Chapter 5

As we transited Fold-Space toward the Shipwreck World of Talkorr, I spent some time perusing the Galactic Net. Some things had been different from what I recalled of both Dragonball and DC Comics, so I figured getting the lay of the land was a good idea. The first thing that jumped out at me was the lack of a Galactic Patrol. It seemed that the Green Lantern Corps filled their niche here, which made perfect sense to me. After all, the Guardians of Oa were notorious control freaks. There was no way they would have allowed an independent organization of space cops to start up, not with how long they had been around. They probably smothered the Galactic Patrol in the crib, though I couldn't verify that, which was typical. If they had, they would have buried news of the event, just like they had with the massacre of Sector Six-Six-Six in canon.

The next big difference was the Arcosians. In Canon Dragonball, the Cold Family seemed to be the sole Arcosians out and about. That wasn't the case here, instead, they were just the most powerful of the Arcosians. There were others, organized into family units which in turn were organized into larger clans. The Cold Family was the ruling family of the Cold Clan and had control over the PTO and several smaller Megacorporations like Glacion Minerals Limited, run by a vassal family within the Cold Clan. There were others, such as the Siber Clan, who owned Arcosia Electronics, or the Kiil Clan who owned the New Arcosia Shipyards, but all Arcosians had a few traits in common.

The first was that they were all monstrously powerful. No Arcosian had ever been recorded with a power level of below one-hundred-thousand. This was aided by the fact that the Arcosians were known to be capable of multiple transformations as a race, each of which came with a boost to personal combat power. Thus far, no Arcosian has been recorded as being capable of more than two transformations, though I knew that Frieza, King Cold, and Cooler all had at least one more they could pull out of their collective hats if need be. It meant that the Arcosians as a whole were one of the few organizations that the Guardians had decreed a Hands-Off Policy on when it came to the Green Lanterns.

The sheer amount of personal combat power that the Arcosians in general had access to dovetailed nicely into the second trait that all Arcosians seemed to share. That was that Arcosians all tended toward having a belief in the superiority of their species above others. This manifested in different ways depending on the Arcosian, and could even manifest differently within family units. King Cold, for example, was patronizing and paternalistic, while Frieza was racist and cruel, and Cooler was acerbic and snarky. No matter how it manifested, it was always present, even in those who thought themselves above such things. There were no exceptions to this, the Arcosians literally could not help themselves.

This dovetailed nicely into the third trait that all Arcosians shared, which was a tendency for Empire-Building. The Arcosians were not truly a unified race. In fact, their government, the Federated Clans of Arcosia, could be said to be actually a series of smaller, clan-based, empires in a loose coalition with each other, dedicated to keeping tributes up and their client species down. A lot of the time, these mini-empires took the form of East India Company-Style Megacorporations, such as the PTO, but that wasn't always the case. The Zee Clan, for instance, ruled a more traditional empire of around a dozen Colonies and Client Races. What this meant was that, in practice, although the population of Arcosians was never very high, with most clans having between five to nine hundred members, they had an outsized influence on intergalactic geopolitics.

It was all very fascinating, but something I'd come across while researching them had drawn my attention. That being that the Guardians had a list of hands-off organizations. I hadn't heard anything about that before and it made me curious to look up. When I did, I found it was a short list. Very short, in fact, with only six permanent entries. The first was the Arcosians, while the second was the Reach, the third was War World and its master, Mongul, the fourth and fifth were the New Gods of Apokalips and New Genesis respectively, and the sixth was the Kais. Not even ten names were on the list, which made it a very short list indeed.

A seventh organization used to be on the list, the Czarnians, but had been struck from the list a few years back after Lobo had killed all his fellow Czarnians to become the only one left. I briefly wondered about the lack of Larfleeze but figured that the reason he wasn't on the list was because he wasn't publicly known about, same for the other Lantern Corps that currently existed, like the Indigo tribe, or the Malthusans. The Guardians definitely would have wanted to keep the existence of Non-Willpower-based Lanterns close to the vest, after all. It was their control freak instincts rearing their ugly head once more. After all, what does it say about their legitimacy as self-proclaimed arbiters of Intergalactic Law if there were other Corps or Elder Beings out there?

