Chapter 3: Red Faction - Turles: The Renegade Saiyan

Planet Hope. Age 739.

"My name is Turles. I think you and I should meet face to face, oh Mister Legendary Super Saiyan."

The Bardock look alike said with a wide smirk.

Riddic frowned, crossing his arms.

Behind him, the silver-haired Saiyan could hear Lea whispering to Paragus but couldn't quite make it out.

Knowing her, she was probably stating how much of a smug prick this Turles is.

"I admit. You've caught my interest." Riddic replied, closing his eyes. "Am I to assume what you want in return for this information is for the two of us to meet in person?"

"Well, that's the start." Turles said with a chuckle. "I'm hoping to obtain something very beneficial from our meeting, especially if the rumors about you are accurate."

"Another challenger aiming to defeat the Legendary Super Saiyan?" Lea cut in. "You're a damn fool if you think you can beat my mate."

Turles turned his gaze, studying the woman.

"Oh?" He said, curiosity peeked. "And who's this lovely creature?"

"She's my mate, and whom isn't involved in our business." Riddic answered. Turles slowly drew his eyes back to the silver-haired Saiyan.

"Indeed, yet clearly she want to be." Turles smiled. "She has...caught my interest. Do bring her along when you come to meet me. I would like to see her face to face."

Riddic lowered his arms. 'Bastard.' He mentally cursed. 'He's looking for an advantage.'

This Saiyan will find that two can play this game.

"Fine, she along with four other representatives shall meet you where ever you so desire." Riddic replied. "These five are some of my most trusted subordinates, as such I refuse to meet someone I hardly know without them by my side."

Turles, at first, replied a rather insulting laugh. "And here I thought the Legendary Super Saiyan was an ruthless killing machine! Not someone who hides behind the backs of others!"

He closed his eyes, chuckling to himself as he slowly calmed down.

"Agreed, so long as you wouldn't mind five of my own, representatives I believe was the word you used, to our meeting."

Riddic nodded in agreement. "Where in the galaxy would you like our meeting to take place?"

Turles smiled. "It's a planet untouched by the likes of the Planet Trade. One I think you'll enjoy having such a grand event as this."

He paused a moment to let out a short laugh.

"I'll send the coordinates momentarily. See you in 10 days, oh Legendary Super Saiyan."

With that, the image of Turles blinked off.

A moment after, one of the techs sitting before the comm controls spoke up confirming the coordinates of the chosen planet have been sent.

Captain Drak immediately ordered the officer to find out everything about said planet.

As the RF tech officer went to work, Riddic turned to face the trio behind him.

He smiled, turning his gaze to his mate.

"Looks like he took a liking in you Lea."

"Don't remind me." She replied with the roll of her eyes. "Can't stand selfish assholes like him."

"Serves you right for speaking out of turn." Paragus chimed in.

Lea snapped her head around.

"Like you have the right to say anything!"

Riddic let out a short laugh.

"Alright, calm down." He said, holding up one hand. "Let's just focus on what we need to do from here on out ok?"

"Indeed, this needless bickering is only delaying us." Captain Drak added without even so much as a glance at the two. "You should show more restraint, especially when in the presence of Lord Riddic."

"What did you saw baldy?!" Lea turned to face the demon, placing her hand on her hips. "How dare you say that I show restrain! I'm a Saiyan! The mate of Lord Riddic! I can do as I damn well please!"

Drak let out a sigh. "For that very reason is why I'm suggesting you show restraint."

He turned to face the woman, glaring at her with cold eyes. "If you continue to act this improper, how will it reflect Lord Riddic? Why would anyone wish to deal with him when his woman is such an unruly beast?"

A vain popped out of Lea's forehead as her face turned red with anger. 'Beast huh?' She thought. 'Oh I'll show you beast.'

The Saiyan took a few steps forward, standing toe to toe with Captain Drak.

"IF I WANTED YOUR GODDAMN OPINION I WOULD ASK FOR IT CAPTAIN!" She shouted near the top of her lungs, poking her finger at Drak's chest with each word. "SINCE I DIDN'T, I ADVISE YOU TO SHUT UP BEFORE I SHOW YOU HOW MUCH OF AN 'UNRULY BEAST' I TRULY AM!"

Drak didn't reply, nor did he back down. He simply held his ground complying with Lea's wish to shut up, staring into the female with his cold gaze.

Lea's eye twitched in annoyance. She expected something from the demon. Honestly, she was disappointed.

"Lea please..." Riddic said, aiming to quell his lover's anger. Lea turned to face him.

"What, do you agree with him?" She half snapped.

"I agree that you need to calm down." Riddic replied, his face portraying disappointment. "You've gone too far this time Lea."

Lea stared at her mate for a good dozen minutes before letting out a massive sigh. "Fine, I'll behave from now on."

"Thank you."

"Captain Drak, Lord Riddic," The tech officer tasked with confirming the coordinates spoke. "We've finished confirming the planet's coordinates along with the calculations for how long it will take to reach it from here."

"If you were to leave right away, it should take 10 days exactly before you arrive on the planet's surface."

"Arrogant one isn't he?" Paragus cut in. "He expects you to drop everything and go right away. Seems like this Turles thinks the galaxy revolves around him."

"Which bring me to the question of who you had in mind to accompany you, my lord." Drak added.

"I plan on bringing Lea and Paragus with me of course." Riddic answered.

"That still leaves three."

"Yeah...I would love to have Roy, Ragu and Travis come along but they're too far out to make it back in ten days."

Riddic crossed his arms.

"Daizu's out of the question seeing as he's off pressuring several PTO governors to side with Red Faction."

This silver-haired Saiyan moved his right hand up to his chin, holding it with two fingers.

"Bardock's an option, assuming he's already finished with his engagement."

"About that, we received an update not too long ago from one of his subordinates that they plan on attacking the Dodo and their allies sometime later today." Captain Drak stated. "I would have passed this along to you sooner had this Turles left us undisturbed."

Riddic let out a sigh. "So there's no way he can make it?"

"Actually," The tech officer chimed in. "The Planet Todocama is in the next solar system over. If Commander Bardock can leave within the chosen day he could make it, give or take an hour or two."

"Send a message to him immediately." Captain Drak replied. "Inform him of all this along with instructions to meet Lord Riddic upon the day of the meeting."

"What's the name of this planet anyway?" Riddic asked, seeing as the officer failed to mention it prior.

"Apologies Lord Riddic, but we have extremely limited information upon the chosen planet." The tech officer answered.

"We don't know its official name, only what's listed in the data banks: Designation Planet B25, home to a densely populated tier 3 race. Flagged as a quality planet to be brought to the galactic market."

"He would choose a populated planet for our meeting." Riddic muttered under his breath. "Thank you trooper, carry on with your work."

"That still leaves two my lord." Drak said, drawing his lord's attention. "As much as I desired to accompany you, I need to remain behind to ensure Red Faction remains in proper function."

"Of course. I can't bring Rouge either seeing as he's not the type to wait patiently as we talk things out." Riddic added. "I rather have him standby here in case something happens."

The silver-haired Saiyan held his chin with his right hand, pondering who the remaining two should be.

After a few minutes, a thought popped into his head. He let out a sigh, but seeing as his options were limited decided to go through with it anyway.

"Open up a channel to Planet Vegeta." He said. "I have a request to make to our allies."

Sometime later...

"We have a problem darling." Lea spoke as she kept pace with her lover as the two walked together down the corridors of the C&C tower. "A serious problem."

"What could be more trouble than what we may be walking into in 10 days time?" The silver haired Saiyan replied.

"I forgot about it earlier since I was all frustrated." Lea started to replied. "Since the two of us are going off to meet that arrogant Saiyan, who's going to watch Broly?"

Riddic paused, suddenly coming to that realization.

Yes...That thought never crossed his mind.

Now that it had, it complicated things.

Obviously Paragus was out since he too was going on this mission.

Most of the other trustworthy people are way from the planet and Captain Drak will have his hands full running Red Faction during these next 10 days.

"We need someone to watch Broly while we are away." Riddic replied, stating the obvious.

Lea let out a sigh before crossing her arms.

"Of course, but who?"

"Can't you ask Gine to watch him?" Riddic said with the turn of his head.

"I would, but Broly doesn't seem to like her for some reason." Lea replied, shrugging her arms. "He always tries to avoid her, that's why Broly's never close to me when she is unless he has to."

The silver-haired Saiyan remembered how Broly seemed to be exploring the halls when he arrived and quickly went to continue his exploring once he guided his "father" to his "mother".

Maybe it's related to how every time Broly sees Bardock the 2 year old throws himself into a fit.

"Is that so? That complicates things then." Riddic replied with a sigh. "Now who else do we know that can watch our little Broly?"

As soon as he uttered that question and answer to their dilemma rose as if summoned by the flow of destiny.

"Yo! Mr. Super Saiyan Bossman!" The all too familiar voice of the undisciplined and obviously last person Riddic would think of sounded out ahead of them.

"I heard someone decided to challenge you openly! Want me to set'em straight for you?"

Lea and Riddic glared at the most free spirited yet arrogant and childish Rouge.

After several silent moments the two lovers turned their heads, looking into each others eyes.

In unison, they let out a sigh before mentally uttering the same sentence.

'What other choose do we have?'

Riddic returned his gaze to the powerful, yet difficult soldier. "I'm actually off to deal with that personally." He replied. "Rouge, I have a mission specifically for you to carry out while I deal with that matter."

"Oh? A mission direct from the boss, thee Legendary Super Saiyan?" Rouge's eyes seemed to light up as he spoke with anticipation.

"What is it? Assassinating some powerful officer? Conquering a planet single handed? Leading a squad of men on a suicide mission deep behind enemy lines?"

Riddic gave the man a awkward smile. "Actually, I was wondering if you would watch Broly for me."

Rouge's face turned from animated to disappointed in a millisecond.

He tilted his head back, a vain seemingly popping out of his forehead as he held a calm yet furious anger.

"...What?"

Planet Todocama. The night before the offensive...

Bardock slept soundly in his borrowed bed; a simple straw woven hammock with a crud but usable pillow.

Tonight, as most every night since awaking from his comma, he dreamt of the future. Both of near and far, or so he would guess.

