By bustling attendants, the Saiyans were led through golden-lighted corridors. Interwoven with shafts of softer light coming from the open windows punched every few feet so as to allow the gentle touch of the water-bearing breeze. The walls were not left bare, but were decorated with all manner of artistic expression. Raditz watched them flash by, and to him, each one seemed as pointless as the rest. Tapestries and pictures and paintings of grand scenes of spread-out vistas all seemed pointless to the long-haired Saiyan. A few things he did note with a little bit of approval – here and there, there were old suits of powered armour. Decommissioned and left up as decorations. Sometimes, old weapons were set against the wall. Little touches here and there that reminded a watcher just where they stood.

He approved, he supposed. It had never really been something he was concerned too much about. But being surrounded by the art and the decorations put him ill at ease. Like stepping into a world in which he knew he had no place. He was a warrior, a killer, a soldier. Such things were beyond him, and he was thankful for it.

He frowned, suddenly wondering what his father would have thought of it if he'd said something like that out loud during one of the few times that they had been able to train together. Bardock was hard to predict. Hard to tell what he would say or do, but Raditz suspected he wouldn't have approved. Then again, he was used to not having his father's approval. Even for a pair of Saiyans, the two of them had never exactly been what you could call friends, much less family. Raditz had lived in his father's shadow, always hearing about the great conquests or exploits of the famed Bardock. It was a reputation he'd never been able to measure up to, which had driven him to throw himself against his father in combat again and again, convinced that if he beat him, he'd finally be able to be happy with his position.

Maybe that was even true. He wouldn't know. For all the attempts, Raditz had never beaten Bardock.

The attendants that directed them were hushed, trying to project an air of confidence and calmness when Raditz could practically scent their fear. Compared to a Saiyan, they were small creatures. Slim and child-like. They were no threat, and the fear that they had of brutal reprisal kept their heads bowed and their voices low. Though, knowing places like this, everyone in the palace would know of Vegeta and the King's argument by afternoon.

He shot a look to Nappa, and the bald Saiyan gave a slight nod, and grinned back at him. The two of them enjoying the Erashans' fear.

At last, they came to a room which would be their own. The metal door slid open, revealing a plush interior. Rich red carpets, soft beds, and windows looking out over the city.

"This is the quarters often afforded to ambassadors from off-world." One of the attendants said. "Please, make yourselves comfortable. The King will send for you in the morning and the negotiations will begin. In the meantime, there will be food delivered in two hours, and all the utilities in these rooms are yours to do with as you please."

"Is that so?" Nappa smirked down at her. "Well, aren't we the lucky ones?"

With a barely perceptible shudder, she moved, stepping backwards as the door closed with a mechanical hiss, leaving the three Saiyans to their own devices.

"Think it's bugged?" Nappa asked, striding over to a low-spread settee, rich in velvet upholstery. It groaned as the Saiyan threw himself down upon it.

"The room?" Vegeta responded, his face unreadable. "Probably. But that doesn't matter. They can't do anything to us anyway. Did you see their fear? Every moment we're here, they know we could kill them all."

"We're not supposed to." Nappa pointed out. "Frieza told us-"

"I know what we were told." Vegeta snapped, his temper surfacing again as he strode to the window overlooking the city. "I remember it well enough, Nappa."

"Apologies, my prince. I did not mean to offend."

Vegeta sighed.

"You didn't. I should not have been so harsh." Raditz was impressed. Coming from Vegeta, that was about as close to an apology as it got. "I am simply annoyed. Annoyed by this world, by these people, and more than that, annoyed with why Frieza chose to send us here. This isn't the work of Saiyans. If he told us to kill this place, I'd do it in an instant. If he told us to cow it back into submission, we could do that too. But to negotiate? It doesn't fit. It doesn't fit at all."

"I was wondering about that myself." Nappa admitted. "When was the last time that anyone heard about Frieza asking nicely about anything…?"

"It's not exactly asking nicely." Raditz spoke up. "You know what he means by sending us. We're a threat all by yourselves."

"Still, that doesn't mean that he couldn't have done it better." Nappa frowned. "I don't understand."

"I was thinking..." Raditz said tentatively, "Could it be something like with the Arkosians?"

"Don't be stupid." Vegeta scowled. "The Arkosians were a different matter. Frieza has sent us here because he's playing at some game. The latest in a long line of them. What we can do now is see to it that we don't fail him. I'll bring this world to heel. Did you see the towers as we came in, Nappa?"

"Defensive batteries." The big Saiyan said instantly. "We ran into something like them on Kiilos."

