Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty

Written by: Feraligreater328 and StevenBodner

Edited by: StevenBodner and SparkerLightning

A/N: Man... depression, E3, fatigue, eye exams, sudden family emergencies...and that doesn't even cover my vacation next week or the birthdays I have to celebrate the week after. Life just piles on sometimes, lol. I hope you enjoy the chapter. Sorry about the wait.

I hope to ramp up production here, because I wanna introduce a certain pink fella into the story before 2022. But...I'm not too sure I have enough time at this point. Lol. Sorry. ^_^"

Chapter 120: Life as NAILs

On Planet Chimichurri...

Bardock was thrown harshly into a rocky wall, crashing through the solid shelf and having it crash atop him. As the violent little bastard tried to stand back up, Toteppo came flying in and crashed atop him. Bardock sneered. "Get the hell off of me!"

With one hand, Bardock lifted Toteppo and thoughtlessly tossed him aside, Then, he blasted the ground and kicked up a dusty smokescreen as three Chimchurrians flew in on their insect mounts. Three blasts were fired off and the three Chimchurrians came shooting out of the dust with huge holes blasted through their chests. The dust was blown away by a harsh wind and Bardock stood atop a pile of dead bug parts. He looked angry. Totepo stood up and glared up at Bardock, but Bardock didn't care. He continued to glare into the distance at the overwhelming black-and-red ki that surged on the horizon. Bardock touched the gnarly, cross-shaped scar that now sat on his left cheek and sneered. "I'll kill her..."

Bardock leapt from that completed battle to one going on a few feet away and Totepo grunted under his breath. The hulking, wordless brute gripped a bleeding injury on his shoulder. As he stood there, Panbukin rushed in. "Hey, Totepo! You hurt?"

Totepo nodded. Panbukin sighed. "Let's get ya to the squirt. She'll get ya patched up and battle-ready."

Across the battlefield...

Turles hid behind a rock, taking any opportunity he could to distract a Chimchurrian with a blast and give his Warhammer comrades a brief advantage. Turles looked down at his single hand and sighed. "This would be so much more effective with two arms..."

Turles formed a circle with his index finger and his thumb and charged a ring of energy. He popped his head over the rock and aimed up at one of the flying bugs. "Kill Driver!"

The miniature ring shot into the air and pierced through the insect mount's wing. The single hole pierced through the wing and the bug was immediately destabilized. The insect and its rider were left as unstable, no more than sitting ducks in the air and the Saiyans happily took advantage, five of them rushing in and killing the beast, sending its helpless rider crash to the ground. Turles watched as the Chimchurrian crashed hard into the ground, instantly dead. He pumped his fist. "Yes!"

The sound of shifting dirt echoed out behind Turles. He turned and saw a Chimchurrian atop a burrowing bug. Turles' eyes went wide as the Chimchurrian summoned an energy spear in his hand. "You Saiyan bastards think the murder of my people is cause for celebration?!"

Before he could throw the spear, however, the Chimchurrian was hit from the side by a massive energy blast, instantly killing him. Bardock landed on the burnt streak that used to be the Chimchurrian and fired a massive ki bolt through the burrowing bug's brain. "Hey Turles! How's it going?"

Turles sounded quite stressed. "This is the worst. This is worse than when we'd head out on our own! These Chimchurrians are strong and they're so angry!"

Bardock nodded. "Yeah, losers are angry when they lose. But don't worry, these guys ain't shit!"

Across the battlefield...

Panbukin called out. "Throw me with your good arm! We gotta clear the way!"

Totepo grunted and picked up Panbukin, heaving him like a shot put right into a Chimchurrian atop a blade-armed insect. Panbukin crashed into the beast's thorax and split it right in half. "Massive Catapult!"

The Chimchurrian rider fell to the ground and Panbukin landed on his chest, caving it in. The Chimchurrian was still alive, though just barely. Panbukin adopted a sadistic smirk, pulling his fist back and beating the dying warrior's face in. Two more Chimchurrians came rushing in, ready to stab Panbukin in the back, but Toteppo came rushing in and tackled them both away. One stood up and charged again, trying to stab Toteppo with an energy spear. Toteppo grabbed the Chimchurrian by the face and wrenched his neck to the side, snapping it with a single jerk. The other one charged a blast, ready to kill the hulking Saiyan while his back was turned, only to be sent flying by a vicious knee strike to the head.

The Chimchurrian gritted his teeth and turned to face his attacker, but Toma was already in the middle of a spinning roundhouse kick. He kicked the Chimchurrian in the side, shattering his ribs, and then fired an energy beam straight through the warrior's forehead. Toma turned and grabbed Panbukin by his shoulder strap, yanking him to his feet. "Quit playing with your food, Panbukin! You and Toteppo get into the triage! Now!"

A dozen more Chimchurrian soldiers came rushing in on their blade-armed bugs. Panbukin sneered. "You ain't my boss, Toma! Don't try to-"

Toma shoved Panbukin into Toteppo and motioned with his thumb. "Toteppo! Get going!"

Toteppo nodded, grabbing his hefty comrade and quickly rushing towards the nearby triage. Toma held his hand aloft and charged a handful of ki-based flames. "Flame Ballet!"

Rather than aim at his foes, Toma aimed for the surrounding trees and plant-life. Everything burst into intense flames and collapsed onto the path, separating Toma from his attackers. Not wanting to wait for them to break through, Toma immediately turned tail and ran to the triage as well.

As he ran, another Saiyan fell from the sky and joined him. Toma looked over at his new guest and saw Fasha running alongside him. Toma stammered. "H-Hey! How are things in the air?"

Fasha shrugged. "The actual Warhammers are keeping the winged bugs away from the triage. They sent me back here to help keep the triage safe. Once this wave of flyers is taken care off, they're going to retreat back for some quick care and patching up!"

Toma nodded. "Right. We'll head back and help out to make sure things are ready for them. Uh...y-you doing okay? "

Fasha shrugged. "This is a nightmare, but I'm making it. You?"

Toma took a deep breath and sighed. "Ask me once the Chimchurrians are extinct, I guess..."

Within the Warhammer triage...

Several of the NAILs who would have no chance of fighting against the Chimchurrians scurried around the makeshift triage that Cassava had ordered set up. Among them, Gine was rushing bandages and disinfectant to the appropriate stations. The little girl worriedly looked around. "He isn't back yet...?"

She remembered Turles sneaking out, saying that he couldn't just sit back in comfort while his brother and the others were out there fighting. He had to back them up in some way, even if indirectly. Gine sighed and set out the bandages. "Please be okay. Please."

Panbukin burst into the tent with aplomb, laughing out loud as he and Totepo marched in. "You ain't gotta beg! I'm just fine!"

Fasha and Toma marched in right after them, Fasha looking annoyed. "Yeah. I'm sure she was hoping you were okay, fat ass."

The lot of them sat on a table in the corner, waiting for someone to come and treat their injuries. Gine immediately rushed over and got to work. The process was quick and quite rushed, with Gine merely applying bandages to any wound she saw, not taking into account depth or severity. Panbukin grumbled. "This is ridiculous. Why couldn't we just bring the ship down here?"

One of the Warhammers chimed in. "Cuz Cassava said so, newbie. You wanna go discuss things with her?"

