And here is the next chapter. Thank-you to all who have reviewed in my absence. Also, I decided to raise the rating due to violence, language, and other things. Anyway, here's the next chappie…

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Dragon Ball Z/GT series or its characters. Akira Toriyama owns it. Not me. Nor do I own any of the quotes that appear at the beginning of each chapter.

CLAIMER: I do own any characters that were not in the series.

Please enjoy, no flames, but I will accept constructive criticism.

Chapter 26: Strike

"Here is the test to find out

Whether your mission on Earth is finished:

If your alive, it isn't."

-Richard Bach

"So what're we going to do?"

Gohan presented the others with an interesting question. They finally arrived on planet Namek; but more complications arose when Vegeta and an unknown being arrived on the planet as well. It would be best if Bulma left simply to keep her out harm's way. Plus, they needed Goku to arrive as soon as possible.

Bulma was sitting on her knees, sighing in despair, "Well…its not doing us any good just sitting here," her face brightened considerably, "so its settled! We'll stick to the original plan. I'll hurry back to Earth and get Goku." She turned away from the trio and began walking towards her ship.

"You guys have the radar so you shouldn't have any trouble," she waved, "see you in two months."

Krillin was the first to speak out against her, "Hold up."

The teal-haired woman jerked to a stop, sending a frightened look at the warriors of the group.

"So, Gohan, Roxas…what do you say that we, well…maybe we should go too?"

His suggestion shocked the Saiyans to no end. How could he say such a thing after they had come all this way? The fact that he was not receiving a reply from either one was unnerving for the man.

He decided to try again, "Hey come on," he faked a smile, "two enemy ships have already landed. Even with the dragon radar, the odds are stacked against us. It might be best to cut our loses."

"Are you scared?" the female Saiyan asked, wanting to make his thoughts very clear to the others.

Krillin shook his head, "I'm not sayin' I'm scared or anything. I'm just looking out for Gohan. Chi-Chi would kill me if I let him get hurt."

"But…" the six-year-old in question began. "…we can't just leave now. If we leave, then Vegeta will get all of the dragon balls."

The bald man's face fell. But he quickly recovered, "Yeah…well, maybe we should just let him have 'em. I mean…we could always try again next year, right?"

"Wha-what?" the red-haired female blanched; her face falling with disbelief. "That has to be the single most dumbest idea I've ever heard of!"

Krillin clenched his fists, fixing her with a serious yet nervous glare, "So do you want to stay here and get your butt whooped by Vegeta!?"

That caught the female Saiyan's attention. She hesitated for a moment, choosing to ponder her options carefully before answering. "Um…well," it was difficult to admit, but he had a point. "Not really…but…" Roxas sighed, shaking her head lightly.

"But if he gets the dragon balls," Bulma continued for the only other female in the group, "then he'll wish for immortality and he'll be completely unstoppable!"

An awkward silence consumed the group of four. At first, searching for the dragon balls appeared to be a simple chore. But now everything was spiraling out of control. First of all, neither of them was sure how well the Namekians would take to their arrival. And now, not only has Vegeta arrived on the planet, but so has an unknown force. If they were to assume that the data they extracted from Roxas' scouter was correct, then there should have been even more powerful beings on the planet.

The odds were stacked against them. That much was for certain. Roxas tore her mind from the dephs of her thoughts when a certain six-year-old's voice interrupted her thoughts. "H-Hey," Gohan gestured towards the north, "look over there!"

"What is it?" the redheaded alien fixed the direction with a cautious gaze while Bulma went to hide behind one of the legs of the ship.

"Is it Vegeta?" The teal-haired female asked from behind the safety of the spacecraft.

Krillin was starring in the same direction; he shook his bald head, "No, I don't think so," without looking at her, he spoke, "What's the scouter say, Roxas?"

She reached towards her ear and pressed on the button. There was an irritating beeping sound before two power levels were displayed before her eyes. "There's two," she answered as she read them carefully, "Neither appears to be Vegeta…and they're pretty weak, too."

"Your right." The human male clenched his fists, eyebrows narrowing as he glared at the spot.

There was a pregnant pause. Seconds passed before a pair of beings appeared in the distance. "Wha-what're are those!?" Bulma yelped from the background.

