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I
A loud chorus of cheers
rang out in the distance on the barren land. The sun had recently risen up
against the dark pink sky, revealing the ruins of a once mighty civilization.
Partial buildings stood weakly beside the remains of other buildings that had
been blasted apart. Solar paneled roads were split in half and various vehicles
had been overturned. The corpses of the human-like beings that littered the
ground was the most disturbing sight to be seen. Nearby the fallen were guns,
broken eyepieces called scouters, and various pieces of machinery. The only
sounds that were heard were the chatter and holler of another group of beings.
The celebrating
individuals were none other than the Saiyans, proud, strong warriors with brown
tails but human-like in appearance. All of them had black eyes and thick,
black, spiky hair. Many of them were wearing brown loincloths held in place
with rope and furry brown boots on their feet. The ones with more experience in
battle wore white armor with tan pads that protected their shoulders, waists,
and knees. A man with a black beard and mustache bent down to pick up a gun. He
examined the object and noticed that it only had four bullets left. In
addition, the larger barrel at the top had been bent. “Worthless,” he muttered
before tossing it aside.
“Tato, look what I
found,” called his companion, a smaller Saiyan with a lankier build. He held up
a brown wallet full of gold coins and a green-tinted scouter. “Very nice,” Tato
mentioned in approval. “Those could come in handy.” In one swift movement, Tato
pushed the Saiyan aside and swiped up the wallet from his hands. “That was
mine, first, Tato,” he growled. “You snooze you lose,” Tato grinned. The man
held out his hand and formed a yellow ball of energy. He released it with a
yell, only to have it swatted away by the larger warrior. “How juvenile,” Tato
said. “To think I would be that stupid to not sense an attack like that coming.
Your dirty trick won’t work on me, Celeri.” “I told you I hate that name,” he
scowled, crossing his arms. “I think that name is fitting for my younger
brother,” teased a woman Saiyan. “Shut up, Peppa,” Celri spat.
“That’s enough of you
all,” spoke a gruff voice of an older Saiyan. He wore Saiyan armor with dark
green plates and dark pants. “We should not waste time squabbling and spend
more time on gathering as much resources as we can.” “Yes sir,” said Tato,
saluting the warrior. “Good. Carry on.” He wondered off to discuss building
plans for new houses and landmarks.
Thanks to the leftover
technology that the Tuffles left behind, the Saiyans were able to build a kingdom
and claim the land for themselves. For obvious reasons, palaces and magnificent
mansions were built for the elite and upper class Saiyans first. For the
builders who had no experience constructing the more complex architecture of
several futuristic white buildings, blueprints and instructions were conveniently
stored in a small shed underneath a trapdoor. The space was soon ransacked and
wiped clean by the warriors, though it was tempting for many of them to blow it
to bits. Not much else was used by the Saiyans in terms of technology with the
exception of the scouters, round white space pods, and the Tuffle’s weapons,
which were upgraded to fit the Saiyans’ needs.
King Vegeta and the
Saiyans who fought in the battle were hailed as heroes by the rest of the
Saiyans. The Saiyan military were given medals of honor and treated to a large
feast at the palace which had recently been completed. King Vegeta’s closest
advisors gave him a salute as he entered the spacious dining hall room: a fist
over the heart followed by a bow. After addressing his army, the king sat down
at the head of the table. King Vegeta’s wife smiled with pride at her husband
as she sat down to his left. Their sons, Vegeta and Tarble sat to their
father’s right. Black banners with a curved red trident symbol
decorated the walls, the symbol of the royal family.
With no other enemies to
stand in their way, their civilization and population expanded over the years.
It wasn’t long before their desire for possession of land extended to beyond
their current planet, which they had renamed Planet Vegeta after their king.
In one instance, some of
the Saiyans traveled in pods throughout space, in search of a new planet to
conquer. The warriors landed on a planet that was dry and lifeless as a desert. There was nothing around that indicated signs
of life except for tall white buildings that had been cracked and damaged. “Nothing
much here,” mentioned one of the Saiyans in disgust.
“This place doesn’t seem
to have anyone living on it,” a woman added.
“Do you think we can
destroy this place soon,” asked a third warrior. “It looks like it’s ready to
be put out of its misery.”
“Not yet,” replied the
first member. “Let’s look around to see if there are any valuables here. But
keep your guard up.”
The warriors nodded and
began their journey forward. The sun beat hard and hot against the light green
sky. The Saiyans looked around the old white buildings and under gray rocks
nearby.
“No valuables here,” the
leader said. “Let’s go back and report to King Vegeta. When you speak, mention
that there was a weak race that we easily defeated so he won’t get mad when we
return empty handed.”
“What if he doesn’t
believe us?” asked the woman. “You know how he relates small mistakes of his
people as possible threats.”
“Which is why we must be
convincing,” the male Saiyan replied.
The woman touched her
scouter and it sensed movement not too far up ahead, movement that was heading
their way.
“I don’t think we need to
convince him,” she replied.
The group of five Saiyans
got into battle stances, their eyes and ears alert. Stepping out from the
shadow of a ruined building was a strange being. The alien wore a long white
cloak and their face was obscured by a dark skull-like mask. The alien had
three cloaked companions close behind him, along with a green mask wearing
alien sitting nearby against a broken wall.
“Who are you and why have
you come?” asked the alien through his mask.
The Saiyan leader
replied, “You don’t need to know who we are. You only need to know that we seek
technology and resources to expand our race to greater heights. Don’t bother
trying to stop us. You are outmatched.”
“We have no reason to
stop you,” he replied. “We figured that we would meet our end soon enough.”