Panbukin quickly shut his mouth, remembering the savage beating that Bardock had gone through. Gine quickly leaned in and whispered. "I heard some of our seniors talking. Apparently the Chimchurrians have the airspace around the capital filled with flying insects. Miss Cassava didn't want to damage the ship."

Panbukin rolled his eyes. Gine quickly moved from him and Totepo to Toma and Fasha, treating their wounds with the same care she did the others. Fasha smiled. "You're out of breath~"

Gine nodded. "No time to sit down. Not a great nurse, but I have to try and help people..."

Fasha's smile deepened. She sighed. "You're a weird one, Gine. But I appreciate you so much~"

Gine nodded and smiled back, looking exhausted. Saiyan or not, she was just a little girl and all of this chaos around her was getting to her. As she finished up on Toma, one of the Warhammers marched over. "Hey, little one! Finish up on these guys and then get ready to move out. Cassava has managed to breach through the walls of their capital. We're going in for the final kill and she wants all hands on deck!"

Gine flinched. "W-We're all going to fight?!"

She looked scared. Gine, a pacifist at heart, detested actual battle. She was no good at it and the thought of having to kill frightened her to no end. The Warhammer cocked his head. "That a problem?"

Gine's words hitched in her throat. But her four comrades quickly spoke up. Panbukin laughed. "For this mad dog?! Nah! She's just so excited about the slaughter she can't speak straight!"

Toma nodded. "We're all excited. Time to put these bug-riding bastards down for good!"

Fasha stood up, placing her hand on Gine's shoulder. "We're gonna go in as a group and kill everyone we see!"

Totepo grunted, lifting Gine and Fasha onto his shoulders. The Warhammer paused for a moment, but then he smiled. "Now that's what we like to hear! You five go on ahead, we'll take care of destroying the triage and we'll be right behind you!"

The five young Saiyans all nodded and then ran out of the triage tent. Once they were far enough away, Gine finally spoke. "Y-You all covered for me. W-Why...?"

Everyone was silent, but eventually Panbukin spoke up. "What can I say, kid? Fasha ain't the only one who appreciates how weird you are, I suppose~"

Gine looked down from Toteppo's shoulder and saw her three male comrades all smiling to some extent. She looked over to Fasha who shot her a wink and a thumbs-up. Tears welled in Gine's eyes and she nodded. "Th-Thank you..."

On the far side of the battlefield, near the Chimchurrian Capital...

Turles gripped onto his older brother's back for dear life as Bardock sliced through the Chimchurrian forces like a hot knife. Not a single soldier was a match for the rabid, little monster. All of their attempts on his life amounted to little more than empty fanfare for Bardock. He barely noticed that they were there as he searched for his real foe.

Bardock came to a halt and looked around, giving Turles a chance to speak. "Look, I know that you're excited and stuff, Big Brother. But this is a bad idea! This is a very bad idea!"

A flash of black-and-red ki shot off in the distance and Bardock sneered. "I'll kill her while her back is turned! I don't give a shit! No matter how strong she is, I bet she isn't expecting one of her own soldiers to shoot her in the back!"

Turles whimpered. "C-Come on Bardock. Let's just-"

Bardock started running again, right towards that familiar aura. He wasn't going to let what she did to him stand. No chance in hell he was going to let her get away with that! Turles held on for dear life as his brother ran through the various Chimchurrians, dropping dozens of bodies as he did. His victory over her was so close that he could taste it!

And then Bardock ran into something solid. He fell to the ground and Turles fell off of his back. They both looked up and saw a massive, armored insect looming over them with several Chimchurrians stacked on its back. Turles let loose a shrill scream of terror. Bardock stood. "If a single one of you had brains, you'd just burrow into the ground and die of old age! I'll kill the lot of you!"

One of the Chimchurrians snarled. "Miserable Saiyan brute!"

He motioned with his energy spear. "COMPANY! ATTACK!"

The dozens of Chimchurrians leapt off of the beast with their spears drawn. Bardock prepared to fight back, but then a barrage of attacks came in from the side. "FLAME SHOT! HUNTER ARROW! PUMPKABOOM! RAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

The four attacks crashed into the descending Chimchurrians and blasted the lot of them from the air. None of them were killed, but they were rendered quite injured. Bardock and Turles both turned to see Toma, Fasha, Panbukin, Totepo, and Gine all approaching. The five of them joined with the two brothers and all seven faced down the Chimchurrians. Toma marched up next to Bardock and took a fighting stance. "Okay, what's the plan?!"

Bardock snarled. "I'm busy and don't have time for you nobodies! That's the plan!"

Bardock grabbed Turles by his arm and fired a blast right through the armored insect's face. A massive tunnel was burned through the beast's body and Bardock and Turles flew through, leaving the other five at the mercy of the Chimchurrians. Bardock growled. "I'm gonna kill that bitch! I'm gonna kill that bitch!"

As Bardock flew, however, Turles couldn't help but look back towards his comrades. They were fighting valiantly, but they were also quite surrounded. Without some assistance, they would all die right there. Turles bit his lip...and then he jerked his wrist free of Bardock's grip. Bardock glared back as Turles tumbled onto his back. Turles called up to him. "Go! Go ahead! Kill her if you want to! I'm going to go back and help!"

Bardock stopped in his tracks, looking angry and worried at the same time. "Hell no! I can't just leave you here! You'll be killed!"

Turles shook his head. "I-I won't! I promise! I'll have all of them supporting me! I'll be fine!"

Bardock didn't seem convinced. Turles spoke again. "You're losing your opportunity, Big Brother. Every second, Cassava is killing more and more of the distractions you were hoping to take advantage of!"

Bardock still wasn't convinced. Turles smiled. "I'll be fine. I promise~"

Bardock gnashed his teeth. "If you die...I won't rest until all five of them are dead. Make it clear to them that they have to protect you first and foremost!"

Nervously, Turles nodded. "R-Right..."

And then, once Bardock continued on his path, Turles turned in the opposite direction and ran back. He could see that the others were all struggling. Totepo had a massive gash on his chest from an energy spear. A Chimchurrian was throttling Fasha. Toma and Panbukin were fighting hard, but the unaware Toma had an energy spear ready to stab into the back of his head. Gine was cowering between the four, frozen and unable to move. Turles sighed. "Okay. This is fixable. Just have to be smart..."

He formed a ring with his index and thumb and shouted. "Kill Driver!"

The little energy ring, so insignificant that it was laughable, shot forward. But its target was well-defined. The ring crashed into the thumb of the Chimchurrian that was aiming to kill Toma and blasted the digit away. The Chimchurrian fumbled his spear and it missed Toma's head by a hair's breadth. Toma turned and blasted his potential killer in the face, only to be surprised by the sight of the one-armed tagalong that had gone off with Bardock. Toma flinched. "Wh-What are you doing here?!"

Turles sighed. "No time to talk! I'm here to help!"

Panbukin kicked a Chimchurrian away. "HOW IN THE HELL ARE YOU GOING TO HELP?! YOU'RE BARELY STRONGER THAN GINE AND SHE'S PISSING HERSELF RIGHT NOW!"

Turles nodded. "I'm weak! I know that! But I can help fix this if you'll all just hear me out, okay?!"

Toma looked to the others. None of them looked convinced. He looked to the regrouping Chimchurrians. Even with the ones they had killed and the addition of Turles, they were still outnumbered three-to-one. Toma scratched the back of his head and sighed. "Our only other option is to be slaughtered. So fine! What do you have for us?!"

