A/N: Well, it's time again. One more chapter… good thing I've got these memorized, kinda hard to write in this deep, dark hole. My biggest worry, though? School's starting at the end of the month, so I've gotta get this at least a good way done, solitary confinement or not. By the way, I did change one of my chapters… chapter 3, I think... I'm not sure if I've told you. Turns out I forgot to kill someone. Hmm… I guess I'm in HFIL for a reason, aren't I?

Ultimatum

The Saiyan space pod slowed as it reached yet another abandoned space station. Some lights were still on, Goku noticed, but he wasn't fooled… he could sense no life on that station, or on the planet below it. Sighing, he pressed the button on the computer that gave him the list of space stations he hadn't tried, and selected the next one on the list. It seemed that this Frieza guy just built these stations temporarily, and moved from planet to planet, after depleting each planet's natural resources. Goku had found out soon after beginning his journey in space that Frieza was a monster… a very powerful monster that needed to be stopped.

Having run into Frieza's men numerous times since he had left Earth, Goku had a good idea of how powerful Frieza must be. The entire universe feared him… there were few planets left who had not heard of or personally experienced his destruction and evil. It angered Goku to no end that there had been nothing he could do for the planet of Maltek… the Ginyu force had simply been too powerful, and Goku had barely gotten away alive. One thing was certain… when ever he found his son, he would train until he could come back and finally beat Frieza and his men.

If he ever found his son.

It had been a year, nearly two, and he still had no clue where he could be. Every space station he reached was either abandoned, or too heavily guarded for him to search. True, not all of Frieza's men were as strong as the Ginyu Force had been, and he was easily a match for many of them… but not even he could take on an entire space station full of fighters at once. Gaining access to computer records had been no help… they only showed who worked for Frieza, not where they were, and there was no record of Gohan in any of them. No one on any planet had seen or heard of him. Some had heard of Radditz, but no one he had spoken to knew where he was. This didn't surprise Goku, though… according to reputation, if a Saiyan ever landed on a planet, no one was left alive to talk about it.

Goku hated feeling this helpless. He had promised Chichi that he would find their son, but now even Chichi was demanding that he come home. Goku refused, of course… there were still many stations on his list, though now he had gone very far from Earth, and Gohan and Radditz could be anywhere. He had to at least find Radditz… find out if his son was still alive. He couldn't give up.

Kress fired an energy wave at Radditz and disappeared, re-appearing behind him just as Radditz elbowed him in the ribs. He was unable to block the energy wave, though, and fell hard to the ground, getting up just as Kress appeared above him and kicked him in the head. The two sparred this way for hours, neither giving ground to the other, until Radditz finally raised a hand. "Enough," he said, and Kress stopped, landing lightly on the ground.

The young Saiyan wore armor similar to Radditz's, and his long black hair was tied back behind him. He had taken his scouter off for the battle, as had Radditz, and was now putting it back on. Radditz inwardly chuckled. If Kress didn't look so much like his brother Kakarrot, he would be the spitting image of Radditz at that age. He turned and headed back to camp, and Kress followed him. Kress would be hunting for supper tonight, Radditz thought. He could tell the brat still had energy to spare, while his was waning… the last year and a half had been good for Kress, and Radditz had been pleasantly surprised when his nephew's power level approached and slightly rose above his own. And the boy was so young!

It wasn't long after he had taken the boy that he saw Kress's potential, not only as a fighter, but also as a thinker. He had been extensively trained by his mother in math and science, and was now fully capable of taking the space pods apart and putting them back together again, one of his favorite hobbies of late. Despite Radditz's rigorous training, Kress seemed to not only master the physical part, but also find time to study the computer records and show interest in discovering his roots. Radditz was pleased with this… his father had always told him that a good fighter had to think, and that most battles were won before they even begun. His father had been a scientist in his own right, or would have been in the old days, before Frieza. He had developed the bluntz-wave device that allowed Saiyans to turn into their Oozaru forms on planets without moons. Radditz had inherited his father's intelligence, and though it seemed to skip a generation with Kakarrot, Kress most definitely shared in this part of their family's heritage.

Kress returned quickly with a large, green beast in tow. The beast was dead, and in no time it was skinned and ready to cook. Radditz had been teaching Kress another important part of survival… how to cook. Although, while Kress excelled in almost everything else he tried, he still had yet to master this elusive art.

