Here's Chapter 7! Thanks to Ryo-chan wolfgirl, SSJ2 Silven, Rawrzx3, gohanFanfics, Laania, bardockthetruesupersaiyan, Panxodakilla, 9th ZXfighter and FinalFlashX for all the reviews on chapter 6.
Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or any of its characters, Akira Toriyama does!
...
Turles cursed as he surveyed the damage to the exterior of his ship. He had been informed of a small craft carrying a most profitable shipment. Of course he and Diaz decided they would raid the ship. Unfortunately, his source had forgotten one very important detail, the ship was quite heavily armed for one of its size and the damage it wrought on Turles's ship was considerable.
To make matters worse, Turles had had to make an emergency landing in one hell of a place. If there was any form of civilization on the planet it was certainly well hidden. There was nothing to see for miles but a dismal dark forest. The Saiyan paid no mind to the small lake that was just a short distance away from the ship.
Daiz was also checking out the damage accompanied by a worried-looking Gohan. The former prince didn't let on how serious their situation could turn out to be but he was sure the boy could sense it somehow. It wasn't like they could just signal for help. Any number of individuals would just love to turn the Saiyan pirate in for the price on his head.
"Can you manage the repairs, Daiz?"
The Kabochan warrior's musings were interruppted by the voice of his commander. He turned to face the dark-skinned Saiyan.
"I believe I can. It actually looks worse than it is. But it will take at least a day or so, Master Turles," Daiz declared.
The pirate commander sighed in disgust, "I suppose we have no choice in the matter. Since I'm no mechanic, I'll make myself useful by seeing what I can scavenge up for our dinner."
Turles turned to Gohan, "Assist Daiz when necessary and stay out of trouble, Brat!"
"Yes. Commander," Gohan replied glumly.
'What if we're stuck out here?' the son of Goku wondered.
...
Turles wondered if they had crash-landed on a planet that had been partially purged and simply abandoned. There seemed to be no animal life whatsoever only dense vegetation and nothing he recognized as being edible. Suddenly some tangled weeds rustled and he picked up the scent of something...
...
Gohan quickly tired of watching Daiz work, his stomach rumbled in protest as it had not received any nourishment since the noon meal. Turles had been gone for several hours now and there was nothing to do. The shimmering lake that lay just ahead caught his interest.
'I wonder if there's any fish in there?'
Engrossed in his work, the green-haired pirate never noticed the little half-Saiyan child sneak away.
...
Turles growled in disgust at the small rodent that crawled out before him and scampered away in fear. The tiny beast wouldn't even be a mouthful for the brat. It seemed the tasteless emergency rations stored in his ship were going to be all they had to look forward to until they could get off this mud-ball.
...
To Gohan's delight, there were several varieties of fish swimming about in the clear waters of the lake. Memories of fishing with his father saddened him. There were few times that Chi-Chi had relented on his studies for him take time for such activities. He'd seen some thin rope on Turles's ship and the wild bamboo growing nearby would serve for a pole. With a giggle, Gohan began to prepare for a little impromptu fishing...
Daiz suddenly noticed that Gohan was nowhere to be seen. He heard a sudden splash and a squeal, he hoped the kid hadn't fallen into the lake. The pirate was in no mood for a swim. Reaching the shore of the small lake his eyes went wide at the sight before him. The boy was removing a fair-sized fish from some sort of contraption. There was an impressive amount of fish lying on the lake shore beside the six-year-old who squealed with delight each time he reeled another fish in.
The former prince shook his head and laughed at the sight. As his stomach made its emptiness known, the Kabochan decided a little fire- roasted fish would be just the thing to stop his belly's incessant rumbling. Gohan eagerly nodded his head as his elder crew-mate walked over and made that suggestion.
...
After several hours of fruitless searching for any kind of game to be found, Turles headed back into the direction of his ship. A tantalizing aroma greeted the Saiyan as he touched down in front of of the ship. Somehow his second-in- command had procured food of some sort.
The pirate commander was struck with amazement as Daiz revealed that it was the half-Saiyan child that had caught the fish that they were presently enjoying.
"Well done, Brat," Turles declared. There was actually a genuine smile on the Saiyan's face as he spoke.
"T-thank you, Master Turles" Gohan spoke up quickly. He received a barely perceptible nod from the Saiyan male.
'There's hope for you yet, Kid ' Daiz thought to himself.
...
Gohan had his nose buried in a large gray book as he sat on the ship's floor in his usual spot. Daiz was putting his tools away now that the damage to the hull of Turles's ship was finally repaired. After two full days on the bleak planet, all three occupants of the ship were eager to be elsewhere.
"Daiz, We'll be making a stop at Krazlzdor," Turles informed the Kabochan as he slipped into the pilot's seat.
"Katchia, huh?" the green-haired warrior asked.
"Yes, It's been a while now," Turles sighed.
Gohan pretended to read his book while listening in on the conversation between the two males. What was a 'Katchia'?
"Hopefully she's doing well," Daiz commented. Turles merely nodded and turned his attention to the ship's controls.
