Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z.
Chapter One: Sting
Vegeta relaxed in his space pod, eyes gently closed as he sighed, air steaming within the cold pod. Head would rest against the head rest, legs spread apart as his hands gently caressed their rests. His armor was covered in blood, as were his gloves and boots. Not an inch of his armor laid cleaned. His scouter, however, was one of the only things that was polished and clean.
It seemed Vegeta didn't care about the blood. In fact it seemed to welcome such liquid. Onyx eyes rolled open to the thought. His blood began to boil as he thought of the battle he had just won. Remembering the way he ripped off arm after arm, ki blasting waves of people without much thought. He had even managed to fight their leader who had put up a great fight. He had even managed to put a slash in his armor and in exchange, Vegeta decapitated him.
Vegeta licked his lips, tastings the blood of the innocent resting peacefully upon his flesh. For some, it would've tasted repulsive, but to him, it was the taste of victory.
He closed his eyes when his scouter beeped.
Once…
Twice..
He finally placed a finger upon the button of the mechanism, hearing a sudden buzzing sound.
"That was a great fight Vegeta, but I think you need more of a challenge." The voice stated.
"Hmph! Is that all you're calling me for?" He responded. He was obviously aggravated. "I'm trying to sleep and you're disrupting me, Nappa!"
Nappa winced at his shouting, "S-Sorry, Sire." He backed off.
"Poor excuse for a warrior." Vegeta mumbled as he brought his finger off the scouter.
His tail would twitch gently, "And yet…" he trailed off, looking off into the deserted star field. "He gave me an idea…"
Vegeta quickly placed his fingers unto his scouter once more, "Nappa. Change of plans. Once we get back to the station, gather yourself quickly. We're leaving abruptly after we've recovered." He smirked.
"Y-Yes Sir." Nappa chirped before quickly ending the transmission.
Vegeta went back to relaxing, resting his head back onto the headrest once more while sighing. Thoughts of challenge filled his mind, wanting to feel the true rush of battle. He was sick of these recon missions. It was like taking out Frieza's leftovers, all the real missions were left for his other soldiers. The only real mission Vegeta had went on in years was when he was a small boy and even then he felt it was just to pacify Vegeta's own personal growth.
He grumbled at the thought of being denied. Vegeta needed a place where he could conquer and show Frieza who was the bigger man. If the Saiyajin race was still thriving, Vegeta would've lead the revolt in his father's place. Then it dawned on him. There were too places that had these mystic balls that could grant any wish. He had to find them.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Vegeta hopped out of his pod moments after landing. He rushed into the building, partly followed by Nappa. There stood a guard, wearing a helmet with a blue visor placed in top of the white helmet. He wore blue colored armor with a purple hued full body spandex suit. His boots and gloves matched his helmet.
He walked in front of Vegeta, frowning, "Vegeta, Sir. We found this kid who claims to know you."
Vegeta snorted, "Probably another just brat." He shoved the guard out of his way.
The youthful man was shoved in front of Vegeta, tripping over his own feet. He was shorter than Vegeta, just by a few inches. He wore blue spandex underneath his white and rust colored armor. His hair was spiked in a similar fashion as Vegeta, however, this man had a bang over his small widow's peak. He had a few muscles, however, he appeared very weak.
Vegeta's eyes brow twitched, "Tarble, what are you doing here?"
"Frieza's men found me during one of their raids and brought be back." He explained, looking at his boots. "When I tried to explained I was a resident of that planet, they filled me in on everything that happened."
The guard tapped Tarble's shoulder harshly, "He's under your care now, Vegeta. Since he's your brother, you should be able to handle him tagging along on missions." He smirked, "He's weak. Frieza wants strong, bold men. Make sure he's buffed by the time he gets back."
The prince would shoot a death glare as he walked past him, leaving Tarble behind. "Come along, Tarble." He simply said as he disappeared within the depths of the station.
