Going Native: Rewritten: Namek 3.4 (ch. 15) (Patreon)

“We could leave,” Raditz was swift to point out when he regained consciousness. “We have the Dragon Balls, whatever they do. If keeping them out of the hands of the PTO and the Kryptonians is the goal, we can just go.” He was laid out in the ground, staring up at the sky while the echoes of war managed to reach us. 

Jeice exploding had been like the mother of all bombs, but there were still plenty of Frieza-Force members on the planet. As I also laid on my back, looking up at the storm-riddled sky that cackled with lightning, I could sense them dying in droves. Almost to the point that I could imagine the drones’ formations. In the sky above the continent, I'm sure the Frieza-Force warships were still fighting it out with the Kryptonian ship, provided they hadn't been shot down already. 

“We cannot abandon them! They are our comrades!” Kori protested the idea immediately. Her eyes flashed green, responding to her emotions, and she had to catch herself. She had gotten a big power up. Kori’s ki always felt a bit fuzzy to measure, enough so that I struggled to compare it to a baseline, but it felt like it had grown by leaps and bounds. 

“We’re not really in any condition to do anything,” Raditz replied. “Tarble and I are spent, and Cabba is unconscious. We need the healing pods, but there's no way our departure will go unnoticed. The plan was to bail on the system once we had everyone and everything before both sides could gang up on us.” He was right on the mark there. 

“How did they get captured?” I wondered, mulling over our options. Neither were entirely helpless -- they had managed to evade the Frieza-Force for days before we arrived. Had the Kryptonians just sniffed them out? Maybe with their super hearing? 

“Does it matter?” Raditz questioned, and… no. I'm not sure that it did. What mattered was that the Kryptonians had them. I didn't know where they were being held, but my bet was on their warship. I couldn't think of a safer place if there were multiple Kryptonians on board. 

There was a question that was scratching at the back of my head, but I wasn't quite sure how to put it into words. Like… 

How exactly did the Kryptonians or even the Frieza-Force know about the Dragon Balls? And how did they know that Dendan was necessary to use them? Everything had happened so fast before, and I was wrapped up in the revelation that the Dragon Balls existed at all, but… how did they know about them? Actually, what did they know? And, for that matter, what was Dendan doing here, on this planet which seemed to be devoid of anyone but him? 

The situation was really starting to bug me now that I was able to think about it for more than two seconds. Especially my part in everything -- why exactly had we received Jaco’s SOS? He seemed surprised by it, telling me it wasn't a deliberate action on his part.

I felt like I was dancing to someone's tune, and I had only just now realized that there was music on in the first place. 

“Probably not,” I admitted. “But I'm not ready to just leave them behind. I'm not sure if the Kryptonians will kill them when they realize that they wasted the trip, but the Frieza-Force absolutely would. And we answered the distress call. I'm not in the habit of leaving a job half finished.” We had more reasons to go than to stay, I could admit that much. Even a prize like the Dragon Balls could only tempt me so much. Even the idea of seeing Namek only went so far. 

But I felt like I was being played somehow. I'm not sure how. I'm not sure why. But I felt strings on me and I wanted to use them to find the puppet master. 

“We just need to heal up. That's what the pods are for,” I said, pushing myself up with wobbling arms. I nearly collapsed and I would have if it wasn't for Caulifla offering a hand to catch me. 

“Yeah, on our ship. Which is in space. And when we go to it, everyone is going to know where it is,” Raditz pointed out, being rather dower. “And then they'll shoot us out of the sky.” 

“That's your answer then. We don't use our Attack Balls,” I said, and that got his attention. “We use ki to form a barrier around us and we fly up. And I don't think either side would be so triggerhappy. If they know we have the balls, then they know we have the leverage. We can use that. Somehow.” Probably. It wasn't the strongest finish, but the idea was sound by my estimation. 

And Raditz's apparently, as he let out a long sigh. I imagine he'd be complaining if he had the strength for it. I understood that quite well. We were wiped. 

I looked to Caulifla, who nodded. “I can manage it. I have enough energy left,” she confirmed my unspoken question. There was no time to waste so Kori picked Cabba and Raditz up while Caulifla formed the ki barrier. The pale blue bubble would be all that separated us from space. 

We could probably survive the trip without the bubble, but I knew it would be painful with our open wounds. So, we affixed our masks to our faces before Caulifla took us up. And it was as we flew up, breaking through Jangos’ orbit, that I saw the destruction that had already been done to the planet. 

