Chapter 1: Divergence
Written by: LucifVegeta, Full Power, pointer39, and FinalFlashX
Darkness crept in the mighty king's throne room through the typically glistening windows plastered above the black throne. Not a single soldier lined the blue tiles that made a pathway to the greatest symbol of Saiyan strength on the planet. Not a single sound echoed across the darkened room. And not a soul breathed into the sacred ground... except King Vegeta. The great king, so sullen in his appearance and so angry underneath, sat firmly on his chair, his elbows buried into his thighs and his fists clenched atop them. His harsh, onyx eyes breathed fire into the ground as he slightly shook in his boots.
The king was always known for his propriety (in Saiyan terms, at least), and it was not often that he was without a legion of troops at his beck and call. But this was different. For he had just returned from a meeting with Frieza on the sadistic Arcosian's flagship, and despite his initial confidence and guise of strength, every ounce of poised assurance he previously had was shattered after the meeting had taken place.
And now, silently pondering his next course of action, was the very same king who once was so impudent, so brash, and so fearless. The words that Frieza left with him during their meeting rang through his head constantly, distracting him from thinking clearly.
Ten more days, Vegeta.
The glorious king of the Saiyans squeezed his hands even harder, creating a small flow of blood that seeped through his gloved hands. It all happened so quickly. Nothing could have prepared him for it, for Frieza had never made any mention of it before. But that was all too common for the maniacal tyrant. His sadistic nature gave him increasingly disturbing amounts of pleasure from seeing people - whether it be his worst adversaries or his own foot soldiers - suffer. And King Vegeta was no fool; everything Frieza did was attributed to suffering... even the simplest things had horrible meanings behind them.
Ten more days, Vegeta.
And in all honesty to Vegeta, he knew this day was coming. Well, he knew something of the sort would eventually happen. Saiyans were too powerful to keep as common soldiers, and Frieza had a tendency to fear what he couldn't control. But this... this was all too unexpected. So sudden did it happen, and so meager were Vegeta's hopes at keeping everything in reach. Something would have to change; but alas, Vegeta didn't know what.
Ten more days, Vegeta.
"ARGGHHH! DAMN YOU, FRIEZA!" Vegeta bellowed, following his outburst by slamming his bloodied fist into the arm-handle of his chair.
His black eyes stared intently into space as he allowed his lips to form a snarl. "I should have killed you back on your ship, you bastard!" ...
Not too long ago on Frieza's flagship...
"My, what a lovely little planet," Frieza muttered suavely as he admired the scenery from one of his several private quarters. The grey hoverchair faced the window and was the only thing in the room (aside from the dark red floor, walls, and ceiling) that could be considered "decor", which was especially surprising considering the fact that Frieza was always one for the lavish amenities in life.
The Arcosian slowly swished a metallic spoon around his glass of pure red wine. Just like his father, he believed the drink was a splendid addition to any afternoon of genocide and unadulterated terror. But that would come later. Now, he just wanted to enjoy some peace, quiet, and relaxation until his coveted "guest" would arrive...
The tyrant had originally approached King Vegeta to discuss "business matters", but the irony was that Frieza himself knew that Vegeta wouldn't be so foolish as to believe such a thing. He didn't even care, though. As far as satisfaction went, Frieza was obsessive with enjoyment, and enjoyment only came in several things for the shrill-voiced creature: torture, wine, and planetary genocide. In his mind, he would be able to commit planetary genocide in the future, and wine was available whenever he wanted it. But the opportunity to mentally destroy someone so arrogant like King Vegeta was an opportunity that didn't come up very often, and as soon as the idea hit Frieza, he called for the meeting immediately.
And luckily for him, as soon as he sipped a droplet of wine, the doors to his chamber swung open in a huff.
"Frieza! I have arrived!" barked the extraordinarily deep voice of King Vegeta. His white breastplate and red shoulder guards came with him as he entered the room with his chin held high. It wasn't a secret to anyone that he thought highly of himself; that was an attribute that Frieza intended to change.
Allowing a slight smirk to seep through his purple lips, Frieza turned around in his hoverchair. "Aren't you forgetting something, Vegeta?"
The haughty Saiyan king scowled at Frieza's condescending tone and narrowed his already darkened eyes. "I will never bow to you! This was supposed to be a business meeting - nothing more and nothing less!"
Frieza's smirk quickly stifled as he placed his glass of wine next to him, and then clasped his hands together and began drumming his fingertips periodically. "Even business partners can still treat each other with respect. Wouldn't you say, Vegeta?"
"I am the king of all Saiyans, Frieza! I do not heed to petty orders from the likes of yo-"
Before he could continue his pugnacious arguing, the king was flung to the ground with a slight flick of Frieza's thin wrist. "Oh, my! How very odd! I see you changed your opinions, Vegeta. How thoughtful of you!" the Arcosian stated with his usual smirk returned to his ivory face.
"Argh... urgh... Frie-Frieza... this is nonsense!" the king shouted from his unmovable kneeling position. "Let me up now, or I swear you will regret this!"
Frieza's smirk dwindled once again. "Will I? All I wanted was some courtesy, Vegeta. The king of all Saiyans should certainly know how to act respectfully to his... superior."
His smile quickly returned and Vegeta was allowed to stand. In a huff, Vegeta stroked his shoulder guard, almost as if he wished to remove any dust particles that landed there from his fall. Frieza was already getting on his nerve. Not only was the fiend disdainfully patronizing, he also was abusing his power exponentially. The king wasn't one for weakness, and he despised the Arcosian's attitude for a multitude of reasons, but the one that struck him the worst was the fact that Frieza believed him to be spineless and certainly not torpid. Still, if this meeting was going to be even a slightly relevant business agreement, the king thought it wise to listen to Frieza's proposition before striving to get his deferred revenge.
"Let us begin our meeting, Frieza. This is already a tremendous waste of my time, and you better make this assembly worth my trouble," the king commanded with a glare. "And next time you think about trying anything foolish, I would reconsider. It is not wise to anger me in such a manner!"
With a sly grin and a quick nod of his horned head, Frieza clasped his hands together. "Oh, I can assure you that this meeting will not be a waste of the mighty king's time, Vegeta."
"Carry on, then," Vegeta demanded with his unusually low voice as he folded his arms across his white-plated chest.
Frieza nodded, and his bright red eyes narrowed along with his furrowed brow. It was time. "Very well, then. May I ask you how your son is doing today?"
The upper lip of King Vegeta curled ever so slightly, and his already harsh glare intensified. "What do you care of my son, Frieza?"
"Well, I suppose I care quite a bit about your son. In fact, I think the little bugger is much more fit of the Saiyan crown than you, and because of this, I had a thought. Please, let me know if you're lost during this, Vegeta," the Arcosian sarcastically questioned.
