Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty
Written by: Feraligreater328 and StevenBodner
Edited by: StevenBodner and SparkerLightning
A/N: I've been very, very sick since my vacation ended. Not COVID, I've had my vaccines and I've been wearing masks in public, just a combination of allergies and a summer cold. Better now though, and hoping to make up for lost time! :)
Chapter 121: Planet Starch
On the Warhammer ship...
Turles, Gine, Toma, Fasha, Panbukin, and Totepo all sat in their little nook of the Warhammer ship, excitedly looking over their brand-new armor. It had been a few months since they had been granted the new clothing, but their stark backgrounds had left them in total awe of something this nice being bestowed upon them. It made them all feel like new people.
Gine smiled over at Turles and Bardock. "So, uh...what do you fellas think of my suit? Turles? B-Bardock...?~"
Bardock didn't even give a grunt in response, totally blowing Gine off. Turles, meanwhile, nodded with a nervous shudder. "Y-You look great, Gine! V-V-V-V-V-V-Very good~ L-Like an angel, heh heh..."
Gine cocked her head. "Could you speak up just a smidge, Turles? I couldn't quite here what you were saying..."
The one-armed Saiyan coughed, scratching the back of his head. "It was, uh...nothing..."
Turles adjusted his bodysuit, taking care to promote a snug fit around the stub where his other arm would have been. The bodysuit had been made for him, taking care to cover his deformity and provide him some comfort in battle. He was in good spirits and happily joked with his comrades. But out of the corner of his eye, Turles couldn't help but notice Bardock's temperament.
The grump was sitting in the corner, sneering to himself and clearly hating his new armor. Bearing the mark of Cassava and her unit wasn't something Bardock enjoyed, but he didn't have much of a choice as Cassava had forced him into it. Panbukin chuckled. "What's wrong, Bardock? Upset that Cassava made you get dressed?!"
Bardock didn't even acknowledge Panbukin. He simply sat there...seething.
Turles quickly spoke up, his cheeks puffed. "Please don't pick on my brother! Come on, Panbukin!"
Panbukin snorted. "Why do you even hang around this guy, Turles? You're smart and likeable. He's..."
Turles' voice became quite serious, he stepped up and puffed out his lanky chest to Panbukin. "He's one of the only two people I've had for the majority of my life. I would appreciate if you'd lay off!"
There was no other way of looking at it, Panbukin totally eclipsed Turles in strength. But, in spite of that, Panbukin flinched back. He quickly nodded and backed away. "R-Right. Sorry, man."
Turles was a bit taken aback as well. Did he really just...intimidate someone? The boy felt a warmth gather up in his chest. He placed his hand over his heart and smiled. He really did just intimidate someone~!
Fasha chuckled. "Looks like you'd better watch out, Panbukin~"
Panbukin sneered. "Shut up, Fasha..."
Toma, meanwhile, looked a bit curious. He cocked his head. "Yo, Turles."
Turles looked over at him. Toma spoke again. "What did you mean by that?"
Turles was confused now. "Wh-What do you mean?"
Gine spoke up, just as fascinated. "You said you had two people. We know Bardock, but who's the other?"
Turles' words stalled for a minute. Talking to Gine had been making him a bit nervous lately, though he didn't quite grasp why. He cleared his throat. "O-Oh! I see what you're saying. I was referring to mine and Bardock's older sister, Tursa~"
Fasha snorted. "Oh dear, you have other siblings, Turles...?"
She glanced over at the brooding Bardock. "Are they just as pleasant as Bardock is?"
Bardock growled under his breath. Turles happily nodded. "Yeah~! Tursa is great, the best older sister I have!"
Gine gently smiled, wanting to encourage a positive discussion. "What's she like?"
Turles smiled from ear-to-ear. "She's prickly, standoffish, vain, sarcastic, and super acidic in her way of speaking. She's always shovin' me to the ground and telling me to go away~! She slaps me every now and again and she constantly calls me a runt..."
Bardock gritted his teeth. The other members of the squad were taken aback. Totepo frowned. Panbukin took a moment, but then he chuckled. "Way you talk about this lady, it sounds like she is to you what Cassava is to Bardock~"
Turles nodded. "That's a good comparison~ On the outside, Tursa seems like she's only out to tear me down and remind me of my place in life. But..."
The one-armed Saiyan sat down, thinking back to the little bit of chocolate Cassava had handed him to give to Bardock. Along that train of thought, he also remembered the fruit that Tursa had handed him the last time he had seen her. Turles sighed. "...sometimes life demands that you be cruel to people that you like. It doesn't mean that you care any less. Planet Vegeta is a hard place. Some people just can't afford to remove the mask they wear..."
Toma scoffed. "I dunno, man. She sounds like an unpleasant bitch to me..."
But then, to the surprise of everyone, Bardock was on his feet. He got right in Toma's face and scowled. "You should learn to keep your mouth shut about shit you don't know. Runnin' it might get you killed."
