Chapter 20: Peace on Earth?
Kami's Lookout, Approximately One Day Later
Piccolo and Kami stood on opposite sides of the Lookout, up above the world which Kami had been guardian for centuries. "I'm glad you came, Piccolo."
"I guess." Piccolo said gruffly, "What did you want, old man?"
Kami walked slowly to the edge of the floating palace, "My life is coming to an end, Piccolo. As you are well aware, if I pass to the next world, you will as well."
Piccolo's expression changed greatly, a look of worry coming over the Namekian's face. "I'm not ready to die, Kami. I've done it before, but I'm not centuries old like you."
Kami laughed a bit at his worrying other half, "I'm not ready for you to die either, Piccolo." Sighing, the elder Namekian continued, "I've come to a compromise that will suit both of our needs."
"You don't mean.." Piccolo scoffed, "Let you in my body? There's no way. We aren't the same person anymore, old man."
"We have always been two halves of one whole, Piccolo. It is the only way we both won't die. I will be merely a part of your subconscious, never to be heard from again."
"What of the Dragon Balls?" Piccolo questioned his elder half, "They will disappear."
"True. Which is why you will be tasked with finding a new guardian on my behalf."
Just as Kami finished his sentence, a familiar figure came from inside the lookout. Trunks, sporting hair down to his shoulders, covering the top of his Saiyan Armor, slowly walked into view. Behind him stood another Saiyan, towering over the Half-Saiyan with ease, black hair halfway down his back. The Half-Saiyan spoke up, hearing the end of the two Namekian's conversation. "I think I can help with that."
Kami turned to face them, "Trunks, Broly..you are back. How did the training go?"
Trunks smiled, "A lot better than expected, honestly." The purple haired Half-Saiyan placed a hand on Broly's shoulder as the older Saiyan walked in front of him, "He's in complete control."
Twenty-Four Hours Earlier
Trunks stopped his sword just short of Broly's neck, frozen by the words the came from Broly's mouth. His anger was overflowing, but his sense of humanity had seemingly won out in this exchange. Throughout the fight, Trunks had taken notice of the seemingly peculiar way Broly had experienced the struggle. He reveled in it, but not for the sake of destroying, it was for the sake of experiencing pain, emotion, a true fight for the first time in his life.
Holding his sword at the back of the Legendary Super Saiyan's neck, Trunks decided to test his hypothesis. "Broly was it?" Trunks' aura sparked briefly, "Why are you fighting us?"
Looking up and turning his head towards the Half-Saiyan, "Why?" Broly smiled devilishly, "Because it's what I am..I am a weapon."
"Weapon? You're a Saiyan, a warrior race for sure, but you have free will."
"Free...will?" Broly's smiled faded as he was almost confused, definitely caught off guard, at the the concept, "What is that?"
Krillin looked on from where Tien and he had collapsed before, revived by the senzu beans given to them by 16. The scene reminded him of something similar that had happened here decades before, when he stood over Vegeta, holding Yajirobe's sword. He had been ready to kill the Saiyan, but Goku's kind heart had convinced him to let Vegeta go. The short Monk had a strange sense of Deja Vu as the scene before him unfolded.
Trunks continued the conversation with his beaten and battered opponent, the curiosity in him rising as the exchange continued, "The ability to choose what you do, what you want, where you go?" Trunks lifted the sword from the back of Broly's neck. "You've never done that before?"
"No." Broly's energy had finally faded, his spiked, yellow hair slowly turned back to to black as his body returned to its normal size, though still much larger than Trunks was. "My father always told me what to do." He looked at the green gems in his armbands, "And I always listened. No matter what."
"That doesn't sound like much of a life." Trunks thought of what Broly could have been, it reminded him of the stories of what Frieza had done to the Saiyans, though on a much smaller scale. "Not much of a chance at all."
Just as Trunks finished his sentence, Gohan, Piccolo and Vegeta flew up beside the scene. "What are you doing, boy?!" The Saiyan Prince's boisterous voice echoed with anger.
"He's showing him mercy..." Gohan looked on with almost admiration, but questioning Trunks' sanity at the same time. "Are you sure this is the right thing to do, Trunks?"
"Of course it isn't!" Vegeta screamed, flaring his Super Saiyan aura, "We must kill our enemies." Vegeta began to charge a blast, but Trunks jumped in front of the Saiyan Prince, standing between his father and Broly.
"Father.." This was the first time Trunks had stood face to face with his real father, not the one from the past, Trunks had to remember this was different. The Half-Saiyan's electrified aura sparked, "You will stand down."
Vegeta erupted in anger, his frustration and jealousy bubbled just under the surface. "You can't be my son." The Saiyan Prince blasted off into sky, rage burning through his whole body. "First I am surpassed by the boy, then disrespected like this? Showing mercy?! Damn him."
After the Saiyan Prince was out of sight, the conversation turned back to Broly, "What about his power?" Piccolo questioned, "That kind of evil power, it can't be controlled."
"We can work on tha-"
"That takes time!" Piccolo shouted, "What if he goes off the handle in the meantime? Are you sure you can stop him again?"
