It was like an emerald. Lord Frieza wasn't one to be dazzled, but that was the only way he could describe the planet he now orbited from his ship. It was a glowing, shimmering gem, and not even metaphorically. The sphere literally had an iridescent glow about it that made it twinkle like a star. He had heard rumors that the fabled Planet Misado produced its own energy, much like one of his warriors. Based on the readings he received from his scouter just before it had malfunctioned, those rumors were true. To top it all off, there were stories that Misado's resources were unlimited. That he also doubted. But looking at the planet with his own eyes, he was starting to wonder.

In any case, this planet should have been his a long time ago. Many soldiers had been sent here to clear out the few thousand 'pilgrims' that liked to gather here, but none of them had returned. Eventually, he had even sent a couple of officers to handle it. They too had vanished. Clearly, someone down there was meddling with his affairs. They would regret that.

Mangoda was making that nervous, grunting sound again. It was such a deep noise that the soldiers present thought it intimidating, but Frieza knew better. It was annoying. "Mangoda," Frieza stated with a slap of his tail, "I'm starting to get the distinct impression that you don't find yourself fit for this mission."

The large, imposing, yet comically balloon-like man shot his lord an immediate look. "No, Lord Frieza, of course not. I am merely preparing myself for battle."

"Battle," Frieza scoffed, reaching out and touching the viewport as if taking Misado into his hand, "Do you really expect me to be taxed?"

"N…no, of course not." He rubbed his fat hands together, turning to the side. "It's just…if I may be frank, Lord Frieza, I'm not certain there's really anyone down there."

"Ha," the universe's self-declared emperor snorted, "Just because the planet is causing our sensors to fail doesn't mean the pilgrims don't exist. We have reports."

"I don't mean the pilgrims, Lord." The emerald atmosphere of the planet shimmered against his swollen skin. "There are…stories about this planet. They say it is sacred to the gods. They also say that…the planet will devour the unworthy."

"Mangoda, I am surprised at you," Frieza admonished, "I never knew you to be swept away by fairy tales."

"I'm not," he protested, holding up his hands as his face pinched with concern, "It's just…what could kill Charee and Cocanet?"

"That," Frieza snapped with vivid annoyance, "Is what we are here to find out."

"Lord Frieza," called the soldier at the helm, "We are preparing to descend into the planet's atmosphere."

"Proceed," Frieza commanded. His tail rippled and struck the deck again. "I intend to have this over with quickly and to bring back the offender's head on a stake." The disk-shaped ship began its descent through the shimmering atmosphere. Everyone gave a startled cry as the ship started to shake and even Frieza widened his eyes slightly in bewilderment. "What's happening?" he demanded.

"I don't know," said the helmsman, rapidly pushing buttons, "Our trajectory is correct…no malfunction in the thrusters…it's like the atmosphere is pushing against us."

"Well whatever it is, deal with it," Frieza barked, steadying himself against the edge of the viewport.

"I'm trying!" the helmsman cried as the ship shook more violently.

Mangoda looked down at the planet and all the blood left his face. "Lord Frieza…"

"Enough!" Frieza demanded, raising his voice to a dangerous level, "The next person to offer me any pointless whimpering will suffer—" He was stopped by a feeling he wasn't familiar with. Pain. Frieza's jaw hung as his vision distorted and he slowly looked down to see a beautiful, thick thorned vine sticking straight through him. Magenta blood dripped down his legs and tail from the wound and he had to touch it to believe it.

The ship was silent and he soon knew why. Looking around him, he saw that every single one of his men, including his officer Mangoda, had be pierced and completely cored out by the vines. Furthermore, vines slithered and drilled their way through the ship, breaking it into pieces and pulling it down toward the planet. Frieza reached out a hand and cried out with rage as the bodies of his men were pulled from the ship and dragged by the vines into the planet's atmosphere.

To his further horror, the vines then dared to start pulling him in, the last pieces of his ship disintegrating behind him. He screamed with rage and broke the vine pulling him. But no sooner had he done so then ten more vines grabbed him, impaling him in several more places across his body. Frieza thrashed and continued to scream, his armor shattering from the strain.

The planet pulsed. "Frieza," spoke a chorus of voices, including a female one in his mind, "Prince of the Kold Clan and scourge to many, cease your struggle. It is over."

"What's this?!" cried Frieza, eyes wide, "Who are you?!"

"We are Misado. You have spent your life soaked in the ways of evil. You may not exist here. You must perish."

"Misado?" he demanded, "You have named yourself after the planet?"

"No. We are Misado."

"The planet? More likely a group of crazed fanatics. Release me at once!"