The Saiyan raised an
eyebrow. “What are you talking about?”
“If it is money and
technology you seek,” said the alien, “then my race, the Acrosians, have what
you desire.”
“We are the Saiyans,”
added the woman warrior. “We are the mightiest race on our planet and soon, we
will be the strongest in the galaxy. Now where is this treasure you speak of?”
“Not so fast,” he
replied. “I can’t just let you take what we have and let you be on your way.
You have to give us something in return.”
“And what might that be?”
asked another Saiyan man, clenching his fists. His companion gripped his
shoulder, telling him to hold back.
“A more habitable world,”
the alien replied. “Money and technology can’t feed us nor quench our thirst.
We are nearly depleted of our frozen food and what’s left of the water ever
since the drought that has lasted for months. Without vegetation, water, and
wildlife to sustain us, we will soon die with the extinct species.”
“In that case,” said the
Saiyan. “Why not travel someplace else?”
“We have technology to
get us to other planets but we do not have any way to defend ourselves from
others who live on other worlds.”
“Fighting is in our
blood, our very nature,” the Saiyan replied.
“We traveled to our planet and defeated the people who had previously
lived there.” The Saiyans looked to each other and grinned. “We’d be more than
happy to experience the thrill of battle once more.”
The Acrosian stood,
satisfied. “In that case, you should have no problem conquering other planets
for us.”
The Saiyans wagged their
brown tails in anticipation. “Not a problem at all,” said the Saiyan. “Now
where is that bounty?”
The alien mentioned to
one of his companions, who brought a gray briefcase over. Two other briefcases
were positioned on the ground by the alien’s cloaks. The alien opened the briefcase
and the Saiyan’s eyes grew wide. Inside was a heap of shiny gold coins in
addition to small square pieces of strange technology. The Acrosian reached out
a dark blue clawed hand, a gold bracelet hanging from his wrist. The Saiyan
grinned and shook the alien’s hand.
When the Saiyans arrived
back to Planet Vegeta, the king was pleased by the unexpected turn of events.
Seizing the opportunity to expand his kingdom and the influence of the mighty
Saiyan race, Vegeta sent his men to work on missions right away. These missions
served to fuel the greedy nature of the Saiyans further.
The advanced fighters
with higher power levels flew to other planets and destroyed other alien races
that lived on them. Meanwhile Saiyan babies of the lower class were sent to
other planets with so called weaker species that they could fight when they
arrived. One look at a hologram of the full moon would be enough for the babies
to unlock their Great Ape forms and wipe out civilizations in a single day.
It wasn’t long before a
new threat arrived to Planet Vegeta. The galactic emperor Lord Frieza soon
reigned supreme over the Saiyan race, even forcing King Vegeta to submit to
him. Frieza formed an army of the greatest alien warriors, some of them looking
like regular humans. The high-level Saiyans were employed as mercenaries, tasks
with conquering planets for Frieza to expand his empire. The missions were very
different, now that the Saiyans could not enjoy the same destructive freedom
they had enjoyed before. Instead of keeping resources for themselves, most of
the money and wealth had been given to Frieza and his closest supporters.
The white lizard-like
emperor appreciated the Saiyans’ power and violent traits. Their intelligence,
skill, and efficiency made them the perfect warriors to do his bidding. At the
same time, he grew more and more mistrustful as time went on. Whenever a Saiyan
would prove to be overpowered or disobedient, Frieza would order said Saiyan to
be executed without a second thought. In many ways he was similar to King
Vegeta; both were powerful rulers who would stop at nothing to ensure that they
were in complete control of the universe and their subjects. However, the king
did show enough concern to send his younger son, Tarble away to a distant
planet…but only because he was seen as a weakling and a disgrace to the royal
family.
Prince Vegeta, on the
other hand, stayed on Planet Vegeta with his family. It was mentioned that the
young prince was more powerful than his father. Seizing an opportunity, Freiza
made him his underling, sending him on countless missions to expand his
galactic empire and install fear into his enemies. This was a situation that
King Vegeta did not take kindly to, despite his usual ignorance of the lives of
other individuals. The king and a group of Saiyan elites stormed into Freiza’s
chamber after blasting some of Frieza’s men with their power. King Vegeta
charged at Frieza, attacking with all his might. With a single punch to the jaw
by the higher-powered emperor, the king fell dead at Frieza’s feet. A bright
blast of light from Freiza’s hand eliminated the rest of the Saiyan elite in
seconds.
=
= = = < O O > = = = =
Age 720
It was the beginning of
the Saiyan-Tuffle war on Planet Plant. Prior to the event, the Saiyans had
arrived from their home planet, Planet Salada, after a conflict with their own
members destroyed their world. The greedy Saiyans soon wanted to conquer the
new land for themselves. However, there was another race that had already
inhabited the land. They were small in appearance and weak compared to the
Saiyans. However, they made up for their lack of strength by their advanced
technology and intelligence. These people were known as the Tuffles. The
Tuffles being docile by nature, welcomed the Saiyans with open arms into their
growing industrial city. However, the peace between them did not last long. The
Saiyans caused destruction and havoc anywhere they went, giving into their
natural desires for war. Not long after, the Tuffles began treating the Saiyans
like second-class citizens, or in some cases, as slaves. The unlucky Saiyans
worked at menial service jobs while the really unlucky ones were sent to work
at labor camps. Still the majority of the Saiyans were banished to the harsh
badlands in the desert to fend for themselves. For those Saiyans living outside
the borders, being free but vulnerable to the elements was better than being
restrained within walls.