"I remember." Vegeta said. "They cost Frieza a lot of soldiers before we blew them to hell. We could be looking at a repeat incident."

"Prince Vegeta...those batteries..."

"They're not a threat to us." Vegeta snapped. "Don't be foolish, Nappa. They have power, but they're slow to fire, and as an Oozaru, either one of us could crush this whole world."

Nappa frowned, but said nothing. Raditz turned away, though he knew the words that the bald Saiyan wanted to say.

''And you should not become complacent, my prince.''

He didn't understand the dynamic between Nappa and Vegeta. Didn't get it at all. He was the newcomer, even though Nappa had warmed to him, Vegeta simply seemed to regard him as a pest to be ignored. After the battle with the Arkosians, when he had lost his tail, Raditz honestly half expected that Vegeta would kill him. Even being one of the last remaining Saiyans didn't seem to protect one from the Prince's wrath, and why would it? They were dead as a race already.

"What do we do now?" He asked at last. "Do we just sit here and talk for days or weeks? Maybe even months?"

"Not a pleasant prospect." Nappa admitted with a grimace. "So much talking, and not even a decent fight… maybe Frieza is trying to bore us to death?"

"It won't be months." Vegeta said. "I doubt it will even be weeks. I'll deal with it. You two are just here to look tough and watch my back. That's your job, Nappa. This world has a high tech level, I wouldn't be surprised if someone tried something."

"It would be the last thing they did." Nappa promised.

"I know that. But I don't want the bother. I'll force this king back into line, and you make sure that nothing distracts me. As for you, Raditz. I'm going to try and arrange a tour of the city for you."

"Wait, what? Prince Vegeta, why would I be interested in anything like that?"

"You're not, of course. But I want some eyes on the ground. We saw those batteries as we came in. There's probably more we're not seeing. I'm tied up here. Nappa is needed at my side. You...you're not currently weighed down with any duties."

In other words, Raditz thought to himself bitterly. I'm expendable.

Vegeta knew he knew it as well. But those eyes had no room for pity, and certainly didn't care about him simply by some shared genetic legacy. Same species or not, Raditz was nothing to Vegeta, and the prince didn't intend to ever let him forget that.

Still, there was nothing that could be done about it. He lowered his head, his eyes on the floor.

"As you wish, Prince Vegeta."

"Good." Vegeta said. "I do. You'll go out tomorrow. Slip whatever handlers you're given, and bring me back some solid information on the city."

Raditz had left the room, moving to the bed chambers where he would try to get some sleep. The trip here had been a long one, and no one really was ever able to truly rest in a space pod. Once he was sure that the younger Saiyan was away, Nappa turned to Vegeta.

"My prince..." Hesitantly, unsure how to proceed, he plunged on before he could change his mind. "You're hard on him… he doesn't deserve-"

"Nappa. Don't." Vegeta said. "Raditz is a project. One that you've taken on for some reason. I spared his life as per your request when he lost his tail, but that's all I'm extending. If he's going to be useful, he'll need to prove it himself. Personally, I just think he'll get himself killed."

"As you wish." Nappa said, his face carefully set. "I can't argue. What are the plans for tomorrow?"

"While Raditz is out, the two of us will likely be in the meeting. I'll do the talking. I want you to look around, and see what you can find out about those that the king brings with him. Someone as weak as that, he'll have guards. Some might be dangerous. I'll do what I can to spot them myself, but my attention will be on the talk. And as I said before, you're to keep some fool from distracting me with an attempt on my life. I want to give Frieza no chance to say that we botched this."

"So you do think it came down to that? Like with the Arkosians?"

Vegeta sighed deeply, returning his gaze to the window.

"I don't know, Nappa. I don't know. I can't rule out that chance, though. We can't fail. Frieza sent us here expecting those Saiyan beasts to end up inciting a revolution or burning the planet. Then, he steps in, takes in survivors, recovers technology, and kills us all as examples of what happens when someone breaks his rules. It's possible."

"He's trying to kill us. You know he is."

"He's been trying to do it for years. He fears us, Nappa. Fears what we may become. The power we can wield… the legend..."

"A Super Saiyan." Nappa breathed, even the words seeming close to treason to him. If Frieza even knew that they held out hope…

"Yes. The Super Saiyan. I have to keep us alive., Frieza is playing a game. But so long as he is playing that game, he's not treating us seriously. Our world was destroyed by him, you know that?"

"I know." Napa growled, his hands curling into fists, a sneer of disgust in his voice. "I know."

