Episode 11 - Space Pirate Raid

If you do not clearly see the words "to be continued" near the bottom of the page, then it hasn't loaded completely or properly.

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ, its characters, story line, or any likeness of the characters. My name is not Akira Toriyama. If I had enough money to be Akira Toriyama, I'd just buy the Internet. However, this story line has been created by me to be used by me and to be written by me. You know that drill. Also, I do not own Mountain Dew, though I really wish I did. I am not endorsing any brand names I use here in any way either, along with the topics of gangs, fighting, and the like. If you look carefully, you'll notice that I am strongly against those things and try to make that clear to you, the reader.

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A/N: Gomen, gomen for the lateness in updating! This was originally supposed to be two separate episodes, but I decided that there wasn't nearly enough action in part one to constitute cutting it off there. Sorry for the short author note, I know everyone was looking forward for another rant, but in order to ship this episode off yet tonight, I'll have to cut this short. ^_^

Broken bodies, broken dreams.
All is lost, or so it seems...

"We are a necessary evil." - Aya, Weiss Kreuz
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The next ship day, Trunks and Tussney were assigned to clean the cargo bay. There had been a lot of activity there lately, and that could be blamed on the fact that the gravity simulator was on the fritz. This area normally had no gravity whatsoever, so the 0-g forklifts were no longer of use since the Simulation Suppresser was hit by a stray 5 ton block. Instead, the strongest non ranking Silverarms were reassigned to the cargo bay to serve as living forklifts. It was also the assigned area of the strongest Slycan on board. Corran, as the young adult Slycan was called, owed Tussney quite a few favors, in fact. They were numerous enough even for him to risk being "punished" by Riigo, who oversaw this area.

The young demi-Saiyan caught Corran's eye and nodded, signaling the initiation of their simple, yet hopefully very effective plan. Corran picked up the heaviest thing he could lift and Trunks continued his sweeping operation as usual, moving closer and closer to the lizard-man's path. As planned, Corran began to lose control of the heavy container, and gave a sharp yell, causing Riigo to quickly turn and glare in his direction. The sanguine behemoth didn't care if any one of the workmen was crushed beneath one of the crates; he was only angry that the container might be dented and dirtied as a result of the fool's stupidity. He opened his mouth to yell for "the monkey" to clean up the mess that he believed would ensue, but quickly lost the words. Corran was no longer stumbling about, and the reason why was holding the crate up from beneath. Corran sighed and nodded a quick thank-you as Trunks helped him re-balance, then both returned to work.

They were the only ones to do so. Riigo's mouth hung agape as the event sunk in. Here was the newbie, and he could throw around the 5-ton crates like nothing! The room full of heavily muscled, mismatched aliens was put to shame by a short, medium-built teenage humanoid, and none of them could believe what they had seen. That is, none but Riigo.

He began to laugh heartily, his tremendous girth shaking in waves with the tremulous sound. Moving over to strong-hearted Trunks, he gave the boy a slap on the back. "I new you were strong, newbie! What do you say to me getting you reassigned to the cargo bay, get you off that cleaning job? That kind of work's only fit for a Saiyan!" Trunks flinched inwardly, but nodded modestly as well. "Great!" Riigo laughed again then yelled for Tussney, making Trunks flinch outwardly at the volume of Riigo's thick, deep voice, "MONKEY!"

"Yes?" Tussney asked, studying Riigo's face as he spoke.

"I want you to take the newbie and Corran and show lilac here the ropes to cargo work." Riigo commanded, then turned to Trunks. "What's your name, kid?"

"Kahler." He replied unobtrusively. Fortunately, Riigo knew nothing of Saiyan naming or culture.

"Kahler, eh? Well, Corran and the monkey are going to show you around. I expect great things from you, boy. Who knows, if you prove yourself enough here, you may just become my new sparring partner." He spoke as if such a proposition was indeed a compliment, and judging by the seething faces around the cargo bay, it surely was.

A shout of, "Back to work!" sent the other aliens scurrying back to their duties.

The trio immediately began their task, though at quite a more laid-back pace than Riigo might have liked if the three would have been the targets of his attention. They proceeded to quietly discuss and laugh about the previous happenings, as well as off topic novelties, like most discussions seem to turn to. Trunks came to find that Tussney and Corran had already been friends, though in a very loose term of the word, and that he would probably be quickly added to the equation as well. The two taller aliens' separate job assignments and lodging areas kept socialization down to a minimum. As he also discovered, even though Slycans aren't exactly on good terms with much of society, their race doesn't carry the weight of so personal a hatred like Saiyans do.

