Chapter Sixteen: End of All Hope

"It is the end of all hope
To lose the child, the faith
To end all the innocence
To be someone like me
This is the birth of all hope
To have what I once had
This life unforgiven
It will end with a birth"
Nightwish-End of All Hope

DBZ

Lessbru jerked bolt upright in his chair and immediately leaned closer to his computer monitor, a frown knitting his brows together. He could have sworn he had seen something appear on the radar, but then it was gone. Maybe he was seeing things? No, that couldn't be it. This computer system was the most advanced thing that the Gylderians could supply anyone with, so there was no way there was a glitch. He had surveyed the system thoroughly and found it better than he could have hoped for.

His fingers flew across his console as he entered in several commands and a second later there was something on the radar. He activated the exterior scanners and an image of an ominous-looking ship appeared on his screen. All the blood drained from his cheeks and he turned, pale-faced, to Aurah.

"H-highness…I think you should see this."

Aurah, who had been deep in thought in her throne, lifted her luminescent gaze to the helmsman. "What is it, Lessbru?"

"Uhm," He turned to look at the screen again and then turned back to her. "I think it is Frieza's ship." A hush fell about the cabin and everyone turned their eyes on him.

Aurah flew out of her seat and practically sprinted to the Saiyan's side. Her eyes went wide and she gripped the back of his chair for support. "It is!" she hissed in surprise. It really was Frieza's ship! What was he doing there, though? What brought someone of his stature to a miserable planet like Jynn-jin 13?

She didn't know what to think about it. Did it have something to do with their altercation a year ago? Had his ego been hurt when they had escaped from him, especially after Seripa's jeers? Or was there something else going on here? Frieza was in the heart of Flazerian territory. That alone was more than enough to start an intergalactic war between the Flazerian and Ice-jinn Empires. Could it be that Ryo, Emperor of the Flazerians, was on Jynn-jin 13? Did Frieza know that and seek to destroy the Flazerian leader? He had already destroyed Planet Gylder, all-but wiping out the entire Gylderian Empire. Did he seek to destroy the heart of the Flazerian Empire by killing Ryo?

Or was he here to exact his punishment on Tettuce? That was another major possibility that she could not deny. Frieza had wanted her mate dead for years. It wasn't too difficult to believe that he had traveled all this way just to finish Tettuce once and for all; to end the final true threat of the Saiyans.

Maybe all of this was connected, she suddenly realized. She had been thinking about the reason Frieza had destroyed Planet Vegeta: to kill her father, Lord Vogan, the Patriarch of the Gylderian Empire. By killing him, Frieza had nearly torn the Gylderian Empire apart, but thankfully Aurah had been there to fill her father's shoes. But without her planet, the heart of the Empire, then there was little she could do to be effective now. Despite what she had told Falmer, she knew that the Empire was finished. All the major leaders had been on Planet Gylder and they were now all dead. Now Frieza was here on Jynn-jin 13, where Ryo could also possibly be. Tettuce, herself, and Zether were all here, too.

It was a trap. Frieza had set a trap for them all. Somehow, someway, he had ensnared them, and he was going to wipe out the last of the Gylderian Empire and destroy the Flazerian Empire. Only the Ice-jins would reign supreme from then on. It all made sense!

"Lessbru, track Frieza's battle power right now!" She knew that command was pointless, because she could already feel his power near to where Tettuce and the others were. But the helmsman did as he was told and within seconds there was an image on the screen of a massive Flazerian attacking Frieza all-out. The next instant he was dead from a beam to his head. Lord Ryo H'iojj was dead.

"Gods help us…Lessbru, take the ship down now. Keep us well away from the battlefield, though. They're going to need a ride out of there and they'll need it yesterday!" she snapped as she straightened up.

"Right!" Lessbru set to work and the ship immediately began to rotate in its orbit. A few seconds later the entire bridge was in an uproar as rotating red lights flashed across the walls, an alarm blaring.

"What is going on?" Aurah demanded in confusion.

"We've been locked on! Brace for impact!" Lessbru cried as he threw himself sprawling onto the floor and covered his head.

"Computer!" Aurah cried. "Threat onscreen immediately!" The same instant Frieza's ship appeared on the main viewscreen at the front of the bridge, the ship shuddered violently, throwing her off her feet. The next thing she knew she was glued to the floor as the ship spun wildly around out of control in a freefall towards Jynn-jin 13.

They had shot to kill! They had known they were there! Aurah cursed herself for making a move. Of course they would have anticipated any move she could have made, or perhaps had even been en route to blow their ship out of space anyway. Anything was possible; possible and irrelevant, for they were all doomed.

"Damn it!"

She turned her head slowly, fighting against the g-forces, to see Lessbru struggling to pull himself into his seat. With the ship spinning as violently as it was, she figured that Lessbru had to be fighting against 40gs to reach his console. The ship bucked and suddenly he was flying up and then slamming down violently in his seat, the sound of cracking audible from his back and legs.

Lessbru collapsed violently on the console, his eyes wide and the pupils of his eyes all-but invisible as he gasped in pain. As she watched he narrowed his eyes and clenched his jaw against the pain. He struggled to haul his arm up, his face red with effort, until finally his fingers found the keys of his console and he laboriously began to enter commands.

Aurah watched in awe as the ship's spin began to slow, the g-forces gradually lessening. They continued their descent, but she was slowly able to climb to her feet, struggling against the weight of her own body under these conditions. She looked at the viewscreen, but all that was visible was a pulsating orange and red haze from the friction on the hull.

"Can you stop us, Lessbru?"

The injured man shook his head slowly, gulping as he continued to slowly enter commands. "W-we are g-going to crash, H-highness."

