Takira looked at the ground, folding and unfolding her hands as though unsure of how to continue. Goten was confused by her manner: surely whatever came next could be no worse that what she'd already told them. She seemed to have to will herself to keep talking.

"Soon after Vegeta left," she paused and swallowed hard, "I found out that I was with child: his child."

Trunks gasped. So many questions suddenly flooded his mind that he had to bite his tongue to keep quiet. Takira spoke nervously, the terrible panic of those days coming back to her all too readily.

"I knew Vegeta and I would both be killed if Freiza ever found out. In the years following the destruction of planet Vegeta, Freiza had developed an intense fear of the Saiyan race. He'd managed to curb his fear by controlling what he thought to the be the last members of our race, but the thought of a new Saiyan, the possibility that the old prophecy would be fulfilled by one he didn't know, was not to be tolerated. I had no choice but to leave and hope that Vegeta would not be killed for my actions."

"You escaped?" Goten asked. "Escaped from a ship packed with warriors? How?"

"That part was actually fairly easy to manage," Takira said ruefully. "With a little gossip and a furtive energy blast I started a brawl at one end of the escape pod bay. The others rushed in to watch like schoolboys on a playground, except for a few of the most loyal, or rather stupid, and those I dispatched easily, taking a small pod and making good my escape."

"Surely they followed you," said Trunks. Takira shook her head with a faint smile.

"Masculine pride took care of that. They weren't about to admit that they'd been outwitted by a girl, so they reported that I had been obliterated in the brawl. They would still have to deal with Vegeta, but it was better than facing Freiza's wrath." Her expression turned solemn.

"I fled. I swore one day I would find Vegeta again, even if it meant returning to Freiza, but first I needed time to bear the child in safety. On a distant planet I gave birth to a son and named him Vegira."

Trunks could no longer contain himself.

"You mean my father had another child and didn't even know it?! I have a half-brother, a full-blooded Saiyan?!"

Takira's jaw clenched as she struggled to maintain her composure. When at last she was able to speak, if was in a faint breathless whisper that she replied:

"No. You don't."

Her meaning was plain, and as she bowed her head and squeezed her eyes shut against the pain, Trunks felt a sudden surge of pity toward her.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, and reaching out, placed his hand on her shoulder.

She jerked back and stared at him.

"Just what the hell are you doing?" she rasped. Trunks was at a loss.

"I, I was just--I wanted to--" he stuttered, drawing back his hand.

"He didn't mean you any harm, Takira," Goten cut in, "It was just a sympathetic gesture."

Takira looked at him, then back at Trunks, and seemed to be regaining control of herself.

"Of course. I'm sorry." She sighed. "I guess I have over-developed reflexes. I didn't mean to offend you."

"It's all right," Trunks answered, "I caught you off-guard is all."

"Right." She took another deep breath. "Vegira lived and traveled with me as I began my search for news of his father's whereabouts. He was--a beautiful boy, he looked almost exactly like Vegeta had at that age. He was a true Saiyan, and a good thing, too; a child from any less violent a race would not have survived very long. It seemed that every planet we visited was hostile, and my Saiyan armor only served to remind them of Freiza's henchmen. I fought my way from system to system, seeking what information I could, but most didn't know where Freiza's ship had last been seen, and those that knew weren't telling." She made a dismissive gesture with her hand.

"The events of those years are too numerous for me to relate in one night, and at any rate, have little to do with Kakarot or Vegeta; those are the two you'd most like to hear about, I'm sure, so I'll skip most of my adventures with Vegira save one--the last one."

She looked bitterly to the heavens as she spoke.

"The name of that tiny planet or its people are not important; both were near death when I unwittingly landed on its parched surface with my young son. We only meant to land long enough to replenish our supplies and interrogate the locals, but it appeared that we had stumbled into something a little more sinister. This world was already under siege from a member of a race even more bloodthirsty than the Saiyans: they were known simply as the Roc. This one went by the name Koretz, as I later found out.

