"Alright… here we go," Yamcha said as they landed just outside the village. They had debated who should speak first and in the end they'd decided that he was the best choice. Yamcha, thanks to his baseball career, was far more used to addressing strangers than all the rest of them. Senza was out because they didn't know how the other Namekians would react to him. Chichi herself had admitted it would be wise if she didn't speak, just in case the Namekians were chauvinistic; Raditz had stated that he'd never heard of a Namekian female before. And Isco…

"This would make a lovely place to place a boot camp," the droid said, looking about. "Would need to scrub it of the pesky vermin though."

…Isco was out.

'Honestly, I wish Kayos was here,' Yamcha thought nervously. 'He'd be the best talking with these guys.' While most of the gang was still smarting over his actions with the Tree of Might Yamcha had quickly moved past it; after all, all of them had done stupid selfish things in the past sowho were they to judge the man? And in the end it had worked out so what did it matter? 'I just have to think a bit like him… careful with what I say, put on some charm, and make sure that they give us terms that help us out.'

They didn't get too far until one of the Namekians noticed them, eyes widening before he began to motion for others to join him. The Namekians reminded him much of Senza, being roughly the same height and build, but behind them he saw other Namekians of various heights and weights and ages, including several elderly Namekians and some children as well.

"Hello," Yamcha said, catching himself before he called out his greeting, remembering that Namekians had very good hearing.

"Hello," the first Namekian he had spotted said, taking him in carefully. "Who are you? We don't normally have visitors… in fact we never do."

"We're a group of travelers who sought out Namek. We have with us-"

"Come now, Larin," a voice tinted with age said and the younger Namekian at once turned and dipped his head in the direction of an older, heavier Namekian. He was around Chichi's height with a very wrinkled face and a thicker body than any other Namekian Yamcha had ever seen; honestly he reminded him of King Kai in terms of build. Someone that had relaxed their training but still held great power in their form. Someone not to dismiss out of hand. "That is no way to greet new arrivals… especially one with a Namekian with them."

"Can you not sense it, Elder Sax?" Larin said, eying the Z Fighters up. "The evil in their hearts?"

Before Yamcha could speak though Elder Sax waved him off. "Now now… what have we told you about the dangers of sensing the hearts of others?"

Larin looked down, clearly embarrassed. "To… not become fixated on a single aspect. But-"

"You have never left Namek," Elder Sax stated. But it was… kindly. Gently. It reminded Yamcha of how Doctor Brief would talk to Bulma; correcting a mistake but out of love. "You have not had much experience with the greater universe. What is in their hearts… well, there is so evil there. I'm not denying that. But everyone has a touch of evil. That is just the way life is. We aren't all selfless. Even us Namekians. How hard did you need to focus on them?"

"…quite a bit," Larin admitted.

"Quite a bit. Yes. Because the good in them so buries the evil." Elder Sax reached out and gently patted Larin on the arm. "You are a good warrior, Larin. A very good warrior. Thank you for watching out for us." He then turned to Yamcha. "I am Elder Sax, leader of this village. We welcome you all."

"Thank you," Yamcha stated, bowing deeply. "We are sorry if we didn't approach correctly… other than our friend Senza we've only interacted with one other Namekian and he… did not tell us how to properly introduce ourselves."

"Understandable," Elder Sax said before moving towards Senza. "…ah. You are quite interesting, aren't you? I had given up all hope of ever seeing another of the Lost Hope return to us."

"The… Lost Hope?" Senza asked.

"Indeed. Come… come… I will explain." And with that Elder Sax led them into the village proper. Yamcha was struck by the fact that, despite them being on an alien world and surrounded by aliens… it all seemed rather normal. How, there were the odd things, like Namekians looking over water containers rather than dealing with food prep, or how one Namekian simply changed into clothing that was better suited for training by using Ki to create them out of thin air… but still, it was very much like Earth.

'Makes me feel at ease,' he thought as he watched an older Namekian read to some children. 'Just because I am far away from home doesn't mean that there aren't pieces of home right here.'

Elder Sax settled down under one of the Namekian trees that was growing in was Yamcha wagered was their version of a village center, motioning for Senza and the rest of the Z Fighters to settle around him. They all did so, save for Isco who remained behind the group, tense and ready. Chichi placed Gohan in her lap, running her fingers through his hair to calm him for the little boy was practically vibrating in excitement.

