Invasion

The earthling warriors were playing a game of poker when they suddenly jumped to their feet and ran to the edge of the Lookout, looking below as they felt the incredible number of high power levels falling through the sky. If these were the pawns, they hated to see what kind of powers they would have to contend with when Frieza moved in his knights, rooks, and bishops: the Ginyu Force. Knowing the people of Earth were in danger was infuriating and a rising feeling of helplessness grew in their hearts as the tyrant's army continued shooting through the atmosphere, come to purge the planet of all life. Standing around waiting was insufferable; they were the Earth's defenders, and they should be down there fighting those soldiers, not leaving it for the human militia to handle. Even with strong weapons, they couldn't possibly be fast enough.

Goku glanced over his shoulder when he heard the steady tapping of Kami's staff as he walked over to where they were standing, expression grim. "Kami! How bad is it?"

The wrinkled Namekian sighed as he came to a stop a few paces behind the others. "They are many, but the Earth's military should be able to hold them off long enough for Vegeta's plan to work. There are already casualties and there will be many more, but you mustn't act rashly."

"I don't like this," Tien grumbled. "We should be down there helping!"

"What are we going to do?" Krillin asked, rubbing his smooth head. "Ignore Vegeta's orders? I hate standing here on the sidelines, but we have to fight to win this."

"And we will," Goku assured his friends. His hands clenched into fists as he took a deep, calming breath, releasing some of his anger with it. "But we have to wait."

The next half hour dragged on, each minute feeling like a year to the warriors as they held themselves in check. They could practically hear the screams of fear and smell the smoke of burning cities and charred flesh. Still, they were willing to heed Kami's words, if not Vegeta's. They couldn't hastily move in with any hopes of winning this battle. Following a plan was the only way to ensure success, and the only plan they had to follow was the one devised by the saiyan prince. Even if they didn't wholly trust him, even if they were reluctant allies in this war, they had to obey his commands for the sake of their planet and its people.

By the time they felt five significantly higher power levels arrive on the planet, they were all itching to start the fight. The new ki were intimidating but manageable if they played their cards right. Going into battle against these new warriors one-on-one didn't seem like the best idea Vegeta had ever come up with, but they were forced to trust him. It didn't matter how strong they were; they had trained for the past two years for this, and they were ready. They were discussing amongst themselves if it was the Ginyu Force they were feeling when Vegeta came around from the other side of the Lookout, arms crossed over his chest and a fierce scowl on his face.

"Vegeta, is that the Ginyu Force?" Goku asked.

Vegeta nodded once before stopping right at the edge of the platform, looking down. "Wait for them to split up, then go after them."

Goku chuckled a little. "Wow, they're not nearly as strong as I thought they'd be!"

"Yes," Vegeta agreed bitterly, "They seemed much more elite the last time I saw them." Turning, he left them again. He felt no need to reiterate the plan or give any pep talks. Either they were ready or they weren't, so nothing he could say would make their battles go any better. Besides, he was focusing on the massive ki orbiting around the planet. It was incredible even from a great distance. What would it feel like once he landed? Would his power totally overwhelm his senses? What had he gotten himself into? How could he hope to win? Growling, he shook the doubts from his head. Somehow he would win, no matter how impossible it seemed.

A few minutes after Vegeta affirmed their thoughts that the Ginyu Force had arrived, they felt the five high powers splitting up, each darting off in a different direction. Presumably they were searching for Vegeta, so they certainly wouldn't be expecting any confrontations from other warriors. Surprising them shouldn't be too difficult, then. Leading the first line of attack, Goku leaped off the Lookout and waved his arm for the others to follow.

…

"Alright, men," Captain Ginyu said, pacing back and forth in front of his soldiers who were struggling to hold their odd poses. "You know the orders. We are to find Vegeta and Nappa to bring back to Lord Frieza, alive. Report back here once they are found. And remember, search with style!"

"Yes, sir!" the four mutants shouted, saluting their brilliant captain.

"Now go!"

Each of them struck another pose, announcing his name before blasting off in his assigned direction to search for the monkey prince. Each of them wanted to be the one to find Vegeta, not only because they would undoubtedly have the pleasure of beating him up, but also because there was the reward of a chocolate bar for whoever brought him back.