Age 722
A broad shouldered Saiyan
with long black hair stretched his arms and legs under the magenta sky. He sat
down with both legs straight in front of him. With a mighty grunt, he reached
forward and grabbed his brown furry boots on his feet. He held his arms in
position for several minutes and then let go. He briefly scratched his black
beard, then stood up. At once, he flew into a nearby pinnacle of gray rock and
blasted it to bits with a single punch. The warrior shot a beam of light from
his fingers and destroyed more pillars of rock like they were merely dominoes
for him to knock over.
“Onyin, could you keep it
down out there?” called his wife from inside a nearby rock cave. “Our baby is
trying to sleep.” Moments later, the sound of a baby’s cries could be heard.
“Coming, Brussal,” Onyin muttered.
The warrior dusted off
his brown cloth which was tied around his waist with white rope. He crept into the
large opening of their home to find his wife bouncing the baby up and down
gently. “It’s okay, my son,” she reassured the infant. Brussal was wearing a
brown dress that had gotten slightly tattered at the bottom helm. She rocked
the baby back and forth while sitting on a woven mat made from grass and
colored strings. Hanging from the left stone wall were two dark brown wooden
clubs, one over the other in an X shape. Toward the back, there were piles of
hay and tan sacks of feathers that served as beds and pillows.
Brussal pushed her dark
brown spiky hair from her face. “I was able to gather some berries and catch
several birds for dinner, this morning. Go help yourself.”
Onyin nodded in thanks
and walked over to a slab of flat rock that served as a table. Sure enough,
there were piles of juicy red and black berries toward the end of the table. In
the center were several blue and green-feathered birds, all lying still. Onyin
made a face. “Couldn’t you have picked something with more meat to it? Those
birds aren’t going to fill me up for my mission tonight.”
“You’ve been going on and
on about your mission,” Brussals replied. “Yet you seem to be forgetting
something, or someone important.”
“Obviously I haven’t
because His Majesty Vegeta told me to meet my comrades up at the hill tonight…”
“It’s me, that’s who!”
she interrupted. “Maybe if someone had comforted me when I was having those
contractions, I may have been able to shoot down that deer I saw earlier.”
“Why didn’t you?” he
asked.
“Oh I don’t know…because
I was having a baby and I couldn’t get myself out of this cave!” Her voice was
full of sarcasm and anger. Even Onyin found himself flinching away from her.
“Okay, I’m sorry,” he
said putting up his large hands. “I was just busy preparing myself for tonight.”
“Preparing as in sparring
with your buddies and bullying the newbee warriors?”
Onyin grinned. “Something
like that.”
Brussals rolled her eyes.
“I swear if I were at full strength, I could punch you in your thick head right
now.”
“I wouldn’t mind that at
all,” he chuckled.
“Just eat the food that I
got, or go get your own!”
“Very well,” he said with
a shrug of his shoulders. His brown tail moved back and forth as he picked up
one of the birds and carried it over to a pile of logs in a circle. With a
flick of his finger, he shot a small blast of energy at the logs and golden flames
soon sprang to life. Onyin took the metal rod and tied the dead bird to it. He
carefully put the rod back in place and slowly turned it.
“This should be done in a
little while,” he mentioned, almost to himself. Brussal sighed as her stomach
growled. In Saiyan culture, lie many other primal cultures, it was customary to
have the strongest males get the largest helpings. Children would be second,
and the women would be last. Brussals was almost always the second to last to
get her meal at the occasional clan gatherings outside, even falling behind the
stronger women, who would get more helpings of meat and vegetables. After all,
the men needed tons of energy in order to hunt for food and fight neighboring
Saiyan tribes…or sometimes each other.
Brussals knew that women
still were needed in the Saiyan tribe. With their numbers diminishing the more
they fought each other, more mothers were needed to take care of the children,
gather and make food, and help raise them until they were old enough to fight by
themselves…which wasn’t a very long time to wait. Many of the stronger women
participated in missions and raids with the men, bringing along clubs, daggers,
and extra weapons.
Other than the roles of
mother, gatherer, caretaker, and occasional fighter, Brussals felt that Saiyan
women and herself were just…there. Powerful forces doing their jobs outside the
battlefield where most of the men met. Even her so called marriage with Onyin
wasn’t much of anything. Like all Saiyans, she and Onyin did not have a concept
of “true love” or “lifelong commitment.” They procreated, had a baby, looked
after each other and did their own jobs during the day. They were more like
siblings or sparring peers than actual lovers. However, they still cared about
each other. In particular, Brussals soon developed a strong attachment to her
newborn son.
With Onyin and family
bonding…not so much.
“Will you please shut him
up?” asked Onyin, annoyed that the baby was still crying.
“Our son’s name is
Rayyko, for your information,” she spat. “And I’m doing the best I can here.”
“Why can’t I name him?!”
Onyin asked.
“You’re not the one who
had him,” she remarked.
“But he’s my son! He
needs to be trained as soon as possible!”
“Our son,” she corrected.
“You can’t just use him as some special tool for battle. He needs the proper
amount of care.”
“And food!” Onyin added,
mentioning to the piles of berries. “Rayyko can’t eat all that. He needs
protein and a lot more food.”
“I know,” Brussals said.
“So get your butt outside and go find some more meat!”
“That’s your job, woman!”
he argued.
“You think too much with
your fists and not enough with your brain,” she said.
“Well your hormones and
laziness is keeping you from toughening it out and doing your job!” he fired.
Brussals gently put the
baby on the mat and abruptly stood up. “You take that back, meathead.”
Onyin smirked. “Oh sorry,
it’s too late to do that.”
“It’s not too late to do
this!” Brussals yelled, giving him a hard shove.
