Jeice glanced over at Guldo as the two of them were flying towards the location of the Dragon Ball they had detected. So far they hadn't passed by anything other than some fish, and even they were small and meaningless. They didn't even register as a non-direct threats per their scouters. That made the flight rather boring. Not that they would have gotten off course fighting wild beasts of the like but it was fun to look at the local fauna. Many times, after they dealt with a tricky populus, the Ginyu Force would take some time to explore. Jeice in particular liked to see what the wildlife was like; he had suggested more than once what animals should be transported to the many zoos the Empire ran on their pleasure planets.

'Maybe, after I retire from combat, I could go work at a zoo,' he thought to himself. 'That would be a nice, relaxing way to spend the rest of my days.'

Many beings that weren't part of the Frieza Force thought that retirement simply didn't happen. That Frieza sent them into battle after battle until, eventually, they were killed. But that wasn't the case at all. Plenty of soldiers ended up retiring, finding new work in the many different areas of the Empire. There was always a need for freighter pilots, trainers, mechanics, and the like. Jeice had quite a large nest egg set up to allow him to basically do whatever he wanted and while he could relax he didn't think that would be his style. No… running a zoo though? That would be delightful.

'Planning out the habitats, figuring out what animals to showcase…'

He suddenly looked over at Guldo and the boredom, combined with his thoughts, had him asking, "So, when you retire what do you want to do?"

Guldo started at that before glaring at Jeice. "Retire? I'm not going to retire any time soon!"

"Right, I'm not saying that-"

"Did someone say that I was too old to be a part of the Ginyu Force! Because I'm not!"

"Right mate, I know ya aren't." Well, he didn't know for sure. He didn't actually know what the aging process was like for Guldo's species. Or the life expectancy. He knew that Recoome's race lived to be about twice the standard, Burter was four times, his own around Burter's, and the Captain… well the Captain seemed immortal. But Guldo had always been so private… "I just meant, when you do decide to leave the Ginyu Force what would you want to do?"

"Continue fighting!" Guldo said. "Because I am NOT going to be put out to pasture!"

"No one is trying to," Jeice said. He thought about ending the conversation right there but decided against it; he was trying to get better with interacting with the troops, as he knew that was a weak point of his. The Captain had been drilling it into him that unless he was as powerful as Lord Frieza was he had to inspire his men either through fear or love… and fear only got you so far. As such Jeice pushed on. "Take me… I was just thinking that when I'm done with combat I'd like to work at one of the zoos that Lord Frieza has set up."

"You… really?"

"Ya! Think that would be a nice way to spend the rest of my days. Now… what about you?"

Guldo actually considered that. "Huh… I… I haven't actually ever thought about that."

"Well, ya should mate!" Jeice said. "None of us can do this forever. Even King Cold retired, ya know? No shame in it."

"Yeah… yeah, you're right," Guldo said. "Hmm… what would I want to do…"

Jeice smiled at that. 'Huh… maybe that will help Guldo calm down.'

The problem with the shortest of the Ginyu Force fighters was that he had a massive chip on his shoulder. He always seemed to think that everyone was out to get him. It made him rude and standoffish with everyone and that made it hard for him to truly be part of the Ginyu Force. Oh, it was so much better than it had been when he had first joined. Back then Guldo had been so angry but also so worried. He thought he was going to be kicked off the team at any moment so he had tried to always prove himself but he had also looked at everyone with utter distrust, seeing any attempts to interact with him as a plot to ruin him.

It had taken time but they had gotten his walls to slowly come down. Now Guldo was willing to chat with them and make bets and joke. He still didn't join them when they had time off, visiting the many different entertainment or pleasure planets that existed in the Empire, but Jeice was hopeful that within a year or two he would.

'Because once he does… we will be working so much better.'

Ginyu tried to get Guldo more involved but Jeice had recently decided to step up his own actions on that subject. He knew that the Captain was eyeing him up to be his successor and that meant Jeice needed to learn how to hand the interpersonal stuff. Better now, when he had the Captain to fall back on, than when he was in charge and it was a dangerous mission.

"But know, mate, we ain't in any rush to be rid of you," Jeice said, causing Guldo to snap his head up and look at that. "Its been decades… I hope you know how much you mean to us."