Panbukin rolled his eyes, stepping towards the two. "Oh, look, Bardock is-"
Without turning around, Bardock smashed his fist into Panbukin's mouth and sent him crashing back. Panbukin gripped his bleeding lips and snarled. "Wh-What the hell are you doing?!"
Fasha and Totepo were both on their feet, furiously glaring at Bardock. Toma was more subdued, not wanting to make any sudden moves in front of the loose cannon. Gine, quite terrified, gripped onto Turles' arm, making Turles blush bright red.
As tensions were about to boil over, however, the door to the squad's quarters flew open with a mighty kick. Cassava twirled in, landing with a flourish of her cape and a song bellowing in her throat. "Heeeeeeeeeeeelloooooooooooooooooooooo~!"
She stood up straight and read the room. "Ah, I see were having a Class 2 Bardock situation~! And here I thought you were only after my head, scarface~"
The aching mark on Bardock's cheek burned. He snarled at Cassava. "I'll kill you! Don't you dare mock me!"
Cassava pulled down her left eyelid and flipped Bardock off with her right hand. "Come at me, boy! I'll shitcan you in a heartbeat~"
Bardock lunged and, without missing a beat, Cassava smacked him to the ground with her tail. Before Bardock could stand up, Cassava planted her boot onto the back of his head. She chuckled. "So, getting to the point, I just wanted to come and tell you all where we're headed. Because I like you and shit~"
Toma was still taken aback by how effortlessly Cassava could deal with Bardock. He swallowed a lump in his throat. "Is there...something special about the planet, ma'am?"
Cassava nodded. "Yup. Place we're headed is called Planet Starch! It's been a thorn in the Saiyan army's side for a few cycles now."
Panbukin, Fasha, Totepo, Turles, and Gine all joined Toma in listening to Cassava speak. Cassava fell to the ground, sitting on the struggling Bardock like a cushion. "This planet is disadvantageous to us for a few reasons. Number One: Starch has no moon. So, no Oozaru for us."
Panbukin groaned. "That's a pain."
Cassava continued. "Number Two: It's a planet that's managed to survive against quite a bit. Attack Ball Babies, Low-Class Mercenary Squads, and even some Mid-Class squads. Wouldn't be off the mark to say we've lost hundreds to this place..."
Toma winced. "Shit..."
Cassava nodded. "But the worst part is that in all of this time and with all of these losses...we have not managed to gather one drop of intel about this place. No clue what power the Starchians have, no survivors to relay info, and no Cold Force intel because his highness can't be bothered to get off his frigid lizard ass and send a more capable team to investigate!"
Fasha swallowed a lump in her throat. "S-So we're flying into this blind."
Cassava nodded once more. And then, she took a moment to gaze upon each of the young Saiyans in their shiny, red Warhammer armor. She smiled warmly. "You guys look so good in red. I really hope this isn't the last time I get to see you like this~"
As she stood to leave, Cassava noticed a look on Turles' face that she had grown quite fond of: the look of deep thought. She cocked her head with a knowing smirk. "Somebody's thinking~ What's on your mind, Turles my dear?"
Turles flinched. "O-Oh! I was just...thinking about the optics of the situation..."
Cassava flopped her head to the other side. Turles shuddered. "B-By which, of course, I mean...uh...if Starch doesn't have a moon, then the nighttime might be tricky to maneuver in. What is the sun like around Starch...?"
Cassava tapped her chin. "How...strangely literal for you. But, to answer your question, Starch is a far distance away from an incredibly bright star. It's been speculated by the boys back home that the planet is trapped in an infinite dusk. Not too bright, but enough light to see."
Turles breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay..."
Cassava crossed her arms. "Is that all, boy genius?"
Turles nodded. "Y-Yes ma'am! That's all~!"
Cassava could see the gears turning in Turles' eyes. He was planning something, just not ready to share it yet. Not wanting to stress the boy and spoil his thought process, Cassava chose to leave him be. "Very well. We'll be touching down on Starch in less than 3 hours. I expect you to be on you're A-game. Bardock, I'll expect your first assassination attempt no later than 20 minutes after we land. Do try to be punctual, young man~"
Bardock growled under his breath as Cassava stepped off of him and walked out of the room. The other members of the squad were left standing with their thoughts. Another invasion on the horizon. This time on a totally unknown world. Each of the young Saiyans looked down at their shiny red armor, at their Warhammer crests on their breastplates. They were ready to face whatever might come their way.
On Planet Starch...
The Warhammer ship touched down onto Planet Starch, casting a massive shadow over the land as it locked itself in place. The ground crew immediately began their duty, rushing out to set up a camp that met with Cassava's high expectations.
As the they did their thing, Cassava and Taro both stepped out as well. Taro took in a deep breath of Starchian air and wretched. "Ugh...something in the air tastes rotten. Are you sure we can breathe here, Cassava?"
