[IC] DBR: Requiem Terra Saga

[Skarten]

Emperor Galacius

It was a normal day on the planet of Bayez. It's inhabiters continued their daily routine, with the majority of the population working in the vast, industrialized cities that allowed for such a large number of people. Yet, the higher-ranking members of the race were uneasy, for an odd event was occuring. Over a year had passed after what was now called The Great Revolt, when a great majority of the race began to protest the permanent occupation of Bayez by the Planet Trade Organization, who, despite what every sane person in the planet expected, simply retreated, leaving the planet free. It was an partciularly strange thing, but it was not questioned-for there was no possible, reasonable awnser to it, and thus, leaving the mystery alone was decided to be the best solution.

But destiny had decided this would not be a normal day. Infact, this would be the farthest possible one could get from an normal day. For, albeist unknown to the Bayezidi, a great force was arriving over the horizon of the planet. This force was, of course, from the PTO, who had finally arrived to, at least what most of it's soldiers assumed was a counter-attack, as to take once again the heavily industrialized planet.

Soon, Bayez was completely encircled by the forces of the galactical empire led by the frost demon, ready to descend unto the planet and start a bloody reconquest.They waited, patiently, for the order to begin the assault to be given. Yes, that would have been but a routinely invasion, a common procedure that had been done many, many times done by those men. Through the ranks of the Planet Trade Organization, the atmosphere was uneasy but calm, with many personnel from the lowest of grunts to the highest of commanders puzzled about the presence of the emperor. Why was the most powerful man in the Galaxy, both in terms of force and of authority, present in the vulgar event of a planetary revolt? For the troopers that had knowledge of such presence, it was impossible not to ponder the reason for such a rare occurrence.

In Bayez, as the clocks notified it was mid day (An interesting fact, due to it's ridiculously extensive industries and nearly complete urban area, the atmosphere of Bayez was almost completely shrouded in Dark Smoke, which had, a few hours earlier, funnily enough, made the encirclement of the planet go unnoticed by it's inhabiters.) all transmission began to be hijacked by outer equipment. This was rapidly taken note of, and quickly enough, all of the Bayezid who had any means to do so, had quickly tuned in to the incoming broadcast, which was, at the same time, being shared to the entire dominion of the Planet Trade Organization and the galaxy they resided in general.

Not much time after, once the broadcast began, the Imperial Ship was shown, it's roof opening slowly but surely, as Galacius himself, the galactic despot, was revealed, sitting in his Royal Hover Pod, with a look that could only be described as able to make even the most courageous brute shrivel up to the size of an rat, in fear. The words that followed would not be quickly forgotten.

"Citizens and Servants of my Domain and other beings of the Universe, Here speaks the mighty Galacius, leader of the Planet Trade Organization and Lord of the Galaxy. It has come to my attention that this planet known as Bayez has not a long time ago revolted against my men, commiting the most heinous crime of betrayal. As it is knowledge of all, the punishment for such Act...
Is Death.

Galacius took his right hand above his Head, as the energy began to materialize

While that, on the surface of Bayez...

Chaos. That was the most correct word to describe the state of the planet following the short moments of the broadcast. All semblance of authority fell as the population panicked, abandoning whatever they were doing to either attempt to flee (although to no avail) pass their last minutes with their family or join in the anarchy. Thousands upon thousands died, just in the first few minutes that the frost demon autocrat had granted (With the purpose, of course, being to allow the people of the planet to suffer.)


As the final seconds approached, the mayhem quickly stopped, those still in the planet realizing the futility of it all, for there was no escape. It is said that, for all those on the surface of the planet, be it in the sprawling industrial and urban complexes, or in the few remaining open fields, your last vision would be that of a refulgent violet light penetrating the thick, poluted atmosphere, signalizing the arrival of the Ashen Pale Horse, followed by a deafeaning sound and a blinding light, then eternal darkness.

And thus, here ends the story of the Bayezid, a people who had dared to fight against mightier forces and failed. They were now nothing more than a memory, a warning to those who were foolish enough to think about challenging the authority of the Galactic Emperor, a mere example between many of what destiny was reserved for those who did not comply.

In the end, death had arrived unto them.

And it was purple.

[Gurori]

Akiko

Pain. That's the first thing she felt as both eyes barely managed to open. Even breathing was painful to an extent, probably because of the cracked and broken ribs which were still healing. To sum it all up in one sentence, Akiko felt like she'd just been hit by a bus. She was slipping in and out of consciousness, perhaps it was a side effect of going into stasis for the first time?

Soon enough though, these sleepy spells had ended, as Akiko awakened "properly", only to find herself submerged in some kind of liquid which surprisingly, wasn't drowning her.

[Turmenista]

Val Ambrose
The Hideout
Present Day

__________________________________

The most infuriating part about his Pyrrhic victory was Callar's sudden departure. Val vividly recalled the moment, three months ago at the Porunga Plains, where he saw the Saiyan Prince, on the verge of being defeated by his hands after the Android designated #5 made his sacrifice, flee the planet in his pod after taking the two female "Earth Saiyans," as Val referred to them, as trophies... He never understood the man's intentions, but as his eyes and Callar's locked one last time while the Saiyan fled the planet, Val remembered exactly what he yelled:

"You might think this is a victory for you, coward. It's not! You have lost, Callar. Go ahead and leave this planet. I know you'll return—so I’ll be waiting for you, and when you come back with whatever army you have, I'll be here to stop you. I’ll be stronger than you. Faster than you. Better than you. You will know to fear the name of Val Ambrose. I have won!”

But at what cost?

Most of the Earth defenders—the ragtag group of martial artists that were the first in line to defend against the Saiyan invasion—were either battered horribly or dead. Two of their members had been abducted, and one of the mysterious Androids who had intervened sacrificed himself to defeat Callar, destroying his body completely. The only ones left standing that Val could see of use were Android 13, Colrab, and the other android with dreadlocks, who Val quickly found out was designated #7. Colrab's strange berserker state had worn off, leaving his body as broken and mangled as it was when he first made a biometric scan of him, while he quickly found out that #7 was missing multiple components and limbs, with some horrifically destroyed limbs and internal components gone or in need of urgent repair, namely a sizable chunk from his head. Luckily, the Android's memory module had remained intact, along with the internal power core—miraculously, it was an archaic design compared to the one used on Val's armors and in Android 13, but seemed to have a different purpose rather than generating potentially infinite amounts of energy: absorbing energy.

So, faced with a malfunctioning, fixable android and a dying, also fixable Saiyan, Val took the opportunity to take them to his hideout and nurse them back to health. But during the uneventful and deathly-quiet flight back to his base, Val contemplated their future. That is, the planet's future.

