Elder Dolin glanced behind him, making sure that the rest of the village was keeping up as they moved along the shoreline. Beside him was Harp, the messenger sent by Elder Sax to warn him about the invaders. Something that Elder Dolin was grateful for, as they had detected several large power levels arrive in their village only 10 minutes after the last of them had flown off. Harp had warned them to keep their power levels hidden and to be careful how they flew around, as the invaders were scouring the planet for the sacred Dragon Balls and had devices that allowed them to track it and any with high power levels. Dolin had been ready to command the rest of the villagers to flea from him, leaving himself the sole target, but they had all refused, not wanting to leave him in danger.

'And as time has gone on and we've encountered less and less of them… it seems they were right to stay with me,' he thought to himself. 'I would have no hope of ever being able to find my way to them otherwise.' Harp had been very clear that his brothers had worked very hard to create a hiding spot that no one would find. That they were coming up with ways to mask their energy signature and that of the Dragon Balls as well…

Now they just needed to get to the shelter. Then they would be safe and could figure out their next move.

"What can you tell us about our allies?" he asked Harp.

"They are cunning," Harp said at once. "I know that some of the Warrior Tribe members hold that they are cowards for not fighting this Frieza and his Forces directly but they understand that sometimes it is wiser to wait for your moment, rather than waste it in a meaningless attack. They plan and they think, which is something our young ones, I can only hope, will learn from."

"Yes," Elder Dolin said with a slight nod. They were flying so low to the ground that he could have reached out and stroked the grasses with his bare hands. "I have found that much the the second youngest generation suffers from that issue. They seem to believe that because they have reached the age of maturity they don't merely govern their own lives but now have the right to make demands of others."

It would have been one thing if those that had reached maturity within the last ew years simply wanted to do things differently than the Elders. The Namekian People weren't a dictatorship that demanded all obey them. Lord Guru had been very clear that if any wished to go against his commands that was their right… but to do so would mean, of course, that they would be on their own. Any willing to return to their villages and obey the rules of Namek would of course be allowed to do so. Penance would be required but they would never leave one of their own out in the cold. But they wouldn't allow those that recklessly risked all around them to continue to live in the villages, especially with the children around them.

Many Namekians had left to try and find their own way. Nearly all returned humbled.

'I myself rebelled against Lord Guru in my youth. I thought that he was a relic of the past, that he was commanding us with laws and rules created when we were many… and that had failed to keep us from becoming few. I thought that he was repeating the same mistakes all over again and that I knew better than him.' He shook his head at that. 'The first week was fine… but after that I ran into so many problems… it took another 2 weeks for me to get over my stubborn pride and return home. I felt ashamed and humiliated but Lord Guru never held it against me. Indeed, he asked for me to help him to improve some of the rules, to make them better. Just as he did with the others. And I now do so with those that leave.'

But that was the problem… he wasn't for sure if the current generation of Namekians to just reach maturity would be able to put aside their egos and return to the ways that had protected them so much. Their rebellions felt far greater than what Dolin had done when he was their age and at times he didn't see how they would be able to come back from it.

'Stop it,' he scolded himself. 'Lord Guru most likely worried about you the same way. They will learn to come back… they will see that things are not as terrible as they have made them out to be. And, in turn, that will lead them to finding ways to help us grow and improve, until they are the elders and they are dealing with the young that-'

Harp suddenly let out a cry and Dolin came to a screeching halt, staring at the figure before him. He was tall and muscular, far larger than most Namekians, with lizard-like features and dressed in strange armor. The new arrival had appeared so suddenly, so quickly, that Dolin hadn't even sensed him coming… but now that he saw him he was trembling because he could sense his Power Level and it was MIGHTY. Only Lord Guru and Nail could beat such a figure in terms of raw strength and both of them were Legendary Namekian Dragon Warriors.

"Hello there," the figure said, his voice a raspy hiss. Yet… it wasn't threatening. There was no malice in his tone. Instead he smiled politely even as he stood in their way, arms folded over his chest. "Would you mind just waiting a moment? My boss and my teammate are a bit slower than me so they are still flying this way. They really want to talk to you."

Dolin glanced at Harp who was looking rather nervous. "What is it?"

