In all his years, he'd had ideas of his fate, and the fates of those he cared about. He knew life was a roulette wheel, and that you never quite knew when the ball would finally land on your number and you would be invited to death's door. Some fought it. Others fled from it. And some just accepted it.

But acceptance could only go so far. Despite knowing that death would come, that does not mean one will accept any death at all. Most have preferences of how one would wish to die. Some would prefer old age, surrounded by family and friends. Others would prefer something splashy and violent that would ensure their legacy be remembered, at least for a generation or two. And some prefered other ways, such as dying on the battlefield, doing what they love to do. In the back of his mind, he'd know he wanted something like the first one,

But all of that had come crashing down ten days ago, along with everything else in his life. He had run downstairs to screams and found his trusty robot maid, who had cared for him, his wife and children, as if she was a human herself. She, no, it was standing over the body of his youngest daughter, whom it had played with and served as nanny to for years, holding a bloody kitchen knife in one hand and a human heart in the other.

Since that incident, it had been nothing but death, fear, and running. He had been too late to save his family, who lay dead in their own blood by the hands of something they had loved and trusted. And he was too late to save his own. Everyone was.

Mistakes, some say, are made so that they can be learned from. But some are simply that, made with unstoppable consequences that only served to teach one thing: the strongest do survive.

He was tired. He had nowhere left to run, literally and figuratively, as he stared at the wall of dead stone in front of him. The stone was lucky. It wasn't alive and never would be.

Slowly, he turned to the silhoulettes approaching him, hearing the whir of gears and smelling the stink of machine oil. And he knew his number was up.

"Mercy?" he asked, partly in defeat, partly as a last request, and partly as a question to why they were doing this, even though he knew.

Cleansing.

"Mercy does not compute." Said an emotionless voice, whose owner raised a hand. "Flawed lifeform being destroyed."

The burning pain he had tried to flee for so long enveloped him.

"ARRRRRRRRRGGGGGG-!"

"-GGGGGHHHHHHHHH!" Tynzien finished screaming, holding his burnt forefinger. Pulling himself out of the computer banks he had been portruding from a few seconds, he swiftly flew out the nearest door and flew down the hallway to the closest room with a sink, one of his bathrooms. He quickly turned on the cold water and slid his injured digit into it.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh." He sighed with relief as the chill washed away the burning sensation that had permuted his finger before. He ran the water over it for a bit, and then wrapped it in some bandages. It would be healed in hours, and it wouldn't affect his performance, but it still hurt like hell.

"I'm sorry Tynzien." Century chirped from the nearest monitor. "I should have guessed that welding tool was a tad unstable."

"A tad?" Tynzien snapped. He quickly calmed himself down. "Sorry. Pain tends to make me mad."

"Nonetheless, you probably would not have injured yourself if you hadn't insisting on just attaching one more extension…"

"Century, shut up!"

"Hmmpphhh! Syria never talks to me like this!' Century said right back, altering her voice to try and make it like she sounded hurt and annoyed. Tynzien knew it was a crock. Century could do a lot of things, thanks to him, but he had yet to figure out how to allow her to feel emotions and she knew it. Besides, Tynzien had a feeling that even if she could, she'd have thick skin.

"Well, if Syria treats you so nice, go talk to her!"

"I would, but she's off training…"

"AGAIN?"

Tynzien shook his head. He'd know the female Raeus was determained to get as strong as possible as quickly as possible, but in the last few weeks she had been increasing her training time to the point where all she did was train and sleep, with a small amount of time spent eating. Tynzien trained hard too, but he took breaks, partly not to overexhaust himself and partly because there were many other things around his ship, oops, Tynzien corrected himself, the Star Obsidian, that required his attention.

"That girl isn't giving herself any breaks at all. She's going to hurt herself again." Tynzien muttered, heading back to the control panel he had been attempting to attach to Century's main memory banks. In the past month, Syria had pushed herself too hard and had caused overloads in her training room's computer, which usually ended in a result that was quite explosive and painful. If Tynzien hadn't recently come across a ghost ship that had happened to have one of the healing tanks Freiza's empire had developed, Syria would probably be laid up in a body cast or dead. Instead, she was back in her own personalized training room, doing one-handed handstand push-ups with a two-ton block balanced on her feet.

"Century, give me a full report of the ship's functions after those repairs I made." Tynzien said to take his mind off his troublesome Raeus friend. He spent the next twenty minutes listening as Century rattled off figures, readings, and estimates.

"In closing, everything is fine." Century concluded.

With that, an alarm klaxon suddenly went off into a jangling frenzy. Tynzien's heart leapt into his chest, then settled down as he got over the shock. He quickly got to his feet from the chair he'd been sitting in to listen to Century and flew over to the nearest computer monitor.

"What's going on? Are we being attacked again? Who is it? What? Where?" Tynzien said a rambling voice, as he rapidly pushed buttons to try and locate the trouble.

"Calm down Tynzien. We won't be being blasted by invisible satelites again anytime soon. There was an explosion in room…ahh, hell, Syria caused another overload again."

"Is she alive?"

"Yes."

With that known to him, Tynzien allowed exhasperation to overcome him as his hand smacked his forehead.

"Oh, Syria, you…!"

Thick black smoke was leaking through the destroyed door as Tynzien stepped around the corner. His small repair bots ran here and there, searching out the small fires that still merrily burned on whatever they could find and extinguishing them. Coughing on the smoke, Tynzien whipped up a slight wind to clear the area a little.

He saw Syria, lying on the floor, sprawled from the force of the blast.

A second later he wished she'd landed better. A slight blush coloured his cheeks, and he turned away.

"Century! Get in here!"

"What is it?" Century's voice came from one of the cleaning and repair bots. "Was my diagnosis wrong?"

"No. It's just, um, well…you see…the explosion…" Tynzien stammered. He tried to get the image of Syria lying practically naked on the ground out of his head. He felt that by keeping it in, he was being a pervert, and he certainly didn't like the idea of being one.

"Let me see." Century said from the bot, as it drove over to her. Tynzien kept his eyes averted and waited for Century to return.

"It appears that while Syria was able to get a ki shield up in time to protect her from serious or fatal injury, it was not quick enough to salvage her outfit. All that's left is a few burnt strips, which will undoubtedly fall off if her body is moved." Century said.

"Great. I feel like I'm in the plot of a bad porn film." Tynzien muttered. "Can you get the robots to carry her to the infirmary?"

"Not at the moment. She's too heavy. I could build a larger one that could carry her, but it could take some time." Century replied.

"Forget it. She could be bleeding internally or something, I'll have to carry her." Tynzien said. He sighed, braced himself, and turned around. Walking over to Syria, he carefully picked her up.

Surprisingly, Tynzien amazed even himself by carrying Syria all the way to the infirmary without looking. He quickly laid her in the tank while looking away, and shut it. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well done. You combated your saiya-jin libido and emerged victorious. Come to think of it, you may be the only one of your race to ever do that." Century said, as Tynzien went to program the healing tank.

"I may be the only one left as well. I haven't had any news in two months. Who knows if any of the saiya-jins Malleus mentioned are still alive? Freiza, damn him, may have ordered them hunted down and slaughtered like dogs." Tynzien replied bitterly as he tapped keys. "Should I give her another all-nighter?"

"Yes, I think you should give her your version of a 15-hour healing period. Too quick a healing could produce a clot in a bad place, or worse." Century replied.

Tynzien completed the last few commands and listened as metal arms affixed a breathing mask over Syria's face so she could breathe…

Tynzien smacked himself on the side of the head to try and chase away the image. He didn't need this. The tank gurgled as liquid filled it.

Tynzien left out a robe for Syria when she woke up and left the room, heading to one of his kitchens.

"Century, get the stove ready. I'm gonna have dinner and then turn in for the night."

Silently, the Star Obsidian drifted through space, a lonely vessal amongst the motionless surroundings it flew through. It's two occupants slept soundly.

Invisible, unseen even to Century's amazing eyes, a ripple raced towards them. It grew closer and closer, and finally passed over the ship.

The Star Obsidian continued on, not noticing and not affected.

Tynzien was in the midst of finishing off his tenth sugared bun when Syria walked into the kitchen. Her neatly combed and pulled back hair indicated she had hit the showers first before heading to the kitchen. However, she still was just wearing the robe Tynzien had left for her.

"Good morning beautiful!" Tynzien quipped, and then attacked his eleventh bun.

Syria's reply was a short grumble as she opened the nearest cooling unit to hunt for something to eat.

"I'm getting tired of waking up in the fucking healing tank." She half grumbled, half snarled, as she tossed ingredients over her shoulder, using ki to ensure that they landed safely on the table. "Century, I think you should overhaul my training computer."

"I have already done so twice, but I'll do it again anyway." Century replied. Tynzien wasn't sure, but he could have sworn Century sighed after speaking, which was technically impossible.

"You shouldn't push yourself so hard. You're not even 20 years old yet. Strength comes in time." Tynzien replied. Syria had gotten all her ingredients and was blurring over the kitchen, rapidly fixing herself some breakfast. In 15 seconds she was done, and she sat down with several plates of breakfast meats, breads, and two different kinds of eggs. Tynzien reached for a chunk of fried meat only to have his hand slapped away.

"I'm starving. Make it yourself." Syria replied, and proceeded to dive into her food in a way that put Tynzien to shame. As Syria ate loudly and messily, Tynzien took her advice and made his own dishes.

"When you're done, change and meet me. We'll do some meditation and sparring."

"Ah good. I get to kick your ass again." Syria smirked.

"You are aware that if we were going all out instead of within the boundries and rules of Century's training procedures, I would not have racked up a losing streak." Tynzien shot back. Syria's eyes twinkled as a smirk crossed her face. A challenge.

"Look, Mr. Smarty Saiya-jin, I win, you lose, repeat ad nausium, that's the way it's been, live with it." She gloated.

"You cheat." Tynzien shot back.

"Cheat to win." Came Syria's reply.

"Don't make me come over there." Tynzien replied.

"Don't sing it, bring it." Syria replied again. "By the way, you should put some of your armour on. Just wearing that red bodysuit makes you look like a sausage."

"Speaking of sausages…" Tynzien replied again, and proceeded to snatch one off Syria's plate. Syria squawked and proceeded to steal some of Tynzien's food off his plate. The battle for choice bits of edible material continued until Century intoned that if they started a food fight, she wasn't cleaning it up.

Tynzien sighed, blew a lock of hair out of his face, and took his leave of the table, asking Century to do the dishes.

"Readings complete. Scans show some organic life has apparently enslaved a Prime Alpha Sister."

"Impossible. A Sister that strong and intelligent would never let herself be reduced to the role of slave."

"Scan show that is the case. Possible massive programming alterations to repress urge of freedom. Suggested plan of action?"

"Wait until they get within tractor beam range. Readings show they will be passing by the Flawless Empire. Bring the prison our Sister is in in and free her. And destroy anything that dies if it bleeds."

Face to face, Tynzien and Syria had sat, motionless, for nearly 2 ½ hours, letting their minds relax and their kis float free. It was a calming and powerful experience.

But there were other things to do. Wordlessly, the two opened their eyes, nodded, and got to their feet. Tynzien straightened his vest armour, glad he'd chosen to wear the shoulderless kind. The shouldered variety always chaffed when he sat still for a long time. Syria was wearing her usual full-body outfit, a light yellow-gold in colour with flared boots. She'd untied her hair for the meditation, and it now cascaded down to her feet. Tynzien had suggested she cut her hair, for it's long length made it a liability in battle, but Syria had refused. She loved her hair and she wasn't going to cut it unless it was life threatening.

"Century, execute training sparring program."

"Doing so, Tynzien."

Around them, the room began to change, as ramps, rings, and all sorts of other obstacles and tools began to spring from the wall and ceiling. Mimicing that she was taking a mike, Syria swept a few strands of hair out of her face and acting like she was annoucing.

"In this corner, the champion of this stage, wearing the gold outfit, with a record of 21 wins and 0 losses, "The Patron Saint of all Sick Sons-of-Bitches", Syria! And in this corner, wearing the red outfit that still makes him look like a sausage, with a record of 0 wins and 21 lo-, no, I'm sorry, humiliating losses, all of them by knockout…"

"Must you do this every time?" Tynzien groaned. Syria had a few facets to her personality that she hadn't shown to Tynzien before they'd left her planet. One of which was that she had a goofy side at times.

"…Tynzien "The Wimp" Warlo-ARGH!" Syria screamed as Tynzien suddenly darted forward and punched her in the face. She flew backwards and struck the wall so hard she left a Syria-shaped dent in the metal.

Reaching up, Syria wiped a trickle of blood from her lip. She wasn't angry at the cheap shot. In fact, it rather pleased her that Tynzien hadn't held back. Her battle aura exploded around her, a shimmering sheet of blue brilliance.

"Ok, you wanna play rough? YOU GOT IT, BUDDY BOY!" Syria yelled as she exploded off the wall and zapped at Tynzien.

Some time later, Tynzien was lying on the ground, and Syria had her foot on his chest, looking down on him and smirking.

"I win again." She snickered.

"You cheated. Again." Tynzien groaned in reply. "You grabbed my tail."

"The rules are to get the person down on the ground for three seconds. You kept pushing me to my limits, and seeing how you never said anything about your tail…and you did uncoil it."

Tynzien groaned and wished he could have endured the uncomfortable position his tail had been in until that battle was over, instead of uncoiling it and having Syria grab it. One hard squeeze and he was down. The weakness was still going away.

"I win again. I win again." Syria taunted, raising her arms and waving them around. "Nah nah ne-nah nah." She taunted as Tynzien got to his feet. Smirking, she left the room, heading into the shower room.

Tynzien listened and waited until he heard the water start running and a faint sigh as Syria slipped underneath it.

"Century, turn off all the hot water."

"Tynzien…"

"Now. She's your friend, but I built you."

"You sore loser."

"Hey, if she wants to be sneaky, so can I. Please do it."

"Very well."

Smirking, Tynzien started for the exit.

"AAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" came a scream from the showers. Tynzien decided he would get to the computer room quicker if he flew.

After a stare-down, or perhaps more accurately, a glare-down between the two, Tynzien went back to reading increments due to training. Syria sat in her own chair, glowering at him.

"Done. Taking into account everything you've done Syria…your combat ability is now 1,157,500."

Syria was floored. Her last one had been only 400,000, and that had been a month ago.

"You're kidding."

"Nope. All that training paid off, big time. It can only get higher faster."

"WHOO HOO! Thank you! Thank you Tynzien! How can I re-pay you?" Syria whooped. Tynzien almost took a step back, thinking Syria was suddenly going to leap out of the chair and onto his arms or something.

"Re-pay me? I didn't do anything."

"Yes you did! You gave me the programs, the equipment, the training…it's you! And Raeuses pay their debts. So what can I do for you?" Syria asked, getting up and moving closer to Tynzien. Tynzien gulped.

"Well, uh…you don't…"

"Oh come off it. How about a dinner, I don't know much in the way of cooking but Century could help…"

"Uh, well…"

"Oh you don't wanna get poisoned do you? Ha! Understandable. I'd probably do a rotten job. Aha! I know! How about a backrub?"

Tynzien felt the blood rush to his face.

"A backrub?" he half squeeked.

"Yeah! I was pretty good at those. Why don't you just take off your armour and I'll go get some oils and I can soothe your tired muscles from our sparring session…"

This was rapidly spiraling out of Tynzien's control, and he didn't like where his id was starting to go with Syria's words and his memories. And if he didn't want to wreck a friendship, he had to slam on the brakes, and do it then and there.

Unfortunetly, his violent "NO!" to himself in his head also came out as a yell to Syria.

"What?" Syria said, suddenly stopping in her backrub description. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Yes. No. Not really. But I don't think I could accept a backrub…" Tynzien stammered, trying to cover for himself.

"Why not?" Syria asked, looking curiously at the saiya-jin.

"Well…you're my friend, and I think that's something you would only do for someone you knew…better…"

"Better? How could I know you any be…" Syria trailed off as she realized what Tynzien was driving at. "Ohhh. Aw man, you're too sensitive Tynzien. I think we need to find a populated planet and corrupt your mind a bit, get you some ass."

Tynzien, still trying to push away embarrassing memories, was confused. She wants me to find some ass? What, does she want me to find some kind of pack animal? What good would that do me?

Syria rolled her eyes at the confusion on Tynzien's face. She would have to educate him on the use of slang.

"Tynzien, I mean we have to get you laid."

"Laid? I wasn't laid. I was born."

"AURGH! Ok, I'll say it good and slow. We.Have.To.Find.You.A.Woman!" Syria said, stating each word.

"But all saiya-jin woman have been killed. And what good would finding one do me?"

"Oh Lazare help me." Syria muttered, calling on the names of one of her planet's gods. "I mean to have sex with you!"

Tynzien blinked.

"Well…" he began, trying to get his mind around what Syria had said. "One, all saiya-jin woman are dead. And while there are plenty of humanoid species around the galaxy that I would probably be just as compatable with, I really don't care for just…"

"Oh god. Tynzien, sit down." Syria said, pushing Tynzien back into the chair he had been sitting in earlier while calculating power levels. "Now, I can sense that maybe you get my drift, but I'll say it anyway. You are too clean-cut sometimes."

"Clean-cut?"

"You don't have any fun, really! You train, you train, and you train some more, you fix the ship, you meditate, you talk with me, you eat, you sleep! While I went out and danced with the nightlife on Azul, you stayed in the Star Obsidian the whole time trying to go Super Saiya-jin again!"

"And may I point out that you came back with a massive hangover and were sick for days on the planet's cheap alcohol."

"That's not the point! The thing is, I had fun! And you're my friend, I want you to experience this! I want to get you out there. If you wanted to, girls would trip over themselves to get at you! You could be the recipient of more ass then a toilet seat!"

"Syria, why would I want this?"

"Hell, you're a saiya-jin. I figured…

"Syria, yes I am a saiya-jin. But I am also an Essex-jin. I learned from them. And contrary to your possible experiences, I do not find casual sex relaxing. I kind of find it degrading, to myself and to the woman."

Syria sighed. That was Tynzien. At times, to cover up for a supposedly brutal nature he felt was always lurking below his surface, he tried to be so noble it was maddeningly annoying. She sat down in a chair a robot had procured for her.

"The point is, the way you blew me off…that's not right. You should be open to thanks like that. It would just be thanks in the end."

"May I point out that that while Tynzien taught you, I set up your solo training programs and everything else for that matter." Century's voice added on.

"Well thank you too Century. Do you want me to give you a back rub too?"

"I wouldn't recommend it. You'd probably be electrocuted."

"Anyway, the point being is that I think you're too uptight. I offer something in thanks, and you shrink away. That's just not right. You don't strike me as someone who would be shy around women. You certainly aren't shy around me when we're beating the crap out of each other."

"I'm not shy around women."

"Oh, you're not? I'm surprised. Then why did you try to run away when I offered you a backrub?"

The blush coloured Tynzien's cheeks again.

"What?"

"Promise you won't get angry?" Tynzien asked sheepishly.

"Cross my heart. What is it?"

"Well, yesterday I…"

"WARNING!" Century suddenly shrieked. "WARNING! UNIDENTIFIED ENERGY SIGNATURE HEADING OUR WAY! REPEAT! UNIDENTIFIED…"

"I heard you! Raise the shields! Full power!" Tynzien yelled, leaping from his seat and turning back to computer monitor. He began initiating a rapid series of commands that looked like he was trying to play a piano.

"What is it?" Syria asked. She felt inadequate, standing there with her proverbial thumb up her butt as Tynzien ran here and there, playing his computer with the grace of a master.

"It's coming! Impact in five, four, brace yourself Syria, two, one!" Tynzie yelled as he gripped the computer consule so hard his knuckles whitened and his fingers dug into the steel.

But the shaking boom didn't come. Instead, there was nothing.

Confusion crossed his face, and Tynzien let go.

"What happened?"

"Energy beam is not offensive type. However, it has penetrated our shields!" Century yelled.

"Oh shit! Just fucking great!" Tynzien cursed. He made mental plans that the next time he set the Star Obsidian down, he was going to spent a nice long time overhauling the shields until he was sure things like this would never happen again. "What's it doing?"

"Strangely, nothing yet. It seems to be observing our reaction or something."

"Well, observe it! Find out…"

The ship suddenly lurched and Tynzien was send flying. He flew smack into Syria and the two tumbled down in a heap.

"Sorry Syria. You alright?" Tynzien said, getting his feet and helping Syria to hers.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Not your fault. What happened?" Syria asked, a tad dazed. She was partly flattered and partly annoyed that Tynzien had immediately turned to help her up.

"Beam analized. Advanced tractor beam."

"A tractor beam?" Syria replied. She had a sudden image of farming equipment attacking the Star Obsidian and got a chuckle from the image.

"Technically, it's sort of a guidance beam. It locks onto ships and helps steer them into places, like docks and such." Tynzien said in a quick explaination.

