Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Ball Z, Akira Toriyama does and created it. My fancharacter Tomic, and any others not part of the series belong to me. This story means no harm to the anime or manga

Second Chances for Bardock's Sons

By Trynia Merin

Beta read by Sarah Slutz January 2008

On the planet of Argelis, three Saiyan males sat around a large fire. Each stripped fresh meat from the bones of respective carcasses. Vegeta still perched on top of the squid-like creature as he devoured one long tentacle. Since Oceanus, Vegeta had rigorously tested both his subordinates' limitations. He did not want them to grow soft in transit.

Raditz perched by the fire, struggling to turn his spit so his next mouthful would be roasted. Nappa shook his head, laughing,"Why are you even bothering whelp? Don't you think it tastes BETTER raw?"

"You two are completely pissing me off with your idle banter," Vegeta growled, shaking his head and wondering WHY out of all the Saiyans he had to be saddled with these two clowns. Raditz was reasonable company, having inherited some of his father's intellect, but Nappa was a boorish brainless oaf whose idea of fun was to kill, maim or rape something that wasn't tied down. Ever since Cabernet had perished, Vegeta was concerned about Nappa's sanity.

That was why he had stopped on this planet so the three of them could hunt and main to their heart's content. At least Nappa, that was. Vegeta spent much of his time on the planet listening in to the broadcasts from the young scientist Tomic. Although Vegeta thought she was an idiotic female at first, he became increasingly amused by the intricacies of her plan. So far, she had made contact with people known to Kakkarot, thus establishing he still existed and that he had failed in his previous mission. Either Kakkarot was brainwashed or far worse. Just why she was taking so long to find him was at first annoying, but Raditz was doing his best to spin his mate's plans.

"Please your Majesty; there IS a reason why she's doing things that way. I'm sure she's luring Kakkarot to her so she could test his skills as a warrior," Raditz explained eagerly.

"Hmm, she seems to have more brains then the two of YOU combined," mumbled Vegeta. "But these weakling Z warriors are quite a disappointment."

"That green guy seemed worth beating the crap out of, too bad he's too weak," Nappa muttered.

"But those two beings that she encountered seemed quite… powerful. Her scouter did not detect their true power levels. There are only a few beings that can suppress their battle power such as Saiyans and our Idsarjin allies," Vegeta mused.

"Hey, Vegeta, there's something entertaining I just picked up," Nappa suddenly blurted out.

"You should be careful not to interrupt the Prince when he's talking, idiot," Raditz glared at him.

"Shut up you third class scum!" Nappa shouted back.

"Great Oozaru give me strength to deal with these fools," Vegeta groaned, slapping a gloved hand against his broad forehead and slowly dragging it down to tear off the ever present scouter.

"Oh… sounds like she's just challenged the green man," Raditz gasped.

"Hmm, impressive. Getting them to fight one another. Sounds like it is a Namekian. Wonder what its doing on that third-rate rock ball," Vegeta mumbled, glancing at the digital playback flickering over his scouter. In real time, Tomic's scouter was broadcasting her entire mission to all three Saiyan males.

"Leave the humans alone!" she shouted. Like flies around a light bulb the three males intently watched their separate scouter feeds.

"Is she for real?" Nappa grunted. "Just blow them up, you stupid bitch!"

"Shut up!" snapped Raditz.

"Hmm, she just identified herself correctly, unlike SOME clods who forget their place," Vegeta mumbled.

"Huh, so what?" Nappa grunted, glaring sidelong at a very smug Raditz hiding a laugh behind one massive hand.

"What's she DOING? She could just kick his ass. She's at least as powerful as YOU are, Raditz," said Nappa.

"And miss having some fun? For shame Nappa, I think she is enjoying testing the limits of his powers. Unlike some brainless oafs who just like beating the crap out of things, she shows SOME discretion. Perhaps I underestimated her worth," Vegeta mused, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Shh, she's mentioned Kakkarot. But what is this… he goes by another name? Little wonder. Obviously, he screwed up his mission if he has let these inhabitants live. Wonder WHY," mumbled Raditz, embarrassed by his brother's behavior.

