Author's notes: Whelp, I haven't gotten any reviews yet, but there's been a decent number of hits and whatnot so I figure I'll update.
"Take over the planet? Yeah, you and every other lunatic", Superboy said, anger rising in his voice.
"Calm yourself Connor, this man is very strong", Aqualad said, in a mostly vain attempt to calm Superboy's anger.
"Well well", said the man who had identified himself as Bardock, "I didn't think anyone on this pathetic dustball would be able to read power levels, and here in my first battle I find someone who can, you continue to impress me young one."
"You seem awfully calm and composed for someone who said he's going to murder us all", Robin said, his calm demeanor masking the fact that he knew Aqualad's assessment of this man was correct.
"If you were as strong as me boy, maybe you would understand", Bardock replied, "It's not as though I enjoy this job."
"But if you don't want to kill people then why do you?" Miss Martian asked.
"Because I have to", Bardock said, "If I don't, I die, and if I die then I cannot have my revenge, so you can take solace in the fact that this isn't personal."
Bardock then rushed forward, slamming his fist into Superboy's stomach.
"Connor!" Miss Martian screamed, as Superboy doubled over and collapsed.
"I'll try to make this painless for you", Bardock said as he began to collect his ki for an energy attack.
"So will I", came a voice from above.
"What?" Bardock yelled, as a caped figure flew into him, propelling him over the crater and into the forest beyond. Miss Martian and the rest of the team ran to check on Superboy, who was unconscious, but otherwise unharmed.
"Who was that?" Artemis asked of no one in particular.
"Whoever it was, they sure saved our asses", Wally replied, receiving an elbow in the gut from the archer as a response.
"We should see if they need any help", Robin said, already running in the direction of the fight before the words had even left his mouth.
"I'll stay with Connor", Miss Martian said, concern obvious in her tone.
"Understood", Aqualad replied, somewhat gruffly, "Kid, Artemis, let's go."
As Bardock flew through the trees, before crashing and creating an entirely new crater, he began to think that he had underestimated this planet's defenders just a little bit. Recovering, he stood up and smiled, looking around for this new mystery opponent.
'Now let's see, where could he possibly have gone to?' Bardock thought, turning in a circle to see if he could pick up a reading on his scouter. Suddenly the machine beeped, and the number 8000 flashed in front of his eye.
'This place is getting more and more interesting', he thought to himself, before leaping at the source of the reading, slamming his knee into what appeared to be thin air.
"Argh", a pained voice screamed, as the opponent became visible, revealing himself as a humanoid green alien wearing a black costume with a blue cape.
"Found you", Bardock said, smiling, before bashing his elbow into the alien's face, sending him flying back down into the forest.
"There they are", Artemis yelled, nocking an arrow and aiming at the two combatants.
"It's Martian Manhunter, and I think he needs our help", Robin said.
"Hey ugly!" Kid Flash yelled, waving his arms around, "Why don't you pick a fight with someone your own size?"
"And who exactly did you have in mind boy?" Bardock asked, laughing as he lowered himself to the ground.
"Us!" he yelled, accelerating as fast he could towards the invader.
As if on cue, the rest of the team sprang into action as well, Artemis sending her arrow flying into the man's chest, Robin throwing several birdarangs, and Aqualad drawing his water-bearers, forming them into blades as he rushed forward.
Bardock found himself disoriented by the total assault, and in an outpouring of energy he pushed all of his assailants back, screaming "Enough!" at the top of his lungs.
"I'm through with these games, toying around with you was fun but now you have begun to severely grate on my nerves. This ends now", he said, as he formed a ball of white energy in his hands, before tossing it up in the air.
"What the hell was that?" Wally yelled, fearing the worst.
"You shall see", Bardock said, staring directly at the ball of energy.
The team watched as something seemed to unfurl from around the invader's waist, moving around of its own accord.
"Ew, you have a tail?" Artemis said more than asked, plainly disgusted.
Bardock simply smiled in response, as his body began to change, growing more and more muscular, with his face stretching into a sort of snout, and hair beginning to grow all over it as well, his armor began to grow as well, stretching to match his body. His height increased too, until finally he stood at least a hundred feet high and had the appearance of a giant ape.
"That doesn't seem good", Wally said.