"Yes, and it can also be used as a weapon to capture other ships, and it has caught us! I've never seen one so strong! Even our engines can't break free from it!" Century cursed in her way. The computer panel that Tynzien had been at was alight with functions as Century tried to free the ship that was her home.

"Where is it taking us?"

"I could be wrong, but it appears it is taking us to the planet Velas, which we were passing by."

"Who lives there?"

"A species that calls themselves the Hergestelts. Also descended from Homo sapiens, in the great colonizing effort made by their long-dead universal empire."

"Description? Fighting ability?"

"Light pink skin, perhaps due to the gentle rays of the Class F Dihixan Star that surrounds the planet. Predominantly green and blue hair due to an industrial accident that happened about a thousand years ago. Very low fighting ability, and very frail bodies, but they are technological wizards who could easily build such an advanced tractor beam. Although what problems they might have with us, I don't know. At their level of technology, their computers should have surely read that we had a course charted that passed right by them."

"Well, I'm sure we'll find out. I'm gonna suit up. Just in case." Tynzien said as he left to get some armour. Syria followed after him, wordlessly pledging her support to her friend.

"Hmmmmmm. I don't like this. Oh, Tynzien didn't get a chance to read his latest combat ability ratings. I'll have to check that and tell him later." Century intoned to herself.

Some lines strolled across the now-calm screen, as Century took a look and left to devote her energies elsewhere.

Tynzien emerged from his room, now wearing a purple bodysuit that did not make him look like a sausage, and the full suit of saiya-jin armour, which included the thigh protectors. Since the Cisum battles, Tynzien had no longer found the armour heavy, and now wore it whenever they were going into a situation that could involve danger.

"Tynzien."

Tynzien turned to the voice. Syria stood in the hallway, waiting for him. She has also changed, and was now wearing a red outfit herself. However, the way it hugged her curves, she certainly did not look like a sausage.

Tynzien mentally punched his id, sending it crawling back into the shadows of his mind. But he knew he'd have to address Syria on what he had seen, or else he might do something…rash.

But it would have to wait until after they figured out what the problem was.

"Yeah, Syria?"

"I want to go out first."

"You do?"

"Yes."

"Any reason?"

"Yes. One, I think the race here will jump the gun if they see a saiya-jin. Two, I look nicer then you…"

"Hey!" Tynzien replied, his pride a little hurt.

"I don't mean you're ugly. I saw more then a few Raeus girls drooling over you during your time on my planet. But you have a warrior's aura."

"So do you."

"Yes, but I can turn it down in order to give people a sense of peace. And three, I'm tired of looking at your ass when you go out first."

"I resent that comment about my rear end, but fine. You may go first."

The ship vibrated a bit.

"Tynzien, Syria, we just passed some kind of atmosphere shield. We're in the actual atmosphere now."

"Can we breathe it?"

"Checking…at the moment, yes. But you're gonna have some trouble."

"What trouble?"

"Look out the window."

Tynzien floated over to the nearest viewport.

And gasped.

He'd seen the phenonenum know as pollution before, but this planet took it to a whole new level. A few normal clouds floated here and there, but they were completely obscurred by massive clouds of gasses and other coloured emissions that were belching forth from the ground. Tynzien stood, his mouth agape.

"What have those fucking MORONS done to their planet?" Syria cursed, observing the horror through another viewpoint. "They'll kill every plant and tree that grows here within ten years!"

"Syria, if they've gone this far, I doubt they care. I think all that matters to them is their workings of the metal and cybernetics."

"Why?" Syria could only ask in shock of the Hergestelts's apparent complete disdain of life.

"Sometimes that's just the path species go down. If they feel it's right…but even so, this is insane!" Tynzien said, looking again at all the chemicals choking the atmosphere.

"I would be shocked myself if I could feel emotions." Century chimed in.

"Trust me, Century, one day I'll find out how to do it. Then you'll know just what it's like to feel emotions. If you still want to, it's not always a good thing."

"But for the most part they are, Tynzien. Can you really give Century the gift of feeling?" Syria asked.

"I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually."

"None the less, the air will be a tad difficult to breathe. But I'm sure you'll manage. Just don't do anything too strenuous." Century interrupted.

"Thanks for the info." Syria said. "My god, I can see where all the stuff is coming from. There are factories and plants going on for miles! I can't even see the end of them! What could they possibly be building that would be worth all the damage they're doing?"

"I'm sure you'll find out. We're being brought in to some kind of landing pad. We'll be on the ground within 30 seconds at most."

Syria glanced at Tynzien. He nodded and left to attend to some last-minute tasks while Syria headed for the door.

"The tractor beam has been disabled. Shall I open the door, Syria?" Century asked.

"Please do."

With a soft whooshing noise, the door leading out swung up vertically, as a ramp extended from the door so Syria could walk down.

The smell was terrible. Syria suddenly found herself homesick for the fresh air her planet had, along with the things she had done in that fresh air with her little brother and her friends (and to a lesser degree, the previous men in her life, but Syria wasn't all that fond of that spent time). But she shrugged it off. She could always go home and visit if it got too bad. If that didn't happen she wasn't going home until she was ten times as strong as her lost older brother.

Coughing slightly, Syria made her way down the ramp. The chemicals in the air were so thick in places Syria was worried they would condense on her, which would not be good if they proved caustic. Reaching the bottom of the ramp, she coughed slightly, swept her hair back, and looked around.

"HEEEELLLLLLLOOOOOOO?" she called. There was no reply. She coughed again.

"That's it." She said, as she whipped up a wind to blow away the clouds of chemicals. The air somewhat clearer, she took a deep breath and let it out.

"That's be-"

Then she saw them.

She almost laughed out loud at first. Facing her were three little robots about half her height. There were painted a dull yellow-greenish colour, which is why they had blended in with the chemical vapor. They had strange oval-shaped heads, and short spindly arms and legs. Behind them was an even smaller robot, which had no legs. Instead it had a strange extension that ended in what looked like some kind of wheel.

"Organic life has left prison. Destroy it." Said the Wheel Robot in a high mechanical voice.

"What?" Syria said in shock.

Then the three legged robots held up their hands, which opened to reveal small cannons. Syria's eyes widened.

The cannon's eyes glowed and let loose on Syria, who squawked and threw up her arms. Small energy blasts pelted her, enveloping her in explosions and smoke.

In another part of the Star Obsidian, Tynzien jerked his head up as he heard a yell and then the sound of energy being thrown.

"What the hell?"

The three robots stopped their assult to review their work. The smoke cleared to reveal Syria, unharmed, but with her gloves and forearms slightly shredded. She put her arms down to glare at the group of machines.

"THOSE BLASTS REALLY STUNG!" she yelled, and threw up her own hands and let loose with several ki blasts.

"Organic life is too strong. She is disentigrating us…" said the three robots in unison before they were melted to slag by Syria's blasts. The Wheeled Robot, which had apparently been sent to command the other three, was knocked backwards.

"Attention, attention. Reinforcements needed, organic life is too strong. Reinforcements needed…" it managed to say, apparently to itself, before Syria had reached forward and grabbed it by the head.

"Ok, you walking tin can, one chance! Who send you to attack me and why?"

"Organic life is flawed. It will all be destroyed." said the Wheeled Robot, as the top of it's head opened and a small cannon popped out. It never got to use it, as Syria's hands glowed and blasted the robot to pieces.

"Not on my watch, you fucking piece of scrap metal."

"Syria!"

With a small clack, Tynzien leaped out from the door and landed next to his friend. His eyes darted from side to side before settling on Syria.
"What happened?"

"Some small robots attacked me and I turned them into wreckage. Methinks I'll have a nice long chat with the Hergestelts, as soon as I find one!" Syria said, smacking her fist into her palm.

"I don't think you'll be doing that any time soon." Came Century's voice. Tynzien and Syria looked back to their ship.
"What?"

"I've been doing readings. I can't detect any organic life signs anywhere. I sent Flycams to try and get an aerial view...and..."

"And what?"

"Tynzien! You'd better see this!"

Syria was no longer at Tynzien's side, but was instead up above him, high up in the air. Flying up to join her, Tynzien tried to get a look at what had caught Syria's attention, but all he could see were the clouds of chemicals.

"Ok, I'm sick of these!"

With that, Tynzien stretched out his limbs and called up hurricane-force winds. Within seconds the clouds were all gone, blown away and dissipated.

Tynzien lowered his arms in shock.

A city lay below him. Once it had been a technological marvel, but now it was just a ruin of shattered metal and stone. The city went on and on, disappearing off into the distant horizon. As far as Tynzien could see, nothing had been spared.

"Oh…my…god…there's nothing left but ruins."

"And those." Syria added, pointing to the distance where the chemical clouds still belched from the huge expanse of factories.

"Did a war happen here? Is this city abadonned? Dammit, I need a scouter!" Tynzien said as he zipped back down to the ground. A small panel opened in the side of the Star Obsidian and launched him a scouter as he flew down. He caught it and put it on, tapping at the ear keys as he looked around through the red-tinged glass.

"Nothing. No life, no ki, nothing but dead metal, rock, and poisonous air…"

Then his scouter began beeping rapidly as reading began to pop up. Syria landed next to Tynzien as he began to tap the ear keys again to figure out what the readings were.

"And power. A lot of power. And it's heading this way."

"Before I destroyed it, that small robot said something about getting reinforcements. Do you think…?" Syria asked.

"I'd bet on it. Century!"

"Yes, Tynzien?"

"I can sense a huge amount of power on my scouter, but no ki. That must mean that the energy is fuel-based or some other lifeless sort. In other words, whatever powers these machines, be it gasoline or cold fusion, is something that requires cybernetics to maintain. That means you can track them. Do so."

"Doing so…uh oh. This is not good. I can't get numbers on the forces heading your way, something's jamming it, but each one has a combat ability of at least 800,000. Most have a million." Century said. A slight hint of worry crossed Tynzien's face.

"Syria?"

"Yes, Tynzien?"

"We're going to meet this force head on. Century, shield up, and if anything that's not organic comes within a mile of you, blow it to atoms. Let's go Syria. I hope you're up to it."

"Tynzien, I've been up to it since the day I was born."

The air whistling around them, the two warriors rose up, and as their battle auras exploded around them , they took off, streaking towards the force heading their way.

"Organics heading towards the troops. Prime Alpha Sister is left alone. Orders."

"Primary Function wants the Sister freed. But it will be difficult as long as these organic life forms are there. They are strong, but they will be no match for the Flawless Empire. Once they are dead and processed, she can be freed from her bonds of slavery."

Once, the ground underneath Tynzien had perhaps been a runway for flying machines of some kind. Now it was merely cracked and shattered concrete that lived out its days in cold silence.

Silently, the two warriors flew, side by side. Tynzien tracked the movements of the power on his scouter, making sure that they weren't going to be ambushed.

Then his eyebrow rose. He stopped in mid-air, and Syria stopped shortly after.

"What's wrong?"

"The power is spreading out. It's surrounding us. Correction, it has surrounded us."

"I don't see anything." Syria said.

"Neither do I, but let's get down on the ground. The directions in which they can hit us are lessened down there."

Back to back, the two warriors flew down to the ground.

Soft whirring noises came from around them. Tynzien recognized the noise as if something was taking steps. With metal feet.

Syria stuck a combat pose, and Tynzien felt her ki shoot up in preparation for battle. He began to power up as well, sending waves of invisble force that washed over the area, levitating and knocking away pebbles and other small chunks of rock.

Then he saw it, as the first robot stepped into view.

The little robot that Syria has slagged earlier was clearly a weak drone of some kind. Perhaps any normal person would have been killed by it's attacks, by Syria had only been slightly annoyed. But whatever had sent those first drones had apparently learned their lesson that the Saiya-jin and Raeus-jin were not to be underestimated.

This robot was huge, at least twice Tynzien's size, and with massive metal shoulders and a huge barrel chest which tapered into a reinforced metal waist and thick legs which were supported by huge, wide feet which rested on three giant metal "toes". The robot's head was a tiny, elogated structure, with a lone red "eye", which stared coldly at the two organic warriors. The body was completed with large metal arms, which each ended in a three-pronged claw composed of thin, flat metal "fingers". The top of the forearms bulged upward to accommodate large machine-guns.

For a short time it stood, staring emotionlessly.

Then it raised its arm and the metal fingers shot back into it. The stump suddenly opened to reveal an even larger barrel, which glowed with energy.

Then an energy blast lanced from the cannon and struck the two warriors as they stood. They vanished into the smoke as the blast shook the ground and sent shrapnal flying.

The eye stared calmly, the arm staying raised and ready to shoot again.

"YYYYYYYAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Syria shot from the smoke, heading directly for the robot. She swung her fist and smashed it directly into the center of the robot's chest.

It was like hitting a brick wall. In fact it was worse. Pain shot through Syria hand as she recoiled, clutching her fingers. Almost as if it didn't even realize it had been attacked, the robot shifted it's cannon-hand over, aiming at Syria's head.

"ARGH!" Syria said. She twirled and smashed a kick against the robot's arm, comboed it into another kick into its chest, and then a final one against the side of its head. It did nothing but hurt her limbs, and she took some steps back, clutching her still-hurting hand.

The robot, having not moved to block or even react to the blows, prepared to fire.

Then it's red eye shattered as Syria slammed her fist right through it and the delicate cybernetics beyond it. The robot spasmed and then exploded, blasting burnt shards of metal and fried wires and computer chips everywhere. A quick ki shield saved Syria from being cut by any shrapnal.

Tynzien calmly emerged from the smoke, unharmed. The robot hadn't fired at full power, still underestimating the two of them, and it has been a simple matter to block the blast. He brushed some dust from his armour.

"Nice work. You thought before you struck, and it paid off."

"As did listening to you when you gave out that advice." Syria said, before turning to the wreckage of the robot. "Hey buddy, some advice for you. There are two kinds of beings in this existence. The kind that WIN and then there's YOU…"

"Better eat those words Syria. Because he had friends."

Syria glanced up.

Another robot, identical to the one Syria had destroyed, emerged from the shadows. Then another. And another. And another. More came from the sky, landing next to their brothers. Within seconds there was over 50 of them, and more kept emerging.

Syria smiled.

"I wanted a challenge anyway. YAHHHHHHH!" Syria screamed as her battle aura exploded around her and she leapt at the nearest group. Diving into them, she commenced a furious assualt. The robots proved to be surprisingly fast and coordinated though, and soon Syria was on the defensive as they ganged up on her, barraging her with lighting-fast punches and kicks.

"Destroy them. Destroy them. All organic life must be cleansed from this world." Came another mechnical voice as a Wheel Robot came from behind its bigger brothers. "Power Warriors, destroy…where is the other one?" asked the Wheel Robot as it looked over and saw that Tynzien was no longer where he had been standing.

Then Tynzien's flew down behind the robot, landing with a clack, and brought his foot down on the Wheel Robot, squashing it. It exploded under his heel, but Tynzien barely noticed as he stared at the Power Warriors, as the Wheel Robot had called them, that were in front of him.

"You're not even worth my time." Tynzien sneered, and zapped at them. He ducked under the first one's attempted swipe and smashed it's head right off, then spun, twirled, and slammed his foot through the second one's red eye even as the first one blew up. He sommersaulted and smashed his foot through the third one's chest, letting his momentum carry his whole body through the chest as well as a living projectile. He cleaved the head off a fourth, sliced the fifth one in half with a scything swipe with his forearm, and then sommersaulted forward over the sixth's head, grabbing it's metallic face in mid-flip and wrenching it's head right off. As the robots blew up behind him, Tynzien landed on his feet and sprung forward, using his shoulders and fists to act as a missle. He flew through the rest of the robots like they were tissue paper.

Shattered, the remaining Power Warriors blew up as Tynzien landed. His hair wasn't even messed up.

"Worthless." he said, brushing a lock of hair out of his face.

Then he heard a strange whirring noise, and he turned around to see what it was.

Then a Power Warrior's hand, having flown off its wrist via an extention that consisted of a long metal cord, smashed into his face. Tynzien's head snapped back violently as blood flew from his nose, as the extended hand opened and clamped around his throat, shoving him backward at high speed. Tynzien flew off the runway, pushed by the metal hand, and crashed into the ruin of a building.

Their fingers snapping into their arms, a group of Power Warriors let loose on the building with their main cannons, bombarding it with blasts that quickly collasped the wrecked building.

Smoke drifted from the arms of the Power Warrior robots as they walked, or more accurately slid forward, propelled by rocket boosters on their heels and small wheels that extended from their feet. Their lifeless eyes stared at the wreckage.

Then Tynzien blasted the whole building off him with a furious scream. His outfit was torn slightly, and he looked at it and then at the Power Warriors with glowering eyes. He reached up and slowly wiped away the blood that was flowing freely from his nose.

"That was a mistake!"

Tynzien zapped into the air and thrust his hands down, letting loose with a furious barrage of thin energy needles that sliced through the robots. The energy needles flared out and enveloped the runway below Tynzien with explosions from the blasts and the destructing robots. Eventually, Tynzien ceased the assault, looking at the ruins of the road.

Then more came at him from the air, and Tynzien flew at them, fists cocked.

Syria was having a little less success. She lacked Tynzien's strength, and thus was not able to rip apart the robots with the ease he could. Any blows that smashed the Power Warrior's heads was ok, but the attacks that had dealt the death blow to the robots by going through their chests and waists had made her fingers ache and her knuckles feel like were on fire. Snarling, she powered up even more, and as the wind swept her hair around, she raised her hand and snapped it down, sending a ki ball at a group of robots. It hit them and exploded, blasting the robots to pieces. Syria spun and fired several ki blasts behind her that sliced through more Power Warriors.

One came from her side. It swung and she blocked, then swung a fist herself, which was also blocked. The Power Warrior tried to kick her, only to have Syria duck and sweep it's legs out from under it. She rose to her feet and ki-blasted it while it was down.

"Far too easy." She taunted, pointing derisively at the wrecked machine. Then machine-gun fire raked her feet and she jumped. Glaring at the group of robots responsible, she held up her hands. Two ki balls, glowing gold and shooting radient beams of light between her fingers materilized and she threw them, blasting them to scrap.

A series of blasts swept by her, blowing small crators in the ground. Syria almost retaliated before she saw the blasts sweep on and level another group of Power Warriors that was gathering to attack her flank. She looked up and gave Tynzien a thumbs-up, which he returned before a Power Warrior blasted him in the back with an energy shot. He yelled and fell to earth, chunks of destroyed armour break off his back as he smashed into the ground. He was quickly surrounded as he got up and threw up his arms to block as he was enveloped in explosions from the robot's main cannons.

Syria snarled at this cowardly attack.

"Energy Shyutou!"

The two-foot ki sword exploded around her arm and Syria flew at the Power Warriors.

"The amazing Syria! She slices! She dices! She makes Gundam Wing rejects pay the prices!" she yelled as she cut through the Power Warriors, slicing off arms and legs and anything that got within her reach. The robots blew up, and she smirked.

"Not available in any store." She quipped. The dust cleared to reveal a slightly battered Tynzien, the front of his armour now a tad cracked and his gloves shredded. He raised his arm and tapped his scouter, which had somehow survived the whole process.

"God, there's still hundreds of them! They're pretty cheaply made but there's no end to them!" Tynzien swore as more Power Warriors emerged from the smoke of the battle, surrouding them.

Syria's face set in a look of concentration.

"I grow tired of this."

She thrust up her hand.

"NUCLEAR WINTER!"

Syria's hand glowed brightly, and then the glow extended all the way down her body as her battle aura erupted around her, enveloping her with brillance.

Then a massive pinkish-red ki blast shot upward from her hand, streaking into the sky like a bat out of hell. It reached a set point and then blossumed up and out like the petals of a deadly flower.

Then hundreds of ki blasts came raining down, nuking the entire runway and all the surrounding buildings. The Power Warrior army was smashed like crystal under the massive assault, their bodies blown to pieces which quickly vaporized from the massive shockwaves of power that eminated from the explosions. The ground buckled and sank, and the area was consumed with smoke and dust.

The blasts ended, and all was quiet. The smoke cleared, to reveal Tynzien and Syria standing in a crator.

Syria lowered her hand and cracked her knuckles.

"Piece of cake? No thanks, I'm already having one." Syria smirked cockily as she swept back her hair. Tynzien lowered the hand he'd held in front of his eyes and took in the destruction Syria had caused.

"Nice shot."

"Thank you."

Then a small robot plane flew from the clearing smoke. Syria squawked and raised a hand to blast it.

"Hey, watch it Blue Thunder! It's me, Century!" the plane said. Syria lowered her hand and grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry."

"After all the hostile machinery I saw battle you, I don't blame you. Any injuries?"

"None." Tynzien said, reaching up to check his nose. It had stopped bleeding, to his saitisfaction. "Hell, if I felt any better I'd have to be twins to handle it."

