Going Native: Touch of Ruthlessness (ch.40) (Patreon)

"This is your test to see if you are worthy of learning the Wrath State," I spoke to the hundred and twenty thousand children that stood in front of me while the eleven thousand members of the 501st stood behind me. I could practically feel their excitement like static in the air. At the very front were the hundred saiyans that I had helped train. Standing next to them were a hundred that Matillo had picked out. Behind them were ten each for the ten thousand that would be assigned to the Team and others. And behind them was the rest. 

"I am not testing your strength," I told them, my voice echoing through the scouters that they all wore. "I am testing your ability to follow orders and your judgment in combat. This is not a competition," I continued. It would have been better to let my techniques circulate through the child army so they all knew them and to let them get used to fighting in the teams they had been assigned. 

In the end, I went with a simple model. Each group of five was led by a team leader, and that group was responsible for the well-being of those in that group. Those teams of five were then assigned to a hundred-man commander, who would then be assigned to a thousand man commander. Fasha would be in command of those ten thousand saiyans. 

It had to be simple. Any more complicated than that, and it wouldn't work. The saiyans needed to feel free enough to act on their own while having a direct superior to look at for guidance. 

"Your victory condition is the complete elimination of the invading army that has taken over one of our cities," I said, my gaze sweeping over the faces of an ocean of saiyans. All of them looked as young as I did, and all of them looked ignorant of what they would be walking into. "Your failure conditions are this -- significant losses, recklessness, disobeying orders, and infighting. You do not lose if you are defeated in battle. Provided that you survive." 

"However, the commanding officer is held responsible for any losses taken. If too many losses are taken to a squad, then the commanding officer will not only be replaced -- they will be left here, on Planet Vegeta," and all of a sudden I saw a lot of nervous faces amongst those selected to be officers. "As the commanding officer, it is your duty to ensure the survival of your troops and the completion of the mission," I said before my eyes found Fasha. She gave me a firm nod and I really wished Bardock was here. 

"To this extent, I will share a piece of advice I received from Bardock -- the mission, the team, then pride," I quoted him. "These are your priorities as a soldier. Is that understood?" I asked and I was answered with mumbled agreements, but with over a hundred thousand of them mumbling at once, their answer was so loud it was nearly deafening. 

They didn't understand. Not yet. And they wouldn't until they got a taste of war. 

“Commanding officers, step forward,” I ordered and they obeyed instantly. They lacked discipline, but that didn’t mean that they were completely without it. I tried not to pay too much attention to Elery and to a lesser extent Broly, who looked like he was attached to Elery now that he couldn’t follow me around. I didn’t think either of them was listening -- Elery was scolding Broly while Broly marveled at the people around him. 

“You will be the first wave to attack the enemy,” I informed them. They were broken up into squads, and they would in turn learn from the experience first. Both how to fight a war, and how to work as a team. That experience would serve them well when they were given their own soldiers to command. “Your objective is this to destroy the enemy’s armored divisions,” I informed, tapping on the side of my scouter. 

A hologram of the Frieza-force standard tanks appeared, showing them what to look for. It was a simple machine, a saucer base with heavily armored floaters with a small protrusion where the main gun was. It was a slender barrel made for shooting lasers, which could kill them with a shot. 

“These are the locations that they are being positioned,” I continued, the hologram shifting to show their locations on a city map. Most were being used in defensive positions, but I wasn’t sending them there. The three locations were where the reserves were for quick reinforcement. “You are to destroy everything you can in these locations -- armored units, aircraft, and supplies. Once your mission is completed, you will immediately withdraw.”

“Your failure condition is if you cannot destroy the objectives before the enemy forces respond,” I told them to give them an extra dose of motivation. And if they did fail to get out of the city, then I would step in. 

“You have ten minutes to prepare yourselves,” I finished. Almost instantly, the thousand or so children began to bicker on how to best do things but it was easy enough to see that leaders amongst the leaders were rising to power. Olaive, Kakarot, and Elery, surprising enough. There were a few others as well, but those few began to hammer out a plan. 

I turned to Matillo, Fasha, and Gine. “Avoid helping them if you can. Only interfere if they’re about to die,” I told them. We would act as an unseen safety net. The recruits needed the experience, but we weren’t in a position to recklessly throw lives away. 

