Disclaimer: Chapter two.

I apologize for the wait, but I had some surly writers block going on. Here is the URL for the poll!
http piccylo#8m#com/cgi-bin/polls/003/pollcenter#htm
Replace the "#"s with periods. FF-net seems to have something seriously against posting URLs in fanfictions.
Vote! Vote, I say!
Goku and the others back at the ship were soon told of what had occurred. Anxious to see Piccolo's family, Goku, Gohan, and Kuririn were escorted by Suraku to the palace in the capital. By the time they got there, Mollosuki had also arrived and was talking with her first husband. They sat to the side, busy reestablishing their relationship while explaining to each other what had occurred while they were apart.

The three looked at each other, confused by this mini-congregation of Namekku-sei-jin. Suraku quickly went through his present relatives to them, not really expecting them to remember as much as be polite enough to introduce them. No one can really expect to remember so many royal cousins and siblings.

"Where's Piccolo-san?" asked Gohan, seeing that he couldn't pick out his trainer from the crowd.

"He's in the sparring chamber with Oji—err, Katatsu. Since he's the son of his eldest child, he's now in direct line to inherit the throne and might also be able to lead part of the army as a general. Because of this, he's testing Piccolo's strength. He'll be interested in testing Piccolo Sr. later, but—" he glanced over at the couple, "Seeing the situation, he'll probably wait until it's more convenient."
"Who is that person that he's talking to, anyway?" Kuririn said, "Is that Mollosuki?"

Suraku nodded. "I believe that she's interested in beginning a relationship with her first husband again, especially with news of having a family of her own, now."

Kuririn laughed. "I wouldn't really consider Piccolo much of a family."

"Oh, someone didn't tell you yet? Neil is also her son. He and Piccolo turned out to be half-brothers."

"W-What!" Kuririn nearly fell down.

"They're related?" Gohan said, rather astonished himself. "I guess that would explain why they look so similar…"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Gyaak!" Piccolo was pushed back several meters. He growled as he lowered his arms from his face to get a clear look of his grandfather.

"I can already tell that you're stronger than most of your cousins, however," the king went into fighting stance again, "That's not going to be enough if I should entrust you with an army."

"I'm not that interested in running your military."

"I would strongly advise it, my unexpected grandson, especially if you plan to continue the line."

"I haven't really planned on it. I don't have much of an interest in my 'future' here."

"Then what do you have an interest in if not continuing your lineage? And since when has a Namekku-sei-jin not cared about continuing a part of himself after death? These instincts are engraved in our culture so deeply. What happens if you die?"

Piccolo did not answer, but continued to stare back at him while still in stance.

Katatsu's brow rose, as if he had just discovered something significant. "Those eyes of yours; they are the eyes of someone who has seen death before."

Piccolo still did not budge.

"Hmm…" Katatsu dropped the stance and crossed his arms. "I see. So what Suraku was telling me was the truth. You have died before, and must have been brought back with a different set of Dragonballs. So, that means, you've already prepared something for your death, haven't you? It was prepared before your first death," He paused again, but Piccolo still didn't speak, so he continued, "But I wont believe you if you say that you're not interested at all in gaining a family, which is why you should have the army instead of your father."

Piccolo scoffed. "Do you expect me to attract some sort of woman just by showing off status?"

"In a way. If you've an army of your own, I thought that it would be easier to get closer to a worthy mate by combining armies. Almost any political system in the universe would give what they can to gain our vast armies on their side. However, I'm thinking more specifically on the subject."

"'More specifically'? Are you going to tell me something stupid now that you've already arranged a marriage?"

"I don't arrange the marriages of my children. I'm not the one with such right in the family; that is your grandmother's authority. But we think that it's best for our children to make their own decisions, though we try to steer them in the right direction when we can."