Taro looked up, expecting a witty remark or a sarcastic zinger. But he instead found Cassava staring intently in the distance. A bead of sweat ran down the woman's face. A black aura appeared on Cassava's shoulder and one of those wispy hands emerged, waving next to her ear. Taro could tell that Cassava was uneasy. And that sent a bolt of terror shooting down his back.
Finally, Cassava shouted. "Everyone stop!"
The ground crew all froze in place, turning to face their terrifying leader. Cassava gritted her teeth and spoke bluntly, not tearing her gaze from the horizon for even a moment. "Pack all the camp stuff. Now. Something is off about this planet and I don't like it. So, we're not sticking around. Get the shit back into the ship so we can do our business and peace out the second we're done."
They were quick to obey, grabbing up everything they had begun to put down and haul it back into the ship. Much like Taro, they were all truly terrified of this planet should it spook the normally unfettered Cassava.
Taro looked to his leader and saw, to his horror, a subtle shaking to her hand. The fur on her tail was standing on end, straight as a clutch of needles. Taro's voice shifted from its normal tone to something more...familiar. "Are you really scared, girl?"
Cassava looked down to him, speaking in a more vulnerable tone. "Not scared, Taro. Just...something is really off here. You're right. The air is rotten..."
Taro nodded. And then he set out to help with the repacking effort. Left alone, Cassava grimaced as the black hand on her shoulder reemerged and floated near her ear. She nodded with a scowl. "Thanks for the head's up. And I agree. This planet needs to die...but I'm not sure why...and I don't wanna leave until I find out..."
About an hour later...
Cassava led the march as she and her men continued onward. Unsure of the danger that they were facing, Cassava played her cards close to her chest. Normally, the standard procedure of the Warhammer was to assign sections of the planet to each squad and have them fly to their assignments. This time, however, the Blood Empress wanted all of her men to stick together. She also placed an embargo on flying, unsure of what the revolting nature of the air meant and not wanting to take any chances.
As they marched, Cassava put all five of her senses to work. For the way this damned planet felt, she could notice all sorts of irregularities. Trees stood tall, but utterly bare. It was as if something had sucked the life from them. The ambient sounds that normally filled a planet were non-existent. The dirt under their feet had an unusual sound to it, sounding less like dirt and more like hardwood or treated stone. The air was stale and had a rotten, sour smell to it. And it tasted awful as well, making each breath nearly result in a wretch. Cassava's skin crawled where the atmosphere of Starch touched it. She felt...clammy, despite her skin being warm and dry. Cassava mumbled to herself. "It's like the planet itself is dead..."
Hating the feeling she was getting, Cassava turned and called back with a chuckle. "C-Come on, Bardock~! A-Any time now~"
No response. Cassava glared back at all of the Saiyan marching behind her, most of them avoiding eye contact. Cassava cringed. "L-Look! I know marching must be boring to you! S-So I'm inviting you! Try and kill me!"
Still no response. Annoyed, Cassava turned and faced forward again. She mumbled to herself. "A-Any time now. C-Come on...it'll be fun..."
Marching next to Cassava, Taro sighed. Unlike her, he had been making it a point to keep an eye on Bardock. And he didn't have the heart to tell her that the angry little rebel had a look of unnerved disgust on his face just the same as Cassava did. All of the Warhammers had that look. Their hair was standing on end and they all looked sick.
Cassava could feel a pit forming in her stomach. "This place...I hate this-"
Cassava tripped, fumbling forward and landing flat on her face. Moving quickly, Taro skidded to her side and immediately started to help her up. "Are you okay?"
Appreciating her attendant's concern, Cassava nodded and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "I'm fine..."
Cassava reached down to her boot and plucked the offending tripping hazard from around her toe. She scowled in disgust as she observed it: a skeletal arm with five fingers on the hand. She ran her fingers down the length of the bone, stopping at what appeared to be teeth marks on the splintered, broken end. "Hey, Taro. Do we have similar anatomy to the Starchians?"
Taro shrugged. "No idea. We don't know anything about the Starchians."
Cassava growled and tossed away the bones. She looked annoyed. "Screw this! If I get killed up in the air, track down whatever did it and avenge me!"
Taro flinched. "W-Wait! Cassava!"
The Warhammer rocketed into the air, a determined and pissed off look on her face. She was dead-set on finding an answer to why she felt the way she did. Something was wrong with this planet and she needed to lock eyes with it to put herself at ease. Taro sighed in exasperation, deciding to pull some good from Cassava's rash behavior. "Company! At ease! Take a break and try to relax a bit! Being this tense is only gonna make us jumpy..."
The soldiers were happy to oblige, taking a load off and sipping from their canteens. The lot of them tried to distract from the ominous feeling with small talk and jokes. The Turles Squad, on the other hand, were not willing to drop their guard. The group approached Taro and Turles spoke up. "Hey, Mr. Taro, what...what do you think of this planet...?"