"Not so close to the fire," Radditz grunted, and Kress moved the carcass back five inches. After having eaten burnt reptile five nights in a row, Radditz found himself hard-put to stand back and let Kress do the cooking. He sat down, and after washing up, Kress did the same. Radditz checked the time on his scouter before grimacing. "Today's our last day of training, Kress. Tomorrow, we join the others."

Kress nodded slowly. He didn't want to leave this place. He liked it here, and he had enjoyed the time he had spent with his uncle, who it had turned out wasn't such a bad man after all. Radditz was mean when he wanted to be, but he had helped Kress meet his full potential, and had taught him what Kress had never learned from his father… how to fight.

Not that Kress was anxious to get into any fights. He knew now that fighting was a way of life, and that fighting was in his blood- he couldn't avoid it. Nor did he want to, at least, not altogether… fighting was invigorating, and whenever Kress sparred with his uncle, he felt rejuvenated, more alive.

But, there was sparring… and then there was killing. And, despite everything Uncle Radditz had told him, Kress knew he was not prepared to kill anyone… especially not innocent people, not weaklings. Kress was no fool… he knew, from Uncle Radditz's stories and from the computer records that they did what Frieza commanded, and that the Saiyans were in the business of killing innocent people. Pacifism was punishable by death, in Frieza's ranks.

Kress still didn't know what to do. Could he do it? Would he do it? Even with over a year of training, it had been deeply ingrained into Kress that killing was wrong. His father had taught him that…

Kress shook his head. He had asked Uncle Radditz once what would happen if he just couldn't do it. Radditz had merely replied, somewhat mystically, that he was a Saiyan, and that Saiyans could do anything. Kress didn't believe it, or at least, didn't believe it applied to him. Everything in his being was against killing people… instinctively, Kress knew, the day he was told to do it would be the day he died for insurrection.

Of course, those were noble sentiments… but that day would probably be tomorrow, and Kress found himself wishing the night would last longer and longer.

Radditz watched the boy's discomfort, and frowned. He knew what Kress was thinking… "Kress," he said, breaking the boy out of his reverie. Kress looked up. "When I came to Earth, it was to get your father, Kakarrot, to join us, and to help us. I did not know that your father had become weak, although I should have known by the fact that people were still living on that planet. Your father was supposed to have killed them, but I was willing to accept him again, and train him, if he would prove to me that he was not weak by killing at least one hundred Earthlings and piling them on the beach. Do you remember this conversation?"

Kress nodded hesitantly. "It's vague… I was crying a lot," he admitted quietly. So… his father had to face the same decision, huh?

"I never gave your father the chance to finish his task," Radditz said, looking into the fire. "I had wondered what he would do, so while we were on that space station where we met up with Prince Vegeta, I sent a probe to the planet to see what had become of it. Kakarrot had killed one person. Just one," he said, looking his nephew over.

Kress's eyes were wide. He had fully expected that his father would ignore Radditz's ultimatum and come to rescue him instead. Now it seemed as though he had at least tried to fulfill it… although before or after he and Radditz had left, he did not know. Nor could he figure out why his father had stopped at one.

"I knew your father would not kill those he had spared for so long simply because I told him to," Radditz went on. "So I gave him some motivation. Your life. Do you remember that?" he asked.

Kress went cold inside. Yes, he remembered. He had threatened to hurt him if Kakarrot did not do as he wished before the end of the day. Absently, the boy wondered if his father's failure meant that Radditz would make good on his word and kill him tonight. Kress doubted it… why spend so much time training him? He merely nodded, and waited for Radditz to continue.

"Kakarrot obviously needed more motivation," Radditz went on. "It's possible that he had given up hope of getting his son back, and that was why he allowed every one else to live," he mused, watching the boy closely. "Whatever the case, he failed. He obviously did not believe me when I told him I would be back to do his job for him if he didn't do it first."

Suddenly Kress realized where Radditz was going with this. "The probe…" he guessed weakly.

Radditz nodded. "I prefer to handle these things personally. But, I always have a backup plan. The probe has enough firepower to destroy the entire planet if I so wish it. That probe is still there, Kress…it hasn't fulfilled it's secondary function yet. People are still alive on Earth… including your father and mother. I tried to help Kakarrot find the motivation he needed to do what had to be done… but it was not enough for him. I wonder… will it be enough for you?" he asked darkly. There would come a day when he would not have to trick his nephew into doing his job… but it had been obvious the boy would need help getting started.