The ship bucked violently staggering Aurah so that she slammed violently down in her throne. Grimacing in pain she looked towards the viewscreen to see the surface of the planet rising rapidly to meet them through dark clouds. She knew that it was unlikely anyone would survive this crash. And even if they did, without a ship they would never escape Frieza's grasp.

The ship suddenly bucked again and everyone on the bridge hit the floor, Aurah flying out of her throne, as the ship's spin suddenly ceased. She pushed herself up and looked toward the viewscreen in surprise to see the red and orange haze beginning to fade. She looked over to where Lessbru lay panting on the floor and then around at the confused faces turned to her.

She climbed back to her feet as Blythe and Etapa lifted Lessbru up. "What's going on?"

"The ship is slowing down, Highness!" cried a female Saiyan as she took Lessbru's place at the helm. Her fingers flew across the console and the viewscreen shifted to show a figure bathed in blue light, his hands embedded firmly in the steel of the hull as he struggled to slow the ship.

"Who is that?" Aurah demanded sharply.

Broco looked to the screen and his single eye went wide as he growled, "It's Turles, that foolish boy!"

"What?" The Matron of Gylder narrowed her eyes and peered intently at the screen. It was still difficult to see through the red and orange haze of the burning hull, compounded by the blazing aura that surrounded the figure. But there was no doubt that it was the teenager fighting to save their lives. "I thought he was in recovery!"

A door at the back of the bridge slid open and Sushinae rushed in right then, her dull silver face flushed with red. She slid across the floor, her feet slipping out from under her and she hit the floor heavily. "Turles...!" She took a deep breath and looked to Aurah. "Turles left recovery!"

Aurah glared at Sushinae. "Is he healed?"

"No! He wasn't in there long enough to fully recover from his wound!" Sushinae gasped out.

Aurah narrowed her eyes and looked back to the screen. The boy was foolish to try something as insane as this, especially with a wound as bad as his. He was foolish, but also brave. A slight smile played at the corners of her lips and she looked to the helm.

"You! Pilot, what is your name?"

The woman turned around to regard Aurah in surprise. She was a tall woman, probably even taller than Tettuce, with long black hair that stretched down to the floor of the bridge and dark blue eyes. "Peppa, Highness!"

"Peppa, with him slowing the ship can you get us back under control?"

"On it!" Peppa turned back to the console and set to work. Almost immediately everyone aboard the ship could feel the difference as their descent slowed drastically.

"Blythe! Take Lessbru to recovery. Etapa, I need a damage assessment now!"

The Gylderian male slung Lessbru unceremoniously over his shoulder and sprinted off the bridge as Etapa returned to her own station to carry out the order. Seconds later she turned to Aurah grimly. "The hull has been breached at the engine room and the hyper-drive engines have been disabled. However," she looked back at her console, "the main engines are still functioning at full capacity."

"Damn it!" She didn't like the fact that the hyper-drive engines were down, especially with them being so far from allied territory. But with the main engines still working then there was a possibility that they could rescue Tettuce and the others.

"Highness!"

Aurah looked over to Peppa. "What is it?"

The taller woman turned to stare at her. "The enemy ship is descending after us. They'll be able to lock on for another shot in a few seconds."

"Hey, where'd Turles go?" Broco suddenly demanded and everyone turned their attention to the screen at the front of the bridge.

DBZ

Turles, his hair whipping madly about, stood bare-chested and barefoot atop the ship as he stared up at the other ship that was rapidly gaining on them. When he left recovery he had barely taken the time to throw on his under-armor for his legs. Clouds flew by as the ship, back under full control of the pilot, raced away from the approaching threat. Sweat poured down his face as he pressed his hand to his abdomen and he grimaced when he felt the tell-tale warm stickiness of blood pouring down his stomach. His wound had reopened from his strenuous exercise in foolishness, but it had needed to be done. No one else had made a move to leave the ship, so he had taken it upon himself to do it.

He partially regretted doing it, now, because he was losing a lot of blood. And with Frieza's ship giving chase he knew that he was about to lose more. But he was, without a doubt, the only person strong enough to fight against the ship. Of course he would have to be quick about it; otherwise he would bleed to death before too long.

The enemy ship was closing in on them, which was fine by him. It meant that he had less chance of missing with an attack, but he was curious as to why their ship was slowing down.

A red beam of energy suddenly lanced toward them and he barely kept his balance as the ship veered sharply to avoid being hit. As the ship was righted, he thrust his hand towards Frieza's ship and fired a blast at it. He grinned as it exploded against the hull, but then cursed when he realized that he'd hit a force-field.

"Gods damn it!" he roared at them as he held his hands up, palms facing one another. "Force-field this, you bastards! Kill Driver!" A gold ring appeared between his hands, crackling with ki. He took quick heavy breaths as it slowly swelled in size; sweat drops were swept from his soaked face. "FIRE!" It rocketed away from him, more than tripling in size as it raced towards the ship. "Take it! I fucking dare you!"

The other ship suddenly rotated out of the way of the blast and Turles cursed at the top of his lungs. "Gods damn that Coma-idiot! If I was at full power I would kill you all!"

"Turles!"

He jerked his attention over his shoulder and glared at Broco as he made his way across the hull to him. "What do you want?"

"You need to get back to recovery right now! You're bleeding all over the damn hull!" He grabbed the teenager's arm, meaning to drag him back inside.

Turles jerked his arm free and turned back to the other ship. "In case you ain't noticed, I'm a little busy."

"Yeah, busy killing yourself! It's not worth it, Turles. We can outrun them!" Broco said angrily. "You don't need to endanger yourself!"

Turles laughed bitterly as another red beam lanced towards them and the ship veered sharply again, barely dodging it. "They'll blow us out of the sky before we outrun them, Broco. No, I think I'm gonna stay right here."

"Gods damn it, Turles! Don't argue! You're going to get yourself killed doing this!"

