Project Cloud


Chapter 17 - Next Stop


Two Saiyans hoping to uphold their prestigious reputation by slaughtering the ones to capture Raditz stood across from Merus, Tyber, and Bulma. The shorter of the two galactic mercenaries didn't show much investment in this little showdown, but Nappa personally just couldn't wait to get his fists soaked in their blood. Never in her life had Bulma seen someone so hungry for violence.

"We wouldn't be doing this if not for you, Bulma," Merus reminded her. "Jaco failed his task on Earth and we must rectify that. And if you truly want to help, then it's in your best interest to get a better grasp at understanding a Saiyan by fighting others. This is only part of your training."

"All that whispering over there does nothing but help prolong your ability to breathe but a while longer," Vegeta said loudly enough for them to hear. "You all have something that belongs to us."

"Don't you mean someone?" Tyber inquired.

"A tool is a tool," Vegeta replied. "And the tool that you captured is most definitely a tool for putting himself in the situation to be held captive by you weaklings."

"And you both will be feeling all the more dumb when all three of you are in the same predicament," Tyber gloated.

"Of course the one with the big mouth would be a fellow Saiyan," Nappa pointed out as he laughed, getting a snarl out of Tyber.

"Not that it matters," Vegeta said. "They all die the same." Uncrossing his arms, Vegeta's eyebrows also narrow. Usually, being a Saiyan meant that he craved battle. He loved every second of it - especially when he had the advantage over someone he considered a worthy opponent. Despite none of the galactic patrol holding a light to him in comparison to raw power, Vegeta would love nothing more to pummel their faces in, but he knew that time was of the essence under these unprecedented circumstances. "I'm sure the longer we take, the more of a scolding we'll be getting. I'll retrieve Raditz. You take care of these pests."

"Hehehe!" Nappa cracked his neck. "As you wish, prince."

Seeing Vegeta take off as quickly as he did catches everyone's eye. One moment he was there, and the next he simply wasn't.

"We have to go help Sla-!"

Merus grabbed both Tyber and Bulma by the back of their armor and tossed them to the side prior to getting out of the way in an effort to avoid Nappa's sudden charge. Bulma and Tyber both looked over at the back of this hulk of a Saiyan, wide-eyed at the insane speed. Had they not been rescued by Merus, then their heads would be rolling off their shoulders before they had the chance to register just what in the hell was going on.

Merus' hard stare was cold enough to send Nappa in a state of hypothermia. The matter was dire now. As much as he wanted to go off and help Slain, they still had one problem to take care of.

"Not too shabby," Nappa complimented as he turned around. "You dodged that. Nice. I know for sure that you two aren't nearly fast enough to avoid me since you struggled with Raditz...but it wouldn't hurt to double check." He went to click his scouter. "Seven, eight hundred sixty-seven...and…" Nappa started to squint his eyes. "What is this?" He clicked his scouter over and over again, hoping to get a proper reading from Merus.

Seeing the opportunity, Merus was quick to draw his gun and fire right at Nappa's scouter, blasting it to bits and pieces. Howls of pain come from Nappa as he clutches his left eye, which has nothing but shards of his scouter pressed into it. Blood leaking down was the obvious sign that it got him exactly where Merus wanted.

"Good shot," Tyber complimented as he got back on his feet.

"I just bought us some time," Merus said. Nearing his finger near a button on his utility belt, he gave Bulma and Tyber both a non-verbal heads up. "We use the battle suit Bulma built for us and we get the job done quick. Our best bet is to anger him and make him fight sloppy. Then...we use seize the perfect moment." They had to be quick about this, especially if they wanted to finish Nappa in time to go and save Slain's life.

Still clutching his eye as he let huffs of pure rage exit his mouth, Nappa looks back to the three people he's been wanting to kill since he laid eyes on them. Suddenly, the three of them took different appearances.

