Origins of Burter

[Burter]

"Why am I even here?"

The blue reptilian only had one jump-spot in which to teleport to his native planet, Reptilia, and it was probably the last place he wanted to be. But, even still, he found himself teleporting right into the center of the playground, right near the broken swing set.

The last time he had been here was a in fierce battle with the long-maned saiyan. But now, he was done trying to save the planet and win a murderous competition. Now he had the time to explore his past...not that he wanted to. He hated the idea of falling deeper into depression, knowing his entire race was annihilated in a single night. As far as he knew, the planet was destroyed to ensure their destruction.

He recalled that night, about thirty years prior, when the saiyan armada had deemed Reptilians obsolete when they stopped providing resources to Vegeta-Sei. With one order from the King, Reptilia was savagely attacked, not just on the main continent, but the entire planet. Burter could remember being smuggled into a cargo ship by the adults nearest him, and then hearing the loud explosion of the planet a few hours after departing.

Back then, Burter hadn't thought much of it. He understood the situation and was of course upset, like any child would be, but he didn't quite grasp that idea that every single person like him was dead. When he landed on Namek-Sei and was taken in by the village chief, he had heard the news that saiyans were hunting down all surviving Reptilians.

He had escaped the massacre. Years passed and people forgot about it. Now, thirty years later, he had a son of his own who was out there braving the world on his own. He had two saiyan best friends, along with a cyborg who probably took a fair share of discrimination as well. It was as if nothing happened.

But it had. He was here, on the planet he had his childhood on. In the playground he had his first fight. By the swing he had broken with a boy's face. In the same town that smuggled him out on the night of the battle.

He put his hand on the chain of the broken swing. He felt so old as he towered over the child's toy. "Well," he said aloud, "I'm here now. May as well go all the way."

The man began to walk past the swings and out of the playground. Despite having only been there for a year so long ago, Burter knew right where he would start looking. He knew immediately right where to go.

The orphanage.

[Burter]

Burter knew almost as soon as he entered that building that somebody was following him. Whoever it was had a fantastic gift for cloaking their ki, but weren't so good in terms of stealth, as he could see them a few minutes prior though wasn't completely sure of their presence. But now he was positive that there was another figure on his home planet and they were trailing him.

The blue reptilian left the door open on purpose as he peeked into the lobby of the orphanage. Despite it being both abandoned and ravaged, he enjoyed seeing the structure of the rooms and the furniture, all built especially for tall, scaly reptilians. He felt a warm glow in his heart as he recalled his brief time here.

If he had a parent, he wouldn't have had to stay here. Sadly, he was one of the few unfortunate kids who's parent had died during the birthing stage. He had been the second of two possible births from the reptilian parent. He didn't know much about his brother, outside of the fact he existed. They had met a couple times, briefly, after his stay at the orphanage.

It was a flood of memories as he moved from room to room. He remembered playing 'Soldier' with the other kids in the huge bedroom. It gave him a chuckle. Who was playing now? If he had known the horrors that soldiers go through, would he have still wanted to be one?

He walked back out to the main room just in time to see the front door shut. A man was in front of it, his skin pale as a ghost and his hair shaved off, though it had been a horrible shave...like it was burned off, leaving some strands hanging on. Despite the trademark spikey hair missing, Burter could tell who the intruder was. "Saiyan."

"Reptilian," the man hissed back, imitating Burter's innate tone. "Must be my lucky day."

Burter tried to remain calm, knowing a fight was on his hands. "This planet was supposed to be destroyed. Why don't you tell me what you know, saiyan?"

"Aw, isn't that cute?" the man said, grinning behind his two or three teeth. He had obviously been punched one time too many. Burter looked down to his wrists to see cuffs, now broken apart. He was locked up somewhere until recently. "The reptile wants to reason with the saiyan. Wants answers, does it? You want me to tell you why this dump of a planet is still alive?"

"That's right," Burter said.

The man giggled, as if he was a child. "It was never destroyed. The saiyan armada uses this place for it's resources. Though your race is long since gone, with few exceptions. We don't hunt you anymore, of course, because one of your kind went and got himself in good with saiyan royalty."

Burter scoffed a moment as he turned his back on the man. So was it Bra who pulled strings for him? Or was it her father? Or, really...any single saiyan he knew could have done it.

"But this is saiyan property now, reptilian. This planet belongs to us!" He clanged his wrists together, causing the cuffs to let out a loud bang. "When the others at the campsite see me drag your corpse back home, they'll know locking me up was a mistake! They'll let me back into the squad and I'll be a hero! A hero! They will remember the name Clebram the saiyan warrior!"

"My entire race fell because of your people and their greed!" Burter shouted as the man ran forward, the chains hanging from his wrists. "You are the last person who should be allowed to step foot on this soil!"

The crazed maniac of a saiyan threw his fists around, trying to throw the chains against Burter. The reptilian dodged the four shots by leaning back and side-stepping. He lept onto the desk, backing up again as the chains smashing through the tall counter with ridiculous ferocity. Despite being both ugly and dumb, the man certainly had some power.

Burter knew he could beat this man without charging up, so he side-flipped off of the desk and ducked a swing of the chains. His fist connected with the man's chest, causing him to stumble back into what was left of the desk. Burter then threw a fist again, cracking the man's nose.

"Why, you--!" The hillbilly-looking saiyan threw his fist forward, only for Burter to catch him by the arm and throw him across the room, slamming him into the wall near the door. "Oof!"

Burt grabbed the man by his shirt collar and pulled him up. With a flash, he teleported across the quadrant into a barren, desert wasteland. The sand blew around the two warriors as Burter dropped the bald man onto the sand.

"What did you do?!" The man shouted, scared. "Where are we?!"

"On a tiny planet with nothing but sand, dust and wind. A perfect place for scum like you."

The man's eyes went wide as Burter suddenly disappeared. "No!" He shouted into the sandy nothingness. "Don't leave me here! Don't leave me!"

Burter could see him from a distance as he began to realize what exactly was happening. For a brief moment, Burter felt bad that he was going to leave this saiyan outcast to die here. But that feeling went away quickly as he began to recall the horrible night, 30 years ago, that the man's species had wiped out Burter's.

Burter teleported away from the planet all together, leaving a cry from Clebram across the deserted sky.

"Don't leave me!"

[Burter]

"Burter."

King Kai didn't even look away from his bowl of rice when the muscular reptilian appeared out of a torn fabric in space. Burter let out a scoff, not getting a chance to sneak up on the little blue man. He had hoped he could finally get the man back, at least minorly, after what he had been put through so many years ago when he was trained. But it had been worth it; Burter still took many of what King Kai taught him and put it into his day to day life.

"How was Reptilia?" The Kai asked, sitting on his seat and munching on a bowl of rice. His sunglasses fell a little down his tiny nose, just as Burter stepped into view.

Burter let out a loud sigh. "Saiyans are there. Mining. And I was told they were hunting my species." He looked down at King Kai. "That means there are more like me."

The martial arts trainer didn't say anything, looking away. He kept his quiet demeanor for a few moments as he set his empty bowl down and stood up. "I don't think you should do what you're thinking of doing."

Burter squinted his red eyes for a moment. King Kai was normally very silly, keeping a loose personality to stay away from the uncomfortable, dreary moments. But now he kept a straight face, seemingly worried about his former protege.

