Author's Note: Thanks for taking the time to give my stuff a read! It's been a long journey for me to get the story to this point! This story has been in the making for 10 years! Currently, I'm taking my super old work and rewriting it to fit my current self and style, so if you see old reviews for chapters that don't exist, thats why. Enjoy, and stay cool!

June 2019 Edit:I'm still editing away at everything, bear that in mind. Since I've spent so much time on writing, I'm rapidly improving as a writer and it shows, so I'm furiously trying to make sure everything is leveled out and decent XD

Chapter One - New Hope

At the sound of a large blast from down below as they flew across Namek's hilly plains and mountains, Gohan and Krillin dove down. In a hurry to investigate, they found themselves in the middle of an episode of turmoil not far from where they tucked away as they crawled to a lip of the cliff and peered over the edge.

From the bottom of the small mountain, a sizeable squad of armoured men looked to be terrorizing a Namekian village. Creatures of all shapes and sizes in matching armoured suits were grieving a small group of civilians, while others were recklessly demolishing houses and gardens for fun. As if that weren't enough, there was also the occasional Namekian body lying on the ground, to their misery, dead.

The longer they surveyed the scene, a sickening, obnoxious aura struck their senses with an increasing aggression, putting the both of them at a loss for words. There was so much raw power from somewhere, the drastic density of it made the both of them powerlessly pale in comparison. Despite the torment from all of the soldiers, there was no doubt that an even bigger threat was among the group. A petite, purple alien with pointy black horns comfortably sat in a hovering throne off to the side to supervise, accompanied a couple of what seemed to be Namek's version of the Dragon Balls, the same very Dragon Balls that they'd come all the way to Namek to gather.

Krillin and Gohan gave each other a silent but nervous glance. No doubt about it, this guy was trouble. The two of them felt around at his repulsively thick energy to get a better understanding of what they were about to deal with - this purple thing took absolutely no effort to hiding his power. Clearly, he wanted everyone he crossed to know that he meant business, and it was working.

Alongside the ridiculously powerful elephant in the room, a large, spiky pink blob of a man and a tall, toned and more handsome green individual accompanied him on the sidelines. The both of them snickered and smirked away as their crew went through the area in merciless destruction, while a much smaller woman in a similar but moderately damaged uniform stand cuffed and chained to the green thing's muscled ankle, unimpressed. She seemed less than pleased, but refused to make an effort to show it. Unlike these two men, , as if she were bored, she stood completely still and turned away from the action, presumably out of distaste for the situation.
"Man, why does this guy have to have the Dragon Balls?" Krillin whispered harshly with a curse under his breath. "It couldn't just be easy, could it."

Gohan found himself peculiarly stumped on the woman more than anything. Her appearance didn't have any physical resemblance to any of the men surrounding her, so she couldn't have been related to any of them. The way she dismissed herself from the scene confused him, she seemed completely unfazed by arguably the most gruesome display of violence he'd ever set his eyes on. Was she used to this? Was it possible to be so accustomed to such disgusting acts of torture? She hadn't uttered a single word or expression to tell him what her agenda was.

She was the odd one out, he told himself finally, it was unmistakable.
"This is going to make things tricky." Gohan joined in with an unsure tone. He couldn't stop racking his brain, moving on to her more distinct features. Her uniform had an interesting resemblance to a certain Saiyan prince he'd had a run in with back on Earth not too long ago, perhaps Vegeta had an affiliation with this group?

Wouldn't that be an interesting turn of events.

"Hey, Krillin, does something seem weird about the girl down there?" he couldn't help but ask. "I mean, she's the only one that isn't doing anything… Like she's some kind of captive? Maybe we should try and help her while we're here?"

Krillin responded him an uncertain moan.
"I wouldn't be so sure just yet," Krillin grumbled, still hesitant to make a move at all "She's dressed like them, it could just be a trick they're using. Also, uh, I'm not sure if I want to engage with these guys, y-you're feeling what I'm feeling, right?"
Gohan rested his chin on a propped up arm, heavily debating with himself about what the best move to make would be. Also uncertain as to if jumping in would be a wise idea, he chose not to respond.
Stuck hopelessly to the green soldier's side, the woman slumped out of avertedly towards the cruel encounter, solemnly disappointed and stricken with grief.
'I guess I wasn't missing out on much back in my holding cell or Zarbon's quarters…' she pondered, her attention briefly shifting to a patch of unharmed ground nearby. From among the strange blueness of this planet's grass, she spotted a small rock and slightly perked up out of curiosity.
She gave the generals a quick scan to see if anyone was watching her, only to be left unnoticed by anyone's immediate attention.

