Author's Note: And the defining chapter before the epic battles on both Earth and Lord Slug's planet.

Dragonball Z

Alter Age

Operation Blaze

(Three days later)

(Otherworld)

"Alright! Time to get myself ready for my return to Earth!" the cheerful voice of an incredibly excited and completely re-energized Goku filled the air, as the boisterous young man hopped up and down on the front lawn of his master's domicile. Dropping back down to ground after a remarkable twenty meter jump, the young adult with the halo floating over his head then performed a series of his signature leg stretches- flexing from one side to the next while stretching out his calves and hamstrings.

Given the current state of the tiny planet upon which he'd been training- the holes, the fissures, the burns and skid marks in the soil, as well as the broken trees all over- it was clear that his last day of exercising on this tiny ball floating in the heavens had been a highly vigorous one.

Of course, even though Goku had been bouncing off the walls during the lead up to his epic return to Earth and his anticipated battle against his new foes, for some reason King Kai had been acting incredibly nervous and distracted in the last couple of days. Though the full-blooded Saiyan adult had felt the distinct urge to ask his master about what was troubling him upon seeing him pacing around the open area of his home planet, the hero of Earth found himself too preoccupied with polishing up his use of the last technique his instructor had passed on to him- the Genkidama (Spirit Bomb).

His continued practice with the technique, as well as the others over the last few days, meant that Goku had not had much time to address the issues of concentration with his master. Even now as he was stretching and pumping himself up for his upcoming confrontation, the man-child of a warrior was vaguely aware of the troubled air surrounding the overseer of his side of space. The man was standing off to the side, with his hands behind his back, and an intense look of focus on his face as his antennae twitched in the air in front of him.

As Goku performed a series of handstand pushups to get his arms working, an observing Bubbles and Gregory could be seen floating and sitting respectively alongside him.

"You've got this, Goku," the little cricket chirped, at the same time raising his fists. "Those Saiyans that are coming don't stand a chance!"

Bubbles voiced his encouragement by waving his hands in the air and hopping around on the spot, making the typical noises you'd expect from a happy monkey.

As a follow up, Gregory then gave the man a thumbs-up. "Give them one from us, okay?"

Goku then shot them both his signature grin. "Thanks, guys. I promise I won't let any of you down." It was at this point that the young adult suddenly clicked on something, which had him look up momentarily in thought. "Hm… come to think of it… I wonder how strong Piccolo and the others have gotten while I've been away this whole time? I'm sure they must've made some killer progress up at Kami's place over the last several months."

While Bubbles scratched his head, the floating cricket leaned forward and grinned. "I guess you're just going to have to get down there and find out for yourself, huh? See how your friends are doing."

Processing this, Goku then cracked a big smile and grinned. "Oh yeah. True." Having a bit of a laugh at his spacing out on that realization, the adult warrior then set his hands on his hips and tilted his head across the planet's curvature. "I also can't help but think how much stronger Gohan has gotten since the last time I checked up on him. From what I saw about a month ago, he's been doing pretty well where he is. More than well, in fact."

Gregory blinked. "You mean hanging out with Cooler's crew?"

"Yeah. Those guys," Goku said, pointing across at the little insect happily. "My boy has been going out on so many adventures with his newfound friends, I bet he hasn't even thought about coming home yet. He must be having the time of his life- traveling across the stars, rescuing planets, fighting bad guys, exploring new places…"

"He really is moving up in the universe, huh?" Gregory asked, at the same time putting on an amused smile. "And to think he's only five years old."

This remark caused Goku to laugh. "No kidding. Even after only being with Cooler's group for a year, Gohan has made so many leaps and bounds in his development, I can't even imagine how much more powerful he's become. Not to mention the feats he's been able to achieve. And it was my boy that did all that." At that point, a grin as wide as any the Saiyan had ever had spread across his lips, clearly showing exactly what he was feeling in that moment. "I'm so proud of him. I only wish that I could be down there with him to cheer him on and support him."

Now it was Gregory's turn to chuckle- the little cricket setting his pincers on his hips and giving the Saiyan a look of amusement. "You mean you want to join in on his adventures?"

"Haha. That to," Goku chuckled, scratching the back of his head sheepishly before smiling. "But I guess reuniting with him is going to have to wait a little while. First I have to get back home and take care of these Saiyans first. No doubt my friends are going to need all the help that they can get." With that said, the hero of Earth then turned to face his master King Kai. "Yeah. I think I'd better get in touch with Master Roshi and Bulma. See how things are coming along." He then began walking over to his teacher, who he could see had his head down and hands clenched behind his back. "What do you think, King Kai?"

When the Saiyan moved to stand beside his mentor, the spiky haired, kind-hearted and thoughtful hero suddenly noticed the troubled look on his teacher's face. Appearing momentarily taken aback, the protector of Earth and parent then slowly reached over, as if to tap the short man on the shoulder.

Goku only stopped when he heard the low voice of King Kai speak up. "No… no, no, no… this is bad. This is very, very bad…"

Hearing these words come from his wise and seemingly all-knowing mentor had Goku stop mid-reach and bring his hand back. "Uh… King Kai? Are you alright?" the parent asked, a look of uncertainty coming over his own expression. "What's going on?"

Antenna twitching, the Saiyan's otherworldly mentor then glanced at him through his circular sunglasses. "A great and terrible darkness has descended upon my quadrant, Goku. An evil, malicious force unlike anything I've ever felt before."

Gulping somewhat nervously, Goku pulled back while his master remained shivering in place. "W-What kind of force are you talking about? A person?"

Taking a deep, steady breath, the martial arts master glanced ahead of him thoughtfully. "Worse. A demon… one born of the planet Namek- the home world of your old rival, Piccolo, and the guardian of Earth, Kami." King Kai narrowed his eyes as his expression turned to steel. "He calls himself Lord Slug… a mutant Namekian who was conceived and raised in the cold, dark depths of the unknown regions of space, beyond the outer reaches of the known quadrants. Somehow this nomadic warrior has managed to assemble an army of powerful aliens under his banner and has declared war upon the Frieza family's Empire."

Not really grasping some of the details given to him by the Kai, there were a few words that stood out to the older Saiyan. These words had Goku gulp nervously. "War? Against the Frieza family? That… That doesn't sound good."

"Oh, it's not good at all, Goku. Far from it," King Kai whispered, before turning towards him with a nervous look on his face. "There are few beings in the universe who possess as much power and influence as the members of the Frieza family. Neither you, your friends, nor the Saiyans approaching your adoptive home planet can even come close to touching the strength that the Emperor and his father hold. Yet this fiend- this Namekian from the dark regions- has encroached upon their domain and challenged the members of the Empire to a battle. Another super power going into conflict against the Frieza family could throw the entire foundation of the universe into chaos, threatening not only other innocent worlds, but the Earth as well."

Goku, feeling his heart beginning to hammer hard against his chest, clenched his fists and moved forward in panic. "W-Well… what can I do to help? Maybe there's something I can do to sort things out, or try and stop this from happening."

"At this point, there's absolutely nothing you can do to help, Goku. Compared to Frieza and Lord Slug, you're just a fly trying to scratch the backs of a pair of angry, bull elephants. You'd just be swatted aside like the countless other beings who have tried to stand up to these tyrants," King Kai replied, causing the Saiyan to deflate almost immediately. To hammer the knife even further in, his teacher continued on. "This Lord Slug is especially dangerous. He has defiled the very laws of nature and bent the rules of life and death to his will. What's more, this mutant Namekian has perverted the very sanctity of mortal existence with his sorcery and acquired powers that should never have found its way into his hands. No ordinary fighter can hope to bring him down. However… there is one person that has a chance of halting this maniacal invader and preventing the entire cosmos from falling into disarray. Your son- Gohan."

Goku balked at hearing this. "M-My son?"

