No one approached Goku as he returned to The Hammer. It wasn't out of lack of desire to do so, there were many who had heard the rumors and wished to meet him, but everyone who drew close saw the cuts on his face and hesitated. More rumors quickly began to spread, bouncing between those who had seen the cuts and the ones nearly plowed over by Nevrrest. There was no hiding it – the two of them had gotten in some kind of scuffle. It wasn't hard to guess over what. No one wanted to get involved in that, so they kept their distance.

Goku didn't notice, his mind was too consumed with the situation at hand. Vegeta… Nevrrest…you two sure are a pickle. If she really hates Vegeta that much, there's no telling what she might do. And her energy…it keeps changing. When I first saw her, I immediately recognized her as good…but back there in the cell, something happened to her. Something bad. Oom'Bagu's right, she's struggling inside. And part of her knows it and it scares her. If only I could make her see what she's turning into…but how can I do that when I only met her recently? I don't even know what she used to be like, aside from taking Oom'Bagu's word for it that she's a good person.

Goku's thoughts were interrupted by the angrily growls of his stomach. He looked down and chuckled at himself. "Boy, maybe I should have eaten with Vegeta. I'm so hungry right now, I could eat just about anything." He looked down at his monitor as the computer laid out a map for him to his room. He looked up and spotted his door number. "Ah, here we are." He touched the panel and the door opened for him. He looked around at the neat settings. "Huh…I never asked where I go to eat." He looked at his monitor again. "Hey computer, where's the food?"

The lights on his monitor danced. "Please state dining preference."

"Hm," Goku touched his chin, "That's a pretty good question actually…is there food in my room?"

"All suites are equipped with a nutrition portal. Would you like to know more?"

"Yes, please." He looked around his room, trying to spot a refrigerator.

"You will find the nutrition portal next to the hygiene unit, located on the near end of your suite," the computer continued to pleasantly chirp, "To operate, touch the available panel. A menu will be presented and from which an assortment of available foods can be selected. Once order is processed, it will be delivered through the portal to your suite."

"Really?" Goku's face stretched in amazement, "Wow, that's pretty convenient! Thanks, computer."

"You are welcome, Kakarot Son Goku."

Goku laughed and rubbed his head. "Oh boy…well can't really correct a computer, that is what Nevrrest told it my name was." He chuckled again and found the food portal, growing with excitement as he saw the lengthy menu. "Wow, would you look at that? I don't know what most this stuff is, so I guess I'll just try everything!" Taking a moment to select the entire menu, Goku left the food portal to look at himself in the mirror by the wash basin, inspecting the trio of gashes across his cheek. "I have to disagree with Vegeta on this one, even in her first form, she's pretty powerful. The amount of training it must have taken to get that strong…" He turned his head this way and that, pausing with a frown as there was a knock at the door. "Huh? Now who could that be?" He walked over to the door and touched the inner panel, the door opening.

"Oh," Sepis blinked, as if not expecting anyone to be there, "Son Goku. Greetings."

"Oh," Goku blinked back and then smiled, "Hey there, wasn't expecting to see you."

"Yes I…" The Arlian shifted around, adjusting his tattered cloak awkwardly. "Forgive me for disturbing you, champion."

"Not at all," Goku assured, holding up his hands, "I was just trying to get something to eat. Guess it's on its way. You need something?"

"Need something? No, no. I…" He stared at Goku's cheek. "Might I come in?"

"Oh sure." Goku stepped aside, letting the smaller alien inside.

Sepis seemed to momentarily lose his nervousness, giving the room a strict inspection. "You can rearrange everything if you like," he hurriedly stated, "I designed it that way, can accommodate just about any species. You can even loft the bed—Nevrrest likes her bed lofted. Says it reminds her of home."

Goku's mouth opened. "Wow, you created the rooms too?"

"I designed about everything," he replied in that same rapid manner, "It's all I'm really good for, ideas and things." He turned around and stared up at Goku, his mind trying to think of what next to say. In the end, he just let loose what he had been thinking all along. "That looks painful," he stated, pointing up at the cuts.