"There are more reptilians, Burter," the Kai finally said, answering one of Burter's unspoken questions. "I don't know where they are, or even if they still live. But you weren't the only survivor of Reptilia."

It was only about an hour ago that Burter had been laying in the doubt of being able to carry on the Reptilian legacy. But now, here he was, finding out that there were people like him out there...people just like him! What kind of stories would they have? How would they act? Were they evil, or good?

"I have to find them, and I have to make those saiyans stop," Burter declared.

The Kai began to walk towards the small pen by the entrance to his tiny house. He set his hand on the entrance of the pen and a small bird popped out. "You're going to need help. There is a man who will be of assistance. I don't know how eager he'll be to help out after what he's been through...but I will send him your way. "

Burter blinked. Then he blinked again. He was supposed to trust some person he'd never met to defend his home planet, against saiyan special ops? "I don't think that's..."

"You came to me for help, didn't you!?" King Kai shouted, getting back into his typical annoyed frenzy. He was still one of the only people who could shut Burter up. He then began to scribble on the parchment before attaching it to the bird's talon. "I'll send the message now."

"Don't you have telepathy?" King Kai halted for a moment. Burter could have sworn the man had spoken into his head on more then one occasion. "Why are you--?"

King Kai suddenly spun around and kicked the empty rice bowl up into the air, smacking off of the golden-domed head of Burter. The reptilian scowled and backed up, holding the sore lump on his skull. "Don't talk down to me! I don't make mistakes! I trained you, you're still my student!"

"Okay, okay!" Burter hissed in annoyance.

"Ahem," The Northern Kai said, spinning around and taking his sensei stance, like he hadn't just thrown a bowl at the man twice his size. "Your old friend, Princess Bra, was recently asked to come see me. She should be about to head down Snake Way. I think she would be intere--"

He was gone before the sentence was finished.

---------------

She was beautiful. Even Burter could see that. He had found the girl long before she even realized he was in the area. Her light blue hair was shimmering in the wind as he took a bite out of a sandwich. When he first met her, four years ago, she was tiny, snobby, flat-chested and weak. Now, she was completely opposite. Well, except for snobby. She was definately still snobby.

Her eyes suddenly locked with him just as she swallowed a bite of her sandwich. She was right next to the entrance of Snake Way, so there were a lot of undead attendants nearby to help fighters like her who had been accepted to walk down the path to King Kai.

Just as she saw him, he vanished.

"No!" She shouted, smashing the sandwich into the chest of the nearing dead guy. She wiped her hands off on the next man she passed before shouldering past him, growing with annoyance. "Uh uh! No! You are not just gonna appear like a stalker and disappear! I know you can hear me, Burter! You better fucking show your scaly face right--"

She was interutped by the feel of warm, slippery arms around her shoulders, wrapping around her lithe frame and teleporting.

Burter dropped Bra on one of the beds in the building he grew up in. Reptilia was still quiet and virtually abandoned...the hometown was still just as barren as it was hours ago.

"What's the big idea, huh!?" Bra was shouting in anger. "You have a lot of nerve, just popping out of nowhere, again!" She looked around at the bedroom, noting the tall beds and walls, feeling a little short in the strangely-shaped house. "Where the hell are we, anyway?"

Burter was looking out of the window, into the town he recalled when he was only two years old. It was so quiet...so empty. Everything that had defined him was gone. "This is where I grew up," he whispered, so quiet Bra was just barely able to make it out.

Her rage subsided. "...Oh."

[Yamu]

Bra felt an odd moment of embarrassment. She had a tight bond with tall Reptillian but neither of them were good at the emotional stuff, and truthfully Bra was only in her element when there was something to be pissed at. There was nothing about a friend’s painful past that she would work up a righteous attitude towards.

The silence seemed to stretch between the two comrades for an eternity, the only sounds to break the stretch of silence were the soft creaks of rusted chains coming from the swings outside. Within a few minutes of tense wordlessness the Saiya-Jin princess finally found a target, the silence itself. “So, why now?” She asked softer then she normally would. Three small words that encapsulated a menagerie of other questions.

Burter shrugged, “I had run out of reasons not to.”

He kept his thousand yard stare out the window. Bra knew better then to ever think he was not taking everything in, that he was not on high alert but she was almost unsure this time. “Why grab me?” The tinge of annoyance slowly began creeping back into her words but her heart was just not into it. She would never say it out loud but she could admit to herself that she had missed Burter.

The azure reptile’s claws clenched and unclenched as he spoke, “King Kai told me that more of my kind survived the attack besides just me,”

“That’s great news!” Bra interjected, but her sudden happiness had no effect on Burter.

“-BUT, the Saiya-Jins are still on this planet and this is the only place where I might find clues about the others…they might even still be here!”

“Pssh…” Bra’s exasperated noise finally got Burter to turn from the window and away from his memories and back to her. “You teleport me half across the galaxy for a few pesky miners? What, growing weak in your old age?”

Burter could not help but smile, Bra’s fists were not the only reason he had brought along his longtime friend. “Thank you, Bra.”

A male voice made them both turn towards the doorless entryway. “Well, since Bra is here I guess you won’t be needing me anymore.” His small halo was the only thing visible at first but as the hulking figure exited the shadows his vein covered physique finally took shape. “And the trip from heaven was not a short one.”

“Yamu?” The pair said in unison, disbelief tinting the word more then recognition.

“So you’re the help King Kai offered…” Burter muttered as he crossed the room.

“Long time, no see, Big Blue.” The vein covered brute said with a smile. “Every time we meet it seems like there is a battle on hand. We need to just get a beer sometime.” The two clasped forearms in greeting. “Where is the little guy?”

The waxing jovial atmosphere took a slight wane as Burter answered. “BJ is making his own way in the universe.”

Yamu nodded solemnly, “We each had to do it, too. It will make him strong,” He brought his head back up, grin once again in place, “just like his pa.”

“A-HEM!” Bra coughed from behind Burter, irritated at being glossed over.

“I didn’t forget about you,” Yamu said as he walked around Burter, “I was just wondering if I had to greet you and your tits separately now.”

“Fuck. You.” The Saiya-Jin cursed crossing her arms under her chest.

“Is that an offer? ‘Cause you sure aren’t the little girl I first met on Arlia.” Yamu retorted, enjoying the red color he made her turn that he was pretty sure was rage and not embarrassment.

“You wanna go back to being dead again?” Bra asked as she stood.

Burter could not help but smile, the path ahead was uncertain and hell he did not even know if he was on the right path or if there was even one at all. But, he had friends in arms beside him, people who had willingly come to help him.

His present was there to help him confront the past.

[Yamu]

“So, Yamu you seem very jovial…” Burter began but was promptly interrupted.

“It is just good to be alive again, even only temporarily.” The veiny brute said with a smile. “With my new ability to teleport, I can grab a cheeseburger back on Earth before I get whisked back to the afterlife.”

The azure reptile studied the human carefully, choosing each word with care. “From the way King Kai talked he seemed unsure about how enthusiastic you would be…and…”

Yamu’s smile wilted as he sat down on one of the tiny cots that had held the young orphans so many decades ago, his massive proportions dwarfing the furniture. “Its not just what King Kai said to you is it?”

“No.”

Bra looked between the two men frowning, “What is going on here?”

“It is about what I said in the Abyss…” Yamu kept his focus on Burter ignoring Bra altogether.