"I'm growing tired of this!" Piccolo yelled out, "I don't care about our lineage or making a family or any of that shit! Are you testing my strength or not?" No sooner did he say that than he found himself hitting the wall behind him in full force. Another low growl came from him as he pulled himself up, scowling at this figurehead before him.

"You've been through a lot," Katatsu said, "I regret sending my son off so prematurely and setting up your fate to be so trodden upon. Now, come at me."

"If that's what you want—" Piccolo leapt to the old man immediately and elbowed him in the abdomen in such a small fraction of a second. Katatsu seemed surprised, but he quickly recovered and went to punch him back. Piccolo managed to counter him, and the test continued.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"So, what are you guys going to do now?" Atsarute said, looking back at the group, sans Piccolo Sr. (who felt it necessary to stay behind with his father and wife to reestablish his old life).

"What do you mean?" Goku said.

"Well, Piccolo's back to health, and that's why you came to this universe, right? You don't really have a reason to be here anymore."

"Don't be ridiculous," Vegita broke in with his usual air, "This universe is full of people even stronger than I. I cannot just go back to Earth when there's an even better training opportunity here."

Bulma turned to him with an angry scowl. "Vegita! What about Trunks back at home?"

"He's strong enough. He can take care of himself. Heh, I'm sure that Kakarotto feels the same way." This triggered a nervous laugh from Goku and a similar glare from Chi-Chi.

Kuririn sighed. "It's good enough for you Saiya-jin to stay away from home for so long, but I'm really starting to miss #18 and Marron."

"Hmm…" Atsarute turned to Piccolo, "And what are your feelings on this matter? Do you wish to return to Earth?"

Piccolo looked up from his sitting position out of the way of everyone else. "I'm staying in this universe to train, no matter what the others might be doing."

Gohan blinked. "Piccolo-san…"

"I understand." Atsarute turned back to the screen. "If you all so wish, after I finish business on my homeworld, I will send those who wish to return to Earth back and support those who wish to stay."

There was a brief moment of dead air before all those who sympathized returning said, in unison, "No."

"Hmm?" She said, looking over to them with a face that seemed to only half-care, "But didn't you want to return to your families?"

"It doesn't matter," Bulma said, "I'm not going to let Vegita run off to fight and leave me behind like Saiya-jin like to do. Besides, my parents can take care of Trunks."

Chi-Chi nodded, her arms crossed. "Goku's been going off without me for too long. I hardly have a husband anymore!"

"And I take it that the old warrior bind is keeping you from going back, right?" The general woman said to Kuririn. He seems flustered a moment, taken off by the fact that she hit what he was going to say dead on, but resolved to laugh instead of comment on it. She didn't seem to care about the reaction and continued, "Very well. I can also hook up a psychic link later to Earth, if you wish. The place is covered with leylines and communication streams. All you have to do is help me pinpoint whom you want me to contact. As long as their mental powers are sufficient, a link is possible."

Arufuredo shot up. "That's exactly why we were studying Earth! You can control the communication lines, then, Atsarute-sama? Wouldn't the Red Stream be a problem?"

She shook her head. "That damn thing might be a problem for electronics and such, but manipulated correctly, it can be very fast and efficient. In fact, there's no lag at all when using the communication streams properly. I'm sure that you know why, doctor. It's simple quantum physics."

"Yes, of course, but you speak as if you have means of communicating through them, Atsarute-sama. I am quite aware that your people have had much more advancement in the field than ours, but—"

"Your queen uses them as well, Arufuredo, however mediocre, since she took them from some soothsayer that she sucked dry. I cannot use them well, myself, but we have devices and objects manipulated to do most of the work for us back on my home world."

Goku tilted his head, somewhat unsure. "You said that they had to have sufficient mental power…"

"Not much. At least, not really to the level of advanced telekinesis, mind control, or anything of that degree. Just the ability to speak through telepathy is sufficient. I'm sure that you have a few people like that on your planet, from what I've seen in a recording of your planet's tournament."