Thanks to the Kanassan living in his subconscious, the Saiyan's visions of the future have been filtered through his sleep.

No more needless interruptions during the day, no more distractions while fighting, just as Bardock wanted.

Of course, full control over these powers would be a plus. Unfortunately, this was the best Toolo could do as this method was the only way his race could control them.

Unless the vision was a truly powerful one, such as their own death.

In any case, Bardock was grateful for the fish-humanoid's help. Especially since he decided to live in his head without permission.

Now the Saiyan witness the visions of the future, rarely understanding the meanings of or people appearing in them.

The first was a vision of Prince Vegeta, or what appeared to be him as the figure seemed to be in his teens.

He hovered in a heavy blue-gray mist, fighting fighting several warriors of some sort.

Bardock didn't recognized them as none seem to be a member of any race affiliated with the Planet Trade.

"If this is all you got, I'd seriously consider a career change." The Prince smirked, raising his right hand.

The second was about a blue haired girl an a young boy with a tail standing before her. It took Bardock a moment to realize this is his younger son Kakarot.

The girl popped out of a two wheeled vehicle, perhaps a common sort found on the planet they where on. She held some metal device, like a significantly smaller version of a blaster he'd seen some PTO troopers use.

"Take this!" She shouted, shooting off her device. A metal projectile of some sort hit Kakarot square in his forehead.

The young Saiyan fell back, rubbing his forehead with one hand.

"Owch, what you do that for?"

The blue haired girl blinked a few times in disbelief, cold sweat fell down the side of her face.

"What are you, some kind of freak?"

The third had a number of pointy eared, cloaked figures gathered around an elder or their leader. If nothing else some figure of importance given the attention the majority gave this man.

The cloaked figures were humanoid with sickly green skin, two whiskers pointing out the sides of their cheeks, dark green eyes and green-blue hair.

The elder held up the wooden staff he held in one hand, looking up to the dark sky that surrounded him.

"Kill the heretics!" He yelled as loud as he lungs could muster.

All around him the other cloaked figures cheered and roared, working themselves up into a frenzy as several of them swung knifes freely up in the air.

The fourth was a close up at a bald headed, tough looking man with stone cold eyes.

"Interesting offer, but I decline." The man said to someone probably standing before him, Bardock couldn't tell for sure.

The fifth had Riddic in it. He stood before a massive green skinned, bald headed wrinkly alien with two antenna sticking out of his forehead and pointy ears.

"I'm sorry for having to trouble you again." Riddic said with a slight bow to the large humanoid. "I promise I'll do whatever I must to protect your people from harm."

"No need for that my friend," The alien replied, his voice deep and wise. "I trust you and your associates will do everything in your power to defend us from this evil that threatens our very way of life."

At that moment, the vision suddenly switched off. Nothing came after it faded yet the Saiyan was still very much asleep.

'Odd.' Bardock thought. 'That never happened before-'

A new image pushed into his mind, one of a shadow surrounded in bright light.

Bardock could barely make out the shape within the shadow. Whatever it was, it appeared massive. It was long with three joins that made up it's entire body.

The upper part of the figure's body -presumably the head- lit up in several small slots, most likely eyes.

There where 5 rows of two sets of eyes, glowing in the same blinding light that surrounded the shadowy figure.

Suddenly the image shifted far too fast for Bardock's liking as it focused on the figure's head.

The next moment Bardock realized he was floating in a black void, he looked around spotting nothing in the darkness.

What just happened? He said, yet his mouth failed to move.

"Something noticed us." The familiar voice of Toolo replied.

Bardock turned to face the man, the latter sweating like he just ran a mile.

The Saiyan raised his eyebrow in surprise. What do you mean? Who noticed us?

"I...do not know." The Kanassan answered. "This...This has never happened before."

Toolo shook his head in disbelief. "Someone...Something found us within the psychic plane. I never imagined such a feat possible."

Psychic plane? Bardock crossed his arms. What even is that?

"It's the source of psychic abilities. What one draws power from when using abilities such as telepathy and telekinesis and what one visits when seeing the future."

I don't fully understand. Bardock slightly shook his head. How do I visit the psychic plane when seeing into the future?

"The psychic plane is used like a vessel, source of power, or even a focus point when someone looks into the future or use any other psychic ability for that matter." Toolo explained.

"It is through the psychic plane that others may bend the rules of space and time without tearing the very fabric of the universe or reality for that matter."

Makes sense, I guess... Bardock closed his eyes. So what does it mean when something like this happens?

"I can't say for sure, this is the first time I've experience something like this." Toolo shook his head. "Something took an interest in us, whether this being will purse us or merely looking is something only time will tell."

Bardock let out a sigh. Something decided to mess with the two of them yet there was nothing either of them could do about it.

It felt like a lesser version of Frieza and that was something the Saiyan couldn't stand for.

Still, they had no idea what this thing wanted yet so.

Nothing more we can do huh?

Toolo nodded in acknowledgment, glaring at his 'roommate' for the next few quiet minutes.

"Dawn is coming." He suddenly spoke, turning around to once more disappear into the dark.

"Best of luck in the battle ahead." Toolo said with a chuckle. "Not that I doubt you're skills, Saiyan. I simply wish to enjoy this existence a while longer."

I'll take that as you're way of showing concern for me.

"Take it as you wish." The Kanassan replied as his voice grew distant. "We are one being after all."

The following morning...

Bardock woke, finding himself drenched in sweat.

Given how crazy last night was, it didn't surprise him in the least.

He sat up from his borrowed bed, taking a moment to wipe the sweat off his face before glancing around the room.

The Tomakachi gave his entire legion temporary boarding like the home he was in; simple wood and straw made huts that were nearly identical in design.

The Village Chief insisted that Bardock and his soldiers take these huts as their own for the time being.

Many of their owners wouldn't be returning home to complain anyway, all thanks to the Dodo and their allies.

The Saiyan sat up, pacing to a large wooden bowl place upon a wood carved dresser directly across the bed.

Bardock looked at his own image reflecting off the water inside the bowl for a few moments before cupping his hands together, scooping up as much water as he could and splashing it on his face.

Drops fell back into the bowl as Bardock looked once more at his reflection. His thoughts drifting through the strange events that happened last night.

Three knocks rang out, snapping the Saiyan out of thought.

"Commander?" The voice of a RF trooper sounded out. "Are you awake sir?"

"Yeah, just a minute." Bardock replied, turning to dress himself.

After a few moments, the Saiyan paced to the wooden carved door and opened it the moment he arrived at the threshold.

"Sir," The soldier saluted, holding the stance as he continued. "Good morning sir. Sleep well?"

"Mostly." Bardock bluntly replied as he walked out the door. The Red Faction trooper stepped aside so the Saiyan could pass.

"What's our status?" He asked, strolling off towards the village center.

"Most everyone is up and awaiting any instruction you command sir." The trooper started as he paced after his commander. "The Tomakachi are finishing up their morning rituals and will be available shortly."

The rituals the trooper mention is a daily prayer every Tomakachi carries out every morning and night.

Bardock witnessed it one time, the Tomakachi sits with his legs crossed facing the sun as he or she mutters some sort of chant while moving their arms about in three different positions.

The first is the typical pressing hands together to form a triangle position that many use when praying to whatever god or gods they worship.

The second position is a simple throwing their arms above their heads and holding it for a solid 5 minutes.

For the third position they bring their hands to the ground, letting the backsides touch the floor as they touch their index and middle fingers with their thumbs.

After repeating cycle this for several dozen minutes, the Tomakachi prostrate themselves on the floor bowing to the sun as they speak their chant slightly louder than before, but seeing as no one among his mean can speak their language the Saiyan has no clue what these sentient tomatoes are saying, let alone what they worship if not the sun.

"I see." Bardock bluntly replied, turning his gaze to the trooper. "What about our preparations? Are we ready for the assault?"

"Everything is advancing ahead of schedule." The trooper said with a nod. "We should be able to launch the offensive within the hour."

"Good, tell the men be ready. I want to start as soon as we're ready."

"Very good sir."

The trooper quickly saluted then jogged off to carry out his orders.

Bardock continued on his way to village center deep in thought.

'The sooner I'm finished here the sooner I can go on that high-priority mission I received a few days ago.'

'Whatever it is, it must be important seeing as Captain Drak and Riddic both requested my precise.'

'On the other hand, I have to worry about whatever that was last night doing something now that it took an interest in me.'

'First things first, free the Tomakachi and slay the Dodo and their allies. Everything else can come after I've done that.'

"Not that I can't handle everything at once." The Saiyan said the last part aloud.

"Dad!" An all too familiar voice shouted out.

Bardock turned, staring at his eldest son Raditz. The latter smiling as he jogged over to his father.

"What is it Raditz?" Bardock asked once his son stopped before him.

"Today's the day we attack those Dodo guys right?"

"Yeah..."

"I can't wait!" Raditz said, his eyes glittering with excitement. "I finally can show you what I'm capable of!"

Bardock crossed his arms. "Just don't die like a weakling Raditz." He bluntly replied. "I couldn't stand the though of someone with my blood cut down so easily."

"I won't die, dad." Raditz replied with a smirk. "I'll make you proud."

"We'll see..." Bardock said, lowering his arms. "Just listen to what I say and you'll be fine."

"Sure thing dad." Raditz said with a nod.

"Anything else?"

Raditz shook his head.

"Good. I'll see you later." Bardock said, continuing on his way to the village center.

In a few hours time the joint assault between his legion and the local Tomakachi will commence.

Then, those damn bird brain Dodo and their Planet Trade allies will fall just as those who came before them.

One hour later...

Bardock glazed into the faces of the men gathered before him; Red Faction and Tomakachi warriors alike. They in turned gazed upon him; their commanding officer, leader of this grand force and savior to the natives of this planet.

Well, not the Dodo of course as they will learn soon enough.

"Sir!" A RF officer saluting at the Saiyan's side shouted. "Communications are active and translation software is running smoothly. All who are participating in the offensive can hear you."

In the days they have been here, Red Faction technicians and language experts have successfully managed to create an automated language translation device to aid in commuting with the Tomakachi.

While only able to translate words in a basic matter, it greatly improved communication efforts between the two allies.

