Dragonball: Insurgent

Catch-22

"While they (the pontificating teachers and politicos) continued to write and talk, we saw the wounded and dying. While they taught that duty to one's country is the greatest thing, we already knew that death throes were stronger."

- All Quiet on the Western Front

All around her, Leeck can hear the sounds of battle. Her comrades had been able to push into the Tuffle city, no doubt that Vegeta was making quick work of any resistance with his band of warrior elites. Their uprising against the Tuffles has defined the last ten years of her life, any life before the fighting seems like a distant memory. Every day was filed with blood and death, with every waking moment leaving her one step away from death. The Saiyan woman loves every second of it. Soon they would wipe the Tuffles off the face of the universe, it was their destiny as a warrior people.

Suddenly four Tuffle guerilla fights pop out of some rubble, firing at her with their weapons. She leaps high into the air, crashing down on one of the men. A euphoric sensation comes over her as she hears his spine crack beneath her heel. The other three do not stand a chance. They wildly fire their weapons, barely grazing Leeck as she takes them down one by one. When the last Tuffle begs for mercy, Leeck grants it by breaking his neck quickly.

"Fools," She says to herself as she continues along her path, "They are too weak for this world."

After ten minutes of running, she finally reaches her destination. The small stone dwelling that some of the Saiyans were using as a base. She brushes past several of her comrades, ignoring their greetings or information they are spouting. Her eyes are focused on a large man. He is tall, even by Saiyan standards, easily over seven feet in height. His brown hair is long and wild, coming down just below his neck. The gigantic Saiyan gives off an aura to reflect his awesome power, fitting considering his parentage.

Despite all of this, Leeck boldly approaches him. His eye slight up when he sees her, but quickly turn to a worried expression.

"Olve!" Leeck yells at the large Saiyan, placing her hand on her belly.

Raditz violently throws the younger Saiyan against a tree, his hands tightening over the boy's throat further. It has to be a sort of cruel trick, Raditz thinks to himself as the boy struggles fruitlessly against his grip. A meteor had destroyed their home world over twenty years ago, only a fraction of the Saiyan race had been able to survive. Yet, here on this backwater planet in the middle of nowhere there is evidence of another survivor right in front of him. The boy does have all of the traits that would identify him as a Saiyan, most notably in his monkey like tail. The child is naked, save a bandolier filled with a few strange plants and a pouch of stones. His skin had been turned bronze by exposure to the elements, and his figure reflects the slight build of a survivor, not a warrior. His chest is marked by thousands of scratches and bruises. There is a blackened patch on his arm, which Raditz assumes to be a result of the boy having an unfortunate encounter with one of the acid filled plants he had only just avoided. On the boy's back leg are teeth marks, and judging by the three rows of teeth impression in the skin a vicious one at that. Most striking of all though is the child's tail itself. It seems bent at an odd angle as though it had not grown properly. Patches of hair are missing too.

Carelessly dropping the child to the ground, Raditz crosses his arms as he tries to think of what to do. While the child had attempted to kill him, the simple fact of the matter is that the Saiyans are too few in number. Though the child is but a fraction of Raditz's strength that could be changed. Images of him training the child to join his kinsmen in conquest flood the warrior's mind. The more Raditz thinks about it, the more excited he becomes. When he had suggested that he find his brother to Prince Vegeta, the former monarch had eagerly accepted the idea. All three of the Saiyans were eager to move onto more valuable worlds to conquer, planets that were beyond the ability of even the three of them to capture without a full moon. Four Saiyans would have improved their prospects; five Saiyans would make them invincible. Raditz smiles as he imagines what sort of reward he will receive for bolstering their forces by two warriors.

Besides, it's an open secret that the Prince wants to overthrow Lord Frieza, Raditz thinks, recalling all of the times the Prince had told him and Nappa of his plans to replace the Cold family as the undisputed rulers of the universe. This boy isn't much, but then again neither was I at his age.

