Holding my arms out I began mustering energy to them again, firing a barrage in all directions, some of them blowing up dangerously close which caused the insect to jerk us both backwards.

"Quit dragging me around!" I barked as more enemies came at us from the smoke.

"I'm just trying to – ghack!" The bug's complaint was abruptly cut off when I partially spun my weight forward to roundhouse kick the first opponent in the head, breaking from my companion's grip to complete the turn and follow up with a reverse kick from my other leg. Using the same momentum, I grabbed the next enemy by the shoulders and brought my knee into their chest, a pair of arms wrapping around me once more to keep me up as the attacker fell. My vertigo was almost bad enough now that closing my eyes would make little difference, and I hoped I was even hitting my targets properly.

Both the insect and I thrust our weight to the side to avoid a pair of ki darts, only to run into someone's swinging fist that caught me in the face, then in the stomach twice more. The huge beast then grabbed my arms, probably intending to tear them off but I flexed into position, using his grip to press one foot on his chest and one against his windpipe.

Meanwhile, my companion had been barely hanging on for all of this, now dangling and screaming with a vice-like clutch around my ribs, actually adding to the counterweight I had against my opponent's ability to breathe. I'd taken ahold of his wrists so he couldn't let go and continued to tug, trusting I could choke him out as he stumbled backwards. The movement was making it immensely difficult to tell what in the hell I was actually doing, but relying on my last normally functioning sense – touch – was all I could manage.

It wasn't long before I felt my adversary go lax and I released him, his body toppling away as I internally hoped the insect clinging to me would stop my fall.

The bug's lanky arms, and partially its ability to fly, softened my short descent back to the floor and though I set my feet as best I could in preparation for more enemies, my companion seemed to have calmed down.

"I th – think it's over," it said. "There's only a few people standing..."

Define 'standing,' I almost said aloud as I made a wobbly effort to lean as little as possible on the insect, turning to look around the room.

It looked like it must have been a training space, largely empty aside from the bodies everywhere. Indeed, there were only a few people up and about, although I was still too dizzy to count them.

I felt a small pit form in my stomach. If I'd have had the strength to, I don't know, break the door down and set everyone free, should I have done it? Judging by the scorch marks on it, several others had tried and failed to do so. Even if they were PTO, I had no doubt many of those defeated had lost their lives for nothing.

"I can't believe you would save me. What an impressive warrior! Even intoxicated, you were able to -"

"You were using me as a shield," I replied to the attempt at false flattery, narrowing my eyes (partly to be intimidating and partly because focusing was still hard).

"I – I was helping you!" the insect tried to defend. "And besides, even in your state you still didn't sustain a scratch!"

"That little cretin who tossed me in here drugged me. And if it hadn't been for that, you have no idea what I..." I trailed off as my companion shifted to put my arm around its shoulders to support me.

"Lieutenant-Captain Goda? Ohhhh, oh my, I wouldn't call her a cretin if I were you. Friends in high places, you know."

"Don't care. When's this going to fully wear off?"

"I cannot say. Us Arlians aren't poisonous. If you have credits, you could visit the medical ward..." It then paused and fixed its globular, red eyes on me. "Are you poisonous? You're rather brightly coloured and I've been in contact with you."

"You're fine. And you can let go of me now," I said. It did as asked and let go, but made no other move as I managed to brace myself in place. Despite the residual burning in my nose, I could feel the toxin was just starting to go away, although I wasn't sure when my new companion was going to follow suit.

"Hey! Are you two done over there? It looks like it's just the five of us," a woman's voice interrupted.

I once more scanned the rest of the room, this time confirming there really were only five of us left. The other three had grouped together and were making their way over.

Another behemoth of a man, hairless and covered in leathery brown skin but dotted with protruding spikes (much like what I remembered of Dodoria) led the way, followed by a curvy woman with red skin and white hair. In the back was a skinny, amphibious looking creature; the trio were keeping just enough distance from one another to be safe.

"I saw you two blundering over there. How in the hell did you make it?" the big man chortled.

"I could ask the same for such a large target," I replied, noting how the Arlian had moved behind me as the others drew near.

"W – Well! I guess we're just the lucky ones," it forced out.

"Nah. A little brawl like this don't mean nothing to me. Ain't my first, especially with all that Saiyan bullshit that's going on. But it doesn't matter, now it'll be just the five of us splitting the mission's pay instead of seven. Provided we all get along, that is," the large man said.

"Er – right," the Arlian answered.

I said nothing. These people were acting so casual, considering they'd probably been at each other's throats minutes ago.

"So," the woman began, "I wonder what this mission is actually going to be? If it's so high-ranking, I expect the options are narrow."