Onyin growled and shoved
her hard to the floor. She yelped in pain and picked herself up. Both partners
formed red ki blasts in their right hands in anger. They screamed a series of
insults but a loud roar stopped them in their tracks. The ki energies faded
back into their hands.
“Did you hear that?” they
asked each other at the same time.
Immediately, the cave
went quiet. Even little Rayyko went silent as if he too could sense a dangerous
presence. “Stay here,” ordered Onyin. “I’m going out.”
Onyin took one of the
wooden clubs from the wall and tested its weight. He stomped over to the bird
on the spit, which was now almost black. He picked up the rod and put the
charred creature into his mouth. Wasting no time, he made his way outside, not
stopping to turn back.
In front of him, a group
of warriors stood their ground, some holding spears and clubs, others posing
with only their fists to defend themselves. The ground shook with a rumbling
that gradually grew louder. Onyin looked ahead…and was stunned at what he saw.
Up ahead was a large
furry creature, walking on all fours. It had the brown fur and the body shape
of a grizzly bear, except the ears were large and round like a monkey’s.
Strangely enough, the bear sprouted a long brown tail that was almost as long
as the Sayian’s tails.
“What kind of bear is
that?” asked one of the Saiyans.
“There are lots of
strange animals that roam around in the forest to the east,” added a Saiyan
woman. “Occasionally they come here, but not very often.”
“This is perfect!” called
a big fat man by the name of Plum. “A bear wonders into our village, just
waiting to be killed and eaten. This should be fun!”
The bear opened its
mouth, revealing a row of long sharp teeth. Instead of attacking the Saiyan
with its teeth, a white blast of energy shot from the bear’s mouth, knocking
the screaming warrior backwards. Another Saiyan ran over to the fallen man. His
skin and clothing were charred from the blast. “Hey! Can you hear me, man?
Plum-san!” The warrior did not answer. “I think he’s unconscious,” said the
Saiyan companion, hoping that he was right.
“That’s no ordinary
monster,” called a woman, her tail moving side to side.
Onyin noticed a black
outline of a gear that showed on one of the bear’s front legs.
“It’s them!”
Another blast flew in Onyin’s
direction, missing his face by inches.
“Everyone spread out!”
called another Saiyan. “Lead the monster to the outside!”
A slender Saiyan man
fired a series of blasts at the bear’s legs, which appeared to have no effect.
The Saiyan barely dodged a swipe from the bear’s claws. A woman ran to the man
and pulled him out of the way before the bear could crush him. The beast opened
it’s mouth, getting ready to fire another blast. Onyin then rushed forward and
swung his club at the beast’s mouth. The impact knocked several of the bear’s
teeth out. The bear let out a roar and knocked the Saiyan back with its head.
Onyin quickly regained his composure and went over to the Saiyan who had
ordered everyone to spread out.
“Zuchini, let’s move
out!” He pointed to a space of dry open dessert. Zuchini yelled out a battle
cry and the rest of the tribe followed.
As the bear charged
forward, the Saiyans shot a series of ki blasts at the beast. The bear roared
in frustration but kept moving closer.
“It’s slowing him down,
but I can’t keep this up forever!” said Zuchini.
“You call yourself a
Saiyan who gives up that easily?” asked Onyin. “Keep firing!”
The blasts kept hitting
the bear, smoke from the blasts swirling in the air. The bear raised its paw to
attack, but not before a spear rushed past and hit the monster square in the
eye.
“Nice one,” said Zuchini
to Aspargus.
“Thanks” the woman
warrior replied.
The Saiyans fired more
until smoke and dust from the ground obscured their vision of the area in front
of them.
“I…I think we did it,”
said Pepar.
The smoke cleared and
revealed the bear, looking very different without the brown fur. In place of
skin were a series of bronze wires and gears ledged toward the back. Onyin
looked closer and could see that the bear’s eyes were actually small round
cameras.
The mechanical monster
let out a metallic roar that managed to knock the Saiyans backward. The Saiyans
quickly got up and ran around the bear, attacking it with all their might. To
the Saiyan’s horror, the monster started firing blasts back at the village.
Onyin prayed that the caves that got hit was not the one that his family was
in. One by one, the warriors fired more attacks, only to have them blocked by a
green energy shield that formed around the bear. Onyin let out a series of
curses.
“Gather round!” called
Zuchini. “We have to stop that thing before it destroys us all.”
“How do we fight it now
that it’s protected by that shield?” asked Aspargus.
“We find a way to break
it!” Zuchini answered. “And I know just what we should do.”
“Are you thinking…that
move that you are thinking?” asked Onyin.
“Yes, but we have to do
it quick and do it right. Get in position!”
The warriors stood in a
straight line, Zuchini and Onyin in the center.
The bear fired another
blast, only to have Zuchini run in to block the blast. His hands started
shaking and smoking. He pushed the light back, straining from the effort. The
beam of energy inched closer to the struggling Saiyan. He yelled with all his
might, to no avail.
“Now, Onyin!” he called. He soon fell to the
side and yelled in pain as his left foot got caught in the blast.
“Great Ape Fist!” Onyin
shouted.
All the Saiyans raised
their fists up at the same time. Ribbins of golden energy slithered from their
hands and formed together in a white ball of light above them. The planet shook
with the force of their power as the energy ball grew bigger and bigger. The
sphere then shot into the air and transformed into a red projection of a great
ape. The energy ape flew down and landed a large fist into the enemy. With a
final roar and a clanking of machinery, the mechanical beast reared back…and
then exploded with a bang.
The Saiyans covered their
eyes and faces at the blinding light. Soon the dust cleared and all that was
left was burned pieces of metal and tuffs of fur.
