I doubted that I would have an issues initially with using the healing pods before the battle for Herridan, but I still got the Saiyan girl to watch over me while I "slept" with the promise of food she hasn't tasted before. I had a feeling it wouldn't be the last time I used such a promise to get her to do the things I wanted, but I figure it's a safe bet until I run out of ideas, and by then she will have likely picked a few favorites.

A few muddled and half forgotten memories told me the room was as cold and unwelcoming as any doctors office or hospital, though the lack of any kind of medical professional was likely a change from my experience on earth. Considering just how uncaring Freeza force was at the best of times I considered that a welcome change.

The healing pods were lined along the walls of a poorly lit room, nearly three dozen of them, each set aside to restore the wounds of any warrior on this ship. With preference given to the most wounded or most important or course. Luckily the past few days had been more than enough time for the others to either be deemed combat ready or succumb to their injuries. Only a few of the pods had any occupants at all, and the majority of them were open to my use.

And damn if that didn't feel good. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been eyeing them ever since the injuries started to pile on. The fact of the matter was, no matter how much I train or how well I manipulate my ki, I'm too fragile. My body was made for a low danger, low gravity environment, and every ache and pain that followed me since I first clawed my way out of the desert reminded me of that.

This was a step forward I needed, but never let myself believe I would have. At least not this soon.

"How long will it take you?" The voice of the Saiyan girl brought me out of my thoughts. Her ki suggested impatience, and hunger.

"Few hours at least. These aren't exactly top of the line, and I'm thinking I'll have to handle some of this myself." The few technicians scurrying about had been quick to answer my questions now that I was wearing the armor of a warrior. As much as I didn't like the look it was at least easy to recognize. I took a quick look over the console attached to one of the empty pods. It was an easy to use design. Something made so that even someone without any training could make use of it properly.

As simple as an easily marked, green open and close doors button. The readings that would come off individual crew members based on their injuries and species weren't likely to be so easy, but I didn't much care for that anyway. The rest was judged off of my biological readings and the computers interpretation of my injuries.

The pod was around fifteen feet tall, and six feet wide. I assume its designed so that most sentients could fit inside with ease. The others were at least close to the same dimensions so it felt like a safe guess. I tapped the keypad, and the doors opened with a hiss, whatever sealant keeping them closed while they were in use being quickly burned away with a lance of heat down the center.

I didn't bother removing my clothing, even though I knew for a fact it was common, and even preferred among warriors to go without it, as a matter of comfort over any sort of necessity. The armor wasn't much against threats above a certain threshold, but I knew for a fact it still provided surprising protection, and I hadn't been comfortable for years now.

The device beeped at me when I stepped inside, the familiar sound of the automated computers voice gracing my ears as I pulled down one of several rebreathers from an opening in the ceiling.

"Dennis-4561, recently designated warrior. Scanning..." The space of my pod lit up with red light before the machine clicked and beeped at me again. "Complete. Changes since last scan include considerable muscle growth, significant malunion of the bones around neck, shoulders, fingers, left and right leg, a small laceration on right hand, a total of eighteen missing or seriously damaged teeth, extensive nerve damage along the hands and arms, burn damage to the left eye around the cornea and centered around the nerve cluster." The machine gave me exactly zero time to process that before it moved on. "Does subject Dennis suspect further injury aside from mentioned?

"Uh... I shake when I'm not fighting sometimes."

"Accepted, scanning..." beep. "Lack of notable physical symptoms suggest anxiety." Great. "No further inquiries?

"No."

"Splendid, malunion can only be treated with rebreaking of afflicted bones. Model 378 Healing tank is not equipped for replacement of limbs, digits, eyes, or teeth. Seek further aid elsewhere following completion of treatment. Subject Dennis is to apply suggested treatment once fully submerged in fluid. Please put on oxygen mask closest in size to species as firmly as possible. "

A kind of green jelly began to ooze into the space I stood in before the machine even stopped speaking, rising at a rapid pace past my knees and up to my waist. Luckily, n spite of my inexperience I managed to strap the mask on my face and take a step back as the fluid fully encapsulated me.