"Centuries ago… a great drought came upon Namek, one that threatened our entire race. It was feared that we would all perish and, because we had always remained here, never seeing a need to move beyond our home, all that was the Namekian would die with us. That is… a terrible thing to think about… that you might be the last to know of your songs… your tales… your history. Oh, others might find this planet… discover our bones and books. But they will never fully understand us. They will guess but they will never fully understand."

"We have that on our planet," Bulma said. "There were species that died off and we try and understand what they were like but…" She trailed off and Elder Sax nodded.

"Yes… you can see how frightening such a prospect can be. We had done all we could to save our planet, of course… it was a matter of waiting." And Yamcha had a feeling he knew exactly what the Elder meant by that: waiting for the Dragon Balls to fully recharge so they might be able wish for an end of the drought. "But of course there was the grave threat that we might run out of time. As such it was decided that the only way we could save our people… was to do the thing that we had never done. What had caused us to end up in the situation we found ourselves in: leave Namek.

"It… it might seem barbaric, that you were sent out alone, Senza." Elder Sax sighed, staring at Senza intently, searching his face. Yamcha didn't get any sense that Senza was feeling one way or another about what Sax had revealed and yet at the same time he also had the feeling that Sax DID know something was going through Senza's heart. Maybe it was how he had been able to read the good and evil in their hearts or perhaps that he knew how to look upon a fellow Namekian and see the tiny frowns and twitches that spoke of outrage. Whatever it was… he sensed it. "I understand feeling that way. I felt it myself."

"You… you were sent away?"

"Indeed," Elder Sax replied. "You and I were two of fifty Namekian children that were launched into space, scattered amongst the stars in hopes we might find homes to survive upon and, should the worst happen to Namek, be able to continue on. You must understand-" he looked at Yamcha and the others, "our parents were desperate. Normally Namekians only have a single child and only when we are very old. A kind of… reincarnation, as it were."

"We're aware," Senza said, "but we can cover that after your story is done. The disaster… it was a bad one?"

"We are currently at a 10th of what was once our population. It has taken many years to reach this point and it is a pale shadow of what we once were." He shut his eyes. "I never saw it… but I have been told that once we had great cities filled with Namekians. The planet once teamed with us. Now we are just six great villages."

"Why not just make more eggs?" Gohan asked.

Elder Sax smiled at Gohan, warm and gentle. "While after the Great Drought many eggs were made… it was a horrid thing to do. Producing many children without great care? It had to be done but it was also a painful thing for us, spiritually. And the first few generations were born as already adults, which can be done but it results in a shortened life. A stolen life."

Senza shifted uneasily at that.

'That's what King Piccolo did,' Yamcha thought. 'He created his sons to fight Goku. He was doing the same thing that Elder Sax is discussing… but at least the Namekians did that to try and repopulate their planet.'

"Only elder Namekians can produce eggs. It is said that is because when a Namekian reaches a certain age they have the wisdom to raise a child." He paused. "Though that isn't the only reason. We are still suffering from the affects of the Great Drought. Where we sit, right now? This used to be the Mighty Tango Sea." He pointed to a small pond. "That is all that remains of it."

"Oh my…" Chichi whispered.

"Things are… getting better. Slowly. The rains become heavier each year. But we have reached the limits of our population growth. We dare not grow too large, not after what happened before."

"You said that you were one of the Lost Hope?" Senza pressed, clearly wanting to get back to the tale. Yamcha didn't blame him; Elder Sax held the secrets of his past, after all, and Senza had shown great patience with the delay Gohan's question had caused.

'Though it might provide more answers,' Yamcha thought, looking around. 'They suffered greatly and that affected them. Will for hundreds of more years, most likely.' He knew what it was like, how lacking in something could affect a person.

"Yes. Once we were called the Last Hope. But when the drought ended and attempts were made to retrieve us… only to fail? We became the Lost Hope. The 50 children sent off into the stars. We used to send out Namekian Warriors to look for any whispers about the children that were sent out… I was one of the lucky ones, found 5 years after I had been sent out. Others were found far too late… either turned into savage beasts that little understood right from wrong… or were found slain." He closed his eyes. "Our attempt to save out people doomed so many… it is a sin we will all bear for generations.

