Sense of Loss
- Location
- USA
Shugesh grinned as he checked himself out in the mirror. A few scars marked his body, including a big one on his stomach where he got a hole burnt through him way back on Rench. Only now instead of the scar stretching out over a thick layer of fat that had clung to him ever since he was a child, the scar stretched over his abs. And it looked all the more impressive for it.
His goatee was growing in nicely, and without a second chin Shugesh saw that he had a rather strong jawline. He was still short, and that was always going to be annoying, but he looked good. Great, even. Better than he ever had before, Shugesh decided as he flexed his thick and muscular arms. His smile grew by a fraction.
"Fasha isn't even going to recognize me," Shugesh said to his reflection, pleased with the prospect. And that clown Parslee was in for a rude awakening. He was coasting by his initial potential, but potential meant less and less these days compared to hard work and willpower. So, not only was he stronger than that freakishly tall clown, he was better looking too.
It had been two years since they last saw each other since he was stuck on this planet. It wasn't all bad, though. It was a big reason that he managed to lose so much weight -- or, rather, it was because he blew through his rations -- and the enemies just kept coming so the past two years had just been one long fight.
As if to prove his thoughts, an explosion shook the ground beneath him, raining dust and bits of rubble from the collapsed building that served as his temporary home. Shugesh didn't keep anything important here, though. He learned that lesson when his homes kept getting blown up. Which was part of the reason why he blew through a decade worth of food rather than just him eating it all.
Shugesh sighed as he threw on his armor -- it felt weird not having an undersuit but without an additional hundred pounds of fat, his old one didn't fit. He wasn't sure how Bardock managed it. But with it on, he stepped towards a busted out window and looked outside. The original invasion force had taken up residence inside of the city. Millions of them and their numbers were bolstered by salvaged machine soldiers from the Reach.
"Let's get to it," Shugesh said, still smiling broadly as he cracked his neck before he blasted out of the ruined building. He sailed through the air, over the busted up remnants of a city. It had been whole when they arrived years ago, but years of fighting had chipped away at its integrity. Shugesh used his scouter to find his first opponent -- a Champion Scarab. Gone were the days that only Tarble could hope to face them in combat.
The power of the Wrath State flooded his veins, his eyes changed to a blazing yellow and veins bulged in his neck and arms. The pain was unimaginable, and it never lessened no matter how many times he used it, but he was in control. With new speed, Shugesh blasted forward, racing towards the massive army that moved to kick them off the planet.
Ships filled the sky, armies covered the ground in massive formations, and equipment filled the spaces in between. Shugesh ignored them. After years, he almost kinda liked some of the aliens that fought on this rock. He wouldn't steal their fight. His was the Scarabs that rushed towards him.
The grin that never left his face grew into a full smile as he dodged out of the way of a stream of blue plasma. Shugesh repaid the attack with one of his own -- ki gathered around his hands before he launched two balls of it forward. When they reached the Scarabs, powerful bolts of electricity arced between the pale blue ki orbs, and each Scarab or robot that was close enough served as an orb to spread the electricity amongst their numbers.
Tarble wasn't the only one that developed his techniques.
"Haha!" Shugesh shouted, feeling like he was on top of the world as the Champion Scarab raced towards him, leaving behind a half dozen Scarabs that fell to his attack. Ki coated his hand, spreading over his forearm as he blocked a plasma sword with it before he punched the Champion Scarab in the chest, through the plasma cannon it was trying to form. Blood erupted from the wound and the scarab on its back exploded as it was destroyed but Shugesh barely felt it. "I have a good feeling about today."
He was having the time of his life. Every day for the past two years, it felt like… he just woke up on the right side of the bed every day. Every day was filled with nonstop fights and he loved it. Like all Saiyans, Shugesh craved a challenge but there was something so immensely gratifying about utterly crushing a foe that he had once struggled to fight for so long. King Vegeta's attitude made a bit more sense now that Shugesh was on the other end of the boot.
"It sounds like you're enjoying yourself a great deal, Shugesh!" Recoome shouted through his scouter, over the open channel.
"Just tried out a new technique. You're going to be in for a real shock in our next sparring match," Shugesh promised as he fell upon the invading force. Orbital bombardments slammed into the massive energy shield, but it held strong, but everything around it sure didn't. All the while ships and Scarabs surged forward, intent on overwhelming them.
In response to that Recoome simply laughed, "I can't wait to test it against my Recoome Suplex! I'll bet you three sweet-sour candies that I'll win our next bout!" Recoome taunted with excitement in his tone. He wasn't a Saiyan, but he enjoyed fighting. Better than most aliens, who all they did was bitched and moaned about having to fight.
Honestly? Shugesh was pretty fine with Frieza. Sure, it sucked being a slave, but was it really slavery when you got everything you wanted? He didn't think so. But the others did, so Shugesh kept his mouth shut.
"You're on," Shugesh responded instantly. The bets started out a lot larger at the start of the siege, but as time passed they dwindled as Recoome snacked on his own supply. Now he was a lot more frugal with them. He could practically taste victory already and it tasted -
His scouter dinged, alerting him that he had a message. The sound nearly got him killed as a Scarab seized his momentary hesitation to take his head off. But Shugesh dispatched it with ease as he opened up the message and took a moment to read it as chaos raged around them.
Oh, he knew it was going to be a good day.
"You got the message?" Shugesh asked as he flew upward, abandoning the fight on the planet. He punched through the atmosphere after securing a mask to his face. The fleet above was sizable -- it was funny, in a way. Ten years ago, dozens of ships would have been an absolute death sentence. It nearly had been on that one planet that kickstarted this entire war. But that was ten years ago. And so very much had changed in the past ten years.
"It just came through!" Recoome announced while Shugesh raced towards the ships. One of them unfurled like a flower, and Shugesh grinned when he thought it was about to hit him. Because it felt so damn good to know that the Reach's first instinct to his approach was to go straight to the planet busting weapons.