Captain Ginyu watched his men leave before pushing the button on his scouter to get a power reading of the planet's nearby inhabitants. He sneered when he saw the pathetically low numbers. All so weak, so pathetic. Finding Vegeta and Nappa would be a breeze because, weak as they were, they were still hundreds of times stronger than the indigenous population. He levitated off the ground, preparing to head south to begin his search for the saiyans, when he was suddenly knocked to the ground.

More confused than anything, Ginyu picked himself up out of the rubble and dusted himself off, looking around for whoever managed to get a lucky hit. He froze when he saw a man standing several yards away. He was wearing a tacky orange gi and his black hair wildly shot out in all directions, but what really gained Ginyu's attention were his black eyes that lacked malice yet produced a sense of foreboding in his gut.

"Who're you?" he demanded.

The man tilted his chin up proudly. "My name is Goku and this is my home. You would leave if you know what's good for you."

Ginyu scoffed, shifting into his fighting position. "Leave? I'm just getting started! Do you know who I am?"

Goku smirked as he moved into his own stance. "Yeah, you're Captain Ginyu. I've been told about you, though I was expecting you to be a lot stronger."

The confident expression on the mutant's face slipped, being replaced by shock. "And I suppose you think you're stronger than me? You don't know what you're getting yourself into! My scouter says your power level is only 5000."

The saiyan's expression became more serious. "You shouldn't trust everything you see. I'll give you one last chance to leave this planet and never come back."

"Fool!" Ginyu growled before charging at his opponent. He swung his fist to hit Goku, but his arm passed through an afterimage. Gaping openly, he looked around, but he didn't see Goku anywhere.

"Hey, you looking for me?" Goku asked, now standing behind the purple alien. When Ginyu turned, he made a silly face at him and phased out of sight again.

"What?" Ginyu levitated off the ground, rage building. "No one mocks the great Captain Ginyu!"

Calming himself a little, he lowered himself to the ground and was about to start his dance routine introduction when he was again knocked to the ground by a swift kick to the side of the head. Grunting, he got up again. "Hey, I wasn't ready yet!"

Goku paused in his next attack, his eyebrows arching up. "Huh? I thought we were fighting already."

"No, you idiot!" Composing himself, Captain Ginyu stood up straight with his heels together and arms hanging at his sides. After clearing his throat, he began his self-introduction. "And presenting…" he raised himself to his toes and started shuffling to the side, simultaneously raising his arms above his head. "…the one and only…" His hands reached their apex and dropped again in a swooping motion across his chest. "…magnificent Captain Ginyu!" He ended by raising one knee with one arm crossed over his chest and the other raised straight above his head.

Goku watched, baffled, cocking his head to the side and rubbing the back of his neck. "What's the point of that? Are we dancing or fighting?"

His perfect posture sagged as he was again left speechless. His style was supposed to strike fear into the hearts of any who opposed him, but obviously this idiot was too stupid to know when to run. Frowning, Ginyu dropped out of his pose and clenched his hands into fists. At least it wouldn't be difficult finishing off such a weakling. After all, he had a mission to finish; there wasn't time to waste fooling around with this brainless moron.

…

Despite having four eyes, Guldo wasn't too observant. Yamcha was able to easily sneak up on him and launch the first attack before he was even detected. More than anything, he had to be careful not to attract the attention of the other soldiers who were fighting in the area. Guldo didn't have a scouter and apparently couldn't sense ki, but the soldiers did have scouters and no doubt would have attacked had they been made aware of a strong opposing fighter in their vicinity.

Of course the fight would have gone much faster if Yamcha had struck with a killing blow the first time, but he held back. Instead, his punch only succeeded in rupturing the veins in Guldo's rightmost eye, impairing his vision. The second blow was a kick that sent the small alien flying through the air like a beach ball. But by then, Guldo had caught on to the fact that he was being targeted, so he took a deep breath and held it, stopping time for a moment so he could find the person who was trying to engage in battle against him.

