Dragon Ball Revolution (IC, OPEN)

[Turmenista]

Geeruzu/Torq
_{Planet Harp, Sector G-498}

This was already turning out to be a rather tricky engagement that both Geeruzu and Torq knew they'd have to play smart if they wanted to get out intact, let alone alive. Eyeing each of the fighters with an intense glare, Geeruzu took point, assuming a fighting stance as the two Valkyren went back-to-back, assessing the matter at hand. "Two versus four, so be it.. Prepare for battle, Ser Torq."

Geeruzu was engaged first, the Arcosian Aurorus raising a hand to the sky and summoning a glowing blue sword of energy that left a whitish trail of energy as it spun in his hands. Aurorus lunged at him from his ship, swinging his blade towards him in a typical swordsman fashion, albeit a bit sloppy compared to his own swordsmanship. After all, on a world like Valkyrie, the Knights' most important weapon was, after all, their sword.

"You've made a mistake challenging a Valkyren to a swordfight, fool!" Geeruzu taunted with a snarl, raising his hand that had been surrounded in a fiery violet aura. In a flash, the energy around his palm shaped into that of a glowing violet greatsword that he brought up to parry Aurorus's Spirit Sword with. Both of the blades connected with a bright yellow flash, bouncing off one another as if they were two opposite magnets. With the momentum he had, Geeruzu moved immediately into a riposte, swinging his new sword upwards at Aurorus, while his free hand was used to fire off a retaliatory beam of energy at the inbound blast, attempting to slow it down or at least neutralize it with an attack of equivalent strength.

Meanwhile, Torq's attentive eyes were bouncing among Chris and Redline alike, simultaneously assessing them of their power levels, but also strategizing...scheming.. There was a way to win this encounter..it just had to be done with brains, not brawn.

His head snapped towards Chris as a pair of red eye-beams came from the human, but then he saw Redline...the other human was charging forwards, blindly flying at him with a fist enveloped in energy. He was coming in fast, yes, but he'd trained for encounters like this. If he were to think...

Ah, yes.. Ser Geeruzu will praise me for this one. In that split second, Torq grinned as a moment of clarity came over—he rushed forwards to meet Redline and quickly wove past the inbound fist, narrowly evading it as he briefly passed the human. In that timeframe, he opened up his fist and clung onto Redline like a bird of prey, yanking the man right towards the inbound pair of eye-beams for use as an impromptu human shield.

[Ralnis]

Moe Thompson/Redline

Flying blinding into a elite-trained PTO specops guy was a bad idea. Getting tagged and grabbed in Redline showed he had training fighting more stronger enemies was also my mistake. However being used as a human shield against me when someone's firing a ki blast.

Now that was their mistake.

In the grip of the bird I relax myself and let Redline act as a conduit. Already my body was like a dead weight as I close my eyes and clear my mind, letting the traitor's eye blast wash over me. The intense heat of Chris ki clashed with Redline and started to turn red with a more intense heat than even I can take as I took the energy in. Already my power level was skyrocketing and I smiled inside my helmet as my Redline got overcharged enough that I started to steam and feel random sparks of electricity come from me.

With a flex, I burst from Torq's grip and pushed him back with my power.

"You know, fighting the PTO for so long would think that I would've saw that coming but in some way, I'm still a fucking idiot. No matter," I opened the palm of my left hand and had it charged a ki blast that was totally red, looking like a miniature star that could be seen for miles and energy that started to pulsate.

"I'll just have to try again but this time with more feeling."

I closed my hand around the star and my hand became energize with Redline that it was the center of a star itself. My forearm started to blister and explode with Redline-charged Ki flames as they couldn't take in all the compounded power that I absorbed. Still, it didn't matter. I got to my stance of a boxer and threw the powered cross at Torq with as much power as I can throw into it.

"Here's something for you Birdboy! Might Style: Star-fueled Cross!"

[New Neros]

Planet Harp
Czar-Mir

Enter: Mandolin

His meeting with The Wraith had gone well, and from it, an invitation to the PLO may be in order. Still, the pair of warriors dealt with the 28th Battalion in a brutal, effective fashion that swept the redshirt forces aside effortlessly. Pulling back as resistance began to stiffen, Czar-Mir received a transmission from his ships in orbit. "Czar, we've identified and isolated the command vessel of the Planetary Trade Organization with the information you supplied us from the base earlier." Turning to look at his newfound ally, the Plutonian knew he had to immediately make use of this situation. "I'm cutting our introduction short," He called out to the Wraith as he advanced forward with ki-blasts. "I'm going after the PTO Commander to end this battle once and for all. Survive until then, and I'll be in touch."

Czar-Mir lifted himself off of the ground for a moment before exploding upwards, sending a violent shock-wave around the area as he made his exit from the surface, and as he climbed in elevation, began to enter the low orbit of Planet Harp. One of his species' attributes was being able to survive the vacuum of space for several days at a time, these few minutes would be next to nothing compared to that. A large disc-shaped vessel of the PTO sat silently alone, gently rotating on a central axis to provide gravity. Information was bouncing from it to an outside source, relaying all that was transpiring on the surface back to the main forces of the PTO. Taking it out was top priority in order to control the flow of information, and with that in mind, Czar-Mir quickly accelerated his body.

Slamming into the side of the ship like an asteroid impact, the Plutonian ripped the hull apart as he entered the vessel like a bullet. Aiming for the central axis, it took less than the blink of an eye to reach it as he broke each containment wall. He lacked blasts and explosive power, but more than made up for it in physical strength and durability, and that alone would be enough to take down a command ship as he stood in it's central battery. Without warning, though, a green flash caught his eye, and expecting a blast to hit his back, he whipped around. Widening his eyes as a Namekian reached out and grabbed his neck, the Plutonian felt the crushing force behind the alien's grip, and suddenly realized that he had slammed him through the ship once more on the complete opposite side from where he had entered originally. Struggling to speak, and knowing it was useless in the vaccum, gave the Namekian a long stare.

"I knew it was you from the moment my ship's hull was breached." A voice said aloud in Czar's head, causing him to tighten his teeth. "There had been rumors of a Plutonian warrior in the PLO, but to think I could see you with my own eyes before I fully extinguish your race." Czar-Mir tightened his core and swung his closed fist at the back of the Namekian's elbow, inverting it slightly and allowing the Plutonian to escape the grip on his neck momentarily. Flying backwards to get some space and time to plan the battle, the Namekian stretched out his arm rapidly and grabbed Czar's ankle. Stretching it even more and swinging the Plutonian's entire body in an half-circle, the Namekian slammed the commanders' body into the space ship with even greater force than the previous two times, causing the ship to explode horrendously in the process.

Suffering slight damage from the blast, the Namekian retracted his arm with Czar still in it, observing that the attack somewhat damaged the Plutonian's armor, but left most of him intact and still very much in a fighting spirit. "You may call me Mandolin. Not for long, I imagine." The telepathic voice spoke, descending upon Czar-Mir suddenly with a devastating punch to the chin, and a follow up to the stomach. They were harder than expected, and jarred the young warrior severely, so much so that the Namekian looked a bit disappointed. "Please tell me that this is you holding back, testing my power or something, right? Elites of the PLO are supposed to be fierce and combative, this just feels sad."

Casting a wayward glance at the planet behind Mir, Mandolin seemed to have an idea. "Have you ever heard of two birds, one stone?" Taking a surprised look behind him as well, Czar turned his gaze back to Mandolin far too late, the Namekian had tackled him and was speeding both of their bodies back to Harp at mach speeds. "You don't seem to have much on your mind, Plutonian. Odd how I can't hear anything despite throwing you back to this ugly world from orbit." As flames engulfed the duo, Czar-Mir cracked a smile as his voice could be carried on air once more.

"You're not supposed to think when fighting a telepath."

Slightly enraged, Mandolin shouted back, "I mistook you for a simpleton, Plutonian. A rebel incapable of higher thought, so you intend to make a fool of me, then?" Pushing Czar forward slightly, the Namekian threw both hands in front of himself abruptly and called out his attack, "Abominable Burst!" From his hands, two massive balls of energy roared to life and shot outward as a single blast, colliding with Czar-Mir and forcing the Plutonian's body far from the Namekian, slamming him into a mountain range some ways away on the surface, exploding the entire structure and reducing it to nothing more than a massive, smoldering crater. Stopping his descent from space, Mandolin looked over the ruined landscape and waited, feeling little to no power present where Czar-Mir was blasted. "A disgraceful death, Plutonian." Mandolin spat, turning away from the scars and looking over the rest of the world, looking for the next battle to be fought in order to end this overly long conflict.

Without warning, he was tackled from the back, the sudden force of the Plutonian coming to bear against the Namekian. "Yet again, you make me into a fool." Mandolin spat, turning his head to look at Czar-Mir sideways. His armor was virtually destroyed, and his tough skin burnt and scratched in several places, the attack having done some serious damage but failed to stop the PLO Commander. "You don't give off a power signature at all because your body keeps it from leaking out, your kind is truly annoying." Czar-Mir took the tackle to the planet's surface, slamming Mandolin and doing little more than piss him off. "Perhaps moreso than the Saiyans." Standing up abruptly, Mandolin slapped away a fist Czar was about to strike him with almost effortlessly.

Grabbing the Plutonian's face, Mandolin pushed against it and flung the alien's body a good hundred feet away, sliding and tumbling as it did so. "Abominable Blast!" He yelled, opening one palm to face Czar, swelling it with energy and launching it out as a swirling beam. Reacting fast, Czar-Mir extended out his hands to catch the attack with both hands, digging in his heels and leaning forward to do so, his hardened skin resisting the intense heat and energy somewhat, but the full force of the blast sliding him backwards and putting immense strain on his bones and muscles to keep it in place. Mandolin used his other hand, and pointed a finger at the Plutonian's leg. "Abominable Bullet!" He yelled, a laser rapidly blasting out of his finger tip and hitting Czar in the knee.

Collapsing down on that injured knee, the Plutonian's concentration broke, and the first blast quickly overwhelmed him and exploded all around his body. Further scarring him and nearly knocking him unconscious, Czar's mind began to think once more, cutting loose from the mental block he placed to prevent his mind from being read. "He's far too strong, stronger than anything else on this planet. I have to stop him now or no one else will." Rising to his feet, wincing a bit from his injury, he was met by a vicious uppercut from the Namekian's stretched arm.