The teenager cast a silent glance at Broco, his hair whipping into his face. He grinned at the older man and then launched himself from the hull, his blue aura alighting as he shot at the other ship.

"TURLES!"

But the boy ignored him and flew as fast as he could, the distance between him and the other ship closing in the blink of an eye. He angled down and then pulled up sharply towards the bottom of Frieza's ship. He spun around at the last second and slammed his back violently into the bottom of the ship. If he expected anything to happen, it definitely wasn't for nothing to happen. The hit jarred him roughly and pain shot through his stomach and back, his vision going black instantly.

When he came to he was falling through darkness, unsure which way was up and which was down. Quickly shaking his head, he flared his ki and his aura reappeared and then he shot up and out of the clouds, relieved to discover that he'd only been out for an instant as both ships were still visible. They were both rapidly leaving him behind, though, and he was already winded as it was. He wiped his arm across his forehead and poured his remaining ki into flying, and he caught up to the ships within seconds. But by then he was nearly gasping for breath and his head was swimming with fatigue.

He raced under Frieza's ship and spun around so his back was parallel with the ground. Reining his ki in, he matched his pace with the ship and brought both hands up to aim at the belly of the ship. Ki crackled at his palms as he struggled to form an energy blast, and he was so focused on that task that he didn't see the beam of energy that slammed into the back of Tettuce's ship; nor did he see Zarbon suddenly drop out of an open hatch and fly towards him. The explosion from the blast connecting with the ship did catch his attention and he looked sharply towards it, so he never saw Zarbon until after the blue warrior kicked him violently in his bleeding stomach, dropping him out of the sky.

Turles fell through the air, tumbling end over end as he clutched his stomach. Pain coursed through his abdomen, draining every ounce of his strength. He couldn't overcome it, so he fell like a rock towards the distant surface of the planet. As he fell, he struggled to open his eyes and look up; he immediately regretted doing it, too, for flying down after him was Frieza's ship and it was painfully obvious that they were locked onto him. There was no sign of the other ship anywhere.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and steeled himself for what was to come, just as a tree-trunk thick beam of red energy lanced down at him and slammed into his chest; he was at its mercy as it carried him down through the clouds and towards the ground.

DBZ

Berik crouched low behind a pile of rubble, his eyes locked on the hovering tyrant above the battle-ravaged city. He had arrived shortly before the lizard and had seen most of what had happened. When Frieza arrived he had hidden as quickly as he could, just in time to see Amotto be blown to pieces. It was not a pleasant thing to witness.

Strange symbols flashed across the lenses of his glasses and sweat poured down the sides of his face. "530,000…" he whispered breathlessly. "Over half a million…No wonder Ryo died so easily. Frieza is beyond anything anyone has ever dreamed of…"

Reluctantly he tore his gaze from the Ice-jinn and settled it on the crater where Amotto lay still. The symbols faded…but only briefly, before reappearing and his eyes widened in shock.

"She's alive! But how…?" According to the readout he was seeing on his lenses he could tell that she was just barely alive, but the fact that she was living came as a shock. But he could also tell from the readout that she did not have long. Still, for her to be alive…

A thundering boom from overhead drew his gaze skyward and he nearly jumped up to exclaim when he saw a spiraling ship burst from the clouds, plummeting uncontrollably towards the ground.

"NO!" A cry of anguish drew his gaze to Tettuce as the Saiyan took off at full speed to intercept it.

Berik watched in awe as Tettuce shot through the sky, becoming nearly a red blur of motion before he slammed into the ship, and the spinning instantly ceased with a thunderous groaning of steel. But its descent continued. His eyes were wide behind his glasses as the ship continued falling, carrying the Saiyan down towards the ground. It was all he could do to keep from jumping to his feet and crying out.

"Foolish Saiyan!"

He looked over to Frieza to see his attention firmly on Tettuce.

Berik glanced back to the crater and his eyes narrowed slowly as a crazy idea sprang into his mind. "I vowed to repay you Amotto…" Looking back to Frieza he suddenly jumped up and sprinted towards the crater, skidding down the sides to the scattered remains of the Saiyan woman. As he came to her side he was surprised to hear a faint gasp from her and he watched in surprise as her eyes slowly closed.

He quickly removed his belt from his pants and gathered her arms and legs into a bundle, securing them together with the belt, which he then tied about his neck. He glanced back up to Frieza to make sure his attention was still on Tettuce, then he scooped up what remained of Amotto and her torso and took to the air as fast as he could, racing back to his lab at top speed.

He forced himself to keep his eyes forward, even after he heard an explosion from behind him…

DBZ

Seripa could feel new strength building in her muscles. She had assumed that she'd fried the remainder of the nanites, but the tingling that was building up in her arms and legs was a clear indication that they had survived the Spirit Burn and were slowly rebuilding her damaged body. It was an odd sensation, she was quickly realizing, her body noticeably healing before her eyes. Her aching bones and bruised muscles were bothering her less and less and she was beginning to feel faint surges in her ki.

Granted her injuries were far from being healed, she found a faint surge of hope in knowing that she could still possibly continue fighting. Especially with the events that had played out all day. She had discovered that her captors were secretly helping her and her friends, while at the same time using her for experimentation. Meanwhile, the Ginyu Force had arrived along with Tettuce, Bardock, a strange man named Zether, the Flazerian leader Ryo, and finally Frieza himself. She barely could wrap her mind around that fact, especially considering she really hadn't had the time. Not much time had passed since her escape, but it felt like months, maybe even years, had gone by.

The odds had quickly stacked against them as events kept turning out against them. The Gylderian Homeworld had been destroyed and Lord Ryo had been killed with little effort. But Seripa refused to give in or give up. She had learned that in order to survive you could never give up. Continuing the fight was the only option, especially if you were fighting for your life. Giving up was never an option.

She clenched her fists tight as she stared up at Frieza.