"It is why so few warriors now leave the planet… that and the fact that hope of finding any of the Lost Hope has dwindled. I will live perhaps a few decades more before I perish and I have had the benefit of living on Namek almost my entire life. I was not corrupted as so many of those found later were. And we are… hunted, Senza. Namekians are known to dangerous beings who seek us out and slaughter us when we refuse to bow to them."

"We know of both," Senza stated. "We learned of Namek from another of the Lost Hope… a Namekian who took the name Slug."

Elder Sax blinked at that, startled. "Truly?" But then his eyes fell down to his lap. "You killed him."

"He threatened our world," Tien said. "And had threatened many others. "

"That is disappointing… but not unexpected," Elder Sax said softly. "Our warriors were forced to deal with a few of the Lost Hope who had found themselves lost in wickedness, turned into members of the Demon Tribe. It is part of the reason Lord Guru decided that we would no longer send Warriors out to look for the Lost Hopes; it was too cruel to send them against their fellow Namekians." His jaw worked. "Or they would go expecting to find a brother and instead be left cradling a corpse far too small."

Everyone was quiet at that.

"…I never blamed any of you for not looking for me," Senza stated, looking down at his own hands. "And I lived… well, I suppose good isn't quite the right word for it but… I am content with the life I have led."

"I was going to ask you of that," Elder Sax stated. "How are you so young? You should be my age and yet you look to be in the prime of your life."

Senza managed a smile at that. "it… is a long story."

"We have the time," Elder Sax stated, slowly getting up. "While we must get you to Lord Guru, for he will wish to see you, I won't rush you after just arriving here… I would never be forgiven by the rest of village." He chuckled and Yamcha turned to see that several Namekians had been glancing at them only to duck their heads and act like they hadn't been snooping. "Come now… come now… there will be many interested in meeting you… and your friends." He looked over the rest of the Z Fighters. "it is good you have found your own tribe… we will wish to greet them all."

Yamcha smiled as he watched Senza get up, allowing Elder Sax to take him over to some Namekian adults and introduce him. 'I know we are supposed to be finding out about the Dragon Balls… but I think it can wait a bit longer…'

~MC~MC~MC~

'Namekians.'

For years Frieza had made it a standing order to capture a living Namekian and bring them to him. No one had known why he had desired them… honestly most of the Frieza Force had thought them a myth. No different than things like the Opt-Tions, the Silver Sorcerer, or the Star Eaters. Fairy tales and stories told to stupid children. Whenever he'd heard of a warrior boasting that they'd actually managed to find and defeat a Namekian he had always been quick to dismiss it. A lie… that was all it was. A stupid pathetic lie. Some other green skinned alien or another one with pointed ears. Frieza just jumping at shadows… not that even he would dare muttered those words aloud.

Eventually he'd been more willing to accept that there were such things as Namekians. That they were real… but he decided that they didn't really matter. There were so few of them, after all. The theory he and Nappa… that he had come up with was that they were a race just like the Saiyans, nearly wiped out. Frieza apparently had a thing for nearly extinct species and wanted to add to his collection. That was all.

Then he'd faced one on Earth…

Vegeta ran his hand along his jaw as he walked along the alien world. He still remembered how hard that damn Namekian had struck him. He had been able to battle him while in his Great Ape form… he should have been reduced to a smear on the ground and while he had been manhandled all the same it hadn't been as quick as Vegeta would have liked.

'I thought that was the only reason why Frieza wanted the Namekian. Another warrior to add to his ranks. Possibly as a replacement for me.' He balled his hand into a fist. 'As if anyone could replace me!'

But now he knew that wasn't the case. Not at all. Frieza was after something else entirely: The Dragon Balls.

'The ability to make any wish I desire. To have whatever I want. To be made immortal so that I can finally defeat Frieza. To take his empire and make it my own… yes. I can't let such a power fall into Frieza's hands. He'd waste it… it belongs to me!'

He smirked as he got closer to the village.

'And I start right now.'

"Who goes there?" a guard called out, suddenly snapping to attention at the sight of him. Or at least Vegeta thought he was a guard… he wasn't entirely sure. And he didn't entirely care. Ever since his battle of Earth he had managed to unlock a new ability: he could sense energy. It was a delightful little technique, one that meant he'd been able to shatter the scouter he'd been given and had been a tool he'd used for much of his life. It was now nothing when compared to himself.

