So...I said that I wasn't gonna post these for a while, but I changed my mind. Good for you guys- not so much for me, since I'm still not done with Chapter 14...

Chapter 12: Turles' Ambition

Turles' ship, the Comet Star, as he insisted on calling it, landed on Boron smoothly. "We've arrived," he said. "I can see that," Fasha replied, annoyed. "Let's get on with this little venture of yours."

Turles nodded, ignoring his wife's searing tone. "Let's," he said. I think I know where to go," he added, confidently. "You think? Really?" Fasha asked, still sounding rather annoyed. Turles laughed. "Yes. My contact said to meet him in a bar not far from here," he said.

"Who's this contact?" Fasha asked. "I've never met him in person. His name's Zerola," Turles replied. "Are you serious? Can you even trust him?" Fasha asked, her annoyance back in full force. Turles shrugged. "I don't know. If he tries anything, I'll kill him," he said. Fasha rolled her eyes. "We're doomed…" she muttered.

A short time later…

The bar that Turles, Fasha, and Taro stepped into could most charitably be described as a dump. Somehow, it looked even seedier than several of the other such bars they'd gone looking for potential crewmates. "This place looks awful," Fasha said. "Are you sure that your contact is here?"

Turles nodded. "Yeah. This is the place he specified," he replied. "He should be around somewhere. We just have to find him."

Fasha rolled her eyes yet again. This plan kept getting worse and worse. "Are you even sure that you have the right place?" she asked, again glancing around at the generally terrible atmosphere of the place. "Yes," Turles responded. "I just need to gather some information, and then we'll get going."

"Alright, but this better not result in us having to fight our way out of here," Fasha replied, crossing her arms. Turles chuckled, his face taking on a smarmy grin. "That would be something that you'd enjoy, wouldn't it?" he asked. Fasha glared at him. "You need to learn to shut up," she said. Turles laughed it off and headed over to the bartender to inquire about some information. Namely, the location of their contact. The bar was manned by a particularly nasty looking alien who vaguely reminded Turles of Frieza's bootlicker Zarbon.

That was an understandably irritating (and deeply unpleasant) thought, and Turles buried it as deeply as he could. The green skinned man looked up as the Saiyan approached the counter- a scar lined his left cheek, and that eye was blinded. Turles wondered what caused that injury, but decided that it would be rude to pry.

"I'm looking for someone," he said, after a few moments. "And? The bartender questioned. "I was hoping you knew where he was," Turles replied. The rough-looking alien smirked. "We don't give out information for free," he said. "It'll cost you."

Turles sighed and rolled his eyes. Extortion? Really?

He resisted the urge to voice those thoughts and dropped some credit chips on the counter. The bartender eyed them greedily for a few seconds, and then spoke up. "What did you want to know?" he asked. "I'm looking for someone named Zerola," Turles replied. "Him? He hangs around here," the bartender replied. "Where is he right now?" Turles asked, needing more details than that. The bartender's only reply was a grunt, indicating that Turles would have to cough up more money if he wanted that information.

The Saiyan rolled his eyes and dropped a few more credit chips onto the counter. "He's in the back. Wait here and I'll call him for you," the bartender replied. Turles nodded. "Alright. You better not be lying," he replied. The bartender smirked again. "I assure you, I'm not," he said. Turles laughed as he turned to leave. The surly bartender amused him slightly, though he was starting to push his patience. He'd had to give up more money than he wanted to- just to get the information that he wanted for his new 'enterprise'.

Fasha walked over, taking the stool next to Turles as he stared at the wall. "That guy is getting on my nerves," she said. Turles laughed. "He's getting on mine," he replied. "But murdering him does not benefit us." Fasha glared at him. "How so?" she questioned. "Well, for one, he's going to get the guy we came to meet for us," Turles responded. "Hard for him to do that if he's dead."

Fasha sighed, reluctantly acquiescing to her husband's logic- if they didn't meet their contact, then this whole trip was a waste of time. "You infuriate me," she said. Turles laughed, but said nothing. Fasha rolled her eyes again, but chose not to argue.

Instead, they sat in silence as they waited. After about ten minutes had passed, the bartender returned with a slender Zoonian. The newcomer set his (her?) eyes on the Saiyans and stepped over. "Are you Zerola?" Turles asked. "No," the Zoonian replied, in a deep, gravelly voice. "I merely work for him."

Turles nodded. "Ah. I see. Can you take us to him?" he asked. "You're Turles, right?" the Zoonian asked in return. Turles nodded affirmatively, but remained silent. "Then we may make our way to the boss," the Zoonian replied. "Your mate may come, or she may remain here. Your choice."