"That armor… it matches the description we were given of the armor the invaders would be wearing."

He had assumed as much. If they were allies Harp would have recognized them and there was simply no way that another group of aliens that wanted to help them would arrive at this moment; Dolin didn't believe in such coincidences.

"Before you think about trying to fight me I should warn you that I can already tell that I am stronger than you," the new arrival said. "And if you think about running-" And faster than the blink of an eye the figure was right behind Dolin, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving it a pat. "Well… there you go." He smiled and then he was in front of the Elder once more. "So just wait here and we can get everything settled. Trust me… it will be better for all of you just to wait. After all… no one ever died listening to someone."

And then he chuckled at that and his polite smile seemed all the more fiercer and sinister.

"Elder Dolin?" Guit asked softly. "What should we do?"

"We… we will hear this young man out. He is right, of course… no one has ever suffered and died by simply listening to another."

Or, at least, he hoped.

It didn't take long for them to all sense the approach of two new figures. One was at roughly the same power level as the blue figure that had stopped them; it was hard to tell because his energy was more wild and unrefined. It was like trying to determine how much water was in a still pond versus a rushing river. This figure had very pale peach skin and burning red material coming off the top of his head and was a few inches shorter than the blue skinned figure. The final arrival, a purple skinned figure with two straight polished horns jutting out on either side of his head, was truly concerning, for all the Namekians could tell that he was far more powerful than either of the other two.

"Ah, well done Burter," the purple figure said as he came to a stop next to the blue skinned figure. "You have done well."

"Thank you, Captain," Burter said. "I asked them to stay here, so we could have a chat with them."

"And if they don't like it then we can pound some heads!" the pale newcomer said, taking a step forward. "Ya hear that? You are gonna respect Captain Ginyu or I'm gonna MAKE ya respect him!"

"Now now, Recoome," Captain Ginyu said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "There is no need for you to be hostile so quickly. Yes, if these fine Namekians refuse to hear us out, then we will need to deal with them in such a manner that will be most unpleasant for them… but there is no reason for us to do anything like that just yet. Threats only set them on edge… we must try diplomacy."

"If you think that's best-"

Captain Ginyu cut him off. "I DO think its best, Recoome." That caused the thickly built figure to start, recognizing the angered tone that had come over the Captain's voice.

"…sorry Captain," Recoome said contritely, backing away at once.

Captain Ginyu gave a sharp nod and Burter moved to stand beside Recoome. "Now then, I do apologize about that… Recoome is new to the force and is learning our ways."

"…apology accepted," Elder Dolin stated.

That made Captain Ginyu grin. "Splendid! Allow me to do this properly. I am Captain Ginyu of the Ginyu Force. With me are Burter and Recoome. We are here to discuss what has been happening on this planet for the last few hours."

"You mean how those invaders have come-" one of the young Namekians cried out, only for Elder Dolin to hold out his arm, palm open, and ask him silently to hold his tongue.

"Allow them to speak," Dolin stated. "It is entirely possible we've misunderstood this situation." He knew they hadn't. He knew that these three were part of the invading force and that, if given a reason, would brutally kill them all just for getting in their way. He could sense that.

But… 'if given a reason'…

Captain Ginyu nodded respectfully. "Thank you very much…"

"Elder Dolin," he stated. "I am the leader of my… of this caravan." He didn't want to risk revealing that they were part of a village. Maybe, just maybe, he could get them to believe that he was merely leading nomads across the lands and they weren't connected to the villages. 'Maybe they won't realize we have the Dragon Ball with us… maybe we can make them believe we have no connection to them and be able to escape this…'

"Thank you very much, Elder Dolin. Now then… I would never speak out of turn when it comes to my Lord, Prince Frieza, Emperor of the Known Universe. However, if he does have a fault it is that he has allowed those that do not quite know how to handle situations such as this properly. As you saw with Recoome I do not lash out without reason and so far you have given me no reason to resort to violence. And indeed I wouldn't be surprised if none of your fellow Namekians had done anything to earn the violence I am afraid has come to your planet. But the Frieza Force is filled with the undisciplined… and worse, commanders unwilling to instill such discipline.