"I am Vegeta, Prince of All Saiyans… and I wish to speak with whoever rules over this village."

"I do not rule over any village," an elder Namekian said, making his presence known. He was a squat thing, barely reaching Vegeta's waist, and thicker than the other Namekians. Not quite fat but not lean and trim like those around him. "I watch over the village and its inhabitants, guiding them with the knowledge I have gathered during my long life and helping add to our numbers."

Vegeta fought the urge to roll his eyes at that. 'There is one on everyone planet. Some grandiose bastard who thinks that the world wants to hear their rambles. Their proclamations about who they were and what they did and all that other useless pathetic garbage that didn't matter in the slightest. That only wasted time.'

"Well," he said aloud, "I suppose you are the one I need to speak to. See… I have heard tales of Namekians during my travels… and of the power you and your kind possess. I should I say the ITEM of power that you possess."

"Ah… the Dragon Balls," the old Namekian nodded at that, then shaking his head slightly, eyes drifting shut. For a moment Vegeta wondered if the old bastard had fallen asleep but then he let out a long sigh. "Are you here to ask about it… or take it?"

"Well… that depends entirely on you," Vegeta said, taking a step forward only for two younger Namekians to move in front of him. "Oh, are you two going to try and stop me? I would suggest you don't. The path I've walked is littered with the dead men that thought they would be the first to defeat Prince Vegeta."

"It is the darkness in your heart that makes us move against you," the older Namekian stated. "We can not allow the power of the Dragon Balls to fall into the hands of one such as yourself. Our only choice then is your defeat."

"No… you had many choices," Vegeta said with a dark smile. "So just remember that what happens next… it was your decision."

With that he leapt into battle.

~MC~MC~MC~

Chichi glanced over at Gohan as he played with some of the Namekian children. Or rather they all thought it was play. But thanks to the last 13 months she could see the antics of the children for what they truly were: Training.

One of the adult Namekians would send out rings of Ki, just a bit smaller than a hula hoop, and dare the children to fly through it. They were at different angles and different heights, forcing the children to learn how to quickly change their flight path. And the adult Namekian would also put rings close together, meaning that the children had to watch out for each other or end up slamming into someone else.

"Your son has a calm temperament," Larin said, walking up to her. "I can sense that he has very strong emotions though… but he knows how to control them rather well."

"Yes," Chichi said. "He gets that from his father, not me." Or, at least, that's how it used to be. Chichi had known that she was far more emotional than Goku, especially when it came to anger. Her husband could get mad, of course, but he rarely did so. People only truly needed to feel fear when they pressed him too much to make the anger finally burst out. That was when terrible things tended to happen. But for Chichi… well, she knew her reputation and had accepted that people would always see her as the angry house wife.

'Except that isn't quite how it is anymore,' she thought, feeling her tail lightly squeeze around her middle. 'The control I have now over the Great Ape form and the return of my tail… it also has given me far greater control over my emotions.' She would still fly off the handle at times but even Goku had commented that she seemed more at peace… though that didn't mean she couldn't bring out her rage. In fact Goku sometimes liked it, especially in the bedroom…

She mentally smacked herself. No use thinking about that, especially with Goku no longer in their dimension.

"He could be a Namekian," Larin commented. "We must also control our emotions. They can be very volatile and cause many problems if we do not understand the mastery of them. As you…" and there his cheeks turned slightly purple, a Namekian version of a blush, "…saw when you arrived."

"You were protecting your home from strange creatures. That is a noble thing."

"Perhaps. But I spoke out of turn against Elder Sax… I shouldn't have done that, especially when he countered my mistake. I have much to work on… but that, I suppose, is true for all Namekians. For both the Warrior and Dragon Tribes."

Chichi frowned at that. "Elder Sax mentioned that. I must admit I don't understand what they are or the difference." She shifted, grimacing. "I'm sorry but that must have sounded terribly offensive-"

"It was," Larin said but he flashed her a smile. "But I understand the confusion. And as I said I am… trying to work on my temper." Chichi flashed him a grateful smile at that and watched as Tien, Krillin, and Yamcha showed off with a trio of Namekian adults just what they could do. Senza was talking with Elder Sax, Isco nearby as well, offering his own… charming… opinions. Thought she had to admit that some of his comments felt… forced.

'He misses Kayos,' she thought sadly.