Sure, the Earth Defenders, for a ragtag group of humans and Saiyans, had all done everything necessary to defend their planet. Absolutely everything. As much as he disapproved of their mentality, Val could respect their courage for facing otherwise insurmountable odds and surviving. Technically, Val could even say it was a success: two Saiyans were killed, not to mention two others from the year prior, when he first learned about the alien race. Callar had retreated from their planet with his tail in between his legs—no pun intended—and any chances of a counterattack had been quickly reduced to a pulp. The arrival of Androids and Val himself, to say the least, had spiced things up a little, but their bittersweet victory came at a frightening cost: One lost soul, two kidnapped, and an assortment of mangled, injured bodies.

Val knew better. While an army like the Blue Beret Army would've hardly ever bat an eye to numbers like these, these "minor" losses were losses of the only people capable enough of repelling a similar threat in the future. And, as it stood now, Val wasn't so sure that Callar would be gone for good. As soon as he was finished arriving in the Hideout's hangar and tasking 13 to send the two to the sickbay, Val immediately began watching the orbital radar, monitoring existing Blue Beret satellites that he had taken over vigorously. Any idiot would think that a loss like this would make Callar never want to come back, but any seasoned, experienced commander knew that a situation like this was only room for a counterattack. The first wave had been two Saiyans, the wave following that three Saiyans. Val wasn't in the mood to place any bets on how many Saiyans would arrive on the third wave, let alone any other aliens the Saiyans might've been friends with. Android #5 and the two kidnapped Earth Saiyan females didn't deserve to be taken away, only for the enemy to return in a larger force.

So, he immediately went to work, accomplishing advancements that would've taken a team of scientists years to do in mere months. This work spree comprised of fixing his arsenal, repairing #7 and upgrading his existing systems, and healing Colrab back to full health.

Val began with his suits first as soon as the aforementioned individuals were in stable condition. The Sentinel Mk.1 and SaiyanBuster Mk.1 both had glaring weaknesses which he intended to eliminate in his latest armors, namely a pathetically under-average firepower for the Sentinel and the disadvantage of speed in the SaiyanBuster. In the short time that he and Callar fought, Val knew the Saiyan Prince was easily capable of outrunning the SaiyanBuster. Yes, they could theoretically last the same time due to the Sentinel's sheer size and durability, but a suit that weighed several tons fighting a man that could run circles around him wasn't ever a good predicament. This meant that he had to strip away a pretty frightening amount of stuff from his dedicated Saiyan-killer, placing more emphasis on a higher amount of his artificial muscles, cybernetically reinforcing them to withstand much higher levels of tension and torsion whilst also staying flexible. Rather than being comprised fully of metal armor, Val's new SaiyanBuster strengthened the artificial muscles with a chain-mail-like light armor layer, which still used the most advanced materials he could find to form a barrier strong enough to withstand an equivalent Callar-strength blow, overlaid with a layer of heavy armor that still allowed for quicker, faster movement compared to the SaiyanBuster's admittedly slow movement.

The result was a behemoth— The SaiyanBuster Mk. 2. Practically a direct upgrade from the SaiyanBuster Mk.1, it still retained the armor's characteristic strength, though, after running several simulations, had the capability to keep up with Val's next project: the Sentinel's next version.

He wanted the SaiyanBuster to stay as his weapon of last resort, an ultimate trump card to defeat a Saiyan or equally powerful threat. Thus, the Sentinel Mk.2 became his primary suit for the time being, with Val seeking to rectify it's weaker destructive stats for a package that was fast, responsive, and destructive, yet durable enough to withstand foes that didn't necessitate the use of the SaiyanBuster. Both armors had been fitted with upgraded shields, meant to produce a layer around the armor that repelled incoming damage from hitting the armor, rather than just taking the form of a bubble shield. But this new shield system was also a platform for his new project: an energy absorption module, taken from Android #7 and studied vigorously to learn its secrets from whatever person made it.

Val promised the Android a trade: #7 would trade the knowledge of his energy absorption technology to Val for his use, who would in turn upgrade him with his own Perpetual Energy core, updated equipment and sensors, cybernetic replacement limbs, and replacements to systems that were damaged or destroyed: a near cybernetic makeover. When he took on the long process of repairing the Android, Val discreetly accessed the android's memory files, scouring deep to try and find who made them. Judging by their similar function to how Android 13 operated, Val initially assumed these were androids from another Blue Beret scientist who went underground or died, but found no references to any organization of that type. What he did find was exciting: records of planets past visited, ships and races encountered, and a name: Mark Nemo.

What he found on Mark Nemo was nothing short of fascinating: Mark Nemo had been dead for years, assumed missing ever since a fatal hiking accident far away from civilization. He put two and two together, deducing that whoever built Mark Nemo's new body—whoever built Android #5—had a similar story to his saving of 13's life.

Moving on to Colrab, the Saiyan was an oddity, to say the least. By all known laws of medicine and a basic knowledge of anatomy and physiology, and after assessing his X-ray, he should've been dead once he was placed into the healing tank to stabilize his condition and later begin his healing process. But, as mysterious as they were, he once again made an oversight on the Saiyans' abilities: they apparently had the ability to miraculously heal themselves after a near-death injury, almost doubling their existing power once they fully recovered. Val saw no implications of replicating the effect, nor did he know what its name was, but one thing was for sure: The Saiyans were one tough damn race.

Watching both individuals in their respective healing bays, along with watching the progress of his armor, Val sat down and folded his arms, still pondering on what to do next.

[The Fallen Jedi]

Khido 'Tenom | Khyza 'Tenamee
Earth - Diablo Desert, Tenom Oasis

Fate seemed to have a sense of humor thought Khyza as he walked gracefully through the forests surrounding the Tenom Oasis. He had thought that after all of the chaos he had caused his own people that Khido would exact the traditional execution of all traitors on the day of their battle and yet after he had explained why he served the whims of the PTO that he found understanding from the one who he had taken much from. True that Khido did not yet fully forgive the actions of the Ka'gah Elder it was a step in the right direction for them to focus their direction elsewhere: the Planet Trade Organization. With the assault of Callar and his ilk did both Ka'gah conclude that soon the full might of the Planet Trade Organization would be upon the blue and green orb that was planet Earth and they could not allow their new home to face the same fate that was held over Salexis like a guillotine. While Khyza did not feel much for the Earth he had come to discover that Khido had made a lasting home on this world and had slowly come to appreciate the variety of life Earth housed.

"Each day we allow to pass only brings the Planet Trade Organization closer to this world and if they find out that I've finally gone rogue then Salexis will face destruction." The Ka'gah Elder thought grimly, carrying his captured game over his shoulder, having gone hunting so that the two Ka'gah could actually eat something in peace. While there were places that the two could go to in order to get food, they did not have any form of money nor did they want to frighten the populace by their appearance, besides that hunting has always been considered a daily occurrence for all who hailed from the world of Salexis for while they had interstellar capabilities the traditions of their ancestors still held great influence over the Ka'gah civilization. As the Ka'gah Elder made his way out of the forest would he notice a particular sight. All around him was debris of varying magnitude from rocks with holes in the center to trees that had collapsed from what appeared to be energy attacks, Khyza chuckled as he looked up to the meditating Khido "Your increased mastery of the Demonic Retribution never ceases to amaze me, from the short amount of time I've been here you were able to not only fully master the first step but somehow ascend to the third step during our battle."