Guldo looked away and huffed. "W-whatever," he flew a little bit ahead and Jeice let him go; to press any harder would upset the little green warrior and Jeice didn't want that.

'I was able to say my peace, that's all-'

He and Guldo both nearly fell from the sky when their scouters went insane.

"What the hell is that!?" Jeice exclaimed.

"Its… its so powerful!" Guldo declared, staring at the readings. They were… impossible! They were stronger than anything they had ever detected. They were… they were possibly at the level of Lord Frieza!

Jeice nodded and swallowed. "I'm… I'm gonna contact the Captain!"

~MC~MC~MC~

"Why ain't we goin' already?" Recoome complained as he sat on a rock, arms folded over his chest. He had thought they were about ready to launch out and actually take on the Namekians, see what kind of blood they had running through their veins. Everything had looked like they were ready to pound in some heads after waiting around for the Captain to do the boring talking stuff. Burter had begun to chase after the Namekians and Recoome had followed behind, thinking of all he would be able to do to them. He was looking forward to a fight because it was the perfect chance to show off the new moves he'd come up with.

But then, without seemingly any reason, Burter had flown back to him and told him to wait. To stay quiet and not say anything and just sit there.

"We will in a moment."

"That ain't an answer!" Recoome complained. "I didn't say 'whens are we's moving?'. I asks ya 'WHY ain'ts we moving'!" He got up, glowering at the blue skinned alien. "And I ain't gonna sit here much longer-"

"You will sit there and do as you are told," Burter hissed at him in anger, staring Recoome down hard. "You are the newest member of the Ginyu Force. You WILL show your superiors respect!"

"Ya might be my superior but that don't make ya superior." He refused to stand down to Burter, refused to show weakness. "I am stronger than ya. You ain't nothing but a weak little fly that gets by goin' fast-"

At once Burter was behind him, grabbing his arm and twisting it behind his back. Recoome cried out as he was forced to his knees, the pain nearly blinding. Burter's other hand wrapped around the back of his neck and forced his head down to the ground while still yanking on his arm.

"Raw strength isn't everything," Burter informed him darkly and Recoome couldn't even manage to make any words come out of his mouth, he was in so much pain. But he could hear… hear perfectly. Hear every word. "You have managed to get by this long because you are able to brunt force your way through things. No matter the problem you are able to just make it happen the way you want because you were able to just clobber your way through. But that isn't going to work in the Ginyu Force. We aren't hammers… we are scalpels, cutting away the problems that Lord Frieza has and extracting them so he can get on with the mission.

"Now the Captain… he sees something in you. Mostly because of who your father is. And maybe, if you are actually willing to listen to those of us who have been doing this for decades, you could become everything Captain Ginyu thinks you can be. But right now I'm not seeing it. All I see is someone who barely managed to grow up. You want to just spend your days rushing in and punching things? Quit the Ginyu Force then and go back to being a Shock Soldier. But I promise you that you'll NEVER stop being one. You will die a low level grunt, when we are offering you a chance to end your days like your father has: retired, insanely wealthy, and a hero in the empire."

Burter twisted one more time before he shoved Recoome into the ground. And then he was back to where he had been sitting, as if he had never left.

Recoome slowly got up and groaned. A part of him wanted to attack Burter right there. Make him suffer for daring to insult and mock him. But… he knew that wasn't going to work. Burter… he had been so quick to drive his face into the dirt…

"I'm… sorry," Recoome got out, partly because of the pain and partly out of embarrassment and ego. "Just… don't understand why we stopped." It was a problem he knew he had; his father had railed on him during training that Recoome got tunnel vision, only focusing on the fight to come and not what was around him. Normally he was able to stop and think but when there was a chance to test himself he just got so energized that it consumed him.

Burter slowly nodded. "I know," he replied. "We were getting too close to them… and they changed direction. I am trying to make sure that they don't realize that we are following them. Remember, this isn't about catching them; its about finding where the rest of the Namekians are hiding. I want them thinking they lost us, if they have realized that we are following them."

Recoome could see the logic in that, now that it had been explained. They had begun to deviate a bit from their original course and a check of the scouter's record showed that the Namekians had changed direction suddenly. Burter was clearly right that they had realized that they were being followed and that annoyed Recoome.

