I wish I owned DBZ, but I don't. I own DVD's and tapes, but it just isn't the same. I also don't own the rights to any of the music pieces you see selected, just copies of merchandise, such a shame. The artists that created them are geniuses and we all must bow to them.

Chapter 55: Encounter of the Edge of the Galaxy

"How long?" Verto asked.

"Six minutes," Fuzai replied.

"He's going to ambush us," Lenz said.

Verto snorted, "Maybe, but I have my doubts. I'll at least hear him out."

"But that's suicide! Since when do you trust anyone related to Frieza?" Lenz asked in a panicked voice.

"I don't, so calm down. There's an old saying that you should always keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer. I'll determine for myself how to handle this first and who my friends and enemies actually are," Verto said.

Lenz became exasperated, "That makes no sense at all! He attacked Gohan, he killed me and he tried to kill everyone on Earth through Viro, including you! Isn't it obvious?"

Verto turned to face her, "Just trust me on this Lenz, and don't do anything to provoke a fight."

"But, but, ARGH!" Lenz threw her hands up and walked off the bridge.

Fuzai chuckled a bit as she stormed off, "You certainly have the way to deal with her mastered."

"She's not the only one that needs to be careful here, so do you."

Fuzai scoffed, "Hardly. I'm one of Lord Frost's most loyal soldiers."

"A loyal soldier that was willing to sell out his own people just to survive," Verto countered.

Fuzai sighed deeply, "How long have you known that?"

"Since we first asked about it. I haven't told her, yet."

"Look, there are things about that you don't know or understand yet. Things I really don't want to discuss at this time. I was looking out for her best interests as well as mine," Fuzai claimed.

Verto gave him a dark stare, "If you say so. Just remember something, watch out when you stab someone in the back. I only beat you up, I doubt someone like Frost or Frieza would have been so nice."

Fuzai gulped slightly, "Noted." The computer beeped loudly as several console buttons began to flash at once.

"We're being hailed," Fuzai said. He pushed a few of the buttons and the video display changed to a gruff blue alien with tanned hair, sporting two pale horns on his head.

"This is Lieutenant Burotsuno calling from Frieza planet number seventy-seven. Please identify yourself!"

Fuzai cleared his throat, "Fuzai, returning from my mission to Earth, Buro. I have two passengers with me."

"Understood, you may land at platform seventeen. Lord Frost has been expecting you. Your autopilot has been disabled so that you can land," Buro said.

"Acknowledged, out!" Fuzai recited.

Lenz walked up from behind with a concerned expression as she dropped a hand on Verto's shoulder, "Are you really going to make a deal with him?"

"Don't worry, I'm not going to rush into anything. I'll explore every option before I decide what we do. We're trying to prevent a war after all," Verto replied.

Lenz sighed heavily, "I think that's what I like about you most little brother. You're so small, yet so smart. Can I ask why you're doing this though? A month ago you wouldn't have even thought twice about it."

"Save your impression that I'm that smart until after we get out of this. This could be the biggest mistake I've ever made. As for why, let's just say that I have more personal information about Frost than either of you do. And I did get wind of this unidentified force, so this might be for real, then again it might not," Verto admitted.

"What could you know about Frost that we don't? You've never even met him!" Lenz pointed out.

Verto grinned, "You're right, I haven't." Lenz grumbled while Fuzai merely shook his head and manned the landing controls.

A few minutes later, the ship had landed and the ramp extended. Verto sensed the sizeable power levels just outside easily, and it wasn't long before Lenz noticed.

"I told you so, they're all waiting for us!" she pointed out.