Suddenly Tettuce blasted into the sky and her eyes widened as she jerked her attention to him. She quickly saw the helpless ship and she knew that Aurah was aboard that ship; Tettuce had to save her. She could almost feel the force of the impact as he slammed into the hull, ceasing the seemingly unstoppable spinning. Realizing that the ship was still falling, carrying Tettuce with it, she couldn't help herself. She launched herself into the sky and blasted off to help him.

She slammed into the hull beside him and saw as he jerked his head around to stare at her in surprise. She flashed him a grin and gestured back as Bardock appeared on his other side, a tremor running through the ship. Zether appeared beyond Bardock, another tremor running the length of the ship.

Tettuce glanced between the three of them as his muscles trembled with the strain of trying to stop the ship.

Frieza suddenly appeared and grabbed Bardock and Seripa by the backs of their battle-jackets and tore them loose with obvious ease. He spun around and launched them both down into the ground and then turned to Tettuce and Zether. The Saiyan glared at the diminutive terror and then spun around to fire off a massive blast.

Frieza merely grinned and raised both hands, deflecting the blast away and into Zether. It connected and tore him from the hull of the ship to carry him down to the ground. While Tettuce stared on in stunned silence as an explosion absorbed the young man's body, Frieza spun and kicked him away, leaving the ship to the mercy of gravity.

Seripa was pushing herself up when Tettuce launched himself back towards the ship, racing to intercept it before it hit the ground. Her eyes were wide as he vanished beneath the hull, and then there was a deafening roar and dust was scattered high into the sky, shielding the devastation from view.

At the same time, a red beam of energy slammed into the ground beside her, and she jerked her attention at it in surprise as it flashed away, leaving the smoking form of a groaning Turles, blood pouring from a wound in his stomach.

Seripa's mind seemed to grind to a halt as her brain attempted to soak in the information of the day. Okay, so Aurah and Tettuce had possibly just been killed and now Turles was suddenly appearing from the sky, looking the worse for the wear. What else was going to happen today? Was she going to become a Super Saiyan? At this point anything seemed possible.

Bardock dropped down beside her, his chest heaving and sweat pouring down his face. His eyes widened as he stared down at his younger brother in surprise.

"Turles is alive?"

"For now he is," Seripa said as she touched the boy's wound gently. She lifted her hand and stared at the blood that stained her fingertips. "He's lost a lot of blood. Damn good chance he'll die soon if we don't get him to a rejuvenation chamber."

"Then he's screwed." Bardock frowned and glanced to where the ship was just becoming visible as the dust settled; it was sitting lop-sided in a shallow crater. Despite the rate it had hit the ground it still seemed to be in one piece. Maybe landing on Tettuce had actually saved the ship…?

"No. Not yet, he's not." Seripa stood back up, stifling a groan as her bones and muscles pulled painfully. But the pain was diminishing rapidly. She frowned and clenched her fists tight at her sides…she closed her eyes and concentrated on calling up her ki. Her eyes shot open in surprise as she felt it building up all around and within her. She had ki!

Bardock must have realized it, too, because he was looking at her in surprise. "I can feel your power…it's growing! It's nowhere near what it was earlier, but the fact that you have any ki at all is a shock."

"Yeah, I know. A Jynn-jin scientist put some microscopic robots inside me to make me stronger. Two sets; one set was designed to destroy my muscles and the other was designed to repair them. I'm sure that the first set has been destroyed, but the second set is still working a little. If I can stay out of the fight for a little longer, I may be able to recover a good majority of my strength."

"Robots? Are you serious?" A look of concern flashed across Bardock's face as he stared at her in disbelief.

She grinned at him and nodded. "I know it sounds crazy, but it's true. That's the only reason I'm as strong as I am now. This morning I only had a power reading of maybe 8500, maybe a little more. But after the nanites were activated my power sky-rocketed. And earlier when I tried the Spirit Burn at a multiplier of ten, I was hoping to destroy my body in the process…so that maybe the nanites would heal me and I could become even stronger. It was a desperate move and I only did it because I didn't know what else to do."

Bardock blinked at her in silence for a few moments. He finally shook his head and smiled slightly. "I suppose I should believe ya, eh? Weirder things have happened lately."

Seripa laughed quietly. "Some of those weird things have been blessings!" She smiled up at him fondly. She was still trying to understand just how he was alive, but regardless of that fact she was beyond elated to have her mate back.

Bardock turned away from her and locked his gaze on Frieza. "At the moment blessin's do not exist. Frieza's here and we're at his mercy…"

"Not for long," Seripa murmured as she stared up at the dark clouds overhead. She could just make out the faint outline of a full moon shimmering above the cloud bank. She pointed upward and met her mate's gaze. "If even one of us can get a good look at the moon, then maybe we'll have a chance. Frieza is tough, but can he handle us as Oozarus? And even if he can handle one of us, can he handle two or three Oozarus?"

Bardock stared at her in surprise before jerking his head around to stare up into the clouds. If they could somehow break the cloud cover…or maybe even get above it, one of them could transform. Maybe that was how they would do it. Saiyans were capable of becoming up to ten, maybe fifteen, times stronger than their maximum battle power. For most Saiyans, those that were unable to maintain anything more than a primal consciousness in that state, it was used only as a last resort. Only the strongest of the strong, and most keen of mind could really control the transformation. Bardock hated to admit that he never really mastered his control over the state, but it was really the only thing that separated him from people like the Royals. And Seripa, even her cunning mind was unable to control it. She also hadn't really been the strongest of the strong, but…

Bardock looked down at his mate. If this plan was going to work it had to be Seripa to transform first. If he went and he was unable to control the transformation then he was liable to fly off and do Kami knows what in his primal madness.

