(Individual Lies here. I want to thank everyone for their reviews and support. And for that support your reward...is another chapter! lol I hope to make this a habit. I have already started on chapter twenty and hope to have it posted within the next few days. Keep your eyes open and peeled for that e-mail. And now on to the story!)

Chapter Nineteen: Witness Again
"So much I kept inside
Never sharing, never trying
Every can't becomes
A means to an end
No more will I sit and wait
For my answers in my fate
For now this will have to do
'Cause it's time."
Witness-Tryad

DBZ

Bardock sat with his legs folded beneath him as he watched the lightning dance across the now black sky. A frown pulled his features nearly into a scowl. He wasn't sure how much time had passed—all he knew was that he had been sitting and staring in this same spot for a long time. He knew that he was witnessing the events of the future unfold. He also knew that if he were to go to the source of the lightning he would find his son, Kakarrot, fighting against Frieza.

But what baffled him was why the future had not yet changed. He and Seripa had beat the tar out of Frieza and he was sure that Tettuce had, as well.

"You and your mate have done well, Saiyan. But not well enough to change the future."

Bardock growled. "I was wondering when you would finally say something, Kanassan."

A chuckle. "I cannot answer your questions, Saiyan. You must figure out the future for yourself."

"I didn't say nothin' about answering my questions. Although maybe you can answer why that damned Pool of Life chose me. I ain't done a thing to make my resurrection valid."

"Ha, something we can agree on." The Kanassan laughed, his voice echoing all around the annoyed Saiyan.

Bardock rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his bare chest. "You annoy me, you know that, right? Can you at least tell me whether or not me and Seripa survived our fight with Frieza? I ain't got a clue to what's goin' on outside of these visions."

"That I can answer. Yes, you and your mate both survived the battle. As amazing as it is. I underestimated you Saiyans' resilience. You are a true warrior race."

"Hm. Good to know. How about this? Is it possible for me to control these visions? To pick and choose what I see, rather than seein' the same damn emptiness every damn time?"

"If you learn to control your visions, you will be the first to do so."

Bardock smirked. "I see. Well, I'm damn good at doin' what others can't."

"So I've noticed," the Kanassan responded with a hint of annoyance in his tone and Bardock grinned.

"Touchy, Kanassan. Do you resent me?"

"Not as much as I suppose I should. Even though it is because of you and your team that my race no longer exists."

Bardock's grin faded and he looked down to the ground beneath him. "Trust me, I ain't proud of what we did. If I could change it, I would. We Saiyans are supposed to ruthless and heartless, so I don't know why I feel this way. Frieza manipulated us, but we allowed ourselves to be manipulated. I can blame him, but then I ain't doin' nothin' except makin' excuses for somethin' we did. It makes me wonder, though…What were Saiyans like before Frieza? Were we actually peaceful?"

The Kanassan sighed. "Frieza's family has damaged this universe in countless ways. Maybe the Saiyans were once a peaceful, albeit powerful, race. Despite my resentment towards you, you do not really strike me as an evil man. Cold-hearted at times, but not evil."

Bardock smiled slightly and closed his eyes. "Thanks for that. I promise I'll do what I can to right what I've wronged. The Cold Regime will fall; I stake my life and pride on it."

"Promise what you can, but stake nothing on the fall of the Regime. Open your eyes."

Bardock frowned but opened his eyes. He immediately climbed to his feet and looked around sharply. He was no longer on the plateau viewing the lightning-strewn sky. Instead he was now standing on a path between a long row of short trees, their branches linking together overhead. Sunlight was streaming through the interwoven branches and he could see a beautiful blue sky above. He looked around and then paused when he heard the sound of an infant bawling its lungs out nearby.

"What…where is this?"

"This is Earth. Look ahead."

Bardock glanced around and his eyebrows rose slightly when he saw a short old man with a thick white mustache walking cautiously forward, his eyes cut sharply to the side as he sought for the source of the crying. He stepped off the path and between two trees and immediately paused with an exclamation of "Oh!"

Bardock frowned and moved quickly to where the man had stepped off the path. He paused as he saw what the old man had seen: a white, spherical space pod resting at the bottom of a crater. Beside it was an infant with wildly spiked hair and a brown tail curled up beneath him.