"Yes," King Kai nodded, at the same time looking up at his student with a renewed sense of energy. "He and his friends in the Cooler Force are currently moving across the quadrant to intercept Lord Slug's forces and stop this evil warlord from carrying out his plans. I am certain that they are the only ones with strength enough to be able to pull off such a feat and come out alive. If we were to interfere with them at this juncture… I'm afraid we might be dooming our entire space to a period of turmoil and destruction the likes of which not seen since Grand Emperor Blizzard's Great Schism over a million years ago."

Upon processing this and hearing that it was his boy that was stepping up to face such a terrifying threat, Goku then nodded in understanding. "You're saying that we should let him stay where he is? To fight alongside his friends?"

King Kai inhaled deeply. "I know it's not what you want to hear, my friend… but I fear we have no other choice. Should the Cooler Force fail to stop Lord Slug's insidious plot to take over the galaxies in my sector, the situation could grow even more chaotic than it already is… to the point that no one in the universe will be able to stop him." Facing his student fully, the great martial arts teacher then puffed his chest out and craned his head up towards the young Saiyan male. "I sense that this is only the beginning of many more conflicts to come. Events in the world of the living have taken a drastic turn for the worse… and I have a feeling that darker days are waiting over the horizon. You and your friends are likely to face even greater evils beyond the threat of the Saiyans. So when you get back to Earth and meet up with your loved ones, I advise that you tell all of them to be prepared… as the only way to face these dangers is together."

Goku took all of this to great heart and thought. With his gaze casting downwards, a very serious mold came over his face, telling the otherworldly master that his student was now in a deep state of meditation. As his charcoal eyes searched the space in front of him, contemplating the news and premonitions shared to him by his mentor, the Saiyan male eventually reached a conclusion, which then compelled him to clench his fists and look up at him.

"The Saiyans should be arriving on Earth anytime now, right?" When he saw the Kai nod, the Saiyan frowned. "King Kai… I have a favor to ask of you."

"Yes. What is it?"

OOO

(A few minutes later)

(Onboard the Comet)

Having spent the better part of his morning preparing inside his compartment onboard the ship that'd become more or less his bedroom this past year, Gohan could be found sitting atop his bunk with his legs crossed and his mind and body set in a meditative position. With his tail wagging behind him in a calm manner as he sat on his mattress wearing only his purple spandex suit, it was clear that he was immersed in a state of deep concentration and thought.

As the serenity of his environment surrounded him and as his fingers remained pressed together in a seal, it first appeared that nothing was going to rouse him from his doze. But then, from the silence of his room, the child suddenly heard a familiar voice speak to him in the back of his head, which seemed to echo through his ears and off of all the walls surrounding him.

"Gohan. Can you hear me?"

Little charcoal eyes blinking wide awake, the five and a half year old youngster felt his head snap around him as he heard the voice of the adult male reverberate through the clouds of mind. At first Gohan was completely stumped, as the last thing he was expecting to come blaring through the thickness of his head was another person. But upon stretching out with his senses and concentrating on the tone he was now receiving, the child was suddenly able to put a face to the voice.

It was that of a person he hadn't seen in a long time, yet one that was all too familiar to him.

"D-Dad? Is… Is that you?" Gohan whispered, sitting up straighter as his legs promptly uncrossed. When he hopped off of his bed, he then turned his head towards the ceiling- which was the direction he was hearing the voice coming from, before a grin of delight crossed his lips. "Dad!"

He then heard the man chuckle before replying, "Man, it's good to hear your voice again, son."

"Yeah! Yours too, dad," Gohan chirped back, before a puzzled look crossed his bright face. "B-But… how are you speaking to me right now? Are you… using some kind of telepathy?"

An amused murmur left his parent's lips before his voice came echoing back in. "Something like that. Heheh." There was a moment of pause in which the father allowed his son to process fully what was going on, a couple seconds before Goku spoke up again. "I know I should've contacted you sooner, son. But I've just been so caught up with training that I lost track of time. See, there's a couple of really strong, really bad Saiyans coming to attack Earth… and I've spent all of this past year getting ready to face them."

Gohan, not really expecting to hear this, blinked in realization. "What? More Saiyans? Coming to Earth? From where?"

"From what I heard from King Kai, they're both soldiers from Frieza's Empire," his father answered.

It took a few seconds of pondering on the demi-Saiyan's part, but after rolling through the mental list he had on hand, Gohan eventually figured out who his dad was referring to. "Vegeta and Nappa… Raditz's friends…"

"Yes," Goku answered with a nod. "Apparently the two of them heard about the dragon balls from your uncle and are coming to Earth to get them. But that's not going to happen, because my friends and I are going to stop them."

Clenching his fists tightly, the child glared up at the ceiling where his father's voice was coming from- though he knew it was echoing from further beyond it. "How long have you got? Who's going to fight them? Krillin-san? Roshi-san? Launch-san?"

At around the time Gohan asked this question, the door to his bedroom suddenly gave a hiss as it was opened from the other side, and the two distinct forms of both Myra and Dore strolled into his sanctuary. When the latter was about to announce their presence in his typical, booming voice, both he and his female teammate stopped when they saw their little friend was staring up at the ceiling with an obviously troubled look on his face. As Myra was about to ask what was going on with her best friend, both she and the Beppa-seijin heard a second voice reverberate around the room- one that nearly had the two of them jump out of their skins.

"I don't have much time to explain," Goku's voice echoed out again, causing Gohan to deflate while his two teammates stood frozen in the doorway. "Look, son. I know that you're on your way to fight a really big battle right now. The opponent you're about to face, Lord Slug… I have to let you know that he's an incredibly powerful and dangerous man- a Namekian nomad that can control magic and energy. He's about as dangerous as any alien you'll ever encounter."

Gohan, hearing the topic shift over to his present situation, then steeled when he heard his father's words of warning and nodded. "Yeah. I know. The guy declared war against the Frieza Force and the rest of the Cold Empire. He even kidnapped Frieza's son. We're going in to rescue him."

"Hm. Then the situation is as bad as King Kai said it was," Goku replied, mostly to himself, before once again addressing his little boy. "Do you think you'll be able to stop him?"

Contemplating this question for a moment and clenching his fists, Gohan quickly assessed his current level of ability against the numbers that he was briefed on during the meeting some hours ago. Upon which he then looked back up to the roof once more. "I think so. But it's not going to be easy."

At this, the child then sensed his father smile to him as he spoke his next words. "Then I wish you the best of luck," Goku answered, before a softer string of words followed shortly afterwards. "Son… I want you to know that your mother and I love you very much… and that we miss you a lot. Don't worry about what's happening at home. It'll be alright. Just make sure you win your fight and come back safe and sound. I hope we'll get to see you again soon."

His eyes shimmering with a mixture of joy and sadness, Gohan beamed before reaching up with his hand and wiping his cheek. "Yeah. Me too, dad."

"I have to go now. Stay strong, be smart… and make sure to give those bad guys hell. I know you can do it. I believe in you," Goku stated, expressing his full and unbridled faith in his boy, and stopping for a moment to allow a sniffle to go under the radar. Of course, due to the fact he was still telepathically connected to his boy, Gohan was able to hear it, which in turn had the two older warriors listening tense up emotionally. "See you later, son."

And with that, the transmission between the father and child ended, leaving Gohan standing there and staring up at the white of his ceiling.

Upon allowing a few moments for his feelings in that scene to come full circle, the hybrid allowed his arms to drop back to his sides and his head to lower. Taking a deep, steady breath to calm the raging storm of emotions flooding through him, Gohan then took notice of Dore and Myra standing in his doorway and looked across at them to see the pair of elite soldiers watching him carefully.