In his many conquests as a warrior, Nappa has seen things similar to this a few times. Bulma, Tyber, and Merus had themselves covered in the strongest nickel titanium alloy that they could find - specifically colored white and purple with their insignia on their chest. Their eyes beamed a bright, white light as their chest had one as well. Sure, it was nowhere near as strong as any katchin armored suit that Bulma had made in the past thanks to Jaco sticking his neck out for her, but it was capable of a much higher source of solar energy given the tools that they had over at headquarters.

"Oh? You think a little battle suit will help you win this fight!?" Nappa clenched his fists and planted his boots hard into the ground. Pieces of glass remained stuck in his eye but the burning anger was more than enough to numb the pain. He was going to rip them apart, limb from limb. Focusing on his energy, the ground began to shake as a dark yellow aura surrounded Nappa's vascular frame.

Bulma, Tyber, and Merus all remained unperturbed. Once the ground was done shaking, Nappa shot over to them all again. A loud whining sound came from the feet of their battle suits prior to them all shooting up into the sky simultaneously, just avoiding Nappa once more.

The bald Saiyan's eyes went to the first person he spotted - Tyber. Firing blast after blast for Nappa was enough to hold the bald Saiyan back temporarily, but he was persistent on getting to Tyber. His focus was so much on him that he practically forgot about the others. A blast from his back caused him to grab for his stricken spot, growling in aggravation as smoke derived from the hit area.

Turning around, Nappa was showing his teeth as he seared. "YOU'RE ALL DEAD!"

But a kick directly to the back of the neck from Merus had Nappa crashing down right into the ground at free fall speeds. A crater had been formed down below and the Saiyan was quick to retaliate with three consecutive blasts, all aimed for one person each.

"Now's our chance to see what your technology is really made up of, Bulma!" Tyber shouted.

Given Bulma's past experience with fighting Goku in the Tenkaichi Budokai and seeing all the possible creations she could come up with subsequent to being inducted into the Galactic patrol, she truly put her mind to work - so much that she was practically considered the genius of all geniuses.

So they all truly got to see what Bulma's suits were made up. Each of them both stuck their hands out, stretching their fingers wide out far enough to activate a palm opening sequence from their suits, which they sucked in Nappa's ki attacks. The bright light on their chests illuminated to great extreme heights as their battle armors started to vibrate violently.

"What the hell is going on!?" Tyber asked, almost in a panic.

"It's almost too much energy!" Bulma replied. "We can't let it continue to charge - fire now!"


Raditz, imprisoned in a capsule block the size of a house, remained with his face pressed up against the only piece of glass from inside. Slain stood there and did nothing but keep an eye on the Saiyan in custody, ignoring his boasting and insults. All Raditz did was talk smack about how he was going to escape, that Slain and his friends would die by their hands - that they stood no chance.

With the ears he had, it was hard to not listen to the expletives that were uttered from Raditz's untamed mouth.

"You really need to shut up," Slain told Raditz.

"Oh, so now you speak?" Raditz chuckled. "What ya got to say, then? All that time silent, I'm sure you've been taking on what to retort with."

"Nothing nearly as obnoxious," Slain answered as he turned to face Raditz through the glass window. "The Saiyan that was sent to Earth, my comrades home-planet, is doing what you Saiyans all do - wreak havoc. One of our members didn't do their job right and because of him, the people there are suffering. We are helping our comrade to get to know you Saiyans before we send her off back with the sole objective of killing him. Not only that, but getting you is also a bonus. You will be spending the rest of your life in jail."

The entire time Raditz was mouthing off to Slain while he was ignored, the long-haired Saiyan was confident in himself, albeit it was very noticeable that he was angry. Allowing himself to be captured by a couple of galactic patrol members weaker than he was not only an insult to his intelligence, but an insult to the representation of his Saiyan crew, as well as the Freeza Force. All of it needed to be made right, as a way to show his capture was nothing more than a fluke.

But now? Raditz was no longer frustrated. All that anger had been let go. His lips were curled and his face was beaming full of delight - a very sinister delight. Slain immediately noticed the look, but couldn't tell why the sudden change from anger to a content, nonchalant expression.

"Too bad you won't be getting that bonus."

