Chapter Twenty-Eight: Fade to Black

"Things not what they used to be
Missing one inside of me
Deathly lost this can't be real
Can't stand this hell I feel
Emptiness is filling me
To the point of agony
Growing darkness taking dawn
I was me, but now he's gone."
Fade to Black-Metallica

DBZ

Amotto, back in her normal form, stood in silence as twin trails of tears coursed down her cheeks. She stared down at a figure lying on a steel slab covered with a white sheet. The center of it was stained a dark red.

Broco had died, after all. By the time Berik had made it to a rejuvenation chamber, the man had already slipped away. Berik had tried to revive him, but to no avail. By the time Amotto had made it into the ship he had declared Broco gone…

And Amotto had just found out. Berik had apologized profusely but she had merely ignored him. All she could think about was that Broco was gone. Her friend, a man who had saved her life when she was a complete stranger, gone. She closed her eyes and turned her head away.

"Gods no…Broco…" she whispered despairingly. The others had left her alone several minutes before so she could say her final goodbyes in solitude.

But it wasn't really a goodbye when the person she was saying goodbye to didn't actually get to hear it. She opened her eyes and wiped some of her tears away as she looked down at the shrouded figure. She slowly lifted a hand and gently tugged the sheet back to reveal his lifeless face, his lips slightly parted beneath his beard. His single eye was half-lidded, staring lifelessly up at the ceiling.

She grimaced and gently brushed her fingers from his forehead and down over his eye, closing it and hiding his glazed eye so that it seemed that he was only sleeping. She rested both hands on his stomach and stared down at his scarred face.

"A…mo…t-to…I…l-l…"

She closed her eyes tight, a fresh wave of grief overcoming her and causing her eyes to sting with tears. A sob escaped her and she covered her mouth, shaking her head slowly. This was something she didn't want to accept, but was being forced to.

He had tried to tell her something before he passed out. She knew what he had been about to say, but that just caused her even more pain. She could never tell him how she felt.

Her flow of tears was steady as her eyes opened again, and she looked down at his face. She forced a sad, shaky smile. "Broco…" She hiccupped. "I love you, too…" she said in a soft, trembling voice. She stared down at him in silence before bending low and pressing a soft kiss to his cold lips.

She straightened up and took a shaky breath. She tried to remain straight and resolute, but the tears belied her true feelings. After a few seconds she covered her face with both hands. Her sobs came uncontrollably, and she sank to her knees beside the table, her shoulders and body shaking relentlessly…

DBZ

Coola's eyes narrowed and they cut sideways to glare at a blue alien with pink spots and an oblong head as it fidgeted under his gaze. "What did you just say?"

"S-sire…Re-reports a-are…S-sauza and D-doore and N-naize are a-all d-d-d-dead, Sire." He bowed his head, his entire body trembling.

"How is that possible?!" Coola demanded, his voice shaking with barely restrained rage.

"W-we l-l-lost c-c-communic-cations shortly after th-that re-report, S-sire. B-b-but…" the alien gulped and closed his eyes tight, preparing for the worst. "Th-the re-report was…th-that a S-saiyan k-killed them…"

Coola was silent as he glared at the alien. When he spoke again it was in a deadly whisper. "That is absurd. No Saiyan can generate enough power to do that. Not even Tettuce could have stood against all three members of my Armored Squadron."

"S-sire…" The alien opened his eyes and glanced up at him. "Th-that was wh-what the re-report s-stated…"

Coola narrowed his eyes. He stood up from his throne and glared down at the alien in contempt. "You are mistaken. You lie," he hissed dangerously. His tail flashed around and knocked the alien's head from his shoulders; it flew across the bridge and exploded into a bloody and gory mess against the far wall. The body crumbled into a heap at his feet.

Coola glared around the bridge at the other occupants. "Know this! No Saiyan can do what this filth claimed one has done! And never any of you forget that!" he roared in anger.

He suddenly looked towards the pilot. "Plot a course to that gods-forsaken planet that the report originated from. I want to know just what in the hell is going on."

"S-sire! ETA is…" He paused as he calculated the jump through hyper-space. "Three hours!"

Coola narrowed his eyes as he nodded slowly. "Make it less…"

"Sire!"