Burter sighed softly, relieved he did not have to bring it up. “I think your words went along the lines of ’You don’t kill Burter, I kill Burter.' It was shouted with a lot of emotion, Yam.”

The energy that Yamu had swept into the room visibly drained from his body as he slumped onto the bed. The Arlian Guardian smacked his shiny head against the wall behind him in frustration shaking the entire building. “I was finally going to prove to myself that I’m not just your ripple, Big Blue.”

“What the fuck does that mean?” Bra asked aloud, speaking the words she and Burter were both thinking.

The veiny human shot the Saiya-Jin princess a glare as he explained. “I was nothing on Earth before you, Blue. If you had not come by and swept me off to Frost I’d still be there doing underground fights and body guard work, wasting away as a worthless shit.” The human began gesturing with his hands as if the physical representations might explain him better then the words. “I became somebody that day, I did GOOD on a massive scale for the first time…hell it made me look at you as a father figure for a span there.”

Bra stifled a laugh earning her a glare from Yamu and Burter both. “What…that’s…funny…”

Yamu gritted his teeth clearly irritated at the embarrassment, but he figured he had opened the can he might as well let it all spill out. “As I came into my own you became more like a brother in my mind. As we battled together in Pitch Black, a Brother in Arms., the arrival of Little Blue help seal that in my mind…but still…” The hairless human got up from the bed and paced across the room breathing deeply and did not continue talking until he had turned back around. “Still, you’re like a whirlwind across the galaxy, Blue, like this huge rock thrown into the lake of the universe and I’m just one of the ripples coming off YOUR actions. I’ve accomplished a lot…hell I’ve taken the guardianship of a whole planet…and still…despite how far I run your shadow is too big to ever escape. I figured out in the Abyss that the only way to ever shrink that shadow is to take you down with my own hands.” Yamu crossed the room again and sat down on another bed forcing the metal frame to groan noisily. The Arlian Guardian was again clearly uncomfortable laying out his inner thoughts before not only Burter but Bra as well. “Whenever I get to your level, I have to call you out…I have to. I have to prove to myself that I’m not just your creation but a force in my own right. Not a spar...but a full on war between you and me where we lay everything we have down.” He paused a second and neither of the other two warriors could think of anything to interject. “We both know it would take two of me at my current powerlevel to take you on if we both actually tried to kill each other…which hopefully it will never come to. Not kill…not even then…” He got back to his feet and crossed back to Burter. “As to why I am here and so happy, you’re still my brother despite all that. Until the day I have to prove myself I’ll stand next to you against any man, any demon, any army, Big Blue.” He grinned. “And I will do it with a smile. And afterwards, I hope to stand should to shoulder with you again.” His smile turned rueful as he continued. “This is what I get for opening my mouth to that talkative fool of a Kai.”

The cyan haired woman grimaced, “If I had known this was therapy time I would have a brought a more comfortable couch…”

The azure reptile stood studying Yamu more intently then he ever had since knowing the human. A friend who had just revealed a far more complicated personality then Burter had ever thought possible.

[Bra]

It was a lot to take in. It had been even before she’d seen Burter that day. She was dead, and yet, he’d brought her to his home-world, a place called Reptilia. There were others like him, and she had gone years thinking he was unique. The girl could only imagine how long her friend held that belief, and what it had done to him.

Even more bizarre, Yamu, also dead, she quickly learned, walked through the door. A great deal was laid bare in the minutes to pass, and the aftermath was awkward silence. Bra didn’t know what to say, so she quietly passed outside, leaving the other two to their thoughts.

“An orphanage,” the princess milled over the words. Bra’s parents were terrible, but at least she knew them. “Burter, I’m... sorry.” she said to herself. The hybrid kicked a rock, and then made her way to the swing set. Plopping down onto the nearest swing, she was surprised to find she wasn’t too tall for it.

Bra was hardly a giant, but even she was capable of dragging her heels into the sand on a swing on Earth. Everything about Burter’s home made her feel small - the beds, the doorways, everything.

“Hey,” came a familiar voice. Bra shuddered in surprise, and then spotted Yamu sitting on top of the swing set. “I decided to give Blue a bit of space; teleported here to come hassle the young’in.” he grinned.

“Yeah...”

“So... how’d it happen? I mean... you were like, twelve the last time I saw you.”

“It’s... really complicated, and it sounds impossible, but... well, I guess the short answer is that I was... in another dimension. Five years passed in... in a flash, and I never got to experience them. I have no memories between then and now.” the cyan haired halfling explained.

“Oh.”

“Yeah, but... I was gonna say, I wasn’t laughing at you for the father figure comment.”

“No?” the large-veined warrior inquired.

“No, I just thought it was funny,” Bra lowered her head. “In that sense, you and me are the same. Burter taught me a lot more than my parents ever did. I laughed because I think it’s funny how a guy already as strong as you could look up to him.”

“So it wasn’t just an insult for the sake of an insult? Hell, you’re losing your edge, kid. What happened to the fire?” Yamu chortled with mock surprise.

“I had time to sort a lot of stuff out, Yamu. I don’t... want to be angry all the time anymore. I don’t want people to walk on eggshells around me just because I might blow up at them. I was stupid,” the heiress glanced up at the ring floating above the man’s head, deciding she needed a change in subject. “My halo looks better.”

A burst of speed, and then Yamu was alone. Bra had landed on the opposite side of the orphanage. There was no chance that the gargantuan man didn’t know where she was, but she doubted he’d follow regardless.

The blue-eyed girl collapsed against the wall, slumping down onto the ground. She wanted to go inside and be with her sapphire-colored friend, and yet, she knew he needed his time. He’d have to exit the orphanage sooner or later. Let him have his moment, she decided, picking at a clump of grass by her leg.

Over a half hour passed, and still, nothing. Bra had grown bored of pulling the blades of grass from the earth, and had resorted to using tiny blips of ki to set them on fire. She hoped to spell her name with the flames, but there was only enough space for a highly-stylized ‘B’. The girl sighed. Maybe Burter was just waiting to talk to someone.

The daughter of Vegeta hauled herself to her feet and brushed herself off. She headed to an entrance to the orphanage, and pushed the door open. Burter was standing at the same window he’d been since she last saw him.

“Hey, Burter?” Bra quietly requested, taking slow, deliberate steps toward him. She didn’t know why, but something compelled the empress to treat this place with a kind of reverence she hadn’t really granted to anything in her life. “Uh... I don’t mean to interrupt anything... I just wanted to see if you were alright.”

“Yeah. I’m fine.” the response was curt.

“Okay, well, uh, hey-”

“What?” came the reptile’s irritated response.

“Listen. Me and Yamu; we’re already dead. So whatever happens today, no heroics, okay? You’re a dad now. You’ve got stuff to live for now.” the princess declared. She was perhaps too forceful, but that was who she was. Burter would expect no different.

“You’re getting used to ordering me around, huh?” the giant blue man rasped, his tone so somber and quiet it was hard to understand.

“It’s not like that, Burter,” she winced. “You know I... we... look out for each other, okay?” Bra finally settled with. She wanted so say something more meaningful, but she could only handle so much mushy stuff; she’d already told Burter how she felt just before the destruction of the Construct.

