Chapter 2 - Anxiety

The remainder of the Z warriors raced towards the Lookout… something wretched was approaching without much warning. Each of them secretly hoped it was a hoax… whatever it was. As the last fighter arrived, Kami slowly walked out. His face betrayed the grim news.

"Is it true? Are the Saiyans coming to destroy the earth!" Yamcha was the first to speak. He crossed his fingers behind his back, hoping that it was all a joke.

"Yes… partially." Kami continued, "King Kai has informed me that they mean to wipe out all of Earth's inhabitants and sell the planet to the highest bidder."

"They can't just… kill us at their own little whim can they?" Tien chimed in. Chaotzu shuddered at the proposition. "We…. have lives… valuable lives…" he squeaked out.

"By the show of force they have on their way here, they can." Piccolo stated grimly. He turned his attention to the sky once more trying in vain to spot the pending attack. "Sereki, correct me if I'm wrong – this is unusual."

"He's right. These battle formations are rare. Usually the home planet will send out a small sortie of fighters – it doesn't take many Saiyans to rid a planet of living beings. Instead they have sent a fleet of 3 battleships. Perhaps when Raditz returned defeated they took us a little more seriously." Sereki looked at all of them and cracked a small grin. "Yeah, brother you probably scared him to death!" Laugher consumed the band of friends.

"Yeah, 'Reki – you should have seen the look on his face! Too bad you weren't there, it probably would have been a whole lot easier to get him to leave Earth!" Goku scratched the back of his head and chuckled with that sheepish grin of his. His face turned serious as that wave of evil passed over the group. "But how can we stop them? I know we could defeat a small group… but 3 battleships – that's insane!"

"I highly doubt they will all descend at once. Most likely they will send a small team of very strong warriors – stronger than Raditz – to test us out. This would normally be the death of us, but thanks to Piccolo destroying the moon, we don't have to worry about the Oozaru transformation. However, according to you, Raditz wasn't exactly an easy match… and these guys are much stronger– "

Mr. Popo ran outside with a frantic look on his face. "What is it!" Everyone waited with baited breath. "You guys are right, they are much stronger… because guess who is on his way with them? … The prince himself!"

"Holy… s…" Sereki took a deep breath and began to walk away and distance herself from the group. This was going to be more than the warriors could take. Goku silently pulled away as well.

"Reki… you know something that you don't want to say don't you? I feel it inside… put up as many mental barriers as you want, but you can't completely stop our sibling bond."

"Kaka – I mean Goku… we won't win this battle. With him… now it's impossible. He's stronger than you think. "

"Oh c'mon – he can't be that strong! Between the two of us…" he trailed off.

"He is as strong as you or I separately … plus the 100 extra super elite Saiyans."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

" I'm not going down with out a fight! I'll do my best to spare Earth – for the people, for my friends… for my family…" Goku knitted his brows together as emotion overcame him. "Gohan… Chi-chi…" he finally whispered. He looked up when he felt her soft brown tail touch his shoulder. "Are you okay? Once the Saiyans find out you are here, they…" he trailed off again.

"I'll be fine." She replied curtly. So much for meeting her kind 'someday.' "I'll do my best to spare Earth as well, brother." Bulma, Sereki telepathically thought, I need to talk with you now. You won't like this… in fact, I won't either, but it has to be done.

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The cold metal chilled his feet. Stars streamed by as ribbons of light. The hum of the engine calmed him. Only among the stars did he feel somewhat at home. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He relished the moments when there was peace and quiet… no interruptions… no meetings for him to attend to. He had to practically twist his father's tail off just to let him go this far away from the planet. 'Royalty do not leave their own planet!' His father's voice boomed in his head. As much as his father loathed his purging journeys with the expeditionary force, he knew he couldn't control him. He was too strong. Vegeta opened his eyes to see a distant galaxy at last come into sight. Nappa's coming… stupid idiot – he drives me crazy. "3… 2… 1…" he counted down.

Right on cue, he thought. Maddening. The intercom cracked. "Sire, we are approaching the Milky Way Galaxy. Time to target is approximately 24 hours." Nappa's annoying voice cackled over the speaker. He hated it when the prince ignored him. When he got no response, he tried again. "Ahem. Prince Veg–"

"Shut up, Nappa. I heard you the first time. Now leave!" Just his luck… Nappa just had to lead this mission. He was the most annoying creature that ever lived. He made a mental note to drive him crazy when he got back to the palace. He turned and watched the swirl of planets and stars from a distance. He blinked a few times… something was going to be different about this mission although one aspect was certain.

Earth was not going to shame them again.

A/N: Well... the tension in the air is brewing! Can anything be done to protect Earth? Review please :)