"Kakarrot! Is this a vision of the future?" Bardock asked the Kanassan with confusion in his voice.

"So to speak. I am sure that it won't be long before your son's pod lands on Earth."

"I don't understand. Why am I seeing this?" he asked as the old man stooped and picked the sniffling baby up. Kakarrot suddenly laughed and kicked the old man in his chin, which made the man laugh.

"I do not understand it myself. But it is obviously important."

The Saiyan watched as the man spoke to Kakarrot and his eyes suddenly widened. "Kakarrot is…he's being gentle. Kinda nice. I don't…is this how we should all be? Have we been forcing our children to grow up to be ruthless killers?"

"My name is Gohan and I think I'll call you…Goku! How do you like that?" asked the old man of Kakarrot. The infant laughed and flailed his arms before kicking the man again. "Ow! Feisty ain't ya? And strong to boot!"

"That is a possibility. Your son exhibits no signs of aggression, does he?" asked the Kanassan, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Bardock frowned and folded his arms across his chest. He watched as the old man cradled the infant to his chest and walked back to the path. He continued to watch as he carried his son away. But his frown vanished and his eyes widened when Kakarrot turned to look right at him. He blinked in surprise as the boy waved his hand towards him, which brought a tiny smile to the hard warrior's lips. He continued to watch until they rounded a bend and vanished from sight.

"That baby boy is destined to grow up to be the most powerful warrior in the entire universe, Bardock. You know that he will eventually succeed where countless others have failed. You know that he will become a Super Saiyan. Why do you think that is?"

Bardock shook his head and shrugged. "I don't honestly know. But…that old man, a complete stranger, was kinder to him than I ever was. Maybe…maybe he'll grow up here on Earth with kindness and love in his heart. He'll have experiences here that he wouldn't have had livin' under Frieza's rule…If that's the case…Maybe he'll be the first true Saiyan in too many years."

"That is a possibility." The Kanassan was silent for a moment before speaking again. "Have you noticed anything about your visions, Bardock?"

"I've noticed that you stopped calling me 'Saiyan.' Other than that, what should have I noticed?" Bardock asked with a frown.

The Kanassan chuckled. "If it will make you feel better, I will start calling you that again. What I was referring to, though, was that your visions have not been chaotic. There is order to them now. Are you doing that?"

"I dunno. I know that I wanted them to stop being random flashes of nonsense. Does that mean that I'm startin' to gain control of them?"

"Maybe. I do not know myself. But if you continue to want to control them…Well, at this rate you just may learn to do so. You may learn to see what you want to see, rather than what the visions show you."

Bardock chuckled. "That would be nice. Even this vision is nothin' but nonsense to me. I did enjoy seein' my boy, though," he admitted quietly.

"Did you want to see him?"

Bardock blinked and then frowned as he considered that. He hadn't really been thinking about Kakarrot, but he had been wondering how the boy would become a Legendary Super Saiyan. Maybe that had somehow triggered the vision. Maybe…

"I want to see Raditz. I want to see his future."

"Do you?"

"Yes."

"I see…" The environment around him suddenly began to shift and melt away. Within seconds he was standing on an empty wind-swept plain surrounded by the bodies of insect-like aliens.

Bardock blinked in surprise and looked up at the dark purple sky that was dotted with strange yellow clouds. The sound of maniacal laughter caused him to turn and his eyes widened when he spotted a familiar bald Saiyan standing next to a teenager with a mass of black hair that stretched nearly to the ground. He was the one that was laughing as he held a vainly struggling alien by its throat.

"No…Raditz! Put him down!" he called out before he remembered that the boy couldn't see or hear him. He watched in horror as his son plunged his fist into the alien's chest and then snatched out a black object that must have served as its heart. He closed his eyes against the sight and turned away, his chest heaving as his heart hammered against his ribs. Not so long ago he would not have been bothered by such a gruesome sight. But something had obviously changed in him; a drastic change that left him feeling disgusted with his own son.

But it wasn't his son that he should be disgusted with.

His eyes opened and he was once more on the plateau of that strange alien world, lightning dancing across the sky. A murderous glare twisted his features as he clenched his fists tight by his sides. Frieza was responsible for what he had just seen. That tyrant lizard was going to twist his son to the point of insanity…Make him do unspeakable things that he was going to eventually relish in.