Coola's ship vibrated slightly as it made the transition in hyper-space.

He seated himself in his throne and gestured to a random soldier. "You there. Dispose of this trash at my feet, and clean that mess off my wall."

The soldier jumped up and dragged the alien from the bridge while Coola glared through the viewscreen at the front of the bridge and into space…

DBZ

The hatch of the tiny ship opened and Seripa jumped out, landing lightly in the red sand of the ugly planet. She looked around with wide eyes at the devastated landscape and the debris from the crashed ship. It was painfully obvious that all hell had broken loose here. She shook her head and looked towards an Imperial Cruiser sitting silently and ominously several hundred yards away. She eyed it warily, but she knew there was no danger. They had already been in contact with Falmer hours ago when the onboard sensors had alerted him and Diamond to their approach.

She frowned as she recalled that conversation. He had given them a quick rundown of what had happened; she could hardly believe that Broco was dead. And that power really had come from Amotto.

She looked down with a sigh, but glanced up almost immediately as Bardock appeared beside her.

He looked down at her somberly and they both started towards the ship. Falmer met them at the hatch, his expression grim.

"I wish I could say that it is good to see you," he sighed. "Too much has happened today, however." He offered a slight smile, though. "I am glad to see you both alive and safe."

Bardock nodded. "Likewise. Where is Amotto?"

He glanced inside the ship and gestured in a seemingly random direction. "She is still in the medical wing. She refuses to leave Broco's side." He looked down. "I believe she feels responsible for his death."

Seripa stared in the direction he indicated then stepped past him and went into the ship. She left Bardock with Falmer and made her way to the medical wing. Within moments she was standing in the doorway looking at Amotto, who was sitting on the floor beside a metal table. A shrouded figure was lying motionless atop it and Amotto was clasping hands with a pale arm, gently stroking the back of the figure's hand.

Seripa grimaced and averted her eyes in embarrassment. She knew the signs clearly. Amotto had loved Broco…

She sighed quietly and lifted her gaze once more, then moved silently into the room. She approached Amotto and knelt down beside her. The other woman glanced at her somberly with blood-shot, puffy eyes. Streaks of salt stained her dusty cheeks.

"Amotto," Seripa began softly. "I—"

Amotto suddenly released Broco's hand and wrapped her arms tight around Seripa, burying her face firmly in her chest. She cried loudly, her sobs shaking her body as fresh tears flowed and soaked Seripa's armor.

Seripa sat frozen for a moment before she slowly wrapped her arms around her friend. She sat down, folding her legs beneath her, and held her friend in her lap, gently rocking her back and forth as she stroked her hair, shushing her softly. "It's okay, Amotto. I'm here. I'm here."

Amotto clung tighter to her and shook her head. "It's my fault, Seripa!" she wailed. "It's m-my f-fault Broco's d-dead!"

Seripa looked up at the motionless arm hanging off the edge of the table and she grimaced at the pale, bluish tint that Broco's arm had taken on. She looked away and said nothing as she continued to stroke her fingers through Amotto's short hair. She knew that no matter what she said her friend would continue to blame herself for Broco's death. Personally Seripa blamed Sauza since it had been he who had fired the killing beam through the man's chest. But that didn't matter to Amotto.

She sighed and closed her eyes as Amotto's rant became incoherent and then dissolved into sobs. She opened her eyes and looked up at the ceiling; she looked past it and into nothingness as she thought of Aurah. She thought of the way she, herself, had felt when she believed Bardock to be dead. Amotto and Broco had not been mated, but it was clear that she had loved him nonetheless.

She thought of what Bardock had said to her about the way Saiyans were meant to be. Amotto was not acting the way Seripa had grown up knowing Saiyans to act in the wake of the death of a loved one. She remembered countless instances where a man or a woman would just shrug it off and go about their business. But Amotto was showing grief. Seripa had felt grief. Aurah had shown grief. Granted she had only been half Saiyan, but that was beside the point.

Seripa sighed again and glanced down at Amotto. She was still sobbing, but her sobs had quieted down. Seripa continued to stroke her friend's hair and pressed a soft, caring kiss to her forehead. It mildly surprised her that she would do such a thing…

Amotto looked up at her. "It should have been me," she whispered. "He saved my life. That attack was meant for me!" She closed her eyes and her hold on Seripa tightened.

