Warning: When I say Vegeta centric, I mean the plot will have a greater focus on Vegeta. This does not mean that Goku or any other significant characters will fade into the background, so don't expect the shounen hero to become insignificant by any means. I'm simply attempting to find a good balance between the development of both the hero and the anti-hero.
Whatever you expect from this story, don't expect updates as frequent as those of Second Wind (if you read it), because I don't plan on it. It would be inefficient to divide my focus that much and I wish to concentrate on the one I'm already working on a little more.
Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball. But maybe if I collect seven of them I can change that. For now, it belongs to Akira Toriyama.
Piccolo opened his eyes wide as he quickly rose to his feet from atop the mountain on which he was meditating. He had been honing his mental discipline, reaching out with his senses to test the limits of his perception, when he had sensed the most terrifying power he'd ever felt flicker to life off over the horizon. It had seemingly come out of nowhere. For a moment it had been idle, but now he could feel it coming in his direction, and fast.
He took a guarded stance as the object of his fear came into his sight and touched down onto the mountain across from him seconds later. If he had any doubts from a distance, they vanished instantly now. There was no denying the power that was staring him right in the face.
"You're not Kakarot," the man said bluntly. "I assumed such an outlier power level on this planet would be him, however disappointing it was. Instead I find a rogue Namekian."
Piccolo stilled. Namekian? What did that mean? Who was this guy who was casually calling his power a disappointment, and who was Kakarot?
"Oh well, I'll have to broaden my range," the man continued. "Luckily this planet isn't that huge." He started repeatedly pressing the button on the side of the strange contraption attached to his face. "Let's see, 139, 177, 206...oh, look at that, a 250. I guess I should commend these select few for striving to surpass the standards of this pitiful planet."
Now Piccolo's mind was racing. Planet? This guy was an alien?
"You're not bad yourself actually. 322 is way above average on this overgrown insect colony," he stated half-mindedly. "Still, you'd get thrashed quickly if you ever left this planet. It's surprising to be honest. With the light atmosphere and the thriving conditions here I'd expect stronger life forms to evolve. Not that I'm an expert on the subject." He was rambling now, and yet every word continuously tore down Piccolo's view of the world. When would he wake up from this?
The scouter suddenly started beeping erratically. "And...334. Ding, we have a winner! God, is that really you Kakarot? I'll have to beat some discipline into you if it is. You clearly haven't pushed yourself much if that's how far you've come as a full grown saiyan."
What the hell is a saiyan? The question added itself to the growing list of concerns in Piccolo's mind. Before he could even begin to collect his thoughts, the man flew off in the direction of Kame house, at an even greater speed than before.
Goku head perked up as he felt the otherworldly power approaching. His eyes widened and sweat started to pour down his face. "Master Roshi! We're about to have company!" he shouted.
The turtle hermit froze. "Is it..?" he trailed off. Even Piccolo hadn't gotten such a reaction from Goku the last time they'd fought. The expression on his face right now wasn't something he saw often. The earth's greatest hero was afraid.
"It's not Piccolo," Goku said. "Whoever it is, it puts Piccolo to shame." Now that was not something Roshi heard on a good day. Piccolo had been his disciple's most terrifying opponent. He had barely come out of that conflict alive. Thinking about someone who put that guy to shame stretched the limits of the imagination. Goku wasn't one to exaggerate these things, however.
Everyone slowly made their way out to see what the commotion was. "Yo, what's happening?" Krillin asked as he took sight of Goku's face. What has Goku all worked up?" Gohan stared up at his Dad nervously. He wanted to know the answer to that himself. He had never seen his Dad afraid of anything. Bulma made her way out behind Krillin, a scowl leftover on her face from her thorough rant about all of Yamcha's flaws.
Those thoughts quickly left her mind, however, as what looked like a man shot down from the atmosphere and came to an abrupt halt in front of Goku. Everyone stared at the new arrival in apprehension. Master Roshi looked at him gravely. So this was the one who had Goku so tense. He was trouble, no doubt about it.
"It's been a while, Kakarot," the man said with a grin on his face. "I see you haven't abandoned your imitation of our father since your birth. You're practically a clone of him."
Goku's mind raced. His father? Their father? A collective "our?" Goku had never known his father, but what this guy was implying…
Raditz looked around at the shocked expressions of everyone on the island, including that of Kakarot. "Ok, why do I feel like I just blew your minds? Not that I don't enjoy doing that to people, but I would enjoy this a lot more if I knew what the source of your surprise was," he said.
His audience remained silent, and after several seconds of silence he grew annoyed. "If you have questions then ask people. I can't answer them if I don't know what they are. I assumed that Kakarot had explained this all to you, since he seems to keep you in this company. Pretty dull place you call home by the way, brother." He glanced at Kame house in distaste as he said this.
Krillin took a deep breath and spoke. "Ok then, let's take this one step at a time," he said reasonably. Who the hell is Kakarot?"
Raditz looked at the short bald man like he was an idiot before pointing at Goku.
