Chapter 4

Kha'mo was a large enough city, three-hundred-thousand people all packed in an urban area bit over six square standard galactic kilometers across, or roughly two-point-three square miles. The City was largely split into three sections, the Lower Town, where the workers and lower classes lived, the Middle Town, partway up Kha'mo Mountain where the middle classes lived, and the Upper Town, where the wealthiest merchants and nobility lived at the top of Kha'mo Mountain. It was all crowned with the Golden-roofed form of the Kha'zro Palace, which had been built inside the City Limits by the Great Kha'zro after the Old Palace had been sacked, looted, and burned to the ground by the Tailless Ones.

The city itself wasn't my destination, however. That would be the Spaceport in the valley beyond. By galactic standards, Kha'mo Spaceport was tiny. A single, circular, terminal lay at the neck of a junction between the Kha'mo Valley and the Valley of Millet beyond, so named because prior to the spaceport's construction by the Starfarers of Planet Nuts, the valley beyond had been used to grow summer millet to serve as an auxiliary food supply for the Capital. Now, the shuttles that were constantly parked outside the terminal ferried cargo and people into the icy field in the Valley of Millet, where the larger Spacecraft were parked.

This extra landing space was, unfortunately, necessary for the proper operation of the Spaceport. The single terminal of Kha'mo Spaceport just wasn't large enough to accommodate any ship larger than twenty-five Galactic Standard Meters in Length, which ruled out most bulk freighters. That had meant that the former insurance for the Capital's Food Supply in case of siege had needed to be converted over to extra landing space. Accordingly, the Valley of Millet hadn't actually grown any millet for a few decades now. The name had still stuck, though. After all, it's hard to argue with centuries of inertia after just a few decades.

As I made my way through Kha'mo City, however, I received several odd looks from various Townsfolk. I couldn't blame them, it wasn't often that a Brother of the Temple came to the Capital except in times of trouble. It was even less normal to find a Starfarer wearing the robes of a Brother of the Temple, and more than once, I was challenged by Guards in their brightly-colored armor, who wanted to ascertain if I was truly a Brother of the Temple. Usually, I was able to prove my credentials with a few words from the Tenets of the Great Kha'zro, but once, that hadn't been enough.

The Guard that had stopped me was younger, more impetuous, and wouldn't be dissuaded with platitudes. Unfortunately, he was also a Lieutenant in the Kha'mo Guard, judging by the insignia on his helmet, and so I was forced to humor him as he demanded I do something more substantial to prove my bonafide.

"Any fool can read about the Doctrines of the Temple in a Book. That doesn't prove a thing." Sniffed the Lieutenant.

"Very well, Lieutenant. What would you suggest I do to prove myself?" I questioned.

"I have heard tales that the Temple of the Great Kha'zro teaches their brothers to be peerless in the ways of Martial Arts. Abbot Sri'kayal is well known to be the most powerful Warrior on the Planet." Intoned the Lieutenant.

"You seek a demonstration then?" I queried.

"More like a friendly exchange of pointers." Responded the Lieutenant.

I frowned, opening my senses to seek the level of power within the Lieutenant. As I expected, he was still only barely stronger than the average athletic Mountain Dweller, I had outstripped him before even reaching the temple. If I were to attempt to put a number to the sense of power like the Scouters did, I'd peg him at a Power Level of no higher than thirty-eight. He was strong for a layman, but nowhere near as strong as he would need to be to make this anything even approaching a decent plan.

"I don't think that is a good idea." I refused.

"Why not? Are you admitting you're a fraud?" Asked the Lieutenant.

"No, it is not a good idea because you would not stand a chance. The fight would be over in the blink of an eye and you would learn nothing from the experience, save perhaps not to judge based on appearances, though given your insistence, I think you might not even learn that much." I explained.

"A likely story to cover your fraud! Perhaps once I've beaten you into the ground, you'll learn some humility!" Scowled the Lieutenant.

"I see you are set on this. Very well. I shall make this as painless as possible, then." I nodded.

"Hah, you charlatan! Know that you face a true warrior and despair!" Boasted the Lieutenant.

Then he charged at me. I was sure he moved quickly for the average person, but compared to me, it was as if he was moving in slow motion. I handily dodged to the side and his lunging right cross landed nowhere close to me. Instead of striking back with a punch of my own, however, I prepared a Spell of Slumber with a ritual chant and a mudra gesture. The spell took hold of the Lieutenant and he slumped to the ground unconscious, snoring away as the mystically-enforced slumber took hold of him. All in all, the fight, such as it was, took scarcely three seconds from start to finish.

"Perhaps when you wake, you will look more closely into the styles of Robes worn by Brothers of the Temple. We're not all simply Warriors, you know. Some of us Walk the Sage's Path as well." I nodded, imparting one last bit of wisdom before moving on.