At this would the Ka'gah Exile open his eyes as he spoke to the Elder "I'm honestly impressed that it didn't cripple me for the rest of my life really, It felt like every muscle was being torn to shreds when I ascended to the third level." Khido explained. While he didn't fully forgive Khyza for his actions, Khido had figured that outright ignoring his presence wouldn't make much progress. Upon noticing the number of deer on Khyza's shoulder would the Ka'gah Exile rise up from his meditative stance and begin gathering wood in order to light a fireplace. "That's the largest amount of animals I've seen anyone collect from a hunt in awhile." Khido commented.

Khyza simply shrugged as he placed the deer down onto the ground as he sat down by the fire for a moment. "To be fair I've spent most of my early life on Salexis helping my clan gather food for the seasonal hunts, This planet doesn't really seem to have fierce animals to kill and I could have collected more had I been aware of where the most prey is located on this world." The Elder stated as he placed one of the deer over the fire, placing his hands in front of the fire and warming up his hands.

[The Republic of Atria]

As much as he wanted to punch the smug inventor in his face parts, he did... Quite well against Callar. They got his tail off and one of the Androids had given up his life to ensure that Callar would be leaving the planet with tinnitus and burns. True, he would have wished to be in the middle of the fray and break the Saiyan in half himself, he grabbed two of the unconscious ones and threw them in the pods that the other two arrived in. Moe had apparently got a job as a truck driver or something, the Androids were taken by the inventor, as well as the other Saiyan, Colrab.

That left him dangerously low on training partners. Without a doubt Callar was going to come back, with a vengeance. Ovan had absolutely no intention of letting him do it without having to work for it. He counted who was left and... It was Hayate, who wasn't much of a training partner like Ayata was. That left Khido... Who he hadn't seen since the fight. Thankfully they weren't all that far away after everything had settled. So he tracked them down to a campfire in the woods, eating a dead deer they'd hunted. "Hey Khido and other... guy." He said as he floated down. "Since everyone's gone and fucked off, I need new training partners. I've got the sneaking suspicious Prince Pretty Boy is going to come back. And he's probably going to be a bit stronger than he was now. I don't plan on being caught with my pants down again."

"So here's what's gonna happen. Y'all two need your rest, fair enough. But as soon as you're capable, I'm going to run you two into the ground. We're going to become the most powerful motherfuckers on the planet, no, galaxy. Welcome to Sensei Ovan's Boot Camp. When I'm done with you, you can go take a vacation in hell. Since that'll probably be more relaxing then what I'm about to put you two through." He wasn't lying. He had every intention of turning not just them, but himself into a monster to be feared.

3 months

"COMMME OOOON! MY NOSE RUNS FASTER!" Ovan shouted as he shot through the woods for probably the two hundredth time in his training with the aliens. It had been a productive few months month. The two aliens were surprisingly good sparring partners. They had stamina issues, whereas he didn't. Stamina and endurance was the thing he was fantastic at. All of them had gotten significantly stronger, but for Ovan it wasn't enough.

No, he had his goal: Absolute strength. Nothing was going to stop him.

[New Neros]

Android 7

Weak and battered, the Android leaked energy as he moved sluggishly forward, his containment field having suffered damage that he had ignored previously. Still, the synth made his way back into the fray, having felt the raw, emotional energy given off by the only person Seven could reasonably assume, and that was Colrab. He hurried along despite broken hip joints, too late to stop Colrab's rage but enough to cradle him when Callar slapped him away once more. Tumbling down next to his protege, 7 formed a look of concern as he glanced up towards Callar, wondering who else would stand against the Saiyan's rampage.

"No..." He whispered, seeing with his own eyes the defiant and determined look Android 5 wore, watching helpless as his only friend grabbed the Saiyan as tightly as possible and flew high into the air. "There's another way, don't-" Seven yelled, his voice cut off by the immense explosion his friend and partner caused, using his own body as a fuel to destroy the Saiyan. Android 7's systems flashed aggressively, warning him of an imminent shut-down protocol, but he silently bypassed it. Standing up in the aftermath of the fireball, Android 7's hands trembled, watching the Saiyan Princes' body fall to the ground. He grew furious as he still felt the Princes' energy, watching as he stood once more. Seven rose to his feet as well, but collapsed in short order. "I could do it now, I could win for us..." He said, slamming his one good hand into the ground, "Why won't you move, you synthetic piece of shit..."

Taking a moment to collect himself, Android 7 turned to look at Colrab, growing immensely sad at the state the Saiyan was left in. He took another glance at Callar, watching as he called down his space pod. Making his decision, Android 7 carefully scooped up Colrab with his one good arm and gently carried his broken body over his shoulder. "I'm sorry," He softly whispered, "I can't lose you too." Each step feeling like a marathon, Android 7 limped away from the battlefield, but was quickly accosted by the man inside the suit he had observed earlier. It was either take his offer or walk the hundreds of miles back to Capsule Corp, and Seven had Colrab to think about, so it was an easy choice.

Several Months Later...

The Hideout
Android 7 Mark Nemo

The Saiyans were a proud race, that may be an understatement, but his short exchange with Callar taught Android 7 several key points he was missing. Speed and power within his arsenal, of course, but to take and hold pride in the name you have, and the Android felt that he lacked such devotion because he did not know who he truly was. As Val Ambrose, perhaps the most gifted scientist and engineer Android 7 had ever worked with save for the brilliance of Dr. White, made his repairs and adjustments, Seven made the request to access his deep core memory and find his creator and if possible, his name.

Mark Nemo.

It had a ring to it, he had to admit, but it was something Android 7 could truly cherish and hold dear. Something that was his through and through. Recalling all of his adventures and times with Android 5, Mark Nemo wondered what his name is, if he would care that much about it. "I'll bring you back," He would tell himself in a hushed tone, "And you'll have your name, too." Still, there was much work to be done and upgrades to endure, and Mark was quite the willing participant in Dr. Ambroses' experiments and training sessions, watching with some pride as Colrab made a significant recovery, enough to join in eventually.

Awakening in his healing station, Mark Nemo twisted his wrist and observed his new arm, it was a replacement, but Val more or less re-built 7 from the ground up in exchange for the absorption technology he possessed. Feeling his chest, Mark could make out the two cores within him, the absorption model and the infinite energy model, something Val said would come in handy should there be a Third Invasion after Callar. Recalling his name made the synths' blood boil, knowing what he had lost, and rising to go find him.

It took no time as Val was observing his wards, Mark Nemo giving him a friendly smile in the meantime. It wasn't odd to find the man working all hours of the night on a project, he was obsessive but absolutely excellent at what he did, and entirely dedicated to his craft. "Val," Mark stated to get the man's attention, "Would it be fine to take my body for a test run? I want to see what I'm capable of, and I'm sure you want some data on it as well."