He never considered himself much of a thinker; he was a Saiyan through and through. His only concern as a Saiyan was fighting. Whether it was fighting to live, fighting to kill, that didn't really matter to him. He had always relied on his strength to get him through situations, even pushing his body past its breaking point just to continue fighting. It was all he knew.

But Seripa had been much weaker than he had been at her age. He never could forget the first time he heard about her. The week of testing and trials to determine where each new cadet would go. From day one he followed her progress, first out of curiosity, then out of pure interest. Here was the weakest cadet sailing through every test thrust at her, overcoming every trial. He couldn't make sense of it at first. Not just from here say or from reading results. He had had to see firsthand what this girl was capable of.

He remembered showing up on the final day of the trials just in time to see the start of Seripa's. It had involved taking down enemies that were stronger than herself in a short amount of time. Bardock hadn't thought it would be possible for her. But the fight had lasted less than a minute when her two opponents rushed her head on. The ki technique she launched at them had blinded the watchers and nearly killed herself and her opponents.

Bardock sometimes wondered if that was the moment he fell for this girl. He had known from that instant that she was going to be on his team, come hell or high water. For a girl of that age to master such a powerful technique…she had to have serious control over her ki, however small it may have been.

Looking at her now he could see how much she had grown. Not only in strength and power, but her resolve as well. He never understood why she had always had such low self-esteem, but she had never regarded herself with any sort of confidence. Sure she was a tough fighter and had endured life or death situations multiple times, but how she carried herself and considered herself had never been solid.

But today he had seen her fight beyond her prior abilities and even attempt a near-suicidal Spirit Burn…and she had done so without flinching. She had the mental resolve now more than ever to pull this off.

"Frieza won't give us much time," he said with a slight smirk.

She grinned back and cracked her knuckles with a wince. "Then we'll do this quick. I'll distract Frieza-"

"No," he interrupted, drawing an arched eyebrow from her. His smirk split into a grin as he said, "I'll take the lizard for now. You get above the clouds and transform. Then come back and go ape-shit on his ass."

Seripa blinked in surprise but she quickly grinned. "I think I can do that."

"Well, what do we have here?"

Bardock and Seripa jerked their heads around to find Frieza standing before them, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Now, I really would have thought that the two of you would have run away while you had the chance. But I see you brought a friend instead," he said as he nodded his chin towards Turles at their feet.

"Spirit Burn! Multiple Thrice!" Bardock was instantly engulfed in blue and he launched himself at Frieza, his fists and feet blurs of motion as he attacked the Ice-jin.

But the tyrant merely danced back out of reach, ducking and dodging the attacks with a grin plastered across his ugly face.

Seripa watched as Bardock drove the lizard away from her and she felt a warm swell of pride for her mate in her chest. Reluctantly she tore her gaze away from them and looked to the sky, summoning her ki to give herself lift. It took more effort than she would have liked, but she had just had the tar torn from her hide. She was lucky to be alive, let alone flying.

As she ascended she looked at the downed ship hoping to see signs of movement. The ship was still wholly intact but as far as she could see all was still. She narrowed her eyes, biting her bottom lip in agitation as she focused her gaze on to the clouds. She focused more of her ki into her flight and she felt her speed increase. The wind blew through her hair and cooled the burning skin of her overexerted body. It felt so good she couldn't help but to close her eyes as she flew into the dark clouds. Moisture gathered in her hair and rivulets of water began to trickle down her face. It was a refreshing feeling.

The next thing she knew she was out in the open and her eyes opened to look around quickly. Almost immediately her searching gaze found the glowing form of the full moon and a fierce grin split her features as she threw her arms out wide.

"Let's see that lizard take on an Oozaru!" She began to laugh as her heart began to pound and her body started convulsing.

DBZ

Bardock's mind was blank of any thought as he continuously attacked Frieza. He knew that none of his punches or kicks were doing any good and he could feel that Frieza's power was much greater than his. He couldn't determine just how massive it was in comparison to his, but he could tell that it was like comparing mountains and rocks. He just knew that his death was more than likely imminent.

"I suppose that I've humiliated you long enough. You haven't even nicked me!" Frieza's tail jerked around and slapped across the Saiyan's face, sending him rolling and tumbling across the ground. The lizard chuckled and vanished, reappearing beyond the Saiyan so that he was rolling toward him, and slammed his foot into the rolling Bardock's side, sending him flying in the other direction. He watched with an evil gleam in his eyes as the Saiyan finally came to a stop and was still.

"I told you that you would all die here. No matter how hard you try, there isn't a single one of you that can fight me. You monkeys are just flies next to me." Frieza blinked and narrowed his eyes as Bardock started to rise.

His body trembling the Saiyan struggled to push himself up. He turned his head to look at Frieza from behind tangles of his mass of hair and he narrowed his hard eyes.

"You underestimate us, Frieza. We Saiyans are more than just monkeys." Bardock winced as he climbed to his feet. He clutched at his side and smirked at the lizard. "We Saiyans are a warrior race descended from legends! You call us flies, but we must be more so for you to want every last one of us dead. I think you're scared of us."

Frieza smiled at Bardock and folded his hands behind his back. "Me? Afraid of you? Why, you can barely stand and I haven't even begun warming up yet. Descended from legends? If the Super Saiyan ever existed, it was a bigger joke than you are today. You are all monkeys and will never be more than just that."

Bardock suddenly grinned and straightened to fold his arms across his chest. "I think the proper term…is Oozaru!" He suddenly shot backward, his eyes jerking straight up to the sky.

Frieza blinked and followed the direction of his gaze…just as a massive fur-covered fist came slamming down on top of him, flattening him into the ground.

Bardock skid to a stop as Seripa's feet hit the ground and she let forth a deafening roar. "HHWWAAOORRGGGHH!" She picked her fist out of the ground and hammered both fists against her chest, still roaring.