"Namekians," Larin began, drawing Chichi's thoughts back to the moment, "can be divided into two different tribes: the Warrior Tribe and the Dragon Tribe. There is nothing physically different between the two of us, as I hear is the case with many other races. Rather it is all about how we use our Ki. The Warrior Tribe is just that: warriors. We were once rather rare and even now the other clan outnumbers us 15 to 1. But our abilities are focused on fighting. Using Ki to battle. This village trains Warrior Tribe Namekians and thus why there are so many of us here… but there are villages that do not have a single Warrior Tribe member."

Chichi nodded at that. "So the Warrior Tribe is what we are most used to… similar to warriors on Earth."

"I believe so, yes. The Dragon Tribe is more focused on other methods of Ki use. It can come in many forms… if there were more of us I dare say that we would begin dividing them into Sub Tribes. The Healers. The Water Masters. The Energy Gatherers. But, as it is now, we are forced to teach every member of the Dragon Tribe how to use all the different methods of Ki use."

"Larin," Chichi said slowly, carefully. She understood what she was about to ask next might be a tender subject for the warrior. "Elder Sax mentioned the Demon Tribe?"

Larin frowned at that and for a moment… just a moment… she saw a glimmer of rage fill him. But just as quickly as it appeared Larin smothered it down. "The Demon Tribe is what the elders call Namekians who become corrupted. Who allow darkness into their hearts. A bastardization of our noble ways."

'That's what happened with King Piccolo,' Chichi thought, glancing over at Senza. 'When he and Kami separated all of the darkness within Senza caused King Piccolo to turn from a Dragon Tribe Namekian to a Demon Tribe.'

Thinking about King Piccolo as not a warrior was so very odd for Chichi. He had been a powerful fighter yes… but he had also shown abilities that Piccolo never had. It made her shudder to think about how bad things could have been if King Piccolo had been a member of the Warrior Tribe; it was very likely none of them would have still been alive in that kind of world.

"I have… one other question," she said, glancing away from Senza. "Is it possible for a Namekian to change what kind of Tribe they follow?"

Larin shook his head. "No, it isn't."

"That… isn't true," Elder Sax said, walking up to Larin.

That caused the Namekian to stare at the Elder in shock. "Elder, these are outsiders! We can not discuss with them-"

"They brought home a Lost Hope," Elder Sax told him firmly. "A Warrior who did that in the past was honored greatly. They deserve the same honor."

"They are outsiders though," Larin argued.

"It's okay, I didn't mean to offend-" Chichi began but Elder Sax shook his head, shooting Larin a disappointing look. Honestly Chichi thought that he would have preferred anger over that gaze, so filled with disappointment.

"They brought one of us home. That makes them honorary Namekians." Larin leaned back before quickly rising and walking away, refusing to say another word. Elder Sax watched him walk off and shook his head. "That poor boy."

"He seemed… really nice when I was talking to him," Chichi stated.

"Larin has his issues but we all hope he can work through them. He is very protective of all of us and takes a long time to truly trust others. He knows that he needs to work on his anger though… it leads him down dark paths." Elder Sax shook his head sadly before looking to Chichi. "He was discussing the Tribes with you?"

"The three, yes. I asked him if it was possible for one to change their Tribe."

"Because of the Dragon Balls," Elder Sax said, much to Chichi's surprise.

"I told him everything," Senza admitted, walking up. "It would not have been right for me to lie to them."

"And it is appreciated," Elder Sax stated. "You have come a long way, Senza… you made mistakes but you have also sought to learn from them. Your one half, Piccolo, was even moving towards returning to who he was supposed to be. Be proud of that." Senza shifted awkwardly at the praise, clearly unsure how to handle it. "Though I would suggest not mentioning such things to others like Larin… they wouldn't understand. The younger Namekians… they have only known peace. Not the horrors of the Great Drought or the dangers of the outside world.

"But… you wished to know about the Tribes. There is a way for one to switch their Tribes." He settled down next to her. "We Namekians are able to influence the eggs we produce. To will them in a way into what form we wish them to take. We tend not to though… it is a cruelty to the child. It prevents from becoming their own Namekian. They are… forced to be what we make them. Only in the greatest of tragedies has it been allowed."

He looked down, gathering himself, and as he did so Chichi thought of the sons of King Piccolo. The twisted creatures he had created in his attempt to defeat Goku. She hadn't really thought of it but now, with all they had learned about Namekians, she saw exactly what he meant: they hadn't been given a childhood. Hadn't been allowed to play and grow and learn. They had been born adults and told to kill… and had died.