When Dore looked as though he was about to make a comment, he then stopped when Myra reached up with a hand and knocked her knuckles against his armor. With the mood still fresh, the Hera-seijin then took a few paces forward and spoke to her friend with a smile- her eyes filled with a warmth that she only ever shared with her best friend.

"Was that who I think it was?" Myra asked, as if the entire situation didn't come as any sort of surprise. Telepathy was of course a well-documented ability within the Cooler Force, as there were several alien species that were capable of it.

Gohan, allowing a small smile to tug at his lips, nodded to his friend. "Yeah. It was."

Myra beamed warmly as she stopped in front of the young warrior. "Looks like your parents are watching out for you. Even when you're a whole universe apart, your father was still able to take the time and effort to reach out and contact you. I bet you must be happy." She didn't need her query to be answered, as the look on Gohan's face was more than enough to confirm her suspicions.

That smile he wore and that shine in his eyes was just too hard to ignore. It actually made Myra's heart flutter.

Feeling a small measure of concern overcome him, the Beppa-seijin in the back stepped into his room. "That guy mentioned something about your home planet. Is there something happening there? Are your friends okay?"

Looking between his friends, the child Saiyan grinned. "Don't worry. Everything's fine. My father will be able to handle it. After all, he's one of the strongest people I know- next to you guys." When he saw his teammates relax somewhat and share relieved looks with him, Gohan's expression then became serious once again as he faced his companions bravely. "Is it time yet?"

Quickly remembering why they'd come here, Myra's own face became stern as a nod soon followed. "We'll be at the location of Lord Slug's planet in roughly thirty ticks." She then smirked when she sensed her friend's excitement jump. "Gear up."

OOO

(Meanwhile)

(Back on Earth)

Far away from the mainland, on the island famously owned by the Turtle Hermit- Master Roshi- a ritual as mystical as any in Earth's long history was currently underway. As a brilliant, golden glow began to reverberate from the island's small beach, the sky across the entire planet began to darken, black clouds formed in place of a clear blue sky, and claps of thunder began to ring out as bolts of lightning shot down from the heavens.

From the way the earth trembled and the sky became completely blanketed in smog, it was almost like a great cataclysm was about to unfold. However this was certainly not the case, as several moments after the black clouds rolled in from out of thin air, a golden mass of light suddenly shot out of the strobe of seven, glowing orbs beating brilliantly alongside the pink, wooden building known as Kame House. The bolt arced into the clouds, coiling and twisting through the air in multiple directions, moments before its form took shape and solidified.

1When the summoning was completed, Master Roshi, Puar, Oolong, and a sensibly dressed Bulma could be seen gazing up at the majestic form of Shenron- the mystical, oriental dragon of legend that could only be summoned from the dragon balls.

A throaty growl emanated from the beast's throat as his head floated down towards the individuals that summoned him. As soon as his red eyes landed on them, the dragon inhaled deeply and spoke. "I am the Eternal Dragon. State your wish and I shall grant it."

Bulma, feeling as though she'll never get tired of seeing the great dragon rise from the dragon balls, then whispered over to the others. "Okay. So what do we do from here?"

"Hmm… that's a good question," Master Roshi murmured to himself while furrowing his brow thoughtfully. "To be honest, even after all these months of contemplating, I still haven't been able to decide who we should use the wish for."

"Well… maybe we can try this first," Oolong whispered back, drawing the others' attention over to him. Gulping nervously at the sight of the creature's overwhelming, majestic form towering over them, the pig in the shirt and overalls cleared his throat before speaking up to the dragon. "Um. Excuse me, Mr. Shenron, sir… i-if it isn't too much trouble… could you possibly kill the two Saiyans that are on their way to Earth?"

Hair bristling, Bulma glared down at the pig. "Hey, Oolong! That's not part of the plan! What about wishing Goku back to life? Or wishing his son back to Earth?"

Freaking out a little, the talking swine shot a look back at the woman. "Hey! It's worth a shot! We can always wish Goku and Gohan back next time and have the dragon save the world right now! What's the big deal in trying something new?"

A groan from the towering Shenron soon stopped whatever argument was about to unfold between the two friends. "Hmm… I'm afraid your wish cannot be granted. I'm unable to grant wishes that exceeds the power of my creator, the Guardian of the Earth… and these Saiyans are far more powerful than Kami. Ask another wish."

Oolong snapped his fingers. "Drats."

"Well then… I guess it's down to two options then," Bulma sighed, while simultaneously setting a hand on her hip as she looked down thoughtfully. "Wish back Goku or wish back his little boy, Gohan." After a moment, the scientist got a bit of an idea, which then prompted her to look up at the giant, floating reptile and ask him straight up. "Hey! Is it possible for you to bring a friend back to life AND bring back his son from the other side of the universe? Like… can we wish for these two people to be alive and well in front of us?"

Shenron, narrowing his eyes and giving out a low groan, then shook his head slightly in a rather irritated manner. "No. The circumstances of one do no coincide with the other, therefore to bring both individuals back would count as two separate requests. Such a wish is beyond the conditions of my power to grant."

As a result Master Roshi gave out a low sigh, while at the same time shaking his head at the limitations of the dragon's abilities. "Shame. And I was really hoping we could make it a two-part request." After giving it another few moments, the bearded male then looked across at the others. "Goku did say to do what we thought was best. But even now, I'm still at a complete loss."

Following this brief discussion, the group felt themselves reach a new low. A long pause soon followed, in which the supporting members of the Dragon Team began meditating over the course of action that they should take. In all honesty, it was an incredibly vexing and difficult decision that they'd been burdened with.

But before either of them could turn their attention back to Shenron and ask him more about the particulars of his abilities, a familiar voice suddenly echoed loudly through their heads.

"Hold on a second guys! Wait!"

The voice almost causing all four people on the beach to jump out of their skins, Puar, Oolong, Bulma and Master Roshi then began looking around in alarm. When the pounding of their hearts in their ears returned to their chests and the group calmed down, the bluenette scientist quickly turned her head skywards and spoke towards the person that was addressing them.

"G-Goku?" Bulma asked, a smile quickly appearing over her lips as she clenched her fists excitedly. "Goku! Is that you?! Great timing!"

"Haha, it's good to hear from you again, Bulma. Listen guys, I know this might sound a little strange, but don't wish my son back to Earth just yet. Wish me back to life first," the Saiyan stated, his tone rushed and frantic.

Balking a little in confusion, the support members of the Z-fighter crew looked around at one another. Upon seeing the others shrug, Puar looked up at the sky and squeaked. "B-But why, Goku?"

"Isn't making sure your son is back safe and sound more important right now?" Master Roshi asked.

"Look, I'll explain everything to you guys later, but I need you to wish me back to life so I can go and join the others," the young man replied, his voice easing up a little and allowing him time to breathe. "I have to help them stop these Saiyans from destroying the planet… and I think I know a way how without fighting them."

Bulma, Master Roshi and Oolong all appeared stunned by this news- the three of them once again sharing looks. This time though their expressions were ones of disbelief and shock.

"Goku having a plan that doesn't involve fighting?" Oolong asked. "That's a new one."

"Y-Yeah," Bulma stuttered, before eventually realizing time was wasting and quickly turning back to the sky. "Okay, Goku. We'll do it. But you'd better get back down here, pronto! Those Saiyans might be touching down at any minute!"

"Will do! I'm on my way! Thanks guys!"

The moment they heard their friend's voice fade out, Master Roshi then turned his attention to Shenron- who he could see was floating their and waiting patiently for the group to finish their delegations. With their decision finally made, the elderly hermit took a deep breath before extending his hands out. "We've decided… we want to wish our friend Goku back to life."

Finally hearing their request, Shenron nodded. "So be it. Your wish shall be granted," the dragon replied, his eyes flashing a brilliant red as his magical powers took effect. The sky rumbled and the clouds flashed as lightning bolts danced around. A few seconds of feeling the atmosphere swirl around them, the tense group of adventurers then heard the dragon growl, before the dragon balls his form was projecting from began to flash and crackle brightly. "There. The deed is done. I bid you farewell."