Instead, some kind of shimmering light spread outwards. Not a wide-range attack either. After ten years of war, Shugesh knew an energy shield when he saw them. For the first time that day, the grin slipped off his face. His disappointment was immeasurable and his day was ruined. They were just going to put a stupid shield in his way? They were going to try to make him miss his big debut back to the Team during the invasion of a lifetime?
Over his rotting corpse.
"Do not worry, Shugesh! I, Recoome, have this covered!" Recoome shouted into his ear. Shugesh's scouter alerted him to a powerful PL that was racing towards him. Shugesh looked over his shoulder to see that it was Recoome. Some kind of shimmering aura surrounded him that came to a very sharp point where his head was while his hands remained by his sides.
He blasted past Shugesh in a blur, aimed directly at the energy shield that was meant to keep them contained. And he watched in awe as Recoome slammed right into the center of the source of the energy shield, right where it was at its thickest before a blinding flash of light nearly blinded Shugesh. Recoome screamed in his ear, not one of pain but pure determination.
"ReCOOOME DRIVER!" Recoome shouted, still clashing against the shield. But beyond the blinding light, Shugesh saw the energy shield begin to warp, twisting on itself as it tried to maintain its shape but Recoome was gaining ground. And then, without any warning, the tension snapped, and the energy shield faltered. Recoome proved the power of the Recoome Driver because, without the energy shield, he tore right through the ship that created it. A massive hole was punched through it before the entire thing exploded.
"Can't let you have all the fun!" Shugesh cheered, already planning how he would counter that technique, while he turned his attention to the surrounding fleet that just realized how fucked they were. Orbs launched from his hands, each one expanding to the size of Recoome, and they raced towards the ships.
Bolts of electricity devastated the ships, using each one as a jumping-off point to connect to another. Shugesh had designed it especially for fighting metal troops -- they marched in formation and with a quick attack, he could take them all out at once and focus on the real challenges. It was just as effective in the ships given that they too moved in formation.
The lightning wrecked the fleet as the destructive technique spread outward. It wouldn't get all of them, but it would get most of them.
"I see you've bested me this time," Recoome observed as they looked out at the devastated fleet that was meant to keep them contained on this planet. Pretty much exactly what Tarble had said. And, much to his annoyance, Tarble was right about them not blowing up the planet. The Reach was afraid of Frieza. Everyone knew that Frieza couldn't care less about losses.
It was all about money to him. That's why he was reselling planets and keeping the best ones for himself. If the Reach started blowing up planets… well, then Frieza would feel the need to step in to preserve his bottom line. Or, so Tarble said. Annoyingly, he was right.
"One hundred to one," Shugesh bragged, feeling some of his previous good cheer come right back when Recoome scowled a bit. However, before he could complain about the massive lead that Shugesh pulled right out of the gate, more ships arrived. Shugesh looked over, hoping that they would be more Reach ships. Instead, he saw hundreds of Cooler-force ships wink into existence just outside of orbit.
From the look of it, their weapons were hot, anticipating a battle, only to be let down.
"You've won this round, but there are plenty more rounds to come," Recoome said before he tossed a capsule that became his attack ball. And that was true enough. The admiral of the fleet sent him a message asking that they board the flagship. Shugesh wordlessly flew over, racing Recoome there. Once they were on board, an announcement came on saying that they were returning to hyperspeed.
Walking to the command deck, he saw a familiar face standing at the helm.
"Bardock!" Shugesh greeted his old friend, making the scarred face saiyan turn around to face him. Only to not see a hint of recognition in his gaze.
"Who are you?" Bardock asked bluntly, making Shugesh go still. He had meant that as a joke. He didn't look that different, did he? Then Bardock blinked, "Shugesh? What happened to you?"
He must have recognized him by the bowl cut hairstyle that he was born with. "I've been fighting off Reach invasions for a couple of years. You look the same though," Shugesh returned as he confidently strode onto the command deck. Out of the corner of his eye, Shugesh saw Matillo leaning against a wall, his face set in an expressionless mask. Their eyes met for a moment and Matillo nodded, acknowledging him.
"At least one of us had fun. I've been bored out of my mind the past two years," Bardock said, one foot bouncing impatiently. Then he sighed, "Recoome," he greeted the towering alien that looked thoroughly annoyed when Bardock hadn't greeted him.
"So, it's finally happening." Two years of waiting for the main event to kick off. And it was finally here. "Where are we going?"
Bardock made a hologram appear on a screen, proving that Shugesh wasn't the only one that had learned a few tricks. "You, Matillo, Recoome, and me are going to Shield World 3DRXV, or planet 3D for short. Tarble is going to the Reach HQ with Broly and Burter. The others are going to get their planet. We're breaking through the Shield Wall at multiple points. The fleet will keep the other busy to prevent reinforcements, but it's up to us to really break the Shield Wall and make sure it stays broken."
That was a little disappointing. He had hoped to hit the HQ.
"Tarble's already hitting the HQ now," Bardock informed, understanding his disappointment. "And it's for the best. Cooler is there," Bardock explained, making Shugesh wince.
That was a meeting and a half. Tarble, in the end, was an absolute freak of nature and one of the strongest people that he was ever likely to meet. And he still hadn't even had his first growth spurt yet. And that freak of nature was forced to thank Cooler for cutting off his arm.
"What's he doing there?" Shugesh questioned. Last he heard, Cooler didn't leave his castle unless he had to.
Bardock shrugged in response, "I don't know. When we got ready to launch the plan, Cooler showed up and said that he was coming along. None of us were exactly in the position to argue the point."
Shugesh paused, it really settling in that it had been two years. He was only aware of it because Recoome had celebrated their second year on the planet a couple of days ago.
"How much stronger has he gotten?" Shugesh was compelled to ask. Bardock didn't need an explanation on who he meant. Instead, the hologram became a video of Tarble from over his shoulder. He faced down a Shield World guarded by hundreds of ships. Much like Shugesh had done earlier, he formed two orbs of ki above his hands. Only unlike him, Tarble had a very different way of defeating the fleet.