Frieza drew himself from the rubble and turned his red-eyed gaze on the monstrous giant ape towering over him. He knew instantly from the ravaged armor that it was the tenacious female, Seripa. Somehow she had become an Oozaru…

He jerked his head around to look for Bardock and found the Saiyan flying towards the clouds. His eyes narrowed as he realized their plan.

"One Oozaru is bad enough. But two? I don't think so!" He shot into the air and away from Seripa, heading straight for Bardock.

He hadn't gone more than thirty feet before a massive hand snatched him out of the air and he was being thrown back to the ground. He slammed like a rock into the shattered concrete and looked up in time to see Seripa's foot come crashing down on top of him.

"FFFFRRRIIIEEEZZZAAAA!" Seripa roared at the top of her lungs as she continuously stamped her foot on the tiny lizard.

"YOU WILL NEVER FORGET THIS MOMENT!" She pulled her foot from the trembling form of Frieza and stooped down to snatch him up. A malicious smile twisted her fierce jaw and narrowed her gleaming red eyes as she held the Ice-jin close to her mouth.

Frieza grimaced as he jerked his arm from where it had been pinned against his side in her grasp. "Nor will you, Saiyan!" He brought his arm down and from his extended index finger a thin purple beam flew towards Seripa's head.

The Saiyan laughed as she jerked her head sideways clear of the beam and she opened her mouth wide as she released the surprised Frieza. A light began to shine from the back of her throat and suddenly a massive white beam of energy slammed into him and blew him down to the ground where he slammed violently into the shattered remains of a street, the blast carrying him backwards and digging a trench in his wake.

Seripa roared again and hammered her fists against her chest, the roar turning into laughter as she leveled her gaze on her handiwork; Frieza was shakily digging himself from the rubble and seething murder as he looked back at her.

"You Saiyans will understand true fear today, I assure you. I will not let this insolence stand!" He drew to his feet and glared at the towering ape that was approaching him.

"FEAR IS SOMETHING I AM ALREADY FAMILIAR WITH. HAVE YOU EVER FELT IT BEFORE? IT'S REALLY A HELL OF A RUSH!" She threw her head back and laughed again as she paused before Frieza, looking more the monstrous compared to the diminutive tyrant.

Frieza grinned as he glared up at Seripa. "I will never know fear for as long as I live. I am Lord Frieza, Emperor of the Northern Galaxy! All under my rule will know fear, but I shall never share that misfortune."

"TIMES CHANGE, LIZARD. I'M ABOUT TO SHOW YOU THE TRUE MEANING OF THE WORD…FEAR!" She turned and looked into the sky just as another massive ape descended through the clouds, his murderous red eyes immediately seeking out Frieza. "TWO OOZARUS! KNOW FEAR!"

"You are too full of yourself, Female," Frieza said with a smirk as he watched Bardock approach menacingly. "I still have yet to use any power. Now I shall and you will know exactly who I am!" His arms shot up and two spheres of purple energy flashed forward, one slamming into Seripa's chest and knocking her back and to the ground with a ground-shaking thud. The second continued on to Bardock; the massive Saiyan must've seen it because his arm flew up and he made to knock it away. The blast exploded against his arm and he roared as he was thrown violently to the ground from the resulting force.

Laughing, Frieza rose into the air. "And bear in mind that I have nowhere near gotten serious with you, yet. Nor do I have the intention to go that far just for a couple of measly Saiyans. I do not care how strong you two think you have become. Know this: It is not, nor will it ever be, enough!"

Seripa drew her massive form up and into a sitting position, one arm draped across a bent knee. She grinned and cocked her head slightly. "IF ITS GETTING SERIOUS YOU WANT, THEN WE WILL OBLIGE."

Frieza frowned down at her. "You will die in ten seconds."

Bardock jumped to his feet, the crushing mass of his body trembling the ground and shaking rubble loose from piled mounds surrounding him. He glared at the Ice-jin for a moment before he suddenly slammed both fists against his chest. He roared as a red light shone from his throat, and then he threw his head around to shoot the massive crimson blast at Frieza.

The lizard's eyes widened as he watched the approaching blast. He could deflect it, but even without a scouter he could tell the blast meant business. He knew he had to be careful. He quickly brought his arm up and prepared to deflect the blast before it could hit him.

Faster than he ever expected Seripa charged him and snatched him out of the air, and then immediately spun to throw him directly into the approaching blast. The explosion lit up the sky and swept the clouds above away, revealing the brightly lit moon of Jynn-jin 13.

Bardock roared and hammered his fists against his chest while Seripa stared at the fading light of the explosion, her red eyes darting to and fro as she watched for any sign of Frieza.

The lizard reappeared looking smudged and filthy, but mostly angry. "You still do not understand! I am Lord Frieza! You are merely Saiyans!"

Bardock roared again and lunged at the tyrant, bringing his fur covered fist crashing down on top of him and driving him into the ground. His foot swept forward and he kicked Frieza flying through the air. He hammered his fists against his chest and then took off after him.

Frieza vanished and then immediately reappeared to drive both of his feet into Bardock's forehead; the resulting shockwave sent scattered debris and rubble flying as the massive Saiyan went crashing to the ground from the blow.

"You will know the wrath of Frieza!" He pointed his index finger down at Bardock and a piercing purple beam lanced down and into his chest.

Bardock roared in pain and anger and was instantly on his feet, backhanding Frieza towards Seripa.

"AND YOU WILL KNOW THE FURY OF THE SAIYANS!" Seripa opened her fanged mouth wide and a blinding white light flashed from the back of her throat to slam into the approaching form of Frieza; it exploded on impact, a massive white sphere of destruction spreading out from the point of connection and instantly vaporizing any and all debris it touched before it completely vanished without warning.

Seripa walked towards the crater that had been left behind and paused at the edge as she looked down at Frieza lying still in the center. Behind her Bardock continued to roar and hammer his fists against his chest.