After several more flashes rang out in rapid succession, a blinding explosion of light then filled the air, causing Bulma and the others to shield their eyes as they watched the dragon's immense form dissipate, and the seven, orange spheres rocket up into the sky. A split second after reaching a high enough altitude, the mystical orbs were then sent shooting across the planet in different directions, leaving golden trails of light in their wake.

In that moment, everyone across the globe watched as the sky instantaneously returned to normal, with the Z-fighters in particular taking notice of the vanishing clouds. Now scattered across the eastern countryside, the warriors that'd spent the last several months training up on Kami's Lookout could be found in various states of preparation and battle readiness.

Tien and Chiaotzu were currently standing together on a wild stretch of grassland, working out the finer details of their techniques, while at the same time keeping a watchful eye on the horizon for any peculiar anomalies. Yamcha meanwhile was out beside a mountain lake many miles away, absorbing the scenery around him and thinking about how best to respond to the coming threat. When the trio saw the black in the sky fade, they knew immediately what must've happened.

Launch on the other hand was shacked up in a far off country town away from the rest of the men, cleaning her guns and checking her custom-made ammo behind a bar- right next to her treasured jet bike. Still adorned in her weighed bands, boots, and top, the woman in the black spandex, white singlet, and brown leather jacket frowned as she glanced up at the now clear blue sky- as she guessed that Master Roshi and Bulma had finished making their request upon the dragon.

Upon feeling the sun beating down on her once more, the blonde with the red bow could only grunt, before giving out a short, simple remark. "I guess it's time." She then finished by snap-loading her lever action shotgun and shoving it into her leg holster.

As for Krillin, the short martial artist was currently wandering about a large, bamboo forest in the eastern hills, changing out of his weighted gear and into his more comfortable gi. When he saw the black clouds shift into nothing and give way to the open blue once more, the man cracked a smile, as he had a gut feeling his best friend was on his way home.

Chi-Chi, having decided to squeeze in one last training session up in Mount Paozu, was standing atop the peak of a rocky outcrop overlooking her homeland. Upon witnessing the change in the sky from dark to light, the raven haired woman in the blue qi pao battle dress, and red leg and wrist weights, narrowed her eyes on the horizon. Nodding in understanding, she then turned and called across the range of her estate. "NIMBUUUUS!"

And as for Piccolo and Raditz, both of the brooding fighters were down on the planet as well in the central mountains- dozens of miles out from east city. Using the incoming ki signatures of Vegeta and Nappa to track their path to their most likely landing spot, the two powerful warriors were both standing and sitting respectively atop of a grassy tor in the middle of nowhere.

With the wind whipping at both of them and keeping them wide awake, the pair immediately felt a change in the air. It was one that had both their bodies and stomachs tense, as they knew that the time for battle was almost upon them.

Eyes glancing up towards the white clouds above, Raditz- wearing the same Saiyan battle armor he'd arrived on the planet, repaired and converted into a vest, as well as a pair of black spandex pants and his brother's trademark blue boots- frowned when his cracked scouter picked up the two pods on approach.

"They're coming. Just past the moon's orbit," he said, remaining where he was as he glared up at the sky.

Piccolo, standing nearby, narrowed his eyes. "Hopefully Goku will be able to make it in time to join us. I can tell this isn't going to be an easy fight." He then glanced over his shoulder and back at the Saiyan sitting on the rock. "Do you have any problems taking down your old teammates?"

Reaching up and removing his damaged, muted device, Raditz then shoved it into his pocket and stood up. "None at all."

As a result, the Namekian nodded. "Good."

XXX

(Meanwhile)

(Across the quadrant)

Back onboard the mobile, ice planet fortress and dreadnaught Eclipse-1, which was currently orbiting Star 19 of Galaxy NGC-5866, the entire planet seemed completely still and lifeless. The frost-covered, valley and mountain dotted surface, protected by a thick level of black clouds, continued to float in geosynchronous orbit of the system's main planet, while at the same time being surrounded by a collection of about three moons. Given its current placement, the battleship appeared like any other world in that sector- hardly something anyone would take notice of.

However, down on the ice plains just north of the planet's equator, the large, black saucer serving as the planet's citadel and command center, was currently playing host to a most unpleasant horde of villains. Through the winding corridors and various living chambers and facilities making up the interior of the craft wedged deep into the planet's icy ground, and situated at the end of the main hall, a conference was currently being held between the commanders of the civilization and their infamous leader.

Lord Slug- having regained his youth via a soul transfer to a newly born body- had had his old corpse removed and was now sitting in his throne, dressed in a brand new outfit. Having removed the black hooded cloak that he'd previously used to conceal his identity, as well as the oxygen tanks that helped him to breathe, the warlord was now adorned in a purple suit that covered his center mass and legs, a thick yellow coat over it, a pair of orange boots, and leather belts crossing over the front of his top- secured in the center by gold buckle and blue gem. Furthermore, the man had a thick orange scarf wrapped around his neck, with a cape that went over his right side, giving him an air of authority and prominence.

Having gotten comfortable in his new body, the man was now in the process of running a stress test on his limbs- flexing his left hand and telekinetically controlling two orange balls of ki that were currently orbiting around his golden throne. As he was doing this, the Namekian warlord in the now taller, thinner, and physically imposing body observed out of the corner of his eye as his henchmen- Angila and Medamatcha- went about chaining Frieza's son, Kuriza, to the chair next to him.

Using energy restraining bolts to make sure that the boy couldn't use his power to escape, the pair of Demon Clansmen then stepped away and watched the boy attempt to yank himself out of the chair. But due to the cuffs on his wrists and ankles holding him down, this was a futile effort.

Seeing the miniature form of a child resembling First Form Frieza struggling to break out of the seat caused the little, toad-like Medamatcha to snicker as his big, yellow eyes watched the boy writhe. "Haha! Struggle all you want, kid. You're never breaking out of that seat."

"Ah, let him do what he wants," the tall, pale-skinned blonde demon in Ancient Greek Style clothes and purple cape chuckled, at the same time folding his arms. "I'm sure he'll get the message sooner or later. Once he realizes his predicament, as well as how outmatched he is, he'll have no choice but to simmer down."

Grunting as he pulled at his arms and legs, the youngster with the ribbed skin and nut-shaped cranium bared his teeth at the pair of demons smirking at him and barked. "Just you guys wait! As soon as my dad gets here, he's going to murder all of you and incinerate this entire planet!"

While Angila and Medamatcha chuckled, the large, hulking form of Commander Zeeun, who was standing beside the computer terminals on the main floor below, grinned up at the youngster. "In your dreams, kid. If you haven't realized it already, your father no longer has the manpower or the battle strength to stand up to us. Not anymore."

"Now that we've decimated his combined fleet and wrecked his capital ship, your dear old pop is going to have a very difficult time mustering the support he needs to come and rescue you," the burly, armored form of the winged henchman- Wings- who was standing beside his master's throne on the far side, also remarked. "If he wants to see his sweet boy alive and well, he's going to have to agree to our terms."

Kuriza, narrowing his eyes on the fat, armored demon standing beside his boss- who he noticed didn't look like he was paying any attention to the conversation- the child snarled. "My father will never agree to your demands. Not in this life… or the next…" He then looked down and clenched his fists, his expression becoming one of frustration and disappointment. "That's just the kind of man he is. Cruel… selfish… never listens to the plights of others…"

Hearing this, Angila felt his own smile vanish and a rather perturbed expression come into play. "Well, if that's the case, then Lord Frieza is never going to see his son ever again." After seeing the boy flinch at his statement, the man in the tunic and cape then turned away while giving the child in the prison seat a hard look. "We're taking this universe from him one way or another- and both ways are going to involve someone dying a gruesome and horrible death. So you'd better pray that he makes the right choice, because I highly doubt anyone else is coming to save you."