[The Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune]

Hayate

By the time he awoke, it was already. The rest of the fighters had gone, as had the Saiyans. Taking a moment to reach out with his mind, he began to feel around for energies that he could recognize. Colrab was apparently still alive, but just so... whatever Ayata had done really had messed him up. He thought he pinged Ovan along with the two other aliens, and maybe just a little bit of Moe, but other than that the radar was dead. Which wasn't really saying much, that accounted for everyone who was injured enough to be unable to hide their energy or not an android. There was one blatant hole though... Ayata and Akiko.

Panic began to set in. He double checked and then triple checked his ki sense. Nothing. Nothing even close to resembling their energy. Hayate tried to ignite his aura and take flight to search for them, but his body had been battered into near normal levels of weakness. Groaning, he realized he was going to need to recover before he could even begin to search for the others. Picking a direction, Hayate crossed his fingers and prayed that there was at least a forest that way.

It took him a day, but he finally reached a break in the near constant landscapes of rock. A small pocket of woodlands provided him with berries and his first drink of fresh water. Finally taking a moment to rest, Hayate closed his eyes, and once more fell asleep.

---

One month after Invasion

Breathing in the fresh air, Hayate walked out onto the street for the first time since he had checked himself into the hospital. Though he had a vast multitude of injuries from the fight, most of them had been trivial for a proper medical staff to heal and he had been allowed out with orders to rest. At this point, after scanning everywhere nearby for weeks on end, that his sister had either gotten herself killed or some worse fate had be fallen her. Which meant there was only one thing he could actually do now. After "acquiring" some trail supplies, Hayate set off into the woods. The Land of Karin was sacred, even before Hayate had learned that Kami made his home there. Many of the old heroes of myth had made their home there and it was said that the land itself had absorbed some of their power.

Whatever the case, it seemed likely that if he was to find a Dragonball, it would be somewhere around there. He quickly took off, making a light flying speed towards a sacred site that he knew of, the Shrine of Hiroto. The legendary warrior had single handedly fought back the demon clans and had been one of the first to use the Dragonballs, hence the common name for him as the "Dragon Lord". Hiroto had eventually fallen in a fight against a great sorcerer who had stripped him of his power and then killed him with conventional weaponry. Still though, Hiroto's death inspired the greatest hero of mankind to take up fighting in the first place. Jun, the Oni-Bane. Demons still reportedly fled from a very mention of the name. Jun's power was the stuff of dreams and nightmares, being able to throw mountains and drink oceans. However much of it was fabricated, the legend of Jun had been what initially inspired Hayate's father to start fighting.

Reaching the shrine by nightfall, Hayate set up camp and got some rest, ready for long weary days of hunting before him.

---

Two months after Invasion

Splashing his face from the river, Hayate almost screamed in frustration. He knew for sure that there was a ball here now. The locals had reported seeing an object fitting the description embedded into a cliff, but no matter which direction the locals pointed him in, it always seemed to lead to a dead end. It wasn't an obvious falsehood though. The tale remained consistent across nearly the entire province and the description remained the same, an amber colored ball with two red stars on it's face, embedded into the side of a cliff. None of the locals had even touched it, superstition deriving from the myth of the Dragon Lord scaring them off. He was so close, but still so far.

Hayate took a moment to look at himself in the water. His beard was beginning to reach a modest length now and he had a distinct look of weariness to him. All he needed was a peppering of grey hair and a couple more scars and he could be his father's twin. Hayate shook the thought off... not because of the implications for his age, but rather that one of his greatest fears was coming true. He was becoming his father. Suddenly, a whisper came from the woods, floating on the wind as though it were a butterfly. Hayate jumped at first but as the hushed tones continued, he was oddly calmed by them. The duo of voices came from a small nearby clearing.

As Hayate entered the clearing, he saw before him the massive rock that he had seen jutting out of the forest canopy. What interested him far more was the small round object glinting in the sunlight. A small jewel like ball sat embedded in the rock, two red stars adorning it's surface. Stepping forward, wary of ambush he used ki to dig his fingers into the rock and remove the ball. Holding the small glass like object in his hand, Hayate felt a strange emotion of relief, fulfillment and sadness all at once. Everything that his father had devoted himself to... it was real... but the old man never got to see out his dream.

Turning arond, Hayate swore he saw someone standing in the shade behind him, but after a moment he realized it must have been some form of optical illusion. Either way, Hayate didn't dawdle leaving the clearing.

---

Three months after Invasion

Nothing. He had flown all over the world, and all he had learned from it was that his sister definitely wasn't on Earth anymore, and the other balls had apparently vanished with her. No mention of strange tailed women, no mention of Dragonballs, no mention of even Saiyans in some places. It was utterly infuriating. Even meditating couldn't calm him down. He needed someone to stop him, before he fell too far down the rabbit hole.

That's why he had returned to the lookout. If anyone could help him, it would be Kami. Stopping inside the small home at the base of the tower where Bene lived, he called out into the abode "Anyone home?"

---

Ayata

There was a lot of rushing around. She had only been in this part of the building once before, when she watched her brother be sent off. The constant noise of boots on metal clanged around her. She watched streaks of light as the curious little balls that had taken her brother shot off into space. A large man carried her in his arms as he walked around the hangar. Though she very rarely saw him, as was the case with most Saiyan children, she knew he was her father. Besides her brother, he had been the only one in her life who she had formed an actual connection with.

Another large man walked forward and asked "Is this little runt the daughter your so fond of Kailin? She doesn't seem like much, especially compared to your elder son."

Her father scoffed and said "Tatsoi may have been stronger at birth, but I have faith in this little one. She's shown tremendous increase in power in her first year and I can only imagine her assignment will boost her strength."

The other man laughed and said "If she actually manages to kill anything with my Colrab as one of her partners. The lad must be already double this runt's strength, and he's a few months younger than her. I'd say it's a problem with your seed but your first two children clearly show otherwise."

Her father scowled and said "Very well then Rapini, let's have a bet about it then. I'll bet you next breed on Mizuna that Kyuku comes back twice the strength of Colrab, at least"

The other one laughed and said "That's easy winnings right there. Have you really taken that many hits to the head Kailin? It's only been a few years since we last fought together but I think you've been broken in that time."

Kailin simply scowled. Rapini grinned and said "All right then, you're on. But when my next son turns out even stronger than this bastard whose going to destroy your daughter for me, you'll wish you never made this bet." The other saiyan strode off to a nearby pod, where two soldiers held back a women pleading "RAPINI! YOU CAN'T DO THIS, HE'S NOT EVEN A YEAR OLD YET... SOMEBODY SAVE MY CHILD." Rapini slapped the woman, causing her to fall limp. "And to think I bred with you."