"Recoome's first reaction, if things do not go perfectly, is violence. It is something I am personally working to teach him to resist. While there are plenty of times where a warrior's spirit is needed it is just as important to have an iron will and the soul of a diplomat. Sadly many within the Frieza Force do not feel this way. They are far too concerned with blood lust and strength of limbs. I, on the other hand, am a cultured being and believe that it is important to first try and work through issues before resorting to punches and kicks.

"So tell me, Elder Dolin… are you willing to hear me out?"

The Elder… having no other choice… nodded.

~MC~MC~MC~

"So what exactly can we expect from the Ginyu Force?" Bulma said as she looked over her power armor.

Vegeta had been left in her care while Krillin organized the Namekians and the Z Fighters along with Elder Sax and Elder Mori. Raditz had already flown out to jlet Senza and Nail in on the plan, letting them take out more of the Frieza Force while they dealt with the Ginyus. They had argued that the more of the grunts they took out the less they would have to worry about them interfering in any of the fights they would have with Frieza or the Ginyu Force.

'It's smart for those fools,' Vegeta thought, 'but it doesn't mean much for us. Even if defeating each one of those peons caused them to turn to our side they would still be only drops of water against the mountain that is the Ginyu Force. They wouldn't dare interfere with a fight-'

"Hellooooooo!" Bulma said, waving her hand in front of Vegeta's face, causing him to start. "I asked you a question."

"And just because you asked means that I should answer?" Vegeta said snidely.

"If you want to take down these Ginyus then yes, you should!" she said. "I would tell you what you want to know, if it would help you in a fight."

That made Vegeta laugh. "You… you expect me to believe that you would know things I wouldn't?!"

That caused Bulma to turn and glower at him, one hand on her hip, the other shaking a tool at him. "I know plenty of things! I happen to be the smartest human on Earth!"

"That isn't much, woman," Vegeta charged. "That's like saying you are the pretty pile of dung in a dung heap."

"Did you just compare me to dung!"

"I compared your entire planet to dung. You just happen to be the smartest piece of it."

"Now you listen here, you arrogant little troll doll!" Bulma snarled, taking a step closer and wagging the tool in her hand closer to his face. "We are supposed to be working together to deal with all of this trouble you helped bring to us! So how about you stop with your insults and realize you need us!"

"Me? Need you? At best you are going to be is a distraction for the Ginyu Force, allowing me a chance to get off an attack while they see just how many of their knuckles they can blood before your body is reduced to a paste."

"I don't know," Bulma said smugly, "I seemed to do well enough against you and Nappa when you showed up on Earth."

"You had the numbers, that was all," Vegeta said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"And we'll have the numbers now!" Bulma snapped.

"Would you get that thing out of my face!" Vegeta snapped, glowering at the tool that Bulma kept wiggling in his direction.

Bulma though raised an eyebrow. "Get what out of your face?"

"That thing!" he complained.

"What thing?"

"That thing!" he pointed at the tool.

But that caused Bulma to smirk and at once he realized his mistake. "Oh? And what is this 'thing' called?"

"Woman…"

"You don't actually know, do you!" Bulma taunted. "The mighty Prince of All Saiyans, who said he knew EVERYTHING that I know… has no idea what a simple hammer is!"

"Of course I know what a hammer is!" Vegeta complained.

"Well, its not this because this is a pocket welder," Bulma declared, finally removing the tool from Vegeta's face and looking FAR too smug for his liking. "So it seems like I do know things you don't know. Which means that I can teach you things… and you can teach me things. Starting with what the Ginyu Force is like and what they can do!"

"What does it matter, woman?" Vegeta complained. "Its not like you are going to be able to do much." He paused. "Unless you are a secret Saiyan like my sister."

"Nope, all human and proud of it!" Bulma said and Vegeta honestly didn't get WHY she would be proud of being a human. "And I can do a lot. That's why I have the power armor."

"You mean your crutch to get through fights without dying."

"Duh," she said, not countering his comment. "Of course I need the Power Armor. I just said I was the smartest human, not the strongest. And as the smartest human I know that I can't catch bullets or bench press houses. I need something to level the playing field so I used my brains to do exactly that. Now then… the Ginyu Force?"