Turles smiled. "Toma, Fasha, Toteppo, and Panbukin! You're the fighters, so we'll have you on the frontline against these guys-"

Panbukin scoffed. "NO SHIT!"

Fasha slapped him. "Be quiet!"

She looked over at the recovered Chimchurrians, each of whom summoned an energy spear. "Hurry up, Turles!"

Turles nodded. "Okay! Gine! You and I have a ton of energy left in our reserves because we haven't been in much direct combat! So here's what we do!"

The Chimchurrians threw their spears towards the Saiyans. The sharpened spires of ki rained down like arrows, ready to draw blood and kill. Victory here was assured. But then, to the Chimchurrians shock, their spears stuck in place. A barrier of blue energy had formed a dome around the Saiyans. And while it wasn't strong enough to completely deflect the spears, it was sturdy enough to catch them without shattering.

Turles held up his hand and Gine held up both of hers. She looked up at him and he smiled. "I know you don't like to fight, but not every job on a battlefield is about fighting~"

Gine was stunned at first, but then she smiled. Turles quickly looked to the others. "Gine and I will burn through our ki if we try to maintain this, so here's the plan. We'll flash up a new barrier whenever they start throwing spears. Once we put that barrier down, you guys need to attack! Okay?! This is the only way for us to trim down their numbers without getting killed!"

Toma, Fasha, and Panbukin were speechless. Totepo, however, smiled and nodded. Turles grinned. "You wanna be the first person to counterattack, big guy?"

Totepo pounded his fist into his palm. Turles smirked and turned to face the gobsmacked Chimchurrians. "Okay, Gine! Lower the barrier! It's counterattack time!"

The barrier fell and Totepo lunged forward with a roar. The Chimchurrians quickly tried to form more spears, but the hulking Saiyan moved too quickly. He took a deep breath and fire a massive blast of ki, his Angry Launcher, from his mouth. He hit two Chimchurrians dead on, taking off one's arm and outright killing the other. The spears came launching in again, but the blue barrier formed once more and absorbed the deadly projectiles.

The barrier fell again and Turles called out. "All four of you, now!"

This time, Toma and the rest caught on to what they had to do. Toma, Fasha, Panbukin, and Totepo all launched their attacks into the Chimchurrian forces, managing five more kills. The squad commander snarled and raised his hand. "Men! Regroup! We-"

"Sudden Storm!"

The barrage of weak ki-blasts crashed into the various Chimchurrians, making them all stumble and flinch back. The attacks weren't necessarily that damaging, but they were a good enough distract. Toma, Fasha, and Panbukin rushed in and managed to kill three more of their foes. Turles and Gine, meanwhile, both hopped onto Totepo's shoulders. Turles looked over the battlefield, happy that his strategy worked. He called down. "Hey, Toma, where are we headed anyway?"

Toma called up. "Capital. We're making the final advance to kill these guys!"

Turles nodded. "Right! Well then, let's keep it going! Let's keep moving forward, guys!"

Toma, Fasha, Panbukin, Toteppo, and Gine all nodded. Whether they realized it or not, they had fallen under Turles' command. And now, they were trusting him to lead them to their ultimate goal!

At the gates of the Chimchurrian Capital...

With Turles weighing heavily on the back of his mind, Bardock continued his charge towards Cassava. "Gotta kill her quick and then get back to him! Shouldn't take that long! She's just one-"

Bardock stopped dead in his tracks and, for just a brief moment, fear filled his heart. "Holy shit..."

Cassava was standing in the middle of the battlefield, engaging in a one-sided fistfight with a Chimchurrian general. Taro was right near her, choking out another. And surrounding them was what could only be described as Hell in tornado form. A black-and-red cyclone of energy was swirling around the battlefield. Stuck in it were hundreds of Chimchurrians. And, even more terrifying, that number was rapidly growing. The suction of the cyclone was pulling Chimchurrians and their mounts right out of the sky, instantly shredding the insects and leaving the riders in a state of suspended panic.

Bardock watched one of the Chimchurrians get sucked in, screaming for his life as the wind shredded him. "NO! NO! LET THE PAIN END! LET THE TORMENT-"

The poor bastard was torn apart by the howling, black winds. Bardock turned his attention back to Cassava. A Chimchurrian tried to jump at her back, but a pair of black hands erupted from Cassava's shoulder and rammed into his eye sockets. Another tried to attack her, but her tail swung out, surging with a black aura, and sliced his head off in one clean motion. And the worst part, Cassava had an utterly casual look on her face while all this was happening. She was so relaxed it was almost like she was dancing.

Bardock swallowed a lump in his throat. "So, this is the power that the Saiyan Empire sends when a planet gives them trouble..."

But then, his rage came bubbling back up. "I'll kill her! I'll kill her!"

Bardock rushed in quickly and quietly. He managed to avoid the hostile, black winds that Cassava was somehow producing and got close. He paused near a Chimchurrian's corpse and quickly ripped off its head. Out of the corner of his eye, Taro noticed Bardock and groaned under his breath. "You've got to be friggin' kidding me..."

Bardock stood and tossed the Chimchurrian's head right at Cassava, like a pitcher in a baseball game. As if on instinct, Cassava's tail shot up and skewered the projectile. She looked at it with curiosity. "Severed head? What the hell?"

Cassava's ears perked up and she quickly went into action. She smashed her Chimchurrian opponent in the face with a palm thrust and sent him stumbling back. At the same time, she leapt into the air to dodge this new foe of hers. She slammed down on the back of the mystery attacker's neck with her knee and sneered. "Who the hell-"

Cassava gasped, seeing a familiar face writhing beneath her. "Oh! Bardock! You're back on your feet! That's cool~"

Bardock jerked and struggled beneath Cassava's knee, desperate to break free and try to kill her again. Cassava took on a humorous, catty smile. "Oh~ Did you really think you were gonna kill me like that~"

Cassava's Chimchurrian foe lunged at her again, but Cassava quickly stood up. Bardock managed to roll over in that instant, but Cassava planted her heel right onto his throat. And then, with her free foot, Cassava kicked the Chimchurrian right beneath the jaw. His neck stretched to an unnatural length and then his head popped off like a champagne cork. Cassava chuckled. "Way to ruin my fun, Bardock. I spent, like, ten minutes making that guy think he had a chance! I was hoping to toy with him just a bit longer~"

Bardock wheezed, forcing words from his throat in spite of Cassava's heel. "I'll...kill...you..."

Cassava placed her hand onto her cheek. "You have such fire in your eyes. Such a vitriolic spirit..."

She reached down and grabbed Bardock by his tail, lifting him powerlessly off of the ground. "And you still refuse to wrap your tail, I see..."

Cassava chuckled and shot Bardock a thin, malevolent little smile. "Your arrogance really is quite cute~"

Two more Chimchurrians managed to brave the black storm and they rushed Cassava. She sighed and shook her head. And then, she enveloped Bardock in black ki and swung him like a mace, smashing the two Chimchurrian's like bugs and sending their corpses flying across the battlefield. Bardock looked dazed, Cassava laughed. "We have a capital to conquer, little Bardock. I think I'm going to have you be my helper~ How do you feel about that~?"

Bardock sneered, mumbling something under his labored breath. Cassava smirked. "Good talk, Bardock~"

And then she swung him like a flail towards another Chimchurrian.

On the Warhammer ship that evening...