"She's with me," Turles replied. The Zoonian nodded. "Of course," he (she?) said. "Right this way." Turles nodded and followed as Fasha rolled her eyes and followed him. She had a feeling that this could go quite badly. She was hoping it wouldn't, for Turles' sake, but she was fully prepared for any necessary level of violence.

Though Turles seemed confident that this 'Zerola' wouldn't backstab them, she wasn't so hopeful. Too much time in combat (and working for the people she did) had taught her not to. There was no place for idealism in the Saiyan Army. Turles knew that better than most, but she knew that he'd always had a sort of wide-eyed idealism that most Saiyans were devoid of. Until his parents died, that is. That had caused a rift between him and Bardock- one that had never really been mended. Fasha took a deep breath as she recalled that, and decided that she was done thinking for now. Too many uncomfortable memories.

A short time later, they arrived outside of a small office. "This is the boss' room," the Zoonian said. "He's been expecting you, so just go on in." Turles nodded. "Of course," he said. "It would be rude to keep him waiting any longer." Their guide smiled. "Of course," he (she?) said. Zoonian biology was weird, and Turles was no expert. Though he was assuming that this individual was male, based on the musculature. He pushed aside his scientific curiosities for now, however, and turned to face the door. "Come on, Fasha," he said. "Let's go meet our new friend."

His wife rolled her eyes at that (this was someone they'd never met before) but followed him inside nonetheless. Once they'd stepped inside, they were met with a tall, muscular Zoonian, who had a blaster at his hip. "You must be Turles," he said. "The name's Zerola."

"That would be correct," the Saiyan replied. "And my wife, Fasha." The Saiyan woman sighed, annoyed at this whole endeavor. "Nice to make your acquaintances," Zerola replied. "Now, how about we get down to business."

Turles nodded, as a smile creeped onto his face. "Yes. Let's," he said. Zerola smirked. "I hear that you're looking for a crew to take on Frieza," he replied. "Yeah? Then you've heard correctly," Turles said. "I am aiming to take Frieza down."

"That won't be easy," Zerola said. Turles nodded. "Of course not," he replied. "But it would grant us a massive opportunity," Zerola said, smirking. "Yes," Turles said. "But we'll need a base of operations. And as many allies as we can possibly find."

Zerola nodded. "I may be able to help with that," he said, after a few moments. "I have a base on this planet's largest moon. And I have a team." Turles smirked at that a bit. "A team, you say?" he asked, now intrigued. Zerola nodded. "Yes. You've met one of them," he replied. "The guy outside?" Turles questioned. Zerola nodded. "Yes. He's my brother, Zorela," he said. "Zorela? That has to be confusing," Turles replied, chuckling. Zerola chuckled as well. "We're used to it," he said. "Now, let's head out. The base won't head to itself."

Turles smiled and nodded whilst Fasha rolled her eyes and shot him a covert glare. "It'll be fine," he whispered. "It better," she whispered back. Turles nodded, but said nothing- instead, he simply followed Zerola out of the room.

Some time later, aboard the Comet Star….

Turles, Fasha, and Taro headed off towards the coordinates that Zerola had given them. "This better not be a trap!" Fasha snarled. Turles laughed. "It's not," he said. "And if it is, I'll gut the slimy bastards myself."

Fasha rolled her eyes. "We shouldn't be having to make backup plans like this!" she snapped. "Where's the structure?! The proper planning of this operation?!" she demanded, nearly reaching her breaking point. Turles sighed. "We're no longer soldiers, Fasha," he said. "Or at least, not soldiers of a formal army."

Fasha sighed. "That's a lie, and you know it!" snapped. "That's not true," Turles said. Fasha glared at him, but said nothing. So Turles spoke again, this time more softly. "The army we served is long, long gone," he said. "You and I both know that."

Fasha glared up at him, and the silence was palpable as both stared each other down. This continued for so long that even Taro, who was flying the ship, spared them a glance. Fasha glared at her. "Don't you say a word! You ran off to who-knows-where while we were meeting with our supposed 'friends'!" she snapped. Taro opened her mouth, but said nothing. She had a confused look on her face, as if she was being attacked for no reason (which she was), and simply stared. Turles stared at Fasha, unable to find his words. Fasha shifted her attention back to Turles as Taro scrambled back to what she was doing.