And at this point in time, Vegeta was already stupefied with fear. Not the fear that makes you stay up at night and then goes away after you realize it is nothing, but the fear that rests in the pit of your stomach, the fear that really eats away your soul. Because Vegeta knew that Frieza was already making this personal. There were many things that he could do; there were many things that could tear apart the Saiyan royalty. And for Vegeta, everything Frieza did was in attempts to torture whom he called the "monkeys". This would be no different.
"May I continue?" Frieza queried, putting a halt to Vegeta's pondering. The Saiyan heatedly nodded, and Frieza began to speak again.
"You see, I like to tell my clients that I get my enjoyment from three things: torture, wine, and planetary genocide. And as you may know, I really do need some enjoyment today... so I had a thought about the mighty Saiyan prince... working under the most powerful force the universe has ever known. And let me tell you, I loved that thought. So, Vegeta, do you know what this means?"
Frieza was really enjoying himself now. His eyes glistened with pride and his grin had widened into barely-contained laughter. On the opposite side of the spectrum was Vegeta, who was speechless. Frieza wouldn't dare take his son; would he? What for? It didn't make any sense! The king immediately dropped onto one knee in pure shock, his eyes widened with incalculable amounts of fear. His jaw was slightly agape, and his hands were so clenched that small drips of bright red blood soaked through the ivory gloves and bounced off of the floor.
"Y-you wouldn't dare, Frieza... I... I will get the Saiyan army! I will KILL YOU!" He clamored, jolting his head upward to stare into the beady eyes of his ruthless adversary.
"Au contraire, Vegeta. You brought this upon yourself. If you weren't such a cheeky little monkey, maybe I would have allowed you to keep your son." The Arcosian stared in Vegeta's lost eyes and smirked even larger, allowing his own beady eyes to penetrate into Vegeta's very soul. "Actually, I am feeling a bit nice today. Blame it on Zarbon's soap operas if you wish, but the point remains that I want to be a loving, caring, genocidal tyrant. So, how about this: I will give you ten days until I come and take your son. Fair?"
The words didn't even register in the king's mind, for he was already devastated by the news. His second knee fell to the ground until he was basically begging at the feet of Frieza, and his face was empty of all emotions. His son would be taken from him. But... why? This was a question he had to know the answer to immediately.
He pursed his lips together and frowned at the nearly laughing tyrant in front of him. "Why?! How dare you do this, Frieza! This is a breach of every agreement we have ever made! You will not hold the Saiyan race as a mere bartering piece!"
"Because I know that you can't do a single thing about it. You can't stop me, Vegeta," Frieza quickly retorted with his trademark grin. "You can try, but I am much too powerful for such a weak little monkey. Such a pity, really, that it had to come to this, but there comes a point in time where arrogance can only get you so far."
And then, it really hit Vegeta. This wasn't anything more than torture of Vegeta's soul. Frieza was only doing this because Vegeta couldn't stop him. And it was his son that Frieza was taking away! Vegeta wasn't angry because he liked his son; on the contrary, actually. He was angry because his son was the only thing that could hope to stop Frieza in the future. Unknowingly, Frieza was destroying any hope that the Saiyans had at defeating the Planet Trade Organization. And Vegeta couldn't let that happen.
With a grunt, the Saiyan hopped up from his seated position and with his head high, he folded his bulging arms across his chest. "Frieza, you have made a vital mistake- one that I will not let you make. You may think you are all-powerful, but I, Vegeta, am the KING OF ALL SAIYANS!"
Immediately, the king burst out of his standing position and into the air, creating a stream of energy behind him as he charged at Frieza. The Arcosian hopped out of his hoverchair with brilliant speed, and before Vegeta could react, the Saiyan was sent crashing to the bright red ground. The powerful king grunted in pain several times as he ricocheted through the room, creating tiny potholes, before he finally stopped moving and crashed into the wall.
As Frieza mockingly chuckled, the king attempted to get up, but he fell back down once more, and slid down the wall until he was completely lying on the floor, bloodied and bruised from one simple attack. It was over before it began.
"Oh, look at you, Vegeta. You really attempted to fight me. Well, not really 'fight', more like 'flail angrily'."
The icy tyrant finished his stroll as he stepped right next to the injured and bloodied Vegeta. Despite the massive difference in size, Frieza had demonstrated one indisputable fact: he was much, much stronger than any Saiyan alive.
"Ten more days, Vegeta. Ten more days until you give your son to me." Frieza snapped his fingers and two PTO soldiers quickly entered the area, both dressed in the usual white armor and helmets. "Send the 'king' back to his home planet. Vegeta... just remember who REALLY rules over you monkeys."
Vegeta was desperate. Everything had been turned on its side by Frieza's out-of-the-blue plan, and he had to think of a way to get Vegeta safe from Frieza's harm. The king sat in his throne, pleading with his mind to think of an idea. And then... it hit him.
In a flare of newfound strength and willpower, the king burst out of his throne. He had an idea, and it would be one for the ages.
'Oh, great, looks like I'm back here again,' Bardock thought, yawning as he walked down the corridor of the medical center. It was not by choice that he was here; no, he was almost being dragged by his friend and second-in-command: Tora. The medical center was becoming almost like a second home to him, seeing as how often he found himself here. It was all worth it, though, in the Saiyan's mind, because usually every time he found himself here, it was because his power was growing- typically at an exponential rate.
This, however, was not one of the times that Bardock could tolerate being in the hospital, and that was the reason for his reluctance to come along. For the past few months, whenever he hadn't been on missions, there was one other reason why his presence here was sometimes required. Bardock, of course, avoided the place like the plague when this was the reason for him being in the medical center. Of course, Tora or Fasha occasionally managed to drag their leader there for the occasional check-up, and Bardock hated every minute of it. It was a waste of time that could be spent either training or going on missions that would increase their power. He didn't have time for these frivolous pursuits.
"What are we going so fast for, Tora? It's not like the planet is going to blow up anytime soon," muttered Bardock as the other Saiyan changed pace from a speed walk to a light jog. Bardock had intended for his joke to go unheard, but Tora's enhanced Saiyan hearing picked up on it immediately.
"We're going to see your son, Bardock. How many times do I have to tell you? He was just born a few hours ago, and I thought you might want to see him before we left for Kanassa," said Tora, with a little bit of irritation in his voice. The armband-wearing Saiyan wasn't angry at his friend; rather, he just wanted for Bardock to see his new son sooner rather than later.
"Why, though? Seems like a waste of time to me," commented Bardock with a bored expression of his face. He was much more interested in the assignment that he had chosen for his squad to go on next than this new son of his.
"With all due respect, Bardock, I don't want your newborn to end up like Raditz. You're one of the most powerful Saiyans around- even compared to the Elites! Wouldn't you want to be able to make your son as strong as you?" Tora asked.