“As you command, my Prince,” Matillo agreed and I earned determined nods from the others. Good. I would have liked to have Mom’s troops here as well, but she already went to crush her own army with her recruits in tow. The same with Vegeta, and… King Vegeta, who I hadn’t seen since we last spoke. Which brought my attention to Paragus, who I hadn’t seen since this whole mess had started.

But, in the end, I was fine with that. 

I looked at the sea of faces, over a hundred thousand saiyans that were excited to finally to go to war as if the battlefield was a theme park of some kind. Some were practicing techniques while others looked bored out of their mind. The ones not fighting would need something to do, but for now I had more pressing concerns than their boredom. 

Turning around, I faced the leaders of the divisions of the 501st. Most of them almost looked saiyan-like, some more so than others. The 501st was now broken up between further division -- there would be the Infantry, Scouts, and Support. Ten thousand of the various aliens would be classified as Infantry, with five hundred being Scouts and Support. Of the Support, there was another sub-group -- the technological support, and the magic support. 

My gaze found the gray-skinned alien from before. I didn’t know what race she was, but I knew that she had powerful teleportation magic. I didn't know if she could use it like that one alien did when he fought Vegeta, but even if she couldn't then she would still be invaluable. 

"While they're training, we'll be hitting another target," I told them, switching to a 501st only frequency. "All of you have been personally picked by me for your natural abilities, technological achievements, and past exploits. Because of them, you have my attention. But I want more from you than eleven thousand warriors fighting as individuals. Just like the children behind me, you will be tested to prove that you can work together as a fighting force." 

I saw some aliens shift at that, clearly not liking that I was questioning their abilities. Some looked down at me, not quite dismissively but close. 

"We will be heading to another city for you to clear. Do any of you have objections to killing traitor Frieza-force soldiers?" I asked, my gaze sweeping over them as I floated upward so all of them could see me. And so I could see their expressions. It was easy enough to see that some had doubts, but they didn't step forward. Good. "Infantry -- you're being broken up into three groups to attack these positions," I explained as I displayed their targets. 

The army they would be dealing with was substantially larger, closer to a million soldiers than not. If they couldn't crush those odds then I didn't need them here. 

"Each group will have a detachment of Scouts and Support. I will allow you to have a great deal of freedom in dealing with this task, but when I give an order, I expect it to be obeyed," I said. I wanted to see what they could do and how to best leverage their abilities. 

"You," I said, turning to the gray-skinned woman who seemed practically attached to the younger girl. "Are you able to do whatever it was you did with the fleet?" I asked directly, and her black eyes looked away sharply when our gazes met.

"I would need to have some kind of visual of where to open the rift, but I would be able to," she spoke softly. It was very different than the grief-stricken sobbing that I heard years ago. And when I told her that she had flown over the city, she nodded, "My sisters can do this."

That was the answer I wanted to hear. 

“Good. You’re the leader of them, right?” I asked and it was impossible to miss the expression of grief that passed over her face. I didn’t know much about her situation beyond what I had read in her dossier -- a race of magic users on a desert wasteland of a planet, small population, and the female magic users called themselves sisters. Though, I did notice that their population was rather sparse after a couple of years of war. 

“I… I am,” she answered with as much strength as she could muster. “With Mother dead, I am the leader of the Nightsisters,” she confirmed, looking at me as if she dared me to contradict her. Not sure why I would, so I simply nodded. 

“Then open up the rifts,” I ordered, earning a nod before I glanced over my shoulder to see Elery flying upwards with the thousand other children. Matillo, Fasha, and Gine would take care of them. Elery caught my look and offered a big wave and a smile, prompting Broly to give one as well. 

Maybe it was a mistake letting Broly go. His reaction to death was more in line with what I had experienced at first than a normal saiyan. But, in the end, he would need to get over that reaction, just like I had. He was powerful and he was only going to get stronger. Saiyan’s followed strength, so whether he wanted it or not, people would look to him for orders. It was better than he was prepared for it. 