The majority of Planet Chimichurri was hauntingly silent. One could hear a pin drop for miles if one were to land amongst the destroyed buildings, razed flora, and piles of Chimchurrian corpses that were left lying to rot.

All except for the Warhammer camp.

With another invasion successfully carried out, this brutal regiment of the Saiyan army was ready to party and feast over a job well done. As the more senior soldiers partied and engaged in drunken revelry, the remaining NAILs that weren't killed did their part: serving food and drink to any senior that requested it and making sure the party kept going.

In spite of this grunt work, the Warhammers didn't treat their new comrades poorly. They celebrated, pulling them aside to engage in the occasional drink chug or to have them dig into a pile of roasted meat. Toma, Fasha, Panbukin, Totepo, and Gine had never experienced this level of comradery before. And they all were having the time of their lives.

Within the Warhammer ship...

While everyone else partied outside, Bardock sat furious inside the Warhammer ship. Bardock himself had no interest in partying with the rest of the Warhammer, but being specifically told by Taro that he wasn't allowed to party pissed him off. Instead, he had been assigned the duty of carving all of the names of the fallen into The Wall.

Turles carved Bell's name into The Wall and looked back at his furious, older brother. The one-armed Saiyan knew that Bardock wouldn't cooperate, so he decided to step in and make sure the carvings were done to avoid any trouble. "After I get done with this, I have to go out and help with the party. I was supposed to deliver Miss Cassava her food, but I asked if I could have a few minutes to myself..."

Turles smiled. "D-Do you want me to sneak some food in for you?"

Bardock was pretty well-battered, having been used as a blunt weapon for several hours. His tail was so sore that his legs still felt like jelly. His angry mask that he normally wore hid a lot of it...but it was clear that Bardock was embarrassed. "I don't want shit..."

Turles sighed. "Bardock, I love you, Bro... but you can't beat her. She's too strong! So, don't punish yourself and not eat..."

Bardock snapped. "I refuse to accept that! Even strong fighters lose their edge eventually, Turles! I'll just keep getting stronger and stronger and stronger...and then I'll take that bitch's heart!"

Turles sighed and turned back around, continuing to carve Bell's name into the wall. "This is going to be a looooong deployment..."

Bardock sneered. "I heard from that Taro bastard that we're going to Planet Kimchi next! Planet Kimchi will be her grave!"

On Planet Kimchi...

Cassava pressed her foot down onto Bardock's head, keeping him entirely submerged in the seas of Planet Kimchi. After a few minutes, she let up and allowed him to come up for air. Bardock gasped in pain and tried to pull himself out of the water, only for Cassava to suddenly grab him by the hair. She sniffed and wretched. "Ugh...you stink...don't you ever bathe?!"

Bardock screamed and went for a kick, only for Cassava to thrust him back into the water. Another five or six minutes passed and then she yanked him out and took another sniff. Cassava sighed in defeat and then spoke. "Are we done here~?"

Bardock, partially drowned, threw another lazy punch. His fist pressed into Cassava's cheek, but he was too weak to do any real harm. Cassava smiled and tossed him over her shoulder. "Good talk, Bardock~"

On Planet Empanada...

Bardock went skipping across the harsh, desert sands like a stone, the skin on his back sizzling against the super-heated crystal. He sat up, only for a handful of hot sand to go flying into his eyes. He screeched in pain. "GODDAMMIT!"

Cassava looked up at a nearby palm tree, licking her lips at the sight of the coconuts hanging between the fronds. She glanced over at her continued foe. "Are we done here~?"

Blindly, Bardock charged at her. His fists were drawn and he was going to pummel her. Cassava kicked Bardock in the chest, sending him shooting up and knocking a coconut loose. Cassava dug her fingers into the coconut, splitting it in half and chugging the sweet liquid in the middle. As Bardock fell into the hot sands, Cassava fired a beam up at the tree and made a second coconut fall right into her waiting hands. She smiled. "Good talk, Bardock~"

On Planet Hotdogs...

Bardock coughed and sputtered as he pulled his face from the mud, wet dirt and grass falling from between his teeth. Cassava stomped his face back into the mud with a laugh. "Are we done here~?"

Bubbles sputtered up from the mud. Cassava grabbed him by one of his armor straps and tossed him into a nearby, murky bog. "Good talk, Bardock~"

On Planet Bolognese...

Fist after fist crashed into Bardock's face as Cassava pressed her knee into his chest, the vicious woman smiled down at him as she punched again and again. She chuckled. "Are we done here~?"

Bardock opened his mouth to scream at her and she spat a massive loogie right down his throat. Bardock gagged and Cassava punched him again. "Good talk, Bardock~"

On Planet Fritata...

Several months had passed since the last group of NAILs had been sent to join the Warhammer. Batch 54, as they were known by Cassava and the rest of the senior Warhammers, had shown an amazing success for a new round of NAILs: after all this time, they had a 12% survival rate!

Several standouts of Batch 54 sat beneath an awning, licking their wounds and enjoying a meal after their first day invading Planet Fritata. The Fritatans were an alien race characterized by the thick outer shells they grew on their skin. It was taking teams of two to kill each Fritatan (one to open the shell and one to kill the squishy center) but they were getting it done.

Totepo and Panbukin had teamed up with Gine acting as their support. Fasha and Toma had teamed up with Turles acting as their support. Now on their break, these six engaged in small talk as they ate the ration bars, canned food, and water they were allotted for the day.

Toma dabbed a slightly damp rag against a gash on Fasha's forehead as she ate what could best be described as a meat flavored bar of clay. She grimaced as she took a bite. "And you're sure this isn't, ya know, rotten?"

Panbukin snorted. "Sorry yer majesty! S'all we got!"

Fasha glared at him, but then chugged half of her water bottle. Toma finished his dabbing and applied a bandage. "There. That should hold until the underdeck crew is able to secure a reservoir to fill the Healing Chambers with."

Fasha glanced over at Toma. Since being sent off to the Warhammer, they had both had a birthday. Toma was now 13 and Fasha was now 12. Fasha blushed and nodded. "Th-Thanks...Toma..."

Panbukin rolled his eyes at the sickeningly sweet romance. He turned towards Turles. "Yo! T-Man!"

Turles looked up from his can of..."beans?"...and nodded. "Sup?"

Panbukin scratched under his arm. "Where's that dickhead brother of yours? It's too quiet here without him lashin' out at all of us."

Turles nervously chuckled. "W-Well..."

And explosion rang out on the other side of the camp. Gine wiped her mouth. "I think he might be trying to kill Cassava."

Totepo nodded in agreement. A few moments later, the entire group was shocked when Cassava herself strolled into the tent. She was dragging an unconscious body by its hair. Toma gave a quick examination and nodded at the soot and ash covered Bardock. He looked to his commander. "Did you fry him to death, ma'am?"

Cassava tossed Bardock at Turles' feet. "I believe this belongs to you, Mr. Turles~"

Turles nervously nodded. "Th-Thank you, ma'am."

She chuckled and then answered Toma's question. "Nah. Little psycho was hiding in the rubbish incinerator waiting for me to toss out my meal garbage. Tried stabbing me in the eye with an iron spike, he did~"

Fasha sighed. "No offense, Turles. But if Miss Cassava ever kills him, it's his own fault."