"Hmm? Oh." Goku touched his cheek briefly, rubbing it a little. "Nah, not really. Kinda stings, but nothing I'm not used to."

"Oh…yes, but of course…" He looked off, embarrassed, reaching into his cloak a moment later. "All the same, I saw…heard what happened and brought you this." He offered up a small box. "Just some ointment is all. Should help it heal."

"Wow, really?" Goku blinked again, "You came all this way just to give me that? Gee, thanks." He took the box and opened it, carrying it over to the mirror and inspecting the cuts once again. Sepis watched as Goku applied some of the ointment, the Saiyan starting as the wounds instantly scabbed. "Not bad!" Goku marveled, sitting the box aside, "Did you come up with that one too?"

"Oh no," Sepis actually chuckled a little, "Just a basic medical supply, similar ingredients to the fluids found in a healing chamber." He blinked. "Feeling better?"

"Oh yeah, should be patched up in no time now," Goku smiled, "Really was thoughtful of you."

His antennae twitched. "Well…" He looked off. "It really wouldn't look very good if you kept walking around with…"

"Uh?" Goku asked, noticing for the first time something was bothering him. Sepis shut his eyes and started to tremble. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, walking over to him, "Are you not feeling well?"

"No…it's just…" Sepis's digits clutched together and abruptly he thrusts his arms downward. "Why'd you have to come here, can't you see you're going to ruin everything?!" he cried. Goku was a little taken aback by this and Sepis sighed, opening his bulgy red eyes again. "Apologies, champion…I should not speak to you so."

"No," Goku slowly encouraged, giving the Arlian his full attention, "Go ahead, please."

Sepis hugged himself and turned aside. "I don't mean to keep being rude, but this isn't something you should get involved in. Can't you see Vegeta needs to die?"

Goku's brow lowered a little, but not harshly. "I appreciate your honesty, Sepis. I think you're one of the few people to be fully so with me. But I gotta be honest too, I don't think anyone's ever needed to die."

"That doesn't make any sense, you're the one who slew Frieza, aren't you?!" Sepis desperately cried, "Didn't he need to die?!"

"Frieza died because of his own choices," Goku replied, looking at him carefully, "Not cause I decided he needed to. If he could be alive and a better person, that's how I'd have it. It's better that way."

"But that's not the way it works!" Sepis continued to cry, almost pleading with him. He shut his eyes and clenched his fists. "When someone's a monster they need to be destroyed and when they do unforgivable things they have to be punished! It's the only way things get better, otherwise nothing will ever be right again!"

"…Is that what Nevrrest told you?"

"U-h." Sepis's eyes reopened and looked at Goku with child-like curiosity.

Goku held his gaze seriously for a moment. "I know that you respect her. And that you two are really close. But the way she's does things is wrong. At least as far as I've seen."

Sepis ran his digits nervously over each other, looking down. "Maybe things are different on Earth."

"No not really. We have bad people there just like anywhere else…well at least we did until recently."

Sepis stared at him for a long moment. "You are a strange being, Son Goku…if you don't mind me saying." Goku laughed and Sepis looked away again. Why am I doing this? he asked himself, It's not just because Nevrrest asked for my help or I would have never have brought this up…it's certainly not a topic for making friends. And yet he doesn't seem to mind…

"Hey!" Goku chirped, running past him, "I think the food's here!" Pure joy covered the Saiyan's face such as one might expect from the luckiest man alive as the nutrition portal opened up, a conveyer belt beginning to deliver trays of food. Sepis stared, his antennae erected as Goku ferried tray after tray after tray to the dining table, so that the spread became a heap. "I wonder how it makes all this?" he mused as he carried another mound of food to the pile.

"It…doesn't," Sepis blinked, his eyes following the warrior, "The ship's kitchen does, that's just the delivery system…"

"Last one!" Goku cheered as the machine closed, carrying the last meal to the overflowing table. He sat down. "You want some? Come join me, it smells great!"