'...Perhaps I can get some practice in while no one's looking.'

After a hushed but heavy breath, she went on to clear her mind of the surroundings. The outcries of Namekian villagers had lost themselves in her deep concentration, as well as the loud crashing of explosions, her intense focus now undivided towards the lone and lifeless pebble. She narrowed her eyes, honing in even further, intensified her stare and held her breath with anticipation as she flexed a few fingers on each hand.

To her pleasure, the rock staggered choppily across the ground, rolling gently in the grass with the faintest of rustles as it went. Successful, she worked herself up in satisfaction and rejoice, causing her to lose control of her ongoing mission, to the point where the rock had flung itself back at her and nearly hit the metal shackle around her leg.

Straightening out her hands, she quickly took hold of it again in a desperate attempt to calm down, the rock thankfully coming to a complete stop just inches from her foot. Relieved, she let out an exhaled as quietly as possible.
'Stupid chain…' she whined to herself. 'If only the whole troop wasn't here, I would have a much higher chance of escaping once I pick the lock on this darn thing.'
In complete shambles aside from the odd wall still standing on some structures, she looked back over to what was left of the village, to witness the chunky pink ball of a general get smashed into the remnants of a nearby hut.

She stifled a gasp, her body immediately straightening up in shock, hopeful that there may be even a sliver of a chance to get away. After an irritable scowl, the tall green man beside her looked down to notice her sudden interest in the affair, reaching out a hand to playfully tousle her thick black hair.
"Hush, dear," he quickly commanded her. "We have this all under control."

She pulled her head away from him in retaliation, shivering with discomfort as she felt the tips his fingers slowly slither their way through her waist-length locks. She forced herself to continue watching the fight to distract herself from his creepy attempts to dissuade her, genuinely curious as to what had happened to Dodoria just then. Endeared by her sudden interest, Zarbon admirably eyed her every few seconds as the battle played out, the two both of them paying close attention with wide eyes.
Krillin hastily swooped down and managed to grab a hold of the only living Namekian in the village he could spot, a young child. He shot a quick look towards the woman before he took off, her eyes instantly lighting up in hope that he would try and help her as well. He hesitated for a split second, now certain that she wanted to be free from the pack she'd been with, then flew away before he gave it much more thought. With the intense weight of the group leader's energy creeping back to the forefront of his thoughts, he questioned if it'd be possible to try and find later and help her out.

"Wait!" she cried out, extending an arm to Krillin as he grew distant.
"Enough!" the soldier attached to her raised his voice, crouching down to her level to get more personal. "You're not going anywhere." He cooed flirtatiously, pecking her on the cheek.

Letting out a jittered whimper, she pushed away in disgust. Shouldn't he have been paying attention to these strangers that had interfered with the mission?

"You should be grateful." Zarbon purred with a sly grin. "If it weren't for me, you would still be in your cell."
The woman pouted with a sigh.
"I hardly notice a difference being out of it..." She mumbled passively.