"Brother!" Tarble exclaimed, running as fast as he could.
When Tarble finally caught up, he placed hand on the wall, chest heaving quickly. He looked up at Vegeta who ignored him. Instead, Vegeta stopped a few feet in front of his brother, arms folded.
"I..I won't be a burden to you, Vegeta." Tarble began, walking slowly towards him. "I know I'm not as strong, but I will prove my Saiyajin blood."
"Don't trouble yourself, Tarble. You will never see the light of battle. Father would've never allowed such a low class Saiyajin fight for the name of the Royal Family." He stated, turning to him.
"I-I'm still a prince like you, Vegeta!"
"But he only difference is that I could kill you right now and not feel a thing. You on the other hand would need a lifetime of training to reach my level." He smirked.
Tarble sighed, "Why must you be so mean to me, brother…I just want to help–"
"Then help me by not helping at all." Vegeta sternly said. "I don't want to babysit, especially my baby brother. I have planets to cleanse, people to massacre. Such thrills you could only imagine."
Tarble threw his fist against the wall, "Just let me help damn it! I just want to feel useful!"
"Then go find us a new destination. I want something with challenge and make it quick."
Vegeta walked towards a door with the words "Recovery" plastered above the threshold. He grabbed the frame before turning his head back to his brother, "Nappa and I will only be an hour in the rejuvenation tank."
Tarble nodded firmly as he ran in the other direction, leaving Vegeta to ponder.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Exactly an hour past before Tarble returned to the recovery center. He walked into the room to find Vegeta and Nappa still seated within their tanks, water still flowing with the monitors keeping with its pace.
Tarble walked up to his brother's tank, pressing a few buttons before hearing the machine cut off. He did the same for Nappa before standing back. Vegeta's eyes opened swiftly as he watched the water drain. Onyx eyes would then trail to his inferior sibling. He ripped off the electrodes and mask before standing.
"I assume you did as you're told." He stated as he searched for a new chest armor.
Tarble nodded, "Yes. It seems that this frontier planet called Earth was supposed to be cleansed about 20 years ago. However, this Saiyajin named Kakarot never returned back to Frieza's men." He grabbed a chest plate from a hidden storage compartment, handing it to Vegeta. "It seems Frieza's not worried about this situation, but it has some guards astonished."
Vegeta smirked, "Has he? This looks like the perfect location." He grabbed the armor, placing it upon his body quickly. "Gather the pods, Tarble. We leave now."
"We're really going to that mud ball planet?"
"Of course! It's the only place Frieza will fail to look. He could careless about us Saiyajins. He's proven that with how he pushes us around." Vegeta stated, snorting shortly after. "Do you have the coordinates?"
Tarble nodded.
"Excellent. Input the data into my pod. Set Nappa's and your own pod for pursuit. I don't want any slip ups." He stated as he flexed, "Oh and one more thing."
"Yes, brother?"
"Don't tell anyone about our whereabouts. This is our own personal recon mission. If anyone asks, tell them we're going to planet meat for some training exercises."
Tarble nodded firmly, "Alright."
Tarble ran out the door, almost colliding with Nappa whom was just exiting the tank. Nappa quirked a brow towards the younger Saiyajin.
"Heh. Runt." He mumbled, eyes catching a glimpse of Vegeta.
Before Nappa could react, Vegeta already had his hand upon Nappa's neck, ki ball sizzling his skin sharply.
"Let's get one thing straight, Nappa. Only I can call my brother such titles. If you want to live to see your forty-first birthday, I'd suggest you address him like a true Saiyajin prince that he is." Vegeta hissed as he flared the ball.
"Y-Yes Sire, sorry to insult your brother like that." Nappa stammered.
Vegeta removed himself from him, walking over to a table. He leaned over it, placing his gloved hands upon its rough surface. "We're on our way to a frontier planet called Earth. Apparently a low class Saiyajin named Kakarot failed to check in 20 years ago." He straighten up before walking back over to Nappa, slowly. "I'm curious, Nappa. Perhaps he's holding something there."