Vegeta stared at her before letting out a sigh. As much as he mocked the armor he had to admit that she had used it well in their fight. He had taken on planets where the warriors used such weapons and normally the only thing that was interesting in those fights was seeing if he could rip the pilots out of them without tearing the metal. But Bulma… she had actually done… decent for a human.

'She was difficult for you to fight due to her originality and willingness to do things that most honorable fighters would never consider,' his mind whispered to him, Vegeta quick to push that thought away. Sure, the earthling woman had courage. And she wasn't a vapid twit like so many other beautiful women he encountered. But she would still get in his way, he was sure of it. 'But if you warn her what to expect she might be smart enough to know when to get out of the way and let you do what you need too…'

Vegeta let out a grunt, shutting his eyes and gritting his teeth before finally coming to an answer.

"You're going to underestimate them. It doesn't matter what I say you are going to underestimate them." He held up his hand as she opened her mouth to protest. "Its nothing you can stop. It happens to everyone that first meets them, even knowing they are some of the strongest fighters in the Galaxy. They do it on purpose, I think. Every single member of the Frieza Force has underestimated them, even after the old timers warned everyone that they were dangerous and should be treated with respect."

"But not you?" Bulma said with a teasing smile.

Vegeta scoffed. "Of course not me! I saw through their ruse the moment they did it!"

That wasn't true.

Well, not entirely.

Vegeta hadn't thought they were weak, but that was only because, after he had been warned by several old timers to be mindful of his tone when talking to the Ginyu Force, Nappa had forced him to watch footage of them taking down planetary defenses. He had seen them tear through war ships the size of moons and take out entire battalions of fighters without needing to pause. It had been nearly Saiyan in efficiency and Vegeta had been quietly impressed. He would never admit it and he knew that he was better than them but he had been impressed.

Then, much to his disappointment, he had met the four.

Recoome Jr. hadn't yet joined the Ginyu Force so it had just been Jeice, Burter, the newly added Guldo, and of course Captain Ginyu. Seeing them do their stupid little poses and chants like they were simpering cheerleaders had been a blow to Vegeta. He had thought that perhaps… PERHAPS… he could observe the Ginyu Force and perhaps… PERHAPS… pick up a few tips. Just a few tips, to augment his already superior fighting style. But instead he had found himself watching some clowns dance about. It had made him wonder if they were the twins of the real Ginyu Force, sent out to trick him and make him feel utterly embarrassed for them.

He had felt that way for several years, until Frieza had decided to hold a tournament of his best fighters. Frieza had wanted some entertainment as he dined with a few select galactic leaders who were interested in doing business with him. Of course Vegeta had at once signed up to join the tournament and he had torn through the ranks. It had been hilarious watching the grizzled veterans and hot shot soldiers come crashing down to a teenager. They would mock him and then he would take them down as hard as he could without killing them (Frieza had been clear that everyone needed to have some control, as he didn't want his meal spoiled with spraying blood). It had been glorious.

And then… Vegeta had drawn Jeice.

The red skinned alien had done his poses and his chants while his companions bet candy on the fight. Fucking CANDY. It would only be later that Vegeta would learn they used sweets because each one was so rich that they had no need to gamble money. Vegeta had scoffed and taunted Jeice that he would give him one free hit.

Jeice had suddenly appeared in front of him and punched him so hard that Vegeta had been left staggering.

The rest of the fight hadn't been one-sided, which was the only thing that Vegeta could be thankful for. But he had never truly had control of it. Jeice had led him around, daring him to use certain moves and techniques, and then delighted in being able to show everyone that he was able to counter them. Vegeta had been left snarling and snapping before Jeice had finally put him in a submission hold and warned him that he would NEVER make it in the Ginyu Force if he didn't learn how to have some fun.

Vegeta had sworn he would NEVER join those fools, even if Frieza demanded it. And thankfully the tyrant and bastard had never gotten it into his head to suggest THAT.

"What are their strategies then?" Bulma stated. "How do they fight?" When Vegeta looked at her she smirked. "When we were preparing to take on Raditz? Avo suggested- you know who Avo is, right?"