"Good." Bardock replied, turning his gaze only for a moment.

He took one step forward, taking one last head-turning glance at the warriors before him.

"Members of the 36th Legion, Tomakachi warriors, today is the day we have been waiting for."

"We of Red Faction have waited 2 weeks, a simple 14 days for this operation. The Tomakachi however, have waited their entire lifetime for this moment. This single chance to finally bring an end to this endless cycle of fear."

"A chance to finally slay the Dodo menace that have terrorized their kind for generations!"

"Today, we bring about the hope and prayer of every Tomakachi child born under this yellow sun!"

A roar of approving cheers came from the Tomakachi gathered before him. Bardock, along with many of his soldiers knew that many if not all fellow Tomakachi warriors cheered the same as these men.

Bardock waited till the cheering started to die out before continuing.

"When Lord Riddic founded Red Faction, we swore to bring liberation to a galaxy enslaved by fear and oppression!"

"Today we aim to do just that! By freeing the Tomakachi we act in his desire! By slaying the Dodo we carry out the Legendary Super Saiyan's will!"

"We all know what we are here for, but if nothing else remember this!"

"Today is the day we end the Dodo threat and that of their allies once and for all!"

Every soldier screamed their approval with a loud, thunderous roar. It rang out in the chests of all those gathered there, creating a sense of depth behind their cheers.

Bardock knew that each of his men along with the Tomakachi will preform their duty in liberating this planet from oppression.

"We begin in 10 minutes!" The Saiyan shouted above the crowd. "Report to your officers and prepare yourselves for the fight to come!"

"Needless to say, I expect each and everyone of you to pull your weight! Show these Dodo what it means to be true warriors!"

Several dozen minutes later...

The attack against the Dodo's walled cities began with such tenacity that even Bardock failed to predict who fast the enemy defenses would fall.

Granted they had the element of surprise, yet they shouldn't have been able to push this far so fast.

Either the enemy is much more incompetent that he first thought or this might be some cleaver ruse.

For all they knew, the infamous Commander Ledgic could be commanding the enemy force aiming to try another surround and ambush tactic or some other plot.

Whatever the case, they will crush the Dodo this day no matter the cost.

Bardock watched from his command post as half the settlement before him laid in ruins. Explosions and burst of light flash wildly as the battle continued to rage.

Even from this distance, one could hear the battle cries and dying screams as these two forces tore into one another.

"The enemy defenses are crumbling." One RF trooper shouted from his station. "We have similar reports across the planet, the Dodo are falling on all fronts."

"Just the Dodo?" Bardock asked, turning to face the trooper. "Have there been any sightings of Planet Trade soldiers?"

"None that have been reported, sir."

Bardock frowned. This piece of news only fed his suspicions.

"We had intel about a PTO garrison force deployed to this planet. I even confirmed it with my own eyes." Bardock turned back around, gazing at the ruined battlefield. "So were the hell are they? Did they flee like cowards?"

"All I can say is they are still on the planet sir." A different trooper replied. "Otherwise, we would have detected their ships leaving the surface."

"This isn't right." Bardock said, shaking his head. "They should be here and yet-"

"Commander Bardock!" The trooper from before interrupted. The Saiyan spun around, already knowing part of what the man was about to say.

"We have a confirmed sighting of the Planet Trade garrison force!" The trooper gasped as the report played on in his Scouter. "They're attacking the left flank!"

Bardock let out a low grunt. The left flank is manly maned by Tomakachi warriors. While Bardock was confident they can hold their own for awhile, if these Plant Trade forces were anything but third rate soldiers they will roll right over them.

"I'll head out myself." He said with authority. "Call my personal forces...and my son's."

Several troopers nodded in acknowledgment before carrying out the Saiyan's orders.

Bardock crossed his arms, barely paying attention as his men went about.

He gave his son command of a new expendable fighting force whose members were crafted by the Saiyans 2 years ago.

The small, green and rather repulsive looking creatures known as Saibamen were crafted for the sole task of clearing out those unworthy of fighting Saiyans.

Though many typical Saiyans couldn't care less if those they slain were weaklings are not so long as they put up a "good fight" those among the elite were beginning to complain about fighting unworthy foes.

Thus the Saibamen were created to help cult the pathetic from everyone else. Those that can defeat the mindless creatures were worthy of dying by a Saiyan's hand. At least that was the idea.

Additionally they are used for training purposes in simulating life or death battles against multiple foes. These simulations help judge a Saiyan child's potential along with any particular skills that have room for improvement.

As painful as it is to admit; Raditz has until recently couldn't defeat even one of these artificial creatures.

Bardock figured that he might as well give Raditz a taste of command now, even those his subordinates were nothing better than simple cannon fodder.

Sometime later...

The relief forces flew at half-speed, spearheaded by Bardock and several of his best men.

"Keep up Raditz!" The commander shouted to his son, noticing the latter started to fall behind.

Though Bardock and his elites were traveling at half speed, Raditz and the Saibamen struggled to keep pace as they strained themselves forward.

"I...I'll try father!"

"Don't try, just do it!" Bardock crossed his arms in disappointment. The men at his side snickered, some even chuckled a bit.

"Kind of harsh aren't you commander?"

"Well if my son was that pathetic I'd be screaming at him too!"

"You shouldn't judge the commander. How he chooses to raise his kid is his business."

"Why the hell did you drag along your kid anyway commander?"

"Shuttup, all of you!" Bardock snapped. "What I decide to do with my son is no concern for any of you."

"Understood Commander." All the troopers whom spoke before said in unison.

Bardock glanced back at his son. Signs of struggle, exhaustion and pain clearly showed across Raditz's face.

The boy was trying, that could be clearly seen. It's just that there is such a great gap between the two of their individual abilities that made Bardock stomach turn.

He knew that if Raditz tried, if he truly tired under the right circumstances he would be able to catch up with his father easily.

Bardock closed his eyes, sighing.

"We'll land here." He said, reopening his eyes. "Take a quick breather then move on."

"A break already?" One monstrous looking, purple skinned humanoid with two small horns popping out his forehead spoke up. "We only started-"

The RF trooper was interrupted by one of his companions; a plan human looking man with a standard PTO trooper helmet encasing his head. Spray painted on the back of the helmet in red were the words "Freedom from Oppression!" (Spelled out in the "universal" language).

"Understood Commander!" The man shouted.

The purple skinned humanoid turned to his comrade, about to say something when he realized the reason why they were stopping.

He glanced to the Saiyan brat and the so called Saibamen behind them for a brief moment, confirming his theory.

His friend turn his head, their eyes meet as the nodded at one another.

Without so much as a mutter from anyone else, the Red Faction soldiers began descending one by one into the lust forest below them.

Several minutes later...

Raditz leaped from branch to branch as he pressed forward at a fast yet constant pace. Following behind were his Saibamen. Sure they are mindless artificial creatures that wouldn't amount to anything significant, but still these lab born mini-monsters are the first soldiers the young Saiyan has ever commanded.

Raditz took a sense of pride in leading others, which in turn made him feel proud that his father had entrusted such a responsibility.

Bardock and his men were far ahead of Raditz and the Saibamen, yet they made sure that at least three of them would remain in their eyesight at all times.

After noting how exhausted the "Disposables" as the Saibamen have been known to be called, along with his son, Bardock decided to travel the rest of the way on foot.

He conveyed this order by means of retaining the element of surprise while ensuring they would be near full fighting strength when they arrive.

Most figured out this order had the hidden purpose of ensuring the little Saiyan wouldn't pass out along the way.

Many of Bardock's men already knew Raditz and his Saibamen would be nothing but a liability. However, if that liability prevented them from saving more of their fellow comrades that they could have...

"Keeping pace Raditz?" He heard the voice of his father through his green Scouter.

"Yes Father!" The boy proudly said joyfully in reply.

"Good, that's what I expect for you." Bardock replied in kind.

Raditz smiled, those last words echoing in his heart.

That's what I expect for you...

Though it wasn't much, his father started to believe in his capabilities. Though usually cold in his interactions, Raditz felt that after this campaign his father may finally start to warm up to him.

"We should be there soon!" The helmet wearing trooper shouted, snapping Raditz back to reality.

He focused in front of him, eager to prove himself in battle, eager to show what he was capable of.

Yet...Raditz could shake this feeling of-

-BOOOM!

An explosion echoed through the forest, one that sounded far too close. In front of him, the RF troopers frantically searched for the source of the explosion.

"Where did that come from?!" A large crocodile looking humanoid shouted as he scanned the area before him.

"No idea!"

Another RF trooper; a four armed, red skinned humanoid with long, black spiky hair replied.

"I don't see any-"

An energy blast rushed toward the latter, whom managed to see it at the last moment and managed to block in time.

Smoke emanated off his arms, shaking from the blow. He looked for the one responsible for the surprise attack, only to find a wave on incoming energy blasts coming off his left side.

Eyes widening, he shouted with all his might before putting up a barrier to protect himself.

"INCOMING!"

Bardock and his men, along with Raditz and his Saibamen turned their attention to the incoming volley.

Many of the Red Faction soldiers moved to avoid the energy blasts or at least prepare to dodge each one individually.

Others held their ground, settling into a guard or enacting a barrier in an attempt to endure the onslaught.

However, the incoming blasts seemed to endless as they took up nearly every empty space...

Raditz froze in fear, his body twitching trying in vain to move the young Saiyan on impulse.

The Saibamen flinched in fear before diving to the forest floor. Even if they were mindless creatures, they still had very reliable instincts.

As the energy blasts drew closer and closer, Raditz felt his whole world freeze. Unable to move out of pure fear, he watched in terror as his view grew brighter by the oncoming balls of death.

Suddenly, the young Saiyan felt himself moving. Reality started to fall back into shape as he realized someone was carrying him. Raditz turned his head, realizing the one whom had him slugged over their shoulder.

"Don't worry kid, I got you!" The helmet wearing RF trooper said, noting the motion. He gave the kid a thumbs up before refocusing on getting to cover fast.

The soldier leapt from branch to branch narrowly avoiding the first initial blasts. He took a dive down to the forest floor as explosions began to rock the tall, numerous trees.

Raditz closed his eyes, tensing up as he laid helpless on his comrades shoulder.

