Going Native: Feeling of the Bleed (ch. 60) (Patreon)

My brother was doing well for himself, I saw as I got an update about his empire. He was still expanding in Reach space for the most part, but Vegeta himself was now tearing through other kingdoms and empires that had declared war. It wouldn't be long before we shared a border, especially considering he seemed dead set on expanding in every direction.

His empire was deep in debt, an incredible amount. It produced nothing but machines and tools for war, which is why it was still able to function. And it was because of that hyperfocus that Vegeta was able to expand so rapidly.

What would he do if he reached my border? Would he stop or would he continue to expand? I had lost planets. My civilian population was dead set on complaining about everything in the universe. It was like they didn't understand that I was actively doing something about the war -- honestly, the Reach brainwashing their civilians made a lot more sense to me. Not enough to actually go through with it, but enough to understand why someone would decide free speech wasn't worth the hassle. The point was -- my empire was already creaking under the strain of fighting pretty much the entire galaxy.

I did not need my brother invading me as well. We hadn't spoken in years. He refused every call and message. And as a general, I had to accept the fact that Vegeta wouldn't invade just because I didn't want him to. I had to accept the reality that it was a very real possibility. So… what would I do?

"Vegeta, we haven't spoken in… about seven years," I started, compiling a message to be sent to my brother from the desk in my room. "So, this request will likely come as a surprise. At the moment, I'm in route to subjugate the Khundian Empire's capital with the intent of extracting an unconditional surrender. In my absence, the planet Thangar will be left exposed to an unacceptable degree. I'm asking you to help me protect it."

If Vegeta decided to take it or not… that would tell me what I needed to know of where we stood with one another. So long as the planet remained in Frieza-force hands. And… considering the incredible strategic resource Nth metal was… if Vegeta took it…

Then I would just have to take it back.

"As the planet is desired by every faction in the galaxy, you will undoubtedly find your fair share of good fights there. I can't imagine that the Reach has anything that you haven't already killed before," A little incentive to get his aid. "If you accept, then I suppose I'll see you on Thangar after I've brought the Khund empire to heel."

With that, I ended the message and pressed send. Pushing back from my desk, I floated out of my chair to spare a glance over my barren room. Just a chair, a desk, a healing pod to sleep in. Nothing else because I had all that I needed. A hand went to my scouter, "Admiral?"

My admiral knew what I was asking for. "Perpetrations for the fleet are completed. We have green lights across the board," The Admiral said, though he didn't sound happy about it. I couldn't say I understood why he was unhappy, but I did understand why so many were nervous.

We would be attacking the heart of the Khundian empire. And unlike the Thangarians, our path was promised by the word of an enemy. We weren't making our own way and that made people nervous we were being led into a trap.

Maybe we were, but it mattered little. This was our best shot at subjugating the Khund empire. Their armies would join mine, the same for their production facilities. It might not be enough to take on the whole galaxy, but it would take us a step away from the edge of collapse.

"Are you sure you don't want the Supreme Commander in on this?" The Admiral asked, and I resisted a sneer. The Supreme Commander was proving himself to be my greatest enemy so far. My empire was turned into a punching bag for the galaxy -- most had declared war on the Trade Organization, but they all seemed intent on traveling through my space to wage war.

The armies, both sentient and machine, I had purchased or recruited helped hold the line. But Virl's prediction rang true several months later -- if I didn't leverage myself into a good position within a year, then the Supreme Commander would find a way to cripple my war effort. Only it wouldn't just be through sabotage. My defensive lines would falter and the planets I spent years investing in and taking from the Reach would fall to others.

"I'm certain. We get in, we hit them hard, and the empire falls," I decided. "If everything is green, then begin the operation," I ordered, turning my attention to my plans. The Khundian people used honor like a noose -- it stopped them from going too far, and they were bound by it. They were a hyperaggressive species that were willing to kill one another for any reason at all. Or no reason at all. The code of conduct they lived by curbed their natural impulses.

It's why Gilguk had surrendered and why I was willing to believe that surrender. She had been defeated, she had given her word -- by the laws of her people, she had to keep her word.

Warlords were more than just leaders. They were the ones that held the other end of the noose. When the Khund's natural instincts got away from them, it fell to the Warlord to pull them back. They earned that position by proving their ability to lead and fight, but also that they understood the rigid rules of their society. And that they could live by them and force others too as well.

Which is what this deep strike was about. I just had to take the reins from the current king and most of the empire would be brought to heel. Some would break off, but the core of the empire would follow. That's what I needed -- armies that craved war, who would obey my orders and would jump at the chance to fight most of the galaxy.

That's what I needed to hold the line.

