerg out there.

"Sub-lieutenant, assuming no super powered beings are involved in this battle, what will a simulation show on the results of the battle?" Tassadar asked.

"Entering the data now Executor, it should take a moment to compile and give an estimation of battle," he said, punching buttons rapidly.

I gave Tassadar a questioning glance, but he held up his hand, "Just curious young one."

"With current status of the city's defenses and the assumed involvement of our fleets, we could lose twenty-five to thirty-five percent of our forces, and up to twenty percent of the city may be destroyed. The Zerg forces will break through the outer defenses, but should get no further than that!" he said.

"That's more than we can afford to lose if we are going to mount an offensive against the Zerg, your going to have to fight them alone Verto. Our forces shall remain around and inside the city to intercept any Zerg that get by you," Tassadar said. I nodded slightly, it was going to be the way I preferred.

"Just make sure no one gets in my way. I can handle a lot of Zerg easy enough now, but if any of your people are in the way I don't know if I can protect them well enough with what I plan to do!" I said.

"What is your plan, you can't just walk up to that many Zerg and say hello ya know!" Raynor asked.

"You'd be surprised," I said sarcastically, "No my plan is really simple. When I transform, I can easily emit a low amount of energy that pretty much kills them when they come into contact with it, I barely have to do anything. I'm pretty sure Gohan could do this to," I said, glancing at Tassadar.

"Yes. He has dealt with waves of Zerg in that manner with relative ease," he said, still waiting for my plan.

"So you're planning to just attract them all to you so you can kill them before they can touch you?" Raynor asked.

"It's what I'm going to have to do, their primary Hive cluster to probably too far away to nail from here. If I knew where it was I could just blow it up and we watch them go crazy and kill each other off. I don't want to do it this way, but they will do some damage to the city if I don't, and I want this to end as soon as possible. Much more delay in action against the Overmind will only make things worse," I explained.

"How do you know that?" Raynor asked.

"Because I saw what it's planning to do to everyone everywhere. Auir is just a pit stop in comparison to its plans. However it needs the Zerg, Protoss and Saiyans for it's plan to work, and the more time we spend trying to figure it out its plan, the sooner that plan comes to pass!" I warned, standing and heading for the elevator shafts.

"Wait a moment, what is this plan you are speaking of. We have always suspected that it would try to come to us and continue the ancient Xel'Naga experiments of long ago, is that what you are talking about? And exactly how much time do we have?" Tassadar asked in a serious tone. I shook my head slightly, recalling that I had only told the other Saiyans of this so not to cause a panic within the Protoss ranks.

"We have enough time that I can fill you in when I get back. As far as your ancestors go, nothing like that," I said, seeing Tassadar relax a bit. I hadn't seen any visions of that, only of the future. But that was before the Overmind knew of the Saiyans.

"It's much worse than that would have been," I said as the door shut behind me, sensing the sudden fear of the Protoss as I left.

Interlude 55.1 –Overmind-

The Overmind sat in telepathic conference with its Cerebrates, though only he and Daggoth did any of the speaking. The rest were simply there to take the orders, as their minds were not as developed as Daggoth and Zasz had been. His previous well-developed Cerebrate was only that way out of some sort of interference by an outside source, one that even he couldn't pinpoint. It didn't matter though, that one was gone now, erased from existence by the conflict between Verto and his opposite. With Zasz gone as well, only Daggoth remained to be his most effective leader, the rest were a supporting cast.

"Great father, have our plans been disrupted beyond repair now that Aldaris is disposed of?" Daggoth asked. The Overmind's large eye blinked from its chamber, not at all happy with that particular subject. Verto's swift defeat of Aldaris concerned him greatly and was the prime reason he called this conference though no one else was completely aware of it. Aldaris had far more power than he knew what to do with, and was toppled in a heartbeat. Because of the distance and lack of any agents near the battle, he hadn't a clue on how Verto pulled it off, but he knew that Aldaris's energy level was very high at the time just before it plummeted to nothing. The Overmind had Daggoth send over seventy percent of the current standing Zerg forces at the Protoss capitol to buy some time for them to plan. It would be a waste at the end, the combined might of the Saiyans and the Protoss fleet would be way too much to deal with, even with so many Zerg sent.