"We will not. But do not be afraid. Your evil will be destroyed and you will be reborn as one of us." His mind flashed with images of gorgeous landscapes of plants, animals, and shimmering beings. "We will save you from the terrors of Hell. You will find new life free from evil. All suffering will end. You will exist in peace in your next life as part of us."

Frieza's fingers dug into the vines as every vein on his body showed and shook with rage. "You would dare try to claim Lord Frieza as your own?! Insolent worms, I will not allow it!" Terrible dark red power glowed around him, burning hot like fire. His body shattered like glass and became large, destroying the vines around him and sealing all his wounds. He narrowed his eyes down at the emerald world. "So…you really are the planet itself?"

"We are Misado."

More vines reached up from the planet, stretching toward him like arms. "Very well, Misado. You have defied me for the last time and stolen what is rightfully mine! Surrender yourself to me or you will suffer for your defiance!"

Even more vines ascended from the atmosphere. "We are Misado. Good does not falter. And neither shall we."

He thrust up his hand and formed a giant purple ball. "Then die!"

The ball hurled toward the planet and he watched with anger and anticipation. The vines changed course in an instant, wrapping the attack in a giant ball of green and absorbing the explosion. Frieza ground his teeth with frustration and hurled more attacks down. The plant life deflected or absorbed it all and resumed its path for him. Unable to pierce him this time, the vines wrapped and entangled him, digging in thorns.

He did the unthinkable. He transformed again. In his new, hideous, elongated form, he focused his attack on the vines instead of the planet itself. He cut, slashed, and burned, destroying the vines long before they could come anywhere near him. But then, to his disbelief, the atmosphere seemed to open up like a great maw. He forced himself to stop breathing as the air suddenly became toxic and tapped into his internal oxygen instead. An energy storm formed around him and began to strike him with bolts of lightning powerful enough to destroy worlds. The blows knocked him around like a pinball so he could hardly keep track of himself.

The vines came again. But this time, instead of grabbing him directly, they started to weave themselves into a cage around him. The lightning kept him off balance while the prison grew. He tried to block or avoid the attacks, but they were just too fast. He knew he had one last trick, but he didn't want to use it. It was insulting. But as the cage started to close, he knew he had no choice. He bellowed with rage so much that the planet shook with it.

As his glorious final form solidified, he looked down at Misado with hate. "I am Lord Frieza, destroyer of worlds! No mere planet may defy me! And since you refuse to be mine, you can taste oblivion!"

He formed a blast so large, no size seemed to be big enough. The vines tried to crush it as it formed, but his will was stronger. It grew so large it was like a moon. Only then did he chuck it down at the planet. The shimmering beings he had seen before in his vision leapt into the atmosphere and gathered under it, pressing against it to try to push it back. He watched their struggle with glee as they were each gradually swallowed by it and the volley resumed its course. The attack ate into the planet slowly as Misado tried to defend itself. It made its way to the core and Frieza spread his arms in glorious laughter as it all exploded.

…Goku…even worse than this…come to us…

Goku dug his head out from under the pillow and sat up, blinking with bewilderment at the familiar setting of his bedroom. "…Huh."

Nearly an hour later, when Chi-Chi awoke, he was still there, leaning back on his elbow and his brow lowered in thought. Chi-Chi looked at him in wonderment. She almost never saw him when she woke up. He always got up super early in the morning to train in the forest, collect wood for the fire, and hunt, gather, and fish for food for their table. It had been so long since she had witnessed him half naked in the morning light, it set her heart aflutter like she was a young girl again.

"Goku," she asked, "What are you still doing here? Is something wrong? You're not sick, are you?"

"Hm?" he said, looking at her as she interrupted his thoughts, "Oh no, Chi-Chi, I'm fine. I just had a really interesting dream last night and I can't stop thinking about it."

"A dream interesting enough to keep your from your training?" she remarked with shock. She pushed her messy morning hair from her face and scooted closer to him. "Well, what are you waiting for? Tell me about it!"

"Hm? Oh, okay."

He described the strange dream to her in detail, which was easy since it had been so vivid. Though, Chi-Chi had to admit she didn't care so much about the details as just listening to him talk. It wasn't often he stopped to just have a conversation with her either. He was like a spastic child, always zipping about from one activity to the next, never able to sit still more than a few minutes. Her cheeks warm with delight at this rare occurrence, she slipped her hand over the back of his.

"Anyhow, I got this strange feeling like I was supposed to get something out of it," Goku explained, "Grandpa did used to say that sometimes dreams meant things. But I'm just not really sure."