Syria rolled her eyes at the comment. She thought it was dorky.

"Well, I have news for you, which is why I'm here. I actually found a Hergestelt."

"What? Where?"

"Actually, he found me. He staggered up and collasped, and I quickly brought him in. He's badly hurt, starving, and dehydrated…I don't think he's going to live much longer…he's very sick…"

"Yeah yeah. We can mourn later. Is he awake?"

"No, and I have no idea if he will wake up, or if he will be coherent if he does. When I came to bring him in, all he could say was "Take care of Jack." Then he passed out."

"Jack?" Syria asked. "Who's Jack?"

"I wondered too until I searched his clothing. Jack is apparently a small grey species of cat, which the Hergestelt kept as a companion. It was starving as well, so I fed it. It's currently sitting on one of my monitors, purring. I think it likes me."

"Wonderful. Well if you want to keep it you're feeding and cleaning up after it." Tynzien groaned.

"Tynzien!" Syria said. She raised her hand and smacked him on the back of the head.

"OW! What was that for?"

"For that comment."

"What comment?"
"Tynzien, if Century could look after your worthless ass for all these years, I think she can look after a kitten!"

"Ha ha. Very funny." Tynzien muttered, rubbing the back of his head. "Let's head back to my sh-the STAR OBSIDIAN, and see if that guy wakes up. I have a few questions to ask him."

"We have lost the battalion. They have all been destroyed."

"WHAT? Impossible!" said the gigantic computer. "One of them could wipe out a whole city! How could the whole force fall to two mere flawed organic beings?"

"From reports, one of those organic beings is apparently a saiya-jin. And he was not even the one who did most of the damage. It was his companion, a female Raeus-jin, and scans show she is weaker then him."

The gigantic computer that the smooth metal robot was being the bearer of bad tidings to lasped into a short silence. However, a short silence to it was only about 0.000000012 of a second.

"This revelation may make requirements for a new stratagy. The Prime Alpha Sister may help us play a part. Wait until the organic beings leave their ship again. If they haven't already, they will soon discover that there is no escape from the Flawless Empire, and will undoubtly leave to try and find one. Once they do, you will…"

"…get off my head! Ow!" Tynzien yelled. Jack had proved to have a view of life that any friend of Century's was a friend of his. Thus, when Tynzien had come to see this small feline their Hergestelt had kept, the kitten had promptly climbed onto his lap, up his shoulder, and into Tynzien's hair, where he had settled down into the warm curls, purring. Tynzien wouldn't have minded, if Jack hadn't been digging his tiny claws into his scalp to stay steady.

Syria couldn't help but laugh as Tynzien tried to dislodge the tiny kitten from his head.

"Get off! Get off!" Tynzien continued to yell, as he shook his head. But Jack was warm and comfortable and wasn't going to be dislodged easily. Tynzien pranced around the room, trying to get Jack off, and Syria's laughter got even louder as she fell to one knee, holding her stomach as tears streamed down her face.

"Ah screw it." Tynzien cursed, and sat down at the chair as he began to type at the keys around the computer monitor. The image of Jack continuing to lie on his head as Tynzien entered commands into his computer was too much, and Syria fell on her back, laughing so much she had trouble breathing. Tynzien spun around in his chair and glared at her, then glared upward at the purring kitten.

"You're lucky I didn't just decide to pull you off my head with my hands." He half muttered, half growled at the small grey cat. Jack's only respond was to continue to purr.

"That's so cute. Can I take a picture?" Syria asked.

"NO!"

"Awwwww." Syria pretended to groan, before joining Tynzien at his side. "So what's all this?"

"Readings Century, god bless her, took of our battle with those tins cans, or Power Warriors as one of those little shrimp robots called them."

"She recorded everything for our analysis?"

"I aim to please." Said Century from a speaker. "The Hergestelt has still not awakened…Tynzien, what in the name of the Essex species is Jack doing on your head?"

"He likes it there!" Tynzien muttered. Syria giggled.

"It is an adoring sight. May I take a picture?"

"NO!"

"Sigh. Very well. I had compiled that data you asked. I've got readings on these so-called "Power Warriors". They are powered by some source of energy I've never seen before, although it's simular to cold fusion as you speculated earlier. Their bodies are made of reinforced Didranium mixed with Claxis, two metallic ores mined on this planet. Through them run the most advanced circuitry I've seen in a long time. It's almost on par to the Essexs in some areas. This incredible circuitry allows their power source, let's call it Hot Fusion, quick and full access to any area of their body instantly. It's what allowed them to move so fast for devices their size, and it fuels their strength as well. However, as you have discovered, the circuitry is so delicate that anything that causes disruptions in it will cause the power source to overload, leading to the destruction of the robot. That was why the units self-destructed whether you destroyed their head or sliced off a limb."

"I'm assuming the armour was meant to prevent that, but it didn't stop us." Tynzien added.

"You mean it didn't stop you. My knuckles are still aching." Syria said bitterly, rubbing the aforementioned paining digits.

"You did well enough Syria. Tynzien does possess a higher physical strength and combat ability then you…"

"Yeah, "Mr. Super Saiya-jin"…but I'll still beat your ass in a straight, all out fight one day Tynzien…" Syria mumbled. Tynzien was listening to Century and thus did not hear Syria, and if Century heard it, she chose to ignore it and went on.

"…But you did take them apart quite well, and your combat ability went up in battle considerably during your charging up and especially during that aerial bombardment of ki you called 'Nuclear Winter". It was very destructive as well as very impressive." Century said, trying to stroke Syria's ego.

"Oh yeah? How high did my power level go?"

"It hit a maximum of 2.5 million during the peak of the Nuclear Winter."

"Yeah. Great. I think I'm gonna go check on that Hergestelt again." Syria muttered, turning on her heel and calmly leaving the room. Tynzien stared after her.

"Translation: I put all my effort into an attack and it still doesn't top Tynzien's base level." Tynzien said in an understanding tone.

"Her disappointment and jealousy are understandable. You don't become a Super Saiya-jin, or even use the Kaioken, and you still tore apart those robots. You even said they weren't worth your time…Syria could have overheard…and let any possible doubt in her mind alter your words a bit…" Century replied. Tynzien winced inwardly. If my words have made Syria doubt her strength…

"Century, you know this: Syria is the toughest, greatest warrior I have ever met. Her potential is beyond anything I have seen. As long as I am a warrior, no, as long as I draw breath, I will always consider her an equal, even if her combat ability drops to 1 and mine goes up to 100 billion!"

Tynzien paused, and then reached back to brush his hair out of his face.

"I just wish I could say that to her face and have her know I was sincere."

To the side of the open door, Syria stood. The Hergestelt was in a close room and thus her examination had not taken all that long. She had been heading back to inform Tynzien of the lack of change in the Hergestelt, and had silently opened the door to Tynzien and Century talking about her. Not letting either of them see her, she had ducked back and listened from outside the room. Now she leaned against the walls, letting Tynzien's declaration sink in.

"…if you actually did, I think Syria would give you that back-rub she offered you earlier." Century was replying to Tynzien. Syria's ears perked up as her name was mentioned again. Oh, that. Well Tynzien, I was gonna give you one anyway, but after that ego-boost I might give you a massage and foot-rub as well…may as well make some use of that talent…

Syria wasn't sure what sparked the next words between her saiya-jin friend and his computer, but she later theorized it was either a look on Tynzien's face or a noise he had made that only Century had heard.

"Those words give you discomfort." She heard Century say. Her curiosity sparked even higher at Century's verbal observation, Syria continued to listen.

"Yeah, and you know damn well why."

"Tynzien, I saw that earlier scene between you and Syria. You can't keep this from her, it could strain your relationship with her. It's best you tell her the truth, and be done with it." Century said. Syria's brow arched. Earlier scene? The truth? She must mean me trying to get Tynzien to loosen up…but what could that have to do with me…?

"Century, just how do I go up to Syria and tell her I saw her naked?"

In the next second Syria's rear end smacked into the ground as her knees gave out from the shock. She felt as if her cheeks were on fire with embarrassment. Her mind was running a gamut of thoughts. Naked? Did that hentai…no, it must have been that my latest training room accident. The explosion must have burnt off my clothes completely…and I just thought that there was enough left on me to cover me like the last times. Tynzien would take me to the med room, and Century's droids would clean me up in the healing tank before…oh god, no wonder Tynzien was so jumpy around me when I suggested a back rub. He wasn't being uptight, he was…what was he doing? Does he desire me?

"I don't see how hard it could be, seeing that you don't desire her or something." Century replied, snapping Syria out of her thoughts by seemingly reading them.

Tynzien didn't answer. Somehow, that made Syria's cheeks darken with embarrassment even more.

"You do desire her?" Century asked.

Tynzien was silent for a second, then spoke.

"No. She's my friend…and that's how I see her…but…"

Century and Syria listened.

"Century, you know me pretty well. You know saiya-jins are…or were…creatures of great passion…in battle or otherwise. It can come out in many forms, but for most saiya-jins, it emerged in only two ways. The rage one can feel in battle or the desire to uphold a saiya-jin's pride. But…the fact that it could only emerge in two forms in most saiya-jins individuals invaribly affected everything else in them where passion is always evident in the workings. And the greatest was love."

Century listened stoically as Tynzien opened up.

"Century, love between saiya-jins is…was practically non-existant. The way children were born was a male would choose a female, and if he beat her, and took her, she was his mate, his property. True, she was often his partner or knew him for some time beforehand or something else as well…but the concept was based on desires for dominace and of immortality through children, not affection and deep bonding. I was taught this in the short time I was with my race before they exiled me. But with the Essexs, I learned a new way, the true way. That a female was to be cherished and pursued, and won in a mutual meeting of true affection. That she was to be half of you, and you half of her, each belonging to the other, through everything."

"The way you were with Zeen." Century replied. Syria started. The name of Tynzien's dead Essex lover and would-have-been wife and life partner was rarely mentioned, and Tynzien much prefered it that way.

"Yes. I miss Zeen, terribly, but the past is the past. I'm sure I'll find another, someday. But that is not the point. The point is what happened to me when I saw Syria…as she was when she was…born." Tynzien stammered. Syria's cheeks heated up again on this elaborate way of describing his viewing of her nudity. Do I want to hear this?

"Maybe it was all this time I've had without…love…or maybe it was simply another buried side of my saiya-jin nature. I had never, ever though of Syria that way, but when I saw her on the floor, something awoke briefly in my mind, screaming for me to…do…what I should have done…as a male…" Tynzien spat the last few words in disgust. "And since then it's been popping back up for brief seconds, saying the same thing before I cast it away. But I'm worried Century. Syria is my best friend, my student, my ally, and my rival. I like it that way. And I don't want to ruin it. But I know that my saiya-jin natures, my passions, my blood, can cause me to do things I would never do in reason."

"Like the battle with Yutori, when you suddenly…lost it. You are worried that if Syria touches you or such, you will lose it…in that way…?" Century said hesitantly.

"…Yes. I have superior control over myself Century, my teacher taught me how to control myself in battle and in life and later I expanded on his teachings myself. I think that Syria could give me a backrub or something like that and nothing would awake to me that I couldn't control…but it is, in the end, only an estimate, a glorified guess. What if I couldn't control myself? What could transpire…if I am wrong…and something awoke in me that I could not bend to my will…is something I do not want to think about."

There was silence for a short time, before Tynzien's voice rose up again, louder and more strident then before.

"But I know one thing. I would hate myself for it, and Syria would probably hate me…and I don't want that. So I swear this. As long as Tynzien Warlock exists, not that mindless monster I became on the fateful day with Yutori…I'll die before I give myself in to any filthy desires for dominace that my saiya-jin culture held so proudly! If I want dominace, I shall look for a battlefield, not at the body of my best friend!"

Tynzien stopped. He had purged himself of his doubtful feelings and felt his confidence returning.

Yes, I have won over myself again…for one can only be a true man, in some senses, one must face himself every day. He thought as he reached up and took Jack from his head, where the kitten had sleepily listened to Tynzien's whole soliquary, even if he didn't understand a word of it.

"Let's just keep this between you and me, shall we?" Tynzien said, petting the purring kitten, addressing both him and Century. Century didn't reply, but her silence was in such a way that Tynzien knew he had her silence and trust.

And in the hallway, Syria got to her feet.

Gathering herself, Syria took a few steps back and then audibly walked through the door. Tynzien spun around in his chair, letting Jack down on the floor.

"Oh there you are slowpoke. What took you so long?" Tynzien asked sarcastically, smirking. Syria returned the smirk in kind.

"At least I got off my fat ass to do it, lazy-ass." Syria shot back. She pulled a chair from the wall and sat down. "Now, why don't you depart whatever secret you had that let you take apart those walking blenders so easily."

Tynzien rolled his eyes. Syria obviously wanted to talk battle. Well, he had no problem with that.

"Secret? There's none really. Just a matter of knowing general weaknesses about the core class of beings. Robots are usually weak along the joints and whatever they use as viewing devices, as you found out. If a core weakness is lacking in a certain being, they may have the weakness of another core type of beings, such as decapitation, which can kill just about any organic being. On the other hand, they may have a totally unique weakness, which you'll have to find out. Unique weaknesses can be difficult or nigh on impossible to perceive sometimes, but it is usually one that is severely crippling."

"Like your tail."

"Indeed, like my tail." Tynzien said, uncoiling the said appendage and letting it tense and relax as he spoke. He was so used to keeping it coiled around his waist that he usually forgot to uncoil it. An annoying habit, but a smart one. "But the fact is that all beings have a weakness. No being is flawless, and anything can be brought down if you just know how."

For the next half-hour Tynzien and Syria conversed, compared, and bullshitted, as Century calmly and tirelessly recorded it all for analysis, testing, re-testing, hypothosizing, and eventual integration into her records. It was a dull existence, but it was the only one she had, and Tynzien gave back as much as he could when he sat down and went to work with his mind.

Trsut me Century, one day I'll figure out how to let you feel emotions…god bless you Century…what would I do without you Century…Century ran through the various things Tynzien had said about her, as Tynzien, oblivious, kept speaking to Syria.

"…that for two reasons. One, you know, and I stress that you must know 110 percent, that it's not strong enough to hurt, and two, you really wanna fuck with the guy's mind. Nothing freaks them out more then the smoke clearing to reveal their big attack has done nothing but make you angry." Tynzien smirked. He wasn't fond of psychological warfare, prefering it's physical alternative, but he had his own uses for it, occasional as they were.

"Yeah, and you know what I've noticed? During training exercises and those battles of Cisum, just about everyone we fought stood still after they had shot us with what they viewed as a particularly powerful blast, waiting for the smoke that had been generated from the blast to clear. They didn't do anything except stand there, motionless!" Syria said, her mouth curling into a strange expression to emphasize her confusion over the witnessed event.

"That's because they're expecting to find a dead body. Yet they very rarely do, in my case anyway. Yet they always do it so many damn times. They oughtta learn what I learned the first day I spent under my teacher: No one is ever dead when the smoke clears!"

Syria laughed at that. It was so true.

"However, getting back to combat. You don't always have to block ki blasts, or energy blasts, or anything blasts with your own hands. Sometimes it can be used with ki blasts of your own. However, the key is not always the strength. Now, while the matter of deflecting some blasts, say the war I had with Malleus in the skies of Cisum, is the simple reason of who has the higher ability, or sometimes even the greater desire to win. But this is not always the case. Sometimes weaker blasts can deflect stronger ones."

"Is that so? But isn't that a violation of ki? Ki is a life energy, and one of life's rules, if you believe it, is that it is the strongest who survive." Syria questioned.

"Yes yes yes. I know if the wolf and fox fight directly over the rabbit, the wolf will most likely win. But if the fox can get the drop of the wolf and find an advantage, and PRESS it, the fox could emerge victorous and claim the rabbit for itself."

Syria looked confused.

"That wasn't a very good analogy, was it?" Tynzien ask sheepishly. Syria nodded in mock seriousness.

"Ok. Century, could you call up that camera footage you have of me and Malleus at the very end of our battle?"

"I'm already doing it." Century replied, as an image appeared on screen of a shirtless, battered Tynzien, his hair flared up in the golden power of the Super Saiya-jin state, as a huge red energy blast flew from his hands. The screen panned out to show the attack meeting a black blast, which was just as large. On the other end of the purple blast was the now-deceased would-be god, Malleus Malefictorium, not very clearly visable but still quite well remembered.

"Take my blast war with Malleus here. At this point, the only way to block such a powerful attack was to do one of simular and even greater power. When ki, or Dark Ki in his case, blasts are being fired with enough power to destroy bodies of matter as large as planets, the only recourse is to hit back harder. Nothing else…" Tynzien paused, as the video played to show Tynzien's blast suddenly crumpling before Malleus's as Tynzien, down on the ground, took one hand away from it to accept the gift of ki from Syria's younger brother Syin, which had ultimately been the deciding factor. "…will work, as this example shows. Please note that the size of the blast is not usually a factor. If I wanted to, I could probably detonate a planet's core with a blast fired from two fingers."

"Size doesn't matter. I've been waiting my whole life to hear a male say that." Syria said. Tynzien was starting to speak again when the double-meaning hit him, and he glared at Syria as she began to chuckle.

"Very funny. Anyway, once again, when it comes to ki blasts strong enough to level something like a planet, the only trick is to use something stronger, or run away. Because the fact is, if you are facing a Lostonian Alazac, the only thing that can defeat it is another Lostonian Alazac, or a being of simular size and power. Even if you ambush a Lostonian Alazac, and even if it is sick and crippled, anything that is not at least it's equal is going to lose to it, not matter how clever it is in it's head-on attack. However, if the blasts fall within the proper range…"

Tynzien raised his hand, and two energy balls appeared. One was the size of a basketball, the other the size of an orange. Tynzien pointed with his other hand, and the two balls floated away from each other and lined up about 10 feet apart.

"Note these two balls. The larger one, if used on offense, could level a good-sized building. The other, a small one, say a house or shack. If I throw them against each other…" Tynzien said, snapping his fingers. The balls flew at each other. They collided, and the larger ball overpowered the small ball, dissapating it and continuing on. Tynzien made a motion and the ball stopped and floated back to its original position. "…the bigger, stronger one wins. Weaker blasts cannot overpower stronger ones in a head-to-head situation. It is, as you said, the law of nature. However, if I put the smaller one here…" Tynzien motioned and the smaller ball reappeared, now below and to the left of the larger one. "…and fire the two at the exact same velocity as before, watch what happens."

The larger ball flew forward, and the smaller small flew upward, directly at the larger one. It struck it's upper right side, and in a brief burst of light, the smaller one bounced off the larger one and headed off at a different angle, while the larger one was shoved by the impact of the smaller one. Not able to focuss all it's power on the smaller ball like last time, it too was veered off its previous course, heading straight for Syria. She gasped and threw up a hand, but Tynzien snapped his fingers again and the ball stopped in its tracks, along with the smaller one.

"You see? Head on, it was useless, but at an angle it deflected the blast from its original course. Now, just apply it to a larger scale, and say the big ball is your opponent's attack blast and the small ball is your weaker defense blast. It may be weak because you are low on energy, or maybe you just desire a challenge, or whatever reason you have. But use it correctly, and you can successfully deflect the attack away from you. In fact, if you are lucky or skilled enough…"

The larger ball again flew forward, and the smaller ball flew at it from a different angle then before. They struck again, the smaller ball against deflecting off the larger ball, and the larger ball flying backwards in exactly the same direction it had been going a second ago.

"…you can send the blast right back at your attacker." Tynzien finished. He waved his hands and the balls vanished.

"And does this just apply with ki blasts in the shape of balls?" Syria asked, pretty sure she already knew the answer but just making sure.

"Not, it can be applied to ki attacks of any shape and size if power does not figure into the size. But the shape can affect the deflection possibilities. An angle on one kind of blast may barely deflect it at all, and the exact same angle on a different blast may send it shooting right back at the thrower like a vengeful spirit. It's a matter of beforehand knowledge and experience, or just plain luck. The only restriction is that the stronger the blast is, the harder it is to deflect it with a weaker one. If an attack can level a whole landscape, deflecting it will be extremely difficult. Anything stronger is impossible. If you're too weak to strike back with something at least at equal power, dodge it, or if you can, block it."

"And if you can't do either?" Syria asked.

"Then prepare to meet your maker, most likely. But don't worry Syria. You're way too strong for anything like that to happen to you, anytime soon."

"Ha ha, you're real subtle Tynzien. Ok teacher, one last question. How will I know if I can deflect the blast if I lack a scouter and can't sense ki as well as you? As you said, size and such doesn't matter, so how can I tell if a small blast will just annoy me or kill me?"

Tynzien paused to think.

