Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Victory Song ❯ Chapter 1

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

…echoes of terror come from all paths

the horde of beasts seeking our last breath

they come seeking our suffering and end…

-unfinished poem, unknown poet

-Planet Nuih-

There were only a few more outposts left on the planet. The major cities were left in flames, and only villages and hideouts were left. The six Saiyans broke through the civilization's under-developed technological defenses with ease. Like an explosive storm they tore across the planet's surface. The team broke into pairs to hit different locations. Selypa and Pumbukin to the east, Toma and Totepo to the southwest and Bardock took the new warrior Mila to the north.

“Sir?” Mila increased his velocity to fly shoulder to shoulder with Bardock.

“What is it?” Bardock kept his gaze towards the rushing horizon.

“Is there any… specific reason that we're on this planet?”

The silence was more of an answer than Mila required, but Bardock worsened the moment by speaking. “They breathe.” He brought his arm from his side and pressed on his scouter. “We're coming up on them. We hit them hard, fast, end it before it starts, get me?”

Rushing from the horizon was a circular group of huts. This region was mostly mountains and forest, reflecting that the huts were made from stone and wood. Surround the perimeter were the natives armed with swords and spears. These creatures were humanoid like the Saiyans, but they had evolved from canines rather than apes. Over time they had grown opposable thumbs and lost their snouts while retaining their fur, tail and ears.

Bardock thundered through their preliminary defenses. As he landed, he forced both fists through two of the canine warriors. He raised both arms along with their impaled bodies and threw them away from him into others.

One of the faster males came from his left. Bardock spun his entire body connecting his bloodied right fist into his jaw. The warrior's body continued forward even through his head came to a halt.

With arm already outstretched, he wrapped it around the next fighter's neck, an all too familiar snap sounding from her as he twisted his torso around to backhand a second female fighter.

The wave seemed too slow. Bardock surveyed the camp. From all directions armed warriors swarmed. A small group headed away from them, two what carrying seemed like children.

“Mila!” Bardock howled over the breaking of skulls under his fingertips. “Go after them! Stop them!”

The young warrior broke away from a pair of soldiers he was facing off and stormed towards the fleeing canines. The ones escaping would be taken care of. Bardock's lips curled into a devious smile, driven by pleasure and excitement as a half dozen warriors charged at him. They were no match for the Saiyan's strength, experience and ruthlessness, but they were warriors none the less.

Mila left his back to Bardock and slid into a crude landing as he tackled a male canine from behind. The warrior skidded onto his knees then to his face. The second reacted before his partner stood. He pushed the children and women forward as he stood his ground.

The warrior thrust his spear forward. Mila stepped to his right and grabbed the weapon with his left arm, wrapping it around the pole just under the blade. Digging his heels into the earth, he spun his body lifting the canine off his feet and swung towards the closest building. The male warrior's fingers slipped from the spear and slammed into the wall back first.

Once Mila was assured he was down he turned his attention to the others. The women and children were nowhere to be seen but theone he had tackled was back on his feet and growling. The warrior unsheathed his sword and came at Mila with a howl.

The tip of the blade whipped by his head, cutting across his cheek and through a lock of hair. Mila lowered his body and thrust his elbow into the soft spot under the canine's ribs. His breath was violently cast out of him, but before he could take another, Mila's palm caught him under the chin and launched him off his feet.

The adrenaline rushed through his body, tearing through his nerves. His shoulder slowly rose and fell. Mila turned when he heard a scraping against stone. The warrior he thought he had subdued was moving again. He was sitting against a stone wall after collecting his weapon. The spear shook violently in his hand as he tried to hold a strong grip.

He knew what had to be done. Mila approached the sitting warrior while collecting his own breath. This was his first campaign. He was chosen among other low-class warriors to work under Bardock in the purging. When he had been born, his potential was calculated to be great. His parents commending him on the skills he had learned during training, hoping for him to be a great warrior for the Saiyan race.

Remembering all these things, Mila cocked his right arm. The warrior was weakened from the blow earlier; he would not be able to stop him. Taking a last sharp breath, he threw his fist forward.

Mila's fist stopped an inch before it made contact with the wounded warrior's face. His clenched hand began shaking violently. The warrior gritted his teeth and took this opportunity to lunge forward at the young Saiyan. His weapon pierced through Mila's left shoulder, the spearhead erupted from the boy's shoulder before Bardock swooped in and forced the canine's head through the wall behind him.