I offered a small smile and a nod, watching them take off in the direction of the city. They would be fine. Turning my attention back to the Night Mother, or whatever her title was, I saw her make familiar movements, alongside with fifty others of her species. Green mist hovered around their hands as they moved, their lips moving but I couldn’t hear the words. 

After a moment, three green flames appeared before they seemed to burn away at the air, forming a portal that revealed a city on the other end. With well-practiced experience, the recruits for the 501st marched through the portals, heading towards the city. I gestured for the magic users to follow. 

It didn’t take long for the city to notice out sudden appearance. In the little time that they had, they fortified the city well. I saw defensive turrets, armored divisions, squads of aircraft circling above the city as well as hundreds of thousands of soldiers dug in. They would fight with the desperation of those with their backs against the wall since the fleet had refused to aid them. 

“What’s your name?” I asked as I saw streaks of light race towards us, slamming into our positions with small explosions. Rubble rained down on us, but I didn’t feel a single presence disappear. The heavy hitters of the Infantry rushed forward to soften up their defenses and to buy time for our more vulnerable infantry to get in position to push. 

We weren’t far from the city, on the outskirts of it, so it took no time at all for the battle to begin. 

“Narra,” Narra answered shortly.

“Follow me,” I ordered, floating upward, only to find that she hesitated. The girl that was practically attached to her looked absolutely terrified, looking at me with unnerving solid black eyes. Narra was hesitating and it was easy enough to see why. “She can come to,” I added, watching some tension ease out of Narra. 

I had made sure that Narra and her sister hadn’t been separated, and for all I knew, they had been reunited, but I had underestimated how attached they would be. Regardless, both of them floated upwards, following me after Narra gave a meaningful gaze to the others. We sailed through the air, above the city, to get a vantage to watch the battle unfold. 

The heavy hitters were doing good work. Some were more durable, others were extremely strong -- like the short, rock-like four-armed aliens. They couldn’t fly or use any kind of ki blasts, but they were physically strong and durable. With two ranged weapons and two melee weapons, they carved through the traitor’s defensive lines. 

It paved the way for more vulnerable soldiers -- like the one that became three, each wearing identical armor and weapons. They moved in perfect unison, as if they were still the same being, as they moved from the street into buildings to clear them of the enemy. They were weaker physically, but that’s why I gave them high tech personal shields and weapons. Depending on the situation, I’d even be willing to put them against scarabs. 

Other’s offered support from the air. A large winged alien flew through the air, dodging and weaving between blasts before he returned fire. Or, rather, ice vapor that sharpened into spikes that punched slammed into the fighter ships. When one attempted to ram into him, his body became intangible, the ship flying right through him before he finished it off by attacking its main floater. 

We had the element of surprise on our side, but it was already wearing off. The traitors reacted well, more choosing to use their weapons than their magic. Even still, the number of allies hadn’t dropped down a single tick so far. That was promising. 

“Might I ask why you wanted me to accompany you… Prince Tarble?” Narra asked after a few minutes of silence as we watched the recruits carve through the city. 

“These aliens, the ones that attacked my race, they use magic too,” I told her, and judging by her expression, she could tell as much. “I’m wondering if you would be able to copy it?” I asked, wondering how to leverage such magic. My hopes were quickly dashed when Narra shook her head. 

"Not without decades of study, and even then not well," Narra denied. "Their magic is channeled through religious beliefs, and their faith empowers their spells. It's fundamentally different than how my race uses magic." She answered with some hesitance. 

"And how does your race use magic?" I asked, deciding that I wanted to learn more about the subject as I watched the battle unfold. I watched as a large crystal alien waded through a defensive position, their weapons and spells doing little to the recruit. The recruit’s hands shifted, condensing into long blades before it slashed through the enemy. Everything that they slashed at was cut through with ease. 

"My race channels a planet's natural magic by acting as conduits," she explained, relaxing slightly. "We shape it to our will and a spell is formed." 

"Do all planets have magic?" I questioned, recalling something about magical leylines way back when I picked Earth as my reward for starting the war with the Reach. 

"Yes and no. A planet's magic is linked to the life that lives there. If the planet is dead, if nothing can grow there, then there will be little magic. Though, that is relatively speaking." Meaning that Reach planets would be a hit or miss considering how industrialized they were. "A healthy planet has a great deal more magic, enough so that certain aspects may grow a level of sentience -- your planet would be an example. The Red is very strong here." 