"Sounds like just a silly nightmare to me," Chi-Chi replied with a dismissive wave.

"Really? You sure?" Goku asked, "Cause it didn't really feel like a nightmare to me…"

"Oh don't worry about it! I'm just so glad to have you here, Goku. Feels like we're hardly ever alone like this. Isn't it romantic?"

"Huh?" he blinked, "I mean…if you think so."

She cuddled his arm. "I feel like I could stay like this all day! In fact…" Goku stared with confusion as she bolted to the doorway and looked around like she was hunting for a thief. She shut the door behind her and giggled. "It's okay! Goten is still asleep. We might actually have some time!"

"Time…?" he asked, "Time for what?"

She giggled some more. "Oh you're so adorable when you're oblivious." She came at him with her fingers twitching. "Let me show you…!" She dove into the bed and threw the blanket over them both.

"WWWWWWOAAAAAAHHHH!" Goku screamed, the bed leaping into the air and jostling, "CHI-CHI, DON'T GRAB ME THERE! THAT'S REALLY—AAAHH! YOU KNOW THAT MAKES ME—OOH!" He emerged from the blanket holding her close. "Oh I get it! You want to do that! I guess…sure! Why not? Do you want me to massage you first?"

"Goku," she beamed, letting one of her pajama straps fall, "You do whatever you want."

"Okay!" he smiled and pulled them under the blanket again.

(**Scene Break**)

Whenever Zenya's sun reached its peak, its light gleamed off the temple's icon. It shone and glittered across the curves on the ying and yang, reminding all who looked upon it of the sacred importance of balance in the universe. No matter where one stood in the Libra Temple grounds, one could see it high on the temple arch, reminding them all of their mission. Every morning, Headmaster Choth would have the initiates gather in the garden and gaze upon it. He would remind them that if ever they felt chaos taking hold of them within that they need only look upon the icon to find their center again.

And it wasn't just true for initiates. Even after years of being a master, Ginness still found himself meditating upon the arch and finding comfort in all that it represented. The symmetry, the whimsy, the beauty, all the temple's designs reflected what balance brought both the individual and the universe they lived in. Even as clouds filled Zenya's skies and the icon lost its gleam, Ginness still found himself just as captivated and comforted by its presence.

Which was an impressive feat, since Sammich had just stuffed a fifth soufflé into his mouth and was chewing loudly again. This was quickly followed by finger-licking, an effeminate gesture that produced even more annoying sounds. Visually, at least, it was slightly more appealing. Sammich had a strange, robust figure that made him look like a fat, jolly woman. Between his large lips and thick, curly hair, for the longest time Ginness had been convinced he actually was a woman. That was until an embarrassing encounter in the temple's bathhouse.

Sammich brushed the crumbs off his black cloak and this time summoned a twelve-foot long loaf of bread which he proceeded to feed into his enormous mouth. The clacking of his teeth finally got to him and Ginness's skin turned from blue to light yellow. His glowing violet eyes fell on his fellow monk with a rumbling growl deep in his chest cavity.

"Sammich," he said, his voice that of a pitbull, "Will you stop eating?"

Sammich shoved the last of the loaf into his mouth and closed it to chew and look at Ginness. "Why? Did you need something, dear?"

Ginness turned a little darker yellow. He disliked Sammich's pet names, but he reminded himself it was only Sammich's way of being friendly. "You have been eating nearly non-stop for two days. It is making me…angry."

"Oh," he said brightly, reaching up through the pillars where Ginness leaned and grasping his broad shoulders, "Well then please, be angry about it. You should indulge in your vice more often. Your karma could use some polishing."

The yellow started to fade back into blue. "My karma is stable."

"More like stale," Sammich admonished, "Come now. Express yourself." He pointed to his chubby face. "How about you break my nose?"

"No," he quietly growled.

"It'll do you a lot of good!" he encouraged. He summoned a big bowl of chips and shook it around. "See? It's gonna be really loud and crunchy. Doesn't that get under your skin?"

"Yes," he flatly replied.

"We're all friends and comrades here, Ginness," Sammich kindly reminded, "I'm the perfect person for you to indulge your sin upon." He tossed a handful of the chips into the air and opened his mouth.

The snack never landed on his tongue. Instead, a fist that did not belong to Ginness struck Sammich in his fat cheek and sent him flying down the steps. The bowl clattered in a mess on the tile and a black boot stamped it into crumbs. Aggs' glowing violet eyes glared through the green hair that covered half his face. "I can't summon food that delicious. I don't see why you should get to enjoy yourself like that when I can't."

