Chapter 9: Unexpected "Old Friends"
Planet B-1000.
Three warriors in Frieza Force uniforms walked through bustling streets, occasionally stopping to look around like country bumpkins visiting the big city for the first time.
But the brown tails wrapped around their waists ensured nobody dared show the slightest contempt.
These were Saiyans. And Saiyans' violent tempers were legendary.
The trio was, of course, Turles, Paragus, and Broly—arrived after a week of space travel.
After that week-long journey, they'd reached this technology planet designated B-1000. They needed to refuel here before continuing with their plan.
Upon arrival, however, they'd encountered an awkward problem: all three of them were broke.
Broly and Paragus were obvious cases. But Turles wasn't much better off. Who knew whether Saiyans even had bank accounts? Didn't they usually just steal what they needed?
Of course, since this was Frieza's planet, they couldn't exactly go on a "shopping spree" if they wanted to avoid attracting the emperor's attention.
Just as the three stood around looking clueless, another Frieza Force soldier came running over at full speed. He skidded to an emergency stop right in front of them, then bowed deeply with excessive enthusiasm. "Honored warriors! I am Karlo, commander of the B-1000 planetary base. It's my pleasure to welcome you!"
Turles and Paragus exchanged glances. Neither spoke.
"You know him?"
"How would I know him? I've been stuck on Vampa for eighteen years, remember?"
"Then why's he so friendly?"
"Hell if I know!"
Their eyes communicated silently, momentarily ignoring the overly enthusiastic alien before them.
After waiting awkwardly with no response, Karlo's expression started freezing. Sweat poured down his face, quickly forming a puddle on the ground.
Finally, Turles stepped forward, maintaining a cold expression. "Take us to the base. And prepare food."
"Yes, sir! Right away!" Having received orders, Karlo practically shouted with relief.
Turles followed this alien—whose battle power was merely 1,000 but who'd somehow become a planetary base commander—to the base headquarters.
B-1000 really lived up to its reputation as a technology planet. The base was housed in a massive fortress bristling with exposed weapon batteries that threatened anyone with hostile intent.
Seated at a table piled high with food, the three starving Saiyans transformed into ravenous beasts, devouring everything in sight.
Saiyans had two great passions in life: fighting and eating.
Especially these three, fresh from Vampa's culinary wasteland.
Three solid hours later, the three bottomless pits finally stopped eating. The table was buried under mountains of empty dishes stacked taller than a person.
"Burp!" Turles let out a long, satisfied belch. Finally, he felt human again.
"Karlo!"
Satiated, Turles remembered business. He immediately summoned the base commander.
"Yes, sir! What can I do for you?" Like some kind of teleportation, Karlo instantly appeared at Turles's side. Even with ki sensing, Turles nearly jumped in surprise.
Looking at this obsequious alien, Turles suddenly understood how he'd climbed to base commander. Competence took many forms.
"Does the base have star charts for the Galactic Center?" Turles got straight to the point.
"Hm?" The question caught Karlo off guard. But as someone who'd advanced through brownnosing, he had skills. He recovered instantly. "Sir, the Galactic Center is beyond the Force's territory. Lord Frieza has strictly forbidden military operations there, so detailed charts require research. The Science Division's—"
"Then go research. Get me answers quickly." Turles cut him off.
Karlo didn't dare say more. He bowed deeply and scurried out at a jog.
He wouldn't dream of delaying these three. The base scouters had detected one of them possessed a terrifying 22,000 battle power!
Only after Karlo left did Paragus speak. "Turles, do we really need to go to the Galactic Center?"
Turles glanced at him oddly. "Temporarily avoid Frieza's territory, give Broly and me time to grow—that was the plan from the start, wasn't it? What, having second thoughts?"
Paragus hesitated, then voiced his concern: "But the Galactic Center is so far away! We could choose remote planets instead. Just avoid Frieza's surveillance network, right?"
Seeing through Paragus's thinking, Turles's expression darkened. His cold eyes locked onto Paragus as terrifying pressure radiated from his body.
The room's atmosphere grew oppressive. Silence stretched between them.
Broly sensed the strange tension. He looked between Turles and his father, uncertain how to intervene.