"I…" Sepis's arms flopped against his sides as all but Goku's hair seemed to disappear into the pile, his loud chewing and cries of satisfaction sailing through the air just as much as the shower of crumbs. "I…knew Saiyans had high metabolisms," he scratched his head, "But this is ridiculous…"

Goku's head popped back up, his mouth stuffed and his face smeared like a sticky baby. "Come on, it's really good!" he continued to encourage, "You might as well since you're here!" He swallowed and started stuffing his face again with both hands.

"I…suppose I could have a little…" Sepis finally replied, not feeling very hungry but thinking it rude to refuse. He wandered up to the table and adjusted the chair to suit his abdomen before taking a seat at the end of the table, Goku feasting to his right. Sepis studied him for a moment, his eyes wandering down the length of the warrior's muscular body…stopping at his hips. His antennae jerked up. "You don't have a tail," he noticed for the first time.

"Hmm?" Goku looked up, his cheeks stuffed again.

"You don't…did it…?"

Goku blinked.

Sepis sighed and hopped off his chair, wandering over. "Beg your pardon." Goku stuffed something purple in his mouth and looked over his shoulder as Sepis peeked between his tunic and pants. Sepis jerked back with shock. "It…" He searched around, feeling the flat skin of the small of his back. "I thought it might have been cut off but this…it's been surgically removed!"

Goku swallowed a large lump of food. "Oh that? Yeah, I had it removed a long time ago."

A gasp rattled through the Arlian's body. "You intentionally had one of your own limbs surgically removed? Why?"

"You're not the first to be surprised by that. Originally it was so the Earth could have its moon back. You see, until I met Vegeta, I had no idea I could turn into a giant ape." His brow lowered. "People got hurt. So it's better this way."

Sepis tucked Goku's tunic back into his pants. "You say the strangest things."

Goku laughed. "You're not the first to say that either," he assured before digging into his food pile again.

Sepis got back in his seat, finally looking over the many trays to find something for himself. He couldn't believe the variety, it was like Goku had ordered the entire menu or something. Finally he found one of the fruit dishes, pulling it out of the stack. The Arlians had never been ones to use utensils and since Goku wasn't either, Sepis picked up one of the gelatin chips and pressed it to his strange mouth piece. Goku's attention was drawn as by some invisible act the food was ground up against the ridges of Sepis's mouth piece.

Goku's head cocked to the side and Sepis paused. "Something wrong?"

"How are you doing that?" Goku asked in quiet innocence, "You don't seem to have a mouth anywhere…"

"Oh," Sepis blinked, looking at the partially ground chip, "I suppose it would look pretty strange to you…mouths look pretty strange to me." He pointed at his face. "I have tiny needle-like hairs that extend and—"

"Ah-forget-I-asked!" Goku blurted, laughing and rubbing his head anxiously.

Sepis watched the Saiyan eat, shocked not only by how much he was eating, but by how fast he managed to harf it all down, the pile quickly dwindling around him. All the warriors he knew had pretty big appetites, but Goku put them all to shame. Finally he just let it all go and focused on eating himself and being a polite guest.

Though it didn't seem like it, Goku watched Sepis as well as he ate – or at least glanced at him when he was chewing. It was great luck that Sepis had decided to come to visit, this was just the chance he needed. If there was anyone who really knew Nevrrest around here, it was surely Sepis. After all, the two of them seemed so close and Oom'Bagu had confirmed this. Maybe there was even a chance that if he could change Sepis's mind about Vegeta, it might affect Nevrrest for the better too. Goku swallowed the last mouthful and patted his stomach contentedly.

"Ah, that hit the spot!" he chirped, "I hate it when I have to put off my hunger like that, but that meal was worth it!" He giggled, continuing to massage his gut contently till he blinked at the leftover trays. "Huh, hey Sepis, where is the sink? I need some place to put all these dishes."

