Goten sat in front of the small fire, his arms resting across his stomach, a dejected look on his face. During his whole career of fighting humans, he had never had to lose one of his comrades. It was a sickening feeling. Tears threatening to fall down his tearstained face refrained from doing so. He had lost his brother, the only shred of family he had left. It was only his brother's teachings that kept him from flat out crying. "A Saiyan never cries," Gohan had said. He could still remember the moment his brother's ki disappeared, the moment he never thought he would have to face in a million years.

(flashback)

The flames of carnage were sweeping the area as Goten looked on in awe. This was the moment he had dreamed about since last night. The moment he proved his worth to his brother, to show that he didn't always need to rely on his brother's genius. A squadron of men came running around the corner, their blitz rifles held tightly by the men. Without giving them a chance to prepare for an attack, Goten blasted the pitiful soldiers to oblivion, to join their comrades in hell. The unbelievable high of success was intoxicating.

That was when everything went wrong. For a split second he felt Gohan's power level dip a bit before returning to normal. Then a loud snap was heard by the whole base as some kind of accident or something happened. There wasn't a big explosion, but a light tremor could be felt. That was when he felt Gohan's ki signal faded out. Without a second thought, Goten dashed towards the last known location of his brother's ki, plowing through anything and everything. Buildings, creates, barrels, humans, nothing was spared as Goten drove right through them. When he arrived on the scene, he found no hair or hide of his beloved brother. All he could see was a small black area of ground cracked and splintered.

There was no sign of Gohan anywhere.

It was a few seconds later that Trunks arrived, blood splattered on him in much the same way as Goten was. He had been in the middle of taking on a very large crowd of soldiers when he heard the deafening snap and subsequent dropping of Gohan's ki. He stopped playing around and slaughtered the men before doing an impersonation of Goten's mad dash to find Gohan.

The fear that they had lost one of their own slowly dawned on them. As much as they tried to refuse such…such…such blasphemy, the proof was all there. A small burnt area, no body, and no presence of ki only added up to one thing: Gohan was dead and they were all alone now. The humans had taken someone so precious to them, they'd rather destroy the whole universe then suffer being without him.

Cold stares covered their faces. Looking to each other, they slowly lifted themselves into the air flying high above the fort. Whether it was from the lack of men able to fight or men hiding in fear, they would never know as no blitz rifles were fired at them. Each of them held their hands high above their head, gathering a large amount of ki. With a cry of anguish, the two Saiyans unleashed their blasts, incinerating the base, and destroying much of the countryside. When the explosion died down, the smoke and dust slowly blowing away, only a crater would prove itself as evidence that a base once stood there.

Neither Saiyan moved from their respective place, just staring at the dead ground. Neither one knew when it happened, but both Saiyans eventually flew off to their present location, both of them holding back their tears as best they could as their sorrow overwhelmed them.

(end flashback)

As the memory went through his head, Goten let one tear fall down his cheek. Every time that scene played through his head, he couldn't help but nearly lose himself. He had just managed to get a hold of himself the last few times that memory played through him. A couple more times and Goten would finally lose it and fall into a crying fit, that much he was sure of.

Suddenly, a ki popped into existence. Snapping his head up, Goten looked off in the direction of the base, the ki coming closer and closer by the second.

It couldn't be…

It was to the sound of water crashing on rock that Gohan came to. Slowly opening his eyes, he took in his surroundings. His memory was a little groggy, but he wouldn't let that stop him from making a plan. A plan for what, he didn't know.

In his current view, he could see a waterfall in all of its splendor, roaring like there was no tomorrow, a small pond collecting what ever its mighty cousin threw at it. There was green vegetation surrounding the crystal pond, giving off an unusual vibe to Gohan. He couldn't remember anything about a waterfall anywhere on Vegeta, but then again, he hadn't traveled the whole planet yet.