Seripa winced and looked down at her friend in surprise. She had gotten incredibly strong since she healed up. She had actually caused her a bit of pain with that tight hug. A sad smile appeared on her face. She wished she could say or do something that would make Amotto feel better, but she knew it would have been pointless. Amotto wanted and needed to grieve. She wasn't going to deny her that.

DBZ

"So where's Zether?" Bardock asked as he and Falmer walked onto the bridge of the Imperial Cruiser.

Falmer glanced sideways at the Saiyan and smiled. "You do not have to worry about him for the time being. He is in recovery. He took a rather significant beating from…" he trailed off and glanced away, suddenly embarrassed. He sighed. "Well, from me." He looked at Bardock to see the man giving him a puzzled look, which made Falmer grin then laugh. "It is a long story, Bardock."

Bardock snorted. "Not as long as you'd think." A look of confusion came across Falmer's features and Bardock smirked. "I could sense your power. I knew you'd gotten strong."

Falmer grinned, his eyes lighting up in delight. "So you have been practicing with the skill!"

"Yeah, somewhat. Seripa, though," he grimaced and scowled. "She's already gotten the hang of it. Took me months and her only a few days."

Falmer chuckled. "Does that bother you?"

The Saiyan shrugged. "Eh, not really. She has a knack for picking up on things."

"So I have heard. Diamond and Berik filled me in on what happened back on Jynn-jin 13. You and your mate are incredible warriors."

Bardock gave a slight smile. "Yeah. But Seripa is the best. The student has surpassed the teacher." He spread his senses out and glanced in the direction of Seripa and Amotto. He frowned. "Tell me about Amotto. What happened here?"

Falmer gave a weary sigh and ran a hand over his face. He sighed again before looking at Bardock. "The short of it is that Amotto transformed into what your people refer to as a Super Saiyan. It is quite possibly the most incredible thing that I have ever born witness to. The power she was generating…" he trailed off and shook his head. "I cannot compare anything to it. I recall the power I had while I was The Beast, and the power Zether had as the Kin Slayer. Neither of those can hold a flickering flame to the power that she had. I honestly believe that she has what it takes to defeat Frieza once and for all."

Bardock nodded absently. He smirked as he returned his gaze to Falmer. "I'm impressed. And more than a little jealous. I felt her power light-years away. The legends of the Super Saiyan don't compare to the reality of it."

"Unless one has actually experienced it first hand, I can see how it would seem far-fetched. I can hardly believe it myself and I was here!" He laughed wearily. "I recall when I first met her…" He paused and frowned. He sighed and shook his head slowly. "It seems so long ago, and yet it has barely been a month. Her power was nothing compared to what I was used to." He turned his gaze in her direction. "And now she is perhaps the most powerful being in the entire universe. I am anxious to pit her against the Colds."

Bardock nodded his agreement. "I bet you never thought you'd live to see the day that you could say a Saiyan was the most powerful being in the universe." He grinned slyly as Falmer grinned back at him.

"Honestly? No, I never did," he said with a laugh.

"Screw you, too."

Falmer laughed again.

DBZ

Turles was sitting on the edge of his bed, his head hanging in shame, when he heard a knock at his door. He lifted his head and cut his eyes towards the door, narrowing his eyes. He didn't want company right now. Who the hell could it be…?

He sighed and stood up. He knew he'd deserved it. Bardock was right: he shouldn't be having such dark thoughts anymore. There were more important things going on than one's own power gain. True he wanted to be powerful enough to fight Frieza, but while he had let his thoughts slip into a dark place, the truth was that he didn't really want to start down that path again. He had come such a long way from that ingrate he had been. Why would he give in to things he had not considered since his dark days in that cell on Jynn-jin 13?

He moved to the door and opened it. He arched an eyebrow at Etapa standing there with her hands clasped together behind her back. She offered him a sheepish smile.

"May I come in?" she asked quietly.

He looked away and shrugged. But he stepped back out of the way and let her by. He closed the door behind her and walked back to his bed, sitting down heavily.

"What do you want?" he asked a little more bluntly than he intended. He cringed and lifted a hand to scratch his neck in embarrassment as he avoided her searching gaze.