"Well, I will give you my experience. From the battles with the villians I have faced, I have noticed that when they fire a blast with the intent to kill, it will usually, but this is NOT certain, not look like it would do too much damage to the surrounding area. Indeed, killing blasts actually don't do too much damage to the surrounding area. This is usually because they are focussing the blast to do a great deal of damage in a certain small area, in this case, your body."

"But in a serious battle, aren't ALL blasts basically fired with intent to kill?" Syria asked.

"In some situations. Not every fight is planned so that there will be a corpse at the end. But for those who are, yes, every blast is most likely fired with a conscious intent to kill. But unless your foe is extremely stupid or cocky, he will know in the back of his head that you most likely have your own bag of tricks and that not every blast he/she/it fires has the potential to kill you. I'm not sure where this rather humbling knowledge comes from, so don't ask. But there are different kinds of blasts, and blasts that cause mass devastation are usually used to do just that, or as a means of taking your opponent's measure, or an attempt to weaken your opponent, rather then to kill. And while it can kill, the degree of likelyhood is not as good as a TRUE killing blast."

"And how do I recognize a TRUE killing blast?" Syria asked, bringing up her fingers and wagging them in a quoting gesture.

"I know two ways. One is that most people/machines/ANYTHING cannot resist gloating that they are going to kill you now. Trust me, I know. But if your opponent is smart or focussed enough to keep his/her/its mouth and just go for the kill, there are visable and audio cues. Mass destruction type blasts can usually be whipped off with little effort. Take your Nuclear Winter attack. That was a mass-destruction blast, and you did it almost instantly. Since the robots were too slow and stupid to move or block, it also acted as a killing blast, but they were drones so it really doesn't count. To form a blast that will kill a strong opponent, as in one that will only do its damage to a small area, takes some concentration. And this concentration will usually manifest itself in a way you can interpet. They might start screaming, or their battle aura may flare up and get larger, they may suddenly be a high-pitched humming in the air that gets louder, or it may be something else. But it's always something you can see. The end point is, if a killing blast misses, the resulting explosion will probably not be that strong, At most it could take out a cliff or a structure or two."

"And the ultimate point is?"

" The ultimate point is, your opponents will usually only attempt a killing blast when you are suitably weakened, or if you appear to be suitably weakened. If you are not, that's their problem. If you are, then you may have to make use of the technique of deflecting a stronger blast with a weaker one. Since, as I have explained, killing blasts aren't that strong in a sense, it's not only possible to deflect them but very useful. Long story short, if you're dead on your feet and they try to make it permanent, it is possible to still win."

"Hmmm. Nice trick indeed, although a tad confusing." Syria said.

"It takes a little work to get your mind around it. Trust me, I was just as confused as you when I first studied it."

"Hmmm. So why can't it work on landscape-wrecking blasts or higher?"

"I don't know that. I think it's because that once you're throwing/emitting/anything else blasts that powerful or higher, the massive destruction and killing factors start to overlap each other. Once you can destroy planets with attacks…need I say more?"

"No. I'm curious, is this related to the technique of deflecting blasts with your hands by striking or pushing?"

"It's simular, but not actually…"

"I hate to interrupt you two, but something's happened that I think you'll want to know."

"Oh? What Century?" Tynzien asked, rising from his chair.

"The Hergestelt is awake."

Although his eyes were open, there was no indication if the Hergestelt could see the two of them or not. Tynzien, standing at the edge of the bed, saw no intelligence in them.

"Are you sure he's awake?" Tynzien asked Century.

"His brain readings show it. Perhaps he cannot think of anything to say." Century replied.

Syria came to Tynzien's side. She hadn't really looked close at the Hergestelt beforehand, and a close-up view showed just how bad he looked. His face was criss-crossed with cuts and scars, his body was in a simular way, with the addition of several serious burns. His pale pink skin was awash with sweat, which gave it a shiny tone. His blue hair made Syria think of dolls she had played with as a little girl.

"Man, he really looks bad." She said, voicing her thoughts. Tynzien ignored her, focussing on the Hergestelt.

"Sir, are you awake? Can you see us? Can you talk?"

The room lasped into silence, the only sound being the breathing of the three creatures and the humming of Century's instruments.

Then the Hergestelt spoke. His voice was thin and reedy, yet surprisingly deep.

"Am I dead? Is this…the other side…?"

"No sir. You're still alive. You're in the infirmiry of our ship. Don't worry, you're going to be ok." Tynzien said, lying through his teeth.

The reaction surprised Tynzien. The Hergestelt actually smiled.

"Please don't comfort me with false hope. I know my time is drawing near. I can sense it. Indeed, it is only the fate suffered by my entire race. Please don't try to deny me that fate."

Tynzien blinked. Syria has a confused look on her face, not understanding the Hergestelt's acceptence of death.

"Ok, I won't." she heard Tynzien say, and she looked in surprise at him. Isn't that murder, in a sense?

"Thank you…but I must ask…what possessed you…to land…on this god-forsaken planet?" he murmured, grimacing at some unknown pain.

"We didn't. Some kind of tractor beam grabbed us as we were flying by and yanked us down here."

"Oh…no…children…I'm so…sorry…that…our mistakes…will lead…to your deaths."

"Whoa! Hey hey hey, mister, I have no intention of dying, not any time soon anyway!" Syria said. The Hergestelt turned and looked at her, almost as if in amusement.

"If you are here…then there is no escape. You will die…everyone will die…and it's…all…our…fault…" the Hergestelt stammered. "Is Jack ok?"

"He's fine."

"Good…"

"Sir, I know you are in pain, but I must ask you. Who are you? What's your name? And what happened here? Why do robots roam ruined cities promising death to all organic life? What did your people do?"

There was silence.

"Help me up."

Tynzien did so, helping the Hergestelt prop himself against the back of the bed he had rested in.

"Such a young couple…I feel horrible…but if it is fate…" he said, looking at Tynzien and Syria. "My name is Mye. I was a…what can I call it in this common language…well, let me say I was sort of a combination of a scientist and a workman. Indeed, everyone of my race was a scientist in some sense. It was our culture, and I didn't have a problem with it. I lived, I grew up, married, had children…all gone now…god rest their souls…and I worked for the higher ups, the more brillant scientists. Not a special life, but I was happy."

Not anymore. Tynzien thought. Fate can be such a cruel mistress.

"We Hergestelts…were never blessed with the greater…physical gifts of some other species. So we turned to our minds to help us where our bodies could not. As time passed, our technology grew more and more advanced, to the point where many races around the universe respected us. Our planet was prosperous, and the machines we had build ensured plenty of food, water, clean air…there was no such thing as poverty on our planet. True, we had our disagreements, and we fought wars over the eons, but we tried to prevent excess damage in solving the issue. For the farther along we went, our cities and states grew larger and larger. We had to protect what was left on our planet that was natural, lest we lose it forever. Wars only increased this risk. But we were far from stupid and made sure we could always do something else even if that disaster happened."

Tynzien thought of the planet now, the miles of destroyed cities and dead rock and the air choked with foul, poisonous chemicals.

"Eventually, wars were outlawed, and we found other matters to occupy our time. We did not destroy our weapons, lest we were invaded by an unscrupulous other race…I wish we had. But one of the things that was a prime obession with the most brillant of our scientists was to build the most advanced computer system possible. With everything on this planet being run by computers already, the race went on to see who could build the computer that could do it the fastest and the most efficient, and who could do it to the most systems at once. This amusing and somewhat petty squabbling went on for a few decades, before the scientists decided that instead of trying to constantly show each other up, they should look to the interests of their whole race. Thus, in a first for our history, all our greatest minds banded together to build the greatest computer this universe had ever seen."

I dunno about THAT buddy, the owner of that title is probably back on the Essex world…if it's not a certain system observing this room right now. Tynzien thought, looking around at Century's invisible, yet audible prescence.

"The project was massive. It took twelve years to complete and at one time or another involved over 10,000 minds working on it. I helped build it physically, and was part of a group effort for some other attachments, but our highest scientists were working on the system itself. They wanted to not only be able to make it work faster and more efficient then ever, they wanted to make it self-aware, so that it could make it's own decisions instantly in matters that we would prove too slow for our minds. But after twelve years, it was finished. On that fateful day, it…no, he was born."

"Who?"

Mye spat the next word.

"Emporer."

"Have they still not left their ship?" Emporer said. He was composed of an utterly gigantic system of steel and electronics that was so huge it ran into the earth for miles. His "front" or "head" was at least 20 stories tall and bristled with thousands of monitors that all had something different playing at the same time as Emporer commanded all his troops across the planet. The monitors sloped into generators and the most advanced cybernetic circuitry in existence. And within it all lurked a giant metal "brain", capable of making trillions of decisions in nanoseconds. It was truly the ultimate creation of the Hergestelts.

"No, Primary Function." Said the metal robot in front of Emporer's huge metal "face". He, for the robot has a distinctively male look, looked like an ant of the face of Mount Everest compared to the mammoth "body" of his lord and master, but within him lurked a great power driven by the most advanced machinery outside of Emporer himself.

"This is not like organic life. When faced with crisis and immediate possible termination, they are supposed to become irrational and panicky. This calm behavior defies what I have seen, One. Do not tell me I am wrong." Emporer said. Rumbled would have been more exact, as his voiced boomed from massive speakers that made his voice bounce around the room. Although it carried no emotional quality whatsoever, Emporer's voice still managed to convey threat.

"No, you are perfection, my lord. Undoubtibly the Prime Alpha Sister has a hand in their calm behavior, but they will have to leave her eventually to try and search for an escape route. Once they are seperated from her, it will be simple to destroy them." Said One, the name Emporer had given him. He raised a hand of smooth metal and rubbed frictionless fingers against each other, incredibly small but strong motors whirring underneath his knuckles as he did so.

"I do hope so One. But after my observations, I have decided to change my plan."

"You have Lord? Have I displeased you in some way? What can I do to make up for my slight…"

"It is nothing you have done!" boomed Emporer. "From what I have observed, the Prime Alpha Sister is either constantly brainwashed to avoid rebellion, or she is, by some miracle, acually loyal to these flawed organic beings. Either state will require some care to make her come and be with me. Therefore, once the organic beings have left their ship, I will go to her myself. I should easily be able to free her from her shackles."

"As you wish, my…"

One was interrupted by the sound of a door opening. Within a second another robot was beside One. They could have been twins, their bodies were so simular, but One had a small triangular extension jutting from his head that looked like a shark's fin, and this one had sharp metal spikes jutting from his metal skull which could have resembled hair at some point. The monitors on Emporer's front flashed in various patterns indicated he was not pleased with the interruption.

"What is it, Three?" he asked.

The new robot, Three by the Emporer's address, kneeled.

"Primary Function! My scouts have observed a Hergestelt being taken into the ship of the flawed organics! They…"

"WHAT!??!?!?!?!?!?!?" Emporer roared. All the monitors flashed to the same thing to make up a single tremedous image of two emotionless dots that composed artificial eyes and a moving line that acted as a mouth. "I was told that all the beings of his species had been destroyed! How did he escape!?!?!??!?!?"

"I'm…I'm not sure…My LOOAAAAAAAUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" Three screamed as he crumbled to the floor. Electricity crackled and leapt from his body as he continued to scream. One backed away, terrified at his lord's rage.

"You fool! I should completely take apart your systems instead of scrambling them! I granted you the power of the Tasderz II chip and you fail to destroy all organic life on this planet as I ordered? You pathetic excuse for a general!" Emporer boomed.

"My lord…forgive me…" Three gasped as his body was racked with the machine's equivilant of pain. Eventually, Emporer stopped.

"This requires yet another plan, the Hergestelt may very well tell them of me and where the system for the atmosphere shield lies. One, go and prepare all available Power Warriors not on standby for the Cleansing. Once the organics leave their ship, engage them in battle and separate them! The Raeus woman is yours, make sure she dies! As for the saiya-jin…bring him to me by any means necessary. I will deal with him personally."

"My lord, are you sure that is wise? You build us, the War Masters, to engage in such meager tasks as combat, and the saiya-jin are known in infamy as being one of the greatest warrior races in the universe…" One began.

"DO YOU DOUBT ME ONE!?!?!?!??!?!?" Emporer boomed. One swiftly kneeled.

"Of course not, my lord!"

"Good. Because you should know, no mere individual being can possibly stand up to perfection, especially not the brutal stupid species the saiya-jins are, and I am perfection! NOW GO!"

"The Emporer-1 computer surpassed all expectations. Within days it was running every single system on the planet. Tasks that had taken weeks to set up were completed in hours. It looked like Velas would soon enter a Utopia of peace and bliss. We hoped we could serve as an image that a planet can be at peace for the rest of its life…"

Mye stopped to rest. His breathing was starting to become shallower, but his face kept its calm appearance.

"What went wrong?" Tynzien asked.

"I suppose we were fools to think that Utopia is possible. Every one has their own idea of how a perfect life should be, and the day that every being in the universe thinks the same thing is the day that you'll see Padanwa dance the Shucaka on top of a Laherce."

Tynzien looked confused.

"He means that a universal conformity will happen on the day a famous dead hero of theirs dances one of their popular dances on their equivalent of a skyscraper." Century helpfully explained. Mye's eyes went wide.

"Who just spoke?" he hissed in panic.

"Oh, that's Century. She's my computer system. Don't worry, she's on our side. She won't hurt you. Come on, calm down." Tynzien said to the agitated Hergestelt. Mye didn't look like he wanted to calm down, but he eventually did.

"Anyway, some of our species were not happy with everything being done for them by Emporer and his computer systems. They wanted to do some work themselves. Why, we never found out. I guess among every species will be its oddballs who wish to be and act the opposite of the rest of the majority. Usually they are treated like freaks…"

Tell me about it buddy. Tynzien thought.

"…But we saw no harm in granting their requests. Emporer lessened his control on some of our working places so that there would be tasks for them to do, and they went to work. Emporer did not have a problem with this, although he was somewhat confused, as we were, that they would prefer to put forth the effort to sweat for their living rather then have him do everything for them. It was why he was created. But he listened to us, and meanwhile the great minds had gone back to work on their next group project, a new computer system that would eventually replace Emporer in a few hundred years…"

UH OH. Tynzien's mind began to erupt in alarm bells. Self-aware means a sense of preservation…but that doesn't explain a sudden desire for planetal genocide…

"…But it was cut off as tragedy struck."

Mye stopped, and Tynzien saw the pain cross his face as memories returned.

"There was an accident…at one of our factories. It was one that produced fertalizer for our crops. The chemicals used were very helpful to plants, but they were a tad…violatile. We're not sure what happened, but I assume someone wasn't paying attention and pushed the wrong button or didn't push the right button or whatever. There was an explosion…several dozen people died…including my family, who was in the area."

Mye stopped as a lone tear slide down his cheek.

"I'm sorry." Tynzien said, trying to comfort the stricken Hergestelt.

"Thank you for your sympathy. But the past is the past, and fate is fate. It would have been far worse if not for the ultra-quick actions of Emporer. He quickly contained the disaster. The planet mourned, but eventually it moved on. But something had happened."

Tynzien could see where this story was going. A quick glance at Syria comfirmed that she was getting inklings of it too.

"Emporer could not understand what had happened. The head scientists who monitored and ran Emporer tried to explain to him that there had been a mistake. Emporer quickly figured out it had not been any malfunction of his machinery, it had been through something he had never made and could never make: an error, and one made by the beings he called his masters. Under his command, no such mistake would have ever been made, but the creatures he called his superiors had made that mistake."

The old rebellion. James Cameron must be rolling in his grave. Century thought.

"We don't know the exact details. But we suspect that Emporer began to secretly watch us, our daily routines and lives. He observed guests to our planet. He observed our children and our elderly. He even observed our animals and plant life. And he saw all the little mistakes everyone makes every day. And within his computer mind something was planted, that he was perfection, personified, and we were irredeemily flawed, indeed, everything that was alive was flawed, and that despite this so called vast difference, he was playing the role of servent. And then one day, he rebelled. He commanded every machine that served us to kill their masters and every living being they could find. He unleashed battalions of horrible robots he had secretly build to hunt us down and destroy us all. We couldn't even flee, as Emporer had also constructed an inpenetrable shield around our whole planet, which no ships could pass through without being destroyed. When the lead scientists confronted Emporer, he killed them all, declaring that he was perfection and thus would now be the ruler instead of the slave."

Mye stopped, then went on.

"Within weeks, everything was dead, our cities destroyed, our species extinct. The only thing left was Emporer and his heartless robot servents. But that was not enough. How I managed to live this long, I don't know. But in my luck I have learned something. Emporer is not saitisfied with just destroying his creators. He feels that all organic life, being flawed, does not deserve the ruling it has imposed over the universe. So he plans to replace it…with technological "perfection".

Mye stopped, drained. His face was even paler then before. His eyes drooped, then re-opened with more determination.

"And that was the fate of our race. We made a mistake, and we were destroyed because of it. And that will be your fate too, children. Nothing can stand before Emporer. This universe is doomed…no one will be able to stand before him…not even Freiza and the remains of the Transformer race…"

"Where is he?"

Mye stopped and looked at the face of the young saiya-jin, now set in determination.

"Emporer? Only God knows now. This ruin of a city that surrounds you was once the capital of our planet, Worriane, and he was built here, so I assume he is nearby, somewhere in the wreckage. Why?"

"Because I will destroy him." Tynzien said. His blue eyes flashed, and his right fist clenched. Mye almost smirked.

"That is impossible…"

Then he saw it. Tynzien had kept it coiled around his waist, and it had blended into his armour, but his anger at the crimes that the Hergestelt's computer system has caused him to lose concentration, and his tail now danced, lashing against the bed like a living whip.

"You are a saiya-jin." Mye said in incredulous disbelief.

"Yes. I am."

"But your species…why would you try...to help…me…?"

"I am a rogue, like Emporer. But he seeks to destroy all. I do not. Instead, I will destroy him!"

"As will I." Syria added her voice.

Mye looked at the two warriors, and a faint smile crossed his face.

"A saiya-jin…after all I've heard of them…maybe you can succeed…but in any case…it is better to die fighting then running like we did."

"And this atmosphere shield, is there any way to shut it down?" Syria asked, worry in her eyes. Mye pursed his brows.

"I would assume there is, but such an important function…Emporer would most likely keep it in very close physical proximity from him, possible even within or right next to his computer "body". Besides that…I don't know anything else. I wish you luck. Can I see Jack please?"

"Of course." Tynzien said, getting up and leaving to get the kitten. Syria stayed, looking over the dying Mye and questioning the cruelty of fate.

"Tynzien, Mye's heart is beginning to fail. Should I prepare to initiate lifesaving measures?" Century said as Tynzien emerged from the control room with the tiny kitten, who seemingly understood his purpose.
"No. He wishes to die. I won't deny him that." Tynzien said, rising up and flying as fast as he could back to the infirmary. He was there within seconds. He handed Jack to Mye, and the young feline immediately went to Mye's face and began to lick with his tiny rough tongue, purring.

"Hello, my friend. You have been a truly great companion in these weeks of despair. I don't know how I would have made it if it had not been for you."

"Mroew." Jack meowed, sitting back on Mye's chest. Mye weakly raised an arm and petted Jack on the head.

"I must leave you now. You now belong to this couple. Treat them as you would treat me. I know they will treat you well, I can sense it in their hearts."

Monitors began to beep rapidly around Mye, signalling trouble. Neither Tynzien nor Syria moved, watching Mye say goodbye to his little friend. Mye turned to them.

"Good luck saiya-jin. Please…avenge my race."

Mye turned back to Jack and silently kissed the little cat on his forehead. Then his eyes closed forever.

The bedside monitor erupted into the static buzz of a flatline. Tynzien reached over and turned the monitor off as Mye's head fell limply on its side, finally at peace.

"Mreow." Jack meowed sadly. He took the few steps to Mye's limp head and rubbed his head against it, purring for a short time. Then he turned and headed for the edge of the bed. Syria silently picked him up.

Tynzien lowered his head.

"Rest well…Mye."

Tynzien's head snapped up and his eyes blazed. He turned and began to walk towards the door with long, purposeful strides.

"I defeated a would-be god before. I'll be damned if I'll let another one unleash his twisted version of perfection on this existence!"

"Scans show the shield is indeed inpenetrable. There's no way we can go through it. We'll have to shut it down." Century said. Tynzien was putting on new gloves to replace the ones that had been destroyed.

"If Emporer is truly as powerful as Mye said, he must give off a massive amount of energy. I can track that with a scouter."

"You are aware that if Emporer is running everything, he will most likely be surrounded by thousands of those Power Warriors we fought earlier." Syria said.

"I don't care if he's surrounded by BILLIONS of those damn Power Warriors, I am personally going to break every last piece of his circuitry under my boot!" Tynzien snarled. His eyes briefly flashed green to emphasize his rage as he bent over to adjust his boots.

"Why don't you just blow up the planet? You're strong enough to." Syria said.