"Do not think for a moment, however faint, that you have a chance of surviving me." The green alien advanced on the Plutonian slowly, methodically taking his time. "We have standing orders to eliminate the traitors in our ranks as a top priority, but between you and me, I think a high-ranking Liberation dog, a Plutonian at that, may take a bit more priority right now." He reached down and grabbed Czar-Mir's hair and pulled him up as he spoke, using his off-hand to charge another blast. "At this close range, maybe it'll do more damage. If not, we'll keep trying until it does." He said with a sadistic grin.

"Traitors..." Czar-Mir thought, "Allies. Someone to help." He regained composure for a moment, and kneaded his internal energy, expanding it and molding it larger and larger before Mandolin's attack could get fired. "I'm not alone." The thought crossed his mind and gave him something to live for, suddenly filling him with enough power to make a difference. "Shatter Style..." He said below his breath, planting his feet on the ground and putting his expanded energy into his left arm and and chest region. "Fist Cannon!" Jutting his closed left fist in a cross, a weak-looking punch by any measure, Czar-Mir's blow barely made contact with Mandolin's bicep that had held the Plutonian's hair. At that slight touch, the entire arm simply exploded, showering Czar-Mir in purple blood as the Namekian's hand still held firm, but having lost every inch of his arm below the shoulder.

Grabbing the disembodied hand and pulling it free from his long hair, Mir looked up to see what Mandolin's reaction would be, only to find the Namekian staring at him with a grimace. No pain, no frustration, almost like he was slightly annoyed about losing an arm, Mandolin shelving the blast he had planned. "Haven't fought many Namekians, have you? Someone like myself from the Warrior Class should have lost their limbs several times over by now." Barring his teeth in a snarl, Mandolin flashed his energy for a moment, and exploded an entire fully-functional arm from his shoulder, clenching it closed and moving each finger for a moment to ensure he could use it once more.

Dumbfounded, Czar-Mir simply muttered, "That just isn't fair..." As he grit his teeth and readied himself to be made into a punching bag once more.

[Finland SSR]

Geeruzu/Torq
_{Planet Harp, Sector G-498}

Aurorus the Galactic Patrolman

---

In response to Aurorus's reckless charge, Lieutenant Geeruzu chastised him for his mistake and summoned an energy blade to parry his opponent's attack with. A powerful clash unfolded, and while the two blades deflected off one another, Aurorus was clearly the less fortunate one in the aftermath, Geeruzu's sheer force yanking his arm back. And then he had to block a counter-blow, too! The draconic warrior's powerful upwards swing was met with Aurorus's hasty block, which only barely managed to halt the incoming strike before getting deflected to the side and allowing Geeruzu to open a deep cut across the Arcosian's chest.

Blown back the counter and riposte, Aurorus clutched onto his chest for a second before moving back into an offensive swordfighting stance. There were two of them against one - he caught a glimpse of the Saiyan woman joining him with the corner of his eyes, at least before Geeruzu blocked her blast with one of his own - but it made their opponent no less intimidating. Over two feet taller than the young Arcosian, as intimidating as a Valkyren can be, with a ki signature greater than his own...

But it was no reason to quit.

"When you're out to challenge evil, you can only root it out by defeating it where it's the strongest." Aurorus replied and hissed, then swung his sword forth yet again, sending a series of horizontal and vertical slashes at Geeruzu. Now, if only the Saiyan woman joined him in full...

[Turmenista]

Torq
_{Planet Harp, Sector G-498}

Torq knew it was a sound plan — using one enemy as a shield for another would kill two birds with one stone, that is, taking out both enemies. As he held Redline in a sort of full nelson style grapple, Officer Chris's eye-beams slammed into Redline, the heat of the man's aura and the attack flushing over Torq like a heat lamp, but he knew it was going to work well. With the unstable Redline out of commission, Chris would've been easy pickings for the griffon-like Valkyren.

But then, his scouter began beeping, and as he he slowly turned his head towards Redline and Chris, he realized it wasn't Chris's power level spiking, but, rather, Redline's...

His eyes widened, the numbers visible on the corner of his scouter.

Eight..THOUSAND?!

Redline suddenly broke away from his grip and turned around, coursing with energy as his power level spiked and surpassed the previous limits he'd thought wouldn't be possible with such a man. Torq could see the man was getting physically broken and torn up by the energy currently in him, as if he couldn't control all of the power in him, but Torq wasn't too focused on weakening his foe just yet. Right now, he was focusing on surviving.

Redline lunged at the griffon alien, the scouter beeping rapidly to indicate the incoming human-turn projectile. Mustering as much strength as he could to counter the attack, Torq leaned his dominant arm back, gathering an emerald-white sphere of energy in his right palm as he prepared to lob it, akin to a javelin. "Ballista Technique: Dynamo Blast!"

He thrust his right palm forward, the emerald beam almost pushing him back from the recoil as a small vapor cone appeared around his arm. It clashed with the inbound human...whom powered straight through the beam like the unstoppable object he was.

Torq crossed his arms over his chest and braced for impact.

WHAM

The ground turned into the sky as the attack burned away chunks of his battle armor, blasting Torq through the mountain behind him and out the other side, where he went tumbling to the ground, a small trench being created where his body hit the dirt and began sliding. It took him a moment to get back up onto his feet, his posture staggered, but his resolve still strong..

"I won't let you get away with this, scum!" Torq planted his feet in the dirt and extended both arms out, his vision going double for a moment as he locked in on Redline and Chris off in the sky. Without mentioning anything else, he began firing, blast after blast filling the sky with a flak-like light show as a torrent of ki blasts accelerated towards the duo.

---

Geeruzu
_{Planet Harp, Sector G-498}

KSHHHHH

Geeruzu's riposte was a success, as he broke through Aurorus's sad excuse of a block and slashed deep across the Arcosian's chest. Smirking, he twirled the energy blade in his hand once more as he opened his arms, as if he were welcoming an attack. "Your form is sloppy, Patrolman. Your skills are no match to my superior training.." He growled arrogantly, his tail whipping side to side behind him. "Perhaps I could teach you a few things myself...nay..I know your type. Too arrogant and invested to put your skills to the test in the PTO.."

What was he talking about? Trying to recruit someone into the PTO, when he knew damn well what they were capable of? How they treated him and Torq as little more than a suicide squad? Surely, they were no match for him...but why was he being a recruitment officer instead of a trained killer? To an Arcosian, no less?

Geeruzu's inner monologue was getting in the way of his fight — he cleared his mind and continued to focus on the Arcosian that lunged at him, bringing up his sword to block a horizontal and vertical slash. The Arcosian's attacks were getting faster, to which he had to make his blocks and counterattacks faster, and much more aggressive.

Catching his opponent's blade against his own blade's crossguard, an idea formed in Geeruzu's head. Twisting to the right, as if he were trying to wrench the ki blade out of the Arcosian's hand, or at least to the side, he used the rotational momentum to spin around, attempting to use his tail as a sort of club to forcefully push Aurorus away from him, preferably towards his Saiyan ally.

[The Republic of Atria]

Torq
_{Planet Harp, Sector G-498}

Chris tried to stop the attack when he saw Torq using Redline as a shield, but it was too late, the pair of beams struck the man. However, instead of keeling over injured, Chris felt the massive jump in power from the other human. Redline wasted no time and struck Torq with all his might, smashing the avian man into the ground. Chris blinked a few more times, then felt the rush that there was the distinct possibility that they would actually win this and deal a blow to the PTO!

Torq wasn't quite finished, as he retaliated with a massive spray of Ki blasts that explodes around them. Chris blocked as several explosions went on beside him, and on actually hitting him, knocking him further back. He couldn't just let Redline hog all the glory, and they still had to deal with Geeruzu after.

Chris shot out of the cloud of Ki blasts, pushing his flight speed up to it's maximum and aimed to simply crash right into Torq and bury him into the ground.

[The Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune]

Mala

Mala observed the sword duel after her own blast was blocked, the movements quickly becoming fast enough where she couldn't lob a shot at the combat without hitting her own Arcosian ally. No matter though, she would bide and wait for her time. Being agressive was fantastic for close combat, but while this sword duel was going on, she instead would excersize her rare patience, beginning to circle the duel and look for an opening.

The Arcosian opened up a new flurry of slashes towards the Valkyren. Mala had fought alongside their kind before, Daikan had allowed a knight he liked to travel with them for a time. They were a warrior species, similar to the Saiyans, well the lesser ones anyways. That particular warrior was more like the griffon than the dragonn she faced now. She watched his movements, trying to pick up on a weakness. When he caught the Arcosians blade, she sprung into action, blasting at full speed behind the pair.

Catching herself before she went too far, she watched as the dragon began to spin the Arcosian, causing her to have to follow as she dove in at maximum speed towards the fight. Reaching out, Mala lunged for the shoulder joints of the Dragon's wings, hoping to complete the manuever by driving her knee into Geeruzu's spine and pulling the wings back.

[Finland SSR]

Geeruzu
_{Planet Harp, Sector G-498}

Aurorus the Galactic Patrolman

---

Lieutenant Geeruzu handled Aurorus's spirited assault rather handily, using his blade to block or deflect each and every one of his strikes - and at the same time, the Valkyren spoke two things to him. First, that his skills and technique paled in comparison to a PTO elite and anything he can throw at him is no match... and second is that Geeruzu won't even bother offering Aurorus a chance to train under him, because he was too arrogant, vain and invested in his own goals.

Aurorus gritted his teeth, struggling to pull his Spirit Sword out of his opponent's blade lock, and gushed out:

"And you're not the type who gets to talk about who's arrogant and who is not!"

Seconds later, a massive tail slammed straight across the Arcosian's face, releasing a powerful shockwave as it clubbed him and blasted him away. Aurorus's broken concentration meant that his energy blade dissipated into thin air, and the young Patrolman himself flew across the air for well over two dozen meters before he finally came to a full stop.