"We're off sir," The Admiral informed. I acknowledge the statement before ending the call, focusing on the map before me. My family, the 501st, my team, the Ginyu Squad, my armies -- all of them were spread across the front. Broly was still on Thangar, but hopefully, that would end soon.

The goal Broly had given himself couldn't be achieved on Thangar. The fighting was too intense, and we couldn't handle the constant influx of prisoners. So, Broly chose to kill. He killed because he understood the value of the planet, he understood that we couldn't handle the number of prisoners he gave us and he understood that he was placed on that planet because of how powerful he was.

Broly killed armies. Slaughtered them down to the last man.

And it was destroying him.

"Just a little longer," I said, keeping an eye on the fleet's position. It was a mixture of wink-drive and slipspace. Broly just had to hold out a little longer, and then he could cycle off to another battle where he could go back to his way of doing things and decompress. He hadn’t complained or said anything about it, but I knew each death weighed heavily on him. Just a little longer and the war would be back on track.

The trip passed in a blur, a handful of days worth of travel spread over a handful of hours in real time. I ended up catching a handful of hours of sleep, but most of my time was spent sending orders whenever we popped back into real space. The front needed my constant attention. In the end, I was probably lucky that I wasted a handful of years with the Cooler-force. It gave me a handle on how to manage such widescale tactics.

It was just difficult considering the variables. Not only did it feel like I was fighting half of the galaxy, but other colors of Latenrs were starting to pop up. First red, some of which helped the Frieza-force while others attacked. Now, with the same message that Avery had confirmed our pathway to the heart of the Khundian empire, he confirmed the existence of Blue Lanterns. They did seem to be limited in some way, but that was still three enemy Lantern corps that we had to deal with.

Sinestro mobilized his own as a first-response force, but…

A hand went to the rings on my necklace -- one green, one yellow, and one red. It would seem that before this mess of a war was over, I would have a ring for every color of the rainbow.

Regardless, I kept myself busy until I heard the Admiral announce that we had arrived at our destination. Pulling up the map with my scouter as I flew through the halls of my flagship, I saw that we hadn’t popped into the middle of an ambush. A promising sign. I also saw a blip that represented Avery and his team approaching from the planet’s surface.

I raced to meet them in the docking bay and I arrived just in time to see them walk through the airlock. Avery led the way, looking unharmed. His long term teammates Vas and Canda trailed behind him -- openings in his squad were filled by Shayera and Rocky. The latter was a large yellow bio-android with drills for hands. A silicone and metal-based alien that could upgrade itself with technology and metals. Avery always did prefer diversity rather than pure power.

In the middle of the group was the Warlord Gilguk. A tall woman that wielded a large golden axe. A symbol of esteem. Khund’s were willing to use guns, but weapons like swords, spears, or axes were seen as more honorable to use. And that was part of the reason why it was so easy for saiyans to earn their respect -- we fought with our own abilities.

Avery nodded a greeting, which I returned, but he knew who my focus would be on. Gilguk looked me up and down, pushing out from the others so she stood at the front. Tilting her head, an amused expression found itself on her face, “Prince Tarble. You’re smaller than I expected.”

“I get that a lot,” I accepted. It was a petty concern compared to everything else, but I did hope that my next growth spurt wouldn’t be so delayed.

“But your legend proceeds you. You fight with honor and valor,” she complimented, sounding like she meant the praise.

“And you have kept your word -- in my time as a general, I've found that's a rare thing. Especially when it costs you something to keep it," I returned the compliment, sizing her up. She felt fairly powerful. Powerful enough that I knew that the Nth metal I gave out to Avery had proved to be an equalizer without having read his report.

Gilguk offered a serious nod. "It is the way of our people. Those that fight for their leader show insight on who their leader is. This lot impressed me… but you insult my people if you think all it will take us a single fleet to bring our empire to its knees. We are not the Thangarian's," Gilguk said, making Shayera bristled before she settled down.

To that, a light smirk tugged at the edge of my lips. "It is no insult. Since you have given your word, there is no need to bring the fleet. We will take a skiff to your capital. There, I will challenge your king."

Gilguk offered a slow blink, suddenly looking a lot less certain while I tossed a capsule to unseal a small skiff. A slender ship not meant for combat. There wasn't much of a point -- if there was a space battle, all I had to do was fly outside and start blasting. Her lips pressed together into a thin line, "You which to challenge King Kolbo to a Khundmung?"

The others looked lost, and to those that didn't understand the significance of those words, they sounded like nonsense.

"I do," I confirmed with a nod, only to have Gilguk shake her head.