"No, I don't," Vegeta said snidely. "There are so many of you Earhtlings running around that I don't have time to learn your names."

Bulma though merely shrugged. "Yeah, I get that. Avo Kayos is currently with Goku but they should arrive on Namek soon. He's the guy we talked too-"

"Right, the mage," Vegeta muttered. Magic… he hated magic. He hadn't run into much of it but whenever he did it always led to problems. Mages were tricky to deal with in fights.

"I'm not sure if you will hate him or respect him," Bulma admitted. "He fights dirty."

"Oh, does the little Earthling make crude jokes and then try to get in a cheap shot?" Vegeta taunted.

"No. he tried to trick Raditz into eating one of these." She pulled out what looked like a silver pill, clicking it… and Vegeta started when an entire tool cabinet appeared in a puff of smoke. "Imagine that inside your belly…"

Vegeta's eyes widened as, in his head, he saw his belly ballooning up before it exploded, that tool cabinet lying around little shredded pieces of his body.

"He's a firm believer that there is no fair fight," Bulma said. "You go in and you take down your opponent hard, with whatever you have."

"Hmmmpf," Vegeta huffed dismissively. 'Though… at least I might have someone actually willing to do what needs to be done to take down Frieza. These Earthlings… they would probably demand Frieza show up at the right time and the right place and then go through an honored ritual before a battle. This Avo Kayos would probably try and kill Frieza in his sleep. I'd rather fight the bastard myself and make sure he knew that it was me who killed him… but we might not have a choice and someone willing and able to do such things…'

Bulma shrugged. "Anyway, Avo got me thinking about everything Goku could do so I could plan for Raditz. That's how I was able to create some of the weapons that I used against you and Nappa."

Vegeta pressed his lips together. "Well…" he said, not wanting to admit that some of the weapons had caused him problems, "…I suppose if you can make things that can slow the Ginyus down enough so I can actually deliver the death blow-"

"Hey, whatever stops them!" Bulma declared. "So, what are they strategies and styles when fighting? Anything special they do?"

Vegeta pressed his lips together. "Ginyu and Jeice will be the hardest. They are well rounded fighters. They aren't masters of any one type of fighting but are skilled in all."

"So I'll need to find ways to take them down using their biology," Bulma said, rubbing her chin. "How are they with poisons?"

The Saiyan arched an eyebrow at that.

"One of the first suggestions Avo made on how to defeat a Saiyan was to poison their food," Bulma explained and that had Vegeta hiding his horror. It was… horribly simple. But would also be utterly effective. He would eat so much of the poison before he realized what it was that even if he had the antidote he'd be dead. "So if I use the micro-needle attachments I could inject them with poisons if they punched me. Need to talk to the Namekians… there must be poisonous animals on this planet. Alright, the rest?"

"…Recoome is dumb but strong. And brash. And reckless…"

Bulma nodded as Vegeta continued on, the Saiyan Prince realizing that at least he could talk with the woman without wanting to tear his ears off. That… had to be something.

~MC~MC~MC~

"Now then, you understand completely why we are here," Ginyu said, arms folded behind his back as he looked at Dolin. "Our demands are quite clear and while it might seem as if there is no wiggle room there are ways you can choose to go that will ensure that you, your people, and your planet survive another day."

Ginyu had done this many times. There were always planets that resisted attempts to cleanse them or where going in with brutal force could cost the Frieza Force far too much money and soldiers. Everyone assumed that Ginyu and his men only fought and while it was true that many times that ended up being the solution to the problem he was one to always try diplomacy.

And sometimes… it worked.

There had been one race, the Calens, who were very skilled at gurellia warfare. They had no cities, no temples, no sacred areas. They didn't care about the land at all and, in fact, the planet hadn't originally been their's. They had won it through the right of conquest and had been insulted that the Frieza Force Squadron sent to cleanse the planet hadn't been respectful to their ways. They would take a planet and either use it until they grew bored of it or would lose it to a stronger force.

Ginyu though had met with them, eaten with their Grand Chief, and agreed to have Whey (a sadly deceased member of the Ginyu Force who had died during an explosion at Utomon IV) face the Calen's champion. When Whey had won the Calens had respectfully agreed to leave. All of it had been wrapped up in a tidy little bow and under budget.