The Saiyans opened their
eyes. “That was close!” said Aparagus, panting and catching her breath. A pair
of two Saiyans helped Zuchini up from the ground. He was badly burned and had
lost a part of his leg, but otherwise, he was still alive.
“Take him to the
herbalist and meditation cave chamber,” said Onyin. The Saiyans complied,
despite Onyin not being an official leader. “Do…not…tell King Vegeta
about…this…” Zuchini said through his pain. “The mission tonight…”
Onyin beat his right fist
against his heart. “I won’t. I promise.” Zuchini was taken to the healing area
and Onyin took some satisfying deep breaths. He was thankful that Zuchini had
not been sent on a mission this time around. King Vegeta did not tolerate any
form of weaknesses or hesitancy in his warriors. Onyin grew concerned about the
fact that Zuchini may not be able to fight, due to his lost foot.
Then again, he was mostly
thankful that he had survived the encounter. As if his thoughts alone were
attracting good luck, a brown buck was grazing at a patch of brown grass, still
faintly green. The forest was not too far away and the deer could easily run
safely into the trees to hide. Unless of course, he tried to escape from a
Saiyan. Before the deer knew what hit him, he was struck dead in the chest by a
blast from Onyin. He lifted up the deer’s body on his shoulders and headed for
home, a smirk on his face. “Now this is what I call a hearty dinner!”
“You’re back!” said
Brussals as her husband came in with the deer behind him. “How was the fight?”
She asked it casually as if it was an ordinary event in a day, which for the
Saiyans, it was. Still, she was thankful that he was alive and appeared unhurt,
save for some cuts and a few bruises. “There was this strange mechanical beast
that came out of nowhere and attacked our village! It destroyed several cave
dwellings and some of our warriors got hurt. But no matter. It is defeated and
we are safe now.”
“Thank goodness,” said
Brussals, giving him an affectionate squeeze on his shoulder. “Rayyko is sound
asleep on that small stack of hay,” she added. Sure enough, the infant was
curled up on a brown blanket on top of a stack of hay, facing the wall.
“I can’t believe he slept
through all that commotion,” said Onyin, smiling.
“Believe me, it took a
long time to get him there,” she said.
“You know how kids are,”
said Onyin. “Come, let’s make some dinner.”
Soon enough, the small
family were enjoying slabs of cooked deer meet in addition to the rest of the
berries. “Yummy, that was good,” said Brussals, licking her juicy lips clean.
“It doesn’t feel like
enough,” complained Onyin. “I’m still quite hungry.”
“You’re always hungry,”
Brussals remarked.
“I know. It seems like
I…or we…can’t get enough food to satisfy ourselves. Only enough to stay alive
at the very least.”
“What is there to
complain about?” asked Brussals. “Sure it’s hard for all of us, but we’re still
here aren’t we?”
“Yes,” Onyin deadpanned.
Brussals sighed and
finished her meal in silence. She was annoyed at her husband for always finding
something to complain about. One day, there would not be enough food, and
another day, there wouldn’t be enough people for him to fight, and yet another
day, there would not be enough days to begin with. Brussals wasn’t sure if she
was proud of herself for dealing with Onyin’s stubborn attitude, or if she
regretted it.
“I’m going for a walk,”
Onyin announced. He picked up his club and walked out of the entrance hole.
Brussals picked up her baby and followed him close behind. Aspargus and several
other Saiyans walked beside them. “When is your mission?” Brussals asked.
“In a few hours after
sunset,” Onyin replied. “We were ordered to scout the enemy wall and find any
weak spots. And of course, to kill any enemy we see.”
“You know, they will push
you back,” Brussals mentioned.
“So what?” he asked.
“I’ll be satisfied enough if I get a chance to bash several heads in at least.”
The group of Saiyans
walked up the brown desert hill. The first blows of a cool breeze hit their
bodies, a welcome relief from the hot winds during the day. The sun slowly set,
mixing the sky with magenta, orange, and gold. Onyin stopped at the edge of the
hill and looked out into the distance.
Against the setting sun
and under the two crescent moons lay a vast city. Tall, steel buildings
reflected the golden light of the setting sun off the glass windows. The city
was hustling and bustling with people, moving cars, robots, and larger than
life advertisements on screens.
“Tuffles,” muttered
Onyin, the very word leaving an unpleasant taste in his mouth.
“They must have built
that bear machine to attack us,” deduced Aspargus.
“Did you see the cameras
for the eyes?” asked Onyin. “They must have been spying on us to study our
movements!”
“Wouldn’t be surprised,”
said Brussals. “I’m sure that wasn’t the first trick they had up their sleeve.”
“Nor will it be the
last,” said Onyin.
The Saiyans stared at the
utopian-like city some more. Even Rayyko had woken up and was staring at it
with large eyes. Along with disgust for the technologically advanced race, the
Saiyans harbored another feeling for their rival culture: envy. They could only
imagine how much wealth the Tuffle king possessed or how powerful and complex,
their weaponry could be. These people had air conditioning, running water,
electricity, quality food and water…everything. The Saiyans had fled from their
home planet Salada after an intense battle had destroyed their homeland. Why
should they be left with nothing?
Rayyko summarized
everyone’s current thoughts by sticking out his tongue and blowing a raspberry
at the city. Brussals and Onyin both laughed.
“Hey maybe, our son does have potential in him after all,” Onyin said.
“I know he does,”
Brussals stated. “You just have to give him a chance as he grows up.”
“Fine,” he said. “Still though, let’s keep him away from the
war against the Tuffles. It’s dangerous and he’s far too young.”
“I wholeheartedly agree,”
said Brussals.