After a long silence, Turles finally retracted his aura, compromising: "Paragus, I'm not insisting on the Galactic Center for no reason. Frieza's territory is too vast. The entire North Galaxy is under his control. Even the Galactic Patrol keeps retreating from his expansion. If I had my choice, I'd go straight to the South Galaxy."
Seeing Paragus still unmoved, displeasure flashed through Turles's eyes. He continued: "Besides, I've heard the Saiyan ancestral world of Sadala is in the South Galaxy. Supposedly, other Saiyan warriors appeared there. Choosing the Galactic Center lets us use the Patrol's resources to find scattered survivors. If we want to revive the Saiyan race, just you, me, and Broly aren't nearly enough!"
Hearing Turles put it that way, Paragus stopped objecting and nodded agreement.
'You short-sighted old bastard. If not for Broly, I'd have ditched you and gone solo already,' Turles grumbled internally.
At that moment, Karlo returned with a purple-skinned alien in a white lab coat. Turles recognized the species from his memories—one of the universe's famous technology races. Something like the Kaburu or Kabuuru species.
"Sir, this is Karl! He oversees the base's research and development. He knows everything about Galactic Center charts and data!"
After introducing Karl, Karlo retreated to the side—perfect positioning. Turles found it quite comfortable.
"Good." Turles nodded.
The Kaburu scientist named Karl approached nervously, pulled out a tablet with trembling hands, activated a holographic projection, and began explaining the Galactic Center charts.
Through the briefing, Turles gained a general understanding. As expected, the Galactic Center contained only one major power—Galactic Patrol headquarters. Space pirates and other factions avoided the area. It was one of the universe's rare peaceful zones.
Turles nodded with satisfaction, saving the data. Then he asked: "Karl, if I wanted you to modify a spaceship to include a gravity chamber, how long would that take?"
The gravity training room was Turles's obsession. Only with that could he accelerate his power growth.
"Probably... six months?" Karl gave a rough estimate. Seeing Turles frown, he quickly explained: "Gravity chamber technology isn't standardized, so we'd need technical cooperation with headquarters. That's why it takes so long!"
Hearing that killed the idea immediately. Turles couldn't wait six months on this planet—too many variables. And cooperating with Frieza's headquarters? Absolutely not.
'Do I really have to visit Earth after all?'
The question formed in his mind.
Suddenly, Turles shot to his feet, expression turning serious.
He'd sensed a powerful ki signature rapidly approaching the planet. Judging by intensity, at least 10,000 battle power. Two more signatures followed—one around 8,000, another near 1,000.
A stranger with 10,000+ power appearing at this moment made Turles suspicious.
"Turles?" Paragus looked confused.
Turles pointed at his own scouter, somewhat helpless. This was the disadvantage of not sensing ki—Turles had detected the anomaly while Paragus remained oblivious.
Ignoring Paragus, Turles headed outside. At the door, he launched into the air, flying toward the ki signatures.
Soon, following the energy traces, he reached the ship landing zone.
Hovering in midair, Turles watched three figures emerge from a newly-landed attack pod. He felt somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected to encounter these three on this planet.
Though younger than he remembered, their familiar faces and signature tails made identification instant: Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz!
Looking at the trio now, Turles suddenly felt interested. A good idea was forming. He began descending.
Being in a Frieza Force base, Vegeta's group had lowered their guard slightly. Except for Vegeta, who maintained constant vigilance and noticed Turles immediately, Nappa and Raditz only became aware when he appeared directly in front of them.
Turles studied the three carefully. Their faces matched his memories almost perfectly. Considering Saiyan physiology, that made sense.
As a warrior race, Saiyans had evolved bodies optimized for combat through long evolution. They remained in juvenile form until age fifteen, then rapidly matured into adulthood and maintained that youthful state until old age. Though their lifespan matched humans at around 100 years, their prime lasted far longer.
All three had reached adulthood, so their current appearances matching their future selves was normal. They'd just look more mature eventually.
"Dad?" Raditz suddenly spoke.
The word Turles had been about to say died in his throat. His mouth opened and closed, unsure how to respond to this " son" who was actually older than him!