"You-" She started to say that I can't, but she stopped herself. She shook her head again before she sighed, "It is not my place to tell you what you can and cannot do. If that is your wish, then so be it. I shall bring your offer to the King and guarantee your safe passage."

With that, she marched onto the skiff, leaving the others to look at me. Avery nodded, knowing my plan while the others just looked puzzled. I could have told them…

But why ruin the surprise?

…

The planet of Khundia looked like a tough nut to crack, I noted as we received a green light to dock after Gilguk confirmed that she was on the skiff. And that I was here to meet the king. I was only mildly surprised when they didn't start shooting to take us out. The planet itself looked like they dedicated themselves to turning every inch of the surface into a gun.

Buildings that acted as planet to space railguns, the streets made for urban warfare… it reminded me of the Reach. Only the planet had three man-made rings, each with a defense platform on it, so every direction of the planet was covered. The fleets hung out in the system, but I suspected most were converging on my location.

The skiff touched down and the docking bay door slid down to reveal the palace of the planet. I stretched out with my ki sense and found the most powerful one within. And he was powerful. I ignored the dozen or so squads taking positions to kill me as I walked out of the ship, followed by Gilguk. Looking around, I saw a simple palace. No thought of decoration or the like. Just hard metal and defensive positions.

"Reminds me of home," I remarked as I walked down the angled bay door. "It even feels like it's ten gs." My scouter told me it was closer to eleven than not. All the better.

"Our people seem very similar. Perhaps we shared an ancestor?" Gilguk wondered as we walked, Avery's squad right behind us. They seemed more nervous about the guns pointed in our direction as we walked towards a giant brick of a building that also seemed to double as a really big gun.

I considered that but shook my head, "It's possible but much of my people's history has been lost when we blew up our original planet about a thousand years ago. And we didn't seem to be technically advanced enough to achieve space flight."

Gilguk spared me a glance as we started walking up the steps, "Then how did your species survive?"

"Another species was monitoring us and we stole their ship when the Legendary Super Saiyan blew up the planet," I explained. That ship was something that bothered me. Before every moment was spent preparing for the war, I had tried to find a lead on who the ship might have belonged to. I wanted to know who had been monitoring us on Sadala. Only I couldn't find anything like it.

I planned on testing the ship to get an idea of how old it was, which would narrow down my search a bit. But I wasn't likely to return to Planet Vegeta for years. Not to mention the issue of the key needed to get the ship to start working.

"Then perhaps they had taken one of your ancestors from their home and across the stars?" Gilguk wondered. At the very least, that would explain why so many aliens had a Saiyan-like appearance. Some similarities could be explained by nature following the most efficient path, but there were plenty of aliens that just looked like slightly off-colored Saiyans that lacked a tail.

"Maybe," I agreed, wanting to give the idea some thought but I had other matters at hand. So that mystery would be shelved until I could actually investigate it.

As we reached the top of the stairs, I saw more Khund warriors. These carried oversized weapons much like Gilguk. They watched me carefully as we entered the building -- the palace was more of a fortress, I noted as we were led into the throne room, closer to the powerful presence that I had felt earlier. No one said a word as we made our way through the fortress, my scouter making out the way, before we reached what could be called a throne room.

In the throne room was a man -- Saiyan-like in appearance, black hair with the sides of his head shaved, leaving behind a long lock of hair that was segmented by metal rings. The color of his hair was matched by his short beard. He was shirtless, displaying a muscular body with tattoos etched into his skin that seemed to pulse with unknown energy. Most eye-catching was the massive slab of a sword leaning against his throne and the broad axe, much like the one that Gilguk wielded, was resting across his lap.

"Prince Tarble," King Kolbo greeted, leaning forward to look at me. "I have to admit, when we faced each other, I didn't expect it to be in my throne room."

I stepped forward, meeting his gaze evenly. "Most don't," I returned, and that got a slight smirk from the king. "But, I am not here to invade."

"You seek peace?" King Kolbo hissed, and it was amazing how much hate could be put into a single word. He couldn't look more disgusted if I had pulled out a baby and started eating it. Actually, it looked like he would have preferred that instead of seeking peace.

"In a sense -- I challenge you to a Khundmung," I explained, making his eyes widen a fraction before he leaned back in his chair. That caught him off guard.

He shook his head, "You cannot. The Khundmung is for Khund's only. You do not fall under our laws as an outsider."

I knew he would say that. After all, that was the tradition thus far. Since they first unified… every king that they had was a Khund. But that would soon change.