Because the orbs broke up into hundreds of different attacks that spread out into streaks of light that crossed the distance between him and the fleet. Each streak of light its own attack. There was one for each ship, no matter how big or small, and each one found their marks. Almost at once, hundreds of ships exploded, flooding the video with light. And when it faded, the fleet was gone.
A memory came to mind. An old one. They were on a planet that Shugesh couldn't even remember, way back when they were stuck behind enemy lines. It was a memory of Bardock absolutely beating the shit out of Tarble. Just wailing on his face until it was mush and blood. And when he stopped, Tarble just pushed himself back to his feet and kept going.
"Showy," Shugesh remarked, feeling a little numb. He knew, logically, that Tarble was in a class of his own. Even amongst freaks, he was something special.
"Very," Bardock agreed with a nod. "Now, get ready. We're going to hit the planet hard."
…
I never knew how anxiety-inducing having someone look over your shoulder, silently judging all the while, could be. Not until I had Lord Cooler floating behind me, hands clasped behind his back as he floated above the ground. Just following me around. Without saying a word. And I could see his blank expression since he didn't need to wear a mask.
When I saw Elery again, I was going to apologize. The same to all the other kids because I have never been more self-conscious.
My scar throbbed, phantom pain making it twinge. The pain was nothing, but it served as a reminder that I was in the presence of someone so powerful that I couldn't comprehend their strength. The moment he wanted me dead, I died. Any time that I lived after he made that decision would be because he allowed me that time.
I smashed through Scarabs, all too aware of Lord Cooler behind me. I knew he could easily defend himself, but I found myself limited in my mobility as I defended him on reflex.just to make sure he wasn't hit by a stray missile and have half of himself deleted.
"Hm." Lord Cooler hummed, the sound echoing through my scouter as I punched a hole through a Champion Scarab before I spotted one of the prototypes. Unlike the one I fought before, it was bulked up. Thicker armor, meaning more nanites for the scarab to use.
What did 'hm' mean? Was it a good thing? Was it a bad thing? Was it going to be the last thing that I heard before I died?
It was funny, in a very unfunny way -- the threat of danger came from my boss that stuck to my six o'clock rather than the Shield World before me. It looked like every Shield World I had ever seen -- overwhelmingly gray, excluding what was blackened with soot or on fire, and the planet itself was covered in systematic cover.
The Bulky Prototype, which I was just going to call Bulky, launched itself at me. It darted forward, closing the distance with considerable speed, but not as fast as the slim Prototype. It curled a massive hand into a fist, surprising me. I met it halfway, Lord Cooler still directly behind me as he kept up with utter ease, and clashed a fist against the Scarabs.
I felt the bones in my arms rattle from the blow while my fist indented the Scarabs. A grin tugged at my lips despite myself, "Better," I commended. It could stand up to my fists, but what about my techniques? Ki gathered in my hands and the Scarab reacted instantly. In a blur, it launched a fist towards my face, but I deftly dodged it. Using its hand as a platform, I twisted midair and lashed out with a foot. The back of my heel slammed into the top of its head hard enough that the Scarab was sent flying towards the ground some hundred feet below us.
"Spiral Buster!" I shouted, the ki attack leaping from my hands. It shot down, punching through the Scarab's chest. As my strength grew, I found that it was better to compress an attack as much as I could -- eventually, you hit a point that it can't be compressed any further, but as an attack meant to punch through enemies rather than obliterate them, it was beyond useful.
But, to my shock, the armor held. My attack washed over it, slamming it into the ground and burying it deep, but it held.
"Is it necessary to shout your attacks?" Lord Cooler questioned suddenly, making me nearly jump out of my skin as I cut off the attack.
"I-" I started, only to be cut off by a stream of red plasma that came from Bulky. It liquidized the edges of the hole I buried it in. I reacted by forming a ki disk and using it as a shield -- a more advanced version of the bubble shield. Plasma washed over it, spilling over the sides, but both me, and more importantly, Lord Cooler were safe from harm.
Then I realized that I had no idea how to answer the question.
"I… sort of?" I hedged, wishing I could look over my shoulder but I wasn't so caught off guard to look away in a fight. "It's… like running -- when you pump your arms faster, your feet move faster as a result."
"I've never run before," Lord Cooler responded. And what in the hell was I supposed to say to that?
"The louder I shout-" I started, only to cut myself off as the plasma surged. I pushed the ki disk forward with a push of my hand while a Riot Javelin formed in my other hand. Then I launched it at the shield, letting it dissipate to let the Riot Javelin pass. It slammed into the stream of red plasma that had turned into a focused beam of it and pushed it outward before it surged up the stream and into the source. A large explosion rocked the planet below, heat melting the surface and the robots that fought.
"You didn't shout that time," Lord Cooler observed. I didn't say it was because he made me self conscious of it.
"The Riot Javelin is a self-contained technique that doesn't require a continued output of power from me," I explained. I still didn't look over my shoulder to check his reaction. That attack wouldn't kill Bulky. There was no way. That armor wasn't for show and Scarabs have long since adapted to using their store of nanites to replace a lost limb.
"I see." Was all he said in response. Which was good. I don't think he would care for me not listening to him. Bulky proved me right and flew out of the hole I buried it in, its arm repairing itself. Missiles revealed themselves underneath the arms of the scarab and a dozen small missiles launched themselves at me.
A ball of ki formed in my hand and I launched it at the missiles as I surged forward. The ball broke into dozens of small pencil thin streaks of blue light, matching the trajectory of the missiles. On impact, they exploded, revealing a black ball that erased everything it touched. I continued to fly forward, and once the danger passed I closed the distance between us in a blink of an eye.
"Tyrant Lancer!" I shouted, gathering ki in the palm of my hand before I lashed upwards. The ball of ki formed a spearhead that rapidly spun, drilling a hole through the Scarab. The ball expanded outward, giving the spearhead more force and torque until it punched through the Scarab's back, destroying the Scarab, and sending it spinning away.
A good thing too because not a second later, it detonated. A black void filled my vision and when it faded, a massive crater marked the planet. Said crater revealed several layers of the Shield World defenses.