Despite her clear rejection, the soldier gave her a handsome smile.
"There's a difference for me, you know." He allured onwards. "I can always see that lovely face of yours. You should be honoured, you know, such beauty doesn't get to show itself every day."
Her face wrinkled in humiliation.
'As if it matters.' she threw back in her thoughts, giving him a strong huff of dislike. 'If it was anyone else telling me that, it wouldn't be such a problem for me...'
"I cannot bring myself to think of you like that." She told him with a stiff, firm shake of her head, expecting outlash in return any second. "I'm simply not interested, sir."
Zarbon laughed charmingly, taking a hand and delicately caressed her tender chin with his long, slender fingers. Gods, her skin was so smooth, he took pride in being the one that lessened her torment of getting beaten and roughed up by the holding cell guards.
"Oh? And since when do you think you have a choice?" he teased, a touch of frustration in his tone, now somewhat annoyed by her persistence. "The only person more suited is Lord Frieza, and I doubt you'd want to be his lapdog!"
She cowered away at his increasing volume with a flinch, a change of energy in the air from his anger leading her to believe it was best to remain quiet. Surely, he had better things to be doing than getting frustrated over personal feelings.
"Come now, Zarbon," the purple alien finally spoke out with a single snicker. "Now is hardly the time to play bachelor. Having a partner is trivial. I don't understand why it's worth so much of your effort."
Zarbon grew tense on the spot. Of course Lord Frieza didn't understand, his lust was for destruction, a far less beautiful and far more demanding hobby, and yet, he wasn't one to comment on his interests.
"I can be a gentleman and a fearsome warrior, sir." He answered back with a sinister smirk. "You'll reconsider, Miss Rosemary, I know you will. I am the best and most beautiful man by far, why fight me on it? I, too, was a prince once upon a time, is that not enough for you?"

She reluctantly met his gaze with a loathing frown. She knew exactly where he was headed with this.
'If it makes you feel better…' She thought to herself, indifferent, turning away from Zarbon boredly. 'I hope I'm able to escape this someday and break free.' She thought back to Krillin saving the Namekian boy with ease, trying to uplift her confidence. 'Maybe it will happen soon. I just need the right opportunity and I can do it, I know I can.'

. . .

Dodoria had already set off to look for the two men that interrupted the mission, hungry for revenge. He couldn't be bothered with flirting around like Zarbon, he had better things to do, such as appease Lord Frieza's wishes like the Frieza Force general he was. He spitefully flew onward and gave the air a study with care, hoping that Zarbon and Frieza weren't already following him so he could see his fun through to the end.
'Those ruffians won't get away that easily, I should be able to find 'em around here somewhere.' He hyped himself up encouragingly, hoping that he'd have a stroke of luck.

Up ahead, he'd managed to catch sight of a small sliver of something at last and chuckled in delight.

'Huh, that was easier than I thought it would be, it's only been, what, ten minutes?'

Satisfied, he gave himself a firm nod, ready to start an assault with a clench of his teeth.

'Well, better get this over with.'

Unhinging his jaw, he fired a blast from his mouth with a fierce shout, watching his work travel over to whatever it was that had been ahead from just over his upper lip.
Not too far away, Gohan could hear a quiet whirring sound, quickly looking around to figure out where it was coming from. Finally whipping around in a growing panic, he watched as a bright white flash gained on him, and fast.
"Krillin, look out!" he wailed, immediately throwing himself out of the way to dodge it.

Without question, Krillin went to move as well but took a harsh hit to his left arm. A large gouge in his forearm surfaced itself as the recoil from the blast set in, causing him to aggressively yank it away and drop the young child that he managed to save from the village just minutes ago.
"Damn!" he cursed sharply, diving to grab the child as he soared towards the open ocean below, until he was grabbed by the ankle with a familiar, hefty pink hand.
"Heh, I gotcha now!" Dodoria chuckled deeply in victory as he tightened his grip around the tiny man's foot.
"Oh no, you don't!" Krillin retorted quickly, swinging upwards to smash Dodoria's face with a hard, bald head.

Dodoria, not having the highest tolerance from the hit, let go of Krillin to cup his face in his hands with an agonizing growl. His pudgy nose began to trickle with purple blood, and he hated it. It was a rare sight, his own blood, it was even rarer that someone bothered to stand up to him and draw blood.

Why did this have to take so much work?
Free from Dodoria's grasp, Krillin dove down again and managed to catch the young Namekian before he smacked the water, smoothly scooping him up with a swift swoosh from below. He took a deep exhale, relieved, and flew away as fast as he could.
As the group of them fled, Dodoria reluctantly managed to get over his pain, angrier than ever.

"No one messes with me," He grumbled. "These rotten kids are gonna get it."

He wiped the small trickle of blood from his face with a dramatic swipe of the back of his hand and raced towards them yet again.

Dende bent his head back to look over Krillin's arm to find a tiny pink dot approaching them and fearfully cowered into Krillin's hold.
"Sir!" The child whined. "The pink guy is coming back! Can we get away?"