"Do you think it's those balls everyone been talking about?" He asked, rubbing his Fu Manchu gently.
"I believe so. Why wouldn't it be? He's a Saiyajin. He lives for battle, but if he's protecting these balls, then they must have those powers everyone claims they have!" Vegeta softly pronounced, smirking wildly.
Nappa leaned against the side of the tank, "What do you suspect these balls do to?" He said as he folded his arms.
Vegeta snorted, "Grant immortality to the holder! That's the only thing I would think." He paced the floor slowly, rubbing his chin in the process. "Yes…as long as you have these balls in your possession, then you will be immortal!" He nodded slightly.
Nappa smiled, "Ah that makes sense! No wonder he hasn't returned, he's waiting for a challenge."
Vegeta's eyes glanced towards his older comrade, "Hmm. That serves a good point. Well if he wants a fight we're going to the right place. Once we get this so-called Kakarot on our side, we will have what we need to kill Frieza and at last enjoy our freedom. Come Nappa, we're taking leave now."
Nappa nodded firmly before walking behind, "Finally, some real action!"
With that, the two Saiyajin walked briskly to the launching pad.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Tarble!" A voice called.
Tarble cocked his head behind him, fighting to smile as his brother walked towards him.
"Are the coordinates in order?" He inquired.
The younger sibling nodded fiercely, "Yes, all systems are ready."
Vegeta smirked as he motioned for the three of them to enter their pods. "See you when we get there. Turn off all scouters while in space. We don't want any interference with the coordinates."
Nappa and Tarble nodded, turning off their scouters while taking their seat in their pods.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Bulma relaxed peacefully underneath the palm tree which was placed near the shore of the beach. Pink bikini would cling snuggly against the twenty-three year old's body. Lightly tanned legs would glisten as the sun beat upon them. She cooed gently as she adjusted herself within her foldable chair. "Ah…it's a beautiful day.." She muttered, sighing in relaxation.
"It's always beautiful at the Kame House." A tall, black haired man stated.
He had an awkward hairstyle, a few spikes to the left with descending spikes to the right. He was muscular, wearing a red and blue gi with the word, "Kame" in Kanji. He wore red striped blue boots with blue sweat bands around his wrists.
Bulma would chuckle, "Of course you'd say that, you used to live here!"
"Yeah I know." He nervously replied, rubbing the back of his head. He looked up at the sky, "It never seems to even rain here..I'm glad Master Roshi asked us to watch his house while he's gone on vacation."
"Pfft, like that old pervert'll be back in a few days, wait and see." Another voice stated.
This one belonged to a smaller man, sporting a bald head and six incent marks on his forehead. He wore the same gi as Goku, however, he wore black and white boots instead.
Bulma rolled her eyes, "As if, Krillin. He said he'll be gone a month."
"We should enjoy his house while he's gone." Yamcha stated as he walked over to Bulma, offering her a smile.
She would return it, leaning up to meet a kiss. "We're here to celebrate Goku and Chi Chi's marriage so let's boogey!" She jumped up off the chair as she ran into the house.
Chi Chi walked over to the window, leaning out to view the guests, "Aww you guys don't have to. It was a small wedding anyway, we don't have to party.." She trailed off, blushing.
Goku smiled as he hugged her from behind, "Chi Chi, if they want to throw us a party, I say let them! This'll be fun!" He proclaimed as he picked her up only to jump out of the opened window, causing Chi Chi to squeal.
"Son Goku you are a mad man!" She bellowed as she laughed.
He would simply laugh while Bulma dashed back out onto the sandy beach, carrying a boom box. She placed it against the table near her chair, opening the CD player on it and placed a few party hits on.
She eyed Krillin and Goku, "Aw come on guys! We promised it'd be a beach party!" She whined before looking at Chi Chi. "You three have got to change! Fit into the mood, you know?"