Slycans are the ultimate thieves. Their razor sharp claws are helpful in scaling walls and double as formidable weapons, whose leverage is aided by an adult Slycan's average height of 7 feet. Corran himself would rise several inches above Tussney if the Saiyan teen would cut his hair. A Slycan's skin color also supports a chameleon effect, allowing them to change color with their environment and seem to hide perfectly within shadows. Sporting a medium length reptilian tail and harboring elongated mouths lined with razor-sharp teeth, at times their countenance may seem somewhat un-evolved. The rims of their mouths carry heat sensory pores, making up partially for their largely nonexistent skill in sensing ki. Their golden irises sport slit like pupils lie midway between the front and sides of their heads, resulting in excellent peripheral vision and a clear focal point in the front. Their snake-like tongues can taste the air, aiding their highly evolved sense of smell. Though Slycans evolved as predators, they developed an omnivorous diet since contact with other races forced them to become "civilized".

If only these characteristics were taken into consideration, the various peoples of the universe might just be leery of their obvious physical prowess. However, like the Saiyans', theirs was a world of murder and chaos where the strong fed upon the weak and mercy was a concept ill known. That is, it was until the Saiyans, under Frieza, forced them into space. Unlike other, more domesticated species, the Slycans held no grudge against the foot soldiers that invaded their world. The cunning, intelligent Slycans' nature forced them to accept that, had their roles been reversed, they would have eradicated the monkeys just as readily.

All the tales of evil things that go bump in the night which alien children grow up with always include a Slycan somehow attacking, slashing, and devouring some helpless, innocent alien child, which some infamous individuals that had been utterly rejected by political society had been known to do. As excellent pickpockets, they almost never passed up and opportunity to relieve those who didn't need it of a few credits or valuable possessions. Hence, most races loathe Slycans. However, like with most of these generalizations, not all of them are so wicked. Corran was one such example of a strong Slycan with a proverbial good heart. How he wound up mixing with the Silverarms was yet another sad story.

Baby Slycans are born from eggs, never kept by their parents, and left to fend for themselves in their harsh environment from day one. Corran was luckier than most of his race at this beginning, being found, "adopted", and raised in a good home with two Kenasans, nearly the last of a dying race of psychic aliens from a planet long since raided by Bardock (Goku's father) and his group. He was given extremely mild psychic awareness by his kind foster parents, along with an education. Unfortunately, the Silverarms raided their small town of refuge and captured Corran (Then in his mid-teens and now in his late twenties). The young Slycan never knew what became of Shana and Kal, nor saw them again.

"That's sad." Trunks commented once Corran had told his story.

"Yeah, but I can't spend much time really thinking about it; Riigo keeps me pretty busy." Corran agreed. "Say, what about you, Kahler?"

"Yeah, Kahler. You haven't even told me much." Tussney supplemented.

Trunks had come to trust his new friends as much as he could any stranger he had known for only a few days, and decided he could disclose at least a little information. He began his tale, "I was born into a time of peace between one war and the next for my planet's survival. Our group of Special Forces, I guess you'd call them that, were getting together for a picnic when my mom's best friend, the strongest on the team, came down with a deadly heart virus. There was no cure at the time, so in a little while, he passed away. Six months later, two androids attacked and decimated a city near my home. I was less than a year old.

"Each of the remaining Z Senshi, as we called them, attacked the androids in hopes to prevent any more destruction, but each warrior fell, including my father. One of them, then a child, escaped and began to train diligently in the hope that one day they might be defeated by his hands. He was my trainer, a half-Saiyan named Gohan. When I was 12, I began to lose hope of ever reclaiming my people's and my freedom. No one ever knew where the androids would attack next. Many people lived each day as if it were their last, as each one was likely to be. I became so desperate that I tried to escape the horror by slashing my own wrists, but Gohan stopped me, them promised to train me to fight. We trained together for about a year and both of us vastly improved.