The existence of the Kais was also interesting, especially with how they were spoken of in the same breath as the New Gods. A third spoke on the Apokalips-New Genesis Axis, maybe? That they were known about publicly was also interesting. Looking into them on the Galactic Net, however, revealed that they were a small group. Compared to the dozens of New Gods, there were only seven Kais. The Five Directional Kais of North, South, East, West, and Center, nominally under the supervision of the Center, or Grand Kai, the Supreme Kai of Space, Shin, and the Supreme Kai of Time, Chronoa. It was a very pared-down roster compared to Canon Dragonball, though I was surprised that Chronoa was a thing here. I would have thought that the Linear Men would have taken her niche.

Apparently, they all lived in a pocket reality that required specific magic to get to, similar to how Apokalips and New Genesis required Boom Tubes to reach. Furthermore, said pocket dimension was known to be a haven for Martial Artists or Warriors seeking to further their studies, to whom the Kais often granted new techniques or powers in exchange for service. I tentatively dubbed this Pocket Dimension the Punch Dimension, largely because it amused me. The site on the Galactic Net didn't exactly have a proper name for it, as unlike Apokalips or New Genesis, the Kais never acted directly in the normal universe, sending their students out as agents instead. Nobody on the site had ever been told the proper name of the Kais' Realm.

Of course, I didn't spend the entire trip to Talkorr just surfing the Galactic Net. I also spent some time getting to know my Crewmates. Each of them had their own specialties and interests. After all, if I was going to be an apprentice under them, I might as well get to know them and see if I couldn't learn something from them all. They had to have experience and knowledge I could learn from, skills I could pick up. They were all veterans of the Thanagarian Military Police, after all. Besides, it would be good for crew morale to actually interact with them.

With that in mind, I headed out of my quarters to do just that. . .

XXXX

Tros Karn, it turned out, was something of a Techie. Not only was he responsible for keeping the Nth Talon in flying shape, but he also was a decent weapons engineer. He could make any sort of armor, weapon, or equipment you might want if he had the parts, and could even Jury rig effective gear out of scraps. His current project was an attempt to upgrade a neural impactor pistol he'd apparently bought at a flea market on Space City Robinson to be able to compete with modern plasma disruptors in terms of effectiveness. As he worked, he explained the differences to me.

"See, the Neural Impactor mostly works by electric shock to fry the target's nervous system and knock them out. It's not always effective, especially against the types of guys who don't have a Nervous System. Then, folks began wearing insulated armor and they just stopped making these around a decade ago." Explained Tros Karn as he dug around in the weapon's guts.

"And Plasma Disruptors?" I questioned.

"Are a lot more deadly. A pulse from a plasma disruptor will burn through most common armor, insulated or not, and put a hole in the guy beneath. They're only good if you want to bring your target in cold, but the insulated armor won't stop the shot. You'd need an actual energy shield for that." Explained Tros Karn.

"And nobody has thought to just use energy shields?" I asked.

"Kid, unless you can make one yourself, Energy Shields are a lot more expensive than just grabbing some insulation for your armor. Most targets don't have the credits to spare for that, and the ones that do weren't likely to be taken down by shooting anyway." Answered Tros Karn.

"All right, so what are you trying out now?" I asked.

"I'm trying to modify the capacitor and battery pack of this Neural Impactor to put out enough voltage to burn through insulated armor. It's gonna take a while and it'll be a delicate process. Too much modified output from the battery pack and not enough modifications on the capacitor, and you'll be likely to have the thing blow up in your hand. Too many modifications on the Capacitor and not enough on the battery pack, and you'll lose voltage from the feedback. Then there's the material strain on the focus chamber to worry about, hardening the frame, and a whole slew of other things. I'm gonna be at this for a while." Informed Tros Karn.