"Don't get me started on Raditz," Bardock said, annoyed.
"Because you know that I'm right! Look, Bardock, all I'm saying is that it's only right for you to at least try to have a relationship with your son. Imagine how powerful he could become training under you!" Tora exclaimed.
Bardock simply grunted, not willing to continue the argument with his friend any longer. The sooner that he conceded to Tora's wishes and at least saw the brat, the sooner they could get back to business. The pair continued to walk down the corridor in silence until they saw a short, bird-like creature scurrying down the hallway. The alien being was the doctor named Malaka, who happened to be the one that Bardock found to be the most tolerable. He was a very timid man, which meant that he often simply did what the scar-faced Saiyan told him without question since he feared what might happen to him if he didn't. It was a beautiful relationship in Bardock's mind.
"Morning, Doc," addressed Tora, raising an arm to wave down the jumpy alien. "If I remember correctly, you oversee all new Saiyan births. So you should know where we can find Bardock's son?"
"You mean Raditz, right?" Malaka questioned, and Tora shook his head while Bardock simply snorted at the doctor's ignorance. The bird-like man became wide-eyed for a second, but didn't make a sound as sweat began to stream down his face. Bardock cocked an eyebrow as he observed Malaka's strange behavior. The alien was clearly hiding something, and the scar-faced Saiyan wasn't particularly fond of being kept in the dark.
"Hey, my comrade asked you a question! Where is Kakarot and why aren't you taking care of him!?" Bardock yelled as he grabbed the short creature by the collar and slammed him onto the wall. Malaka let out a yelp of terror while Tora quickly jumped to his friend's side and grasped one of his arms. This situation was quickly becoming out of hand and needed defusing fast before the wild-haired Saiyan did something he might regret.
"Malaka, I think what Bardock is trying to ask is where can he find his new son. He's a little concerned, that's all," Tora said calmly, but the sweat continued to travel on Malaka's face as he stared into the anger-filled face of Bardock.
Realizing that if he didn't answer the Saiyans' questions, he would most likely end up as a pile of ash, Malaka finally nodded before saying, "Young Kakarot was born in perfect health. However, I was informed to leave the child alone on direct order from King Vegeta. If I go against that, it will be my certain death!"
"Damn it, Vegeta! That fool has been jealous of my power for some time now; of course he would pull something like this to insult me!" Bardock yelled as he released his hold on the doctor, which caused Malaka to crumple to the floor gasping for air. The Saiyan clenched his fists tightly, so tightly that blood started to drip onto the clear floor below. He wouldn't allow that arrogant prick to get away with this!
"What else has Vegeta said about Kakarot?" Tora asked, feeling just as angry as Bardock was at the moment.
"K-King Vegeta has sentenced Kakarot to death! I was told that young Kakarot is to be killed later today because his power level is so low!" Malaka stuttered, afraid that Bardock would separate his head from the rest of his body.
"WHAT? Wait, what's... how low is his power level?!" Bardock questioned, feeling the urge to rip someone's head off of their body.
"Two."
A groan escaped from Bardock as he heard his son's pitiful power level. It was like Raditz all over again! With a power level that low, the scar-faced Saiyan honestly didn't care to ever really see this son of his. However, this clearly wasn't about his son at all. No, this was simply a scare tactic by the king in order to try and get him to stand down. To stop showing up all of the Elites and the king himself with his incredible power! Well, it wasn't going to work, and for his pride's sake, Bardock was going to make sure nothing happened to Kakarot.
"Where is Kakarot right now?" asked Tora with a hint of desperation in his voice.
"Room 217," barked out Malaka before covering his head as the Saiyan duo rushed past him and left him in their dust. It didn't take long for the two to reach the room which held Bardock's son. Not waiting for the door to open on its own, Bardock kicked down the door to reveal two Saiyan Elites hovering over a small, raised up bed.
"Get the hell away from there!" shouted Bardock before pouncing on the two Saiyans who had been sent to apprehend the baby Kakarot. The Elites didn't have a chance, for before they could even react, Bardock had already knocked them out with lightning fast punches that connected with their jaws. The room was filled with the sound of medical equipment falling to the ground as the limp forms of the Royal Saiyan Guards lay sprawled across the counters of the room.
"Hey Bardock, it's all right; the kid's fine." Looking over to Tora after the former finished speaking, Bardock caught his first glimpse of his newest born child. His best friend held the naked baby in his arms, and the scar-faced Saiyan was stunned by the resemblance the boy held to himself. It was like staring into a mirror, the only difference between their appearances being the lack of scars across Kakarot's face.
"Let me see him, Tora," said Bardock, a little lost for words. The mullet-haired Saiyan quietly handed the boy over to his father and the hardened Saiyan warrior was speechless for a few moments as he stared into his child's face. The boy's looks almost made up for the fact that he was so weak. Almost.
A sneer now appeared across Bardock's face as he looked away from the boy and then up to Tora again. "I'm going to have to take the brat away from here; it's not safe here anymore. Besides, I need to leave him with someone while I go settle things with Vegeta. That prick's gone too far this time!"
"Bardock, you can't be serious!" exclaimed Tora. "Beating up a few Elites is one thing, but open rebellion against the king is just asking for a death sentence! Besides, we have a mission to leave for in a little over an hour! What about the others? We can't just leave them in the dark about this."
"You're right. That's why you're going to tell them about what's going on when you lead them on the Kanassa assignment," replied Bardock with a slight grin on his face. "I know you've always wanted the chance to lead a mission without me. It should be fun."
"You can't be serious!" shouted Tora. "Not only do you want to go up against the king himself, but you want to do it without our help! That's insane, Bardock!"
Bardock chuckled slightly as he began to walk towards the door, child in hand. "Maybe so, but this is my fight, not yours. I don't want any of you getting in trouble because of anything that I might be forced to do to resolve this little issue with the king. Besides, it's my pride that bastard has insulted. It is my duty as a Saiyan to regain it- alone."
Tora let out a sigh before walking over to join his friend. Putting a hand on Bardock's bare shoulder, the other Saiyan said, "All right, Bardock, I understand. But you have to promise me that you'll at least try and settle this through the proper channels first. Maybe this is just an order mix-up or something, and I don't want you to go and storm the castle when this all could be just a simple misunderstanding."
"Fine," conceded Bardock, allowing some of his rage to dissipate somewhat. "I'll try it your way first, but just know that I can't stand any of that bureaucratic bullshit. It's very likely that this will turn ugly."
"Funny how your face lit up when you said that," teased Tora before walking past his friend with a wave of his hand. "Who knows, maybe you'll finally get that fight with Vegeta that you've always wanted, and when we get back you'll be the King of Saiyans!"