Kress swallowed. 'A Saiyan can do anything,' his uncle had told him. Now he knew what he meant. Just thinking about that deadly probe hovering over his mother, his father… his grandfather… anyone he had ever met…how many innocent people's lives hung in the balance, he wondered? All on a decision he would make.

But, was it really a decision? Radditz had had the power the whole time to kill those he loved… but he had been waiting for this, for the time he would need to display his power, to give Kress the ultimate ultimatum… to kill those he didn't know, or watch those he knew and love be killed. But who was to say that, whatever Kress decided, Earth would be safe? Or, if he refused to do what he was asked tomorrow, how could he be sure that Radditz himself would not kill all those he spared, and destroy him and his loved ones anyway?

"You… you'll never stop, will you?" Kress asked weakly. He looked up at Radditz. "No matter what I decide to do, people will die. The only decision I have really is, will I be the one to kill them?"

Radditz smirked. "You are smart," he said. He sighed. "Kress, do you think I do what I do because I think it's fun?" he asked. His nephew cocked his head. "I don't. I, too, have a reason to do what I do. So do Nappa and Prince Vegeta. Our reason is revenge." He paused for a moment. "Frieza made a deal with King Vegeta when I was only a child. That deal was to go in business with him, as planet brokers. He used money first, then kidnapped the King's son, Prince Vegeta. But still, in the end, the King had planned to betray Frieza. So, before he had the chance, Frieza destroyed the entire planet with one giant ball of energy."

Kress gasped. He had never heard this story… Radditz had told him that the planet Vegeta was destroyed by a giant meteor. Radditz was scowling. "I didn't know the true reason behind our planet's destruction, until Nappa and I found out from listening to one of the Ginyu Force, Frieza's personal guard. When we told Prince Vegeta, we found that he had already known… he had known all along, since he heard the news that our planet had been destroyed. I'll never forget what he told us that night. He said that his main goal was to get stronger… that we would serve Frieza until, one day, we were strong enough to defeat him, and finally avenge the deaths of our kinsmen… our people…" Radditz regarded Kress for a moment, before he said, "My father, your grandfather, was one of the first to die at Frieza's hand. My mother was on that planet… the only one who survived was my little brother, and he might as well have died. Hatred drives me more than anything… hatred for Frieza, for what has become of my people… for what I have to do now. But I have to do it, because if I don't, my people… my family will never be avenged."

He scowled at Kress. "So, no, I will never stop. Not until I have reached my goal. I have something to fight for, Kress… you need something, too. Search within yourself, and find your motivation… because, tomorrow, if you choose not to help us, I will kill you. Believe it." With that, he walked off a ways, and, finding a soft enough place, laid down to sleep.

Kress scowled at his hands. Motivation? Radditz was asking him to kill hundreds of innocent people, or watch his family die. Radditz had said that hatred was his motivation, but Kress didn't know that he could hate anyone that much. He couldn't even hate his uncle… and he was the one threatening his family! How had his uncle become so cold and hard that he could do to Kress what had been done to his own family without blinking an eye?

For the first time, Kress wished he couldn't feel anything… that he couldn't feel the pain in his chest at what he would be asked to do. There would be no saving lives tomorrow… either he would kill them, or Radditz would, but they would die either way. The only difference was, in one scenario, he and his family would die, and in the other, they would live on. If Radditz kept using the same bargaining chips, then Kress could keep his family alive as long as he did what his Uncle and Prince Vegeta told him to.

Kress didn't sleep that night. Instead, he sat at the fire, occasionally adding more wood, and contemplating the destruction of a planet full of people.

A/N: Well, that's today's chapter… tune in tomorrow for the next exciting episode of… what, no red-hot pokers?

Supreme Kai: You're finding this fun, aren't you?

Me: Oh, sure, I like getting tortured… loads of fun.

Supreme Kai: I fail to understand why you continue to do this? How could you do such evil things to the young and innocent?

Me: I'm not hurting anyone! Look, I write what's in me to write. If that's death and destruction, then I write death and destruction. Good things will happen in this story, too, you know!

Supreme Kai: Like what, exactly?

Me: Ah, ah, ah, you'll find out when everyone else does. But, come on, a story with only bad things or only good things is not a good story… you're the Supreme Kai, don't you understand the balance between good and evil?

Supreme Kai: You mean the balance that you're tampering with?

Me: Hmm… good point.