"I appreciate you stating the obvious Wally, but I think we need to move, now!" Aqualad yelled, taking command.
"Move all you want, you'll still die the same", came the ape's voice, sounding almost impossibly deep.
The team began retreating, with Wally running to retrieve the Martian Manhunter from where he had landed.
Miss Martian meanwhile had been caring for Superboy and didn't notice the behemoth now towering over the landscape until, finally woken from his unconsciousness, Superboy's eyes widened at the sight.
"What the hell is that?" he screamed.
"I have no idea", she screamed back, terror evident in her voice, "We need to make sure everyone else is okay though Connor."
"I'm way ahead of you M'gann", he said, leaping to his feet as he prepared to rush into the battle.
Bardock crashed forward through the trees, regretting that he had let this play out so long. He knew he had not only underestimated the power of the people on this planet, but his ability to take their lives as well.
'It's a shame', he thought, 'but for me to have my revenge this planet has to be conquered. There is no other way.'
For the first time in a long while, Bardock felt something other than anger, something he had no words for, something akin to sadness, an emotion that very few of his race ever experienced.
Miss Martian flew through the air, intent on protecting her friends from anything else this monster wanted to attempt.
'But maybe he isn't such a bad person', M'gann thought, 'he did say he didn't have a choice in all this, maybe if I can read his mind I can try to understand, maybe we can help him.'
Thinking quickly, she established a mindlink with the rest of the team, sending out the thought, 'Everyone please try to distract him, I'm going to try to read his mind, to see what I can learn.'
'Roger', came the thought back from Aqualad.
"Okay everyone", he yelled, "You heard Megan, let us begin."
Artemis began to fire arrows at the ape's legs, in the hopes of tripping it up, to no effect.
"Hold up guys, I got this", said Robin, as he fired his grappling gun at one of Artemis' arrows. The claw hooked onto the arrow and he tossed the gun to Kid Flash, yelling out "You know what to do Kid."
Wally began running circles around the giant's feet, wrapping the cable from the grappling gun around its legs over and over, causing it to fall.
'Damn!' Bardock thought, cursing himself for being so easily felled.
M'gann, seeing the Martian Manhunter, yelled out, "Uncle J'onn, I need your help with this."
The Manhunter, who had by now almost fully recovered from the blows he had received earlier, flew up to meet his niece, thinking to her, 'Of course M'gann, but I believe that we should hurry.'
'Yes Uncle J'onn', she thought back, locking hands with him as they prepared to delve into the ape's mind.
'What the hell is this?' Bardock thought, 'What the hell are they doing to me?'
The two Martians began to sift through the invader's memories, but only with difficulty, as his mind was strong, and fought them every step of the way. Slowly they began to learn things, a snippet here and there. The man's race were called Saiyans, and he had come from a planet called Vegeta. He had children as well, two sons that they could see, one an infant, the other a young boy. Then they began to see more disturbing things, the Saiyan discovering his team, all of them except one dead, and that one dying in his arms soon after. The Saiyan being attacked by an odd pink alien and left for dead. Taking the bloody armband of his dead friend and tying it around his forehead, swearing vengeance. Being laughed at when he tried to tell others of the betrayal. Standing against a tyrant and watching as his planet was destroyed.
Then a voice, "I think I'll keep you alive Bardock, because I want you to suffer more. I want you to think of your home planet and how you couldn't protect it. I want you to serve me, because you have no other choice. And maybe one day, if I'm feeling especially merciful, I'll send you on to the other world, but only maybe."
As the Martians came out of Bardock's mind everything was clear to them now. The Saiyan had passed out and reverted to his human-like state under the horrible punishment of having to relive, in vivid detail, his ultimate failure.
M'gann began to cry, and looked to Connor for comfort, burying her head in his shoulder.
"What did you see Manhunter?" Aqualad asked.
"Terrible things Kaldur, awful things", the Martian replied, "This man is not evil though, that much is clear."
"Well what now?" Wally asked.
"We need to assemble the league, Superman and Batman must be informed of this", the Manhunter replied.
Author's notes: Well that's chapter two in the bag, hopefully ya'll will like it, again feel free to let me know how it is, and there should be another update within the week. And just one more thing, if you're confused about Bardock's characterization, he likes fighting, he's just not really that keen on the killing part, hence all the conflicted emotions and stuff.