Author's Note: I think it would be worth pointing out that I only have 3 OCs of any real significance in this story, one of which is Myra. Kuriza and other characters I managed to take from the DBZ wiki or the DBZ movies.

Dragonball Z

Alter Age

Rescue Mission

(Two days later)

Many lightyears away from the location of the incident that took place over Frieza Planet 1 (FP-1), within the safety of another territory, a second battle force could be found orbiting around a far off, alien world. With the planetoid bearing a deep blue hue of color and an atmosphere covered in dense layers of white clouds, the very distinct form of Cooler's saucer and capital ship, was currently drifting around the world on a satellite's course. Along with a handful of other vessels that were gathered around it- including the Armored Squadron's mobile headquarters The Comet- the head ship was presently serving as the site for a significant gathering.

Deep within the bowels of the command ship, in the area known as the training room, a handful of members of the prince's elite fighting unit could be found hard at work. Training in gravity settings of approximately three hundred times greater than normal, Gohan, Dore, Myra, and the three kitsune-seijin children that they'd saved three months earlier- Kida, Riko and Rei- were all working together and polishing up their fighting techniques.

While the three little fox girls of blue, white and orange respectively were struggling somewhat to cope with the intense, simulated environment, the three more seasoned members of the elite squad didn't appear to be affected at all- though they were managing to break out some sort of sweat.

Standing in the center of the fighting arena away from the gym equipment, Dore, locked in a very boxing-like stance, was sparring with all three of the fox girls simultaneously, as they came dashing at him from multiple directions with the intent of inflicting bodily harm. Using surprisingly deft footwork for a man his size, the green warrior in the purple spandex suit, white gloves and boots, proceeded to dodge and deflect everything the children threw at him, while simultaneously throwing them across the room and repelling them in a variety of interesting ways.

Following a quick exchange between him and the white-furred Rei, the beefy fighter with the wild mane of black hair grunted as he then singlehandedly blocked a barrage of attacks from the clan's leader, Kida, as the fox attempted to slip in a good hit on the warrior while he was distracted. Loud bangs then rang out as the youngster buried several solid blows into his arm, only to receive a sharp palm thrust to her stomach that impacted with a loud boom. Her body being sent careening across the room before skidding along the tiled floor, the sweat-covered female rested a hand against the metal and glared up at her opponent

The Beppa-seijin meanwhile smirked and readjusted his hand positions. "You're getting predictable, kid. Come on. You're gonna have to try harder than that."

Snarling angrily, Kida's yellow eyes then glared up as her body suddenly became engulfed in a cloak of blue flames. As the bright embers blasted off of her, the fox then vanished in a crack of wind, at about the same time her two friends also darted towards Dore in their own respective auras. From there, the trio of blurs continued to assault their trainer at a much fierce pace, only for the man the casually dance about his area, defending and countering every single move they attempted to use on him with terrifying skill and precision.

As all of this was going on in their large section of the training room, Gohan was currently engaged in a blind-folded sparring match with Myra in another part.

Clearly intent on refining their ability to fight and sense without use of their eyes, both the boy and girl duo darted and dashed around one another, locked in a very impressive display of martial arts skill. Fists and legs flew around the pair in a series of elaborately formed blurs, as they dodged, countered, and deflected each other's movements in perfect flow. Judging from the way they moved around one another, it was almost like they were superfluously anticipating every single combination and attack the other was going to make, literally a hundred or even a thousand moves ahead.

This became even more noticeable when the blindfolded Gohan sprang at Myra with a series of aerial spin kicks. After the girl deflected them with several light taps, thereby redirecting the force behind the blows away from her, she then countered with a upward kick of her own, only for Gohan to land against her traveling leg and springboard off of it. He then landed and skidded to a stop, sensing the Hera flying at him with an attack.

Dodging her downward swing, he the countered with an uppercut, which she parried and responded with a sharp elbow. He also deflected that one and pushed her off, feeling her shift weight to avoid getting thrown off balance before he returned fire with a chain of punches. As expected, the adolescent Myra handily shot down each of his hands with a rapid string of deflections, knocking each of Gohan's fists down as they attempted to nail her in the head and neck. When he finished off with a downward back fist, she managed to block it and shove him off, thus beginning her attack when she charged in with several kicks.

Every assault both the Saiyan and Hera made was easily telegraphed and predicted, meaning that neither one of them was able to get a clean hit in. Judging from the beads of sweat that were currently dripping down their faces and from the allotted time that'd already passed on the room's clock, the pair had already been at this for quite some time now.

The incredibly unorthodox training method allowed the pair to refine their techniques to the point that fighting like this had become as natural as breathing. When the numbers eventually ticked over to the next hour, a loud buzzer rang out, causing both Gohan and Myra to stop mid movement when they heard the blare echo across the chamber. A few seconds later, after stepping out of their attack stances, the gravity slowly returned to normal, relieving them of the burden of the extra mass weighing them down.

By the time the field dissipated, Gohan and Myra had removed their blind folds, whereas Dore was left grinning over Kida, Rei and Riko- the three kitsune-seijin having collapsed from exhaustion and were currently heaving in deep gulps of much needed fresh air.

In fact, the sight of the three fox girls lying sprawled out on the floor on the precipice of dying had the green warrior in the purple spandex singlet and shorts laugh out loud. "What's wrong? Had enough already?"

His question had Kida and the other two shoot him dirty looks, as they were clearly envious over the fact that their instructor was still lively, on his feet, and completely unharmed- unlike them.

Wiping back her damp hair, the Hera shot a grin towards her demi-Saiyan teammate. "Good work, Gohan-kun."

"Same to you, Myra-nee. That was a great sparring session," the boy replied in his typical, cheerful manner, at the same time wiping his face on the back of his sleeve. "Man. I didn't know you'd gotten so good at sensing energy. I couldn't even land a single hit against you."

The orange-haired warrior chuckled in response. "Well, I've been practicing a lot during the weeks you were out on missions with the other team members, so that shouldn't be a surprise." She then grinned mischievously and, reaching up with her finger, poked him in the forehead. "I don't plan on letting you stay in the lead forever, Prodigy-san."

Gohan giggled at the playful look the adolescent threw him. "Neither do the Captain and Neiz. Since we all have the exact same base strength now, the race has now become dead even." Thanks to him skipping out on the last Tree of Might fruit that they shared and letting his companions have bigger portions from the first batch, his squadmates were able to catch up to him without any issue- especially considering how potent a single bite could be. He then set a hand on his hip as he tilted his head up at his best friend, who he could see had very much enjoyed their little rumble. "Are there any things you noticed in my form that can use some more work? Moves? Attacks? Parries?"

Placing her finger and thumb against her chin and rubbing it in thought, Myra then smiled and nodded to him. "Your jumping uppercut is too noticeable and too slow… and the delivery of your repeated spin-kicks has too much of a flourish. That's probably my style conflicting with Neiz's, since you're trying to compensate power with reach. I suggest working on those the next time you're in here and training on your own."

Cringing a little at this review, Gohan then nodded. "Okay. Got it"

Seeing the momentary relief come over him, Myra then pointed down at him in amusement. "Oh, there's a lot more than those two things. Don't go thinking I didn't notice them." When she saw the boy deflate, the teenager grinned, stepped over to him, and wrapped an arm around his head- pulling him into her side. The act of doing so caused his head to sink into her ample bosom, which caused the child to blush a little in embarrassment, "Your fighting style is still far from perfect. But you'll have plenty of time to work on polishing it up."

"O-Okay, nee-san," Gohan mumbled, his cheeks pressing flush up against the girl's abs as she playfully pulled him along to where the towels were.