Raditz looked into Slain's soul. Not once did the Saiyan blink. Raditz observed the idle look coming from the Namekian just moments prior to his pupils widening and beginning to shake in absolute shock. The smoke that emitted from the hole in his chest brought Slain to look down, but not Raditz. He continued to look him right in his eyes until the Namekian fell over on his knees and croaked.

Vegeta descended down onto land and did not bother in wasting any time. He blasted the door that had been locked from the outside. Raditz exited the building with the shackles over his arms and wrists separated as much as possible. Vegeta removed them from Raditz's worry by blasting the chain that held them together with a small bit of energy.

"I can't even begin to tell you how thankful I am," Raditz told Vegeta with a smile. Closing his fist, Raditz closed his eyes and let out a soft moan. "I feel my power coming back already."

"Now's not the time to get caught up in bliss. Nappa ought to have taken care of them weaklings by now. We've called a ship for you as soon as we figured you'd be landing here. It should arrive in just a few more minutes from one of the closest planets that Freeza owns." Vegeta raised his hand to reach his scouter.

Before he could click the device and make an attempt at contacting Nappa, Raditz interrupted him. "I've got some news that I think you might want to hear."

Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "Okay."

"You remember how I have a little brother that was sent to some distant planet called Earth? Turns out that one of these clowns are from there and escaped Earth to join the Galactic Patrol hoping that they can get strong enough to take on Kakarot."

"Is that so?" Vegeta placed one hand on his hip. "I was quite certain you made it crystal clear that your brother wouldn't be anything more than a liability."

"Well, yes, bu-"

"And now that I think about it, I do recall you explaining how Kakarot was still in a nursing capsule for far too long just moments before he was sent off before the meteor collided. Given what you've said in the past, Kakarot is nothing more than a lower-class. What use would he be to us truly? Our errand boy?"

"I know, but listen, Vegeta." The prince was obviously getting impatient and Raditz observed this by how Vegeta crossed his arms and started to lightly tap his foot. "I was under the impression that Kakarot wouldn't even survive being out there; I mean after all, he's a bottom-tier low-level since he spent so long in the nursing capsule, but he's causing so much hell on Earth that one of the planet's indigenous people has resorted to joining the Galactic Patrol. Think about it, Vegeta. They need the Galactic Patrol to help erase Kakarot out of the picture? He might just be stronger than we think and could be a great asset to our team. It'd make up for at least one of the losses we've had over the years, any how."

Vegeta was completely against the idea. Even if Kakarot was stronger than they expected, it didn't mean he'd be anything useful at all. Raditz himself was considered an upper-level combatant when he had been observed after birth and yet he allowed himself to be captured by the feeble galactic patrol. Going with his train of thought, Kakarot was born with much less potential than his older brother. If Raditz were to get himself into such dilemmas, then Kakarot joining their squad would be the total opposite of an asset.

But he didn't get to explain himself. Vegeta's scouter alerted he and Raditz of someone approaching.

"Heh," Raditz smiled, crossing his arms. "Looks like Nappa's finally done."

"That's not Nappa…"

Just before them, Bulma, Tyber, and Merus all arrived in their battle suits. The first thing they all noticed was Slain's dead body lying behind the two Saiyans.

"Slain!"

Not thinking clearly, Bulma's feet began to move in the direction of where Slain was seen dead. Merus acted quickly and placed one hand just below her bosom, getting Bulma to stop in her tracks. "No. We can't allow ourself to be distracted from the main objective."

Tyber didn't appear all shaken up akin to Merus, but the both of them were hurting at the loss. "Don't worry, Bulma. We'll be sure to give him a proper burial."

Raditz howled with laughter as he took a few steps forward and spoke. "You won't get the chance of giving him a proper burial when I lay you all down at your final resting place right here and now!"

Vegeta could tell Raditz was insanely keen on getting payback. Quite frankly, he'd be eager to get another crack at them as well if they were to bestow such embarrassment upon him, but he didn't concern himself with Raditz's humbled ego. From what he realized, they were all alive and Nappa wasn't around. "Where's Nappa?" he asked. "There's no way either of you could have possibly been able to take care of him."