"Maybe he's somehow ingratiated himself with the native population. Still, it is a good thing he has not destroyed that blue mud ball. It seems to have some genetically compatible females. A pity they're so puny and weak," Vegeta snorted.

Just then, he saw the two beings appear out of nowhere just beside the Namekian and the Saiyan. "Damn it! Look behind you!" shouted Raditz.

"She can't hear you, dumb ass!" Nappa laughed.

"Shhh!" Vegeta growled. "Shut up both of you! I can't believe it… that's some strange device… how could they have such technology to suppress SAIYAN ki on such a primitive world!"

"What the HELL just happened?" Raditz complained as he frantically stabbed buttons on his scouter. Repeatedly he saw the scenes of the two beings hitting first the Namekian with a strange collar, then Tomic. Her view suddenly crashed to the ground, rolling over to indicate she had fallen.

"Sounds like that mate of yours has JUST been captured, idiot," Vegeta snorted. "How well was she trained again?"

"Give her a break, your Majesty. You got to admit that whole UFO and scaring the native's thing was pretty clever," Nappa laughed harshly, spitting out a bit of cartilage.

"I suppose that was adequate, but still it was too damn fancy. Just like that smart shit Turles tries pulling she thinks she has to be above mere quality purges," he said aloud. "Just to find planets to grow his damn Shinseiju trees!"

"She was focused on the green man, sire. Don't misjudge her," said Raditz. "No doubt she let herself be captured too."

"Hmm I'll allow that for the time being. Let us see how well she handles herself in captivity, and then see what she does. That legion she decimated was promising, although her motivation to save those weak Chikyuujins was odd. Although, saving the whelp was a nice way to be noticed. Wonder if this Kakkarot will be smart enough to take the bait," Vegeta mused, rubbing his chin.

"Sire, I'm concerned. This Dr. Gero seems to have access to technology far too advanced as you said. Is it wise to let her continue alone?" asked Raditz.

Suddenly he saw the cam shift as one of the figures suddenly kicked at it. To his rage the scouter rolled off, giving a view of the unconscious Tomic and the Namekian. From one angle, a wide one, a small figure moved out of the bushes, quickly grabbing the Scouter and dashing away with it as she screamed to the two weakling males.

"Drek! How could she lose her scouter?" Raditz growled.

"Unless she deliberately left it," said Nappa mockingly. "Real smart. And you say I'm stupid!"

Vegeta grew silent when he saw the view shifting. Suddenly things whizzed into a blur, which indicated the scouter, had been parted from its owner. To his annoyance, he saw nothing for a few minutes. Then as his two subordinates argued, Vegeta noticed the view of the ground just ahead shifted to someone's toe. A hand reached out and picked it up, shifting the view to a stranger's face. Two very blue eyes peered intently into the scouter, causing Vegeta's heart to slowly skip a beat. Especially when the view panned back to encompass the female's whole face. Raptly, he stared at the gorgeous blue haired human holding the scouter out at arm's length.

"Huh, who is that female?" inquired Vegeta, glancing with narrowed eyes as he saw a pair of luminous blue eyes turning the scouter over in a pair of hands. Indeed the female's hair was blue, and she appeared to be prodding the scouter with a small flat bit of metal.

"What's she doing?" growled Raditz.

"Hmm, she seems to be trying to figure out how it works," Vegeta blinked. "She doesn't have that stupidity in her eyes. I see some intelligence there. Surprising for a girl."

"So, what now? Send the whelp to pull his female's ass out of the fire?" Nappa ridiculed Raditz.

"Knock it off before I pound you, elite!" Raditz glared at him.

"You'd best go there and observe your little brother and your mate. She seems to have a lot to learn about Saiyan combat. Although I admire her strategy, she may get way in over her head if this Kakkarot is not having his wits about him. If he had, he would have cleared that planet by now. Something's seriously screwed."

"May I go, sire?" asked Raditz.