It was an impactful statement, one made more poignant by the sullen look that came over Kuriza's face and the harsh glares he received from all the aliens standing around him. Lord Slug, having been listening to the discussion the entire time as he telekinetically manipulated the two spheres of ki he created, allowed an amused smirk to remain stretched across his lips as he shot the boy a sinister look.

The room from that point fell silent- save for the beeping and tapping of the aliens working at the two computer stations on either side of the hallway, and the humming of Lord Slug's energy balls hovering around his throne. The henchmen and commanders of the evil force in the meantime remained exactly where they were; with Angila and Medamatcha posted on the steps overlooking Kuriza's chair, Zeeun silently observing from his post by the hooded aliens working the terminals, Wings setup by his master's side, and the dragon girl- Lucoa- standing at the bottom of the throne's platform and listening to the group's conversation from afar.

When you considered everything that'd happened up until this point and the position that Kuriza was currently trapped in, it looked like his situation was completely hopeless. For but a moment, the young princeling thought that he was never getting out of here- and that he was going to die at the hands of these demonic aliens.

But then, just as Kuriza was on the verge of accepting his utter defeat, an alarm blared from one of the computer stations nearby, which caused all eyes to snap towards the terminal in question.

The small, hooded alien working the computer straightened up and called out over the loud beeping from his desk. "Sire! We have incoming!"

Commander Zeeun spun around and looked down at his subordinate. "Report, Gyoshu. What is it?"

"Long range motion sensors have detected a small object that just emerged from hyperspace," the diminutive alien replied, at the same time typing into the keyboard to see if he can bring up the invader and boost the transmission. "The vessel is using a tier 7 cloaking device to nullify the radar. I can't quite make it out." He then moved over and adjusted one of the dials using the knob. "I'll try recalibrating the systems."

Lord Slug, hearing this, clenched his open left hand and caused the two orange balls of energy orbiting his head to dissipate instantaneously. An excited grin then tugged at his lips. "Finally."

As Kuriza and the rest of the henchmen continued to watch as Gyoshu worked furiously at his station in an attempt to isolate the newcomer, Lucoa- who had remained completely statuesque and silent up until this point- suddenly felt her ears twitch and turned her attention upwards. Seconds later, after glaring up at the ceiling for a moment in alarm, the dragon girl's spines running along her back sharply stood on end as she hastily moved out into the center of the hall. Taking a very animalistic, defensive stance, the reptilian beauty then began to growl in a low, hostile tone, her teeth baring and claws clenching as she concentrated all of her attention on the dangerous presence that'd just entered her range.

Lord Slug's commanders all turned to the humanoid dragon, with Angila appearing especially surprised by the female's aggressive, very dog-like reaction. "Lucoa? What's wrong?"

Observing his ally's behavior and hearing her growl reverberate through the room, Commander Zeeun frowned in a troubled manner, as he quickly guessed as to what may have gotten her so riled up. "She's sensed something. Something powerful."

Immediately feeling concerned, the hunched-over Medamatcha turned to the horned officer and spoke in his typical, squeaky voice. "Is it Lord Frieza? Has he come?"

"I don't think so," Zeeun answered while shaking his head. He then turned back to the computer that Gyoshu was working on and watched his subordinate work.

About a few seconds later, as Lucoa continued to growl at the ceiling, the small, hooded alien at the terminal then gave an exclamation of triumph and looked up at his screen. "I got it! The reading is faint, but I was able to isolate the signal. Bringing the intruder up onto the hologram now." Following a quick key shift, the group then focused their attention on the floor in front of the throne's steps, where they saw a couple of panels open and a large, dome-like object protrude from the tiles. The moment it appeared, the room dimmed as the projector activated, throwing up a shimmering hologram of a bullet-shaped, white spacecraft similar in design and make of the cruisers in Frieza's fleet. "There it is."

Seeing the hazy image rotate in front of them, Zeeun moved over to get a closer look. When he saw the insignia on the side of the vessel, the bushy haired demon of a warrior in gladiator style leather narrowed his eyes. "That ship's not from the Frieza Force."

Medamatcha, tilting his head at the odd vessel, blinked, "Whose is it, then?"

Upon scanning the picture for a few moments and analyzing the insignia on the side of the craft, Angila felt his expression tighten and a rather foreboding feeling fall over him. "It's a Cooler Force vessel. The emblem on the side… it belongs to the members of the older prince's elite commando unit- Cooler's Armored Squadron," the pale alien informed, before his head turned towards his boss seated on the throne. "I heard about their exploits back on the border planets of the Kesha system some months ago. They're supposed to be the greatest fighting unit in the quadrant."

Managing to hear all of this- as well as recognizing the ship and its markings himself- Kuriza, chained up and locked in his seat, was unable to do anything but sit there and feel his heart start to race. Being prevented from jumping around in excitement, the fledgling leader couldn't help but whisper in excitement. "Uncle…" he said, a smile appearing on his once downtrodden face.

Looking quite displeased, Wings allowed his lips to bare his fangs in an irate manner. "Then… does that mean that coward Frieza is not coming out to face us?"

A cackle left Medamatcha's throat, "It sure as hell seems that way."

"This is perfect," the voice of their master, Lord Slug, suddenly echoed out from his throne. With all of his commanders, with the exception of the still on-edge Lucoa, turning around to face him, the Namekian leader laid back in his chair as an excited grin remained on his face. "Things are playing out exactly as I have foreseen." The green-skinned warrior then exhaled in a relaxed manner, before then gesturing towards the aliens gathered at the computer terminal on his left. "Commander Zeeun…"

The officer in question straightened to attention. "Yes, my lord."

"Have all troops ready for ground assault and order all gunners to their positions. Battle stations," Lord Slug informed.

"Understood, my lord," the commander replied, before quickly turning his attention to the computer station on the other side of the hall across from him. "Kakuja! Contact all sectors and precincts! All men to battle stations!"

"Yes, sir!"

OOO

(Meanwhile)

Up in space beside one of the moons, just beyond reach of the planet's long range anti-space cannons, The Comet had situated itself within running distance of the planet. With no space debris in the way and a clear line of sight of the mobile ice planetoid, the vessel was currently prepping itself for a strike against the hostile territory. However, while the engines and systems were calibrating for assault mode, the crew on board were also making final preparations.

On the bridge towards the helm, positioned at the front of the Comet's main viewing dome, while Shira was running diagnostics on the ship, Gohan, Salza, Myra, Dore, Neiz, and the three kitsune-seijin under their care were currently assembled together on the walkway and in full uniform. While two of the three fox girls were sporting purple spandex shorts and singlets, as well as white gloves and boots, their ring leader- Kida- was still dressed in her tribe's signature jungle wear, consisting of a top made of bandages and huntress skirt showing off her legs. Other than that, the entire crew of the vessel was decked out and ready for combat.

While their pilot was readying the ship for attack, Neiz had just finished handing out to the rest of the group their new scouters- a collection of devices that just had the ear sets, but no lenses. When each member of the squad received the white ear cups, the group looked at them strangely, before Dore glanced up at his partner.

"So… how exactly do these things work?" the wrestler asked, not too keen on dealing with something too complicated right before their drop.