"Isn't it obvious?" The big man smirked. "We're going to be killing monkeys."

My ki sensory ability told me Cold was still present aboard the ship (although I didn't know why he was here and whether it really was just coincidence that we'd met in this place), but that concern was relegated to the back of my mind with the current distraction of Goda as she spoke.

And my half desire to break cover and deal out her karma personally.

"The target in question, Planet Pimien, is normally uninhabited by sentient life," she began, "but the conditions are enough for a stalwart carbon-based species to survive. In this case, a group of a dozen or so Saiyans have chosen to use its natural terrain as a stronghold against any PTO forces that have pursued them thus far. We don't know their exact numbers because they've killed every squadron we've sent until now, but their ability to cause the damage they have indicates there's likely more than a few of them. We believe they may be drawing us in intentionally so they can pick us off, but there's no sense in wasting a few hundred more ill-equipped soldiers... That's where you come in."

The five of us were grouped before the diminutive lieutenant-captain, she debriefing us at a quick pace. My thoughts were buzzing about what I would do once we arrived on the planet. Perhaps my fellow Saiyans would recognize me, perhaps not. But the issue was my current teammates, whom I couldn't simply send away after they figured out who I was. I had no particular affinity for them, but no matter what I did, I couldn't stomach senseless death. But they couldn't be allowed to live when they were willing – eager even – to kill as many of my people as it took.

"You all know who the Saiyans are," Goda went on, "and some of you have probably worked alongside one or two. But make no mistake... they may be depleted in number, they may be wounded, but killing them is no simple task. As you may know, they're hardwired for a natural prowess in combat, which was why Lord Frieza allowed them to serve in the first place despite their recent betrayal. Even their children are aggressive, although their kind doesn't reproduce easily – do not allow their whelps to escape by any fleeting notion of sympathy."

My chest felt tight, but I managed to maintain a neutral demeanour as she continued.

"Saiyans are led by their strongest bloodline, so each and every one of them will follow in their monarch's footsteps – none can be left alive. But with Lord Frieza behind us, we can quash the remnants of their savagery."

"What about the king?" the Arlian cut in. Goda shot it a look as the insect cowered a little.

"I – I mean, we were just wondering... you know... there hasn't been word of him in a while and if he's their strongest and still out there..." it trailed off.

Goda sighed irritably.

"I'll have you know," she snapped, "that if any of you had bothered not to grovel at a damn heedless rumour, you'd be aware that Lord Frieza is far too powerful for the likes of this Saiyan King. He attempted to take down our Lord and failed miserably. If Vegeta lives, he's no doubt rotting in a cell somewhere."

"So that means you don't know for sure," I blurted dryly. Her eyes narrowed, and she waited a long moment before speaking again.

"I suggest that you get moving. The five of you have only a few days to deal with the Saiyans, and you're lucky I've given you any information at all. If you take any longer than the allotted time, you'll be presumed dead. If you return after that point, you'll be confirmed dead less than painlessly. Fulfill your task properly and you'll receive your pay. Understand?"

After my companions' quiet affirmation, Goda dismissed us to get armour or whatever else was needed before shipping off in our assigned pods. (The craft I'd arrived in would remain docked where I'd left it, as the attack pod would be faster.) I followed the others quietly, letting all my thoughts and concerns simmer inwardly.

It was on our way to retrieve our arsenal that the insect began trying to broach conversation.

"Er, so... which of us is the leader?" it went on as we walked. Not far off, a row of rehabilitation tanks glowed in contrast with the ship's stale lighting, visible through a wide archway that we passed.

"Me," said the Dodoria copy.

"Why you?" came the sound of a voice I didn't recognize, which I quickly determined to be that of the otherwise silent amphibian.

"'Cause I'm the strongest."

"How do you know that?" the red-skinned woman challenged.

"I thought it was real obvious, but if any of you wanna have a go to prove it..."

"Won't Goda be appointing the squadron leader?" the Arlian cut in. "And even if not, shouldn't a leader be chosen based on their intelligence, or ability to strategize?"

"You callin' me stupid, shitstick?" the large man threatened, stopping in place. Incidentally, the Arlian had been walking behind me, so the Dodoria look-alike was now glowering at me – or more accurately, over my head and nettled that I was in the way. It was no surprise that the insect became even more clingy and had all but cowered behind my back, much to my annoyance.

"I'm not saying that!" it squeaked over my shoulder. "I – I'm just saying we haven't assessed the whole group's qualifications -"

I was about to hiss a retort at the Arlian, demand for the love of the gods, keep out of my personal space before our burly companion barked a laugh.