"By all means Sergeant. Nappa and I will return to Barnard's star and exact revenge on the Mantissans. You keep a low profile, plant a few Saibamen, and find that brother and mate of yours if she does not report. I only hope her plan was to get this Kakkarot to rescue her."

"Huh, did you see that sire? That female had blue hair. That is weird. She is so scrawny and weak, and those two drekheads are pushovers. They stink!" Nappa snorted.

"I know. It is interesting isn't it, Nappa. She is not the same as them. Her ki is puny, but she is deliberately risking harm to retrieve that scouter. Either she's stupid or she's got guts." Vegeta blinked, adjusting his scouter feed.

"You haven't had a female in two years, Sire. Why don't we stop over at Idsarsei or Orchydsei?" Nappa suggested.

"No Nappa, we're going to cause some fireworks to those customers of ours who tried to screw with us. Raditz, your mission is to observe Tomic's plan unfolding, and if she has failed to locate Kakkarot, you must do so. It seems that this blue-haired female has confiscated her scouter. I will take the opportunity to see if the feed still works, and attempt to learn the language myself. I should learn some rather interesting things," said Vegeta, with a smirk on his face.

"Thank you, sire. I hope that you will see that she DOES have a plan after all. She is VERY intelligent, and she will do what she is asked. She has little choice, considering the alternative is death or madness," Raditz said.

"I hope for Great Oozaru's sake you're right. Get your ass into that pod and go. You'll probably be there within a week at the most," Vegeta nodded. Raditz glanced up from his bow, taking the Prince's extended hand and pressing his forehead to it. Vegeta placed the toe of his boot on his underling's shoulder, indicating he was free to rise. Nappa shook his head as he watched the Third-class rush to his pod.

"He stinks," Nappa mumbled. "That boy's a disappointment. Let me go sire…"

"Shut up Nappa. Raditz may be third-class, but he is far smarter than you are. I do not keep you for brains; I keep you for your battle prowess. In addition, considering that female might well be one of the last of her kind, we cannot be too fussy. One can only hope that world will give me one female I can impregnate and produce a requisite heir to continue my line," Vegeta mumbled. "That will stick it to that bastard Brolli."

"Mating with those weak creatures? They are pushovers, yeah but you have to think of your bloodline. Your father would want you to have the choice female to mate with!" Nappa said.

"We don't know if any other unmated Saiyan females survived, dolt," said Vegeta.

"Well Turles hasn't activated a distress call, remember? He had a few unmated Saiyan females. And then there's the whelps female, but she's only a half blood," Nappa said.

"What, interfere with a sacred mating bond? I am NOT that desperate! I'd rather mate with a ningen then break tradition!"

"But sire you have to be…" Nappa started, but shut his mouth when Vegeta nailed him with a black death ray stare.

"Don't question me, Nappa. You said yourself that Bardock foresaw me having a blue haired mate, who had above average intelligence, and was quite powerful on her world. This female fits the description," said Vegeta. "And I for one, plan on learning as much as I can about this primitive mud ball's resources. At least they have a decent sized moon, with a reasonable cycle."

Eager to change the subject Nappa nodded like a bobble head doll, "And lots of game, and things to play with. Imagine the fireworks we could cause there… all those cities!"

"Hmm you'll have your fun when we land. However, we will be entertained en route to Barnard's star. You can have ALL the fireworks you want there, Nappa. I know how much you like blowing things up," the Saiya-jin no Ouji laughed.

"You should get some target practice in yourself," he suggested.

From the clouds a space pod slowly descended. Vegeta and Nappa glanced toward it as it opened and a familiar white caped figure emerged. Battered and cracked, his armor was a bluish color, indicating his command status. He dropped in a crouch before the Prince, raising his hand in salute.

"Your Majesty I humbly apologize for my delay in returning. But I've had quite a time trying to break through the communication barriers," Turles intoned, eyes averted.

Vegeta silenced him with a grunt, "Report, Commander Turles. You have proved yourself well by remaining loyal to me. How many of us remain?"

"Only the crew aboard my ship sire," said Turles soberly, glancing up at him.

