Chapter 11: Deal with the Devil

Vegeta awoke to blaring sirens. "Warning—impact to hull has sent ship off-course—warning—set destination untenable—rerouting course for closest controlled world within new trajectory parameters, Frieza Planet 325. ETA three days." The computer fell silent, and Vegeta tried to go back to sleep. It must have been that human's energy blast as he left. But it didn't matter. He'd get back to a Frieza-controlled world, and from there…to Namek.

"All right everyone, strap yourselves in—we're here!" Yamcha, Gohan and Tien scrambled for their seats as Bulma engaged the visual display. Planet Namek filled the screen, growing larger by the second. The ship shook as it passed through the atmosphere, swooped down over the ground, then touched down, less than gracefully.

"We made it!" Yamcha said, grinning as he leapt out of his seat. Ignoring Bulma's warnings about the atmosphere, the gravity, and so on, they climbed down out of the ship and walked out on to the planet's surface. "So…this is planet Namek, huh?" Tien asked, gazing around at the blue-tinted vegetation and the small islands that dotted the planet, with no major landmasses like Earth's continents.

"I can't believe I'm actually standing on another planet…" Yamcha stood next to Tien, Gohan slightly behind them and Bulma running to catch up. "Well, I guess we'd better start right away. Bulma—you got the radar?"

"Sure thing," she replied, smiling as she activated the small device. Bulma was still wearing a scouter, having taken several spares on the ship. "Man, hunting for Dragon Balls—this brings back memories." She pressed the main button on the dragon radar, and several blinking dots appeared. "Hey, it works! Let's see…four of them are in one place…the other three scattered across the planet. We should—" Her scouter beeped, right as the others looked around, warned by their ki senses. Two humanoid creatures stood on a rock face above them.

"Uh…" Yamcha stared at the newcomers. "Those guys are wearing armour like the saiyans!"

"But saiyans they're not—don't look Namekian either," Tien added. One had blue skin and small horns on his forehead, the other was purple-skinned and reptilian. "Whoever they are, they've got weapons and armour, so let's just hope it's not us they're going to pick a fight with."

One of the aliens laughed. "You picked the wrong planet to land on, with pathetic power levels like that! Hey, Sui, let's give 'em a scare!"

"Sounds good," the other replied. He raised his arm-mounted weapon, which fired a blue beam of energy that crashed into their ship, blowing a hole into one side and out the other.

"Our ship!" Bulma shrieked. "How are we gonna get home now?!"

"Hey!" Yamcha flew up towards the aliens. "Tien, Gohan, let me handle this."

"If you say so." Tien nodded.

Yamcha scowled at the aliens. "That was not smart. Start running or I break you in two."

"Ah, shut him up!" One of the aliens ordered the other. They raised their blasters and fired, the beams detonating violently on impact. "Hah! Stupid tourist, should have at least tried to dodge—" Yamcha, completely unharmed, appeared inches away from them.

"Shoot me again! Go on! See what happens!" He flexed his muscles, and the aliens turned to run. Moving faster than their eyes could follow, he intercepted them, quick targeted blows knocking them unconscious. He jumped back down to the others, smiling with self-satisfaction. "They'll be out for a day or so. Not bad, huh?"

"Not bad? NOT BAD?!" Bulma stomped up to him.

"Oh, here we go…"

"The ship! Has! A hole in it! We are stuck here! On this planet! With no way home! Why didn't you stop them before that happened, huh, Mr. Big Brave Warrior?!"

"They…they didn't seem like much of a threat at first…"

"They had space guns!" And so it went, for quite a while.

Goku and Raditz, still recovering, often found themselves on their own for hours at a time, and as boredom set in (in the younger brother's case, this didn't take long) Goku started asking Raditz about the saiyan race.

"What were they like?" he asked first. "It's hard to imagine a whole planet full of us."

Raditz nodded. "It was wonderful, while it lasted. A life of battle, of conquest—everything our kind lives for. The only downside…our victories were not ours alone. We served another…the tyrant…Frieza!"

"Frieza? Who's that?" Goku started paying more attention. "What kind of hold did he have on us, to make an entire planet of warriors his servants?"

"The only thing a saiyan respects—power." Raditz frowned. "Frieza is the most powerful being in the universe. Remember how Vegeta had to summon up all his energy and push himself to the limit to produce an attack with enough power to destroy the planet? Frieza could do that with the merest flick of a finger. There is no being alive that can defeat Frieza. Even if all of our armies had risen against him in unison, millions and millions of the galaxy's finest warriors, he could have killed them without any effort."

