Chapter 14: The Convicts!

Turles sat in thought, trying to figure out how he was going to assault the Galactic Prison. The facility was one of the most heavily guarded prisons in the entire universe, and had a Galactic Patrol fleet near it at all times. There were at least a thousand active guards, and none of them would be against arresting them for even attempting something like he was planning. Now, Turles wasn't yet ready- the ship hadn't even dropped out of warp space yet- but he was still scheming.

"So, Turles," Taro asked, "how are we meant to approach the Galactic Prison without getting blasted into a million pieces?"

"I'm planning a diversion," Turles replied. "What kind of diversion?" Taro asked. "What do you know about Galactic law?" Turles asked in return, his lips forming into a smile. "A good bit. Why?" Taro asked. "Because you're going to pose as a lawyer. That'll get us inside," Turles said. "Hell no. I'm not going to prison for impersonating a lawyer," Taro said incredulously. "And attacking a Galactic Patrol prison won't send you there anyway?" Turles replied, his tone full of sarcasm. "You may have a point," Taro sighed, conceding to Turles' logic. "What do I have to do?"

Turles smiled wide. "You'll find out soon, dear sister," he said. Taro shuddered, dreading whatever her brother was going to put her through. Knowing Turles, it was bound to be something stupid. Before she could protest, she felt a hand clasp over her mouth. "Sorry about this, Taro," Turles said, signaling Amond. The burly alien quickly knocked Taro out cold with ease. "Where are we taking her?" he asked. "To her quarters. Fasha's waiting there," Turles said.

"Why did you have to knock her out?" Beets asked, approaching to take over co-pilot duties. "Because she'd never consciously agree to any of this," Turles answered, as Amond lifted the unconscious Taro from the chair and slung her over his shoulder. "I don't think she's going to be happy with you when she wakes up," Beets said, sitting in the now vacant co-pilot's chair. "She won't be," Turles said. "But it's worth it to make my plan go off without a hitch."

"Are you sure that this crazy plan of yours will actually work?" Beets asked. "Fasha seems to think so," Turles answered. "So just trust me on this one."

Beets sighed, not sure if he could trust Turles to keep them out of prison the second that this ruse went south. Or the very second that the fighting started, since it was obvious that Turles was plotting to distract the guards long enough for the others to get in and extract his people from their cells. "Why did Fasha agree to this?" Beets asked. "It sounds crazy at best, and outright suicidal at worst." Turles chuckled. "It's fairly risky," he said. "But it will work. At least, in theory."

"That's stupid! 'Fairly risky' my ass!" Beets snarked, forming air quotes with his hands. "That's a load of bullshit, and you know it." Turles laughed again. "You might be right," he said. "But, if the plan fails, we fall back on Plan B."

"And just what is your Plan B?" Beets asked. "We fight our way to them and fight our way back out of the place," Turles said, entirely serious. Beets nearly facepalmed, only prevented by the fact that he was the ship's current co-pilot. "That is quite possibly the most insane thing I've ever heard you say," Beets replied. "Apart from you openly declaring that you want to kill Frieza, that is."

Turles broke out into a laughing fit in response, and Beets sighed heavily.

Twenty minutes later….

"I'm not going out like this, Turles," Taro said from behind the tightly locked door of her quarters. "Come on," Turles said, from the outside, standing in the hallway. "It's not that bad." "For you, damn you!" Taro snarled. "You're not the one dressed like this!"

Turles laughed. "Like I said, it's not that bad," he said. "Just come on out of the room. We're almost to the Galactic Prison." Taro sighed. "I am not coming out of this room," she said. "And you can't make me."

"What was it that you said before?" Turles questioned facetiously, his tone almost mocking. "That part of your job was charming the opposite sex with your feminine wiles?"

Taro grit her teeth so hard that they hurt. "That's not exactly what I said," she grumbled. "And this dress is frankly ridiculous. Where the hell did you get it? And why do you even have it? It's not like Fasha would wear such a thing."

Turles laughed. "The reason I have that dress, where I got it, and everything else involved in its acquisition are secrets of the highest caliber," he said. Taro sighed, unlocking the door. "You are infuriatingly vague," she said as soon as she opened it.

Turles found himself trying to hold back a laugh when he saw his sister standing there. Her armor was gone, replaced by what was perhaps the most gaudy, garish, and downright ugly ball gown in the entirety of Universe 7. Her hair was done up in an incredibly awkward, gravity defying set of ringlets, and was dyed almost bubblegum pink.

Her face was covered in enough makeup to cause a dust storm, and she wore pink lipstick that matched her hair. Accompanying all of this was an equally awful pair of heels. "Why the hell am I dressed like this?!" Taro demanded, gesturing to the pink and turquoise gown that she was wearing. "And why the hell is my hair dyed pink?!"

Turles found himself barely stifling a laugh. "I'm sorry," he said, between uncontrollable fits of laughter. "You just look even more ridiculous than I'd thought."

Taro glared at him. "Fasha laughed at me for thirty minutes straight," she said. "And she thought your stupid ass plan was a great idea."

Turles laughed even harder at that- he was practically wheezing at this point, barely holding it together. "You….I just…can't hold it in…." he said, enraging Taro more. "AND JUST WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY DAMN TAIL?!" she screamed.

Turles laughed even harder at that, thinking back to the instructions that he'd given Fasha. "We wrapped it around your waist. And basically glued it there," he said, totally deadpan. "Or rather, Fasha did. Me touching my sister's waist like that would be weird."

"And your wife doing so for you isn't?" Taro asked, questioning the logic. Turles nearly cracked up again at that as what he'd said dawned on her. "YOU DID WHAT TO MY TAIL?!" she demanded. "Relax," Turles said. "It's perfectly safe. I think."

Taro's eyes narrowed, and she promptly flew off the handle once again. "YOU THINK?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'YOU THINK'?! ANSWER ME, DAMMIT!" she screamed, thoroughly set off. "It's not going to give you cancer or anything like that," Turles said. "Just don't expect all of the hair to still be there when you remove the adhesive strips."