The entire left half of his upper body was left sore and his left eye had to close, a trail of blood now dripping across it and towards the cheek. With the one eye which could still watch the battle, however, Aurorus caught a glimpse of Mala speeding straight towards Geeruzu. Where the hell was she at when he was fighting off an elite almost twice stronger than him is a question best reserved for another day.

The Arcosian raised his right hand, collecting energy at his fingertip, and exclaimed:

"SPIRIT STRIKE!"

The attack manifested itself as an energy beam of pure white - and this time, hopefully, it wouldn't get deflected as easily as last time.

[Ralnis]

Moe Thompson/Redline

That power I felt coursing through me. I haven't had a high like that in a long time. Doesn't usually happen a lot as normal PTO troops weren't worth the burnout but that was needed. Already the tearing of my costume and my left arm suffering third degree burns to the bone showed that I can't do it all the time. Though the point was to send back the attack and not to explode from that much energy. Thing is I never knew how much energy I could take as a true maximum, only that I can casually take 5000 as that to my full body.

When the bird crashed through the mountain with a line of sonic booms I popped another health stim to accelerate the healing and just in time for the barrage of Ki coming my and Chris' way. The turncoat already flared his aura and launched into the bird. I might as well do the same as the Bird still was looking to fight more. I activated Redline with the grit of pain and blood coming from my mouth and fly through the ki blasts and explosions and launched at the Bird to pound him into the ground.

[New Neros]

Planet Harp
Czar-Mir

"Can you feel your heart burning?"

"Can you feel the struggle within?" Czar-Mir woke up once more, his left eye dark from a cut on his forehead, the fight he was currently in coming back slowly in waves of hazy memory, each one painful and gruesome as the Namekian effortlessly picked him apart. He couldn't breath again, a sensation he was used to feeling throughout the battle at this point, Mandolin choking his neck with crushing force once more. "Move. Resist. Fight. Flee. Survive. Anything, mental and physical, do you feel in the deepest parts of your very being? It's primal, a panic that you must overcome to stand once more. You must overcome nature itself before you can even stand against me, and even then, it simply is not enough."

"Do you feel fear?" Mandolin asked, knowing Czar-Mir wouldn't answer verbally, that his mind was closed off once more. Still, choking the life out of the Plutonian was an effective way to get his point across. "You do not know the meaning of fear until you've faced my masters." The Namekian drew the Plutonian close, making him look directly into the others' eyes, seeing visions of fire and destruction housed in them. They spoke of horrendous acts, atrocities the galaxy, senseless death and cruelty that the stars could barely comprehend. "The fear within me is beyond anything your soul can make."

Mandolin gave a short laugh before he began, "Should you still cling to hope, to these allies of yours, to these traitors of mine, to help you..." Mandolin looked toward the empty horizon, waiting for some fateful arrival, only to find no one coming. "No, should you succeed, should you make a pact with all the gods in the universe and the demons among them to turn the tide, should you be on the other end of this equation, where my life is decided by your own hand, you need to know..." Bringing him even closer, whispering softly in the PLO soldiers' ear, hoping to finally break his wrought-iron spirit, "You cannot kill me in a way that matters."

Feeling the Plutonian stiffen, Mandolin took another look at his face to see if he had finally succumbed, but was met by his grit teeth and struggle to pronounce some words. Loosening his grip, Mandolin offered him a chance at rebuttal. "Speak, it will be your last, and I will give you that one courtesy in death." Taking the opportunity to breathe, filling his lungs with air and exhaling a few times to catch his breath fully, he closed his eyes and let the life-giving oxygen flow to every cell in his body, feeling energy return to them as he did so. He opened his eyes and stared back at Mandolin, the Namekian's body scratch-less and untouched by battle, the only signs he was even in a fight was his absence of a shirt, revealing his muscular green body. In contrast was Czar-Mir, armor blown away with some scrap pieces stuck to his frame, bones broken and organs failing, the ultra-durable skin of the Plutonian bruised and cut like any normal man, with this all in account, he gave Mandolin his final words.

"I'm not fucking scared of you."

The Namekian's energy soared suddenly, the grip on Czar-Mir's neck returning to full crush status and then some, Mandolin yanking the alien back and throwing him in the air like as one would a small rock, screaming as an aura of energy coated his body. "You will be!" Launching at the PLO elite, Czar-Mir had moments to prepare for another onslaught, one far more brutal than the last. None of his attacks were able to do significant damage that the Namekian wouldn't heal from, Czar was trapped in a battle of attrition due to his inhuman durability, and crossing his arms over his head, felt the clack of Mandolin's fist shattering his forearm and sending his body flying back. Peeking from beyond his defenses, Mir caught the bright flash of Mandolin's Abominable Blast and closed his eyes to brace once more, feeling the white-hot energy wash over him and force his body back once more, hitting him hard enough to pin him to the ground and grind his body through the landscape, digging a mile-long trench as he held firm.

He continued to breath, letting each lung-full rush to his cells and reinvigorate them, steadily gaining more and more energy he could either use to continue his defense or offer a counter-attack with, neither option allowing him to end the fight anytime soon. Dropping the cross over his arms, his left arm fell to the side limply, blood starting to drip from two holes punctured through where his bones stuck out. Czar-Mir ignored the pain through some miracle, and directed his focus to Mandolin, who simply walked forward towards the Plutonian, his aura flaring wildly as he gave no regard to anyone able to sense his power-level.

"I don't know how strong you are," Czar-Mir admitted with a half-smirk, "But what I can say is, you probably will make a really big hotspot on the map for everyone else who can sense power levels."

"And?" Mandolin said back as he came forward still, "Everyone on this world is at or below a power level of five-thousand. My power level is eighteen-thousand." The PLO's jaw dropped slightly as his plan started to unravel. He intended for Mandolin's power level to skyrocket throughout their fight and attract more allies to assist, but as it stood, the Namekian had a power level three times anyone else on the planet. No one in their right mind would come and check on someone this strong, they'd simply stay as far away as possible.

"That just isn't fair..." Czar-Mir replied, raising his right arm to defend, widening his stance as Mandolin steadily got closer.

[The New Fallen Jedi]

"That just isn't fair..." Czar-Mir replied, raising his right arm to defend, widening his stance as Mandolin steadily got closer.

Ryuchi Masaki
Planet Harp

Ryuchi's assault upon the 28th Battalion had weakened a critical chokepoint that allowed the PLO to quickly take advantage and reinforce their supposed ally as had finished blasting an offending PTO soldier into a nearby rock formation that collapsed upon the presumably dead opponent. It had been with Mezca's death that caused coordination throughout the 28th Battalion to plummet and discourse throughout their ranks. As the Planetary Liberation Organization began mopping up the remnants of said Battalion could Ryuchi feel a sense of unease. He had lost track of Czar Mir and judging by what very little energy the Plutonian could emit would prove next to difficult to track once more, equating the Plutonian's energy signature to a needle in a pile of needles "To think that there would still be a Plutonian left in existence to this day..." The Saiyan halfling pondered subconsciously as he sat upon a nearby ridgeline. With the advent of the PLO's renewed assault and Mir seemingly serving as one of its Commanding Officers drastically sped up the former Lt. Commander's plan for vengeance, something that immensely satisfied him "Had it not been for this, I'd likely have to wait a few years longer until I attained more pow-"

Ryuchi snapped his head to the left as he noticed not only a large debris cloud that appeared near one of Planet Harp's many lakes as well as a massive Ki signature that made the Saiyan halfling's hair on his neck stand at attention. The more he focused on this overwhelming Ki signature was when his eyes widened at feeling a very faint Ki signature emanating near this particularly large energy signature "Damn it!" Ryuchi snarled inwardly, his teeth bared in anger at the realization that Czar Mir had gone off to attack the PTO Command Ship overhead and encountered the actual Commander of the PTO forces stationed on the world "If I jump and intervene in this battle then there is a very good chance that I'll likely die and yet I could obtain a sizable Zenkai from it, but If I don't and Mir dies..." Ryuchi tightened his fist as if contemplating what he would do next... "You owe me for this, Plutonian!" Ryuchi cursed as he took to the skies flying towards the energy signature of Mandolin.

"That just isn't fair..." Czar-Mir replied, raising his right arm to defend, widening his stance as Mandolin steadily got closer.

As Mandolin began his approach towards the injured Plutonian would a stream of amethyst energy shoot past Czar Mir and towards the Namekian who almost nonchalantly caught the beam with his open palm and absorbed the damage. Hovering a few feet above Mir would Ryuchi stare down at the situation before him, the bloodied field commander taking a defensive stance against the domineering Namekian who emitted an ominous aura that promised to deliver nothing more than pain and torment upon those whom he viewed as an enemy. "Yeah, this Plutonian definitely owes me for this..." Ryuchi grimly acknowledged as he descended down to the ground. "I assume that you are the commanding officer of the Planet Trade Organization in this area?" The Saiyan halfling asked.

Mandolin stood firm and unyielding as he scanned this newfound foe that appeared before him as he replied simply "Your assumption is correct." He replied coldly "I'm quite surprised that you didn't dive headfirst into a fight, it's something that you Saiyans are quite well known for."

At this would Ryuchi openly chuckle, suppressing his innate fear of what could possibly be his last moments in the world of the living "Well I am anything but an average Saiyan..." While his face held a small smirk on his face, he could not hide the innate fear and worry that was very well plastered on his expression "This isn't good, I've revealed too much about myself to this Namekian and he's likely onto what I'm trying to do. Damn it Mir, what the hell have you dragged me into?!"

"As you've already proven, but tell me this..." Mandolin's expression took on an irritated sneer as his aura flared to life once more "Do you take me for a fool?" He marched forward once more, an angered expression plastered on his face as all attention was now upon this weakling of an interloper "It is no secret that Saiyans get stronger as they recovery from near-death experiences so tell me why I shouldn't simply kill you where you stand?"

At this would Ryuchi's eyes noticeably widen as he too took a defensive stance, his amethyst aura forming a thin veil around his armored form "And what makes you think I'd simply sit there and die?!" Ryuchi replied in kind as he propelled himself forward with his Ki-infused fist raised and poised to strike the Namekian's face. However, as he closed the distance would Mandolin's left-hand shoot forward and catch the offending halfling's fist and would use his right hand to grip Ryuchi's throat, beginning to slowly close it into a fist as the wayward Saiyan began to struggle and violently attempt to rip himself free from the iron-like grip that showed no signs of relenting anytime soon.