Senza pressed a hand to his face.

"But… each of the Dragon Tribe do have one ability: reincarnation. We are able to produce eggs that hold all that we are… every memory, every skill. It is a way for us to continue on long past death. I myself will reincarnate in a few years, when my time nears its end."

And at once Chichi understood. "You can choose to make your reincarnation a Warrior."

"We can," Elder Sax said. "And the warriors produced… are mighty. Far greater than any Warrior born. But… there is a cost: a Warrior can not reincarnate."

"They… can't?" she found herself asking, looking to where Larin had walked off.

"Yes. Larin, along with the three warriors training with your friends, were once Dragon Tribe, born after the Great Drought… and born adults in their first lives. They were needed to help care for the children, the ones given the gift of youth and choice. Eventually they decided that they would be the first Warrior Tribes of the New Namekians; Lord Guru had instilled in them the need to protect our home and it was only by being warriors that they felt they could do it. A great honor… for them and for us. But… a great cost. This will be their last life."

"Well…" Chichi said softly. She… honestly didn't know what to say. Humans knew that they only had one life… a possible chance at a second with the Dragon Balls. But that was it. But Namekians could live forever… unless they sought out power.

A great cost indeed.

"But," Elder Sax said, "you were incorrect about the Tribes… there are four of them."

"F-four?" Chichi said, startled.

"Indeed. The rarest tribe… only one born every generation… until now." He looked to Senza. "Though you were not born but a fusion of two… something that must be brought up to Lord Guru. The Dragon Warrior-"

But before he could continue on Elder Sax suddenly looked up.

As did Chichi.

And Senza.

And everyone else.

A shiver of dread filled them all.

~MC~MC~MC~

"You know," Vegeta said as he placed his boot on the chest of one of the Namekian fighters that had tried to challenge him, smirking as he stared down the second. That Namekian was panting hard, hand pressed against his chest, blood leaking from his mouth. "When you two decided to challenge me I thought that, perhaps, you might at least give me a nice warm up. Give me a chance to stretch my muscles after I spent so long crammed into my pod flying here. But sadly you have proven to be no different than all the other so-called heroes that have stood in my path."

With that he drew his foot back and kicked the first Namekian hard in the ribs, feeling them shatter even as the fighter flew into his companion, smashing him right off his feet. Vegeta merely rolled his neck before walking forward, barely glancing at the cowering little wretches that were watching the fight.

"Oh, did you think this would go differently?" he taunted the frightened little snails. "Dream that your grand protectors would be able to drive me back? That their pathetic little moves-"

Another Namekian adult suddenly leapt out of his hiding spot behind some crates, extending his arms in an attempt to grab Vegeta. But the Prince merely smirked before he moved so fast that an afterimage was created. He got to watch in delight as his attacker still swung at the spot where he had been while Vegeta, now behind him, waited for him to realize that his punch had hit nothing before he darted forward, driving his elbow into the Namekain's spine. The fighter cried out, arching back, and Vegeta roared in delight as he began to violently pummel him with punches and kicks. When the Namekian tried to dart away Vegeta wrapped his fingers around his bald head and pulled back, causing him to scream even more before Vegeta savagely drove his fist into his side, feeling bones shatter and organs rupture before he tossed him with the others.

"-would be able to stop me?" He looked about, lips curling back so all of the them could see his teeth. "Adorable. Its like being mauled by a pack of newly born puppies."

"You will pay for this!" another Namekian roared, rushing him. Vegeta though merely waited for the last moment before he shifted to his right, letting the Namekian pass him before he drove his elbow-

Another Namekian that he had missed kicked him right in the chin, snapping his head back, allowing the first one to spin around and drive his fist right into Vegeta's stomach.

He didn't even flinch.

"Now tell me… when exactly am I going to begin paying?" Vegeta didn't bother to lower his head, still staring at the sky. He could feel the Namekian that had punched him tremble as he realized just how foolish and stupid he had been. The dawning horror of just what he was facing.

It was… glorious.

The first Namekian that had tried to rush him let out a scream of fury and began to punch him over and over again while the second moved to grab him from behind, restraining him.