Taro's face turned so red that Turles thought she'd burst a blood vessel. Her next cluster of words were so profane that he didn't feel comfortable repeating them within a thousand light years of the nearest inhabited system. Perhaps the funniest thing about the outburst was that most of the words were mostly unintelligible, with the occasional deadly curse slipping through. Most every single curse in the common language was repeated at least two dozen times, alongside just about every single alien curse that Turles had ever heard.

If he was correct, then his sister had just cursed him, his family, and anyone descended from him to a painful hell ten thousand years into the future. And that was just in the Lizardian curses, not including the half dozen or so other languages she'd used.

He didn't even want to think about where Taro had learned all of these words, or why. That was a truly unpleasant question, one that he never wanted to know the answer to. He was pretty sure that he'd rather quite literally die than learn the answer to that question. If looks could kill, then he'd be dead ten thousand times over, and Taro would be dancing on his grave. He shuddered at the thought, and finally managed to get his words back out. "Look, I'm sorry," he said. "But you need to wear that disguise long enough to get us inside. Please, sis? For me?"

Taro took a deep breath, ceasing her angry, profanity-laced rant about the evils of her outfit and her displeasure with Turles for making her wear said outfit. "I hate you," she deadpanned. "So, are we good?" Turles asked, chuckling slightly. Taro sighed. "We're good," she said. "For now."

"Right," Turles replied. "I'm sure you have a million questions, so ask away." Taro nodded, calming herself. "Why am I wearing this stupid ass disguise, anyway?" she asked. "Because it's part of your cover identity," Turles said. "Right," Taro said, sarcastically. "And my best friend is Majin Buu. Try again."

"I'm dead serious," Turles said, and Taro sighed again. "Do I even want to know?" she asked. "Probably not," Turles admitted. Taro grit her teeth again, lamenting that her brother was full of stupid plans. "Why did you glue my tail to my waist? And then cover it up by dressing me in the ugliest dress that I have ever laid eyes on?" she asked, her patience nearly entirely spent by this point.

"Because, for one, a Saiyan lawyer is entirely implausible," Turles said. "Everyone knows that we were bloodthirsty soldiers of fortune. And two, it's part of your cover identity. And three, you are a wanted criminal, once incarcerated yourself. It's a precaution."

Taro sighed upon hearing that. "Do I even want to know what this cover identity is?" she asked. "Again, probably not," Turles answered. His sister sighed again, clearly frustrated. "Lay it on me," she said. "Let's get this over with."

Turles nodded, producing a datapad. "This has all of the information on it," he said. "Just follow the script to the letter, and we'll be perfectly fine."

What Taro saw on the datapad was so stupid that she actually launched into an even more profane rant than before. Turles just laughed in response and headed off to finish his preparations. Taro watched him go with rage, vowing revenge.

Later….

Taro stepped onto the bridge, eliciting a laugh from Fasha, who was piloting. "You look even more ridiculous the second time around," she said. "Shove it," Taro replied, fuming. "You're not the one wearing this damn idiotic shit."

Fasha laughed. "Yeah. I told Turles where he could shove it when he asked me," she said. "And you thought it would be a good idea to put me through this?" Taro asked, her eyes narrowing in annoyance. "Yeah," Fasha said. "I thought it would be funny, and I was right. Besides, you know a lot more about Galactic law than I do."

Taro grit her teeth in annoyance once again. "So you really support this plan that Turles created with spit, duct tape, hopes, and dreams?" she asked, her tone filled with a biting sarcasm. Fasha nodded. "That's right," she said. "Miss Yorai Lightspeed."

Taro's eyes narrowed. "Do not mention that stupid, stupid, stupid, pathetic, lame, and frankly, damn insulting, excuse for a cover identity," she replied. "It's degrading. I mean, really? An actress, comedian, lawyer, model, and pop star? All in one person?"

Fasha laughed again. "Yeah, he got a little carried away," she said. "He couldn't decide on which career he wanted 'Yorai Lightspeed' to have been in before becoming a lawyer. So he just used all of them."

Taro sighed, nearly facepalming. She only stopped because she remembered the planetary crust's worth of makeup on her face. "That's one of the stupidest things I've ever heard," she deadpanned, gritting her teeth once again.

Fasha nodded as Turles walked onto the bridge. "I'm glad you think so," he snarked. "Now get into position. We're getting ready to dock soon."

Taro glared at him, looking as if she was about to burst a blood vessel. "Fine. But only because I want this to be over with," she said. Turles nodded, though he did not reply as she left the bridge.

Some time later, Galactic Prison….

Turles' ship approached the Galactic Prison at a relatively low speed. The Saiyan and his crew were expecting to be stopped, and he'd need to do everything in his power to ensure that everything went correctly. They were soon hailed by a Galactic Patrol vessel, which flashed its tremendous main gun as a warning. "State your business here," the officer said. "Or be vaporized for entering a restricted area without permission."

"We're here on behalf of a pair of illegally imprisoned individuals," Turles said. "Oh, really?" the patrolman replied. "Are you sure?" Turles felt slightly offended by the man's questioning tone, but managed to keep it contained as he replied. "Yes," he said. "I have their lawyer here to prove it."

"Really, now?" the officer asked, not buying their excuse for a moment. "Why would a lawyer taking on cases of this caliber be traveling around in a dingy cargo vessel?" Turles was downright insulted by the dismissal of his prized vessel. "Dingy…? I'll show you dingy!" he thought, offended. "I'll put her on," he said, which was Taro's cue to get on the comm. "I am Yorai Lightspeed," she said, cringing as she did so. "And I am representing Lakasei and Rasin of the GalacticCorps Financial Department."

"You're here for those goblins?" the officer replied, nearly laughing himself out of his chair. "We've got them on a list of charges long enough to fill an entire solar system. You'll never get them out." "Try me," Taro said, channeling a bit of her real personality. The officer was silent for several moments before he finally spoke again. "You're welcome to try," he said. "But you won't get them out."

"I think I can," Taro said, having studied the case as thoroughly as she could. And cross referenced it with everything she knew about Galactic law and its internal workings, rules, and processes. "And I need to speak with whoever's in charge here."