"That doesn't sound good…there's someone out there far more powerful than Vegeta…"

"Right. Now you see how he so easily enslaved us. Vegeta was always talking about how he'd keep fighting and fighting and get stronger while Frieza sat around doing nothing, and one day Vegeta would become the strongest in the universe and defeat Frieza once and for all." He chuckled. "Personally, I think he's crazy. I've never seen a being with even a tenth of Frieza's power. It's impossible."

"Don't say that!" Goku sat up a little. "Anything's possible—you just have to work hard for it. A year ago, I would have said it was impossible for us to get strong enough to fight Vegeta, but we won the battle! He had to run away!"

"You're wrong." Raditz's face darkened. "Frieza is completely unlike Vegeta. There is no fighting him. But Vegeta would always insist, one day, he'd do it. He'd become the Super Saiyan, and free us from the tyrant. Of course, since a meteor destroyed our home planet, there aren't many of us left to free—less since Nappa died."

"There's that phrase again." Goku raised an eyebrow. "Super Saiyan. What is that?"

Raditz sighed. "Well, according to legend, a thousand years ago, on the original home planet of the saiyans, a demigod emerged. A golden warrior, who could only control his power in his transformed state. But his anger, and his power, were too great to control, and he destroyed our home planet—and himself. Some saiyans escaped, to the planet Plant, which after we conquered it many centuries later, we named Vegeta—after the warrior who led us to victory, the father of the Vegeta you and I fought."

"Wow…and Vegeta thinks he can become this Super Saiyan? Would he be able to beat Frieza then?"

"It's just an old story! It doesn't mean anything! Goodnight!" Raditz rolled over and pretended to go to sleep.

"Well, it looks safe," Tien said, indicating the cave in front of them, "and we'll need somewhere to sleep tonight, so come on in."

"All right. I'll set up the capsule house and—" Another scouter alert, and Bulma went pale. "Guys, I think we should get inside right now!" The four travellers scrambled into the cave, getting inside just in time to avoid a large group of assorted aliens which shot past through the air at incredible speed.

"That…can't be good…" Yamcha muttered, breathing out once they'd passed.

"I know what you mean." Tien wiped his forehead. "Some of those guys must have been as strong as Vegeta…"

"And that guy in the middle!" Gohan was trembling. "He was unbelievably strong! He made Vegeta look like nothing!"

"I'm afraid the news just gets worse…" Bulma indicated the dragon radar. "Those guys have got the four Dragon Balls with them! What do we do? There's no way we can beat people like that!" She trembled a little. "We owe it to all the people the saiyans killed, but how are we going to make our wish with these people around?"

"We'll find a way." Tien nodded to Yamcha and Gohan. "Let's follow them discreetly. Sorry, Bulma, but you can't move fast enough."

"I'll have a Capsule House waiting in here for you guys," Bulma replied, starting to unpack her bag. "You come back safe."

"Will do!" Yamcha gave a thumbs-up. "Let's go, guys!" The three of them took off, moving in a strange hopping semi-flight to suppress their power. The group they were following seemed to have stopped; there was that at least.

Only a few minutes later, the three of them were lying in hiding on a ledge overlooking a Namekian village. But judging by the state of Gohan's temper, they weren't going to be in hiding for very long. The Namekians were being uncooperative and refusing to give Frieza their Dragon Ball—and the tyrant, in a typical display of his short temper, was having them killed one by one. Finally, when one of the two fleeing children was vapourised in mid-step, Gohan snapped.

"They…they killed him!" He hissed, his whole body shaking.

"Calm down, Gohan!" Tien put a hand on the child's shoulder. "There's nothing we can do against guys like that!"

"We'll just get ourselves killed too!" Yamcha added.

"I don't care!" Gohan leapt to his feet, rocketing down towards the village. "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!"

"Oh, this is going to suck…" Yamcha muttered, following him. Tien flew along wordlessly.

The monstrous Dodoria, Frieza's #2 henchman, stood over the Namekian child Dende, one arm raised to crush the life from his target. Without warning, Gohan crashed into Dodoria, knocking him through the wall behind him. Yamcha kicked Dodoria away as he was about to get up, and Tien stood between them and the bewildered soldiers. "Move!" He urged. "They won't take long to recover!"

As Yamcha and Gohan took off with the surviving Namekian child, Tien stood his ground to buy them time to escape.

"Dodoria…" Frieza chimed in sweetly as Dodoria struggled to his feet. "What's wrong with this picture?"

"Uh…" the pink-skinned brute scratched his head. "Is that a trick question…?"

"Kill him and get after the others, you buffoon!"

"Right, right!" Dodoria leapt at Tien, who immediately tensed up.