Not sensing any person with ill intention towards him, he sat up and stretched. That got his attention. He knew that he wasn't bounded now, so that meant the enemy hadn't captured him. But, why was he here then? Nothing was making any sense.

Digging into his memory, he tried to remember his last few seconds of consciousness. It was several moments before the memory he was looking for hit him full force.

(flashback)

Gohan was starring down the barrel as the soldier tightened his grip on the trigger. He could practically see the beam of energy gathering at the base of the gun. Just as Gohan prepped himself for the afterlife, an unexpected thing occurred.

An energy blast came out of nowhere, ripping into the side of the blitz rifle, rupturing the gun's core, causing it to explode. To Gohan, the explosion threw him back several yards, the Saiyan landing on his head, effectively knocking himself out. That was after he saw that piece of trash human incinerated by the rifle's destruction. Just another plus to having Saiyan genetics. He'd have to thank the man who got rid of that asshole. Unfortunately, that was going to have to wait awhile.

The darkness of unconsciousness consumed him as his last thoughts occurred.

(end flashback)

Gohan shook his head disappointedly. There had to be more, there just had to be! He wouldn't be satisfied until he figured out what had happened. Wait…Trunks and Goten! He had almost forgotten about them! He needed to go find them, but that would be next to impossible. They'd never raise their ki without some stimulant. Damn, things just weren't going his way today.

"I see you're awake," a gruff voice said behind him.

Immediately Gohan jumped into a defensive stance. If he was being held captive, he would give his captor one hell of a fight. But wait, if he was being held captive, then wouldn't he be tied up? Brushing aside that train of thought, Gohan studied his opponent, getting the surprise of his life.

Before him, hovering a good two feet above the ground in a meditative position, a tall-looking green man floated, completely at peace with his surroundings. His eyes were closed to further prove that point. It was as if he didn't fear the alarmed Saiyan.

His gruff voice once again spoke up. "You have no need to fear me. I have no intent on harming you."

Dropping out of his stance but staying on guard, Gohan took in the sight of his green colleague. His attire was completely foreign to the Saiyan; a purple gi with a light blue sash, a white mantle and cape, and a white turban nestled on his head. A very bizarre picture to the young man.

"I take it you were the one who brought me here?" Gohan questioned.

"Yes," was the simple reply.

"And I'll also guess that you were the one that blasted that blitz rifle."

"Yes."

There was something odd about this green man. Sure he had heard of green aliens before, but he couldn't place this guy. It was starting to bug him slightly. It was at the tip of his tongue too.

"Would you mind telling me where you come from? It's obvious that you're not from around here."

When no reply came, Gohan's frustration began to reach his peak. Whether this guy was a friend or foe, he was asking for an ass whopping. As he was about to launch into a tirade, the green man answered.

"I am what you would call a Namek."

Gohan's blood froze. Did he say Namek? It couldn't be. The Nameks were supposed to be extinct, the human's giving them their ticket to the afterlife. When the humans had first begun their conquest, the first planet they attacked was a neighboring one called Mars. The Martians were a backwater planet much like Earth, but they were still the strongest in their territory until the humans usurped them. Following the fall of the Martians and the subsequent fall of the Plutonian world, Namek became their next target.

A very peaceful race the Namekians were before the Earthlings came. At first, the Namekians tried to establish peace with them, which the humans accepted in exchange for a military base on the Namekian planet. It was a little more then a year later did the humans betray their green friends. Claiming that an epidemic was ravaging the planet, the humans quarantined all of the Nameks, killing them as soon as they could until they had wiped out the whole race. Apparently they missed one.

Gohan refrained from asking his next question. It wouldn't be good to stir up painful memories when the person in front of him was responsible for his own survival. He decided to take a different line of questions.

"So what brings you here?"

For the first time, the Namekian opened his eyes, revealing his black pupils much like Gohan's. Shifting his eyes to the Saiyan, he eyed him warily before answering. "I had heard that the Earthlings had attacked the Saiyans and that they were still rebelling against them. Since the humans would still be here, I thought I'd have a little get-together with them." A smirk appeared on his green lips. Gohan also couldn't resist his own smirk appearing. It looked like this Namek had some sort of sense of humor.