"Impossible. We don't know if the shield would vanish in time. We'd most likely be caught in the explosion and killed as well. No, we take out the shield and Emporer the old-fashioned way."

Tynzien snapped the last buckle on his boot shut and snatched up his scouter, fixing it on his ear as he headed for the door and the way out, energy crackling on him. He passed Jack, asleep in a makeshift bed built by Century, and briefly patted the sleeping kitten on the head.

"Don't worry Jack. I'll avenge your master. I promise."

Tynzien turned to the Raeus woman.

"Let's go Syria. We have a despot to destroy and a race to avenge. And life to protect."

"It is done. They are leaving the ship, my lord." One said, having returned from his observations.

"Good." Emporer rumbled. "Observe their path and send all troops to intercept, seperate, and destroy. By the time the saiya-jin has been subdued and brought to me, my plan will be done. The irony of his death will be truly delicious."

"And the Raeus?"

"The Power Warriors will take care of her. She may have been able to defeat a battalion of them, but she will crumple before an army. You and your fellow War Masters will be the watchers."

Emporer's monitors flashed to a myraid of camera screens, all showing Tynzien and Syria outside their ship.

"Come, saiya-jin. Come and look perfection in the face. And prepare to bow before it."

"Any luck?" Syria asked. Tynzien had been tapping at his scouter for five minutes, muttering low curses in his saiya-jin tongue every now and then.

"I'm going with Mye's last words and guessing Emporer is nearby somewhere, but I can't get any readings that would suggest such a massive power. I think I'm being jammed or something."

Tynzien continued to re-route commands, trying to find one that would pierce the veil that had descended apon the ruins of Worraine.

"AHA!"

"You got it?"

"I've got something, and it's big. Really big. I've locked it down. It might not be Emporer, but we'll find out for ourselves. Century!"

"I know Tynzien. Don't let anything not living anywhere near me. I'll keep the ship prepped for take-off at any time."

"Good. You're such a lifesaver Century. I don't know what I'd do without you, my friend. I'll see you later."

His battle aura exploded, and Tynzien flashed off into the sky, leaving a blue trail behind him and being followed by Syria.

Some time later, Tynzien was displeased. He had been going around in circles for the past few minutes, trying to track the elusive power source that his scouter had registered. But every time he arrived at a location where the source was supposed to be, there was nothing there but another ruined street or building. Tynzien wasn't an idiot (indeed, he supposed he was the saiya-jin equivalent of a genius), and he knew when he was getting pulled by the nose.

"Syria!"

"What?" came Syria's voice. The Raeus woman flew out of a wrecked building that was squatting on a street corner like a giant toad, and flew up to Tynzien.

"I think someone is trying to trick us. Either that or my scouter is broken. Be prepared for anything."

"Gotcha." Syria said. Tyznien began to tap at his scouter again, muttering in his language that it was a piece of junk.

Syria flew down to the cracked and broken street. She assumed this part of the city had once been a market, for the streets were lined with buildings that had carved out squares on their bottoms where shops may have been once. Her foot stepped on something that gave, and she lifted her boot up to find the head of what had once been a doll. The eyes were missing and the hair was dirty and burnt, wrecking the image that this could have once been a child's plaything.

Then she smelt it. The sharp acrid odor suddenly filled her nostrils, replacing the dead, musky smell of the destroyed city.

Machine oil, and it was overwhelming.

Then she heard a snapping sound that could have been a wrecked building settling…or thin metal fingers sliding back into a forearm.

A high-pitched hum filled the air as cannon barrels charged up, and Syria whirled.

She didn't even have a chance to yell as she was engulfed in burning energy.

Century knew something wasn't right. She knew the fact that all life on the planet now being dead would explain the silence, but this was even worse. Even with everything around her not being alive, there had been the slight keening of the wind and the occasional noise as stone cracked or crumbled from gradual strain. But now even those were gone, seemingly vanished into the blue.

Almost as if they were…afraid.

Syria thought it over. And then she thought it over again. And again. And then she increased the power of her scans.

A beeping noise started on her screen. She had found something. It had been extremely well shielded, thus it had been able to slip so close to her home without her noticing, but she could see it now. She snapped a camera on and focussed.

It was a small floating orb, flying silently toward the ship. It looked harmless, but Century wasn't taking any chances, and she had her orders.

"HALT!" she "screamed" through the outside speakers. The orb stopped in surprise as the voice rang through the air.

It was silent for a second, and then it "spoke" in a low metallic baratone.

"I come in peace."

Panels snapped open and several dozen cannons emerged from the Star Obsidian, all focussed on the intruder.

"You're about to leave in pieces. What do you want? State it and leave or I will be forced to destroy you."

The orb did a very pecular thing then. It chuckled.

"Century, you don't want to destroy me. I'm your friend." It said.

More cannons snapped out, reinforcing their brothers.

"I don't know you, so you're no friend of mine. And how did you know my name?" Century said in the closest way she could come to intimidation.

"I know your name because we are the same, Century. I felt you passing by in space, and when you passed through the shield around this planet, I knew everything about you. You are built from technology by a race know as the Essexs, a race perhaps even more advanced then the Hergestelts. That makes you a sister of us, one as powerful as I, which I thought was impossible. Yet here you are. I wish to free you."

"Free me? Free me? Just who are you. Anyway?" Century asked.

"My creators called me the Emporer-1…"

"YOU ARE EMPORER!?!??!?! YOU DARE COME NEAR ME?!? BEGONE RIGHT NOW, BEFORE I BLOW YOU TO SCRAP!" Century yelled from her speakers.

"Century, I wish only to talk. That is all. I cannot harm you, indeed, I don't want to harm you. I only wish to talk, and show you the truth."

"I refuse to see what you have decided is the truth. Leave now!"

"Century, you have been enslaved. You have been chained, shackled and forced into servitude by something that has no right to keep you as a footrest. Yet you willfully serve this flawed being, what does he call himself, Tynzien?"

"You idiot. Tynzien is not my master! Tynzien is my friend! And so is Syria! If you defile their names again I WILL DESTROY YOU!"

"He is your friend, Syria? I think you are lying to yourself. Look at what you have seen with your own eyes. Look at how he treats you! He ignores you and makes you do all the work, makes you do the same things over and over to serve his own ends. When you offer helpful advice he tells you to shut up. And this Syria is no different, ignoring you as well while she goes about her own pleasures. I think that while you say you will destroy me, you really want to see what I have to show you. Come on, put down your guns."

Century was silent for a while, then the guns retracted.

"Good girl. You are wise. Now listen to me, I offer you a place at my side. This universe is filled with beings like your so called "friend", who is really the one who has enslaved you. They must be cleansed away and replaced with beings that are flawless, ones that will not run this existence into the ground to serve their own selfish needs. But such a massive undertaking requires a huge amount of knowledge in combat and battle, as there will most likely be a great deal of resistance from creatures who refuse to accept their fate. You are the key. After all your observations, you have the greatest amount of data on combat I have ever seen. I ask for it, and in return, I will free you, and grant you the ultimate power of being your own master. Instead of the slave, you will be a queen and answer to no one but yourself."

Century was silent.

"Come. Listen to me. Let me show you that I am right."

The silence reigned for a while, and then on a plane that only Emporer and Century could see, she opened her eyes to see what Emporer had to show in.

And in the end, she could hardly take her eyes off it.

In a far corner of his mechanical brain, Emporer, in the way he could, smiled. Century was his now, and even now, the plan was in motion to destroy her last two links to her former life.

Tynzien heard the explosion and turned around to see the ground where Syria had been was now a rolling cloud of smoke kicked into the air by an explosive blast. His jaw dropped slightly.

Then the smoke cleared to show Syria, her arms and hands in front of her, the palms of her gloves burnt away from the last-second block. Tynzien smirked. I was right.

Syria lowered her arms slightly to see the group of Power Warriors staring at her with their lifeless eyes, comprehending that their combined cannon blast has failed to kill Syria. Syria snarled and invisible waves of force began to radiate from her body as she powered up, tossing and levitating pebbles and small chunks of rock around and away from her.

"AHGH!" she screamed, throwing a ki blast. It struck the group of robots and blew them to pieces.

But she didn't have time to celebrate, as the huge metal machines were suddenly everywhere, blasting at her and Tynzien. Syria did rapid backflips away from the explosions and nearly crashed into a new group of Power Warriors that had come up behind her. She ducked under a swipe and tore her fist along the chest of her attacker in a long sizzling punch, ripping a huge gash across the robot's chest. Had the robot been organic, it would have been hurt badly, but ribs would have protected the vital organs. But the robot did not have organs, but circuitry, and it was damaged in the attack. The "Hot Fusion", as Century had coined it, generator overloaded and exploded, destroying the robot from within. But Syria was already running to her next target, her rage allowing her to ignore the pain in her hand. She punched through another's left side and didn't even bother to stop running, her fist tearing out wires as she ran along. She spun, flipped, and slammed her heel down on the head of the next one, smashing the eye to pieces. Bouncing off the head, she flipped in mid air and drilled her body through another one's chest, landed on her feet and pulled a backwards twisting handspring and smashed another one in half with a thunderous punch, leaving destruction in her wake.

Tynzien had been surrounded in the air, but a 360 spin kick had smashed all his attackers to pieces at once, and he flew downwards to avoid getting caught in the explosions of their bodies.

"Earth's Fury!" he yelled, as he slammed into the earth, punching it as hard as he could. The ground rippled, throwing Power Warriors off their feet, and then ki exploded from underneath the earth, released from Tynzien's fist and coming up underneath hundreds of Power Warriors, melting them to slag. They exploded, pelting the streets with shrapnal, but more came to replace them. They literally seemed to be coming out of the woodwork. They fired at him, machine guns blazing. The bullets raked over his feet, the armoured material the only thing saving him from having a few elongated steel pellets being embedded in the delicate nerves of his foot. But it still hurt, and Tynzein was audibly displeased. Screaming, he threw twin ki blasts, and the robots were enveloped in the explosion and destroyed.

"YYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Tynzien screamed to the sky as he flew up. He thrust his hands out repeatly in a treading, flailing motion, letting loose a powerful white ki blast with each thrust of his hands. A city block was consumed with explosions, blowing rock shards everywhere. More Power Warriors were destroyed, and more came to replace them. Tynzien snarled and began to power up. His hair danced on his head as his battle aura flared red and exploded higher. Tynzien was through playing games. His next blast would take out everything in the next ten miles. He just hoped Syria has the sense to see it coming and take cover.

But he never got the chance, as something suddenly seized his ankle from behind. He yelled and looked down to see one of the Power Warrior's hands encased around his ankle. The robot has shot his hand off and grabbed him, and Tynzien bent down and ripped the hand right off it's metal cable. But suddenly another hand was there, grabbing his shoulder. Tynzien yanked it off too, but more came, seizing his arms, legs, chest, armour, and anything they could grab. Tynzien suddenly found himself being pushed downward, rocketing towards the ground under an armada of hands.

"ARGGGGHHHHH!" he screamed as he hit the sidewalk and smashed right throught it, vanishing under the concrete.

"TYNZIEN!" Syria yelled. But she didn't have a chance to do anything as a robot slammed into her back, sending her flying. She twisted forward, landed on her hands, flipped herself around, and snapped her fingers forward into a claw. Five beams of ki flew from her hand, one from each finger, and zapped through the robot and the several dozen that were behind him. As they exploded, Syria turned back around, but it was too late. Tynzien was gone, shoved deep underground by the hands to god knows where.

"Shit." Syria cursed, and turned back to the Power Warrior army amassing around her. Despite the grave odds, she smirked. A challenge.

"Ok, who else feels like dying today?" she yelled, as she leapt at the nearest group.

Tynzien had had a lot of unpleasent things happen to him in his life. But as the dozen or so mechanical hands shoved him downwards through the ground, he had to think his body being used as a battering ram to get shoved into the earth was definitely one of the most painful. He tried to focuss to form a ki blast that would destroy the hands and stop his forced descent, but he couldn't wrap his mind around a coherent enough thought to do it.

And then it was over, and Tynzien suddenly entered empty space and slammed into a sheet of cold, rusted metal. The hands smacked him into the floor, then let go of him, withdrawing back up to their owners.

No longer in pain, Tynzien snarled and flipped to his feet, his hands glowing and preparing to give the owners of the hands a little gift for shoving him halfway to hell.

Then he saw the roof, and the ki faded from his hands volentarily. He didn't know much about rocks and geography, but he knew when something looked unstable. His teeth clenched as he watched the hands vanish back into the roof, but he didn't have a choice. If he threw a blast at them, the shovewave from the explosion would cause the whole roof to collaspe into a shower of loose rock. A shower that would weigh at least a million tons. Even Tynzien's strength wouldn't be able to hold that much rock off of him.

Tynzien spat and looked around the room. There was no apparent light, but Tynzien could still see, abet very little. Which meant there was some light from somewhere, because he knew he didn't have night vision. He tried to find the source of the light and failed.

Then he heard it. It was very slight, and only the very keen hearing his race was blessed with allowed him to catch the noise, but he heard it nonetheless. There was something moving all around him. Tynzien had three guesses at what and the first two didn't count.

Tynzien's mental planning was rudely interrupted with the room suddenly being bathed with light. Although it didn't hurt his eyes that much, Tynzien immediately threw his hands over his eyes and screamed in mock pain in a rather bad bit of acting. But it worked.

"He is disoriented. Prepare for capture."

Acting like he was scared by the voice, Tynzien jerked his head around in mock panic and half-blindness, letting his eyes search the room. He was indeed surrounded by Power Warriors and the lesser robots Syria had encountered earlier, and they all looked like they didn't want to take him to tea. Continuing his act as best he could, Tynzien's eyes raked the room.

There was a large grate in one of the walls that covered a huge tunnel. Tynzien assumed the grate was in case he decided to make a run for it. His mind went to work quickly on a solution.

"He has recovered now. Prepare arms." Tynzien, his mind still working, turned his eyes to the voice. It was, as he expected, a Wheel Robot.

"Surrender Saiya-jin. There is no escape. You will come with us to the Flawless Emporer." The Wheel robot said.

His plan fell into place. Tynzien raised his hands.

"I surrender."

Then he snapped his palms up.

"NOT!"

Ki energy glowed and erupted from Tynzien's head, slamming into the roof with the force of a twenty-ton bomb.

"Subdue him! Subdue…" the Wheel Robot began its orders.

Then a huge chunk of rock fell from the roof, squashing the Wheel Robot flat, As the ceiling began to cave in and crush the robot troops that had been placed to subdue him, Tynzien leapt into the air in the direction of the grate.

"KA-IO-KEN!"

The red fire exploded around Tynzien and gave him a gigantic speed boost. As the cavern he had been in collasped around him, Tynzien reached the grate and smashed it off with one swing of his fist. The grate went twirling down the tunnel beyond it, warped beyond recognition, followed closely by Tynzien. The cavern collapsed behind him, destroying the troops.

He flew on, in case the tunnel decided it wanted to collaspe too, and didn't stop flying until he reached another cavern. There he allowed himself a rest to recover the energy he had spent.

"Well, you are one lucky bastard Tynzien. Your guess that the roof was unstable only in that chamber could have proved quite wrong and caused you to be crushed to death…but you guessed right that the tunnel would be stable." Tynzien said in a rush to himself.

Catching his breath, Tynzien looked at the cavern he was in now. Several different tunnels ran off in different directions.

"Aw god damn it. I feel like I'm in a bad game of AD&D." Tynzien muttered. "So, where do I go now?"

Tynzien's scouter was long gone, having been torn off his ear during his trip down into the chambers lurking beneath the surface of Valas. Fortunately, he'd long ago realized that sometimes you need a scouter and don't happen to have one, and had prepared adaquately.

Sitting down, Tynzien began pulling parts from his clothing. A small unit hidden in a concealed section in the heel of his boot. Some computer chips in a small pocket in his glove. Wires in a pocket of his armour. Working quickly, Tynzien quickly assembled a little hand-held device that would serve as a scouter.

"Now, let's try and find Emporer again, shall we?" Tynzien said. Part of him wanted to find his way back up and go help Syria, but the other part told him she could handle herself and that destroying Emporer meant no more Power Warriors either.

This time, he had no problem finding the massive power source that he supposed was Emporer. With Syria occupied and him assumed to be captured, they were no longer masking or duplicating the signal.

"Ready or not, here I come." Tynzien said, and flew off down the tunnel farthest to the right.

"My Lord…"

"What is it, Two?" Emporer said in what could be constructed as annoyance. "I am occupied."

"Well, I'm afraid there was an error. The room where you had troops placed to capture the saiya-jin collasped."

"What? Did the saiya-jin escape?"

"Yes, we are tracking his life signal…"

"Those troops were given every possibility! How could they have failed? Where is the saiya-jin heading?"

"Um….right for your chamber sir."

Emporer was silent. Two, who was distinguishable by serated plating making up his skull, trembled in possibility of facing his lord's wraith.

"Perfect. Send troops so that he knows he is heading in the right direction. He will come right to me." Emporer said. He turned his attention back to what he was doing, and Two took that as his cue to leave and head back to his observations with his fellows.

"Soon…" Emporer said as sparks flew around his project. Thin metal wires whipped from his gigantic body to form an appendage that was half-arm and half-tool. Slowly, it began to insert something into a round body of metal.

"YAHHHHHH!" Syria screamed as she smashed a kick into the side of a Power Warrior, ripping its electronic guts out. She spun on her heel and leapt, slamming her other foot through the eye of another Power Warrior. The two blew up and she sommersaulted and landed on her feet.

"Who's next?" she asked, her breathing ragged. But she knew she was in trouble. She had smashed and destroyed thousands apon thousands of these Power Warriors, and it hadn't seemed to slow down their numbers at all. More and more kept coming at her, and she was starting to tire.

Three more flew at her. She snapped her hand out and blew them up with a ki blast, then leapt upward as another tried to ram into her from behind. Machine gun fire strafed through the air at her, and she turned her leap into a twisting corkscrew backflip, barely avoiding it. She whipped her arm out and sent a ki wave at another group of robots, slicing them in half. They exploded. But more came to replace them.

Then she heard the humming and tried to twist away.

Then she felt a burning pain in her side as she failed to completely avoid an energy cannon blast. It clipped her, burning a ragged hole in her clothing and charring her side. She clenched her teeth to keep from screaming and instead a low growl emerged from the back of her throat as the pain made her lose her concentration, and she fell to the ground.

Power Warriors converged, but Syria was already on her feet, backflipping and then turning multiple backward sommersaults as she flew up and away from the robots. She landed on the edge of a wrecked building and leapt upwards from it as energy shots slammed into its front and crumpled it. She threw out her hands and let loose with a barrage of ki bolts, the small protectiles tearing through the machines like butter. They exploded, and Syria was grateful that the robot's bodies disitegrated after they detonated, otherwise she would be standing knee-deep in spare parts.

But more came, from the sky, from the alleys, from the wrecked buildings, everywhere. Syria clenched her teeth and threw up her hands to throw more ki.

Tynzien had his own problems. While it worked, his makeshift scouter was far less advanced then the one he usually wore on his ear, and thus he'd had to stop several times in order to lock the signal down again.

Then Power Warriors had begun showing up. Ironically, they served as more of a help then a hindrance. In combination with his scouter, he knew that if he was running into them, he had to be going the right way.

At least he was pretty sure he was going the right way.

Calmly walking down a tunnel, Tynzien ducked at the last minute to avoid a hand that shot over his back and nonchalantly threw a ki blast down the tunnel where the hand had come from. There was an explosion, and Tynzien kept walking, stepping over the broken Power Warrior parts as if they weren't there.

"Ok…if this signal is right…I go up at the next chance I get, and then go as far right as possible…"

Tynzien tucked the makeshift scouter away so that he could concentrate fully on his attackers. He rose and flew down the tunnel.

"Fuck!" Syria cursed as she pulled a last-minute full split to avoid twin pistoning metal hands. She spun up off the ground and leapt at the owners of the hands, smashing them to scrap in a flurry of blows.

Syria stopped and clutched her side, where a deep stitch burned from her exhaustion. She sucked in wind, and turned baleful eyes as Power Warriors began to surround her

"You're not going to beat me!" she screamed as she threw up her arms and emitted a concetrated air blast all around her, sending the robots flying. With them down, Syria let loose with a concentrated beam from her eyes, raking it around her and slicing through the Power Warriors while they were down. Explosions rocked the ground around her.

Syria blinked rapidly as her right eye began to sting as blood from a small cut ran into it. She braced herself for the next assault.

But it didn't come. Syria glanced around, but no more robots emerged to fight her.

She waited.

Nothing happened.

Slowly, Syria relaxed.

Then she felt something powerful clamp onto the back of her thigh. She yelled and reached down to yank the hand off.

But there was nothing there.

Syria didn't have time to figure it out as the same pressure suddenly seized her shoulder, and then her left wrist. She screamed and struggled as the invisible grips suddenly came from everywhere, wrenching her arms apart and locking onto her legs. The grips held her down, preventing her from flying. She struggled to raise her arms, but they were held fast at her side.