"They're not Namekians," Krillin squeaked; it was obvious that he was intimidated by them. It was hard not to be. "that's for sure!"

They were both tall burly males. Neither appeared to be Saiyan, Human, or Namekian. One appeared to be a muscular human man with pale blue flesh; his eyes were as dark as coal. A pair of rough horns protruded from his forehead. Long, frizzy golden blonde hair that connected to a mustache cascaded down his back. A sky-blue scouter covered his left eye. His outfit consisted of blue and khaki armor with dark blue tights. White gloves boots had been added to his wardrobe.

A being with muscle to equal his partner's stood at his side. This strange creature appeared to be a light purple lizard-man; a sharp fin jutted out of his head, and his skin was covered in scales. He wore a pink scouter over the same eye. His torso armor was the same, however he wore what appeared to be a pair of bright pink briefs rather then pants. A long-sleeved dark purple undershirt was added to his outfit; last, he wore a pair of white boots.

One of Roxas's eyebrows rose. Wait a minute…isn't that the same armor that the Saiyans wear? "Look at what they're wearing!" It seemed Roxas was not the only one who noticed their garb. Bulma had been the first to voice her thoughts.

"But they don't look like Saiyans to me." The bald human male muttered. The two aliens took flight and carefully made their way towards the group of four.

"Then what are they?" Gohan asked, looking more curious then frightened.

"Maybe someone hired them?" Although the female Saiyan sounded unsure of herself as she spoke.

Krillin's eyebrows narrowed even more as the two came to a stop, still hovering in midair, "Well, whatever they are, they don't appear to be our allies."

No duh. "Hey guys," she listened as Krillin whispered to both Saiyans, "Keep your energy suppressed until we know what we're dealing with."

"Right." The child replied with a nod.

Roxas carefully scanned their every move. They appeared to be whispering something to each other, although she could not tell what they were talking about. A moment later, the purple one held up the gun he had been holding, and unleashed a powerful golden blast. It slammed into the ship; the beam went straight through it, tearing a hole into its metal frame. The window exploded from the pressure. The trio of fighters covered their eyes as they waited for the smoke to clear.

When it was safe to look, they found Bulma sitting on the ground a few feet away, looking as though she were on the brink of tears. Witnessing the demise of the ship she had slaved over for a few months must have been difficult.

"No," Krillin called out in despair, "Not the ship!"

One of the pair began to chuckle while the one holding the gun decided that now would be the best time to gloat. "Did I destroy your precious ship?" he giggled like a madman, "I'm so sorry." It was obvious that he was mocking them.

Roxas glared daggers at them, "Oh come on! That took forever to build and you destroy it just like that!?"

"Hmph…" the human began to charge his ki, "…so they're a lot stronger then we thought? Fine then," he turned an annoyed look on them, "c'mon."

"'Kay." Gohan and his father's human friend took off into the air before Roxas had a chance to charge in her energy.

She blinked, confused when they disappeared in to thin air. The female Saiyan realized that had gone for the pair when she saw Gohan appear in front of the purple one and deliver a powerful kick to the head. Krillin did the same, resulting in the blue man slamming into the purple one. They ricocheted off of one another and hit the water; sinking down into its dark dephs.

Roxas sighed as she rested her hands on her hips. I knew they were weak but that was just pathetic. Krillin and Gohan landed on the ground in front of her.

"You could've waited for me, ya'know." The disappointed female mumbled.

Krillin chuckled, "Heh, can't help it if your too slow to keep up." She narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms over her chest. Very funny.

"Why're you guys so happy!?" Bulma screeched at them; she was enraged. "Now our ships gone and we'll never get back to Earth!" Tears streaked her cheeks as she mourned the death of their spacecraft. "We'll be stuck on this planet forever!"

The human woman brought up a good point. Now that the ship was gone, returning to Earth would be a challenge. But that did not appear to dampen Krillin and Gohan's spirit.

"Well then," the human man said as he headed towards the still open door of the ship, "then there's no use staying here is there?" He quickly flew inside.

"Wait for me!" Gohan quickly followed after his father's closest ally.