Before he could reopen his eyes, Raditz felt the soldier lift him up and place him on the ground.

When the young Saiyan blinked, he saw the helmet wearing trooper a tad too close to his own face.

"Stay down! This barrage should end soon!" The trooper said, placing a hand on Raditz's shoulder. "When it dies down, the enemy will likely charge us. Think you can handle it?"

Raditz gave the soldier a nervous, tense look before nodding several times.

The trooper gave a sigh, the sound of which masked by the ongoing explosions. He patted the kid twice on the shoulder, then shot up to his feet turning to leave.

"W-wait!" Raditz called out to the trooper. The latter half turned to the boy. "Could...could you tell me your name?"

The trooper blinked once, turned his head to scan the surrounding area quickly then back to the Saiyan kid.

"It's Don." He replied with a smile, though it was masked behind his helmet. "I'll try to keep an eye on you, but you need to look after yourself alright? I might not be able to help you like last time."

Raditz lowered his gaze. Giving a low umhum.

Don gazed at the kid for a few moments. For the time being he shut out the bombardment going on behind him.

"This is your first real battle isn't it?" He asked.

Raditz raised his head, completely caught off guard by the question.

Don took that as a flat yes. He let out another sigh before kneeling down to Raditz's level.

"I see...Well look at it this way." He began to say. "You are the son of our commander. A low born warrior turned elite. You might not be as great as your father now, but you have the potential to be great."

Don patted the boy on the shoulder once more before standing back up.

He turned around, giving the Saiyan a three finger wave and speed away to join his comrades.

Raditz looked down, noticing his right arm trembling with every explosion.

In a mix of shame and irritation, he grasped his right arm with his left hand.

He knew.

He knew there was such a large gap between he and his father.

He knew he was weak, so much so that it brought shame to the Saiyan race as a whole.

Despite all that, Raditz wanted to show his father he was willing to try. Try and grow strong like he was.

Yet...

Yet Raditz came to acknowledge one thing.

He was afraid of dying.

The very concept of death shook him to the core.

The Saiyans valued death in battle among all other ways.

Sure they are a warrior race, but shouldn't that encourage the opposite?

It didn't make any sense to him.

"Raditz, do you read?" Bardock's voice called out over the Scouter.

Raditz flinched, completely caught off guard.

After taking a few moments to recompose himself, Raditz replied to his father.

"Get your Saibamen ready!" Bardock continued. "The enemy will charge at us any minute now. I want those creatures ready to charge on my order."

Raditz quickly acknowledged his father before searching for his subordinates.

After regaining his courage, the Saiyan spotted several dozen pressed against the ground nearby, many staring at him.

Even after all this time, the monstrous appearance of the Saibamen still unnerved the Saiyan.

Still, he was more than willing to work with the artificial creatures.

"Gather round Saibamen!" Raditz commanded, glancing at all within sight.

At first, the Saibamen hesitated as they glance at one another. Then, with a smug smile, each stood up and slowly paced over to the young Saiyan.

"Our enemy should be appearing soon!" Raditz said once the Saibamen gathered around him. "When they come, we will meet them head on!"

At that moment, the last energy blast exploded somewhere behind them. With it, an eerie calm spread over the forest.

This silence was short lived however.

An ear bleeding chorus of screeches echoed through the forest.

Raditz covered his ears, almost instantly he'd recognized the source of the screeching.

"Dodo?" He said, clinching his teeth.

"HERE THEY COME!" A Red Faction trooper shouted nearly as soon as Raditz stopped speaking.

Raditz and his Saibamen turned towards the source.

Out of the darker parts of the forest came dozens upon dozens of Dodo warriors.

The Dodo were bird like raptors. They easily doubled the size of any Tomakachi.

The Dodo were mostly steel colored with brownish-gray spots.

These spots were random in design. Some were small and round, others large and rectangular. There were odder patterns still as each Dodo had a unique design.

Must make them far more easier to tell apart than any Tomakachi Raditz had seen.

They had massive, round heads nearly the size of their body. It was mostly mouth with two large bone teeth edged out of the sides, two holes to act as a nose, two white eyes and little room left for whatever passed as it's brain.

Tomakachi warriors often spoke of how the largest of the Dodo could swallow an average Tomakachi whole. After seeing them, Raditz couldn't help but believe them.

Their hands were small with four digits to each hand, yet they could easily claw anything to shreds. Despite their size, the Dodo could grab hold of any every day items.

In fact, several of the Dodo held PTO made blaster rifles linked to custom fitted Scouters designed to be worn snugly around the Dodo's round face.

They all had small tails, though they would barely pass as them since at best they could only wage them a few inch back and forth.

What held them all together was their strong, four digit legs. Not only did they hold the Dodo in perfect balance, they could speed up to 26 miles an hour. Of course, that speed maybe hampered in the forest...

Or it would have if the previous volley not clear away a good portion of the trees.

The Dodo rushed forward, side to side as they maneuvered around what remained of the trees that stood before them. These reptiles made a series of short roars, snaps, and other animal like noises at one another, communicating whatever poor planned ploy these small minded beings have cooked up.

"Raditz!" His father's voice sounded out once more. "Send your Saibamen against the Dodo!"

"Understood father!" Raditz replied, barely containing his excitement. "Saibamen! Your opponents are up ahead! Destroy them by any means necessary!"

The Saibamen creaked and chuckled in acknowledgement. They dashed off, flying at the approaching Dodo with glee.

Explosions rocked the Dodo's ranks as several of Bardock's men decided to bombard the enemy with energy blasts.

Some of the Dodo armed with blasters returned fire, though the elite soldiers brushed off these like a gust of wind. Many of the Dodo continued towards their enemy -in this case the Saibamen- in thoughtless blood thirst.

The two mindless forces clashed in a wave of violent chaos: Saibamen slamming into their chosen opponents, clawing and kicking the creatures as they in turn tried to devour the green abominations.

One Dodo managed to grab onto its opponent, quickly shaking the Saibamen back and forth as it bit down. Dissatisfied with the taste, the Dodo released the remains of the creature as it let out a howl.

This same Dodo soon came to its end when another Saibamen blasted it with an energy wave.

Elsewhere, a trio of Saibamen split open their heads, releasing the deadly acid held within their otherwise empty heads.

While many of the Dodo listened to their instincts and evaded the acid, those that were foolish enough to lay still soon came to regret their decision as their bodies began to melt. As these Dodo screamed in pain, the trio of Saibamen laughed in joy before turning their attention to other enemies around them.

Though outnumbered at least 5 to one, these man-made creatures slayed the Dodo warriors with relative ease.

Individually, the Dodo are far weaker than the artificial warriors. However, they made up for it with their large numbers and endless tenacity.

While still maintaining the advantage, even the simple minded Saibamen realized they would soon find themselves overwhelmed.

In an act of desperation, a Saibamen whom lost one of its arms decided to self-terminate itself. Recklessly, this Saibamen rushed at the swarming ranks of the Dodo, waiting until it was surrounded before self-destructing and took all within a few feet distance with it to the afterlife.

Similarly, other wounded Saibamen carried out the same action. Some battled until they were unable to move while others roared defiantly as they detonated soon after they closed in on their opponents.

The Dodo -whom lack the ability to process short turn memory- were baffled by the sudden detonations, yet continued to swarm toward their enemy.

Raditz felt sweat pore down his neck. His breathing intensified as the sounds of battle enveloped his mind. Each scream, each explosion, every audible sound echoed through his body.

'This is a battlefield.' He thought. 'This is what my father fights through.'

The young Saiyan felt pressure throughout his body, keeping him held in place as he watched the chaos irrupt before him.

'This is a battlefield.' Raditz repeated to himself. His fear of dying sprang from his mind, combining with the pressure of experiencing his first battle.

He couldn't breath.

Couldn't think clearly as the sounds of battle overwhelmed his mind.

Couldn't sort out reality as the sights of chaos consumed his vision.

Raditz drifted in his own body, unable to tell how much time passed as everything seemed to slow down.

In the corned of his eye, he saw something gray moving towards him.

The Saiyan turned as reality slowly started to dawn on him.

A single Dodo managed to maneuver around the battle and now stood before Raditz. The latter took a half step back as the reptile roared a challenge.

Still held by his own fear, Raditz backpedaled until he fell on his back. The Dodo gnawed at his hard beak like mouth, slowly taking two steps toward his prey.

Once the creature knew the Saiyan was held in place by his own fear, it roared once more before jumping forward with it's mouth wide.

Raditz moved his hands to protect himself, closing his eyes as tears rolled down his face.

He cursed himself for his cowardliness, all while hoping someone, something would save him for what he feared most.

Knowing this maybe the end, Raditz yelled at the top of his lungs.

"FATHER!"

Several minutes earlier...

"HERE THEY COME!" A Red Faction trooper yelled, drawing attention to the horde of Dodo charging from the forest floor.

Don glanced to his friend Natz; the horned purple skinned humanoid whom didn't know when to shut his mouth. The latter in turn meet his gaze and nodded.

"Looks like they're smarter than we give them credit for." He said, turning his focus back at the grey reptiles below.

"I don't think they planned this alone." Don replied. "Besides, how can these creatures launch such a spread out barrage of energy blasts when they can't even fly?"

Before his friend could offer a reply, a new order came over the Scouter.

"Thin them out before the Saibamen make contact!" Bardock commanded. "They might be weak, but they make up for it with their numbers!"

Without a moment to spare, Don and Natz along with their nearby squad mates began to fire energy blasts at the approaching wave of Dodo. Explosions rocked the ranks of the small minded creatures, yet they continued to advanced unphased by the barrage.

Other Dodo armed with blasters returned fire, but these blasts were little more than insect bites to the elites.

"Focus on the center of their formation!" Don shouted between blasts.

"I know, I know!" His friend replied.

At that moment, the Saibamen came into their view. Don turned his head, looking at Natz.

"Try not to hit the expendables! We wouldn't want the Commander's kid complaining about friendly fire."

Natz let out a snarl. "Who cares about that Saiyan brat anyway?"

"His father, probably." Don replied, turning his head back around. "I sort of like the kid too."

Natz responded with a disapproving tisk. "That kid has no place here Don."