"Unfortunately, it wasn't nearly enough. We fought the androids together once, and Gohan lost an arm to save me… …To save me when I was the one… who… couldn't…." Trunks paused a moment, his teenage emotions bringing a wave of fresh pain to his mind. "…We both got back alive, if barely. Gohan gave up training himself, but continued to work with me." Trunks stumbled over the phrasing, not really wanting to go on for fear of losing control of his emotions or revealing too much, but continued anyway. "I- …Gohan- …One day, while he was training me, the androids attacked a city adjacent to our sparring grounds. Gohan was fed up with hiding and decided to take them on alone, not wanting me to get in the way, or worse, be killed. Maybe… Maybe if he hadn't… but he knocked me out and left me on the hill overlooking the city, then fought the androids alone. They- he-, when I woke up, it was raining and the city was devastated. I searched for his ki everywhere, I looked for him under every piece of rubble, hoping, praying… But when I finally found him…" Trunks stopped walking abruptly and closed his eyes, gritting his teeth as well to keep tears from flowing. "…I wished I hadn't."

The two men were empathetic toward Trunks, Corran more so. The oldest man tried to dip into Trunks's thoughts, delving into the wispy image made so easily viewable by the powerful emotions it evoked. Corran saw, felt, heard the moment, Trunks's defining moment, this moment in which the reality finally sank into Trunks's impressionable young mind, and the lavender-locked boy realized that his best and only friend was gone for good.

…But what was this!? There was a flash of golden light… the anger, the pain… a vow?

Trunks continued, his breathing evening out as he slowly continued to walk. "All the pain, the anger, the hate, all of my rage, my hope, and my love for my family, friends, and the people it then fell upon me to protect exploded within me at that moment. It became the power I wield, and forever will be. I vowed to never let any such terror be pressed upon another living being so long as I could prevent it. After another four years-which seemed like an eternity- and endless training, I finally defeated the androids, restoring peace to my world."

The other men were silent for a moment, but only for a moment, for Corran was left unsatisfied. "So, how did you get here? Apparently, your planet doesn't have much contact with the Silverarms or other alien life forms."

Trunks told half of the truth. "Combat fatigue really got to me. I can't stop hearing the screams in my dreams of the innocent people I could have saved had I been just a little bit faster. …So I left my home. It may sound stupid, but I did it to save other worlds."

"You're a fool, Kahler." Corran told him.

"I've been told that before." Trunks replied.

"You'll never be able to cleanse the universe of corruption; one man can't do that alone! Hell, I'll be damned if you even got away from the Silverarms alive."

Trunks was silent for a moment, then spoke again, barely above a whisper. "But if I had a way, would you come with me?"

"Eh?" the Slycan less-than-gracefully reply.

"Tussney hasn't told you my plan. I still have my ship with me, shrunk and in storage. That's why I need the parts, to repair it. When I'm done, I'm loading it up, shoving off, and blowing these ruthless, evil Silverarms into the next dimension, and God knows I can do it in one short, quick blast. Knowing that, are you in? Will you come with?"

"You're crazy!"

"Aren't we all?" Trunks was dead serious. "If it wasn't for those of us with a slightly different outlook than the rest, we'd all still be in a terrestrial Stone Age. Corran, we don't have to sit around and wait for the universe to implode in on itself for the corruption to be put to a stop. I can do something about it; we can do something about it. We can't do everything, but we still can do something. What do you say?"

It was a tough decision for Corran. This guy was insane! Any previous escape attempt had failed, ending either in capture like in Tussney's lucky case, or if the escapee managed to get into space, death on their part. …But this guy seemed so confident in his ability, confident that he could take out this ship and everyone on it in a single blast.

Sensing his indecision, Trunks disclosed more information to persuade Corran to say yes. "Yes, my weapon system is still operating fine. It's just some engine and structural damage that needs to be repaired."

"How severe is this damage?" asked Corran.

"Well, erm…" Trunks placed a hand behind his head." I kinda crashed it on that last planet… Hey, but with your help, the proper parts, and my knowledge and skill, it should take less than a week."

"What's a week?" Tussney asked. "Week? Month? Are you speaking Standard?"

"Um…" Trunks gave it some thought. "Your hours seem to be about the same as mine… How many hours are in a day here?" he asked, simultaneously checking the logs on his watch.

"Twenty-four, a strange number to have if you ask me." Corran replied.

"Good. A week is about seven days and a month is between 28 and 31, usually 30."