Surprisingly enough it wasn't too bad. The liquid wasn't as sticky as it looked, and it was surprisingly warm, especially in comparison to the room it was in. My muscles relaxed almost instantly as soon the liquid touched them, and aside from a rather pleasant burn on a cut I gave myself before getting into the machine, it was almost nice.

In fact I would call it fun if it weren't for the spike of pain that went through my bad eye when the liquid got past my face. My somewhat good mood came to a halt when a holographic image lit up against the glass, showcasing a to-scale human skeleton, with a number of familiar injuries emblazoned across itself. It "helpfully" followed my movements as if I was looking right at a mirror.

I held in my ki, bringing my body back to pathetically human levels of power.

Apara watched the human with no small amount of curiosity as he looked over the holographic screen presented to him. She had torn apart more than her share of sentients to know what serious injuries look like, and he had quite a few, many of them looking far older than they should have for someone on a ship like this one. It was interesting to see how someone as formidable as this strange being managed to do much fighting at all with those sorts of injuries.

It did give her a hint at what made the not-Saiyan so strange. Perhaps he was a warrior of note once, and the injuries he sustained brought him low enough to be captured and enslaved. It certainly made more sense than someone becoming that strong after being born from a weak and now enslaved or extinct species.

It would explain why he knew the things he did. His supposed secrets about her race, the strange foods he provided, and the odd ways he put them together. Yes, he must have taken the knowledge from conquered peoples for himself back in his prime. There were always new species and empires cropping up. It would be no surprise if his went unnoticed for a while and got arrogant in the process.

She refocused on the human at the muffled sound of a pop and a grunt. The green of the healing fluid tinging red as Dennis twisted one of his forearms into place, the skin tearing as he forced the bone back into proper position. It was clear to her now. She was watching an old warrior try and take back his place in the universe. A fascinating view into the actions of a member to another warrior species. It even sort of explained why he seemed so like her kind in appearance and so different in action.

She stepped a little closer as he grabbed onto a bar on the side wall of his pod, bringing himself to the ground and focusing his weight on on his weaker leg. His fist clenched, and the sound of the leg breaking at the knee was particularly loud to her ears. His answering grunt was pained, but he moved onto the next limb quickly.

She watched the not-Saiyan for little over two hours as he meticulously went down the list of injuries, making sure his body would be ready for the coming battle. His pain tolerance was a little low, but the fact he knew better than to allow the wounds to fester anymore than they already had was respectable enough. She knew well enough that many species were so afraid of pain they couldn't even look at their own injuries, much less those on another being.

No one came to threaten Dennis as he tended to his wounds, but a few of the slaves did come around to check on the slave who had managed to earn his freedom on might alone. She didn't bother acknowledging them as they came and went. Most kept their distance from her, and it only took a snarl or two to send any others on their way. Her scouter told her all she needed to know about them long before they approached. Associating with weakness would only make her situation worse.

The ship, and many of the crew members inside, began to move nearly two hours after Dennis finished, his sleeping form twitched as the captains voice sounded over the intercoms.

"Most of you have had the displeasure of fighting on Herridan before, but for those of you new people, this place is officially designated as a class five bug planet. One of the few kinds of worlds that happens to be dangerous in spite of it's relatively low power level. In this case the average has been reassessed as between forty and seventy battle power, and it's effective danger has been classed around an average of two-hundred. I shouldn't need to tell any of you to handle yourselves carefully. Just because we have help doesn't mean this'll be an easy purge." Dennis' eyes opened, and narrowed as the captain spoke on.

"Captain Torin fell to the bugs only a few days ago, so anyone that goes missing or is too injured in combat will be considered killed in action and left to rot. If you can get back on the ship before we glass the planet inside and out, great, but otherwise its your hides. We'll be planet-side along with the reinforcing vessels within twenty minutes."

The pod doors opened almost as soon as Jernus finished speaking, and the Dennis that stepped through was an almost entirely new being. Each step was easy, confident, and had a kind of weight to it they didn't before. The not-Saiyan rolled his shoulder, before flexing his hands and groaning in relief as he stretched out his back, a number of loud pops echoing throughout the room.

Apara grinned, the image of the old warrior in her mind growing clearer by the second. The beep of her scouter only reinforcing her opinion.

"How do you feel?" Dennis grinned sharply at her words.

"Better."

Power Levels-

Dennis-256

Apara-78