"Unfortunately you no longer had that choice, Lieutenant Commander." Upon witnessing the shocked expression on the Halfling's face would a grim smile appear on the Namekian's face as he continued to speak. "Lieutenant Commander Ryuchi Masaki of the 22nd Saiyan Shock Company, a seasoned war veteran of the Edarian Campaign and presumed deceased in the aftermath of the Battle of the Calcaster Wetlands. My, oh my how the mighty have fallen..." The smile on Mandolin's expression was fading now into a calculating expression as he read through the thoughts that formed in the halfling's mind "You once served under the Planet Trade Organization, fighting on behalf of your benefactors and now look at yourself... You're nothing but a disgusting traitor that deserves to die forgotten in an unmarked grave!" Mandolin abruptly released his grip on the halfling's throat and fist before he would retract his fist "Abominable Blast!" The Namekian roared as he fired forth a beam of energy that impacted the midsection of the former Lieutenant Commander, said beam penetrating through the Nightstalker armor and damn near creating a hole through his stomach.

Ryuchi's eyes widened in horror as he felt the searing pain coursing through his body, unable to move as much as a finger as the shock and numbness spread throughout his body. He coughed up a puddle's worth of blood as he violently crashed through the ground like a skipping stone before he eventually found himself landing on one of the many lakes of Planet Harp, his vision fading to black only moments later...

[Turmenista]

Torq
_{Planet Harp, Sector G-498}

Torq's ki blasts exploded around the two humans like a deadly fireworks display, but he was still going at it, flinging blast after blast up high into the sky, adamant on destroying the two fools. How dare they remain intact after that blast, and how dare they make a fool of him in front of Geeruzu?!

This is getting annoying. Quite annoying...!

Narrowing his eyes, he ceased his bombardment and readied himself again, assuming a defensive stance. His attentive avian eyes could see what was happening as clear as day: both Redline and the PTO traitor, Officer Chris, were preparing to use themselves as human missiles to drive him into the ground, but Torq knew had both room and time to prepare for their inevitable impact. While Chris was remaining at around the same power level range as he was in during the beginning of the encounter, Redline kept spiking, and falling...and spiking again..and falling, his body seemingly breaking itself as it tried to cope with the massive amount of power surging through the fragile human's body. It made him wonder how a stronger body could cope with such an ability, like a Saiyan.. or even a Valkyren..

Aha! Now, I have an idea.

Clasping his hands together, as if he were praying, a bright greenish-white light began to fill Torq's palms, his power level rising like a speedometer as the ground around him began to buckle and crackle beneath him.

It appears that Redline's control over his ki energy is...suboptimal, but what is even more pressing is his absorption ability. The peasant's power level keeps spiking at 5000 and rising ever so slightly... so, if I were to make an educated guess..

He swept one foot behind him, as if he were bracing himself for the recoil of an outbound attack.

Overloading Redline could be a possibility, leaving Officer Chris as easy pickings..

He locked in on the two inbound humans, visible arcs of energy emerging from the cracks in his hands as he spread his palms, leaning his right hand over his shoulder as if he were preparing to launch a javelin. "FOOLS! I hath found your weakness, and now, I'll crush you like the insects you are! Ballista Technique: DYNAMO BLAST!"

He shot his right palm forwards, and with it came a massive emerald beam of energy at the two inbound humans, the force of its firing causing chunks of the ground beneath Torq to simply melt away in the presence of Torq's powerful green trump card.

---

Geeruzu
_{Planet Harp, Sector G-498}

BOOM

Geeruzu gave a smile as Aurorus went flying, a powerful shockwave coinciding with his spot-on tail slam. It had almost been too perfect, breaking the sword clash into a sudden tail-slam, disorienting his opponent...in the end, Geeruzu was right. Aurorus stood no chance, but given that he was quick to recover and try again at defeating him...trying his hand at negotiations was well out of the picture.

Geeruzu raised a finger, as if he were preparing one of his finger-gun attacks against the weakened Aurorus. "Aye, I can see it now. You, sire, are well out of your league. I would advise your surrender, so that I may properly continue with my mission. Alternatively.." A violet light gathered at his fingertip. "I would be happy to add your name to the list of the peasants I have crushed today, If you wi—"

BOOM

"How in—" Geeruzu's gaze turned towards his blind spot as he turned his head around at the female Saiyan currently latched onto his back. He went for the shoulder joints of his wings first, causing him to let out a roar in pain as he spun around in the air wildly, attempting to throw the Saiyan woman off his back. She clung onto him tougher than a flee in dog fur as dove, climbed, and spun around like a drill, but the very painful knee in the back was the final nail in the coffin, so to speak.

Enraged, Geeruzu turned his back towards Aurorus and began to channel his energy inwards towards his core. The ambient temperature around him began to rise rapidly as he focused intensely on gathering his energy, a visible aura of violet energy appearing around his form as his frame blurred and distorted itself in the aura, akin to the effect of heat rising from a hot road on a summer day. He raised his head and let out a primal roar, extending his arms and legs outwards as he did so. "Now you've done it, fool! Overclock Technique: BURN-OUT!"

For a moment, it seemed as if a small sun had wrapped around Geeruzu's form as Mala was blasted away by the massive area of effect blast, briefly taking up even Torq's vision as the griffon warrior prepared his signature attack. Fragments of his armor had been cracked away and scorched by the blast, but Geeruzu himself remained somewhat unfazed, albeit steaming somewhat, and a few open cuts crisscrossing his muscled and scaly form.

He turned to Mala and Aurorus, both of whom were now within his sights, and the latter of whom had just fired off another Spirit Strike in his direction. He'd expended a fair bit of energy with that last one, but hopefully his next attack would be enough to take them out for good.

"Ballista Technique: Dynamo Blast!" Without warning, Geeruzu thrust his right palm forward to answer the inbound blast, firing off a bright beam of violet energy towards the Saiyan and Arcosian — and the inbound white beam.

[New Neros]

Planet Harp
Czar-Mir

-Ryuchi Masaki-

The next series of blows did not come, and instead, a final savior had arrived to aid the Plutonian, and though he felt a sense of relief and overwhelming gratitude, the feeling of dread and guilt over dragging another into this battle began to set in. With his ribs cracked, Czar-Mir managed, "Wraith, this Namekian is-" At that, the Saiyan spoke, and he and Mandolin began to converse, buying time as Mir took quick yet filling breaths, revitalizing his energy even more to be whatever help he could be for his new-found ally. He concentrated and thought of how to approach this battle, but the information Mandolin suddenly revealed caught him by surprise.

"Lieutenant Commander..." Czar-Mir repeated slowly, "A Saiyan..." None of which Czar-Mir had known about Ryuchi, having gone to face the PTO Commander before he had revealed himself fully. Tightening his body, Czar-Mir began to move, hoping to catch Mandolin off-guard in his verbal attacks on the Wraith. In a flash of light, Ryuchi flew back past him as the Namekian hit him with a powerful beam of ki. "No, damnit, no!" He shouted, his eyes turning to look at his injured comrade, forgetting he had charged forward against the much more powerful opponent.

"Eyes forward, rebel." Mandolin spat, slamming his fist into Czar-Mir's mouth with immense force, sending his durable body flying back in the same direction as his half-Saiyan ally. "A traitorous race killed alongside a traitorous monkey, may you both find favorable company in your grave." Mandolin thundered, rising high up in the sky over the lake where Ryuchi had splashed into and Czar-Mir not long after. Placing his two hands in front of his body, Mandolin gathered considerable amounts of energy in his palms and finger tips, growling as he did so, the ki appearing like several small explosions coming together. "Abominable Barrage!" He yelled, firing forth several spiraling blasts of ki at the lake, shaking the surrounding environment and turning the body of water into a steamy series of craters when his long attack finished.

Breathing heavily, Mandolin could no longer sense their energy levels at all. Turning from the grave, he floated away slowly, finding his way to the nearest PTO encampment in order to take command of the situation on the surface and get into contact with Torq and Geeruzu to execute the traitors and PLO supporters once and for all.

---

The lake without a proper name housed an elaborate system of caves unbeknownst to even the most seasoned explorers of Harp, and within it's tremendous depth and complexity lied the huddled remnants of the surface population, all fleeing far below ground to avoid the cataclysmic space war that raged above. Both the half-Saiyan and Plutonian were quickly spirited away to safety once they fell below the surface of the water. Mandolin's follow-up attack then sealed off the entrance and exit to the cave system, concealing their diminishing energy levels, and faking their deaths.

A faint fungal glow provided unnatural light in the corner where the gravely injured warriors rested, both finally knocked unconscious by the tyrant that raged above. Attending the two was a small-framed woman clad in a thin robe, carefully collecting a saucer full of water as it gently rolled down some moss-covered, greenish-blue rocks near the two. A native of this world, her feathered hands were gentle as she put the saucer to Czar-Mir's lips, opening them slightly and pouring the water in his mouth. She rubbed his throat to make him swallow, taking in the water into his stomach abruptly, and immediately opening his eyes as the Harpy turned to refill the bowl. "What the..." Czar-Mir asked, rubbing his face and coughing, "Wait, I broke this hand!" He said suddenly, glancing down at his body in shock.

His injuries were fading rapidly, the cracked bones of his rib cage and arms, along with the splints of his legs, torn muscles and ligaments, all seemed to fuse together correctly and painlessly. His Plutonian genetics would allow him to heal from such traumatic injuries to full health, but not on such short notice. He watched carefully as the Harpy woman repeated the procedure with Ryuchi, letting the Saiyan swallow whatever grimy water she had collected. "You had both nearly drowned to death." She said softly, looking over at Czar, "On top of your battle scars, and whatever else is happening on the surface."

"Thank you." Czar-Mir blurted out quickly, "You saved me and my friend, I'm glad you're able to trust us enough to bring us here."