Opening the palm of his right hand, a brown, furry tail dropped right by Tyber's feet. "He's taken care of."

Raditz and Vegeta both looked on in shock as Nappa's tail twitched every few seconds while on the ground. Vegeta was left momentarily speechless as Raditz was in disbelief.

"That's impossible!" Raditz barked. "There's no way in hell you could have managed to stand up to Nappa! No single soul outside the Freeza Force could manage to lay waste to a mid-class Saiyan soldier on the verge of elite status."

"He's dead," Merus confirmed. "His anger got the best of him and he got sloppy. All we did was wait for the perfect opportunity."

As shocked as Vegeta was, he didn't allow himself to show just how taken aback he was by this. Taking a few steps forward, Vegeta began to laugh in an effort to disguise his disappointment. "So even my best man couldn't stand up to you, huh? I guess your reputation doesn't precede yourselves after all."

"We don't have much juice left, guys," Tyber whispered, referring to the energy they had left for their battle suits.

"Let's get this over with." Clicking the same button to activate his battle suit sequence, Merus allowed his real body be revealed. No longer was he clad in the battle-suit, but his normal attire. "Bulma, Tyber, stand back. I'll take care of this."

Vegeta chuckled. "Raditz, you stand back as well. Don't do anything and don't try anything unless I give you the green light. Understood?"

With a cold sweat running down the side of his face, Raditz nodded as he backed away further to let Vegeta be swallowed in the spotlight. "Understood."

Merus drew his weapon and fired for Vegeta. The Saiyan was quick to backhand the blast away and started to retaliate with one of his own, only to pause at the sight of his target no longer being in the spot he last stood. With Vegeta's scouter giving him a heads up, he turned around as he swung his leg, only for it to get caught. Using the momentum against Vegeta, Merus tossed the Saiyan prince into the sky, drew his weapon once more, and started to fire away.

Vegeta was quick to regain his balance and retaliate with ki attacks of his own. Raditz, Bulma, and Tyber all just got out of the way as a heap of smoke was being built up from the countless attacks.

Merus was running through the barrage of energy attacks coming for him. As time went on, Vegeta was getting even more frustrated due to not being able to strike his target. Merus was swift and agile and with an expressionless mien; he meant business. The top ranked Galactic Patrolman hopped off the tippy toes of his feet and kicked one of Vegeta's energy blasts right back at him.

Vegeta blocked his attack by covering his face. Immediately after securing his own protection, Vegeta swiped at the smoke right before him. But one solid punch from Merus was enough to have Vegeta's eyes on the verge of poking out. The Saiyan, while clutching his stomach, fell down to his knees, wheezing for air, and unable to catch his breath.

"I-I couldn't see him…" Raditz muttered under his breath. "I couldn't see a damn thing…" His body got cold. There was no way this was happening. He went to click for his scouter, but only ended up poking himself in the corner of the eye because his scouter had been destroyed by Tyber earlier. All Raditz could so was scowl as he watched Vegeta struggle. As much as he wanted to help, he'd only be getting himself killed. Sure enough, Vegeta wouldn't blame him for that. At least he hoped. Though Vegeta wasn't the kind of guy to want unsolicited help, there were still times where it was necessary - at least there used to be.

Merus stood above the coughing Saiyan Prince. Vegeta seemed like he had a bad case of tuberculosis and stage 4 lung cancer by how horribly he coughed, to the point where he vomited, even with a bit of blood.

"I can take out your entire organization in a split second without notice," Merus told Vegeta quietly enough for only them two to hear. "Your best option right here and now is to just surrender and accept your fate of prison."

"A-Accept...m-my...fate?" Vegeta coughed even more as he struggled to get back up on his two feet. Wiping the vomit from his mouth, Vegeta could be seen barely able to stand as he wobbled. His vision was blurry, but most of all, he was angry. "No…" The Saiyan prince started to tremble. With the ground shaking and dark clouds coming above them, Vegeta began to charge his power. "I-I won't. I won't!" He then exploded, showing his true power. "NOT TO THE LIKES OF YOU!"