An awkward silence fell over the pair. It was likely each had something to say, but neither was terribly comfortable with making themselves vulnerable. After all, they had an image to maintain. Burter was supposed to be annoyed with her always tagging along, and Bra was supposed to be annoyed with his personality. The two hadn’t really been keeping up appearances for a long time, though. Not that either would admit it.

The princess opened her mouth, unsure of wether or not to say what she was thinking, but just then, an arm wrapped around her throat. At first, she’d hoped it was Yamu, but the ki signature was all wrong. Burter whirled around, poised to help, but Bra wouldn’t have it. She wasn’t that useless.

Reaching behind her head, she grabbed two fistfuls of hair and hauled as hard as she could, flipping what turned out to be a saiyan warrior over herself and slamming him onto the floor, as hard as she could. A scarlet heel drove itself into the would-be assassin’s throat, choking off his air supply as he had hoped to do to her.

“If you can’t even take me, I don’t know what the hell you’re doing here. Snake-boy over there woulda tore you apart even if you did manage to do something to me.” the cyan haired heiress growled.

Just then, Yamu burst through the door, having heard the commotion. He caught the sight of the conflict in front of him, and then noticed how calm Burter appeared, off to the side. Definitely not too serious.

A kienzan dagger formed in Bra’s off-hand, and just as she was about to plunge it into her victim’s skull, she noticed Burter’s expression change to one of... concern? Then it clicked: no bloodshed was allowed to befall the orphanage.

The dagger vanished, and the girl yanked her attacker to his feet. Holding onto his jacket, she threw a vicious cross to his jaw, followed by a firm punch to the gut, stunning the saiyan infiltrator. With a firm toss, Bra hurled the dazed man straight through the open door and out into the playground.

Stepping through the entrance, the girl’s trademark, angrily buzzing dagger burst into life once again. She didn’t even give her assailant a chance to beg. With a flick of the wrist, the deadly blade spun through the air, and drove deep into the nameless saiyan’s skull.

The weapon faded away, allowing blood to spurt freely from the unobstructed wound. Bra turned on her heel, back into the orphanage. The cyan haired hybrid closed the door, removing the corpse from her sight.

“Saiyans?” she inquired.

“Yeah.” Burter answered.

“What’s going on here, Burter?” Bra finally demanded.

[Burter]

The reptilian returned to the window he had been standing in front of before the mysterious saiyan attacker had interrupted his conversation with Bra. Burter enjoyed this view the most out of the entire building, mainly because he had could see the entire main street and all of the other structures from this position. When he was a kid, taking in the view was something he neglected to do. After all...what child worries about mass slaughter? He was living in the moment, assuming he had a future.

Behind him, Yamu and Bra both took seats on the beds. It was surprising how well built the beds had been. He always knew the resources on his planet was ridiculously strong, which was probably why everybody grew up to either fight or mine the tunnels. It made sense that all of the buildings and furniture was well-built.

"So," Burter began, hoping his two comrades were listening. "I had a mother. At least, that's what I'm told. I was her second child and she died during the birth. It's a pretty common thing...since we can only have two babies, a lot of reptilians die during the second one. Well, mine did die and I came here with my brother."

Yamu stirred, which caused Burter to turn and see him. "I didn't know you had a brother..." he said, seeming comfortable with the idea. "Why didn't you ever tell me you had someone like that?"

Bra didn't say anything. She had been aware of the existence of Burter's sibling, but only from very brief stories. She hadn't actually known the details. "His name was Dominic," Burter explained. "I didn't say anything because he wasn't around. He left shortly after we came here. I think he blamed me for our mother dying. I knew he was really close to her and I...I didn't even know her. The only thing I share with her is the fact I came from her. It's kind of funny," he smiled a little bit, mildly. "I guess I'm not much better. I peek in on BJ from time to time, but I'm never really there for him. I wonder if he hates me for it."

"He's not old enough to understand hate, Burter," Yamu piped up again, while Bra remained silent. "You're giving him space to live his own life. I know he's young but the boy can't learn anything if he's on a leash. He's two already, right? That's--"

"I was two." Burter interrupted.

"What?" Yamu said, surprised.

Burter looked up, his red eyes telling the humanoid to fall silent. "I was two years old. Exactly how old BJ is now. They didn't really tell us children much, but we all knew that the saiyans owned us. Like cattle. We mined and farmed the Energy Ore around here and gave it exclusively to them. We were little more to them then fighters to train or farmers to use. One day...someone rose up and announced we weren't going to take it anymore. This planet is a little smaller then Earth with two continents. Who were the saiyans to own us? Who were the saiyans to claim what wasn't their's?"

Even now, speaking it out loud as if it was a new issue, Bra could feel Burter's anger. The man was getting worked up, a scowl rolling into the hiss. "Burter..." she began, "...I had no idea. The saiyan military has been a lot of shady stuff. I was never...I never heard about it."

"It was a special operation," he said. "The saiyans attacked and the reptilians won. But the saiyans were just trying to take over the planet. When that wasn't possible, they decided if they couldn't have this planet and the precious ore...nobody could. So they bombed the planet. Genocide. Kill every single reptilian and eliminate them. I was a kid. To this day I don't know how I escaped. Some adults threw me onto a cargo ship while I was running away and I wound up on Namek."

"What was the ore?" Yamu said, "What were you guys mining?"

"Energy Ore," Burter answered. "I don't know the details, but it's supposed to enhance your ability. Like a steroid for ki," he recalled people accusing him of using the meak drug in Dante's Abyss. "It has to be manufactured right, but the result is supposed to be very useful."

There were no more questions. Burter took a seat in one of the beds, crossing his legs so he was sitting comfortable in the center of the huge, fluffy mattress.

"Anyway," he continued, "I was taken in by a man named Jock. He was the village elder on Namek and he let me work on the farm for a place to stay. Eventually I became the unofficial guardian of the place. I was 2 years old. I'm 32 now. I spent 30 years thinking my planet was annihilated and my people were killed. But now...all at once, I find out my planet is still being used by saiyans. Saiyans who are probably working right under the nose of the King. I know Vegeta...he's a jerk, but he wouldn't condone this."

Bra didn't answer. Apparantly, she wasn't so sure.

"I grew to hate people," Burt said with sadness. "I was never taught reptilian customs or attitudes. The only people I knew were the namekians. I began to assume things about my people. Like I figured that we were incapable of loving because we only need one person to make a baby. I felt like I was the unluckiest kid in the world. I had no friends like me, no one to truly connect with. I became a good physical fighter, but I had no idea what ki was or how to truly use it. Then...you came along."

Bra looked up to see he was pointing at her. "...What?"

"When I met you and we left together, that's when it began. That was when I truly became strong. I don't think you totally understand what you did to me. I was...I was just a stupid man, thinking the world was out to get me. But in reality, I was the one who was out to get at the world. I wasn't unlucky...I was just ungrateful. I had a village of people took care of me, and I moped away for 25 years."

Burter looked up to see the expressions of his listeners. Yamu was looking away, though he was clearly in thought about what he was he hearing. Did he pity his friend? Did he think of him any less? Bra was looking right at him, hands over her belly, trying to come up with a good response. She couldn't find any.

"Now here I am," he said, "30 years later, telling you the story of how a special team of saiyans wiped my planet out. I came power my body up to forty times it's strength. I can teleport in and out of wormholes. I control fire and I can use my ki to move objects without actually touching them. My energy can poison people and my acid can make them hallucinate." His voice began to rise as he boasted. "I am, without a doubt, one of the strongest people alive in the universe." His voice then lowered again. "...But no matter how tough I am...I don't know if I can do this alone. I don't think I can face my past like this. I might find out...things I probably should have never learned. I don't know if the saiyans belong here or not...but this place was where I was born. I'm a survivor. I...owe it something. And I need you two with me."

