In a rather remote corner of planet Sadala, Renso trudged towards his modest home. It wasn't much but it was sure as hell better than nothing.
Damn leg..
He muttered under his breath as a fresh wave of pain came crashing. Still, he could only hold it in. You couldn't just chop it off and hope for the better... Especially when there wasn't anything wrong with the leg itself.
The pain was just that. A phantom pain. Still, it brought back nostalgia from his days in the force. Yes, those were the days indeed.
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[10 years ago]
Loading Depot 01, Planet Sadal
A much younger Renzo, around eighteen in earth years, paced around his ship's cargo bay in a routine inspection out of habit. His station as a captain within the Sadal defence force placed him far above such mundane duties but he did so willingly. A quirk his subordinates in the force had adapted to... in time of course.
'Caulifla turns nine this year...' the thought of his younger sister made a shiver run up his spine. Quite unbecoming of the position he now held.
It wasn't that she was inherently repulsive or anything. In fact, she was what grandma's would fondly call 'cute'. Except that wasn't true at all!
Caulifla had every bit the signs of growing up into a common thug. The irony wasn't lost on him as Renso forced a smile through his frustration. Thank Vegemite he was alone. The hit to his reputation would've been devastating.
"Hey, Renso! Look o'er here," A gruff voice called out, breaking him out his stupor.
Renzo turned to face him with slight irritation, though he didn't show it.
"Found 'im loiterin round the goods," he said, pushing a boy about the same age as his sister towards him. Surprisingly enough, the boy didn't stumble. Instead he walked towards him on his own.
Huh. He wants something? Renso wondered, meeting the boy's gaze with a authoritative one of his own. Though inside he was curious as to why the boy was brought to meet him in the first place. Especially since he somehow managed get past the guards stationed at the entrance. Yeah, he was going to have a conversation with them later.
"So kid, what'd you want?" Renzo asked, giving the boy a once-over. He had glossy medium length hair and red tinted pupils instead of the usual black seen on most Saiyans. His clothes were well worn and modest, but well kempt. Except for a strange looking contraption around his neck, everything seemed inorder.
The boy stepped forward, straightening his posture before speaking.
"I want to join the force," he said, puffing up his chest and adding depth to his voice. He made sure keep his demeanor serious, despite it looking rather comical due his stature.
"Hmm," Renso nodded once before giving his answer. "I can't do that. You're too young. Come back in a few years, then we can talk about getting you conscripted."
The boy looked down at that, clenching his fingers into a fist before looking up at him once more.
I can do it...
The boy muttered, almost to himself.
"I can do it! I'll prove it to you," he went on, finding the courage to speak up again. Still, it wasn't enough to sway Renso, at least not yet. Just as he was about to refuse him the second time, the officer that brought him over earlier raised his voice.
"Renso, I know it's not my place to say anything, but why don't you give the boy a chance? We could use a porter or two."
Sigh.
"Tarles, you know just as well as I do that there's a process to these things..." Renso argued, tactfully leaving out the fact that the boy has no backer. Those things were better left unsaid. Perhaps he was under the influence or maybe it pure chance, but ended up reconsidering. As if he was being pushed to accept the boy by some unknown force, or it was just him being considerate as usual.
"But," he continued,"that is not to say it isn't entirely possible."
The officer, Tarles left it that, inclining his head slightly towards Renso in a bow before departing. He knew his captain well enough to know where things were headed.
Renso looked at the young saiyan before him, an even smile on his face. "So what do you say brat? Do you still want to join, even if you have to start from the lowest of the low? Even if you have to leave your family behind?"
Even as said it, a part of him wished the boy would decline. The boy had potential, but in the end, aside from the erratic fluctuations in his ki, there was nothing special about him. At least nothing he could see at the moment. Surely mentioning his family might have some effect, right?
"I accept," the boy said, doing a clumsy salute. "I don't have anyone back home either," he said the last part with such indeference that Renso almost missed it.
So that was it, Renso realised. It made sense that an orphan would want to join the force. Despite the danger, the benefits were no joke!
Renso reached out and patted the boy's head, to which the boy showed no resistance. It wasn't uncommon for orphans to reach out to the force, many within their ranks joined due to similar circumstances.
He had no intention of prying in to the boy's past either, he was confident in his own strength to believe that the boy couldn't bring him any harm.
"What's your name kid?" He asked at last, taking his hand away.
"It's...Truffle," the boy—no, Truffle answered. His tone unusually solemn.
HAHAHAHA!
Renso's booming laughter echoed throughout the hanger, scaring one too many mechanics.
"Welcome to the Sadal Defence Force, Truffle!"
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The following days were a haze for Renso and his crew. Having been assigned a mission off world, they scurried about in preparation. That is, after a brief introduction between Truffle and the rest of the crew. One that went surprisingly well in Renso's opinion.
His crew was a simple one. He was both captain and navigator, Tarbles was sort of his second in command, Garnacho(the fat one) was the tech guy and now, with the addition of Truffle, his crew finally felt complete.
[Images here]
Beep* Beep* Beep*
The beeping on the ship's navigation module indicated that it was ready for take off. The ship was the standard model used by the force, with a few adjustments made by Garnacho on the side. It had decent armour plating and was equipped with blasters. Though those were hardly ever used.
Four seats lined the cabin in neat rows. They were built prioritizing function over comfort, with decent enough fasteners to support continuous high speed travel. The cargo hold was packed to the brim with rations and the like. Enough to last them two decades if stranded.
[A/N:More...with less mouths to feed. Hehe.]
Renso and Tarbles took their seats at the front, with Truffle and Garnacho taking the seats in the back. As Renso had come to understand, the young saiyan prefered silence. Something they'll have to work on in the future.
With a smirk, Renso pulled on the thrusters, blasting off the loading depot near instantly. The navigation panel showed their current destination, Yardrat.
They were being sent there as a reconnaissance team on the lookout for remnants of Frost's forces. The crew were unfamiliar with the planet, Renso himself included. Still, they were used to it by now, being deployed on countless such missions before.
Meanwhile, the newest member of their crew kept to himself. Because he did in fact have a lot in his mind.
(Chapter End.)
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How was it? Hopefully it wasn't too bad lol.
This is my first attempt at writing a Dragonball fanfic. While I would like to say I'll keep the updates consistent, that isn't remotely possible atm. Meaning I may not update for months (maybe years)
All this is because I couldn't find a decent enough db fanfic and had a little too much free time in my hands (not much now lmao)
Btw Ik the Sadal Defence Force is incharge of protecting the planet but who would want to read that?
Oh yeah, there's a pretty good reason as to why no one questioned Truffle joining army, specifically Renso's team. Buuut I won't spoil it.
Let me know if I made any errors. I just might fix them.