"Why did you call out that attack, and not the other?" Lord Cooler questioned, and I could hear the frown in his voice. "Both qualified for the attack that required additional input for you." Why was he questioning this? It was less weird now and just flat out puzzling -- what did Lord Cooler have to gain by questioning how I did techniques?
"I don't have a name for the first," I admitted. I had designed it for taking out multiple targets at once. The blasts were weak, relatively, but against something like missiles they were more than enough.
"Hm." Lord Cooler hummed, not giving his opinion on my explanation. Not sure I would want to know it. Regardless, I had more pressing concerns than Lord Cooler's opinion. Arguably. Using my scouter, I took in the information of the ongoing battle for the Shield World. It was an overwhelming amount of information. I had only just barely gotten used to fighting with the 501st when I found myself in charge of a million souls.
Now I found myself commanding hundreds of millions. Not directly, but I was the guiding hand that pushed them all forward.
From the information I took in as I continued my assault, the invasion was going well. The designs that Technician had forwarded me were working wonders. Leaving me available to turn my attention downward to the hundreds of layers that made up the Shield World. And at the center of it all would be Koter Ve'sk, the one in charge of the Shield Wall. Making a decision, I gathered ki in my hands, forming another Spiral Buster.
"Spiral Buster," I shouted, using the ki drill to tear through the layers of the planet. And I shouted just to make sure I remained consistent with Lord Cooler. The ki attack did it's work well. Combined with the Wrath State, and a technique designed to punch through, the countless layers parted ways like tissue paper. And it felt incredible.
It was moments like these I felt powerful. I knew I was. At this point, I had been powerful far longer than I had ever been weak. Even if I still was compared to some, much like the Frost Demon that insisted on hovering behind me. But, at that moment, I almost felt unstoppable. Simply because I knew if I kept it up, if I really gave it my all, I could drill a hole through the Shield World eventually. It would take time, and it might take every ounce of my strength, but I could do it.
But that was unneeded. Even if part of me wanted to do it just because I could.
Cutting off my technique, the dust cleared after a second to reveal a long tunnel to the center of the planet that was inconsistently lighted depending on where I had cut through a compartment of the Shield World. With no hesitation, I darted down into the hole and flew.
"Broly," Lord Cooler suddenly spoke up. "If saiyans follow strength, then why is he not your superior?" He asked, and that was almost enough to make me stop dead in my tracks. Every instinct that I had absolutely screamed danger because no one was supposed to know that outside of a few Saiyans. How- "It was rather obvious when he attempted to attack me," he said, sensing my thoughts before he let out a humorless chuckle. "I can't recall the last time someone was honest with their dislike of me. It was almost refreshing."
There was no point in hiding it. "Because Broly is unsuited for command and he has no interest in it." And because I didn't think he could handle the burdens of being in command. Despite years of war, Broly… was almost the same. That kindness in him that I expected to be worn away with each battle was no different than it had been before he had seen a battle. He did great when up against robotic enemies, but on people?
In years, he had probably only killed a handful of people. And only in the defense of another.
"Hm. I simply found it odd. I suppose it is Bardock's influence on you," Lord Cooler remarked, and like everything else he said, I couldn't really understand it. Was that a compliment? An insult? Or was he telling me he was in on the secret and threatening me with that information? There was no way to know.
"Probably?" I hedged, wishing that the planet was half the size that it was.
"Hm," Lord Cooler acknowledged. With that, we traveled in silence to the center of the planet through a tunnel that I had made. As we neared, my scouter picked up on power levels. And I also saw that I had misjudged when to stop because the dark gray spear that I associated with bombs on Shield Worlds had been drilled into.
Instead of a bomb, it was a headquarters. Part of the large dome room was shaved away from where my attach had hit it, but it was relatively intact. I floated in, landing in the dome as glanced around just in case it really was a bomb. Holographic screens covered the walls with a large one serving as a central display. Some screens displayed sensitive information on them, but nothing that wasn't irrelevant now that we had invaded.
"It's empty," I noted with a frown. I reached out with my ki sense, trying to find something, only I was forced to abandon the attempt because of Lord Cooler's overwhelming presence. Instead, I scanned again and the few power levels that there had been were gone. Vanished. Like they weren't here in the first place. I started to fly up to search the facility for the ones in command, only to feel an explosion rock the core of the planet.
Lord Cooler let out an amused chuckle, "It would seem that they've teleported away and destroyed the teleporter. Prudent of them," he commended. I opened my mouth to argue, determined to go find the source of the explosion myself, but then I realized who I would be arguing with. Just being this close to Lord Cooler was enough to remind me of my place.
So, if he said that they got away via teleporter and blew it up, then they got away via teleporter and blew it up.
Fighting off a frown, I turned my attention back to the room. It was cleaned, the screens were mostly blank to get rid of evidence… which made a crystal tablet stand out so much as it rested on a long table that ran the length of the room. Cautiously, I flew over and picked the tablet up. The screen flared to life and I expected it to be a trap. Instead, it was a message containing only one word.
Almost.
I clenched my jaw at the taunt, getting ready to toss the tablet to the side and return to the battle, only for the screens to flash. On the main hologram projected, an image appeared. And when I realized what it was, my blood froze in my veins.
It was a map. A map of the Reach. And battle plans. Plans for an organized retreat to a red line far into the Reach territory. A red line that connected… hundreds to thousands of Shield Worlds. A massive line of red…
A line of red that marked a new Shield Wall.
"Hm. I suppose the Shield Wall is broken -- the planets have been seized, the commanders have fled, and they intend to abandon what's left. Congratulations on completing your mission, Prince Tarble." Lord Cooler commended, his tone holding a sarcastic edge that was as sharp as a knife.
I did it. The Shield Wall was broken. I completed my mission.
Victory tasted as bitter as defeat… and I had forgotten just how much I hated losing.
………..
The next chapter is currently available on my Patreon and Subscribe Star, so if you want to read it a week early, all it takes is a single dollar in the tip jar. Or, for five dollars, you can read the chapter after that two weeks before its public release! I hope you enjoyed!