Bardock let out a rumbling laugh as he too walked out of the maternity ward room. "Now wouldn't that be something! Maybe your birth wouldn't be a complete waste of time then, huh, Kakarot?"
Tora awoke to the familiar sound of gas being released throughout his pod- gas with the reverse effect of the gas that put him asleep in the first place. He coughed vigorously before it started to clear. Regaining his composure, he sat up from his slouched state and creaked his neck to the side. Hours of gas-induced sleep didn't do wonders to a Saiyan's neck, and Tora squirmed with displeasure as he straightened up his bones.
"I swear that stuff is slowly killing us," He muttered to himself.
A voice chuckled through the scouter. "You're probably right about that," Shugesh laughed.
A yawn could be heard from Borgos, and Fasha finally made her presence known. "How many minutes until we land?" The lone female member of the squad asked.
She was easily the most casual and playful member of the squad. She wore little armor and protection with a skin tight, pink, spandex undershirt, along with a pair of rectangular earrings. Goes to show that looks are deceptive, and with a power level rivaling the rest of her comrades, she was as deadly as the average elite.
"Estimated arrival: thirty minutes."
"So, uhh… do you guys think we can handle this without Bardock? The elites didn't even want to take this job," Shugesh asked nervously.
"We'll be fine as long as they were right about the full moon," Fasha brushed off with a glare out the window of her pod.
"There's nothing to worry about. They have no idea that four Saiyans are about to transform in their midst," Tora said with a confident smirk, but mostly it was something else: Excitement.
Tora was excited that he would get to lead his comrades into combat for once, and he was also excited about the idea of returning to Bardock to inform him that the purge was successful; he wanted to tell him that his squad was so good that they could take a planet like Kanassa despite elite teams refusing to do so. Bardock's low level squad was going to take out one of the most dangerous planets in the job pool without their leader. But hey, we're just monkeys, right?
*Twenty-seven minutes later*
Great balls of fire! Four flaming Planet Trade Organization pods collided into the soft soil of Kanassa. The brown dirt flew upward because of the heavy impact of each ship, and several large craters immediately formed, dotting the planet's surface with holes. Slowly, each pod opened up slightly, and the Saiyan warriors all hopped out simultaneously.
The armored group of invaders walked up to the surface and enjoyed a nice stretch together. It was sorely needed because of the long flights, and as they all demonstrated by cracking their bones, it was a large relief.
"Man, I hate being cooped up in that damn pod," Borgos complained.
Borgos was a darker skinned, which was rare for Saiyans. For whatever genetic reason, most Saiyans were lighter in color. He had three claw-like scars on his head and wore the black and blue armor, which was actually quite fitting for the bulky brute. He happened to have an eating disorder. He was not much unlike like the usual Saiyan who could pack a lot into his seemingly bottomless pit of a stomach. For some reason, Borgos would never want to stop. He ate before missions, in the pod before arrival, right before the purge officially started, and that made him so distracted that he grew up to be a strong and silent type.
"Well, let's try and enjoy ourselves before we have to get back in," Shugesh encouraged with eagerness.
Shugesh was definitely not your ideal weight; he was around three-hundred pounds with a (not very) stylish bowl-cut hairdo and a General Nappa-esque moustache. His black armor and turquoise shoulder straps were the same color of the stripes across his stomach. However, for a low class, he was a very strong warrior with an exceptional power level. Of course, that power level wouldn't come to play on this planet. With any luck, the Saiyans would be able to transform before being seen by the locals.
"We've still got an hour to burn before the full moon comes," Tora reminded.
Tora was Bardock's second in command, the both serious and friendly warrior that could always be trusted. His light blue-gray armor with a black base was so shiny that it could accidentally flicker and alert the enemy of his presence. He had the largest power in the group, other than Bardock, of course.
"So… we're just gonna sit here?"
"No, of course not," Tora answered, brushing his spiky hair with a quick wave of his hand.
"We'll get outside the city walls. That way, we'll be right where we need to be when we transform; just be sure to keep out of sight from patrols. The scouting report warned that they always keep an eye out for an inevitable invasion."
They nodded and flared their unique auras, ready to take to the skies. "Wait!" Tora called out. They stopped in their tracks. "Let's go on foot; we can use the trees for cover if we spot anyone."
This, of course, produced a negative response from his comrades. Going on foot meant it would take longer and increase caution. Patience and cautiousness were not common virtues amongst Saiyans, especially not these Saiyans, who were used to getting missions that involved quick strikes with full on brawling. Stealth just wasn't in the typical Saiyan mindset.
Tora's order received a collective groan, but he was making the right decision. If they were caught by any Kanassans - especially without Bardock - before one hour could pass, they would surely get slaughtered.
Borgos pulled out a large piece of bloodied, raw meat and shoved it down in two bites. Fasha's usually beautiful face wrinkled as she snorted with pure disgust. "Can't you hold it for five minutes!?"
"What!?" He snapped with a snarl, and a mouth full of food.
"You're worse than Bardock's family, and that's fucking saying a lot." The other three Saiyans took a moment to laugh before continuing on, keeping their eyes out for Kanassan patrols.
*1 hour later and outside Kanassan civilization*
The full moon, producer of light in the absence of the sun, glowing in the starry night sky, appeared for the first time in weeks. Beautiful and romantic, right?
"ROAR!" Shugesh howled.
Wrong.
Four hulking figures seemed to appear out nowhere at all. Each hairy and maniacal Oozaru roared with pleasure, and they all peered over the city walls that once seemed so high. Now, each concrete wall was as easy to destroy as paper for the mighty Saiyans.
Several Kanassan warriors were prepared to hold them as far back as possible. The teal-skinned warriors howled their battle cries into the wind as they charged at the monstrous apes. Their plan was futile, however, as Fasha kicked them all through the walls with ease, forcing a majority to collapse down on several of the warriors.
Several feet away, Borgos fired a pink wave out of his mouth, consuming several enemies and turning three whole blocks full of buildings into ruins. The wisps of the energy assault still danced around the dead warriors while several flames were created on top of the ruined buildings.
Now, the Kanassans were not caught by surprise by the attack; they saw it coming a mile away. Unfortunately for them, their visions never revealed the location of the invaders before the attack; maybe they could've prevented the slaughter, but it would have been extraordinarily difficult.
Even as they combated the enemy, a vision here and there would appear showing the deaths of their comrades and themselves. They knew they couldn't actually win.
A rather unfortunate group of Kanassan soldiers' eyes widened in utter fear as Tora leaped into the air. They desperately tried to fly out of the way before it was too late, but the Great Ape was just too massive to possibly avoid.
His feet promptly crushed the terrified stragglers, creating a large crater and piling their bodily mush all over the ground.