"For that, I'll need some form of identification, Miss Lightspeed," the officer replied. "Sending it over now," Taro replied, sending the (rather impeccably) forged identification, law credentials, and other bits over. "You're clear, Miss Lightspeed," the officer replied. "Please proceed to docking bay four. A team will meet you there."

"Thank you," Taro replied. "You are most welcome, Miss Lightspeed," the officer replied. "I don't think you'll have much luck, though."

Taro chuckled. "I think that I'll be just fine," she said. "Well, you seem to have confidence, at least. I must be going now," the officer replied. "Of course," Taro said, ending the transmission. "That was infuriating," she said to Turles, who was standing beside her. "But you did well," Turles replied. "Now for phase two."

"Phase two?" Taro asked. Turles nodded. "Phase two," he said. "You'll head into the warden's office or whatever. Plead your case, distract them with legal jargon." "Is that all?" Taro asked, sarcastically. "I'll be there, of course," Turles said. "I'm going to pose as your bodyguard. We'll have Fasha too."

Taro rolled her eyes. "Ooh…great… My brother and sister-in-law posing as bodyguards for my fake identity," she snarked. Turles laughed, much to his sister's chagrin. "Stop being such a downer," he said. "This plan will be fine."

Taro rolled her eyes. "I'm not entirely sure about that," she said. "Your plans aren't always perfect, Turles." "I take offense to that," Turles replied. "My plans are impeccable. And we'll be there to improvise."

Taro sighed aloud, annoyed. "This is gonna suck. Next, you'll say that your cover identity is married to mine," she said. "No," Turles said. "Your cover identity is married to Beets' cover identity."

"That's even worse!" Taro snarled. Turles laughed aloud. "No, it's not," he said. "I could think of at least three hundred and fifty ways to make it worse."

Taro said nothing in response, merely turning away from him. Her anger was starting to build up again, and she detested this entire plan. Especially the outfit that she was having to wear as part of Turles' genius plan to get them inside of the Galactic Prison.

The group soon arrived inside the prison as the Comet Star sat down inside of the indicated hangar. Turles, Fasha, and Beets accompanied the disguised Taro, posing as bodyguards for 'Yorai Lightspeed' as she entered the facility to negotiate for the release of Lakasei and Rasin.

Which, unbeknownst to the Galactic Patrol, was a cover so that Amond and Cacao could sneak in, locate the two in question, and bust them out of their cells. After which the plan became 'fight like hell, get to the ship, and leave as soon as possible'. To that end, Turles had left Zarloe on the ship to act as their pilot for said risky maneuver whilst the rest went ashore to enact the first phase of the plan.

Whilst Phase One and Phase Two were fairly meticulously planned out by Turles, Phase Three (the aforementioned 'fight like hell' stage) was more open to improvisation. After that, the escape sequence was going to be highly risky. But Turles was confident that they could all escape alive and free, alongside their targets, who would escape with them aboard the ship. His allies weren't entirely certain of the plan's success, but Turles had assured them that they should trust him. His plans never failed, except when Bardock was involved.

But, seeing as he was at least a hundred systems away from his brother at the moment, there was absolutely no way that this plan could possibly fail. Turles smiled to himself as a group of Galactic Patrol members approached them. "You must be Yorai Lightspeed," the lead guard said, addressing the disguised Taro. "That is correct," she said. The officer nodded. "And who might these others be?" she asked, her hand subtly reaching for her service weapon.

"My bodyguards," she said. "I don't like the idea of being in a prison full of dangerous convicts, so I took precautions."

The guard nodded, her hand moving away from her weapon. "Okay, then," she said. "Come with us. We'll take you to the warden's office. You can make your case to him there." Taro nodded, gesturing for her to lead on. "Let's go, then," she said. The guard nodded in return, moving towards the elevator on the other side of the hangar.

The group soon arrived on a different level of the station that housed the Galactic Prison, and the guard team escorted them across the area they'd arrived in, soon approaching a long hallway on the right side. "The warden's office is down the hall on the right," the lead guard said. "You can't miss it. He should be there right now."

Taro nodded, continuing to project a professional facade. "Thank you," she said. The guard nodded in return. "You are welcome," she replied. "We will wait for you here."

Taro nodded again, sighing internally. She wasn't really sure if she was ready for this, but here she was. What was one more crime on her record? She'd literally committed genocide while she was apart of the Saiyan Army, dominating planets for Frieza. But impersonating a lawyer had been where she drew the line? It seemed ridiculous now. She really should have just agreed to Turles' request. Maybe it would have spared her this ridiculous disguise that she quite frankly despised. She'd rather fight Frieza himself than wear this disguise.

Even if openly challenging Frieza was suicide, she felt that death was a preferable alternative to this damn stupid outfit. But she buried those particular frustrations as she approached the warden's office, returning to her fake identity. Soon enough, though, she stood inside the office, flanked by Turles, Fasha, and Beets.

She briefly glanced at them, noting that Beets seemed nervous, Turles was shooting her a look of encouragement, and Fasha seemed amused. She then turned her attention to the warden, a short mustachioed alien. He sat behind the desk, watching her carefully. "Miss Lightspeed, I presume?" he questioned. Taro nodded. "That is correct," she said.

He nodded, though he didn't actually speak. Instead, he gestured for her to take a seat in one of the chairs in front of the desk. She obliged, taking one of the empty seats. Beets occupied the second, his face not betraying the nervousness that he felt. "So…Miss Lightspeed," the warden said. "You wish to negotiate for the release of some prisoners here?"

"That's correct," Taro replied, not breaking character. "And I think that you'll be very interested in hearing what I have to say."

"Oh?" the warden questioned, sounding intrigued. "What might that be?"

Taro smiled wide, her plan forming. If Turles wanted a distraction, then she'd damn sure give him one. This disguise would only be worth it if they succeeded. Not that any of the agents here were strong enough to arrest them, even if the plan didn't work.

Elsewhere…

Amond and Cacao stood inside a guard office, having subdued the crew. Cacao was interfacing with one of the computers therein, searching for a floorplan. "Have you found them yet?" Amond asked, glancing down at the corpse of one of the guards they'd killed. "Negative," Cacao replied. "Why not?" Amond asked. "This computer has more advanced security than I'd expected," Cacao replied. "Give me approximately ten minutes."