His eyes bulged when he spun around and saw Yamcha right behind him, fist only a few inches from the his face. Stumbling backwards, he started powering up a counterattack, but it drained his energy enough that he couldn't hold his breath any longer. As soon as he exhaled time resumed and Yamcha, somewhat dazed and definitely confused, finished his punch, nearly falling over as he lost his balance when, instead of hitting solid flesh, his arm passed through thin air. It only took him a second to regain his bearings before he saw the ki blast coming straight at him. He easily batted it away and immediately phased behind the small alien and gave him a hard kick that made his round body roll several yards.

Guldo inhaled deeply, about to stop time again, but he wasn't quite fast enough before Yamcha reappeared right in front of him, blasting him into oblivion with a relatively weak kamehameha wave. "That had to be about the easiest fight I've ever won," Yamcha said, wiping his hands on the pants of his gi. He looked down at the blackened remains of the frog-like mutant alien, his lip curling in disgust at the sight and smell. Taking a moment to survey his surroundings, he noticed that his fight had, indeed, gained the attention of many of Frieza's soldiers. None of them were particularly strong, but they had the advantage in number.

'Great,' Yamcha thought, turning in a circle to assess exactly how many he was going up against. 'I don't have time for this. I need to be on the lookout for Frieza. Oh well, I could use a good fight.' Lowering himself into his fighting stance, he faced off against a horde of alien soldiers, confident in his impending victory.

…

He was fast, he had to give him that. Still, speed definitely wasn't going to be enough to save the blue reptilian alien. Piccolo cut him off, glaring at him coolly with arms crossed as he hovered in the air in front of Burter. "You must be one of Frieza's goons."

The blue alien snarled at the Namekian, fists clenching. Before he lost his temper, he lowered himself to the ground, appraising Piccolo as he landed as well. "I am a servant of Lord Frieza." Burter then shifted into the position to begin his introduction routine. "My name is Burter—"

"I don't care who you are," Piccolo cut him off. "Spare me the introduction, I just want to kill you." Knowing he would need more speed to win against this strange creature, Piccolo cast aside his turban and cape, each making a dull thud as they hit the ground, kicking up small clouds of dust that wafted away in the light breeze.

"You talk big for a weakling!" Burter pushed the button on his scouter to get a reading on Piccolo's power level. "You're pathetic! Power level 2000, I could kill you in my sleep."

Rather than continuing the verbal attacks, Piccolo instead chose to begin the real fight. Without warning he phased over to Burter and delivered a fast uppercut that his opponent dodged, then feinted a follow-up right hook that Burter blocked, then finished with a swift roundhouse kick that landed. While the blue alien gasped for breath, doubled over, Piccolo crashed his fists down on the back of his head, sending him face-first into the ground.

Burter wasn't down for long; he jumped back to his feet and darted several yards into the air, readying two orbs of ki in his hands. Before he could fire, though, Piccolo appeared behind him and kicked him down to the ground again. As soon as he rose, he fired a blast of ki at Piccolo, catching the Namekian off-guard. Seeing his window of opportunity, Burter was in front of Piccolo in a flash, managing to get in a solid backhand, elbow in the ribs, and back kick before Piccolo knew what was happening.

"I am the fastest being in the universe!" Burter boasted as he caught Piccolo in a headlock.

Rolling his eyes, Piccolo reached over his shoulder and grabbed Burter's hand, twisting his arm until there was a sickening crack as one of the bones in his forearm broke. Burter howled in pain, instantly releasing Piccolo. He clutched his arm to his chest, seething with rage as he backed away from him. No one mocked a member of the Ginyu Force this way! Ignoring the pain shooting through his arm and into his hand, he clenched his fists and shot forward to try getting some more good hits in.

He was so absorbed in his fight that he didn't even notice the rising power level of his opponent displayed on the screen of his scouter as he fought the green warrior. Had he noticed, he may have retreated, finding himself clearly outmatched, but with furious resolve he continued swinging and missing the stronger, faster fighter. It became more obvious after only a few minutes that Piccolo was the more level-headed fighter, as his technique did not suffer from building frustration and he gave more staggering blows as time progressed.

Panting, he again backpedaled away from Piccolo, fangs bared in anger. It wasn't possible for someone so weak to be gaining the upper hand this way. Had he not been wearing armor, it was likely he would have already been defeated. Luckily, it absorbed the brunt of the attacks he was receiving, giving him a slightly better chance. He was beginning to think the only way to win would be to wear the other fighter out until he was so tired he couldn't fight anymore.