As soon as she mentioned the tournament, Piccolo winced, but tried to cover it up by turning his face from the group. Even after all these years, remembering how "Jin" watched that recording still struck a bit of a sore spot. Damnit, and she watched it intently when it came up on that viewscreen, too. She doesn't still feel that way about him, does she? He glanced over at her again, then at Goku. I don't think so. She doesn't show him nearly as much attention as she did to the recording… Perhaps she sacked the idea after she figured out that he was married with children?

"Hmm…" Goku crossed his arms and began to think heavily. "Tenshinhan and Chouzu can use telepathy pretty well… so can Uranai Baba, and probably Kame Sennin. I think Yamcha can… but I don't know about #18 or Trunks… and I never asked Goten if he ever tried…"

"It doesn't matter," she said, "You only need one. The others just need to get in range of his telepathy to hear you as well. Of course, it helps them to be as close as possible and to have telepathic powers themselves to hear and sense you more clearly. And speaking of sensing…" Atsarute turned to the console again and pressed a button. A door on the opposite side of the room opened and a Namekku-sei-jin woman tumbled forward from inside. "Stowing away on my ship is a rather odd way to show rebellion against your grandfather's decisions, Toniko."

Princess Toniko rose and brushed off her yellowish shorts. "How long did you know that I was there, Atsarute-sama?"

Atsarute scoffed. "I saw you sprinting in with the cargo. I didn't say anything because I felt Katatsu is being overprotective in this situation. I understand fully the value of a woman's life in Namekku-sei-jin society, but a fighter should never be kept from her field."

Toniko clutched her fists. "Will you let me in your army, Atsarute-sama?"

"You would need to undergo training first, which I would gladly supply. However, I will not go above the word of your grandmother. You will not be allowed to enter the soldier's training for the army until I gain her word of support."

"But grandfather will find out!" Toniko said, her whole body trembling from her exposure and from the prospect of having to face Katatsu after disobeying him. Arufuredo found himself staring at her while the anxiety shook her and quickly buried his face in his books. Toniko continued, "He may disallow me from fighting ever again."

Atsarute's eyes rolled. "Please. Katatsu wouldn't do something like that to his children. You're a forerunner in one of the most important warrior clans of the Namekku-sei-jin; he will not do something so foolish. And even if he did, his wife will overrule it. I might not speak much to the woman, but she values a woman's right to fight equal to her need to breed. She's a warrior herself, after all."

"So, you will allow me in your army?"

"If you grandmother agrees. For now, you will only be allowed the basic training." Atsarute looked at the others, and focused in Piccolo's direction with an intense stare. "And that goes the same with the rest of you. I won't let any of you enter the army or go into the intense training. My army is not for you."

Vegita growled. "What does that mean? That we're to weak?"

Her eyes shot to him. "It means that you're not a soldier."

"I've been a soldier for most of my life; since I was a child!" Vegita sneered more as he spoke. "And you're going to deny more than half of my life with such a comment?"

"I have never met you before, Saiya-jin, but I know that you and your friends would not take my orders well. You might think that all of the terrible things that you heard about me were just propaganda from the Pasuko Empire, but I've seen most of their speeches concerning the things that I've done, and most of these things were true.

Her chin rose to the side and an almost maniacal smirk came to her face. "I've killed millions; Men, women, and children, there's no exception. Piccolo told me that you Saiya-jin did such things as well, but you simply eradicate them with a blast of energy. I've slit throats, smashed corpses, and thrust my hands wrist-deep into the intestines and other organs of others.

Atsarute's eyes scanned over the others. "That's enough to keep you people from entering my army. As for you, 'Prince', you wouldn't last in my army. A soldier doesn't just eradicate the populous; I can do that well enough alone. He fights other soldiers, as well, soldiers on par with him, sometimes, in a real battle setting. If he fails to follow my orders in such a situation, he might find himself dead."

I went to Cleveland for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Woohoo!