PART ELEVEN: DOUBLE TROUBLE

Chapter 54

Translated by Kakarotto Ka Power Level Kya Hai?

Neither Namek nor Varga had seen it coming. The shuttle explosion killed many people on the spot. None of the Vargas or Nameks of Universe 1 had survived. Among the dozens of Nameks of Universe 10, only four survivors could be accounted for, including two in critical condition.

Strenuously lifting a large piece of burnt hull, Nail freed an injured Namek at his feet. Nail was covered with wounds and burns, and he regretted not accepting healing after his fight with Reacum. He was running low on energy. At his feet was a Namek in an uncertain state. He was alive, but probably not for long. Nail carried him and laid him gently on the ground, a few meters away from the ruins of the ship. Behind him a slightly-dazed Namek, who was less injured than Nail, freed himself. It was Cargot! There was another Namek, conscious, but with arms and legs in a pitiful state. As Nail turned to the Saiyans, who did not budge and decided to merely watch the events unfold, he asked for help before returning to the burning ship's debris to help two members of his people. Helping Cargot carry another Namek, they proceeded together to find the Namek that Nail had saved. But they suddenly stopped in shock. Three Saiyans had just arrived next to the Namek, smiling with sadistic grins on their faces. Outstretching their arms and fixing their eyes on Nail and Cargot, they fired several bursts of energy. Nail and Cargot couldn't understand and didn't think any further. Seeing one of their brethren being killed in cold blood, especially when he was helpless, had pushed all thought from their heads, preventing them from detecting the group of Saiyans who attacked them from the side. Cargot was violently kicked in the back, which forced him to fall forward with a cry of pain. The other Namek lost balance, and then fell on his right side; a Saiyan then grabbed his face from the front before the poor creature could even land on the ground and slammed him backwards with a violent crash. Nail turned and was struck with a punch that knocked him back.

"C'mon! Finish them off quickly!" Mahissu cried.

Nail and Cargot seemed to recover. Narrowly avoiding energy blasts, they started to fight again. Unfortunately, their friend was unable to move, and he subsequently suffered the wrath and vengeance of the Saiyans. Nail clenched his teeth and fists, and Cargot shouted the name of their friend. Both were now driven by a terrible anger against these primitive people. If they wanted a fight, they would get one! Cargot released his power, revealing a white aura around him. Nail prepared to power up, but no aura appeared; he was far too weak...

"Kill them! It's just two of them against eight of us!" Mahissu cried again, ordering an assault.

The Saiyans separated into two groups and attacked Nail and Cargot. Although they were wounded and exhausted, they were both stronger than any Saiyan of this caliber. In a one against four, they were able to counter, dodge, and even get some shots in. The Saiyans were strong, motivated, and stubborn. Whenever one fell, he would always get up quickly to help the other three. Whenever they could, they would grab the Namek by his arms and let the other beat him. But despite whatever tactics they tried, they were still weaker than the Namek warriors. Mahissu was enraged by the fact that there were still two survivors. His king was not going to pleased, and would he himself survive if he was the bearer of this news? Mahissu hesitated as he narrowed his options: should he flee with the last two Saiyans standing, or fight to the death to avoid Vegeta's wrath. He did not really have time to think. The Nameks attached from side to side and Mahissu had just enough time to duck and squeeze between the two to run a few meters. When he turned, the other two Saiyans were beaten. Mahissu was stuck. Between the corridor leading to the bridge and his king stood two very upset Nameks. So he had failed the mission he was assigned... If only he was stronger! If only he knew how to become the mighty Oozaru without the full moon!

Furious, he lunged at the Nameks, shouting with his fists clenched and ready to strike. He did not even touch them; he could not even get within three meters of them: Cargot and Nail both launched a huge energy attack that almost entirely vaporized him in seconds. They took a deep breath after the murder, and rested for a long time to wonder why they were able to do so, before noticing that there were no longer any more Saiyan groups in the hanger. After exchanging a glance, Nail and Cargot moved quickly towards the bridge.

When the two Namek survivors entered the command bridge of the Varga mother-ship, they saw King Vegeta firmly grasping a yellow-feathered Varga's throat; it seemed that the Varga was the commander. A quick glance across the rest of the large room allowed Nail and Cargot to realize the gravity of the situation.

The Saiyans had apparently destroyed the front door with an explosion, and then entered, killing all thos who were there. The Nameks and Vargas were surprised. Before one of them could even move, almost all of them hit the ground. At the control panel, singed by the energy balls, and still smoldering in his seat lay a bloodied Varga. King Vegeta stood at the center of the carnage, surrounded by his henchmen and his old father, who all watched. Vegeta smiled, and seemed annoyed at the same time. He was close to 'discovering' the secret of space travel, and perhaps he would be able to travel across the universe.

"Tell me! How do you work this thing?" he shouted at the frightened and strangled Varga.

"We've reached the Nameks' planet!" yelled another Saiyan who looked through the large glass bay, through which a green planet seemed to grow in size.

"Drop him!" Nail shouted back at Vegeta.