Making up his mind, Raditz grabs the boy by the tail and drags him towards his attack ball.

Turning on his scouter, Raditz sends out a communication request to the prince and Nappa. The child lets out a yell as he is thrown against Raditz's ship. As he waits for his call to connect to his comrades light-years away, the elder Saiyan keeps the boy pinned to the ship with his boot. Raditz smiles as the boy struggles against him, doing everything from punching his leg to biting and clawing at the air like a crazed beast. Sighing, Raditz charges a small ball of energy and aims it at the boy.

"Shut up!" Raditz snaps, bathing them in purple light, "If you continue to pester me I will kill you."

The threat has it desired effect, and the younger Saiyan falls silent. Raditz simply sneers at the child's hate fueled gaze. He can feel the boy's anger as though it were his own. It does not surprise Raditz; there has never been a Saiyan living or dead who's accepted defeat gracefully.

"This had better be important Raditz," Nappa's voice says into his ear. Soon a small image of the hulking elite Saiyan appears on his scouter, "Have you retrieved Kakarot or not. Don't tell me that your baby brother is stronger than you as too, weakling."

"Don't talk down to me," Raditz responds, accidently pushing harder into the boy's chest then he had intended in his anger, "You baboon."

"What did you say?" Nappa asks, his tone bordering on homicidal, "Remember who you're talking to."

Catching himself, Raditz adopts a submissive tone, "My apologies, Nappa. I simply thought that you and the prince would like to see what I picked up on a little detour."

He turns his head and shows Nappa the young boy. As if sensing the powers that now have their eyes on him, the boy struggles harder against Raditz's heel. There is a moment of silence from the elite's end, broken only by some talking in the background. In a moment the prince's face appears. Raditz involuntarily trembles when the Prince does appear on his scouter. For all his boasting and arrogance, it is not lost on Raditz that Prince Vegeta is still open of the most powerful beings in the entire universe. The look on the Prince's face reminds Raditz of a jewel appraiser, no doubt Vegeta is assessing the value of Raditz's find.

"What's his power level?" Prince Vegeta asks as the boy begins thrashing about violently against Raditz's hold on him the Prince laughs, "I'm guessing far lower than even yours."

"When I scanned him earlier my scouter said that he has a power of 209," Raditz tells his Prince. He lifts his heel, giving the boy a chance to sprint away. It is pointless however, as Raditz simply out speeds his captive and grabs his tail. The younger Saiyan goes limp, "And yes, it is safe to say that he is much weaker than any of us."

"He's even weaker than a Saibaman, what good is he?" Nappa yells in the background, "I say you leave the trash where you found him."

"A saibaman can't think," Vegeta reminds his comrade, "A Saiyan is far more valuable than any mindless beast. Though I am inclined to agree, what use is such a weak warrior?"

"Given time, he might be able to achieve a respectable level of power," Raditz tells the Prince, "Besides, my Prince, with so few of us left we cannot pass up on this opportunity."

Prince Vegeta falls silent for a moment, looking between Raditz and the boy. Finally the Prince speaks, "I wish to speak with the child."

Without question, Raditz squats down so that he is eye level with the boy. Docile now that his tail is in Raditz's grasp, the child submits and can only attempt to maintain his angry expression. Raditz switches the camera on his scouter to allow the younger Saiyan to look into the eyes of his rightful ruler. The boy does little to resist, though he does still manage to feebly open and close his hands.

"What do you call yourself boy?" Vegeta asks the child, "Unless you are unable to speak."

The boy spits at Vegeta's image, receiving a swift smack from Raditz in return. While the Saiyan prince is laughing, Raditz notices that the boy reaches for his bandolier. With a crunching sound, the boy smashes all of his gourds in a single motion. The foul smelling orange cloud rises up around them, and Raditz can feel his eyes burning as he tries not to breath in the foul smelling odor. With Vegeta shouting orders and the fog obscuring his vision, Raditz temporarily lets go of the boy's tail. He falls backwards as the boy rears up and hits him with all of his might. While the attack does no damage, it gives the naked Saiyan a chance to get out of Raditz's grasp. In response Raditz flies quickly into the air, catching sight of the boy as he tries to flee into the jungle. With a simple volley of energy, Raditz sets the boy's forested path ablaze.