When the duo reached the rack and began drying themselves off, they then turned around to see Dore giving the trio of kitsune girls sitting on the floor in front of him a lecture on proper attack formations. He reviewed the strategies and methods that they used in their sparring match against him and informed them on how they can correct them, especially when they're facing off against an opponent who was not only larger than them, but stronger than them as well.

Listening in to his very enthusiastic breakdown of one particular scenario, Gohan couldn't help but crack a smile. "Kida-chan and her friends are really coming along, aren't they?"

Hearing this, Myra nodded in agreement. "Though their fighting styles are incredibly unorthodox, all three of them have superb speed, reflexes and adaptability. They've also gotten a lot stronger thanks to the fruits they shared with us and their training." Placing a hand on her hip while allowing her towel hand to dangle at her side, the tomboy of a fighter grinned. "Judging from how rapid their development is, I bet those three will be able to catch up to us in about two to three years."

Gohan sighed as he saw Kida, Rei and Riko watch and listen to Dore with vested expressions- their eyes wide like a group of puppies as they nodded to every explanation and point the Beppa-seijin made. It was honestly quite an adorable sight. "They've really made this place their own over the last few months, haven't they?"

The remark made Myra's smile fade a little, yet she still couldn't help but nod in agreement. "Yeah. But I bet they still really miss their home world. Not to mention the families and friends that they'd lost." Perking up when she was struck by a sudden realization, the adolescent warrior then craned her head towards the boy drinking from the water flask next to her and gave him an inquisitive stare. "What about you, Gohan-kun? Don't you miss your home? Your family?"

His own smile disappearing when he was asked this question, the boy quietly lowered his head as he allowed the inquiry towards his past float around for a moment. As memories of his life from a year ago quickly filtered into the forefront of his mind, the youngster sighed deeply. "To tell you the truth, I do miss my home a lot… and my lake… and my forests around it. But I miss my mum and dad most of all. I bet they're worried sick about me - wondering where I am, what I've been up to, and whether or not I'm safe." The youngster chuckled a little. "I bet my mother would freak out if she heard about all the stuff I'd gotten up to over the past year. Heck, she'd probably ground me for months and never leave my side."

Sensing the warmth emanating from the child, Myra chuckled. "She must love you very much to worry about you to such a level."

After processing this for a moment, the youngster glanced back up at the Hera. "Ah, I'm sure it's alright. If they really want me to come home, they'll be able to use these things they call dragon balls to bring me back to the planet."

Myra blinked. "Dragon balls? Hmm… that name sounds familiar." When she saw the boy nod, she tilted her head. "Are they… some sort of tracking or teleportation device?"

Thinking on it for a moment, Gohan then scrunched his face up and peered towards the ceiling. "You know… I'm not quite sure. Dad told me a couple of stories about them- that when you gather them all together, a big, green dragon named Shenron pops out and offers to give you things… maybe as a reward for finding him or something." The boy then grinned and pointed up to the top of his spiky mullet. "Back when I was much younger, my dad attached the four star dragon ball to my hat as a way to bring me good luck. But since I loved running around the valleys and forests so much, the thing kept on falling off."

The orange-haired adolescent chuckled while shaking her head at him. "An adventurous rascal at home and up here I see." She then reached over and ruffled his hair, this time with much more fondness than cheekiness. "Never change, Gohan-kun."

This earned an even wider grin from the child. "Don't worry. I won't. Heck, I'm having so much fun spending time with you guys that I don't think I'll ever want to go home. It's just so big and open out here… and all the adventures we go on really gets my blood pumping."

Finding the child's positivity incredibly uplifting, Myra beamed before proposing the pair head to the showers. However, just as the two of them were reading to head out, both they and Dore's group were suddenly interrupted by the door to the training chamber opening. The sound of the gate hissing as it slid open, the two respective teams then looked towards the entrance to see the tall, fully dressed Neiz standing there in the squad's signature armor and spandex.

Noticing the people inside look in his direction, the Zalt-seijin took a deep breath, before promptly addressing them. "We've received an emergency alert," Neiz said loudly, causing the senior members of Cooler's Armored Squadron to give him their full, undivided attention. "All high ranking army and naval officers on site are being ordered to assemble in the conference room, right now."

Their energy returning to them all at once and moods shifting from casual to serious, Gohan, Myra and Dore quickly sprang into action. Drying themselves off as best as they could, the trio tossed their towels into the washer slot, before speedily jogging after Neiz- leaving Kida, Rei and Riko sitting in the center of the training room floor, looking at one another in confusion.

Not really caring that they were only wearing their gloves, boots and spandex, the trio of freshly active members of the Armored Squadron followed their fellow commando through the winding hallways of the ship. Being acutely aware of where every room and chamber was located throughout the saucer, the group arrived at the entrance to the ship's main assembly room in just under a minute. Here the trio immediately noticed every single high-ranking military man and woman was already gathered.

The layout of the conference chamber was exactly what you'd expect from a room like this stationed on board a starship of this size. The large, white, circular hall with a high ceiling was outfitted with all the items necessary for important admin briefings, including a large hologram table situated in the center of the room, spot lights, and raised steps and seats that looped around the entire space, providing platforms for the troops to seat. It was on these very bleachers where all of the esteemed aliens and commanders within the Cooler Force were currently gathering- all of whom stood at attention and saluted when they saw Neiz step through the entrance, along with Myra, Gohan and Dore.

Being the highest ranking officers in the military, it was no surprise that the team was greeted with such adulation and respect.

Almost instantly an excited clamor started up amongst the male and female aliens assembled inside the room- all of whom began whispering their praise and disbelief that multiple members of the illustrious Cooler's Armored Squadron were in the room. The fact that all of them were present, including their venerable captain Salza, made the troops even more excited than they normally would be. It almost felt like they were all part of some sort of special campaign or secret mission.

As they would later find out of course, their feelings were most certainly spot on.

Meeting up with Salza, who was standing beside the hologram table, Neiz, Dore, Myra and Gohan greeted him promptly, with the blonde captain scrunching his nose when he saw the current states of the other three.

"Where's the rest of your uniforms?" the captain asked while cocking an eyebrow at Myra's spandex singlet and thong, while also looking at Dore's singlet and spats.

"Sorry, boss," Dore chuckled, while nervously rubbing the back of his head- the helmet of which he had removed at the start of his training session earlier that morning. "The three of us were running drills in the training hall for the last few hours."

"We didn't have time to wash or get dressed," Gohan also answered with a sheepish grin.

"Uh-huh," Salza murmured, glancing them over once more, before then exhaling in an accepting manner. "Well, nothing we can do about it now."

Myra propped a hand on her hip, "Any idea what this is all about?"

"Not a clue," the captain replied, before then glancing towards the entrance. "But I'm sure we'll find out in the next couple of minutes."

Almost on cue, the entire conference room went completely silent when, through the threshold and under the arc, every single person present saw the distinct form of Emperor Cooler come marching in- with his attendant Berryblue and head of R&D Kikono right next to him. The second everyone saw their leader enter the large space, the entire collection of officers and soldiers immediately stood at attention- with Salza and his group quickly spreading themselves out, putting their arms at their sides, and bowing to the prince respectfully.

Tail swishing behind him, the purple-skinned alien with white carapace plates nodded back to his subordinates in kind.

"At ease, men," Cooler said, signaling his elite warriors to return to casual standing positions and watching as they set their hands at their sides. He then proceeded to address the entire room in a big voice. "Thank you all for coming on such short notice. Though I know there are many commanders still out on assignment and that many of you are preparing to head out on your next missions, due to the severity of the situation that has arisen, all upcoming jobs and operations have been postponed until further notice. I'm afraid this is going to be a long week for all of us." When he saw Dore, Gohan and Myra step back to make space for him, the young prince then beckoned all of the other officers in the room to sit, which they did. When he stopped beside the large table in the center, he then waved for the yellow alien in armor following after him to walk forward. "Kikono. If you please."