'Supposed to be better than this,' he thought to himself. 'If I ever want to live up to my old man's rep…'

People would think that Recoome would hate that he was constantly compared to his father. See it as a mark against him. But it was the exact opposite. Recoome Sr. was one of the greatest warriors in the Frieza Force. Second in Command to Captain Ginyu and that was only because he had such a deep friendship with the Captain; he could have easily led his own squadron. He was a brilliant tactical genius and Recoome hoped that he was just a quarter of the man his father had been. Even well past his prime he was better than so many in the Frieza Force and Recoome wanted to be just like him.

And he kept making mistakes.

It was his mother's fiery temper that was getting in his way. She had been far more passionate than Recoome's father, for more reckless too. It was what had gotten her killed in the end. But Recoome was working on it, he truly was, and-

"They've stopped!" Burter declared suddenly and Recoome perked up. "And its too long… they're at their little hideaway!" Burter rose in the air. "Your scouter is paired to mine?"

Recoome at once double checked and nodded. "Yup! Got ya locked in!"

Burter then smiled. "Alright… catch up to me and we pound some heads. I'll tell ya when to stop… I want to put a bit of fear into them, ya know?"

"RIGHT!" Recoome said, feeling his blood thundering through his veins. A fight… finally! It had been too long since he'd had a good one. The Heeter situation had been more about diplomacy and all that, leaving him with little to do. But now-

Burter was gone in a second and once more Recoome silently marveled at how fast his teammate was. When he claimed he was the 'Fastest in the Universe' he truly wasn't bluffing!

Recoome knew that he'd never be able to match the other's speed but he could make sure that he got to the Namekian base in enough time that Burter didn't have all the fun. He smirked as he began to plan out just what he would be doing to impress Burter, knowing that a good word from him would mean everything towards his career.

'Especially after messing up like I did,' he thought as he rubbed his sore wrist. It wasn't enough that it would cause him too many problems but it was a reminder of how he had allowed his brashness to get him in trouble. Reaching up he tapped his scouter, checking to make sure he was still on path. 'There they are… and Burter is right with them.' The Scouter was paired with Burter's, so that if they were using anything that tried to interfere with the tracking he would, at the very least, be able to detect where Burter was. Wouldn't be good if he let the other warrior disappear into a trap, after all!

'Wish the scouter told me more,' he thought to himself. He got that the scouter did a lot… honestly, it did so much and he had no idea HOW it was able to do it. He wasn't someone that built things… he liked breaking things. But he would have preferred if, instead of just a reading and an arrow telling him what direction to go, the scouter had given him a bit more info. Maybe what was actually happening. How many of those green bozos Burter had-

A blast of energy struck him in the side and Recoome snarled in pain. He didn't go crashing down but he did wobble a bit and he turned, searching for who would be bold enough to attack him.

"Hello Recoome,"Vegeta said tauntingly as he floated up to him, flanked by Raditz and. "I see Ginyu let you leave the nursery all on your own. Did he remember to give you some snacks?"

"Vegeta," Recoome growled before he smirked. "Frieza's been lookin' for ya… he ain't happy that ya abandoned ya post. And he will be real unhappy you are here."

"Oh, I'm sure he will be," Vegeta stated idly. "But don't worry… I plan to check in with him real soon. But first I thought you and I could have some fun."

"Sorry, but I got some Namekians to squash!"

"You mean the ones that you were chasing with Burter?" Raditz stated, arms folded over his chest. "Sorry, but they are long gone. Been so for a while."

"What?" Recoome, said, startled by that. But he quickly recovered and smirked as he looked at his scouter. "You're lying."

"Oh, checking for the power level?" Vegeta asked. "You should know by now that only weaklings rely on scouters." His ki aura flared out, causing Recoome's scouter to go on the fritz, the heat on his ear horribly uncomfortable. "I've evolved beyond them."

Recoome didn't bother to retort. Didn't both to argue.

He just rushed in.

Only to suddenly stop short.

He wasn't the only one that sensed it… a sudden powerful surge of energy in the distance.

He frowned in confusion but didn't get much more time to think about what that was as Vegeta and Raditz were suddenly on him and thus all he cared about was the fight.

