Chapter 12

*Quick disclaimer by the author: the power levels I'm stating here are completely fake. So if you have your own set for Yamcha and Kuririn somehow, don't worry, I'm not disputing it.*

Yamcha waited outside his house, flanked on either side by Jendo and Kuririn. He hadn't wanted to bother Bulma for the exact location of the spaceship's landing, so they were waiting until they could determine its location through Horn's ki. Jendo stood to his left, his nervousness showing. Kuririn, on the other hand, seemed to be completely relaxed. Yamcha himself was somewhere in the middle. It's not that hard to sense his power, but long distances always spread the reading out.

Jendo's head jerked upwards. "I have him! He's to the north, about 300 kilometers away. Shouldn't take long to get there."

Without further comment, Yamcha was engulfed in white. He flew straight north, followed closely by Kuririn and Jendo.

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Horn started the landing procedures after finally finding some level ground to set on. Something big had hit the mountain behind the ship, and the resulting rock slides had made most of the land useless for landings. At least the area was remote, though.

"Computer, search for all powers above 10,000."

[Searching.....13 found. 2 others identified as androids; power levels unknown]

"Hmmm. That's a bit more than I expected. Search for all powers above 100,000"

[12 found. 2 others identified as androids; power levels unknown]

"All powers above 500,000."

[12 found. 2 others identified as androids; power levels unknown. Do you wish to search again?]

"No. Computer, calculate power levels for each one. Each non-android, I mean."

[7 cannot be calculated because their power is too large for accurate measurement. 5 calculated. 2 are currently 400 kilometers to the west; the other 3 are directly south, and moving north. The-]

"Computer, calculate the 3 powers heading north."

[First power identified as Jendo. Power level: 1,459,600]

"That's quite an increase. He's less than a thousand below me now."

[Second power unidentified. Power level: 2,275,000]

"I don't really want to know, but what's the third?"

[Third power unidentified. Power level: 2,257,000]

Horn cursed fluently for a few moments. "Great. Not only does Jendo have two guys on his side that are stronger than me, they're some of the weakest ones on the planet. Sometimes I hate this job. Computer, how much time is there until those three powers reach the ship?"

[7 minutes until they come to the ship's location.]

"Great. Enough time for me to get dressed and make my peace."

[Peace is not a material object, but a-]

"Shut up and shut down!"

With a beep, the computer shut down, while Horn was forced to change into a blue gi with a bright yellow undershirt. I hate these regulation uniforms. Even I can tell it's in bad taste. Are they blind when they design them, or simply insane? Horn made a quick, hopeless search for something that wouldn't have all-out war by and of itself, but no luck. With luck, this thrice-damned thing will have them gouging their eyes out instead of trying to kill me. With a quick search to make sure he hadn't missed anything he needed-having chucked the useless scouter back into his quarters-Horn stepped outside to wait for the three to come.

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It only took them a few minutes to find the ship. Horn was already outside, waiting for them. Comparing them, Yamcha could tell their power levels were almost completely even. However, their expressions were quite different. Jendo was extremely nervous; the paranoia Yamcha had seen in him before seemed to be growing. Horn, on the other hand, was determined. He didn't even pay attention to Yamcha and Kuririn until he had seen-and apparently identified-Jendo's face.

Jendo hung back, while Yamcha and Kuririn were in front of him on either side. Horn approached to within a few feet of them, but stopped before he crossed Yamcha and Kuririn. "Jendo Kuren, as an officer of Planet Benra, I am obligated to notify you of your arrest on charges of murder and treason. Any resistance will allow my usage of lethal force."

Police officer?!? Before Yamcha could question Jendo, though, he heard someone fire. He turned to Horn, to see his confusion mirrored on Horn's face, and then horror as Horn moved towards Kuririn, who was starting to fall. There was a hole in the warrior's gi, just to the left of his heart and through his lung. Dammit, I don't want to know! Yamcha still turned around.

A purple aura surrounded Jendo, and triumph was clear on his face. Without a word, he blasted away, with Yamcha following close behind. Both he and Jendo were going at top speed, and Yamcha was inching towards him. "Damn you, why?"

"Why?" Jendo spat out the word. "Because I needed to. Because I knew that both of you would follow that stupid idea of honor, and turn me in once you knew the truth! Because I needed to bring the odds in my favor before you knew. And because I wanted to show you how much you really taught me." The smile on Jendo's face chilled Yamcha's blood. "Aren't you proud of me?"

Jendo started a Renzoku Energy Dan. Yamcha dodged them with ease, but they still slowed him down. "I'm going to rip you to shreds!"

Jendo laughed, something that might have been charming once. Now there wasn't any humor in it. "Yes, you're fast enough-and strong enough-to do so. But what about your little friend? Willing to let him bleed to death for your vendetta?"

Yamcha's gut twisted; unfortunately, Jendo was probably right. But that didn't mean he couldn't try once more before heading back. "DAMN YOU!"

Jendo had been watching for just such an attack, and dodged the blast with ease as Yamcha slowed down and turned around. "You taught me better than you knew. " Jendo's laughter followed Yamcha back to Horn's ship.