Eventually, I reached the Kha'mo Spaceport. Here was my first real look at the wider selection of aliens at play in the universe. Most were from nearby worlds, with most being the large, bulky, orange-skinned people from Planet Nuts, though there were others around. I spotted a pair of thick-skinned, porcine-nosed, large-jawed Bolovaxians, a trio of Thanagarians with their Nth Metal Harnesses, a short, stocky, amphibian, Bas, and even a small, avian, Litt.

Thinking this was the place I needed to be, I sat down at the small teahouse-like Cafe that took up the center of the Spaceport Terminal and listened in on the various conversations in the hopes that I would overhear something that I could use to get passage to somewhere else.

One of the groups from Planet Nuts was talking about the recent capture of the Rogue General Amond, also known as the Butcher of Leguuma. Apparently, the Green Lantern Tomar-Re was responsible for Amond's Capture, and since no prison cell on Planet Nuts was able to hold Amond, Tomar-Re built a new, practically inescapable, prison using his Power Ring with which to hold the former General. Apparently, though Amond and his Khund Bodyguards fought with enough tenacity to destroy entire battalions of the Army of Planet Nuts, Tomar-Re was able to bring them to justice.

I didn't doubt that, given what I knew of the capabilities of a Green Lantern Ring, as well as what I knew about Tomar-Re, which was that he was one of the more notable Green Lanterns prior to his death. Of course, that was combined with the other piece of news I heard from another of the groups from Planet Nuts. The Khunds had finally been worn down by the Reach after a recent series of battles and were about to start looking to sue for peace.

This was corroborated by three different accounts. The first, from the lone Bas, said that the Khund Fifteenth Army had been driven off of Planet Cyr in Sector five-eighty-six. I heard from the Litt that the Khund's assault on Sector Seventeen with three full armies only succeeded in taking the strategically worthless world of Garnet and that the Reach Base on the moon of nearby Sputa had been repulsed with heavy casualties, killing two out of the three armies. Lastly, the Bolovaxians spoke about the decimation of the Khund's Grand Fleet in a Battle in Sector Seven-Hundred.

It sounded like I was definitely going to need to make it off-world soon before peace was signed and the PTO had the time to start looking into any loose ends, such as myself. Ironically, what I overheard what I needed from the trio of Thanagarians. Apparently, their Captain, a former Wingman named Shayera Thal, was taking them to Talkorr to claim a bounty on an intergalactic criminal, the Vornian Serial Killer Arkillo. Apparently, he'd fled to that Shipwreck Graveyard of a World and had a bounty of Ten Million Oan Credits on his head for his capture.

I knew both Shayera Thal and Arkillo from back when these were comics, with Shayera being a part of the failed Alien Alliance Invasion of Earth during the Invasion storyline. She would eventually reform to become one of the Hawkwomen only to die during the Rann-Thanagar War Storyline. Meanwhile, Arkillo was a former intergalactic serial killer who was forcibly recruited by Sinestro for his Sinestro Corps, eventually becoming Sinestro's answer to Kilowog of the Green Lantern Corps. Notably, Arikillo was tough enough even without his Ring, that I had a hard time believing a trio of Thanagarians could handle him without help. Even armed with Nth Metal Maces and Harnesses, Thanagarians just didn't have the brawn necessary to take down Arkillo for any serious length of time. I, on the other hand, did.

Making my decision, I walked over toward the trio of Thanagarians, the first of which noticed me before her two compatriots did. Shayera Thal looked a lot younger than she probably was, though that could be deceiving when it came to Thanagarians, whose lifespans were measured in centuries. The Redheaded Woman cocked an eyebrow at me and nodded as I approached.

"Can I help you?" She questioned.

"I overheard you're heading to Sector Two-Eight-One-Four. Looking into the Bounty on Arkillo of Vorn?" I queried.

"Maybe we are, maybe we're not. Why?" Asked Shayera.

"I might be able to help you with that." I offered.

"Beat it, kid, you don't look any older than fourteen." Scowled one of Shayera's two Compatriots.

"Looks can be deceiving. You Thanagarians ought to know that much." I retorted.

"Kid has a point. I don't see why we need him though." Scoffed the Second of Shayera's two Compatriots.

"Unless you're hiding more power than I can sense, you won't be able to take down Arkillo even with the three of you together. You'll need help." I insisted.

"And who's going to help us? You?" Questioned Shayera.

"You must have been around long enough to hear about Saiyans, right?" I queried.

"You're a Saiyan? Where's your tail?" Asked one of Shayera's two Companions.

"I cut it off after going Oozaru the first time. That form was too unpredictable." I answered.

"So you're a Saiyan that's gone native, then?" Questioned the Second of Shayera's Two Companions.

"I was an Infiltration Baby, sent here to die on a suicide mission. Going native seemed better for my survival." I shrugged.