As the child recoils from the flames, Raditz flies down, grabbing him by the tail and pulling him into the air. They continue to ascend until they are at the limits of the planet's atmosphere. Grabbing his bandolier, Raditz brings the child's face close to his own,

"You're starting to irritate me child," Raditz tells the boy over Vegeta's laughing, "I advise you answer the Prince's question before we test just how tough you really are."

"No by all means continue," Prince Vegeta over Nappa's own howls of amusement, "I have never been more amused, and who would have thought it would be some brat making you look like a fool Raditz. I think I'd like to keep him, I could always use a pet."

"Let me go!" The boy yells, his voice sounding weak as though from lack of use, "Let me go!"

"Poor choice of words," Raditz says, dropping him before catching him again, "Now, boy, tell us your name."

"It's Olve," The boy finally tells the Saiyans, though Raditz notes that his voice seems to quiver a bit.

Raditz smirks, "Now, was that so hard?"

"Well Olve, congratulations are in order," Prince Vegeta says after a slight pause. The Prince looks at the child with a more critical eye, raising an eyebrow at the name of Olve. After a moment though he shakes it off and lets out a small laugh, "You've just conscripted into the Saiyan Army. Raditz!"

"Yes sir?" Raditz sharply answers, nearly dropping Olve, "Am I still to head to Earth and recover Kakarot?"

"Yes, this boy is far too weak. Your brother will be much older than him, and we can assume that he will be stronger as well," The Prince pauses as if to think something over, "And considering that he is also a son of Bardock, odds are that he will live up to his family's ruthless reputation. I would very much like to meet him. Bring this one with you, when the three of you return to base I'll be sure to have a chat with your brother and the boy. Have to make sure they will be proper Saiyans. Vegeta out."

The signals cuts out there, leaving Raditz floating with the child. They land near his ship again, this time the boy named Olve does not try to run away. Amused, Raditz begins work on repairing his ship, always being sure to keep his scouter trained on the jungle boy. The child, to his credit, does not scream, cry out, or give any sign that he has just been ripped away from his old life. Raditz wonders if perhaps the boy is simply too much of an ignorant savage to realize what this change means for him.

Though, the name Olve does sound familiar,' Raditz thinks to himself as he double checks his oxygen tanks, I know that I've heard it before.

Out of the corner of him eye he can see Olve looking around his ship. The child does not have the wide-eyed look one might expect from a feral jungle child. There is a certain air of competence about him, as though he had flown in one of the Planet Trade Organization's craft before. What disturbs Raditz though is the lack of dialogue they had shared. The boy was asking no questions, he had not made a single protest to his current predicament. In Raditz's history is was common behavior for a Saiyan to be loud. It was a side effect of their warrior's blood, every aspect of their lives were about fighting whether that be verbal or physical.

"Not much of a talker, are you?" Raditz says to break the silence, "You should be happy, fighting alongside the Prince and his two elites will quickly make you stronger."

Olve does not respond, simply staring blankly at Raditz. The child's tail twitches, and it moves about sporadically. It's almost as though his tail is having a seizure," Raditz thinks to himself as the child's tail starts to settle down, What the hell could be wrong with him.

"How long have you been on this planet?" Raditz asks, his curiosity over taking him.

Olve does not answer.

"Who was your father?" Raditz tries again, trying to get the boy to at least communicate with him, "Perhaps you have heard of Bardock? The great Saiyan hero was my own. Yours must have been a mighty warrior to have been off world before the meteor."

Olve does not answer.