The Harpy nodded, "We are a kind, generous people. It often attracts... Less than favorable visitors. We had seen you and your ally fighting against the invaders. We are physically weak and not meant to fight, so I must thank you for being our protectors in this cataclysm." Czar-Mir nodded deeply as Ryuchi began to wake up, his own injuries from the long fights he had been through and the short confrontation with Mandolin healing as his energy returned as well. "You may call me Erisha, I am the healer of my people, and we take our healing from this divine water." Motioning to the slow flowing water, Czar-Mir knelt forward and touched it.

"My name is Czar-Mir, Erisha, but I have to say..." He began, "This doesn't look very sanitary." He studied the wall for a moment, considering the applications it could have if the other PTO traitors and elites were still on the surface battling. They would be growing exhausted against the PTO elites, and Mandolin was just overkill at that point. He reached out a took a jug with a cork, setting under a steady drip in order to fill it. "I'm going to borrow your gourd. We have other fighters up there who need this." Looking over at Ryuchi, "We're going to need this if we hope to take down Mandolin."

Turning to face his ally fully, Czar-Mir bowed his head. "Wraith, Ryuchi, whatever you wish to be called, I cannot thank you enough for putting your life in immediate danger for me. I was reckless to challenge the PTO Commander alone, and nearly got both of us killed for it." He dared not raise his head yet, and continued to speak to the half-Saiyan. "Mandolin spoke of your previous service with the PTO and a massacre, of which, I can only assume is the cause of your defection. Tell me that story when we liberate this world, because I don't want to call you Wraith or Ryuchi, I'd like to call you my friend." Raising his head to look the Saiyan in the eye, the Plutonian gave him a genuine, tear-filled smile, truly grateful to have someone willing to risk themselves like that for him.

[Ralnis]

Moe Thompson/Redline

Ahh I see what he was doing. The bird saw through one of the many weaknesses of my power as he launched his finisher. One thing that you can be worth anything to your enemy or as a true elite warrior without a signature move. This shit was funny if I wasn't in pain but I knew that if I didn't take the hit then Chris would get fucked up. So I had no choice, it would be bad if an ally got hit by such a strong beam.

I increased my speed and smacked Chris out of the way as I once again cleared my mind and readied myself as the green beam hit me. I got taken aback a bit as this was stronger than those eye beams that Chris hit me before but once again my aura flared up and the surrounding area became like a miniature star was in the sky with all the heat I was giving. I can tell that shit was felt by everyone for miles. Not that it matter as my body feels like it was about to burst with all this energy I absorbed.

Now, at nine-thousand power, I would be an uncontrolled elephant or a raging inferno as those fires that were somewhat controlled now were starting to burst like minor wildfires dancing and eating at my body. It was both a pain and a high for me because I've never actually absorbed this much power before. Hell, even 8000+ was hard to control in my body. Still I managed to descend in front of Bird Boy and walk to him, my power radiating with a heat like I was a planetary core itself.

To most grunts or maybe even my Patrolman of a friend, I was an explosion waiting to happen. Such power that most humans, and even some who were augmented, couldn't really reach as we all had natural limits to ourselves and my body was close to the one that will kill me in a pretty metal way. Hell, my control was so small compared to the power I have I was literally heating the rocks around me and making craters where I was walking as the very air was being set on fire in small explosions as I continued to try and reign my power in.

"Nice job Bird Boy. You managed to find a flaw, but the thing is that a hero always knows how to turn a weakness into a strength. It's those very weaknesses that make us who we are and what we can achieve!"

I crack my knuckles as energy course through my right hand and pain shot through me as it went all the way to my arm. I ready my stance as I finally pulled all the energy and got ready.

"So we maybe peasants and traitors against the tyrannical power that is the PTO but we are the freedom of the galaxy. The PLO and their irregulars, the Galactic Patrol who try to be the spark of hope, and the indie heroes like me. All for us to-

The energy surge with wind and a suction could be felt as rocks and clouds were coming my way.

"Go!"

Red energy started to swirl with the clouds as cyclone was forming around my glowing hand.

"Beyond!"

I cocked the fist as my entire arm was engulfed in Redline my control over the Ki was not there any more as it became more than an inferno itself.

"Plus Ultra!"

I threw the energy in a blast that became more like an explosion of wind, fire, and Ki energy that took out the entire mountain range and cause earthquakes, something that was similar to my finisher but a hell of lot more powerful than I could even come up with. It would've taken me years of training to get to near double of my strength in Redline. Fuck, I am damn proud of myself from remembering that old line from one of the early copies of Omni-Strength Number 12. The one where he defeats his own bird villain with some cheesy ass line.

I would be proud if the explosion also took me with it. I couldn't see anything but red and not because I was angry. All I could think about was what it felt like with my planet being destroyed by the PTO and trying to help wherever I can despite being a cargo transporter. This fight felt like there was more to Redline then what I could touch and if that was the case then I have a lot more training to do.

But then my thoughts came short as my body hit the ground rolling and I could feel my self been trenched and all I could see was darkness.

[Finland SSR]

Geeruzu
_{Planet Harp, Sector G-498}

Aurorus the Galactic Patrolman

---

The battle was reaching its ultimate conclusion. In response to Mala's assault from the back and Aurorus's Spirit Strike, Geeruzu began powerful and building up a finishing technique of his own. With a powerful burst of energy, he cleared out the field around him, and followed it up by thrusting his palm straight at the pair. A massive, overwhelming beam of energy shot out from his fingers, the so-called "Ballista Technique: Dynamo Blast", its sheer power breaking all counters and bright violet light overpowering everything in its wake.

In between it and the two heroes foolishly resisting the Lieutenant's onslaught, only a single beam stood - Aurorus's Spirit Strike, which paled in comparison by all accounts. It was no surprise to anyone that, when the two energy blasts collided, the Dynamo Blast continued to push forward, only slightly delayed by the while hot beam struggling against it. More and more of Aurorus's vision was getting overwhelmed by a wall of purple, and there was little, if anything, he could do about it.

Spirit Strike was not his finisher technique, but even if he could magically get a break and start preparing the attack, he could not defeat the doubt that it would be no use. Anything he does will be no use.

Is that it? What a shameful way to go... having nearly achieved the task he's worked on the entire year, yet perished at the finish line by getting into a hot-headed clash with two PTO elites who could, and would, stomp him individually... He won't even get to apologize to Beak for not listening to his advice - like always.

But...

No! I can't die here!

Even if Aurorus's determination wavered for a second, it was enough to make his situation in the clash even worse. The Spirit Strike flickered and weakened, giving the Dynamo Blast way.

Just like Gadon would say...

Ki is not drawn just from how strong you are. It's your spirit and dedication, not just your physical might. You need to develop both to see yourself growth, not just one.

Aurorus gritted his teeth and glared. Even at the darkest hour and coldest night, the spirit of a hero must not waver, even for a second. He only had a few seconds before his Spirit Strike, however empowered by his second wind it's gotten, collapses in of itself and lets the Dynamo Blast throught. But, if only someone jumps in to help in those few precious seconds... maybe it will be worth it.

[The Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune]

Mala

The Saiyan woman managed to grab the wings of the Dragon, causing the beastman to apparently panic. Once she got her knee in the Dragon's back, she started to try and force him towards the ground. However, before she could, the air around her started to heat up, causing Mala's instincts to fire like wild. Before she could flee though, she heard the words "Overclock Technique: BURN-OUT!" The air around here seemed to ignite as everything was fire. Mala screamed in rage and pain as she was backed up back towards Aurorus. Mala's armor had been mostly cracked and destroyed by the blast, a whole shoulder of it now missing, revealing her jumpsuit beneath.

Looking back at the battle, she saw Aurorus engaged in a beam lock with the Dragon. The Arcosian was quite clearly struggling and failing against the other fighters strength. Mala groaned as a thought crossed her mind. She couldn't let the fool kill himself. No... this was going to be painful. Activating her Aura, she blasted back towards the fight, before slamming into the Galactic Patrol Officer. The red aura was almost instantly swallowed by the purple beam. Mala felt whatever part of her wasn't burned by the initial blast she had taken flare up in pain. After a few more moments that felt like infinity, the blast finished and Mala was left floating in the air, smoke and steam coming off her body. Whatever armor had been left after the first blast had been burned away by the second beam.

Laughter began to emenate from the Saiyan. It wasn't often that she got into a proper fight, and even her training couldn't stop that Saiyan bloodlust from coming through when she got excited. Concentrating her Ki in her palm, Mala formed it into a small red ball. "Nice attack Lizard. I like the way you seem to burn everything. Here, now you can try mine. COMET STRIKE" Mala's red aura burst back to life. Grabbing her elbow with her other arm, she shot her arm forward. The ball of energy expanded into a red halo around Mala's hand, and like a cork had been removed, a beam of red energy roared out of Mala's hand, aimed straight at the Dragon.

[The Republic of Atria]

Torq
_{Planet Harp, Sector G-498}

It was not that he understood why Torq and Geers were considered the benchmark for being a PTO Elite. He trained hard and learned as much as he could, but there was a clear gap between him and even the weaker of the pair of warriors. Not that it was going to deter him, he'd made his choice and he was going to stick it out. He refused to be another cog in the machine of the PTO. Even as Torq shot one of his signature moves with intent to kill, Chris felt steadfast.

Refusing to let the fear grip his heart, Chris readied his beams once more and fired the twin scorching rays with more power than he'd ever used before. The earth beneath his felt began to char and melt as the beams slammed into Torq's own attack, significantly slowing, but not stopping the green blast. But that's all he had to do for the moment, just stall long enough for someone to hit Torq with something that could distract him. Chris grit his teeth and poured on even more into his own defensive attack.

He was not going to die here. Not so early. He would drive the PTO into the dirt person by person if he had to.

[The New Fallen Jedi]

- Snip -

Twenty One Years Ago...
Calcaster Wetlands, Edaria

The sounds of war radiated throughout the Calcaster Wetlands as the 22nd Saiyan Shock Company found themselves being forced onto the defensive as the Edarians hidden within the foggy and murky depths of the Wetlands surged forward with fervor, their power levels almost equivalent to that of their Saiyan Counterparts. Around the Wetlands would the flames of war burn brightly and steadily throughout the night, fueled further by the continued barrage of Ki blasts that the opposing forces would consistently fire forth and yet in the middle of it stood Lieutenant Commander Ryuchi Masaki as he finished blasting an energy blast clean through an opposing Edarian and yet when one fall would their fervor and tenacity increase steadily, responding to the deaths of their brethren with rage almost equivalent to that of the most blood lusted of Saiyans. "Someone get a connection to Headquarters and ask for immediate assistance!" a voice, matching that of a Saiyan screamed to his fellow allies shouted almost as if in desperation.