I think this arc would have been a lot stronger if it had two or three more chapters. I think I'll come back to this arc and some point and flesh it out. But, regardless, the next chapter begins a new arc and the DC elements become a lot more common.
His goatee was growing in nicely, and without a second chin Shugesh saw that he had a rather strong jawline. He was still short, and that was always going to be annoying, but he looked good. Great, even. Better than he ever had before, Shugesh decided as he flexed his thick and muscular arms. His smile grew by a fraction.
"Fasha isn't even going to recognize me," Shugesh said to his reflection, pleased with the prospect. And that clown Parslee was in for a rude awakening. He was coasting by his initial potential, but potential meant less and less these days compared to hard work and willpower. So, not only was he stronger than that freakishly tall clown, he was better looking too.
It had been two years since they last saw each other since he was stuck on this planet. It wasn't all bad, though. It was a big reason that he managed to lose so much weight -- or, rather, it was because he blew through his rations -- and the enemies just kept coming so the past two years had just been one long fight.
As if to prove his thoughts, an explosion shook the ground beneath him, raining dust and bits of rubble from the collapsed building that served as his temporary home. Shugesh didn't keep anything important here, though. He learned that lesson when his homes kept getting blown up. Which was part of the reason why he blew through a decade worth of food rather than just him eating it all.
Shugesh sighed as he threw on his armor -- it felt weird not having an undersuit but without an additional hundred pounds of fat, his old one didn't fit. He wasn't sure how Bardock managed it. But with it on, he stepped towards a busted out window and looked outside. The original invasion force had taken up residence inside of the city. Millions of them and their numbers were bolstered by salvaged machine soldiers from the Reach.
"Let's get to it," Shugesh said, still smiling broadly as he cracked his neck before he blasted out of the ruined building. He sailed through the air, over the busted up remnants of a city. It had been whole when they arrived years ago, but years of fighting had chipped away at its integrity. Shugesh used his scouter to find his first opponent -- a Champion Scarab. Gone were the days that only Tarble could hope to face them in combat.
The power of the Wrath State flooded his veins, his eyes changed to a blazing yellow and veins bulged in his neck and arms. The pain was unimaginable, and it never lessened no matter how many times he used it, but he was in control. With new speed, Shugesh blasted forward, racing towards the massive army that moved to kick them off the planet.
Ships filled the sky, armies covered the ground in massive formations, and equipment filled the spaces in between. Shugesh ignored them. After years, he almost kinda liked some of the aliens that fought on this rock. He wouldn't steal their fight. His was the Scarabs that rushed towards him.
The grin that never left his face grew into a full smile as he dodged out of the way of a stream of blue plasma. Shugesh repaid the attack with one of his own -- ki gathered around his hands before he launched two balls of it forward. When they reached the Scarabs, powerful bolts of electricity arced between the pale blue ki orbs, and each Scarab or robot that was close enough served as an orb to spread the electricity amongst their numbers.
Tarble wasn't the only one that developed his techniques.
"Haha!" Shugesh shouted, feeling like he was on top of the world as the Champion Scarab raced towards him, leaving behind a half dozen Scarabs that fell to his attack. Ki coated his hand, spreading over his forearm as he blocked a plasma sword with it before he punched the Champion Scarab in the chest, through the plasma cannon it was trying to form. Blood erupted from the wound and the scarab on its back exploded as it was destroyed but Shugesh barely felt it. "I have a good feeling about today."
He was having the time of his life. Every day for the past two years, it felt like… he just woke up on the right side of the bed every day. Every day was filled with nonstop fights and he loved it. Like all Saiyans, Shugesh craved a challenge but there was something so immensely gratifying about utterly crushing a foe that he had once struggled to fight for so long. King Vegeta's attitude made a bit more sense now that Shugesh was on the other end of the boot.
"It sounds like you're enjoying yourself a great deal, Shugesh!" Recoome shouted through his scouter, over the open channel.
"Just tried out a new technique. You're going to be in for a real shock in our next sparring match," Shugesh promised as he fell upon the invading force. Orbital bombardments slammed into the massive energy shield, but it held strong, but everything around it sure didn't. All the while ships and Scarabs surged forward, intent on overwhelming them.
In response to that Recoome simply laughed, "I can't wait to test it against my Recoome Suplex! I'll bet you three sweet-sour candies that I'll win our next bout!" Recoome taunted with excitement in his tone. He wasn't a Saiyan, but he enjoyed fighting. Better than most aliens, who all they did was bitched and moaned about having to fight.
Honestly? Shugesh was pretty fine with Frieza. Sure, it sucked being a slave, but was it really slavery when you got everything you wanted? He didn't think so. But the others did, so Shugesh kept his mouth shut.
"You're on," Shugesh responded instantly. The bets started out a lot larger at the start of the siege, but as time passed they dwindled as Recoome snacked on his own supply. Now he was a lot more frugal with them. He could practically taste victory already and it tasted -
His scouter dinged, alerting him that he had a message. The sound nearly got him killed as a Scarab seized his momentary hesitation to take his head off. But Shugesh dispatched it with ease as he opened up the message and took a moment to read it as chaos raged around them.
Oh, he knew it was going to be a good day.
"You got the message?" Shugesh asked as he flew upward, abandoning the fight on the planet. He punched through the atmosphere after securing a mask to his face. The fleet above was sizable -- it was funny, in a way. Ten years ago, dozens of ships would have been an absolute death sentence. It nearly had been on that one planet that kickstarted this entire war. But that was ten years ago. And so very much had changed in the past ten years.
"It just came through!" Recoome announced while Shugesh raced towards the ships. One of them unfurled like a flower, and Shugesh grinned when he thought it was about to hit him. Because it felt so damn good to know that the Reach's first instinct to his approach was to go straight to the planet busting weapons.
Instead, some kind of shimmering light spread outwards. Not a wide-range attack either. After ten years of war, Shugesh knew an energy shield when he saw them. For the first time that day, the grin slipped off his face. His disappointment was immeasurable and his day was ruined. They were just going to put a stupid shield in his way? They were going to try to make him miss his big debut back to the Team during the invasion of a lifetime?