"You are an idiot!" she snarled. "An absolute idiot!" "Why all of this aggression?" Turles questioned. "BECAUSE YOU CHARGED INTO THIS WITHOUT A PLAN!" Fasha snapped. "I have a plan," Turles said. "I've dealt with this guy for years. Just never in person." Fasha's eyes narrowed, but she didn't say anything, so Turles thought that she was finished. But as he opened his mouth, she exploded. "YOU'RE GOING TO GET US KILLED ONE DAY, YOU ABSOLUTE FOOL!" Fasha snarled. "AND I'M NOT GOING TO STAND AROUND AND LET YOU DO IT!"

Turles stood there, in dumbfounded shock. Fasha glared at him for a few moments, before she rounded on her heel and stomped off to the door. "Fasha! Wait!" Turles called, only to be ignored. He moved to follow her, but Taro stopped him. "Let her go!" she said. "Why!?" Turles demanded. "Because she needs time to herself," Taro replied. "For what?" Turles asked, calmer this time. Taro sighed. "You're just like Bardock…" she muttered. "So smart, yet so dense…"

Turles glared at her for that, but didn't interrupt her. "She's been a soldier all her life, Turles," Taro said. "She hasn't adapted like me and you. She needs time to figure out what to do now." Turles was caught completely off-guard by that, unable to figure out what he should say or do. "You, sir, are an idiot," Taro said, teasingly. "Now get in that chair and help me fly this thing."

Turles sighed and did so, but not before sparing a glance back towards the doorway that Fasha had stomped through. He silently began running through his flight tasks, working his side of the controls. "What should I do?" he asked, after a few moments. "About what?" Taro replied. "About Fasha," Turles said. Taro sighed, mentally facepalming. "Leave her be," she said. "She'll come to you when she's ready."

"Are you certain?" Turles asked. Taro nodded. "Yes," she replied. "How can you be sure?" Turles asked, almost tearing up (or so it looked to Taro, anyway) his voice wavering. Taro smiled. "Because she loves you," she said. "Fasha may not be good at showing it, but she loves you." "Hell, she's almost like a female Bardock in that respect. Maybe that's why you get along."

Turles glared at her for that last part. "What? I'm right," Taro said. Her brother sighed, forced to acquiesce. "I guess you might be right," he responded. "She did hang around with him." Taro nodded. "Yeah. At times I got the feeling that he possibly could have ended up with her," she said. "Nah. They're too much alike," Turles said.

Taro laughed. "Yeah. But that's a moot point. He ended up with another girl," she said. Turles nodded. "Shalat. Still don't get how he had that kind of woman," he said. Taro laughed again. "That's a long story," she replied. "How is she, anyway? Still with Bardock?"

Turles remained silent for a few minutes, which told Taro that something had happened. "No," he said, after a few moments. "What happened?" Taro asked. "There's…a long story there," Turles replied. "And I'm not sure that it's mine to tell."

Taro nodded, surprised at Turles frankly admitting that something wasn't his business to speak about. "That's new for you," she said. "What's new?" Turles asked. "Your reluctance to speak on something," Taro replied. "You usually think of it all as your business." Turles sighed. "Bad memories are associated with that time. Let's not dwell on it," he said. Taro nodded. "I understand," she said. "What happened to her?"

"Last I heard, she died," Turles said. Taro remained quiet for a few minutes. "That had to be rough on Bardock," she said, after a time. "She hadn't been with him for a long time before she died," Turles said. "She was still on the planet when Frieza blew it to hell."

Taro nodded. "I see," she said. "If you want to know what happened, then we'll find Bardock," Turles said. "I'm not going to go into it." Taro nodded again. "Alright. But tell me one thing. Who'd he end up with?" she asked. "Gine," Turles replied. Taro chuckled. "I didn't see that coming," she said. Turles cracked a small smile, and then changed the subject.

"Where'd you go while we were trying to meet our contact?" he asked. Taro saw what he was doing, but decided to avoid the subject. It wasn't worth arguing over, especially after what had happened between him and Fasha. "I wandered off and explored the town," she said. "Found a rather cool salon. Got these."

Turles looked over at her, taking notice of the blue highlights in her hair. "You were getting your hair done?" he asked, annoyed. Taro laughed. "No," she replied. "Not at first. At first I was just wandering around. Then I ended up getting my hair done."

Turles sighed. "Why?" he questioned. "Because I'm a girl," Taro replied. "That's no excuse," Turles replied. Taro laughed. "Yes it is," she said. "Because I have a feminine side, unlike your brutish beauty."

