Tabu hated space travel.

If it weren’t for the necessity of it in his particular line of work, the Namekian would be perfectly happy to never break atmosphere ever again. In almost every aspect of his life, Tabu could pretend to have some form of control. Most time, his life was very much in his own hands, no matter if he was choosing where to travel next or locked in combat with a deadly foe. Tabu liked that feeling of being in control of his own destiny, it made him feel secure in a world that pushed him out of his comfort zone far too often. However, when he was sailing through the stars either on his own or merely as a passenger, he was painfully aware that life and death were no longer solely within his hands. One ruptured bulkhead, one faulty oxygen filter, the merest trace of fuel contamination in the ships water supply, and he was dead, pure and simple. He would never have the chance to correct his greatest mistake or walk the sands of one of Namek’s great beaches ever again. Tabu of Namek would be the merest bit of flotsam, drifting forever across the vast expanse of the universe.

So when Tabu found himself desperately trying to pilot his failing ship through the envelope of Earth’s atmosphere while it quite literally fell apart around him, it was safe to say he was not exactly pleased with his current circumstances. Screamed profanities barely audible over the screech of tearing metal and the blaring klaxon of his ship’s computers rippled endlessly from his tongue. With a final shuddering crash, the ship broke the atmosphere, providing the Namekian a flood of relief and elation. And, then, he realized something very important.

He had no way of slowing down for landing.

The inhabitants of West City would see something akin to a falling comet, a fireball racing across the sky shedding bits of metal as it flew past. Those gifted with ki-enhanced perception and sight would see a flash of green as Tabu ripped the exterior airlock door off its frame, before hurtling himself into the open air. It was all he could manage to just barely get ahead of his falling ship, grabbing hold of the nose and PUSHING. Amber ki contrasted sharply with the orange-red glow of the flames as Tabu’s aura crackled and spat, the Namekian’s face going white with the sheer physical effort of slowing his ship down even the tiniest bit. Seconds turned into hours as the Namekian fought gravity itself for the one chance he had to leave this planet. Gradually, the ship came to a shuddering stop, held together only by the warm amber glow of Tabu’s ki. Panting with effort, Tabu slowly lowered the big ship onto the stalks of a golden wheat field, before collapsing to his knees. While the Namekian-style ship was in no style to fly anytime soon, he had preserved it, if only just.

---

PL: 3,085

WC: 498
TWC: 498

It was an sickly sweet voice that pierced the exhausted daze that enveloped the Namekian, like that poisoned honey. The Namekian slowly raised his head, coal-black eyes meeting the Changelings gaze head-on. Just when I thought this day couldn’t get any worse. If this changeling is part of the PTO, I’m screwed completely. If its this strong in its base form, then I can’t imagine how powerful it will become if I piss it off. I have to make sure I keep control of myself. Tabu thought to himself, attempting to school his voice and body language into that of polite curiosity. The changeling’s story wasn’t unlikely to be fair, but the cynical side of the Namekian thought it was more likely that the changeling was simply hoping for some free salvage. Tabu nodded in greeting, slowly rising to his feet and brushing off his dirtied hands on his pants.

“I’m fine thank you for asking, my species is quite durable. Don’t think I would like to go through another experience such as that however, slowing down a spacecraft moving at re-entry speeds is not exactly what I would call a casual workout.”

The Namekian took note of the Arcosians positioning, and how he made reference to the “warrior side” of his race. Neither the Namekian’s dislike of outsiders nor the specific distribution of their culture was common knowledge to all but the most avid of scholars. Most of the changelings now overseeing his world had only figured out the former after discovering the Dragon Clan’s proclivity for magic. Which means this one probably either assisted with the conquest or knew someone who did. Shit. If it figures out I’m a Dragon Clan member this could get very bad very fast. Why couldn’t I have landed in a barren wasteland? Tabu thought, cursing the universe for his horrible luck, flickers of unease showing up on his expression.

The real surprise, however, is when the Changeling began speaking in Namekian. The pronunciation was a bit stilted, and the accent could use a little work but it was unmistakably the language of his people. Tabu was stunned, how had this Changeling possibly have convinced anyone to teach it to him? Most Namekians would have gladly died before divulging such a precious secret, after all it was only in the language of the Dragon that one could activate the Dragon Balls: a fact that had kept their race alive multiple times when warlords had come to claim the wish-granters. Tabu switched to the language as well, purposefully thickening his voice into a regional accent of the Hydra clan.

“It is so rare to speak to someone who knows the language of my homeland. May I know your name stranger? My name is Iolin of Namek.”

Tabu said, extending a hand. If Zero was observant, he could probably glean from Tabu’s voice and body language that he wasn’t being entirely truthful. The Namekian was never really that amazing of a liar, and time had not altered this ability. Nevertheless, the Namekian gestured up to the ship.

“She is as you say. I don’t suppose you are interested in purchasing it? It does have a few minor bumps and scrapes if you haven’t noticed.”

While the ship was important to Tabu, it was more important in his opinion to keep his new ‘friend’ happy. Everything valuable on the computers had likely already been destroyed by the crash, and he could use the funds to find a way off this rock once the target on his back faded a little.

---

WC: 593
TWC: 1091

PL: 3,085

“Charmed. Though I must admit I am surprised to find someone as powerful as yourself on Earth. I didn’t think there was anything here that would be all that interesting for someone such as yourself.”

Tabu’s tone was politely questioning, but inside he was burning with questions. This was perhaps the most interesting individual of the species he had ever met, and also the more dangerous. Zero’s questions were like that of spoiled Aijisa orange: sweet and inviting until one examined them a little more closely and sensed the sink.