"Calm down, it's not like we're in much of a position to escape. Besides, if they wanted us dead so badly, they would have already blown up the ship hours ago," Verto countered. Lenz didn't answer as her head drooped slightly in defeat. Fuzai led the way out of the ship and Verto allowed him nearly a dozen-step lead before following. There were eight aliens out there, but Verto only saw the one in the middle initially. The resemblance to Frieza and King Kold gave Frost away without needing to read his power level. Two of the other seven looked like typical guards belonging to the empire, one of them being Lieutenant Burotsuno. The other five were in a different league. All had green skin and cocky expressions plastered on their faces. The largest power among them sported a bandana that barely hid a thick mane of hair and pointed ears. Verto immediately assumed that this must be Bojack, going off the general description Lenz had given him. One of the two on his left flank had a long sword held at his side, and the one next to him looked like a brute that was likely to pick a fight. Both of them were about equal in power as far as Verto could tell, which directed his attention to the other two. One was a semi-attractive woman with long orange hair, and the other was a small man no taller than Verto was himself. They were the weakest of the five, but not by a whole lot. I'll bet the short one uses mental abilities, he looks like his head is his only real weapon. That brought Verto back to Frost, and the power level spoke for itself, but it was being suppressed ever so slightly. Frost locked eyes for only a moment before turning to Fuzai with a frown.

"This is not the one I asked for Fuzai," he said in an eerily calm tone. Verto tensed up immediately; Here it comes, now Lenz gets to hold this mistake over my head while we visit King Kai.

Fuzai nervously returned the glance, "I know my lord. But I must point out that I wasn't given an accurate description until we were already on our way back."

"You shouldn't have needed one. Out of all the Super Saiyans on that planet, he was the one with silver hair, unless…" Frost paused as he had another stare off with Verto. Verto returned the expression with much more intensity, and Frost never looked away.

"Buro, power reading please," Frost said without turning. Burotsuno activated his scouter and quickly backed up a step. Verto did not try to suppress his current level of energy, mostly due to Gohan informing him that Frost could sense power levels. Verto couldn't read the language on the scouter, but didn't feel that he needed to.

"One hundred and twenty five…million, sire," Buro said quickly.

Frost gave off the tiniest of smiles as he slightly turned his head while keeping his eye on Verto, "That feels about right I suppose, and what about the other energy type?" Verto's eyes widened in surprise as a different display came up on the scouter.

Buro's nervous sweating didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon, "Two hundred and seven million my lord and it's a stable reading." Son of a bitch, they've used their technology to adapt the scouters to read Psi levels now! That complicates things.

"Well, that explains it then. You are the Saiyan that Vegeta and the others were searching for, the one with similar powers to Son Gohan. Am I correct?" Frost asked.

"That's right," Verto replied.

"Well, I can see how Fuzai would have mistaken you two. I trust you weren't too rough on him for his desperate measures. Our long range scans showed that Fuzai's life signs dropped considerably for a time."

Verto shifted his glare to Fuzai for a moment, "He's paid his dues."

Frost stifled a small chuckle, "I see. As you may have guessed, I am Lord Frost. May I have your name?"

"Verto."

To his left, Buro cleared his throat, "Pardon sire, there's another power level on the ship. They are not alone."

"Yes, I sensed that one already. Why doesn't your comrade come out and say hello?" Frost sneered slightly.

"She's nervous. After all, you did kill her," Verto said.

Frost seemed genuinely surprised, "I did?" Lenz carefully stepped off the ship and stood behind Verto, not even daring to look at her killer for the moment.

"I should have known you would bring your sister back with you Fuzai. Welcome back home my dear, these hallway haven't shined without your presence!" Frost claimed. Lenz's face twisted into a deep glare as she finally looked up at his grin. Her ki flared slightly, prompting Buro's scouter to go off again.

"Forty-seven million my lord!"

"Well, it seems as though your time in the afterlife was good for you. Though the same cannot be said for your poor tail, I remember how traders used to beg me to give it to them. Though it is better this way, wouldn't you agree? We don't need a mindless giant ape running around here after all. Tell me, have you become a Super Saiyan as well?"

Verto scowled at Frost's sarcastic tone, "You'll deal with me, not her."

"Oh, my apologies. I didn't realize that there was an adult here," Frost laughed. It spread over through Bojack's crew quickly, and the woman among them was the loudest.