Someone else could deal with that.

He had heads to pound.

~MC~MC~MC~

Burter cursed as he dodged an attack from the short bald warrior. He was able to somehow get his attack, spinning energy blades, to lock onto him, so that even when he used his speed to dart away and cause them to miss they were able to turn back around and chase him! It was infuriating!

No… what was infuriating was how he'd walked right into this trap!

"How did you do it?" he demanded as he attacked the pale-skinned humanoid that kept flashing with red energy. The bastard's power level readings were going nuts, dropping and raising and while he knew it had to have some connection to the flashing energy that was radiating off of his body like he was a Osterian Detection Lamp he wasn't being given a chance to actually study him for weaknesses or the like. "Where are the Namekians!?"

He had been locked onto them. Had been rushing to get to them and find out where their base was. But when he had arrived rather than find the horde of green skinned aliens he had found himself instead rushing right up to a bald humanoid, the flashing red one, and of all beings a female Saiyan. And they hadn't let him have a chance to take in what he was seeing and process it; no, they had instantly attacked him, forcing him to constantly try and use his speed to avoid them.

"Oh, that was tricky," the bald one stated even as he tossed out more of the energy discs. They were tiny things and a cut from them burned something fierce; he already had one slice his bicep and the pain from that attack was still with him even well after the energy disc had dissipated. It was only because of his body's naturally thicker skin, needed so he could survive going at the speeds he did, that prevented the injury from being worse. "But Namekians are able to hide their power levels; it's a handy little technique. I showed up and explained what you were doing and then had them slowly lower their power levels while I increased mine until me and my friends' power levels remained constant for you." He smirked. "That's a pretty big flaw in your scouters."

'How do they know about our scouters?' Burter thought before shaking his head. 'It doesn't matter… I just need to take them out!' He superspeeded towards the bald figure only to find that he had to stop because there were a half dozen of the energy discs in his way; had he kept going he would have been cut to ribbons.

"That's the problem with going so fast," the bald figure stated. "People think you are just teleporting but you are traveling the distance. And that means everything I might see and be able to avoid you end up hitting!" He darted away though to Burter it was like he was moving in slow motion, leisurely drifting past him. "And because you are going so fast…"

The female Saiyan was suddenly on him, lashing out with fists burning with ki, and Burter began to block her blows. "Your body is built for it, yes," she said. "Able to withstand the heat generated by moving so fast and tougher so that the grains of dust and sand don't buffer you into a paste. But you still have to get through our attacks!"

Burter smirked and caught her fist. "Yes… I do. And you aren't-"

The flashing one lashed out with his foot and hit Burter right in the head.

"Can that speed let you be in multiple places at once?" the flashing one said. "Because I don't think it can. And that's why you're going to fall."

"And before you think that your friends are going to come and help you?" the Saiyan stated. "They are busy at the moment."

'Damn it, he's right,' Burter thought darkly to himself. 'They are taking our own strategy and using it against us. Breaking us off from the group and then overwhelming us with their numbers. I hate it… but I have to get back to Recoome!'

With that Burter twisted and launched himself high into the sky before he then rocketed back the way he came. His scouter warned him that the three were giving chase but he knew that he'd be able to beat them. 'I need to get to Recoome and work with him to take out whatever they've sent at him. And then we can turn on those three!' He smirked at that… oh, it would be utterly delightful to show them how one overwhelmed with numbers! 'They think that they have me beat but this was just the first skirmish… I'll take out all three of them once-'

His scouter let out a warning screaming and Burter was forced to suddenly stop. He twisted to his left and stared. Something… something powerful was out there…

…and it was getting stronger.

~MC~MC~MC~

Ginyu looked down at the cooling corpse of the Namekian elder, pondering it only for a moment before shaking his head. He didn't matter anymore. He had begged for an honorable death after his weakness in telling Ginyu everything and the Captain had given it to him. He hadn't really seen the need for it… Toblin could have easily lied. No one needed to know that he had given up the information to Ginyu. But the Namekian had said that he would know and that was all that mattered.

Well… if there was no talking him out of it there was no reason not to just snap his neck and be done with him.