Sammich flopped to his feet, his cheek red and swollen. "Bravo, Aggs! Thank you for helping me make that point so well!"

"No problem," Aggs grunted, shutting the one visible eye, the rest of his expression cloaked by his hair and mask. He gave Ginness a tart look. "You make a bad example for the initiates, you know. They'll never understand the nature of balance if they look to you."

With no nose to snort with, the air fluttered out Ginness's ears. "You've been making failed attempts at understanding me, Aggs, ever since I dragged you here by the hair ten years ago." He cracked a little smile. "Keep trying."

"Oh you don't have to tempt me," Aggs assured with challenge, "I don't need encouragement to maintain my karma. In fact, you could say you inspire me, Ginness. I've wanted your strength for my own since the moment I met you." He chuckled cruelly and shrugged. "In that sense, you're good for something, I guess."

"Ooh, very good!" Sammich clapped, hiking up his cloak as he climbed the stairs, "Ginness, dear, he just insulted you. Doesn't that make you angry?"

Ginness grunted indifferently and placed his wide brimmed, woven hat over his bald head, shadowing most his face as he resumed gazing upon the temple's icon. That's when the tremors started. The entire temple shook, causing monks to pause and initiates to murmur with fright. Headmaster Choth stood up from his meditation with certainty, looking out from his tower's window. He pulled back his hood and his green antennae raised. The tremors got worse and Ginness grunted, losing his balance and forced to take a knee. Aggs fared worse. He stumbled and would have fallen from the walkway to the ground below had Ginness not seized him by the cape and hauled him back up.

"I can fly, you know," Aggs complained.

"Quiet," Ginness ordered.

Sammich's jaws hung wide open, his voice warbling with horror. Ginness tipped his head back just in time to see an enormous crack work its way up the great arch and split the temple's icon in half. A hue of red flushed through his skin and he gasped, grabbing his left wrist as a hot pain shot through his middle finger. His narrow violet eyes widened as he saw the ring he wore – a thick, red band carved from a single ruby – glow violently. It came as no surprise when he saw Aggs and Sammich suffered the same, each of their ruby rings lit.

"No," he growled, "It can't be."

"The Chamber of Seals!" cried a monk from across the grounds, running with all his might, "One of the Doors is being forced open!"

Aggs, Ginness, and Sammich all looked at each other and immediately bolted. They climbed with all the fury of madmen, cutting through passageways until they reached the underground chambers where few tread. All the Doors maintained their serenity, perfectly still and unaffected by the terrible shaking. All, that was, except one. It was the largest of them all, bound in hundreds of red cords and plastered with paper wards of various kinds. The double doors had already opened a crack, pushing forcefully against the ropes. Many of the paper wards had already ripped free and were scattered across the floor.

A sound emerged from the narrow opening. Deep, labored breathing. Sammich grunted with determination and slammed his hands together. Moving his arms through the air like water, he formed a floating magical circle and charged forward, slamming it against the opening door. "She who stands between things, hear my prayer!" Sammich cried as he sweated, "Seal the Door on my foe and keep him there!"

Melodious, angry laughter emerged from the door. "My cousin isn't going to save you, fatso."

Sammich threw a look over his shoulder and Aggs and Ginness charged forward, slamming their palms against the magic circle and enlarging it. "By the tollman far below!" the two chanted together, "Delight in my misdeeds and let him not pass!"

"Or my great uncle," the voice retorted.

The Door shook and a pulse of power blew the paper wards free. A loud groan vibrated through the red cords and the topmost one snapped. Ginness gritted his teeth and watched helplessly as one by one, faster and faster, the cords all broke, ripping and spewing threads from top to bottom. The magic circle exploded and they were all blown back, tumbling onto the marble floor. The dark void beyond the Door gaped open before them and they all watched as the small silhouette of a woman approached.

"You jerks," said a high, cute voice, "You should know better than to keep a g—" The silhouette changed to that of a tall, muscular man. "Guy like me waiting," finished a deep, sultry voice.

A flash of gold and Sammich cried out, a hand sunk deep into his stomach. He blubbered with resistance as his flesh turned black, climbing up his body and making him swell.

"No!" Ginness cried, reaching out, "Sammich, fight it!"

"UWAAAAAH!" Sammich screamed, his mouth open wide. His body lurched like he was going to vomit and a bright blue soul leapt from his mouth.

A golden hand, shiny like the purest metal, seized the soul out the air and brought it close, the light of it catching a jagged smile. The other hand withdrew from the body and the darkness left Sammich. Eyes white and empty, Sammich's body just stood there, breathing and motionless. The figure holding the soul stepped out of the void and the torchlight of the Chamber of Seals shone across four golden arms, a handsome, seemingly perfect golden torso, and a pair of golden horns.