Nappa and Vegeta stopped in shock. Both of them reached out mentally, suddenly feeling the enormity of a great emptiness. Vegeta had pushed away the feeling in combat, but as he closed his eyes, he concentrated hard. Through his mind-link, he pushed his perceptions to the limits. He barked for silence when Turles made some noise, and then tried to hear the whisper of any Saiyan warriors. A faint trace here and there answered his mental query, but there were so few.

"How is that possible?" Vegeta asked, wrapping his arms around his torso. For a moment it looked as if he were hugging himself, for he turned his back to his men, slowly pacing. He did not want them to see the helpless look that passed over his face, or the sudden sting of tears in his eyes. That horrible void indicated his worst fear that some one or some THING had wiped out all but a handful of his entire race. Letting his fists fall to his sides, he squeezed so hard that veins bulged through the white gloves.

Turles swallowed hard at the emptiness surging through him. Nappa sensed the strange lack of communication, his anger surging as hot as the moment he saw his mate fall. Thinly veiled rage crackled his ki around him, while Turles shook his head. With a low voice he stepped up behind the Prince, extending a hand but not touching as he said, "Brolli went insane. He… he started slaughtering our best warriors, Sire. I tried my best to stop him, but even with the Shinseiju fruit, it was all I could do to hold him off until my ship escaped. I barely left with my own life intact."

"He was that powerful?" Vegeta asked. "You're the most powerful warrior second only to me, and he all but destroyed you?"

"I wanted to be the one, but I realized that it would do little if I perished foolishly. Besides, you should have the honor of killing him yourself. It's not for me to do such a thing even if it were possible," Turles shook his head again.

"You did as you thought best, of course," Vegeta answered no malice in his voice. He could not fault his commander for using discretion. Sometimes knowing one's limitations and place was enough. Leaving the honor of slaying a usurper was the duty of the Prince or the King.

At that Turles held up a small glowing object, and passed it to the Prince. "This was all that remained. At least he did not get the last tree I planted, sire. But five hundred thousand on Alvegasei were not enough."

"Chablis and Sauvignon… did you hear from them?" Nappa asked, though he already knew the terrible answer.

"They were on board my ship when it launched. I picked up what survivors I could, and they are headed for Idsarsei for medical treatment in regeneration. I've taken twenty of the best warriors that were not hurt, and they wait your orders sire," Turles panted.

"Where is that bastard now?" inquired Vegeta, wheeling on him.

"In the captivity of the Tsurujins, sire. They are attempting to subdue him. But I fear it's only a matter of time before he escapes or they kill him."

"Either way they'd be doing us a favor. But I want the pleasure of killing him personally," Vegeta said menacingly.

"He's achieved the Legendary Sire. The only way you could face him if he escaped would be to consume the fruit from my newest tree," explained Turles. "And undergo the most rigorous training. Think of this time as a blessing. For once they put him on trial you know that they will hold him for the better part of a year to rot in Freeza 129."

"He almost doesn't deserve such a good fate," Nappa spat angrily.

"Plant the seed here," commanded the Prince. "This world still has enough life. Nappa and I will remain here to assess what remains. Raditz has already moved on ahead."

"Where is he, sire?" asked Turles.

"Over there," Vegeta pointed.

"Excuse me a moment," Turles voiced. He rose to his feet, and rocketed into the air. Vegeta raised a hand to keep Nappa from following.

"What was THAT about?" asked Nappa.

"I think he has some unfinished business with Raditz. The two of them are distantly related. Bardock served on his crew. I think he wishes to tell the boy in person what happened," Vegeta rationalized. "Stand back and leave it be. We can make better use of our time if you generate a few Saibamen for me to train with."

"Right away, sire," the bigger Saiyan replied. "I could use the training myself."

"Leave me for a moment. Go find some nourishment while I meditate," Vegeta ordered. Nappa bowed, rocketing off to hunt down fresh game. The Prince exhaled the breath he had been holding, releasing the control on his volatile temper as he did so.