"You declared war on me for violating a sacred law -- and since then I have followed it. I requested that you ally with the Thanagarian Empire so they might prove to be a worthy foe. I have fought you according to your laws, proving that I can show the proper restraint when dealing with those weaker than me," I said, watching his expression melt into a grim realization when he realized where I was going with this. "It was you that decided that your laws applied to me. If you have decided differently, then your reason for war is void and you owe an honor debt."

This is where their honor was a noose. No matter what, I would get what I wanted. I obeyed their laws, proving my worthiness and restraint and by besting the king, I would prove my strength. If he defaulted on his reason for war, I could call in his honor debt and demand that the Khundian empire ally with me. With a handful of words, I trapped the enemy King into a no-win situation.

Diplomacy was kinda fun, now that I think about it.

The King ran a finger over the edge of a silver-hued axe, considering his two options. "My people cannot be led by a prince to another throne," he said, and I couldn't tell if he was trying to wiggle out of the situation or not.

"My brother will be King of the Saiyans," I answered easily. "It will be a simple matter to disinherit myself from the throne if that is what you wish." Considering the silence, I might have been disinherited already.

King Kolbo shook his head, "No, that will not be necessary. I meant the Trade Organization," he clarified, and that made more sense. I already had my own empire… but I was still a slave to Lord Frieza.

I took off my scouter and sealed it away, not wanting this to be heard. "I will shortly rise to the position of Supreme Commander of the Trade Organization Military Forces. There, I can leverage my position to ensure that you will not be forced to break your sacred laws, and the enemies you face are worthy. Your empire will join mine and, so far, Lord Frieza has allowed me complete freedom in how it is governed."

"Allowed," King Kolbo quoted. "A King is not a King if he must be allowed to do anything. Should you become king of my people, you may lead my people, but Frieza will rule."

I met his gaze for a moment, sending him a silent message. I understood his worries. Lord Frieza had my respect, but as the difficulties of leadership made themselves known to me, I looked to him and realized… that without his power, how he led would never work. He was the stick that kept everyone in line, to keep things moving and progressing.

I had Lord Frieza's favor… but I sincerely doubted that he would think twice if he had to kill me. That fact made it easier to accept that I was a part of a conspiracy to kill him. Even if only barely.

King Kolbo seemed to receive the message in my gaze because he offered a small nod, "I see. In that case, I will accept your challenge of a Khundmung. Gilguk, you are my witness." With that, the king stood up, taking his oversized broad axe and sword in each hand. The broad axe was smaller, a reactionary weapon while the sword was the damage dealer.

"Avery?" I said, unclipping my cape and tossing it to the side. Then I did the same for my armor -- it didn’t feel right when he would be fighting in what looked like a pair of either short pants or long shorts.

“Consider the fight witnessed in spirit because I doubt I’ll be able to follow it,” Avery responded as I walked forward to meet my challenger. I smirked at that before I shifted into a higher stage of the Wrath State, pushing myself to Stage Ten, giving me a ten times multiplier.

There was no signal to start the fight. Once he reached the bottom of the steps that led up to his throne, we both moved in unison and blurs to clash against one another in the middle of the room. The circle was the ring that I had to keep an eye on. Stepping out of it would cost me the match.

Ki gathered in my hands, forming two short spears that I used to block a slash from the oversized sword. It was Fasha’s technique, but I think I liked the spears more than my normal ki blades. She was going to be unhappy when she found out that I was using them, though. Still, I paid that thought no mind as thrust the longer spear towards Kolbo’s face, only for the king to dodge the thrust before swinging down with his axe.

I jumped over it, flipping as I did before I touched back down on the ground to dodge a swing from the sword. I wasn’t going to fly. In a duel for an empire, I couldn’t afford any call outs of unfair play. He couldn’t fly, so neither would I. Which also ruled out using ki blasts. I had to win with strength and skill.

Dust was kicked up when the weapon tore through the ground, pieces raining down on me, which I used as cover to dart in and stab at his gut. There was a pretty big height difference -- Kolbo was closer to eight feet than not, and I was barely pushing four. The tip of one spear slammed into the side of his axe before his sword came down. With my other spear, I guided the deadly edge of the hunk of metal away from me, so it slammed into the ground harmlessly.

He was strong. I felt it in every blow. Backing off a bit, through the dust that was kicked up, I saw the hulking giant rushed through the dust to close the gap. There was a smile on his lips and an almost crazed look in his eyes as she lashed out with his weapons -- out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Avery and the others were bracing themselves against the wind sheer that the weapons gave off with each swing.

I dodged every blow, choosing to stay light on my feet. As annoying as it was, my smaller size was an advantage. Spinning the spears in my hand, I reinforced them with more ki to make them strong enough to weather blows. Planting my feet in the ground for a moment, I slammed the edge of my longer spear into the sword’s edge, knocking it off course from cutting me in half before thrusting my smaller spear.