"So what's your name? I don't want to call you Green Bean the whole time."

The Namekian chuckled. "You may call me Piccolo."

"Well then Piccolo, would you mind telling me what happened to the base after I was knocked out?"

Piccolo dropped his smirk. "Those two friends of yours went nuts when they couldn't feel your ki. The only thing left of the place is a very large crater. Ha, I'd like to see the Earthling try and rebuild there."

Gohan nodded solemnly as he felt a rush of relief. At least Trunks and Goten were okay. Now he just had to find out where they were.

"You wouldn't know where those two troublemakers went to, would you? I'd like to relieve their anxiety."

Piccolo grunted. "I thought you'd want to go see them. I can take you to them right now."

Gohan nodded and waited for the Namekian to stand, taking off into the air once the green giant stood on his feet. The two flew off at about the tree line to remain somewhat camouflaged. Looking at the silent warrior, Gohan had a thought and voiced it. "How'd you like to join our group? We could always use your help."

The Namek didn't reply. After drifting over the trees for several moments, he finally said, "No thanks, Kid. I work alone."

Gohan frowned. Although he had expected it, he still didn't like taking rejection. While Gohan didn't allow other Saiyans to join his cause, due to the traitor, this Namekian didn't have that stigma attached to him. With his history with the humans, the Namek would be the last person to collaborate with them, making him perfect to join Gohan's group. He tried to plead his case. "We could really use your help. Something bad is coming and we'll need all the help we can get."

To his surprise, Piccolo responded rather quickly. "Why don't you join some of your own kind? I'm sure they'd take you up on your offer."

"Can't. There's a traitor among us."

The Namek stopped his flight, jerking his head to the young Saiyan, his eyes full of disbelief. "You're kidding. Someone's helping those bastards?"

Gohan sadly nodded his head. "The surviving Saiyans are being ratted out. It's how we lost my father and the Prince."

Shock was still evident on the Namekian's face. "You also said something bad is coming. What are you talking about?"

As calmly as possible, Gohan answered him. "They've been trying to get their blitz cannon to a more manageable size so foot soldiers can use them."

If it was even possible, Piccolo's eyes widen. "How do you know this?"

"We came across one of their warehouses during a raid. We destroyed it, but who know where they could be building another one."

Piccolo turned away from Gohan lost in his thoughts. It was obvious to see that the Namek knew there was no way he could fight against such weaponry. As far as anyone knew, there was no one who could fight against that kind of firepower.

Using this to his advantage, Gohan pressed his offer again. "You see why we need you? What ever we've been doing isn't working as much as we hoped. We can't trust our own kind and if I'm right about you, you have just as much reason to fight this human scourge."

Slowly, Piccolo regained himself, his unreadable mask placed firmly on his face. Gohan did his best to look sympathetic, if not anxious. Anything that could bring this guy to their force he would do. In a way, it was the only way to make their current future less bleak than it already was.

"Fine. I'll join up with you. But I'll leave when ever I feel like it, you understand?" the Namek said as gruffly as possible.

There it was. A slight glint of hope was barely visible in Gohan's eyes. Had Piccolo not looked in that exact instant, he would have missed it all together.

"Okay, first thing's first. We have to find Goten and Trunks."

Trunks was sitting under a tree not too far from Goten. He had managed to clean his face to a point, the only evidence of any sorrow was his puffy red eyes. He slowly turned his head to Goten. He knew they needed to get control over themselves. They couldn't afford to continue mourning, not if they wanted to continue living.

Trunks opened his mouth to speak and then closed it. He had none of the right words to say. Gohan was Goten's whole world as much as Gohan's was his. It was like having their reason to live stripped from them. Even when they had lost hope, they carried on. As long as Gohan was there with them to the end, it didn't matter if they had any. Now, though, this was something entirely different.