The intelligence regarding the forces the Edarians wielded in this part of the region had been almost entirely inconsistent with what they were now facing. The higher-ups in the PTO Chain of Command had stated that the forces the 22nd Shock Company were to face would only provide a meager resistance and yet here they stood, the brave men and women of the 22nd being pushed onto the defensive with their wounded beginning to increase in number while the enemy forces, which now numbered approximately 723 solders strong continued a slow and deliberate advance, using their awareness of the environment around them to catch unsuspecting PTO soldiers and Saiyan Shock Troopers alike off guard. Standing in the frontlines was Ryuchi Masaki, offering himself up as a target while the rest of the 22nd slowly pulled back to a more advantageous position where they could hopefully offer up stiff resistance while the reinforcement unit, the 18th Shock Company could arrival and relieve the beleaguered 22nd.

Ryuchi clashed against an opposing Edarian, engaging in a power clash as amethyst and crimson energy attempted to overpower each other. "You will take no more Saiyan blood today you godforsaken worm!" Ryuchi snarled as he reared his head backward and sent it careening forward into Edarian's own forehead, not only breaking the power clash but allowing Ryuchi to pull back, quickly focusing all of his energy into his left hand as a blade of amethyst energy materialized around it. Without saying anything would the young Saiyan Halfling surge forward and send his blade crashing into the Edarian's midsection. The Lieutenant Commander could feel the foe tensing up, but not before he felt the Edarian's hands clasping around Ryuchi's wrist. From behind would Ryuchi notice a pair of three Edarian's jumping up from the ground, the one in the center wielding a scimitar, while the other two held orbs of energy that were poised to strike a crippling blow against the young Halfling.

Ryuchi's eyes widened in horror as impending death awaited him with each and every second... and yet at that moment would a familiar voice let out an enraged scream, a blur of raging blue energy crashing through the Edarian Trip, his elongated hair blowing in the wind as the man embraced the Saiyan instincts within him that demanded a fight. Looking down at Ryuchi was his father Asumar Masaki, the 18th Saiyan Shock Company descending down like a mighty storm bearing down against an inferno of flame, and the words that Asumar spoke that day would forever remain etched within the Saiyan Halfling's head.

"This is no place to die!"

Present Time
Planet Harp
Ryuchi Masaki

Almost as soon as the Divine Water entered his system and replenished his wounds would Ryuchi shot up from the ground with a start, his face covered in a sheen of cold sweat and his eyes widened as if experiencing a nightmare the likes of which he had never experienced in decades. Indeed the near-death blow that had been delivered to him by Mandolin revived dark memories from the past that the Saiyan Halfling had truly wished remained suppressed within the recesses of his mind. Ryuchi looked down at his trembling hands as if trying to confirm with himself that he was still of the living, finding great relief that the latter was indeed the correct assumption. There was a part of Ryuchi's mind that had grown enraged by the near-death experience and yet with all his might would he restrain this rage from taking hold of his senses and making him do something that he could potentially regret.

As Erisha moved to introduce herself as one of the lifeforms inhabiting the planet of Harp would the Saiyan Halfing continue staring down at his trembling hands, stuck reliving the moments leading up to Mandolin's near-fatal energy blast that damn near disemboweled him. The shock of such a near-death experience was such that the Saiyan Halfling find mere seconds of thoughts stretching into hours, those hours turning into days until Czar-Mir addressed the Saiyan Halfling, his voice removing Ryuchi from his thoughts:

"I'd like to call you my friend."

At this comment would the wayward Halfling visibly tense up, shock setting into him by the statement from who could be perhaps the sole surviving Plutonian. Even as Saiyans and Plutonians once held animosity between each other would Czar-Mir seemingly hold no issues with Ryuchi's identity as a Saiyan Halfling now revealed. He was slow to shake his shock off as he looked up at the Plutonian with an amazing expression "I'm sorry... But you've no idea how long it's been since I've last had a friend in this cold galaxy, yet to think here we stand, two races that once held shared animosity for each other would find not only an ally but also a friend in each other... Thank you." Ryuchi said quietly as he too began to rise up from the ground, grabbing hold of Mir's hand and shaking it firmly.

His softened expression faltered however as he could still sense the battle raging around him, and with Mandolin on the loose, it would only be a matter of time before the PLO and any assisting forces would find themselves on the retreat from such an overwhelming opponent. "We need to get back topside Mir, if Mandolin is left without any interference then it would most certainly lead to disaster."

[Turmenista]

Torq
_{Planet Harp, Sector G-498}

It was too late. Torq knew it was too late for them as soon as he fired his signature attack, a massive wall of green going to meet Redline and Chris. Even as Redline was seemingly bolstered by Chris's eye-beams, Torq had already completed the necessary calculations both in his head and on his scouter. At this rate, with this energy...Redline was not going to survive, and that wasn't even counting Chris, who paled in comparison to his power. He continued holding out his arm as Chris was knocked out of the way by Redline, cackling in triumph as Redline's form was swallowed and seemingly eviscerated by the beam. "I hath done it! I HATH POWER! I HATH FURY! I HATH DEATH!"

NEW CONTACT: POWER LEVEL TWELVE THOUSAND

What? Twelve thousand?! Impossible...!

Through the ensuing cloud of embers, smoke, and dust...was Redline, an aura around him almost as bright as the sun, and his power level well beyond what Torq would've normally thought possible for such a small, worm-looking man. His body...his armor, was practically destroyed both by the blast and the sheer energy coursing through his system, the rocks around his form practically melting as the taunted him...some old proverb about heroes turning weaknesses into strengths, those weaknesses being what makes heroes who they are, what they could achieve...

If he was going to be perfectly honest, Torq wasn't paying attention to Redline's dramatic monologue. He was, however, paying attention to the incoming blast launched by the human, seemingly parting the clouds and sky itself that caused the mountains around him to collapse, the earth shattering as Torq could only but hold his arms out and brace for impact. The ambient temperature around him rose as the blow slammed into him like a freight train, blowing away large portions of his battle armor as he gave off a primal scream, flung off his very feet as he went flying towards the rocks behind him.

---

Geeruzu
_{Planet Harp, Sector G-498}

Geeruzu let out a monstrous mixture of a roar and a maniacal cackle as he continued holding his arm out extended. "If you are not feeling fear right now, I commend you, Mala and Aurorus! You two should die happy, knowing that you two will perish braver than most who have faced me!"

Geeruzu increased the power, adamant on breaking the beam lock with the Arcosian Patrolman. It was quite obvious that Geeruzu was winning this struggle, given the violet Dynamo Blast was quite obviously winning over the Spirit Strike. If he just kept up this tempo for a bit longer, Aurorus would be as good as dead, cooked well done and roasted to perfection.

"Tempo, tempo, tempo, my friend!" Geeruzu taunted, baring his teeth as he narrowed his eyes. "Now, perish! MAXIMUM OVERDR-"

His words were cut off as something very red and very hot entered his peripheral vision and knocked the Arcosian out of the way. Whatever energy had previously gone towards finally wiping that annoyance Aurorus off the face of the planet was now sent towards Mala at near-point blank range, the ensuing explosion and inertia from the the beam hitting her causing him to to lose his aim and inadvertently swipe upwards. The beam crossed through the sky like a deadly lance and parted the clouds above, screaming off into space towards some pathetic-looking moon in orbit above Harp, where a silent, colorful violet explosion could be seen flowering out from the planet's sole natural satellite, a few of the ensuing fragments from the moon burning up as soon as they reached Harp's magnetosphere.

Geeruzu turned to Mala, growling in rage, and ignoring the beeping alert notifications on his scouter. He flexed his claws and muscles, visible smoke escaping his nostrils as he hissed. "You.. monkey-tailed harlot...You dare? YOU DARE interfere with ME?! I shall crush your bones like the miserable piece of excrement you are, Saiyan!"

He assumed a defensive stance and roared as Mala fired her attack, his aura flaring up as he extended his hands out to tank the incoming blast with all his might. "Testudo Technique: FORTIFY!"

BOOONK

The crimson beam slammed into the violet barrier in front of Geeruzu, cracks immediately forming in the wall as he gritted his teeth, pushing against the overwhelming force that was Mala's Comet Strike. Like the force of a true comet, he had been knocked back a few feet by the blast, but Geeruzu remained standing, planting his feet firmly in the ground as he began to walk forwards, in an attempt to reach the Saiyan in front of him. The power boost was readily evident here with Mala as the wall continued to break, the excess of the beam licking against his side like stinging, fiery plumes of fire.

No... not here..I won't die here!

A shrill screech near Geeruzu caused him to break his focus as he whipped his head around to see his partner ragdolling, flying through the air with chunks of his uniform missing from another one of the human's attacks. Evidently, Torq had prepared to take his opponents down with him, given one of the other hostile contacts next to him had abruptly cut down to zero in terms of a power level, but...that was aside from the point. Torq was ragdolling — which didn't mean anything good for him.

"TORQ!!" Geeruzu bellowed, his attention briefly focusing back to Mala as he was pushed back towards the mountains by the beam. Roaring, Torq practically pushed himself off the beam, more chunks of his uniform and the undersuit beneath breaking away or melting away as he executed a roll to the left, albeit a sloppy one that one would expect from a Valkyren of his size. He immediately spun on the ball of his feet to the left and broke into a run, the ground beneath him sliding away as his wings extended, making him go airborne as he dove for Torq and grabbed his partner, breaking into another roll onto the ground to break his fall.

His partner wasn't conscious, his arm was a bit lopsided, but the initial scan from his scouter indicated he'd live, if urgent help was reached in time. More notifications appeared on his scouter — a PTO encampment had come back online following the attacks and was being used as a fallback point to regroup from. The new commander in lieu of the old, now KIA one, was a very familiar one by name: Mandolin.