“Damn it Mila.” Once the kill was confirmed he turned toward the new soldier and grabbed him by the wounded shoulder and forcefully drew the weapon out. “Everything's done here, back to camp.”

_____

Taking care of the wound was simple enough. It was a clean pierce and the equipment they had brought to camp was enough to kill the pain and any chances of infection. The two shared another night alone, according to their progress the others would not be done in time to rendezvous that night.

“Mila.” Bardock grabbed the boy by his good arm and pushed him against a tree. He had gone to relieve himself when Bardock caught him on the way back to camp.

“You could have been killed today. You could have gotten someone else killed.” He tightened his fingers around his arm. “That kind of weakness has no place on the battlefield. If you show weakness you're as good as dead. Get me?”

Mila's weak nod was enough to tell him that the boy understood. “In the morning we head further north. We take out the last outpost where the rest of them escaped to. The others will be finished tonight, they'll meet us here before we all go together. Now get some sleep.”

_____

The day started out quietly. Bardock seemed to be keeping himself in thought while Mila nervously prepared himself. The medication they had brought from their home was working. Mila no longer felt pain, and the surface of the wound was already closing.

With the scouter it was easy enough to find where the last outpost was. Earlier there was news that the others were complete and all that was left on this continent was this area.

“Follow my lead today, Mila.”

“Yes sir.” He mustered bravado, but his nervousness showed.

The two Saiyans landed quietly several yards out of the small cluster of huts. In this area less stone was used for the buildings. Evidence of shelter made in a rush, mostly from rotting pieces of wood. And old encampment not made for long-term use. Bardock sniffed out the canines over the scent of rot and waste.

“There are a few warriors left and among them are those who escaped yesterday.” Bardock thrust his finger towards a hut at the opposite end of the cluster. “Take care of anyone you find.”

Mila nodded and began his silent raid, moving quietly but boldly towards his target. Bardock veered off towards the left where he thought the last warriors were. As always his intuition was correct, a half dozen armed and armored warriors preparing themselves.

“Come on…” Bardock motioned them to come with his hand. He intended to make the most of this small number.

There were no warriors in Mila's way. Without resistance he made it to the hut. The sunlight only reaching half way into the hut he sniffed them out in the half dark. A small group of children huddled around two women.

Grinding his teeth Mila reached to his right and lifted a spear he found leaning against the entrance. He forced his shaking hand to stop by remembering all the things he fought for.

“Die!”

Mila thrust the spear forward, the bladed end cut across the child's cheek and struck the wall behind them. His body began shaking again;he couldn't draw on the strength he needed.

“Don't worry Mila.” Bardock's cold voice forced a chill down the boy's spine. “Even among Saiyans not all are warriors.” Mila turned slowly to see Bardock with his right arm held back, fingers held flat as a spearhead. “But I told you Mila.”

The breath was forced out of his lungs as Bardock's hand pierced his armor and entered into his diaphragm. Heat ran through Mila's body as Bardock released energy from his palm incinerating him from the inside out. Bardock threw his arm out and scattered Mila's ashes through the small hut.

_____

At the camp the sound of an explosion reaches through the sky. Toma sat with one arm resting on his lap and his hand on his scouter. “That's the seventh one.” He lowered both hands to his sides and watched the horizon with his brow furrowed. “Do you think… he would have killed us too if…”

“Stop.” Slypa stopped his train of thought, “We were not weak so we live; it's that simple. If Mila couldn't handle the job he would have gotten killed less humanely.”

“You're right.” Toma leaned back in the make-shift bench of stone. “You're right.”

The camp fell into dead silence, only broken by the sound of Bardock's footsteps. “Forget about Mila. He was weak and he died.” He approached the fire and snatched one of the skewered pieces of the local wildlife.

Toma waited until the alpha was done filling his stomach. “Where to next, Captain?”

Bardock spat out a chunk of bone from the meat and speared the useless sliver of wood into the fire. “To planet Vegeta to report what has happened here, then to Kanassa.” With the meal done, Bardock began walking towards the portion of camp he claimed for himself.

“Mila died a warrior's death today. Everyone at home will know about it.” Bardock's eyes struck the others from over his shoulder. “Get me?”

..they come for our lives our souls, unrelenting unmerciful unforgiving

our tears fill their chalice our flesh their plates, our lament their victory song…

-unfinished poem, unknown poet