"Why should we trust you? Everything I've heard about Saiyans says you lot aren't much better than Arkillo." Queried Shayera.

"For most of us, you'd be right. And look where all that got us." I huffed.

"Another good point." Nodded one of Shayera's Two Companions.

"Yeah, I buy Rational Self-Interest for a Saiyan a lot better." Confirmed the Second of Shayera's Two Companions.

"I still don't think we need to split the bounty with you, though. Even if he's as tough as you say, we're veterans. We'd think of something eventually." Pointed out Shayera.

"I don't need the Credits. If it makes you feel any better, help you out in exchange for passage to the Planet Earth in Sector Two-Eight-One-Four." I responded.

"All right, say I take you on. What do you want passage to that place for? It's a backwater full of ridiculously powerful people. Why would you want to go there?" Asked Shayera.

"Like you said, it's a backwater full of ridiculously powerful people. I can't think of a better place to test myself in." I answered with a semi-bullshit reason.

"Captain, tell me you're not considering this." Groaned one of Shayera's Two Companions.

"Give us a moment." Frowned Shayera.

"Need a group discussion?" I questioned.

"Yeah, this will just take a few moments." Confirmed Shayera.

Then Shayera and her Two Companions huddled up in an alcove away from where I was standing to talk things through. There were a few harsh whispers and even a sudden gesture or two as if the three Thanagarians were actually having a heated debate on the subject. I had no clue why, after all, I was right, they couldn't take out Arkillo without me. Hell, Kilowog had to drop a battleship on his head to knock him out. Even with their strength and durability boosted by those Nth Metal Harnesses, none of them came close to that level of power. I did, though. Honestly, I was pretty sure that if I put everything into a Ki blast, I could blow up a Moon right now. Not that I'd try it, mind you. Unlike some Saiyans, I wasn't into that kind of mindless destruction.

Eventually, the Three Thanagarians must have settled their argument, because they nodded at each other before breaking up their huddle. The Trio made their way back, Shayera in the lead, and came to me with their answer.

"Three years." Informed Shayera.

"I'm sorry?" I queried.

"We're a crew of bounty hunters. If you want to tag along with us, that's fine, but you'll be doing a standard tour before we drop you off on Earth. That's three Standard Years." Clarified Shayera.

"You want me to be an apprentice bounty hunter with you for three years before you'll agree to drop me off on Earth?" I asked.

"I'm not running a charity, Kid." Nodded Shayera.

"Look at it this way, Kid. You'll get a shitload of experience." Added one of Shayera's Two Companions.

"Plus half a share of any bounties." Concurred the Second of Shayera's Two Companions.

"Fine. I accept." I agreed.

Honestly, it wasn't like I had much of a choice here. I needed off of Suirpalam if I was going to avoid becoming a statistic. After all, if Frieza had his way, that's exactly what would happen to me. Plus this wasn't too bad. I'd be able to grow further this way before hitting Earth, at least. I could take or leave the money, though.

"Great, I'm Shayera Thal, but for the next three years, you can call me Captain. These two lugs are Tros Karn and Darl Ved." Introduced Shayera, pointing at each of her Companions in turn.

"Rugulo, Son of Kolard." I replied, giving my full name.

Not that I'd ever met Kolard, of course. In fact, I knew practically nothing about him except that he was a Mid-Class Saiyan Warrior. That was the problem with the whole Gestation Tank, thing. Most Saiyan Kids never knew their folks unless they were elites. For those Saiyans who weren't part of the Elite, it was usually Gestation Tanks and Creches for the first few years of your life. After all, unless you were an Elite, you probably wouldn't ever see your folks for long stretches of your childhood, since the Mid and Low Class tended to be sent on more or less constant missions.

"Kolard, huh? I've heard of him." Offered Tros Karn.

"Yeah, your Old Man's Infamous. His team was the one that cracked Q'vortak's Wrath in the Sangtee Empire. The Place was one of the Sangtee Armory Worlds, with weapons and troops all over the place. The Empire figured a successful invasion of a Sangtee Armory World would take two years and cost hundreds of thousands of lives. Kolard and his team did it in seven months." Explained Darl Veld.

"I never met my dad." I shrugged.

"Yeah, most people can't stand the Planet Trade Organization, even if they'll cut deals with them for planets when nobody's looking. Teams like your dad's get a pass, though. Those who pick assignments like that, to clear planets belonging to clearly evil empires, are few and far between." Informed Shayera.

"Of course, I'll bet the salvage from a Planet's Worth of Military Bases contributed toward King Cold and his family letting your Old Man pick those sorts of targets on his own recognizance." Added Tros Karn.

"Yeah, and if nothing else, you can trust the Arcosians to want to milk Good PR like that for all it's worth. Even Frieza knows that much, just look at that propaganda masquerading as a kid's show he puts out involving the Ginyu Force." Scoffed Darl Veld.