Amond nodded. "We don't have that much time," he said. "We don't need them catching us." Cacao snorted a laugh, which was uncharacteristic for the cyborg. "That is preposterous," he said. "They will not find us. We were not spotted due to my stealth tech."

Amond sighed. "That does little to ease my nerves," he said. "And since when do you laugh?" Cacao laughed again. "Only when it unnerves you." Amond chuckled slightly at the response. "Leave it to you to be creepy," he said. Cacao smirked slightly before his cybernetic eye flashed yellow. "I have located Lakasei and Rasin," he said. "Where?" Amond asked. "They are being held in adjacent cells in Block Three," Cacao replied. "How far?" Amond inquired, his eyes narrowing. "Three levels above us," Cacao answered.

"How are we getting there?" Amond asked. "There is a service elevator nearby," Cacao said. "We'll use it. Take care not to be spotted." Amond nodded, chuckling. "Easier said than done," he said. "True," Cacao said, disconnecting himself from the computer. "My stealth field is not recharged yet. So we must be discreet." Amond nodded again. "Right," he said. "Let's head for this service elevator. Where is it exactly?"

"Exit this office, head down to the end of the hallway, and round the corner. Then you'll see it," Cacao replied. "I should be able to bypass the lock." Amond nodded a third time. "Okay, then," he said. "Let's go. And hope that this operation doesn't go south."

Cacao nodded. "For once, I agree with you," he said. Amond chuckled. "There's the Cacao I'm used to," he snarked. "If I was capable of rolling my eyes, I'd be doing so," Cacao replied, his tone slightly less monotonous than usual.

Amond chuckled again. "You have no sense of humor," he said. "If I did, then we would not be partners," Cacao said. "Your jokes are objectively terrible."

"Critiquing my humor are you, Mr. Robot?" Amond quipped, his tone ribbing. "That doesn't make any sense."

"Your humor needs work," Cacao replied. "Now let's move, Amond. We don't need the guards finding us." Amond sighed again. "You are very, very annoying sometimes," he said, moving towards the door. "I could say the same about you," Cacao replied, his robotic tone betraying no emotion, not even vague amusement. Amond rolled his eyes. "I don't know why I put up with you," he said. "Because you need my intelligence to make up for your lack of it?" Cacao suggested, his tone almost sarcastic. Amond sighed. "I hate you sometimes," he said. "Noted," Cacao replied. "I see no reason to change my behavior."

Amond sighed for a third time, throwing in another eye roll as a bonus. "You can just shut up now," he said. Another robotic laugh escaped Cacao's lips as he moved to join him. "I would never willingly do such a thing," he said. "You suck," Amond said. "Worst partner I've ever had. And that includes the ones that tried to kill me."

"That's a statistical impossibility," Cacao said, refuting that last statement. Amond again rolled his eyes. "You are a terrible person," he said. "Thank you," Cacao replied. "I do try." Amond nearly died laughing. "Since when do you actually try to joke?" he asked, barely managing to choke them out as he opened the door. "When it is convenient," Cacao said. "When is that?" Amond asked. "Approximately 7.2% of the time," Cacao said. "Humor is useless 92.8% of the time, except when used as distraction for the weak minded."

Amond nodded. "Such as?" he questioned. "You do not want me to answer that question," Cacao said. Amond rolled his eyes again, seeming to dislike the insinuation carried by Cacao's response. The two stepped out of the guard office, closing it behind them. Fortunately, the hallway was empty, and they made their way to the service elevator, which was, to their surprise, not locked. "I expected this thing to be locked," Amond said, seeing no visible lock or keypad. "So did I," Cacao said. "This is only a benefit for us. Let's move."

Amond nodded again, pressing the call button on the elevator panel. It soon arrived, carrying a pair of very confused maintenance techs. Before either could do or say anything, Amond quickly punched both into unconsciousness. The mercenaries shared a look and stepped into the elevator, pressing the button that would take them to their destination. "We could use some of these guys' uniforms or armor as disguises," Amond said, as soon as the doors had closed. "You could," Cacao said. "I am physically incapable of removing my armor and cybernetics."

"RIght. My bad," Amond said, noting that Cacao's armor and cybernetics were grafted to his body, making him pretty much entirely (or at least, mostly) machine. Wearing disguises was out of the equation. "I could use my stealth field to hide myself," Cacao said. "But the problem of finding a set of armor that would fit you remains."

Amond nodded, again conceding. "True," he said. "Most of these guys are a lot smaller than me." Cacao nodded in response. "Yes. You are over seven feet tall and made of pure muscle," he said. "Finding a proper disguise would be exceedingly difficult." "Yeah," Amond said, chuckling slightly. "So that plan's out. What now?"

"We carry on with the mission," Cacao said. "Stealth will soon no longer be necessary. Once we break the targets out, maintaining our current stratagem will be impossible. The guards will swarm our position."

Amond nodded. "Right. That's the 'fight like hell' stage of the plan," he said. "Correct," Cacao said. "Even if I dislike that characterization of it." Amond chuckled. "Of course you wouldn't," he said. "You think like a machine. Which is very, very creepy."

"My personal conveyance of words is irrelevant in this scenario," Cacao responded. "That's what I mean," Amond said, exasperated. "I have no idea what compunction you are referring to, my compatriot," Cacao said. Amond sighed again, thoroughly annoyed with Cacao's stilted, robotic, and excessively verbose manner of speech. "Let's just change the subject," he said. "This is acceptable," Cacao said. "I am inclined to acquiesce to your request."

Amond rolled his eyes, electing to ignore that last response. Cacao gave long winded replies all the time, even when a one or two word response would have sufficed just fine. "So…do you know where this elevator will take us?" he asked. "This elevator will take us to the Block Three maintenance area," Cacao replied. "From there, we can gain access to the cell block itself." Amond nodded in acknowledgement. "Right. So what's the plan when we get there?" he asked. "We will sneak through the area. The maintenance areas are not likely to be substantially occupied."