"Ah, Sammich," said the being to the squirming soul in his uppermost right hand, "Do you remember what I said when you all locked me away? I certainly do. I admit, I'm a little nervous. After all, I've never tried doing this before…" His tongue stretched through his smile and slowly drew up the side of the soul. The soul recoiled with horror and the being gasped with delight. "That…that is delicious!" He licked it again. "Mmm! It's too bad I promised I would never consume a soul, because I could eat you up right now! Ah, but what's the harm in a little taste, am I right? After all…" He dangled the soul by its wispy edges before him and the being's red eyes flashed, the white turning black. "You're too despicable to add to my collection…!"

"You bastard," snarled Aggs, getting to his feet, "Let him go, demon!"

"Aggs," Ginness cautioned, "Be quiet." He got to his feet and looked at the golden being squarely. "How did you break free?"

"I figured you'd know," the fiend admonished. He appeared in front of him, his face shifting as the whites returned to his eyes, and wiggled a naked, right little finger before Ginness. "How did it happen? Did she trip on the temple steps? Get eaten by a bake-kujira? Please tell me it was something embarrassing like that."

Ginness's eyes widened. "Of course…"

The demon appeared by Sammich's body and snatched the ruby band off his thumb. "And speaking of breaking seals." He flipped the ring into the air like a coin and caught it between his teeth. The ring cracked and shattered as the demon crunched down on it. The ruby band on the demon's lower left thumb also shattered.

Ginness took a step back, knowing the others would be there any moment, knowing that reinforcements were their only hope. Unfortunately, Aggs didn't know that. He summoned a pair of tasseled swords and charged at the four-armed demon. The golden being simply stretched out one of his arms, and pressed his upheld middle and index finger to Aggs's forehead. A red rune flashed and the floor swallowed up Aggs' legs. He cried out in pain and lost his grip on his swords. Only then did the being look at him. "And who are you supposed to be? The tragic lackey that I'm meant to squash before the big boys get here?" He shrugged with two of his hands and shook his head. "Please. How petty."

Aggs looked up at him fearlessly through his green hair. "I am Master Aggs of the Libra Monks."

"What?" the demon laughed and pinched Aggs' cheeks, "How could this adorable little boy be one of the seven masters?" He spotted the ring on Aggs' right index. "Aha! A transference. So poor old Peckles bought it while I was gone? That's a shame. The question is…" He eyed Ginness slyly. "Why wasn't a transference done for her, hmm…? Unless…" He gasped and pressed his lower, left hand to his chest. "Oh! My heart. Did you not realize she was dead? Poor blue boy."

Ginness growled.

Aggs slowly worked his hand into the folds of his tunic, eyeing Ginness searchingly as he tried to retrieve one of his shielding scrolls. Ginness tried to warn him with a little shake of his head, but the demon seized Aggs' wrist first. "I'm sorry," the demon said, leaning into his personal space, "I'm sure they told you all about me, but I'm certain they didn't do a very good job. I'm hard to describe, after all."

"Not really," Aggs boldly disagreed, "You filthy demon."

The whites of the being's eyes turned black again and he ripped him out of the floor by the front of his shirt. "You're going to regret that." Ginness was helpless to stop him as the monster ripped off Aggs' mask and clapped his mouth over his. Aggs may have never met this being before, but he knew what this meant. In a panic, he resorted to his base instincts and struck out at the demon with his fists. The golden being caught the attack easily with two of his arms and held him until Aggs' grew limp with submission. He dropped him and a red, swirling X formed on Aggs' forehead. "Now," the demon leered over him, "My pretty boy. What shall I do with you?"

"Xiuzi!" Ginness shouted, turning a little green, "She's alive!"

The golden being grew still.

"She…she did die but…she was brought back to life."

Xiuzi brought his long, silky black hair over his shoulder and stroked it, tracing a finger across the tattered, red ribbon that once kept it neat. "My dear, sweet girl…" He flew at Ginness and jammed his hand deep into his chest, lifting him up as the darkness swarmed up his flesh. "Tell me then, blue boy…" he viciously grinned, "Where is my girlfriend?"