Over his rotting corpse.
"Do not worry, Shugesh! I, Recoome, have this covered!" Recoome shouted into his ear. Shugesh's scouter alerted him to a powerful PL that was racing towards him. Shugesh looked over his shoulder to see that it was Recoome. Some kind of shimmering aura surrounded him that came to a very sharp point where his head was while his hands remained by his sides.
He blasted past Shugesh in a blur, aimed directly at the energy shield that was meant to keep them contained. And he watched in awe as Recoome slammed right into the center of the source of the energy shield, right where it was at its thickest before a blinding flash of light nearly blinded Shugesh. Recoome screamed in his ear, not one of pain but pure determination.
"ReCOOOME DRIVER!" Recoome shouted, still clashing against the shield. But beyond the blinding light, Shugesh saw the energy shield begin to warp, twisting on itself as it tried to maintain its shape but Recoome was gaining ground. And then, without any warning, the tension snapped, and the energy shield faltered. Recoome proved the power of the Recoome Driver because, without the energy shield, he tore right through the ship that created it. A massive hole was punched through it before the entire thing exploded.
"Can't let you have all the fun!" Shugesh cheered, already planning how he would counter that technique, while he turned his attention to the surrounding fleet that just realized how fucked they were. Orbs launched from his hands, each one expanding to the size of Recoome, and they raced towards the ships.
Bolts of electricity devastated the ships, using each one as a jumping-off point to connect to another. Shugesh had designed it especially for fighting metal troops -- they marched in formation and with a quick attack, he could take them all out at once and focus on the real challenges. It was just as effective in the ships given that they too moved in formation.
The lightning wrecked the fleet as the destructive technique spread outward. It wouldn't get all of them, but it would get most of them.
"I see you've bested me this time," Recoome observed as they looked out at the devastated fleet that was meant to keep them contained on this planet. Pretty much exactly what Tarble had said. And, much to his annoyance, Tarble was right about them not blowing up the planet. The Reach was afraid of Frieza. Everyone knew that Frieza couldn't care less about losses.
It was all about money to him. That's why he was reselling planets and keeping the best ones for himself. If the Reach started blowing up planets… well, then Frieza would feel the need to step in to preserve his bottom line. Or, so Tarble said. Annoyingly, he was right.
"One hundred to one," Shugesh bragged, feeling some of his previous good cheer come right back when Recoome scowled a bit. However, before he could complain about the massive lead that Shugesh pulled right out of the gate, more ships arrived. Shugesh looked over, hoping that they would be more Reach ships. Instead, he saw hundreds of Cooler-force ships wink into existence just outside of orbit.
From the look of it, their weapons were hot, anticipating a battle, only to be let down.
"You've won this round, but there are plenty more rounds to come," Recoome said before he tossed a capsule that became his attack ball. And that was true enough. The admiral of the fleet sent him a message asking that they board the flagship. Shugesh wordlessly flew over, racing Recoome there. Once they were on board, an announcement came on saying that they were returning to hyperspeed.
Walking to the command deck, he saw a familiar face standing at the helm.
"Bardock!" Shugesh greeted his old friend, making the scarred face saiyan turn around to face him. Only to not see a hint of recognition in his gaze.
"Who are you?" Bardock asked bluntly, making Shugesh go still. He had meant that as a joke. He didn't look that different, did he? Then Bardock blinked, "Shugesh? What happened to you?"
He must have recognized him by the bowl cut hairstyle that he was born with. "I've been fighting off Reach invasions for a couple of years. You look the same though," Shugesh returned as he confidently strode onto the command deck. Out of the corner of his eye, Shugesh saw Matillo leaning against a wall, his face set in an expressionless mask. Their eyes met for a moment and Matillo nodded, acknowledging him.
"At least one of us had fun. I've been bored out of my mind the past two years," Bardock said, one foot bouncing impatiently. Then he sighed, "Recoome," he greeted the towering alien that looked thoroughly annoyed when Bardock hadn't greeted him.
"So, it's finally happening." Two years of waiting for the main event to kick off. And it was finally here. "Where are we going?"
Bardock made a hologram appear on a screen, proving that Shugesh wasn't the only one that had learned a few tricks. "You, Matillo, Recoome, and me are going to Shield World 3DRXV, or planet 3D for short. Tarble is going to the Reach HQ with Broly and Burter. The others are going to get their planet. We're breaking through the Shield Wall at multiple points. The fleet will keep the other busy to prevent reinforcements, but it's up to us to really break the Shield Wall and make sure it stays broken."
That was a little disappointing. He had hoped to hit the HQ.
"Tarble's already hitting the HQ now," Bardock informed, understanding his disappointment. "And it's for the best. Cooler is there," Bardock explained, making Shugesh wince.
That was a meeting and a half. Tarble, in the end, was an absolute freak of nature and one of the strongest people that he was ever likely to meet. And he still hadn't even had his first growth spurt yet. And that freak of nature was forced to thank Cooler for cutting off his arm.
"What's he doing there?" Shugesh questioned. Last he heard, Cooler didn't leave his castle unless he had to.
Bardock shrugged in response, "I don't know. When we got ready to launch the plan, Cooler showed up and said that he was coming along. None of us were exactly in the position to argue the point."
Shugesh paused, it really settling in that it had been two years. He was only aware of it because Recoome had celebrated their second year on the planet a couple of days ago.
"How much stronger has he gotten?" Shugesh was compelled to ask. Bardock didn't need an explanation on who he meant. Instead, the hologram became a video of Tarble from over his shoulder. He faced down a Shield World guarded by hundreds of ships. Much like Shugesh had done earlier, he formed two orbs of ki above his hands. Only unlike him, Tarble had a very different way of defeating the fleet.
Because the orbs broke up into hundreds of different attacks that spread out into streaks of light that crossed the distance between him and the fleet. Each streak of light its own attack. There was one for each ship, no matter how big or small, and each one found their marks. Almost at once, hundreds of ships exploded, flooding the video with light. And when it faded, the fleet was gone.