"Maybe you're right, but-"

"-Watch out! Ahead of us!" A different voice shouted, cutting Don off.

Don and Natz shot their heads up. Rushing towards them with wicked smiles were several dozen Planet Trade Troopers.

"Looks like we found them!" Natz shouted before firing three energy blasts. The three closest PTO troopers fell towards the ground, their bodies smoking from Natz's blasts.

Other Red Faction soldiers followed his example, firing at the incoming wave of enemies. In response, the PTO soldiers flew faster at their prey, some laughing while others grinned before roaring a battle cry.

"For Lord Frieza!" The majority of them yelled moments before clashing with Bardock and his men. (Note: Bardock's further down the line from Don and Natz, so right now he's not in the focus point.)

Several crashed into Natz, pushing the latter away from his friend as he struggled to hold his ground.

Don blocked the opening punch of his opponent: A red skinned humanoid with long dark, messy hair. The latter laughed, twirled around and delivered a hard kick to his opponent's mid side.

Don flinched in pain, recovered then punched his opponent in his unguarded face. The PTO trooper backed up, his right hand covering his face.

After a moment, the man began to chuckle then it gradually turned into wild laughter.

He threw his hand to his side, smiling at Don.

"You guys really are tough, hahaha! Guess your reputation as an elite legion isn't all talk after all!" The humanoid said, holding his sinister smile. "If we kill you guys, Lord Frieza is sure to reward us!"

Don blinked a few times. He thought all of Frieza's overzealous trooper were on the front lines, not some backwater world like this. Guess the PTO were starting to run out of anything other.

"Frieza's been dead for two years!" Don replied to his opponent, waving his arm to his side. "Our Lord Riddic killed him during the Battle of Planet Vegeta!"

"Lord Frieza isn't dead!" The soldier shouted in glee. "He's merely pretending to be defeated, allowing all those unworthy of his generosity to rise up so he can slay them all at the moment of his choosing!"

"You guys can't accept the truth that's spelled out in front of you." Don said with the shake of his head. "I pity you, so I'll end this quickly."

"Let's see you try!" The insane trooper yelled, rushing forward.

The humanoid threw a left hook once he drew close. Don ducked down, swinging his right arm up for an uppercut. The PTO trooper caught the blow, smirking. Don responded by bashing his helmet against his opponent's face.

The PTO trooper flinched back, Don freed his right hand and fired a Ki blast at point blank range. Both fighters blew away from one another, smoke covering the area they once where.

Don shook his head, silently agreeing to himself never to use that move again. A insidious roar drew his attention forward, the PTO trooper threw himself though the smokescreen, and, with eyes bloodshot in furious insanity, rushed towards his opponent.

"Damn tenacious-!"

A new roar cut Don off.

"DUCK DON!" The familiar voice of Natz shouted.

Don trusted his friend, following his command. A moment afterward, a light purple energy wave brushed passed over his back towards the charging enemy fighter.

The humanoid barely had time to stop his momentum when Natz's attack consumed him in a fury of red light.

"You always were reckless." Don said, more to himself than his friend, as he rose, and turned to Natz. The latter had several cuts on his legs and arms, some still bleeding as he faced his friend with a smug look.

"That's another you owe me Don."

"Oh I'm sorry, I thought that was one of the three saves you still owe me?"

Natz blinked a few times. "It's not the other way around?"

"Afraid not." Don said with a smile. "This is why I'm the brains and your the brawn."

"Yeah, cause you can't deal with one trooper when I already dealt with five."

Don shook his head. "This guys are fanatics, and elites. Can't blame me if I fall behind on the kill count."

"Only losers make excuses Don." Natz replied with a smile. "Either keep up or shut up."

Don shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head once more. "Yeah, yeah."

"FATHER!" A blood turning scream echoed through the forest, pausing most for a brief moment at least.

It only took a half moment for Don to realize what that scream meant.

He glanced at the last place he seen Raditz, spotting the latter in nearly the exact spot. Only difference is there was a Dodo pouncing onto the young Saiyan.

"Natz!" Don yelled, quickly speeding towards the commander's kid with all haste.

Natz glance ahead of Don, realizing what all the trouble was about. "Kais damn it." He said under his breath, soon following his friend.

Raditz's hands covered his face in a desperate act to ward off the Dodo's coming attack.

Time slowed down for the young Saiyan as his mind raced with thoughts of his own cowardliness. Of how he would shame his father by dying like a weak hearted fool, of how his mother would grieve over his death.

Of how he failed to prove himself and show the world he was more than a weakling.

As Raditz waited for the end, cursing himself silently, his thoughts shifted to his younger brother whom he never meet.

Kakarot...Would he end up like his older brother?

A weakling, coward who would die in some uneventful way?

Or would he become what their father always desired them to be? A full fledged warrior any Saiyan father would proudly state, "That is my son".?

Raditz would never know. Worse, he would never be there for his baby brother, assuming he survives to claim whatever world he ended up being deployed to.

Kakarot would only know his brother through the stories others -probably their father- would tell them. That he was nothing but a coward. A weakling disgrace that shamed the Saiyan race by his mere existence.

In that sense, maybe it was perfectly fine for him to die on this backward planet. Swallowed whole by these reptilians on this backwater planet.

But he didn't want to die.

Raditz felt tears rolling down his face.

He didn't want to die. Not like this.

The young Saiyan opened his eyes, gazing at the Dodo about to take his life when a single white boot smacked the reptilian faster than Raditz could blink.

His savior hit ground a moment later, eyes fixed on the Dodo he smacked away. It squirmed on its back for a few seconds, letting out dying howl after snarl before it finally stopped moving.

"Don?" Raditz said, blinking a few times to make sure he wasn't simply seeing things.

"Got him Natz?" The latter replied, ignoring the young Saiyan.

"Yeah." The large purple skinned humanoid replied, landing next to Don. He turned to face Raditz, grabbing his arm.

"Come here kid!" Natz shouted as he pulled the Saiyan on his feet.

Radtiz stumbled to gain his footing. He looked at Natz, whom returned the look by crossing his arms and tisking at the Saiyan.

"Here I though all Saiyans were suppose to be tough."

"It's his first battle Natz." Don chimed in.

"That's no excuse! Especially since the commander decided to bring his brat along!" Natz turned his head. "Kais damn it all! Why do we have to pay for other guys mistakes?"

"Cause we're the good guys now Natz."

This gave the latter pause. He cleared his throat, otherwise not offering any response.

A chorus of roars irrupted from the hoard of Dodo. The last of the Saibamen were on the verge of defeat as the reptilian creatures rushed in eager for the kill.

Don, Natz and Raditz shifted their attention to the hoard.

"We'll have to deal with that soon." Natz stated. Don nodded in agreement.

Raditz simply remained silent in self pity. If he had payed better attention to the situation, he might have prolonged the lives of his Saibamen. Instead he froze in the face of death.

Don caught movement in the corner of his eye. He moved his gaze up, quickly moving his hands up to block.

"Block now!" He commanded. Natz shifted to his defensive stance, taking a half step to the side to cover Raditz behind him.

An energy blast exploded where they stood, the force knocking Raditz back. He bounced off the forest floor twice, landing on his stomach. He picked his head up and saw two PTO troopers engaging Don and Natz in hand to hand combat.

As Raditz began to stand back up, he spotted a third PTO soldier rushing straight toward him.

"DIE!" The zealot screamed in glee, hand raised in the air as he gathered his Ki for an attack.

Natz saw this, grinned his teeth and grabbed the soldier he was fighting with. He punched the soldier once in the gut, then threw the man with all his might towards Raditz.

The two soldiers smacked into one another, giving Natz the time he needed to approach the young Saiyan.

"T-thanks for-"

"If you want to thank me, then fight for yourself!" Natz shouted, hoisting the Saiyan to his feet once more. "Saving you is starting to get old real fast."

Raditz stared at the ground, annoying Natz even further. He grabbed the kid, and brought him up to eye level.

"You're a Saiyan right? Well why don't you act like one? Where's all that pride you Saiyans have huh? Aren't you guys a warrior race or was that a cleaver lie to deceive the rest of us?"

"I...I am a Saiyan but..." Raditz balled his fists up, bringing them up to his lower waist. "I can't...I can't bring myself to fight."

"Why?" Natz raised his eyebrow in honest curiosity. "Why can't you bring yourself to fight?"

Raditz stared at the ground, or rather Natz's legs. "I'm afraid of dying..." He answered in a low voice.

Natz shook the kid, demanding him to speak up.

Raditz grinned his teeth, staring directly into Natz's grayish purple eyes. "I said I'm afraid of dying!"

Natz's eyes narrowed, sending a chill down Raditz's neck. The humanoid suddenly released Raditz, the latter in free fall for a moment before gathering the Ki needed to float.

Without removing his gaze from the young Saiyan, Natz lifted his left hand, firing a Ki blast at the two PTO troopers he knocked aside earlier instantly killing them.

"This is a battlefield." Natz spoke, his voice more cold than filled with anger. "It's kill or be killed out here." He lowered his arm at this point, focusing solely on the young Saiyan.

"If you can't handle that, you should've never step foot on this blood socked ground."

Natz paused a few moments to let the statement sink in.

"It's fine to be afraid of dying, but you can't let that fear consume you. Use that fear as your drive to survive."

"Survive?" Raditz repeated.

"Since you're afraid of dying, I assume you want to live. That means surviving, or am I wrong?"

Before either could say anything further, a close explosion drew Natz attention to his friend.

Don had dealt with the trooper he fought, but at the cost of his left arm now bloodied and limb at his side.

Natz cursed. 'If it wasn't for this kid...'

Now his helmet wearing friend was blasting away at the approaching Dodo and despite his efforts, the hoard of Dodo were slowly gaining ground. Now that the bird like reptiles finished with the Saibamen, they were all too eager for new prey.

Natz fired his own energy blasts into the mob as he moved to join his friend.

"Stay back Natz!" Don shouted over his shoulder. "Focus on protecting the kid. I'll thin these guys out before they reach you."

"What are you talking about Don?" The purple humanoid asked as he resumed his barrage. "Why don't we just grab the kid and go?"