I could see the ocean relocating into the crater that Jeice had made, leaving behind vast stretches of former seafloor that would become deserts. I could see the great forests burning, with the vibrant colors of the world seeming… lesser. 

It was sad, I decided. That such devastation could be brought to a peaceful world like Jangos. All because of three balls, one of which was resting in my stomach. 

But, I had to close my eyes and reach out with my ki sense, expanding it into the vastness that was space to lock onto some of my plants to guide us back to the Rebel Moon. 

The trip back was short, relatively. But despite Caulifla putting on a brave face, she couldn't entirely hide her exertion. By the time we reached the dock, she was breathing harshly and she half collapsed with the rest of us as the dock closed behind us. 

“I shall prepare the healing pods,” Ada informed. And, luckily, the medical bay wasn't that far away from the dock for the sake of emergencies. The lot of us limped into the sterile room, and to five pods inside that opened as we approached with the containers next to them filling with a greenish blue fluid. 

Wordlessly, we crawled inside, and affixed the oxygen masks to our faces. The door closed with a hiss of pressurized air before the pod began filling up with the greenish blue fluid. And the moment it touched me, I felt relief. The aches, the scratches, the fractures, the broken bones… all of the pain just vanished like smoke in the wind the moment that I was submerged into the fluid. 

The healing fluid was absurdly expensive, but it was worth every credit, I decided. My only regret was I didn't have the raw funds to fully abuse it. Maybe if I got a wish with the Dragon Balls, that's what I could wish for. 

It was hard to gauge how long we were inside for, but I knew I was back at full health when I heard a ding just before the fluid began to drain. Opening my eyes, I clenched my hands and I felt… strong. 

“The healing cycle has completed at forty-five minutes. During this time, the Rebel Moon has received a general broadcast from the Kryptonian warship Rao's Fist,” Ada informed me. 

“How long ago?” I asked, getting out of the pod to find that only me and Cabba were left. He was still in his cycle, though. 

“It has been ten minutes,” Ada replied, and I winced. 

“The message?” I asked, looking down at my armor to find that it was worse for wear. Same for my undersuit. I could guess what was going to be said even before Ada projected the hologram. 

“I am Qur-Ek, commander of the Rao's Fist. I am communicating on a broad channel for all to hear to make our intentions clear -- the Dragon Balls have been deemed property of the Kryptonian Empire.” The man saying the words was handsome. Dark hair, baby blue eyes, high cheekbones and a jawline that could be used to measure right angles. His looks were marred slightly by three long scars that dragged across his face. “Taking them will be considered theft and punished appropriately.” 

I snorted as I shrugged off my armor and started to get dressed in clean clothes. It must be nice to be strong enough to decide someone else's stuff was yours. But I listened closely as the message continued. 

“To the Frieza-Force -- know this. Any surrender that is offered shall be accepted. You are slaves fighting for an absent master and you die needlessly. Surrender to Brainiac and you will be granted your freedom and provisional citizenship to the Kryptonian Empire.” Qur-Ek continued, and I had to wonder how many would accept that deal. “And to the members of the Galactic Patrol… I expect to receive a transmission should you wish to see your comrade alive.” 

Hm. Threats. With that, the message ended and I was dressed once more. I mulled the message over in my head, thinking about our options before I spoke again. “Ada. Display our power levels.” 

Tarble PL: 350,000

Koriand’r PL: 300,000

Caulifla PL: 280,000

Raditz PL: 150,000

Cabba PL: 125,000

Cabba was at the bottom largely because he was still healing. Kori was a surprise, though. That was a pretty massive jump in power. However, the one that had the largest jump was me. From 135,000pl to 350,000pl. That was a jump of 200,000pl. While numbers going up really tickled my monkey brain, a small sigh escaped me at the sight. 

“My ki control is going to be garbage,” I muttered. The raw stats were nice, but not enough. I could overtake Kara with a x20 Kaioken now, but Faora would still be stronger than me several times over. Even if I was a Super Saiyan, I wouldn't be able to match her in physical ability. The only way I could win was if I cheated, but I'm not sure if they would be prepared for that card or not. 

Jangos was a binary star system, with one of those stars being a red dwarf sun. So, my Power Ball could have gone unnoticed and they could assume the red sun radiation came from the star. But that was a very dangerous assumption to make as I didn't know what their suits were capable of. Could they detect the source coming from my fist? Did Kara notice the red glow or did she mistake that for the Kaioken? 