Turles nodded. "I-I know. I've been trying to talk to him, but Bardock can be obsessive and-"

Surprising everyone, Cassava actually sat down on the ground. Inside their tent. Cassava sighed. "You don't have to worry, Turles. I'm probably not going to kill him."

As Cassava dug around in her armor, her terrified subordinates all sat and watched her with a hushed silence. This was a first. Beyond partying and strategy meetings, Cassava usually never rested anywhere but the ship or her own tent. And yet...here she was, just sitting there amongst the lot of them. Cassava looked up, seeing them all staring at her with ghost-white complexions and fearful eyes.

She smiled and chuckled...though it was a different smile than her normal one. For a moment, the Warhammer...the Blood Empress...the Strongest Saiyan...almost seemed like a normal person. Finally, Cassava managed to pull what she was looking for out of her armor and began to unwrap it. "So... over six months and all of you are still alive. You and a handful of others are all that's left of ol' Batch 54~"

No response other than some tight head nodding. Cassava sighed, but put on a beaming smile. "I have to say...I'm proud of all of you~! Uh, some more than others..."

A brief glance at Turles of all people, but then she looked around at everyone. "But I'm proud all the same~ You've earned the right to be called Warhammers by any stretch~!"

Cassava's voice was shrill. Any of the NAILs sitting there would have mistaken the tone in her voice for anxiety or panic if they did not know her better from watching her fight. Very quickly, all of them got to their feet and saluted Cassava. "THANK YOU, COMMANDER!"

Cassava's beaming smile quickly melted into an uncomfortable grimace. "Please, just...don't..."

Everyone flinched back, looking scared at the thought they had made Cassava angry. Cassava raised her hand. "N-No! I'm not mad! I just...this ain't an official meeting, okay? Don't call me Commander! C-Call me Cassava. Or, um, my friends call me Cas...sometimes. Or if you have any cool nicknames you can think of..."

Cassava trailed off, looking uncomfortable. But then, she snapped back into being peppy. "But, uh, yeah! I came here to share some exciting news with you! You've all lasted long enough to be promoted! So, you can go to the armor smithy now and get some kickass red Warhammer armor!"

The now former NAILs looked down at their torn up, hastily repaired old armor. That was actually a relief for quite a few of them. Gine was a growing girl, her armor was actually kind of tight. And Fasha came to the Warhammer wearing rags, so the pieced-together armor she was wearing looked especially ragged. Cassava smiled. "And, um...don't tell anyone. But I've been watching you guys out there in the field. And I, uh, I just wanted to reward you all for gelling together and being so effective..."

With a boisterous grin, Cassava held up the wrapped item in her hand. Most to the former NAILs flinched, not knowing what the hell this new item was. It seemed to be a brown rectangle, bound up tight in silver foil. A sweet, but subdued smell wafted through the air and took Toma, Panbukin, Totepo, Turles, and Gine off of their feet. Cassava giggled. "Lemme guess...none of you have seen this before, huh? Care to take a guess what it's called? A correct guess lands everyone a piece of it~"

The tent went silent, minus the sounds of watering mouth. They were clueless. Cassava adopted a small, catty smile. She didn't care. She was going to give each of them a piece anyway. It was the perfect plan. Maybe, just maybe...this would be the first step to making these people her-

"That's chocolate, right? It's a commodity reserved for the Elite class."

Everyone turned to look at Fasha, sitting there with a casual look on her face. That response actually seemed to drain a bit of wind from Cassava's sails. "Uh...yeah. Ding-Ding. We have a... a winner..."

Seemingly pouty, Cassava broke a piece of chocolate from the bar and tossed it to Fasha. And then she got to work doing the same for everyone else. Cassava sighed. "I hope you all enjoy. Now, for the last reason that I'm here..."

She turned her attention back to the purple-eyed half-breed. "Celipa...or Fasha...whatever...you seem pretty knowledgeable about stuff that NAILs normally wouldn't be. Have you bothered to share your circumstances with these fine, flea-bitten folks?"

Fasha flinched. But then, she slowly nodded. "I haven't shared everything, but they're cool without all the details. Right, guys?"

All of Fasha's comrades nodded. Cassava sighed. "Care if I tell them the rest?"

Immediately, Fasha was tense. Her face exploded bright red and she stammered. "I-I-I'd p-prefer if you d-didn't..."

Cassava cocked her head. Fasha visibly shrunk. "It's just...embarrassing...and traumatic. Thinking about it hurts, ma'am..."

Cassava stared at Fasha. The poor thing was shaking like a leaf. It was clear that she was afraid Cassava was going to spill the beans anyway. But then, Cassava let loose a long sigh. "That's fine. If you don't want to discuss it, then we'll just have to bury the hell out of it. I don't honestly care what you were before you were given to me, you're mine now and that's all that matters."

Cassava stood and stretched her back. "You're my NAIL. So, as the War Hammer, I need to drive you forward. Not pull you back."

Toma flinched. "I-Is that why we're called NAILs? I thought that was meant to be an acronym or something..."

Cassava shook her head. "Higher-ups made it an acronym. Bunch of dumbasses making things too complicated. I never put any thought into that beyond the hammer and nail metaphor..."

The Blood Empress cracked the last bit of chocolate into two pieces and popped one into her mouth. Fasha, meanwhile, managed to calm herself just a bit. She stood up and faced down Cassava. "So...you know all about me, huh?"

Cassava nodded. "Yup."

Fasha continued. "And I can only assume you want to talk about all of this because you have a personal reason, right?"

Cassava nodded again. "Uh-huh."

Fasha felt a lump form in her throat. "Okay. L-Look...at risk of you killing me...I just wanted to say that I know all about you as well. And, uh, that thing you definitely don't want people talking about. So...if you tell everyone here about your thing...I'll tell them about mine..."

Cassava's brow furrowed. She looked visibly angry. Everyone was immediately tense once more. The Warhammer took a step forward and her NAILs all flinched back. Fasha shivered in place, knowing that she might have just signed her own death warrant. Cassava knelt down, gripping her hands onto the sides of Fasha's head. She traced her fingers around the young girl's eyes and Fasha prepared for the worst. But then, Cassava spoke. "Such said, pain-stricken eyes...so much heartbreak..."

Fasha flinched and Cassava sighed. "We all have things we'd rather let slip into the backs of our minds. That's why everyone in this outfit is here. I promise I won't say a word without your permission..."

She smiled at Fasha. "And, if you ever feel brave enough to tell your friends here, I guess it wouldn't hurt to let them in on my little thing as well~"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as Cassava stood again. The Warhammer cocked her head. "Look, I came here for a specific reason, not just to drag Bardock's carcass and dispense chocolate. I'm going to put down an order here in a bit that everyone is required to follow. I just wanted to run it by you guys first."

Confusion. Why in the hell would Cassava want to run an order by them? They were the lowest on the rung that one could get. Cassava cleared her throat, putting on her official voice. "By order of the Warhammer herself, the official reasoning behind Fasha's eyes being purple is that they are Tuffle-made prosthetics. As far as any newcomer to this outfit should be concerned, she's a pure-blooded Saiyan that took a shot to the face protecting my back."

Fasha flinched. "Y-You want to...sweep my heritage under the rug?!"

Cassava nodded again. "Yup."

Fasha seemed especially distraught. "But-"

Cassava waved her hand. "No buts. We're getting a supply of new soldiers in soon: Batch 55. People who haven't learned to be pants-pissingly terrified of crossing me yet. People that aren't privy to how I expect my outfit to run. You're a good soldier, Fasha. Valuable commodity too. Watching you settle into how life works here and surviving all this time has been a treat. I'm not going to lose you to some racist halfwit with a grudge he doesn't even understand."