"Huh. Sounds complicated." I muttered.

"It is. Tell you what. If you wanna learn to build, modify, and repair equipment, I can teach you. I should be able to spare a couple hours every sixthday." Offered Tros Karn.

"I'll take you up on that." I agreed.

"Good, now leave me be. I gotta test the capacitor housing and that means I need to focus." Grunted Tros Karn.

I left him to it, looking forward to our weekly lessons. . .

XXXX

By contrast to Tros Karn, Darl Veld was a pilot and Navigator. His primary hobby dovetailed with those skills. The man just loved flying, whether that was via his Nth Metal Harness or behind the cockpit of a Spacecraft didn't matter as much as the fact that he was in the air. Accordingly, he was in charge of actually laying in courses and flying the Nth Talon. I met with him while he'd been plotting another Fold-Space Jump in the common area, Star Charts out and on display for anyone who wanted to see them. I'd been under the impression that FTL Drives like Fold-Space were fast, a lot faster than the Reactionless Grav Drives used by the PTO, I asked him why we needed more than one jump and his response was enlightening.

"Space is big, Kid. When traveling on an intergalactic scale, you're gonna need multiple jumps. That's why having a ship is freedom, especially having one with a Fold-Space Drive. Why do you think so many criminals go on the run to space?" Shrugged Darl Veld.

"Is that why there's so many Bounty Hunters flying around?" I questioned.

"Yeah. The Lanterns do their best, but there are only so many of them. Even the Guardians can't recruit as many as they need. There are thirty-six-hundred sectors in known space, hundreds of billions of galaxies, and that's not even including the Galactic Fringes before you reach the Source Wall. Most Sectors get a single Lantern if that." Explained Darl Veld.

"So how many jumps do we need to make?" I queried.

"Suirpalam, where we picked you up, is all the way over here in Sector three-twelve. We're headed to Talkorr, all the way over here in Sector Two-Eight-One-Four. Effectively, we're crossing most of known space to get to our target. Most folks would need to do that in thirteen Fold-Space Jumps. I've managed to cut that down to eight using a trick I learned back in the Academy. It needs some precise charting to work right after each jump, though." Responded Darl Veld.

"Oh yeah? Can you show me?" I asked.

"Depends on if you know how to navigate. If not, I can't get into the details." Warned Darl Veld.

"No, but I'm a quick study if you're willing to teach." I answered.

"Hmm. Maybe. I can spare some time every fifthday or so. For now, loom here. Each system we're entering realspace in has a neutron star. Now, most ships, including the Nth Talon, have gravity generators to avoid being ripped apart by the gravity put out by the hyperdense neutron stars, but there's a way to use the neutron star to move at near-relativistic speeds even before opening a Fold-Space Window, effectively making you go FTL inside the FTL Corridor. It involves precise calculations, though. If you screw those up, when you modify the gravity generator to perform the maneuver, you can wind up ripping the ship apart, or worse, overshooting when you enter the Fold-Space Window. Trust me, you do not want to be lost in Fold-Space." Informed Darl Veld.

"You mean you're using the neutron star as a slingshot to get more speed in Fold-Space?" I questioned.

"Basically, yeah. Though like I said, you only want just enough increased speed to cut down on travel time without going out of control. I'm surprised you picked up on that, Kid." Nodded Darl Veld.

"Like I said, I'm a quick study. So is that what you're doing now? Calculations?" I queried.

"Yeah, which reminds me. Do you mind leaving me be? I need to concentrate. You don't want me to fuck up, do you?" Asked Darl Veld.

"Sure thing. I'll talk to you later." I nodded.

Then I left Darl Veld to his Calculations, heading out of the common area while he worked. . .