"Oh, well there's your first problem," Krillin said. "His name's Goku. Ok, on to question two. Who are you and why are you talking about Goku like he's your family or something?"
"And there's your first problem," Raditz said. His name is Kakarot. There's no way I'd mix him up with someone else. Like I said, he's practically a very weak clone of our father. And that was question 2 and 3 by the way. Don't act like it only counts as one." 20 Questions with Nappa was one of Raditz' most effective pass times during long distance travel, if only because it annoyed the boss to no end. He wouldn't just let that one slide. "Whatever, I'll answer them in order. I'm Raditz, and I'm talking about him like we're family because he's my younger brother. I'm pretty sure I addressed him as brother just a moment ago. Are you that dense?"
Krillin was getting a little dizzy. It was clear that his rational approach to this situation wasn't working very well. He turned to Goku, who was just as lost. "Well, I tried. You've got the floor buddy." Goku continued staring at Raditz in wonder. "Brother…" he repeated dumbly. He had never known most of his family. The only one he knew was grandpa Gohan, who had never told him anything. Come to think of it, he had never even asked. He hadn't even known what a regular family was like while his grandpa was still alive. But he had a brother?
"Let's say I believe you," Goku said slowly. "Why have you waited so long to find me? What happened to our father?"
Raditz let out a tired sigh. "Ok, this is slightly problematic. Did you suffer head trauma when you were an infant?" he asked in exasperation.
"If you must know, I was dropped off a cliff when I was a baby," Goku replied. "What does that have to do with this?"
"You lost your memory," Raditz said simply. "That explains why your mission wasn't carried out at the very least. Ok, I think I understand what's happened."
"Care to explain then? Because I'm still lost," Krillin said in confusion.
"Goku," Master Roshi spoke up in a grave tone. "A long time ago, your grandfather told me a story that I haven't felt the need to repeat to you until now. Many years ago, he was walking through the forest when he saw an unidentified object fall from the sky and land in the underbrush nearby. He decided to investigate, and found a small pod in a crater. The door opened before his eyes, and inside he found a crying baby boy. Seeing that he was alone and doomed to die, Gohan raised the boy as his own. As the boy grew, he became more and more of a handful. The baby was hostile to the point where it seemed unnatural. One day, the baby was throwing a tantrum and he ended up falling off a cliff and landing head first onto a rock. He miraculously survived, and from that day onward, he was the most kind, carefree child Gohan could ever ask for." As Roshi finished, Goku took a deep breath, taking the information in. Ok, his grandfather wasn't related to him by blood. He could deal with that. It didn't change anything really.
"Alright, where to start?" Raditz wondered idly. He pointed at Goku. "Your birth name is Kakarot. You were born on planet Vegeta, home to an interstellar race of warriors called the saiyans, and a planet which was destroyed long ago by a power hungry galactic emperor who rules over the planets like a collection of rocks. You were conceived to Bardock and Gine on the day of the planet's destruction, and were sent here on a mission to wipe all life off the planet so that it could be sold to the highest bidding patron race. To this day, you remain one of the last remaining members of the saiyan race," he took a deep breath as he finished. "Any questions?"
Silence permeated the island. Not a single person spoke, but their expressions said plenty. Raditz rubbed his head out of habit. "I'd like to assume that your silence means you have none. Too bad I know better," he said. "Well, speak up."
Bulma raised her hand shakily. Raditz raised an eyebrow at her. "You're not serious with that are you? Do I look like a school teacher to you?" Bulma quickly dropped her hand.
"Um, first of all, I'd like to say that this is the most insane, freakish, unbelievable, outlandish story I've ever been told…"
"I must conclude that your race doesn't tell very good stories then. But go on."
"Assuming we believe a word of what you've just said, I'm actually having some trouble getting passed the wipe out all life on the planet part. You know that's genocide right?"
Raditz hummed. "Actually genocide refers to the specific purging of a single race, usually for the benefit of competing races. The technical term for life wiping on a diverse planet such as this is omnicide," he corrected trivially. Bulma subconsciously took a step back.
Krillin seemed to find his courage in the face of the casual way he was talking about such grievous atrocities. "Bastard! If you think Goku would ever take part in something like that, you're severely mistaken! If you think you're doing anything remotely close to that on earth, you'll have to go through us first!"
Raditz blinked. "Oh, you're worried about that? Well rest assured, Kakarot's mission is ancient history. It is of little consequence to us, especially considering that we're practically at war with the ones that originally assigned it. No, my only reason for coming here is you," he said as he pointed to Goku again. "I've been tasked with the recruitment of the last member of our great race. Your power level is far lower than I would have liked, but that can be fixed in due time. Come with us, Kakarot, and fight with us in the never ending battle of bringing honor to our fallen ancestors."
Goku stared at him like he'd grown a second head. "You want me to come with you? To leave earth?" Raditz nodded, and Goku shook his head firmly. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that. I won't lie to you. It's nice to learn about my heritage, and I appreciate the offer, but I have to decline. Regardless of my birthplace, the earth is my home now. I have a wife and son to look after."