"Oh, just put them in that receptacle over there." Sepis pointed to a device with a lid next to the nutrition portal. "It'll deliver the trays back down to the kitchen to be cleaned and reused …though you might have trouble fitting them all. Most residence don't have such enormous…" He blinked as Goku began to haphazardly stuff them all into the receptacle. "…orders."

Goku laughed again, his eyes upturned merrily as he forced the lid shut. "Yeah, I know! But that's just the way I've always been! What can I say? I just love food." He bent backwards, stretching his arms and groaning a little. "I definitely feel much better. How about you, Sepis?" Sepis stared down at the table, suddenly looking upset again. Goku pursed his lips. "This whole thing's really been getting to you, hasn't it?"

He tapped two digits together. You can do this, Sepis. Look at him, he's not really that frightening at all! And in a strange way…I feel like I can trust him. "It has," he admitted, "I've been dreaming about the day we'd capture Prince Vegeta for so long. I thought I would be so joyous during this time. But rather…I've felt extraordinarily empty." He ceased tapping and stared at his platted palms. He started to laugh softly. "You know what the funny part is? I don't even miss my homeworld. I hated my life there, good riddance. No one would know now, but I'm very small for my species. I have no talent for fighting. Truth be told…I'm a complete coward. Back home, I was mocked and beaten daily. Even the females would do what they could to make me miserable, when they bothered to look at me. My family was decent enough…I suppose they pitied me. All I had was my tinkering, which usually got smashed anyways."

"Yet you seem pretty sad they're gone," Goku pointed out.

"Yes, well…" He glanced back at him briefly. "As awful as it was, it was still my home. And my family didn't deserve to die like that…I'll even admit most of those who abused me didn't deserve it. Whenever I think about the injustice of it…and why? Because some Saiyan prince was bored."

Goku listened attentively, nodding occasionally. "There's no denying it, Sepis, that was a horrible thing that was done. But it can get better. It can always be made better. That's what I was trying to tell you on Earth." He looked at him earnestly. "What about Nevrrest?"

Sepis's eyes warmed softly. "Ah. She saved me. It's quite an amazing story really."

"Can I hear it?" Goku eagerly pressed, sitting backwards in a chair and resting his chin and arms on the back of it.

"Most certainly, champion." Sepis folded his hands together again. "It's a bit painful to tell, but I would be more than happy to tell it to you. In fact, I think you must hear it. Other stories as well." He held up his hands. "Then you'll see. You'll see surely the mistake you're making." He returned his hands to his waist and paced about a little, his antennae twitching. He stopped at last and sighed. "That day, as I was told, Vegeta and his minion had stopped at my world for no other reason than to rest in their journey – my world was too barren and harsh for them to have stopped there for business reason. Nevrrest was tracking them, as she had most her life. She had watched them do many terrible things, unable to do anything to stop it. The destruction of my world was just a speck in a lifetime of crimes, but it was the speck that finally made her snap – from that day on she never again just stood by and watched something horrible happen." Sepis's gaze upturned. "I remember when I saw her…she was like a star. A blazing red star…"

As he continued to describe these events to Goku, he could see these moments in his head, as clearly as the day it happened. Lava erupted from the ground, bubbling up and incinerating a group of Arlians who had been fleeing on their mount. Sepis ran, climbing up to the highest point of a rocky ledge, struggling and scrabbling as the lava rose around him, the unbearable heat already scorching his carapace. It was the end of all things. But then he saw his star, falling through the sky, screeching. She blazed white. The ground around him caught fire. Her scream seemed to fill the sky as the white suddenly exploded into red, rocking towards him. He reached out his hand as he began to burn, shrieking in pain. The hand of his crimson savior snatched his outstretched palm, shooting off with him back into the sky, crashing through the door of her ship just as the planet exploded. The vessel and its occupants were sent spinning like a top into the black of space.

"…That was the day she achieved Crimson Fury, you see. That day, she at long last surpassed Vegeta. She could have destroyed him then, while he was busy gloating over the debris of my world. But she sacrificed that chance instead to care for me…"

He recalled the moment, waking up in that bed, terrified and hide throbbing.