In a loud cry of anger, he threw back his head, spanning his fists wide. A flare of blue energy lit up the ground for miles as he let out a howl of anguish. All the self-anger and loathing exploded shortly with his need to destroy. Bringing both hands together, he generated a beam that shot up into the sky like a column of fire. A huge bang lit up the heavens, indicating he had hit one of the natural small moons orbiting Argelis. Slowly he dropped to his knees, panting heavily. Both gloved hands hit the ground, raising small puffs of dust.

"Damn him to seven hells, this insult will NOT go unpunished," he snarled.

Perhaps his father was looking down on him, hating his excuse for a son. This Brolli had cheated Vegeta of slaying Freeza, now his whole people save a few were on the verge of being wiped out just as they had done. So close and yet so far from his goal, he raged. Hot tears blurred his vision as he crouched on all fours, glad that nobody could see him for miles around.

Vegeta then pushed himself up from the ground. "I will NOT crawl like a worm. This is NOT over by any means."

He dusted himself off and sat down on one of the rocks, closing his eyes to focus. All thoughts he forced away, thinking of the blackness that now ate away at what remained of his soul. His scouter bleeped, and he punched the button to tap into the latest feed from Tomic's scouter. A blue pair of eyes still blinked into his across space and time. The female he had seen there was peering intently into something, probing, and pressing buttons. Patterns of light flickered over his vision. Vegeta smirked slightly when he realized she must have been trying to figure out the purpose of the device.

"Silly woman," he thought. "So ignorant and blissfully unaware. Are you the royalty of this world? Such a creature devoid of hideousness must be of royal blood. I swear that you shall be mine one way or another. Perhaps you shall be a pleasant diversion…"

Thoughts of anger shifted to curiosity. He would focus on the Woman, laying plans to try to capture her for a mate. Out of her he would bear an heir and continue his royal line. If he failed, then his son would slay Brolli. This was his legacy. Only he bore the name of his entire civilization, for this eventuality all Princes carried the name Vegeta. Saiyans were nomadic peoples whose original home world was long lost in the mists of the time when the first Legendary Super Saiyan destroyed much of the universe and his own race.

Though mating with a weakling would thin the blood, he had heard what Raditz said of the alternate universe Saiyans. How half-blood carried strong powers. The half-bloods resulting from Idsarjins were more powerful than their parents combined. So introducing new genes could not hurt. Perhaps by combining his royal blood and that of the blue haired Woman, or a suitable female, he could achieve what his father could not.

"My son will be the strongest in the universe, next to his father," Vegeta thought. "I must have a son, something to focus on, a future. Then when I perish defeating Brolli, he will rule what remains and rebuild our race into what it rightfully should be."

Focused with a purpose, Prince Vegeta stood as tall as he could. With a gloved finger, he pressed the save function to relegate the precious images to his data bank so he could retrieve them and meditate on the Woman. He deemed her 'THE Woman' with a capital W because he had not seen such a beautiful creature even among Saiyan females.

"You shall be mine, whoever you are," he vowed.

"Raditz, a moment!" called Turles as he landed before the space pod that the Third-class was about to enter.

"Sir, I'm relieved you survived," said Raditz, dropping down in the traditional salute.

"Don't prostrate yourself. I have some good news and bad news for you," said Turles.

"Any word from my father?" Raditz hesitantly asked. Although he already knew from the horrible emptiness growing inside that the worst was possible, he wanted to hear it from his Commander's own lips aloud.

"We have not yet rounded up all the survivors," said Turles. "I came in person to report what happened to Alvegasei Prime in my own pod. Chablis is in command in my absence. Bardock and Lyssra were sent on another mission with his team, and it is likely that they still may be alive. Nevertheless, we have not heard back yet. Unfortunately, all we worked hard for on our world is now ashes."

"He must be alive," whispered Raditz, burying his face in his hand. He whirled away, beating his fist into the flat of his other hand. Turles remained silent, knowing his subordinate's pain well.

"One will hope the Great Father Oozaru will protect them," Turles said quietly. "Don't forget that I too have lost my parents. My sire Caliph was on Alvegasei and my mother too."