"Then it's not too bad." Corran continued consideration of Trunks's offer, often delving into his conscious mind for clues to the underlying source of this boy's confidence, but in vain. It could be a bluff. Riigo inducted the boy for his strength, but Riigo was little more than a mildly skilled bully, on the lower end of the officers as it was. So either Kahler was extremely arrogant and foolish, or quite powerful, had great self-control, was sure of his actions, and most of all intelligent. There was something familiar about him, in his build, the shape of his face, and his heat signature was as apparent as any Saiyan he had ever seen, declaring to anyone willing to listen, "I am a warrior!"

Kahler reminded Corran very much of Tussney. Was it possible that the lavender-haired youth was part Saiyan?

Corran was very highly educated, and included in his learning was knowledge of the characteristics of the only three species in the universe that can interbreed successfully. Because of his notably higher IQ when compared to Tussney, Corran arrived at several possible solutions much quicker and easier than the full-bred Saiyan.

Trunks definitely had to be part Farben, but then to give him the strength which that race sorely lacked, he also had to be at least part Saiyan. Still, it was hard to believe Farben blood was still running around. That race had been one of the first conquered during Frieza's reign. So, if Kahler was of that accursed Saiyan race… But something in Kahler's conviction, his pride, even his posture gave Corran a feeling that he could trust this youth, a feeling that Kahler would never let him down without putting up a real fight, and Corran knew the boy could fight. The way he carried himself along suggested untold depths of hidden skill. He was always perfectly balanced, never faltering, but more frequently now off guard.

Even with all the evidence pushing him toward a "yes" answer, Corran was reluctant to leave the relative security that the gang provided him with.

"Ah, to hell with it." he finally decided out loud, then thought, "Hey, if no one else can tell that this guy's part Saiyan, he can do my shopping for me."

"So you're in?" Tussney asked, hoping that his friend had decided so.

"Sure I am, buddy. Now all Kahler here has to do is explain his plan a bit more. I heard we're closing in on a minor military freighter and all the gang members able to fight are going to be put into hijacking and looting it. One of those things would have enough spare parts on it for any ship to be repaired and rebuilt twice over. The only problem is obtaining and storing the parts." Corran gave his short analysis of the situation.

"Well," Trunks began, "I have these little gadgets called capsules…"

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"Silverarm raider ship at 3:00!" a nondescript moderator of the military ship's monitors warned his captain.

"Shit! Well, private? Give me status! Can we escape them?" the captain demanded.

"Fighting odds are 1:206 in their favor, sir! Escape is far worse, 1:2,301,659. I'm sorry, sir."

"Well, then take up your weapons, men! We're going to fight!"

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"Alright, does everyone have their capsules? Do you remember what you're looking for?" Trunks asked his "troops" as they stood crowded in Trunks and Tussney's shared room

Varying forms of "yes" were the alien duo's unanimous replies.

Soon, the gang's ship seized and docked with the freighter. The airlocks were forced open and rivers of armed Silverarms streamed onto the ship and into a white haze of gunfire. What followed was pure chaos: weapons firing, random hand-to-hand combat, but to the Silverarms, it seemed all just one rowdy party.

There may have been no true fighters onboard the military ship, but the weapons it carried could do extensive damage upon striking flesh. Blocking shots with a ki shield each, Trunks and Tussney protected Corran, who had no knowledge of the use of ki. When they reached the opposition's cargo area, they split up and began stuffing much needed parts in capsules.

"Hey! You're not allowed in here!" a lieutenant yelled at them and began to fire at Corran. He had a very difficult time dodging the blasts, but Trunks seemed to suddenly appear behind the alien officer and he proceeded to knock him out before Corran received a serious blow.

"He'll live." Trunks mumbled, commentating on the fallen alien before returning to his work. They had the last needed piece capsulated before more trigger-happy military personnel entered and began firing. Tussney blasted them into oblivion before they could hit anyone.

"They won't live." Was the taller teen's continuation of Trunks's previous statement." Trunks frowned at the unnecessary loss of life, but there was nothing he could do now. "We'd better report to the officers and…" Tussney snapped the unconscious man's neck, "tell them this area is secure." Noticing Trunks's obvious objection to killing, he explained, "If we left him alive, he'd die anyway. We blow ships up after we raid them, get rid of the evidence; and if he would wake up suddenly while we were loading our ship, we'd get in huge trouble."

Trunks didn't answer, but instead began to walk out of the room.

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They stored the capsules in Trunks's room, went over the plan for once they hit planetside, then continued on with their daily lives.