Snickering as he came up with the rather simple plan, Burter fired a small barrage of ki blasts at Piccolo, then blasted off to the east while his opponent was distracted. If he could reach Jeice, then this green man wouldn't have a chance. They could team up and use their purple comet hurricane technique. As he made his tactful retreat, he reached up and pushed the button of his scouter to contact Jeice and tell him the plan.

…

Jeice was flying to his sector of the planet when he was suddenly hit with a strong beam of ki that sent him spiraling through the air. He almost hit the ground before he could catch himself, landing cleanly on his feet. Looking down at himself, he growled when he saw that his perfect armor was marred with a circle of soot from the explosion and his scouter was completely destroyed. "Alright, who the hell did that?" he shouted.

"I believe that would be me," Raditz answered smoothly as he touched down a few feet away from the orange mutant warrior.

Jeice looked up at him, stunned. He pointed at the large saiyan and said, "You! You're supposed to be dead!"

Raditz shrugged, smirking mischievously. "Maybe I should be, but I'm not, as you can see." He shifted into his fighting stance. "Now then, what do you say we cut the small talk and fight? I've been wanting to kill you for a long time."

"Ha! Yeah right, mate!" Jeice scoffed, moving into his own stance. "As if the likes of you would ever have a chance against me!"

Raditz took another moment to appraise the smaller warrior before charging forward. Jeice simultaneously flew forward, their fists clashing in the middle as they started a flurry of punches almost too fast to see. As they continued, they slowly rose off the ground, taking their fight to the air. Raditz was holding back his true power, more interested in drawing out Jeice's pain before going in for the kill. It had been a long time since he was in a fight to the death, and to be honest it didn't get his blood boiling the way it used to, but the idea of pulverizing a member of the Ginyu Force was extremely satisfying. There was no way he could lose to Jeice; he was many times stronger now, so he wasn't worried. Of course, he had to remind himself not to take too long so he could be on the alert for Frieza's arrival on the planet.

Jeice whirled around, first missing his target – Raditz's jaw – with a backhand, then catching his ribs with the following roundhouse kick. He chortled victoriously as he clenched his fists together and made to bring them down on the saiyan's head, but he was left breathless when he instead received a large fist in his gut. Coughing up a glob of bloody phlegm, he moved away from his opponent to regain his breath and start anew.

But Raditz wasn't willing to wait for Jeice to recover before he flew after him, phasing out of sight just before striking with a right punch, reappearing behind him, and hitting him with a side kick in the middle of his back. Again thrown on the defensive, Jeice turned around and with both hands caught the saiyan's fist that was aimed directly at his head. Still holding Raditz's fist, he brought his knee up to kick his gut, but, much to his chagrin, he wasn't able to reach.

Only a second later, Raditz spun around, kicking Jeice's head and knocking him to the ground. He crawled out of the crater his body created, coughing and panting, and stood up unsteadily, preparing himself for another round against the third-class saiyan. "How'd you get so strong?" he demanded. "Saiyans are weak!"

Raditz phased in front of him and caught him with a hard uppercut, knocking him back a few steps before he regained his balance. "Simple. I trained. It's amazing what a gravity simulator can do for an ordinary training regimen."

"A what?"

Two balls of ki started growing in Raditz's hands as he slowly advanced on the small warrior, who was now beginning to realize the peril he was in. He turned to run, but he only took a few steps before one of the ki attacks hit him square in the back. Screaming as he fell to the ground, he reached around to feel his back to assess the injury. He was relieved when he found that his armor was still intact, but he choked on his sigh of relief when his hands wrapped around clumps of loose, burnt hair.

"My hair!" he gasped. A burning fire of rage ignited in his chest as he pushed himself back to his feet, turning to face the large saiyan. "Do you have any idea how long it took me to grow my hair out that long?"

"What?" Raditz taunted, raking his free hand through his long mane. "You mean you weren't born with it?"

Jeice was about to shout a retort when his scouter blipped to life as another high power level approached. Seeing the power reading, he turned back to Raditz, smirking as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You think you're tough, do ya? Let's see how you do against the Purple Comet Hurricane!"