Yamcha nodded, "Yeah guys! We only get to party like this once every so often so let's enjoy the tunes and paarrrttty!" He said, making his way over to Bulma while dancing.
Goku laughed, "Alright, alright Chi Chi and I'll go change first." He said before looking around. "Hey where's Tien, Chaotzu, and Launch?"
"Oh they'll be here. They went to go get the food! We know how you eat! They need to get enough food for ALL of us!" Yamcha stated while doing the samba with Bulma.
Chi Chi pushed Goku's back, moving him into the house. Krillin watched the two before shrugging, moving closer to the boom box while trying to feel the beat.
It only took a few minutes for the couple to get redressed, Chi Chi sporting a blue bikini while Goku wore ocean blue Hawaiian shorts. Krillin quickly darted into the house, jumping into the window.
Chi Chi blushed gently, "I feel like all eyes are on me, Goku."
Goku kissed forehead, "Well it is our party. Of course they'll looking at us. Don't worry, nothing'll happen."
"If you say so.." She trailed off before walking over to Bulma and Yamcha, Goku following closely.
Krillin walked out of the house, wearing a light orange white trimmed shorts with a pair of sunglasses. As he made his way over, Tien touched down, carrying loads of food.
"Sorry I'm late. We hit a few snags, right buddy?" Tien said while walking into the house.
"Right!" Rang Chiaotzu who followed him in.
Krillin looked around, "Hey where's Launch?"
Chiaotzu poked his head out of the window, "Tien and Launch had a fight so she's not coming." He stated.
Krillin nodded gently before running back to the group, "Guys! Food's here! Let's dig in!"
"Ah! Perfect timing, I'm starving!" He said while dashing for the house.
Just then a huge uproar came from the sky. Within a few seconds, three large streams of fire sailed down from the sky, crashing into the adjacent island. Within a few seconds of the landing, vibrations shattered through the earth causing a small earthquake. The group looked up, seeing thousands of birds fleeing from the nearby island.
"Wh-what was that?!" Bulma exclaimed, fear present within her eyes.
"Not sure…" Tien claimed, walking out of the house with Chiaotzu.
Goku turned to where the birds hurried from, walking towards the shore of the beach.
"Hey isn't that General Blue's Island?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.
Krillin nodded, "Yeah…I wonder what happened. I've never seen birds fly from that island like that."
Goku turned to the group, "Something's up. We have to go check it out."
"B-but Goku, we're in the middle of celebr—" Yamcha stammered.
"If we don't check it out, there won't be anyone to celebrate with." Goku retorted before looking to the sky, "FLYING NIMBUS!" He bellowed.
Bulma nodded once more as she walked over to the table, grabbing a capsule. "Right! We're coming to!" She said as a chopper appeared. "I don't want to lead whatever's on that island to Roshi's place. He'd kill us for sure!"
They all shared a light laugh before boarding the aircraft. Once everyone was on, with the exception of Goku, Goku signaled them to follow him as they rushed full speed south west towards General Blue's Camp.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Vegeta crawled out from his pod, hand grabbing the door as he emerged. He hovered up from the Saiyajin made crater, meeting Tarble and Nappa in the air. He looked around him, surveying the area quickly. There surrounded were trees and tall mushrooms which were surrounded by a mountain range. From their height, they could see the shores on both ends of the island. He smirked as he folded his arms in excitement.
Tarble awed at the terrain, "Whoa…this place is like a paradise.." he trailed, flying a bit ahead.
"Don't let your guard down, Tarble. This place may seem tranquil, but I assure you there are hostile creatures." Vegeta stated as he hovered next to his brother. "Everyone stay close, scouters on. If that Kakarot's close by, I want to be the first to inquire about these mystic balls."
Nappa nodded, "As long as I can kick some ass, I'll listen to anything that low classed runt has to say."