Neiz smiled at his friends when he saw them all rolling the devices around in their hands. "These new Scouter Mark II units that Kikono-san designed function exactly like the old ones. Each one is built with an automatic proximity detector that can track and pinpoint sudden increases of energy output or large battle powers within its immediate range. Aside from having an upgraded processor that can allow users to follow fast-moving targets, it can also track power levels across the entire quadrant with its long-range scanner mode." Neiz then did a quick demonstration by slipping it on. When the cup gave a low hiss, indicating it'd fixed itself to the side of his head, the man then pressed the main button on the side. The squad then watched in awe when, from the unit's front section, a blue hologram screen suddenly appeared over the man's eye and began throwing up multiple numbers. "However, unlike the previous model, this one not only features a power cap reader of over ten billion to prevent catastrophic overloading, it also uses a brand new hologram screen as opposed to a glass one. That way you won't run the risk of cracking the lens and you can deactivate it during combat to prevent double-vision and depth-perception issues."

Liking what she was seeing, Myra grinned down at the unit and immediately went about putting it on. "That is sweet!" she exclaimed, making sure it was locked on before activating it. When the blue hologram jumped up, she immediately began seeing the battle powers of her teammates leap up in the air over her left eye. "Awesome!"

"It also comes with other special features too," Neiz informed, pressing the small button below the main one and causing a new series of lines and words to appear on his screen. "Aside from its default programming, the scouter has an additional menu system that allows you to adjust its settings- from stuff like the hologram lens's size and color, to telescopic and x-ray functions too. On top of that, it also comes equipped with night vision, infrared, memory storage, life support sensors, atmosphere and climate scanners, and video and photography functions too."

It was like a super high-tech, sci-fi smart phone.

"Sick!" Dore laughed, quickly placing his against his ear and fixing the new unit to the empty slot of his helmet. After pushing it in so that it clicked into place, the man then activated it, at about the same time Gohan and Salza put their units on and began tinkering with the features. "Hahaha! This is so freakin' awesome! Now I can live record all of my workouts and stream it to all my fans over the Colnet!"

The captain of the squad gave his squad mate an amused look. "These are very expensive, brand new, field scouters, Dore- designed especially for our team to be used during high value and potentially dangerous missions. I don't think filming a PB at the gym is a very practical or productive use of a…" Salza began to lecture, only to stop when he suddenly saw Myra strike a pose in front of Gohan, who then tapped his scouter and caused a flash, indicating he was taking a picture of her. She then did it to herself- flashing a 'V' sign and taking a selfie. Witnessing these two events had the leader of the elite squad stop short and frown. "Ugh. You know what, never mind."

While Gohan adjusted the color of his scouter's hologram in the settings menu- switching it from blue, to green, to red, and finally to aqua- the youngster then turned when he saw his three fox girlfriends Kida, Rei and Riko walk up to him and smile.

"You look so cool, Gohan-kun," Kida chirped, her blue, fluffy tail with white tip wagging happily behind her in an elegant manner as she clenched her fists.

"Yeah! That new scouter looks rad!" the tomboyish Riko followed up, her shorter ears twitching as her short tail waved.

Rei, being the more mature and subdued of her three friends, crossed her arms and smiled at the boy in an all-cool manner. "Those bad guys have no idea what's coming for them."

Ignoring the amused looks being thrown at him by an observing Dore and Myra, a very uplifted and cheerful Gohan then stuck his chest out and rapped a fist against his torso plate. "Yeah. They may have caught Frieza's guys by surprise, but not us. This time, we're taking the fight to their home turf and going on the offensive." He then gave them all a more serious smile. "Do you guys know what you have to do?"

Her own expression steeling, Kida nodded affirmatively. "We'll be on the frontlines with the troops. As soon as the Seventh Fleet shows up, we'll rendezvous with the forces down on the fields and assault the citadel."

Riko, scratching her arm, looked across at the demi-Saiyan in a somewhat meek way. "I'm a little bit nervous. My body is trembling and I feel this loud pounding going through my head. Do you always feel like this before a big mission, Gohan-kun?" the brown fox girl asked, her rounded ears tucking up a little as a result.

Thinking on it for a moment, the raven haired child with the mullet shrugged and grinned. "I'm not sure. Every time I feel my heart start racing, I know it's just my body readying itself for a good fight." He then clenched his fists and raised one of them in a show of strength. "Knowing that I'll be facing some kind of strong opponent or hard challenge, I need every last drop of adrenaline I can get… so I just play along and follow my heart where it wants to go… and that's into action."

When his three friends processed his words, they then gave him each a warm and cheerful smile. Their tails wagging energetically, it almost looked like Gohan's little gutsy speech had given them something of a confidence boost. Unfortunately they weren't able to dwell on their feelings for very long, as Salza quickly broke up the team's meeting and headed over to the helm where Shira had finished priming the vessel for combat.

"Are we ready to move out, lieutenant?" Captain Salza asked when he arrived at what was essentially the driver's seat of the craft, before being joined by Dore, Neiz, Myra and Gohan when they eventually came over. "How's the…" He then stopped when he saw Shira wordlessly hold up a finger to pause him.

Taking a deep breath, the orange-skinned woman with red hair closed her eyes, meditated for a moment, and then turned and pointed down to her radio officer in the first crew pit. "Niyusu… it's time to do the thing," Shira announced, drawing a grin from her companion, while causing the members of the elite squadron to grin excitedly at one another. "Load up the song from the folder marked 'My Jams' into the intercom and signal the war planet. I'm sure they already know that we're here."

Salza blinked, "How… do you know that they do?"

The redhead then pointed over her shoulder as she continued pressing buttons on her pad. "Orbital space turbulence scanners. Niyusu noticed them the second we jumped out of hyperspace. They've modified their long range proximity sensors to scan for incoming space traffic, so even with our ship's cloaking device functioning at full capacity, I'm positive they managed to detect us. Whoever they have for a science officer in their organization is pretty damn smart."

The Captain placed a hand on his hip and tilted his head. "Is that a problem?"

Shira smirked. "Nope. But that doesn't mean I can't have a little bit of fun while I'm at it."

From her spot by the radio, Niyusu smiled up at her ship's pilot on the next level. "We're ready, ma'am! You're live!"

The woman in the one-piece jumpsuit and boots grinned, "Let's make some magic happen." She then reached over and pressed the transmission key on her control panel, which immediately let out a beep. "Attention! This is First Lieutenant Shira Aruna of the Cooler Force. I have an urgent communique for Lord Slug!"

OOO

(Meanwhile)

Down on the war planet, inside the citadel's main hall, upon hearing the open broadcast over the palace's main radio, the little, hooded science alien working at the main control station on the left hand side of the throne, glanced over at his superiors standing along the steps. When he saw Angila, Medamatcha and Lord Slug staring down at him, as well as Commander Zeeun pacing around nearby with his hands behind his back- clearly processing Shira's announcement towards their planet- Gyoshu then spoke in a nervous voice.

"The vessel is hailing us, sir," the alien with red eyes squeaked.

In response, the bulky, red-haired officer of the demon army marching around on the floor frowned, before speaking up. "Patch them through." When he heard Gyoshu engage the terminal and heard the loud beep ring out- indicating that the speaker system had been activated- Zeeun then proceeded to speak in his typical, loud booming voice. "This is Commander Zeeun of the immortal Dark Empire under the venerable Lord Slug. The Planet Trade Organization is no more! It is a broken down, hollow version of the great, intergalactic conglomerate it once was. We are here to put it out of its misery." The man stopped in the center of the hall. Sensing all eyes were on him, the demon proceeded to give a speech that was both ambitious and grand in scope, which helped to put a big grin on his face. "Your rivals in the Frieza Force- as well as your friends in the Cooler Force- are nothing but rebel scum and pirates waiting to be exterminated! Tell your precious emperor that there are to be no terms! There will be no surrender!"

There was a moment of pause, in which Zeeun basked in the awesome and terrifying speech that he gave. Even with his back turned to the throne, the man could feel the smiles on the faces of his companions Angila, Wings and Medamatcha, as well as the dark grin Lord Slug's face. It was clear that all of his companions thought that he had chosen the right words- words befitting of a man of his station.