Cassava saw the look of sadness on Fasha's face and she sighed, scratching the back of her head. "Be a proud Tuffle in private, dear. Just go along with this so I don't lose you one day when my back is turned. Okay?"

Fasha was silent. Cassava spoke any. "Any objections?"

Fasha remained silent, her head slumping over. Cassava frowned, but without even a hint of anger on her face. She quickly walked by Fasha, giving the poor girl a pat on the head as she did. As she was about to leave, Cassava stopped one last time. She knelt down in front of Turles and smiled, holding up the last bit of chocolate. Turles was confused. "D-Do I get two pieces, ma'am?"

Cassava shook her head, placing the chocolate into Turles' palm. "You're clever, little Turles. Come up with a way to give that to your brother without telling him it's from me. He's a good solider, he deserves a treat too~"

She winked at the one-armed Saiyan. "Right?"

Turles blushed and nodded, gripping the chocolate, though not so tight that it would melt. Cassava stood and stretched her back and shoulders. "Everyone's marching orders are on hold for the time being. The Fritatans have declared a state of emergency and they're all retreating into their walled city. So, killing the lot of them should be a slam dunk when the full moon rises tomorrow evening. So, we're just going to hang back, enjoy some free time, and wait for Batch 55 to show up. Cool? Cool."

Everyone nodded and saluted as Cassava walked away. All except for the unconscious Bardock and the despondent Fasha.

A few hours later...

Cassava stared into the sky, punching Taro in the arm and shouting once she caught first sight of it. "Here it comes, Taro! Here it comes!"

Taro grumbled under his breath and rubbed his arm, watching alongside his commander as the new drop-pod full of NAILs came in for a crash landing. Cassava whistled, staring down at the monitoring device in her hand. "Holy shit. The targeting AI actually hit the target this time. How novel~"

Taro snorted. "Broken clock is right twice a day, I s'pose."

Cassava watched as the walls of the drop pod all fell to the wayside. Once those were gone, the restraints within disengaged and the new NAILs were allowed to lumber onto their feet. They all looked stiff and frigid, a result of their cryogenic nap. Cassava walked up, shoving one of the unaware Saiyans to the side and opening a crate. She smirked. "Taro! We have luxuries! And a nice little roster of passengers~"

Taro walked up and dug in the crate, finding a new pair of socks. "Finally. Damned Chimichurrans stole our luxuries last time. Never found those socks..."

Cassava nodded. "Yup. They took my roster list on Chimichurri too. Took forever to learn the new recruits' names without it..."

Cassava turned and saw several of Batch 55 staring at her. Their eyes were half-lidded, showing that they still weren't fully awake. Cassava grimaced at all of these strangers staring at her. "W-What the hell are you looking at?!"

She shoved two more out of the way. "Mingle with your new comrades, you damned zombies! I'll get to you in an hour or so!"

Leaving the new rabble behind to mingle with the old rabble, Cassava and Taro made a quick beat for her private tent at the center of the camp. Cassava was already deep into the roster of who the Saiyan empire deemed worthy of being sent to the Warhammer. Cassava nodded at the list. "Oh, look at this guy. Florette. Says he's a murderer...and a rapist. Man, talk about burying the lead..."

Taro cocked his head. "I'm pretty sure that little bastard that keeps trying to off you has a few cold-blooded murders under his belt."

Cassava glanced over at him. "It's not the murdering that bothers me! Our whole job consists of murder on a global scale. It's that other...icky thing..."

Taro nodded. "Ah. Different standards for different crimes, I suppose? I gotcha. So, does it say anything else about Mr. Florette?"

Cassava nodded. "It says that he's prone to falling down some stairs and breaking his disgusting, rapist neck. Can you believe that?"

Taro nodded. "Yup. They put some wild things in those rosters. I'll make sure to watch in case he falls down the stairs and breaks his neck."

Cassava smiled. "I can always rely on you, Taro. By the way, would you sprint ahead and open that heavy-duty containment chest for me?"

Taro nodded, sprinting forward and opening a large chest that rations would normally be stored in. It was a special, reinforced box made in case of enemy attacks. It could withstand a blow or blast from a Saiyan Elite without shattering. Cassava nodded as she continued to read. "Thanks Taro."

Taro nodded again. "Of course."

Cassava continued to walk. And then, without any warning, Bardock suddenly lunged from the shadows with a primal scream. He pulled his fist back for a mighty punch, only for Cassava to grab him by his tail, using the boy's own momentum to heave him right into the trunk. Cassava then slammed the lid and placed another heavy-duty containment chest on top. "Later, kid! The adults are talking right now!"

As Bardock screamed and raged in his new confinement, Cassava and Taro continued their walk. Cassava flipped the page on his list and read the next name. "Huh...so they sent Rozumar here, huh?"

Taro tapped his chin. "Rozumar. Rozumar. Ro...zu...THAT GUY?! THE ONE WHO-"

Cassava slugged Taro on his upper arm. "Keep it down. Don't raise your voice. But, yes, that Rozumar."

A little over a year ago...

An Affront to Saiyan Decency. That's what King Vegeta II and his state-controlled media called it. Even though the decrepit Saiyan King was guilty of such things within the confines of his own royal estate, in support of his scientific endeavors, King Vegeta could never allow the wider populace to see this go unpunished!

Even though Vegeta II had several bastard children on his own made using the same method, several of whom predated his own heir, the Saiyan King could never allow a scandal like this to just happen with no response.

A member of the Saiyan Elite had been caught in quite the predicament! Rozumar, one of the more well-renowned Elite, had fathered a child with one of his Tuffle houseslaves! The wretched state of it all was enough that even those in the Low-Class were starting to hear of it!

Not only was this unwanted wretch born outside of a birthing facility, a great offense in-and-of itself, but it was a half-breed! A worthless, filthy half-breed! Vegeta II's laws made it very clear what that meant!

House Rozumar was stripped down to nothing! Nappa and Paragus, two up-and-coming Elite Saiyans among Vegeta III's inner circle, made sure of that. The wealth was seized. Rozumar was violently apprehended and dragged away! All servants and slaves were quickly repossessed and redistributed to Saiyans that new better than to flaunt House Vegeta's will!

And finally, the bastard child and its mother were separated and dragged away. The mother was sent to the Tuffle Camp, where the last of the remaining Tuffles on the former Planet Plant spent their days. And the child was taken to Vegeta II's labs to be studied and disposed of once that lost its novelty. The method of disposal, at the end of it all, being the one detail Vegeta II never bothered to specify.

Back in the present...

"CELIPA! YOU NASTY LITTLE BITCH! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

Rozumar snarled as he held Fasha up by her collar. He reared his fist back and punched the poor girl in the face several times over, drawing blood and making one of her eyes swell. Rozumar himself was in terrible shape, his head shaved and his skin burned. He looked like had just gotten done being someone's chew toy. In spite of that, however, his Power Level of 2900 surged out in waves. There wasn't anyone present that could stop his rampage.

At his feet, Toma, Panbukin, Totepo, Gine, and Turles all laid beaten and battered. Rozumar slapped Fasha across the face and screamed. "TELL THEM! YOU TELL THEM IT'S YOUR FAULT! YOUR WERE THE ONE WHO WAS BORN! I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT!"