"Purple comet what?" Raditz asked, baffled by the ridiculous title. He raised an eyebrow when Burter seemingly appeared out of nowhere next to Jeice, blowing up a cloud of dust in his wake.

"Jeice!" Burter hissed, "There's a warrior following me and he's strong. I say we combine our strength to defeat him."

The white-haired fighter snorted. "What, you couldn't take on one of these earthlings?"

"He's not an earthling."

"No," Raditz said, nodding toward Piccolo who was hovering in the air above them, "He's not an earthling. Definitely a Namek. Not that it matters what he is because he's still going to kick your ass."

Burter glanced over at the long-haired saiyan, then did a double take. "Raditz? But I thought he was dead!"

Jeice shrugged. "Obviously not, mate. Now let's kill these guys so we can get back to the mission. The cap'n doesn't like us wasting time."

"Right."

The two Ginyu members started powering up until they were surrounded by red and blue auras, respectively. They jumped into the air and pushed their auras outward until they combined, forming a glowing ball of purple ki around them. Then they each flew toward Piccolo, each missing when they tried to punch him. Turning their attention to Raditz, they flew straight at him, dodging when they were inches away, trying to intimidate him. For several minutes this continued until finally they stopped mid-air to regroup and rethink their attack.

"This isn't working!" Burter growled.

They continued discussing strategy for another minute before Piccolo lost patience. Unlike Raditz, he was not interested in drawing out the fight any longer than necessary, and in his opinion it had been drawn out long enough already. He lowered himself to the ground, close enough to Raditz to tell him without the others hearing that they should fight back this time around. Nodding, Raditz agreed, clenching his fists as he prepared to hit them when they came at him again.

Once Burter and Jeice finished strategizing, they looked down and saw Piccolo and Raditz standing together, making their attack even easier. With a silent nod, Burter started the attack, charging toward Piccolo while Jeice headed for Raditz. They were each about to strike when Raditz and Piccolo both moved their hands in front of them and fired powerful beams of ki at them once they reached point blank range. The blasts, packed with enough power to kill both warriors many times over, incinerated their bodies and sent them to the next dimension. When the light from the explosion faded and the smoke cleared, there was nothing left of the two Ginyu Force members.

"I'll stay here," Raditz said. "You go back to where you first ran into Burter and watch for Frieza. If you see any soldiers kill them."

With a curt nod, Piccolo levitated off the ground and flew back the way he had come to take his post. He could feel the ki of many soldiers in the area, so he would be kept busy while he waited for Frieza to land.

…

Tien watched from above for a few minutes as Recoome rampaged through the city, presumably in search of the saiyan prince and his bodyguard. He seemed to lack discernment, killing anyone who got in his way regardless of alliance. Both Frieza's soldiers and earthlings were killed as he destroyed buildings, overturned cars, and blasted crowds. Figuring he had seen enough, Tien landed a few yards behind the giant. He raised his hands in front of his chest, his fingers forming a triangle.

'Might as well start with the big guns,' he thought as he started gathering energy for his tri-beam technique. He was about ready to fire when Recoome suddenly turned around, a blinding beam of energy shooting out of his mouth straight at him. Losing focus, Tien lost the energy he had summoned as he jumped out of the way of the energy blast.

"Thought you could sneak up on me, did you?" Recoome asked, his voice nearly lost in the roaring explosion that must have destroyed half the city. He reached up, tapping his scouter with his finger. "Lucky for me my scouter detected your energy."

Breathing heavily, more from surprise than anything, Tien looked over his shoulder at the destruction, then turned back to his large adversary. He was easily as tall and bulky as Nappa, maybe even bigger. 'Well, he might be big,' he thought, 'but he's not all that strong if that's the worst he can do. I can take him.'

Tien slid his foot back and raised his arms in his defensive stance, facing off against Recoome. Considering he was in the middle of a city, he wanted to get the fight done with as quickly as possible to avoid more civilian deaths. They were already having a hard enough time escaping the lower-ranking soldiers of Frieza's army. If he were to defeat Recoome fast, then he would be free to take out the soldiers and protect the earthlings.

