A/N: Grrrrr…I just now noticed some typos in this chapter and fixed them…Don't you just hate it when you spend a lot of time working on a project, and then you find out that there are STILL mistakes in it afterwards? *Sigh* It serves me right for getting caught up in the action of my own story…

Chapter 3

Bardock couldn't hide his confusion. Kale regarded him silently, puzzled at his response.

"What do you mean, Toma died twenty-two years ago?" Bardock demanded. After a moment's puzzled silence, Kale spoke slowly.

"We have a lot to discuss, apparently…I'm going to ask you some questions now. I want you to answer them as clearly as possible." Kale took a deep breath and let it out, pondering. "What is the last thing you remember, before finding yourself here?" Kale asked.

Bardock frowned. "I was confronting Freiza, but of course I wasn't strong enough to defeat him…"

"An admirable endeavor, all the same." Kale pointed out sincerely. "And what prompted this course of action?" Kale prodded. Bardock clenched his fists in anger as he remembered.

"Freiza betrayed us all…He ordered Dodoria to kill my crew while they were on a mission to Planet Meat. That was where Toma died - at least, that's how I remember it."

"…I see. Were you there when this happened?" Kale asked.

"No, I was on Planet Vegeta, in a healing tank," Bardock replied absently. What was going on? Had twenty-two years really passed since Toma's death? Kale continued questioning him, with Bardock giving short answers.

"How much time passed between your discovery of Toma's death and the destruction of Planet Vegeta?"

"Eight days' travel by pod - four days from Planet Vegeta to Planet Meat, and four days back."

"Did anything else happen while you were on Planet Meat?"

"Dodoria and his team were still on the planet and tried to kill me. I defeated his flunkies quickly enough, and Dodoria tried to finish me off himself. The bodies of Toma and the others got caught up in the blast and shielded me from most of the damage. That's when I knew for sure something was wrong." What Bardock said was the truth, just not all of it. He didn't say anything about the weird stuff that had happened during the fight. No one would have believed him, and he still had trouble believing it himself.

"When you faced Freiza, did he say anything in particular?" Kale asked.

"No. If he had, it would have been the usual: us Saiyans are a bunch of filthy monkeys that are only still alive because Frieza allows it, or some such thing."

Kale fell silent, pondering. Then he asked, "When you were facing Freiza, was it during that time that you fell unconscious?"

"Yes." Bardock replied simply.

"How did this happen, exactly?"

"Freiza launched a Supernova straight at the planet. I couldn't stand the thought of running away, so I tried to hold it back…You can imagine how well that turned out." Bardock scowled. Kale was surprised.

"You actually went head to head with a Supernova from Freiza and survived? How is it that you are unscathed?" Kale asked disbelievingly, staring at Bardock's fully healed body despite the obvious cracks in his armor. Bardock shrugged with an indifference that hid his own confusion. Kale stared a moment longer, and sort of shook his head in amazement. He went back to interrogating Bardock.

"How long has it been since you found yourself on this planet?"

"Ten minutes, more or less."

"Do you remember anything that happened between the Supernova and waking up here?"

"No."

Kale was silent as he mulled over the information he had heard so far.

"Was Grolo there when you woke up?" Kale asked after a moment.

"Yes, though he was not actually with me," Bardock replied. "Ban'hau found him first, I think."

Kale frowned in thought. "Perhaps Grolo would have some answers. Bardock, come with me."

"Yes sir," Bardock responded promptly, and fell in step behind Kale as he moved towards the hut he had indicated earlier to Ban'hau. The other two chiefs followed Kale and Bardock as far as the door, where they stopped and took up a position on either side like guards.

Kale and Bardock continued inside. In a moment, Bardock found himself standing in a single room that was lit only by a open fire pit in the center, and the sunlight streaming in through the doorway and a smoke hole in the ceiling. There were cots covered with animal furs ranged along one side of the room, and on the other side were shelves full of small wooden boxes and clay jars. These were all filled with herbs and medicinal ointments, if the pungent smell was anything to go by. Bardock wrinkled his nose, trying hard not to sneeze.

Only two of the cots were occupied, and it was towards one of these that Kale moved. Ban'hau was already there, along with a elderly Saiyan woman who was bending over the alien called Grolo, who was lying on the cot. The woman was the oldest Saiyan in the village that Bardock had seen so far. She was carefully examining Grolo's eyes when Kale stepped up.

"Mitsuba, how is he?" Kale asked the woman, apparently Mitsuba. She studied Grolo's eyes for a moment longer before answering.

"He has a few bruises, nothing serious. No internal injuries or bleeding or anything like that."