XXXX

Shayera Thal was something of a study in contradictions. On the one hand, she was a Veteran of the Thanagarian Wingmen, the Military Police of the Expansionist Thanagarian Empire. She was proud of her service, too, a Thanagarian Patriot. On the other hand, she had what I'd come to find out was a certain moral compass that bent toward hope and seeing the good in people that was seemingly at odds with her patriotism. She wasn't afraid to call out Thanagarian Policy when said policy was hypocritical or morally dubious. That was probably why she was currently a Bounty Hunter instead of still with the Wingmen. She wore her heart on her sleeve with a personality that could sometimes be as fiery as her red hair.

She was talented too, a tactician, a weapons expert, and knowledgeable about Intergalactic Law, Politics, and Customs. Honestly, she was something of a puzzle to me. The education she had screamed Thanagarian Nobility, but her personality and career trajectory said the opposite. I couldn't imagine a Thanagarian Noble of any stripe criticizing the actions of the Thanagarian Government, much less acting the way that Shayera regularly did. Still, Shayera was personable enough to me, honestly more so than Tros Karn or Darl Veld had been. I'd had to go looking for the other two, but Shayera had found me.

"Hey! Rugulo! I've been looking for you. You'd think it wouldn't be that difficult to find you on a ship this size." Grinned Shayera as I made my way back from the Common Area.

"What can I do for you, Captain?" I questioned.

"I wanted to see how you were settling in. You've mostly been in your quarters until today when Tros tells me you suddenly decided to be social." Remarked Shayera.

"I spent some time on the Galactic Net trying to get a feel for the Galaxy. I only got the basics back on Planet Vegeta, and I spent the past five years in a monastery on Suirpalam. That's not exactly something that screams 'you're ready to go out and Bounty Hunt', you know?" I shrugged.

"Is that so? Well, you could've just asked me or one of the others to give you a rundown." Pointed out Shayera.

"I know. I just wanted to go at my own pace. I actually enjoy learning stuff." I answered.

"You like learning, huh?" Queried Shayera.

"Yeah. Why?" I asked.

"Follow me." Grinned Shayera.

I couldn't very well refuse the Captain, and could only nod at her while she led me down some stairs to the cargo hold. Here was set up a small workout area, a sparring ring, and a table with a holoprojector on it. It was an odd sight to see such things surrounded by crates of foodstuffs and barrels of ship fuel, but it was there. Shayera led me over to the table and punched in a sequence of keys. The holoprojector roared to life, revealing a gameboard with several unfamiliar pieces. It sort of reminded me of a Shogi Board, but the pieces were all wrong for it. Was this some sort of Thanagarian Game? I figured I was about to find out, I still had to ask, though.

"What's this?" I questioned.

"This is Imperator's Gambit. It's a Thanagarian Game of abstract strategy. It's good for sharpening strategic thinking. I'll teach you how it's played and we'll play a few rounds." Nodded Shayera.

It turned out that Imperator's Gambit was sort of a cross between Shogi and Hnaftafl in that it was an asymmetrical game that acted as a more complex chess variant. One side was Lizarkons, represented by green pieces, while the other was Thanagarians, represented by white pieces. Both sides pieces moved and captured differently, with the Lizarkon pieces being slow but powerful, as they were able to capture in multiple ways, while the Thanagarian Pieces were fast, but only able to capture in one or two ways, depending on the piece. The goal was the capture of the opposing side's General.

It was a surprisingly complex game, and though I was good at games like this thanks to my old life, Shayera absolutely stomped me into the ground, no matter whether she was playing the Lizarkons or the Thanagarians. Every time we played, I lost, only for Shayera to reset the board and have us play again. With each loss, I got a little better at the game, though never enough to win or even pull a stalemate. Soon enough, however, several hours had passed, and after the seventh game, Shayera called a halt, shutting down the Holo Projector and standing up out of her chair, cracking her neck as she did so.

"We're not going to play again?" I queried.

"Not today. I've got things I need to take care of as Captain. You did good, though. Especially for a first-timer. There's potential there for a strategist in you. If you're gonna be on my crew, I think we'd better bring that potential out." Answered Shayera.

"So. Same time tomorrow then?" I offered.