“Three years into the
war, and it’s still going on,” mentioned Onyin.
Another Saiyan crossed
his beefy arms and scoffed. “They cast us out and treated us like dirt not long
after they invited some of us in! Still to this day. And they call us the
‘primitive species’.”
“Someday, you Tuffles
will get what’s coming to you, spoiled little midgets,” spat Aspargus.
“Let’s go, Onyin,” said
Brussals, holding Rayyko close. “You don’t want to be late.”
Onyin nodded and followed
the rest of the Saiyans back to the caves.
Age 730
The Saiyan-Tuffle war had
come to an abrupt end after ten enduring years. On one fateful night, an event
occurred that allowed the Saiyans to emerge victorious. It was a full moon, an occurrence
that had not happened in a hundred years. When Saiyans cast their eyes on the
large white orb, they transformed into monstrous Great Apes, with no control
over what they were doing. Their fighting instincts overtook any form of logic
they previously possessed. The result was catastrophic for the Tuffle race.
Even with their advanced technology and greater numbers, the Tuffles stood no
chance against the crushing blows of the Great Apes’ feet and fists, nor the
powerful energy blasts that the Apes fired from their mouths. The Tuffles and
their city were wiped out by morning. Once the Saiyans reverted to their
regular forms, they immediately began celebrating and searching the ruins for
any valuable resources. They found nothing particularly useful, save for the
scouters, some left over food, and of course, weapons. Thanks to the leftover
technology, the Saiyans were able to create their own kingdom in a matter of
weeks.
The Saiyans who had lived
in the rock caves in the badlands now enjoyed a life of comfort and prosperity.
Their brown loincloths were replaced with Saiyan armor, complete with tan
shoulder and chest pads to provide additional protection from blasts and sharp
blades. Their armor was flexible and durable in nearly any condition and
adapted to the warrior’s movements in battle. They were even strong enough to
endure a Great Ape transformation. With an ever-increasing population, more
experienced fighters, and efficient technology, the Saiyan’s goal to conquer
the galaxy drew ever closer.
Age 730
In the meantime, Rayyko,
who had been a baby many years ago, was now eight years old. His hair was spiky
and brown and a green scouter was positioned over his left eye. His eyes were
green, a stark contrast to the typical black eyes of the other Saiyans. He
often wore dark gray Saiyan armor, in addition to a black hat on his head.
Rayyko had been sound
asleep with his mother relaxing on the ground during the fateful night of the
Saiyan-Tuffle war. Brussals had told him that they needed to stay in the cave
until morning.
“But why, mother?” asked
Rayyko after he had woken up and asked if he could join his father. His mother had declined. “I want to join the
fight, just like father!” He demonstrated by punching a hole in the nearby
stone wall.
“Because,” said Brussals,
“Your father doesn’t want to put us in any danger in case anything goes wrong.”
“But he knows that both
of us can fight!” said Rayyko. “It would be good to practice on those Tuffle
people over there. Father said that I need to keep training.”
Brussals put a hand on
his shoulder. “I know, my son. But in serious times like this, fighting is no
laughing matter. It is not merely playful combat like that you and our peers
perform. It is a matter of life or death.”
“Saiyans should not be
afraid of death,” Rayyko mentioned. “Father told me that dozens of times. Being
cowardly makes one weak.”
“Which is one thing I do
not agree with,” said Brussals in a more critical tone. “For a warrior to not
be afraid would mean putting him or herself in danger. True courage lies in
overcoming your greatest fears.”
“But I don’t have any
fears!” Rayyko stated.
Brussals put her hand on
his shoulder. “Everyone has fears of some kind. Sometimes our most daunting
battles come from within, not from outside.”
Rayyko stared at his
mother in confusion and a little bit of impatience. “Why are you telling me
this?”
Brussals sighed and
continued. “You may find this hard to believe, but Onyin also has his worries
to deal with, as stubborn as he may be.”
“I heard a group of
people talking about a special event tonight. They claim that it will help us
win the war. What is it?”
“Tonight is the night of
the full moon. It has not been seen for many years. When our people look at it,
it triggers a transformation so powerful that no one can stand in our way.”
“Cool!” Rayyko yelled. “I
want to try it out!”
He ran toward the larger
hole, but his mom grabbed his arm firmly. “No, Rayyko. The event is not as
pleasant as you think. Once a warrior has transformed into the mighty ape, they
have no sense of control. Their heads only fill with primal rage, causing them
to destroy everything, or everyone in sight.”
“Is that why, father
wanted us to stay inside?”
“Yes. It is not enemy
tribes nor the Tuffles that he is concerned about. He is concerned of losing
control in his form.”
“But we are Saiyans too!
We can look at the full moon and transform. Why not do just that?” asked
Rayyko.
“When our people look at
it, it triggers a transformation so powerful that no one can stand in our way.”
“Cool!” Rayyko yelled. “I
want to try it out!”
He ran toward the larger
hole, but his mom grabbed his arm firmly. “No, Rayyko. The event is not as
pleasant as you think. Once a warrior has transformed into the mighty ape, they
have no sense of control. Their heads only fill with primal rage, causing them
to destroy everything, or everyone in sight.”
“Is that why, father
wanted us to stay inside?”
“Yes. It is not enemy
tribes nor the Tuffles that he is concerned about. He is concerned of losing
control in his form.”
“But we are Saiyans too!
We can look at the full moon and transform. Why not do just that?” asked
Rayyko.
“To tell you the truth,
he did not believe that you were ready to experience the transformation. You
are still a growing boy and your power is still in the average range, according
to him.”
“So he thinks I’m not
good enough!” Rayyko said in frustration.