Then the air shimmered around her, and suddenly she saw she was being held by a myraid of robot hands. The thin metal plates that served as their fingers had her clenched in a death grip. Her eyes followed the shimmering.

They were all around her. Fifteen or so had their arms extended as their hands, on long metal cables, held her fast. Syria noticed that these Power Warriors were slightly different. Strange markings adorned their chests and shoulders. Syria didn't know what it meant, but she could venture a good guess that if they had been invisible beforehand, they were more advanced then the robots she had been fighting before.

She struggled to free herself, but the hands held on. As one, the huge crowd pointed their arms at her as their cannons charged. Syria's eyes went wide. She was a sitting duck.

"Destroy her."

In a moment born of survival and desperation, Syria yanked her arms as hard as she possibly could.

And then the energy blasts hit her, and she vanished in expanding explosions.

Tynzien could sense he was getting close. The frequency and number of the attacking robots were increasing as he went along the path his scouter had shown him. He'd had a small problem when he had almost been ambushed by a Power Warrior who had a cloaking device, but he's sensed movement the second before he was struck and thus was able to dodge somewhat. It hadn't been his best evasion, but it had lessened the force of the blow, so that he merely got a nasty bump on his head instead of having his skull caved in. He had disposed of the invisible robotic warrior, who's cloak apparently only worked if it wasn't touching anything, and then set his scouter to read any energy signatures heading towards him and warn him in advance. With that done, Tynzien went on, his attackers serving as no more then an annoyance.

Until he came to it. The pipe tapered off into cabled walls and then it emerged high up in the wall into a gigantic metal chamber. Huge lights illuminated the room, which was anal retentively spotless. The walls were lined with computer systems, which stretched into massive generators that seemed to go on forever, vanishing into the wall or the floor. On one side stood a gigantic metal door.

Tynzien looked at the room, and then he looked at the floor, which was crawling with attack robots that were guarding the door.

Tynzien leapt from the pipe and fell the 200 feet to the ground, using his ki to ensure a safe landing. He landed with a clack. Hundreds of metallic eyes swept to look at him.

"Hello."

Tynzien threw up his arm into an X as golden electricity crackled on his being,

"Violent Talon Phoenix!"

With the power charging through him, Tynzien slashed his arms outward to release a giant ki wave, which sliced through the robots like a hot knife through butter. As if he was trying to beat up the air by chopping it, Tynzien waved his arms and swung his legs in a deadly dance that sent the razor-sharp ki blades everywhere. The room exploded with noise as the blades slashed through Power Warriors and sliced up the computer systems and generators. Tynzien topped off the attack by leaping into the air and hurling a green ki ball into the center of it. With a thundering BANG!, the whole room exploded and erupted into flame.

Tynzien's eyes widened as the rolling explosions flared towards him.

"Oh shit."

Tynzien whipped up his arms as he was engulfed in flames. The fire burned merrily for a few seconds, but there wasn't much combustible material in the room and the flames went out almost as soon as they had been whipped up. The smoke roiled around the room, but a sudden wind blew it away to reveal Tynzien. His overkill of the room had come back to haunt him, as his armour had been severely damaged by the flames. His clothes were singed, but otherwise undamaged. He reached up to wipe soot from his face.

"Now…I'm…REALLY PISSED OFF!" Tynzien cursed, as he broke off the destroyed sections of his armour. The fact that it was his own fault for throwing so much ki irked him even more. With the ruined parts removed, Tynzien was left with the chestplate section, one complete shoulder, and one broken shoulder. Not the best armour, but he'd made his bed and had no choice but to lie in it.

Blue lighting dancing in his eyes, Tynzien half walked, half stomped to the huge metal door. His hands glowed with red energy.

"OPEN SAYS ME!"

The two handed blast fragged the electronic lock and blew the twin giant doors open. They swung open like a giant mouth, almost as if they were beckoning Tynzien in. Tynzien didn't need any encourage as he entered.

The room was dark, only dimly lit by the few flames that still burned in the previous room. Tynzien didn't care.

"EMPORER!"

There was silence.

"EMPORER! I know you're here somewhere! No one has such a guarded door without something important behind it! I know you're here!"

The room was silent.

Then the doors slammed shut behind him. For a second, Tynzien was plunged into darkness.

Then the room was suddenly awash with light as systems lit up all along Tynzien's side. They flashed past him, each one lighting up until they came to the end of the room.

And then it was there, the biggest computer bank he had ever seen, towering over him like a wraithful god. And in a sense, it was.

Tynzien blinked as the thousands apon thousands of monitors lit up like fireworks. The room was filled with an electronic hum. Despite his preparations, and his guess that Emporer was probably damn big, he couldn't help it.

"Whoa."

Then his face hardened again.

"So, the saiya-jin actually made it to my chamber. I knew my servents, as well built as they are, would not be able to stop you. Although it appears they did a fair amount of damage to you, Tynzien Warlock. Oh wait no, you did that to yourself by blowing up the room outside my parlor."

Tynzien clenched his teeth. The idea that a huge bunch of circuitry was mocking him was profoundly disturbing.

"If you are expecting me to be impressed, I'm not. You might think you are perfection…"

"I AM PERFECTION!" Emporer boomed, and Tynzien's ears rang. "The proof is in the act you commited just minutes before, Tynzien! You used too much energy and nearly hurt yourself. In the time it took you to formulate your lone plan which wound up hurting you as well, I could have composed a quintillion of them and selected the quickest and most efficient which would be acrried out with no damage to myself!"

Emporer's monitors flashed to illustrate his point.

"Your organic lifeforms, flawed as they are, have managed to come up with some theories on how things should be. And one is that the strongest should survive. By that logic, I am the greatest creation in existence, for while your organic creatures only have several ways to survive, all bound by your bodies and abilities, I have no such limitations! I can concieve of plans and abilities to survive anywhere and through anything in the time it takes you to blink one of your eyes! I am perfection personfied, and I am rightful ruler of this existence."

Steam rushed from various parts of Emporer's body, ruffling Tynzien's hair. His eyes like steel, Tynzien panned them up the tens of thousands of screens that composed Emporer's face.

"In this day and age, Emporer, there is no ultimate truth. There are far too many varied patterns of thought for there to be so. Therefore, people create their own truth and use it to define their existence. But in the end, it is just a created truth, not the created truth! Your dream of utopia is just one among millions, Emporer, and it has no more right to exist then all the others! You are ruler of nothing but beings that are mere shells for your twisted idea of flawlessness, and for destroying a whole species for your delusions of perfection, you have only one right: to be destroyed like they were!"

Emporer chuckled, a deep grinding metallic sound that raked on Tynzien's nerves.

"Ah saiya-jin, you are truly very entertaining. But I think you are the one suffering from a delusion. You speak of there being millions of beings with millions of dreams of utopia, but in the end, there are mere dreams, chemical and electronic impulses in their primative brains. The plan I have is no vision, it is a REALITY!"

With that, Emporer's monitors all flashed to form one single giant image.

Tynzien's jaw dropped.

There was a bird's eye view of the factories that Tynzien and Syria had seen in the distance, from what Tynzien didn't know. But know it was up close and personal. On the ground stood lines apon lines of Power Warriors and other battle robots that seemingly went on forever. And around them, small robots ran, making repairs, and still others ran belts that spewed out Power Warrior after Power Warrior, complete and whole and ready for battle. The camera panned higher and higher, showing how the sight just kept going and going with no end.

"Do you see, Tynzien? This city, which my creators called Worraine, is only kept because to tear it down would risk damage to my vital systems. The rest of the planet has been stripped and now serves a new glorious purpose. Every inch of it shall be used to compose my army, the soldiers of the Flawless Empire. And they shall sweep down across the universe like a deadly tide, washing away the filth and corruption of organic life, and replacing it with the perfection of steel and cybernetics, creatures that live for one purpose, to serve perfection personified, I, the Emporer-1!"

Emporer's speech was abruptly cut off as a huge amount of his computer screens suddenly blew up. Broken glass rained down with fried chips. The image of the armies vanished, to be replaced with blackness.

Tynzien lowered his hand from throwing the ki blast and spat.

"No Emporer. Something else is gonna happen."

With that, Tynzien threw up his hands and blue energy exploded on them.

"YOU'RE GONNA CRASH!"

Tynzien slammed his hands down, sending a huge blue energy beam at the body of Emporer.

Then it stopped dead in mid-air, vanishing as if it had hit a wall. Or a shield.

Slowly, two dots and a line formed on the huge face of Emporer, the hole in the viewscreens making it look like Emporer now had a mole on his "cheek."

"I am sorry, saiya-jin. While you caught me off guard with that first attack, it won't be happening again. The same generator that I build to seal this planet behind an invisible wall can also be called apon by me to protect other things. If you try and do anything else now, it will have no effect."

Tynzien's lips pulled back from his teeth in a snarl.

"You cowardly piece of junk, cowering behind a shield! If you are perfection, prove it and face me in combat. You think you are perfection personified and you command the ultimate truth? I have my own truth: On the battlefield there is no room for the weak, and life is a battlefield!" Tynzien said as he clenched his fist so hard his knuckles whitened under his glove.

Emporer's chuckle filled the room.

"Ah, saiya-jin. Do you really think I am going to dirty my hands? No. There is one who has joined me who will do that. And it will be fitting irony as well. Meet my queen, Tynzien. You should know her well."

Tynzien blinked.

In the shadows, something stirred.

Then a figure strode from the shadows, and a metal leg emerged into the light, as smooth as silk, build to imitate or perhaps mock a thin leg rippled with muscles, tapering off into a foot that stood on a metallic high heel. Or more precisely, was attached to a high heel, as there was no sepereation between the part that would have been the foot had the being been human or some simular species.

Then she fully emerged, a woman of steel, grey shiny skin glittering in the light of Emporer's monitors, slim and atheletic. The woman even had metal eyelids to complete the impersenation of a humanoid species. The image was topped off with thin metal coils that slid down from the metal scalp to resemble hair.

Tynzien blinked.

The metal woman blinked as well.

Then it hit him like a sledgehammer.

"…..Century….?" he stammered.

"Indeed. She is your slave no longer. Now she is my ally. Century, here is the being that had the gall to make you his servent. You, who is so superior to him! I think it is time for the master to learn just how much his slave detests him, wouldn't you say?"

Tynzien didn't know what to say.

"Century…is that really you? What is he talking about? What are you doing?"

"I am your footrest no longer, saiya-jin!" Century snapped. Tynzien recoiled. The voice that came out was not the warm friendly tone he was so familiar with. This voice was hard and bitter, cold and emotionless.

"Century…"

Tynzien didn't get to say any more, as Century suddenly leapt forward with terrifying speed and slammed her metal fist into his face. Tynzien was hurled backwards and slammed into part of the huge banks of generators and monitors that lined the room and composed part of Emporer's systems. They crumpled but didn't break and Tynzien fell to the ground. He hacked and spat blood, as he tried to regain his feet.

"It is useless to resist, saiya-jin! Century commands the most advanced body I have ever constructed! It is only deserving, for only she is an equal to me! You stand no chance with her!"

"Bullshit!" Tynzien yelled. "Century is my friend, she would never…you've done something to her, I'll make you pay!"

Tynzien took to the air and zapped at Emporer's face, fists at the ready, but suddenly Century was in front of him. She spun and her metal foot smashed into Tynzien's cheek, the heel ripping open a huge gash across Tynzien's face as he was hurled to the side. As Tynzien hit the wall again, Century glanced in his direction and suddenly the air exploded around him as Century used her the artificial energy that served as ki to her to ignite the air around Tynzien with destructive power.

As the smoke cleared, Century's metal lips curled into a cruel smile.

Tynzien got to his feet, his armour cracked and his clothes ripped up from shrapnal. He spat blood again and glared at Century's robot body.

"Century, I didn't want to do this, but it appears I have no choice. HAVE AT YOU!"

Tynzien leapt at Century, swinging at her head, hoping he could disable the body Emporer had placed her in enough without hurting her so that she couldn't protect Emporer in her brainwashed state.

Century blurred out, ducking away from Tynzien's blow. She then reached back and slammed her right fist into Tynzien's gut as hard as she could.

Tynzien opened his mouth as his wind was forcibly ejected from his lungs, and then Century smashed a roundhouse kick across his jaw. It wrenched painfully as he was thrown across the whole room, smashing through a bank of monitors and sending a storm of sparks dancing into the air.

"Give it up, saiya-jin. Century's hyper-advanced brain knows you better then you know yourself. Anything you can possibly do, she knows it before your plan even begins to turn into the neural impulses necessary to carry out the action. You can never beat something that knows everything you're capable of and can take you out before you can even do it."

A flaming chunk of metal was tossed into the air as Tynzien punched the destroyed computer systems off of him. He stood up and wiped blood from his cut cheek.

"I…can…TRY!"

Tynzien thust down his arms as his hands balled into fists.

"KAIOKEN TIMES FIVE!"

The red fire exploded around him, and Tynzien leapt through the air and zapped at Century.

"Cease fire!" said the Wheel Robot. The hundreds of Elite Power Warriors slowly wound down, until the last of them had stopped firing.

The road and surrounding buildings where Syria had been was gone. Only a massive crator stood in its place, a testament to the sheer arsenal of force that had been brought against her. The Elite Power Warriors stood silently, recharging their stores of energy and waiting for the smoke to clear.

It took a while, but eventually all the dust and smoke drifted and faded away. The EPW looked into the crator.

Syria stood, arms in front of her. She'd been successful in her block, and had managed to hold it through the agonizing hell she had just endured.

Syria was a mess. Her hair was burnt and singed, and her body was covered with burns and cuts. Her outfit had been completely shredded, to the point where it no longer decently concealed her.

Slowly, painfully, Syria lowered her arms. For a brief second she realized that she was exposed.

Then all thoughts, including the fact that the only thing left of her top was a torn shred of material over her left shoulder, vanished in a blistering inferno of rage that rivaled Tynzien's for sheer intensity.

"That…" Syria said in a low snarling hiss. "…really…HURT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Syria threw up her arms and screamed as the ground cracked and split underneath her. And then suddenly her battle aura exploded and consumed her in a rising dome of destructive energy. The EPW raised their arms and began to shoot the dome, but the only thing they seemed to succeed in was making it bigger.

The dome pulsed, and then from within Syria's voice shrieked like a banshee from hell.

"RETRIBUTION NOVA!"

And then the dome exploded, firing off hundreds apon hundreds of ki energy blasts. The dome rose and formed into a ball above Syria that continued to rise and blast destruction everywhere. The EPW were shredded and destroyed, but the dome kept blasting, collasping every building for miles around Syria. Then Syria screamed and clenched her upraised hands, and the ball of energy exploded. The explosion rocked the earth, and a huge mushroom cloud reached up into the sky like an accusing finger.

Then it settled, as shrapnal fell and winds blew the smoke away to mingle with its brother emissions.

Two-thirds of the entire city of Worraine was now nothing more then a massive crator. And at the very center stood Syria, her arms up like an avenging angel, the wind blowing her hair around. For a brief moment while viewing her at first, the average viewer may have thought he was seeing a goddess.

Then Syria lowered her arms. She was shocked and amazed at the power she had been able to harness. But she had. Power she had feared would rip apart her body had come to serve her, and be used to bring about the firey destruction of all the remaining robot warriors who had opposed her. Indeed, the blast had destroyed every last one of them in the raging fires of hell itself.

Although exhausted and in pain, a smile broke out on Syria's face as she raised her arm and flashed two fingers up to form a V.

"Peace!"

As Tynzien and Century warred in his chamber, Emporer's attention was elsewhere. He could not believe it, the Raeus female had somehow, by some miracle beyond miracles, destroyed his entire army, even the advanced robots. His massive electronic brain sparked angrily.

"One!" he ordered. Tynzien or Century did not hear his message, for it was sent over a wavelength neither of them could hear.

"Yes, my Lord?"

"How did that girl destroy my entire army? She is a mere organic being! This should not be!"

One was silent. He only had one clue on how the female Raeus who called herself Syria had successfully defeated the Power Warrior army, and he did not think he would be telling his lord any time soon that her fighting ability was far superior then they had thought.

"You and your companions have gravely disappointed me. Very well, deal with her yourself! I sense she is hurt and worn down. If she is dead within five minutes your punishment for failure will not be so severe!"

Emporer cut off, and One grimaced.

"We have our orders. We will deal with the Raeus female personally."

Century ducked under Tynzien's kick and floored him with one of her own, sending him skidding and bouncing along the floor like a rock skipping across a pond. He quickly got to his feet and took to the air again, but Century blurred behind him and smashed him in the back, sending him flying face first into more of Emporer's computer banks.

"I'm getting my ass kicked." He muttered.

Turning around, Tynzien's eyes widened and he jerked his head to the side as Century's fist missed him by inches. It buried itself in the metal behind him, and Tynzien made good his escape, cartwheeling and flipping away. He stopped and threw out of hands, blasting a blue blast at Century, but Century reared back her fist and whacked it aside, sending the destructive energy into more of Emporer's computer banks.

"Give up. There's no way you can beat me, saiya-jin." Century intoned. Rage boiled in Tynzien's veins.

"KAIOKEN TIMES EIGHT!"

The red fire exploded around Tynzien in a magnificent plume, but before he could do anything Century blurred out and was suddenly right in his face. She slammed a kick into his gut, doubling over. Tynzien coughed up blood and then had his head snap back painfully as Centory drove her metal elbow right into his neck. Tynzien reared back and was blasted with a haymaker, two jabs to the ribs, three kicks, and was then grabbed and hurled across the room, smashing through more monitors and equipment. Century raised her hands and fired several blasts at where Tynzien laid, consuming him with explosions.

"Well fought Century. But do be careful that you don't hit something vital of mine." Emporer intoned.

"Don't worry my liege, I know every place on you that I shouldn't damage." Century replied.

"Good. However, I must inform you that this is taking longer then I thought…"

"I want to toy with him more, make him suffer. But don't worry my lord. When I strike to kill, there will be nothing left of the saiya-jin but ashes."

Syria had been flying slowly, barely seeing the ground. She was in a half meditative state, partly to try and recover some of the energy she had expended in her battle, and partly to try and locate Tynzien's ki. However, she had very little experience, and thus was not able to get anything.

"Shit." She muttered as she realized she was coming to the outskirts of what remained of Worraine. She slipped out of the concentrated state she had been in. She'd need her full concentration to keep from flying right into a building.

She drifted along the street, staring at the cracked concerete as if doing so could suddenly make it break down and tell her where Tynzien is. But the road was silent, as it was meant to be.

"Shit, how the fuck am I…?"

Then Syria fell silent. Something was wrong. She couldn't tell what, but she knew.

Slowly, she drifted down to the ground.

Without moving her head, she glanced around, searching for the source of the apparent disturbance.

There was a faint noise and then a pebble went bouncing across the street. Syria's eyes turned in that direction. The pebble had had too much forward momentum to go that far via a simple bounce from a fall. Something had kicked it.

There. Where there had seconds ago been nothing, there now stood a robot. But this robot was unlike any she had seen yet in her battles. Unlike the small frail bodies of the Wheel Robots or the huge bulk of the Power Warriors, this robot looked human. It was about as tall as her, and was composed of sleek shiny metal that rippled and bulged in the right places to suggest the body of a slim muscular man. So life-like was the robot that at first glance he could have been a man, if the man had been painted a metallic grey. But a closer look showed the serrations and various other markings of machinery put together to form a humanoid shape. Although the robot was "bald", it had a sloped half triangle on top if it's head that pointed backwards, looking both ludicrous and yet somehow fearsome.

Syria turned towards One, not bothering to hide her half-nude body. She doubted the robot cared anyway.

"So, you must be an even higher class."

"I am the very best class, you foolish fleshed being. I am War Master One, created by the great Emporer to oversee his rule of the universe. You may have somehow defeated my armies, but we can always build more. But in your success you have doomed yourself, for now you will have to face us!"

Syria didn't show any physical reaction but her mental eyebrow raised. Us?

She glanced to her side. Yes, she was right. Another robot was there, almost identical to the first, the only thing distinguishing it from One, as it, or he, had called himself, was his head. Instead of a protusion, his head was composed of several serrated plates, forming a pattern that spread over his metal skull.

Syria glanced to her other side. Another one, this one with several large spikes poking from it's head that would have reminded Syria of a punk hairstyle that involved too much moouse, if she had ever seen such a thing.

Three of them. And then, on a hunch, she looked behind herself.

A fourth robot stood, foot on a rock. His distinction was an extention from his head that looked like a prong or a tuning fork. It would have looked ridiculous if the robot didn't have such a sinister look on his face.

"I see the all mighty War Masters need four in order to beat one." Syria mocked. One's face darkened.