"Oh, are you trying to tickle me to death?" Vegeta taunted. "I know… you want to help me digest my meal with a belly rub!"

"Shut up you bastard!"

"Now now… my father was married to my mother when he had me." And then Vegeta snapped his head back, causing the Namekian who was holding him to scream in pain, clutching at his face. He waited for the next blow and then tensed his muscles in his abdomen, causing the Namekian punching him to break his hand. "But I suppose I shouldn't be too angry… after all…" He grabbed the Namekians and slammed their heads together. "I can be a rather violent bastard." He turned his head from right to left, scoffing at all he saw. "Is there anyone else you want to send at me, old man?" Vegeta demanded, walking up to the wrinkled Namekian. "I think there is a spot over there for another body. After that I'll need to begin stacking them up like firewood."

"We will fight you all, if we have to," the old Namekian retorted. "We can not allow one such as yourself to ever claim the Dragon Ball!"

"A fair and just stance," Vegeta said before suddenly rushing forward and driving his fist into the old man's stomach, fingers digging into his entrails. "Too bad this is the real world and not some fairytale." He leaned in close. "Fairness and justness are just myths."

With that he ripped his hand free and the old man fell to the ground, the rest of the village staying silent for only a moment more before they began to scream in utter horror and panic, running away as fast as they could.

"Weaklings," Vegeta muttered as he began to tear through the village, firing Ki blasts at the buildings so he might find his prize. It took several minutes but finally he came up with the Dragon Ball, grinning as he held the large orb. "Perfect! And according to the legends there are 7 of them. That means I need to just find the other six… and with the way these fools were guarding them I bet that I'll find more in the other villages. That will-"

He stopped, suddenly twisting his head towards the sky.

He was supposed to have time! He was supposed to be able to tear through the planet with ease! How… how had he arrived…

"No…." he whispered as he realized that all his plans had just been shattered.

~MC~MC~MC~

Chiaotzu suddenly started, looking up at the sky. "What… what is that?" he whispered.

"What's what?" Bulma said just as a proximity alarm began to blare in their ship. "Whoa! We have several ships that suddenly just appeared above Namek! What the heck are they?" The four of them had been debating if they should head into the village, since according to Isco they seemed friendly enough. But that discussion was put on hold as they found themselves staring up at the sky.

"The ships seem to have designs that match up with the armor that the Saiyans wore," Isco stated, focusing up at the sky.

"You can see that far up?"

"I see everything," Isco said. "…well, not everything. I don't feel like seeing how you puss bubbles reproduce or expel your waste. I see what I wish to see but that doesn't sound good while I am leading my army of robotic brothers and sisters into battle to enslave all organic life. Even for us robots there is a need for a bit of dramatic flair." He paused, still studying the sky. "There are three ships, two smaller than the others. Disc shaped and honestly I'm not quite for sure how they manage to fly but then again I'm not quite sure how any of us fly. Especially me unless the world knows my grandeur and allows me flight because it knows how dangerous I am and allows me to leave."

Bulma mostly tuned Isco out at that point; she had a feeling his rambling was more because, even though he'd never admit it, he was terrified by what had arrived.

"Raditz… is that what I think it is?" Bulma asked.

The Saiyan in question had gone utterly quiet. Not panicked… just very quiet.

And that was terrifying.

"It is," he said, eyes never leaving the sky.

~MC~MC~MC~

High above the planet Namek the three Sleet-Class Ships waited, hovering about the innocent-looking planet.

"We have arrived ahead of schedule, Lord Frieza," Zarbon said as he entered the room.

"I told you that only bringing two battalions along with my personal forces would work out well for us," Frieza stated. "Shaved off several days of travel." He chuckled softly. "And you wanted to bring the Ginyus…"

"I am… still concerned about what we might face down there."

"Oh? Thinking that our forces can't cut it? Should that be the case then perhaps those that are handling their training should be replaced…"

Considering that Zarbon was one who hired the trainers he quickly shut his mouth.

"Besides… our men will be motivated to handle this rather quickly and efficiently… it wouldn't look good if I showed them up."

"If… you…?"

"Yes," Frieza said, tail twitching. "I have decided that I will be taking the lead in gathering the Dragon Balls."

"…of course, Lord Frieza."

The Emperor didn't even bother to acknowledge Zarbon's retreat as he stared down at the planet.

'Soon immortality will be mine. And after that… the universe.'