“No, he just doesn’t want
you or me to get hurt,” explained Brussals. “Frankly after working hard and
sparring with my peers all day, I’m happy to have a chance to live a bit
longer.”
Rayyko stomped his foot
on the ground, so hard that cracks formed near his bare foot. “That’s not
fair!” he yelled. “He won’t let me get a chance to prove myself.” The young boy
then straightened himself up and puffed out his chest. “I’ll show him how
strong I can be!”
Before Brussals could
react, Rayyko raced out the hole and stared at the sky. He could see bright
stars against the dark blue sky. He looked slightly to the left and his eyes
met the giant white moon. He thought he heard his mother call behind him, but
that thought soon vanished. For a moment, his mind went blank, his only focus
was on the bumpy moon’s surface and the light it reflected.
Instantly his irises
turned red and sharp pains flooded his body. Hot, boiling adrenaline raced
through his head, his muscles, and his very core. His heart started beating
fast and his tail swished back and forth. Sharp teeth protruded from where his
regular teeth used to be. His eyes were now glowing devilishly red. The
prickling of dark fur spread across his entire body. Most noticeable of all,
Rayyko could painfully feel himself growing larger by the second. Though he was
one of the smaller Apes, he was still large enough to see the tops of the
forest trees slightly below him.
The young warrior let out
a mighty roar and pounded his furry chest. Behind him, he saw another Great Ape
who was sniffing the air…his mother. No longer protesting against his wishes,
Brussals looked in the direction of the Tuffle city. With a nod, Rayyko bounded
after her.
By the time they reached
the city, it was already heavily damaged by the Saiyan Great Apes. Buildings
once pristine with glass and steel now stood in flames. Far down below, the
Tuffles were running as fast as their legs could carry them, careful to avoid
the large feet of the Apes. Letting out his frustration, Rayyko picked up a
water tower with his hands and threw it into the air. It landed with a watery
crash against another building. The unlucky Tuffles hiding in the front lobby
soon disappeared underneath the falling rubble.
The cracks of gunshots
came from other Tuffles who were positioned on the ground. The bullets hit the
Saiyan’s but had no effect. Tired of the annoying creatures, Brussals swept all
of the Tuffles aside with a swipe of her hand. The Tuffle’s screams were
drowned out by the loud roars of the Saiyans. King Vegeta himself had also
transformed into a Great Ape, his long spiky hair distinguishing him from
everyone else. He fired a bright blast from his mouth and the center of the
city blew up in a flash of orange light.
Rayyko saw the remains of
a smaller building come hurling at him. Even worse, it was engulfed in flames.
Rayyko swatted it aside and stomped hard on the ground. He looked into the red
eyes of his Great Ape father, Onyin. Rayyko roared with rage in response and
charged forward. He landed a punch to Onyin’s gut, which caused him to briefly
stumble backwards. Onyin recovered and punched Rayyko hard in the face. At the
same time, both Apes shot energy blasts from their mouths. The energy clashed
and the force knocked both of them backwards. They stood up and charged at each
other again. Then Rayyko felt himself being held back by a foot on his tail. He
yelled in pain and turned around. A familiar Great Ape was shaking her head at
him. She pointed toward the city with a grunt, indicating what needed to be
done. Rayyko gave his father one last glare, then charged into the city.
Once the city was dead
quiet, the Apes took a look at their handiwork. Not a soul nor a structure was
left standing. The Saiyans had won. The Great Apes roared and pounded their
chests in victory. Rayyko looked toward the horizon and saw the first rays of
the oncoming sun. Suddenly tired, Rayyko lay his large body onto the dirt.
Sharp pains flooded his body again and this time, he felt the world slowly grow
larger around him. Soon enough, regular Rayyko was resting on the ground, in
his regular gray armor. After a few moments, he stared at his hands which were
now bare.
“What happened?” he
asked.
“We won!” cried Onyin.
“That’s what happened!”
Rayyko found himself
being crushed in a brief hug by his father, something he rarely did. “Wait,
Rayyko? How did you get down here? Brussals, you too?”
“Yes,” she replied,
walking over and shaking her head. “I tried to stop Rayyon from going out, but
it was too late. Apparently, he did well all by himself…as I knew he would.”
“It’s hard for me to
remember much,” said Onyin. “Though I did remember briefly fighting an enemy
Ape that bore a resemblance to you.”
Brussals and Rayyko
stared in silence.
“If it was you, then I’m
sorry,” Onyin quickly interjected. “I had no idea what I was doing.”
“None of us did,”
admitted Brussals. “But the important thing is that we won and we’re safe.”
“Indeed!” said Onyin.
“Let’s go search the ruins for anything that appears to be useful.”
“Yay, I love treasure
hunts!” exclaimed Rayyko, who then flew off toward the ruins.
“You know,” said Onyin.
“I think Rayyko might have some potential in him after all.”
“You think?” scowled
Brussals, hands on her hips. “How would you know, considering you are never
with him half the time.”
“I know a change in
demeanor when I see it,” he replied. “The fact that he was willing to disobey
family rules and undergo the transformation says a lot.”
“I thought he was just
curious,” Brussals replied.
“More than that,” Onyin
said. “He is a great warrior after all. Nowhere close to my level but still…”
Onyin was met with a hard
punch to his back. “We’ll see who has the last laugh when he grows up some more
and defeats you.”
“Like that’ll ever
happen,” Onyin smirked. “Now come. Let’s go snatch some valuables.” He ran off
toward his son and Brussals followed.
“Look what I found!” said
Rayyko with excitement. He help up a bent scouter that had a cracked green
lens.