"Damn," Raditz whispered. "I had forgotten."

"You've lost a mother already, and a have a brother forgotten. Barely have you gained a mate, then to have this happen. I don't think Bardock has perished or you would have felt it more intensely," said Turles.

"It feels like he's gone," Raditz uttered.

"Only the Prince can feel every Saiyan mind if he concentrates hard enough. Third-classes can feel their own mates and whelps perhaps. Family members only if you try hard enough. Can you truly say that your father's mind is totally absent?" asked Turles.

"I feel NOTHING," Raditz blurted out. Forming a purple sphere in one palm, he hurled it by a large spire of rock. It exploded on contact into a million little shards raining down on them both.

"Feel better?" Turles questioned quietly, shifting weight from one foot to another.

"Damn it, no," he whispered.

Reaching into his cloak with his other hand, the Commander drew a small glowing object out. Raditz' eyes widened in shock, for he thought that all had been given to the Prince. One of the rare fruits from one of the Commander's mighty trees now pulsed with energy distilled from an entire planet. Raditz turned with confusion in his dark eyes. "What, I thought you'd have eaten it already."

"There were but a few others. I only consumed one; one other is for the Prince himself. However, this one I give to you, when you find your brother and mate. Give it to them, with my love and best regards," said Turles as he handed a spiked fruit to Raditz.

"I cannot take this, what about your own needs?" he gasped.

"Take it. Part for you, your mate, and for Kakkarot. The remainder shall be planted in the soil of this world. Perhaps when next we meet you'll both look fondly upon me as wishing you well," Turles explained.

"It is not yet ripe is it not?"

"The Tree was destroyed. I managed to save only a few," he muttered in anger. "But it is enough. I'd rather it be destroyed then the Master get his hands on it."

"Thank you," spoke Raditz solemnly.

"Fare you well," said Turles, resting his hand on his subordinate's shoulder. Raditz nodded, clasping his commander's arm in a hearty shake. Leaning forward, Turles bit him on the right ear, causing blood to scab. In turn Raditz did the same, both males standing away from each other as they raised their index fingers together to touch.

"Don't forget there is blood shared between our houses, though they be disparate," uttered Turles. "It's not a coincidence your father resembles me. His blood flows in my veins, because my mother and his mother shared the same sire."

"It matters little," Raditz said plaintively. "You are Elite, I am Third-class."

"Perhaps. However, all can aspire to cross that line. It is because of this that I have gained my true power. It may yet help you in your quest," said Turles, reaching out to touch his shoulder.

"Your blood enriches mine. May the bond seal our destinies in an unbreakable bond," Raditz nodded.

"May the same be true where you journey. Let the mark be a sign of goodwill. As one who is family," Turles agreed. "Now go get that mate of yours."

Raditz cursed and stamped his feet, entering the cramped space of his pod. He absolutely hated the damn thing, but was glad that he was asleep for most of the trip. While he was quick to blame Tomic for making a hash of things, he knew she was in over her head. Had that bastard Gero not shown up she could have handled herself nicely against that Namekian. Somehow she had discovered Kakkarot's allies, and planned to draw him to her like a warrior by a series of tests.

"You wouldn't know a decent challenge if it hit you on the head Nappa," he mumbled, letting the cryogenic hiss around him. "She's a Saiyan warrior like it or not, because the challenge she issued for my brother seems worthy of one."

If she died, Raditz would have a lot of fun decimating the cities and killing every human on that planet. Except for the strongest ones, and ten females to use for a harem of concubines for the Prince. Although he suspected the Prince would only choose one, there was royal protocol. The Prince had to have a choice selection. Whoever he did not choose would go to Nappa or the remaining Saiyans that still were alive. Turles and his crew namely.

Light years away at Capsule corps the woman Vegeta was watching was blissfully unaware she had a new voyeur. Bulma fiddled with the circuitry on the scouter. She prodded and poked the device with everything from a screwdriver to an electronics probe. Small shavings from the side were sent to a lab for analysis, revealing it was made from materials not yet invented on Chikyuu. Opening it up, she saw the circuitry sparking from some internal source. It took her at least six hours to at least discern what its purpose was. If she put it on, she could see auras around living things, leading her to believe it could detect energy.

