Chapter 8

The first wreck I entered was an old one, though the shape of it was familiar. A Tuffle Core Ship from back before the Saiyan-Tuffle War. It looked partly-organic as some Late-War Tuffle technology tended to do. If I remembered what the gestation tank had beamed into my brain about it all correctly, the Tuffles had begun amping up their biotechnology in the last phase of the War as a way to increase various capabilities. Biological tissue could be trained, but metal and ceramics would always stay the same, after all. Mind you, I wasn't entirely sure that the Tuffles knew about Ki. Honestly, there are still things about Tuffle Science we didn't know, even decades later. Of course, the Biotech still didn't help them much when the Night of the Bloody Moon happened and ended the decade-long War in a single, brutal, night.

King Vegeta the First, his Mate, Queen Mushrama, and his Sons, the future King Vegeta the Second and the Future Traitor Prince Tubera, hit the Tuffle Capital in their Oozaru Forms on the night of the Full Moon at the head of an elite force of the twenty most-powerful Saiyans including Generals Nappa the Elder and Nappa the Younger, and the Hero Pasnap. When the Sun rose, the Tuffle Capital was reduced to a glass floor and the Tuffles were wiped out. The Story went that King Vegeta the First personally demolished the Tuffle Royal Palace with the Tuffle King inside it. Apparently, the Tuffle King had tried to use a Biotech Power Suit to fight King Vegeta the First, but it was no match for the overwhelming might of the Saiyan Elite. I wasn't entirely sure things had gone quite as smoothly as the Official line claimed, though. Propaganda was a hell of a drug, after all.

Regardless, entering the Tuffle Ship was easily done for me. As it turned out, the Old Tuffle Scouter I wore was the key to entry. Some of the older Tuffle gear that had been put in storage before Tubera's Revolt still had Tuffle Army Access Codes on the storage. Once again, my not having a more modern, PTO-Sourced Scouter had worked to my advantage, allowing me entry to the ship as well as being void of any PTO Tracking Software. As I approached the Tuffle Ship, my Scouter beeped twice and the odd-looking, magenta, organic, bulkhead opened up, part of it grinding open to reveal a doorway. The smell of death and decay wafted out of the ship as the door opened up and it was easy to see why. Right next to the corridor was the torn in half, partially-mumnified, corpse of a Tuffle Soldier.

"You've been here a while, huh? I wonder who killed you?" I questioned.

The corpse didn't answer, empty eye sockets glaring out and accusing me. Knowing that ghosts were a thing if DC was part of this Hybrid Universe wasn't exactly comforting to me. I was a Saiyan entering a Tuffle Ship, after all. My people exterminated there's, even if they were decimated in turn. Honestly, even before the PTO arrived to make us Clients, Pasnap's Rebellion happened a mere twenty-one years after the final victory over the Tuffles, reducing the number of Saiyans down to less than half a million and almost destroying the newly renamed Planet Vegeta in the process. The Saiyans under King Vegeta the Second became PTO Clients because King Cold offered stability and Terraforming Services, after all. We didn't have long to celebrate our victory over the Tuffles.

Regardless, I pressed on into the Tuffle Ship, noticing signs of conflict in the musty, darkened, corridors. Honestly, that there was still auxiliary power in here at all was a miracle as I spotted trashed corridors and destroyed bulkheads, Tuffle Corpses lay strewn about, partially mummified by the atmosphere and torn asunder by the violence. I managed to salvage a few items from various Tuffle Corpses as I went, fortunately. Firstly, I entered the crew quarters and picked up a higher-quality Scouter than the one I had on. The one I had on was rated for a Private Soldier in the Tuffle Army. It would only go up to eighteen thousand before overload, even with the upgrades performed. The one I picked up was rated for a Junior Officer and went up to one million Arcosian Power Level Units on a scan.

A Tuffle Corpse in the Armory, meanwhile carried one of the Tuffle vibroblades, whose monomolecular blade was wreathed in a field of vibrating power that was more advanced than the Czarnian Vibroblade I'd previously grabbed. That wouldn't have wounded a Mid-Class Saiyan, this would. At the same time, I grabbed the least damaged Tuffle Plasma Accelerator Blaster for the Armory aboard the Nth Talon. Both were secured to my armor via magnetic clamps, while my old Scouter went into the satchel at my waist, alongside a few Credit Chips I found in the Quartermaster's Office. Those Credits might not be good anymore, it's been six decades since the Saiyan-Tuffle War ended, after all. It was still something to look into when I had the chance, though.

"Where is the bridge? Down, I think?" I queried to myself.

That would be the best way to figure out what had happened here. The Bridge should have a Tuffle Command Computer on it that would have a record of the Ship's last actions. That was one of the things that the Tuffles did better than a lot of the other races in the Galaxy. They had always put their bridge deep within the armored heart of the ship, trusting their sensors to feed them info. It wasn't like with the PTO or Thanagarians and so on, who had vulnerable bridges with destroyable viewports that allowed for manual piloting. No, getting to the bridge of a Tuffle Ship was always like drilling into a geode to find the crystal in the center. Not that I had experience doing that, but once again the Gestation Tank's lessons came in handy again, so long as you discarded the propaganda.