"Then you know why we can't afford to fail. Our people, our legacy, everything we are comes down to this. We can make the legend real, but we need to survive long enough. That's why I need you to cover my back here. It's possible Frieza sent us simply to negotiate… or perhaps he's trying to set up an assassination. If that's the case, I'll need you more than ever."

"You don't need to ask." Nappa replied. "I served your father, and I serve you the same way. I'd die before I let them touch you."

"Hmm. I don't need your protection like that, Nappa. I'm a warrior-prince, the last of my line. Still, you're resolute and powerful. We'll need that in the days ahead. I don't know how far this game will go, or how long it will take for us to reach our goals. I need to become strong, Nappa. Stronger than any Saiyan ever has been."

"Not alone, my prince." Nappa said as firmly as he dared. "I am at your side, and Raditz as well… I know you think he's weak, but his father was Bardock, and when he fought the Arkosians, he did so as a true Saiyan. I watched and fought beside him. There's more to him than a simple weakling. You'll see. Just remember that you do not need to fight alone."

"Ah, Nappa." Vegeta replied, not turning from the window. "I am always alone."

It was some hours later, and in his private quarters, the king was sitting upon his throne. One copy of the throne, anyway. According to tradition, there would be one throne in any place his authority was expected to be exerted. One in the meeting chambers, one in the throne room. One in his own quarters, and numerous others throughout the palace. Some of them hadn't been used since the time of his father.

His father….

What a fool.

What an absolutely spectacular fool.

King Era-Sha gave a long, tired breath. He was old by the standards of his people, but there were many long years left to his rule, if fortune was kind. His own son would not be ready to inherit for a decade yet, and he hoped when that time came, and his son took on the holy name, he would not look back on his father with the same kind of venom that Era-Sha felt for his own.

What kind of fool thought that you could appease a ravening wolf by feeding it meat? All that happened was that it would come to you again and again, demanding more each time. Eventually, it would decide to take it by force, and by then, you would be spent and tired. Easy prey. Submission was weakness, and weakness was death when dealing with predators of all kinds.

Thanks to his weakness, his father had plunged his people into this situation, and now it fell to him to extract them from it, if he could.

He had to control himself better. It had almost come to blows on the landing pad. Prince Vegeta… what a foolish title. Royalty meant more than that. It was the duty of a royal to safeguard his people, that's what the title was for. You were watcher, protector, guardian. All these things and more. It was duty, not privilege.

That was what his father had failed to see. He'd betrayed their people, all for money and gain, and the favour of a tyrant.

Era-Sha sighed. He felt far older than he was just now.

The door opened, a figure stepped through. Bereft of his armour, Roran was not so dissimilar to the Erashans. Though, the colour of his skin was paler, and his musculature was subtly different. Still, the Saiyans had probably not noticed such things, especially not when their focus was on the king and his guard.

No one looked to the musicians in the back. Roran still wore the uniform of a music-maker, though he had discarded his instrument. His hair was as pale as his skin, cut close to his skull. His skin was withered and aged, and even from here, the king could see that he was scarred.

He moved with purpose. With strength, and clarity. Striding into the room of a king without a thought to the potential danger he would be placing himself in. Era-Sha liked him. Liked him for his base honesty, and the fact that he'd devoted so much of his life to hunting down monsters like the Saiyans. He was sure that there was a story behind that. A reason. A man of Roran's skills didn't dedicate his life to bounty hunting if he had other options. Roran wasn't some ex-soldier. He was smart, could work with machines better than most engineers. He could have found a high paying job anywhere in the sector, with promotion in a matter of years. Hell, Era-Sha would have hired him himself if he thought for a moment that the white-haired alien would abandon his one-man crusade.

"You called for me, sire?" He said, stepping into the room. He caught sight of Era-Sha, and dropped to one knee. The King waved.

"Enough. Enough, my friend. You don't need to bow to me. You're not one of my people, and besides, we both know I don't like it. People bobbing up and down all day, it's enough to make me seasick."

Roran grinned, and rose to his feet.

"As you wish." He said.

"Out of curiosity." The King said. "Your armour…?"

"Not in the palace." Roran responded. "I have a safehouse in the city. It's protected. I'm sorry, I don't mean to imply that your people would steal it, but it's a relic of a time long ago. There aren't very many suits left like it. It's valuable."

"It's fine." The King said. "I of all know what it is to safeguard something left to you by others."

"You know?"

"I can guess." Era-Sha chuckled. "You're not a man who holds onto things lightly. So something that you do hold onto must have some personal value to you. You don't care for money. Can I ask what it is to you?"