Taro glared at the brats. He had no more feeling towards them than any other member of the Warhammers. But he also knew that this group had some kind of meaning to Cassava. Even...him. Taro's angry glare locked onto Bardock for a moment. He crossed his arms and sneered, turning back to Turles. "I hate this shitty planet and its awful atmosphere. I personally wanna go for the Stardust Option, but that's not my place to command. I just hope that Cassava comes to that conclusion soon..."
Fasha cocked her head. "Stardust Option?"
Taro nodded. "Yeah. In other words, we blow this shitty little mudball to hell and move on with our miserable lives..."
Before anyone else could say a word, Bardock let loose a sharp whistle. Everyone glared back at him. Panbukin sneered. "What? You got something to say?!"
Bardock shook his head. "Nah. Just surprised that I'm agreeing with Cassava's dumpy, little butler about something. This planet makes my skin crawl..."
The others wanted to say something back to Bardock, but they found themselves unable. This disquieting planet was unnerving Bardock AND Cassava. Something about that just didn't sit right with them. Concerned to see his older brother unnerved, Turles stepped forward with his hand outstretched. "Bardock...?"
But then, Cassava came crashing back to the ground. She landed with her lips pursed and her eyes blank. Taro looked at her. "Ca-"
She quickly interrupted. "I think I saw where we're supposed to go from here. Follow. Now."
Cassava quickly pushed past Taro, marching forward with an almost robotic gait. Taro gritted his teeth, but then he barked orders to the others behind him. "Well?! You heard her! Get your asses up!"
The Warhammers were all quickly on their feet, following Taro's lead and marching after Cassava. The Turles Squad followed as well, all of them uneasy after what they had seen. It was true that they were closer to Cassava than most, but even they had not seen such a look of dread on her face before. They followed along, in chilled silence. All of them wondering just what it was Cassava was leading them to on the other side of this hill they were climbing.
Around the mountain...
Grim silence. And not just the standard grim silence that had come to be expected of Planet Starch. Grim silence undertoned by utter dread. The stunned troops of the Warhammer, from the random grunts to Turles Squad to Taro to Cassava all just stood there staring at what could only be described as an expansive graveyard.
The macabre scene would have been morbid enough were it just headstones standing before them, but that just wasn't the case here. Rather than stones and crosses, for miles around, there stood pikes topped with heads. The severed heads of every Saiyan that had been deployed to Planet Starch. They all stood there, in the duskish light and in varying states of decay. Some were rotting, some were merely skulls...and the ones closest to the Warhammer soldiers were all still quite fresh. Their skin was cold and pale, pools of drying blood sat at their bases, and their eyes were still fresh with a dull fear emblematic of a victim that saw their grizzly end rushing towards them.
Cassava stood in front of one of these heads looking close to vomiting outright. "These Starchians are..."
Toma, Fasha, and Panbukin all walked through the field of severed heads, taking in the horrifying sight of various Saiyan remains. Toma shuddered. "This is a nightmare..."
Totepo, meanwhile, kept his distance. He held the horrified Gine close, hugging the little one tight and trying to make her feel safe. He, himself, looked close to losing his lunch over the whole ordeal. Bardock, surprisingly enough, was also keeping his distance. He stood near a dead tree with a disgusted sneer on his face.
Taro kept the distance from Cassava, able to feel the rage boiling beneath his younger commander's skin. He was also quite taken aback by what they had come upon. He would never pretend that the Saiyans were an innocent race, but this was too much to bear. Even King Cold wasn't this cruel. As the older Saiyan gazed over the field, taking in the terror in the eyes of the other Warhammers, he eventually came upon Turles and cocked his head. Unlike the others, all of whom were staring in abject horror, Turles looked genuinely shaken. The one-armed boy had fallen to his knees, simply staring at one of the heads on a pike. Taro knew from talking to Cassava that Turles was a lot more emotional than the average Saiyan. So, trying to be a bit understanding, he walked over to the kid to try and help him up. "I know it's horrific Turles. But you can't let it bring you down. You gotta get up and march forward. That's what it means to be...a..."
As Taro got closer, he started to be able to hear Turles' voice. It was small, barely audible even in a close range. "Bar...dock...B-Bar...dock..."
The look in the boy's eyes was dire. His voice was utterly shaken. Taro scratched the back of his head. "Poor kid..."
He turned and shouted. "Yo, Bardock! Get your ass over here! Your brother needs you!"
It only took a second for Bardock to clear the space between himself and Taro, shoving the older Saiyan out of the way and marching up to his little brother. Bardock knelt down and placed his hand on Turles' shoulder, trying to steady him. But then, Bardock stalled. For just a moment, all of the hate and vitriol that Bardock surrounded himself with melted away and the boy genuinely looked his age. The head on that pike, the one the two boys were in front of, they both knew it. And the sight of it had shook them both to their core.
