The Worlds Beyond (The Hero)

A loud crash sounded in the distance, reaching his ears, startling him a bit. What in the world, he thought, was that? More Saiyans returning from their various missions and business around the galaxy? Well, he thought, if that were actually the case, they could have chosen a much better place to land. They were quite far from the Soy Capitol at this point, and while it might not have made much a difference to those capable of flight, it was still a matter of ease.

Briefly, he closed his eyes and focused. A rather large signature quickly jumped out at him. If it were a Saiyan, he thought, they were stronger than your average monkey. Still, Jie Shan Lan Dian was technically on patrol. He had a duty to go check it out. On an average day, it was almost certainly a Saiyan returning home. On the worst of days, it was likely the forefront of an invasion. Jie Shan snorted to himself as he realized that he would almost prefer that it would be the latter. It would certainly give him something to do, put a little excitement into his dull life. Sure, if it were the beginnings of an assault on Natto, it would likely result in widespread death and destruction, with hundreds dying. Jie Shan would probably be included amongst sais casualties, but at least he wouldn't die bored.

Not much of an invasion force, he thought, assuming that was the only landing. It was certainly the only one he felt. As he walked towards it, he briefly considered the other possibilities of what it might actually be. A wayward traveler, perhaps? If that were the case, what would Jie Shan say to them? 'Sorry, this is Natto. If you wanted Namek, you wanted to take a right at that last asteroid belt'? Jie Shan chuckled at the mental image of him confronting a confused wanderer. He was getting close now.

And finally, he came to wreckage. The first thing his eyes slid towards was the pod that had fallen from the sky. "Damn," he whispered to himself, "That thing is barely space-worthy. Whoever was in it was lucky to not burn up in the atmosphere. If that was their only way off the planet, they were going to be stuck here for quite a while. Well, he thought, he hoped the traveler liked Saiyans. And giant apes. Because the Blutz Waves would be active soon...

And the next thing his eyes found was the passenger himself. A strange, bald man in a weird yellow get-up stood near the pod, looking utterly lost. Was that a... human? Certainly the last thing Jie Shan had expected to see here, and especially with that level of energy. Jie Shan had heard tales of strong humans before, but he knew that vast majority of them paled in comparison to many of the weakest Saiyans. This guy, however, was no joke. Briefly, Jie Shan considered simply walking away. That strange yellow outfit was an odd sight, indeed, and whoever wore that might be crazy. But still, he could not leave someone, whether they be stranded or an invader, alone on Natto. And besides, the man's power had caught his interest. Jie Shan approached the man, hand held high, as if in greetings.

"Hey!" He shouted, "Looks like you had a bit of a rough landing! What brings you to our little corner of space?"

Right to the point, he thought. He almost preferred is that way. So many people seemed to play work and mind games these days. It was enough to drive someone to the point of madness. And sometimes, he felt as if he was going mad, being cooped up on the planet all days of the year. It was almost bad enough to make a man want to drink, thought Jie Shan. Maybe he should start. But at least this guy was straight forward. Even if he was a little strange.

What was more concerning, however, was the fact that he was looking for Natto, the old overseer. Jie Shan could scarcely blame his logic. It was, after all, Planet Natto. It would be the place to look for Natto, by any solid logic. But there was just one small wrinkle to that idea, one caveat that shattered that logic.

"Uh," began Jie Shan scratching the back of his head, "I don't know how to tell you this, but Natto is dead. He died about... seven years ago, I think. He died on Vegeta."

A sad day for the Saiyan Alliance he thought. And a sad day for his kids. He had... two of them? Nasu and Komatsu. Everyone knew the old Overseer's children. And what might even be worse is that the Alliance was without strong leadership. Maybe that would change soon enough... And maybe he was a fool.

"So," he continued, "Sorry if you were really set on meeting him. Like, if you wanted his autograph or something, or revenge or... Yeah. Not that that would have been the smartest idea, you know? Overseer Natto was like... some kind of super Super Saiyan."

Jie Shan frowned. The man had just wanted to say 'hi'? For someone who just wanted to say 'hi', he thought, that was quite the entrance. This man was strange indeed, but if he was telling the truth, at least he was not the frontrunner for an invasion force. That almost was disappointing to Jie Shan. He'd been hoping for something exciting. Not a man in a strange yellow suit falling from the sky, just wanting to say his greetings to a dead guy. Still, he thought, people were full of surprises. Maybe something interesting would come of it. Jie Shan sure hoped so. After all, anyone who had seen Natto using the Super Saiyan form before, especially as a child, was certainly someone who led an interesting life.

"Well," he began, "I'm sorry you came all this way for nothing then. I mean, you're welcome to check out the planet, though. I mean, you're kind of stuck here, looking at that pod of yours. We're not far from the Soy Capitol. Maybe you could find something to do there?"

And with that, Jie Shan shrugged. He knew not what to tell the man. Jie Shan himself found Planet Natto to be a boring place. There was little to do but fight, drink, and fight while drunk. Of course, those were some of the favorite things of Saiyans. Jie Shan himself occasionally indulged. Well, he thought, perhaps more than occasionally.

"Anyway, uh, where are you from? You look human, but you're pretty strong to be an Earthling..."

Jie Shan looked at the man with a gaze of confusion. A hero... Just for fun? What was that supposed to mean? Jie Shan thought of heroes as people who acted with a purpose. But just for fun... Well, he thought, better than a person who destroyed things just for fun.

Still, Jie Shan was surprised to learn the man was indeed an Earthling. How curious, he told himself. Strange to think that there were humans who could match and exceed Saiyans. It seemed the world was full of oddities, like this man.

"Huh," mumbled "A guy who is a hero just for fun? That's... Interesting. But, uh, what's your name?"

Natto had not given this Earthling a name... What an interesting past this guy must have, thought Jie Shan. To have come in contact with one of the legendary Super Saiyans, survive and be inspired by them... Jie Shan was almost jealous. Not that he'd trade his own childhood years for anything. Well, he thought to himself, he'd certainly trade away the years spent in his father’s grasp. Those he could do without.

What was even more strange was the man's self-given name. 'The Hero'... how atypical. It was certainly not a moniker Jie Shan had heard anyone apply to themselves before. Still, thought Jie Shan, at least his heart was in the right place. He'd probably do Natto proud. And then, the Earthling asked Jie Shan’s own name.

"My name," began the halfblood, "Is Jie Shan Lan Dian. It is nice to meet you."

Jie Shan offered the man a small bow in greeting.

Jie Shan had to laugh. There was something funny about this guy. Maybe it was the way he said things, or just the way he looked, but Jie Shan could appreciate the man's humor. If he was being humorous, that is. If he wasn't, Jie Shan still found him funny, though he might feel bad for laughing.

"No, no," began Jie Shan, "I'm a hybrid, you see. We don't always look exactly like regular Saiyans. In my case, I got the hair from my mother. She's an Elemi. Though I can understand your confusion. A lot of the half-bloods keep the black hair."

Jie Shan shrugged. What was next? He wasn't sure.

"Well, uh... I suppose you're free to explore Planet Natto. You seem like a strong guy, though. If you get bored, well, I guess you and I could do some sparring. I might be able to keep you busy."