"In other words, the place will be mostly empty, so we just sneak through?" Amond asked, seeking clarification. "That is correct," Cacao said. "Okay," Amond replied. "Then what? The cell block itself has to be crawling with guards."

"We will simply eliminate any guards that get in our way," Cacao said. "I like that plan," Amond said. "Just cause general mayhem. It's not like any of these guys will be strong enough to actually capture us."

Cacao nodded. "Yes. That is the plan. Try not to ruin it with your enthusiasm," he said. Amond sighed again. "Back at it with the backhanded compliments…" he grumbled, sounding slightly disgruntled. Cacao ignored that barb in favor of prepping his arm cannon. "Ready yourself," he said. "I detect a group of guards waiting for us."

"I thought you said that they didn't know that we were here!" Amond said, sounding a bit annoyed. "They must have noticed the elevator move. Or they checked the guard station we attacked earlier," Cacao said. Amond nodded, cracking his knuckles. "Time to fight, then," he said. Cacao nodded. "The doors will open in approximately ten seconds. Prepare yourself to fight, Amond- this might get ugly," he said. Amond chuckled. "For them, maybe," he said. Cacao nodded in response, the distinctive whirr of his arm cannon engaging filling the elevator. "Enemy termination protocol engaged," he intoned robotically.

"Right, then! Let's get to it!" Amond said, as the doors finally opened. A squad of Galactic Patrol agents stood just outside it, weapons raised. "Step out of the elevator slowly!" the lead agent demanded, keeping his blaster trained on them.

"Are you ready?" Amond asked of his partner, ignoring the guard. Cacao nodded, and both did as the guard asked, slowly exiting the elevator. "Now, surrender, or- " the guard began, only to find himself vaporized by Cacao's arm cannon. Chaos ensued as the other guards frantically attempted to open fire, but were soon obliterated by a ki wave from Amond. "Heh. Too easy. Let's get going," he said. Cacao nodded. "That is an acceptable course of action."

Amond sighed, wishing that he could train Cacao out of that habit. "Let's move, then," he said. "You take the lead."

Cacao nodded again. "Affirmative. Taking the lead," he said. "Follow me. There is a maintenance hatch nearby. We can use the maintenance tunnels to reach our destination. After which, we can drop in and extract our targets." Amond nodded in reply, gesturing for Cacao to lead the way. "After you," he said. Cacao nodded, moving towards the hatch he'd mentioned. Amond smiled and followed his partner, anticipating the brawl that would surely ensue the second they extracted Lakasei and Rasin from their cells.

"Get ready," Cacao said. "We'll likely have to eliminate the guards once we arrive at our destination." Amond smiled. "I'm always ready for a fight," he said. "And these guys will be fun to crush."

"They have tried to arrest you in the past, correct?" Cacao asked, opening the maintenance hatch. "That's right," Amond said. "They didn't get very far, though."

"Obviously," Cacao replied, stepping inside the tunnel. Amond followed him inside, closing the door behind them. "Let's get moving. "We need to find our targets and get the hell out of this prison," he said. "That is an advisable course of action," Cacao said. "Of course," Amond said. "I don't like being here any more than you do. Let's go before they figure out where we went."

Cacao nodded wordlessly, starting to move down the tunnel. Amond followed, wondering where the cyborg was leading them. Hopefully, not into a trap- that would be massively inconvenient. And inconvenience was not a good thing, especially when time was of the essence like this.

What felt like hours had passed as Taro continued to lay on the legal jargon, debating the merits of the conviction that had seen Lakasei and Rasin imprisoned in the first place. The warden seemed immensely bored, unable to penetrate the wall of words that Taro had built around him. "Do you have any proof of these accusations of false imprisonment?" he asked, taking advantage of a break in Taro's spiel. "I do," she replied, producing a file that Turles had rather convincingly forged. "This is the record of their arrest."

The warden read over the information that she'd presented him with, gaining a shocked expression. "Have we made a mistake?" he asked, clearly questioning whether the Galactic Patrol had misstepped or not. "Yes," Taro said. "The dates do not match. My clients could not possibly have committed the crimes you accuse them of."

"Who would you posit actually committed them, then?" the warden asked, clearly unsure of all this. "I do not know," Taro said. "I get paid to defend clients and get them out of prison. I don't investigate the crimes."

The warden sighed. "We'll see," he said. "But your bodyguards…one of them seems familiar. In fact, they all do."

Taro chuckled, a bit nervous that they may have been found out. "That's preposterous," she said, laying a hand on Beets' shoulder. All of them were disguised similarly, pretending to be aliens from Planet Baris, rather than the Saiyans that they truly were.

"We are merely Barisians," she said. "And we are heading right back to Baris as soon as we finish here. This one here is my husband, Prince Roril. The other two are his personal retainers."

The warden seemed slightly put at ease, even if he wasn't buying any of this. He spared a glance at one of the Patrol officers in the room, having run a background check on the group as they arrived. "I don't believe you," he said. "Why is that?" Taro asked, not breaking eye contact. "Because we know for a fact that Yorai Lightspeed is not from Baris," the warden said. "She's quite famous as an actress and a lawyer."

Taro chuckled nervously. "Well….that's all speculation," she said. "And you never know: tabloids lie about people."

The warden sighed. "You three are not from Baris!" he said. "And Yorai Lightspeed is from Planet Cranberry in the West Galaxy, you impostor!" Taro sighed, dropping the ruse. "Fine. You really want to know who I am?" she asked, dropping the polite professional act. "I am someone who's done a lot of terrible things. Some of them too nasty to talk about here."

The warden swallowed hard as guards soon filled the office, weapons raised. "Arrest them!" he snarled. Turles laughed, shedding the ridiculous cape and hood that he wore, uncovering his armor. "Do you recognize me now, Warden?" he asked. "Because you just ruined my plan. And I hate it when that happens."

The warden practically wet himself as he saw the Saiyan's full face. "You're…you're Turles of the Saiyan Army!" he said. "One of our highest priority targets!"

Turles laughed again. "Oh, look, Fasha. He knows who I am," he said. "Cute."