"Oh why bother with them Lord Frost? These two won't prove useful at all. Maybe we can use them as meat shields, but that is about it. Their combined age doesn't even equal a trained soldier's average lifespan!"

"On the contrary Zangya, they may be our strongest allies at this point. We shall see," Frost admitted. Lenz seemed especially annoyed by Zangya's comment, but said nothing to it.

That wasn't the way Verto treated it though, "If age is my problem, it's clear that beauty is yours. Or should I say lack there of?"

Zangya's cocky smirk melted clean off, "Oh look who has a witty little mouth. Clearly, your mother never gave you enough spankings once you were out of the diaper!" Lenz cringed as Verto's eyes flared with energy, concerned that he was about to get them both killed.

Verto didn't budge however, "I can't help but wonder if you've considered cosmetic surgery to look a little better. Talk about my mother again and you will need it."

"How dare you! Lord Frost, may I personally attend to teaching this tiny brat a lesson?"

"No need for that Zangya, I don't want this to turn ugly. Nor do I wish to lose a useful subordinate today," Frost claimed.

"Oh I won't kill him, yet," she grinned.

Frost turned her way, "I was referring to you. You will treat this boy with the utmost respect, for he is more powerful and more useful to me right now than all of you. Is that understood?" Fear and anger filled Zangya's face, but she bowed and stepped back. Verto's eyebrow went up at the sudden behavioral change, but he chose not to advance on it.

"Don't jump the gun, we discuss things before I agree to anything," Verto said.

The large brute next to Bojack took his turn to interrupt, "Discuss what with you boy? You will do as you're told!"

"Don't go there meathead," Verto warned.

"Now now, there will be plenty of time to insult each other later. Perhaps we should let you two get settled first?" Frost suggested.

"Fine, but don't make me wait too long. I am very aware of some of your problems, and I would prefer not to become one of them," Verto answered.

"A preference we share. Very well, Buro, show them to a suite. Lord Bojack, please stay with me for a moment. We need to discuss your crew's behavior in front of guests."

Lenz stayed particularly close to Verto while Buro led them through the base. Verto's eyes darted side to side at a rapid pace as he took in every minor detail down to the square inch. Buro took them past the main bar and eatery along what was considered the primary hallway. Shortly past that, Lenz noticed a familiar section that she used to frequent. Verto recognized it as a brothel quickly enough, though the scantily-clad alien women were enough of a hint. The girls were all more than a little surprised when Lenz approached them, and they hurried into their chambers before a word could be said.

"Friends of yours?" Verto asked.

"Barely, but I don't know what they're so afraid of," Lenz replied.

"A few minor things. Lord Frost will fill you in on some of it. Other than that, perhaps the fact that you were dead and now you're not," Buro suggested.

"And Frost knows all about that I take it?" Verto asked with concern.

"Generally speaking yes, but probably not the specific details."

When Buro wasn't looking, Verto turned and gave Lenz a silent eyeful, "Don't talk about the Dragonballs if you can help it. It's obvious he may know something about them and we can't do much about that right now. But whatever happens, not a word about the Namekians, understand?" Lenz nodded nervously as they moved on. Once they entered the living quarters area, Buro stopped at the fifth door.

"This one shall be yours Lenz. Come with me sir, yours is just down the way," Buro pointed out.

"No, we'll share a room," Verto said.

"That won't be necessary, we have plenty of space here. And I'm sure the lady would like some privacy."

"You've worked here how long and you still don't know her? Modesty isn't one of her high points if you catch my drift," Verto reminded.

"Oh shut up!" Lenz shouted back.

Verto smirked, "Never."

"Very well then, if that's what you want. A change of clothing will be brought shortly. Is standard elite wardrobe acceptable?" Buro asked.

"Oh shoot, I forgot that we didn't have time to pack any clothing!" Lenz panicked.

"And the bathing facility is on the right," Buro said as he pointed inside.

"Great, my hair is in terrible shape!" Lenz said as she stepped in.