"No can do. I wasted far too much energy in that last fight to fly." He said with a smile. "Besides, if take off we'll just get caught up in a fight with those zealots, and I rather not drag a kid into that."

"We're the good guys now remember? Our job's to defend the helpless even if it means sacrificing everything."

Natz glared at Raditz, anger swelling in his eyes.

"If it weren't for that damn kid!" He said aloud.

"Don't blame the kid Natz." Don glanced to the young Saiyan. "If he survives, this experience will make him stronger."

"Assuming he doesn't end up cowering in some corner for the rest of his life."

Don shrugged his arms in response. "Coward or not, he's a Saiyan and son of Commander Bardock. I'm willing to bet my life on him."

Natz stared at his friend. He couldn't believe Don. Why would he throw his life away for such a coward? Still, he respected Don enough to trust his decision.

Regardless of how much he hated it, Natz backpedaled to Raditz.

"Alright kid, time to prove if your really worth all this!"

Raditz nodded. "I'll do my best."

Natz let out another tisk. His last comment was more to himself than the Saiyan kid. Still, if it got him motivated...

Raditz joined Natz and Don in blasting the Dodo mod surrounding them, constantly moving in a wide circle. In pairs of at least three, individual Dodos would rush at each of their targets.

Most wouldn't reach their prey, and those that did would suffer from either near point black explosions that erased parts of their bodies or violently smashed into the ground by an enraged Natz.

As the horde began to show signs that their numbers had been significantly thinned, Raditz smiled to himself, proud that he finally managed to fight without freezing up.

Don noticed the look on Raditz face and smirked. 'Seems he broke out of his shell.'

"TAKE THIS YOU TRAITOR!" A familiar voice screamed out, followed by the warm explosion of an Ki blast.

Don flew back, bashing his head off the remains of a tree. His helmet cracked in a Y like shape. Blood ran down the side of his head as pain shot up his back.

He winced, glaring up to see the same red skinned humanoid he fought earlier. The same one he saw consumed by Natz's attack.

He did take damage from the attack, as Don noticed his right leg covered in dark purple blood limb at his side, along with the lack of an arm passed his left elbow, and various gashes and shattered fragments of armor dripping in blood through his body.

The PTO trooper laughed wickedly as he watched Don squirm in an effort to rise up.

"Did you think you saw the last of me?"

"Bastard-"

A trio of Dodo slammed into Don, knocking him back against the tree trunk. Without wasting a beat, the bird like reptilians sunk their teeth into their prey.

The latter screamed in pain as sharp fangs dug through his armor and into his flesh. Blood gushing from his torn flesh as the Dodo pulled chunks of Don from his body.

Other Dodo jumped to join in, and soon the helmet wearing soldier was buried underneath a pile of gray flesh.

"DON!" Natz screamed in horror, unable to rush to his friend's side as about half the remaining Dodo rushed at he and Raditz eager to feast upon their flesh.

Don screams ended soon after as the Dodo began to throw bloodied pieces of the man up in the air only to catch them later with their mouths, and swallow them hole.

Vains sprung from the surface of Natz's purple forehead as he slammed the last assaulting Dodo he grabbed into the ground with all his might, creating a small impact crater.

He looked up at the man hovering above, laughing at his friend's misery and gruesome end.

"Damn it!" Natz yelled, holding an arm out towards the zealot. "This time I'm make sure you die!"

He fired a concentrated Ki wave, one that burned it's way through the zealot's chest. The latter coughed up blood, glancing at the new wound in his chest, then to Natz before falling hard towards the cold ground.

Natz felt satisfied when he heard the thunk of the enemy's body hitting the floor. He turned his gaze to the pile of flesh squirming around his close friend, rage fuming as he glared at the Dodo fighting over pieces of flesh.

"YOU FILTHY ANIMALS!" Natz yelled with such a fury Raditz fell on his back in shock. Sparks danced on the forward's body as gathered all his energy together. "KAIS DAMN THESE SAVAGE CREATURES!"

Natz threw both his hands forward, dark purple energy glowing violently in each palm. With a blood boiling cry, Natz fired the largest energy wave in his entire life.

The purple energy wave rushed towards the remaining Dodo, several watching in awe in the scarce moments before the energy consumed them all.

Sweat covered Natz's face long before his arms dropped to his sides. He turned to face Raditz, breathing heavily as he used just about all his power for that last attack.

Raditz ran up to the purple humanoid, holding out his hands once he grew close.

"Are you ok-"

"Don't touch me!" Natz snapped. He glared at the young Saiyan with unfiltered rage, blaming him for all that has happened thus far.

"Don't you dare touch me!" He continued between breaths. "If it weren't for you, Don would be-"

A small energy beam pierced through Natz's chest, right through his heart. He fell to the ground with a might thump. Raditz managed to get out of the way just in time and now looked for the source of the sneak attack.

A dozen or so feet away laid the same red skinned humanoid Natz and Don had fought before, his right index finger extended beyond his head, still smoking from the Ki attack.

He laughed weakly at the fallen Natz, glaring at it with one eye closed. Behind him streaked out a long path of scattered blood, showing how far he crawled just to get in that one attack.

"Ha...hahahaha...Serves you right..." The man said, clearly fighting bitterly with his inevitable death."Dirty traitors...I'll take...all of you wi-with me..."

Radtiz turned back to Natz at that point, shaking the man's body as he cried out to him.

The latter meet Radtiz's gaze, his eyes still burning with anger.

"You...you shouldn't have even...been...here...to...to begin with." Natz struggled to say as he fought his own losing battle against death. "If...if you hav-haven't...Don and I...would...still...be..."

The light in the man's eyes faded at that moment, leaving his last words lost forever.

"No!" Raditz screamed, shaking Natz's lifeless course. "No, no, no, no!"

The PTO trooper laughed as loud as he could, cough up blood as he strained himself.

Raditz glared at the red skinned trooper, eyes blazing with sad anger.

"Don't worry...k-kid...I'll be...I'll be seeing...the two of them...soon enough..." The trooper said with a smile. "Besides...I...doubt yo-you'll live long...g-given h-how this...ba-ttle is going..." He let out a chuckle at that moment as his vision started to fade.

"See you...See you in h-hell kid..."

Raditz leaped at the soldier, landing on his back. With a yell, the Saiyan began to pound the soldier's head into the dirt. The latter offered not so much as a grunt as he barely felt anything at this point, seeing as he already had one foot in the grave.

Even after the light faded from the soldiers eyes, Raditz continued to unleash all his fury, his sorrow, and other raw emotions into the corpse even beyond the point when he plumed its head into the dirt.

Tears fell down Raditz's face at some point, though the latter didn't notice. All he cared about was taking out his anger on the one who took away one of the only few people who believed in him and the one who gave his all to protect him despite hating the kid.

His knuckles were covered in a mix of purple and red, both from the corpse and his own blood. Even as pain shot up his arms as the screamed for him to stop, Raditz continued to punch away at what remains of the figure's head.

A sudden hand jerked at him, Raditz shrugged it off and continued his wasteful efforts.

He vaguely heard someone speaking to him but couldn't make out the words. Again, a hand tried to pull him away, and again, Raditz resisted, this time by biting down on it.

The hand back off, only to be replaced by a fist that knocked him in the dead center of his face. Raditz bounced off the floor, quickly rising to his feet as he dashed to the fallen corpse.

Someone grabbed him, yelling his name in a voice that seemed so familiar yet he couldn't think of whom it belonged to.

"Let me go!" Raditz yelled, struggling with all his might. "Let me go! I need to-!"

"RADITZ!" the familiar voice yelled, followed by a heavy slap that broke the young Saiyan out of his daze.

As his senses returned to him, Raditz looked up at the man holding him back.

"Father?"

Bardock stared at his son with the utmost concern. Moments ago he found him smashing the puddled remains of some enemy soldier's head, blinded by his own rage.

It took some effort to snap his son out of his trance.

Now Raditz looked up to him as reality seeped back in, looking just as confused as his father was.

"What happened?" His son asked, blinking as he glanced around a few times.

"That's what I'm hoping you tell me." Bardock replied, crossing his arms.

Before he found his son, he noticed one of his own men Natz laying dead not too far away. There were multiple scorch marks, craters and dozens of fallen Dodo scattered around. Clearly this was quite a battle.

"Seems you've been through a lot. Do you remember any of it?"

"I...I can't-" Raditz cut himself off as his eyes gazed upon Natz's corpse. Tears began to pool in the corner of his eyes, Bardock rose his right eyebrow in response.

This acting is clearly a sign that the "kindness" disease his wife Gine had been inherited to his eldest son.

"Hey, focus." Bardock said sternly. "Tell me what happened here."

Raditz wiped the tears from his eyes, turned to his father and nodded.

For the next several minutes he told his father all that he witness since that ambush began, criticizing himself during certain points.

Bardock frowned half way through the story, disappointing in his son.

Not because of his failure to utilized the Saibamen to their full potential.

Or by Don and Natz deaths through self-sacrifice or thoughtlessness.

Bardock was disappointed that his son had revealed to him an all too important weakness.

And that weakness made him furious.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Bardock shouted once his son's tale was done. The latter flinched in surprising fear. "What sort of Saiyan is afraid of dying huh?!"

"I'm sorry father-"

"I don't want to hear your excuses!" Bardock turned his head. "Clearly you're mother's 'kindness' disease has made a coward out of you."

Raditz balled his hands up into a fist. While he respected his father and tried to earn his love, the young Saiyan loved his mother and she in turn loved and showered him with kindness.

To Saiyans, kindness was a disease nearly similar to weakness. One that was culled to a handful of individuals at any given time, so they can be used as an example to others what a so called kind hearted warrior is and how easily they fall.

Gine has been a unique case, as she was once a member of Bardock's old crew.

There were many times where she should have died, yet fortune had it that Bardock had a caring heart for his subordinates as he saved her time and time again. Gradually from this repeated cycle, the two fell in love, which is another odd circumstance few from their race understand.

Eventually, Gine was assigned to rear support duties such as food preparation, and other trivial yet important duties on Planet Vegeta.

Now she serves a similar role as a supply tech, and sometimes as an assistant to doctors during rare cases of high critical injured soldiers returning from the field.

Raditz stared at his father's face, annoyed and even angry that he blamed Gine for his cowardly actions.