"It has indeed dealt us a crippling blow that I did not foresee. It will not be a total loss, we will have to accelerate our dealings with the Saiyans. The Protoss will become ours one way or another, but the child must be dealt with as soon as possible. I want you to build up our interior defenses and the others will support you by expanding our current borders while the Protoss are all in one place. We will allow them to believe that we are too scattered about to be a threat and will lure them in and dispose of them before they know what hit them. Daggoth, I will leave you to deal with the Protoss, I will handle the Saiyans once they come for me!" the Overmind ordered. The telepathic conference ended abruptly just as an opening in the wall made itself visible. In marched several figures that the Overmind had recently created, superior to their original forms. The largest one in the room stood at the front, bowing before the large eye of the Overmind.

"Broly, are your new soldiers ready to do my bidding?" the eye bounced slightly.

"Indeed they are my lord, though it is a great pity that the boy managed to take the head of Aldaris before they were ready. I seriously doubt that any force on this planet will be a threat to you now!" Broly said with a slightly evil snicker.

"Use caution, my son, your enemies are not to be underestimated. Deploy your forces as I have directed you, and let them come to you!" the Overmind ordered, getting several bows by the new figures in the room as they exited.

-

I floated in the air about ten miles from the outskirts of the capitol city of Auir. Tassadar had given me a communicator similar to a Saiyan scouter so I could keep contact, but I kept it off until I needed it, which I wouldn't. I could see the Zerg clouds on the horizon, but they weren't close enough to attack yet. A few miles behind me were the start of legions of Protoss troops, all them anxious for battle. Most of them were hesitant about my orders that they stay back for their own good just in case something went wrong. Considering they were all more than twice the size of me, it was understandable. But I suppose killing their previous "all powerful" leader was evidence enough that my bark was nothing compared to my bite. As I started hearing the sounds of the Zerg screeching and hissing, I powered up and spread out my Psi energy, making sure they all got a good sense of it. Then I spoke to them gently as their tones of communication changed once they recognized me.

"You can all leave this battle and I won't hurt you, but I can't let you do your master's will and destroy this planet and its people. Turn back before you kill yourselves," I said. I realized how stupid that must have sounded to anyone around, Zerg for the most part didn't listen to anyone besides their masters. They also didn't have a high amount of self-preservation until they have been severed from that master, even then it isn't much since their primal instincts of destruction target everything around them. I just felt I should give them the option of leaving, almost like my warning to them before they sacrifice themselves for nothing. With my ability to control them to an extent, it was worth a shot. I sensed confusion arise in the swarms of Zerg, some of them were actually turning in circles. I sensed another presence in the cluster, although it was simply a will of control to counteract what I had just done. I sensed the few Zerg in the front lines that I had affected get killed right away, apparently whichever Cerebrate sent this wave didn't like what I did to some of its forces. When the swarms got close enough to see, I saw that all of the Zerg were blue, meaning it was the forces of Daggoth's Surtur Brood. I powered up more and transformed into Super Mystic form, spreading my energy out in a thin but potent layer for a good mile or so around me in every direction. Many of the Zerg hissed in fear and came to a halt, getting killed by a stampede that was forced into movement by their master. I spoke again to the swarm, making sure that its controller heard my words before its minions got too close to me.

"You will pay for sending these creatures to their deaths. I will come for you soon you heartless monsters!" I growled. The swarms rushed at me then, entering my energy field and ending their short and miserable lives one by one.

-

I wiped the few tears from my eyes as the last of the Zerg force died at or near my feet. The assault went on for a few hours, piling a tremendous number of Zerg corpses on the ground, the ones that didn't explode that is. None of their attacks ever succeeded in reaching me, so I didn't suffer any damage. Emotionally I was torn apart by what happened, and at the same time shaking my fists in disgust at the Overmind and its agents. Their willingness to send their Zerg slaves at their enemies like cannon fodder disturbed me greatly, even more than Frieza or Aldaris. I vowed I would avenge their deaths by killing their masters. The only thing that soothed my distress was the fact that the Zerg generally had no thoughts and feelings to enjoy or suffer through. I fired a number of mixed energy blasts at the ground around the area, taking care of the Zerg bodies by disintegrating them on the spot and giving them a decent burial. I powered down after checking the area a few times over, just to see if I missed any of them. Some had gone around my energy field, but the Protoss tore them to shreds before they got any farther. I flew back to the capitol, seeing many Protoss cheering my arrival and shouting victory chants. I entered the temple where we were assigned to stay for the duration of our trip. A vast number of high nobles and officers greeted me at the door, I did my best to shake them off with a smile and continue to the room they had assigned me. I'm beginning to see what the Overmind will do to get its way and why I have to stop it. It's disregard and disrespect of life itself turns my stomach. As if the word stomach applied to his appearance, I spotted Goku and Bardock in the wide halls ahead of me, munching down as I passed by that mess hall.