"These were not pleasant beings, in terms of temperament or appearance. There was, underneath, a basically humanoid body structure, but in place of skin or hair, the body was covered with armor-like plates, harder than stone and as resilient as living flesh. Claws tipped the fingers and toes, and the skull was flattened, with wide slits for eyes and a heavy jaws packed with filthy pointed teeth. Combined with a heavy lizard-like tail and the overall color of dried blood, the effect was impressive. A Roc's appearance alone is often enough to bring people to their knees, and such was the case on this planet. Koretz, however, was not about to allow them to get away that easily, and was methodically eviscerating each of his victims. When he spied me, he was up to his elbows in blood and had guts draped over him like jewelry.

"With a broad sweep of his hand he made short work of his remaining victims and flew to where I stood, announcing his name and his business on the planet and demanding to know mine. I had left Vegira back at the ship, cautioning him to stay hidden until I told him it was safe to come out. Standing in the shadow and stench of Koretz, I was glad I had done so.

"He immediately recognized me as a Saiyan and demanded to know my lineage, a strange request in itself, but he especially wanted to know the names of my siblings, and when I came to Kakarot he nearly fell over in surprise."

Takira gave Goten a thoughtful look. "It seems your father's victory over Freiza had become the topic of much gossip, even in that backward little corner of the galaxy. Thanks to him, the title 'Saiyan' had become linked with a little awe and a lot of fear.

"This was the first I'd heard of that battle and I pressed Koretz for specifics, but all told he knew very little. The information had been passed from mouth to ear so many times before reaching him that only the bare bones of the story remained. He had not mentioned Vegeta, leading me to believe that he had either escaped or died in battle. At the moment, however, I didn't have time to think about that. Koretz, still caked with the blood of his last victims, challenged me to a fight; and before I could react, he dealt the first blow.

"I flew a few hundred feet through the air before I got my bearings and landed on my feet. I charged towards him and at the last second vaulted into the air, aiming a kick for his head. He was faster than I'd thought, and the next thing I knew he had me by the leg, his claws gouging down to the bone. I didn't even have time to scream before he slammed me into the ground. When my vision cleared, I could see him standing over me, fist raised for a deadly blow.

"I aimed a ki blast at his knees, knocking his feet out from under him and catching him in the stomach with my good leg as he fell. He landed a short distance away and by then I was on my feet again. He was pissed; he'd eaten several of his victims before I'd arrived and my kick to his stomach had left him retching up his meal. I wasn't about to let him recover.

"Concentrating my ki, I sent an energy ball screaming towards him so fast that he didn't have time to dodge. It hit him full-on, just as I'd planned. The surface of the planet exploded around him, and I could barely hear his scream above the rumbling of the ground beneath my feet.

"When the dust lifted, he was still crouched there, obviously in pain, and much of the flesh was gone from the arm he'd lifted in an attempt to deflect my attack; but he was still alive, and I had intended to kill him with that blast. I decided it was time to take my Oozaru form and stop playing games.

"As I began to cast my artificial moon in the dust-choked sky, Koretz launched a huge attack, breaking my concentration. It was too large to deflect, so, abandoning my moon, I aimed at the ground and deflected myself out of its path. I hovered, hoping for a moment to catch my breath. The Roc, for whatever reason, do not like to fly and fight; their preference is for hand-to-hand combat, on the ground. I had no desire to get close enough for hand-to-hand for many reasons, my survival being one of the foremost. He seemed to be waiting for me to come down, and I used the opportunity to complete the formation of my artificial moon. Looking at it, I felt the change begin, like fire in my blood. I felt my bones begin to twist and grow.

"Amid the churning euphoria of my transformation, I lost track of my opponent. I found him soon enough, though, with his foul teeth buried in my tail as though he were some damned dog! I had him in my hand and was about to crush him to pulp when I heard Vegira scream."

Takira halted to take a breath. Goten was listening, wide-eyed, and Trunks' whole body was tensed, as though it were he who stood in the heat of battle.