It was a card I couldn't rely on, but one I had to be ready to play in a pinch. 

“Have we been detected?” I asked after a moment, sensing the others down the hall. Stepping out of the medical room, I gave Cabba one last glance over my shoulder before the door shut. He must have been in rougher shape than I realized if a forty-five minute dip in the healing pod wasn't enough. Hopefully he'd get a big Zenkai to make the pain worth it. 

“Negative, Captain,” Ada replied. “I have detected no targeted probing signals. It is my estimation that they believe the Rebel Moon is located on Jangos.” Stealth tech for the win. 

“Hm. I want you to chart a course to Jangos. Move slowly and stay in stealth mode. Take us above the Kryptonian warship,” I ordered easily, walking through the halls. A plan was coming together. “Prime the main weapon, but not enough that it compromises stealth. Meanwhile, when I communicate with the warship, I want you to route the call through our Attack Pods, which are still on the planet.” 

“At once, Captain,” Ada replied before the AI went about her tasks. I didn't know how the game would shake out, but I wanted to stack the deck as much as I could beforehand. 

It took me a few minutes to fly to where the others were and, rather predictably, I found them in the gravity chamber. The airlock doors gave me a warning that I would be stepping into x20 the standard gravity, but when I approved, the second set of doors opened. It was then that I saw Caulifla and Kori sparring lightly while Raditz was doing stretches. 

“Tarble!” Kori greeted me with a wave and a smile. 

“Kori,” I returned, looking her over. “So, the flaming hair is here to stay then?” I remarked, noting that it hadn't dimmed. I’d thought it was a temporary power up, but it was just as strong as before. 

“It seems so,” Kori replied, floating down to the ground alongside Caulifla. “When friends Raditz and Cabba gave me the last of their strength in the form of ultraviolet light, it broke through my natural limitations for absorption. With their strength, I am mightier than ever!” She proudly proclaimed. She seemed quite happy with the turn of events, and the transformation didn't seem to bother her any. 

I was happy for her. I had created that variation of the Power Ball because space travel for months on end sapped her strength, and the artificial UV light felt ‘gross’ to her. I hadn't expected this result, but by now, I knew better than to think I knew what I was doing. “Good. We'll probably need your strength shortly. Just be careful, yeah? Don't push yourself too far beyond your limits. At least until we know for sure that you're okay.” 

She answered with a megawatt smile but it was Caulifla who spoke. 

“So, you know what we're doing?” She asked, and I nodded. 

“We're on route to the Kryptonians now. I want to know what we're dealing with before reaching out to them,” I said, and I glanced Raditz' way. “But, as of now, this is a rescue operation. If they know that they need Dendan to use the Dragon Balls, then they won't bother negotiating for him. So, the best case scenario is that we can negotiate for Jaco, and he gives us the lowdown before we bust out Dendan.” 

Raditz brow furrowed, “Why? I'm not arguing, but… why? We're massively outmatched here, Tarble. We got lucky once to escape with our lives already. Taking these kinds of risks isn't your style.” It was a fair question, and I had an answer ready. 

“Because I want a relationship with the Galactic Patrol. And, for whatever reason, someone wanted us here. Otherwise we wouldn't have received Jaco's SOS,” I replied, and Raditz mulled it over before nodding. “Don't worry. I'm keeping an exit propped open in case we need to cut and run.” That reassured him a lot more. 

With our next moves decided, we waited for the ship to get into position. And that left me with time to watch everything begin to unfold from our passive scanners. 

As the Rebel Moon drifted into position, the war continued to rage on. The Frieza-Force brought in reinforcements, Ada detected no less than fifteen warships. Some had even come close, relatively in terms of space, to our ship as they raced down to join the fight. And as they did, I detected… millions of people on them. Millions of slave soldiers, being thrown into the meat grinder without a hint of care. 

Explosions dotted Jangos’ surface, further maring the once beautiful world. It really hit me then how fast things could just go to hell. An hour ago, the planet was peaceful. As peaceful as it could be with the Frieza-Force on it, admittedly, but now the planet looked like it was staring down the barrel of an apocalypse. 

Despite only having a lone warship, the Kryptonians were winning. The raw numbers of the Frieza-Force didn't mean a thing to the Kryptonians. One or a million -- the only thing that changed was the number of times they had to swing their fists. Though, some weren't even doing that. 