The rest of Turles Squad slowly gathered around the pike, not getting too close out of fear of reprisal from Bardock, but close enough that they could see the face of the decapitated dome. Soon enough, Cassava approached as well. She marched up next to Bardock and Turles and looked down at the two boys. The looks on their faces, from Turles' open grief to Bardock's subdued shock was enough to break her heart. She spoke. "D-Do you know this one, Turles...?"
Turles' mouth moved in an effort to force the word, but no noise left his lips. His single hand gripped into the soil, dragging small trenches with his fingers through the muck made of dirt and blood. Finally, in his younger twin's place, Bardock managed to speak. "Tursa. This is Tursa."
Cassava looked to the severed head on the pike. A young Saiyan woman with a beautiful face. Even with half-lidded milky eyes and an expression of frozen fear, this one was still quite a looker. She had gorgeous, ebony hair that was frayed at the ends from her decapitation. Cassava sighed. "Who is Tursa...?"
Bardock bluntly responded, though his answer didn't seem to be aimed at any particular person. "24..."
Cassava cocked her head. "24...?"
Finally, Toma spoke up. "M-Ma'am...I believe that this woman is Bardock and Turles'...older sister..."
Cassava gasped, her eyes going wide. Immediately, seemingly without thinking, the woman fell to her knees and reached out to comfort the boys. She pulled them both close into a strong hug, but Bardock immediately shoved her away. "Keep your goddamned hands off of me! I'll kill you!"
Bardock went stomping away, roughly shoving anyone who stepped into his path away. Cassava watched him storm off with pity in her eyes. And then Turles finally managed to speak, though his voice remained quiet. "Miss Cassava..."
She looked down at him. "Yes...Turles?"
The boy was somehow managing to hold it together, in spite of the horrific circumstances. "I know we're in a hurry. And I'm sorry to ask, but...may I please take a moment to give her a proper burial? I... I don't know if I can just move on and leave her here like this..."
Cassava didn't even give it a second thought. "Of course."
She stood and turned to the others. "Taro, Toma, Fasha, Panbukin, Totepo, Gine...watch his ass. I don't want anyone getting ambushed and having...this...happen to them. Kay?"
They all nodded without a word. Shakily, Turles stood. He reached up and gently placed his hand on Tursa's frigid cheek, pulling her head from the pike. He hugged it close and began to walk off to the side, his chaperones closely sticking to his back.
Once they were gone, Cassava immediately turned her attention toward the opposite direction. In the distance, standing on a hill, was Bardock. Cassava immediately started marching towards him.
Off to the side...
Turles' shaky walk finally stopped at one of the dead trees left standing in the otherwise desolate field. He gently placed Tursa's head onto the ground, trying his best to style her messy hair into the shape she normally preferred it in. The grime of Planet Starch had messed it up quite a bit. Once that was done, the boy took his single hand and began to dig, somewhat pitifully only able to move a handful of dirt at a time.
And then two more hands joined in on the dig. Turles snapped from his emotional daze for just a moment and saw Gine next to him, helping to move the dirt and make a hole big enough for a head. The boy didn't say a word, simply going back to digging away at the ground.
Once the whole was big enough, Turles picked up Tursa's head. He looked at it one more time, gently closing the eyelids and placing it in. Together, he and Gine placed the dirt back into the hole. Once it was properly replaced, Gine smoothed it down. And then she got up and backed away with a polite, little nod.
Alone once more, Turles placed his hand on his older sister's final resting place. "Goodbye, Big Sis Tursa. Th..."
Tears began to well in Turles' eyes. "...thank you for everything..."
Years ago, on Planet Vegeta...
"Just hear me out."
"What do you want, you ugly bitch?!"
Tursa sneered. "Bardock! Quit being an asshole, just for five minutes! Just...hear me out, okay?"
Bardock went silent, crossing his arms. It was just the three of them, in the dead of night, in their dark little alleyway in the slums. Lying next to Tursa, seemingly asleep, was little Turles. Though, unbeknownst to either of his siblings, the boy was quite awake.
Tursa took a deep breath and sighed. "I've...had an epiphany Bardock. Like...like a little snap in my brain that made me wake up..."
Bardock gasped. He didn't remember exactly when, but he had also experienced a snap in his brain. Tursa looked at him, eyes full of emotion and determination. "I know you have the same feelings I've come to feel, baby brother. You and Turles both. You...you know this is wrong, right?! This life we have to live on this miserable planet surrounded by these miserable bastards! Saiyan society! All of these conquests! Our life as shitty space pirates constantly killing planets and ruining lives! It's..."
Bardock snapped. "Quiet down. You'll wake Turles. He needs his rest and-"
Tursa shook her head. "I don't want to live like this, Bardock! And I know you don't either! And...and I can't imagine a poor, gentle person like Turles does. Being forced to live in the gutter because he's missing an arm and Jicama thinks he's useless...you living here just because you have enough of a soul not to abandon him..."