Etapa stared at him in silence, a soft look in her purple eyes. She smiled softly. "Were you really planning on killing us?" There was no hint of fear in her voice. Only curiosity.

Turles frowned as he looked up at her. She didn't sound the least bit bothered by his intentions. He looked down in shame and shrugged.

"I…guess?" He sighed. What a pathetic answer.

"I see." She stepped towards him and knelt down in front of him. She touched his cheek with one hand and gently turned his head so he was looking down at her in surprise. She smiled again. "I don't believe you for a second."

He blinked and frowned again. "Why not? I already tried to kill everyone once," he mumbled as he cut his eyes to the side, looking away. Her hand kept him from turning his head away.

"Look at me," she said softly.

Reluctantly he turned his dark eyes to meet her purple ones.

Her smile brightened a bit. "You're a good guy, Turles. Whether you believe it or not. I can see it in your eyes. I can see the hurt and shame you feel for yourself. You had a moment of weakness that you almost succumbed to. But you didn't. You overcame it."

"No, I didn't," he said firmly. "My brother saw it and prevented it. I fully intended to kill everyone on this ship."

Etapa shook her head, that bright smile still in place. "I don't believe it. I never will."

He stared at her for a moment before frowning. "Why?" He couldn't stop himself from asking. How could anyone so adamantly deny the truth like that? He had fully intended to kill every one of them. His brother had even seen it happen in a vision. So…how? He just could not understand that.

Her smile split into a sly grin. "You almost died to save people you hardly knew. To save people you had previously tried to kill. If you really wanted us dead you would have allowed us to be killed, instead of risking your life the way you did. So face it, Turles: You ARE a good guy."

Turles found himself mesmerized by her eyes. He was unable to tear his gaze from hers. He stared into her eyes as he pondered her words, a slight frown creasing his brow. He forced his eyes to turn away, thinking over what she had said. He didn't feel like a good guy, despite what she claimed. It was a fact that he had tried once already to kill them. It was a fact that he had almost succeeded several times. It was a fact that he did not succeed thanks to Seripa and then thanks to Tettuce. It was a fact that he had been considering trying again, and had intended to until Bardock had made his timely call.

But even though Bardock had contacted him he still could have gone through with his actions. There was no one onboard this ship strong enough to stop him. He could still do it. But what was stopping him now? Was it the threat of Bardock and the others coming after him? By the time they reached him, he could have already made it to Entide and grown too powerful for them to do anything about it.

So what was really stopping him?

His frown deepened and he looked at her again. His frown immediately vanished and his eyes went wide as he saw that her face was closer to his, her eyes half-lidded. He blinked and found himself unable to stop as he leaned towards her, closing what little distance there was between them.

Her lips crushed against his and she was suddenly yanking his armor over his head as she pushed him onto his back.

His last clear thought before desire and ecstasy took him over was that maybe it didn't matter what he thought about himself. Etapa saw some good in him.

And suddenly that was all that mattered to him…

DBZ

Turpin reclined in his seat aboard the bridge of the tiny ship, his clubbed hand rubbing absently against the side of his bearded face. He yawned wide, exposing what few teeth he had remaining in his head. He was trying to catch a nap while he could.

Beside him in the pilot's seat, Seluri sat back in her chair staring at him in bemusement. She scowled. "How in the hell can you sleep at a time like this?"

His single eye opened and he looked at her. "Wha' ya mean?"

She folded her arms across her chest with a huff. "You know very well what I mean, Turpin. There is a Super Saiyan in the other ship and you have no interest in finding out how she attained that state?"

He grinned and shook his bald head. "No' re'lly, no."

"And why, pray tell, not?" she demanded.

"Ah know da s'cr't t' da tr'nsf'rma-shun."

Her eyes went wide and she leaned over to grasp his beard in anger. She jerked his head around to look at her and she glared at him. "And you are just now mentioning this?!"

He laughed and freed his beard from her grasp. "Didn' thin' it wuz dat imp'rtan' jus' ye'."

She growled. "You are an idiot, Turpin." She glared at his grinning face in silence for a few minutes, then sighed and lifted her hands to rub her temples. "Were you planning on telling us? And how, exactly, do you know the secret?"