They just flew through formations, igniting the air around them and slaughtering everyone in the wake of the sonic boom that followed. Or they looked on from high above, using their heat vision to lay waste to entire landmasses at a time. In doing so, the Kryptonians revealed how many they numbered -- five in total. Five Kryptonians against millions, and the results weren't even close. 

“Captain, we are in position,” Ada informed an hour later as we hovered in high orbit, directly above the Kryptonian warship that was being swarmed like flies by the Frieza-Force warships. It remained unflinching, using drones to coordinate its defense flawlessly. It hadn't escaped from the onslaught unscathed, but in the hour it took to float over, of the eighteen warships that had been fighting it, only eight remained. 

Cabba was still out of the fight, telling me that he had been hurt a lot worse than I’d thought he was. So, we wouldn't be fighting with all of our strength. Which meant that we’ll need to hit hard and fast when negotiations break down. Caulifla, Raditz, and Kori were already at the docks, ready for the signal to depart. 

“Give them a ping, Ada,” I said, crossing my arms in the command room. Ada gave the confirmation that the ping went out via the Attack Balls. I'm not exactly sure how the whole communication stuff actually worked, admittedly. When I heard the word ‘quantum’, I immediately tuned out the rest of the explanation, but I was hoping that I could use the Attack Balls as bait. As a way to make them tip their hand. 

A few seconds later, Qur-Ek appeared on the hologram in the command room. His expression was harsh and unfriendly. “I thought you had fled the system. You have made a liar of me to your companions,” Qur-Ek greeted me coldly. 

“Sorry about that. Took us a bit to get everything in position,” I apologize, making his eyes narrow. Yeah, think on that. Get paranoid. “So, would you mind letting me talk to Jaco and the Namekian? Your presence threw a real wrench in their overall plans, and I'd like to know what call to make.” 

“And why would I allow this? You have done yourself no favors with your blatant betrayal of the Frieza-Force,” Qur-Ek remarked. 

“First of all -- I didn't ‘betray’ the Frieza-Force. I was never on their side to begin with. Secondly, even if I had betrayed them, I would count that as a good deed because screwing over the Frieza-Force is automatically a win in my book,” I refuted with a shake of my head. “Thirdly, my job is to get Jaco and the Namekian off world to protect them from the Frieza-Force. So, there could be a way forward where we don't have to fight.” 

Qur-Ek was silent for a moment, simply staring hard at me. “I find it difficult to believe that a Saiyan would willingly pass up a chance to fight, no matter how foolhardy.” 

“That's racist,” I replied, crossing my arms. That got a reaction from the Kryptonian, making his lips twist into a frown as if he was really considering what I said. “So, you going to let me talk to them or what?” 

There was another beat of silence as we had an impromptu staring contest. However, he offered a small mod to me. “I shall allow it. You did spare the life of Kara Zor-El, then saved her. This I cannot deny.” Well, look at that. I didn't expect for them to acknowledge that. The hologram shifted, Qur-Ek disappeared and instead I saw both Jaco and Dendan in a holding cell. 

They both seemed surprised when they saw me, “Tarble? You're still here?” Jaco blurted with surprise. “Oh. Um. I sincerely apologize for all the things I thought about you for the last couple of hours,” Jaco said, offering a small bow. I snorted with amusement. 

“No worries. You two alright? How'd they catch you?” I asked, wanting at least one of my laundry list of questions crossed off. 

Jaco seemed sheepish, “Apparently the Kryptonians have really good hearing? And… well… I might have been panicking. Just a little bit.” Ah. Well, that was one mystery solved, I guess. 

“Huh. Well, in that case -- I have the Dragon Balls, but I wanted to run something by you. Have the Kryptonians told you what their wish would even be? And would you be alright with trading that wish for your freedom?” I asked Dendan, looking at him directly. 

The old Namekian seemed pained by the very idea, “They have not been so kind as to elaborate, no. As for my life… I would much rather die than allow an unworthy wish to be granted.” 

I pursed my lips, “Qur-Ek? Don't suppose you would mind telling us what exactly you want?” 

“I will not,” Qur-Ek stated with a tone that brooked no argument. “Our wish from the Dragon Balls is a highly classified secret.” 

“Ah, don't be so stubborn. We're willing to work with you here. Meet us halfway, would ya?” I asked, though I got the distinct feeling that it was a futile effort. Qur-Ek didn't strike me as the type that would change his mind so easily. 