"What?" Turles asked, now dumbfounded. "Fasha," Taro replied. "No, that I got," Turles said. "I'm just surprised as to why you decided to describe her that way." Taro laughed. "Because she's a brute. Like a man trapped in a woman's body," she said. "She hung around Bardock too much."

Turles laughed a bit at that. "Maybe," he said. "She doesn't seem to be a fan of the usual girly things. How'd you end up like that, anyway? You weren't like that back home." "I was," Taro said. "It's just that our homeworld sucked if you weren't either a royal, an elite, or a bootlicker."

"I can't say I disagree," Turles replied. "But how the heck did you end up doing things like dyeing your hair?" Taro smirked. "I picked up some things after I got off that stupid waste of a planet," she said. "I cultivated my image as a bounty hunter. Part of that involved being a hot woman."

"And that helped you how, exactly?" Turles asked. Taro sighed. "You have no idea, do you?" she questioned. "Not really," Turles said. "I relied on my opponents finding me attractive to lower their guard. I captured all kinds of scumbags for their bounties that way," Taro replied. "The hair styling came up as part of that."

Turles nodded along, now following the logic. "Ah. I see," he said. "And did any of them happen to be Saiyan?" he questioned. "Nah," Taro replied. "Never had that kind of luck. Or I might have had a boyfriend when you found me."

Turles chuckled. "Well, I'll just have to take you to Bardock someday," he said. "Now you're talking!" Taro replied. Turles chuckled. "I do know where he is," he said. "Once we're done assembling my planned team, then we'll go find him."

"You're not lying to me, are you?" Taro asked, having suddenly taken on a serious tone. "No," Turles said. "I'm not. What would I gain from that?" "A sick sense of satisfaction?" Taro posited, her joking tone returned. Turles smiled. "Nah. You took all of that for yourself," he said. Taro laughed. "Not really," she said. "You've got a monopoly on that."

Both siblings shared a laugh at that, and continued to converse for the entire trip towards their destination. It was quite pleasant- though Turles could feel the deep, personal memories springing up in the back of his mind- the real reason he refused to talk about what happened after she went missing.

He didn't want to think about Bardock, and especially about their shattered relationship. He wasn't even really sure if it could be repaired now. And even if it could, would even be able to try? There wasn't much of a reason to go to Earth other than to placate Taro, as even though Bardock was strong, Turles wasn't sure if he wanted to recruit him.

He always had felt like Bardock somehow managed to always, always, screw up his plans. Whether intentionally or not, he didn't particularly care. Well, that and the fact that they'd been on sour terms for a long time now. A long, long time- and he wasn't entirely sure if he was strong enough to face his past. The one thing that brought the confident, scheming Turles to his knees.

Turles bottled those thoughts back up and focused his attention on his flight. Taro glanced at him, but didn't say anything. Perhaps she was doing some thinking of her own. Either way, they were approaching their destination, and they'd be landing soon. There was business to take care of.

Landing platform, Hofaro, Boron's moon…

The Comet Star sat down on Hofaro, the largest moon of Boron. This one was large enough that it had its own breathable atmosphere, and was a rather dense, forested moon. The landing platform they'd sat down on was quite stable, clean, and rather impressive. The three Saiyans strolled out of the ship, where they were greeted by Zerola. "Welcome," he said. "This is my place!" Turles nodded. "Impressive. You didn't mention that this moon had an atmosphere," he said. "Yeah. It's like its own miniature planet!" Zerola replied.

Zorela stepped up beside him. "The hospitality of this world will be extended to you, so long as you are not our enemy," he said. Turles nodded. "Of course. We will not make enemies of ourselves," he replied. Zorela nodded in return. "I hope so," he said, his gravelly voice making itself known again. "Can you take us to the base itself?" Turles asked. Zerola nodded. "Of course. Come on," he said. "Follow me."

Turles smiled, Taro nodded, and Fasha glared. And thus, they were off, the Saiyan trio following the Zoonian pair to their base. "How many people are on this moon?" Turles asked, as they stepped up to the gate. "A lot," Zerola said. "This is a well known smuggler's world. Ours is not the only base here."

Turles nodded. "Ah," he said. "So that means that recruiting allies will be easier?" "Of course," Zerola replied. "There are a lot of people around here that would be willing to help. Criminals, bounty hunters, smugglers, those who are trying to hide out, soldiers, mercenaries, etc."

The gate opened shortly thereafter, and the five headed inside the compound, which appeared to be well maintained, and was quite spacious. "Like the military look?" Turles questioned, glancing around. Zerola chuckled. "You could say that," he said. "But we're ex-military ourselves."