"Son?" Raditz repeated. He snuck a glance at Gohan for the first time. "I assume you mean him? He has a tail, so that proves he has saiyan blood, even if it's impure. How interesting. I've never seen a half-blood saiyan before." He thought for a moment. "Well, saiyan blood is saiyan blood. He can come too you want to bring him. It's never too early to start training."
"I'm sorry, but my answer is still no," Goku said. "My place is here."
"So you refuse?" Raditz asked, scratching his head. "Well that's troublesome. The boss didn't specify what to do if you said no. I guess I could just knock you out and force you to come, but it's preferable that you come willingly." Goku ignored the open threat of being knocked unconscious as his brother rubbed his chin in thought, then froze. He stared down at the ground as a focused expression spread out across his face. He stayed silent as if listening intently to something. Finally, he looked up at them. "Alright, I've transmitted this conversation back to the others, and I have new orders. I'm to wait on this planet until they arrive so that they can meet you in person. If anyone can change your mind, it's Vegeta."
"You mean more aliens are coming?" Bulma asked fearfully. "When will they arrive?"
"Unfortunately they're in the far outskirts of the galaxy right now. We've been in hiding for a long time now, so it's important that we all stay under the empire's radar. It will take them about a year to get here."
"A whole year?" Krillin asked. "What are you going to do until then?"
"Train," Raditz answered immediately. "As the last remnants of the saiyan race, we must strive to gain strength at every opportunity in order to one day avenge our fallen comrades. I suggest you do the same in the next year, Kakarot. It would be unfitting for you to face Prince Vegeta with a power level that low. If you ever want help training, I could always use a sparring partner. I'll be staying in the northernmost polar region of this planet, in case you're interested. Until next time, brother." With those parting words, he rose up into the air, getting ready to take off. Before he did, his scouter alerted him to another power level. He turned to face the Namekian from before. "Am I being followed?" he asked the green man rhetorically. Said man just stared at him with an assessing look. Raditz guessed that he had overheard most of that conversation. Oh well, like they say...curiosity killed the slug. Wait, that's not right, he thought. No one actually says that. I just made that up. Having drawn everyone's attention to the Namekian, who evidently wasn't on friendly terms with them judging from the looks on all of their faces, he shot off of the island and into the clouds, leaving the dumbfounded group of earthlings to contemplate everything that they'd just learned.
On a distant planet in the outermost reaches of the galaxy, two black haired men both sporting tails sat atop a wide pile of corpses. The shorter one of them took a large bite out of a disembodied arm that he had finished roasting over a fire. "It's always the same," he said through a mouth full of food. "We arrive on the planet, the locals panic, we surrender peacefully in hopes that we can keep a low profile, and they imprison us. You know I really wouldn't care if not for the attempts to execute us or sell us into slavery that always come after."
The taller one swallowed and shrugged. "Well, what can you do? It's not like there's anyone left to bury them on this barren rock. Nothing good comes from wasting the meat."
"We're gonna have to do that anyway," the shorter one said regretfully. "You heard Raditz' report. We need to head to earth as soon as possible, and it's not like we can fit all this in our one man pods. Curse Freeza and his conservative funding…"
Nappa couldn't agree more. It made sense from a galactic dictator's perspective. Why waste resources on slightly bigger ships in which warriors could actually stretch their legs if it ultimately had no sway on the success of the mission? Still, that didn't mean to had to like it. He was not looking forward to spending a year in that cramped pod getting by on artificial nutrients. He was convinced to this day that such an unnatural diet weakened the body. Vegeta didn't seem to notice, but then again, he was Vegeta. They'd set foot on planets with gravity 5 times as strong as their old home world without the prince even noticing. But even he regularly lost his patience traversing the galaxy in those miniature pods, if only out of boredom. Oh well. Maybe they could stop on an inhabited planet on the way for a stretch.
As they both got into their pods, Vegeta set the coordinates for their trip. "Destination: earth, he said, triggering the voice command AI that was programmed into the pod.
Destination: Ee-arth, confirmed. The voice of the AI was feminine and metallic. Nappa fought back the urge to laugh. Did it actually just mispronounce the name of a planet that Vegeta had pronounced clearly and correctly for it? So much for artificial intelligence.
"Dammit Freeza!" Vegeta screamed in a cold fury. "Even after years of dealing with you, once we finally escape your reach, you continue to torment us with this pathetic excuse for an infernal scrap of supposedly intelligent machinery! On the day I take your head, I'll be sure to leave it inside one of these damn pods so that you too can test the limits of your sanity as the life slowly leaves your severed head you horrid son of a-" His loud rant was cut off by the sealing of the pod doors, much to Nappa's relief. Maybe he'd just leave the communicator on his scouter off for a little while...
A/N: First chapter of this one done. I was actually inspired to write this after watching that Light of Hope trailer on youtube. Isn't that funny? I think it's pretty funny.