Toma pushed himself up. His jaw felt fractured from the punch he had taken, but he didn't care. He dragged himself forward and grabbed Rozumar's foot. A vein bulged from Rozumar's face and he kicked Toma again, sending him flying back. With that distraction removed, Rozumar reached up and grabbed Fasha's face, squeezing it so hard that her cheeks crumpled in. He snarled. "YOU'RE A CURSE! YOU AND THAT FILTHY, TUFFLE MOTHER OF YOURS! SHE NEVER TOLD ME SHE WAS PREGNANT! I WOULD HAVE KILLED YOU IN THE WOMB IF I KNEW THAT!"

Tears filled Fasha's eyes. She remembered how her relationship with her father was before her lineage was revealed. He was a loving parent. He couldn't acknowledge her publicly, but he always did his best to care for her and her mother. Fasha's sobbed. "D-Daddy..."

Rozumar slapped her again. "DON'T EVER CALL ME THAT! DON'T YOU REALIZE THAT YOU RUINED MY LIFE?!"

The rest of Batch 55 was shocked at this revelation. Immediately, the crowd turned on the poor girl. They snarled and shouted at the top of their lungs, decrying the half-breed with a malicious fervor. From somewhere in the crowd, a glob of spit came flying out and hit Fasha in the face. Rozumar screamed. "THIS IS ALL YOUR MOTHER'S FAULT! THAT FILTHY TUFFLE TRASH! I-"

Reacting on instinct, Fasha kicked Rozumar in the face. She screamed at her father. "I WON'T LET YOU BADMOUTH MOM! YOU HEAR ME?!"

Fasha was shaking. She remembered the last time she was allowed to see her mother. The pain in her eyes. Her mother's last words granting her a Tuffle name to carry on with. Fasha screamed again. "DON'T YOU EVER SAY ANYTHING ABOUT HER!"

Rozumar grinded his teeth. He pulled his fist back again. "YOU FILTHY HALF-BREED TRASH! I AM A SAIYAN ELITE! HOW DARE YOU KICK ME?!"

Before he could throw his fist, however, Rozumar came to a halt. He felt something grabbing him by the tail. He turned and looked down, seeing little Gine gripping him tight. She glared up at Rozumar with a backbone that she had never managed before in her young life and spoke in a serious tone. "Y-You leave Fasha alone! She's my friend!"

Rozumar was unamused. He thrust his hand right into Gine's face and charged an energy blast. Fear and shock froze Gine in place. Even as she dropped Rozumar's tail, she couldn't move. On the ground, Toma, Panbukin, and Totepo tried to move, but they were all too damaged. Turles pushed himself up with his single arm and cried out. "G-GINE!"

But then, a familiar boot stepped over Turles. As Rozumar was about to fire his blast and kill Gine, a tail suddenly wrapped around his wrist and snatched his hand away. Rozumar looked up from Gine and gasped, seeing that he was now face-to-face with Cassava.

Slowly, Cassava raised her hand up to Rozumar's blast and quashed it by clapping her hand against his. She spoke in a jovial, joking tone. "Now now. I love a good riot as much as the next Saiyan, but I think this is all a bit dramatic. Don't you?"

Rozumar snarled. And then, in perhaps the dumbest move a single NAIL had ever committed, he cleared his throat and spat right into Cassava's face. The mixture of saliva and mucus ran down Cassava's forehead, streaming into one of her eyes and dripping off of the bridge of her nose. The entire Warhammer camp went fearfully silent. Rozumar roared at Cassava. "I DON'T NEED SOME LOW-CLASS, GODDAMNED PIG FARMER PRETENDING LIKE SHE CAN ORDER ME AROUND JUST BECAUSE KING VEGETA'S BRAT WANTS TO MATE WITH HER! YOU'RE A LOW-CLASS! I'M AN ELITE! KNOW YOUR PLACE AND SHUT YOUR MOUTH!"

The Warhammers and the remaining NAILs of Batch 54 all went quiet. The Warhammers, of course, knew about Cassava's betrothal to Vegeta III. They all also knew better than to bring it up. The NAILs of Batch 54 were all stunned silent. The NAILs of Batch 55 continued to snarl and sneer, heckling from the sidelines as Cassava just stood there.

Cassava unwrapped her tail from around Rozumar's wrist. Gently and with poise, she reached down and grabbed her cape to wipe her face clean. Her voice was unnervingly calm. "I will ask once. Drop my soldier. She outranks you in this outfit, at the moment, so you really should be showing her the respect a subordinate would show a superior."

Rozumar sneered, turning away from Cassava and rearing his fist back to punch his daughter. "I'LL DO WHATEVER THE HELL I WANT!"

Rozumar threw his arm forward and blood splattered across the ground. His eyes went wide, as did Fasha's. Rozumar stared at the arm stump where his forearm and fist were once attached and his jaw dropped in disbelief. Before he could even scream or register the pain, Cassava spoke behind him. "Oh no. Where'd your arm go?"

Rozumar turned and locked eyes with Cassava. His stare was full of seething hatred for the woman. Cassava's stare was as blank and emotionless as a garden statue. Rozumar was so focused on Cassava that he somehow managed to overlook the malevolent shadow rumbling at her feet, like a predator waiting to pounce. Rozumar screamed and foamed at the mouth, dropping Fasha to the ground as he charged. "I AM AN ELITE! I WILL NOT BE EMBARRASSED BY PRINCE VEGETA'S CONCUBINE!"

Rozumar charged and fired a blast at Cassava. Taro quickly leapt in to kick it away. And then, before Rozumar could fire off another, several black vines wrapped around his body and cinched tightly, binding him in place. Cassava spoke coldly. "I'm afraid you aren't the right fit for my unit, Rozumar. I'll be sure to tell King Vegeta that you served with the honor and dignity of a Saiyan Elite...but he won't care."

Before Rozumar could even yelp, the black-and-red tendrils wrapped tighter and tighter around him, compressing him down smaller and smaller, the sound of crunching bones and ripping muscle coming out from beneath the shadows as little more than a muffled echo. Finally, the shadows dispersed and all that was left behind was a lump of flesh, no bigger than a grapefruit. It was a horrifying sight, but then Cassava sighed and smiled. "Okay Batch 55~! That was unpleasant, but let's leave the past in the past! My name is Cassava and you work for me now! Congrats on the mondo cool job you've all landed~"

She smiled wide, a single sparkle coming off of her pearly white teeth. "I'm OOZARUJOYED to meet all of you~"

Dead silence. Taro scoffed. "That has to be the worst pun yet..."

Cassava frowned. "Shut your mouth! I'm trying to relate to the youth!"

Taro countered back. "Most of the people here are older than you. You're, like, 23."

Cassava snapped back. "25!"

Taro rolled his eyes. "Well pardon me..."

Cassava turned away from Taro with a sour look on her face. And then, to her annoyance, she saw a rather large group of Batch 55 soldiers looming over Fasha. The girl was hurt, staring up at the group of much larger Saiyans with shimmering purple eyes. Cassava quickly strolled over and stood across from them. "Do you fine gentlemen have a problem~?"

One of the Batch 55 NAILs stepped forward. "Yeah! A big one! Ain't you gonna kill the half-breed too?! I ain't servin' alongside no filthy Tuffle!"