Turpin's expression suddenly became solemn. He straightened his seat and folded his good hand over his club as he stared at the floor. "Un-like you, I was a-ble to com-plete my Cle-ric train-ing." He spoke slowly, carefully enunciating every syllable. The words still sounded harsh in his accent, though.

Seluri blinked at him. He very rarely enunciated, and usually when he was making jokes about his lack of enunciation.

He sighed. "Ah 'ave da tr'nin' scrolls m'm'rized. Ev'ry w'rd o' ev'ry scroll. Ah've kn'wn da s'cr't f'r d'cades."

Seluri frowned and tilted her head slightly. "Then why have you not become a Super Saiyan?"

He glanced at her with a grim smile. "Ah 'ave." He heaved a sigh and straightened up in his chair. "Da pr'bl'm ah 'ave, though 's dat ah'm t' olt'. Ah 'ave a' leas' tw'n'y years on ya."

"When did you transform?"

"Hm…'bou' ten years 'go. Bu' I can' hol' da form f'r lon'. Mebe ten m'nutes a' da mos'. Me b'dy's t' fra-gile. Ah've been m'ess'd up t' m'ch." He shrugged. "Ah can' b' da one t' figh' Frieza. Ah may b' able t' figh' for a l'il while, bu' no' lon' 'nuff t' kill 'im. Fact is, ah'm no' as stron' as ah use' t' be. Me p'wa de-crea-ses e'vry day. Trut' is…ah was bl'ffin' to Ka'bijj. Ah can' figh' 'im. 'Is b'dy's less rav-aged den mine."

Seluri's eyes widened and she leaned forward to grab his shoulder desperately. "Wait a second! Ka'bijj is older than you!"

Turpin nodded grimly.

She stared at him in silent fear before slumping back into her chair. "So…he knows the secret, too…"

Turpin nodded again.

"Do you…think he is a Super Saiyan, then?"

Turpin looked up at her…and nodded grimly. "Yes…'E's mos' lik'ly a Supa Saiyan."

"Gods help us…"

DBZ

"Sire!"

Frieza opened his eyes and turned his red eyes coldly upon a soldier seated at a console.

"What?" he demanded quietly and coldly.

The soldier cringed and looked at the tyrant with obvious trepidation. "S-sire…I h-have located Aurah's ship."

Frieza's eyes widened ever so slightly. "Oh..? How did you do that?"

"Th-the beacon th-that the mole has. It j-just reactivated."

The lizard's eyes narrowed and a sinister grin spread his lips wide to show his gleaming teeth. "That is good. Pilot!" he suddenly barked, turning his gaze to another soldier.

The pilot spun around to regard his lord, doing his best to contain his fear. "O-on it, Sire. P-plotting a c-course n-now."

Frieza's grin remained in place as he nodded. He glanced around until he saw Dodoria. "Dodoria. Go and retrieve Zarbon for me."

The pink monster bowed. "Yes, Sire." He turned and hurried off.

The evil tyrant leaned back in his throne, his grin still firmly in place as he sighed in satisfaction. Finally something was going his way. He would finish off these pests once and for all. The few remaining Saiyans would die; as well as the few remaining Gylderians. The ones known as Zether and Falmer wouldn't be causing him any issues since they'd been taken care of back on Jynn-jin 13. And with Tettuce, Bardock, and Seripa out of the picture there was no one left that could even try to challenge him. And The Priest was taking care of Turpin…

Things really were going his way.

DBZ

Dodoria cast an idle glance to his quarters across the hall as he raised his massive fist to knock on Zarbon's door, but froze when he heard voices from within the Aotian's quarters. He frowned and pressed his ear to the door.

"-is a message to all the members of the Galactic Band. We need to focus on causing a galaxy-wide ruckus. There is a future for us—"

Dodoria jerked back, his eyes wide as he stared at the door in disbelief. Zarbon was a member of that pesky resistance force! He quickly pressed his ear to the door again.

"—form of two Saiyans named Bardock and Seripa." Dodoria covered his mouth with his hand to stifle an exclamation. The two Saiyans were still alive! It wasn't possible!

"This has been a long and arduous battle. Fighting the Cold Empire has been taxing. Before today we never could risk open warfare, but that is exactly what I am suggesting we do now. Frieza cannot find out about Bardock and Seripa. He cannot get to them before they are strong enough to stand against him and take him down. I propose—"

Dodoria had heard enough. He opened the door and Zarbon jerked around in his chair, slamming the screen shut on his portable transmission device.