"Hey Verto, how did it go? Must have gone really good cause we didn't sense you having any trouble! Want some food? I bet your hungry after a battle like that!" Goku offered the chair next to him. I turned one sad look to him and kept going to my room, the amount of pain I felt on the inside was going to spill over very soon.

"Verto? What's wrong?" Goku asked, coming out of the mess hall behind me.

I sensed Bardock pull his son back in, "Come Kakarot, I think the boy needs to be left alone for now!" I entered my room and lay on my bed, letting down my mental guard and allowing the suffering I had sensed from the Zerg to overtake me. In my time with them, I had never felt that suffering in any other situation other than death. I also understood the actual race better than ever now. The Zerg were victims of the Overmind and its Cerebrates' abuse. They were a former race of something that had been twisted and de-evolved into their present form, never allowed to think or move freely amongst themselves. It was probably many races species that they had once been, animals, humans, maybe even the Protoss themselves. They didn't have minds or souls anymore because the Overmind had stolen them. They were all crying for freedom from this vile creature's reach, and the only freedom they could attain was death. I was the key to their liberation, and they rushed to their deaths as quickly as possible. I promise to end your suffering and bring your masters to justice. I then proceeded to cry myself to sleep, despair filled my nightmares, all of them revolving around the Zerg and others that had been destroyed by my hand.

Interlude 55.2: Vegeta and Gohan

"Is he asleep boy?" Vegeta asked as he and Gohan were parked outside of Verto's room.

"Finally, I think he was crying the entire time, what do you think happened out there?" Gohan asked as he and Vegeta began to walk the halls. Unlike last time, their injuries weren't severe enough to need medical attention past rest and a series of good meals, so all of them declined that offer.

"I believe that he has seen the Overmind for what it is. A cold blooded and dishonorable creature that sends its own creations to their deaths without a second thought. It's like what Frieza was to his soldiers, they all feared what he would do if they didn't obey him, even if it meant their own deaths. The boy has been through a lot lately, and the training under the Dark Templar has put even more weight on his shoulders. Normally I would simply get him into a fight or two to work off this frustration, however I feel that he will eventually snap because of all of this stress. Their training has made him very efficient as you saw earlier today, it has also made his steely insides softer than water. That personality split and the death of his mate have caused this to happen. He may be powerful and skilled, but he is still just a boy and this is too much strain put upon him. We will probably see the breaking point of this very soon. Stay out of his way when it happens, he will likely do something rash to end this suffering. With luck he will direct his attention towards the Overmind first," Vegeta explained.

"Are you saying he's going to kill himself?" Gohan asked.

"I wouldn't put it past him now, today is an excellent example of this. After he took down Aldaris so easily, I thought that Zeratul's final training in that temple had done him good, but it seems that his fight with the Zerg may have changed things," Vegeta said, sounding concerned.

"If he's going to kill himself eventually, shouldn't we do something about it, you know, try to help him out? We are the closest thing he has to family now!" Gohan suggested.

"I have no intention of preventing it now boy, he's gone past a point of no return without realizing it. I seriously doubt we have enough time to get the Namek Dragonballs to wish the girl back before he resorts to that. I'll be surprised if he lasts a week," Vegeta grumbled as he started to walk off. Gohan stopped him by grabbing his shoulder, quickly removing it when he heard the responding growl.

"Why would you not try to help him, I know I will!" Gohan asked desperately. Vegeta sighed slightly, he didn't want to keep this conversation going, but he knew an answer was due for Gohan to shut up and understand.

"Because he does not need it or want it, the best thing to do is not agitate him nor hold him back. It is a very Saiyan trait that will tell him to regard allies as enemies if they get in the way of contact with the one he loves," Vegeta said calmly, walking off. Gohan stood there for a moment, trying to decipher what Vegeta actually meant by that phrase. He already knew that Fasha being dead was potentially a dangerous wild card for Verto to put up with now, he experienced the same thing to an extent with Videl. He suddenly realized what Vegeta was saying, and why he wouldn't try to stop Verto from doing whatever he would do. He respected Verto and was proud for his power and ability. And now he had the one thing he never had for anyone below him, he had pity for him. Pity for the boy that seemed like his second son, and pity for what he was going through. Pity for having to be one of a chosen few to be heroes, and his young mind was overwhelmed with the responsibility. Gohan nodded slightly without a word, knowing that he would take that secret to the grave or he'd answer to Vegeta. I hope it doesn't come to that my friend, I wish there was something I could do to help you out, Gohan thought as he glanced at Verto's door, walking off to his own room a few minutes later.