Sure there's no use crying over it…but… Roxas was beginning to feel uneasy. The situation seemed to grow worse the longer they remained on planet Namek. Sighing, she moved under the ship and levitated into the ship. When she touched ground inside of the main control room, she dropped by the male's bedroom. Just as she suspected. They were in their small room packing their things.

Deciding to follow suit, the woman left without and word and headed to her and Bulma's room. She quickly packed her own stuff up before doing the same for the human woman. Carrying both of their bags, Roxas followed Krillin and Gohan to the outside of the ship once more.

Bulma was still sobbing over the corpse of their deceased ship. "C'mon Bulma," Krillin called as the Saiyan tossed the woman her travel bag, "If those were scouts, then their leader will probably send more here soon."

"But our ships gone!" she cried, eyes now red and puffy.

"Don't worry Bulma," the kind six-year-old boy said in an attempt to calm her, "I bet the Namekians can help us repair the ship," he added, "I promise we'll make it back to Earth."

Roxas decided to join in, "He's right. We'll find a way back." She tried in a soothing voice; hopefully it would help her see that crying would not fix the ship.

"And besides," Gohan continued, "Mr. Piccolo taught Roxas and I that you should never panic in a tough situation, right?"

"Yes." But I'm probably going to break that rule multiple times. She decided not to voice the rest of her statement.

Bulma heaved a sigh before rising to her feet, "Fine…" she turned weary eyes on them, "…where to?"

***

A light breeze kicked up. Absolute silence reigned supreme. Standing near a deep gouge in the land was a familiar male Saiyan. Vegeta's arms were crossed over his chest while his darkened irises scanned the surrounding area carefully. Only a few minutes had passed since his arrival and he was already being badgered by that nuisance.

Hmph…well, we should be able to put an end to this soon enough. The Saiyan prince thought to himself while he awaited the alien's appearance.

Cui arrived on Namek only a few seconds after the young prince. Apparently, he was given orders to eliminate the Saiyan.

It was a relief to know that Vegeta had the perfect excuse to whip that annoying fish off of the face of the universe. He eagerly anticipated the purple man's arrival.

Hm? About time. As another minute passed, a familiar power level appeared in the distance. Cui would arrive at any second. He cocked his head so that he could scan the area behind him. Said alien was within eyeshot. Took him long enough.

Cui wore a broad smile on his face as he flew passed Vegeta, skidding to a stop only a few feet away; he kicked up dirt and dust as he went.

This brought a cocky smirk to the prince's face as he turned to face his opponent. Cui did not waste time as he dove for Vegeta, creating a powerful beam of energy as he flew. The Saiyan leapt out of the way just in time for the beam to detonate on the ground.

The raven-haired man kicked into the air just before the blast could hit. The smoke began to melt away. Soon, it was easy for him to see that Cui was standing on the ground, completely unharmed.

"It's so nice to see you again, Vegeta," he gave the aristocrat a malicious smile, "You have no idea how long I've looked forward to this moment."

Cui took the time that was necessary to check Vegeta's power level, "You should have thought twice before betraying Lord Frieza."

The raven-haired male slowly dropped to the ground; arms crossed firmly over his broad chest. "Heh," the Saiyan chuckled at his opponent; he was not afraid of the weakling, "You just don't get it, Cui. I'm finished with taking orders; now I'm ready to give them."

"Turning on Lord Frieza is worst mistake that anyone could make," Cui said as though he were scolding the prince, "You know what happens to those who defy him. Well guess what? You're no different."

Vegeta clenched his fists together, fixing the reptilian man with a sinister gaze. Without a single word, he began to charge his ki. I'll show him that I'm different from the rest. The numbers on Cui's scouter began to rise rapidly with Vegeta's energy. "What the…?" he glanced at the small object on his head.

"That's right Cui," the Saiyan prince nearly cackled, "I've learned how to conceal my power. It's a little trick I picked up back on Earth!"

The purple fish man's eyes grew wide with shock as the numbers continued to rise. There did not appear to be an end! "But…b-but…" Cui was found forming a coherent sentence a challenge, "…your power level wasn't anywhere near mine!"

"Idiot," His ki continued to rise; as did Cui's fear of the short man. "I've been to the brink of death and back again more times then I can count! Meanwhile, you've been hiding behind Frieza like a pathetic dog, growing weaker as time flew by."