"With pleasure, your grace," the short alien replied, bowing to the alien before moving towards the table. The head science officer of the Cooler Force then cleared his throat before addressing the chamber, which he noticed had its full attention set squarely on his diminutive form. "We just received an emergency transmission over the Cold Force's primary frequency, from our rivals in Lord Frieza's branch of the Planet Trade Organization. Code- Magenta." Reaching over to the table behind him, Kikono then activated the board- the lights of the room going dark and a large, shimmering, yet clear hologram jumping up to fill the space above it. The enormous picture was that of a decimated naval fleet floating amongst the remains of an asteroid field. "Approximately forty-eight hours ago, during a routine inspection of his fleet, the young prince and his army was unexpectedly attacked by an unknown, yet powerful alien force from an unknown system. As a result, not only was Prince Frieza's capital planet FP-01 completely destroyed, but so was an enormous portion of his combined naval fleet, his ship, and several of his highest ranking officers." Kikono then inhaled deeply and frowned. "Lord Frieza's son- Kuriza- was also abducted during the assault."

The news not only stunned the entire room, but also all of the members of Cooler's Armored Squadron.

Feeling his jaw had dropped somewhat, a shocked Salza then spoke up. "What kind of madman would mount an attack against the Cold family and stage a kidnapping of one of its members?" the captain asked above the terrified clamor of his fellow troopers.

As Berryblue floated calmly behind Cooler, Kikono promptly addressed the leader of the prince's elite attack force. "The mastermind behind this insidious plot is a self-proclaimed ruler and warlord who identified himself as Lord Slug. Though we have no idea what his species is or from what system he originates, from the information that we were able to gain from Frieza Force, the man is apparently the commander of a military faction he dubbed the Dark Empire- and that he probably migrated to this area of space from the unknown regions." Placing his hands behind his back, the science officer then puffed his chest out nervously. "Despite our limited intelligence on him, it is clear that this individual is bold, ruthless, intelligent, and extremely dangerous. The fact that he was able to kidnap Frieza's son while he was standing on the bridge with his father tells us that this is an enemy that should not be taken lightly."

Upon processing all of this information so far, one of the officers standing towards the back of the chamber- a lieutenant- then spoke up. "How did this maniac manage to abduct the prince's son right from under the young emperor's nose?"

It was at this point that Kikono moved on to the next portion of the report- switching from the images taken of various portions of Frieza's ruined fleet to a video taken inside of his capital ship. "The attack was a coordinated effort. Before Lord Frieza's fleet was hit by Lord Slug's command ship, the young prince's own vessel was boarded by a creature of unknown origins. After crashing into the craft inside a stray meteor fragment, the beast then proceeded to attack and kill every single soldier that attempted to confront it. The security cameras scattered around the vessel managed to capture footage of this monster's massacre."

The three-dimensional feed now being played in the hologram first started off in the corridor where a meteorite had crashed. Seconds later the entire contingent of Cooler's army gathered in the room then recoiled and gasped in horror when they saw a winged, lizard-like creature with dark grown skin and horns leap out of the rock and start slaughtering all of the soldiers in front of it in various bloody and gruesome manners. They then proceeded to watch as it began tearing down hallways, cutting down soldiers and walking through ki and laser fire like it was nothing.

After seeing the cameras switch a few times as they tracked the creature, Dore felt his jaw drop when he saw the beast grab a soldier and rip them in half with its claws. "Holy fuck."

Salza, shaking his head in disbelief when he watched another soldier get slammed into a wall while another had its neck bitten into, then looked across at Kikono. "Are you saying that this… thing… is working with Lord Slug?"

Kikono nodded. "Yes. After it made its way to the bridge, it managed to smash through the door, knock out Frieza's top commanders- Zarbon and Dodoria- before batting aside the emperor himself and taking his son. It then blasted itself out of the bridge's main window and into space, where it immediately rendezvoused with Lord Slug's vessel." He then quickly cut to the scene of the bridge, where everyone saw the dragonoid warrior smash through the door, charge down Frieza, and knock him aside. A collective series of gasps and stunned murmurs immediately went up amongst the officers, all of whom couldn't believe that the creature was able to best the tyrant. When Kikono paused the video feed on the creature after it telekinetically pulled Kuriza toward her, the yellow alien frowned. "The fact that this beast was able to go toe-to-toe with the young emperor and live speaks volumes as to the danger this new threat imposes. It's clear that ordinary soldiers are not going to be enough to tackle this brute alone."

That much everyone could agree on.

Of course, the true gravity of the situation wasn't fully unveiled until Cooler got a better look at the humanoid, female dragon in the hologram. Upon squinting at it for a moment as he analyzed the creature's appearance- from their lizard characteristics, their fiery aura, their wings and then to their tail- the young leader of the force then felt his eyes widen when his memory clocked on a significantly important detail.

As a result, Cooler's arms uncrossed in disbelief. "It can't be." Hearing the warlord whisper had every officer in the room look towards the purple alien, whom they saw was gawking at the screen where the dragonoid was standing. "That girl… she's a Ryu-seijin."

Dore blinked, "A what?"

It was upon hearing that word, Captain Salza's head snapped back to the hologram in shock. "A Ryu-seijin. They were a race of bipedal, dragon-like aliens that lived tens of millions of years ago and originated from the planet Azrael, somewhere in the heart of the Black Eye Galaxy. They were among one of the first sentient races to ever be born in the universe, renowned for their incredible strength, vitality, and wild natures."

Still looking confused despite the drop of information, Dore then shrugged. "Okay… so… she's a freaky alien lizard from a super old race. That's neat. But why's that got all of you so flustered?"

It was then Cooler decided to get right to the thick of the matter as he eyed the figure before them carefully. "The Ryujin were wiped out eons ago by the God of Destruction- Beerus." With this remark causing many of the people in the room's jaws to drop, the alien prince continued. "There were several tomes pertaining to these ancient aliens back in the palace's library on my home world. This particular race earned the fearsome reputation of being the 'ultimate lifeforms'- apex predators that reveled in the hunting and conquering of other races, as well as possessing the greatest natural adaptations and survival instincts of any animal in history. It was thanks to their unruly natures, insatiable appetites, and desire for destruction that Beerus took it upon himself to eliminate their home planet- as he saw the Ryujin as a threat to all other forms of life across the universe." The prince then shrugged at the stunned looks from his subordinates. "Though these facts are mostly speculation by historians at best, it's what I was able to remember from my studies. This happened a very long time ago, after all."

"I remember seeing fossils of these aliens in a museum back on CP-53 during one of my earlier missions to that planet," Myra informed, propping a hand on her hip as she also analyzed the specimen in front of them carefully. "The stories and legends written about those creatures sent shivers down my spine."

When she made this comment, the adolescent and everybody else then noticed Gohan break from the group to begin walking around the hologram. With a serious, yet inquisitive look on his face, the child began inspecting the reptilian creature more carefully. He even made sure to move in closer to look at the spines running up the alien's tail and back.

"Okay," Neiz murmured, his eyes quickly moving back to the hologram. "So a walking, talking, living fossil managed to smash its way onto Lord Frieza's ship and kidnap his son? But if these Ryujin things were wiped out millions of years ago by The Great Destroyer, how the hell is this one still alive?" Needless to say, there was something about this whole thing that just didn't add up.

Salza shrugged, "Your best guess is as good as mine."