One of the stronger Kanassans, a militant leader, tried standing up to Shugesh all by himself. He fired his favorite technique: a powerful focus beam.
The beam tore through Shugesh's fur on the side of his face, and was actually strong enough to make the Ape bleed. All things taken into account, it didn't have any overall effect on him, though. This merely angered Shugesh, evident by the threatening growl that was heard, and he lunged forth at a blazing speed, and then he simply squashed his foe by turning him into Kanassan goo.
The slaughter would continue to ensue much like this for the rest of the night, until there was nothing left to kill. Or so they thought…
*The next morning: 6 hours later*
The Saiyans all sat in a circle, resting after a long night in their transformed states. Not being able to remember anything from an entire night combined with nearly no sleep took a toll on the group of warriors.
"Do you guys ever remember anything after you wake back up?" Shugesh asked out of curiosity, his right eyebrow curved upward.
"Usually I remember some, but it's also a blur, like waking up from a dream," Borgos answered calmly. He picked up a dead green Kanassan's leg, apparently entertaining the idea of eating his own victims.
"Well, I sure remember the crusty little devil who gave me this," Shugesh grunted, clearly annoyed by his scarred left cheek.
"I don't know how you guys can remember anything; all I ever get is a headache," Fasha inputted.
This received a collective chuckle from the others. "You know," she went on. "Bardock once told me he remembers everything."
Tora laughed at that and leaned back to relax even further. "Please, he may remember every moment of battle, but his social life is almost completely lost."
"He's got two sons now," Fasha retorted with a huff.
"Yeah, and does he even really know Raditz? At all?" Tora chuckled.
Borgos also chuckled. "He's got a point," He agreed, before finally taking a bite of Kanassan leg that he had been holding throughout the conversation, hoping to sate his hunger.
Suddenly, a warrior burst out of the rubble behind them. He grinned deviously with flexed muscles and was immediately in a fighting stance. The Saiyans hurriedly jumped to their feet. "Survivor!" Tora shouted out of surprise, even if it was obvious.
"Brilliant observation," Fasha mocked with her lips slightly curved.
Tora ignored his ally, clenched his fists and kept his narrowed eyes locked on the dangerous foe.
"You killed them! You killed them all!" the Kanassan screeched.
Shugesh made a quick move and got a kick on the ranting soldier while his guard was down, sending him skidding back into the rubble in which he came from. Tora followed up with a blue energy ball, which quickly enveloped him and set off a large flash of energy. After the blinding flare dissipated, it seemed clear that the attack had easily killed the injured Kanassan.
Not all was as it had seemed, however, as the Kanassan soldier stood back upright. He was glowing blue, and if it were a different color, he could actually resemble a man being set on fire.
"What!? Impossible!"
"I have transformed your destructive powers into a more tolerable energy," The Kanassan briefly explained.
The Saiyans weren't sure what to make of this.
"The one you call Frieza sent you here seeking psychic powers, but he shall never get them," He went on.
What would Bardock do right about now? Tora wondered, but that wasn't a very difficult thing to figure out.
Tora suddenly charged at the alien without warning. "Die!" He shouted, accompanied with a fierce battle cry.
He made an attempt to hit the enemy across the chin, but the Kanassan - despite his injuries - was simply too quick. He anticipated the move as if he had seen it coming and easily sidestepped his fist. A slight smirk could be seen if one was concentrating enough...
Before Tora could rotate back around, the Kanassan swung a chop to the back of his neck, right on the top of his spinal cord.
Rather than scream in pain, Tora couldn't make a sound, and he fell to the ground with a thud. He immediately curled into a fetal position, unintentionally, of course.
"HAHAHAHA! Frieza will never get what he sought for, but I have given it to you; you now have the power, Tora!"
Everyone was caught by surprise yet again as he said Tora's name. "What?!" Tora queried with shock.
"I have given it to you… as a gift. That way, you will be able to see your end like my men and I were forced to see ours!" He cackled.
"I think I've heard enough," Tora spat. "See you in hell!" He stated calmly, raising his arm and blasting him away with a sparkling blue energy wave. Immediately, and behind a slight shriek, the body of the Kanassan slowly vaporized within the blast. Nothing was left of him.
"That sure was something; I have no idea what that guy was talking' about, do you?" Shugesh wondered aloud.
Tora's world went black as his eyes voluntarily shut and dropped to the ground. "Tora!" The rest of the squad rushed over to check him out. Something was wrong with their leader, and they didn't know what...
An impatient growl escaped from Bardock's lips as he stared at the three guards that barred his entrance into the royal palace. It had been four days since the rest of his crew had left for Planet Kanassa for their mission, and the leader of their squad couldn't help but wish that he was there with them. He was sure that they were having the times of their lives right about now as they wrapped up the demolition of that future-seeing race of weaklings.
But no, he was stuck here dealing with bureaucratic bullshit while he tried to get to the bottom of why his son was suddenly on death row. Sure, the kid was a weakling, but there were loads of weak third-class Saiyan babies, and while it ashamed Bardock to admit it, it was only his son that was being singled out to die. This wasn't about the brat; that much was certain. No, this was about King Vegeta being afraid of him and his growing power. The arrogant elitist was simply afraid of his rising power level and since he was too much of a coward to fight him face to face, he was going to try and hurt him through his son.
Well, the scar-faced Saiyan wasn't going to give that royal bastard the satisfaction. After hearing the news, he had taken Kakarot and hidden him inside of the low-class burrows of the city. The Elites were to prideful to even set foot inside of the "scum's land", as they called it, so the brat would be relatively secure there. Besides, no one dared to cross Bardock when he asked them to do something for him. They all knew that he could crush any low-class Saiyan alive since he was rumored to be a match for even the King himself. This, of course… was the heart of the problem at the moment.
"I'm sorry, Bardock," spat one of the guards as he stared at the third-class Saiyan with disdain. "We can't allow your kind to enter into the Royal Palace without direct orders from the king himself. Since we both know that that's never going to happen, why don't you just crawl back to that dung-hole that you call home?"
Those words caused the other two guards to erupt into a hearty fit of laughter as the "Elites" shared laugh at the low-class Saiyan's expense. This, of course, did not settle well with Bardock.
"So, you're not going to let me in, huh?" asked the wild-haired Saiyan in a dangerously low voice. "Well, I guess that means that I'm going to have to force my way in so that I can have audience with the King!"
The trio's laughter only intensified after the man's words and the lead guard managed to say through fits of chuckles, "Really? YOU are going to break into the Royal Palace by defeating us! Three Elites against a third-class loser like you! I think we'll take our chances."
After hearing the other Saiyan's words, Bardock's mouth formed a devilish smile as adrenaline began to flow through his veins. It seemed that he was going to have some fun today after all!