That may be the best news I hath heard all day. Geeruzu stood up, extending his wings once more as he powered up. "Do not consider this a victory, traitors. I shall return..and the next time I do, the outcome shall be different."

Without delay, and perhaps hiding his face from them in shame, Geeruzu ascended into the air with a few powerful flaps, then quite literally blasted off towards the direction of the outpost, leaving behind a vapor cone in his wake as he disappeared across the horizon.

[Finland SSR]

Mala

Geeruzu
_{Planet Harp, Sector G-498}

Aurorus the Galactic Patrolman

---

On the last possible second, fate decided to keep Aurorus alive for a little bit more. It manifested itself in the form of Mala, who suddenly slammed straight into the Arcosian from the side and blew him out of the way of the incoming blast. His Spirit Strike collapsed in of itself and gave way to Geeruzu's blast completely, engulfing the Saiyan woman completely.

And yet, she survived. And yet, she laughed and charged right back at the Valkyren. And yet, she summoned enough force to blast the elite and force him into a clash. Whether Mala would have been able to break through Geeruzu's energy shield or not switly became only a hypothetical, as the Valkyren immediately chose to retreat when he saw his ally get blasted to the ground, rolling across the floor defeated, bloodied and unconscious. That put more incentive for the PTO elite to leave than any effort which Aurorus and his allies put into the battle.

Aurorus watched the dust of the battle settle with awe, then rubbed across his chest to wipe away blood gathered from a rather gushing wound running across it.

"We did it... we..."

"You're maniacs!" the voice of Aurorus's AI helper, Beak, yelled across the battlefield as the Arcosian's spaceship slowly descended down, now that it was in no danger to get hit by a stray energy blast. "Especially you, mister Aurorus! All of us could have, and should have, gotten killed by attacks as reckless as this! Patrolman status alone is not enough for you to be taking on elite PTO agents!"

Aurorus dropped down, next to Redline's unconscious body, and swept it up, floating back up to his spaceship and carefully placing his comrade on the floor of the vessel.

"Yeah, yeah, you can complain later, just make sure mister Moe doesn't die just yet, okay?" the Arcosian calmly ordered his AI companion, then turned around, facing the two warriors who had joined forces with them alongside Moe. Without their help, Beak would have certainly been proven right - and so, Aurorus raised a thumbs-up, smiled and spoke:

"Thanks a lot! Name's Aurorus, I'm here from the Galactic Patrol? You two don't happen to be from the PLO, do you?"

[The Republic of Atria]

Torq and Geers
_{Planet Harp, Sector G-498}

Chris fell back as Redline used the last bits of his consciousness to give Torq one helluva nasty blow, breaking the Griffin's arm and knocking the both of them out cold. There was a bit of awestruck for him. Not only were two PTO elites pushed back with one badly hurt and the other forced to take his friend back lest they both die, but the sheer amount of power radiating from Moe was... Almost mind boggling. He'd seen people in the eight to ten thousand regions before, but Moe had seemed to go beyond that even if only for a few moments. It was then that he found his faith in the rebellion. They still had to deal what what he assumed would be Commander Mandolin. A powerhouse if he'd ever seen one.

But that was a problem for another day, or hour. Now they had to get Redline back to full health or something close to it. Surprisingly, the Arcosian he'd seen earlier had already gotten the same idea. Though the little AI bot that accompanied him quickly got on his nerves. The Arcosian's thumbs up and genuine smile did ease the tension a bit. Introducing himself as Aurorus and more surprisingly, a member of the Galactic Patrol? He'd thought that they had all been wiped out or at least smashed into irrelevancy, but here he was.

"Umm, no. Though I am interested in joining up with them." Chris replied. "My name is Chris. I'd heard about the battle here and decided to lend a hand." A half truth. If he admitted the fact that he was defecting from the PTO, there would be some understandable suspicion about him, so he decided to leave out that part for now. "Anyways, it's good to see someone still out there fighting the good fight. Speaking of which, does your ship have a healing pod? Mine does, but it's a bit older, and we've got to get him some medical attention as soon as possible."

[New Neros]

Planet Harp, Hidden Harpy Cavern
Czar-Mir

The Plutonian nodded firmly, shaking the half-Saiyan's hand and listening to the former commanders' words, agreeing that they needed to go back out into the fray immediately if their other potential allies are to survive, hell, winning the war wasn't even on the agenda at that point. "It's a gamble," Czar began, "I haven't met any of these traitors or elites, I could gleam information from my battalions who fought alongside them and that's about it. They're fighting the PTO and I have no clue what their motives are, but at this point, it's a gamble we have to make. Mandolin is out there, and I could only assume he's heading for any strong energy signature out there. We need to get a warning out, or get some information."

"Czar-Mir," Erisha interrupted, producing a lower technology scouter from within her robes, one that ran on a different frequency than the standard PTO issue, being a clear indicator of PLO use, "We have this device to keep us updated on what's going on on the surface. You may use it briefly, but we'd like to keep it here so we can stay informed." Mir showed a look of surprise and even broke a smile, taking the scouter from Erisha's feathered hand and giving her a quick nod.

"Thank you, of course, just need to make a quick call." He put the device to his head and held the transmit button. "This is Czar-Mir reporting from under the surface, myself and the Wraith have survived contact with the PTO Commander, Mandolin, the Namekian, and are in dire need of a situation report topside." He waited a moment, a static-filled response coming back and giving him an update where the PTO are massing at a final fortress, Mandolin with them to possibly lead a reconquest of the surface. "Shit," Czar said, turning to Ryuchi, both of them having heard the situation, "All grouped together, one really good strike and we can knock them out."

"Control, report on the location of the PTO traitors and other anti-PTO elites on the surface. Send appropriate signals to remain in position, we will come to them and share our intel, as well as our plan to strike Mandolin before he gets the chance to launch an offensive." He waited a moment as the coordinates were flashed in, all of them at the same sector and quadrant. "This makes it easy," He replied, "They're all together right now. Let's get going, friend, we don't have a second to spare." With that, the Harpy led both Czar-Mir and Ryuchi out of their protective caverns with their jug of healing water in tow, the pair of them flying as fast as possible to meet up with the other resistance fighters, passing PTO soldiers flying the opposite direction now and again, ignoring them to push forward and save time.

---

Planet Harp, PTO Forward Base 974
Mandolin

The surface was utterly chaotic, the information Mandolin was receiving in orbit was complete garbage and lies in order to not piss him off, and it only served to infuriate him when the reality of the situation became clear. "We were pushed to the brink and all I was able to get was 'Stiff resistance from PLO scum, battlegroups are currently engaged', I was told of possible traitors, maybe there were rebel elites on the surface. Enough scouters went offline to warrant a response from one of the higher ups, do you understand how dire that is?" He thundered to a petty officer, "Do you understand that I had to lie to cover my ass, my campaign, and my soldiers because all of your men decided to lie to me?"

"I apologize profusely, Commander, we just assumed that we could handle this momentary setback without getting you involved."

"Do you take me for a fool?" Mandolin asked quietly.

"No, sir." Despite that correct answer, Mandolin blasted a basketball sized hole in the man's chest as he raised up his palm, killing him instantly and causing him to drop to his knees and slouch to the side. Panning out, many soldiers and PTO officers witnessed the exchange with held breath, placing their fearful eyes on the Namekian in order to survive both him and the enemy.

"We all have a job to do, and that is simple." He said, addressing the growing crowd. "Our mission is to not fail. We are the strongest warriors in the galaxy, hand-picked for this task because we have one mission in mind. Our losses are not due to a difference in power, technology, nothing of the sort, we have the rebels beat in every damn field. Our setbacks are because inept and ignorant officers failed to give notice and report truthfully on the situation facing their soldiers. We have lost too many men to the enemy to justify this horrid planet's conquest. I will accept nothing less than the full eradication of the PLO from this moment forward, nothing less than the gruesome and public executions of the traitors who appeared in our ranks, and a very firm message to the Galactic Patrol that they are not welcome in our jurisdiction, because he will die with the lot he has chosen to fall in with."

More soldiers began to pile in from the outer reaches of the world, many able-bodied and still able to fight, but Mandolin quickly grew annoyed at the increasing number of wounded and nearly dying coming to take refuge - Abandoning their post in order to find shelter and protection with their retreating comrades. "You there." He said a lone warrior missing his leg, struggling to stay awake, the Namekian bending down low to get close to his face. "Did you heed the call to arms, bringing yourself here to fight at my side to take this world in the name of the Planetary Trade Organization?" The man was silent, taking deep breaths just to focus on not bleeding out. "We have no facility for healing that can save you or your leg. You chose to die here far from a battlefield like a coward, not even thinking to strap a bomb to your chest and take a few rebels out when they come to collect your armor and scouter."

"You disgust me, I have no use for sick and wounded soldiers. I have plenty use for dead ones." He stood upright suddenly and pointed a finger at the man, zapping him though the helmet and out the other side with little effort, killing him a laser blast of ki. "Remove his armor and give it to a soldier with damaged armor in fighting shape. Throw his body out of the compound, he's taking up space." As he gave that order, two high-powered warriors flew quickly into the base, and landed some ways from Mandolin, catching his eye. "The two Valkyrens. Finally, some good news, I hope."

As he neared the pair, Mandolin's relaxed expression turned sour as he laid eyes upon the injured pair, one far more incapacitated than the other, both clearly showing signs of recent defeat. "Save me your excuses," He began immediately, refusing to honor them or their sacrifice for the cause, "You fought the traitors and lost." Looking at Torq specifically, he noted, "Badly. Officer Chris and Mala were capable of this alone, I find it hard to believe." Moving in close to the wounded pair, the Namekian looked down on both of them despite being of shorter than Geeruzu, "I will afford you a luxury. Five minutes in a healing tank, then you are to join me in destroying the resistance and their allies. I don't have enough time or care enough for you two to be fully healed."

Mandolin gave a slight smirk, "Or you may join the rest of the wounded soldiers here." As he spoke, a soldier blasted a crippled counter-part in the head, robbing him of his weapons and armor and dragging his body elsewhere, showcasing the truly expendable nature of the warriors Mandolin had under his command. "We have a scientist coming planetside to assess the dead and collect samples for their project, so, you will be useful to us dead or alive. The choice is yours, however, do not keep me waiting. I don't have a second to spare."