Don't move. His rescuer stood over him, her arms folded and her brow sharp. You are badly injured. I am preparing to take you to a medical center since I'm afraid I lack the means to treat burns of your extent.

Where am I? he gasped, What happened?

Your world has been destroyed. The one responsible's name is Prince Vegeta. I'm sorry. She took a blanket from off a chair and wrapped it around him.

His breathing hissed painfully. Destroyed? My world's gone…? But…where is everyone?

Dead. You were all I had time to save. Again, I am sorry. Had I lingered any longer I wouldn't have even managed that. Be still and rest or it will have been for nothing.

Goku watched with curiosity as Sepis tugged at the brown, tattered cloak he always wore. "This is that same blanket," he told him, "I've kept it all this time so I'll never forget the first time anyone showed me care and kindness. Cause she did, sitting by my bed and watching over me. Keeping me strong when I looked out the window and saw the dust of my planet floating by. She never once saw me as a burden. Never once."

Goku hummed. "I can see why you respect her so much. And you're right, that was a very good thing she did." He turned his head so that his nose now rested against his arms on the chair. "It's a real shame we can't wish your world back. It's been too long, otherwise I would. Vegeta would too."

"Uh!" Sepis froze at that word: wish. There it was, the very thing that Nevrrest had asked him to listen for, just blurted out directly to him! He looked at Goku. "You say wish?" he rapidly asked, "What do you mean wish?"

Goku hummed again. "Well I guess it's okay to tell you. I don't think you'd ever try to hurt anyone with them." He sat up and held up a finger. "What am talking about is a thing called dragon balls. There's seven of them if you bring them all together the eternal dragon will appear and grant you a wish."

Sepis's bulgy eyes grew larger. "There's something on Earth that will grant wishes? Any wish?"

"Yep!" Goku chirped then frowned, "Well no, not any wish. Some wishes are too much for the dragon balls to full-fill. And you can't wish for the same thing twice. There's also limits when it comes to bringing people back to life…it gets a little complicated really." He laughed a little.

"So that's it, isn't it?!" Sepis cried, jumping up and down and surprising Goku, "That's what it's all about! Dragon balls, it all makes sense now!"

"Uh, did I miss something?" Goku blinked.

Sepis giggled and straightened his cloak. "You need to speak with Laswe, I think. I could tell that story, but he would begrudge me if I stole that chance from him. But still, dragon balls, how else!" He took Goku's hand and shook it in earnest. "Thank you, Son Goku."

"Well you're welcome!" Goku smiled, "But uh…what did I do?"

"Explained the mystery of the century, I am very excited. And I feel much better now, surely you'll see now what we're doing is right. Yes, you are a delight, champion."

"Well gosh, thanks!" Goku laughed, amazed by this turn around, "Hey, come talk to me any time. I'm still not sure what I did but I'm glad I could help."

Sepis suddenly paused at these last couple sentences. "Come talk to you again? Oh. Yes I…I suppose I…well certainly you'll see me about in any case. I'm usually on The Hammer or working on one of the smaller civilian ships. So yes." He turned again and bowed to him. "Thank you again for seeing me. I…hope you really will reconsider. Nevrrest…she's given so much for this. Vegeta must be punished. And I have to help her. Not just because it's right…but so I can finally repay for her choosing to help me over continuing to follow him…and losing him for ten years as a result. Surely you can see that now. Surely."

Goku's face softened and he got up from the chair, walking over to him. "I do understand better now. I'm still not going to let Vegeta be hurt, but I can see why you feel the way you do now. And I'm glad there's things Nevrrest cares about enough to let go of her anger. It gives me hope there's a way she might be free of it someday. Thank you, Sepis."

Sepis looked away, turning from Goku with a heavy sigh and heading for the door. "Well I tried. But it's all right. Things will work out in the end. Nevrrest always make sure it does, whatever it takes. She will, you'll see. Whatever it takes."