However, a few seconds following the end of his declaration of superiority towards the Cooler Force vessel, after waiting patiently for a response, Commander Zeeun and the rest of the room heard Shira's voice answer back over the radio.

"Hi… I'm… holding for Lord Slug…"

Zeeun, unperturbed at this point, inhaled deeply. "Lord Slug has no words to share with you, worm! You are speaking to the Commander of his forces! By his will, we will wipe you and the rest of your empire's filth from the face of the universe!"

There was again a few seconds of pause. After a bit of static crackled through, Shira answered back in a flat tone of voice.

"Okay. I'll hold."

At this point, Zeeun's smile faded a little, as did a bit of his bravado. "Hello?"

"…"

"Hello? Are you-"

"Hello? Yeah… still here… hello?" the female pilot interrupted, followed by a loud tapping that sounded like she was hitting a microphone at the other end. "Is this thing working?"

While this little back and forth was going on, Wings and Angila shared looks with one another and Lord Slug felt his smile fade. At the same time, Kuriza, who was watching all of this from his seat, couldn't help but snicker under his breath when he saw the annoyance and frustration starting to permeate off of the military officer's back.

"Hello? Are you-"

"Hello? Yeah? Anyone there?"

Zeeun, narrowing his eyes, glanced across at Gyoshu while Shira continued to speak over the radio. "Can you… can she hear me?" When he saw the hooded alien nod back to him, the commander of Lord Slug's military appeared taken aback. "She can?"

"Helloooo? Is Lord Slug there?" Shira called out, before then finishing up with a description. "Old guy. Wrinkly. Decrepit. Kind of weird looking."

Clenching his teeth in annoyance at the sleight towards his leader, Zeeun spun around and marched across the hall past the computer monitor. During which time he spoke up in a louder voice, hoping that the person on the other end will be able to hear him. "I can hear you! Can you hear me, you wretched slime?"

"Look, I can't hold forever. If you reach him, tell him Emperor Cooler has an urgent message for him."

Gyoshu, after analyzing the feedback from the computer for a moment, then turned and looked awkward up at Zeeun- who he could see was standing right beside his workspace. "I think she's dicking around with you, sir."

"…it says, Dear Slug- and there's a picture of a butt."

Fists clenching behind his back and veins appearing along his brow, Zeeun snarled. "Is their ship in range of our guns?"

After a quick glance at his computer terminal and the map of the space, the hooded science officer quickly looked back at him. "They are."

The demon then turned and barked at him. "THEN OPEN FIRE!"

OOO

(At the same time)

"Hold on!" the grinning Shira shouted, grabbing the levers next to her and slamming them forward as hard as she could.

A split second after a loud hum echoed throughout the ship's bridge, Salza, Gohan, and the rest of the members of Cooler's Armored Squadron suddenly felt all their blood in their bodies rush to their backs as the spaceship's thrusters opened up and sent the ship rocketing forward at sub light speeds. With a deafening roar and a thunderous rattle, the Comet charged through the vacuum with all electronics and dials pointed directly towards the war planet floating in front of them.

As the ship careened through the space- leaving a vapor trail in its wake- the entire squad saw multiple areas on the surface of the ice planet suddenly light up, as multiple bolts of golden energy were sent streaking towards them- indicating that the anti-orbital cannons on the dreadnaught had begun firing.

Dore, having fallen flat on his ass from the ship's sudden take-off, felt his eyes widen when he saw the wall of massive laser bolts flying directly their ship. This caused the Beppa-seijin to cry out to their pilot in alarm. "WATCH OUT! SHIIIIIIIIIIIIT!"

Calmly holding onto the ship's control stick as it rocketed straight towards the oncoming storm of blasts, a smirking Shira then yanked it to the side and pulled back on the lever to her right, which suddenly sent the assault craft into a barrel roll. Almost every person on the bridge felt their stomachs do a tumble turn as the Comet practically spun through the hail of blaster fire- with every single round overshooting them as they descended through the cyclone of highly energized death.

Multiple bright lights flashed past the bridge's window as the squadron watched their pilot calmly dive the ship down towards the planet, each turn and roll swinging them past potential incineration as the woman made a B-line for their target. While Shira and her radio operator Niyusu remained completely calm in the face of such a perilous maneuver, every other person present reacted different.

While Deita down in the second crew pit kept an eye on the ship's life support and shields, Gohan was crouching down to the floor and grinning excitedly as he watched the woman work, Myra and Salza were looking anxious, and Dore and Neiz watched in horror as energy bolts the size of meteorites flew past their window. Though the image of laser blasts flying by them was truly a sight to behold, the deafening roar of the engines and the ship's walls rattling to the point that they should be coming apart were enough to make the less-than-enthusiastic members of the elite group second-guess their choices in life.

This was punctuated by Dore crying out like a little girl after the ship sharply changed directions and did another dangerous barrel roll through a hail of blasts. "I think I'm going to be sick!" the man yelled out as the nose of the ship punched through the ice planet's atmosphere and towards the ground.

Myra, deciding to have a joke at her friend's expense- even though they were in such a precarious situation- called back to the warrior kneeling on the ground behind them. "You know, this ship's bridge is supposed to have an atmospheric waste disposal system. You could probably throw up and the vomit will just disappear before it hits the floor."

Neiz, grinning at his companion's jab, also looked back at his gradually paling friend on the walkway. "Yeah. You should test that, Dore."

"You two are assholes!" the wrestler yelled back, reaching up to cover his mouth.

Smiling when her ship finally made it through the clouds, but still being fired upon from the ground, Shira then snapped her fingers at Niyusu. The Brench-seijin in the pit responded by reaching over and hitting the play button. All of a sudden, above the sound of laser bolts rushing past the ship outside and the roar of the turning ship, the members of the elite commando suddenly heard music begin blaring over the ship's intercom. When their heads perked up and ears tuned into the instruments being played through the loud speakers, the group all blinked when they heard the distinct track of CHA-LA HEAD CHA-LA beginning to play in the background.

"Hikaru kumo tsukinuke, Fly Away!"

"Fly away!"

"Karada-juu ni hirogaru panorama!"

Gohan, still crouching down on the tiles as his three kitsune-seijin friends did the same behind him, grinning broadly as he began bobbing his head to the drums. "Oh, man! I love this song!"

Also bobbing her head to the music now echoing throughout her ship, Shira casually reached into her pocket, pulled out a stick of gum, and popped it into her mouth. "Heh. Bush league," she remarked, before cranking the lever back and sending the ship into a hard dive, causing massive amounts of Gs to begin bombarding the crew as they flew straight towards the ground amidst a hail of anti-aircraft fire, all of which became thinner and thinner the closer they came towards the planet's surface.

"Kao wo kerareta chikyuu ga okketee!"

"Okketee!"

"Kazan wo bakuhatsu saseruuu!"

The descent was terrifying- massive golden explosions and clouds bursts going off all around the ship as the laser bolts being fired from the ground transformed into flak. As the ship received glances of bursts against its hull as it effortlessly cruised through the planet's defense grid, the Comet continued on its assigned course before eventually coming in sight of the ground.

"To kikita koori no naaaka ni!"

Just seconds before it could hit the ground, as the song was approaching its chorus, Shira yanked back hard on the stick and pulled the vessel up, before firing up its thrusters and sending it shooting across the planet. When the craft streaked across the icy planet's continent, dodging blasts and mountains, the calmly smiling Shira performed a barrel roll before flicking a switch on her left. This caused the ship's two main cannons to open up on the sides of the bullet-shaped vessel, all of which loaded as the target software activated on the window's screen in front of the pilot.

"Kyouryuuga itara…"

"tamanori shikomitai neeee!"