Krillin didn't bother to look behind him to see for himself.
'Damn it…' Krillin thought, sloppily assessing his options. 'Now that I think about it, if this guy's flying faster than we can, I may have to play dirty… Welp, I don't wanna have to do this…'
"Close your eyes, kid!" Krillin told him, whipping around and lifting his hands to his face, making sure he didn't drop the child by pinning him under an arm.

"SOLAR FLARE!"
A blinding flash of light exploded from Krillin's eyes, surrounding the area with nothing but a powerful but excruciatingly bright white glow as bright as Namek's four suns themselves.

Taking it all at point blank, Dodoria shielded his eyes in desperation.
"What the hell-?!" Dodoria growled, now in even more pain, unable to open his eyes without an otherworldly burning pain. "Dammit, I can't see! What the hell was that?!"
As Dodoria flailed around and rubbed his face to get his vision back, Krillin flew away to catch up with Gohan, who had already been able to flee the scene successfully.

Dende giggled in delight from under his arm.
"That was a close call, Mister!" the child cheered. "That was quite the strategy!"
"Tell me about it!" Krillin laughed it off, surprised with himself as well. "I just hope it was enough…"

. . .

After a furious amount of eye watering, excruciating irritation and blotchy spots in the air, Dodoria finally managed to start seeing things properly. He blinked hard and fast and forced himself to keep them open enough to see his surroundings, concluding that the bald man and the kids were gone for good. In the end, it wasn't a huge deal, he was chasing them for his own enjoyment, after all, but what it did mean was that there was a new bunch of people kicking around that would get in the way of Frieza's objective.
"Well, that's just great," he grumbled, huffing in defeat. "I've lost 'em now. Welp, time to report back to Lord Frieza..."
Before he could act, he was slammed downwards towards a small island in the middle of the ocean by a figure he couldn't trace. His large structure sent his trajectory off course as he fell threw the dense air, causing him smack the water beside it with a huge splash. After a few seconds, Dodoria resurfaced in a scurry, climbed onto the island and threw his head up to the sky, dumbfounded.
"Now, who in their right mind-"

A notorious outburst of laughter sounded from above.
"Well, look who it is!" a smug, raspy voice taunted. "Quite the coincidence, finding you here."
Dodoria scowled, instantly recognizing the voice's owner. Up above was a short but built, pointy-haired man in a vibrant blue shade of armour of a similar model to his - the arrogant Saiyan Prince, Vegeta, in all his pretentious splendor. He questioned how he could have ran into the Saiyan on Namek - he'd just recently took leave from the fleet to carry out a personal mission, he couldn't have returned on good terms.
"Well, if it isn't Prince Vegeta, back so soon?" he called up with a playful grin. "You must have some nerve to pull a fast one on me, of all people! Last time I checked, I was stronger than you!"
Vegeta chuckled in amusement, carelessly shrugging his shoulders.
"I've got a task of my own, you see, strength aside." He fired back with a cocky smirk of his own. "I'm trying to find something, but I found you instead, pity. I won't waste my time here."

'A new task, he says?' Dodoria mulled, intrigued. 'Huh, maybe his personal mission happened to have led him here.'
"If it's your lady friend," Dodoria sneered provocatively. "You're finally in luck. Gonna have to fight Zarbon for her, though. He's gotten attached."
Vegeta's confident smile disappeared from his face in an instant.
"You must be mistaken from that hard hit you took." Vegeta scoffed dismissively. "I've never had a lady friend or anything of that variety."

Dodoria flew up to examine him further. Surely, he hadn't forgotten about such a close comrade!

Now leveled with the Saiyan, he raised a curious eyebrow.
"You've let her go then, huh?" he prodded. "You know exactly who I'm talkin' about."

After giving him a hard look in the eye as he dug around in his thoughts some more, a light went off in his head, and Vegeta tensed up in realization.
'It can't be.' He took a moment to rethink, old and painful memories now rushing to the forefront of his thoughts. He'd tried to dismiss them from his memory for good reason, and yet he was forced to clench his fists as the weight of his past set in once again. Yes, the countless walks through the hall, meetings in the courtyard, restless nights lost to his imagination of-

'No, he can't possibly be talking about-'
"Would be a shame if Lady Rosemary heard that," Dodoria edged on playfully, the tables surprisingly turning for him. "I heard she's got high hopes of seein' you again someday." He cockily crossed his arms. "She's become quite the pretty little one, too. Coulda worked out, y'know."
The name hit him like a wall. Vegeta was petrified, mortified, even. The name was as good as dead to him until now - to him, it represented a miserable tragedy in his history.