Yamu was the first to answer. He didn't even have to think of a response. Despite everything he heard, he looked up instantly. "You'd have to fight me to get me to go away, Blue. You're stuck with me."

Burter smiled and looked at Bra. She kept a grim face, as if she was seriously pondering the decision. "I...I don't like the idea of fighting the saiyans," she said, "I feel like...I might find something out too. Something about the saiyan military I don't want to know. Someone had to give the order, you know? Someone has to be commanding these guys here, mining the planet and hunting you down."

"So...you're not coming?"

"Oh," she said, blinking, "I'm coming. I said I don't like the idea. But you've been more family to me then anybody who shares my blood ever could have. I'm going with you, no matter how uneasy I feel."

Burter smiled again and nodded. "...Thank you guys. Seriously. We've been through a lot. Through death and back. But it all has to end some time. Some day...we really will have to stay dead. I don't want that day to come until I finish this. I have to find out what's happening here, you know? I may end up wishing I didn't, but if I don't find out the fate of the Reptilians, I'm never going to know myself, truly."

Yamu stood up immediately. "When do we leave?"

Burter stood up too and looked out the window. From his position, he could see the blue moon. "We need to leave soon. The moon's tip is red."

"What does that mean?" Bra asked. She stood up as well and looked at the moon. "I don't see any red."

"I learned about it from the Grand Kai. That moon is called Nithanda - Lizard's Heart. For a reptile, it glows red twice in his or her's lifetime. I didn't actually get a good look at it the first time, but even if you don't see it doesn't mean it's not happening."

Yamu knew the answer, but he asked anyway. "What's it mean?"

"When it's completely red, I'm going to have my second and final baby. Which means we need to finish this. Now."

[Amadeus]

Wasteland. That was the word that best described what Amadeus saw as his ship entered the atmosphere and came below the clouds. As far as the eyes could see, there was nothing but debris and remains. There were a few spots where the wilderness has overgrown whatever remained of civilised life, but for the most part, the soil was barren and inhospitable. Whatever may have traversed there, one thing was certain. The planet and its inhabitants payed a dear price for it.

Amadeus sat in the cockpit, trying to stretch his limbs. He had spent several days orbiting the planet, attempting to detect the mysterious signature that brought him there in the first place. But he had little luck as the mystical energy did not resurface to allow him to pinpoint its exact origin. After days of searching, he finnaly detected ki spikes on the surface and went to investigate.

As the golden ship slowly descended upon the desolate ground, particles of the earth were blown away by the bursts from the working engines. The density of the dust continued to increase until the landing gear touched the surface with a small thud and the engines began to shut down. A few moments, the grains of soil settled down and the cockpit opened with a hissing sound of the decompressing air. Grabbing the edge, Amadeus swung himself outside and landed onto his feet. He could not help himself but feel pleased. It was good to be on the ground again.

But his joy was short-lived. He had barely regained his composure when he sensed two ki signatures nearby. Turning towards the source, he saw two black haired individuals approaching him. Given the identical armour they were wearing, he immediatlly recognised them as soldiers. Although he knew nothing of their allegiances, Amadeus immediately realised they were probably not very happy to see him. His theory was confirmed when the longer haired of the pair adressed him in a shouting tone: "Who the hell are you?! This is Saiyan property! Get off of this planet or you will regret ever coming here!"

The other Saiyan, obviously taken aback by the stranger, spoke to the older one:"Maybe we should wait for Clebram and deal with this together."

"To hell with Clebram!" retorted the long haired Saiyan in a voice that was no less harsh. "He keeps wandering around and getting lost like we are sightseeing! We can handle this freak by ourselves."

While they were arguing about Clebram, Amadeus looked around himself. Although his eyes saw nothing but dust and debris, his mysterious powers allowed him to feel a presence...a presence of the deceased. He could feel the remains of the dead buried underneath earth and ash, their spirits wandering aimlessly near their final resting place. Twisted by the horrible fate of their planet, they were never able to find peace and leave for the eternal plains of the afterlife. Failing to protect their people, they were cursed to keep reliving their last moments of mortal existance. Noticing this source of deformed entities, Amadeus turned to face the duo again. A wicked smirk appeared on his face.

"What are you smilling at?! You think this is funny?!" spoke the older Saiyan. The two had stopped arguing and had turned their attention back at the human. Turning his evil expression into a polite smile, he made a move with his hands that looked like a talking gesture:"Gentleman, I would be glad to cooperate with you..."

The soldiers did not realise that the move was not what it appeared to be. Focusing their attention on the white-haired warrior, they did not notice as the soil behind them rippled on five spots. The sand quietly gave way to the movement as pairs of blue flame wings surfaced into the outside world. Slowly ascending into the air, small birds of fire made a full appearance in the background. Their reptile ruby eyes remained fixed on the Saiyan pair, glittering with a loathing greater then any mere mortal was capable of. As the phoenixes were ready to strike, Amadeus continued:"...but you see...the dead are less...forgiving."

"Wha-?" the long haired soldier wanted to ask, but he never got the chance. Swooping with their wings, the fiery birds moved in for the kill. That was when the duo noticed the ethereal beings behind them. The expressions on their faces barely changed to those of horror when the phoenixes collided into their victims.

A powerful explosion errupted from the contact, causing the long still earth to tremble. It resonated far and wide, disturbing the peace that had persisted there for so long. Amadeus covered his face with his arm as waves of dust hurled into him. But after a few moments, the particles subsided and the human looked at the result of the action. The vengeance of the dead souls was total as mere ash remained of the two individuals that previously stood there. Pleased with the result, Amadeus turned elsewhere as he detected new traces of ki. Three powerful individuals were located near, the power of one feeling awfully familiar. Smilling to himself, Amadeus moved onward...to a yet another unusual experience.

[Yamu]

The hum of large machinery filled the room the two Saiyans stood in even though the main mines on Reptilla were a good ten miles away. The taller of the two standing at the window hated the noise, the outdated tools they were forced to use to mine the Energy Ore reminded him of how this assignment had been meant to be a punishment. A way to keep him off of Vegata-Sei forever, hidden away on an empty corner of the galaxy. The old Diggers had to be used because the miraculous mineral they were prospecting would explode in its unrefined state if it came into contact with the beam from a mining laser. Thus they were forced to dig like swine in the dirt to get the precious material out.

“Ahem.” The smaller of the pair covered a fake cough. “Viceroy Taroc, I only have a short time I can spend on this…planet.”

Taroc knew the short man wanted to say ‘prison’ but had refrained. Taroc knew the Deputy my reputaion. Keal was a toady for the royal family, and thus hated by Taroc. The Viceroy turned to give his shorter companion a full view of his glory. Taroc wore the traditional Saiyan uniform with the Viceroy insignia over his left breast but with many improvements. Instead of the normal hardened black armor sheets of Energy Ore had been molded over his form and made up his uniform. Only the highest quality of the Ore were used in his armor the kind that sparkled in the light with a thousand colors. The cape that attached to the exaggerated shoulder pads contained flecks of the Energy Ore as well and made for a nauseating sight as he walked past, the psychedelic display almost too much to take in. Taroc’s crossed his arms over his chest each forearm completely encapsulated in a customized Battle Charger. He tossed his mane of well kept but exceedingly long hair over his shoulder as he replied to the smaller stature Saiyan. “What does his majesty ask of his servant.” The Viceroy had long ago given up the pretense of respect for the new ruler whom he still considered a young and inexperienced king.