"All right, but I'll let you know now that your chances aren't very good. But that doesn't really matter, because you insulted my strength… and NO ONE gets away with that!"
The fight was over before the three guardsmen even knew what was happening. After finishing his tirade, Bardock had phased out of sight and had delivered a devastating uppercut that sent the lead Saiyan flying into the air until his body collided with one of the towers of the palace. As rumble cascaded around them, the low-class Saiyan had dispatched of the other two "Elites" with a roundhouse kick to one of their temples and then finished the last one off with a swift chop to the neck. The two moves seemed to be simultaneous from the perception of the two guards and while one was sent flying over the skyline of the city from Bardock's kick, the other crumpled to the floor after having his neck broken from the simple arm movement.
"What weaklings," commented Bardock with disgust before raising his head and pointing it at the gate. "How did these morons ever become Elites? Even Borgos is stronger those three. Oh well, that's what happens, I guess, when they sit around being entitled little pricks all day long."
An orb of blue energy sprung to life in Bardock's palm as he prepared to blast open the gate to the palace. However, he restrained from doing so when his scouter suddenly sprung to life and alerted him of a high power level suddenly heading his way.
"So, the king's finally coming out to play is he?" Bardock asked aloud as he allowed the ki in his hand to dissipate harmlessly into the air. "This should be interesting if nothing else."
Satisfied that the "King of All Saiyans" was being forced to come outside of his palace to see a simple "low-class simpleton", Bardock casually sat down atop a particularly large chunk of castle as he waited. The man whistled while he waited; he was in a much better mood now that he had finally achieved gaining the king's attention. Maybe this would be the chance that he finally got to fight that elitist and prove to all Saiyans that it didn't matter what class you were born into, and that it was the strength that you earned through hard-work that really mattered.
"I appreciate you not blowing up my door." Bardock casually turned his head to look up into the red sky above to set eyes on the form of King Vegeta hovering above him. "It would have been a major headache to find the time to replace it if you had."
"Glad to serve, Your Majesty," said Bardock with a mock bow after leaping to his feet. "Now that you're here, though- where the hell do you get the idea of sentencing my son to death!? I know that you're afraid of me, a mere low-class Saiyan, surpassing your strength, but you don't have to be a complete coward and go after my infant son because of it! If you have a problem with me, than come at me and we can settle this like real Saiyans!"
Bardock smiled when he saw the king float motionless for a few moments, which he could only assume was because he was so petrified by the thought of having to fight him. To the wild-haired Saiyan's surprise, though, King Vegeta suddenly let out a low rumbling bark of laughter before addressing the low-class Saiyan.
"So that's what all this fuss is about? I assure you, that order has NOTHING to do with you. What business would I ever have with someone of your incredibly low stature? You're not the brightest man if you really thought that I ever cared about you at all. No, this is a completely different matter entirely. Oh, and that bit about us fighting- what's the point when the outcome will most certainly lead to your death?"
"Oh, so that's how you think that's how it will end, huh!?" bellowed Bardock as his body began to tremble with rage. "How about we find out right now then!?"
After shouting his last word, Bardock pushed off the surface of the piece of debris he had been standing on. The force of his take-off was so great that the rock crumbled into a thousand different pieces as the low-class Saiyan unleashed a ferocious battle cry. Bardock's eyes widened as he brought back his fist, finally ready to prove all of the so called elites of their race wrong.
The Saiyan's chance never came though, for as he flew through the air, he felt himself come crashing to the ground as nearly a dozen members of the Royal Guard had suddenly pounced into him. This sudden ambush caught Bardock completely by surprise and he cried out in frustration as the dozen guards forced him to crash into the ground: hard.
No matter how much he struggled, Bardock found that he couldn't wrestle free from the mass of limbs that had him pinned to the ground. Another roar of anger escaped from his mouth as he attempted to flare his aura to force the Royal Guard off of him. He felt a slight relief in pressure, but as soon as he began to attempt to pick himself back up, he was suddenly slammed to the ground again. It was useless, even if he was stronger than all these idiots individually; their combined strength was too much for even Bardock to overcome.
"While I'm not really interested in you," came the baritone voice of the King from above Bardock's head. The low-class warrior tried to lift his head to look at the speaker, but couldn't raise it thanks to the trio of forearms buried into his neck. "I am interested in your son. His death was ordered for a reason, and it is vitally important that his sentence is carried out before he is scheduled to be sent... away... in six days. So until you reveal where you've hidden the boy, you're going to become quite familiar with my dungeon. Take him away, men. I don't want to see this impudent scum's face again."
Bardock snarled as he was forcibly lifted up off of the ground and dragged backwards. Even as his legs were being scraped across the harsh ground, and even though he could feel the blood beginning to pour from them, Bardock's mind was only focused on one thing: the form of the King of the Saiyans walking away from him with his back turned. The sight caused a sneer to form across the other Saiyan's face and as he was dragged away, only one word could be heard throughout the palace.
"VEGETA!"
"Prince Vegeta, you have been summoned to the Launch Station."
An irritated snort echoed throughout the giant room as a young boy with black, flame-like hair turned his head towards the door. Already, a scowl of disgust had formed across his face directed towards the fool who dared intrude upon his privacy. He had made it very clear to all of his servants that he was not to be disturbed while in his own, personal, training faculty.
"Haven't I told you never to come in here, Nappa?!" shouted the enraged child with a stamp of his foot as he attempted to bore holes into his personal bodyguard. The former General of the Saiyan Army was a true behemoth. He towered over eight feet into the air and his muscular frame was nearly as wide. The only part of his body there wasn't excess of was his hair, seeing as how he only had a small patch atop his giant head and then a thin goatee outlining his big mouth. The Saiyan Prince truly couldn't stand the sight of him and his scowl simply deepened as he thought about how much he hated Nappa's hair. "Now leave before I decide to punish you for this insolence!"
"But, sire, this is a direct order from your father, King Vegeta!" clarified the brute as he began to take a step inside of the Prince's training grounds. A fierce stare from the young Saiyan was enough to deter him from doing so, and Nappa quickly retracted his offending limb.
Satisfied with his subordinate's actions, Vegeta sighed as he walked over to his discarded royal armor and cape. "Fine, I will go to the Launch Station to meet with my father," conceded the adolescent as he hovered over his suit of armor before turning his head towards Nappa once again. "Well, what are you waiting for, you bumbling buffoon! Can't you see that if I am to meet my father, I will have to look presentable?"
"Oh, yes, of course, sire!" exclaimed Nappa as he rushed to assist the boy slip into his outfit. Vegeta remained motionless as his custom-made breastplate with the royal insignia slid over his head and firmly onto his body. With a flourish of his scarlet cape, the heir to the Saiyan throne swiftly exited the training grounds with his giant companion trailing in his wake.