Trunks sighed loudly, but then an idea came into his head, "Time..I know the perfect placeā¦"
"You don't mean.." Piccolo knew what Trunks was speaking of, "Will Kami even let you use it for this sort of thing?"
"It's perfect! He can't hurt anyone in there.." Visible excitement came across Trunks' face, "I'm sure Kami will see the good intentions here."
Broly had sat still, wondering what the group of his enemies were planning for the large Saiyan, "What do you intend to do with me? I have no place here."
"What if I help you find yourself? Train you?" Trunks asked, curious to what Broly's response would be. "You can be a force of good, help us."
"I..don't know. I've never tried to control my power before." The large Saiyan's timid voice barely could be heard by the group, "My father, he always just kept me shackled with that..thing. He let me out only to destroy."
"It can't hurt to try...if you could harness that power..it could be amazing." Trunks smiled, "You could do so many good things."
"Good? Why don't you just kill me? Get it over with?" Broly's voice rose a bit, "I only know how to be a monster."
"Fine. Let's make a deal." Trunks flared his aura, demonstrating his power again, "If you go out of control and hurt anybody, I'll kill you."
Broly thought for a moment, his options limited as the young Half-Saiyan seemed intent on letting him live. The large Saiyan sighed before he gave his answer, "Fine..I'll go with you."
Back into the present day..
Broly stood silently, unsure of his place here with the two green figures before him and Trunks at his back. "Yes...I believe Trunks is right."
"That is good news.." Piccolo chimed in before getting the conversation back on its previous course, "You think you could find a suitable guardian Trunks?"
"There was a Namekian child in the past who took your position in the past, his name was Dende." Trunks stepped forward, his hand leaving Broly's shoulder as he stepped further towards Piccolo and Kami, "Maybe he would do so in this time..if not, I'm sure one of the Namekians will gladly step up, they feel they owe us for saving them."
Kami turned to Piccolo, "Well, it's settled then. You and Trunks will find a new guardian. Now, we must hurry, I will soon pass." The elder Namekian turned back to Trunks, "You must hurry as well, for the Dragon Balls will be inert as long as Earth is without a guardian." The Half-Saiyan nodded in response as Kami once again turned to Piccolo. "You know how this works."
"Though I'm still not in one hundred percent agreement, but I guess I have no choice. It's either merge or die." The frustration in Piccolo's voice was audible, not pleased with the situation at hand.
Kami placed his green hand on his younger half's chest, the two Namekian's were covered in a bright, white light. Piccolo closed his eyes, bracing for the massive change that was about to happen. As if he had been sucked into a vacuum, Kami disappeared into Piccolo's body, merging them into one being once more. The merged Namekian's eyes opened, his power surged and exploded from his body, nearly blowing Trunks and Broly off their feet.
Trunks stood back up slowly as the power surge ended, the Nameless Namekian standing before him. The Half-Saiyan smiled before greeting the new comrade, "So..what should we call you?"
"Piccolo will do just fine." The Nameless Namekian stated, "I am still physically and mentally him, just improved."
Broly was dumbfounded at the new power surging from the green figure, thinking to himself. "That one was barely on my radar when we fought, now he is two, maybe three time stronger than he was before...incredible."
Piccolo turned, looking off the edge of the lookout. "Trunks, we must hurry. Broly, you are welcome to stay here if you wish." The large, green Namekian blasted into the sky.
Trunks nodded and blasted into the sky behind Piccolo, heading towards Capsule Corporation.
Mr. Popo came strolling out from the doorway inside the lookout, a tray with two cups and a teapot, "Kami, I have tea!" The black genie looked into the sky as Piccolo and Trunks flew away, then turned to notice Broly. Mr. Popo smiled awkwardly as he walked toward the large Saiyan, "Hello."
A few hours earlier, at Capsule Corporation
Gohan walked quietly into a dimly lit workshop, looking around for his father's oldest friend. "Bulma?" He ducked under a hanging schematic, the darkness of the room hiding the tripping hazard of parts laying across the floor. "Bulma?"
"I'm..over here." The blue haired genius sat at a corner desk, a balled up tissue in her hand. The sound of her voice couldn't mask her red eyes or welled up cheeks.
"What's going on, Bulma?" The Half-Saiyan put his one arm on Bulma's shoulder, attempting to provide a sense of comfort.
"He's gone, Gohan..all that effort and all these years waiting, and he just left." Bulma sniffled further, tears rolling down her cheeks as she smashed her hand on the desk. "I know it would be different, I never thought we'd be together again, too much has happened, but what about his son?"
"Vegeta..he's gone? Where?"
"He took Paragus' ship, said he was going to take his rightful place as Emperor of the Universe..I begged him to stay, but he said his place was elsewhere."
"I'm sorry, Bulma. Vegeta has always been rash." Gohan wrapped his arm around his father's old friend, giving her a brief hug.
"It's okay..look at me, worrying you with my troubles like a broken down old lady." Bulma laughed, pushing Gohan's arm off of her, "Now, why did you come here, Gohan?"