“No,” Qur-Ek replied, rather predictably. Meanwhile, I went ahead and gave my team and Ada the signal to commence the operation. “I have no need to bargain. I can simply take the Dragon Balls from you.” 

Well, I don't think he was exactly wrong there. I could sense the people that were on the ship. If Qur-Ek was the strongest one on board, then he had a power level of 50M. I didn't have much hope against that. 

Which, coincidentally, was why I had the Rebel Moon take aim at him directly. 

“This is your only chance. Submit the Dragon Balls to me, and you shall be allowed to live in recognition of the mercy you showed Kara Zor-El.” Qur-Ek said, seemingly deciding that negotiations were over. “Failure to submit will lead to the summary execution of both you, and our captives.”

“Well, you drive a hard bargain. Suppose there's no other choice,” I said with a shrug of my shoulders. “I'll head down with the Dragon Balls if you guys send up Jaco and Dendan.” I agreed readily, and Qur-Ek said nothing for a moment as he reappeared on the hologram. 

“... No,” he finally decided, and that admittedly caught me off guard a little bit. 

“No?” I echoed, cocking an eyebrow. “Why not? You're getting what you want, right?” 

“You're obviously planning something, and I refuse to fall into whatever trap you’ve set,” Qur-Ek growled and… fair enough, I guess. 

“... Was it really that obvious?” I questioned, scratching at my cheek. “Did I give it away? Ah- wait. You're just being racist again, aren't you? You just assumed that me agreeing to hand over the Dragon Balls instead of making you fight me for them was suspicious, huh? Huh?!” 

That got a crack in Qur-Ek facade, “You will not turn this around on me! You've already confessed to it! You confessed,” he stressed, making me tsk under my breath. 

“Just because you were correct doesn't mean you're right,” I replied, giving the others a few more seconds to get into position. And for the main weapon to fully prime. 

“That makes absolutely no-” Qur-Ek started before I interjected. 

”Fire!” I shouted, and I felt a low hum in the Rebel Moon before I saw a video feed of the same blood-red laser that I managed to defeat on Tamaran racing down to the Kryptonian warship. I heard an alert filtering through the communication with Qur-Ek, starting to say something, only for it to be lost as the red beam made impact. 

A low whistle escaped me as I saw the effect, and what I had spared Tamaran’s capital from. The front of the Kryptonian warship was essentially vaporized upon impact while the beam detonated with enough force to level a mountain. And that was the signal for the others to pounce, stealing into the warship itself to rescue Jaco and Dendan. 

I could sense Qur-Ek was still alive, but he seemed to have taken a bad knock from the death beam. Which was worrisome, but expected. Sadly. I could also detect from our passive scanners that the two Kryptonians that Qur-Ek sent to investigate our Attack Balls had arrived at their destination, seemingly ignorant that the fight had already begun. 

“Now for the fun part,” I muttered, cracking my neck. “Ada, defensive posture,” I ordered as I made my way to the dock. And, as I did so, I grabbed the other two Dragon Balls from the Bag of Holding that Dendan had apparently had on hand and took them out. Taking a bracing breath, I popped them both in my mouth before swallowing. I had to pound my chest a bit to make sure that they went down, joining the third one that was already resting in my stomach. 

Getting them out was going to be a problem for another day, but for now, I had more immediate issues. The plan was going well. As well as it could. I could sense the others making their way to Jaco and Dendan as the bottom half of the ship started to fall out of the sky. However, I could also feel the two remaining Kryptonians who had been on the ship flying their way up to me. 

After all, I did have the Dragon Balls. Spreading them out a bit was my hope with the Attack Balls, but that wouldn’t last long when they realized the warship wasn’t answering their hails. But, I had a hope for that too. One that seemed like it might be paying off as I sensed other ki signatures flying up after the Kryptonians. 

The Ginyu-Force. Burter was on his way up, streaking forward at much more subdued speeds than what he moved at on the ground. Still pretty fast, though. He was joined by another that I didn’t recognize, but I imagine was another member of the Ginyu Taskforce. 

The dock bay doors opened and I was greeted by the cold vacuum of space. Taking in a slow breath, I focused my ki. It felt like sludge compared to what it was mere hours ago, but still fluid enough for some fine control. I was going to need to spend weeks getting my perfect control back. “Kaioken…” I started, a shimmering red aura appearing around me. “Times twenty,” I hissed, knowing that I had to go full throttle right out the gate. 