"You're right, Bardock. It is Frieza's doing that so many races become genocidal maniacs," the Kanassan said gently. "The future you saw is what is currently destined for Raditz. And you are running out of time. As we speak he is probably being forced to do things that he does not understand. Things that he questions and is most likely punished for questioning. What will you do with this knowledge?"

Blue sparks of his aura danced around his fists and feet as Bardock turned his murderous glare to the sky, his eyes glinting dangerously. "I'm goin' to fuckin' kill that gods damned lizard. I'm going to tear him limb from limb and grind his body into dust. Then I'm goin' to piss on his remains."

The Kanassan chuckled humorlessly. "While I admire the dedication that is a bit dark."

"Dark? Dark? That damn lizard is wrecking the universe and twisting my son's sanity!" he yelled in anger and frustration at the sky.

"Then you need to rescue your son from his grasp. Before it's too late."

Bardock blinked and looked down, his anger slowly ebbing away. He could do that much easier than tearing Frieza to pieces. It was such an obvious thing to do that he suddenly felt ashamed of his own reaction. Here he vowed to make changes and he had still shown the violence that Frieza had placed within him. He scowled at himself and shook his head.

"Do not feel shame for your anger. You are as justified in feeling that anger as my race is for feeling anger against you. Frieza is committing unspeakable acts of evil and you are angry. Which is good, because you will need that anger if you want to face him down."

The Saiyan sighed and closed his eyes. "I don't want to be that murderer again."

"Wanting to kill Frieza for the things that he has done, for the lives that he has ruined, does not make you a murderer."

"Then what does it make me?" Bardock asked in irritation as he opened his eyes again.

"An avenger."

DBZ

Seripa stood before Amotto's rejuvenation chamber, her brow furrowed as she chewed on her thumb in agitation. She was wearing loose over-sized Jynn-jin clothing: a red and yellow shirt that hung nearly to her knees, over a pair of red and blue pants. She just could not get used to seeing the woman in such a state; her arms and legs floating freely from her torso. She also could barely believe that she had survived Frieza's killing attack.

Berik appeared beside her and she glanced at him briefly before returning her violet gaze to her friend. "In the next day or so I will begin reattaching her limbs. Her torso is healing up quite nicely I see," he remarked as he indicated the long diagonal gash that was beginning to scar up, stretching from her right side up her stomach and ending between her bare breasts, one of which was horribly scarred on the underside. He had had to reattach it once her body had shown signs of healing.

Seripa smiled faintly. "I still can't believe she's alive. I thought for sure she was dead."

"As did I," Berik admitted with a soft chuckle. "But I had also thought you and Bardock were dead, too."

"So did I," Seripa admitted as she turned to look at the scientist. "Again, thank you. We probably would have died if you hadn't come for us."

When Berik found the two of them they had been far down the path towards death. Fending off the two Jynn-jin bastards that had wanted to have their way with her had sapped the very last of her strength. If Berik had not arrived when he did, then she would have died not more than ten minutes later. Bardock, on the other hand, was literally knocking on death's door. The Jynn-jin scientist had hurriedly placed them both into rejuvenation chambers, but he admitted later to Seripa that he initially doubted Bardock's survival.

Now, a little more than two weeks later, he was certain the man would recover. He was still in a rejuvenation chamber but for good reason: all the skin on his back had been burned away down to his muscles and tendons. As soon as Berik had moved him, the blackened flesh had peeled away and he instantly began to bleed to death. The fact that he had survived at all was beyond them both.

"No need to thank me, Seripa," Berik said with a smile. "I am just glad that I made it in time. Now Falmer on the other hand…" he trailed off and turned to the other rejuvenation chamber that she had occupied for a few days. Inside was the white-haired Gylderian, his eyes closed and twitching spasmodically. "There's a man that should thank me." He sighed and shook his head, wearily rubbing at his blood-shot eyes behind his glasses. "He was dead when I found him. By all rights he shouldn't be alive…"

"And neither should I." Berik glanced over his shoulder at Diamond as she joined them, pausing in front of the chamber that held her husband. She bit her lower lip and folded her arms beneath her breasts. "He saw the attack coming…He hugged me to him…And then you were pulling us from the wreckage of his ship. I thought we had both died…" She fell silent and looked down, idly lifting a hand to tuck a lock of her pale blonde hair behind her ears.