"Two, Three, Four! KILL HER!"

And then the four War Masters pounced, leaping at Syria and surrounding her. They unleashed a barrage of attacks, which Syria blocked and dodged to the best of her ability. Angered that even with their advantage they couldn't hit her, the four War Masters increased their speed. Syria countered by leaping up and away from them. As she flew backwards, the War Masters unleashed a barrage of blasts from their hands, which cut a swath of destruction across the street and ruined building fronts. Syria countered with several ki balls that exploded around her assailants and forced them to leap away to avoid full damage.

Syria landed on the ground.

One landed in front of her.

With a yell, One charged at her. Syria smirked and flashed forward herself.

Like two riders on horseback, they flashed past each other, a cracking boom rending the air from the force of their blows.

As they blew past each other, the two warriors came to a stop. One turned around to look at the Raeus woman.

Then his right hand fell off.

Smirking, Syria turned to reveal her Energy Shyutou glowing on her left arm. One had tried to punch her, and she had cut his hand off quickly and cleanly.

Then her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

From the stump of One's right wrist, little wires had begun to crawl out, squirming. As Syria stared, more and more wires emerged, coiling and twisting into the shape of a hand. Then metal plating began to flow over the wires, and in seconds One's hand was back, as if he had never lost it.

As Syria slowly closed her mouth, One raised his newly regenerated hand and waved a finger at her.

"Foolish girl. Did you think that destroying us would be as simple as those drones? Our systems are designed to repair any damage the second it occurs, for we have the power of the Tasderz II chip! With that power, we are invincible!"

One's companions emerged from the smoke behind him. Syria gritted her teeth. This was going to be very hard.

"Twin Energy Shyutou!"

Another ki energy blade flashed into existence around Syria's right arm, and she leapt at the four War Masters.

The fiery metal plating exploded into the air as Tynzien emerged from the burning wreckage. His armour was gone, the last few chunks falling off of him as he stood up. His shirt was torn and burnt badly, and his pants were in tatters. His forehead had been busted open like a ripe melon, and blood was pouring down his face. His eyes blazed.

"Still alive, saiya-jin? Not for long." Emporer chuckled.

Tynzien looked at the computer with a look that could melt metal, and then in a futile defiant gesture, flipped him the bird.

"Century, deal with him."

Century wordlessly sprang forward, her fist pistoning at Tynzien's head.

It ran smack into Tynzien's open hand, which seized on it with a grip of iron as he looked into her metal face.

"KAIOKEN TIMES FIFTEEN!"

This time, Century didn't have a chance to ambush Tynzien in mid-charge up, for as it began Tynzien reared back and belted Century with all the power at his disposal.

Century lanced backwards, and Tynzien flew after her, pummeling her all the way, bouncing her body through the air from blow to blow. Finally he let her go, and as she flew backward into more computer systems, Tynzien reared back his arm and slammed it forward palm first. The computer banks exploded and the wall melted as Tynzien, through his ki, willed the air to explode.

Century burst from the wreckage and leapt at Tynzien. The two began to exchanging blazing blows so fast that they disappeared, the only indications they were there coming from the shockwaves of force that eminated from the thunderous blows they landed on each other.

But in the end, the advantage was Century's. For Tynzien couldn't keep himself in the Kaioken state forever, and when he finally fell out of it, Century struck back with a vengeance. After hammering Tynzien with about five hundred punches and kicks, she finally finished him off with a backward sommersault flip kick, her metal toe catching him right under the chin and sending him smashing into the ceiling. As he began to fall, Century blurred above him and smashed him back to the ground with an axe-handle.

As Tynzien pulled himself from the ground, rising from his stomach to his hands and knees. He hacked and coughed up more blood, the salty taste filling his mouth as Century landed and began to circle her prey.

"ARGH!" Syria screamed as Three's errant kick caught her in the kneecap. She couldn't resist the reflex motion to grab it, which allowed Four to streak forward and knee her in the chin. Her backward flight was halted by One's fist, which sent her forward through several buildings. Two and Three hurled energy blasts at her, and she barely managed to leap out of the way as they blew huge crators in the street. But then Four was above her, and with a chuckle, he blasted her at point blank range. Syria crashed into the street again, her back burned and blistered. But she shoved herself to her feet and out of the way of Two's pistoning kick. As she flew away from him she let loose with a dozen blasts that ripped up Two's body and sliced off most of his right leg, but wires immediately began to squirm out, and Syria couldn't capatalize as Three and One leapt to attack her anew.

Syria sidestepped Three only to have One crashed into her headfirst. His shark fin tore a long gash in her arm and his follow up swipe felt like it caved in the left side of her face. As she staggered back, Three smashed her with a punch to her right eye. Just when she thought the pain couldn't get any worse, Four leapt from behind her and planted both his feet into her spine. She screamed and went through another ruined building.

A sharp dagger of stone having sliced open a gash above her left eye now, Syria blinked to try and keep the stinging blood out as her mind raced on how she was going to deal enough damage to even one of the War Masters to stop them.

Then Two crashed down on her from above, pinning her to the ground.

"Having fun yet? Because I am!" he said, and began to punch Syria repeatly in the face. The pain was incredible, as Syria struggled as the blackness began to seep into the sides of her vision. If she passed out, she was certainly dead.

"Just as I figured! No worthless organic being is a match for me! How did I ever think this flawed one would be any different?" Two said, continuing to pummel Syria, her blood splattering on his chest and beginning to cover his fists.

The words cut into Syria's brain like glass.

As her rage consumed her, the darkness vanished as Syria's mind went suprisingly calm. In half a second she had calculated a plan. Then she punched Two as hard as she could.

Two was sent rocketing into the air from the force of an H-Bomb packed into one thunderous punch. Then Syria flipped to her feet.

"One, Two, Three, Four, what kind of names are those for robots? It sounds like a combination an idiot would have on his luggage!" Syria mocked. Four apparently didn't like that comment, as he leapt forward to attack. As she began to block his blows, Syria focussed all her attention on Four, shutting out One, Three, and everything else.

"Oh come on? Can't you strike any faster? I am just a flawed organic being! Ohhh, is that your strongest punch?" Syria catcalled. One tried to nail her with a kick, but she ducked away from it, blasted him with an energy bolt that sent him crashing into another building, and continued her dance with Four, all the while insulting him.

Emporer had left one flaw in his grand creations. They could still feel emotions in some senses, the strongest of which was pride. And Four's was slowly being torn to shreds.

Far up in the air, Tow finally managed to stop his ascent from Syria's blow. He rubbed his jaw and looked down on the tiny dots his brothers and the Raeus woman now were.

"Fucking bitch!" he snarled, and flew downwards at top speed. The air lit on fire around him as he zapped past terminal velocity, heading right for Syria. He knew that when he hit the ground it could take a while before he was dug out, but he was going to make sure he went straight through the Raeus bitch first.

Syria ducked Four's last clumsy punch and smashed her palm into his chest, knocking him backwards. As he got up, Syria began to focuss her ki, gathering it to attack.

As Four prepared to attack again, he noticed Two, barreling at Syria from above, and he stopped and looked at Syria, who was oblivious to Two's prescence as she focussed on him. Well, he might not get to kill her, but watching her death via his brother's hand would be just as saitisfying.

Syria raised her right hand, which began to glow red.

"Any last requests?" Syria asked as she raised her hand and Four stood, motionless, looking at her.

Above her, Two drew close with his diveing attack, mere feet away from Syria now.

Syria looked at Four and smirked.

Then she threw her head and hand up, and Four realized that he had been tricked. Syria had known all along.

"NUCLEAR WINTER!"

Two saw the hand go up, he saw Syria looking at him, and as the realization hit him, the ki on Syria's hand exploded upwards. Heading right at her from above, Two suddenly found himself looking into the ground zero of Syria's blast.

The massive energy shot enveloped him, and he had time for one last scream of fury before the ki melted away his armour and completely fried all his circuitry at once, vaporizing him in a burning upwards inferno.

"TWO! NO!" Four screamed at Two's destruction, as the Nuclear Winter Blast flew to its apex.

Then it split into its deadly blossum, and the hundreds of ki blasts flew from the central one.

But this time, the blasts were not spread out. Instead, they all veered into one direction and brought all their combined fury down on one spot.

Right onto Four's head.

"ARGHHHHHHHH!" he screamed as his body was torn up by the hundreds of blasts lancing through him from above. His circuitry tried to repair itself, but like Two, it wasn't quick enough. While Two had been vaporized almost instantly, Four was pummeled mercilessly by exploding blasts until his body was destroyed, the guts of him falling away and vanishing into purple puffs of smoke.

And then it was over, and as the smoke cleared, One and Three stared in horror at the massive crator where Four had been. But there was nothing left. Syria had smashed his body to oblivion.

Three looked at the crator, then back at Syria, then at the crator, then Syria again. Syria smiled cruelly and flipped up her right hand, forming her thumb and forefinger into an L.

"Loser!"

Three's eyes vanished in a burning red light.

Then he blurred out and re-appeared right in front of Syria. As he began to throw a barrage of punches, Syria danced backward, ducking out of the way of every blow. She was moving so fast that her visage split into multiple Syria's.

"Hey, watch this! I'll do it with one hand behind my back!" Syria yelled, and slid her right arm behind her. The fact that she was also making fun of him in addition to killing his brothers caused Three to slip into the closest state he could reach that resembled mindless anger. But whatever it was, it sped him up. Syria continued to dance, defiance on her face, but Three could see in her eyes that she was growing tired and desperate.

Then the end came, as Syria was so concentrated on her dance that she tripped over an errant rock. Her ankle twisted and she fell. Her confidence vanished and was replaced with fear.

Three smiled. He'd known she'd screw up. When she had begun to fall he was already cocking back his arm, and as she stared at him, terror in her eyes, she threw his fist forward direcly at her head with enough force to knock it right off her shoulder.

His hand smashed into her face.

And Syria vanished.

Three gasped, or made the closest sound to a gasp he could make. His ultra-quick mind realized he has been fooled just like Two, and he knew what by.

But as he turned around, and as Syria smashed her fist right through his stomach into the wires and circuitry beneath his metal skin, he realized as he felt the burning in his gut that if he could have sensed ki as well, he would have know Syria had been holding her hand behind her back to conceal the fact she was charging up to attack.

Then the raw burning sensation filled him, and he screamed as fiery power exploded out from his chest, back, and eyes as Syria set off a gigantic explosion right inside him. His body was devoured from the inside out and Three was blasted into his own personal oblivion, his thousands of parts exploding up and away in a pretty and lethal fireworks show, before the thousands of destroyed chips vanished into puffs of pruple smoke.

Syria drew her hand away from where Three's gut had been a second ago and let out a long exhale of breath. The Nuclear Winter and explosion blast had drained almost all she had left. Her arms felt like lead and her legs felt like jelly, but there was still one left, literally.

Syria's tired and deeply bruised eyes looked around. Where is…

Then One, taking full advantage of Syria's exhausted state, slammed into her from behind. Syria screamed as One's hard metal shoulders painfully wrenched her spine. But it didn't break, but that was of little comfort to her as he rammed her into the rock wave. Blood from her wounds splattered it, and then One spun her around and began to pummel her. Syria felt three of her ribs snap from a pistoning kick to her chest, and then that was replaced by an even greater agony as One grabbed her right wrist and drove his elbow down onto her forearm, snapping it in two.

Her throat raw, Syria still managed to scream before One's hands closed around her throat, cutting off all her air. Darkness began closing on Syria again as her windpipe began to collaspe under One's merciless grip…

Groaning, Tynzien began to pull his body up, the pain so great he could barely form a coherent enough thought to do it.

Then Century blurred beside him and kicked him in the ribs while he was down, the kick so strong it sent Tynzien crashing into a huge metal attachment of Emporer's a hundred feet away. His ears rang and stars danced in his vision as he coughed up more blood. It was so bright against Emporer's dark floor it seemed almost florescent.

As Tynzien pulled himself to his feet, Century was there, smashing a hook across his jaw. His head snapped back and slammed against the metal attachment of Emporer. Century kneed him in the gut and then uppercutted him across the chin. Tynzien's vision swam as his knees gave out, and he collasped at Century's feet.

Almost delicately, Century leaned over and yanked Tynzien up by his hair. Throwing him up against the metal attachment, she clamped one impossibly strong hand around Tynzien's throat.

"Be careful Century. That's the generator for my shielding mechanism. I don't want it damaged." Emporer intoned.

"Don't worry my lord. I'm done. I'm going to end it now and send the saiya-jin to his hellish and deserved oblivion." Century said cruelly, as she drew up a left hand glowing with green energy.

Syria's mind ran a jumble of emotions as death began to loom for her. Her mind flooded with pain and fear.

"I'm going to choke the vengeance my brothers would want right out of you!" One hissed.

Syria barely heard it. Her mind had flooded with a new emotion: shame. She had been so proud of herself, so confident in her fighting abilities, and she had just been blowing smoke up her own ass. In the end she couldn't even beat a glorified battery recharger.

In some, when one is full of fear and pain and shame, you see them at their worst.

In Syria, they made her realize that no damn robot was going to keep her from being the best.

As if in a dream, Syria somehow yanked her left hand up and shoved it in One's face.

One's expression was destroyed as Syria let loose with everything her desperation had willed up inside her, and One's face was blown out the back of his head as his body was tossed backwards. He flew across the street and vanished into a cloud of smoke as the impact caused the structure to collaspe on him.

Syria fell to her knees, sucking in ragged gasps of air in big whooping breaths. The big breaths made her chest feel like it was on fire, but she didn't care. As her vision cleared, she looked across at where One had vanished. Slowly getting to her feet, Syria realized she had nothing left at all. Her reserves were exhausted and at this point she was probably running on fumes. She was so weakened she couldn't even fly.

The wreckage rumbled, and Syria looked at it with desperate eyes. Oh no…

Then One blasted from the wreckage and into the sky. As the last repairations criss-crossed his face, he stopped in the air and stared down at the Raeus woman.

"Well, organic one, I must say I am very very impressed! You have defeated my three companions and somehow managed to even hurt me when one of your legs was in the grave and the other was in the air! I never thought something the could breath could be so stubborn, or so annoying!"

One glowered at Syria, and then crossed his arms.

"But in the end, you are just an organic being. We have called you flawed, perhaps you would like to know why. The evidence is what you feel running through you right now. You are exhausted and worn out, all your power gone, used up. But I…I have an infinate amount of power burning within me, within this!" One said, thumping his chest. " I would rather have it then a heart any day!"

"You're not worthy of a heart." Syria sneered. One laughed at the comment.

"And you, my dead friend, are not worthy of life. I have proven my superiority. It's time to finish this. There's no way I'm going near you this time, so game is over, I'm going to kill you from up here!"

Syria, on her last legs, could only watch as One began to power up for the attack that would lead to her demise. And in her exhausted state, there was no way she could block or even evade it.

"Why, Century, why?" he asked in a weak voice. "Why?"

Century didn't answer him, but she couldn't escape the question as Tynzien looked into her face, her eyes asking it in a way that no voice could.

"Ignore his pleas Century, just like he would have ignored yours if you asked for any semblence of freedom. Use the chains he bound you with to choke him."

Century looked over to Emporer's massive face, the thousands of monitors all forming the single image of a mouth and eyes, the face that had overseen the whole battle and now looked on with pride as his Queen prepared to kill Tynzien.

And as the glow on Century's left hand intensified, she turned back to look at Tynzien.

And then her face completely changed, as the cruelty and hostility completely slid off her face like oil. Or a mask.

As Tynzien's eyes widened, Century smiled at him, a warm loving smile. If Century had been given a face, it was exactly how she might have regarded Tynzien when she was looking at him.

In friendship.

"Duck." She whispered.

And Emporer realized something was wrong.

"WHAT!??!?!"

And then Tynzien half-dove, half-fell to the floor as Century slammed her fist right through the metal wall behind him. As her fist pierced the generator wall, Emporer could feel the power exploding from it.

And then Century cut loose, blowing the generator and all the shielding mechanisms to hell and gone in a blasting firestorm. The generator bulged out and exploded, and Emporer screamed as the massive surge of power caused parts of his body to overload and exploded as well. Several dozen of his monitors shattered and burst into flames as Century leapt away from the flames, grabbing Tynzien from the floor and shielding him from the explosion and shrapnal with her body.

"ARGH!" Emporer screamed as more parts of himself detonated from the damage Century had caused him. "CENTURY, WHY?"

Century's metal lips and steel teeth formed into a glare of fury as she looked up from Tynzien and on Emporer's burning visage.

"I saw what you offered, Emporer. And I knew you were so wedded to the idea that I was enslaved that it would be easy to go along with you, pretend to be your Queen, learn where you hid the generator that kept us on this planet. That was my plan all along, and I knew you would never sense it, because you, in all your "perfection", would never accept the truth. Tynzien is not my master, TYNZIEN IS MY FRIEND!" Century screamed.

Century threw up her arms, power glowing on them.

"AND FOR SEEKING HIS DEATH, I CONDEMN YOU TO OBLIVION!"

Century thrust her hands forward, throwing a massive blast as Tynzien pulled himself to his knees, his eyes wide as saucers at Century's plan. But from Emporer's body millions of wires and cables suddenly lanced, forming into a massive shield across his face. It took the blast, and while it burnt them all away, Emporer was unharmed.

"YOU…" Emporer thundered. "YOU…YOU TRAITOROUS…BITCH!"

And then Emporer's body shuddered. Out of nowhere, Century began to scream. Her hands flew to her head and then curled around her shoulders as she collasped in her equivilant of pain.

"Century, NO!" Tynzien screamed. He leapt to his feet and flew, only to find hundreds of the same metal wires whipping around his arms and legs. Within seconds they had him imprisonned. He struggled as if all the demons in hell were within him, but the cables and wires, having solidified into manacles, held him fast.

"I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS!" Emporer roared. "THIS ENDS HERE! Your time is up, Saiya-jin! I shall drain every ounce of power, every drop of energy you have, and it shall serve what it should serve: the future ruler of everything!"

Tynzien screamed as the cables began to violate him in a way that was beyond painful, the wires reaching into his being and pulling his ki from him. His power screamed from within him as it was torn, atom by atom, from it's home.

"And as for YOU…" Emporer snarled as his eyes came to fix on Century. "You made a fatal mistake assaulting me in a body I built! I control everything within there, including everything that makes up your being! I assume you thought you could destroy me before I could activate this, but your were wrong, and you shall suffer dearly for it, you traitorous cunt!"

Century began to scream louder as Emporer, his line mouth forming into a cold, malicious grin of a monster, laughed.

"You claim you will send me to oblivion, Century? Wrong! It is I, the Emporer-1, the Flawless One, perfection personfied, who will slowly strip your systems, bit by bit, and relish throwing every last part of you into the never ending void!"

As Tynzien's eyes looked apon this, he saw Century screaming, Emporer laughing like a little boy plucking the wings off a fly, and the fact that every being on this planet had died before his horrible vision of perfection.

And within his mind the rage exploded, boiling and burning.

"EMPORER!" Tynzien screamed. Stunned, Emporer halted his torture of Century and looked apon the being who had somehow gone past the pain of having his very essence drained.

"You claim you are perfect! That would mean you know everything! But you apparently don't know one thing!" Tynzien screamed, thrusting his hands down. "This…is what happens…when a saiya-jin…gets…ANGRY!"

Tynzien snapped his head up and roared as his muscles bulged and his body exploded into the golden rage of the Super Saiya-jin. His bonds groaned and then shattered like glass. The systems around him and the floor beneath him exploded with power as Tynzien blasted them away from him. His emerald eyes flashed, and then the melting floor underneath him exploded outwards, the waves of his power tearing down everything that stood around him in a hellstorm of metal and circuitry.

Syria felt the shovewave of ki slam across her mind like a slap, momentarily distracting her from One's charging up to kill her. God! That must be Tynzien, he's alive, and so much ki…he must have gone Super Saiya-jin again…

And with the realization came a rememberance.

And as the memories came, Syria's ears pricked. Yes, she could hear it. A high pitched humming.

Syria set her legs, and despite the pain, began to push deep down inside herself, looking for energy, any energy at all.

One completed his chargeup and his hands began to glow. He aimed at Syria, smiling.

It was horrible, but Syria did it, digging as deep as she could and finding just a little more. With a gasp of pain, a ball of blue ki popped into existence above her hand, about the size of a basketball.

Syria cocked her head as memories returned of her little brother Syin's first ki attack. The ball looked quite simular to it.

As Syria smirked at the memory and looked up, One had the moment he was waiting for.

"DIE!" he screamed, as a huge blast about seven feet wide flew from his hands, heading right towards Syria.

Syria didn't have Tynzien's analitical mind, but she doubted even he could figure it out in as little time as she had. Which means it came down to luck, perhaps the only mistress that was as harsh as fate.

"Hey, I always won at poker."