Verto rolled his eyes, "You can have it first then. As for clothing, I take it you're talking about jumpsuits and armor, right?"

Buro nodded, "Correct. Do you have a color preference?"

"No, as long as it isn't pink. Whatever she wants I suppose."

"Wait, what's wrong with pink?" Lenz asked in all seriousness.

"Nothing, if you're a girl. The jury is still out on you though," Verto joked.

Lenz missed when she took a swipe at his face, "Argh!" She stormed off towards the aforementioned bath, drawing an amused expression from Buro.

"I'll personally have those suits delivered immediately sir," he said as he walked off. Verto entered the room, or suite as it actually was, and sat down on the surprisingly soft bed. To him, the suite resembled a standard Earth hotel room, without the television. I suppose this would be considered a suite since this is a military installation. In only a few minutes, Buro returned with two jumpsuits as well as armor pieces. Instead of giving Lenz the choice, Verto took the black jumpsuit over the blue and changed immediately. He also left her the older armor type and took the one without shoulder pads for himself. The door buzzer rang just as he was slipping on the boots, but it wasn't whom he expected. In came Fuzai, who looked like he needed a break from whatever he might have been doing.

"Your sister is bathing, look after her while I'm gone," Verto said before Fuzai could even get a word out.

"Wait a second…" he tried to say.

Verto stopped at the door as he adjusted the gloves, "Spend some quality time with her. I've got things to do." Fuzai stood there, stupefied out of whatever he was going to say once Verto stepped out.

Frost wasn't hard to find, though Verto did have to navigate the busy hallways while following his potent power signal. He received more than a few glances from the staring crowds, but he disregarded them. A few seemed very fearful, though he wasn't sure why. It was unlikely that any of them knew about Verto at all, never mind the fact that they were afraid of a small boy. Probably the fact that me and Gohan still look alike, or just the fact that I'm a Saiyan. Doesn't matter. Despite some of the expressions of the nearby guards and soldiers, any focus on them vanished when he approached Frost's command chambers. He resumed his own determined mindset as he passed through an area with obvious battle damage covering the walls. The large doorway ahead looked relatively new however, as did the decorative room beyond it. This must be where Frost and Gohan had it out. Lenz did mention that part of the base was destroyed. Verto stepped through the open door carefully, spotting Frost standing at a monitoring station. Neither Bojack nor his crew were around, and the guards at the door quickly left once Verto entered. There was a sizeable throne nearby, similar to the one Verto had seen in the Pendulum Room. The door behind Verto was closed by automation, though Frost did not turn around right away.

"That was quicker than I expected, you must be anxious for a challenge," Frost said, amused.

"Not really, but I would like to know why I got pulled halfway across the galaxy. We do have ways of interstellar communication," Verto suggested.

"Earth is that developed now? I have my doubts about that, seeing as Earthlings aren't known to leave their planet very often. If they did, we probably wouldn't have had a problem locating your planet," Frost claimed.

"It's pretty obvious that we're at least capable of it. Otherwise you wouldn't have been able to talk to Doctor Cash," Verto countered. Frost didn't flinch at this statement, but he did put on one of the fakest smiles Verto had ever seen as he beamed down at the smaller boy.

"Oh, and what does he have to do with me?" Frost asked. Verto sensed no change in Frost's ki signal, but still felt that the air around them both had become incredibly tense. He paused as he considered his answer, but decided to press on.

"Lenz was there when you last spoke to him, so don't deny it. He was killed a short time later when Vegeta found his lab. Now tell me what could be so serious that you would suddenly change your mind about Earth and us?"

Frost's smile widened, "You've thought this out at least, I feel fortunate that I contacted a Saiyan that communicates verbally. As Fuzai may have told you, we've been under attack by a Marauder class ship. So far we don't actually know who they are, but all signs have indicated that they are at least partially Saiyan. The troubling aspect of this is that their energy waves have been identified as similar to the Protoss. I trust you know who they are as well?"

Verto's scowl increased, "Yeah, rather well."

"Can you tell me who killed Aldaris?" Frost asked.