Seripa stared at the woman silently for a few minutes before returning her gaze to Amotto. The woman hadn't so much as twitched in the past week and a half since she'd left her chamber. She sighed and then looked over to the Gylderian man. She had to agree with Berik that it was amazing that he was alive. Falmer had had to wait until either her or Bardock left one of the chambers before he could be placed inside. She had healed up quickly (thanks to the few remaining nanites in her body she later found out) and Berik had immediately placed Falmer inside at Diamond's request.

She found out that while they awaited her recovery, Diamond had adamantly demanded that Berik place her husband on life-support. Considering the man was literally dead when the two of them had been found it was a crazy demand. But Berik had relented and monitored him closely in between checking on the two Saiyans and working to keep Amotto alive. Even now it was touch and go with her, but for Falmer…Well, the man was recovering from death quite well. His dull silver skin had grown back rapidly, as well as his hair. It wasn't as long as it had been originally, it now being rather short, but it would eventually reach its former length. All in all it was quite the miracle that he was alive at all.

Seripa hadn't known Falmer, of course. But she had learned quite a bit about him since she'd left recovery. Diamond didn't say much, but when she did it was usually something about her husband. She mostly sat on the floor in front of his chamber looking up at him as she patiently waited for him to heal.

Seripa smiled as she glanced at the silent woman. She was quite a mystery but it was obvious that she was as stubborn as any Saiyan she'd ever known. Her refusal to give up on her mate was more than enough to make Seripa respect her. She was also a hell of a pilot. While Berik worked tirelessly to keep her mate and Amotto alive, she flew the ship. Not that much piloting really had to be done, but she kept the ship on course.

When Seripa had determined that Bardock would be fine she had asked Berik where they were heading. His response had perplexed her until he informed her that they were going to space station Celestine Prime to meet with a Saiyan named Turpin. She had recognized the name but she couldn't put a face to it. When Berik told her that he had been Tettuce's mentor she had found it hard to believe, knowing that Tettuce's mentor had been dead for several decades. But when he was able Berik had explained as much as he could to her about him; that he had faked his death to get away from Frieza and that he was responsible for the death of the Jynn-jin prince known as Jaxom.

She didn't understand why they were going to meet him at first, but again Berik had explained more to her when he was able to. They were going to meet with him because Berik had intercepted a transmission from him to Aurah in which he had stated that when the Saiyans and Gylderians left Jynn-jin 13, they should meet him at Celestine Prime. He was going to help them fight against Frieza and his family.

Seripa knew no more about Turpin than what she had been told, but she wondered if he was powerful enough to help them. Her own power level was much higher than it had been during her fight with Ginyu Junior. She didn't have an exact number to put to it, but she guessed that it was at least twice as high as before. She figured it was a good enough estimate based on just how powerful she felt. She did her best to stay relaxed because anytime she felt even the slightest bit of anger or agitation her power would flare up and threaten to explode. It was a frightening, albeit intoxicating, feeling. But despite her power up, she knew that it was nowhere near enough to stand against Frieza. After seeing first hand just how powerful he truly was, taking her and Bardock both on while they were in Oozaru form, she knew that they both had a long way to go.

But once Amotto was healed and her power was fully regenerated and boosted from recovering from a near-death injury…well, Frieza would be shaking in fear once the three of them stood before him.

She looked over to Bardock as her thoughts drifted to Tettuce.

Tettuce…Berik had filled her in on what had become of the powerful warrior. She sighed and closed her eyes slowly. Tettuce and Zether were dead. They had been the universe's two best hopes for defeating Frieza and his family. But Frieza had killed them both on the same day. She took a quick breath as her anger swelled up; anger towards Frieza, anger towards herself, and anger towards Tettuce. He should have fled the battle when he'd had the chance. But the stubborn ass had kept fighting and was now dead because of it.

But he had also made sure that Aurah and the others escaped safely. Regardless of that fact she still couldn't help the anger she felt towards him. She had respected him highly (despite his brief descent into madness that had nearly left her and Bardock dead) and she hated knowing that he had died at Frieza's hands.