Keal was no fighter and had attached himself to the royal family for protection, a Saiyan who could not fight did not last long without strong friends. Keal knew he did not look the part even though he wore the armor, his skin was pale and even his Saiyan mane was a bright red, a color seldom seen on the planet. He looked weak but he knew that with the home world behind him he could not be touched and was able to stare down his much taller and broader companion. “Yes, his Glorious Majesty is concerned with the reports that have come out of your fief over the past thirty years. Apparently his father never cared about your goings on.” Taroc could not fight the color of rage that filled his face at me referred to so out of hand, “But the new King has been auditing the collected fiefs of the Saiyans and has noticed several inconstancies with the books here. He wishes an immediate audience.”

“What does he expect me to do with the tools I am given? Vagrants and murders sent here as punishment to mine what could be our people’s greatest resource! Since that boy took the throne I am given no support beyond the muck that was left here after the attack to work! I delivered this planet to his father on a GOLDEN PLATTER and I will not have some brat steal it away.”

“I would not talk so…candidly about his majesty.” Keal said with a smile, totally confident in the protection afforded to him.

“I will talk however I please on my planet.” Taroc said with a clenched fist.

“Do you forget it his only by his majesty’s sufferance you maintain control of Reptilla? His majesty is most concerned with the lack of Ore output, your failure to maintain control, and your ‘Berserker’ program.”

Taroc fumed to himself…of course that bastard had never told his son what had happened here, why some lowly officer had been promoted directly to Viceroy and given an entire planet. “When does his majesty want me to call him for this audience.”

The red haired Saiyan was taken aback, “You do not understand. His Glorious Majesty has ordered you to come before him personally.”

The dark haired governor’s anger quickly dissolved into a smile. The sins of the father would fall on the son it would seem. Taroc smiled, he would go to Vegeta-sei and remind them why Reptilla was Taroc’s planet. And if they did not see the wisdom in his words…well they would see that the Energy Ore embracing most of his body was not just for show. Plus, Taroc had never been completely honest with the last King either, there had been more then one reason he had been anathema on the home world.

King Taroc…it has a ring to it…

The larger Saiyan put his arm around Keal, a little angered when the smaller man did not flinch, and led him towards the West Wing, “So Deputy Keal, have you ever seen a Reptilian Berserker before?”

[Yamu]

The horizon in front of the trio brimmed with dark ominous clouds that stretched all the way to the very top of the sky. It layered upon itself over and over again and crushed any light that might have tried to shine through it. Above and behind them only crystal clear sapphire could be seen left untouched by everything but a few small puffs of cheery whiteness. Burter, Bra, and Yamu ran along the ground to keep a lower profile, blowing through forests and shooting over wide valleys in just a few blinks. They had no destination, only a direction: North. They could all sense a strong and highly variable ki signal just south of the North Pole. The thought amused Yamu Reptilla was much closer to its sun then Earth which made even the northern latitudes here feel down right warm compared to what he was used to. He wondered if there was even an ice cap here.

Suddenly a fluctuation rippled over their individual Ki Sense. “Feel that?” Burter asked as he fell back to talk to his companions as they stopped to examine the possible attack.

“To the right…someone coming low and fast…” Yamu added as they all scanned the landscape to their right where the storm from the North directly encroached onto the peaceful azure sky. The difference in distance from their vantage point allowed for three of the small cumulous clouds to super impose themselves over the brooding storm.

“The signature is familiar…” Bra murmured forcing her male companions to look at each other in confusion as neither of them recognized the signature. “Hey…I meet people outside of you two, y’know…”

As the saiyin princess finished a blue aura shot across the sky stopping just above them in a soft explosion letting a white haired human slowly descend and alight softly on the ground in front of them. His aura pushed strands of the long untamed grass away from him and as he lowered his energy the strands resumed the normal movement caused by the growing wind with their brethren

Bra smirked, “Amadeus…I didn’t think I would be seeing you this soon. Good timing to, I think your help won’t go unappreciated, right Burter?”

The azure reptile turned from where he was staring North toward the tumultuous and violent Ki signature held beyond the ever-darkening clouds. “Another set of fists won’t go unused.” He looked the new comer up and down and gave a small nod. “As long as you trust him, Bra.”

The cyan haired woman smiled, “I wouldn’t say with my life but he is trustworthy, he has helped me out before.”

Amadeus took a step closer to the group now that he felt a certain degree of acceptance, “I followed the contact information you gave me. Only two of you showed up on it…I thought the third signature might have been…” He looked at the pulsing veins forcing themselves out of Yamu’s seven foot frame and shrugged, “…an enemy.” He took in the muscled scales of Burter as well before he continued. “When you said your friends were ‘serious’ I did not quite expect this.”

“A girl has to have a type doesn’t she?” Bra joked, though only Yamu laughed openly at it.

The bald human took a step towards Amadeus sizing up his new companion. “The name is Yamu and don’t worry, most people run when they see me. So, you think you’re up to this, Deuce? We’re heading into quite a storm that way.” The hulking human waved vaguely North since he really didn’t know their exact destination.

The white haired human finally took in the halo orbiting the other human’s head as he turned back from studying the looming cloud cover Yamu had pointed towards. “First, it is Amadeus, not ‘Deuce’. Secondly, when did a little water ever stop someone like us?”

Burter turned back towards the North as he crossed his arms over his chest, “He wasn’t talking about the rain.”

[Yamu]

The command post was dead silent as Tarroc walked in with Keal. The smaller saiyin did not react to anything in the room, he merely stared ahead as his mind reacted to what Tarroc had showed him.

Suddenly the dull hum of monitors was broken up by one of the men manning the monitors.“Viceroy! I’ve got something!” One of the many minor cannon-fodder soldiers of the refinery turned around frantically, sweat beading over his forehead.

Pathetic, a saiyin afraid of battle. Tarroc’s seat in the center of the room would be a chair for anyone else, but with his cape and demeanor he made it look like a throne. He leaned forward, his eyes flashing with excitement. “Yes…what is it…” Tarroc meant to finish with the man’s name but realized he had never cared enough to memorize it.

“Four signatures, three Alpha level threats and one Omega.” The technician read off from the screen, his voice cracking slightly at the word ‘Omega’.

A smile like a chesire cat crossed Tarroc’s face as he leaned back into his chair, his hands flexing into fists. He leaned over to the shorter man standing to his left. “It looks like you will get to see what my Berserkers can do first hand, Keal. Not just the pens.”

The Royal Inspector did not respond, his eyes still wide from what the Viceroy had shown him in the bowels of the refinery.

“Oh, Keal…” Tarroc brushed the man’s shoulder making him jump. The long haired Viceroy laughed from deep in his chest, “Hopefully they all will react like you do.” He settled back in his chair, rolling the scent of fear off of Keal like fine wine in his mouth. “What else can you tell me about the signatures?” The Viceroy suddenly realized these signatures might have been something special sent along with the Inspector from Vegita-Sei.