As explosions and lasers continued to go off around her ship, Shira then took aim through the digital targeting circles that popped up on the turrets she could see in the distance and, the second the chorus of the song hit, pressed down on the trigger. In that moment, the Comet's cannons opened up and unleashed barrages upon barrages of blaster fire, each cannon going off at rapid fire and sending bursts of bolts shooting back at the gun towers firing at them in glorious streaks of light.

"CHA-LA! HEAD CHA-LA!"

"Nani ga okite mo kibun wa!"

"Heno-heno kappaaaa!"

Massive explosions then began going off across the countryside as the Comet, spiraling through the laser bolts still flying in its direction, returned fire and began decimating the cannons lying in its path. One after the other the pilot of the narrow ship destroyed every single gun and artillery battery lying in its range, creating a trail of fire bursts across the mountain ranges and valleys while her spaceship cruised across the sky at supersonic speeds. The vessel roared across the planet while the countryside shook under the hail of plasma raining down on it.

Even though the planetoid battleship's defenses continued to fire back and shoot the damn vessel out of the sky, due to the Comet being so small and flying so close to the ground, the gunners were unable to get a clean shot. As a result, their slow-moving laser cannons designed for hardier and larger targets, could barely keep track of the ship as it flew past them and- thanks to the expert and careful aim of the pilot- were destroyed before they could even get the craft in their sights.

"CHA-LA! HEAD CHA-LA!"

"Mune ga panchi-panchi suru hodo!"

"Sawagu Genko Damaaaa!"

"Sparking!"

Deciding to get creative, Shira took the craft into hops through the air, bouncing up and down as it followed a less than straight path towards its primary target. Arriving at the western plate just south of the citadel, the lieutenant then activated its missile system. The moment her targeting software isolated a whole bunch of cannons clustered together on the valley, the woman fired- launching dozens of tiny torpedoes streaking across the landscape.

Gohan, being the most thrilled of the group, gave a cheer of joy when he saw the missiles home in on each of their targets and take them out in a series of flashy explosions. When the ship came upon more, Shira took them out with another quick burst of fire, eliminating the cannons trying to shoot at her and clearing a path for them across the planet.

What's more, despite the ship's death-defying and almost impossible maneuver's, as well as the fact that it was able to return fire during all of its barrel rolls and flips, all Shira did was bob her head to the music and chew on her stick of gum, which she began blowing bubbles with.

Needless to say, not only were the elite squadron behind her stunned, but so were the enemy soldiers trying to knock her out of the sky. All they could think as they and their commanders watched the ship take out dozens more of their guns was what kind of devilish pilot was pulling off such a stunt? And with such grace.

Back and forth Shira went, taking the Comet on multiple bombing and torpedo runs of the planet. When she came upon bunkers wedged into mountain face trying to shoot at her from a protected position, she fired a missile into it and blew up the entire edifice. When she came across a line of cannons just sitting out in the open and unleashing volleys of laser bolts up at her, the woman zigzagged between them and shot at them one after the other, sending the towers cascading to the ground. And whenever she came across an entire patch of guns scattered across a mountain range or a desert, she fired a cluster of torpedoes in a scattered salvo and wiped them out in a tidal wave of hellfire.

It was glorious.

And so, just as the song reached its final chorus- with the guitarist riffing and the vocalist screaming into the microphone, Shira's primary target came into her range. Taking out several more large guns lying in her path, her ship's software locked onto the massive, dome-shaped oscillator sitting just over the horizon.

Punching the thrusters and getting them to fire at full power, Shira sent the ship blasting across the land. As they roared towards the massive building sitting squarely in their sights, the woman then hit another switch and switched weapons- moving from photon torpedoes to the nuclear warheads. Hearing the metallic click of the vessel changing out its ammo and seeing the weapon line up on screen, the alien woman grinned and, taking holding of the toggle, pulled on the trigger.

"Head Cha-la, motherfuckers," Shira shouted, watching her ship lob the two missiles from under its hull and sent them rocketing across the landscape. Upon launching her final payload, the woman then yanked back on the stick and pulled away.

As the Comet shot up into the sky, now clear of blaster fire thanks to the skilled pilot wiping out all of the turrets in the vicinity, the members of Cooler's Armored Squadron, the kitsune-seijin, and their subordinates watched as the two missiles streaked across the countryside for several seconds. Then, moments later, there was a blinding flash of light, followed shortly by a massive fireball in the shape of a mushroom cloud going off as the entire oscillator ruptured and exploded. The entire crew watched in awe as the shockwaves traveled across the ice planet's surface from the massive steel dome cracking under the force of the blast and exploding with such force that some of the countryside around it also imploded.

The end result was a crater of fire being formed in the wake of the blasts, which was immediately followed by the remaining cannons across the planet ceasing fire and shutting down. When the group saw several lights from checkpoints and outposts scattered across the planetoid flicker before going out, they knew right away that the power being distributed from the oscillator had been cut off.

This was confirmed when Deita, performing a scan of the planet from his spot in the crew pit, turned and called up to the group. "Oscillator destroyed! All power readings across the entire planet have dropped to zero! Their ship's dead in the water!"

Shira, grinning as she leveled the ship out just below the clouds, then looked back at Cooler's squadron behind her. "That's your cue, boys and girls. Good luck out there."

Nodding in understanding, Salza then turned to Niyusu down in the crew pit and pointed at her. "Alright. Send the all-clear signal to Cooler-sama and the Seventh Fleet. Tell them they can deploy their forces for ground assault!" Upon hearing the young woman give a hearty 'yes sir' in response, the Captain then focused on his squad, whom he saw were all standing upright and waiting for his instructions- save for Dore who was still looking a bit queasy. "Okay. We all know our jobs. Let's get down there, eliminate those scumbags, and rescue Lord Cooler's nephew from the enemy. Oorah?"

"Oorah!" the members of his squad and the kitsune-seijin shouted.

"To the orbital drop doors! Move out!"

TO BE CONTINUED…

Author's Note: And it begins! I thought of Shira's bombing run while listening to music on the treadmill and the song Head Cha-La seemed perfect for it. Since it's already part of the DBZ universe, I thought it was a funny and perfect fit for a sci-fi action piece like that one. I still listen to the song while running too. It's great.

XXX

Current Power Levels:

Cooler's Armored Squadron: (Post Six Months)

Salza (half Fruit + training) – 27,000,000

Myra (half Fruit + training) – 26,000,000

Neiz (half Fruit + training) – 24,000,000

Dore (half Fruit + training) – 24,000,000

Gohan (quarter Fruit + training) – 25,000,000

(In case anyone forgot, Gohan gave away most of his fruit instead of eating it)

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Kida (Blue Fox) (three quarter fruit + training) – 1,020,000

Riko (Brown Fox) (three quarter fruit + training) – 1,015,000

Rei (White Fox) (three quarter fruit + training) – 1,018,000

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Cooler (4th/True Form Suppressed) – 3,900,000

Cooler (4th/True Form 100%) – 130,000,000

Cooler (4th/True Form 100% – Post Training) – 330,000,000

(Massive increase due to Cooler and Frieza's inherit talent and potential for accelerated strength increase over a very short period, though the older brother's isn't as prominent as his younger brother's. E.g. Frieza going from weaker than Android 19 to stronger than Super Saiyan Blue in only four months since his revival)

xxx

Lord Slug's Dark Empire:

Commander Zeeun – 2,080,000

Commander Zeeun (Potential Unlocked) – 25,000,000

Angila – 2,200,000

Angila (Potential Unlocked) – 26,400,000

Medamatcha – 2,050,000

Medamatcha (Potential Unlocked) – 24,600,000

Wings – 1,900,000

Wings (Potential Unlocked) – 23,000,000

Lucoa, the Dragon Girl (Base) – 25,000,000

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Lord Slug (Old - Pre-Rebirth) – 95,000,000

Lord Slug (Post Rebirth - Suppressed) – 260,000,000