This in turn had Myra glance across at her captain. "Could this be another Beenz-seijin case? Like the ones we ran into on CP-179?" she asked, referring to their battle with the Turles' Crusher Corp, and how two of its members- Rasin and Lakasei- were resurrected members of a thought-to-be long-dead race.

"Could be," Salza answered, before then glancing back around at Kikono. "Since this creature was able to bat away Lord Frieza without much difficulty, how strong do we think she actually is?"

The scientist cleared his throat while looking back up at the hologram. "Based on what we know about Lord Frieza's strength and the numbers we were able to receive through the transmission, we calculate this alien's battle power to be around sixty-five million… maybe more."

While this news had the blood of everyone in the room run cold, a series of uncomfortable expressions crossed the faces of the members of Cooler's elite. Kikono's announcement in particular had Neiz visibly wince. "Well… that's not disconcerting at all, is it?"

"Lord Frieza was unable to come close to his full power before he was knocked aside. Perhaps not even half his power," Kikono added, before then putting on a frown. "But that doesn't mean this creature isn't strong. Far from it. And what's more, the computer was also able to detect several massive power levels and thousands of other life forms inhabiting the enemy's vessel before it vanished into light speed, so it's safe to say that she may not be the only remarkable foe we have to contend with."

Around this time, Gohan had returned to his friends' side- his eyes still glued to the hologram with great intent. When Myra and Dore looked to see how their youngest compatriot was taking all of this, both of them recoiled when they saw his tail was wagging behind him furiously, while a big, exited grin was pulled across his lips. It was a sight that did not go amiss by Cooler or the other members of the squadron, all of whom turned to the demi-Saiyan when they heard him speak.

"I want to fight her," Gohan exclaimed, shocking everyone in the room as his fists clenched tightly at his sides. From the way his eyes were dilated and body was trembling from head to toe, it was clear that whatever emotions were currently surging through his body were of the intense variety. "This girl… she looks and sounds really, really strong. Someone who can hit hard, move fast, and take a lot of punishment. I want to meet her. I want to battle her."

Dore blinked. "Are you… are you serious, kid?"

"Did you see what that thing did to Frieza and his crew?" Neiz asked, while at the same time gesturing to the hologram shimmering in front of them and the bodies scattered around the control room in the image. "She eviscerated and butchered every single person she came across, and practically rag dolled the young emperor across the room with a single hit- and when he was in his final form no less! Do you honestly want to fight something as scary and monstrous as that?"

Gohan, expression steeling as he looked back at his companions, then gave them a nod and a grin. "I do."

Dore and Neiz looked at one another in disbelief- completely at a loss for words. And while Myra also appeared slightly surprised, she couldn't help but allow a small smile to cross her lips, before she turned to look across at Salza and Cooler.

The captain of the squad, sensing his subordinate's enthusiasm and seeing it clearly etched into his smile, turned inquisitively towards his commander. "What do you think, sire?"

Cooler, also noticing the look being thrown at him by Gohan, smirked broadly. "I say let the kid have his fun. He seems pretty keen for it, so why deny him the opportunity to test himself?" Watching the fire burn brightly in the youngster's gaze, the purple ruler and the rest of his soldiers then directed their attention back to a dumbstruck Kikono. "What's the current status of the enemy vessel? Was Frieza able to track it after it jumped into hyperspace? If not, then what about his son?"

Snapping out of his daze, Kikono looked back towards his commander and straightened up into a more attentive stance. "The planet? No. But due to Kuriza's unique energy signature, the scouters on Frieza's vessel were able to track the course that Lord Slug's ship took when it retreated from his sector." He then moved into the next hologram image, which showed a 3D rendered, extra wide view of the known universe within both Lord Frieza's and Lord Cooler's respective branches of the PTO. Upon zooming in on the location that was formerly FP-01, a dotted line was then formed from the planet, generating a path of various straight lines millions of lightyears across the cosmos, which then led directly to the edge of Cooler's space. "The vessel followed a seldom used collection of hyperspace lanes to a local star system on the very edge of our territory- galaxy NGC-5866, Star 19, inside the local moons of CP-527. It's a deserted area of space consisting of multiple barren worlds that are devoid of intelligent life. A completely isolated location that's well out of reach of Frieza's range and influence."

"So… these brigands decided to take refuge inside of my borders, huh?" Cooler asked, a deep frown spreading across his lips as he analyzed the path carefully. Upon inspecting the area that the enemy had arrived at, the alien warlord then tapped his finger. "This Lord Slug wants us to find them."

Salza frowned. "It seems that way."

Neiz looked across at the prince. "You think it might be a trap?"

"Most definitely. Why else would they be advertising their position with their hostage's ki signature? If they really didn't want to be found, they would've knocked my nephew out and hidden him deep within their fortress- or concealed the planet with a cloaking device," Cooler muttered, rapping his arm with his finger before nodding towards Kikono. "Since we know they will be expecting us, exactly what kind of obstacles are we expected to deal with?"

At that moment, the scientist then flipped over to the next image- this time featuring the enemy vessel itself. When it popped up onto the screen, most of the officers currently stationed in the chamber were immediately confounded to find a projection of a planet floating in the hologram, which took the form of a large ball of ice and rock. On first glance there didn't appear to be anything unusual about it.

That was until multiple numbers and images of the planet's various armaments and technologies started jumping up onto the screen, which added a multitude of other problems to what was an already complex situation.

"The planet is a dreadnaught-class, mobile planetoid or assault satellite- a barren world converted into an enormous battleship or cruiser-like vessel. Though it may appear like an ordinary rogue planet through the scanners and telescopes, in actuality the entire object is a large, fully-functioning, and heavily defended battleship- outfitted with a wide array of anti-space and anti-orbital weaponry and defenses," Kikono informed, watching as the image overhead rotated and zoomed in on the various battery platforms and gun emplacements riddling the surface of the sphere. "The entire layer beneath the crust has been gutted and converted into an elaborate, underground fortress consisting of multiple bunkers and tunnels, allowing the cruiser to barrel through space without risk to its crew or population. Whoever designed this vessel went out of their way to make sure it was ready for any kind of combat situation."

Salza, looking over the schematics that jumped up onto the screen, cocked an eyebrow. "It has its own atmosphere and magnetic field?"

"Yes. The entire planetoid was frozen over by some kind of high-altitude climate converter- probably for the aliens occupying its surface. My guess is that whatever number of races currently inhabiting the mobile world are unaccustomed to the temperatures generated by the local stars, so they blanketed the entire world in frost and ice as a way to create a more suitable environment for them to live in," Kikono informed, before using his long, curly finger to gesture around the mountain ranges on the planet. "On top of that, due to the fact that the entire world is covered in ice creates a natural barrier and shield against heavy space debris. And thanks to its increased density and mass, it's able to travel across galaxies at sub-light speeds without fear of being damaged by meteorites or other objects."

"So on top of having a thick atmosphere, it's also got heavy armor underneath it?" Myra asked, earning a nod from the yellow scientist. "Smart."

"Indeed. And that's not even counting the hundreds of heavy plasma cannons covering the planet's surface," Kikono said, while at the same time bringing up schematics of the large laser cannons the Frieza Force was able to capture during their scans of the enemy vessel. "Multiple twin barrel anti-space turrets are dispersed evenly across both hemispheres, all of which are guided by a complex fire control system that provides not only adequate orbital defense, but top of the line assault capabilities and tight groupings of salvos. It was this same collection of batteries that decimated Frieza's combined fleet." Kikono then turned to Cooler and gave him a hard look. "Any attempts to invade the planet with a large force will be thwarted by the planet's anti-orbital defense grid. However, while their cannons are excellent at destroying large freighters and carrier vessels, their accuracy greatly diminishes against smaller targets at close range."