Vegeta's smirk widen, "Heh, I can't let you have all the fun, Nappa. I need a warm up as well!"
Tarble listened to their conversation before hearing his scouter beep, "Hey guys, we got company."
Vegeta quickly turned towards his brother, smirking. "Not even here five minutes and already they found us. Looks like this will be impressive indeed." He turned to other two quickly, "Let's not keep our guests waiting." He said as he jolted towards them, leaving Nappa and Tarble to follow.
It didn't take long for Vegeta's group to find where the source of the scan emerged. Vegeta motioned the group to hide, wanting to examine these life forms. They watched as the assumed leader hopped off the weird shaped cloud, waving to it before drawing his attention to the aircraft behind him. There, six life forms exited from it.
Tarble was astonished, "They look no different than us!" He whispered, examining them carefully, "All they lack is the tail!"
Nappa smirked, "Females…" He licked his lips while rubbing his hands together.
"Control yourself, Nappa." Vegeta directed, "Indeed, yet they're weak, however their leader seems strong. He has Saiyajin traits and yet he doesn't have a tail."
"It's obvious those others are natives here. Their power levels are pathetic." Nappa stated before smirking, "This'll be like taking candy from a baby."
"They must've heard us land. Perhaps they have excellent hearing like us." Tarble suggested.
Vegeta placed his hand up, "Let's go greet these people."
He suddenly dashed from the hideout, Tarble and Nappa following close by as they dove towards the group.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Well I see the base is still here.." Bulma trailed off, placing a hand on her hip.
The base of the Red Ribbon Army was in shambles. The buildings were worn down, cracked and collapsing on top of itself. The paint pilled in various places on all of the structures, even the red ribbon with double Rs seemed to fade. The only building that seemed decent was the main building, however, there was a gaping hole coming from the roof.
"Yeah, but it's so run down." Yamcha stated as he walked next to her.
Goku crossed his arms, "It's definitely not Red Ribbon's doing. We took them all out, no one's alive to even stir up the birds."
"Could it be Pilaf?" Krillin inquired as he moved to one of the buildings.
Goku shook his head, "Chi Chi and I dealt with him when we were hunting for the Bansho Fan."
"Could it be that it was just a few flock of birds?" Chi Chi suggested.
Everyone turned to her. She walked closed to Krillin, looking at the building closely. "There are signs of nesting has taken place here." She turned to them, "Maybe they were just vacationing here on the island. You know, how seagulls go more inland for warmth during winter."
"Maybe." Tien answered before shrugging.
"No. This isn't a natural occurrence." Goku spat before looking about the foliage of the forest behind the ruins, "Something's coming our way."
As though on que, the group of Saiyajins landed in front of them. Vegeta stood in the middle while Nappa was on his left and Tarble on his right. They stood at the far end of the beach, directly away from the others. Vegeta examined them all carefully, smirking.
"Ah I see this is where the signal brought us." He stated, folding his arms.
Nappa nodded, "Yeah, to a bunch of weaklings."
Vegeta pressed his scouter, focusing on Goku. "Ah yes…just as I suspected. You are of Saiyajin origin."
Goku raised a brow, "Who are you people and what do you want!" He bellowed as he kept his stance.
Yamcha and the others however took a fighting stance, all ready for battle. Tarble and Nappa simply stood there, staring at the weaker men.
"Will you look at this, Nappa? We've only exchanged a few words and already we're considered hostile." Vegeta laughed fully, "Such a pathetic bunch. You weaklings are more primitive than I imagine. No wonder it was easy for you to take over this planet, Kakarot."
"Hey! I'll have you know that we're not weaklings! We're far from it and if you don't want to go home crying, I'd suggest you go back to where ever you came from!" Bulma shouted.
Vegeta's eyes then shot at her, cold onyx eyes lingering against her body before finally making contact with her eyes. Even though she appeared to be brave, her scent drenched in fear.