Kailin nestled his own daughter into a pod, and input the coordinates to her assignment into a nearby panel. He tussled Ayata's hair one last time telling her "The universe is yours little one, you can burn whatever image you want into it. Now bring our race glory, and bring me the head of Rapini's boy."

Ayata remembered her head nodding, not quite understanding her father, but knowing that made him happy. Watching as he shut the pod door, she felt a rumble from beneath her. The next thing she remembered was awaking to a loud crash. Outside was a tropical landscape. Hungry, Ayata had headbutted her door open, and found some monkeys which she quickly caught and began to feast on. The next thing she knew, another man was picking her up, and speaking in an accent unfamiliar to the young child. A woman walked up, and after an exchange, they carried the girl off.

The next set of memories flashed by in a blur. A month of trying to kill her kidnappers while they foolishly gave her their food, until one night when she looked outside at the large glowing white orb. She remembered crushing the woman, and reaching for the boy who lived with her kidnappers, before feeling an immense pain on her backside. Everything went dark.

Her eyes shot open within the healing pod. Various hear rate monitors and other such devices went off outside the pod itself. Ayata tried to blast her way out of her situation, but found that some of the machines on her body were applying regular but mild shocks to her pressure points. Nothing painful, but enough to stop her ki from flowing. Pressing her face against the glass, she started to bang on it with her fist, hoping someone would notice her.

[Atkemri]

The Otherworld
King Kai's planet

"#5 I need you to go to hell for me." #5 had been training with King Kai for 3 months straight, rarely stopping, day in and day out, and could he feel the results. Despite being dead he felt the best he had in a while, and had also picked up a few new techniques. And now the Kai was in front of #5 telling him to go to hell, amazingly it wasn't the weirdest thing asked of him while there

"You want me to do what?" #5 asked the Kai questioningly looking for any kind of clarification "I need you to go to hell #5. Some demon has been causing a ruckus in the afterlife and I need someone to check it out" #5 without question then leaped off the planet and into hell. King Kai leanned over waving his arms very quickly"#5! Don't you want to know what it looks like?!" it was too late however as #5 wasn't listening and had already begun the long fall into hell.

Hell

#5 had entered and caught himself before hitting the ground. It really is hot in here, isn't it #5 was sweating almost as much as to when he exploded on Callar which caused #5 to shudder before he removed his shirt. He began looking around for the demon in question until he found a large demon eating another whole.

"Would you happen to be a afterlife destroying demon? I've been looking around and you seem to fit the description." The demon turnt around revealing it's many sets of eyes and rows upon rows of teeth "Who dares interrupt Shagon the defiler?" #5 launched a Ki Blast Bomb at Shagon before rushing towards him delivering a punch through his body "I'm the resident demon slayer and guess who's being slain" much to #5s surprise however Shagon was still very much alive.

"Mortal fool! Now perish!" Shagon picked #5 up removing #5s arm from his chest and stuck him into his mouth. #5 activated his barrier and Shagon was unable to swallow. Being a creature without nostrils Shagon began to choke before #5 flew out. "Let me show you something Shaggin." #5 began to power up with a red aura "Fool! That is not how you say Shagon's great name! DIE!" just as Shagon began rushing towards #5 finished his transformation "Kaio-Ken x3!"

Shagon was stopped with a fist to the stomach causing the demon to stumble back. "Your thing was okay, now let me show you what I got." #5 began ruthlessly and relentlessly beating Shagon with all manner of kicks and punches. Shagon was thrown into the air and juggled as #5 played around with him as if Shagon were a toy

Finally Shagon fell to the ground almost dead as he fired a beam of dark Ki "WHY WON'T YOU DIE!" #5 responded by lifting his hands and gathering energy "Hyper Flash!" a red beam launched from his hands and met the other beam causing a clash. As the clash continued it was obvious that Shagon would lose, which he did and Shagon the Defiler was no more. #5 made his way back to King Kai's planet and took a seat on the planet's grass and laid on the ground. Before the Kai could ask how he was able to preform such a feat #5 simply muttered "All in a day's work"

[Finland SSR]

Prince Callar, Leader of the Saiyan Race!

Galacius 1159

---

Leaning on the wall on the other side of the room of the two healing pods, Callar noticed that the computers attached to both devices began to beep, indicating that all life functions and the top shape of each of the Saiyan girls were fully restored. In fact, Ayata even began to weakly beat on the glass of the healing pod, while Akiko opened her eyes and watched herself not drown despite being submerged with surprise.

What, are the automatic pod opening protocols broken as well? Sheesh, this whole outpost is just one big mess.

Metamorphians couldn't use healing pods, though, so maybe that's the reason why. Callar walked up and activated manual opening protocols in both with the press of a few buttons. The liquid inside would quickly drain away and the glass doors of the chambers would open with a fizzling sound, the first sight beyond them being the Saiyan prince dropping a towel in front of each of the pods, next to the sets of jumpsuits and armored vests he had already placed there earlier.

"Welcome to Planet Galacius 1159," Callar spoke, once again leaning on the wall and folding his arms. "You are now members of the Planet Trade Organization and I am your commanding officer."

[Gurori]

Akiko: Galacius 1159

The first question asked wasn't "Where am I", nor was it "Where are my clothes" and it wasn't even "What have you done". No, it was something else entirely. "What's a Planet Trade Organisation?" Those were the first words which left her mouth after months of silence, stretching both arms above her head. Keep in mind this was being done as she stood before Callar in a manner which would be considered taboo by Earthling standards.

Then again, Akiko was raised in the middle of nowhere, probably didn't even know what "taboo" meant.

That's besides the point though. Point is, she was basically asking questions in the WRONG order...

...Or was she?

[The Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune]

Ayata

She felt the liquid drain out from around her, exposing her skin to hot air, almsot scalding her. The assortment of wires and tubes that had been attached to her began to retract as she ripped the breathing mask off, her muscles still sore from whatever electro therapy they had been doing on her. Stretching out in the pod a bit, she watched as the door popped open revealing the room she was barely able to see in the liquid itself. It was strange, futuristic and alien. As she tuck her head out though, she was greeted with a sight she not welcome to. Callar.

As he gave his little announcement Ayata spat at his feet "If the machine back there hadn't closed off my Ki for the moment I would kill you where you stand... now where the fuck are we and what happened... what happened to Earth..." It couldn't be gone... surely it wasn't gone... but if she was... wherever this place was, and Callar was still alive.

No. It wasn't gone. Her gut at least told her that. But one problem at a time, where the hell was she and why did Callar bring her here.

[Finland SSR]

Prince Callar, Leader of the Saiyan Race!

Galacius 1159

---

Almost immediately after the two girls were let out of their healing pods, the Saiyan prince was barraged with a myriad of questions, as well as Ayata's classic hostile attitude. It's nothing to worry about. Earth just hasn't taught them any discipline. We'll whip them up to shape in a few months.