Specifically it could sense ki. Yamcha stood in front of her, slowly drawing his power up. She nodded, tapping a control on the side to see different figures flickering across. Internal logic dictated that the readings changed with the flux of Yamcha's ki.

"It detects ki," she explained.

"What a waste! Krillin and I can do that without a toy like that," Yamcha laughed. "What good is this doing us?"

"We need to figure out why that alien was here, and why she helped us," said Bulma. "She had enough power to kill us, but she defended us."

"Maybe she wants to experiment on us," interjected Krillin, glancing up at her. He played with one of the test tubes filled with a strange solution.

"No way. She said something about knowing Goku. You think she is related to him? She had a tail just like his," Yamcha put in. He pulled up a lab stool and perched on it, watching Bulma's shapely butt gliding under her lab coat.

"Stop staring at my ass, Yamcha," she grunted, annoyed. Turning around she swiped her hand at him. Yamcha leaned out of the way with a grin on his face.

"Sorry, Master Roshi's a bad influence, right bro?" he glanced at Krillin, grinning.

"Don't drag ME into this, buddy," Krillin protested, raising both his hands.

"Speaking of influences," said Yamcha. "Do you feel that, Krillin?"

"What are you two babbling about?" Bulma snorted. "I'm just about to figure out what this thing does and you don't have the decency to give me your undivided attention!" she loudly complained.

"It's Goku!" Krillin laughed, rushing to the window. Yamcha spun on his stool in excitement, when he heard the tap. Bulma almost dropped the scouter in shock.

"AHHH!" she shrieked.

Peering through the closed window with a raised fist was Goku, looking rather sheepish. Krillin opened it, letting him climb through. Bulma glared at her oldest friend, tapping her foot as she clutched the scouter to her chest. Yamcha and Krillin shook his hands eagerly. "Jeez Goku you might want to try the front door next time, buddy," said Krillin, smiling widely.

"You scared poor Bulma," Yamcha told him, looking at her sideways.

"Hey can't you use a DOOR? Hasn't Chichi taught you any manners bud?" Bulma snapped at him, hands on her hips.

"Sorry Bulma," he apologized, giving her an awkward grin. "But you guys said you had something important to talk to me about, and Tien and Chiaotzu said you saw Ma-Junior. I sensed the big energies from that farm, but they were gone by the time…"

"How much did you sense?" asked Yamcha, cocking his head.

"Enough to know that we've got a problem," Goku said, face melting into a frown. "Bulma, what's that thing?"

"It senses ki," she said, moving past Yamcha to hold it out.

"That's all? I can do that without…" he started.

"Goku, pay attention! There was an alien wearing this thing, and she protected us from Ma-Junior."

"Alien? Wait a minute Bulma, Tien and Chiaotzu said that Ma-Junior wasn't the Piccolo I killed and…"

"Hold on Goku, she's getting to it!" Krillin laughed.

"Just settle down guys; let's take it from the beginning. Goku, we saw a being that looked a lot like you do, and she protected us from Ma-Junior. Apparently she's from outer space, and she's been here for a week or more," clarified Yamcha, running a hand through his hair.

"Someone like ME?" asked Goku, wide-eyed. "How so?"

"She had a tail like yours, and she wore space armor. She looked like a monkey woman from outer space. Go figure," Krillin chuckled.

"You're kidding me…" Goku blinked at them. "But how did Ma-Junior…."

"Come on Son-kun, don't you watch the news?" Bulma cut in impatiently. "About those UFOS and then the Red Ribbon army that was snuffed out in one blast?"

"Chichi doesn't let me watch too much TV. She says it rots my brain," Goku shook his head.