Seripa sighed and opened her eyes. She looked at Bardock resting serenely in the chamber and she smiled slightly. If it hadn't been for her mate then she would have been killed by Frieza. She didn't understand, and probably never would, just how the two of them had survived. But she was grateful to be alive and to have another chance to try and kill Frieza. But she knew now that the road to that end would be longer than she'd originally thought. Tettuce had warned her, but even after meeting someone of his caliber she had still underestimated Frieza's strength and had overestimated her own after the nanites had boosted it. It was a mistake that she had nearly paid for with her life.

But fate seemed to be giving her another chance and she was going to make the best of it that she could.

Berik stepped to Amotto's rejuventation chamber and she looked over at the Jynn-jin. She grimaced as she noticed (not for the first time) how pale he had become and how drawn his features were. The skin beneath his eyes was black with fatigue and his yellow eyes were bloodshot. It was a wonder he hadn't collapsed, yet. But he was obviously much stronger and more determined than she had realized. Now knowing what she did about him she regretted her original thoughts and feelings towards the man. She understood now that he had done what he did to save her and her friends, as well as his own race. Willingly putting his own life on the line he had kept the Gylderians safe and hidden from the Flazerians, and had fought everyday to keep them from executing her, Amotto, Turles, and Broco. The scorn and resentment she previously held for him had been replaced by immense respect and gratitude, something she had never really felt before.

He turned away from the chamber and lifted his glasses to rub his eyes wearily. He took a step and stumbled and Seripa caught his arm. He looked around at her in surprise and she smiled slightly. "I think you've done all you can, Berik. Why don't you get some sleep before you die from exhaustion?"

He opened his mouth, seemingly about to protest, but paused. He closed his mouth and returned the smile. "That is probably a good idea."

"Of course it is. You'll be no good to anyone if you keep pushing yourself this way. I appreciate what you've done so far—"

"Me, too," said Diamond quietly.

"But you're going to kill yourself if you keep on," Seripa continued. She let go of his arm and folded hers across her chest.

Berik nodded and rubbed his eyes again. He cast a quick glance to Falmer's chamber and then to Amotto's. Bardock's he wasn't too worried about—the man would be awakening soon enough anyway. He turned back to her and smiled again. "Okay, you've convinced me. Can you…?" He gestured to the chambers and Seripa laughed quietly.

"I'll do what I can. I've had enough experience with these things to be a pro by now. Go get some rest. I assure you they'll still be here when you wake up."

Berik smiled gratefully and then left the bridge to the two women.

Seripa stared after him for a few moments before turning to look back at Amotto. She couldn't help but grimace at the sight of the poor, brave woman. But the grimace quickly became a smile of pride.

"He's a good man," Diamond whispered. Seripa looked over at her in surprise.

"Who? Falmer?"

"I meant Berik." She lifted her gaze from the floor and looked at Seripa with her luminescent green eyes. "As old as he is…It's amazing the things that he has done for us. Pushing himself the way he has." She smiled slightly, the first smile that Seripa had seen from her. "Not many people would risk their lives for others like that." She turned her gaze to look at Falmer floating inside the chamber, his eyes still twitching spasmodically. "I know that I more or less forced him to save my husband, but…but I knew that my Falmer would pull through. I knew that he wasn't dead, yet. He's a Zetra." Her smile broadened a bit and her eyes shone a little brighter. "And Zetras are the most stubborn of all Gylderians. Many people joke and call them the Saiyans of Planet Gylder…" she trailed off and her smile faltered. "Well, they did anyway…Gylder is gone now. And Falmer is the last male Zetra left alive…"

Seripa stared at her sympathetically. "Vegeta is gone, too. We both belong to endangered races…"

"Sad but true," Diamond said quietly. She fell silent, her smile fading as she continued to stare at her husband.

Seripa watched her for a few seconds before turning her gaze back to Amotto. She stared at her friend for a while before looking over at Bardock. She was ready for him to wake up. She could barely believe just how badly she missed hearing his voice. But she had lived a year thinking he was gone for good. Getting him back, having him in her life again; it was a gift that she refused to take for granted.

As she watched him, thoughts and memories rolling through her mind, his eyes suddenly clenched and then slowly opened.

"Bardock!" she exclaimed in sudden excitement, a grin lighting up her features. Diamond blinked and looked at her and then at him in surprise.