"Kaioken times two!" The red aura flared, and Tien's foot collided with Dodoria's neck, sending waves of force rolling away. But Dodoria just smiled, unaffected, and elbowed Tien in the stomach, doubling him over. "Gah!" He choked, falling away. Dodoria took off after the others, and Tien caught his breath, giving chase and powering up to a Kaioken times four. He's gaining on them…even if I can move faster than him, the others can't… he swooped over Dodoria's head, coming down between them and their pursuer. "Guys, we can't outrun him! Get behind me and protect the Namek kid!"

"Right!" Yamcha stood in a combat-ready stance, Gohan at his side, Dende trembling behind them. Tien gritted his teeth as Dodoria came to a halt in front of him. "Eh? Back for more? Impressive stunt, hiding your power level like that, but in the end it's useless against me." Dodoria grinned maliciously, pounding his fists together in anticipation of the oncoming battle.

"Oh, this isn't hiding my power…" Tien summoned up his strength. "It's flat-out increasing it!" Having experienced using the Kaioken in battle, and then getting a few weeks to refine it, I've achieved a greater level of control…hopefully enough to sustain this… "KAIOKEN TIMES FIVE!" He charged forwards as realisation dawned on Dodoria's face.

The pair disappeared in a blur of arms and legs, attacking and defending with expert technique and incredible force. Gohan and Yamcha were relegated to mere bystanders by the intensity of the battle. When they separated, Dodoria was battered and bruised, and Tien was almost uninjured, albeit clearly worn out from the effort of using what was becoming his signature technique. He smiled, preparing to deliver the final blows. "You act tough, but it seems you can't deliver." He was interrupted as a green streak of light sent him flying down into the water below.

Zarbon, the only soldier on Namek with higher standing than Dodoria, hovered next to his comrade, a smirk on his face. "Is this the creature who gave you so much trouble, Dodoria? When I saw the speed he took off after you at, I knew he had enough power that my assistance might be required…I'd have pegged him at twenty thousand, perhaps a bit higher given that he almost beat you. I do wish we hadn't lost our scouters, but that old Namek had to go and be a hero…"

"Well, with us together he shouldn't be much of a problem," Dodoria answered, "so let's do this quickly—I imagine Our Glorious Leader can't be too happy just watching the Dragon Balls."

Zarbon rolled his eyes. "And don't I know it. Hey, you! We were fighting! Is that still happening, or what?" He scanned the water for signs of Tien. "Where'd he get to…ah!" The lake under the two soldiers began to boil, then the water flew away in every direction, revealing Tien glowing red with his amplified power.

This doesn't look good… he gritted his teeth, trying to stay focused under the immense strain of a five-times increase. Just have to hope I can beat them before I wear myself out! He shot up at Frieza's minions, heading for Dodoria first. His kick got through his target's guard, smashing into Dodoria's face, but before he could turn to guard Zarbon landed a dizzying punch to his head, following up by driving his other hand into Tien's stomach. Tien faced Zarbon, blocking the next three blows, but Dodoria grabbed him from behind, allowing Zarbon to rain attacks on Tien until he fell still, his aura flickering out.

"There!" Zarbon folded his arms, smiling as Dodoria flung Tien away. "That wasn't too difficult! And now to clean up…"

Yamcha caught Tien before he fell into the water below again, looking up to see Zarbon's hand raised, energy crackling around it as he prepared to fire.

"W-wait! Hold on!" Yamcha backed away slowly. "You really don't want to shoot me!" He gave his best innocent look—something being with Bulma had given him plenty of experience with.

"Oh, I really think I do." Zarbon grinned maliciously. "I think I'll take your leg off first. I do love it when they scream."

"N-n-now hold on!" Yamcha became frantic. "If you let us live, you can have a wish granted—anything you want!"

"The stuff of childish fantasy. Hmm…after a leg, maybe an ear, then I'll start removing your fingers…"

"No, really!" He turned to the others. "Gohan! Namek kid! Back me up on this! It's the Dragon Balls—that's why Frieza's after them!"

"Yeah. They can grant any one wish." Gohan nodded.

Zarbon slowly lowered his hand, lost in thought. "That would make sense…that's how he intends to become immortal…any wish, you say…"

"Yeah! And we know how to activate them—Frieza doesn't!" This was pretty much a lie; activating the Dragon Balls wasn't difficult, at least on Earth.

Dodoria tensed up. "Zarbon! You can't possibly be thinking of betraying Lord Frieza!"

"Oh, of course not, Dodoria," Zarbon answered, then as his comrade relaxed his guard, casually reached up and snapped his neck.