---

Planet Harp
Czar-Mir

It didn't take long to reach the site of another immense battle, the scars inflicted on the landscape evident of a titanic clash of wildly high power levels. Czar-Mir with Ryuchi at his side floated slowly down from the sky in full view of the folks they had been searching for: Two traitors, a hero, and a patrolman. Though their armor spoke of recent battle, their bodies were uninjured, with Mir's armor being completely absent, his undercoating torn enough to reveal large parts of his torso, chest, and back. "Glad to see some faces who aren't afraid of battle." The Plutonian declared, "We are not your enemies, much opposite, in fact."

As he landed, Mir swung his gourd around and looked at the sorry state of one member, the relatively unscathed Saiyan woman, and the equally torn up Human and Acrosian. "I have some great news and some terrible news." Giving the gourd to Chris, Czar-Mir began to explain, "We had fought the PTO Commander just recently, and nearly perished as a result. He called himself Mandolin, a Namekian, tremendously powerful and frightening to boot. We were saved by the locals, and they made us drink this underground spring water. It instantly healed our wounds and replenished our energy. Take it, we're going to need everyones' help if we're to survive the next few moments."

Taking a deep breath, Czar-Mir continued. "I am Czar-Mir," He said, "I was leading the PLO operation on this planet until they needed me on the ground in direct support. I am a resistance elite, as you would say, I am a Plutonian. Once I received reports of rebellions within the ranks of the PTO, though, I scaled back my involvement until I met this man," He motioned to his companion, "This is the Wraith, a dangerous rumor I'm sure you've heard of, a nightmare rendered physical. I saw him in action with my own eyes, and learned who he really was with my own ears." Turning to look at his friend, Mir introduced him properly, "This is Ryuchi Masaki, and he has enough hate for the PTO to go around."

"That was all the good news I had." He admitted, "Now, for the worse news you'll probably hear all day. We came nowhere near close to beating Mandolin. We didn't even scratch him. He's assembling his forces and preparing a counter-attack to retake the surface. Now, it sounds absolutely crazy to launch an attack while he's got that many underlings all around him, but honestly? If we somehow manage to keep him in place, we can stave off the PTO occupation for good. I don't think my forces can survive a counterattack of that scale." He paused for a moment, "I don't think any of us can survive something like that."

"What I'm saying is, we need to combine our forces and launch a cohesive preemptive strike on Mandolin's headquarters and bait him into a battle of attrition so he keeps using up his energy reserves to whittle down his power level and regenerative abilities to a manageable level. I don't know who you all just fought, but I hope they were impossibly strong, because Mandolin is still going to outclass them. Do any of you have any questions, comments, concerns?" He said, looking to his impromptu squad as they partook in drinking the healing water to revitalize and heal them all.

[The Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune]

Mala

The Saiyan women held up her beam as the Valkyren threw up an energy shield. Knowing that she had him pinned the shield started to crack. Grinning, she began to push more ki into the blast, her aura flaring up as she did so. As she continued to push, she saw the other PTO officers go flying from some hit. Before she was able to react, the Valkyren rolled away from the Comet Strike. The blast proceeded to dig into the planet where Geeruzu had previously been standing, burning a long tunnel of molten rock as it did so. Mala ended her beam shot, quickly side stepping the burst of lava that came flying at her when she did so. The Warrioress stood back lit by the molten rock as she watched the two beasts fly away. Turning off her aura and floating down, she made sure that none of her new comrades had died. The Arcosian and Chris seemed all right, but the man in the costume seemed half dead.

Chris and the Arcosian exchanged a few words when Mala's scouter flared up again. Two very small powers had crept up on the group while they were fighting. Taking a fighting stance, Mala found herself confronted with a ghost from her past. Though one of the pair appeared to be human, the other fit all the bills of a long forgotten nightmare for Mala. A Plutonian. Her mind wandered for a moment...

---

She had been excited. It was the groups first assignment that wasn't mindlessly bombing villages on worlds that the elites had already cleared. They were actually going to be warriors for once. Mala smiled to herself in the ship, wondering if combat against an actual opponent would be even more energizing than the clean up fights they had done or dueling her friends. As she sat and smiled, another young warrior came and sat next to her. The young boys name was Endive, and though the pair were too young to feel true love yet, he was Mala's best friend. He cockily asked her "So, have you been kept in the dark like the rest of us, or did your grandpa tell you what we're doing today."

Mala smirked and said "We're supposedly hunting down a group of 'Plutonians' or something. Their planet was wiped out by the actual forces years ago but apparently colonies of them keep springing up like the one we're going to. 'Like a bunch of vermin' as my Grandfather put it."

"You know, one of these days something bad might happen to your grandfather if he keeps sharing secret information" said another voice that entered the room. Prince Daikan was the image of the dashing young prince she had read about in this one book of Earthling stories her grandmother was apparently fond of. His best friend Logi followed behind him, as usual. The Prince continued "Who are you going to be partnered with on this mission Mala? I've been wondering ever since Zuki had her accident."

Mala shrugged and said "I'll go with whoever they put me with. Though from the way your talking, I have a sneaking suspicion they're going to put me with you again Daikan."

"They must think we make a good team. We should armor up, I think we'll be on the world soon."

---

Mala wiped the ever gritty mixture of soot and blood from her face. Someone unaccustomed to combat might hear the screams of pain and suffering and feel sorry for the Plutonians. But the ten year old was a Saiyan royal warrior. Such emotions were beneath her, or so she had been taught. She and Daikan were currently handling a stronger Plutonian woman, who could likely wipe them out in a 1 v 1 matchup, but when faced with two more nimble foes, she struggled. It was Daikan who landed the final blow, a quick fist through the woman's heart. Just then, Mala heard a cry in Saiyan "Someone HELP!!!"

Mala and Daikan ran towards the source of the sound, only to see Endive in the hands of an armored Plutonian. Several other members of the Raiding Party rushed in to try and save the boy, but before anyone could reach him, the Plutonian had already snapped his neck. Mala remembered screaming, and her vision going red. The next thing she knew, she was standing over the body of the Plutonian, crying at the loss of her friend.

---

Mala snapped back to reality. Listening to Czar's speech, she nodded and reached out a hand to shake saying "My name is Mala of the Loroco clan, former Royal Protector. I've heard of this Mandolin before, and the idea of removing him from any equation sounds good to me." She refused the healing water when offered before continuing "I have a technique that should be able to break him down, however I would rather save it for a resort if possible, given what it requires of me. Otherwise, let us proceed with the plan, this should be fun."

[Finland SSR]

Chris

Planet Harp
Czar-Mir

Aurorus the Galactic Patrolman

---

"Ah, a healing tank..." Aurorus muttered, repearing Chris's words and scratching the back of his head, then turned back inside his ship. "We do have one, but, uh..."

"This ship is small enough as it is and healing tanks eat a lot of energy, one or two sessions means we won't be able to afford a trip home," Beak finished, having calmed down somewhat after his initial outburst. A set of robotic arms unfolded from within the Patrol ship's hull and picked up the unconscious Moe, starting to work on some first aid procedures - cleaning and bandaging the man's wounds. Aurorus was still going to chuck Moe into a healing pod - had two new people not suddenly arrived to the battlefield and drawn his attention.

One of the two men introduced himself as Czar-Mir, a Plutonian, and the chief of Planetary Liberation Organization operations on the planet - and alongside him was Ryuichi Masaki, a Saiyan who was on their side in the conflict as well. The resistance elite commander respect in his stature and his speech, stating that they have a super-elite PTO warrior, Mandolin, to challenge before he descends from his headquarters to strike against them - while at the same time passed forward a gourd of what he described as spring water, which apparently had mystical healing properties. Aurorus, however, was more in awe than anything. Not only has his journey may finally come to an end!

"Mister Mir! It's so good to finally meet you!" the Arcosian exclaimed with a smile, then shuffled to straighten up and straike a more disciplined pose. After all, he needs to make a good impression, too. "Patrolman Aurorus, reporting from the Galactic Patrol! We've been trying to make contact with the PLO for a whole year now! And, uh... if help against Mandolin is what you need, then you can count on me to provide it!"

[The Republic of Atria]

Czar Mir

As Chris was speaking to the Arcosian, the leader of the PLO: Czar Mir made his bold appearance and wasted no time in explaining just how overwhelmingly doomed they all were, but not before tossing him a gourd of some fancy healing water, which he promptly administered to the costumed hero who more or less saved them all. "Drink up warrior. You've got many more battles ahead." He said and turned towards Mir. "Mandolin?" Chris asked. He knew about the crazy Namek. Quite devoted to the PTO and with more than enough power to back it up coupled with his Namekian regenerative abilities would make him more than capable of slaughtering them all without too much effort.

For once, maybe retreating wasn't such a bad idea after all. If this group managed to stay together, they could train up enough within a few months to be a considerable threat to the PTO, but on the other hand if they stayed and fought, there was a good chance they would all die and their rebellion ended there in gory fashion. "I've heard of him. Nasty piece of work." He sighed and looked around. The Arcosian seemed in pretty decent spirits despite everything. Helped keep morale high if nothing else. "Alright, so like you said, we've got the option of trying to fight him. That''s a long shot and a half since I think he's supposed to be more powerful than the two we just fought off, combined. If the rumors are true anyways."

"Now, I'm not one to suggest retreat, but it really seems that we're completely outmatched here. The PTO's been bruised here, and we just got out of that last fight by the metaphorical skin of our teeth. Retreat isn't such a bad idea, since... Let's just say I do have some knowledge on some projects that could really bolster our chances in the long term if we scatter before he shoots down here and starts slaughtering us..." He explained. There were the rumors about the gravity chambers being used by some Saiyans and that some human scientists have developed some much more effective versions for quicker, more effective training.

"It's merely a suggestion based on the currently available information. Guerrilla warfare is something that the PTO has difficulty dealing with. And with the information I have, I legitimately think we can take the fight to them, but only if we retreat and attack once we've bolstered our strength."