"Then how'd you end up here?" Turtles questioned. "We were disavowed by our government after an operation went south. So we're hiding out here. Working as mercenaries- but we figured that joining up with you is a good use of our time. Especially since we would really, really, like to take over Frieza's empire."

"Then you've come to the right Saiyan," Turles said. "You said you have a team?" Zerola nodded. "Yes. You've already met Zorela, but I'll introduce you to the others," he said. Turles nodded in acknowledgement. "Lead the way."

A few moments later, they stood on the inside of the main base, which appeared clean and utilitarian. According to Zerola, it was modeled on the base they used to operate out of as Zoonian special forces. Turles was impressed at how it looked, even though it was sparsely decorated.

Stairs were located on either end of the room, which lead up to the watchtowers, where those that worked for Zerola worked to keep unwanted visitors away. They strolled through this room into the main meeting room, where four more Zoonians were located.

First up was a slight Zoonian. "So you three are our new allies?" he (she? Again, Turles was not sure) asked. Turles nodded, not really knowing what to say. The Zoonian seemed satisfied by that answer, however, and turned back to what he (she?) had been doing before. Up next was a taller Zoonian, who had a nasty scar across his (her?) eye. This one was only slightly more muscular than the first one. Turles noted that this Zoonian didn't bother to look at them. Instead, he (she?) kept on working as before.

Third was another, much more muscular Zoonian. He (she? Turles still had no idea. They all looked the same to him) watched them carefully, eyes locked onto them. He (Turles was mostly sure that this one was male) never averted his gaze from them. Fourth and finally was a tall, but lean Zoonian. She (he? Though Turles was sure this one was female) locked onto them, but made no moves. She returned to her business soon afterwards. Zerola and Zorela stopped at the command table, quickly followed by the three Saiyans. The other Zoonians gathered around, and the meeting started right up. As their leader, Zerola spoke up first. "So," he said, "you've met Zorela," he said. "But not the others."

Turles nodded, but remained silent. Zerola was clearly going somewhere with this. "First up," he said, gesturing to the first of the four Zoonians that had been in the room, "is Zareol. She's our expert in technology." Turles smirked to himself- his guess about the first one being female was correct. He continued listening as Zerola continued introducing his teammates. "Second is Zolare," he said. "He's the guy you want if you need an infiltration." Turles nodded, admitting to himself that he'd figured wrong on that one. Zoonian biology was weird. Nonetheless, he resumed paying attention. "Up third," Zerola continued, is Zarloe. He's our best fighter apart from myself."

Turles mentally patted himself on the back again. He'd guessed right yet again. Zerola continued as Turles nodded along. "And finally, for the last one, we have Zalore. He's our resident pilot. He flies most of the time, though the rest of us are passable."

Turles found himself a bit surprised, as he'd pegged the last one as female for sure. But, hey, even he had to be wrong sometimes. "So, what's with the names?" Turles asked, after a few moments. Zerola chuckled. "You noticed that? We're all siblings. Our parents had weird tastes," he said. The Saiyan nodded, taking in that tidbit. "Guess it's time for me to introduce ourselves, then," he said after a few moments. "I, the man before you, am Turles, your new ally," he said, addressing the newly introduced allies of Zerola. "And these two are Fasha, my wife, and Taro, my sister."

They all nodded, taking in the trio of Saiyans in front of them. Zarloe spoke, finally breaking his silence. "How do we know that we can trust you?" he asked. Zerola glanced at him, as if he was about to reprimand him. That reprimand never came, however, as Turles raised his hand. "Because we want the same thing." Zarloe briefly considered that, but seemed to reject it as a snarl crossed his face. "What would that be, exactly?"

"Frieza, dead. And us in his place," Turles replied. Zarloe softened a bit. "You talk a good game," he said, "but how do we know that you aren't lying?"

"You don't," Turles replied. "But Zerola trusted me enough to lead me here. And there are more of you than there are of us." Zarloe sighed, and seemed to back down with that response. "I'll be watching you," he said, after a few minutes. Turles smiled to himself as he directed his attention to Zerola, who spoke once again.

"Now that that's over," Zerola said, "how about we get down to business." "Of course," Turles said. "Let's." Zerola smiled at that. "We're going to need as many allies as we can get if we're going to take on Frieza," he said. "And I know someone that could be a useful ally in that."

Turles nodded. "Of course," he said. "Where is this guy?" Zerola smiled. "I thought you'd never ask," he said. "He's on Rachni VI." "That's quite remote," Turles said. "I know," Zerola replied. "But the guy that I'm thinking of is a very private individual. And he's wanted on at least ten systems."