The pair walked through the palace corridors in silence, with the mammoth-sized bodyguard walking nearly a yard behind his charge. The tiny prince always hated it when they walked side-by-side since he barely reached the top of Nappa's kneecap (not counting his pointy hair). Vegeta was happy to see that the imbecile was actually listening to him for a change. It was far too difficult to penetrate that thick skull of his.
After several minutes of striding through his family's halls, Vegeta finally reached his destination and emerged onto a terrace that overlooked the sprawling metropolis below. Countless skyscrapers consumed the land below him and millions of lights illuminated the streets and buildings below. It was truly an impressive sight to see exactly how far the Saiyans had come in such a short amount of time. He had been told that not a century ago, the Saiyan Race had been comprised of cave-dwellers. Astounding how far his people had come under his family's leadership. Vegeta could only imagine how much further they would advance under his rule.
Even though the city was impressive to be sure, that wasn't even really where the young Prince's thoughts were turned to. No, it was really the stars that the pointy-haired adolescent was obsessed with. Looking up at the bright red sky above, Vegeta squinted as he attempted to see the stars hiding behind the veil of Planet Vegeta's atmosphere. It was a Saiyan warrior's duty to go into space and conquer weaker races for the greater good of the Empire. At the moment, the Saiyans were employed by the planet broker, Frieza, and it was their job to acquire suitable planets for the Arcosian to sell on the galactic market. While Vegeta hated the fact that his people had been reduced to nothing but high-scale mercenaries, he did realize that it was an inescapable truth at the moment. It provided revenue for the Saiyans and also gave them what they craved most of all: a chance to test their strength in combat throughout the universe.
The boy's tiny fists clenched in anger as this thought passed through his head. It was true that every Saiyan, even the lowest born among them, were being given the opportunity to challenge themselves against worthy opponents in space. There was one exception, though: the Prince of All Saiyans. Not even once had he been given the opportunity to prove himself - no, to prove his strength - in combat. He had only been off of Planet Vegeta once, and that was to observe his father and the other Elites wipe out some pitiful species. Even then, though, he had been constantly surrounded by the others and not allowed to participate in the purge. He was simply there to observe as his father had told him at the time.
His father: the man that was behind this egregious affront to his pride! It was him that had constantly blocked every attempt the Prince had made to be given an assignment. It was him that had prevented Vegeta from proving how strong he really was to the rest of their people.
"There is no need for you to prove your power, my son. You are already revered as the strongest Saiyan to ever be born at your age! The others are all in pursuit of you. It is for them to prove themselves to you, not the other way around."
The King's words pierced his son's pride like daggers. How would he ever know how powerful he really was if he could never challenge anyone? How was he supposed to be prepared for the next threat to his people if he could never gauge his strength against other strong opponents? How could he ever hope to be the leader of a warrior race if he could never show his subjects his might?
That's why this unexpected summoning gave the boy a slight jolt of hope. Was it possible that his father had seen how foolish he had been before by denying him his birthright as a Saiyan? The tiny warrior's blood boiled for the thrill of combat and Vegeta's skin seemed to be on fire from just the mere thought that it was a possibility. Finally, the opportunity he was craving seemed to be within his grasp.
Vegeta blasted off into the crimson sky, unable to wait any longer to see if his hopes were founded. He flew at full speed, and his flight was accompanied by a series of sonic booms as his small frame broke the sound barrier several times over. After each explosion of sound, though, a twin eruption followed almost like an echo to the ones created by the Prince. Turning his head slightly, the boy saw that his personal guard dog was right behind him once again. Ignoring the giant, Vegeta just kept his eyes forward as he rocketed towards the colossal building that was covered by the horizon before him.
It was this massive faculty that the Prince landed at a minute later as he touched down at the entrance to the Launch Station. Planet Vegeta only had one terminal space port. Because of this, the building that facilitated all of that traffic was truly gigantic. It easily dwarfed every other building on the entire planet, and it was this compound that the flame-haired adolescent found himself entering into.
Surprisingly, the usual hub of those bustling terminals was eerily quiet, and Vegeta couldn't help it as the hair on his tail stood up somewhat. The station was completely deserted, which he guessed wasn't completely unusual when it was being used by the Royal Family. Last time he had been here, the Launch Station had been cleared out before his arrival as well, and only those that were going on a mission were allowed access.
This time, though, there wasn't even a large contingent of Royal Elites or any sizable grouping of Saiyans at all. No, the only life that Vegeta saw were two stoic Saiyans that appeared to be members of his father's personal guard. That was it. It seemed the statue-like duo had been expecting him, though, because as soon as he entered into the station, they swiftly converged upon him.
"Your Highness," they both said with a bow. The prince eyed the pair before releasing a grunt to acknowledge them. After being released from their bow, the two stood and the one on the right said, "we have been ordered to take you to your father, Prince Vegeta. Please, follow us."
"Hn," snorted Vegeta before gesturing with his hand for the pair of morons to lead the way. The two quickly pivoted on their heels before swiftly moving down the massive corridor. Briskly walking after them, Prince Vegeta followed them with his brutish bodyguard following behind him. The stroll was fairly boring to the child, especially since there was nothing else to observe to take his mind off of this extremely dull affair. All excitement that he had built up on the possibility of being given assignment had seemingly sizzled out upon entering this barren, depressing building.
During this otherwise tedious walk, one thing did occur that stunned the small prince. Instead of turning down the corridor that would lead to the launching pads used exclusively by the Saiyan Elite, his guides had taken him down the corridor that was supposedly only used for the third-class warriors.
"What is this?" questioned Vegeta after noticing this major oversight by his guides. Idiots didn't even know where they were supposed to lead him to! "Why are we going the wrong way?"
"I assure you, My Lord," replied one of his guides immediately. "This is the right way. The king will be waiting for us at the end of this corridor."
With a disgruntled huff, Vegeta clamped his mouth shut and simply walked behind the two guards as they continued to lead him through the seemingly endless pathways of the Launch Station. It was nearly ten minutes later when they finally stopped in front of the entrance to one of the numerous launch pads for the low-class Saiyans.
"The king is waiting inside for you, My Prince," informed one of the guides as he gestured for the boy to enter through the grungy doorway. With a sneer of disgust, Vegeta walked through the entrance and as his cape billowed behind him, he felt the door suddenly slide shut. He thought it was strange that not even Nappa was allowed to come inside with him, but he didn't really pay too much mind to it. Clearly, his father wished to speak with him in private.
"Ah, my son, I see you have finally made it here." Vegeta turned his head to look upon the speaker of the deep voice that had suddenly echoed throughout the large hangar. Standing several dozen feet away was his father, standing tall and proud beside a lone space pod. The broad-shouldered man possessed the same hairstyle as his son; only instead of his hair being the color of onyx like the Prince's, his was a deep brown color. A hint of a smile traced the King's lips underneath his full-grown goatee as Vegeta began walking towards his father.