"The Red?" I questioned, watching as a sickly green alien spat out a glob of acid powerful enough that it ate through people and vehicles alike. 

"A fraction that covers animal wildlife, which is called a Parliament. It has the power to choose a champion to defend it, but its strength is determined by the health of the wildlife." Narra explained, making me blink in surprise as I considered that for a moment. 

I think I had an idea who that Champion was, I figured. And apparently the Saiyan race had brought enough apex predators that we had accidentally powered a magical Parliament. That was… something. 

"Hm-" I started, wondering what I should do with that information. However, my attention was caught when I saw a bright flash of light appear above the city -- the cackling of lightning f electricity thundered above the city almost to the point that it was deafening. I saw a woman at the source of it, holding her hands as the clouds above swirled before offering more electricity that arced to her. 

My scouter ticked upward, reading the power level of the attack, and my lips thinned. It wasn’t a city killer blast yet, but it would be if she kept powering it up. 

“Power down your attack. You’ll hit friendlies,” I ordered, speaking directly into her scouter. My lips thinned as I saw that her attack continued to increase. She was ignoring me. “If you kill a friendly troop, then you die as well,” I warned her and even if she tried to hide it, I saw her expression shift through the blinding light. 

Her short black hair fanned out, her skin holding a pinkish hue to it as her eyes glowed a solid white. She looked like a saiyan, so it was easy to tell that she could hear me judging by the scowl that she wore. Her build was slender but there was a fair bit of muscle on her, and quite a few scars as well. I knew her by sight because she was one of my more controversial picks. 

Vas. An exile that was caught, enslaved, then auctioned off to the Frieza-force. 

In the end, I was willing to bet my after-dinner snack that she considered all of us enemies. 

Regardless, I saw that the attack had diminished in scale, the power level ticking downward in the right direction. When she unleashed it, a massive bolt of electricity that slammed into the ground with a deafening crack that obliterated an entire block, I heard her speak in a low angry tone. “Never thought I’d see a saiyan that gave a shit about friendly-fire,” she remarked and I couldn’t tell if she intended for me to hear that. 

“That warning still stands,” I told her as she turned her attention to a squad of ships that were taking aim at her. Lightning flung from her fingers, tearing through the ships in a fiery explosion. “The 501st is a team. We look out for each other to make sure that we all make it back from every mission. That includes you. But if you can’t hold yourself back and kill friendlies, then there’s no place for you in this unit. If you have a problem with that, then put in a transfer.”

Vas turned to look at me, flinging lighting in my direction as a snarl tugged at her face. Before it reached us, a Frieza-force ship darted in the way, exploding upon contact. I heard Narra and the girl that was practically attached to her gasp, prompting me to put up a bubble shield to make sure that they were alright. As the smoke cleared, I saw that she was still glaring in my direction. 

“And if you want to take a shot at me. But, when you do, I suggest you do better than that,” I told her. At that, her lips twitched upwards into a smile. 

“Will do, Prince Tarble,” Vas told me before she threw herself back into the fight. 

I let out a small sigh before I glanced over at Narra and her sister, “are you alright?” I asked, wondering if I should have paid more attention to personalities rather than how well their powers would synergize. 

“We are fine… thank you for your assistance,” Narra said, holding her sister tight. I paid her thanks no mind as I watched my soldiers steadily demolish the enemy. The traitor’s melted underneath the attacks of the Infantry, the Support amplifying their hitting power until there was nothing that the invaders could do to stop them. 

What’s more, I hadn’t lost a single troop yet while the enemy dropped like flies.   

Now, time to see how my other troops were doing. I turned to Narra, who watched the slaughter happen with an impassive expression, but the girl in her grip squirmed as she clenched her eyes shut. "Can you open up a portal above this city?" I asked, making a hologram of Planet Vegeta appear with a highlighted city appear. 

Narra looked pensive for a moment before she shook her head, "I need a clear picture of the location to open a portal." She answered, nervous at my reaction. And, in the end, I guess I really couldn't blame her for that. In time she would learn that I didn't kill people because they couldn't do what I asked. Or because they annoyed me. But she was also quick to continue, "but, if you're close to someone in that city, I can open a portal near them." 