"Will he wake up soon?" Kale prodded. Mitsuba shot a rather annoyed glance at him.

"He'll wake up when he wakes up, cub. I just said that he's not seriously injured, so what's your hurry?"

"We have some questions for him, and-"

"Marglod's eye, cub! He's lying unconscious in bed and all you're thinking about is getting answers out of him! If you're so desperate for conversation then talk to Ban'hau here, or Tarble!"

Bardock gasped quietly, but no one noticed. Kale was trying to explain the situation to Mitsuba, but she only started lecturing him on the virtues of patience, apparently forgetting about Grolo for the moment. Ban'hau looked conflicted, probably wondering if he should try to rouse Grolo himself or if he should calm Mitsuba down so she could focus on the task at hand.

Bardock ignored them and studied the Saiyan man laying down a few cots away from Mitsuba and the others. He was young, no older than Ban'hau, and short for a Saiyan. His upper body was bare of clothing, and his midriff was heavily bandaged. The man was laying flat on his back but was fully alert, observing Kale and Mitsuba with some amusement as they talked and argued back and forth. He didn't pay much attention to Bardock until he quietly stepped up to the cot.

"You are Tarble? King Vegeta's youngest?" Bardock asked, somewhat uncertainly.

"Yes, I am," the other Saiyan replied. His voice was slightly strained, but so boyish that it made him seem even younger than he looked. "You must have arrived recently, I've never seen you before. What's your name?"

Bardock placed his fist over his heart and knelt on the floor beside the cot that Tarble was laying in, before replying.

"Squad Captain Bardock, Third Rank," He said, just as he did to Kale outside. Tarble looked somewhat uncomfortable at Bardock's actions.

"Please, rise," Tarble requested. "There is no need for court formalities here."

Bardock stood up and let his hand return to his side again. He studied the younger Saiyan in the cot for a moment.

"Are you injured very badly?" Bardock allowed himself some slight concern. Tarble sighed.

"I was, though it could have been worse, considering. My ship crashed on this planet a few weeks ago, and I got caught by a steel beam that rebounded on impact. I don't think it was actually fatal, but luckily my ship had landed close enough to this village for someone to hear it and come investigate."

"You feel well enough to talk, anyway. That's a good sign." Bardock pointed out. Tarble gave a rueful half smile.

"Yes, that is true. It's nice to talk again; Mitsuba wouldn't let me talk at all for the first week that I was here. That steel beam had almost punctured my lung, you see, and Mitsuba wasn't taking any chances with it. She is what you might call 'properly paranoid' about these things."

Bardock nodded, he had pretty much guessed that last part already. "You still seem a bit strained, so I should probably let you get back to resting."

"Yeah. It was nice to meet you, Bardock."

Bardock wasn't quite sure how to respond to such a friendly tone from someone of royalty, but he was saved from possible embarrassment by someone calling him.

"Bardock, come here! Grolo's awake." It was Ban'hau. Mitsuba shot him a disapproving look.

"Don't shout when there are patients resting," she scolded.

Bardock left Tarble and joined Kale and the others by Grolo. Grolo was indeed awake. He looked confused and was trying to sit up in bed, but Mitsuba wouldn't let him.

"It's alright Grolo, you're on Haah-Furusato in Heimili Village."

Grolo looked at Mitsuba and his eyes came back into focus. "Mitsuba?" He asked. He had an odd, gurgling voice.

"Yes, Grolo, it's me. How are you feeling?" Mitsuba asked as she studied him.

Grolo didn't answer her question at first. Instead he asked in Universal Standard, "Where is the Saiyan?"

Mitsuba glanced at Bardock and Kale before replying in kind. "You'll have to be a little more specific than that, Grolo. There are four Saiyans in this room right now. What did yours look like?"

Grolo looked around at the people standing about, and when he saw Bardock he relaxed visibly. "Ah, you're awake. I see you're feeling well enough to be up and about."

Bardock said nothing and simply stood there with his arms crossed. Kale spoke up.

"Is Bardock here the saiyan that was with you?"

"Yes, he was with me, and then everything happened so quickly…"

"What happened? Tell us everything," Mitsuba prodded.

Grolo regarded Mitsuba silently, quizzically. "That's a long story, Mitsuba…are you sure you want to hear it all?"

Mitsuba gave him a look that clearly said tell-me-everything-right-now-or-else.

"You may as well tell her, Grolo," Kale pointed out. "She won't leave you alone until you do."

Grolo sighed in resignation and frowned for a moment, gathering his thoughts.

"Alright, I'll start at the beginning…"