Gohan's curiosity was piqued now. It seemed 'Katchia' was some female unknown to him. Maybe another one of Turles's girlfriends, he grimaced at the thought. How did the Saiyan manage to keep up with them all anyway?
"We're going to have to replace the crew eventually. Our finances won't last forever with the minimum profits we've brought in and I'm far too spoiled to change my lifestyle now, " Turles advised.
"The new Crusher Corps, eh?" Daiz asked.
The pirate commander gave a weary sigh, "Ah yes, The Crusher Corps. We were going to overthrow Frieza and crush anyone who got in our way. What an utter failure that venture was. "
Daiz didn't miss the bitterness in Turles's voice as he brought up his fallen crew.
"I may keep the name or change it to something else. Since a third time is supposed to be so auspicious, maybe I'll keep my third crew alive!" Turles growled.
'Third crew?' Gohan wondered.
...
Planet Krazlzdor was a beautiful blue and green planet that painfully reminded Gohan of Earth. Huge stone buildings that would have been considered skyscrapers on the six-year-old's home-world dominated the landscape. Turles flew to a somewhat smaller building. Daiz and Gohan quickly followed as the Saiyan landed and entered the building.
Gohan immediately thought of Capsule Corps as they entered what seemed to be a lab of some sort. The youngster felt a lump in his throat as he thought about Bulma. He'd never see his pretty blue-haired friend again.
Strangely enough, a blue-skinned female with raven black hair stood with her back to them. She wore a long white coat over a white uniform, the son of Goku guessed she was a scientist just as Bulma had been. A wave of sadness came over the little half-Saiyan.
Sensing a presence behind her, the woman turned to face the trio. She had a pretty heart-shaped face but her eyes were hidden behind an instrument that looked like a bizarre pair of goggles. Tiny lights flashed across the device as she turned her head.
"TURLES! Is it really you? " the female squealed as she rushed over and flung her arms around the startled Saiyan's neck.
"Calm yourself, Katchia! It's only been a few months! Not years!" Turles huffed.
"Daiz, How are you? I see you're still with this pitiful excuse for a pirate," Katchia asked as she smiled at the former royal.
"It's a living!" Daiz chuckled at the hint of pink that flushed across the Saiyan male's face.
Gohan gaped as he noticed the furry brownish-black tail that merrily waved about behind Katchia. The woman was part Saiyan!
"Wait, Who's this? It's not Rasin or Lakasei...Oh! He has a tail...One of your sordid affairs caught up with you finally?" the female teased.
"Not hardly!" Turles growled."Daiz, Take the brat and get him something to eat while I deal with this insolent female!"
Gohan scratched his head in puzzlement. Turles's words were angry but he sounded as if he were going to burst into laughter at any moment.
"Sure, I get the hint. We'll leave you two lovebirds alone for a while, Commander!" Daiz snickered.
Daiz laughed even harder as he sidestepped two ki-blasts as he headed out of the room and motioned for Gohan to follow him.
...
"Who was that woman, Daiz? And what was that thing on her face?" Gohan asked as he placed a final plate onto the impressive stack of empty dishes in front of him.
"The woman's name is Katchia and the "thing" on her face is a ki-based vision enhancer. She can't make out specific colors and her night vision is extremely poor but she's no longer blind," the Kabochan warrior informed him.
"How does she know Master Turles? And why was she blind?" the curious youth asked.
"Full of questions this afternoon aren't you, Kid? Well, we have plenty of time to kill so I suppose I can tell you what Turles told me," the dark green-haired pirate sighed.
...
A group of five Saiyan war-pods streaked through space. The team of Saiyan warriors were in high spirits as they had successfully completed their purge mission days ahead of schedule. Planet Vegeta-sei was just a short distance away.
"Hey, Tarnip!" a male voice called out over the ship to ship communication system.
"What Chyvz? I was tryin' to get a nap in here," the hulking Saiyan known as Tarnip growled.
"Now you've done it, Chyvz! You interruppted Tarnip's beauty sleep!" another male voice snickered.
"What a shame! His face needs all the help it can get!" a feminine voice chortled.
"Shut up, Kabage! You shut 'yer face too, Katchia!" Tarnip snarled.
The team leader, Turles, smirked and shook his head. Every mission it was the same, his crew would bust each other's chops before and after every assignment. But once a mission was under way no team looked out for each other more.
"Since I'm awake now what'd you want, Chyvz?" Tarnip huffed.
"Think Frieza will double our pay since we finished up early?" Chyvz questioned.
"Yeah right! We're talking about FRIEZA here," Kabage cut in.
"Frieza will pay us double when Chyvz grows into his ears," Katchia teased.
"Nobody asked for comments from the half-breed!" Chyvz snapped.
"I DIDN'T ASK TO HEAR ANY OF YOU!" Turles suddenly barked.
His crew members fell silent.
Turles smirked again. The silence wouldn't last long, one of his crew would work up the nerve to snipe at one of the others and of course the rest would join in.
Tarnip was a massive muscular Saiyan whose size even dwarfed that of General Nappa. His red and black armor seemed as if it just managed to contain his great bulk. The huge warrior's hair was just a single shock of spiky black hair that stood straight up on his head.