“I’m not sure, sir. I’m getting readings all over he board, one reptil, one human, one saiyin, and if I didn’t know any better the last one is showing up like a Berserker.” The technician read off slowly, trying his best to get every word just right.

“Impossible all our Berserkers are accounted for and there are no free reptils beside that blue bastard that is all over that TV show. You…” Again he did not know the names of the prisoners he used to run his operation he merely pointed to a second one. Only the warriors he had brought with him were important enough for that. “You…release two of the Berserkers. I want to field test them. Send along a spotter team to record the encounter. I want to know if that…that…”

“Burter, sir.” A third technician spoke up only to be rewarded with a harsh glare. “The reptil that is always on Dante’s Abyss…his name is Burter.”

“Fine, I want you to search the military and civilian databases for this ‘Burter’. I want his abilities, strengths, and weaknesses all uploaded into the BTD.” Tarroc leaned over the high arm of his chair again to keep his unhappy companion informed, “As you will see, we can program the Berserkers through our Tactical Database to customize them to fight any and all threats.” He turned back to the room. “I want all known allies and friends of this man uploaded as well. I want to know who is out there with him so we can program the Berserkers for them to.” The Viceroy had not finished talking before the whole room was alive with movement to track down the wanted information.




The foursome continued to walk even as the rolling clouds of midnight threatened upon them. Burter set the tone for the group which meant they were all unusually quite. Everyone felt the tension in the air and each suspected that trying to break it might only make it stronger.
Amadeus was the first to speak after their initial meeting, “So, why do think they haven’t come after us yet? I can feel that none of you are masking your signature with any kind of effort. If they can’t sense us now then this REALLY won’t be a challenge.”

“They know where we are going.” Everyone looked back at Yamu who was guarding the group’s back. The veiny human shrugged his massive shoulders, “If we had multiple targets we would have the advantage if they balked like this since we could go wherever we wanted. It would be prudent for them to hound us to keep us from picking and choosing our targets. As is, it seems like the saiyin presence is located at one place: due North. They know we have to come to them, so they can fortify themselves in good conscience.”

Six eyes stared back at him blankly. Yamu paused as he read the reaction of the group, “What?” The ebony eyed titan said defensively, “I’ve been leading the Regulators for over a year. You pick up tactics along the way…” Suddenly a loud crashing sound echoed directly in front of them like a bulldozer leveling a forest. “Then again, I could be wrong.”

[Yamu]

“The observation team has landed. Visual information coming in as we speak. Confirmed, the first inbound is the fighter known as ‘Burter’.” The technician read off the data as fast as the screen could present it to him. The modern military databases kept extensive information and orders on all the prevalent fighters of the galaxyt in case it was ever needed for a strategic purpose. The wily Tarroc kept his formal military ties as he ran his plethora of illegal operations. “Viceroy, he is listed as Omega Class, red flagged for Kaioken double plus as a ‘Do not engage under any circumstances’. Luckily, he is an extremely renowned fighter, combat data is flooding in as we speak.”

Before his last words were finished another technician from the semi-circle of computer screens turned up from the soft blue glow to speak over the din of moving bodies filling the war room. “Sir, the next inbound is Princess Bra, she is blacked flagged ‘Do not harm’. She’s listed as a known associate of Burter and Ragnarok Black. She is also given Complete Clearance under the military’s specialties database.”

Tarroc sat in the middle of the bustle as all the prisoners he had turned into engineers and technicians ran to meet his demand for knowledge. “Impossible,” he scoffed waving his hand, “no saiyin has been given Complete since the Gowen years.”

None of the monitor flunkies had the courage to tell him he was wrong so the first continued on with the report. “The third is listed as ‘Amadeus Phoenix’. Little information other then suspected affiliation to Rag Black and he is yellow flagged for possible Alpha status, as per Kaioken plus. He also has a…purple flag?” The man twisted his head as he squinted to make sure he was not losing his mind or vision. “Directive: Engage and observe for background and current power info.”

The Viceroy again waved the information away. He had no care for the aims and goals of Vegitasei even though someone on the home planet was especially interested in him. “The last?”

“I found him…but his current status lists him as ‘dead’” The female of the pair spoke up again, sifting through the mountain of details the computer threw at her to find the important nuggets. “Yamu, red flagged for ‘Engage with care’ as per Kaioken plus. Yellow flagged: diplomatic threat as per Arlia. Known associate of Burter and Bra but unaffiliated with any known groups beside the Arlian police force known as Regulators. Combat data is flooding in from over half a dozen planets…”

The room of technicians paused, realizing the mammoth task of sifting the information and plugging it into the Berserkers.

The long haired Viceroy broke the silence, “Send information into the Beserker units as you get it, worry about long term stratagem and countermeasures later. Right now, plug them in with the target’s stats.” Tarroc finally smiled leaning over to the unspeaking Keal once again, “Excellent, it appears the first field test for the Berserkers will be a splendid one.” He turned back to the room. “I have changed my mind, beam four Berserkers to the observation location. Two Spitters and two Brutes, send and handler team to the forward location as well.” He slid back into his chair as he used the controls in the arm to put the live feed from the observation point onto the main screen. He planned on enjoying the show.

The diminutive saiyin standing next to him finally spoke for the first time since coming out from the Berserker holding pens. “I’m not leaving this planet alive, am I?” Keal knew that Tarroc would not have shown him so much information, let alone assaulting the royal princess, if he was going to let him return to Vegitasei.

The Viceroy turned in his chair slowly a frown creasing his face into a dark grimace, “No…and now that you know it makes it a lot less fun for me.” His voice was flat and emotionless and let the whole room know he really was angry as his fun being taken from him.

Keal breathed deep as he began to think of ways to help the four intruders as they were now his only hope.

[Bra]

There wasn’t much time for Bra to think, as a massive, blue creature lashed out at her, nearly tearing it’s claws into her face. She couldn’t shake the fact that this thing looked just like Burter yet somehow... much more feral, but even that didn’t matter. She had no idea who sent it, nor why, and hadn’t the time to even form the questions, much less pursue the answers.

Things might have been different if the princess knew these things were being bred in some pit, monitored in some control center, unleashed by some renegade officer. Things might have been different if she knew they had detailed information on her and her friends, that they knew she was a princess and decided to disregard such a fact. That she had ‘Complete Clearance’ over anything. Hell, even knowing what ‘Complete Clearance’ was would have been more information than she had at the moment.

What Bra did know was that a big, frightening, Burter look-a-like was trying very hard to kill her, and that she needed to pour on a significant amount of speed to stay that vital half-step ahead of her adversary.

With a sidelong glance, the blue-eyed girl saw that her friends, as well, had been assaulted by similar creatures. No time for that, again. This... thing wasn’t enough of a challenge to go super saiyan, but it was one of Burter’s kin; a people whom they both thought were extinct. She didn’t know what she was supposed to do.

“Burter!! Can’t you call them off?!” the cyan haired empress demanded, already knowing the answer. She ducked a clawed swipe, and finally, she jabbed the monstrous reptilian in the nose, pushing it off-balance.

“What do you think?!” came the hissing reply. A huge fist crashed into the side of his opponent, sending the poor, scaled monster flying.

With that said, Bra knew there was only one recourse. This warrior was not thinking on the same plane a self-aware fighter was; it was an animal. Maybe Burter’s people were once a proud and mighty species, but - and at this, the hyrbid’s eyes welled - no longer. They were nothing more than domesticated beasts of conflict. Biological weapons.