Callar rolled his eyes at Ayata's threats and spoke:

"The fate of Earth and everything that happened there is no longer of your concern, you're not going to return there anytime soon. Or ever." Callar did not discount the possibility of returning to Earth one day, if not to just pick up Colrab, but it was a possibility he left for the more distant future. Any attack on Earth would be costly, they'd need to improve a lot more to have it be a success. "As for where you are now... You are now within the territory controlled by the Planet Trade Organization, more specifically, Planet Galacius 1159. It is an interplanetary organization which eliminates sentient life on planets to prepare them for sale to the highest bidder. That's the reason why I came to Earth, actually."

Callar then pointed to the jumpsuits and armored vests placed before each of the Earth Saiyans' feet. "But moving on to other matters, here's your new clothing. I'll get you introduced to the basics of working here, we'll have a few sparring sesions and then search for a planet sweeping mission to get you some practice."

[The Fallen Jedi]

- Snip -

Khido 'Tenom | Khyza 'Tenamee
Earth - Diablo Desert, Tenom Oasis

"Using the Demon's Retribution doesn't come without it's consequences Ovan!" Khido shot back as he and Khyza began to ever so slowly catch up to Ovan's speed. While the two of them had the ability to tap into their race's unique ability, the consequences of using it for an extended period of time would usually result in fatigue even after mastering particular steps of the ability although the onset of this fatigue was usually delayed. The two Ka'gah had been putting their all into training with the unusually powerful human and even they had been shocked by the sheer amount of power that Ovan could handle, even in training would Khido and Khyza find themselves with more bruises and wounds than they had anticipated. "How in the seven hells is a human faster than us?! Even with our stamina issues this shouldn't be that much of a problem."

Instead of mulling over their limitations, Khyza was simply dumbstruck at the obvious gap in base power Ovan and their power. Sure that they could use the Demon's Retribution to overwhelm Ovan in combat but if they had not decided to limit themselves to their base power then the progress they would have made with Ovan would have been less in significance. However his worries were directed more towards the Planet Trade Organization. Regardless of the outcome in the battle against Prince Caller it would be obvious that the PTO would dispatch forces to the Earth in order to inspect whether the Saiyan Prince's mission was in fact a success or a failure. While concerned, he looked towards the large amount of power that Ovan commanded, it gave him some reassurance that the Earth was in capable hands, they were in a better position than Salexis had ever been in. The sacrifices that he had to make in order to save his race was great, for he did not have the power to oppose the PTO, these sacrifices gave him memories of the blood he shed, the lives he killed in order to protect his people.

"Never again..." Khyza said grimly, knowing that when his treachery was discovered Salexis would be destroyed and he would not let that happen, even if he had to take the PTO with him to hell. With his determination to evolve now pushing him would Khyza propel himself forward, now flying between Khido and Ovan, closing the gap between himself and the human quicker than he had before. This was his chance to right a wrong, and he wouldn't let this opportunity elude his grasp.

[Gurori]

Akiko: Galacius 1159

"What makes you think we'll help you?"

She was steaming; not in the intoxicated sense but the literal sense, the intense heat of the room and the cool liquid which had covered her was forming clouds of steam. Enough about that though, she finally started to dry herself off with the towel provided, an action which we really don't need to go into detail about.

"...And why should I wear that? It's hot enough in here, I don't want to become a steamed ham."

[The Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune]

Ayata

The saiyan woman dropped to her knees. They had failed... she had failed... she had lost. It was a new sensation. Ayata felt no real grief for the Earth or it's inhabitants. No one on the planet had ever really been truly kind to her except for her family. But she mourned for her brother. The only one who had really and truly been her friend was dead, her companion for her whole life, and likely the last thing he had ever seen of her... was her in great ape form smacking him into oblivion. What kind of a monster was she... what kind of a monster were her people...

It was in that moment of grief and rage that a certain epiphany came over Ayata. She would never beat Callar by being a better person than him, or by treating like any other opponent. She needed to crawl lower than him, become less than him, fight dirtier than him. And the only way she was going to be able to do that... was by learning from Callar himself. She would play his little game. She would play him. And when the time was right, and he truly thought he had beaten her, she would rip his heart out and force him to eat it.

Ayata, despite all this going on in her head, meekly looked down, portraying someone broken, and simply said "Akiko... we can't win this fight... we've got no home anymore... we might as well make a new one."

[Finland SSR]

Prince Callar, Leader of the Saiyan Race!

Galacius 1159

---

Ah, the two questions commanding officers in the PTO had grown accustomed to hearing while recruiting new soldiers all over the years - 'why should we join you' and 'what's up with these uniforms', coming from Akiko's mouth. Callar never understood the line of thought behind the second question, to be honest. What was wrong with tight suits and Battle Armor? They're a perfect fit for battle and don't obstruct your movement in a fight like normal clothes do.

"The answer to both of those, girl, is that I ordered you to." Callar spoke, glaring at Akiko. "If it's too hot in here, I can turn on the air conditioning, assuming it hasn't been busted like everything else in this god damn facility..."

The Saiyan prince let out a brief cough. "-sorry about that, I went overboard with my language there. We'll have to figure out what your real name is, too."

With Akiko dealt with, Callar's eyes trailed off towards Ayata, who seemed to be having an emotional crisis upon learning about never seeing Earth again, overtaken by grief and stating that they should just give up and try working with what they've got, this being the PTO. While that's great and all, Callar couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the woman's sudden change of thought.

"Beat that rubbish mentality into submission, Kyuku, you're not going to last long in this organization if you're this quick to give up." the Saiyan prince muttered, walked up to the exit of the room and pressed a button to turn on air conditioning - thankfully, it still worked, though with a loud buzzing sound which would probably drive a person inside insane if exposed for too long. "I'll be waiting for you two in the training quarters, put on your clothes and armor and join up with me there. In three minutes or less."

[The Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune]

Ayata

She held her pose and act until she watched Callar left the room. Holding it for a few more seconds before she looked up steel eyed and spat on the ground, before pushing herself up to her full height and straightening out her back. Glaring down the hallway, Ayata took in a few deep breaths before she dried off and put on the battle armor the other saiyan had laid out for them. Shadow boxing for a few moments to get the feel for the new armor, she then wrapped her tail around her waist the way she had seen other Saiyans doing before preparing to get moving.

She waited for Akiko and said in a tone laced with pure malice but also still a slightly weepy tone in case the prince had some form of camera in here "Best not leave the commanding officer waiting Akiko. We wouldn't want to waste our new organization's precious time when there are planets to be destroyed, like Earth. Let's go see how strong getting the shit kicked out of us made us."

[Gurori]

Akiko

"Right..." Her tone wasn't as... Enthusiastic as Ayata's, the idea of wiping out entire worlds like Callar had supposedly done to her own just didn't sit well with Akiko. So she put on the battle armour which was a lot more comfortable than it looked.

"...I guess we should get going, then." Her mannerisms had changed somewhat, the way she moved wasn't as energetic as before.