Upon processing all of this information, Myra then stepped closer and pointed around at the range of turrets formed along the planet's equator. "So what you're saying is that the best way for us to slip through the anti-space defenses and get down to the planet's surface is to get in close with a small attack craft?"

At this point, Neiz cracked a smile. "That shouldn't be a problem at all." He then pointed over his shoulder with his thumb towards the rows of seats behind them, where lieutenant Shira could be seen standing in one of the aisles. "The Comet should be able to breach that air defense, no sweat. Our pilot has flown hundreds of missions through blockades and lines of anti-space cannons, so a planet like this shouldn't be any different."

Gohan, feeling he should be the one to ask, turned towards Lieutenant Shira standing on the steps of the conference room. "Do you think the ship can do it?"

When the red-haired, orange-skinned female saw most of the room turn to her, including Emperor Cooler, the young alien woman in the spandex grinned and gave them a thumbs-up. "I can fly that girl through a rainstorm and come out the other side completely dry." She then crossed her arms. "Just point me where you want to go."

Dore, giving the woman a broad smile, nodded affirmatively before grinning across at Cooler. "Looks like we have our ride in."

Stepping forward and analyzing the planet's layout up close, Salza then felt it was his turn to speak up against. "The Comet can take us inside the planet's defensive range and disable the anti-orbital cannons. If we destroy all of the batteries stationed on the western plate here…" he said, while at the same time circling a significant chunk of the planet's surface, "we should be able to land a battalion of troops on the ground in the lowlands and mount a direct assault on the citadel- here." He then traced his finger up the field and towards what he saw was a large, saucer-shaped building of some kind, which suspiciously looked like some sort of spaceship wedged into the ice planet's crust. "Judging from this building's position on the ridge and the large numbers registering inside of it, I'm guessing that this is the mobile planet's command center."

Kikono nodded at the captain's assessment. "Correct. Lord Kuriza's energy signature is also emanating from that structure, so it's safe to assume that the leader is holding him somewhere close by. Most likely to give us a hint as to where we can find him."

Tilting his head at the hologram, Gohan frowned. "It seems to me like this Lord Slug guy is doing everything he can to lure Frieza's forces into battle with him. He's not planning on negotiating or making any kind of deal to give his son back. He wants this fight to happen." He then glanced across at Cooler and his teammates. "This is all just a game to him."

At this remark, Cooler gave a nod to the boy in agreement. "So let's play along. See where all of this goes." The man then turned and looked across at his elite, while at the same time referring to all of the officers scattered around the conference hall. "Ladies and gentlemen- let me make our situation absolutely clear. From this point onwards, the Cooler Force- and by extension Frieza's branch of the PTO- is at war with Lord Slug and his Dark Empire. Due to most of our army being spread out across the quadrant, the Seventh Fleet and the Armored Squadron are the only military assets we have available for this operation. But since we know exactly where our enemy is and where they're hiding, our next course of action is a direct assault on the Dark Empire's war planet and their headquarters."

Hearing this, one of the armored aliens in the front row of the conference room- a pale warrior with a scar over his eye and curved horns protruding from his head- stood up and at attention. "The Seventh Fleet is assembled and prepared for tasking at your command, sire," the warrior spoke, before promptly slamming a fist against his chest armor.

"Thank you, commander," Cooler nodded back to him, before beginning to pan around the circular room with a look of confidence and purpose on his face. "My capital ship will provide operational over watch at range. As soon as Salza's team eliminates all of the planet's anti-orbital defenses and sends out the all clear signal, the Seventh Fleet will come in and land troops directly on the continent. They will then march on the citadel and eliminate all enemy forces in their way, while Salza's team enters the castle and rescues Kuriza."

It was at this point that Myra decided to chime in. "It's a well-conceived plan, sire. But there's still a slight problem. Even if we eliminate all of the cannons defending its surface, the entire planet is still a highly mobile battle unit- capable of moving through space and smashing through everything in its path." She then looked across at Kikono. "If the enemy realizes that their base is at risk of being captured, won't they just jump to hyperspace and escape like they did before?"

On this note, Kikono chimed in with a smile. "I considered that possibility." He then quickly scuttled around the hologram table to the other side of the planet's projection and pointed towards a secondary structure on the back. The hologram then highlighted the area, revealing a hexagonal superstructure wedged into the back of the planet. "A dreadnaught of this scale requires a massive internal engine to operate its weapons and thrusters. In order to prevent catastrophic overheating and meltdown, the enemy installed a thermal oscillator in this area along the equator. This facility monitors the engine's reactors and helps funnel power throughout the vessel, giving it enhanced propulsion capabilities. If The Comet takes that out, it will shut down its engines and render the entire planet inert without blowing it up."

Salza clicked his fingers and pointed at it. "Then we'll hit that first." He then looked across at his team. "As soon as we breach the planet's orbital defenses, we go straight for the oscillator."

"Then it's settled," Cooler informed, bringing his arms out from behind him and addressing the Seventh Fleet commander still standing at attention. "Is your cruiser spinning radar, commander?"

The pale, scar-faced alien nodded. "Still turning, sir."

The young prince then pointed to him. "We're at least three days out from the enemy's location. Make sure all transport ships are fueled and ready, and delegate instructions with your officers and NCOs to have their men suited up and mobilized for ground assault. I want the entire Seventh Fleet prepared to move out on my command." Seeing the commander bow before heading off, Cooler then turned and addressed one of his ship's deck commanders sitting close by the entrance. "Drop Officer. Coordinate with engineering and get us mobile. I want my vessel combat effective inside of ten minutes."

"Roger, sir. Engineer Swath and your team, with me," the lieutenant spoke up, before promptly standing and retreating from the room with the officer in question, both of whom followed after the fleet commander and his subordinates.

After this, Cooler then quickly turned to Salza and his men, all of whom he saw stand at attention and snap their heels together. "Get the squad and crew back over to The Comet. I'll have Kikono transmit the schematics and intelligence of the enemy base over to you right away. Be sure to go over the data while on route. The rest of the force will be right behind you."

Placing their hands over their chests, Gohan and the other members of his team all bowed to the prince in confirmation of his instructions. "Yes, sire," they all chimed at once, before promptly being dismissed by the ruler with a nod of his head.

With the entire room standing up and beginning to mobilize at their emperor's command, the entire vessel soon found itself readying itself for its next assignment. As hangar bays were filled and soldiers began transporting themselves to and from their assigned craft, Emperor Cooler remained in the conference room, where he began assessing the target once again.

While Kikono was communicating with a squad of officers, who'd rushed over at his instruction, the busy young prince suddenly felt someone float up behind him and glanced over his shoulder to see Berryblue's smiling face hovering nearby. Without even having to prompt her, the white-haired advisor in robes then began to speak.

"Sir, I have just received a transmission from one of my contacts in the Frieza Force," the blue-skinned female whispered, causing Cooler's head to perk up momentarily. "It appears that your younger brother has called in the Ginyu Force for assistance, and has ordered them to head straight to the coordinates of Lord Slug's ship."

Cooler, feeling his frustration boil slightly at hearing this information, growled through his teeth and glared up at the hologram of the enemy fortress. "That arrogant little brat. What the hell does he think he's doing?" He then gestured to the schematics of the vessel. "Doesn't he know about the danger he's sending them into? The defenses? The fortifications? The enemy units? What exactly is he trying to prove?"

Berryblue leaned back and floated away when she saw the prince's shoulders tighten. "It appears he's trying to resolve the situation himself… without his family's help."