He blinked a few times and looked around in surprise. He looked at her and his eyes squinted as he smiled behind his mask. She moved quickly to the console and began to drain the tank. Once the water was below his chin he removed his mask and grinned at her.

Once the tank was empty of the healing fluid, she opened the hatch and he stepped out, water dripping to the floor. She threw her arms around him in a fierce hug and he returned the gesture.

"Good to see you, too, Seripa." He glanced over at Diamond who offered him a small smile. "And good to see you're alive, Diamond."

"Falmer is, too," she stated simply with a slight gesture to her husband.

Bardock blinked in surprise and glanced into the chamber with wide eyes as Seripa drew away from him. "Well I'll be damned. I was sure that Flazerian bastard had killed the two of you."

"Almost. Falmer saw the attack before it struck the ship. He was nearly dead, but Berik saved him."

"And us, too," said Seripa with her grin still firmly in place.

He looked back to his mate with an arched eyebrow. "Berik? Who's that?"

"He's the same scientist who put those nanites inside me. He found us and put us in rejuvenation chambers. Obviously since you're just now getting out."

"How long have I been healing?" Bardock asked in surprise.

"A little over two weeks now, actually. It was a close call for the both of us. More so for you to be honest." Seripa suddenly frowned and cast him a glare. "You scared the shit outta me, Bardock. Why'd you go and do something as stupid as putting yourself between me and a killing blast?"

Her mate returned the frown and folded his arms across his chest. "You really have to ask that? I felt the power from that attack. I knew what it would have done to you…" he blinked and his frown was replaced with a perplexed look. "Wait a second…how the hell did we survive the blast at all?"

Seripa's frown faded and she shrugged. "I don't know. But I'm glad we did. I've wanted to do this ever since I woke up." She reached up and thumped his forehead. "You dolt!"

He winced and grinned down at her, which she returned. "Dolt or not, we're both alive so I can do this!" He scooped her into his arms and crushed his lips against hers.

Diamond watched the exchange for a moment before turning back to her husband. A smile graced her lips as she stared at him, patiently waiting for him to wake up so they could do the same.

DBZ

Broco ducked quickly beneath Turles' punch and then side-stepped another as quick as he could. But he wasn't quite fast enough as he felt the teenager's fist drive painfully into his gut. He staggered and dropped to his knees clutching his stomach as he gasped for air.

Turles scowled and folded his arms as he stepped away from the older man. "Damn it! This is getting old, Broco. How am I supposed to help you get stronger if a light punch from me drops you to your knees?"

Broco returned the scowl, narrowing his single eye up at the boy. "Well…excuse me for not having the benefits of a magical fruit."

The younger Saiyan rolled his eyes in response and stepped away to lean against the wall of the training room. It wasn't a very big room, maybe twenty feet by twenty feet, but it sufficed for light sparring.

"So sue me. I ate some fruit and got really damn strong. Maybe you should have done the same while you had a chance." Turles smirked as Broco climbed shakily to his feet.

"Sorry," he responded sarcastically. "I didn't know that I'd ever be sparring against you. Had I, then I probably would have eaten one or two pieces."

Turles grinned. "Wanna call it quits for today? 'Cause I'd really like to discuss this theory of yours some more before we rejoin the others."

"Sure, why not?" Broco sighed and rubbed his sore stomach.

"So you really think they're related?"

The older Saiyan shrugged. "The resemblance is too uncanny for them not to be. But what I don't understand is why Aurah never made mention of it herself." He frowned and glanced at Turles.

Turles shrugged as well. "Maybe she was so used to her appearance that when she saw Seripa it just didn't click?"

"Maybe. That's a possibility, but still…" Broco spread his hands and frowned. "Tettuce should have at least noticed, and he never made mention of it."

"Could we be over…uh…over…?" He frowned and grimaced as he tried to remember the word. "Analyzing!" he said quickly, glad to have remembered before Broco could tell him the correct word. "Could we be over-analyzing this?"

"That's another possibility, but I'm telling you that the two of them have to be related somehow. Leta looks nearly identical to Seripa. So much so it's unnerving. It's like looking at a ghost sometimes," he said quietly, his frown fading to a look of sorrow.

Turles looked down to the floor, his arms unfolding and dropping to his sides. "Yeah, it kinda is." He scowled and sighed. "Damn it, I never thought I'd miss the bitch. But I do…And I still can't believe that Bardock was alive that whole damn time. Not that it matters now since he went and got his ass killed by Frieza. But still."