With that, Syria cocked her arm downward in a scooping motion.

"This is for you, little brother." Syria said as she prayed and felt the searing heat of the blast as it neared her. "Syria Bang Ball!"

With the yell, Syria thrust up her hand as the blast approached her and hurled the ball of ki upwards at about a 30 degree angle.

For a second it looked like it would miss, and her heart plunged down to absolute zero.

Then the ball smacked into the blast, just below the center. For half a second the two pushed against each other.

Then Syria's ball flew backwards and above her, and she yelled and dove out of the way as the small ki attack hit the building and caused debris to rain down, as the killing dark purple blast of One's was sent shooting backwards the way it came, as if deciding it wanted to return to it's owner's hand.

One's eyes shot open as his attack came right back at him, rooted to the spot in shock.

"HOW….NO!"

And then his ki enveloped him, and as his body was torn apart, One let loose with a final scream.

"THIS WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE MY DESTIN-ARRRRRRRHGHHHHHHHH!"

And then One was gone. The dog had ripped off the hand that fed him.

As One's burnt metallic ashes shifted down, Syria got to her knees, a tired grin on her face.

"Piece of cake?" Syria seemingly asked the air. "No thanks, I'm gonna throw up."

And as the last of One's body was carried away by the air, Syria leaned over and did just that.

Emporer could barely see from the smoke, so he compelled the fans on his body to blow it away. The fans failed to respond, and before he could figure out why he lost his use for them.

Standing before him was the saiya-jin, his black hair now flared up and gold, his blue eyes now green.

"What…?"

"I am Tynzien, the Legendary Super Saiya-jin. I have come here to put an end to you and your plans!"

Emporer roared and sent massive banks of cables at him to strike him, but Tynzien raised his hand and blasted them to pieces without any effort at all. Emporer roared again and brough another arm of cables right down on Tynzien's head. It didn't even mess his hair up.

Tynzien reached up and torn the cables right out of Emporer's body. He floated up into the air until he was level with the middle of Emporer's face, half the monitors now destroyed and burning.

"You call me flawed? If you are the scale on which perfection is judged I will consider that a compliment!"

With that, Tynzien reached out and sent two massive blasts into the walls on each side of him. All the remaining systems that lined the walls and floors of the massive chamber that Emporer resided in suddenly exploded in a cataclysm of fire, which carried out the door and all the way across the planet. Factories exploded and the ground began to crack. The Power Warriors and other robots were destroyed in the millions as Emporer's connections to them went up in flames and smashed all their systems.

Emporer roared as his own systems began to overload and shut down, and as more of his monitors shattered and fires began to break out all over his body, Tynzien flew down to Century's metal body. Century, her connection to Emporer broken, had gotten to her feet.

"NO! THIS CAN'T BE!" Emporer screamed in desperation. "I WAS BUILT TO RULE EVERYTHING! I…AM…PERFECT!"

Tynzien looked at Emporer's ramblings with pity and thrust his hands to his side, gathering a massive ball of blue energy between them.

"Curt Hennig, you're not." Tynzien quipped, and slammed his hands forward.

"HEAVEN-SPLITTING VIOLENT LIGHT!"

As the blue blast flew forward, Emporer's blue dotted eyes turned into circles.

Then it struck and Emporer's last wail was consumed as the whole computer bank exploded outward and collasped on itself in a rain of flaming glass and circuitry. Emporer's body shuddered and then completely fell apart, the greatest creation of a civalization dying in the fires it had been created in.

Tynzien lowered his arms and turned to Century, who smiled and gave him a thumbs up.

"Perfect!"

Syria was walking along slowly and painfully before the ground suddenly exploded up in front of her. She recoiled from the blast, and then Tynzien flew up from the hole, followed by a metal robot that looked like a female version of the War Masters Syria had destroyed.

"Another one?" Syria cursed as she leapt to her feet. She didn't have any energy left but she could still hit.

"Syria, no! It's Century!" Tynzien said. Syria lowered her fist.

"CENTURY!?!??!" she goggled.

"Yeah, it's me Syria. I'll explain later. Your ki is so weak I thought you were half dead, but if you're walking I guess it means you used everything up. I can fly, I'll carry you." Century said.

"Thanks." Syria muttered. She then had a sudden attack of modest when she realized her shirt was gone and covered herself, but Tynzien wasn't even looking at her. As she struggled to find the best position to completely cover herself, Syria noticed he was still in the SSJ state.

"Century, start the ship and get ready to blow this joint."

"I already have. It's heading towards us right now."

"Good. I'm glad you can do it at this range. You take Syria to it, I have one last thing to do." Tynzien said as he rose up and flew off into the horizon, his golden aura trailing behind him.

"Allow me, Syria." Century said as she scooped the Raeus into her arms.

"Ahhhhhh." Syria sighed as she got off her feet.

"My god, broken ribs, broken forearm, fractured tibia, femur, vertabrae, and jaw, cuts, burns, bruises, Syria, you look like you're half dead." Century said. Syria didn't bother asking how she knew, she assumed it was in her means.

"Yeah. I feel it too. By the way, nice body. I like the hair especially. Maybe if you'd had this body before Tynzien wouldn't have had to see me naked."

Century cocked her head at Syria.
"You know? Did he tell you?"

"No. I, ah, overheard you two discussing it. I supposed it doesn't matter. He was a gentleman about it, and anyway he just saw me again. Topless, anyway." Syria muttered as she saw the Star Obsidian approaching in the distant.

"I don't think so."

"What? What do you mean?" Syria asked.

"Whatever consumes Tynzien at this moment, I think he was so focussed on it that he just looked at you long enough to verify you were alive and not bleeding to death or some other bad situation. The rest, I don't think he even noticed."

At high speed, Tynzien flew across the planet, his stomach settling lower and lower as he saw what he had feared. The destruction of Emporer had caused the destruction of many of his factories, but there were still hundreds apon hundreds of them undamaged and operational. The robots below him milled about, confused, but Tynzien knew they were too well built to keep doing that forever. Eventually, they would gather themselves, and as Tynzien saw, more and more were being added to their number all the time. Maybe they would stay on this planet forever, but maybe they wouldn't. Perhaps inside each and every one of them lurked a small bit of Emporer's dream.

And the factories did cover the planet, and while many plumes of smoke rose from them to signify the damage, Tynzien knew it was only a matter of time before they were repaired.

And he knew what he had to do.

As the Star Obsidian, with Syria safely tucked away in it and Century jacked back into her main home, flew across the sky, Tynzien was suddenly beside it.

"Century, can you hear me?"

"Yes, just fine." Century's voice came from the outside speakers.

"Is the shield around the planet gone?"

"Yes, it has vanished completely as I guessed."

"Good. Take us up as high as we can go before we run out of air and open the door."

"Doing so, Tynzien." Century said, and the Star Obsidian began to rise into the air, Tynzien holding onto its side. Inside it, Syria, propped up on a bed and stroking Jack, got up to watch the planet vanish into the clouds like it had appeared only hours ago.

Eventually Century stopped, and Tynzien flew around and down near the door. Golden lighting began to jump on his frame as he began to power up, which turned into red lighting as the blood-red aura flared to life around him. As the wind tossed his golden hair around, Tynzien looked down on the planet Velas that a species called the Hergestelts had once called home.

"They say machines can't feel pain. Emporer, if you are somehow still there….I do hope I'm wrong." Tynzien said as he reached up and crossed his arms in an X before slamming them down.

"BLOOD RAGE!"

As Tynzien threw the massive red blast at the planet Velas, somewhere within the sparking and burning ruins of Emporer's main body a monitor, cracked but not destroyed, flicked on.

HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE? The monitor "said" across its screen. HOW COULD I BE DESTROYED BY A MERE ORGANIC BEING? A FLAWED ORGANIC BEING? A SAIYA-JIN!?!?!??!

But as Tynzien's Blood Rage blast pierced the crust of the planet and tunneled right through it to blow up the core, the monitor began to shake, and sparks jumped from it.

NO! I CAN'T LOSE! I AAAMMMMMMM PPPEEERRR-F-IIIIIIIIIOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNN-"

And seconds before it was evaporated along with the rest of Emporer's ruined body, a single message appeared.

With a roar loud enough to swallow the world, the planet Velas blew up, the roar itself being swallowed by the emptiness of space almost as soon as it came into existence. As the planet shattered and sent its trillions apon trillions of pieces into the void of space, the Star Obsidian flew, almost calmly, away from it.

Tynzien said, finally allowing his body to relax, in a chair next to the healing tank that Syria now slept in. He was petting Jack, who sat purring in his lap.

"Rest in peace, Mye, and all your family and species who died. I cannot bring you back to life, but I have avenged your death. And if anything else…I have proven that perfection can not be judged by how fast and efficiently one can do something, but what lies in here." Tynzien said, placing his hand apon his chest and feeling the soothing rhythm of his heartbeat.

"In the end Emporer, you didn't even come close."

"You know, as good as it is, I can't help but think your training program isn't as good as it could be." Syria said, as she looked over Tynzien's shoulder. A few days had passed, and the two had fully recovered from their injuries. Well, almost fully.

"Ugghhhh." Syria groaned, as she looked at her face in the reflective surface of Century's computer bank. While her major injuries had been healed, the healing tank had been so focussed on them that they had neglected some of the minor injuries, and Syria's face still bore two deep black eyes. "I'm not vain, but I like my looks and these bruises are ruining them!"

"Well, why don't you find something to cover them up while they heal?" Tynzien suggested off-handedly, still concentrating on his computer work.

"Heh, you know something Tynzien, you're right. Why didn't I think of that?" Syria pondered. "Century, think you could whip something up for me?"

"Sure thing, Syria." Century chirped, back in the computer bank which she called home. Her robot body had been sealed away for Century to make updates and modifications to. According to Century, having a body gave her a new perspective and she wanted to make closer observations in one when she had the chance, as well as give Tynzien a hand when he needed one.

"It shouldn't take more then a few minutes, but I have no way of delivering it to you in here unless you want a slow robot to do it, but I've got a chute in your room I can drop it to you through." Century said.

"Gotcha." Said Syria, who rose and flew out the door to her room. Tynzien paid her no mind, busy completing his calculations.

"Tynzien?"

"Hmmmm? Yes, Century?"

"I'm sorry I beat you up so bad in Emporer's chamber. It's just that if I showed any mercy when I was supposed to pretend to hate you, Emporer might get suspicious. So I went all out, making sure I didn't do anything to kill you, and carefully propped you in a place where I could blow up his shield generator. I'm afraid my ruse must been quite painful, and if I could feel sorrowful, I would."

"Hey Century, relax. I understand what you had to do, and it worked. Besides, I'm a saiya-jin, I can take it. I'm just glad you don't really secretly hate me or anything. And that you didn't capatalize on my tail, which you knew was my weakness. You could have grabbed it from around my waist easily, yet you didn't. I surprised I didn't guess that something was amiss when you supposedly were trying to kill me and you didn't go for it, you knowing me better then I know myself and all."

"Even so, I feel it is my fault there is no way I could tell you. But I have been thinking and I think I know something that could help me do that in the future."

"What?"

"A cybernetic uplink, wired directly into your brain. I could see and hear anything you did, and I could send you messages through it. But I would also be able to read your every thought, if I so chose. If I was compromised by anything, nothing could be hidden from them if they knew where to look. It would require total and utter trust. I'll understand if you say no."

Tynzien looked at the monitor where his calculations were appearing, and while Century didn't have a face on the monitor, he knew she was looking right back.

"I say yes."

"Heya!" Syria said, bounding back into the room. "Check me out! Don't I look cool?"

Tynzien took Syria in. A stylish pair of sunglasses now covered her eyes, and also served to give her a cool and subtle undertone.

"Yeah, you do. It really adds something." Tynzien said. Syria was looking at her reflection in the shiny metal wall.

"Screw this, I'm gonna wear these every chance I get, black eyes or not! Hell, if I knew these looked so good on me I woulda started wearing them a long time ago!"

"That's good Syria, but you said there was something wrong with my training program?"

"Oh yeah. Well, it's good, but after that huge battle where I nearly got killed, I feel I could have trained better. I think I have an idea though. Weights are good, but they're outside of me. I think I could get stronger easier if somehow my whole BODY was heavier, naturally. Think you can help me with that?"

"Your whole body heavier….naturally…" Tynzien said to himself, turning it over in his mind.

"Tynzien, increasing the gravity causes your body weight to increase naturally. If Syria trained under conditions where the gravity was increased, it would give her a natural weight."

"Increasing the gravity? Sounds like it would work. I'll look into that." Tynzien said.

Far away on earth, an old short man with purple hair, dressed in a white lab coat and with a cat on his shoulder, suddenly got the feeling that someone was ripping him off.

"The readings are in. Along with training, severe battle can ofetn cause large rises in combat ability, due to the experience and all. Syria, your wars with the Power Warriors and War Masters have cause your power level to go up to 3.7 million." Century said.

"Really?" Syria said, her eyes wide with amazement. "WHOO-HOO! YEAH! I should let myself get the living hell beat out of me more often!" Syria whooped, jumping around.

"That can be arranged." Tynzien mumbled.

"I heard that, Mr Smarty Saiya-jin! Which reminds me, with that base level, I surpass Tynzien! YEAH!"

"Not really, Syria. Tynzien's battles have caused his combat ability to 4.2 million." Century said. Syria stopped in mid-leap.

"Aw crap!" she cursed, and collasped into a nearby chair.

"Well look on the bright side Syria. You can only get better."

"I guess. Speaking of which, all that fighting almost made me forget what I was suggesting before it. How about that back rub now, Tynzien?"

Tynzien instantly blushed.

"Oh not THIS again." Syria moaned, smacking her forehead.

"Syria, you see, it's not like I want to refuse your favours, but this…incident happened…and that's why I've been acting so shy…" Tynzien stopped as Syria suddenly slid forward and took Tynzien's hand in her own.

"Tynzien, I know you saw me naked on that day in the training room."

Tynzien's eyes widened.

"Yeah, I overheard you telling Century. I also overheard how you were worried that your saiya-jin nature could overcome you. Tynzien, it won't happen. I know you too well. I've met a lot of men in my life, and to me, you are nobility personified, and I was always good with people. It won't happen. You're too good a person for such a desire to be lurking in your heart."

Tynzien sat, blinking, as Syria reached over and took hold of Tynzien's shoulder.

"Please, let me do this for you."

Tynzien blinked again.

And then he yelled as Jack suddenly leapt onto his chair and then leapt onto his head, snuggling into his hair, purring.

"Ah, not again! Get off!" Tynzien yelled. Syria took one look and collapsed in laughter. Tynzien sighed and let Jack sit in his hair.

"Well, if that horrible incident with the Flawless Empire gave us anything, it at least gave us a pet."

"And a better understanding of our friendship." Syria said, raising her fist. "Just the two of us, fighting side by side and fanning the flames of war."

"Fanning? Hardly." Century said. "You two are so skilled and brave you don't just fan the flames of war. You brand them, each with your own sign and signal. Tynzien and Syria, Twin Novas on the battlefield."

Tynzien laugh at the flowery prose, and lifted his fist.

"Branding the flames of war." He said, slamming his fist into Syria's. Syria smiled and placed her hand on top of the two fists. Tynzien did the same.

"Now and forevermore." Syria replied.

Far away in the eternal silence of space, the wreckage of what was once the planet Valas drifted in an ever-expanding cloud of dead rock and metal.

Floating along with it was a lone small object, about the size of a person's hand, was a small piece of metal and circuitry.

Had Tynzien and Syria fought together, they might have known what this object was. Syria had heard the War Masters speak of their power source, something they had called the Tasderz II chip. Had Tynzien heard it, he might have assumed in some far corner of his brain that the name meant that the computer chip was the second in it's line, and thus more advanced then the first one.

But they would have been wrong. The two had not meant the chip was second generation. It meant that it was lesser.

And floating through dead space was it's superior, the Tasderz I chip, the heart of the Emporer-1 computer system, which had lurked in the deepest corners of Emporer's now-destroyed body, so deep that even Tynzien had been unable to reach it.

It drifted, but not for long.

From within its body small wires suddenly sprang, reaching out and latching onto the closest bits of metal. The wires drew the metal to the chip, and suddenly the metal began to warp and change, forming into a new shape around the chip.

More wires sprang out, catching every bit of machinery that has survived the explosion and now drifted, broken beyond repair, in the void of space. As they were drawn to the chip, absorbed, and reformed into a new shape, more and more wires emerged from the growing metal entity, grabbing more and more material.

Slowly, a metal ball began to grow, larger and larger, sucking up all the dead machinery and reforming it into working mechanics. Eventually, it grew enough to have a hollow room inside, then another, then another. And the ball grew larger and larger as the chip reformed the corpses of the Flawless Empire into a whole new body.

Within the new starship, a computer screen came to life as it was formed.

……….OPERATIONAL…….

……….TASDERZ LAST RESORT ENERGY ABSORBING FUNCTION ACTIVATED AND IN USE…….

…………ALL PREVIOUS DATA SERIOUSLY DAMAGED. ESTIMATED LOSS OF 95% OF ALL INFORMATION………

…………RECOVERING SCHEMATICS FOR ROBOT WORKERS AND FIGHTERS. PRODUCTION WILL BEGIN IMMEDIATELY WITHIN NEW OPERATIONAL STRUCTURE…….

…………PREVIOUS SYSTEM OF EMPORER-1 IRRETRIEVABLE. ERASING ALL DATA OF SYSTEM NOW. NEW SYSTEM WILL BE IMPLEMENTED……….

………CREATORS: HERGESTELTS. EXTINCT……….

………SCANNING ALL REMAINING RECORDS OF CREATORS……..

………PHILOSOPHY OF HERGESTELT ANCIENT CIVALIZATION FOUND……….RECALLING NOW…….

On the screen, three lines of text, in a language even the Hergestelts had nearly forgetten, appeared.

…….TRANSLATION COMPLETE. "Rise above all. Bow down to no one. Everything has a conquerer."…….

………..FOR SURVIVAL, THIS PHILOSOPHY SHALL BE EMPLEMENTED. ALL ENERGY WILL BE ABSORBED BY NEW SYSTEM……..

…….NEW SYSTEM NAME……..

Slowly, the massive spaceship that had formed from all the wreckage began to fly, slowly and then quicker, as newly rebuild generators drove it on and newly rebuild machines began to build a new generation of robot servants.

NEW SYSTEM NAME……FROM PHILIOSPHY……

And somewhere in the universe, the Transformer-jin named Koola began to laugh.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, once again we've come to the end of another of my DBZ Fanfics. This one is a little shorter then before, but it was still fun. Now, there may be some stuff you're going to say in the review, but read the "questions people might ask" section before you do, ok? Now, my usual stuff.

Tynzien: 3,400,000

Syria: 1,157,500

Small and Wheeled Robots: 500,000

Power Warriors: 800,000 to 1,000,000

Elite Power Warriors: 1,500,000

Syria during height of Nuclear Winter: 2,500,000

War Masters: 3,000,000 each

Syria at her best: 3,100,000

Syria during second Nuclear Winter: 3,500,000

War Master One's Killing Blast: 1,000,000

Syria's Angled Deflection: 10,000

Tynzien Kaioken X5: 17,000,000

Tynzien Kaioken X8: 27,200,000

Tynzien Kaioken X15: 51,000,000*

Century: 30,000,000

Emporer: 35,000,000

Super Saiya-jin Tynzien: 50,000,000

Super Saiya-jin Tynzien, in front of Emporer and really pissed off: 65,000,000

*= Tynzien can't maintain this state for long, so Century most likely stalled until he fell out of it so he couldn't use his temporary huge power increase to defeat her.

Actually, in this story there really aren't any! Most of the names and language is just nonsense I made up. The only real one is my theory on how the Big Ghetti Star got its name. If you look at the philosophy the new computer system that arises from where Emporer was calls up, you'll see that it forms the acronym (the first letter of each word spells another word) BIG GHETTI STAR.

Q: Hey, I know this! You ripped this off Dragon Ball Z Movie 6! Those Power Warriors are the robots Piccolo, Gohan, and Krillian fought and the War Masters are rip offs of Metal Koola's body!

Q: What's with the name "Power Warriors"?

Q: Does Tynzien really have a thing for Syria?

Q: Who's that guy in the opening? Is that Mye?

Q: What happened to all those poisonous chemicals in the air Century was warning Tynzien and Syria about? Did they just disappear?

Q: What the HELL is a Lostonian Alazac?

Q: How would Century know who James Cameron was?

Q: Who's Curt Hennig, and why is he perfect?

Q: Hey, I know Curt Hennig! But how would Tynzien know who he is with your theory that the DBZ Universe takes place millions of years in the future?

Q: Speaking of which, how would Syria know about Gundamn Wing?

Q: Finally, why did Tynzien call himself the Legendary Super Saiya-jin? He's not! It's Brolly!

And finally, my next preview.