Bardock noticed his son's look of defiance. He turned his head to face him, debating on whether or not he should provoke Raditz when two of his soldiers landed behind him.

"Commander!" The larger of the two: a alligator like humanoid spoke, saluting in unison with his college as Bardock turned to face them.

"We made contact with the left flank as you ordered. There are surprisingly untouched by the enemy forces."

Bardock crossed his arms, holding the tip of his chin with his right hand.

"So this was a trap from the start..." He muttered.

"Sees so sir." The other trooper, a red, four armed humanoid replied. "They had no knowledge of enemy forces slipping behind our lines, never mind that they waited here so close to them."

"Someone messed up." The first trooper stated. Bardock had to agree with him.

Either there is a wide enough gap somewhere in their formation for such a significant force to slip through or someone lead them through.

No one wanted to think about the possibility of treason, especially since they are fighting against tyranny and oppression.

However, they couldn't rule it out either. After all, people can change their allegiance in a heartbeat for any number of reasons.

Bardock remembered his son standing behind him and decided it best to send him away. If there was a traitor, they may use Raditz as a hostage and he couldn't afford that possibility.

"Go home Raditz. Cry in the arms of your mother." He said without turning to face his son. "I don't want to see you until I return. Do you understand?"

Raditz took a half step forward, opening his mouth in protest. He stopped himself, grinning his teeth in frustration before letting out a deep sign.

He stared at the ground, doing his best to suppress his emotions.

"...Yes father."

The young Saiyan turned around, then sped off into the green covered sky.

After a few moments, Bardock returned his attention to his men.

"Make sure he gets off planet in one piece."

The two soldiers acknowledged in unison, speeding off after their commander's kid.

Bardock turned to his left, gazing once more at the battle scared land around him.

'My son may be afraid to die, but this experience should strengthen him.' He thought to himself, focusing on Natz's corpse.

Though the bulky fighter wasn't his best nor his brightest soldier, he and his partner Don reminded him of his old crew; of Shugesh, Fasha, Borgos, and finally his best friend Tora.

It was nostalgic watching Don and Natz interact, often teasing one another much like Tora once did.

"Commander Bardock! Do you read me sir?" A voice sounded over his Scouter, snapping him back to reality.

"What is it?" Bardock replied, trying to mask his irritation at the interruption.

"It's the commander center sir...The enemy has captured it while you were away. Only a few of us managed to escape the assault."

Bardock cursed under his breath. It all made sense to him now.

The attack on the left flank was a ruse to lure he and his elite force away from his command center.

They even disguised the ruse with an ambush.

Cleaver, crafty bastards. This kind of plot nearly proved Bardock's suspicion that Commander Ledgic is leading the enemy forces.

"One more thing sir," The trooper on the other side spoke. "There is a traitor in our ranks."

Bardock felt a drop of sweat roll down the side of his cheek. Even as he heard the words, he still couldn't believe it.

"What did you say trooper?"

"We have a traitor sir." The trooper repeated. "And he appears to be a Saiyan."

Unspecified region in space, abroad a "confiscated" PTO shuttle.

Sub Zero and Avalanche sat together in the cockpit of the shuttle class starship. The forward gazing at the stars, nebula and other cosmic events passing by as the latter concentrated on driving.

They, along with the twenty elite soldiers in the cargo bay, were heading off to meet with Surge; a former criminal warlord on the rise once again.

The soldiers were both a precaution if the negotiations took a turn for the worse and a formality to showcase their faction's strength.

"Have I told you about my father? What he was like?"

"N-no" Avalanche stuttered, obviously lying. His friend had shared many stories in his exile about his father, yet each time he heard one he learned something new.

Sub Zero let out an amused humph, catching his friend's lie. He remembered clearly every single story he already shared with the timid Arcosian.

Sub Zero often tested his friend, seeing if the latter had a limit to how many stories of the past he can take.

Either Avalanche is truly interested in these stories or the man is simply too nice to say otherwise.

Regardless, the latter decided to listen this time around so he began without a moments delay.

"My father was a proud man, not in himself however but in the efforts of those he liked. Be them friend, foe, ally or family my father always had a sense of pride in their accomplishments."

"He always told me how proud he was of the old Planet Trade Organization. Of what 3 generations of Arcosian efforts and the blood sweat and tears of so many other races have achieved."

"That all changed when the usurper and his family rose to power."

"Now after barely one generation the Planet Trade is crumbling around them. Serves the Cold Family right after all they have done."

Sub Zero paused, seemingly taking in the wondrous sights outside the view screen window.

"Out of the ashes rises two major factions; the first being Red Faction whom appear to be sponsored by Lord Blizzard himself. They will certainly be a force to watch out for, especially this so called Super Saiyan who leads them."

He continued, returning his gaze to his friend Avalanche.

"The other being Cooler's Planet Trade Faction, which comes as no surprise seeing as he appears to be the most competent member of the Cold Family."

"Rumor has it that he seems to favor Lord Blizzard as a role model. Given how he treats his subordinates I would dare say this is in fact truthful. Perhaps we can ally ourselves with this man, given enough research into his background."

Sub Zero turned back to the wonders of the stars. His mind calculating various scenarios in seconds as he placed them in order. Later, he would mentally review these scenarios and rate them from likely to near impossible.

"For now however, we most focus on the present: Uniting as many criminal organizations together under one banner as possible."

Planet B25, day of the scheduled meeting

Five hot red dots appeared in B25's green skyline. At first, they seemed to be passing asteroids caught by the planet's gravity that were on the verge of being burnt up in the atmosphere. As time passed, these dots grew larger and larger as they grew closer to the surface of the planet.

Anyone watching would've been alarmed, thinking that meteors had broken through the atmosphere and threatened to damage the planet.

As these five objects gained shape, one could make out a purple eye of sorts followed by the grayish color that made up the rest of the object. This distinguished them as artificial creations or creatures rather than meteors.

These metal made spaceships crashed into the planet's surface, shaking the ground with the force of their impact. Smoke emanated off their surface of the Attack Pods as they slowly cooled off from reentry. Once properly cooled, they hissed open, revealing the occupants inside.

The five figures slowly climbed out of their respected pods, some stretching as this was the first time in a few days they had moved.

After a few moments, each rose up above the impact craters and gathered around one another.

"That wasn't too bad of a trip, was it?" Riddic asked with an honest smile.

"Eh, I had better." His mate Lea replied. She took her left arm and pulled it above her head. "I can't shake this stiffness though."

"Hopefully you can before we meet the enemy." Paragus replied, crossing his arms. "I rather not have you using it as an excuse should they start knocking you around."

"Oh?" Lea tilted her head to look at the man. "Pretty ballsy of you to even think of someone beating me. Besides, isn't it too soon to think this Turles is an enemy?"

"I consider it a forgone conclusion." Paragus lowered his arms as he spoke. "I doubt any rouge Saiyan would lore Lord Riddic out just to have a chat, regardless of what they say."

"Perhaps, perhaps not" Riddic cut in. "Regardless, I think we should play this carefully. Never know what maybe waiting for us."

A humph came from the fourth member of their group: the eldest child of the King of Saiyans serving as a special envoy on behalf of the Saiyan race.

"You're wasting my time with this pointless banter!" The young Saiyan prince shouted. "Can we get on with it?"

"I agree with Prince Vegeta," The latter bodyguard added. "This guy picked a fight with you, that's why you called us right? So let's get to the fighting already!"

"I know patience was never your strong suit Nappa, but try to practice it now." Paragus replied as he closed his eyes. "Our lord wants to play this cautiously, and that's what we are going to do."

Before Nappa could offer a reply, the ground shook once more for a longer time period. As the earth moved, a new form emerged from underneath the soil rapidly gaining size and shape.

This new mass stretched out toward the sky, partially blocking the orange sun as it continued to grow.

Dark colored wood and greenery morphed and twisted into the shape of a massive tree.

"The so called Tree of Might." Riddic muttered as he watched the supposed Kai origin tree grow.

"That is one big ass tree." Lea stated as she focused on the top of the mighty tree. "I can see how this thing can kill planets."

"All the more reason why we need to stop this thing." Paragus added. He turned his head to face Riddic. "What now?"

"We go to the base of that tree." Riddic replied, pointing to the Tree of Might.

"I have a feeling we'll find Turles at the source."

It took only a few minutes for Riddic and his party to reach the base of the Tree of Might. Along the way. they noticed the tree's massive roots popped in and out of the earth, stretching out for dozens of miles.

The roots had plowed through anything in their path, ripping though buildings, smaller trees, roads, and anything else unfortunate enough to stand in their way.

Riddic wondered what happened to the native inhabitants of this world. There should have been many, yet they haven't seen a single soul since their arrival. Additionally, Riddic couldn't sense any power levels other than the four by his side and six others gathered together by the Tree of Might.

Meaning either the native species on this planet had the ability to suppress their power or they had all been recently wiped out.

Given how a rouge Saiyan seemed to be tied up in this planet killer incident...Well, it isn't best to jump to conclusions yet.

Riddic and his party stood before the base of the massive tree, each staring upward as they tried to figure out how to destroy this thing when an all to familiar voice called out to them.

"Greetings, oh mighty Super Saiyan!" The voice called out. "I welcome you here to this once beautiful backwater planet."

As the voice spoke, six dots appeared above them. As these dots moved closer, they began to take the shape of humanoids. These six figures stopped a dozen or so feet before Riddic and the others, each wearing a variant of the Planet Trade's Battle Armor.

The tallest of the group had two spikes on the ends of his shoulder pads, jam colored, long hair tied together in a style similar to Zarbon, black eyes, a red Scouter and an X-scar that stretches across his left check. He wore one armed gauntlet on his right arm and a pinkish arm half-sleeve cover, blue pants underneath rust colored leg covers, purple-pink leg covers and standard PTO boots.

Next to him was a mostly silver colored, reddish pink creature with yellow eyes, and a red Scouter. Whether the silver colored armor and gauntlets were a part of his skin or not was anyone's guess.

There was a man the reminded Riddic of Rouge as he had dark teal hair with a ponytail and a large forehead. He wore a rugged, pink shirt underneath grayish blue and black battle armor with matching boots and arm gauntlets, pink leg covers, a red Scouter, and a single necklace with a red jew along with a few earrings.