Ginyu rolled his shoulders and fell into thought. 'The ability to grant wishes. Collect all Seven and one can have any wish they want.' It was an amazing power and Ginyu now understood why Lord Frieza was desperate to gain control of the Dragon Balls. 'With them he will be able to wish for whatever he desires.'

Except… no. No he wouldn't be able to wish that.

'It is a great power but it is limited,' Ginyu thought. 'He could wish for all planets to submit to his rule but how long would that last? He could wish for some great power but time would march on and new powers would be found, both in fighting and technology. And there is no telling if he will be able to make a second wish because the moment the universe learns what he has done there will be a rush to see the Dragon Balls destroyed or contained.'

And there was no doubt in Ginyu's mind that the information would get out. While he obeyed Lord Frieza, as was his duty, it didn't mean that he wasn't aware of his flaws. The Prince was someone who couldn't help but brag. He wasn't able to be subtle in his own greatness. He would get his wish and he would shout it out to all the universe… and then he would wonder why everyone knew his secrets. Or he wouldn't care until they came charging at him.

It was how they'd ended up with so many problems when it came to the Galactic Patrol and the Omni King. Rather than slowly spread out, focusing on the wilds of space that were neglected by those powers Lord Frieza had decided to make a bold move of taking a planet that was under the protection of the Galactic Patrol. They hadn't liked that and while they had managed to claim the planet it had been a bloody affair. King Cold had been furious at that but had done nothing to use his political capital to smooth things over. No… better to let Frieza learn from his mistakes.

And he had… somewhat. After the tenth temper tantrum that one of his favorite treats, imported cheese from the Lacto Sector, hadn't been available he had learned of the embargos the Omni King and his court had placed on such items. The Frieza Force was forced to go through multiple layers of middle men to get it and it cost quite a bit more. Frieza still got it but he said it didn't taste as good anymore… and he had been a touch more careful about what planets he took.

But only by a little.

'He will reveal himself and his wish,' Ginyu thought to himself, placing his hands behind his back and looking to the sky. 'And it can only be one wish.'

Anyone that knew Lord Frieza would have been able to guess his wish. The 'Emperor of the Known Universe' loved to project himself as some fearless, all powerful, unstoppable, eternal being. But Lord Frieza let slip too many times the truth: he was scared of getting old. He made comments about his father and how he was getting slower and fatter. That his armor hide wasn't as shiny as it once was or that his horns didn't quite have the same sharpness as they once had. When he discussed his brother Cooler he was always quick to claim that he wasn't in his prime anymore, that he over the hill. He hated being around those that were showing their age, even if they were still more than capable, and demanded they be replaced by the young; it was why Ginyu did as much Yoga as he did and why Zarbon had been so concerned with his appearance.

Lord Frieza feared growing old. Weak. Dying.

And so immortality was the answer.

'He will wish to be immortal,' Ginyu thought. 'Remove that final fear from his mind. Then he will be able to do whatever he wants because nothing will be able to harm him.'

It would mean that Lord Frieza would go on forever. Something Ginyu didn't mind because he preferred to go with what he knew, rather than what could be. History had shown him that changes rarely worked out as well as what they replaced; Lord Frieza was proof of that. Ginyu could handle working for him but he would be lying if he didn't admit that King Cold had been far better. And what if Frieza decided to produce an heir and do as his father had done? There were whispers he already had in secret, even though he was far too young by his race's standards to do so. And Ginyu didn't want to consider what he would be like if the son were in charge.

So no… Ginyu wouldn't mind if Lord Frieza was immortal…

He slowly ran his hand along his stomach.

'The Dragon Balls… they can grant any wish. And can be used again and again, so long as one allows them time to gather their strength again. So… what is to say that the Namekians didn't just recently make a wish and Lord Frieza must wait a bit to have what he desires?' He smiled at that, thinking on how that would seem completely reasonable. Perhaps even expected… after all, if a wish could be made now why hadn't the Namekians already made a wish to repel them? Well, other than Toblin stating that they would never consider wasting a wish like that.

So… why not say that a wish had been made earlier…

…and use it now for himself?