Then there was Chyvz, Turles's second in command. He was tall and thin with long spiky black hair that reached to his hips. The armor he wore was green and gold. Chyvz had a pair of ears that were just slightly above the average Saiyan's size. His crew-mates never failed to remind him of that fact.
Kabage was the short pudgy mechanically inclined one of the bunch. His short spiky black hair went in all directions. There were few ship repairs that the dark blue and gray armored warrior couldn't manage.
Last and certainly not least there was Katchia. The brilliant blue- skinned, black- haired female was half Saiyan and half Alborite. Except for the skin hue she inherited from her mother, Katchia was no different in appearance than any other Saiyan female. The purple and silver armored warrior had been abandoned at birth by her Alborite mother and raised as a Saiyan warrior by her sire.
Years ago, Katchia would have been slain at the time of her birth for being of mixed blood. However, many of the old Saiyan traditions had been done away with since the warrior race came under Frieza's control. Katchia had a brilliant mind and served part-time as a scientist on Vegeta-sei. But being true to her Saiyan nature, Katchia also took on purge missions for her love of fighting.
The spirited half-blood had earned the respect of her fellow crew-mates with her courage and battle skills. However, her team never failed to use her mixed heritage to needle her whenever the opportunity arose.
Cheers came from the Saiyan team as the red planet of Vegeta-sei came into view. Suddenly a huge sphere of yellow- orange energy appeared and shot into the planet's core.
"WHAT IN KAMI'S NAME WAS THAT?" Tarnip bellowed.
Before anyone else could respond, great fissures rippled across the surface of Vegeta-sei. An eerie light shone the through the great cracks...
"FALL BACK! FALL BACK NOW!" Turles roared.
The five pods shot away from the planet. As the stunned team looked back at their home-world, a great explosion reduced Vegeta-sei to nothing more than a mass of rubble and dust floating in space.
"H-head f-for base 240...we'll regroup there. T-there were other teams out besides us. There have to be more survivors!" Turles managed to choke out.
His crew responded numbly but were grateful that their commander still had the presence of mind to issue coherent orders.
Turles looked back again, there was a large ship floating in space. Was that Frieza's flagship? What the hell was that lizard doing hanging around at a time like this?
Tarnip thought of the loss of his mate and two brats.
Chyvz wondered if he would have passed the test to be appointed to the Royal Palace Guard.
Kabage agonized over whether his first child had ever had a chance at life.
Tears rolled down Katchia's face as she vainly hoped that her father and half-brother had escaped Vegeta-sei's destruction.
...
The five pods landed on base 240 with a resounding boom. Turles jumped out of his ship as soon as it touched down.
"Stay here! I'll check in with the base commander, " the dark-skinned Saiyan ordered as the rest of his crew exited their pods.
A horrific sight greeted Turles as he entered the command center. The bodies of slain Saiyans littered the floor. He rushed through room after room only to have the same grisly discovery in each of the rooms. Suddenly his scouter came to life.
"Turles? This is On-yon! Get your team somewhere safe! Dodoria has lost his mind! He and his men are killing everyone! He wiped out all the Saiyans on base 229 and 230! I can't reach Bardock or any of his team and Frieza hasn't responded since I reported Dodoria an hour ago!" a voice crackled over the scouter.
"This is Turles, We're on base 240! I'll alert my team!" Turles affirmed.
"Hey! It's Zarbon! Maybe Frieza got my...GHHAAAAA!" the sound of a ki-blast and a scream were the last sounds that came from On-yon.
What the hell was going on? Turles raced back to the entrance of base 240 only to discover...
Turles blinked back tears of anger and frustration as he caught sight of his fallen comrades. Nothing was left of his team but scorched bloody bodies. A low moan caught his attention, the Saiyan pulled the bodies aside that had been stacked atop one another. At the bottom of the blood-drenched pile was Katchia! She was not only gravely wounded but her pretty face was horribly burned.
"D-Dodoria blasted me in the f-face! I-I c-can't see..leave me and g-get out of here! They're looking for you!" the half-Saiyan female rasped.
"It's my fault for leaving you and the others behind! We're both getting out of here!" Turles declared.
Turles managed to get the two of them into the pod and above the base's surface when Dodoria's team discovered them and headed off in hot pursuit.
The Saiyan's pilot skills were beyond those of Dodoria's men. He managed to hide the pod behind a small moon as the others flew by.
...
"Without a rejuvenation tank being used in time, Katchia lost her sight. Turles blamed himself and he sought whatever means possible no matter what the price to restore whatever sight could be managed for her. That's why Katchia has the ki device. Turles could buy his ship three times over with that cost of that little invention, " Daiz explained to Gohan.
...
"You know it's my fault that you have a life like this," Turles insisted.
"It wasn't your fault that the damned ice- lizard turned on us!" YOU SAVED MY LIFE! YOU gave me this life of freedom to live," Katchia declared as she waved her hand about her.
"You almost have me convinced," Turles persisted.
"Stubborn Saiyan!" the half-blood female sighed.
...
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