The creature didn’t care how sympathetic Bra was; he only knew what his handlers wanted, and they wanted her to die. And so it leapt into the air, unleashing a savage shriek of fury. It was not unlike the creatures brought to life by the Construct; a thought that made her shudder.

Using her speedbreak technique - an act that made this fight completely unfair, as the teenaged empress far outclassed her opponent - she easily danced around her opponent’s furious swipes, and threw a particularly brutal punch into the reptilian’s temple, launching it through the air. The thing landed on it’s feet, to Bra’s disappointment. She had hoped to knock it out quickly, rather than kill it.

This specific scaled fiend had enormous fangs - much larger than the ones Burter possessed - and thus, the demi saiyan unimaginatively dubbed him ‘Smiley.’ For the daughter of Vegeta, a name always made things easier. Then she was fighting against whatever this name stood for, and not necessarily an individual. She was fighting against actions and ideals abhorrent to her, and not - as far as her conscience was concerned - merely killing someone opposed to her own actions or ideals.

Still, one couldn’t ignore the feeling of colliding with flesh and bone, or the sight of blood spraying against the ground. Try as she might, she could never make combat seem quite like a video game. The feeling of blood on her fists, that was always the worst. All justification seemed to fall to pieces when you saw you were tearing someone’s essence from them.

Smiley threw a very skilled kick, but he was simply too slow. Bra caught it and, in a flash, she ascended to super saiyan, and threw her palm into his knee, forcing his leg to bend the wrong way until a sickening, wet snap sounded out, echoing as loud as a gunshot. The scaled warrior collapsed, shrieking in agony.

“You... you can’t even talk, can you?” the warrior suddenly realized, while her golden locks faded back to cyan and fell softly against her shoulders. “Sorry, Smiley. I’m trying to send a message, here. Don’t get up, okay?”

Then she saw it. A tiny transmitter blinking just beneath Smiley’s shirt collar, on the back of his neck. It turned red for a moment, and the thing climbed to it’s feet, despite a broken leg. And then, it levitated up off the ground.

“Great, you can fly,” the girl sighed, kicking off the ground herself. In a flash, she vanished, appearing behind the creature and snatching for the transmitter. To her shock, it was stuck to Smiley’s neck quite firmly, and she failed to take it on the first go, giving the reptile enough time to throw an elbow into her face.

Recovering instantly, Bra threw a much more authoritative punch across Smiley’s jaw, spinning him around. Grabbing for the transmitter again, she planted one foot against his back and with both hands grasped onto the little device, she pulled.

And still, it wouldn’t budge. Frustrated, the halfling ascended once more and hauled on the transmitter as hard as she could.

The result was horrific; while she had accepted the fact that skin would probably be broken, she had no idea what to expect. With a disgusting crack, she would up disconnecting Smiley’s spine from his skull and pulling the vertebrae out through the back of his neck. And still, the transmitter remained bonded to the spine.

“Oh, fuck, no!!” the terrified girl exclaimed, dropping the corpse, which hit the ground with the same anticlimactic thud most dead people shared. This was different, though. This was wrong. It was a mistake! Bra bit her lip; Burter would surely be upset at this, but it wasn’t like she planned to kill Smiley.

The princess let out a long breath, and took a look around. It seemed everyone was doing fairly well for themselves. Each of her friends had a reptilian of their own to contend with, and it looked as though Bra was the first to make a kill. Not that she intended to. Her sixth sense reached out, touching everyone it could find, and-

“There’s more people here!” she exclaimed, and then was attacked by another of the feral warriors. This one wrapped it’s arms around her from behind, pinning her arms to her chest. “Whoa, shit! You’re tougher than Smiley was!” she managed, before slamming the back of her head into it’s face to break free of the hold.

Unlike Smiley, this one was only fazed by an attack from the super saiyan, rather than utterly subjugated. Looking over to see Amadeus climbing to his feet, she motioned her head toward the reptilian. “This yours?” she asked.

The ivory haired man just nodded. With a vicious punch, Bra launched the stunned warrior toward Amadeus, leaving her free to pursue the new signatures she had felt. Focusing all of her might, she blasted off with no remorse for the terrain around her, which shattered like porcelain. The ground below her was stripped of grass, soil, trees, and whatever else happened to occupy it, carving a runnel as the debris kicked up in an earthen wake behind the unimaginably fast princess.

Suddenly veering upwards, Bra climbed like a rocket, before tipping over and plunging at full speed toward the mysterious ki signatures, using gravity to go even faster than she otherwise could.

Without slowing down much, the golden haired hybrid collided with the ground, obliterating the earth around her, and forming a crater. A powerful shockwave rippled outward, knocking over several of the people she’d just dropped in on.

“S-Saiyans!?” she demanded, dumbstruck. She knew they were here, but they couldn’t be behind this atrocity... could they?? “What... wha... What the hell are you all up to!?”” she finally shouted.

There was some quiet murmuring but nothing seemed to be developing rapidly enough so she pressed her point. “You’d better start talking. I’m Princess Bra, you might now my dad? King Vegeta?”

“What... do you think?” one of the saiyans - they all appeared to be technicians of some sort - asked another. He seemed remarkably nervous. All of them did.

“Well... you heard Taroc. He said disregard established directive. Vegeta’s pretty wrathful, but so’s Taroc, and Taroc’s right here.” came the reply. Bra didn’t quite know what was being said, but it was quickly coming together. This was going to suck.

[Burter]

He could have been his father. Or an aunt, or a grandfather. Or this reptilian who was attacking it's own kin could have very well been his twin.

Burter had been walking calmly with his companions on the turf of his home planet when suddenly something flashed out of the corner of his crimson eyes. Bra was the first one to get attacked, but they were all lucky enough to have their very own reptile to spar with. Burter lept into the air as a very large purple-shaded creature swiped at his stomach. Before he even had a good look at the attacker, Burter had threw three ki blasts.

"What in the--?" Burter grunted out loud as an uppercut flew his way. Somehow, he flipped backwards off of the assailant's chest, landing perfectly on the ground. The lizard-man opposite him landed as well, drooling through his clawed teeth. "You're a..."

The man in front of him looked just like him, aside from the color of his scales. Rather then bright blue, this brainwashed warrior had a more purplish or pinkish tone to his scales. He also had much larger muscles then Burt did (and Burt prided himself on the size of his muscles), almost to the point that it seemed he was injected with something.

"You can't even understand me, can you?" Burter asked the reptile, his eyes flashing. Could he fight this menace? He had been searching for years for proof of his race's survival, only to find this shell of a man. He was a weapon of war. The reptilian had become, quite simply...a tool.

The monster reptile lept forward, letting out a blood-curling roar. Burter again lept upwards, this time jumping off of a nearby boulder. He flipped sideways in the air, avoiding another strike from the demonic warrior. He landed firmly on his feet, this time catching the fist of the man, slamming his own into his chest and putting the crazy lizard onto the ground, hard.

Burter slammed his foot down and connected with the skull of the opposing amphibian, knocking it out. "Man..." he said, backing up. "What did they do to you?"

Normally, he would have killed the man. Instead, Burter turned around to rejoin Bra and the others, leaving the reptile hurt but alive.

Though thinking back on it, maybe death would have been preferred.