(**Scene Break**)

Her tail wrapped around the leg of the chair, Justiciar Nettelish sat gazing at the sadistic grin of Prince Vegeta, proud in his PTO armor and glaring smugly through his scouter. She wished they had updated the photo on his prisoner profile, mostly for the selfish reason of wanting something nicer to look at. As they had all learned a year ago when Vegeta had been captured by the Justice fleet, the saiyan prince wasn't the villain he had once been. He was by no means a saint, but in many ways a hero. Of course, convincing the Justice and the galaxy they represented of that had been no easy task. As she had heard it, the Legendary Super Saiyan, Goku, had come to Vegeta's defense and with his backing, the prince had proven himself worthy of redemption.

Of course, it hadn't been easy. Not everyone had wanted to forgive Vegeta, least of all the Justice's former leader, Nevrrest. The last of a race Vegeta had once destroyed, Nevrrest had done everything in her power to destroy Vegeta. She had even gone so far as to betray her own allies. The Justice had nearly been ruined due to Nevrrest's actions, but thanks to her defeat by Goku and Vegeta and the efforts the members of the Justice had made since then, they had not only survived the crisis but flourished in its wake.

Nevrrest was banished to a distant planet under constant watch by Goku, who they had made an honorary justiciar as thanks for his help in exposing Nevrrest. As for Vegeta, his prison sentence had been nulled and he was placed on probation and returned to his family. Nettelish liked to look over his prisoner file every once in a while as a source of inspiration. If the vicious prince of the saiyans could be saved, then so could the galaxy from the dark era Frieza had once brought.

In the hopes of that, the Justice had spent the last year turning itself into far more than just a space prison. They had expanded on their crisis aid department, creating several new factory vessels for the production of medicine, tools, clothes, and even a small agricultural vessel for raising livestock and growing crops – all things that many troubled worlds could use to rebuild. The population of their minimum security vessel Prison Ship 1 had more than doubled in the past year. Further, the newly dubbed Representative Core made certain that the cruelty to prisoners than had existed during Nevrrest's era would never occur again.

All in all, thanks to Goku, Vegeta, and the dragon balls, Nettelish and her fellow justiciars had been able to do a lot of good for the universe.

"But you know it's not enough," said an accusing voice.

"What?" said Nettelish, looking up. But no one was there. She was alone in her room.

But then the floor opened up. Rising from the depths, many wispy, black hands seized her and dragged her down. Nettelish screamed and struggled against them, but it was no good. Her body dissolved like ash around her and the air turned to terrible ice, wrapping around her and freezing her soul.

"You don't deserve to be alive," continued the voice, "Breet the Merciless!"

Nettelish gasped, sitting upright in a cold sweat at her desk. She blinked several times as she saw the image of Prince Vegeta on her computer. "Dozed off again, Nettelish," she scolded herself, "You're working yourself too hard." She rubbed at her eyes and grabbed her cloak off her bed, covering her long, forked saiyan hair in the hood and wrapping her tail around her waist as she buttoned her cloak shut. Her mask fitted over her mouth, she left her quarters to seek out her office where she could get some real work done.

Back before the time she was murdered, the Justice had been a small, fragile thing – like an infant brought into the world before term. The members of their fleet were hopeful, but wary, unsure of the future in the wake of Frieza's defeat. But now as Nettelish walked the halls of their flagship, the mighty Hammer, it was quite a different place. The halls bustled with activity, almost like a city, and people carried themselves with purpose and pride. They had brought down the remnants of Frieza's empire and survived both the incursion of the shape shifter Un and the betrayal of former Justiciar Nevrrest. Of course, they still had a lot of growing to do, but for the first time since anyone could remember, a future filled with hope seemed certain.

"Grand Arbiter!" an astute voice called out to her.

Nettelish cringed a little internally even before she turned to see the tiny, barely over knee-high woman approaching. With pale yellow skin, cute curly brown hair, and thin antennae protruding from her forehead, Representative Flutterbee looked like some cherry-cheeked pixie. But anyone who knew her knew she was anything but. The tiny lady was a tyrannical advocate for her clients, most of which were prisoners aboard Prison Ship Five, Six, and Seven, all of which housed the worst and most dangerous criminals the Justice had ever captured. Even as her boss, Nettelish was slightly intimidated by her.

"Representative Flutterbee," Nettelish greeted her and kept walking, forcing her to follow, "How many I help you?"

"I need your support," Flutterbee stated, somehow keeping up with Nettelish's stride. She handed her a tablet. "They're trying to issue an additional restraint on my client. It's unacceptable."

Nettelish slid her gloved finger up and down the tablet, her glowing violet eyes flicking as she reviewed the information. "The Guardian Core makes a good case. It says that in the last incident your client broke his ribs so badly that he nearly impaled his own heart."

"It's discrimination," Flutterbee shot back with vigor, "My client needs to be reconditioned, not have one of the few rights he has left taken away."