Fasha nodded, shedding her own disguise, which was much similar to Turles'- a hood and cape to hide her face and armor. "Isn't that great?" she said, sarcastically. Both reveled in the look that the warden gained upon recognizing her. "No….two Saiyan thugs here…in the Galactic Prison?" he said, nearly frozen in fear. "Do something!" he shouted to the guards. "Beets, get down!" Turles shouted. "Taro, shed the damn disguise and get ready to fight!"

"I can't!" Taro shouted back. "You made sure that I'm not wearing anything underneath this stupid gown!"

Turles winced, recalling that detail. "Sorry! Just keep Beets out of the crossfire! I need him alive!" he shouted. Taro nodded, grabbing the scrawny Saiyan, throwing him to the ground, promptly ducking down herself as Turles and Fasha engaged the guards. What ensued following that could be called nothing less than a slaughter, leaving the two Saiyans practically soaked in various kinds of alien blood. "Weaklings," Turles scoffed, rounding to face the warden. "You've outlived your usefulness," he said, forming a small beam of ki on his finger. "Wait!" the warden protested. "I have a family!"

Turles chuckled darkly. "I don't care," he said. The warden's eyes widened in fear as he fired, killing the man near instantly. "Come on. Let's go," he said. "We need to find Amond and Cacao." Taro nodded, approaching her brother, grabbing the cape that he'd discarded earlier. "Right," she said, wiping (most of) the makeup off of her face. "And you're gonna get me out of this stupid dress!"

"Not personally, and not yet!" Turles replied as Taro threw the cape aside. "Whatever," Taro said, kicking the heels she'd been wearing as part of her disguise off of her feet. "Let's just go crack some skulls." Turles nodded. "Fasha, you take point. I need to call Amond," he said. Fasha nodded, moving out into the hall. "What about me?" Beets asked, shedding his own disguise, which was merely a fancy cape and a monocle.

"You'll stay with Taro," Turles replied. "Get to the ship. Help Zarloe get us out of this damn place." Beets nodded. "Right. So…we're doing that now?" he asked. Turles nodded in reply as he reached up to his scouter, mashing the call button. "Amond, where are you?" he asked. "I'm a little busy right now!" Amond replied, the sounds of explosions echoing in the background. "We found your guys, though!" "Well, we've been found out!" Turles said. "Meet us at the ship! We need to get out of here!" "Right!" Amond responded. "But that'll take a bit!" he called back.

"Why's that?" Turles asked. "I'm holding off the guards while Cacao gets their cells open," Amond replied. "So it'll take some time to do that. We'll meet you at the ship as soon as we get done."

"Alright," Turles said. "I'm going to go now. We've got our own problems to deal with."

"Right. I bet you do," Amond said. "See you soon, then, boss!"

"See you soon," Turles replied, cutting the call. "Change of plans! We're heading to the ship! Amond and Cacao are extracting Lakasei and Rasin as we speak!" he shouted, catching the attention of Taro and Beets.

"Right!" Beets said, approaching. "That's a good thing. I think Taro needs to let off some steam."

Turles nodded, sparing his sister a glance. She seemed to have a lot of pent up frustration, mostly directed at him. "I see that," he said, redirecting his attention to Beets. "In any case, we're moving out!"

Beets nodded in return as Taro caught up to them. "Let's go, then," he said. "Before your sister tries to attack you instead of the guards."

Turles chuckled nervously. "I agree," he said. "Let's move out!"

Taro rolled her eyes. "Of course you'd say that!" she said. "Let's quit talking and move already!"

Turles nodded, moving towards the door at last. The group moved on, heading out into the hallway, which was littered with the bodies of various guards. Fasha leaned against a wall, waiting for them. "I was starting to get bored," she said. "Let's get out of here."

"That's what we're doing," Turles said. "Let's get moving."

Fasha nodded, gesturing for Turles to lead the way. Turles smiled, moving to do so.

Down where Amond and Cacao were…

Amond blasted another group of guards, leaving them vaporized. "Are you almost done?" he shouted to Cacao, dodging a burst of fire from yet another squad of guards. "With the first cell, yes," the cyborg replied. "Can you let all of the prisoners out for a distraction or something?" Amond asked. "That would require access to this cell block's main control center. Which we do not have," Cacao replied.

"So…distraction idea's off the table! Got it!" Amond replied, blasting another group of guards. "Affirmative!" Cacao replied, finally disabling the ray shield holding Lakasei in his cell. He stepped out of it, grateful for his freedom. "Thanks," he said. "But who are you?"

"That is irrelevant," Cacao said, detaching his cybernetic arm from the cell door control, reforming into his arm cannon. "Cool. How's that arm work?" Lakasei asked. "Nanotechnology," Cacao replied, firing at a group of guards. "Cool. Nanotech," Lakasei said. "How about we get my brother out?"

Cacao nodded, turning the cannon towards the other alien's cell. One blast later, the ray shield was down. "Why didn't you do that with mine?" Lakasei asked in disbelief. "I did not think of it," Cacao replied. Lakasei nodded as Rasin joined them outside the cell. "Thanks, pal," he said. "Do you happen to be with Turles, by any chance?"

"I am," he said. "The Saiyan named Turles is the one who wanted to extract you from this prison."

"Right. Then where is he?" Lakasei asked. "I do not know. Probably heading for the ship, if I were to guess." Both Lakasei and Rasin nodded. "Good," they said simultaneously. "Let's go and find him." Cacao nodded. "Amond, it is time for us to leave," he said, alerting his partner. "Right!" Amond said, blasting a hole in the floor. "Let's get to the dock!"

Cacao nodded again. "Affirmative. We must travel six floors down to reach the bay we arrived in," he said, his voice still a robotic monotone. Amond sighed, still wishing that Cacao could talk like a normal person. "You need to drop the robot voice," he snarked, moving toward the hole that he'd created. "Never," Cacao said, in a tone that suggested humor. "That was an awful joke," Amond said. "I was imitating you," Cacao replied.

Amond winced as Lakasei and Rasin laughed. "The cyborg guy's hilarious!" Rasin said. "Yeah! Let's stick with him!" Lakasei said. Amond nearly facepalmed and jumped through the hole, blasting another as he did so. "Come on. Let's go," Cacao said. "My partner will cause undue mayhem and destruction without us if we do not."