"YOU'RE FINISHED FRIEZA. YOU CAN'T HANDLE TWO OOZARUS AT ONCE. NOT EVEN YOU ARE THAT STRONG." Seripa grinned, exposing her elongated fangs menacingly. "YOUR BOASTING ENDS TODAY, AND IT ENDS AT THE HANDS OF SAIYANS."

Frieza sat up slowly and frowned up at Seripa. "Nothing ends today, except for the lives of two pesky Saiyans. I have held back long enough. Now it is time I show you two exactly what fighting Lord Frieza is really like."

Bardock suddenly charged forward, rushing past Seripa to swing his massive fist around at Frieza, his mouth wide open in a challenging roar.

Seripa watched on with a grin until Bardock reached Frieza and the tyrant's arms flashed up to catch hold of the onrushing fist, instantly stopping the Oozaru in his tracks and effectively erasing Seripa's grin. Her red eyes were wide as she watched Frieza suddenly twist and turn, jerking the gigantic Bardock from his feet with ease, and sling the massive Saiyan across the city, his massive frame twisting and crashing across the ground violently.

She watched on until her mate vanished into the distance. "SO YOU'RE NOT ALL TALK AFTER ALL."

Frieza turned to regard her evenly. Any trace of his previous amusement was gone as his cold red eyes stared at her. "When you reach Hell, Saiyan, I want you to ponder on this: I spared you from a terror greater than that of hell!" A black and red aura suddenly enveloped his body and he lunged forward to drive his fist into the side of Seripa's head, sending her crashing violently into the ground, splitting it open and caving in the concrete from the force.

Before she even had a chance to sit up, Frieza was grabbing her ankle and slinging her bulk around as he had done Bardock, and she was sailing end over end through the air. She saw a flash of purple and there was a sudden burning and piercing pain in her shoulder.

With a roar of outrage she flared her ki and her massive frame came to an immediate halt. She spun around to level her red eyes on Frieza in an angry glare.

"That anger you feel, Saiyan…the anger that I can see burning from your eyes. That isn't even a percentage of the anger you have caused me! I am furious!" His aura surged violently around his body and the ground gave way slowly beneath his feet in a deepening crater. "No one challenges Lord Frieza! NO ONE!"

"AND NO ONE HUMULIATES THE INVINCIBILE SAIYANS AND GETS AWAY WITH IT, ICE-JIN! YOU WILL DIE!" Seripa suddenly brought both hands up and to her chest, her left hand facing palm up and her right facing palm down. Almost instantly a white light shone from between her hands. Then, with a brilliant blinding flash, Frieza shielding his eyes from the intensity, a sphere of white ki materialized between her palms.

"You think I will let you get off an attack?" Frieza cried as he struggled to focus his blinded eyes on her.

"LIKE YOU HAVE A CHOICE!" She pushed her hands forward, widening her stance at the same time, and the white sphere flashed forward; the ground beneath her feet and behind her splintered, erupting upwards into tiny fragments as the sphere made its way towards the stunned Ice-jin.

Frieza blinked his eyes rapidly and frowned as he narrowed them on the approaching ball. "Oh, you want to play?" His aura surged and he flashed forward, his fist driving forward to slam into the sphere powerfully enough to immediately send it flying back towards Seripa.

Her eyes went wide and she quickly lunged sideways, the ball grazing against her leg and ricocheting to the ground; as she cringed in pain from the burn of the blast, it exploded and she found herself tumbling violently across the ground, blood flying from both nostrils of her split nose and her mouth.

When she finally came to rest she immediately struggled to her feet, staggering first backwards and then forwards briefly as she shook her massive and dazed head. She leveled her red-eyed gaze on Frieza who was smirking and looking slightly amused again. "ICE-JIN! YOU-"

Before the words could completely leave her mouth, a black and red ball of energy flashed forward from his suddenly thrust-forward hands, and it exploded against her chest, sending her crashing back and to the ground.

As the smoke and dust swirled around her dazed form, Frieza suddenly appeared standing on the ravaged chest-plate of her armor. He looked down at her as her chest rose and fell quickly beneath his feet.

"It ends here, Saiyan. The fun and games are over. I've toyed with you long enough!" He raised both hands above his head, his aura reappearing and surging around him like a vortex.

A blue ball of ki suddenly slammed into his chest, exploding with enough force to send him careening from Seripa's chest and crashing to the ground.

Seripa blinked and glanced around wearily to see Bardock walking menacingly forward, a shining, pulsating sphere of ki glowing ever brighter in his right palm.

Frieza stood up and glowered at Bardock. "You will regret that, Saiyan!"

"NOT LIKELY," Bardock growled in cold clarity. "THE FIGHT ENDS NOW!" A brilliant blue aura surged to life and completely engulfed his towering frame. It swirled in an ever-growing tornado of power as the sphere shone brighter and brighter at his side. He suddenly surged forward into a sprinting lunge before immediately springing into the air, the ground exploding underneath the downward surge of his ki.

Frieza watched in stunned surprise as the massive Saiyan dropped down towards him.

Roaring at the top of his lungs, Bardock cried out, "TAKE THIS! MY BURNING SUPER FINAL SPIRIT CANNON!"

Seripa's eyes widened as Bardock thrust his glowing hand down on top of Frieza; the resulting explosion blinded and deafened her, sending her flying backwards in a dark and silent spiral. She crashed down to the ground and her senses returned enough that all she could see was a blinding blue flash and all she could hear was an all-encompassing and never-ending roar. She rolled her massive frame around and behind what had to be the last building still standing and she peered from behind it at the towering cylinder of blue light that engulfed everything around where Bardock and Frieza once stood. She raised a massive arm against the biting wind and briefly closed her eyes; she could hardly believe what she was seeing anyway. The ground beneath her feet was shaking violently from the residual force of the explosion.