"Even if I was stupid, it don't matter. What the PTO is thinking about right now is exterminating Saiyans, and they're the dumbest fucking killers in the galaxy. If they don't get orders from their strongest dumb fuck, who's dead as the rumours go, they're as good as beasts – they eat the people they kill, everything but the bone. They might not even wait until you're completely dead," he chortled.

I stood there, half in cold shock at the words and half in an emotion I couldn't name as I thought Goku, of Father, of my own blood, of home and what it must've looked like blown into a hundred thousand pieces and my child sister and how dare –

"I'm not so sure about that," the red-skinned woman interrupted. "This rumoured dead man you speak of is also the one rumoured to have decimated the Ginyu Force by himself, bested several prestigous bounty hunters, captained his own squadron before he was knee-high and lived through his first attempted rebellion against Lord Frieza. Saiyans are craftier than you think."

The Dodoria look-alike turned to face her. "Look who's suddenly so knowledgeable."

"You don't have to know much about Saiyans to have heard about Vegeta," she replied with a shrug.

"And? He's dead anyway. Him going quiet for so many years just made the stories crazier."

"We don't know that he's dead for sure. There's a reason the PTO just happens to be promising a ton of money for the people willing to go after the Saiyans, and I'm willing to bet it's 'cause Vegeta's still out there. Still moving right under the Cold Family's nose. Think of all the ships and squadrons that have just vanished into thin air recently. Hell, even entire stations have gone quiet."

A surprisingly weighted silence fell over the group. I didn't know much about my father's reputation outside of what little he'd told me about his earlier life, but the sudden muteness of the air spoke for itself.

It stuck me then. Were they... afraid of us?

"Bah. Rumours," the big man finally said. "Lord Frieza's just paranoid 'cause his precious oracle tucked tail and ran at the first sign of trouble. The Colds ain't stupid. And I don't care about the rest of you, but if they're willing to pay large, then I'm willing to do the job."

And with that, he was on his way once more, leaving the rest of us to pursue or to be left behind.

We made it to Tech-Tech, Gohan confirmed. It's nice to hear from you again.

The space pod was small, not small enough to force me into foetal position but it felt like a cocoon nonetheless. My shuttle was linked to the other four, and though my companions were probably choosing to settle into the half baked cryo-sleep provided by the pod already, I wanted to stay awake just for a little while more. The trip to Pimien wouldn't be long, but I didn't want to wait before trying to reach Gohan. This time, I'd been successful.

Good to hear a familiar voice. I won't beleaguer you with too many details now, but things are an absolute shitfest, I replied.

No kidding. Do you want to go first?

'First'? Why, what happened? My problems can wait.

Well, like I said, we made it to Tech-Tech. And it's a good thing we came here or things would've been worse. We were assaulted by PTO soldiers as soon as we landed, which wasn't a problem for us, but... the natives were in bad shape. Still are in bad shape. I guess the organization caught wind of your uncle having lived here years ago, so they attacked the planet on basis of the Tech-Techs being allies of the Saiyans. These people were slaughtered. Half the buildings are rubble and the air is too toxic for life outdoors. Once we took care of the soldiers we were able to rescue survivors, but things aren't looking well.

My mouth felt dry. They'd even gone after such a loose connection, and from a species who had only their technology to defend themselves?

What about Gure? Is she alright? I inquired about the female who'd raised my sister, knowing the alien had returned to her home at some point for a visit. I hadn't spoken much with Tarble's wife, but she was as kindhearted as they came.

There was a pause. We found her, Gohan finally began, but I don't know what would've happened if we weren't there. We had to resuscitate her with a senzu bean. She's with us now, trying to help get things back together, but there's so many others who are hurt... I think the PTO was trying to make an example.

I stared out the small window of the pod, watching space rush by as I toyed with my necklace.

It was one slaughter after another. Another fear tactic to spread among those who weren't strong enough to stand up against Frieza and his forces. Another insult. Another challenge.

Another reason for me to step out of the shadows.

Trunks? Are you still there? Gohan said.

I'm here.

I'm sorry that things keep getting worse, he said.

I know. But it won't be long. Your father should be able to sense my energy now – I think we might be seeing each other again soon. Hopefully there will be a few more Saiyans with me. I'm on route to a planet that may have some hope for us.

I awoke from cryo-sleep with pins and needles in one arm and a mechanical voice from the pod's computer announcing I would be reaching the planet within fifteen minutes.

Despite not remembering when the system had put me to sleep, I certainly felt like I'd been out for at least a week straight. Trying to stretch my legs as best I could – although I'd have better luck once I was back on solid ground – I also tried rubbing my arm a bit to return normal sensation.