And yet, the name made his blood boil. The events that led to this person's demise, or so he had thought, the burden of guilt that rushed through him as he recalled them was unspeakable.

He thought he was through with such mental and emotional torment.
"You dare," Vegeta uttered a menacing hiss. "You dare to tell me she's alive?!"

Vegeta vanished in a flash, reappearing behind Dodoria in a senseless fury, grabbing one of his chubby pink limbs. Dodoria grunted out of acknowledgement, turning around to retaliate with a swipe of his other arm, but failed to connect with the Saiyan.

Vegeta hopped over him without delay, snagging his other arm before he could respond further. Both arms within his grasp, Vegeta mercilessly slammed a foot into Dodoria's back.

"You dare to tell me, after all these years," Vegeta growled through bared teeth, jamming his foot against Dodoria in a rage. "You forced her to live?!"

Dodoria began to forcefully yank his arms away in agony. Unamused, Vegeta dug his foot even deeper into Dodoria's spine. Surprisingly pliable, it was.

"You could have killed her to save the time, but instead you actually decided to probe her for more? Despicable, and for what gain?!"

Vegeta waited for a response, but received nothing but a distressed groan.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't pull you apart, limb from limb, right here!" he roared in a near blind outrage, causing Dodoria to finally let out a cry of pain.

Dodoria could feel his arms get ready to snap out of sockets.
"I can tell you where she is!" Dodoria begged with a yelp. "If you kill me now, you might not be able to find her!"
"You underestimate me greatly." Vegeta threatened further. "But, I suppose you can save me the time and trouble. Have at it, Pinkie."
Vegeta reluctantly let go of Dodoria, doubtful but on guard. He didn't have a good track record with the general as of late, he'd be amazed if that had suddenly changed.

Dodoria laughed hysterically and darted off without a second thought. What a joke, Vegeta actually believed him and let him go!

Not surprised in the slightest, Vegeta bared his teeth once again, disgusted, and began to charge an attack through cupped hands.
"Ha! You fool!" Dodoria cackled as he flew away in a hurry. "Who knew a silly girl would make him reconsider so damn quickly?!"
"You must be pretty brave if you think you're getting away from me after a stunt like that." Vegeta mumbled, grinning as he released an excessively powerful blast from his now extended hands. Only the best of his power, for the best of suitors. Besides, it had been a short while since he could really let loose on someone, and it left such a lasting ecstasy that he could never get tired of.
As if to signal his incoming demise, Dodoria's Scouter began beeping at a ridiculous rate.

Dodoria went to look over his shoulder, and little did he know, it would be the last view he ever saw.
"What-" he managed to say, before his voice was silenced, his very being disintegrating under the raw intensity of the blow.

From the distance, Vegeta smirked, proud and merciless as he watched Dodoria disappear before his eyes.

He crossed his arms in conclusion, taking a moment to process what he'd learned from the exchange as he continued to hover, undisturbed, in the Namekian sky.
'Could he have been telling the truth?' he asked himself. Come to think of it, Lady Rosemary's death had never been formally confirmed, but he assumed that it was simply because he wasn't around the main sector enough to be informed.

He squared his arms and dismally stared off into the open air before him.

'It's possible.'

. . .

Zarbon monitored the fight over his Scouter in his quarters back at the main ship, with Rosemary still latched on to the chain beside him, leaning up against a wall and staring at the other side of the room out of boredom. It was nothing out of the ordinary for Rosemary, she'd spent endless hours sitting on the cold metal floor of his room, lost in thought or fatigue for several hours a day daily. But, unlike the current situation, she preferred it if she'd spent her time there alone.