He actually dropped him, surprisingly enough; He forcefully dropped the little Varga to the ground, who could not get up immediately and tried to resume proper breathing first. Vegeta then turned to the two uninvited guests, and soon imagined what could have happened for them to arrive without Mahissu's group in pursuit. He had to improvise his plan... Unsurprisingly, it was a low blow to his pride; he had no idea how those Nameks beat his fighters. Perhaps?

The two Nameks stood ready. For them, there was no doubt that there was no doubt that they were stronger than one Saiyan. But a dozen? Maybe not. It was not wise to take such a risk. Nail was exhausted. But the situation was delicate. Avoiding a fight altogether was a good idea, but what then? They could not trust the Saiyans to sit quietly in the corner. If they attacked or were attacked, it would turn into a massacre, and it would be difficult to protect the injured Varga. And they could not locked remain in this face-off forever. Someone had to act to resolve the situation...

If they landed on Namek with the mother-ship, their brethren could come and overpower the Saiyans that didn't want to leave. Unfortunately, there was only one creature capable of doing that. Nail and Cargot would not be able to make a landing with such a big ship; they would still have to understand how to control it...

Vegeta was smart and came to exactly the same conclusions. Almost. He had a trump card up his sleeve; a surprise that could allow him to take over... But he needed to buy some time. And he was lucky: all his men were accounted for. A few losses here and there were negligible if he could get his hands on the power to travel through space.

"Attack them! Kill them!" he ordered his warriors, who immediately threw themselves at both Nameks, while his father retreated, too old to fight.

They immediately defended themselves, first parrying punches and kicks, and counter-attacking successfully. Vegeta grabbed the vest of the Varga who was still on the ground, lifting his hand as if it were a baby, and began to rush towards the to two Nameks... not to hurt the Varga, but to buy enough time to keep the others occupied and to reach the hangar where he had enough space to transform into the Oozaru, thus increasing power above that of the Nameks.

But when he reached the hallway, a sudden feeling of weakness ran through his body, from his tail through his legs. He had been grabbed at the location where all Saiyans were weak: his tail. Turning, he saw that it was Nail who had barely caught it, even though he was beaten. Screaming in pain, he dragged himself closer, and the Saiyan flew, with the Varga under his arm, to the command center.

He gradually regained his senses to notice that everything was going wrong: among his henchmen, there were only five left who were still standing and fighting. "Too bad, I have no choice," thought King Vegeta, finally releasing the Varga to concentrate the energy in his hand.

Occupied by Vegeta's men, Nail and Cargot did not notice that Vegeta used the same 'attack' against his counterpart in the tournament. A blue ball of light appeared in the palm of the Saiyan and he let it rise to the ceiling of the control room. It was not very high, but the room was wide enough for the transformation.

"You're insane! Don't do it now!" cried Vegeta's father, who still remained in his corner.

While his son was already mid-metamorphosis, he turned to him. His nose and mouth had already transformed into the snout of the Oozaru, and the muscles and hair that grew already tore through his clothes.

"You're getting on my nerves, old man!" he said simply as his eyes turned crimson.

He reached out his arm and launched an energy beam at his horrified father. The explosion killed him instantly.

King Vegeta quickly finished his metamorphosis into the mighty Oozaru, multiplying his power. As his size increased, at the half-transformed state, he violently punched out part of the ceiling. But there was nothing above the roof. All that remained beyond was space: the interstellar void.

The air began to escape from the ship, and the lifeless bodies of Nameks, Vargas, and Saiyans flew out quickly. Nail and Cargot managed to keep their feet on the ground, while Baddack and Romanesco clung tightly to the control panels. The others were gone. Vegeta, in full Oozaru form, was well-off. The small Varga managed to remain clinging to the fur on the legs of Vegeta, who did not even feel it. For once, a Saiyan could save his life rather than strangling it out of him; he was going to take full advantage of the opportunity.

Because of the hole in the hull, the Varga ship began to pitch, to spin, and fly straight towards the planet. There was no way to control the ship now, and even Vegeta did not know what to do. He had not expected the ship to lose stability... or crash land. The king got angry, losing a bit of air in the process, even though he could hold his breath for several more minutes. In his rage, he knocked the hull of the ship several times, and suddenly, he firmly gripped Nail who screamed in pain. Like an upset child, Vegeta threw the vulgar toy at the planet, before finally being sucked into the empty vacuum of space...

Nail used all his remaining strength to slow his fall. he had very quickly reached his home planet's atmosphere and fell like a meteorite. Not so far from him, Vegeta, still in Oozaru form, also fell like a stone, shrieking all the while. Above them circled the ship, which was still crash-landing, leaving behind a fiery trail. With one last successful ki attack to the ground, Nail succeeded in breaking his fall to move towards the green water in the ocean. If he fell straight, he knew he would survive. Vegeta fell on his back and on land. He created a huge crater in which sea water began to rush. Shocked, and because he could no longer see the luminescent energy that maintained his Oozaru transformation, he returned back to his normal form. He was severely injured and unconscious, dying slowly. Then, it was the ship that hit the ground, the rear of the machine that broke away from the front exploding, and sliding hundreds of meters before finally reaching a halt.

Several hundred miles away, in a village, a chief Namek appointed several men, including healers to get to the scene of the accident, hoping to find survivors...