"So, three-eyes, you think you have what it takes to defeat me?" Recoome stood up straight, laughing. He struck a series of ridiculous poses that made Tien think first of a ballerina, then the women in Master Roshi's magazines. "My name is Recoome, it rhymes with doom, and you'll be hurting all too soon!"

Staring blankly at the large warrior as he finished posing, Tien was almost caught off-guard when Recoome launched an attack on him. Barely dodging the beam of ki, Tien back-flipped and kicked off the side of a building to close the distance between himself and his opponent. He was about to punch Recoome when he was caught by the giant oaf and thrown into another building. It crumbled around him, but he was able to erect a shield of ki around himself before it could hurt him. Once he was sure the rubble had settled, he burst out of the wreckage and fired a dodon ray at the unsuspecting Recoome.

Though it made a direct hit, Recoome hardly felt it, but it was enough to gain his attention. He whirled around to face off against Tien, slightly intrigued when he saw the earthling fighter with only a few scratches from the initial impact with the building. Grinning stupidly, he rushed forward to start close hand-to-hand combat. Tien was, at first, surprised at Recoome's speed, having guessed he would be slower due to his bulkiness. He soon dismissed that assumption, feeling foolish for having made it in the first place when he knew Raditz and Nappa, also very bulky fighters, were extremely quick and agile.

Tien caught one of Recoome's fists and spun around, throwing the alien over his shoulder. He landed hard on the ground, slightly stunned. While he was down, Tien again formed a triangle with his fingers and quickly powered up his tri-beam, firing it this time before Recoome could move out of the way or block with a counterattack. It wasn't powerful enough to do any significant damage, but it knocked the wind out of the Ginyu member. Tien knelt down and grabbed his foot, then started spinning around and around before releasing Recoome, hurling him into another crumbling building.

While Recoome was in there, Tien took to the air and started powering up a stronger tri-beam, determined to end the fight soon so he could start fighting off the weaker soldiers swarming through the city. He could see many of them from his current vantage point, and he was surprised they weren't firing at him given his vulnerability in the air. He figured they knew better than to get involved in a fight where the Ginyu Force was concerned. At least he wouldn't have to worry about any attacks from behind.

By the time Recoome emerged from the fallen building, Tien had his attack powered up and ready to release. As soon as he saw the tuft of orange hair, Tien fired his attack, hitting Recoome head-on. The Ginyu was knocked back several feet, his armor now broken and falling off his body. Tien cursed when he saw that it had protected his opponent from any severe injury. On the bright side, the armor was now useless as it failed to cover any vital organs. Another blow like that and Recoome would be unlikely to live through it.

While Recoome staggered back to his feet, stumbling over cement blocks and support beams, Tien started gathering energy for another attack like the last. He was slightly winded from the amount of ki he poured into it, but he was still far from tiring and had plenty of energy to spare. Taking aim at the warrior who was weaving back and forth on his feet, Tien shouted, "Tri-Beam cannon!"

There was a bright flash of light, and this time when it dimmed, there was no Recoome to be seen. Tien sensed for his ki, thinking he maybe managed to dodge and hide somewhere, but he felt no strong ki aside from the other soldiers. Recoome was either dead or dying; either way, he was no longer a threat and could be dealt with later if need be. Right now, Tien needed to help kill off Frieza's soldiers in the area and watch for the mother ship. He dropped down to the ground and ran to the nearest pocket of alien soldiers and started killing them quickly and mercilessly.

…

Goku felt the last of the high ki he sensed earlier fade as he caught Ginyu's fist and twisted his arm into a submission hold. "I think all your friends are dead."

"Friends?" Ginyu spat. "You mean my men? They can't be dead! We're the Ginyu Force! No one has ever defeated us." He screamed as Goku twisted his arm more.

"You seem to be losing now." Goku kicked Ginyu in the chest when he crumpled to his knees. Normally he didn't like fighting so ruthlessly, but Vegeta's words echoed in his mind whenever he considered showing mercy to the purple creature. These men were evil in the purest sense. They enjoyed wreaking havoc and taking lives. They weren't going to reform, and if he had the chance to rid the universe of their darkness, he should take it. Killing really didn't set well with him; he much preferred defeating an opponent and letting him live to fight again another day. Still, this fight was different, so he had to disregard his normal values.