Outside the window the gulf of space whisked by, a colourful sphere in the centre of my view growing bigger with each second. The pod lights were coming on, darkness diminishing as the landing systems began prepping themselves ahead of time.

I couldn't really do much but squirm around uncomfortably. The amount of leg-room I had was just short of being able to straighten fully, which annoyed me a lot until I realized most of my irritation was because I was starving. Of course, there was nothing to do but wait it out.

My fingers made a quick brush over my jaw, confirming that not even a hint of stubble was there (although that wasn't too surprising, as the hair on Saiyans that did grow took awhile). It seemed the only effect time had on someone in cryo-sleep was the hunger.

Several minutes later and the planet Pimien was all I could see out the small window, adorned by swaths of purple and green colour. A small amount of turbulence disturbed the craft's trajectory, but for the most part it was designed to withstand a lot, even as I started to pass through the atmosphere and enter the uppermost cloud formations.

The pod was internally mechanized to roll as little as possible, but I still felt the yank of inertia as my spacecraft smacked into the planet's surface and kept going, eventually digging a trench into the ground until its momentum slid to a halt.

I gave the door a less-than-gentle nudge with my heel, prompting it to activate and allow a gust of air to flow inside. The readout on the pod's dashboard concurred with what I'd been told; the environment wouldn't poison or suffocate me but there wasn't enough oxygen for it to be a comfortable experience. At worst, I would exhaust much faster than usual – if I'd been pure human, prolonged exposure might've eventually caused me brain damage.

I pulled myself from the craft, blinking at the new world around me.

It was either twilight or early morning, based on the deep green hue of the sky and the lack of light around me. Unless, of course, Pimien was tidally locked and the amount of sun depended completely on geographical standpoint. But it was precisely this landscape that caught my attention: all around me stood colossal, mushroom-like vegetation, luminescent purples and blues pulsating inside them. The dirt under me was black as coal, extremely spongy and in places spotted with miniature clusters of the strange 'trees.' The air was devoid of smell.

Reaching back into the pod, I pulled out the scouter I'd brought along. Until any Saiyans turned up, it would be best to keep avoiding suspicion and respond to any incoming transmissions my companions might send. I put the device on, but ignored the small scroll of information it immediately began to provide.

I closed the pod's door, briefly looked over the long gouge my landing had dug in the soft earth, and decided the next thing to do was locate the others. Expanding my consciousness, I found the four of them were fairly close by, all having reached the surface around the same time. I still didn't know what I was going to do about them – if I were smart, I'd be trying to find the Saiyans before they did.

I took to the air, flying in my companions' direction until I was hovering just over the tops of the mushrooms and I could see better, maybe pinpoint where the Saiyans could be.

Maroon-hued mountains decorated the horizon near and far, the hills sharp in some places and flatter in the region we were in. I found the sun in the sky at my back, tucked behind the natural formations except for the few trails of day lagging behind the presumed sunset, a few grey wisps of cloud in the green firmament.

It was a beautiful sight. For whatever purpose, destroying the planet outright hadn't been an option – perhaps in interest of resources – and I was actually a bit thankful for reasons other than the obvious. I hadn't been to many planets, and while Earth and home had their own beauties, I didn't know when I'd get the chance to see a view like this again.

"Hey!" someone called from the ground below. Scanning the surface, I spotted the Arlian waving its spindly arms at me. As I couldn't sense any trace of ki that didn't belong to the soldiers I'd arrived with, I descended and touched down beside the insect.

"You can be seen very easily in the sky, you know," it said, approaching me. "It's not safe, especially when these aren't supposed to be ordinary Saiyans. Plus, they get power from the moon. Can't afford to be reckless."

"I'm not concerned. And this planet doesn't have any moons anyway," I replied, looking around.

"Huh? Do those blue eyes of yours mean you're blind? The moon is right there."

I paused, turning back to stare at it. Its arm was outstretched towards the sky; I followed the line of focus until I could see –

There. A glowing shape, too big and close to be a star. It couldn't be a moon; I would've noticed it. The pale, striking light it gave off was... odd. It made me feel odd. Something in me bristled at the sight of it.

"What... the hell is that?" I blurted.

"What do you mean? It's -"

"That's not a moon. It can't be, the moon doesn't –"

I stopped mid-sentence, wracking my brain trying to come up with the why for this sensation. It was almost like... a self-awareness, the realization of every cell in your body humming with life, the same feeling I got from a full moon and while its rays couldn't make me transform I still –

Blutz waves. The thing was giving off Blutz waves, and it wasn't a natural moon, which meant...

"Oh," I realized aloud.

At that moment, a sound – one I also recognized by the instinct that suddenly seized my body – thundered over the forest, a guttural roar that I felt in my bones.