Things went downhill for the most part. The long days, hard work, and skimpy meals severely taxed Trunks's figure, morale, and will. He gave up being picky about the meals and loaded his plate with as much of the disgusting alien food he could get a hold of, but that did little more to sate his hunger than a pebble would do to stay the flow of Niagara Falls.

With his ki waning and his overall strength likewise, Trunks began to lose confidence in his ability. Fortunately, Corran noticed.

"Hey, Kahler. You don't look so good. Is something wrong?" the concerned lizard man asked at the start of another such nondescript ship day.

Trunks-whose hair seemed to soak up the tint that his skin lost-shook his head slightly from side to side and tried to lift one of the crates he had been assigned to. Surprisingly, he found that he couldn't.

"Of course," he concluded mentally, "I'm not using my ki. Well, here goes…" He tried again, but found his ki far too depleted to aide him.

"Woah, Kahler! Sit down and take a breather." Corran advised the exhausted teen.

"I'm fine." Trunks repeated, insisting airily, his pride preventing him from taking Corran's good advice. He tried again, this time leaning into it. He picked the several-ton crate up, moved it to where it had to go, and set it down, Corran following a few steps behind the entire way. Upon completion of the task, Trunks turned around and sighed away the effort. "See?" He told Corran, his breath windy and panting. "I told you I'm just fi-…" at that moment, a shock thrust itself through Trunks's mind, breaking his hold onto consciousness. As his eyes glossed over and eyelids fluttered closed, he already could no longer hear Corran's cries, rushing to keep his limp body from roughly striking the dingy metallic floor. Trunks's world was overcast.

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To be continued...

**Dragon ball ending theme begins to play**

Tussney: Well, since Kahler promised it would be my turn, it's, uh… my turn!

**A clip of medical personnel running down the corridor past Tussney**

Tussney: Woah, what could possibly be going on?

**A clip of Tussney asking that question, then one of Trunks laying helpless in a hospital bed in a dimly-lit room, skin whiter than ivory**

Tussney: That really doesn't look good… I hope everything turns out alright! Tune in next time, same time, same place! DBZ: HYHB: Episode 13, Truth Revealed! It'll be wonder-… wonder…full…

Trunks: **Sighs** Wonderfully informative, Tussney.

Tussney: Wonderfully informative! Hey, I was getting around to it! If you can do better, why don't you do the wrap-up next time?

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STORY BY:
Silent Willow

Trunks: Alright, not a problem, Tuss.

TYPING BY:
Silent Willow

Tussney: **Slaps his forehead** Uhg!

HTML CODING BY:
Silent Willow

BETA READING BY:
SSJ_Zorella… maybe someday if he gets around to it…

HOSTING BY:
Freeservers.com (fallen into disrepair)
MediaMiner.org
Fanfiction.net... I'm not posting this there again until I'm directly asked, though…

ACTORS:
Trunks Briefs: Trunks Briefs
Tussney: 17-year-old Radditz
Lasiehr: Morten
Riigo: Fat Bastard and a lot of makeup
Tobaga: ROSELYNE MARROT **YAY!!!**
INTRODUCING Corran: Rya (Yes, the same Rya that appears in the Special Thanks section. Welcome aboard!)
Various Aliens: Random people off the street

SPECIAL THANKS TO:
The letter D (For Duo Maxwell, ex-muse)
Zamba (I'll miss our RP sessions… Thanks for finding that awesome quote for this episode!)
Ember (For being the first person to review this story!)
Rya (Former reluctant muse and fellow writer)
Mountain Dew Anonymous (The anonymous, nonexistent group that helped me get over my addiction)
Kool-Aid Jammers (I want one right now)
Vanilla Coke (Mmmm…)
Coffee (It's my friend…)
Phoenix_Rising (For not getting mad at me for saying that coffee is my friend, and for being my drawing sensei ^_^)
Chino-kun (Because of his spiffy Squall cosplay! Yay!)
SSJ_Zorella (Even though he's been dormant for a while. Hey, Zorella! Do I have to get a new beta?)
Storm_410 (For encouraging me to get back to work!)
Momoko-chan (For our endless plot discussion nights on various stories, even when we were supposed to be focusing elsewhere ^_^;; And for suggesting a quote for the beginning of this episode!)
MediaMiner.org (For trying to make things better on this site despite difficulty and limited budget)

And finally, readers like you!