"And risk getting his son killed?" Cooler growled, bringing his hand up as if he were about to slam it into the table. However, after taking several deep, calming breaths, the tyrant relented and exhaled deeply. He then looked up at the hologram in front of him, and towards the citadel situated on the northern hemisphere of the mobile planetoid. "Frieza is sending Ginyu and his entire team to their deaths… but I'm not going to let that happen. I'm going to take that planet, save their necks, and rescue my nephew. Even if I have to go down there myself."

Sensing the man's passion and confidence, Berryblue smiled proudly. "Don't worry, sire. I'm sure Salza and his team will be able to save your nephew. They are the best of the best, after all- a group who you trust beyond all measure. There's no need for you to get involved."

The tone that his attendant used, topped with her praise towards his subordinates' abilities, helped the calm the young prince somewhat. This then led to Cooler leaning forward on one hand on the table and glaring up at the hologram before him as it switched to a zoomed in version of the castle they were about to storm.

"I hope you're right," the emperor whispered.

OOO

(Meanwhile)

(Far side of Cooler Space)

For the fledgling prince Kuriza- the son of the infamous Lord Frieza- his situation had yet to see any improvements.

On the day he was unwillingly dragged onto the planet-sized vessel by the dragon-female that'd abducted him from his father's ship, the boy had quickly found himself dragged through the dank corridors of the satellite's central citadel, before eventually being thrown into a single cell a whole floor down. The cell was a dark, cold, slime-covered box consisting of a single window etched into the wall several feet over his head, a slab of concrete situated against another wall for a bed, and a hole that served as a toilet. Other than that, the almost pitch-black chamber of moss and moisture had almost no other features, meaning that for the past two days since his imprisonment, Kuriza had been left in literal darkness over everything that was happening outside.

Of course, being the son of one of the most powerful beings in the universe and possessing strength nearly unmatched by lower lifeforms, the little prince did attempt to escape several times. Oh, he tried tunneling through the wall, climbing to reach the window, or smash through the door standing in his way. But no matter what he did, not only were his family's powers being dampened by the energy restrictors lining the walls- the same technology used by the Galactic Patrol to keep prisoners like the planet devouring Moro inside his cell- but the barriers were so thick that you would need a plasma cutter to get through them.

After multiple, failed attempts to call for help, annoy the guards, and bust out through the walls, the child eventually resigned himself to his fate, and spent the next many hours sitting on his hard bed with his knees pulled up to his chest. At first he sulked. Then his misery set in. And then after that cold, unrelenting helplessness.

Forty eight hours of complete silence and isolation soon passed Kuriza by. While the young prince received food and water through the slot in the iron door to keep his body sustained, the little alien leader had nothing else to keep him occupied. All he had were his thoughts, all of which had been rendered flustered and panicked by his situation, as he had no idea what fate awaited him at the end of his tenure here.

Thankfully he didn't have to wait for too long. Upon hearing the shields of his concrete world shut down and hearing the clanking of metal to his door opened, Kuriza was eventually ordered out of his cell and dragged down the hallway when he refused to move beyond the threshold. The boy once again found himself in the custody of the same female dragonoid that'd taken him from his father, who- along with two human-shaped soldiers dressed in full-white armor and tight black spandex- marched him up the large staircase of the fortress he was confined in.

When Kuriza and his kidnapper arrived in what he assumed was the grand hall of the planet's castle, the boy was eventually forced to march down the metal floor towards a golden throne positioned at the back of it, which was elevated on a series of large, metal steps. Noticing the entire chamber was also being held up by large metal pillars, particularly behind the throne itself, the young prince also saw a couple of computer terminals situated on both sides of the room, both of which were being operated by a group of diminutive figures wearing cloaks.

As for the throne itself, Kuriza barely had time to see who the occupant of it was, for as soon as he was brought within reach of the steps, the child was forcefully grabbed by the top of his head by the female dragon's claw and forced to get to his knees. He was then pushed into a bowing position, grunting and straining in discomfort as the winged girl held him firmly in place.

"Ow! H-Hey! Stop that," Kuriza grunted and groaned in his squeaky voice, attempting to wrest his way out of the female's grasp, but failing. "What are you-"

"Silence," the girl dragon hissed, shooting the boy a warning look through her blood red eyes as he looked back up at her through clenched teeth. Ignoring this, the dragon girl with the reddish brown scales and large bust then turned her head upwards to look upon the throne. "My master… I have brought you the emperor's child… as you ordered."

"Hmm… good… good…" a low, gravelly voice suddenly answered back.

Eyes widening as a cold chill suddenly rushed down his spine, the young Kuriza was left staring wide-eyed at the cold, hard floor for several tense moments. When he felt the dragon's claw relinquish itself from his head, he then slowly panned up. Through beads of nervous sweat and wide, terrified eyes, the fledgling leader soon found himself staring upon the leader of the brigands that'd kidnapped me and the commander of the fortress planet that he saw decimate his father's fleet two days ago.

What Kuriza found himself staring at was a tall, larger than average and bulky looking alien with greyish, green skin, a wrinkly face, and wearing a black, hooded cloak that concealed most of his entire body. Though the choice of robes did help to hide away a lot of the elderly leader's features, what the young prince was able to make out through his inspections of the warlord from the base of the steps, was that the leader of the enemy force also wore a set of baggy, purple pants and long-sleeved top, orange gloves and boots, a yellow vest, belts across his chest that intersected at a blue, decorative gem on the front, and an orange scarf wrapped comfortably around his neck.

Other than that, everything else about the stranger remained completely out of sight, meaning that Kuriza- with all of his acquired knowledge, deductive skills, and intelligence- was unable to identify the leader's species or planet of origin. Everything about the warlord screamed ominous- and that wasn't even counting the incredibly foul stare he was now giving him from under the hood of his cape.

Upon giving an inspection of the man sitting in the throne, Kuriza also noticed a collection of other alien figures standing around him. Though all of them stood or hunched at different shapes, sizes, builds and apparently species, the one thing that connected all of them to each other was that each of the four men assembled around the warlord was that they all had a pair of small devil horns protruding from the tops of their heads. This one trait was the only thing that linked the four individuals to each other, which only added further mystique to who this Lord Slug actually was.

As Kuriza knelt there, taking in the elevated throne and the people assembled around it, the young alien then noticed one of the four aliens come to kneel before the elderly lord. This individual being one of the larger and more intimidating of the aliens gathered around the warlord, the muscular male with light orange skin, red bushy hair, horns, and wearing black gladiator spats and various other leather belts, boots, and gauntlets on his person, lowered his head and closed his eyes.

As if on cue, the old Lord Slug, taking a deep breath from the oxygen mask connected to the tank next to his throne, then raised his free right hand and laid it against his subordinate's head. After a few seconds of concentrating, the old warlord then gave a low growl, as a hot cloud of white energy began to simmer off of the orange warrior's body. When the wall of mist eventually surrounded him, the warlord then removed his hand, which then caused the steam to erupt from the orange warrior in the form of a powerful aura.

Growling through bared teeth, the orange alien felt his muscles swell and body tighten, as all the energy dwelling deep inside of him was released at once. Then, after allowing the white energy to burn around him for several moments, the entire room then watched it recede, drawing a satisfied sigh from the warrior and a series of dark grins from his compatriots.

"There. Your potential… *cough-cough*… has been fully unlocked, Commander Zeeun," the old Lord Slug wheezed, lowering his hand to his seat and taking several more deep, ragged breaths. "You… may now rise."

Taking a deep breath, the red-haired alien did as he was ordered. Straightening up and feeling his many joints pop and creak as they adjusted to his newly gained mass, the warrior then took a moment to inspect his hands. Upon which the now more empowered fighter smiled and bowed to the elder in the chair, before stepping away.

"Thank you, Lord Slug," the warrior whispered, taking up his post alongside his other companions behind the elder's chair.