Roranb frowned for a moment, and then spoke.

"It's a legacy. The last of its kind, as I am the last of mine."

"I see. It was the Saiyans?"

"You don't need to ask."

"No. you've just given me the answer."

A heavy silence filled the room.

"You called me here for a reason." Roran said at last. "And you wanted me to watch their arrival too, but disguised. I take it you want my opinion on them?"

"Yes. Your opinion. How you would talk to them. How you would convince them to leave us alone and, if we can't do that, how you would kill them."

"Killing them will do nothing. Frieza will send more."

"Let him. It buys time. Time for us to scatter. Our world may die, but our people will live."

"Frieza will hunt you. He's ruthless. Remorseless."

"You speak with experience?"

"I worked for him once...just once. It left an impression."

"Still, a hunted life is better than none. What can you tell me of the Saiyans?"

Roran took a deep breath.

"Well, where can I start? Each one of them is powerful and experienced… that's not a good combination. Mostly, I hunt ferals. The ones sent off-world when they were young. Those ones often won't have mastered their powers, they can be tricked. These ones? Not so lucky. They know their powers, and they've trained with them against equal foes. I can't bring them down with the tricks I'd use on another target. Worse even than that, did you catch the names that they gave?"

"Yes. Vegeta, Raditz and Nappa. Do you make anything of the other two?"

"Raditz is no one." Roran said. "His name means nothing to me, but I know of Nappa. He served as a high general, and as a direct assistant to their King himself. His history is impressive… loyal bodyguard, elite soldier… world killer, genocides of hundreds of species. He killed his own son, did you know?"

"No, I didn't. What did the boy do?"

"I don't know. It's not in the records. But he died at Nappa's hands."

"You're not bringing me good news here, Roran."

"I wish I had better to give you, sire. What of Mo-Fai? Does he have anything to offer?"

"I told him not to attend." Era-Sha admitted. "My most senior adviser is...politically dangerous at the moment."

"You fear a coup?"

"No." Era-Sha laughed. "Mo-Fai is many things, but he is loyal. The problem is that he was loyal to my father as well, and supported his views. Views that endangered this world… when it comes to this subject, let us simply say that Mo-Fai is not a voice of reason. So it falls to you and I. Tell me something good. Tell me that you can kill these three if it comes down to it?"

Roran was quiet, collecting his thoughts, then he answered.

"I don't know, and that's the truth, my lord. Raditz...well, he's strong. But I've dealt with Saiyans of that level before. It's a knock down fight, and it usually hurts both of us, but I've always won in the end. With the help of your forces and the defences of your city, I dare say I could kill him in a straight fight, but the damage would be high. Nappa, on the other hand, is of the elite class. I've never tangled with one of those before, but my armour has some records and they aren't pretty. This class of armour was made to fight Saiyans. But to kill an elite, at least twenty suits were said to be required."

"Twenty suits like yours?"

Roran grimaced.

"No." He said. "Twenty suits like my one used to be. Back when it had spare parts, regular maintenance, and access to the most advanced weapons."

"So we have no chance then." Era-Sha said as a feeling of crushing powerlessness descended on him. "We really are going to be forced to bow to Frieza again or be destroyed."

"That's not assured just yet." Roran said. "Don't despair. I have a plan. I said that I could probably not win against him in a straight up fight, but there are other methods...darker methods. Poison, for instance. Saiyans are hard to poison – something about their biology – but they are not outright immune. Certain chemicals work to slow them, or kill them outright. The problem is that effects can be unpredictable. Likewise, with control of a situation, I can set up an ambush, my weapon set to full power can theoretically burn through an elite just as easily as a lower class Saiyan. I just need access to an external source of energy great enough."

"You'll have it." The King promised. "Anything you need. Just please, help me to keep my world free. Frieza has sent these monsters to tear us down again. To fill us with fear. I can't let that happen. Under my father, I watched it all. Watched as we slowly stopped being ourselves, as Frieza's evil twisted us from within. He forced us to become part of his empire, but by the end, we almost enjoyed it, do you know? We had money and power, as though those were the only things that mattered. We nearly lost our souls. If we're forced under a second time, there will be no escape. Whether we can kill them or not… I won't let them force us back to slavery. Find me a way to kill them, Roran. So that if it comes down down to it, if they truly are not willing to allow us to escape, I can at least buy us some time to prepare for the end."

"I will try, my lord." Roran said, meeting the king's gaze with his own. "I will try."