Just then, everything had fallen silent, to the point where even Zarbon's breaths were noticeably staggered. From what she could hear, there was no trace of feedback coming from Zarbon's Scouter. Unfazed and tired of standing beside him as he remained completely still in suspense, she'd finally decided to take her usual post and sit cross-legged on the floor beside him, squirming to get comfortable as the shackle around her right leg dug into her ankle at an awkward angle.
'Could this really be it?' She asked herself in anticipation, excited with Zarbon's new expression but tried hard not to give her composure away. 'With Dodoria out of the picture, could this mean that I'm closer to freedom?'
"DAMN IT!" Zarbon screamed loudly, running to the opposite wall to smash his fists against it, dragging Rosemary across the floor with him, completely off-guard. With her arm crushed against her weight as she made contact, she smacked against the wall harshly and made a loud yelp.

Clutching her arm, Rosemary slowly pulled herself away from the side of the room with her feet.

Zarbon whipped around immediately, realizing just then that he'd hurt her after being reckless.
"What could possibly be happening?" Rosemary moaned as she struggled to get up from the floor, gently massaging her arm.

"Oh, love, I didn't mean to hurt you... Please forgive me." Zarbon knelt over her, worried, giving her a quick scan to make sure she wasn't injured. He held out a hand to stroke her hurt shoulder. "It doesn't affect you, don't concern yourself too much with it."
"Well, I'm kind of hurt now…" Rosemary sighed shyly, ignoring his care. "It must have been important if it made you so angry. Is someone dead? Do we have to report to Frieza?"
Knowing that she wasn't clueless and that he'd need to face the facts and report the news, Zarbon frowned.
"Yes," he replied shortly. "And you're coming with me."

With no further delay, Zarbon and Rosemary marched to the head of the ship, where Frieza stood glaring out of his large window of the spacecraft bridge with hands poised behind his back, eagerly waiting for updates. Hearing the door open behind him, he turned around to greet them with a dignified grin.
"Ah, Zarbon," Frieza began casually, looking over to Rosemary for a split second, still protectively clutching her arm, then turned to Zarbon. "Have you any news? Dodoria hasn't reported back to me yet."
At the sound of Dodoria's name, Zarbon froze, anticipating a consequence. Rosemary glanced up at him through the corner of her eye, suspicious. Frieza slid his gaze back to Rosemary after a moment of silence and minimal acknowledgement from Zarbon.
"Have you the answer I am looking for, Rosemary?" He prodded her with a less polite and intimidating tone. She bowed respectively, keeping calm despite the unknowingly tense situation.
"I do not, sir, forgive me." She firmly replied out of obedience. "Zarbon hasn't given me any information, sir, and he is the only one between the two of us with a Scouter to know."

She looked up to Zarbon and raised a brow, confused.
Frieza shook his head in disappointment.
"Tisk, tisk, Zarbon." Frieza sighed, annoyed. "You can't even let your own companion cover for you, remind me again why you keep her around." He crossed his arms impatiently. "Spit it out!" he snapped.
"Dodoria is dead, sir!" Zarbon blurted out anxiously, looking at Rosemary with frightened eyes. She met his with shock and stayed quiet for her own sake.

"It was Vegeta's doing, sir."

He exhaled in slight relief.

Rosemary's eyes widened, baffled that Zarbon had managed to keep such surprising information quiet until now. More importantly, Prince Vegeta was on Namek?
'What?' Rosemary thought, astonished but excited. She could feel her heart rate climbing, unsure of what to do with herself.

She wanted to escape, now.

Frieza noticed her expression light up at the sound of her Prince's name.
"Oh, now look what you've done, Zarbon," Frieza continued slyly, motioning an arm towards Rosemary casually. "You've made her all excited."

He pondered for a brief moment, then let out a dramatic sigh.

"I'll give you one last chance to redeem yourself, Zarbon," He went on with a fierce glare. "Which also gives Miss Rosemary a chance to say goodbye to her precious prince. Find him, and bring him here. He could be of use to us."
Rosemary's expression remained unchanged, her body practically vibrating in excitement.
'This could be it!' Rosemary affirmed to herself, determined to make this the perfect opportunity for her long-awaited, planned breakout from the Frieza Force. 'I've been so patient and it might finally pay off! I cannot mess this up.'
"Yes, sir!" Zarbon shouted proudly, content in his own way, saluting him then taking off for the air. Without giving Rosemary ample time to react, she was yanked upwards with him, yet again.