Verto bared his teeth for a split second, "I did, and thank you for bringing up that wonderful memory."

"Yes, I assumed as much. You and Son Gohan are the only two Saiyans with comparable energy. This, Psionic energy we've been detecting was rather stable and consistent with you, Gohan and the Protoss. With these new foes however, that has not been the case. Their power readings have been in a constant state of flux, so it's difficult to get a clear reading. They appear to be able to control their powers very efficiently. The Psionic measurements however show to be very unstable," Frost explained.

"Well, how long have you been able to detect Psi energy?" Verto asked.

"Ever since our encounters with the Protoss. But only recently were we able to adapt our scanning equipment to measure it on a similar system to how we measure standard power levels. We are still upgrading the scouters," Frost replied.

"Unstable readings might indicate that they are only emitting it, and not able to control it. However…" Verto paused in thought as Frost waited for his answer. What the hell could he mean by unstable Psi energy?

"Hmmm? What were you about to say?"

"How would you be able to tell either way? I can sense Psi energy pretty clearly, and I've yet to come across anyone with an 'unstable' energy."

Frost turned back to his display screen momentarily before answering, "That's a very good question, did Fuzai tell you about the remaining Rotians?" Verto's eyes narrowed as he felt that Frost was trying to get him to admit to Fuzai potentially sneaking around. I won't throw him under the bus just yet.

"Only that there aren't many of them left, I believe you are responsible for that," Verto replied carefully.

"Partially. Have you noticed anything strange about the girl?" Frost asked instead.

"Lenz? Unless you're referring to the overactive sex drive, no. I'm afraid she's very typical," Verto said as he crossed his arms.

"Nothing like that. Take a look at this monitoring station," Frost pointed as he turned again. Verto glanced up at the screen in question, taking note of the diagram. It was an overview of the entire base, and it showed was covered in green dots.

"If you couldn't tell, this shows us every power signal within these walls, no matter how insignificant. We are here on the end. Now let me show you the Psionic energy signals that measure over one thousand," Frost said as he typed in a command. Most of the power signatures vanished once he did. Only three remained, one was blue in color, right where Verto and Frost were in the throne room. The other two were orange in color, and were moving together in a different section. Verto turned that way and sensed that Lenz was not in the suite any longer, and was likely the Psi signal he sensed moving. He didn't sense the other one, but he had a very good idea now of whom it could be.

"As you might have guessed, both the girl and Fuzai are emitting these unstable Psionic energy waves," Frost surmised.

"I already knew about her potential, I can sense it easily enough. But I'm unable to detect anything past that. She doesn't know how to control it yet, and I was training her when Fuzai showed up," Verto admitted.

"Then I recommend that you stop until you understand the situation a bit more. You see, every remaining Rotian has this energy, and the fact that it is very similar to those aboard the Marauder has me concerned. While I think that it's highly unlikely that they are Saiyans, I can't rule out the possibility. It is a potential threat," Frost explained.

Verto let that information sink in, "Well, you're not the only one concerned about it. Where are the other Rotians anyway? I'd like to examine them myself." Frost pressed another button and the video display zoomed out before moving away from the planet and stopping at a smaller world.

"I keep them on the fourth planet of this system for precautionary measures. It's a jungle based world, so they might be difficult to find," Frost claimed.

"I doubt it, but why aren't they in a lab or something. I'm not saying they should be, but that's where most investigations start, isn't it?" Verto asked.

"There was a lab on that world that was charged with studying them. They escaped and wrecked most of it, now I only keep a small monitoring station in orbit."

"That rebellious, huh? Well, I'd still like to go immediately," Verto said.

"I wouldn't exactly call it rebellious behavior, you'll see what I mean when we get there. I will join you," Frost replied as he moved towards the door.

A/N: So, I'd say that about half of you expected something like this right off the bat, and the other half expected a war. Patience is a virtue.

WDG: I expected talk, not war.

VB: I'm sure you'll get to that point where you'll expect one and get the other.