Dodoria's body made a dull wet noise as it hit the ground from almost a mile up. "There." Zarbon turned back to Yamcha, and there was a hunger in his eyes. "I will let you all live—for now. You will attempt to secure at least one of the Dragon Balls. I will aid Frieza in collecting the other six. Then, I will create a distraction—I have something fittingly grandiose in mind—and we will meet, and then I will have my wish. I know you won't betray me, because if you do I will kill you. If I can't find you, I will destroy the planet and you on it. So you will hold to this."

"But they'll work it out, right?" Gohan asked. "They'll see your friend died, and won't it seem weird that you beat us all on your own?"

"First, Dodoria was no friend of mine. And second, I assure you that my real power would make short work of all of you at once. Now, if you'll excuse me…" He soared off, back towards the village. Finally, he thought, I will be free of my curse—having to rely on that monstrous form for power! Never again will I need to tarnish my divine beauty! And if all goes to plan, Frieza won't be around to interfere…

So I don't have to get asked about this:

Yamcha: 1,500

Gohan: 1,500

Tien: 5,000 (with Kaioken, up to 25,000)

Dodoria: 22,000

Zarbon: 23,000 (transformed, 30,000)

Wow, there are a lot of Nappa fans out there. Again, I'm sorry he had to die. In the same vein, sorry to all Dodoria fans. And before you ask "Where's Vegeta?! Where's Cui?!" Remember, Vegeta's ship was knocked off-course to a different Frieza-controlled world. Rest assured that both Vegeta and Cui will be heard from before the Namek saga is done.

Q: Well I can see where this is going and I'm getting ahead of myself,and the plot, but.. I wonder who's gonna be the first Super Saiyan

A: Well, obviously I can't answer that, but if you do leave a review (and please do, I'm always interested to know what you think, and so far I've read every review), tell me what you think is going to happen! Will it be Goku? Raditz? Vegeta? Gohan? Some non-canon character who may or may not exist in my timeline (Turles, Broly, Paragus, Tarble)? The not-yet-in-existence child of one of the other saiyans? Or will Frieza kill them all/they kill Frieza with a Spirit Bomb, and there never is a Super Saiyan? Have a guess.

Q: Is kakarot going to be trained by king kia later?

A: That's a very good question.

Q: This was a nice wrap up to the fight, Goku's use of the power poll and nimbus were cool touches

A: Yeah, I liked using them. They may still be in the story, but perhaps not to such an extent.

Q: Ok... now you really overdid it with the stupid on this chapter. Author's notes are fine but this is too much. The chapter is pretty much a random conversation in script format with a small scene to make it seems as if it's a story.

I am reporting this chapter for being in script format.

And because the super long author note was not funny (it is too stupid) and is completely unecessary.

A: You are entirely entitled to your opinion, and if you thought it was stupid and unfunny, okay. But frankly, I am mystified by your 'reporting the chapter for being in script format'. The Kai thing wasn't a chapter! It was a bonus at the end of chapter 10! If that was all I had posted, I'd understand, but I tacked it on the end of a real chapter as a little joke…(and there probably will be another Kai special as a bonus at the end of this chapter, seeing as every other review mentioning it said they enjoyed it. Depends if I can think of enough jokes. If you didn't like the first Kai special, just skip reading the others and read the story.)

Q: I have a question! What're you gonna do about Mirai Trunks? You can use the same as the original DBZ, or one that would match your story's time line (if he exists in it), OR you could use a completely different character! If you won't tell me exactly, at least eliminate one of the possibilities!

I hope to see your answer next chapter! Bye!

A: I will eliminate one possibility: "You can use the same as the original DBZ". That will not happen. Whether it'll be a different Trunks, or a completely different character—whether anyone will come back from the future at all—will be revealed when the time comes

Q: Wonder if Tien will be the one to throw the spirit bomb on freeza or not, and what will happen to trigger the Super Sayian in Goku if Krillin is already dead. That is if you aren't planning to have Raditz become the first ssj.

A: Well, Tien could throw the Spirit Bomb, Krillin is already dead but could be wished back on Namek like Piccolo was in DBZ, and Goku or Raditz could become the first Super Saiyan. Not saying these things will happen, but they're not impossible.

Q: Oh btw, you don't happen to know when Dream of yesterday gets updated do you ?:p.

A: I believe it doesn't.

I don't want to blow my own trumpet, so the reviews on the lines of 'this is a great story' won't be in the Q&A, but I do appreciate them—you're all such nice people!

Anyway, next chapter on Sunday. Tell me if you think I rushed this part, but a lot of it would be basically the same as it was in DBZ and I don't want to just write scenes that will be exactly as you already know them.