“Nice work, son!” said
Onyin. “I heard that device can be used to measure power levels. We won’t have
to guess where anyone is at anymore. That will surely come in handy.” Onyin
took the scouter and gently placed it in a wooden cart filled with other scraps
and pieces of technology. The cart was guarded by several of King Vegeta’s men.
“Well, I think that’s the
last of it,” said Brussals, wiping her forehead. “We scraped this place clean.”
“Now it’s time to follow
His Majesty and make plans to rebuild our civilization!” said Onyin.
Onyin turned and found an
older Saiyan resting on the ground. He had messy white hair and his face was
caked with dirt. He was groaning with pain and sweating. His legs were stuck
underneath a large metal beam. Rayyko lifted the large beam and tossed it
aside. To his horror, only the top half of his legs appeared to be intact. One
of his hands was bent at an awkward angle.
“Let’s go, Rayyko,” said
Onyin.
“Wait, we have to help
him!” said Rayyko. Brussals agreed and immediately picked up the aged man.
“He will only slow us
down,” said Onyin. “You know we don’t tolerate weakness in our clan.”
“This man can’t walk, and
he fought just as hard as the rest of us!” Brussals argued.
Rayyko looked fearfully
at his two arguing parents.
“What good is a Saiyan if
he can’t fight?” asked Onyin.
“What good is a warrior
who leaves his fellow comrades behind?” Brussals countered. “The answer: there
is no good, only selfishness and a cowardly nature.”
“You dare call me a
coward, woman!” yelled Onyin.
“Coward. Butthole. A
monkey’s stupid uncle. You’re choice.”
Without warning, Onyin
rushed forward and slapped Brussals hard in the face. “Mother!” cried Rayyko as
she fell to the ground, along with the old man.
“Don’t worry, I’m fine,”
she growled, hoisting herself back up. With wide eyes, she saw Onyin point his
closed fingers together at the old man, who was coughing up blood.
“Onyin, stop!” she
yelled. The blast hit the old man right in the heart. He crumpled to the ground
and his body lay still. Rayyko stared in horror at what he just witnessed.
Tears fell from his eyes.
“Stop crying,” Onyin
mentioned. “Saiyans never cry. This is what happens when you aren’t deemed fit
to be a warrior. Especially one who steals your food almost every night.”
“That’s what you’re mad
about?! That the old man can’t fight and that he stole your food several nights
ago?”
“I put that fool out of
his misery. What can I say?” Onyin shrugged.
“Say that you’re a
monster who shouldn’t be showing things like that to our son!”
“Rayyko has to learn what
war is like soon enough!” Onyin explained. “That’s how it is. Now hurry up and
let’s catch up to the others.”
Onyin quickly made his
way just behind the guards, who were helping to push the cart full of goods. Rayyko
sobbed into his other’s arms and she picked him up.
“It’s alright, my son,”
she said as they followed Onyin and the rest. “Try not to think about it.
Remember we have special plans ahead and a big feast later to celebrate!”
The red faced Rayyko
perked up at the thought of food. “Really?”
“Yes, why wouldn’t we
have one? We Saiyans need our energy after all.”
Age 738
Rayyko was now sixteen
years old, and in great physical shape. Though compared to the Saiyans of
higher status, he still looked like a runt to them. To his allies, he was
nicknamed the “Galactic Star Killer” due to his pleasure in blowing up stars
during his missions. His hair was now long and brown. There was a new
seriousness in his face ever since Frieza took over his home planet.
His father became
stricter than ever, pushing Rayyko to fight harder and harder. To make matters
worse, his mother was falling ill to a mysterious disease. In Saiyan culture,
especially under Frieza’s rule, weakness in any form was never tolerated.
Rayyko did enjoy going on
the missions and conquering planets to sell for other races. Though he was not
one of the elite, his fighting had improved over the years. However, he was
cautious and wary around Freiza and his lackeys for obvious reasons. He knew
that one wrong move could be the end of him and his family.
Frieza’s bodyguards, Dodorida
and Zarbon were indeed, intimidating. Dodorida was a large pink alien with
purple spikes, a heavy-set build and cruel eyes. Zarbon was light blue-skinned
with green braided hair. Unlike Dodorida who found pleasure in killing and
violence, Zarbon took more pleasure in his appearance. Both of them still made
an intimidating force in their Saiyan armor and scouters positioned over their
left eyes. The two villains would eventually wipe out Bardock’s warriors and
assist Frieza in his grand plan to end the threat against him.
Below Dodorida and Zarbon
was another warrior and general by the name of Glacin. He was equally cruel,
though of lower status. He looked similar to Frieza, except slightly
blue-skinned, smaller and far less powerful. He had a long tail, skin and armor
that was nearly indestructible, and the intelligence of a cruel strategist. His
armor looked the same as the ones that the other members of the Frieza force
wore, save for a belt around his waist where he kept extra weapons. While
Frieza and his lackeys were causing trouble and observing their subjects,
Glacin was sent on separate missions by order of Frieza. In particular, he was
casting his murderous icy blue eyes on a young warrior and his peers.
Rayyko could sense that
something was not quite right. Over the years, he learned from his father how
to sense for danger in the air, to tell when the enemy would make the next
move.
Retro/Rakkyo
fights as a teen on Planet Vegeta as Frieza’s army approaches. He escapes to
Earth and later meets Orack, Halusa, Majin etc.
Born
to a good hearted Saiyan mother Brussal near her end, battles with his
battle-crazed Saiyan father, Onyin.
Rakkyo
born age 722.
Eight
years old in age 730.
738-
destruction of Planet Vegeta (between anime 737 and manga 739) Rayyo is 16.
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