Pain flooded my body, but I could endure the strain better as I blasted off into space, racing to meet the Kryptonians that raced up to me. And it looks like I was right about Qur-Ek being the source of the 50M power level on his now-destroyed ship. He flew up at me, his face twisted into a snarl that betrayed his rage. His suit hadn’t survived the impact. Beneath my mask, I smiled. 

Looks like I got to shoot my silver bullet once more before they realized the trick. 

Kara flew behind him, falling behind as Qur-Ek raced up with a fist reared back. As he raced for me, a Power Ball emerged in my hand that I tossed up, having it follow behind me. And even before I reached him, he recoiled as if he had been struck. It was shocking feeling the strength bleed out of him -- he went from 50M to 30M in seconds. By the time my fist met his face, he was down to 20M, so it still felt like punching concrete as a human, but it was his face that gave way. 

“Sorry! I gotta cheat if I want to win,” I apologized to him, driving a knee into his stomach before flipping up to kick him in the face. He was still outrageously, almost unreasonably durable, but the miniature red sun was sapping his strength. More than that, he moved like he was ill. Weak. All the same, he was still in the fight. 

“How!? How could you possibly know of our weakness to the red sun?!” He roared up at me. His movements were sluggish and jerky, but they were still fast. Even weakened as he was, he was still twice my physical strength even with Kaioken x20. “I demand answers, damn you!”

“Demand all you want, I don’t have to give you answers,” I replied, slipping by a punch that would have absolutely taken my head off to deliver an elbow to his nose. His head snapped back, and I could see the blind fury in his eyes. Oh, he was pissed. Pissed off enough that I might have to kill him if this was the kind of reaction that Kryptonians had when they realized someone had found a weak point of theirs. 

Kara had started to catch up to the fight, so I killed the Power Ball. Qur-Ek was weakened enough, and I would feel like garbage if I weakened a literal child to beat her up. Again. I’m really lucky that I was technically three years old, otherwise I’d never be beating the allegations. 

“You blew up our ship!” Kara shouted as she closed in, throwing a punch as she joined the fray. “You blew up my stuff!” She added, her face hidden by a replaced mask but I could sense her shock when I slipped her attacks with ease. Something I hadn’t been capable of a few hours ago. 

But, now, the tables had been flipped. Kara had recovered somewhat in the past two hours, her power level climbing back up to 4M, but as it was? I was nearly twice as strong as her at the moment. 

“Hey, don’t blame me! I tried to be reasonable,” I replied, a grin in my voice as the two of them threw themselves at me. While Qur-Ek was still moving sluggishly, he was a lot harder to deal with when Kara was there. Their teamwork was solid. 

“I am blaming you! Because you! Blew up! My! Stuff!” She shouted, throwing wild punches that I countered seamlessly. I didn’t even have to pull my punches because of that Kryptonian durability. I punched her in the face, sending her flying back, before she was struck by a point defense laser from the Rebel Moon. She was a bit singed, but fine enough to make it back to the fight. 

Just in time for things to get a bit complicated. 

“You!” I heard Burter scream into an open channel in my ear. I glanced his way as I ducked a punch, seeing him blast up to meet us. 

“Me?” I replied, unsure why exactly I was the target of his ire. I mean, Caulifla was the one who killed Jeice after all. And, speaking of Caulifla, I could sense that they had found Jaco and Dendan in the ship and they were busting them out. Perfect. Now, I just needed to last a couple of minutes for them to get back… 

“You!” Burter roared, slamming into the fray like a wrecking ball. “You bastards betrayed us! You killed Jeice! We had worked together for centuries, and he died because of a couple of punks like you!” Ah, I guess that answers why he was so pissed. “I’m going to rip that Dragon Ball out of your stomach!” 

He knew I ate a Dragon Ball? How? He wasn’t there for it. Neither was Jeice, for that matter. And I don’t think I liked the fact that he knew. It meant someone’s communications were compromised, and given that I communicated by Telepathy with my team… 

I kicked Qur-Ek at Burter as he arrived, and exactly what I wanted to happen occurred. Qur-Ek, as much as he disliked me, was still at war with the PTO. So, he took the opportunity to punch Burter in the face, and I could feel Qur-Ek’s power returning to him as he absorbed the light from the yellow sun. The downside was that Burter had brought guests, the Frieza-Force.

And things got messy. 