Bardock sneered. "What's your point?! So, you've had an epiphany, so what?! You can't do any more to fix this than I can!"
Tursa was silent for a minute. But then, she spoke. "You're wrong. We can leave, Bardock. It'll take time, effort, and money, but we can leave. And when we do...we'll go to the West Galaxy! There are no Saiyans there! No Cold Force! We can get away! I know we can! J-Just the three of us..."
Bardock cocked his head. "And you expect us to just go along with this because something suddenly went off in your brain? You've never been any less of a bastard towards us than any of our other siblings, 24. Why the hell should Turles and I suddenly trust you and all of your fancy talk about a new life?! How do we know that you aren't just taking us to the West to kill us?! And even if that were the case, how can we be guaranteed that the West would be any better than this hellhole of a planet?!"
But then, surprising both Bardock and Turles, Tursa's voice became soft and gentle. She reached down, to Bardock's disdain, and began to softly run her fingers through Turles' hair, gently petting his head. "I really have been miserable to you two, haven't I? All of those years of going along with how all the others acted..."
A single drop suddenly splattered on the ground right next to Turles' face. He felt small, warm droplets form on his cheek. Bardock was stunned, watching as gentle tears suddenly began to flow from his older sister's eyes. "It was wrong, Bardock. I'm sorry to you and to him. I...I have so much respect for the two of you...surviving all of this time...constantly looking out for one another...not...not letting life defeat you..."
She let loose a small, regretful laugh. "You're both so much stronger than any of the rest of us. And I..."
Hearing his sister speak such kind words, the faux-slumbering Turles could feel tears forming behind his eyelids. Tursa sighed. "...I just want you both to have a life you deserve. I want you both to be able to...truly feel happiness..."
Back in the present...
Liquid droplets fell to the ground entombing Tursa's remains like a pitiful rain shower. Prostrated there, in front of his teammates, his secret crush, and his commander, Turles simply couldn't help himself. He was crying, weeping, and eventually even sobbing as he hovered over her grave, thinking back on all the secret acts of kindness Tursa had provided into his miserable, little life.
Turles pressed his forehead to the ground and forced the words out through his steadily cracking voice. "Th-Thank you for loving me, Tursa. Th-Thank you..."
Once again, Gine had returned. She kneeled next to Turles and, without asking, pulled him close into a tight hug. Soon enough, Fasha and Totepo did the same. Off to the side, Toma, Panbukin, and Taro stood in a respectful vigil, doing their best to shield Turles' emotional outburst from the rest of the rank-and-file nearby.
Panbukin sneered. "I can't believe that selfish little troll can't even come over here and pay his goddamned respects. That's his sibling too. Hateful little shit doesn't care about anything, does he?"
Once again, in response to Panbukin's harsh words, Turles spoke up. Between his sniffles and sobs, the boy defended his older brother. "N-No... you're wrong..."
Panbukin flinched. Turles continued. "He'd never admit it...or show it...but Big Bro Bardock loved Big Sis Tursa just as much as I did. Maybe even more. They had a special connection. They..."
As Turles broke down again, Fasha shot Panbukin a look telling him that he needed to back off. And then she went back to comforting her teammate.
Back at the field of heads...
Cassava made it to the top of the nearby ledge and came upon Bardock furiously glaring out over the horizon. In the distance, some sort of large building stood tall and looming. Perhaps a Starchian base of some kind? A Starchian base surrounded by a graveyard of dead Saiyan remains left to rot in the open air. Cassava opened her mouth to speak, only to eat an energy blast straight to the face. She stumbled back a step and wiped her face, only to find Bardock glaring right into her eyes.
The mood was silent and tense, but then Cassava spoke. "Ceasefire. Just this once, ceasefire."
Bardock turned away from her. "If you want a goddamned ceasefire, then get away from me."
Cassava sighed, speaking again. "I know you must be upset about your sister. I'm...sorry, Bardock."
Bardock remained stone silent. Cassava growled under her breath. She glared at Bardock and spoke, taking extra care not to yell. "Why are you like this? None of us have done a thing to you. We didn't antagonize you or try to hurt you, and yet you treat us all like crap and try to harm us. Why?"
Bardock kept his silence. That briefly sparked anger within the Warhammer. Almost immediately, black ki began to radiate off of her and hands began to form. But, in a showing of true restraint, Cassava almost immediately suppressed it back down. She gripped her fists tight. "Please, Bardock, just talk to me. Just this once. On this awful graveyard of a planet. Just say something to me. Anything!"
More silence, but then words didn't manage to escape Bardock's lips. "They cut her hair..."
Cassava flinched. "H-Her hair...?"
Bardock's fists shook as the words his sister once spoke echoed in his head.