Turles seemed intrigued. "What's his name?" he questioned. "Amond. He's wanted by the Galactic Patrol, but then again, so are we," Zerola replied. "Sounds like my kind of guy," Turles said. "Do you know where he is exactly? Or is he just generally hanging around on that planet?"

"Unfortunately, what I've told you is the only thing we have on him," Zerola said. "If you wish to recruit him, you'll have to travel to Rachni VI yourself." Turles nodded. "I'll accept that mission," he said. "It can't be too hard to find him, right?" "Shouldn't be," Zerola replied. "He has quite the fearsome reputation, and is likely involved in all kinds of criminal activity there." "Rachni VI contains a vast criminal underworld?" Turles asked. Zerola nodded. "It is not unlike this place," he answered. "You could quite possibly recruit multiple people there."

Turles nodded. "Of course. We'll get moving," he said. Zerola nodded. "With all due haste. Take Zarloe with you. He needs an opportunity to stretch his legs." Both Turles and Zarloe were equally surprised, but neither contested the request. Instead, the short, muscular Zoonian stepped over and joined the trio of Saiyans as they departed.

A short time later, the Comet Star rocketed towards its destination, carrying the four occupants on their mission. Turles and Fasha piloted the ship, Taro was in her room sleeping, and Zarloe stood on the bridge and stared. He had refused to leave, and was simply staring out into space through the window. "How will we know where to look for Amond?" Turles asked. "We will sit down in the largest port and ask around," Zarloe answered, not bothering to even look away from the window. "Amond has quite the infamous reputation."

Turles nodded, and Fasha scoffed. "That's the best plan you can come up with?" Zarloe turned from the window, surprising Turles. "Hold your tongue, woman," he said. "I do not see you attempting to come up with an alternative."

"Oh yeah? How about I show you where to shove that opinion!" Fasha snarled back, still in a foul mood from her earlier argument with Turles. "Really? You want to fight me?" Zarloe responded, which only made Fasha angrier. "Damn right! We're gonna settle this!" she snarled. Zarloe smirked. "Fine by me. I don't care what happens to any of you."

Both Zarloe and Fasha stared each other down, fully prepared to throw down. Right there on the bridge, regardless of what could happen. Before anything could break out, though, Turles decided to intervene. "NO ONE IS FIGHTING ANYONE!" he snapped, having finally reached his breaking point. "You need to calm down!" he said, glaring at Fasha. His wife looked down as he turned his glare towards Zarloe. "And I've had enough of you being an asshole!"

Both were caught off-guard by the sudden outburst, and returned to what they'd been doing. Turles was internally fuming at the recent events that had occurred on his bridge, and decided that they'd need to be addressed later. He held in his desire to rage at them again, and as such, the rest of the trip to Rachni VI went by in utter silence.

Some time later…

The Comet Star landed in the biggest city on Rachni VI, Colua, and its occupants exited it. Fasha and Zarloe refused to look at each other, let alone speak to each other. Taro was confused by the whole situation, and Turles was exasperated. As such, they set out into the city without much of a plan. "What's going on?" Taro whispered. "We'll talk about it later," Turles whispered back. "For now, just follow my lead." Taro nodded, and decided to trust her brother's judgment. The group quickly arrived at a seedy bar not unlike the one that they'd met Zerola in. According to the sign, it was called The Power Converter. "Looks like the perfect place to ask around," Turles said. "Criminal types love these kinds of places."

Fasha sighed, Taro nodded, and Zarloe grunted in acknowledgement. Turles accepted those reactions as answers, and led them inside. The inside of the place was rather seedy, just like the outside. But that didn't bother Turles in the slightest. No, in fact, he fit right in as he strolled over to the bar to gather intel.

Zarloe hung around the door, not particularly engaged by the atmosphere of the seedy bar. He leaned on the wall by the doorway, like he was some kind of bouncer. Fasha sat at an empty table and glared at him over a drink of some kind. Taro ambled on over to the stool next to Turles and took a seat.

"So…what's the plan?" she asked. "Ask around," Turles replied, as the bartender approached them. "Can I get you anything?" he asked. Turles nodded, looking the man square in the eyes. "Some information," he said, dropping a couple of credit chips onto the counter. "Information, huh?" the bartender said. "Depends on what kind." "I'm looking for someone," Turles replied. "Tell me where he is, and that money's yours."