Just as he was about to try and speak again, a ki popped into existence, catching his attention. A quick glance of Goten told him he felt it too as his head snapped up. It couldn't be…

Slowly, almost excruciating, the ki came closer and closer to them. Had they not been so caught up in the moment they would have felt the other ki with the one they were focusing on. It seemed like hours passed before the man they thought they lost came into sight. It didn't take a second as both Saiyans launched themselves at him, tackling him to the ground, refusing to let go of him in case he was a ghost. Their gibberish mixed into each other as they finally began crying.

"Guys…stop…can't…breathe…air…" Gohan gasped as he slowly turned blue from the death grips the two Saiyans had on him. What could've gotten into them?

Realizing that they were crushing their loved one, they quickly let go of him, apologizing profusely.

As air filled his lungs, Gohan tried to calm down his associates, but wasn't having any luck. It wasn't until Piccolo made his appearance that the two shut up. Their first reaction was to drop into defensive stances with the sudden arrival of the green man, but the calm way Gohan stood kept them at bay as they watched curiously at the new arrival.

Clearing his throat, Gohan began the introductions. "Guys, meet Piccolo. He's the one that saved me back at the base yesterday." Looks of astonishment crossed their faces, as Gohan turned to Piccolo. "Piccolo, these two are Goten and Trunks. I think you can guess who's who."

An amused look came across Piccolo's face. If he were to go off of namesakes, Goten was the boy with black hair while Trunks he assumed would be the one with the lavender hair.

Turning back to the boys, Gohan continued. "Guys, Piccolo is gonna be joining us in our fight. If you have any trust issues, don't worry with them. He has as much reason to fight with us than with the humans."

As this registered, the two Saiyans nodded their heads vigorously. If Gohan said everything was alright, then it was alright.

Grinning from their acceptance, he sat down on the ground, crossing his arms over his chest and closed his eyes, thinking. So far, none of their raids had been too effective at discouraging the humans from making bases in this frontier land. They needed to change tactics mighty fast if they were going to affect anything.

Opening his eyes, he addressed his compatriots. "So far, I think we need to change our strategy. I don't think our little raids have been as successful as we hoped they'd be. Any thoughts?"

For a long while everyone was silent. The wind could be heard rustling the trees, the dead leaves on the ground flipping and flying through the air as the cool breeze gave them the power to travel. Finally, Piccolo came up with a suggestion.

"We should start going after the civilians. If not to attack them, but to gather some kind of information. We need to know exactly what's going on."

Gohan seemed to think about this before he nodded his approval. "I agree. We should first start with gathering information. Between the four of us, only Trunks, Goten, and I will be able to mingle with the dogs," Gohan said as he spat out the last word with distaste. The looks on Goten and Trunks' faces matched Gohan's feelings on the thought but it had to be done.

Crossing his arms and sitting in a meditative state, Piccolo gave his affirmation to the idea. "That okay with me. I'd rather not have to talk to any of those weaklings."

Looking on with envy, Gohan continued with the plan. "I think we should send Trunks in first—to determine if it's safe for us. I'll make a trip after that to try and get as much info as possible." Gohan stopped as he saw the downtrodden look on Goten's face. It almost broke his heart, but he had to keep going. "Goten will make the next one after that. You're better at talking to the younger people then Trunks or I so that'll be your job." Goten brightened at that. He wasn't going to be punished for his messed up op.

Trunks was less then pleased. "Why do I have to go first? Why not you?"

Gohan turned to the oddly-colored Saiyan. "You have a better chance of sneaking around them than either of us. If you somehow get caught, we know you'll be able to get out without much commotion and it'll warn us not to bother with the rest of us."

Trunks was still less then pleased, but he'd do it nonetheless. If they could get rid of the humans, then it was all worth it.

"Good, then rest up. We have a long journey ahead us and we'll need all the resources we have at our disposal. Good night."