"Cut your hair, you dumb bitch!"
"Ugh, one day you'll appreciate just how much a young woman's hair means to her!"
The young Saiyan gripped his fists so tightly that blood began to ooze from between his fingernails. Bardock's voice twisted further and further with rage. "They cut her hair. They cut her hair!"
Finally, Bardock turned to Cassava with a furious, angry snarl. "THEY CUT HER HAIR! I'LL KILL THEM! I'LL KILL THEM ALL, GODDAMMIT! EVERY LIVING THING ON THIS MISERABLE PLANET WILL DIE!"
Seeing the pure fury in the boy's eyes, Cassava stowed away her words of comfort. A wide, malevolent smile stretched across her face. "Well, whaddaya know? It looks like you and I finally found something we can agree on, Bardock~"
Bardock gritted his teeth. Cassava's power flared. "Ya see, I'm pissed too. I'm not saying that Saiyans are saints. We all probably deserve to die for the things we've done...but a graveyard of heads on pikes just pushes the envelope into the realm of disrespect. I'm so pissed that I can barely keep my Fight Buddy at bay..."
Cassava thrust her hand towards Bardock. "So, how about a truce for the moment? Just this once? Until we can reduce the Starchians to nothing more than a memory of the past?"
In this sort of situation, Bardock would normally react with a violent refusal. But, with images of his now-dead sister playing through his head, something within the boy shoved those normal reactions to the side. Bardock marched forward and grasped Cassava's hand tight, giving her a firm handshake. "Truce."
With that done, the two strongest members of the Warhammer walked back to join up with the rest of the rank-and-file. At that same moment, Turles and his group returned as well. Taro took his place at Cassava's right side and Cassava shouted at the top of her lungs. "WARHAMMERS! WE'RE MOVING OUT! MARCH THROUGH THIS FIELD OF DEATH AND TAKE IN THE SMELL! LET IT INSPIRE YOUR WORST TRAITS! THESE STARCHIANS MIGHT BE A MYSTERY AND THEY MIGHT THINK THEY CAN INTIMIDATE US..."
The red-and-black ki erupted from Cassava like a volcano. Two massive, clawed hands radiated from her back and loomed over her. Her eyes went blank and she roared. "BUT WE WILL GRIND THEM DOWN SO HARD THAT NOT EVEN DUST SHALL REMAIN!"
Cassava turned and began to sprint through the pikes. But that sprint did not last long. So overtaken by rage for all of her fallen brethren, Cassava's feet left the ground and she surged forward with unmatched fury. Hot on her heels was Bardock, just as angry as Cassava was and ready to kill. The boy's speed was so great that even Taro, the former second strongest and current second-in-command of the Warhammer couldn't keep up.
Taro himself, alongside Squad Turles and the rest of the Warhammers, was in hot pursuit. The entire company soared over the field of death that was meant to put fear in them, more determined than ever to slay their foes and take this planet they were on.
But little did these determined warriors know that they were being watched the entire time.
At the Starchian building entrance...
The Warhammers all gathered along the outer wall of the Starchian Fortress and Cassava immediately got to work taking in the sight of it. It was a massive, thick wall darted with various openings for things to enter. Most of them looked like holes bored in after the fact, but there were several doors and windows as well. It was a building even bigger than the Warhammer ship. Cassava sneered. "Big enough to force us to divide...this place looks like a termite nest..."
She turned to her soldiers. "Men! Squad up! Three per squad! There are 108 of us, so that's enough for 36 groups of 3 each! Taro, Bardock, and I will be storming the main entrance! The rest of you pick a hole and crawl into it! If you find the Starchians, combine your power and fire off a big enough blast to draw the rest of us!"
Cassava thrust her hand forward. "Move out!"
Cassava, Taro, and Bardock immediately bolted forward. Gine, Panbukin and Totepo went a different way. And Toma, Fasha, and Turles went another way still. The Warhammer dispersed and went into the various entrances to the fortress. The search for the elusive Starchians was on!
With Bardock, Cassava, and Taro...
Bardock screamed with fury as he rampaged through the seemingly barren Starchian Fortress. The boy launched blast after blast, reducing everything around him to rubble. "Get your asses out here and face me! I'll slaughter you bastards!"
Taro groaned as he kicked in a door and peered in for hiding Starchians. "That little brat is so immature..."
Cassava screamed like a demon and fired a blast of her own, tearing down an entire wall. "WHERE ARE YOU?! COME AND FACE US!"
Taro sneered. "How did I become a watchman for children?!"
The three Saiyans continued their rampage through the fortress, looking for targets to kill. Little did they realize that the enemy was overhead. The ceiling above the Saiyan, pitch-black in color, split open in two spots and revealed beady, yellow eyes. These eyes narrowed with delight and let loose a sinister chuckle. "Ah yes...fresh prey~"
With Gine, Totepo, and Panbukin...