The fat pink soldier glared at Zarbon in disgust. "You would betray Lord Frieza?" he demanded angrily.

Zarbon narrowed his eyes as he stood up slowly. He glanced over Dodoria's shoulder as the door slid to a close behind him. His eyes cut back to the pink warrior and he offered a cold smile. "I never did like you…"

Dodoria suddenly blinked. He looked over his shoulder and then back at Zarbon with wide eyes. He'd briefly forgotten just how strong the Aotian was.

Zarbon lunged forward, swinging his fist around to strike Dodoria in his cheek.

Dodoria blocked the punch and lunged forward to knee Zarbon in his stomach, but he brought his own knee up to block the blow. They glared at each other for a moment, Dodoria's eyes, arms, and legs twitching with the strain.

"The answer, Dodoria, is yes…" Zarbon smiled and blurred backwards, causing Dodoria to stumble forward.

Before Dodoria could recover his footing, he lunged forward again as the pink beast straightened up and slammed his fist full force into his throat, sending him flying back into and through the door, and out into the hallway. He exploded through the far wall and landed in a heap on his own bed; his scouter clattered to the floor, the lens cracking on impact.

Zarbon stepped through the hold and into Dodoria's quarters, just as the sound of approaching footsteps reached his ears. He looked down in contempt at Dodoria as his massive body twitched, and gurgling noises issues from his devastated throat.

"You get only what you deserve, traitor!" Zarbon spat just as several soldiers appeared behind him.

Dodoria turned his blood-shot eyes on Zarbon, a stricken look coming over his features. He tried to speak, but only gurgled. He had to resign himself to glaring daggers at the Aotian before he gave a final spasm and was still, his eyes rolling into the back of his head.

One of the soldiers, a blonde humanoid with red skin, turned to Zarbon. "Sir? What did you mean by traitor?"

Zarbon cast a glare at the alien. "This scum was planning to betray Lord Frieza!" he spat angrily. "I've been on to him for weeks now, but just finally confirmed it. I confronted him and he attacked me! I had no choice but to kill him. Frieza will not be happy about this."

"Oh, you are too right."

Zarbon spun around to see the tyrant standing behind the three soldiers, smiling rather pleasantly with his hands behind his back.

Zarbon blinked as the soldiers backed away. Frieza's eyes suddenly narrowed and he brought one hand forward. Resting in the palm of his hand was a scouter.

"While Dodoria was not the smartest of creatures, he did have enough foresight to activate his scouter." Frieza's smile vanished. "I heard everything, Zarbon."

The Aotian stood straight and glared down at Frieza. "I doubt you heard everything…"

"I heard enough." He dropped the scouter and pointed an index finger at Zarbon's throat. "Enough to know that you are the traitor." A purple beam flashed from the tip of his finger and through Zarbon's throat…

As he collapsed, the Aotian took solace in the fact that Frieza knew nothing about Bardock and Seripa…

DBZ

Blythe winced as he shifted on the metal slab that was supposed to be his bed. He held up a shaky hand and stared at a tiny box in his palm. He smiled coldly as he closed his fingers around it.

He laughed aloud. Soon Frieza would catch up to this ship. Soon Turles would pay for the damage he had caused the Gylderian. Soon everyone would be dead.

And Blythe couldn't have been happier.

DBZ

(I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! And yes, I trolled you all again with Broco's death. As with Tettuce, he will be missed greatly. RIP Broco. Also, this is a shameless self-bump on behalf of my band, Dawn's Apocalypse. We just started up a Youtube Channel and we have one video posted up so far. There will be more to come eventually. But go and check it out, give the song a listen. It's an original called Strange Noises and was written by my buddy, Blake. We're experimenting right now with some things, so the vocals might throw you off initially. But give us a listen and leave some comments if you'd like: DawnsApocalypseband is the channel. Oh! And try and guess which one is me in the video. *EDIT* Here is the link to our video. watch?v=A-Gaqv4yKZQ Lol As always, thanks for reading and reviews are appreciated. Until next chapter—which is coming shortly—Individual Lies out.)