A memory came to mind. An old one. They were on a planet that Shugesh couldn't even remember, way back when they were stuck behind enemy lines. It was a memory of Bardock absolutely beating the shit out of Tarble. Just wailing on his face until it was mush and blood. And when he stopped, Tarble just pushed himself back to his feet and kept going.
"Showy," Shugesh remarked, feeling a little numb. He knew, logically, that Tarble was in a class of his own. Even amongst freaks, he was something special.
"Very," Bardock agreed with a nod. "Now, get ready. We're going to hit the planet hard."
…
I never knew how anxiety-inducing having someone look over your shoulder, silently judging all the while, could be. Not until I had Lord Cooler floating behind me, hands clasped behind his back as he floated above the ground. Just following me around. Without saying a word. And I could see his blank expression since he didn't need to wear a mask.
When I saw Elery again, I was going to apologize. The same to all the other kids because I have never been more self-conscious.
My scar throbbed, phantom pain making it twinge. The pain was nothing, but it served as a reminder that I was in the presence of someone so powerful that I couldn't comprehend their strength. The moment he wanted me dead, I died. Any time that I lived after he made that decision would be because he allowed me that time.
I smashed through Scarabs, all too aware of Lord Cooler behind me. I knew he could easily defend himself, but I found myself limited in my mobility as I defended him on reflex.just to make sure he wasn't hit by a stray missile and have half of himself deleted.
"Hm." Lord Cooler hummed, the sound echoing through my scouter as I punched a hole through a Champion Scarab before I spotted one of the prototypes. Unlike the one I fought before, it was bulked up. Thicker armor, meaning more nanites for the scarab to use.
What did 'hm' mean? Was it a good thing? Was it a bad thing? Was it going to be the last thing that I heard before I died?
It was funny, in a very unfunny way -- the threat of danger came from my boss that stuck to my six o'clock rather than the Shield World before me. It looked like every Shield World I had ever seen -- overwhelmingly gray, excluding what was blackened with soot or on fire, and the planet itself was covered in systematic cover.
The Bulky Prototype, which I was just going to call Bulky, launched itself at me. It darted forward, closing the distance with considerable speed, but not as fast as the slim Prototype. It curled a massive hand into a fist, surprising me. I met it halfway, Lord Cooler still directly behind me as he kept up with utter ease, and clashed a fist against the Scarabs.
I felt the bones in my arms rattle from the blow while my fist indented the Scarabs. A grin tugged at my lips despite myself, "Better," I commended. It could stand up to my fists, but what about my techniques? Ki gathered in my hands and the Scarab reacted instantly. In a blur, it launched a fist towards my face, but I deftly dodged it. Using its hand as a platform, I twisted midair and lashed out with a foot. The back of my heel slammed into the top of its head hard enough that the Scarab was sent flying towards the ground some hundred feet below us.
"Spiral Buster!" I shouted, the ki attack leaping from my hands. It shot down, punching through the Scarab's chest. As my strength grew, I found that it was better to compress an attack as much as I could -- eventually, you hit a point that it can't be compressed any further, but as an attack meant to punch through enemies rather than obliterate them, it was beyond useful.
But, to my shock, the armor held. My attack washed over it, slamming it into the ground and burying it deep, but it held.
"Is it necessary to shout your attacks?" Lord Cooler questioned suddenly, making me nearly jump out of my skin as I cut off the attack.
"I-" I started, only to be cut off by a stream of red plasma that came from Bulky. It liquidized the edges of the hole I buried it in. I reacted by forming a ki disk and using it as a shield -- a more advanced version of the bubble shield. Plasma washed over it, spilling over the sides, but both me, and more importantly, Lord Cooler were safe from harm.
Then I realized that I had no idea how to answer the question.
"I… sort of?" I hedged, wishing I could look over my shoulder but I wasn't so caught off guard to look away in a fight. "It's… like running -- when you pump your arms faster, your feet move faster as a result."
"I've never run before," Lord Cooler responded. And what in the hell was I supposed to say to that?
"The louder I shout-" I started, only to cut myself off as the plasma surged. I pushed the ki disk forward with a push of my hand while a Riot Javelin formed in my other hand. Then I launched it at the shield, letting it dissipate to let the Riot Javelin pass. It slammed into the stream of red plasma that had turned into a focused beam of it and pushed it outward before it surged up the stream and into the source. A large explosion rocked the planet below, heat melting the surface and the robots that fought.
"You didn't shout that time," Lord Cooler observed. I didn't say it was because he made me self conscious of it.
"The Riot Javelin is a self-contained technique that doesn't require a continued output of power from me," I explained. I still didn't look over my shoulder to check his reaction. That attack wouldn't kill Bulky. There was no way. That armor wasn't for show and Scarabs have long since adapted to using their store of nanites to replace a lost limb.
"I see." Was all he said in response. Which was good. I don't think he would care for me not listening to him. Bulky proved me right and flew out of the hole I buried it in, its arm repairing itself. Missiles revealed themselves underneath the arms of the scarab and a dozen small missiles launched themselves at me.
A ball of ki formed in my hand and I launched it at the missiles as I surged forward. The ball broke into dozens of small pencil thin streaks of blue light, matching the trajectory of the missiles. On impact, they exploded, revealing a black ball that erased everything it touched. I continued to fly forward, and once the danger passed I closed the distance between us in a blink of an eye.
"Tyrant Lancer!" I shouted, gathering ki in the palm of my hand before I lashed upwards. The ball of ki formed a spearhead that rapidly spun, drilling a hole through the Scarab. The ball expanded outward, giving the spearhead more force and torque until it punched through the Scarab's back, destroying the Scarab, and sending it spinning away.
A good thing too because not a second later, it detonated. A black void filled my vision and when it faded, a massive crater marked the planet. Said crater revealed several layers of the Shield World defenses.
"Why did you call out that attack, and not the other?" Lord Cooler questioned, and I could hear the frown in his voice. "Both qualified for the attack that required additional input for you." Why was he questioning this? It was less weird now and just flat out puzzling -- what did Lord Cooler have to gain by questioning how I did techniques?