The bartender eyed the chips for a few seconds, and then looked back to Turles. "Who are you looking for, exactly?" he asked. "A guy named Amond. You know him?" the Saiyan responded. "I know of him," the bartender replied. "He's got quite the reputation for being bad news, even amongst criminals."

Turles considered that for a few moments and dropped another chip onto the counter. "Do you know where he is?" he asked. The bartender shook his head. "Nah. He's come through here before, but I've never seen him personally," he replied. "That's unfortunate," Turles muttered.

Upon noticing the bartender's confused look, he spoke again. "Do you know anyone that might know him? Or at least where he might be?" he asked. "Yeah," the bartender said. "A guy that also works up here. Tell him that Oro sent you."

Turles nodded gratefully. "Thank you for your cooperation," he said. Oro nodded and picked up the credit chips that Turles had left on the counter. Taro turned and stood, following her brother. "So we're going to go and find the bartender guy's coworker?" she asked. "Yeah," Turles replied. "He lives in an apartment nearby."

Taro nodded. "Right. So we're just going to go and ask this guy about Amond?" she asked, seeking clarification. "Correct," Turles replied. "And once we've found Amond, we're going to recruit him to join our little group."

Offering another nod, Taro followed Turles over to the entryway, where they collected Fasha and Zarloe and left the bar. The trip to find Oro's fellow bartender's apartment was a tense, quiet affair, as Fasha and Zarloe still refused to speak to each other. Taro was still confused as to what had happened, but chose not to pry as they finally arrived at their destination.

For his part, Turles continued to ignore the situation, stepping up to the door and knocking. It was soon answered by a scrawny Saiyan. Clearly, he'd not been part of the combat caste. While Turles did not recognize him, the other Saiyan clearly recognized him, flinching back in shock. "What are you doing here?!" he asked, nervous. "Here to take me back to Planet Vegeta?" Turles laughed out loud, further confusing the poor guy, who stared the entire time. "No," he said, after a few moments. "Planet Vegeta no longer exists."

"What do you mean?" the other Saiyan asked, confused. "Planet Vegeta was destroyed by Frieza," Turles said. "I'm not here to take you back to a planet that no longer exists. I am seeking a man named Amond."

The other Saiyan nodded warily. "Why should I help you?" he asked. "I mean, you're Turles. One of the nastiest commanding officers I've ever had."

At that, Turles' head tilted quizzically. "And who are you, then?" he asked, wracking his brain for information as to who this scrawny, pathetic excuse for a Saiyan might be. "The name's Beets," he said, after a few moments. A look of recognition formed on Turles' face as he recalled the name. "Ah, yes," he said. "I remember you. No combat aptitude whatsoever." Beets flinched at the insult, but dared not say anything, lest Turles crush him like a bug. "Your desertion was of no note," Turles continued. "So low on my priority list that I didn't even bother hunting you down."

Beets gulped nervously, but otherwise said nothing as Turles continued once again. "Do you know where Amond is?" he asked. "Uh, yeah," Beets said. "But how did you know where to find me?" he asked. "Oh, that. We spoke to your friend Oro," Turles said. "And he directed me here."

Beets nodded. "Well, in that case…" he began. "You'll come with us?" Turles asked, cutting him off. Beets started to stammer that he wasn't going to lead them, only give them Amond's location, but stopped upon seeing the malicious gleam in Turles' eye. "Fine. I'll take you to him," Beets said, after a few seconds. "Good," Turles replied. "You had better hold up your end of the bargain."

"I will," Beets said, barely hiding his nervousness. Turles clearly had machinations for the poor Saiyan. "You can't be serious about recruiting him," one of Turles' companions said. Beets recognized her as Fasha, a Saiyan soldier from Planet Vegeta. "Quiet," Turles said. "This is my operation, and I can recruit whoever I want."

Fasha rolled her eyes, turning away. Beets observed his other companions, one a Saiyan and one a Zoonian. He recognized the Saiyan: she was Taro, another Saiyan officer that he had served under. The Zoonian, however, was a mystery.

His attention was quickly directed back to Turles, however, when the other Saiyan spoke. "So. Can you lead us to Amond?" he asked, a tone of faux politeness in his voice. "Yeah," Beets said. "Let me just lock up my place first."

Turles nodded, allowing his unwilling guide that courtesy.

Beets led the group through the city, arriving at a sketchy looking warehouse. "This is the place," he said. Turles nodded, stepping up beside him. "Good," he said. "You did what you said you would." Beets nodded in return. "Hold on," he said. "Let me see if he's actually here or not." Turles again nodded, though he remained silent this time. Beets disappeared into the warehouse for a few minutes, returning a few minutes later. "He's here," the scrawny Saiyan said. "He agreed to talk to you."