"Whatever Goku! Just pay attention!" Bulma huffed, pushing him down to sit in her large padded office chair. "Here's the short version: Something landed a week ago. Then the Red Ribbon army went to the crash sight, they were about to kill two farmers, and this alien 'space monkey' destroyed them. Then the three of us went to check it out…"

"And we saw Ma-Junior," voiced Krillin. "I think he was interested in the crash sight too."

"And we tried to keep him from finding Bulma," spoke Yamcha.

"But he kicked our butts," said Krillin, regretfully. "Then this space monkey lady showed up, and challenged him."

"She protected you, huh?" Goku uttered quietly. "Wow. That was nice of her."

"Yeah. Then some Red Ribbon operatives attacked her and Ma-Junior. And one of them was that Android 8 you fought a while back," Bulma stated, her brows furrowing beneath her blue bangs.

"But he was friendly to me. Why was he attacking… he said he wouldn't do that anymore!" Goku shook his head.

"Whatever, he's gone bad again," groused Krillin.

"Darn, that's pretty bad then," Goku sighed with regret. "So, the Red Ribbon army has Ma-Junior and this alien who looks like me then."

"That's where I got this device from. She was able to trace our kis with it," said Bulma.

"So what should we do?" asked Yamcha.

"We should rescue them both. If the Red Ribbon army has them, they'll become an even bigger threat," replied Goku firmly.

"Hello Goku! Red Ribbon army, Ma-Junior?" Yamcha spat angrily. "Are you nuts?"

"I say let them stay where they are," Krillin muttered. "Ma-Junior's a bad enough threat."

"But that creature tried to save us," Bulma pleaded.

"True, but we can't help her now," responded Yamcha.

"We have to. If she protected you, and she was looking for me, we have to try and save her," said Goku. "Besides I want to fight Ma-Junior. To see how strong he is."

"That's exactly what we don't want to have happen! What if he's more powerful then you are?" Krillin protested.

"I have to try. She knows about my past, Krillin. And she saved you all. I have to repay her a debt," explained Goku. "That's the nice thing to do."

"I guess you are right, Goku," said Yamcha with a sigh. "But how the heck are we going to do it?"

"Wait a minute; Ma-Junior said something about giving you a message. He was going to capture us both to draw you out," rejoined Krillin worriedly.

"I wonder if he's going to challenge you because you killed his father," grumbled Yamcha.

"Gosh I wouldn't be surprised," said Goku.

"Well, what if two of us go sneak in undercover, while the rest of you provide a distraction?" Bulma piped up.

"What sort of distraction?"

"Simple! Send him a letter of challenge. Say you'll fight him in the 23rd martial arts tournament or something macho like that!" Bulma cried out.

"Well that's not a bad idea," said Krillin. "That way he'll be out of the way. But that means he'll fight whoever…"

"Sounds good to me," Goku nodded. "It works because that's where I fought his father. And if this Ma-Junior is anything like him, it's a place to challenge him where he won't hurt others. Especially if we all enter to make sure he plays fair."

"You mean we should enter too?" asked Yamcha, eyes bright.

"Why not?" Krillin replied.

"It's in a few days time," said Bulma. "Then I can sneak into the Red Ribbon complex as a scientist and bust out the alien."

"But Bulma it's WAY too dangerous!" Yamcha warned her.

"That's why you and Puar are coming to protect me," Bulma batted her lashes at him.

"Are you sure you wanna do this? It's pretty dangerous," Goku told them apprehensively.

"Yes. Besides, Yamcha can protect me, right?" she said, grinning.

"Yeah that's right," Yamcha nodded eagerly. "I'll keep her safe Goku. But what about Chichi?"

"Well she's going to enter the tournament too. She says we need the prize money," explained Goku.

"Then it's perfect," Bulma clapped her hands. "Yamcha and I will go after the alien, and you guys will deliver a challenge to Ma-Junior."

"How do we FIND him?" inquired Krillin, frowning.

"With this device silly!" Bulma laughed, showing it to them.

"We can sense his ki," voiced Goku. "Without that thing. You'll probably need it to find the alien."

"Fair enough. You guys have some applications to fill out," Bulma said. "And I've got some disguises to make."