He laughed fully, "Don't make me laugh, woman. You think you can scare us off? Please. Your attire says you're ready to be sold into slavery, not ready for battle."
"Who's this Kakarot you're referring to?" Goku stated, voice stern.
Nappa snorted briefly, "Don't you know your own name? We're talking about you, you low class scum!"
Goku shook his head, "I'm definitely not this Kakarot you speak of. I am Son Goku!" He proclaimed.
Tarble had no interested in speaking in this conversation. However, hearing Goku's answer caused him to feel anger. "You are Kakarot! You are of Saiyajin origin!" He stated as he took a few steps. "About 20 years ago, you were set out by our people to cleanse Earth. However, you have failed to report back and we're here to check on the status." He explained.
"I'm…not human?" Goku trailed off, eyes wide with shock. "This…this is a lie!"
"Impossible." Vegeta rang, "Where is your tail? All Saiyajins have tails!"
Bulma shorted, "We cut it off plenty of times! It stopped growing after a few years!"
Yamcha turned to her, "Bulma, stop answering this guy! He's our enemy!"
The three men's eyes widen with shock. Goku's tail was cut off not once, but multiple times?
"How horrible.." Nappa trailed off, "They're more primitive than I expected! Who'd cut off a man's tail!?"
Vegeta rolled his neck around before snorting, "Enough idle chatter." He walked a few steps ahead, "Tell me, Kakarot, where those balls?"
Goku quirked a brow, "What balls?"
"Don't play dumb with me! I know very well you have those mystic balls that grant you immortality!" Vegeta bellowed, balling a fists against his arm.
Goku thought for a moment, "Are you talking about the Dragon balls? I don't have them and even if I did, I would never give them to the likes of you!"
"You dare defy me? Do you know who am I?" He rolled his head back, "I am the Great Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyajins! I'll get those balls, no matter what."
He raised his arm with his finger pointed towards the group. A ki ball formed and shot through the air like a bullet. Yamcha fall back, face full of shock as he collided with the ground, dying instantly.
A pool of blood soon formed underneath his warm body. His eyes stayed open, expression frozen in place. The ki beam ripped through his chest, passing directly through his heart and lung. His blood flowed out of his chest and back, leaving trickles of the crimson fluid down upon his arm.
Bulma instantly kneeled down to Yamcha's body, tears rolling down her soft cheeks, "Yamcha…no…" She trailed off, sobbing softly as she brought the body to her, resting her head upon his. "Please don't go.."
She kissed her forehead before placing two fingers upon his eyelids, one on each, slowly closing his eyes. She placed him down gingerly before turning to his murder. "You….YOU BASTARD!" She bellowed. She hurried towards him, fist ready.
Vegeta simply stood there as he refolded his arms, smirk proudly gracing his face. He never took his eyes off of her. "Tarble."
Like lighting, Tarble scooped up Bulma; holding her arms against her back, his hands handing them together. Bulma tried to move, grunting and groaning like a wild beast while her tears continued to trail down her face.
Krillin and Tien glanced between Yamcha and Bulma. They had one causality and one captured already. The odds were against them.
"Bulma…" Chi Chi trailed off, holding her hands together before she walked up next to Krillin as she took a fighter's stance.
"Give us back Bulma!" Goku yelled, his expression sinking into that of a warrior's scowl.
Vegeta's smirk grew at his expression, "We'll give her back when you give us the balls." He turned his head slightly towards Nappa, "Nappa, I'll take Kakarot while you entertain these weaklings."
Nappa nodded as the two warriors launched towards the group, full speed and force.
A/N: Vegeta is younger in this story. Instead of being around 30 when he first arrived on Earth. So I made him arrive a few days after Goku and Chi Chi got married. So Vegeta's 24, Bulma, Yamcha, and Tien are 23, Krillin & Tarble is 20, and finally Goku and Chi Chi are 19. Also the dragonballs are just a rumor because no one has been to Namek nor Earth yet (besides Goku, but he never left Earth)