[The Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune]

Ayata

Ayata nodded before also walking through the door into the base proper. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before, even in the sprawling metopolises like Capitol or the ruins of East City. The tech wasn't that much more advanced than earths, but had such a strange alien quality to it that it sent Ayata's head spinning. And this was low tech judging off what Callar was saying. What would the capital world of this... PTO be like? What would it look like when she dismantled it brick by brick. Hopefully even better than the countless worlds she was going to tear apart until every last person responsible for doing this to her was brought down.

Walking over to one of the small rock like creatures who appeared to also inhabit the base, Ayata asked simply "Excuse me, but could you direct me to the training chamber."

The small rock creature made a few strange grinding sounds at her, before trying to shove past her. Ayata responded by kicking it, causing it to shatter across the hallway to the apparent shock of the other rock creatures... or at least Ayata thought it was shock. They looked about as shocked as a rock could look. Spitting on the pebbles that remained, Ayata said to the others "I'll find it myself."

After searching for another minute or too, Ayata found the chamber that Callar had walked off too. Punching the button to let herself into the room, she said "All right, let's do this Callar. I'm eager for a rematch."

[Atkemri]

Android #5

#5 took a rest after a long day of training and sat on the green field that was King Kai's planet. #5 sat there wondering when he'd be able to get back on Earth and how things were now, but another thing irritated him and King Kai may know about it. "Hey King Kai, what was that saiyan doing on Earth anyway?" King Kai turnt to #5 and grimaced "He was part of the PTO #5. They are very very bad people. They exterminate worlds and sell them to highest bidder. If a world they control resists it is destroyed by their Emperor." #5 looked over at the Kai who was clearly disgusted.

#5 stood up "Who is the Emperor?" "Emperor Glacius. He's a frost demon with unimaginable power." #5 proceeded to put his hand on King Kai's shoulder. "I'm going back into hell for more training. By the time I'm revived I'll be able to beat Emperor Glacier." #5 had began flying down to hell before the Kai could say anything. King Kai shook his head and looked down at #5 "He is certainly excitable." The Kai then went inside and proceeded to to check on his quadrant of the universe

[Finland SSR]

Prince Callar, Leader of the Saiyan Race!

Galacius 1159

---

The wait didn't take long - Kyuku showed up only a minute later, already in a jumpsuit and Battle Armor, having just smashed a Metamorphian into a thousand pieces some time ago and now excited for a rematch. Akiko was sure to follow.

"I'd advice you against lashing out on the rock creatures here, please. It takes them a whole day to coalesce back into a humanoid form after being shattered and they hate doing that." Callar spoke, while also tightening his glove and clenching his fist. The Saiyan had already noticed that his power level was considerably greater than what it was on Earth. Right, the Saiyan Zenkai boost. How the hell did they manage to batter so much that they even forced that boost out of me?

Cracks of bluish-purple energy popped in and out of existence around the Saiyan prince's body, and Calar assumed a basic fighting stance, one arm lowered and one arm raised.

"Anyway, fine my me. I'll even let you have the first shot."

[The Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune]

Ayata

She entered the room to find Callar acting as smug as he had been since she woke up on this weird rock planet. She realized that being truely meek wasn't likely to get her what she wanted, nor was it viable due to Callar being aware of her smashing the weird rock thing. Doing a few quick stretches to get her muscles working again, she finally said "Not that I really need it. You may have gotten stronger, but you're not invincible. Hell, I bet even Akiko could beat you right now. But, if you insist that I get it."

Ayata ignited her aura, glowing red energy exploding around her. Assuming her bear style stance, she began to circle Callar, looking for an opening to strike. Finally deciding her move, she launched herself at Callar, throwing a punch at his face. However while she did that, she brought her other arm up, and when she had closed the distance, brought it down in a slashing movement and whispered "Gamma Blade" as she sent the crackling green ki at Callar.

[New Neros]

Sons of Pluton

The Plains of Palomas

A large white circle at the center of the enormous plateau is where several inhabitants made their living, occupying several niches of the warrior and science castes, but with such a small number of people, caste had virtually lost it's meaning. Still, a great and powerful Plutonian graciously cracked his knuckles and neck as he stared down his opponent, the entire commune surrounding the two as an irreparable dispute drove them to a physical exchange to settle their problem. Erel, a merchant who made his living trading goods between the scattered settlements, was no strange to such bouts and as such, stretched his own muscular arms in anticipation as his opponent warmed up. "One last chance, Thad," He hollered underneath his rotund belly and grey beard, "Pay me back or pay in blood."

Thad smirked under his mustache, raising his arms into a combat stance and gradually approaching Erel, signalling the beginning of combat. Erel held a tight grimace, placing his own hands upwards and swaying his shoulders to and fro. The first strike went to Thad, who had closed the gap and delivered a fierce straight punch, finding his knuckles blocked by Erel's large forearms. Still, he sent two more straight punches toward the large merchant, testing the durability of the heavy-set yet powerful Plutonian, who appropriately responded with a counter-punch when he had an opening.

Leaning back to dodge the wide swing, Thad was quick to connect his fist with Erel's chin in an upper-cut, surprising the merchant and many watching the bout, Erel stumbling back abruptly. Thad held his stance and inched closer to Erel, who regained composure and placed his own hands up once more, ignoring the throbbing pain in his face. Still, the hit winded the older man, and Thad pressed his advantage without mercy, slamming his hands into Erel's defenses and lobbed his leg into the man's midsection, hitting like an armored train and sending shock waves throughout the crowd. Erel keeled over onto one knee, yet Thad stuck once more, aiming his fist low and bringing it fully into the man's nose at sonic speeds, shattering his cartilage and spraying his blood all over.

Falling back onto the flat lands in a heap, Thad turned and walked away, gently wiping the merchant's crimson from his knuckles onto his pants, returning to his posse without so much as a scratch or injury upon his body. He glanced back for a moment to see Erel's family and friends rushing to his side, turning away as the man gasped for breath through his bloodied airways. Returning to his four compatriots, he gave a simple order, "Let's go." Before floating into the air, leaving the arena and gliding his body on the other side of the plains, a sizable distance away, where three shacks were erected.

Two shacks were for sleeping and resting, while the third was for storage of food and equipment, the whole set-up was centered around a tight arena with odd implements scattered around. Thad's band of Plutonians were warriors through-and-through, endlessly practicing their techniques and sparring day in and day out, surrounding themselves with the honor-bound traditions of the old combat styles. Food and water were hardly an issue, as their local scientists had managed to revive ancient food repositories that would grow and harvest their crops in a matter of hours, as well as take water straight from the ground or air without much effort. This left their free time to training and studying, of which, Thad was a fanatic for both.