"Yeah, I understand. I can only imagine how Seripa felt when she found out," Broco sighed.

"Bet she wet her panties when she saw him," Turles said with a grin.

Broco gave the teenager a reproaching glare. "You're a pervert, you know that right?"

The boy shrugged, still grinning. "Not like it matters, right? They're both dead anyhow. I can say whatever I want about her, eh?"

"My point is that it's not very respectful," Broco responded, exasperated. "You know, just when I think you've grown up you go and say things like that to prove me wrong."

Turles laughed and clapped Broco on his shoulder. "Seripa was hot and you know it."

"What's that got to do with her wetting her panties when she saw Bardock, though?"

"Nothin'. It's just the thought of her wetting her panties. Whew!" Turles laughed again and Broco scowled at him.

"You've got no respect for the dead, do you?"

"It ain't that I don't have respect, but there's no sense in being sour all the time. They're dead and gone; Tettuce, too, but you really think they'd want us being sad and shit?" Turles tilted his head slightly. "I mean, I don't think they would."

Broco blinked and stared at Turles in surprise. "That's a good point. But that comment…"

"Was a joke." Turles' grin faded and he sighed. "I know it was disrespectful but we gotta laugh now and again. Otherwise we're just gonna go crazy with sadness."

The older Saiyan stared at Turles, once again surprised by just how much the boy had changed. He smiled slightly and nodded. "I suppose you really have grown up. Just…please don't make comments like that again. Especially not about my sister." He turned and walked to the door, which immediately slid open to allow him to exit.

Turles blinked and stared after him. "About Etapa? Why would I do that?" Broco kept walking so he hurried after him. "Wait, what are you talking about? Broco! What did I miss?"

He was still trying to get an answer when they walked onto the bridge, but Broco firmly refused to say anything else. The older Saiyan glanced around the bridge and saw that only a few people were there, including: Etapa, the new pilot Peppa (with Lessbru sitting beside her,) Leta and Surah sitting in the two thrones talking quietly in hushed tones, and Blythe standing beside Sushinae who still sported red eyes from crying. She wasn't crying all day long anymore, but it was still clear that her brothers' deaths (as well as Diamond's) were fresh on her mind.

Broco sighed and glanced at Turles who had finally fell silent. He smirked when he saw the boy looking curiously towards Etapa, who was determinedly keeping her gaze on her console. She was aware of his scrutiny, though, as her cheeks were flushed with red. Broco grinned and walked to the thrones, Leta and Surah looking up and falling silent as he approached.

"Highnesses." He bowed his head as he paused before them.

"Broco," said Leta with a nod of her head. "What can we do for you?"

"I was just curious: are we still going to Celestine Prime?"

Surah nodded and Leta glanced sideways at her. "Yes, we are. Turpin is waiting for us there."

"I see. And how long before we get there?"

Leta turned her violet-eyed gaze back to him, a slight frown creasing her forehead. She glanced over to the pilot seat. "Peppa, how long before we reach Celestine Prime at our current speed?"

The long-haired woman jerked upright from where she'd been huddled close to Lessbru, listening to whatever he had been saying. She looked at the Princess in surprise. "Oh, uh…" She quickly looked down at the console and typed a few quick commands. "Estimated time of arrival is…five weeks." She turned back to Leta. "Barring any unforeseen circumstances, of course."

"I see. Good." The Saiyan princess turned back to Broco. "There's your answer. Anything else?"

Broco smiled slightly and shook his head. "No, that's all I was wondering." He glanced around at Turles to see him standing beside Etapa, who was fidgeting uncomfortably at the proximity. He grinned and looked back to Leta and Surah. They both frowned at his grin and he chuckled quietly. "Sorry, Highnesses."

"Broco, you can refer to us by name," said Surah with a kind smile. "Right, Leta?"

Leta glanced at Surah again and shrugged. "If he wants. I'd prefer that over hearing 'highness' all the time." She wrinkled her nose up in disgust. "Princess or not, I hate that term. I'd much rather be called by my name."

"Me, too," agreed Surah.

Broco bowed his head. "I will keep that in mind." His smile faded slightly and he glanced around quickly, before leaning in a bit and lowering his voice. "How are you two doing?"