Lakasei and Rasin nodded, leaping down the hole themselves. Cacao smirked to himself and followed, amused by the short aliens.

In the hangar…

Turles fired a pair of ki waves, obliterating a chunk of the veritable army of Galactic Patrol officers trying to arrest him and the others. "Bardock couldn't have screwed this plan up any more than it ended up being derailed…" he mused. Fasha fired a blast of her own, falling into step with him. "This is getting old!" she shouted, her voice barely audible over the mayhem ensuing in the hangar. "I know!" Turles shouted back. Beets popped up from behind the blast shield he'd been hiding behind and returned fire with his own weapon. "There are too many of them!" he shouted.

"We won on Kabocha, and we'll win here!" Fasha shouted back, unleashing two more ki waves of her own. Beets sighed. "I don't know about that," he thought, glancing around at the chaos that was unfolding. Zarloe and Taro were aboard the ship, getting it ready for takeoff. They'd need to bail as soon as Amond and Cacao caught up.

"Can this possibly get any worse?" Beets questioned, taking a few more opponents down. "Don't ask that!" Fasha admonished, continuing to fire ki attacks at their opposition. "Yes! Don't tempt fate!" Turles shouted, annoyed. As if to answer Beets' question, the intercom system crackled to life. "Surrender now, criminals! We're authorized to use lethal force! And we will use every weapon at our disposal to do so!"

Beets swallowed hard, dropping back behind his cover. "You just had to ask!" Turles shouted in annoyance as the enemy force doubled in size. Followed by a squad of soldiers piloting combat mechs to deploy to reinforce them. "We're real deep in the shit now!" Fasha snarled, blasting one of the mechs to pieces.

"I know!" Turles shouted, gathering ki for a Calamity Blaster. "Just hold them off for a bit!" Fasha nodded, firing rapid ki blasts, peppering their opponents. They focused their attention on her, buying Turles some time. "Hurry up, Turles!" she thought.

But just before Turles could fire (or do anything at all) a massive blast shot through the ceiling and vaporized a good sixty percent of the enemy force. Which was soon followed by Amond, Cacao, Lakasei, and Rasin leaping through the ensuing hole.

"You guys made it!" he shouted. Amond nodded as the four quickly ran across the hangar, evading enemy fire all the while. "That we did!" Amond said, as Cacao took aim at the group with his arm cannon. "Thanks for getting us out of here, boss," Lakasei said. "Don't thank me yet!" Turles said. "We need to get out of this first!"

Lakasei and Rasin both nodded, preparing themselves to fight. "Right!" they said, simultaneously. Turles chuckled. "No! Fall back to the ship! We're gonna take care of these guys and bail!" he said. Both goblin-like aliens nodded, turning and darting up the ship's ramp. Turles breathed a small sigh of relief, firing his Calamity Blaster alongside Cacao's blast. Most of the enemy force was eradicated by the blast. Those who remained were taken out by Fasha and Amond firing blasts of their own. With that, the group fell back, heading aboard the Comet Star.

Turles quickly raised the ramp as more Galactic Patrol agents swarmed the hangar, firing their blasters ineffectively. "We're aboard!" he shouted over the scouter feed. "Get us out of here, guys!" he shouted. "Right," Zarloe replied. "We're getting moving!"

Turles nodded as the ship started taking off, blasting out of the hangar at a high speed. "Phew…" he sighed, wiping the sweat off of his brow. "That was risky!" Fasha said. "We're not out of it yet!" Amond said. "This place was surrounded by Galactic Patrol ships, remember?"

Turles' eyes widened. "Oh, shit!" he shouted. "I need to get to the bridge!" Amond nodded with a chuckle as Turles ran out of the cargo bay, heading for the ladder that led up to the bridge deck. Fasha followed after him with equal haste. "Not without me, you idiot!" she shouted.

Amond laughed at the whole thing as he turned to Cacao and Beets. "That was rough, wasn't it?" he said. "Sure was," Beets said. "Affirmative," Cacao said. "Let's get up to the bridge," Amond said. "If we're gonna get blasted into space dust, I want to see it coming."

The others nodded, allowing him to lead the way. Amond obliged, moving towards the ladder that Turles and Fasha had taken. It only made sense for the crew to be together if this was the last job they'd ever pull.

Outside the Comet Star…

The Galactic Patrol furiously pursued the escaping Comet Star, which rocketed away from the Galactic Prison at a high speed. Aboard the ship that Turles and the others had bluffed their way past earlier, its captain addressed the fleet. "This is command," he said, speaking over the fleet-wide communications channel. "Capture or destroy that ship! Do not let them escape!"

"I read you, command," the captain of another ship said. "Deploying fighters." The fleet commander smiled at that as the rest of the fleet began calling in, informing him of their own preventative measures. "Deploy our own fighters," he said, ordering his own ship's crew. "Yes sir," one of his bridge crew replied, sending out that order. He turned towards the left viewport, confident that the fleet would prevent the attackers' escape.

Several squads of starfighters formed up and shot off after the Comet Star, which weaved between the larger ships, their weapons fire, and the fighters' weapons fire. "This is Red Leader," one squad leader said. "Readying missiles. Breaking off to pursue."

"Gold Leader here. I read you," another said. "We'll cover your squad. Don't let those criminals escape."

"Affirmative," Red Leader replied. "Green and Blue Squadrons will cut them off from the other side, keep them from running the blockade."

"Got it," Gold Leader replied. "Let's move!" she said. "Right!" Red Leader responded, his voice full of excitement. "Let's stop these thugs!"

Gold Leader smiled as she and her squad formed up behind Red Leader and his squad, which took off in pursuit formation. All of them began firing at the fleeing ship, some of them hitting the ship and damaging its shields. Others were evaded, but they kept up the pressure- and the pursuit. "Don't let them escape!" Red Leader shouted. "Blast 'em!"

Over on the Comet Star's bridge….

"What's going on!?" Turles asked incredulously as he and Fasha arrived on the bridge. "We're getting fired on!" Taro shouted back. "We're just barely evading them! Our shields can't take too many more hits!"