"As I understood it, that particular client has refused consoling."

Flutterbee made a sour face like she'd just been slapped. "We're working on that."

Nettelish stopped and held the tablet back down to her. "I suggest you keep working on it. You need more pull for your case."

Flutterbee took the tablet and pinched her face harder. "With all due respect, ma'am, that's why I came to you."

"Take it to the Grand Warden." Nettelish resumed walking. "Maybe you'll be able to negotiate something with him."

Flutterbee sighed bitterly. "Thank you for your time, ma'am…"

As Nettelish continued on her way, she couldn't help but think as she often did how only a layer of thin, black fabric stood between the members of the Justice and her secret. Until recently, not even her closest friends within the Justice knew the truth – that she was a saiyan and a former member of the PTO, not much different from most the criminals they had captured. She tried not to think of it herself. After all, when she had become a libra monk, she had cast off her old life and taken a new name, as was the order's tradition. It didn't matter what was under the robes. She wasn't a saiyan monster. She was a libra monk and a leader of the Justice. She need only look at her glowing violet eyes and fusion neck band to remember that.

Yet, when she came to the turn where her office lay in one direction and the Hammer's training center in the other, her heart caught fire and she took the latter path. The closer to the training suite she got, the faster she walked until she felt her feet leave the ground and she flew into the open doorway. She flipped the access into 'OCCUPIED' and removed her fusion band, sealing it into a safe as she stepped out onto the training floor. The panels under her boots lit and several training bots activated.

She challenged herself as she always did, pushing up the difficulty of the bots to max setting, turning on hostile environment controls to strain her body. She sweated and bled, her heart racing and burning hotter. She may have shut away her past, but this was one thing she could not deny – her warrior's heart. She could have spent all day in the training center and even more, but sadly with all the work she had to do she could only put it off for so long. A few hours passed and she ended the battle simulation, her robes slightly tattered and frayed on the edges.

She stretched out her fingers and whispered a spell as she left the floor, mending her robes before collecting her fusion band from the safe and returning it to her neck. Begrudgingly, she headed back toward her office. She was distracted, however, as she heard the shrill, nasal voice of her colleague and friend, Justiciar Laswe, coming from another hall.

"This is ridiculous. I've never been so embarrassed in my life," he snapped.

Nettelish peeked around the corner to see his non-humanoid, translucent frame puffed with irritation – his thin, insect-like wings buzzing loudly as he hovered down the hall and his stretchy tail wound into a tight, little ball amidst his many legs. Nettelish had noticed ever since the events a year ago, Laswe had started wearing some of his royal adornments again, garments he had thrown off when the Sixth Prince of the Ponachi Moons had left his home when he was still an adolescent. Today his waist was wrapped in layers of beaded gems and he had cuffs of precious metals and stones on his shoulders and wrists as well.

It didn't take her long to observe what was irking him so. Following alongside was the bright and perky Master Marshal Ai Amor, a glamourous little warrior with pink skin and red hair and eyes. As usual, in addition to her black uniform with the red insignia and markings of the Marshal Core, Ai was always seen sporting a pink and white jacket and a gold belt with a big heart-shaped gem on it.

"I don't see why you're so upset, Grand Marshal," Ai was saying as she clenched a fist vigorously, "I thought my team put on an excellent performance today!"

"It's not a performance!" Laswe squawked, "That's what you don't seem to get!"

Ai pressed a finger deep into her cheek. "But we successfully capture all the Bubblehead Bandits."

"Yeah, and then you had your entire team dance in front of the Prime Minister of Suddsis and had the bandits sing an apology song!"

"It was to uplift the spirits of the people they had tormented!" Ai assured, upholding a finger, "And personally, I think the prime minster was touched. And besides, synchronized dance is a time honored tradition of the Justice Patrol and I think it should be upheld."

"It's not the Justice Patrol!" Laswe howled at her, hovering higher above her, "How the hell did you get promoted to the rank of master without getting that right?!"

"Well, you know," Ai giggled, rubbing the back of her head, "The Justice, Galactic Patrol, it's pretty much the same thing, right?"

He stared at her. "NO!" He thrashed his arms about. "It's just The Justice. The Justice!"

"But, I mean, we are a division of the Galatic Patrol…or wait, you said they're a division of Justice." She laughed and patted his back. "Sorry, sir, I forgot that."

"NO! NO-NO-NO-AND-NO!" He grabbed a fistful of her shirt. "The Justice. Say it with me. The Justice."

"But why do you want me to say that?" She narrowed her eyes. "Is this code talk?"