After a minute passed, in which the entire room was left in complete silence- save for the raspy breathing of the warlord in the chair- Kuriza then saw the leader of the enemy force gesture towards him. The moment he did, the boy prince felt his body get picked up by the back of the neck, dragged towards the steps, and shoved onto them in a new kneeling position, before the female dragon that'd done it stepped away.

"Gently now…" the old man on the throne chuckled, his voice low and gravelly as he beckoned the dragon girl back. "We don't want… to damage… the precious cargo." A couple of coughs later and the elderly Lord Slug resumed grinning at Kuriza after his female servant found her place far enough away from the stricken child. Upon watching the boy shoot a glare back at the winged, scantily dressed female with scales and spines, the warlord addressed him. "Magnificent… isn't she?"

Kuriza, huffing a few times, then looked back at the old man. "More like violent. You should really teach your servant some better manners."

Another weak laugh left the elder's lips, followed by another bout of coughs. "Apologies, little one. Being the primitive beast that she is, she… *gasp*… *cough-cough*… sometimes can't help herself… but be a little rough. You see… many years ago… while I was scouring the far reaches of the universe for followers… I found her drifting through the dark void of space, in the unknown regions. She was trapped inside a block of ice, sealed in the heart of a meteor… and locked in a state of deep hibernation. After I realized what she was … *gasp*… and the incredible power she possessed… I knew I had to make her mine. So I did." Gripping the chair he was sitting in as he struggled to breathe again, Lord Slug then relaxed as a rather dark twinkle occurred in his eye. "Her kind… though compassionate and intelligent in nature… *gasp*… possess primitive… and oftentimes overpowering animalistic tendencies. I simply overrode all her common, unnecessary sensibilities and kindness… *gasp*… and forced her dark instincts to take hold of her… to control her. Now she obeys only me… *cough-cough*… like a good, rabid dog. The perfect pawn." He then grinned as he raised a crooked finger and poked it at his temple. "After all… you'd be surprised at what a little… mental persuasion and torture… can do to one's mind."

Upon hearing the man speak and then looking across at the dragon girl, who he saw was glaring at him with that very ferocious scowl of hers, Kuriza's head then snapped into realization. This then prompted him to glare back at the old warlord.

"Is that what you brought me here for? To torture me? To brainwash me?" the child asked, his teeth gritted in rage.

At this, Lord Slug chortled in amusement. "Oh no. No, no, no. That… would be far too easy." All of a sudden, the man raised his hand and waved it at Kuriza.

In that moment, the child found himself possessed by some sort of otherworldly, invisible force, which not only caused him to freeze up and stiffen, but caused his body to levitate off of the steps, up into the air, and then towards the seated Lord Slug. Panting in panic, the boy felt himself float into reach of the elderly man, allowing him to get a better look at the old, wrinkly face grinning at him from under the veil.

With the alien child now posed and prostrated before him like a statue, the old warlord then extended a hand and rested it gently against the boy's face. This action caused the youngster to twitch and his heart to panic, as he had no idea what the stranger was going to do.

In response to Kuriza's expression, the old Slug smirked. "With all the dark powers and sorcery that I possess… and the techniques that I stole from my race and countless others… it would be far too simple… *gasp*… to use them all on a child like you. That is why… *gasp*… I plan to use them on the one… who I consider a worthy challenge. Your father… the man said to be the most powerful… and feared tyrant in the whole universe," the warlord said, keeping his hand against Kuriza's face, before then releasing it. He then coughed as he saw Kuriza stare fearfully back at him. "He and his family… *gasp*… have ruled the cosmos for far too long. That is why… I aim to take their kingdom from them… by force."

Kuriza, shivering for a moment, then mustered the bravest grin he could. "You want to take my father and grandpa's empire for yourself? Ha! Good luck," the boy laughed, watching Slug's smile fade a little as he shot a glare back at him. "In that thin, decrepit body… I bet you can barely get out of that chair to take a piss, old man."

Upon sensing his subordinates immediately take offense to this, with the dragon girl also taking a step forward in outrage, Lord Slug glared back at the child for several moments. Upon which, a smirk suddenly returned to his wrinkly, old face. "A weakness… soon to be rectified." With a grunt, the man thrust his hand forward and telekinetically threw Kuriza towards his dragon servant- the female lizard catching the young prince and holding him above the ground in an arm lock. After Kuriza struggled fustily to try and get out, the old warlord then leaned back in his chair and gasped deeply. "My children… *gasp*… it is time. My ten year gestation period… has finally come to an end." He then grinned broadly. "It's time… for my rebirth."

All at once, every single soldier, servant, and worker in the thrown turned towards the elder in the chair and stood at attention. With the men assembled behind his thrown quickly moving onto the steps, all of them then placed a fist over their chest and bowed their heads to him, with the dragon girl holding Kuriza also lowering her head.

Lord Slug gasped as he felt his chest swell, "Recite our creed. What do we say to the strong?"

"Tell me your greatest strength, so I know how best to undermine you," the entire room suddenly spoke, alarming Kuriza as he heard the girl holding him also speak.

"What do we say… to the brave?"

"Tell me your greatest fear, so that I know what I must force you to face."

"What do we say to the weak?"

"Tell me what you crave, so that I might deny you."

"And what do we say… to our enemies?"

"Tell me what you cherish most… so I know what to take from you."

"And… what do we say… to those who wish us death?"

"Not today," the entire room chanted.

Then, after giving one last laugh, Lord Slug's throat suddenly began to swell, and a low gagging sound began to leave his lips. His eyes bugging out and cheeks puffing, the elderly man gripped his chair tightly as his body twitched and writhed against it. From that point everyone, including Kuriza, then watched in momentary disgust as the green man began to regurgitate something from his throat- a process which took an upward of a couple of seconds, but seemed to last for a much longer time.

Moments later, the elder warlord then threw his head forward and spat out a large, white egg, which dropped to the steps and bounced down them. Leaving a trail of green slime, the round object bounced down the metal platforms and onto the floor, rolling out into the open and stopping before a surprised Kuriza and his cold-looking captor. The rest of the room then watched the old warlord in the seat then flop back, his eyes going blank and form going limp as his energy signature vanished.

The collection of warriors and followers then stared down at the egg- watching and wondering what was going to happen. Then, as the silence continued to perforate the air, a low cracking and creaking began to echo out throughout the dark, metal hall. As the noise grew loud, Kuriza and the rest of the room saw the egg on the ground jitter and rattle, as something inside of it had begun to stir.

At first it seemed like nothing was going to happen. But then, a few seconds later, the top of the egg suddenly exploded as a small fist shot out of it. Green slime splattering everywhere, Kuriza then looked on in horror as the rest of the egg shattered and broke apart, expelling a small, green, humanoid creature with green antennae, and yellow, ribbed muscles on his arms, legs and torso. At first the entity flopped to the floor and dragged itself forward in a rather pitiful crawl. However, as seconds passed, the hall filled with soldiers and followers observed in awe as the small creature grew at an accelerated rate, quickly growing to the size of a child, then to that of a preteen, then an adolescent, before then shakily standing up and achieving the height of a full-grown man.

Kuriza then gaped in terror as he saw a newly hatched male alien, standing naked and dripping in green goo just a few feet from the egg of which he was born from.

The creature- dark green in color, bearing a tall, muscular figure, and Namekian in origin- stood staring across the room with his back turned to most of his audience. Taking several deep breaths as his lungs rapidly adjusted to his environment, the newborn alien then slowly lifted up his hands and gazed down at his slimy palms. Feeling the cool air hit his skin as he carefully tested his muscles, the figure then slowly turned around and marched back towards his throne.