"I looked up to see my son flying as fast as he could toward me, with another Roc, one with half a tail, in hot pursuit. I easily backhanded the Roc, sending his body careening across the ground, bouncing off boulders right and left. Suddenly, Vegira hurled himself at Koretz, who released my tail to snarl at him. Vegira struck Koretz full in the face, shoving him away from me with tremendous force. However, Koretz managed to grab my tail before getting flung out of range, and when he came to rest beneath an exhausted Vegira, he still clutched my limp tail in his hand.

"I was back in my old form with no hope of transforming again, I was faced now with two opponents, and Koretz had my son. I didn't give up. With every ounce of fury I could muster, I rocketed toward Koretz, knocking him away from Vegira. Before he could hit the ground I was on him, fighting for all I was worth. I knew Vegira couldn't defend himself; he was too young, and he'd used all his energy on his attack on Koretz. I was his only hope.

"The other Roc had recovered from the blow I'd dealt him, and advanced on Vegeta again. Desperate, I launched a ki blast toward him with one hand, while I attempted to block Koretz's furious onslaught with the other. I was only partially successful. Even as the second Roc was blown away from Vegira, Koretz's fist landed in the middle of my chest, driving the breath from my lungs and crushing all of my ribs. I couldn't draw breath to scream, and so I could only watch in horror as Vegira tried to come to my aid again, throwing himself at Koretz. Koretz caught him easily, he--" Takira's fists began to clench spasmodically as she struggled to continue, "he tore him open. My son's blood spilled over my face as Koretz ripped out and swallowed his still-beating heart." She choked and fell silent, grinding her teeth.

Trunks felt nearly ill. He saw Goten bury his face in his hands and knew he must feel even worse. Goku had always advocated mercy for one's enemies; this sort of gruesome sport was utterly foreign to him or his family. Goten would probably have nightmares for a month. In a voice thick with rage and pain, Takira finished the tale.

"It was more than I could bear. I lost all reason. I knew I was doomed; I couldn't possibly survive in my condition, but I didn't care. With the last strength in my broken body I blasted Koretz in the face. He fell back, roaring in pain and anger. Howling curses at me, he kicked me in the head so hard I felt it tearing from my body.

"I died, of course," she said quietly, "My body died, that is. To this day I'm not quite sure of what happened, but my soul traveled to this planet and planted itself in the body of a young human female, badly beaten, who had been left on the streets for dead. Pure Saiyan willpower sustained her, and she lived, a human's weakling body fueled by a Saiyan's unconquerable soul. That is the body you see before you tonight." She began to calm down, forcing herself to breathe slowly.

"Whatever the setbacks, my goal was still first to locate Vegeta, and I hoped he would help me avenge the death of our son. I trained this body hard, trying to regain some shadow of my old power, while I sought to establish contacts with other 'non-locals'.

"In the meantime I had to eat, though, and soon found myself part of an unpleasant business from which I have recently released myself: those two men you saw earlier tonight were the last to try and hold me to old contracts."

With a heavy sigh, she seemed to deflate, as though the story had drained her life-force away. She fumbled awkwardly with a grass stem, then finally looked up.

"That's it. That's what brought me to this point; I didn't think I'd ever tell another living soul. If what you two say is true, then my purpose is clear: to seek my revenge on Koretz for the death of Vegira."

"Is that all life is for you?" asked Trunks, "Just a search for vengeance?" Takira stared coldly.

"Take away vengeance and what do I have to fight for? Apart from my anger, what do I have to keep me alive? This is my goal, my purpose."

"No offense," Goten said nervously, "but how do you intend to exact your revenge? I mean, this guy defeated you as a Saiyan and now--" he trailed off, cringing as though waiting for a blow.

"How is not my problem," Takira spat, "I know damned good and well there's no chance in hell of avenging Vegira's death; but the point is that I'll try, you hear me? Sure, it's impossible. Sure, I'll die before I accomplish my goal, but by all that's holy, I'll die * trying *!" She glared at them both, breathing hard, blinking back tears of rage.

Trunks said nothing, though he understood her anger. He knew how it felt to tackle a seemingly impossible task, with your only hope being to go down fighting. He knew the desperation. He also knew that sometimes--sometimes those battles could be won, despite the odds.