Lightning struck just in their vicinity. Raditz, Bulma, and Tyber all had to maintain their balance even while in the sky due to Vegeta's crazy strength. But as for Merus? He remained standing and completely unfazed despite being within just 5 yards of the Saiyan.

Merus raised his hand and deflected the wave of energy Vegeta attempted to fire and catch him by surprise with at point blank range. Vegeta, being consumed by his own attack, slid across the ground and into the capsule building that Raditz had been trapped in just moments earlier. The entire structure crashed on top of Vegeta.

"I'm through playing games," Merus warned Vegeta. "Your last chance to surrender is here and now."

All the rubble had been reduced to absolute bits once Vegeta's power caused it all to convert into pure dust. Vegeta's armor was a bit burnt and had a few cracked pieces. He put a lot of power into that attack, though fortunately for him, not all of it. Still, it didn't take away from the fact that he was insanely pissed.

"There's no way you should be this strong!" Vegeta growled. He clicked his cracked scouter in hopes of getting a reading, but the damage done to the device rendered it no longer functionable. Hissing as he tossed the scouter to the ground and stomping on it, Vegeta barked at Merus, telling him, "A Saiyan's might is far more than what you think it to be!" Looking over to Raditz, he called for his services. "ITS TIME TO SHOW HIM TRUE SAIYAN MIGHT!"

Seeing Vegeta getting manhandled caused Raditz to go into a near panic. It made sense as to why they managed to take care of Nappa so easily at this point. But for Vegeta to remind him to unleash their true power? Raditz was all for it. Opening his right hand, Raditz concentrated greatly on generating a pure, white ball of ki. He let out an exasperated sigh once it came to fruition, sweating even.

"You all die here."

Raditz tossed the ball into the air and closed his fist. "BURST OPEN AND MIX!"

Both Raditz and Vegeta relish in the light being given off to them from above. Their faces are pure blood-lust as their teeth turn into fangs.

"What in the hell is going on!?" Tyber asked.

It was then that Bulma started to get flashbacks. She recalled how Goku looked just like this after staring at the full moon. He was in a trance, teeth was turned into fangs and his chest was beating like his heart was to pop out at any moment. She knew exactly what this was. And given how they were much more capable than Goku, she didn't want to know what they were capable of as apes the size of entire buildings.

"WE HAVE TO RETREAT!" Bulma screamed at the top of her lungs. "RIGHT NOW!"

"Wha?" Merus briefly glanced at Bulma, then back at both Saiyans. Raditz and Vegeta started to grow fur all around their bodies as their eyes turned completely red. Their muscle mass continued to expand as their bodies grew taller and taller, rapidly taking the form of a gigantic ape.

Merus was aware that he was more than capable of taking care of them, but with them transforming, Bulma and Tyber were both being put at great risk. Knowing that Raditz and Vegeta weren't yet done, Merus turned around, grabbed Bulma and Tyber, then took off with speeds faster than Vegeta could ever accomplish in even his ape form.

By the time Raditz and Vegeta had completed their transformations, the both of them had spotted a bright twinkling light leaving the planet. This elicited a heated growl from Vegeta, as well as Raditz.

"What now…?" Raditz asked.

Vegeta remained silent for a brief moment. Raditz, quite aware of just how insanely pissed off Vegeta happened to be at the moment, didn't bother in pushing the question. He just waited. As for Vegeta, he was weighing everything out. Raditz had not only failed in completing an assignment, but also allowed himself to get captured. This in turn, resulted in Vegeta following, underestimating them, and having Nappa killed. All for all, Freeza would not be pleased with this. He didn't know a possible way to even balance the disappointment Freeza most definitely had with at least some form of relief.

What used to be four Saiyans working for Freeza subsequent to Planet Vegeta's destruction was now just two. The only way Vegeta believed he could assuage the damn near irreparable damage was by replacing Nappa.

"We go to Earth."