“Then it is even more impressive that you have such a command of the language. Although….I cannot fault the wisdom of learning new languages, though I have to wonder why Namekian was your father’s first choice? I’m flattered of course, but it isn’t exactly useful outside of my homeworld.”

As Zero eyed the ship with hungry eyes, Tabu ran through plans in his mind at a breakneck speed, generating and discarding them almost as soon as they were formed. The sad truth of the situation was that he honestly didn’t have a lot of options with the sheer size of the ki gap between them. Even if he bent all of his ki and magical prowess to the task, it was doubtful whether he could even scorch the hem of the Changeling’s cape, let alone if it transformed into one of those monstrous forms that had killed so many of the Hydra clan during the initial invasion. All he had left was to comply with the Changeling’s wishes, or give up his life in a pointless act of defiance. The thought of basically handing over the last thing he had left of his home made his blood boil and his teeth clench in rage, but he forced the emotions down. If he wanted his revenge, he would need to be smart about this.

“Of course. Though I’m afraid to tell you it might not be exactly in mint condition.” Tabu joked, fighting hard to keep his expression neutral. He gestured at the open doorway, indicating that Zero was free to enter the craft if he wished. Maybe, just maybe, he could get through this without endangering himself. He turned towards the ship, taking a step towards the entryway in a show of trust.

Then, Zero apologized for the state of Namek.

For the span of a millisecond, Tabu’s ki spiked, briefly surrounding him in an amber aura of sheer power. Memories came flooding into his mind unbidden, memories of fire and screaming, memories of pain, loss and the sheer despair that rained from the uncaring sky upon a people that had absolutely nothing but give back to the universe. Tabu fought so hard to keep his emotions under lock and key, in a small box that he could draw upon for motivation but not impact his decisions. But the more he experienced the universe, the more hopeless it all seemed. Exile had made Tabu strong, stronger than all but the most elite Hydra guards alive, but it didn’t matter. In a universe of warriors, his growth rate was just….insufficient. Would he ever reclaim his home?

Forcing his emotions into a bottle, Tabu relaxed, ki dying down almost the second it appeared. “…Sorry about that. I believe I hurt my leg more than I thought. Go ahead, I just need a second to regenerate.” The Namekian explained, hissing through his teeth and placing a hand on his knee. It was a flimsy excuse, but if Zero continued to wish to be polite, it would hopefully be enough.

---

WC: 595
TWC: 1686
PL: 3,085

“Death is always a good motivator to learn new things I suppose.” Tabu said, taking note how Zero skillfully dodged his question. The Namekian didn’t believe for a second that the Changeling’s interest in Namekian was purely academic: a viewpoint only reinforced by Zero’s vague insinuation that Namekian was extremely useful to know. There had to be something deeper going on there, Tabu could almost smell it. Once he found it out, then he could devise countermeasures against it, no matter what it would cost him. The thought of a universe where the Changelings had full command of the Dragon Balls made him shudder.

“The Earthlings are quite inventive I’ll give you that. Makes you wonder how such an average species otherwise can create devices that rival even Changeling scientists. I’ll have to pick up a set of those power-dampening cuffs for myself before I move on, could be quite useful.” Tabu said thoughtfully, his mind alive with memories of jobs where such a device could have made life so much easier for him. Of course, this begged the question of why Zero had encountered such a device, but Tabu shelved the thought for the moment. Zero was quick enough that he needed to guard his words carefully: there was no room to idly speculate.

Shaking off the memories nipping at his heels like insects, Tabu watched the Changeling enter the ship, casting an emotional eye over the craft. The ship had been his home more often than not over the long years of his exile, and it burned him to give it up, even if it was mostly broken and he had no real choice in the matter.

“I wont deny that my species holds many inherent advantages. Regeneration, a good amount of inherent power and even the capability to perform magic set us apart from the vast majority. However, one could say much the same about your species. Our versatility is all well and good, but compared to the power to erase worlds, it is a little lacking.”

If Zero wanted to play games of words, Tabu was more than willing to match him wit for wit. The Changeling’s vague insults towards his species did not escape his notice, and Tabu very privately began to wish he didn’t need to be so polite to the changeling.

“Namekian crafts are built to get you home. Sometimes other ship designers add too many bells and whistles that distract from its main purpose.” Tabu commented, dragging himself out of his head and rapping a knuckle on the ship’s hull. Despite the torment the ship had been put through, most of the damage was to the interior (except the giant hole Tabu had blasted open). The hull itself was surprisingly intact, albeit covered with scorch marks from its passage through the atmosphere.

“Not a particular fan of space travel, so it was not a joyride no. Took some hits from a pirate cruiser in a nearby system that blew out a few of my thrusters. The lack of control made reducing my velocity enough to enter atmosphere…tricky to put it bluntly.” Tabu explained, grunting slightly at the memory of his misfortune. With that thought, Tabu knelt and placed a green hand on a certain part of the metal floor, finding a hidden groove and pulling sharply up. From within the hidden compartment, the Namekian retrieved what appeared to be a black canvas bug-out bag, slinging it over his shoulder even as Zero sprung his ambush.

Tabu’s expression was carefully schooled, “I’ve been away from home from a long time on other business. When I returned to civilized space, I heard about the takeover and decided there was no point to returning only to be enslaved. Been doing some work as a mercenary to pay the bills ever since. As for the USD, well, I tend to take care of myself. Don’t especially like people telling me what to do.”

Tabu watched his buyer carefully as he spoke the curious mix of truth and lie. How would the changeling react to the knowledge that a Namekian roamed free?

---

WC: 686
TWC: 2372