'Finally have the perfect body. One that will never run the risk of breaking down. Of getting old. I would be able to remain as I am now. I have grown used to this form, so that it feels more like myself than I ever remember in any of my other forms. I can bring it back to its prime and wish away the damage. Make myself immortal… Lord Frieza has no idea of my Change Form Technique. And this body's race is extinct. No one knows anything about them. Yes… yes… that would do nicely.'

He knew that there would be others that thought that the best wish would be to do something like taking over Lord Frieza's form. Or to have more power than him. But people that thought such things were so utterly short-sighted. There would be no way that Ginyu would be able to hide that he wasn't Frieza and when word got out King Cold and Cooler would be upon him. And while Lord Frieza did have a higher power level Ginyu knew that even the mighty could be brought down by sheer numbers. King Cold and Cooler would bring the entire might of all their forces against him and the Frieza Force would turn against him in an instant to try and gain favor from King Cold.

As for becoming stronger than him… well, who knew how strong Lord Frieza truly was? Would the Dragon Balls know? Or would they use what Ginyu knew?

'More than that though… heavy is the head that wears the crown. People might not think it but Lord Frieza must spent every waking moment worrying about the Empire. He is never allowed to truly relax. When he eats his meals he is wondering how missions are going. When he tries to listen to a lovely piece of music he is considering quarterly reports. When he goes to bed and when he wakes up all he thinks about is the Empire. That is no way to live, at least for me. I am happy to merely be Captain Ginyu-'

His scouter when haywire, screeching in his ear as the readings went through the roof and he twisted around, staring in shock at the horizon.

"What is…" he whispered as he SAW the source of the power level increase.

And his jaw dropped.

~MC~MC~MC~

"I don't like this," Gohan muttered to himself as he and Dende flew as fast as they could back to where the other Namekians were hiding. "We shouldn't have left him on his own."

"I… do not like it either," Dende admitted. "Lord Guru… he is the most important Namekian there is, even though he would be most displeased if he heard me say that, I think." Gohan quietly nodded at that; he had gotten the sense that Lord Guru didn't like being held up as beyond his brothers and instead wished to be just another Namekian.

It… made Gohan kind of sad. He didn't like thinking about what it must be like for Lord Guru. To be always alone. Always held separate. To never feel like he belonged. It was clear to Gohan that if Lord Guru could make any wish on the Dragon Balls he would wish that he was just a regular Namekian like everyone else. That he wasn't 'Lord Guru' but just… Guru. That he could just be with them. Not because he hated leading them… but because he was lonely.

Gohan couldn't imagine living like that.

'I'm glad that Kami and Piccolo became one again,' Gohan thought to himself. 'Even if we never have the Dragon Balls ever again… at least Kami isn't alone anymore. Yeah, he had Mr. Popo with him but it must have been really boring being on the Lookout alone. Huh… we should ask Mr. Popo to join us in things. I bet he gets lonely too. And… and if Mr. Popo ever finds a new Guardian of Earth I am going to visit them once a week! Oh! And get Bulma to give them a phone! Then they could call us whenever they wanted!'

"But," Dende said, continuing on, "it is his duty to watch over all Namekians. He wouldn't be acting as the Grand Elder if he didn't protect me. And I have to respect that."

"I know… I just don't like it," Gohan said. "And I wish I knew what he meant by making them all focus on him? I mean-"

A suddenly spike in energy made the two boys twist around and stare back the way they had come.

"Oh… oh," Gohan whispered.

"No," Dende murmured in shock. "He… he wouldn't consider doing THAT!"

~MC~MC~MC~

Goku twisted around in shock and I was only a second behind him. While I couldn't use Ki Goku and the Z Fighters had taught me and Bulma how to sense it, as it was such a passive ability that even someone who could barely make their finger flicker with Ki energy could do it. I wasn't as fast as them but I could do it and that was enough.

What we both saw…

"What… what is that?" Goku said in shock. "Its so powerful… I've never felt energy like that… and to appear so quickly…"

I watched as the large green shape continued to rise up into the sky, looming like some great mountain from Lovecraft's tales. Appearing within a moment and the utter impossibility of it driving a man mad.

But it wasn't impossible. And it wasn't madness.

I didn't know how it had happened. I didn't know WHY. But I knew what it was.

There, looming over Planet Namek… was the truly massive giant form of Lord Guru.

"Ooooooh crap," I muttered.