Goku watched him go, feeling a little sad that Sepis was still so troubled. He pivoted about, placing his hands behind his head as went about further exploring his room, stopping when suddenly his monitor started to beep. "Huh?" He touched it. An image appeared. "Hey! Oom'Bagu!" he brightly smiled.

Oom'Bagu didn't smile back. He opened his mouth to speak, pausing as he noted the faded cuts on Goku's face. "You are nursing a wound," he stated with reserved tone, "It wasn't there last I saw you but a few hours ago."

"Huh?" He touched his cheek. "Oh, this! I just got scratched was all."

Oom'Bagu's brow lowered. "By what?"

"Eh…" Goku rubbed his head and looked away. "Nevrrest's claws? We kinda got into a little scuffle."

Oom'Bagu drew a very deep breath and glared. "You fought with her?"

"Well not a fight exactly," Goku awkwardly corrected, "Just knocked each other around a little bit, it was really brief, nothing much happened between us, I promise."

He drew another restrained breath. "That was a mistake, Son Goku. You cannot be coming to blows with her. Do you understand what kind of position that puts not only you but myself in? I am disappointed you would not have more restraint than that."

"Eh-he…" Goku warbled, not enjoying being under that disapproving gaze. He was sure Oom'Bagu would understand if he told him the full story, but he couldn't. He'd given Nevrrest his word. "So um…what are you calling me about?"

"More troubling news, I'm afraid." The Gregorik looked off for a moment and then refocused on Goku. "It seems Justiciar Nettelish is moving to advance Vegeta's trial."

"Advance?" Goku asked, concerned, "What do you mean advance?"

"I mean to say it is likely to take place within a week's time rather than three months from now as it was meant to."

"A week?!" Goku cried, his mouth gaping. He looked down at his fingers. "But…but that's so soon…I haven't even had time to get to know the other justiciars…"

"I can delay it perhaps, but one thing is for certain—it will be soon. So whatever you're planning to do to defend your…friend, you'd better do it soon."

Goku continued to stare at his hand helplessly for a long moment, but finally tightened it into a fist. "Right."

"There's something else."

Goku's expression fell again. "Oh no…what now?"

Oom'Bagu shut his eyes and rumbled a deep sigh. "I'm afraid there has been talk of execution. And not just from Nevrrest."

Goku's eyes widened with horror. "You mean…they…" His brow lowered. "No! They can't do that!"

"It's been done before…in a few rare cases," Oom'Bagu solemnly replied, "But only when the prisoner had been deemed completely unredeemable…and even in those cases the convicted was given a waiting period to prove their potential for good. There have been only a handful of actual executions performed." He drew a breath. "But, already I sense that things will not be as they are in most cases. There are some who feel he should be made an example of."

Goku's clenching fist tightened. "And what do you feel?"

"I feel justice must always prevail above all," Oom'Bagu answered, "And it will take some convincing for me to agree to such a sentence. Rest assured, Son Goku, my vote counts just as much the others in the end. He cannot be convicted without it nor executed."

"Then you have to stop them. Please, Oom'Bagu. I know you're not convinced yet that Vegeta doesn't belong here, but I got to believe you can sense the good in him. If you kill him, you'll be making the biggest mistake of your life." He looked down. "As hard as it is for you to believe, what Bulma said back on Earth is true. He's a good man. And I'm going to prove it!"

Oom'Bagu's visage didn't lighten. "I pray it will be such a simple matter…I am not certain anymore. I fear this is becoming to do less with what's right and wrong so much as what is demanded." He studied the Saiyan. "But…I will do what I can. If the ideals of justice have died, if not for this, then I will do it because you ask it of me. I feel there is little I could deny you."

Goku relaxed and softly smiled. "Thank you, Oom'Bagu. I'm glad you're a friend."

"I hope that fact will remain in the days to come. I too could use a friend in this."

Goku's monitor went dark again and he lowered his arm. This was a lot to take in. He needed to think. And there was only one thing that helped him think clearly even better than food. He looked at his monitor again. "Computer, is there some place I could go to train?"

"Combat training rooms are available."

"Great. Draw me a map, I'm on my way there now."