"Losing?" Ginyu gasped. "I'm just – just getting warmed up."

Goku released Ginyu's arm and kicked him in the face. Ginyu fell to the ground, barely able to catch himself before his face hit the dirt. "You can't win. You should leave now while you still have the chance."

Ginyu turned to look up at the saiyan, hatred burning in his eyes. "I will not give up!"

Frowning, Goku kicked him again, this time sending him flying through the air. He landed on the ground hard. With a groan he rolled over onto his back, spitting out a glob of blood. Goku slowly approached him, ready to block any attacks. He hesitated when Ginyu started laughing, intermittently coughing and choking.

"You – you think you've defeat – defeated me?" Ginyu pushed himself up to his elbows, panting heavily. "You're strong, but – but it's not always the – the strongest who wins."

"I know that." Goku cupped his hands at his side and started collecting energy for his trademark attack, ready to be done with the fight. There was death and destruction all around him at the hands of Frieza's men, and he needed to stop them before more innocent lives were taken. There was no time to fool around with Captain Ginyu any longer.

Ginyu sat up and, having finally caught his breath, started preparing himself for his greatest technique. He was fighting an incredible opponent, someone with unbelievable strength and speed. Imagine what he could do with a body with such abilities! Focusing on his essence, he readied himself for the moment when he could make the switch.

Goku widened his stance as the glowing ball of blue ki in his hands rapidly increased in size. "Ka…me…ha…"

"Change now!"

"Me…ha!" Goku thrust his hands forward, releasing his wave of ki as Ginyu abandoned his body. Incorporeal, he had no defense against the surge of energy that overtook him, forcing him back into his body that was then destroyed by the powerful beam. He screamed as his body disintegrated in the blast.

When the smoke and dust cleared, Goku looked around, seeing no signs of the captain of the Ginyu Force. He shook his head, feeling bile rising in his throat when he realized he actually killed someone. It just wasn't in his nature to be so merciless. Didn't everyone deserve a second chance? Pushing that thought aside, he turned his attention to the other soldiers. Earth's military was doing an outstanding job of holding them off with the weaponry Bulma designed, but they were being overpowered and humans were being killed by the hundreds. He would watch for Frieza, but in the meantime he needed to take care of the so-called pawns.

…

Bulma saw some of the tension in Vegeta's body lessen as he breathed a small, quiet sigh. Sitting next to him on the edge of the Lookout, she reached over and rubbed his back soothingly. "What's going on down there? Anything happen?"

He nodded. "They killed them. The Ginyu Force is dead."

She smiled weakly. It seemed strange to her to feel relief, even joy at the expense of another living creature. Celebrating death was not one of her more common habits, but in this case she felt justified. "Will Frieza know?"

"Probably." Vegeta sighed again, looking up at the sky above. It was growing dark in their part of the world, the stars standing out in the indigo sky. "He won't be happy about that."

"I guess not." Bulma leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. Her free hand moved to his lap, holding one of his large, calloused hands.

Vegeta kissed her temple, deeply inhaling her sweet scent. "He'll be coming soon along with the rest of his army. Remember everything I told you, woman."

When she nodded, his tail curled around her waist, holding her close to him. Truthfully, he wished that he could have been the one to kill the Ginyu Force. He could have done in single-handedly, but he had to reserve his energy for the real fight. He wasn't even sure if he would be the one to kill Dodoria and Zarbon; as much as he wanted to exact personal revenge, he couldn't afford to waste energy or allow himself to be distracted from the real goal: killing Frieza. This was what he had been waiting for his entire life. This was the very reason he forced himself to go on living when his life seemed so pointless. And this woman, his woman, was the reason he couldn't fail.

A/N: I definitely had fun writing this chapter... the Ginyu Force is so absurd. I'm watching some episodes of DBZ as research before writing chapter 67, which is being more problematic than I thought it would be. Still, it will get done, I promise.

As for reviews... I really want to tell you how they're going to defeat Frieza, but that would spoil the surprise. As for the Buu saga, I have something in mind. And am I a boy or a girl? I prefer to keep that anonymous. If you can't tell through my writing, I feel like I've done a good job.

Beta'd by lilpumpkingirl

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