An axe blurred towards my head, but I reacted instantly. Twisting in midair, I planted a foot on the flat of the blade as it sailed overhead, and kicked up while I lashed out with my spear. King Kolbo reacted well, just not well enough to avoid my spear cutting into his calf as he backed off. Blood dripped from the wound, but he paid it no mind as he allowed me to land on my feet.

"First blood to you," King Kolbo granted before he threw his axe at me. It spun like a buzz saw, cutting through the stone ground like it wasn't even there. A deep groove marked its path as I dodged to the side while King Kolbo rushed towards me. This time, instead of dodging around, when he swung his sword with both hands, I met his blow.

The bones in my arms rattled, the groundbreaking underfoot as it sounded like a sonic boom came from the two clashing weapons. And I found myself smiling back at the king as we struggled for dominance against one another, only to give up the struggle when I heard the twirling axe approach me from behind. Reacting instantly, I leaped up, sailing over the king's head while he seamlessly caught his axe and turned it against me.

Landing on the other side of him, we traded blows at lightning speeds. The ground shook, rumbling from the constant exchange as we attacked, defended, countered, and countered those counters in a rapid exchange. Sparks rained down from his weapons on contact as I poured more and more ki into them to make them denser. I pushed myself to move faster, to hit harder, to force the king onto the defense.

I hadn't realized I slipped into Stage Eleven of the Wrath State until I saw a green aura emerged from my arms and the pain of the Wrath State became more pronounced. Regardless, it did the trick. The king was forced into the defensive, reacting to my swipes and thrusts as I pushed him back.

He realized that he was being pushed back, so he went low, accepting a skewered arm in exchange for a swipe at my legs. I blocked the blow, unwilling to give up my advantage, only to find myself sent flying up in the air. It was simple to orientate myself, but I was more focused on King Kolbo, who launched his axe at me.

It would have been simple to fly out of the way, but I instead choose to block the spinning axe, using the shaft of my weapon to guide its trajectory as I spun sharply to redirect the axe back at King Kolbo. It raced down, but I wasn't done. Gripping my long spear, I took aim before I launched it as my feet touched the ceiling. It crumpled, but I infused enough ki into the metal and stone to toughen it up enough so that I didn't fly through it.

The spear hit the ground first, acting like a missile had hit the ground. There was no grand explosion, but the ground and circle shattered around the point of impact. Almost like a needle caught in a piece of cloth, warping the cloth around the needle before it punched through. The others were forced to fly, but I paid them no mind as I watched where the axe was headed into the cloud of smoke.

With it guiding me, I launched myself down from the ceiling, crossing the distance in a split second and I was upon the king. His eyes didn't even have enough time to widen as my spear punched through the side of his chest, skewering his heart. The momentum carried us as we dug a furrow into the ground, taking us to what was left of the edge of the ring. We were only stopped by his back hitting a stone that served as a wall.

I heard the sound of his weapons clattering to the ground as he dropped them. From the speeds we moved, the wind displaced the dust in the air. The King wore an expression of defeat on his face, blood escaping the edges of his mouth.

He swallowed thickly before he shifted, presenting the hilt of the silver axe to me. "Lead our people well," he requested. He survived just long enough to see me nod. As his hand fell from the hilt of the weapon, I caught it. The thing was far too huge for me, but it was a symbol of my kingship.

"Bow to your War-Master!" Gilguk shouted to those in the room and those watching beyond. Drone with cameras had appeared in the room at some point, broadcasting the fight.

I did it. The Khund empire was mine.

"I'm not one for speeches," I told the cameras as I let the ki spear fade and hefted the oversized axe made for an eight-foot tall man on my shoulder. "But I will say this -- we now stand together. You are not slaves. Our enemies are plenty, as are our fights, but we will be victorious. Of that, I promise."

Not knowing if the cameras would cut off there, I raised a hand and destroyed the lot of them with a ki blast. Only then did I turn my attention to the others. "Message back to Command and tell them that the Khund empire stands with us. Release all Khundian prisoners and arm them. Gilguk, take me to your command center-" I started to issue out orders, only for an expression on Avery's face to cut me off.

It was one I hadn't ever seen before on him.

An expression of fear.

He lowered a hand from his scouter, "Sir, the Warworld has been spotted." I stiffened at the news -- it was impossible not to as the sweet taste of victory quickly vanished. Mongul was a man that few didn't know. An extraordinarily powerful alien that's ship was a planet-sized warship.

My mind raced, and I came to a conclusion. The timing was too good.

"He's at Thangar, isn’t he?"