"Lord Frieza is not interested in your planet," Ginyu stated. "And while there is some interest in Namekians, due to the brief interactions we have had with them, we are not here to enslave anyone. The Frieza Force doesn't take on slaves… they would make for poor fighters." Raising his voice he called out, "We do hire on soldiers and if anyone is interested in joining, they would only need to speak to me. I have the forms and documents that would give them a better understanding of just what the Frieza Force does-"

"No one is interested in leaving our planet," Dolin replied.

Ginyu smirked at that. "Of course." Which, he knew, meant that the leaders of the planet were actually keeping people from leaving the planet. That was good information to have, as it would allow Ginyu to perhaps quietly convince a few Namekians to sign up for the Frieza Force… that would really impress Lord Frieza greatly. "All we desire is the Dragon Balls. I understand that these are relics of your world but the fact remains that Lord Frieza has learned of them and wishes for them and thus you must give them up. Now, you can choose to refuse. That is your right, of course. But it is also my right to not take kindly to your refusal and seek to… change your mind. That would be messy… and time wasting. As such I would much prefer if you simply handed the ball over." He held out his hand.

But Dolin shook his head. "No… I am sorry but no. These are sacred relics of Namek and I can not give them away to anyone." He closed his eyes. "I know you will kill me to claim this Dragon Ball… and I am ready to meet my end if it means that I will keep it from you."

"Yes, but are you ready to die only for me to still claim the Dragon Ball?" Ginyu pressed. "Come now, see reason! You must realize how powerful I am… attempting to stand against me will not end well for you, I can assure you of that. Would it not be easier just to hand over the Ball?" He floated closer, making sure he was as non-threatening as possible. "Think about it… no more bloodshed. No more threats. Nothing at all. Your people would be able to go on living as they always have."

"No… we could not," Dolin told him. "Because with the power of the Dragon Balls your Lord Frieza would never stop in enslaving us." He held up his hand as Ginyu opened his mouth to protest that they didn't enslave people. "YOU perhaps aren't enslaved… but the Namekians would be. Because of the power of the Dragon Balls. It is as simple as that."

Ginyu nodded. "I respect that." He glanced at the Namekians behind the elderly one. "Do you want them to see this? Because I have no problem letting them go. You are the protector of the Dragon Ball… so this disagreement is only between the two of us."

Dolin sagged in relief at that. "Thank you." He turned to another Namekian who shifted his robes to reveal the Dragon Ball he was holding. "Give it here, Ymbo."

"Elder Dolin…"

"It is okay. Follow Harp." He swept his eyes over all of them. "Please… leave me be. This is my choice."

The Namekians took several long moments to accept that and the way they glowered at Ginyu, Recoome, and Burter made clear they wouldn't forget what had happened there. Ginyu held out his hand when Recoome began to float forward, making it clear he wanted nothing to happen to them.

Dolin finally turned, the Dragon Ball clutched in his hand, and he nodded to Ginyu who turned slightly, giving the universal sign for people to leave. The Namekians paused one last time before they rocketed off, gone within seconds.

"I am ready," Dolin stated, holding the Dragon Ball tight to his chest, eyes shut as he braced himself.

"Here ya go, Boss," Burter said and Dolin blinked as he realized that in the time it had taken him to close his eyes Burter had claimed the relic from him. He moved to attack but Burter again was behind him in a flash and a strike to the back of his neck caused him to crump.

"Ah good, so it turns out that Namekians have similar pressure points to the rest of us. Don't worry… that will simply keep you from moving for about an hour." Ginyu settled down into a lotus position. "Though we will be leaving you in about 10 minutes… once I am sure your companions are far enough away to believe themselves safe."

"Wha… what?"

"Come no, it is obvious that you were heading someplace with the Dragon Ball. Clearly your people are gathering with the rest of them. And now your people will lead me right to them."

"You… you can't-!"

Ginyu pressed a finger to his lips.

"Shhh. It is already done. Recoome is tracking them and Burter will make up the distance in seconds. So, why don't we sit here and you tell me exactly WHAT this-" he held up the Dragon Ball, "-can do?"