"I don't have a name for the first," I admitted. I had designed it for taking out multiple targets at once. The blasts were weak, relatively, but against something like missiles they were more than enough.
"Hm." Lord Cooler hummed, not giving his opinion on my explanation. Not sure I would want to know it. Regardless, I had more pressing concerns than Lord Cooler's opinion. Arguably. Using my scouter, I took in the information of the ongoing battle for the Shield World. It was an overwhelming amount of information. I had only just barely gotten used to fighting with the 501st when I found myself in charge of a million souls.
Now I found myself commanding hundreds of millions. Not directly, but I was the guiding hand that pushed them all forward.
From the information I took in as I continued my assault, the invasion was going well. The designs that Technician had forwarded me were working wonders. Leaving me available to turn my attention downward to the hundreds of layers that made up the Shield World. And at the center of it all would be Koter Ve'sk, the one in charge of the Shield Wall. Making a decision, I gathered ki in my hands, forming another Spiral Buster.
"Spiral Buster," I shouted, using the ki drill to tear through the layers of the planet. And I shouted just to make sure I remained consistent with Lord Cooler. The ki attack did it's work well. Combined with the Wrath State, and a technique designed to punch through, the countless layers parted ways like tissue paper. And it felt incredible.
It was moments like these I felt powerful. I knew I was. At this point, I had been powerful far longer than I had ever been weak. Even if I still was compared to some, much like the Frost Demon that insisted on hovering behind me. But, at that moment, I almost felt unstoppable. Simply because I knew if I kept it up, if I really gave it my all, I could drill a hole through the Shield World eventually. It would take time, and it might take every ounce of my strength, but I could do it.
But that was unneeded. Even if part of me wanted to do it just because I could.
Cutting off my technique, the dust cleared after a second to reveal a long tunnel to the center of the planet that was inconsistently lighted depending on where I had cut through a compartment of the Shield World. With no hesitation, I darted down into the hole and flew.
"Broly," Lord Cooler suddenly spoke up. "If saiyans follow strength, then why is he not your superior?" He asked, and that was almost enough to make me stop dead in my tracks. Every instinct that I had absolutely screamed danger because no one was supposed to know that outside of a few Saiyans. How- "It was rather obvious when he attempted to attack me," he said, sensing my thoughts before he let out a humorless chuckle. "I can't recall the last time someone was honest with their dislike of me. It was almost refreshing."
There was no point in hiding it. "Because Broly is unsuited for command and he has no interest in it." And because I didn't think he could handle the burdens of being in command. Despite years of war, Broly… was almost the same. That kindness in him that I expected to be worn away with each battle was no different than it had been before he had seen a battle. He did great when up against robotic enemies, but on people?
In years, he had probably only killed a handful of people. And only in the defense of another.
"Hm. I simply found it odd. I suppose it is Bardock's influence on you," Lord Cooler remarked, and like everything else he said, I couldn't really understand it. Was that a compliment? An insult? Or was he telling me he was in on the secret and threatening me with that information? There was no way to know.
"Probably?" I hedged, wishing that the planet was half the size that it was.
"Hm," Lord Cooler acknowledged. With that, we traveled in silence to the center of the planet through a tunnel that I had made. As we neared, my scouter picked up on power levels. And I also saw that I had misjudged when to stop because the dark gray spear that I associated with bombs on Shield Worlds had been drilled into.
Instead of a bomb, it was a headquarters. Part of the large dome room was shaved away from where my attach had hit it, but it was relatively intact. I floated in, landing in the dome as glanced around just in case it really was a bomb. Holographic screens covered the walls with a large one serving as a central display. Some screens displayed sensitive information on them, but nothing that wasn't irrelevant now that we had invaded.
"It's empty," I noted with a frown. I reached out with my ki sense, trying to find something, only I was forced to abandon the attempt because of Lord Cooler's overwhelming presence. Instead, I scanned again and the few power levels that there had been were gone. Vanished. Like they weren't here in the first place. I started to fly up to search the facility for the ones in command, only to feel an explosion rock the core of the planet.
Lord Cooler let out an amused chuckle, "It would seem that they've teleported away and destroyed the teleporter. Prudent of them," he commended. I opened my mouth to argue, determined to go find the source of the explosion myself, but then I realized who I would be arguing with. Just being this close to Lord Cooler was enough to remind me of my place.
So, if he said that they got away via teleporter and blew it up, then they got away via teleporter and blew it up.
Fighting off a frown, I turned my attention back to the room. It was cleaned, the screens were mostly blank to get rid of evidence… which made a crystal tablet stand out so much as it rested on a long table that ran the length of the room. Cautiously, I flew over and picked the tablet up. The screen flared to life and I expected it to be a trap. Instead, it was a message containing only one word.
Almost.
I clenched my jaw at the taunt, getting ready to toss the tablet to the side and return to the battle, only for the screens to flash. On the main hologram projected, an image appeared. And when I realized what it was, my blood froze in my veins.
It was a map. A map of the Reach. And battle plans. Plans for an organized retreat to a red line far into the Reach territory. A red line that connected… hundreds to thousands of Shield Worlds. A massive line of red…
A line of red that marked a new Shield Wall.
"Hm. I suppose the Shield Wall is broken -- the planets have been seized, the commanders have fled, and they intend to abandon what's left. Congratulations on completing your mission, Prince Tarble." Lord Cooler commended, his tone holding a sarcastic edge that was as sharp as a knife.
I did it. The Shield Wall was broken. I completed my mission.
Victory tasted as bitter as defeat… and I had forgotten just how much I hated losing.
………..
The next chapter is currently available on my Patreon and Subscribe Star, so if you want to read it a week early, all it takes is a single dollar in the tip jar. Or, for five dollars, you can read the chapter after that two weeks before its public release! I hope you enjoyed!
I think this arc would have been a lot stronger if it had two or three more chapters. I think I'll come back to this arc and some point and flesh it out. But, regardless, the next chapter begins a new arc and the DC elements become a lot more common.