As the rest started to murmur in agreement, Cassava simply chuckled. "No! You all misunderstand~ Fasha isn't a half-breed. Rozumar was just so addled from all of the torture the other Elite put him through that he couldn't recognize that. See, Fasha has ocular implants. She got shot in the-"

The NAIL took a step back and shouted again. "DON'T BULLSHIT US, LADY!"

Cassava's smile turned into an annoyed glare. "And you are?"

He sneered. "Name's Florette! And I don't believe for a second that those are any kind of implant! This little brat is a half-breed! And if you have any Saiyan pride, you'd kill her right this instant to save the rest of us the embarrassment of having to fight alongside her!"

Cassava sighed, a vein bulging from the side of her head. "Florette? I think I remember that name-"

Florette felt a chill go up his spine. He took another step back. "Y-You're really going to support a half-breed over a full-blooded-"

A massive black hand composed out of pure energy shot from Cassava's back. It slammed down towards the ground like a missile, giving Florette no time to dodge out of the way. The loud-mouthed scumbag was immediately crushed, exploding like a balloon-filled with blood and soaking the other new recruits of Batch 55. The lot of them were frozen with fear, only able to watch as Cassava's black hand lifted what was left of Florette into the air and squeezed, juicing him on top of them. All of the joviality and fun left Cassava's voice and she spoke with a deadly, merciless tone.

"Ocular. Implants. Burn those words into your empty, fucking skulls. Never forget them. Never think anything other than that. You wake up. Ocular Implants. You take a shit. Ocular Implants. You lay down to sleep at night. Ocular Implants. Never anything else. Ocular. Implants. That's the truth. Ocular. Implants. That is the truth that the Warhammer has laid down for you to memorize."

Cassava's ki began to surge. "The truth. And do keep in mind, I hate liars. So, if I catch any of you spreading that Tuffle half-breed bullshit around my outfit, perverting Fasha's OCULAR IMPLANTS into something else entirely, there will be hell to pay. Am I understood?"

Everyone from Batch 55 shuddered in horror. Taro stepped up. "I BELIEVE THAT COMMANDER CASSAVA ASKED YOU ALL A GODDAMNED QUESTION!"

Very quickly, the lot of them nodded. Cassava took a deep breath...and then that sweet, warm smile was back on her face. "Very good. Now get some rest and get some grub. We're going to make the final push against the Fritatans tomorrow evening and I want you all at your best~"

Cassava walked away, leaving roughly two hundred new soldiers in need of a change of pants. Taro trailed behind her, scowling at the stain on Cassava's cape from the spit. As they walked, Cassava came to a stop again to help Turles to his feet. "Hey buddy, you good?"

Turles nodded. "Y-Yeah...that guy hit hard..."

She smiled. "Well, he's dead so he doesn't matter anymore. Did your brother like the chocolate?"

Turles nodded. "H-He sniffed it for a bit first, but he ate it all up."

Cassava's smile spread even wider. She looked very pleased with that news. She gave Turles a firm pat on the shoulder. "Your brother is currently trapped in a heavy-duty crate on the other side of camp. You guys let him out and then get to the infirmary. I want the Best of Batch 54 to be ready for tomorrow. Kay?"

Turles nodded. "R-Right..."

Later that evening...

As the Full Moon rose, the Fritatans Walled City got to experience a fear that the Northern Galaxy knew all too well. The light of the Full Moon only lasted a few, peaceful moments before being blotted out by large, furry black shadows.

The red eyes attached to these shadows shined like deadly lasers in the sea of inky black. They marched forward and the ground rumbled. The hideous roars of these beasts rang out and threatened to deafen the Fritatans unsuited for combat!

Once they were close enough, their visage became clear for all to see. It was an army of Saiyan Oozaru. They loomed over the Fritatan Walled City. And then, the one at the head of the pack roared even louder and a massive pair of black, sharp-clawed hands erupted from its back. Those hands grabbed two of the lesser Oozaru and heaved them over the walls of the Walled City. And then the hands dug into the walls themselves and tore them down.

The Fritatans could only cower in fear as their end stomped its way into the last safe point on the planet, the last thing most of them had heard being the ghastly roar of those devilish beasts.

The following morning...

Cassava sat buck-naked atop the rubble that used to be the Fritatan Royal Palace. She chugged huge mouthfuls of water from the jug her loyal attendant had brought her while Taro just stood there, looking annoyed and embarrassed. Taro groaned. "We're all wearing the same type of expandable armor! How in the hell did you end up naked?!"

Cassava chuckled, scratching the back of her head. "Cumber says he got carried away. Whoopsie~"

Taro sighed in exasperation. "You can't keep blaming things on an imaginary friend, Cassava! People are going to start thinking you've really gone off the deep-end if you keep using that as an excuse!"

Cassava looked annoyed. She tossed her water bottle at Taro's head and it shattered into pieces. "I can say whatever the hell I want! You got me?!"

Taro sneered and rubbed his head. Meanwhile Cassava stood up, bearing everything she had to her gob-smacked subordinates, and shouted at the top of her lungs. "NICE WORK, EVERYBODY! ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL CONQUEST! LET'S HEAR IT FOR BATCH 54! THEY'RE NOW OFFICIALLY WARHAMMERS!"

The crowd erupted into savage hooting and cheers. Cassava smiled and mumbled to herself. "Now we just gotta fill Bell's old position and all is good..."

She cleared her throat. "NOW, MEN! WE FEAST AND CELEBRATE! TAKE WHATEVER IS LEFT OF THE FRITATANS BELONGINGS! THEY DON'T NEED 'EM ANYMORE! WARHAMMERS! LET'S PARTY!"

And party they did. The Warhammer went from being a terrifying military outfit to a bunch of drunken revelers in an instant. Cassava sat her naked ass down atop the rubble and chuckled, only to shiver when a frigid wind ran over her. "Shit...need clothes..."

Suddenly, a cape flopped onto Cassava's shoulders and she looked up. It was Fasha. The young girl stared down at her commander and then sat next to her. She smiled. "Some people down there are still calling me a filthy half-breed behind my back, but they're too scared of you to actually do anything..."

Cassava snickered and rolled her eyes. "Of course, they are. I am a future queen...or whatever..."

Fasha sighed. "I'm sorry that my Dad-"

Cassava cut her off. "Rozumar is dead and, even if he wasn't, you couldn't have controlled what he said. So everyone knows I'm going to be getting married. So what? Lots of women...get married..."

Fasha looked down and saw a sight that made her flinch. A normal person would have blamed the cold for this, but Fasha had her doubts. She watched as Cassava's hands shivered and trembled at the thought of being forcibly wed. Fasha frowned and, almost without thinking, she wrapped her arms around Cassava and held her tight. Cassava adopted a gentle smile. "Thanks..."

As the two of them sat there, staring at the morning sun, a ki blast suddenly shot right towards Cassava's head. Without even looking, she used her tail to slap it away. The blast went flying back to its source, exploding, and Bardock yelled at the top of his lungs. "Goddammit!"

Fasha sighed, looking annoyed. "Why in the hell do you put up with that guy? He's the worst..."

Cassava sighed. "Maybe it's because I can see, beneath all of that bastard behavior of his, he's not such a bad person. Or maybe it's just because I like pricks like him. Who knows~?"

She leaned back and stared at the morning sun. "Or maybe...it's just because I envy his desire to rebel, no matter how outmatched he is..."