Fortunately, there was a blasted open lift shaft that I could fly down to get to the bridge. Doing so revealed yet more blast marks and destroyed sections of bulkhead. Getting to the bottom revealed a pile of dead, desiccated, Tuffle Soldier corpses. Many of them looked to have taken some sort of blast through the torso. Others were torn asunder while one looked like he had his skull crushed. As I landed, I was careful not to do any more damage. Entering the corridor revealed it to be partially destroyed. The ceiling had partly collapsed in either the battle or the crash that followed. I had to negotiate the rubble carefully in order to get through. Blasting my way through was a last resort as it could just as easily collapse the rest of the corridor as it could clear the way through.

When I passed through that, I found myself in the Bridge. Smashed consoles and destroyed bulkheads were accented with a dozen torn-apart Tuffle Corpses surrounding a single, Saiyan Corpse. A Tuffle Corpse in a Captain's Uniform with a single arm but no other visible wounds sat on the partially destroyed Command Throne. It was there that I was able to use my new Scouter to download the logs of the Ship, apparently called the Oranji Star under the command of Captain Liman of the Tuffle Army. Apparently, they'd been attempting to evacuate the Tuffle Scientist Doctor Appal and his team from the Capital ahead of the Full Moon. Their research was into Time Travel and deemed critical not to fall into Saiyan Hands. They had just lifted off when they were attacked by a Saiyan Advanced Scout. The Saiyan killed the crew and Doctor Appal. He had also fatally wounded Captain Liman, but not before Captain Liman initiated an emergency Fold-Space Jump. The crash after the Jump allowed him to kill the Saiyan, but he died from blood loss shortly after, recording this log in his final moments.

"Time Travel, huh? That's some pretty high-tier science." I mused.

I resolved to find that data as soon as I finished up on the Bridge, making a makeshift pyre for Captain Liman and the Unknown Saiyan and blasting it to get it going. I didn't have any words, so instead just offered a prayer for the dead I learned at the Temple of the Great Kha'zro. With that done, I headed out to check into this supposed Time Travel research. That could have just been a cover story, after all. I doubted Chronoa or the Linear Men or whoever would have done nothing while the Tuffles looked into Time Travel, after all. It did seem to be sort of against what their entire MO was.

It was true, however, and after a bit more looking, I discovered the data in a destroyed Lab near a white-coated, legless, Tuffle Corpse that I assumed was the body of Doctor Appal. However, there was no sign of Arkillo anywhere in the wreck. It was time to leave this ship and check in on Shayera since she'd headed for the big wreck of a Citadel Battlecruiser. I flew through the corridors and headed for the open air, calling over to Shayera as I did so.

"No sign of Arkillo here, but I got some presents. What about you?" I asked over Comms.

"The Citadel Cruiser's clean. I'm entering a Khundian Destroyer now, hang on." Answered Shayera.

Over Comms, I heard the grinding of metal on metal, followed by one of those bird-like grunts Shayera Made when exerting herself. There was a clang and crunch like she'd swung her Nth Metal Mace into the door to bash it open. Knowing Shayera, that's exactly what happened.

"All right, I'm in. Ugh, this place is a dump. Smells like a slaughterhouse. I think we might have a lead." Informed Shayera.

"Be careful, Cap. I'm on my way in case you need backup." I responded.

"Hang on, I think I saw movement." Mused Shayera.

Moments later, however, I heard a roar, followed by another bird-like grunt of exertion. There was a pair of clangs followed by a scream of pain, then a thump followed by silence. Frowning, I waited for a few moments before speaking up.

"Cap? What happened?" I demanded.

"Ssshe'sss indisssposssed. Too busssy being unconsciousss." Came a sibilant, growling, voice.

"Arkillo." I growled out.

"In the flesssh." Hissed the Vorn Serial Killer.

"Don't touch my Captain. I'll be with you shortly." I intoned.

"I'll be here. Don't keep me waiting too long, though. I'm a touch peckisssh and wouldn't mind a bit of roassst Hawk." Laughed Arkillo.

Then he cut the feed and left me alone. I let out a rumbling growl of frustration and leaped up into the air. Taking off like a gunshot, I flew toward the blocky shape of the Khundian Destroyer which crashed around five hundred Galactic standard meters away from the Tuffle Ship, breaking the sound barrier as I did so. I blasted my way into the crashed hulk of the Destroyer, a Ki blast burning through the hull and landing in what looked like a mess hall. Arkillo was nowhere to be found, which was typical, since he obviously knew how to hide his power. It was likely going to be a game of cat and mouse. Either I would find Arkillo or he would find me. Either way, we'd duke it out until only one of us was left standing. I was resolved that it would be me that was left when the dust settled.

Shayera's life literally depended on it. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here's the next chapter. A lot of background knowledge of events and stuff, plus our first peek at Arkillo. In this fic, the Saiyan-Tuffle War took place sixty to seventy years ago, under King Vegeta the First, who is the famous Vegeta's Grandfather. There was also a rebellion where Vegeta's Uncle tried to usurp the Throne, wrecking Planet Vegeta and forcing the Saiyans to accept Client Status under King Cold.

At any rate, the next chapter will be the confrontation with Arkillo. Taking a bit of inspiration from Aliens for that.

Stay tuned. . .