Frieza-Force warships, the three that were remaining, started to fire upon the Rebel Moon. The shield deflected the lasers they shot through space, while the Rebel Moon continued to fight defensively, shooting back at the warships while it readied another blast of the main gun. Qur-Ek and Kara fought me as much as they did the Frieza-Force. And that only got worse when the other two Kryptonians arrived to join in on the fun. 

It was exactly what I wanted, so I resisted the urge to use Darts. I probably didn’t even have the ki control to pull the technique off. It was all coming together, though, even as the saucer warships exploded as Kryptonians tore through them. All the while, Caulifla and the others steadily made their way back to the Rebel Moon using the chaos as cover. 

What I hadn’t counted on was Kara spotting them as I clashed with Qur-Ek. I saw his lips moving as he communicated with her while he gave me his full attention. My lips curled into a frown, all the more so when Burter was racing my way with murderous intent shining in his eyes. Ah. My enemies were teaming up against me. Lame. 

The two moved in, and I found myself weaving between attacks as I tried to pay attention to Kara as she slammed into the docking bay to chase the others. I felt their power spiking, and my lips thinned. That was going to be expensive to pay off. Worse, we needed to bail, and I really didn’t feel like dragging any Kryptonians with me on the way out. My distraction cost me as Qur-Ek landed a blow, folding me around his fist as he sent me flying back. 

Only I didn’t resist the momentum. My ribs felt a little broken, and he was quick to give chase, but Burter’s murderous rage worked in my favor as he was perfectly happy to fight Qur-Ek to get to me. It bought me precious seconds to speed after Kara as she fought Caulifla and Kori. Plan B started forming in my mind as it was clear our exit wasn’t going to be clean. 

The moment I cleared the docking bay, seeing the doors peeled back like a soda can, I shouted, “Ada! One hundred times standard gravity where the intruder is!” Raditz was getting Jaco and Dendan out of dodge. Kara had the raw power to fight in a hundred times the standard gravity, but Caulifla was used to fighting in even heavier gravity. 

I blitzed through the halls, seeing traces of the fight, before I heard Kara shriek. “No! I won’t let you get away!” She yelled a split second before I nearly got heat vision’d in the face as she blind-fired. The bulwark door melted like ice on a hot summer day, forcing me to dodge as I closed in.

There was no time to slow down, so I tackled her and flew forward, slamming her through another door as she struggled to get out of my grip. I grabbed her by the head and headbutted her nose, making her eyes scrunch up involuntarily. Then I formed a Power Ball, filling the hallway with red light, and she cried out before hitting the ground. The gravity remained at a x100, so she was done for the count. 

I looked back at the trail of destruction, and a small sigh escaped me, “That’s going to be expensive to fix,” I muttered under my breath. Goodbye, savings. 

Yet, Kara was still struggling to stand. “I can’t… lose! I have to… we need… the wish!” She gasped out, making it up a fraction of an inch before she flattened back down on the floor. 

“Child,” I heard from behind me and I realized it was Dendan. I stilled, realizing that he was standing in the heavy gravity with ease, Jaco alongside him. “There is no need to struggle any longer. I have no wish to see you suffer. Please, tell me what you wish to use the Dragon Balls for. Taking me prisoner or not, I am amenable to allowing you to use them.”

There was a desperate hope on Kara’s face as she managed to lift her head. And, with a pointed look from Dendan, I lowered the gravity in the hallway so she could speak. At the same time I gave the order for Ada to begin departure -- I wanted to get out of dodge before things could go even more wrong. 

She gave it a moment of thought before giving her answer, “Krypton. My home planet… it’s been destroyed. Everyone on it was killed! We want to wish it back,” Kara said, standing up and there was a naked desperation in her voice just shy of begging. 

Dendan closed his eyes before a small sigh escaped him, “I apologize, child, but that wish is not within these Dragon Balls ability to grant.” He said, making me still while Kara recoiled. They couldn’t? Bringing back the dead and restoring planets were pretty easy in the show. 

“But- the- They’re supposed to be able to grant any wish! That’s what the records showed!” Kara protested, shaking her head in denial. Nothing was crueler than false hope. 

“These Dragon Balls were created by myself many thousands of years ago, in the image of the greatest creation my people had ever achieved. However, they are a poor imitation. They do grant wishes, but even the resurrection of a single person is something far beyond their ability,” Dendan answered. 

I could practically see Kara’s mind racing and a thousand different emotions flickering across her face. “Then… What about these other Dragon Balls?”