"You summoned me, Father," said the boy as he came to a stop before the older version of himself.
"Yes, that is correct," confirmed the king before turning his back on his son to look out of the opening in the ceiling above to stare out into the sky above. "I have decided to finally grant your request for a mission. You will be leaving immediately."
"Finally! It's about time, old man!" exclaimed Vegeta, the volume of his voice giving away his joyous feelings about finally being given an assignment. "Though why are we in such a disgusting place as the third-class launch deck? The smell here is dreadful."
Silence hung over the father-son duo for a few seconds before the older Saiyan finally responded. "The mission that you are being sent on is one of the utmost importance and secrecy. No one can know that you have left on your assignment, so using the Elite decks would be far too dangerous. Therefore, you will be leaving from here. Now, not even the cleverest analyst will ever be able to figure out that it is you being sent."
The boy cocked an eyebrow at his father's words. "What is the cause for all of this secrecy? What kind of mission exactly am I being sent on?"
Vegeta was surprised when he saw his father sigh before turning back to face him. The King's face had hardened into a seemingly impenetrable mask that would never allow any emotions to reveal themselves to those that observed him. It was a cold, callous expression his father wore to face him, which only caused the boy's suspicions to rise even higher.
"Your mission is a long-term assignment," informed the elder Saiyan, his voice betraying no emotion at all. "There is only one objective to it as well: to train hard so that one day you will be able to defeat Frieza. You are not to return here until you have completed that mission."
The Prince was stunned into silence by his father's sudden revelation. It took a few moments for the adolescent to fully process exactly what his father had told him. Frieza? How did he factor into this and why did he have to travel to a distant planet to train to defeat that lizard? He was already planning on doing that, but here, on his homeworld. Not on some foreign mud-ball planet! And was he being banished? Why was he being sent away? All of these questions swirled around in the boy's mind simultaneously as he tried to understand what was going on.
"Explain yourself!" demanded Vegeta, unable to say anything other than the two simple words. He couldn't muster the strength to ask anything more specific.
"The Arcosian has ordered me to hand you over to him," said King Vegeta, his expression never changing as he spoke. "I refuse to allow that. Therefore, I am sending you away, so that one day you will grow strong enough to defeat him. If you were allowed to be taken in by that…fiend, you would never be able to achieve your full potential. I am sending you in the place of one of the low-class children being sent to a far-away system, so that you will be able to train there without disturbance. You will be treated like a god there, Son. You will be able to live the life a true Prince of All Saiyans should live; a life which Frieza wishes to rob you of. I don't plan on giving him that satisfaction, my son."
The young Prince's body began to tremble, not from fear but from anger. A vein suddenly appeared on the boy's forehead and began to throb as Vegeta's eyes bulged, barely able to contain the rage he held for his father.
"Do you believe that I am a coward?!" screamed the flame-haired prince with a stamp of his foot which cracked the tiles beneath him. "We are Saiyans! The greatest warrior race the universe has ever seen! We NEVER flee from our enemies! Or, at least, that's what you told me before now. Why do you always wish to disgrace me father!? Why are you seeking to steal my pride and honor from me!?"
"This is not about your honor or pride!" bellowed the King, causing even his fearless son to cower slightly. "This is about your survival; that is all that matters now. It is because you are the Prince of All Saiyans that you must go. If you, my son, are taken by that fiend, then you will be stripped of any pride and honor you possess as a Saiyan. Frieza will use every opportunity to break you and your pride. Not only would you lose your honor, but all of my pride would be stolen if I allowed this to happen, and I will NOT allow that Arcosian bastard to steal that away from us."
Vegeta stood in stunned silence for a few moments, his chin seemingly glued to the breastplate he wore, before finally regaining his voice.
"You really are a coward," he said in a whisper. "As warriors, our preferred way to die should be in the glory of battle. That is the only honorable way to die... and yet… you wish for me to abandon my home in order to save my own life instead of fighting to the death for our people's pride against that sadistic lizard! You may be a coward afraid to die, but I am not, Father. I will fight Frieza now if that is my destiny! What I will not do is stay here and listen to your idiotic talk any longer!"
With a flourish of his scarlet cape, the black-haired Vegeta turned on his heel and began to storm out of the launch deck. The Prince fully intended to leave this wretched place and never see his father's face again. If Frieza wanted him, than he could have him, but he wasn't going to go down without a fight!
Things didn't go according to plans for the adolescent, though, as he was suddenly stopped when his father phased right in his path. Before Vegeta could even open his mouth to yell at his imbecile of a parent, the king had already delivered a swift, yet powerful, jab to the boy's stomach. The prince's mouth was agape in pain, forming an inaudible scream, before losing all control of his muscles and collapsing onto the stoic form of his father.
Vegeta was unable to move a muscle as he felt himself suddenly lifted off of the floor and slung over his father's shoulder. His vision flickered between complete blackness and a blur, but the boy was still able to tell that his father was forcibly carrying him over to the pod that would take him to this distant, mud-ball planet.
Unable to protest or even give his father a death glare, Vegeta was powerless to stop the king from gently placing him inside of the pod and setting the machine to launch in thirty seconds. Even though his head was spinning, the prince was still able to see an expression that he had never seen on his proud father's face before: sorrow.
"I am sorry, my son," the King muttered. "I know you will hate me for this, but I know that one day you will be able to become the Legend and avenge our people."
The only sound that the boy could make in response to his father's words was a low groan before the door to the pod slid shut. As the ship began to shake violently from the thrusters and the Prince was being flown through the atmosphere of his home world, Vegeta could feel the control of his muscles slowly returning to him. Even his eyesight was beginning to readjust and he could see the red hue of the sky as his pod blasted through the final layer of the atmosphere and into the cold depths of space.
Just as Vegeta began to move his arm to manually bring the pod back to the surface of the planet, a hissing sound suddenly filled the entire pod. A string of curses left the prince's mouth as a drowsy feeling suddenly overtook him, and his limb fell heavily to his side. Even through his induced sleepiness, Vegeta's eyes widened in horror at the last imagine that his eyes were able to capture before they collapsed shut on him, and his mind drifted into a nightmarish hell of that one picture: the picture of a giant, orange sphere of energy colliding into Planet Vegeta.
Thank you for reading the first chapter of Role Reversal by LucifVegeta, Full Power, pointer39, and FinalFlashX! We hope you continue along with us as we unveil what will certainly be an epic tale of fantastical victories, tragic defeats, and everything in between! Please feel free to ask any questions you wish in your reviews, for we will be happy to answer them! 'Til next time!