It was plain to see that Gine, Totepo, and Panbukin were lost. Unlike the Cassava Squad, these three were going for a stealthier approach. Panbukin and Totepo each opened a door, observing no Starchians in the rooms and moving along. Gine sat on the massive Totepo's shoulder, shivering with fear. She looked around with a miserable frown on her face. "I-I hate it here. Th-They're not going to cut my head off like that...are they?"
Panbukin turned to her and spoke bluntly. "Hell no! If they even tried me and Totepo would crush 'em into paste and eat 'em up! Right Totepo?!"
The hulking, silent Saiyan smiled at Gine, reaching up and grabbing her tiny hand with his massive one. Gine smiled. "Th-Thanks guys~"
Panbukin chuckled. "You ain't gotta worry about a thing, Little Bit~ You got two of the biggest, ugliest Saiyans alive guardin' ya! We ain't gonna let shit happen to our favorite gal~"
The three Saiyans continued their march through the fortress, the floorboards creaking beneath their feet. And beneath those floorboards, a voice chuckled. "How humorous...they plan to eat us"
With Toma, Fasha, and Turles...
Similar to Cassava Squad and Gine Squad, Turles Squad had a shadow tailing them as they wandered through the Starchian Fortress. The three Saiyans were leaving no stone unturned, blasting anything that looked like it could be used as a hiding place in search of their dangerous foe. Toma walked up to a mirror, getting ready to blast it and the wall behind it away. But then, as he aimed his blast, he saw the specter of movement occur behind him. Toma paused. "Hey, Turles..."
Turles turned to him. "Yeah?"
Toma continued. "Are there any light fixtures up above? I can't really tell."
Turles flinched. But then he looked over to Fasha. Fasha nodded and he nodded back. "I dunno. Lemme check..."
The one-armed Saiyan formed a ring with his index finger and thumb and fired an attack into the air. "Kill Driver!"
The ring flew up, casting a light on the vaulted ceiling and revealing a hanging chandelier. Turles nodded and fired an energy beam from his finger in that same instant, making the fixture fall and crash onto the ground. This sudden crash gave the shadows tailing Turles Squad a brief pause, one long enough for Toma and Fasha to get behind them and send them both flying forward with a kick. The two shadows crashed into the ground and landed at Turles' feet, Toma and Fasha landing right behind them and each charging a blast.
The two of them nearly fired on their foes, but then Turles called out. "Wait a second!"
Toma and Fasha paused. Turles pointed to the two beings from the shadows. "L-Look!"
On the ground before Turles Squad was a most surprising sight. Two Saiyans, both wearing damaged battle armor and looking utterly ragged. One was a balding man with a squat face and a scar over his right eye, the other was a taller fellow with a long face and a full mullet of ebony Saiyan hair. Immediately, these two placed their foreheads on the ground and started to beg. The balding one yelped. "P-Please! Please help us! These Starchian bastards are just too much!"
The long-faced one followed. "We just want to get back to Vegeta! Please help us!"
The three Warhammers looked to one another. Normally, they would be skeptical of this sort of thing. But, after the horrors of what they witnessed outside, they were a tad more forgiving. Toma spoke. "How are you two still alive? With all of that horror out there on those pikes..."
Fasha cocked her head. "The enemy doesn't seem like the prisoner-taking type."
The balding Saiyan nodded. "W-We're the last members of our unit left alive! They've been letting us run loose two at a time! They've been hunting us for sport to waste time until the next invasion!"
The long-faced Saiyan corroborated. "We've been forced to watch our comrades be beheaded and piked! They've restrained us and made us watch! Please! Just get us out of here!"
A shudder ran up Turles' back. He looked to Toma and Fasha and then back down at the two begging Saiyans. Toma had a bad feeling in his gut, but he couldn't deny a certain level of pity for anybody who would be forced to witness what was going on outside happen in real time. He sighed. "Fine. We'll take you to our leader, Cassava..."
The two Saiyans immediately shot up, nodding their heads in gratitude. The balding one smiled wide. "Yes! Yes please! We can't wait to meet this Cassava! He will be our savior~!"
Toma was taken aback. He looked to Fasha, who seemed just as unnerved as he was. And then, he looked to Turles who nodded back. Turles chuckled. "You guys will love Cassava! He's great~"
The long-faced one nodded as well. "We're sure he is! He must be to have led you all in here!"
And so, Turles Squad gained two new travel companions. As they continued their trek into the Starchian Fortress, Turles put on his kindest smile. He turned back to their newest companions and chuckled. "So, what are you guys' names anyway? We should get to know each other and be friends~ Maybe you guys could even join the Warhammer~"
The balding one nodded. "For sure~ For sure~"
The long-faced one nodded as well. "Indeed~"
Fasha cocked her head at them. "So, what are those names again?"
The balding one smiled. "Raiti~"
The long-faced one smiled as well. "Zaacro~"