A few paces later, he then slowly turned and walked over to where the terrified Kuriza was being held. When the dripping Namekian stopped before the fledgling ruler and allowed him to get a good look at his face, the little prince saw the chiseled, steel jaw and browline of a very familiar warlord staring back at him.

However, instead of having a wrinkly, grey, old face weathered by years of strife, Kuriza saw the face of a man who had regained his youth- and was looking even better than ever.

Upon allowing the child to process the feat that he'd witnessed, the slimy Namekian allowed a menacing grin to cross his lips, as he then lifted his hand, grabbed Kuriza by the skull, and leered at him venomously.

"Weakness rectified," Lord Slug spoke, his voice young and full of vigor, as he then removed his moist palm from the boy and stepped away. "I possess powers from my race that you and your family can't possibly comprehend… including the ability to cheat death. This makes me the only one worthy to rule this universe." He then raised his arms out, ignoring the liquid dripping off of him as he smirked at his prisoner. "My life spans millennia. Legions have risen to test me… yet my ascendance is inevitable. A day, a year, a millennium… it matters not. I hold the patience of stone and the will of the stars. Your striving is insignificant, for I am Lord Slug… The Immortal Namekian… the Master of the Gathering Darkness… and this world is mine to conquer."

TO BE CONTINUED…

Author's Note: And that's another chapter, setting up the rest of the story to come.

For those who are wondering, most of the characters featured in here aren't mine. Kuriza isn't mine. Deita isn't mine. Niyusu isn't mine. They can all be found on the dragonballz wiki.

The only OCs that I have (or significant ones at least), are the three that I have mentioned most prominent in this story. Two of whom can be found below:

XXX

Name: Myra

Epithet(s): The Fair, Azure Beauty, The Beauty

Gender: Female

Race: Hera-seijin

Home Planet: Cooler Planet 23 (CP-23), Hera colony world of Cooler's Empire

Occupation: Commando, Officer, Elite Guard

Rank: First Lieutenant

Hair Color: Orange

Skin Color: Blue

Age: 16 (First appearance)

Ki type: Basic, magical

Transformations: Super Hera (potentially)

Specialization(s): Mid to long range, energy shaping, chemical alterations, barrier magic

History: Originating from a colony world within the core systems of Cooler's branch of the Planet Trade Organization, Myra was inducted into the Cooler Force when she was discovered to be a very powerful and gifted fighter- born with incredible levels of energy and fighting talent, even for a member of her race. Recommended by Captain Salza himself, Myra proved her worth to the cause by completing several incredibly difficult missions back-to-back, eventually shooting up through the ranks of Cooler's military and quickly becoming one of his topmost, elite warriors. Upon joining the ranks of Cooler's Armored Squadron, she became the first and- for the time- the only female member to ever reach the elite class in the Cold Force's history.

While sent on a routine reconnaissance mission to investigate an active distress beacon on the edge of Frieza's territory that was going on unanswered, Myra and her teammate Dore discovered Gohan, stranded on a desolate planet on the very outer rim edges of the Milky Way galaxy. Not wanting to leave him alone and immediately recognizing his potential, Myra and Dore brought him back to Cooler's ship, where he was promptly inserted into their ranks. In a few short weeks, she and Gohan became best friends and close companions.

As arguably the second/third strongest member in Cooler's Armored Squadron, Myra is obviously a very capable and skilled fighter- one of the top ten best in Cooler's forces. Regarded as the second smartest member in the group, Myra specializes in mid-to-long range attacks, using a highly acrobatic and graceful fighting style in combat that allows her to effectively attack the weak points of opponents- to either incapacitate or kill them. Being the technical-minded warrior that she is, the Hera is able to dissect techniques and abilities even when she's never seen or heard of them before in a matter of minutes, and as soon as she is able to figure out how they worked, she would then do everything she can to efficiently exploit their weaknesses. Doing so allows her to breakdown and defeat opponents that would normally be more physically powerful than her.

As a member of the Hera-seijin race, Myra possesses a very unique and potent ki signature, with also skills in her people's magic. Able to change the chemical properties of her ki, the Hera can alter the shape and form constructs out of her energy, able to forge weapons such as staffs, batons, spears, whips, blades and arrows, which she can use to attack her foes in a multitude of ways. She is also able to summon clouds of ki fibers capable of wrapping around opponents and binding them, effectively halting the movement of attacks and enemies, while also draining them of their energy. Though she hasn't demonstrated use of this skill yet due to its difficulty, the potential she possesses is definitely beyond question.

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Name: Quetzalcoatl, aka Lucoa

Epithet(s): The Last Dragon, The Ryujin, The Ultimate Predator

Gender: Female

Race: Ryu-seijin (Ryujin for short)

Home Planet: Azrael (destroyed)

Occupation: Lord Slug's Secret Weapon, right-hand woman, bodyguard

Rank: Bodyguard

Hair Color: Orange

Skin Color: Maroon, brown

Age: 14 (First appearance)

Ki type: Magical

Transformations: Great Dragon Form, Blaze Release

Specialization(s): Close to long range, brawling, slashing, volcanic blasts and breath, armor

History: Much about Lucoa's history is shrouded in mystery. What is most known about her however is that her race- the Ryujin- were regarded at one point as one of the most powerful races to ever be born in Universe 7. Dwelling in the furthest reaches of the cosmos tens of millions of years ago, members of this alien species were referred to as the Ultimate Predators- apex animals capable of living for hundreds of years, naturally being born with accelerated cellular regeneration, and possessing enormous levels of energy reserves far exceeding that of any other creature in existence. Some say they are descendants of the ancient guardians of the Super Dragon Balls from millennia ago. Other stories say they were creatures created by a malevolent race in an attempt to produce a living embodiment of Super Shenron. Whatever their story, their legend was such that even though encountering a single member of their race was rare, it is said that whenever a Ryujin arrived on a populated planet- famine, chaos, and devastation of terrifying levels would soon follow. They were so deadly in fact that the God of Destruction- Beerus- viewing their race as a threat to all other forms of life at the time, took it upon himself to wipe them and their planet from existence. This in itself speaks volumes as to how capable these ancient aliens actually were.

While it was thought that the Ryujin were rendered extinct long ago by the Great Destroyer, at some point in the last decade, Lord Slug discovered Lucoa's body entombed and frozen in a meteorite drifting through the cold depths of the cosmos. Upon thawing her out and reviving her, the Super Namekian immediately saw the levels of untapped, bottomless potential she possessed, and quickly went out of his way to make her his protector and bodyguard. Upon having her mind altered and brainwashed, Lucoa immediately swore herself into his servitude.

Though still incredibly young and only glimpsed during her raid of Frieza's vessel, Lucoa's power is certainly not one to be underestimated. Possessing durability and an armored, scaled body capable of shrugging off laser and blaster fire from dozens of adversaries, Lucoa demonstrated her fighting potential by tearing through waves of Frieza's soldiers with no effort whatsoever. She was even able to knock Zarbon and Dodoria unconscious by simply knocking down a door, and smash a hastily transformed Final Form Frieza across the bridge of his vessel- despite only reaching a third or half his strength. After kidnapping his son, Kuriza, the dragon girl then willingly ejected them both into space- showing that she is also capable of surviving in a vacuum.

In terms of overall fighting skill, potential, and personality, she is exactly identical to Gohan. Both of them are wild children that possess enormous amounts of power and possibility for growth, both of them have a naturally kind, caring nature towards other lifeforms, both of them are expert fighters, and both of them crave a good challenge to test their skills. The similarities between them are so prominent that upon witnessing the girl fighting in the footage of her, the demi-Saiyan immediately wanted to meet and battle her- a statement which surprised all of his teammates at his willingness to tackle such a monster.