They both shared looks of surprise before both looking down slowly. Broco noticed that while they were now two people, they still moved and reacted in much the same way, mirroring one another's movements and expressions almost perfectly.

Leta was the first to look back up at him, sighing as she did. "We are okay. We more or less have to be. Too many people are relying on us to lead them."

"Maybe so, Leta," said Broco, "but you should still allow yourselves to grieve. If you'll excuse my saying so."

She smirked at his comment. "I appreciate that. We both do." Surah nodded her agreement as she lifted her gaze to him. "Nevertheless, we have little choice but to move forward. Tettuce…" She faltered over his name, her stern gaze softening briefly. She sighed and her gaze hardened almost immediately. "He wouldn't want us to forget our duty to our people."

Surah sniffled and dashed away a tear. She smiled at the one-eyed man. "Thank you for the concern, Broco. We will be fine, though. I may be more emotional than my sister here, but we are both stronger than we seem."

Broco smiled. "It never crossed my mind that you weren't. On another note, though. I probably should have mentioned this before, but I could probably take a look at the hyper-drive engines. Maybe see if I can repair them."

Surah blinked in surprise and Leta smiled as she narrowed her eyes. "That would have been nice to know a week ago, you know."

He grinned apologetically. "I had a few other things on my mind. The only thing is, though, that we'll have to come to a dead stop. And I can't guarantee that I can fix them, but I can at least try."

"Trying is better than nothing," Surah said with a grin. "What do you think, Leta?"

"Peppa! Full stop now," said the Saiyan princess with a smile. "Do what you can, Broco. The sooner we get to Celestine Prime, the better."

Peppa didn't question the order and brought the ship to an immediate stop as Broco laughed.

"My thoughts exactly."

"Lady Au-I mean Surah!" Lessbru suddenly spoke up, turning in his seat to regard them, his eyes wide.

The two princesses exchanged glances and looked over at the co-pilot. "What is it?" asked Surah with a slight frown.

"There's an unknown ship approaching us. It has no signature that matches anything in the Ice-jin Empire." He frowned and looked back at the radar. "The best I can tell…Its point of origin is…" His eyes suddenly widened and he turned to look at them again. "Its point of origin is Jynn-jin 13."

Broco blinked at the man in surprise before turning to the princesses. They both were frowning in confusion. He turned back to Lessbru. "Hail them. See if they answer."

"On it." He twisted back around and set to work.

The main viewscreen suddenly flashed and became white. Seconds later a young, pale blonde woman with luminescent green eyes was staring around at them in surprise and confusion.

Surah and Leta both jumped to their feet, exclaiming, "Diamond!" at the same time.

"Lady Surah? Leta?" she asked in surprise.

Sushinae jumped up, having just noticed who the woman on screen was. "Diamond! You're alive!" She grinned, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Oh thank the gods…"

Diamond grinned back. "Falmer is, too. I'm so glad to see you all safe!"

"Falmer's alive?" Sushinae laughed and clasped her hands together, closing her eyes against the tears of joy that threatened to fall.

Leta and Surah exchanged glances, smiling in genuine joy.

Broco stepped forward. "Whose ship are you aboard?"

"Oh, this belongs to a man named Berik. He rescued us. As well as Bardock and Seripa; they're here, too, by the way." She looked over her shoulder before turning back to the screen with a laugh. "Though they're a little busy at the moment."

Turles jerked his head around to stare at Broco in stunned amazement, before looking back to the screen with an elated laugh. Broco looked down and closed his eye with a smile.

"Oh, and a Saiyan woman named Amotto."

His eye opened and he nearly snapped his neck as he looked back up to the screen. "What did you just say?" he demanded as he took an involuntary step forward.

Diamond blinked in surprise as everyone aboard the bridge turned to look at him. "Amotto. A Saiyan woman that Berik is working to keep alive. Her survival is touch and go, but Berik is confident that he can save her."

Broco stared at the screen in open-mouthed amazement as his head started to swim. His legs crumpled beneath him, but he felt weightless as he hit the floor, his vision going black. The last thing he saw before he passed out was Turles, Etapa, Leta and Surah standing over him and regarding him with concern.

But Amotto was alive. That was all that mattered to him.

DBZ