"Are you brain damaged?" Raditz finally says, standing up and raising his hand, "Has all this time in the jungle turned you into an idiot?"

Olve does not answer.

Raditz gives up and returns to finishing repairs on his ship. When the green light comes on indicating that all systems are fully functional, Raditz opens up a compartment hatch. He throws the naked child a black jumpsuit and several pieces of brown armor. This finally gets a response out of Olve, who examines the black jumpsuit. Raditz motions for him to put it on, growing impatient as the boy continues to stare blankly at the jumpsuit or Raditz.

"You have worn clothes before right?" Raditz asks, coming over to help the silent child, "You haven't spent your entire life running around like a savage I assume."

As if insulted, Olve angrily throws away his bandoleer and puts on the black jumpsuit. Raditz decides to simply put the armor on the child, making the necessary adjustments in order to better protect the child's body. After a few minutes of frustration, Raditz is able to make Olve look like a proper Saiyan warrior. The child tests out his new armor by stretching. Raditz notes that the child looks uncomfortable in what should have been comfortable clothing.

"Your armor isn't nearly as advanced as mine," Raditz tells him, "Yours is a back-up model. It will protect you against most weapons and weaker energy blasts. You'll notice that it's also quite heavy, it will help you when we begin your Saiyan training."

"And you're going to need one of these," Raditz says, pulling out an extra green scouter. Olve does not resist when Raditz places it over his eye. The child even starts to turn it on and off, scanning the forest and Raditz himself. Despite himself, Raditz smiles, "It's a scouter. It will allow you to read the power levels of other beings. It is the only way to gauge how strong your opponent is. Now, use it to scan me."

"1500," Olve softly says.

Well at least he can read, Raditz thinks to himself as he activates his attack ball. It hums to life. Olve steps back, though does not attempt to run when Raditz gives him a stern look.

"Our mission is to retrieve the Saiyan Kakarot," Raditz tells Olve, motioning for him to get inside, "Hopefully he had long ago completed his mission. Regardless, the planet he was sent to lacks any strong fighters."

"It'll be a tight fit," Raditz tells him as the boy tries to make himself as small as possible against the wall, "But you'll get used to it. When we retrieve Kakarot he will hopefully still have a functional ship. If not, we'll just have to improvise."

As the attack ball rises into the green clouds of the planet, the young Saiyan Olve looks longingly out the view screen. Soon, perhaps too soon for the boy, they enter the void of space and begin speeding off towards the alien world of Earth. Part of Raditz actually feels sorry for the boy, it had been bittersweet leaving the world he had been sent to as well. However, his thoughts mostly turn towards his reunion with his brother Kakarot. As the sleeping gas overtakes them, Raditz's thoughts turn towards his father one last time.

Soon I'll show them, Raditz thinks as his eye lids begin to grow heavy. He smiles contently as Olve passes out, I'll show all of them the power of my family.

AN: Hey guys I hoped you enjoyed this second chapter. It's a bit early but I couldn't wait to upload it. Also, I am looking for a cover artist. If anyone is interested in doing some drawings for me let me know in a PM.

So after having read "Break Through the Limit", I thought I would add a sort of Q&A at the end of my chapters too. BTW check that story out, CaptainSpace is a fantastic writer. Anyways...

Q: Did Raditz go to the past?

A: No, Raditz and Olve are both in the regular DBZ timeline as of now.

Q: Where are the boy's parents? Planet Vegeta was destroyed over thirteen years ago.

A: Correct! This does take place long after Planet Vegeta got turned into a galactic dust bin. Who could Olve's parents be indeed?

Q: Was the Saiyan race wiped out to the same extent as it was in canon?

A: For the most part yes. I do plan to include characters like Turles and Broly in this story and clearly Olve comes from somewhere. But the vast majority of Saiyans are indeed dead.

Thanks for all the support guys and gals, I love hearing from you all!

Question of the chapter, Turles or Bardock? Who's your favorite Saiyan?