That was useful, I thought as I nodded. Narra stretched out a hand, prompting me to place mine on top of hers. Narra closed her eyes for a moment before saying, "Please think of them. A clear picture. It will help me find them." 

An image of Elery came to mind. When she was younger, just a baby that had first learned how to fly after I taught her. Naturally, the first thing she tried to do was fly to the stars above and had been rather upset with me when I wouldn't let her go into outer space. 

A green flame appeared that burned away at the air to reveal Elery as she fought in the city. Her stump of a tail was revealed to me, so she couldn't see the green portal behind her. Her armor was scuffed, her white gloves dyed red with blood, and over the sounds of death and chaos, it sounded as if she was having the time of her life. Her, along with everyone else amongst the group. 

Elery, Olaive and Kakarot's squads moved as one, using the buildings as cover as they destroyed the supplies for the army of a hundred thousand they were up against. I watched them progress, working together as they took down anything that got in their way. They even unveiled a new technique that I hadn't taught them -- a ki disk that was used as a shield, reminiscent of when I used Destructo Disks for the same result years ago. 

My lips tugged upwards into a grin at that. Especially when it was becoming increasingly clear that they didn't need my help. Not when they coordinated so well. It had its problems, to be certain, but I felt my worries diminish. They were fine, the recruits had completed their objective and now they were retreating under the watchful eyes of Matillo and Fasha. 

However, as they retreated, I noticed one whose gloves were completely clean of blood. Had it been anyone else, I would have assumed that they had simply used ki attacks, but I knew better than to think that as I watched Broly fly with his team in formation. His skin was pale, he looked sick to his stomach and on the verge of tears. Broly… looked a lot like how I imagine I looked back on Rockoroad. 

I felt bad for him. But, I knew that he would grow out of his soft-heartedness in time like I had. Because, in the end, the choice between the lives of your friends and the lives of the enemy… well, that was a simple choice to make. 

"Thank you," I told her, splitting my attention between watching the Sayian and 501st recruits. Both were progressing well and it wouldn't be long before we could move on to the next enemies. I spared Narra a glance to see that she was giving me an odd look that she tried to hide when I caught her. 

"There is no need for thanks. You… worry for your sister," Narra observed after a moment. I wondered for a moment if it was that obvious before I nodded at the girl that clung to Narra just as tightly as she clung to her. 

I looked away, turning my attention back to Elery as she tried to lead a bunch more than just her squad. It wasn't going well, but both parties were learning from the experience. And they would have plenty of other chances to learn today. 

"So do you," I returned, making Narra fall silent as I watched as the invading enemy was relentlessly destroyed. 

Antiople wasn't going to know what hit it.

…

Screens, graphs, and sprawling numbers. It was astonishing how simply galactic warfare looked on a hologram, Koter thought as he tapped his fingers a few times. Now a flagging division would be reinforced so they would be able to hold out for an additional month. A Scout-class scarab was sent to push back a probing strike from the Cold-force. A fleet was given orders to retreat for repairs and its position would be covered by another fleet. 

War was numbers in the end. Numbers of lives, numbers of weapons, numbers of ships, number of rations, and numbers of losses. Knowing how to manage all of them was the key to success. Knowing when to trade one number for the other was the fundamental truth to war, Koter was coming to learn. 

After two years of balancing the numbers for the westernmost front, something was becoming incredibly clear. 

“The situation has become unsustainable,” Koter spoke aloud. The Frieza-force had made too much progress on other fronts. The line of Shield Worlds that had kept the Cold-force at bay since the war began was being flanked, their reinforcements and supplies coming under attack more often than not and after two years, Koter was feeling the effects. Scarabs had to be used sparingly, rotation of equipment, and repairs were a constant issue. 

Though, that did not mean that the defensive line would fall today. Nor tomorrow, nor a year from now. At the utmost, provided nothing changed drastically, he suspected he could hold the line for another ten years. But, inevitably, the line would fall through sheer attrition. Simply because the Reach Empire had never truly expected to use the Shield Worlds. They were too used to expanding. 