"You know what? Just get out. Go on break or…something. Just get out of my hair."

"But," she blinked, "You don't have any hair."

"It's an expression!" he shrieked, "Just go!"

"You know, sir," she said sympathetically, "You really shouldn't let your job stress you out so much. But, I know you endure because you must." She clapped her heels together and saluted. "I will take my leave now, sir! Justice Patrolman out!"

"Hrmmnrrffmmrrrnnr," Laswe grumbled, glaring as she sauntered off.

Nettelish giggled and Laswe spotted her, blushing with embarrassment. "An apology song?" she asked with amusement.

"Yeah, you can laugh," Laswe remarked, folding his arms, "But you should have seen it. How is the Justice supposed to maintain respect in the eyes of the galaxy when one of my top people can't even act professional?"

"Oh she's very professional," Nettelish disagreed. Her glowing eyes squinted as she cracked a grin under her mask. "For a Justice Patrolman."

"She's an idiot," Laswe retorted and then grumbled, "Unfortunately, she's one of the best people I have. Her work is flawless."

"I know. I've seen some of her combat footage. It's very impressive, especially for someone who was self-taught. Her style is…unorthodox—"

"You mean humiliating," Laswe corrected.

"But she gets the job done. And she has a very strong sense of justice, which is essential to the work we do."

"Trying to work with her is like instructing a shark how to perform ballet." He unraveled and stretched his tail as he snorted. "And I used to think Goku was dumb." He glanced at Nettelish. "Say, speaking of our Honorary Justiciar, haven't heard from the guy in a while. He had any chats with you lately?"

Nettelish abruptly felt her cheeks involuntarily turn pink. "I…no. I haven't spoken to him in some time, as a matter of fact. Maybe you should ask Oom'Bagu."

"Nah, I was just curious," Laswe shrugged, "I just miss him sometimes. Hell, I'd almost like to go visit him on my time off if it wasn't for…" His expression darkened. "Well. Who he's guarding."

Nettelish regarded Laswe gently. No one had taken Nevrrest's betrayal harder than him. While they had all considered Nevrrest their friend, to Laswe she had been more than that. She had been his mentor, the person he had aspired to be like. He'd idolized her. And in many ways, he was following in her footsteps even still as Grand Marshal and the new figurehead of the Justice.

Nettelish rested her hand on his shoulder. "You're better than her," she reminded him, "Better than she ever was."

Laswe managed a small smile. "Thanks."

Her hand was yanked off his shoulder as vines snatched her wrist. Nettelish gasped as she was turned about and found herself staring at Misado – or rather, its avatar. Back in the time of Nevrrest's leadership, the avatar of the sacred planet Misado had been no more than an ever-changing mass of plants and vines with no retainable shape. For years, the avatar had served as one of the six justiciars, until it had been destroyed by Nevrrest when Misado had tried to protect Vegeta.

The one that had grown in its place was still composed of the same material as the last one, but held a more consistent, relatable shape. Its center was composed of a humanoid-like torso, head and neck, even had the semblance of a face, the stumps of arms and legs expanding out into moving and changing leaves, flowers, and vines. It even had glowing green lights in the face that gave the sense of eyes that now gazed at Nettelish with intensity.

"Come to us," Misado stated, its voice like a multitude of winds echoing through glass.

"What?" Nettelish asked.

Misado pulled her closer. "Come back to us," it insisted.

"Misado?" Laswe asked, "What's gotten into you?"

"Return!" Misado demanded with frustration and released her, flowing down the hall with haste.

The two stared after the Grand Judge as it departed. "What was that all about?" Laswe asked.

Nettelish's forehead wrinkled with consternation. "…I don't know."

AUTHOR NOTE

If you're coming to my writing for the first time, I strongly suggest you read the book prior to this story: Dragon Ball Z: A Good Man. While I have designed this story to be enjoyed with or without the previous work, I believe you will get a lot more value out of it if you read AGM first.

Second, I have an important statement for all my readers. This fanfiction series was almost entirely planned out after the movie Battle of Gods came out and was finished polishing by the time Resurrection F came out. Because of that, this series does not follow the Super timeline. While some elements of RF are included, this series is not a DBS fanfiction, but a DBZ. All the source material comes from the DBZ English Dub and a small handful of the DBZ movies.

Thus, please do not ask me when I will be including "_" from DBS because chances are I'm not. Any resemblance to the DBS series is purely coincidental, as I personally do not watch, follow, or support DBS content.

Essentially, my expanded universe is its own DB timeline, just as are the movies, the manga, GT, and Super.

That said, please enjoy!