"I see all of that!" Turles said. "We need to get out of here!"

"I know that, damn it!" Taro shouted back. "Blame Zarloe! He's a slow pilot!" Offended by that accusation, Zarloe joined the conversation. "I am not slow!" he asserted. "You're just too slow to keep up with me!"

"Why…you!" Taro snapped. "How dare you insult my piloting!"

Zarloe shot her a smug look, evading another volley of shots from the pursuing Galactic Patrol fighters. "Argue later!" Fasha cut in. "Just get us out of here for now!" "What my wife just said!" Turles snapped. "Get us the hell out of here, guys!"

Taro and Zarloe both nodded. "We need a warp vector, and fast!" Zarloe said. "Or they're gonna catch up and blow us apart!" Turles nodded. "Plot a course for Earth!" he shouted. "It's remote enough that they won't know where we went!"

"Earth? Never heard of it," Zarloe said. "That's exactly the idea!" Turles replied, pushing his way to the console. "It's one of the ship's saved destinations!"

"You've been there before?" Zarloe questioned. "Yes!" Turles replied. "But now's not the time to be questioning my travel logs!"

Zarloe nodded as Turles quickly pulled up the list of saved courses, pulling up the one he was looking for. "Plotted! Get us out of here!" he shouted. Zarloe nodded, reaching for the warp drive controls. "Jumping in 3…2…1!" Zarloe said, flicking the lever forward. The Comet Star jumped to warp space just in time to avoid being vaporized, leaving their pursuers in the dust.

The pursuing craft were nearly blown apart by the backwash from the Comet Star's warp jump- they'd been fairly close when it fled. "Damn it! They jumped out!" Red Leader swore. "And they vaporized most of Green and Blue Squadrons with that move!" "I saw it too," Gold Leader said. "We need to fall back and give our reports to command."

Red Leader nodded, but didn't get to reply as the fleet commander's voice soon echoed over their comms. "No need. We saw them jump out," he said. "Fall back." "Right," Red Leader said. "Yes sir."

"I read you, sir," Gold Leader said. "Red and Gold Squadrons returning to base." "Affirmative. That is all," the fleet commander said, signing off. He paced back and forth across his bridge, annoyed that the miscreants that attacked the prison had managed to escape. "Put out a priority search for that ship!" he said, ordering his bridge crew. "The entirety of the Patrol will know about them!"

"Yes sir!" one of the bridge crew said, getting right on that. "Thank you soldier," he said, turning back towards the front of the ship. This was an embarrassment- their craft outrun by a dingy cargo vessel.

Aboard the Comet Star…

"That was more stressful than it needed to be," Zarloe said. Turles chuckled. "You guys can go and take a break. Me and Fasha will take over," he said. "Right," Zarloe replied. "I could use a break."

Turles nodded, switching places with him. "I'll let you know when we've arrived at our destination. Zarloe nodded, moving to leave as Taro celebrated. "Finally! I can get rid of the rest of this stupid disguise!" she said. "Yeah, yeah. Go change," Fasha replied, moving to swap with her. Taro nodded, leaving the co-pilot's chair. "Don't wreck us!" she said. "I don't wanna die after we survived all of that."

Fasha rolled her eyes as she took the seat. "Just go," she said. Taro laughed and followed Zarloe off of the bridge. "Your sister is obnoxious," Fasha said. Turles laughed for several seconds in response. "She is," he said at last. "But she's still my sister."

Fasha sighed. "Don't remind me!" she said. Turles laughed again. "Relax. Once we recruit my brother, she'll calm down. Hopefully," he said. "I thought you didn't want to recruit Bardock?" Fasha questioned, recalling Turles' earlier sentiment. "I changed my mind," Turles said. "His power would make him an asset, even if I can't personally stand him."

Fasha nodded. "Alright, then," she said. "I hope that you being unable to get along with your brother won't screw up our plans."

"It won't," Turles said. "We'll just have to bring Gine along to keep him calm. It won't be all that hard."

Fasha nodded, though she was still unsure of that plan. It probably wasn't the wisest course of action, but they had no choice. Bardock probably wouldn't come with them without her, so it was their only way. That didn't mean that she had to like it. "That's a terrible plan," she said. "I know," Turles said. "I don't like it either."

Fasha smiled. At least he admitted it this time. "Good. You recognize that," she said. Turles smiled facetiously, though he didn't actually speak. Fasha smirked. That was good for his health, she mused. She wasn't in the mood for more of his smug overconfidence at the moment. They'd only narrowly escaped getting blasted into nothing as their shields failed.

So she was really, really not in the mood. The annoyance would not be worth it.

Been a little while, hasn't it? Well, we're back! I've not entirely decided on how many more chapters I want for this arc, but know that I want to wrap it up fairly soon. And then it's on to the next saga! This story is intended to share continuity with my other story, Dragon Ball Warriors, so I'd appreciate if you guys could show that one some love too. I know that I said it last time, but I'd appreciate it nonetheless. Feel free to leave a review if you want. Just know that a purely negative review will be ignored. Constructive criticism or none at all, thank you very much.

Moving on, we're going to discuss some of the reviews! It's been a while since I've done one of these (Ch. 5, I think), so here we are!

First up on Review Corner Part II: coldblue asked me if I'm going to use Shallot and Giblet from Dragon Ball Legends, as well as Vegeta's brother Tarble. So, really that's two questions in one. To answer the first, probably not- at least not in this story. Maybe Warriors- that's something that would come up there, not here. As for Tarble, I haven't decided. He may show up eventually- depends on what I want to do with him.

Next up, a guest review was posted, asking if Lord Slug will show up. I can't remember if I addressed this before or not: I'm not sure if I'm gonna use all of the movie characters. Bojack will show up at some point, but I'm not sure about the others (apart from Turles, that is).

Another guest review asked about Paragus and Broly. I do indeed have plans for them, but they're a long way off. It'll probably be a crossover with Warriors when he does show up, which means a lot of work on both stories needs to be done before I'm ready to do that.

I hope you guys will enjoy this one! Until next time!

As usual, signing off!

-Robbtastic01.