The massive wall of light suddenly vanished and her eyes went wide and her mouth fell open as she took in the sight of the massive hole left in the wake of the explosion. It seemed to go on for miles, stretching into the distant and smoky darkness. Arcs of blue lightning lanced back and forth across the emptiness above the crater. She shook her head and glanced around for any sight of Bardock.

"UP HERE."

She looked up sharply to find the hulking frame of her mate hovering above her, his chest heaving with his exhaustion. She smirked and slowly climbed to her feet, barely suppressing a wince from her burned leg. "A BIT OVER-THE-TOP, DON'T YOU THINK? AND WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF SANITY."

Bardock's jowls twisted into a snarling grin. "NOT AT ALL. AND THANK YOU. GETTING THROWN ACROSS A CITY BY A TINY LIZARD IS ENOUGH TO SOBER ANYONE'S MIND."

"YOU DON'T SAY?" Seripa chuckled as he hovered down beside her. "WELL DONE ON KILLING THE LIZARD, BY THE WAY. TAKING THAT AT POINT-BLANK…WHAT IN THE HELL WAS THAT?"

"PLANET-DESTROYING POWER CONCENTRATED ENTIRELY ON ONE PATHETIC ICE-JIN," Bardock said with a chuckle.

"YOU COULD HAVE BLOWN THE PLANET FROM THE SKY, ALL RIGHT," Seripa muttered as she nodded at the dark hole left by Bardock's attack. "HAD YOU ATTEMPTED THAT WHILE YOUR CLARITY WAS GONE, I WOULD HAVE BEEN FORCED TO STOP YOU." She glanced back at him with an arch of one bushy brow.

"THERE WAS NEVER ANY DANGER."

"You're right!"

Seripa and Bardock jerked around to see a shadowed figure hovering beyond the dark plumes of smoke issuing from the crater below.

"There was never any danger at all." The smoke was suddenly swept away and Frieza came into view, his red eyes narrowed dangerously towards them. "For me, that is. For you…now that's another story!" He vanished, but immediately reappeared between them with his hands outstretched, palms facing towards them. His black and red aura surged to life violently and the two giant apes were both blown away.

"You can never beat me! I am Lord Frieza!" He spun around in midair and fired off a massive red blast into the sky before either Seripa or Bardock could move to stop him. It vanished into the merest of twinkles and he turned to look down at them as they climbed to their feet. Seconds later the moon vanished in a blinding explosion.

"And I can solve this little Oozaru problem quite easily," he said with satisfaction as Seripa and Bardock began to shrink in size.

Within moments Seripa was back to normal, standing shakily on her bruised and bloody legs. Her chest heaved and her eyelids drooped with fatigue as she struggled to glare at Frieza. Even without her injuries the transformation alone could reduce her to unconsciousness, but she stood resolute. She refused to pass out or show any signs of weakness before Frieza. Her heart sank, though, when she heard Bardock give a weary huff and then collapse to the ground. He had pushed his body further than it could go and he was feeling the results.

"You can no longer go on. Kneel before me and pledge your allegiance and I may spare you. Having soldiers such as you would be quite a treat," Frieza crowed as he descended to land in front of Seripa.

Without missing a beat, Seripa jerked her arm up and curled all her fingers into a ball, leaving her middle finger extended in defiance as she glared at the Ice-jin. "Saiyans will never kneel at your feet again, Frieza. We've lived under your thumb long enough. I speak for my brothers and sisters when I say that we will die before we serve you again! Your precious Ginyu Force was annihilated by Saiyans! Even if you kill us now, know that there are still survivors and they will never rest until you have been buried, Frieza. You will never stop the Saiyans!"

Frieza's tail lashed forward and wrapped around her throat, then promptly jerked her face violently into the ground. He lifted her up and held her bloodied face level with his own. He smiled humorlessly as she futilely struggled to tear his tail loose. He loosened his hold so she could breathe and he chuckled.

"'Never stop the Saiyans.' Oh, my dear, I think I am perfectly capable of stopping Saiyans. Even if they all came against me I could end all their lives in an instant. Besides, before I am through, there won't be a single monkey left in the universe. I will have finally realized my ancestors' ambition to eradicate the Saiyans completely from the cosmos. The Ice-jins will reign and I, Lord Frieza, will herald a new dawning age for my people!

"You Saiyans are pathetic." He sneered at her and slapped his hand smartly across her cheeks a few times. "And you're also stupid. You know the odds and yet you blindly rush into battle. Though if you somehow survive, you can come back with incredible power you had never known before. Such is the way of your race, but soon you will be extinct."

"Extinction…sucks when you…think about it," Seripa chuckled and winced. She forced a smile and looked into his eyes. "The Ice-jins will face extinction…and we Saiyans will be the ones who carry out the deed. And I…will be there to do the honors for you…myself."

"So sure of yourself. You really think you'll survive this ordeal? You really think you'll survive this day?" Frieza taunted laughingly.

"Prove me wrong!" Seripa seethed. She refused to show any fear. She refused to admit complete defeat just yet...

"Very well." Frieza tossed her into the air with his tail and raised his hand to aim at her. Just as the beam flashed forward, Bardock appeared between her and the blast, wrapping his arms tight around her. The blast engulfed them both and they vanished into the distance as it rapidly carried them away, Bardock's howl of agony echoing into silence.

A distant explosion lit the horizon and Frieza laughed as he turned to glare at the foundered ship. "Lord Frieza reigns!"

DBZ

(Individual Lies here. As the story progresses we draw closer and closer to Seripa and Bardock's destiny. Now how far the destiny goes is up to chance, but they will go for as long as they can. They are fighters, they are Saiyans, and they are parents. But will they survive? Are they already dead..? I hope you have enjoyed my story and I hope you all continue to read and review.)