As though from a great distance he heard himself say: "I'll help you, Takira."

There was a moment of dead silence as Takira and Goten both gave Trunks the same blank, disbelieving stare. After several unsuccessful attempts at speech, Takira managed to spit out one word.

"What?!"

Trunks returned her gaze coolly, refusing to betray the nervousness he felt.

"I said I'll help you. I'll help you train, and if we find this creature, I'll help you fight. If he did that to my half-brother, then he owes me a debt of blood as well."

"Are you insane?" Goten shouted, finally finding his voice. "Trunks listen to yourself! It's one thing to want to help out, but what you're suggesting is mercenary work. You're above search-and-destroy missions; damn it, you're too good for that!"

"--and maybe I don't want your help," Takira cut in icily. "I didn't come to you looking for charity. I don't need your pity, your sympathy, or your help."

"Then why did you bother telling us your story?" Trunks countered.

"So that you would know a little more about your father's past, and so you," she said, turning to Goten, "could see what sort of life your father escaped when he was sent here all those years ago."

"So what now?" Trunks asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what happens now? Goten and I return home and you go back to living on the streets until you're perforated by enough bullets that you die? Is that it? What a glorious future to look forward to," he spat.

Goten was dumbstruck. It wasn't like Trunks to be this callous or sarcastic. He looked back and forth between Takira and Trunks, trying to figure out what was going on. Takira was tense, glaring intensely at Trunks.

"What are you getting at?" she growled.

"Come stay with me, with my family. I want to see what kind of power you really have. I'll help you train, teach you what I know, and when you're strong enough to tackle your objective, we'll see if you still want it." He got to his feet and held his hand out to her, refusing to break eye contact. "You have nothing to lose by this, Takira, and a great deal to gain. As for me, I'll admit I'm curious to know more of the battles you fought when you were traveling with Vegira. I'm sure I could learn a few things."

Takira stood on her own and backed a step away from his proffered hand. She looked him up and down once, then shook her head sadly.

"Young man, you don't know what you're getting into. Your power level is the highest I've seen since Freiza, and I'm sure you're both excellent fighters," she said, with a nod toward Goten, "but what do you know of space travel? Of fighting strange people on strange planets? Of dealing with creatures that would kill you as soon as look at you? Have either of you ever even left this planet?"

Goten make a choking sound and covered his mouth with his hand. Takira gave him a questioning look and he snorted, snickered, then finally gave up and burst out laughing. Trunks broke into a wide grin and raised an eyebrow at Takira.

"I think you may be surprised at the level and, er, volume of our experience. Remember what you said about jumping to conclusions?"

"Oh?" she said flippantly, "Then tell me about your--experience."

"Tomorrow," he said, and jabbed a finger toward the earth. "Here. Early midmorning, say, a couple hours after dawn? Come ready to spar, because after you hear our stories, we'll pit our experiences against each other in a fair fight."

"Not to the death," added Goten. "I'm sure that's your custom, but this isn't a life-or-death situation. Anyway," he looked at the sky, "there aren't that many hours to go between now and then. I'm heading home and Trunks, I suggest you do the same." He smirked. "Bulma's gonna skin you alive as it is."

Trunks laughed. "You're right, but at least she doesn't go after me with a frying pan!" He turned to Takira. "We're leaving. You're welcome to stay at my place, I'm sure my mother won't mind."

"No," Takira replied, making a formal little bow, "Thank you, but no--I must retrieve something from my place of residence before I return here."

"Then you're coming back," he said with a faint smile.

"Maybe," she answered, without one, and in the blink of an eye, shot skyward, heading back to the city. Standing in the chill starlight, Trunks and Goten watched her go. Goten gave a low whistle and shook his head.

"Well, that's the weirdest story I've heard in a while. What did you think?" Trunks frowned pensively and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Strange, yes, even a little bizarre, but for some reason, I believe her."

Goten nodded. After a few moments more in silent contemplation, the two friends took to the air and headed for home.