In his small legion, Thad trained with two other males named Hugo and Lore, as well as two females, Gira and Vica, all of whom were quite devoted to his cause. Collectively, the five-man-band was known as Black Zero, and often undertook mercenary-like missions for money and prestige, but had recently been running the ire of the locals with their combativeness and constant ability to find trouble. Thad retreated into the men's cabin for a moment, knowing his recent bout with Erel will surely come to bite him, and with barely enough time to put a shirt on and emerge from the cabin, three other Plutonians had arrived from the village, all bearing grim and stern looks. Sighing, Thad extended his open palms to the floating villagers, "What brings you three to my camp, gentlemen?"

"Two times ago was the last straw, Thad." The center one declared, leading the posse apparently, "We've been lenient because of your contributions to safety and defense of our locality, but we cannot accommodate your lifestyle any longer." He spoke with such composure and verbosity that Thad could recognize that he was one of the learned elites of the village, but such knowledge did not lower his defenses in the slightest. "We are going to have to ask you to vacate, along with your disciples." The member of Black Zero sat idle on chairs and benches, looking from the instigator back to Thad for his reaction and reply.

Nodding slightly, Thad looked at the ground and then back up at the man. "Where do you expect us to go?" He asked, "I know we've brought issues with us, but when we're gone, anyone looking to pay us back will still come after you all. Can you really afford to lose five of your strongest warriors at a time like this?" The questions were honest yet harsh, Thad could see through the red tape and knew this decision was not favored by the rest of the village, but by the established elite of the commune.

"I cannot say if we can, but I do know that we must." The man was stern, but opened up some at the same time. "To your first question, though, I do have a proposal for you and your clan, if you're willing to hear it out." Thad nodded to affirm, allowing the man to float down to the ground, his guards joining him, standing eye level with Thad. "We have recently been able to re-activate an ancient Plutonian spaceship capable of leaving this world. We are not keen on testing it on unwilling villagers or letting other communities know of our discovery. It's quite simple, you and your family board the vessel and travel off-world, that way you can go wherever you desire, that Pluton will not be your only home anymore."

The revelation stunned Thad, striking deep into the heart of his beliefs and causing him to swell with desire and longing, having only read and studied the ancient texts of off-world travels and adventure conducted by his ancestors so many centuries ago. He had dreams of establishing a Neo-Plutonian Empire, and here this man was, offering him the keys to such an enterprise, with the condition that he had to leave everything behind. "Enok," Thad replied, addressing the elder by name, "You're giving me an offer I can't refuse, but I know there are other risks you aren't telling me. Enok shook his head once, Thad receiving the message clearly. "It's possible we might not make it out of the atmosphere, we may die upon reaching space, we die from radiation, or we may never come back at all. It's a safer bet to stay here on the planet." Thad reasoned, narrowing his eyes at the elder.

"I will not lie, it's all possible, every bit of it is, it's untested, unproven, foolish even, foolish even of me to ask you of all people to be the representative of Pluton out in the cosmos, but here's the underlying situation driving me to give you this knowledge and this opportunity. You are not stupid by any means, Thad, you are not weak by any measure, neither is any member your crew. There are few people on Pluton who are equipped for this type of mission, but you are one of them and so is Black Zero. Because look at it this way, all those bad outcomes are possible, but do you know what else is possible? Survival, and not just that, but thriving out in the star systems our ancestors once called home." Enok wore a wide grin. "I've read the old books, too, and I know you have too. Do not deny this old man a chance to see those stars, too, Thad, but we need someone to lead the way."

Thad was silent for a moment, the weight of his decision pressing hard upon his shoulders. Looking away from Enok and glancing from each of the faces he had trained and sparred with day in and day out, Thad knew he could not make this choice alone. "Hugo," He stated, "I've made my decision for me, but every member shall make their own choice as well. Pluton or the stars, which will it be?" Hugo was younger, brash and ready to prove himself at all times, an exceptional fighter with enormous stamina and willpower, and his answer was quick and decisive.

"The stars, because I know that's where you're going." Hugo answered, tossing the question to Gira. A bit older than Hugo and wiser, she was fierce and relentless, utterly ruthless at times but protective of her family at all times, she too gave a similar answer.

"It's time to take this show on the road. Let's do it." Next was Lore, bulky and tall, he was quiet yet strong and powerful, able to leverage his brute strength into titanic blows. He wouldn't dare leave his friends side even in the most harrowing of situations, making this decision that much easier for the gentle giant.

"I'm in." With that, the final answer rested on Vica, younger sister of Gira and often times her opposite, being meek and soft-spoken, yet hiding explosive anger and raw potential that awakens in trying times. She looked at her family and quickly looked away, unable to bear their giddy-faces, knowing that this was a tough and final decision for her to make, and if she picked opposite of the entire group, they would all follow suit.

"I suppose we must leave our home for something that may not even be there." She thought, "But, heh, my home is whenever we're all together." She took a deep breath and exhaled sharply, smiling as she gave her answer. "Count me in." The other members of Black Zero cheered and gathered close to their little warrior, Enok looking on with some hint of envy at their camaraderie, motioning for Thad to come closer. He quietly informed the mercenary leader when and where to meet, and to spend the rest of his time preparing mentally for the journey. Thad agreed, returning to his comrades and joining in on their impromptu celebration, Enok calmly flying away with his guards flanking him.

[Finland SSR]

Prince Callar, Leader of the Saiyan Race!

Galacius 1159

---

It seems that Callar wasn't the only person here who received a Zenkai boost after the events of Earth. Ayata, judging from her sudden boost of confidence and the fiery red aura surrounding her as she powered up, had become considerably more powerful since that time. Callar frowned and his muscles tensed, watching the Saiyan girl approach him and bracing for a strike.

Without any more waiting, it arrived - Ayata suddenly charged at him, opening up with a basic punch. Blocking it with his forearm, however, Callar caught wind of the woman's plan - thus was just a feint and the real attack was the Gamma Blade heading his way. The prince lunged at the side, but the point-blank attack struck him regardless - just at the arm, not the torso, and left a deep cut, blood seeping from it immediately.

"Starting with lethal attacks on the first blow. I'd reprimand you, but that's simply good strategy."

Well, if she's going to fight that way, he might as well do the same.

With ki crackling around his right index finger, Callar would suddenly send his forehead towards Ayata's as a headbutt, followed by his left hand being sent towards her neck to try to grab it while the right popped an energy shot towards her knee.

[Gurori]

Akiko: Galacius #1159

Sauntering through the hallway at her own pace, Akiko didn't even need to ask where the training room was, instead she just followed the sounds of creaking metal, the pained screams of the building itself as even this quote on quote "training session" was putting heavy stress on the framework.

Despite these discomforting sounds, Akiko still had the audacity to ignite her aura, which somewhat resembled a white hot flame. This had caused some of the lights to break, yet another agonised scream coming from the building. It was at this point which she reached the room and how lucky she was, Callar was already occupied by Ayata, something which could've easily been used to her advantage.

Such an opportunity simply couldn't be passed down. Without warning, Akiko had headed right for the Saiyan Prince's back, forcing her right knee into it, the lumbar plexus to be exact.