The smallest of the group were twins or so it seemed. They had light purple skin, ovular-heads and black eyes. They wore sleeveless versions of the Battle Armor with short, aqua green capes that had extended collars, green Scouters, white arm bands and red and black armored boots.

Turles stood in the front of the pack, smiling at the five before him.

He wore dark blue and black Battle Armor with matching armored boots and arm gauntlets, and a red Scouter. Aside from his darker skin tone and lack of battle scars, Turles was the near spitting image of Bardock.

"I trust that you all had a safe journey here?" He said with a air of smugness.

"That goes without saying." Riddic replied with his own smile. "Otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Turles chuckled at the remark. "True enough." He turned to his right. "And you must be Lea, I must say you look so much more ravishing in person."

"Piss off!" She replied, holding up one particular finger at the renegade. "I have nothing to say to scum like you!"

"Scum huh?" Turles chuckled. "How charming."

"I have a few questions." Riddic said with the raise of his hands, aiming to draw attention back to himself. He had a good idea what the Saiyan meant and, while wanting to end this quickly, he wanted to confirm a few things.

"By all means, ask away."

"I though this planet was a densely populated one."

"It was, a short time ago." Turles replied with a smirk. "However, I noticed that the people of this planet might get in the way of what I want to achieve here so...Well I'm sure you can figure out the rest."

Riddic frowned, but otherwise said nothing. Know he knew this Saiyan was a typical rank and file example of their race.

"Did you or those five behind you plant the Tree of Might on this world?"

"I suppose with a lack of anyone else on this world, it would be obvious that at least one of us was involved." Turles replied, closing his eyes.

"From a technical aspect, Amond, the large man to my right, was the one who planted the tree." He continued, opening his eyes. "Yet you can say that we all are responsible for bringing the Tree of Might to this planet, along with all the others in recent times."

"That explains how you know about the tree." Paragus cut in.

"I only know what I've been told." Turles replied, turning his head to face the man. "You see, I was given the tree's seeds by a strange duo. They explained all the tree and it's purpose."

"Which is?"

"That's not for you to know." Turles returned his gaze to the silver-haired Saiyan. "The Super Saiyan on the other hand is worthy of such knowledge."

The two stared at one another for a few silent moments.

"Let's leave our subordinates to play by themselves." Turles said with the jerk of his thumb. "I want to show you something. Something that will answer why we're doing all this."

"Fine." Riddic simply replied, following Turles as the latter flew straight up.

"Finally." Prince Vegeta said, stepping forward. "Now then, which one of you weaklings wants to fight me?"

The majority of Turles's men chuckled at the little prince.

"I can't believe they brought a kid here." Amond said once he finished laughing.

"Watch you're mouth!" Nappa cut in, taking a step forward as he raised his fist. "That kid is the Prince of all Saiyan!"

"Oh?" Amond glanced over his shoulder for a moment before crossing his right arm over his chest, bowing slightly as he closed his eyes. "My apologies your highness, I imagined the Prince of all Saiyans to be quite..."

Amond paused, letting his arm drop to his side as stood straight once more.

"Taller."

Vains popped out of Nappa's forehead. He had enough of this nobody disrespecting his prince.

"You little-! I'll teach you some respect!"

"Calm down Nappa!" Vegeta cut in, crossing his arms. "Don't let this third rate fighter get you all wound up! You should know better than that!"

"But he-"

"I don't care Nappa. Let these fools say their insults, it doesn't change the fact that I'll destroy them."

Amond chuckled one again as he moved his head back and forth, glancing at his comrades before focusing on the prince once more.

"I guess we need to show you what Turles's Crusher Corps is made of."

Turles led Riddic to the core of the Tree of Might, the only opening wide enough to fit anyone without effort. This was the heart of the tree, the most important and only vital spot.

As well as the place were it bares fruit.

Turles walked towards the center, Riddic followed a half dozen feet behind.

"This, is the heart of the Tree of Might." Turles said as he walked. "The most important part in the entire makeup of it's grand design."

Riddic glace around quickly. It was very spacious with many openings to the outside. Above was a massive bush of green with dots of red.

"It is here that the tree's purpose is fulfilled." Turles continued. "This place is were it's fruit is grown."

Turles turned to face the silver-haired Saiyan once he reached the center of the core, smiling at the latter.

Riddic stopped a few feet from the man, watching for any sudden movements.

"I told you that all your questions will be answered here." Turles said after a few lasting moments of silence. "What's wrong? Ask away and I shall answer honestly."

Riddic frowned, somehow he didn't believe that part one bit. Still, he had numerous questions begging to be answered.

"What do you want out of all this?"

Turles closed his eyes, all while keeping a smile on his face. "What I want is to prove myself as the most powerful warrior in the universe."

Riddic shook his head once. "No, what you want is to rule over the universe just like the one I defeated before."

Turles opened his eyes "Ah yes, the esteemed Lord Frieza, self proclaimed Strongest of the Universe." He let out a short laugh. "He was an arrogant fool. I'm glad you saved me the trouble of killing him myself."

"So you do want the universe for yourself."

"Ruling the universe and proving you are the strongest in said universe have a tendency to go hand in hand, don't you think?" Turles replied, holding one hand up to his side. "I mean look what happened after you killed Frieza! You basically have the universe eating out of the palm of your hand."

"More like I threw the universe into chaos." Riddic crossed his arms. "It's a galaxy sized civil war going on between those loyal to me and those loyal to a corpse."

"Ah, I see it as those in denial going against the natural flow of the universe." Turles shrugged. "When an old age comes to an end, things tend to get violent as those who can't adapt to change fight a losing battle against progress."

"Will you fight those who don't accept you, assuming you manage to defeat me?"

Turles chuckled. "I thought that was obvious."

"Your insane."

Turles didn't reply, instead he reached his hand up grabbing onto one of the red pieces of fruit. He plucked it from its branch, firmly grasping it in his hand.

"I think we spent enough time talking." Turles bit into the fruit held within his hand. A moment later he felt the power held within this godly delicacy swell inside himself.

Riddic's eyes widened as he noticed the power increase. For in that moment, he felt Turles's true power and it was far greater than his own base power.

With a chuckled, Turles crush the Fruit from the Tree of Might in his hand.

"Let us see which is stronger; a living legend or a power bestowed by the gods?"

Power levels:

Don - 9,360

Natz - 10,750

Raditz - 1,200ish

Saibamen - 1,200

Bardock's soldiers - 10,000 to 20,000 averagely

Dodo - Pretty damn week but (usually) have numbers to make up the difference against any weakish or wounded foe

Nameless red skinned, black haired PTO trooper - 10,620

PTO zealots - 10,000 to 13,000 averagely

And thus ends the latest entry of Dragon Ball Double S!

Long once this time! In fact, longest entry to this day! Also shout out of the fact that this story almost hit 9,000 views! (sure I can make an OVER 9000 joke a little after this guy's released though.)

Honestly I couldn't decide how much to put in this one at first before I figured I can use this as an opportunity to showcase Raditz and Bardock a little.

It's suggested through various sources that Raditz hated his father though there have been little explanations as to why. So here I though I'd show the start of his hate to his father, along with Bardock's tough love methods.

Also how bout the kid's first real battle huh? I mean Raditz probably been deployed on missions before but those are probably split between training missions and eliminating populations with dirt low power levels.
I figured that he never really was in a real battle until sometime after Planet Vegeta was destroyed in the cannon timeline.

That and if you notice Raditz personality is a tad different than typical Saiyans. I mean the whole afraid of dying bit.

For someone who's often called a weakling and a coward, it makes sense that he'd be afraid of dying. Plus it's sort of hinted in the show.

Anyway, so on to other interesting things that went on in this entry.

I felt a need to expand on Bardock's psychic powers as they fell to the wayside in that whole Episode of Bardock bit (Which the entire thing made NO SENSE whatsoever. Though it was awesome to see him as a Super Saiyan.) so I figured, why not make an entire arc around it?

Now this will come into play later, but since Bardock is growing accustomed to his powers other worldly beings are starting to show interest.
How will this turn out is something to look forward to later.

Speaking of Bardock, how will he handle the first (known) Red Faction traitor? And a Saiyan at that? That'll be an interesting event to look forward to in more ways than one.

(Just to note for those who may not have picked this up, the event happening to Bardock takes place is 10 days BEFORE Riddic and Turles meet. Literally on the same day Riddic and his party start on their journey to Planet B25)

On the point with Turles and Riddic, I decided to hold their meeting as the end piece of this entry and not as the focal point(Title somewhat misleading) due to the point were I felt in necessary to showcase all these different events going on while Riddic's attention is drawn to this renegade Saiyan. This is again a part of the whole ripple effect I have going on.

Also I though that Turles would at least start to learn how to suppress himself, as with time passing on and his attacks growing bolder he would need a way to mask at least some of his power otherwise the Planet Trade would start detecting him from light years away which would cause numerous problems for his small gang. (Since he can attack more freely with the much of the galaxy in a civil war)

So, on his travels, Turles learned of a way to suppress his power level, or at least a bit of such an ability. Since Saiyans tend to have an ability to learn new skills quickly(depending on the individual) I figured he should have somewhat of an understanding of that ability by now.

Though not a complete mastery of the technique as any new power he obtains would leak out his full power before he can suppress it once again.

I decided to throw Nappa and Prince Vegeta in for various reasons, mostly because I've somewhat wondered what would happen if these two meet Turles along with several ideas I came up with when I first started plotting out this arc.

(I'll take this moment to ask how many people thing Rouge watching Broly is going to turn out horribly, horribly wrong?)

And as the last important bit is the scheduled meeting between Surge and Sub Zero. As the forward hopes to rebuild his former criminal empire and the latter wishes to use not only PTO soldiers but also criminal and mercenary units these two were destined to meet sooner or later.

What will come about in this meeting is something that will affect the galactic underground for decades to come.

How will Rouge babysitting Broly turn out? How will events turn out during the meeting between Surge and Sub Zero? Finally, how will Turles's newly acquired powers help in a battle against a Super Saiyan? All this and more on the next entry of Double S!