“Grand Commander?” One of his aids spoke up, eyeing the information with a less trained eye. Another member of his species from a minor family. The foundation for bringing the minor families underneath his rule. 

Grand Commander. Only a few steps below the top of the Reach military hierarchy. He commanded armies numbering in the billions, countless fleets, and led the defenses of the Shield Worlds. He had climbed high in the past few years with the aid of the new leader of the Rus’gun family, who was indebted to him force rescuing him from torture. That and the brainwashing to make him loyal to Koter. 

“We have three choices,” Koter thought aloud, balancing the numbers, contrasting them to the map of the stretch of space that had become littered with corpses of sapient and ships. “We go on the offensive,” he started, picturing it in his head.

“We push them back, retake these planets, and dig in once again.” Koter highlighted three planets that were rich in resources, well developed, and would strengthen the defensive line. “However, should the push fail, then we’ll be worse off than before. We won’t last another year before we’re forced to retreat.” Worse, the offensive would need to be a perfect success, something that was rarely seen in war. 

“Second, we dig in as much as we can and prepare ourselves to be cut off from the Reach Empire and surrounded.” This option was more appealing. They could switch over to robotic soldiers to reduce the need for consumable food and begin breaking down available materials to develop a stockpile. By the time that the Frieza-force surrounded them, they would have the materials to last a century. 

“But, that does little to help the Reach,” Koter continued before he settled on the final option. “Lastly, we can retreat-”

“Retreat?” His aid interrupted his thought process, and judging by his expression, he realized what a foolish thing that was to do. But, he was forging the image of a kind mentor, so it wouldn’t do to snap at him. 

Koter looked down at the map, at the armies and fleets of the Cooler-force. Cooler himself had yet to make an appearance, but that didn’t mean that he wouldn’t eventually. Koter knew Cooler. Not well, but well enough that he could only stomach his younger brother showing him up for so long. It was only a matter of time before he did something. 

They could last ten years, without question. If they dig in, that could be pushed to over twenty-five years or longer. 

His gaze found another line of Shield Worlds, an interconnected web that had yet to be touched by the Frieza-force. Koter opened his mouth to explain what he intended, only to be interrupted once again, this time by a door sliding open. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that it was his wife. 

Sea green face plates, yellow eyes that seemed to glow as she looked at him. Fierce, and almost as proud, she strode into the room as if she owned it. Stripes on her arms marked her as an admiral, and in the past two years, she was one of the few that he learned he could trust with any task. An irony, to be certain, especially considering that he had been planning to kill her before they had been married. 

But as all things did, the plan changed. 

“Your gambit failed to pay off,” Sousk informed him, handing him a tablet that displayed a top-secret military report for the Frieza-force. His agents in the Board of Directors had paid off more than he could have suspected. It was a long time until he would be able to seize control of the Trade Organization, but when it came to getting his hands on reports or stirring up trouble, his agents proved to be invaluable. 

Koter took the tablet and frowned as he skimmed it. “The entire royal family, hm?” He muttered, zeroing in on one name in particular. Prince Tarble. He had yet to climb up any higher up the chain of command, but he won a stunning number of victories as his personal strength grew. Though, from what he read, his strategies had become rather formulaic. Hopefully, that was simply because he hadn’t found another enemy to challenge him tactically. 

“What atrocious timing,” Koter muttered to himself. Setting the tablet to the side, he suppressed a small sigh as the chance to eliminate the saiyan race in one fell swoop in an attack that couldn’t be traced back to him slipped by. His gaze landed on the Cooler-force side of the tactics map. “If only our unexpected friend had warned us sooner.”

“If only,” Sousk agreed before she stepped beside him. “What are my next orders?” She asked, moving the subject away from the failure that he knew he would one day regret. 

Koter gestured to the map, an enemy fleet that had been growing too bold by half and needed to be checked. 

Sousk smiled when she saw who her next enemy was. 

…

Finally done with the arc. This was meant to be a much shorter one than it ended up being because I underestimated how long it would take for the invasion to wrap up. Not entirely happy with it, but it’s time to move on to the next arc. 

The next two arcs are going to be four chapters each that covers six years.