Dendan grimaced, “The Super Dragon Balls. No wish is beyond their ability to grant. They are the ones that you seek, but I must warn you, child. Seeking them can bring only misery.” At Kara’s undeterred expression, he relented ever so slightly. “I know not where they are. My people used them once upon their creation, and they were then scattered across the galaxy. There are seven in total, each one the size of a small planet. I wish you luck in your endeavors, child, but-”

Dendan was interrupted by the ship shaking. My focus had slipped, I realized. I was so distracted by the idea that the Super Dragon Balls were apparently a thing that my attention slipped and I didn’t question why Caulifla, Raditz, and Kori hadn’t joined us. 

They were outside the ship, fighting. Then, to make matters worse, as if to rub salt in the wound, Ada made an announcement. “Captain, I am detecting significant Frieza-Force reinforcements on route to the system.” 

Fuck. “Dendan -- can the Dragon Balls get us out of the system?” I asked sharply, taking off my air mask. 

Dendan immediately recoiled like the question offended him or something. He seemed pretty distracted as he looked at me, “I- yes. They can,” Dendan answered. 

“Alright. Then we need to make that wish. We’re caught between two beasts, and they both want to tear us apart.” I said, glancing at Kara, who wore a very conflicted expression. Her blue eyes darted to me for a moment before glancing away. Her hands clenched into fists and, for a moment, I thought she was going to resist. 

“Fine. If you’re being honest about the Super Dragon Balls… then… fine,” She decided, but she then smacked me on the back of the head. I thought she was picking a fight before I heard three somethings hitting the ground. Looking down, I was stunned to see that it was the Dragon Balls. 

“Oh. Weird,” I muttered, reaching up to my forehead to find smooth skin. 

“Captain, Frieza-Force reinforcements have arrived. We are being targeted,” Ada interrupted, making me hiss. Meanwhile, I could sense the others getting overwhelmed. I looked to Dendan, and he seemed just as alarmed as me. 

“How big of a space do you need?” I asked Dendan curtly, snatching the Dragon Balls up. 

“A small one. Sulong is not a large dragon. Less than a hundred feet,” Dendan answered, and I knew just the place. Grabbing Dendan, I took off flying through the halls, uncaring of the doors or walls I had to smash through to arrive at the gravity chamber a few seconds faster. We arrived with Kara following along, but she wasn’t the only one. 

Burter and Qur-Ek were on my ship. 

Cabba.

I didn’t think. I just moved, leaving the Dragonballs and the others behind as I abruptly smashed through the floor, tearing through solid steel like it was tissue paper as I raced straight towards the medical bay. The two had followed us inside, so they came through the docks. That brought them right next to the medical bay. He was right there, completely oblivious to the danger that he was in.

Qur-Ek heard my approach as I smashed though my own ship and he met me with an enraged roar, “You insignificant insect! I’ll slaughter your species-” He screamed at me, greeting me with a punch, but it wasn’t him who hit me. 

One second I was on a collision course with Qur-Ek, and the next I was smashing through a wall with a hand wrapped around my throat. I clawed at it, only realizing what had happened when I looked up at Burter to find that he was snarling at me. “There’s no getting away from me now,” he swore, slamming me through walls as he carved a line through my ship. 

I barely felt them. Not only because of how fragile steel was to me, but from how fast he was moving. His flying speed wasn’t that impressive, but the moment he put feet on the ground, he moved at speeds I couldn’t even follow. I just knew he was using my head as a battering ram, mostly because I felt the thumps. “I’m going to take my time with you, boy. I’m going to kill your friends. I’m going to kill your family. I will personally wipe your miserable race from the face of the galaxy, and I will make sure that you watch-”

Burter’s threat suddenly cut out, along with his iron grip on my neck, even if I still found myself slamming through walls and floors from the momentum. For a split second, I thought he had just moved again, but I couldn’t sense him. Or Qur-Ek. They had vanished. 

Or, rather, we had vanished, I realized as I went limp in a pile of what was now scrap metal. Caulifla, Raditz, Kori, and Cabba -- they all made the trip. The first three were outside of the ship, and I think they were about as confused as Burter and Qur-Ek must be. We must have teleported away… but there seemed to have been one wrinkle with our exit, I realized as I flew back to the gravity chamber.

There, I saw the relieved expressions of Jaco and Dendan. 

As well as the paling face of Kara Zor-El.