"Oh, right.." Gohan took a deep breath, his mind conflicted as to why he had come, "I know I declined in the past, but...I'd like you to build me an arm."
"Really?" It was true that Bulma had offered in the past, and Gohan had adamantly declined, his hatred for the Androids showing through to even his own detriment, "What changed your mind?"
"The Android that helped us..he saved my life more than once. Android 16..he's different." Gohan rubbed the back of his head nervously, "And I liked having my arm in the afterlife."
Bulma chuckled, "It's true...he's incredible. Even now, using that weird Gete Star power he got, he's split himself into a thousand clones, all helping to rebuild cities. I dunno how far we would have gotten without his help. He never tires, works twenty four hours a day."
"He's amazing." Gohan agreed wholeheartedly, his thoughts on Androids had been altered greatly by the selfless acts of 16, "So, can you build me one?"
"Of course." Bulma laughed, "I'll start right away."
Out in the depths of Space..
Vegeta sat in the same throne that Paragus had sat not even twenty four hours before, his thoughts racing on what he was going to do. He needed a new purpose and ruling the universe seemed good enough purpose as any. What was left of Paragus' crew stood in front of the Saiyan Prince, kneeling in order, showing loyalty to their new leader. In unison, the crew yelled out the phrase that the Saiyan Prince had longed to hear ever since he had decided to betray Frieza, "All Hail Emperor Vegeta!"
Vegeta smiled, his voice rang out through the ship as he bellowed the order, "Take me to my palace."
In unison once again, the crew responded as they ran to their assigned stations, "Yes, my lord!"
Back at Capsule Corp, Present time..
Trunks and Piccolo landed just outside the ground of Capsule Corporation, walking towards the workshop that Bulma had been spending most of her time in recently. The two comrades walked into the now well lit building where they saw a familiar figure in an orange gi on Bulma's worktable.
"What's going on, Mother?" Trunks asked, confused at the presence of Gohan laying on his mother's table.
Gohan sat up straight, his new silver limb on full display for the two newcomers to see. "Hey guys..like the new look?" Gohan moved his new left arm slowly, the silver fingers at the end of his new hand moving one by one.
"Be careful Gohan, it's not quite ready. Lay back down!" Bulma grabbed the black haired Half-Saiyan, pulling him onto his back. "Hey Trunks, honey. Just a minute." The blue haired genius grabbed a nearby soldering iron, slowly connecting a few loose wires in Gohan's new arm.
"Wow. That's awesome, Gohan!" The excitement in Trunks' voice could be easily heard, Piccolo stood by him, waiting as Bulma had requested.
A few moments later, the middle-aged woman looked up from her work, "That should be good Gohan, you may even be able to use Ki with it." Bulma then turned and greeted her son properly, giving him a tight hug. "It's so good to finally see you again!"
"Thanks mom..but unfortunately I have to go again." Trunks let out a nervous smile, knowing his mother would not be pleased at the news.
"Are you kidding me?! You just got back!" Bulma threw her hands down at her sides, "Why do you have to go now?!"
Piccolo interjected himself, answering the frustrated mother's question, "He made me a promise, Bulma. It is of great importance, I assure you."
The blue haired genius sighed, "You need the ship again, don't you?" She pointed to a drawer in her corner desk, "It's in there..16's Gete Star things repaired it..it's also apparently much faster. Where are you going?"
"New Namek, we shouldn't be gone long if it's as fast as it was on that last bit home." Trunks walked over and grabbed the ship, "Probably about a day to get there."
"That should be about right." Bulma concluded, the frustration in her voice was still at the forefront, "But no going off planet for at least a year after this! Besides, I got a surprise for you guys."
"You got it, Mother." The purple haired Half-Saiyan turned to Piccolo, "Let's hurry then."
About a day later..
A large, silver clad spaceship with the black Capsule Corporation logo landed gracefully on the green grass of New Namek. From the inside, Trunks opened the doorway with a press of a button. "Here we are, Piccolo. Welcome to New Namek."
The large, green Namekian stood in the opening for a moment, basking in the beautiful, luscious green planet that lay before him. Slowly, he stepped outside and onto the ground, taking a moment to appreciate the moment. Sure, it wasn't Namek, but it oddly brought a sense of comfort to the now merged Namekian. Piccolo had been on Namek before, but not as his full self. The son of Katas, the Nameless Namekian, was home.
Meanwhile, Back on Earth
Above the planet floated a large spaceship, inside was an elderly figure with blue skin and patchy hair that included a mustache and long, grizzly beard. The blue skin figure sat on a large orb with his legs crossed, the ball levitating in the air as it floated over to a large computer screen, observing the Earth below. "So this is the planet where that crazy amount of Saiyan energy was detected.."
As if it had its own consciousness, the computer answered the floating blue figure. "Yes, Dr. Raichi, this is the planet known as Earth."
Thanks for reading! I'm super excited to get going further into this story and have a few things going on. Yes, I know, Broly survived. It's kinda cliche, but vital to this part of the story and future parts. Without Goku alive to make him go constantly crazy at first sight, I think his character can have a lot more depth and provide a lot to the story. Once again, thanks for reading, let me know what you think!