Finally, his energy had reached a level that Cui's scouter could not take. It blew up, burning the side of the purple man's head. He cried out and began to cradle his sore cranium. The Saiyan had come to his highest power level; with a broad grin plastered across his face that did not bode well, the short male slowly approached his arch enemy.

Cui held up his gloved hands in surrender; terror was evident on his hideous features. "Wait-wait Vegeta," he begged, "I've concocted a brilliant plan!" He gestured to himself with his thumb, "The two of us could join forces! I mean really, Frieza is old news. Plus, with our combined powers, Zarbon and Dodoria would be as weak as newborns."

At this point, the purple man was prepared to say anything to save his own hide. In the end he planned to turn on Vegeta once he gained his trust. Or at least that was his plan. From the looks of it, the monkey was not as dense as he first thought. A low, feral growl echoed in the back of Vegeta's throat as he continued towards his weak excuse of a rival.

But Cui was not prepared to just give up and lose his life. "Come on, think of it Vegeta," he paused for only a second, "We have engaged in so many duels that we know each other like the backs of our own hands. If we were a team then we would be unstoppable!"

"Shut-up already!" The brunette was becoming annoyed with this pathetic man's blubbering. He was ready to finish this once and for all. Besides, allies are for the weak. "You're starting to make my stomach turn."

Cui backed away, his hands up in fear, "But I'm not lying to you! I'd never…" Guessing from the look on Vegeta's face, his temper was beginning to flare once more. Now he was ready to beg. "Please," the fish man continued, "you have to put your faith in my Vegeta."

It was not long before the truth registered in Cui's mind. If he did not do something soon, he would die. His mind going into overdrive, Cui dove into the dephs of thoughts, searching for an escape. Then it hit him. Face brightening, he glanced over Vegeta's shoulder, "Hey, is that Frieza?"

"What?" Okay, maybe Vegeta was as dense as Cui thought he was. Laughing, the fish man summoned a bright orange beam and threw it at Vegeta.

The latter glared at him fiercely and threw up his arms. Deciding that one blast would not be enough, Cui created a barrage of orange and gold ki beams. The force of each beam was strong enough to propel him high into the air. A large, fiery explosion consumed Vegeta's body as the purple male created one final blast.

He heaved a heavy breath as he gasped for air. Eyes scanning the ground, he found that the monkey was nowhere in sight. Cui was victorious. A broad smile curled at his lips. Only dust and rubble was left.

"Hah! You should have listened to back on Planet Frieza!" Cui cackled as he lowered himself to the ground. "I warned him, but I guess…"

"So that is what you consider advice?"

His heart began to race as he slowly turned to see if his fears were true; and low and behold, Vegeta was standing behind him in all of his height-challenged glory.

Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest, a light smile on his face, "Then you are saying that I should submit to my enemies? Yet you know perfectly well that I would never stoop so low."

Cui looked as though he were about to cry. But instead, he stood his ground. "H-how did you…?" he was finding it hard to voice the question.

"Underestimating your enemies will be the death of you, Cui," Vegeta's smile grew wider with each passing second, "What happened to all of that confidence?" His face fell when Cui did the unexpected; he turned and started to flee. Only to trip over himself. Klutz. In a desperate attempt to escape with his life, Cui charged his ki and took off into the air.

Not preparing to allow the weakling to flee from battle, Vegeta kicked off into the air and took chase.

He came to a halt in front of the fish man, scaring the life out of him. Not giving him any time to retaliate or run, the Saiyan punched him in the center of his stomach; strange, pale yellow liquid oozed from the wound rather then crimson blood. The look on his face was priceless. Vegeta's punch was strong enough to send him soaring high into the sky.

Smiling as he moved to claim his victory over Cui, Vegeta aimed a pair of fingers at him. "Goodbye." Using a technique that he had learned over the years, Vegeta forced the ki in Cui's body to twist and churn; in the end, the force was strong enough to detonate his body. The poor man exploded while in midair.

His victory was satisfactory, and he could have stayed to gloat, but the Saiyan prince had more pressing matters. Vegeta lowered himself to the ground, a thoughtful expression on his face. He would need to plan his next move carefully he planned to find all seven dragon balls…

And here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. Please review and I shall update soon…