Author's Note

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

Trial Run

Page 2

Two Arlians, astride large beetle-like mounts, appeared over a hill and came down to them. Both looked like warriors of some kind, but their power levels were fairly low. Like their mounts, the Arlians were insect-like, though they had torsos, arms, legs, and heads, much like most sentient races.

"You are trespassing on Arlian territory!" One of them shrieked.

"Make one move and we'll blast you!" The other hissed.

Kakarot looked over at Vegeta, his tail flicking queryingly.

"Wait, Kakarot." Vegeta said softly.

The first one glanced at his partner. "It was a good day to go hunting after all."

The other one grinned. "Let's give them a proper welcoming." He shifted. "Surrender peacefully or accept the consequences!"

Vegeta folded his arms. "And if we don't?"

"We'll destroy you!" The Arlian shouted. The thing that appeared to be his mouth glowed red, and a blast shot down towards them.

Kakarot's eyes widened, and he jumped between the blast and Vegeta. It wasn't exactly enough to damage either of them, but he was pretty sure it still fell under the promise he'd made to the King.

"Kakarot, move." Vegeta growled softly.

"As your second, I'm supposed to protect you, right?" Kakarot moved. "I don't mind getting a little singed, but you shouldn't have to if I can take the hit."

The Prince rolled his eyes. "That blast wasn't even going to singe me."

"Yeah, but–"

"Nevermind, Kakarot, we'll discuss it later." He added in an undertone.

The Arlian that had fired at them urged his beetle forward. "You have felt only a taste of our power! Surrender, or die!"

"We surrender." Vegeta said.

"What does surrender mean?" Kakarot asked.

"It means we'll be prisoners." He reminded him in a mutter. "I know what I'm doing, Kakarot, just play along."

Kakarot hesitated, but he turned obediently. "Okay."

"Wise choice." The Arlian hissed, hopping off his mount and striding forward, clutching what looked like a metal bar. He pressed a button on it, and two steel cord loops appeared, one at either end. "Hands up." He commanded.

Kakarot looked over at Vegeta, who nodded and held up his own hands.

"Okay." Kakarot looked back. "Here."

As they were bound, one of the Arlians looked at the other. "They're ugly, but they'll be good entertainment for the King."

One of the beetle-mounts was wearing a harness that held a cage. When he saw it, though, Kakarot balked.

"Move it, freak!" One of the Arlians gave him a shove, but he shook them off.

"I don't want to be in a cage!" He exclaimed with a bite of fear.

"Kakarot!" Vegeta snapped. "It's only temporary, remember?" His eyes hardened. He hadn't expected that kind of reaction.

Kakarot trembled uneasily, but he seemed to realize the truth to Vegeta's statement, and allowed the Arlians to shove him in.

"Only temporary, huh?" They chittered. "If you mean you'll die when you come out, sure!"

"What are we doing, Prince?" Kakarot asked in an undertone as they started off, eyeing the bars uncomfortably. "Aren't we supposed to finish them off quickly?"

"Patience, Kakarot. It won't do to make a hasty attack. Just like when you're fighting one person, the battle could be a long, drawn-out affair, or a swift, decisive move and the aftermath." Vegeta leaned back against the bars. "They mentioned a king. And we're supposed to be their entertainment. Tell me," He looked over at Kakarot. "What kind of king 'entertains' himself with visitors?"

The young saiyan blinked, and it occurred to Vegeta that that particular concept may not have been broached yet.

"A tyrant, Kakarot. A very bad man, cruel and sadistic."

"Ohhh, I get it. Wait…" He frowned. "We're fighting him first?"

"Exactly. And without their king, they'll be too lost and confused to put up a fight. Which means their deaths will be easier." It would be hard enough to explain the rest of it. Vegeta leaned back and closed his eyes. He might let Kakarot deal with the king and his lackeys. They weren't exactly shining examples of good morals; that ought to ease Kakarot's conscience. If Kakarot was feeling up to it, he could help with the rest, but if that was where Kakarot stopped, Vegeta would probably just order him back into the pod and put him to sleep so he wouldn't have to sense what was going on.

Sooner or later, though, Kakarot was going to have to learn to kill in cold blood. He wasn't going to get very far as a saiyan otherwise.