"No. We'll do this for a few hours every First and Thirday. You've got to have some time to yourself, after all." Refused Shayera.

"In that case, what about that workout area?" I pressed.

"That fenced-off section has adjustable gravity plates. That should let you get in a workout. I know some races can benefit from that sort of thing and Saiyans are one of them." Nodded Shayera.

"But not Thanagarians?" I asked.

"Only up to a point. I think if we tried to go much higher than ten times Thanagarian Gravity, our organs would liquify. We're just not as sturdy as some Races. The adjustable plating came with the Ship. Czarnians are like you Saiyans when it comes to benefiting from that sort of thing. We haven't had the credits to replace it yet. With you on the crew, it doesn't look like we'll be doing that any time soon either." Shrugged Shayera.

"Right. Then I guess I know what I'm doing in my spare time." I muttered.

"Just don't overdo it, all right? We don't need you laid up in bed before your first Bounty even starts." Warned Shayera.

"I won't." I promised.

Then, with a nod, Shayera left, leaving me to my own devices once again. . .

XXXX

So that was my schedule for the next seven days of travel before we arrived at Talkorr. I spent two days a week learning strategy from Shayera, one day learning tech stuff from Tros Karn, and one day learning navigation from Darl Veld. The rest of the time I mostly spent training in the Gravity Plate Area or reading up on the state of the Wider Universe. Once a day, there was a communal meal in the Common Area for socialization, usually dinner, but at least once, Darl Veld made Breakfast. He was actually a pretty good cook, too, which was probably why he'd been pressed into galley duty on the crew. Apparently, he learned it from serving aboard Wingmen Patrol Ships.

As to my physical training, unfortunately, I could currently only handle three times Thanagarian Gravity, which was similar enough to that of Earth's and Suirpalam's to be a usable point of comparison. The dial went up to two-hundred-fifty times Thanagarian Gravity, though. I very much doubted I'd get to that level any time soon, mind you. Extrapolating from Canon Goku's gains from one hundred times Earth Gravity on the way to Namek put the max gain from the Grav Plates at thirty million in terms of Arcosian Power Levels. With that kind of power, it was no wonder the Czarnians had been on the Guardians' Do Not Touch List. Not that I couldn't get that from looking at Lobo, mind you. The Main Man went toe-to-toe with Superman, after all.

In terms of my other training, well, I was getting taught the basics of Navigation, Strategy, and Tech Maintenance. I'd only had a few lessons by the time we made it to Talkorr, so I wasn't really able to get even a solid grasp of the basics in that time. I was learning, though, and felt that I would have a pretty good grasp on everything by the time my three years of service on Shayera's Bounty Hunting Crew was over with. Certainly enough that I could be competitive when I finally arrived on Earth, even with guys like Lex Luthor around to throw things onto a curve when it came to intelligence.

Beyond that, I mostly socialized and surfed the Galactic Net, trying to get up to speed on various current events. By the seventh day of the trip to Talkorr, news broke on the Galactic Net of a formal peace Treaty between the Khunds and Reach. Interestingly, the Khunds got to keep about a dozen worlds they captured early on. That was a lot more lenient of a peace than I'd expected the Reach to give them, but then, nobody would find out about the hidden clause in the Treaty till much later, when the clause would bite everyone in the ass. On the eighth day of my time on the Nth Talon, however, a Fold-Space Window opened up and we arrived at Talkorr. It was finally time to Bounty Hunt.

I hoped I was ready. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here we have the next chapter. Mostly, it's a lot of figuring out current affairs and getting to know the crew of the Nth Talon. Notably, I have Shayera in this fic being a combination of the comics Shayera Thal and the DCAU Shayera Hol. She's easier for me to write that way. Meanwhile, Darl Veld and Tros Karn are Original Characters I made up for this fic.

At any rate, the next chapter will finally get to the action as Rugulo and Company finally arrive at Talkorr to hunt Arkillo.

Stay tuned. . .