"Well, it's good to know that my dad was a somebody at least." I shrugged.

"Yeah, anyway we should stow the rest of this for another time. Right now, we ought to take you to the Nth Talon and let you get settled in. The Spaceport Staff should be done refueling it soon and we'll be getting underway once we've done pre-flight checks." Insisted Shayera.

And so I found myself being led toward one of the smaller ships that were landed around the Terminal. It was a refit Surplus Czarnian Patrol Ship, done up in red and black. At twenty-four standard galactic meters in length, and twenty-two standard galactic meters in width, it was just under the limit of ships that could be serviced at the Terminal Proper.

"Got her cheap from a Ship Dealer on the Fourth Moon of Planet Ikonda. Czarnian stuff usually is, ever since the Massacre. Of course, she wasn't in the best shape, and the Old Cyborg tried to gouge the hell out of us on the refit, but we set him straight." Nodded Shayera.

"An Nth Metal Mace does wonders when it comes to intimidating Cyborgs and Mystics. The Energy Transference and Magical Disruption properties of Nth Metal tends to scare most of them off trying anything." Added Darl Veld.

"Yeah, and unlike most of the Ikondans out there in the Galaxy, this one was a merchant and not a Soldier." Smirked Tros Karn.

Shayera punched in a code on the door to the ship, and soon I was being ushered inside. As we passed by the engine room, Shayera steered me toward the right and into a common area. Battered leather couches and polymer tables were set up, as the detritus of three people living and working in close quarters was strewn about. A cooling unit held various drinks and snacks, while a vid-screen sat on a shelf on the wall, currently displaying the time while alien music sounded from a radio unit mounted alongside it.

"Welcome to the Nth Talon. She may not look like much, but she's capable. This is the common area. You just saw the Fold-Space Drive as we came in, don't touch it until you've studied up on it. The Command Bridge is off-limits to you until I've judged you're not gonna flake on us. It's all the way down the hall to the left. There's the Cryo Cells in the belly of the craft, which is next to cargo storage, and the armory at the other end of the Hallway, not that I expect a Saiyan to need a weapon. What you really should see are the crew quarters. Lucky for you, Czarnians built patrol ships for teams of four, though we're able to operate it with three thanks to automation. You'll be in the spare bunk." Explained Shayera as she led me through the ship, pointing at various rooms.

Eventually, we made our way to an unoccupied room. A number of potted jungle ferns were sitting around the area and the holoscreens that functioned as faux windows also showed various jungle scenes. Against one wall, a bed was pushed, while an alcove had a workbench with various tools on it as well as a terminal connected to the Galactic Net. A light fixture was recessed into the ceiling to give off the impression of sunlight. The whole room honestly seemed a lot more lived-in than I thought it would be.

"Sorry about this. We bought a bunch of fruit ferns while here to get a supply of fresh fruit and haven't moved them out of the room yet. We'll get them out of here before too long." Apologized Shayera.

"Keep them. I don't mind. Besides, taking care of plants might help with meditation while we're in space." I shrugged.

"A Saiyan that Meditates? Now I've heard everything." Grinned Shayera.

I could only chuckle at that. Shayera left me to settle in, and soon I was making myself at home. Before too long, the refueling ended and Shayera had Tros Karn, apparently the crew's usual techie, going over the final pre-flight checks. Within an hour of me settling in, everything was green, and the Nth Talon was cleared for takeoff. Five years after landing on Suirpalam, I was finally getting off-world once again.

I suppose we'd just have to see what the next three years would bring. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so I only have one more of these pre-written, but thankfully, I should be good to get back to my normal posting schedule soon. Tomorrow Night at the Earliest, Monday at the Latest.

Here we see Rugulo finally getting off Suirpalam, as well as meet one of the canon DC Characters. Shayera Thal was the Hawkwoman of the Late Eighties and Early Nineties. You may know her as the version that the DCAU Hawkgirl was based on. A former Thanagarian Soldier turned Bounty Hunter who took part in a failed Invasion of Earth and became a superhero for a while to atone for that. Some of the generalities of her story are similar in the Comics, though not entirely. She was never a member of the Justice League, for one. The specifics are different as well.

She is currently working as an intergalactic bounty hunter, and Rugulo has now joined her crew for a period of time in exchange for resources, a chance to grow stronger, and transport away from the location the PTO knows he was at. His first job with them will be to head to the Shipwreck World of Talkorr to help capture the Vorn Serial Killer Arkillo. Arkillo would later go on to fame as one of the principal members of the Sinestro Corps, but that hasn't happened yet and won't for a long time. Right now, he's just a superpowered serial killer.

The next chapter, however, is an interlude showing events in the wider galaxy. Especially as regards the Green Lanterns, PTO, and Khund-Reach War.

Stay tuned. . .