"Good," Turles said. "Lead the way." Beets nodded, leading Turles' group inside the building. The inside of the warehouse was rather sparse, with little furniture around- though there were copious amounts of weapons and armor. Sitting in the back of the room were a large, reddish skinned alien. His well muscled frame towered over Turles, even sitting down. Next to him sat another alien, though this one was clearly mostly cyborg rather than biological. The larger one spoke as they approached. "You must be Turles," he said. The Saiyan nodded. "That is correct. And you must be Amond," he replied. "Yeah," the burly alien said. "You're looking for me, right?" "Yes," Turles replied. "I'm building a team to take over the universe for myself, and I think you'd be a good fit."

"That's interesting, I'll admit," Amond said. "Me and my partner would be interested in something like that, if you help us." "With what?" Turles asked. "We've been contracted for a kidnapping job," Amond's partner replied. Turles nodded. "Thank you, Mr…?" he started, only to realize that he had not caught the other mercenary's name.

"Cacao," the cyborg replied. Turles nodded again, memorizing the name. "Thank you for the information, Cacao," he said. The cyborg nodded, not bothering to say anything else as Turles continued. "If you join me, then I'll help you with your little job."

Amond nodded. "Good," he said. "We're heading to Planet Kabocha. The prince is our target." Turles nodded in return. "When do we leave?" he asked, with a smile. "I like your style," Amond said, standing up and revealing the full extent of his towering height. Turles was far from intimidated, though.

"Welcome aboard, Amond," he said, offering a handshake. Amond took it, smiling. "Glad to be aboard," he replied. "Yes.I hope this partnership bears fruit," Cacao said, joining the conversation. Both Turles and Amond nodded, smiles creeping across their faces.

"Does this mean that I can go?" Beets asked. "No," Turles replied. "You're coming with us." "What? That wasn't the deal!" the scrawny Saiyan protested. "It is now," Turles said. "I'm gonna whip you into shape as a useful fighter."

Beets found himself unable to reply as Amond slapped a hand onto his shoulder, nearly knocking him to the ground. "Look at it this way: you're having an adventure! No more boring life on this backwater!" he said, laughing uproariously. "I don't know if I wanted adventure…" Beets muttered, as the group prepared to move out.

Some time later, aboard the Comet Star…

Turles' newly expanded group departed Boron aboard his ship, heading off towards Kabocha. "Who are we looking for, again?" Turles asked. "His name is Daiz," Amond replied. "He's the prince." "What are we going to do? Hold him for ransom?" Turles asked. "I guess," Almond replied. "The guy that hired us was really, really secretive. Said he'd give us more instructions once we had accomplished the job." Turles nodded. "That seems mysterious," he said. "I know," Amond replied. "It could be a trap, but the money's good."

Turles laughed. "If it's a trap, we'll just fight our way out," he said. Amond laughed as well. "You're right," he said. "I think I'm gonna get along with you just fine." The Saiyan smiled as they continued on their way, heading for Planet Kabocha. There was a job to be done, after all. And then they could head for Turles' next target- a pair of warriors named Lakasei and Rasin.

Creepy little guys, they were. Held in a Galactic Patrol prison somewhere- but Turles knew exactly where- and he was gonna bust 'em out. He found them to be too valuable to leave rotting in prison. They were a part of his network of agents, after all.

So... I know what I said before, okay, guys?

But I changed my mind, like I said at the beginning of this thing. So we're moving on to the Turles Saga. I promise you, we're gonna get to the OG Dragon Ball part of canon soon enough. We've just got to get through one more saga of my own ideas.

Some OCs from my other story, Dragon Ball Warriors, may eventually show up here. I'm not entirely sure yet. I really, really, need to get on with the story of that one, too. Since I'm planning to make them interconnected, sharing a continuity, it's kind of important.

But that tangent aside: Chapter 12 is here! And so is thirteen. But these two are my last prewritten chapters, and who knows how long it will take me to actually finish Chapter 14, which has been partially written for a while now. I keep getting distracted with other things and not actually writing this story.

And one last thing: I'd appreciate it if some of you guys could show warriors some love! The writing there isn't the best (it could probably do with a rewrite, but it'd be a pain- and a lot of work) but it was one of the first things I actively started writing, probably a couple years ago by now. Maybe more like three, I don't remember. Anyway, give it a shot!

Signing off for now, as usual!

-Robbtastic01.