"The last of the Arkosians has been dealt with, Lord Frieza."

"So it would seem, Zarbon. My little diversion is over, but I can't say I didn't derive enjoyment from it while it lasted. Do you have anything of interest to report?"

"Only this, my lord. It seems that the leader of their rebellion was hunted down by the Saiyans. What loyal lapdogs they prove to be."

Frieza laughed, a cruel and mocking sound that seemed to fill the compartment of his quarters. Zarbon stood patiently, one who was well used to things of this nature.

"Yes." The tyrant said, his tone still betraying great amusement. "How loyal they are. I'm surprised that Vegeta didn't take the chance to try and betray me there and then, but this way is much better. I'd hate for him to die so soon."

"You're so sure that he will betray you? I believe Vegeta has so far shown nothing but loyalty, my lord. And he did stop the Arkosians from detonating the ship. It would have been much easier to simply take a pod and go if he truly wanted you gone."

"Gone, but not dead. That's not enough for a Saiyan. They're a savage lot, Zarbon. Vegeta wants to kill me himself, I have absolutely no doubt about it. I can see it in his eyes when he looks to me at times. He thinks I don't, and I just don't have the heart to spoil his little act. Whether he's loyal for now or not, eventually he'll go against me."

"Then, shall I have him killed? With both his companions busy recovering, now would be a good time to do so. We could even arrange things so that it seemed he was killed by the Arkosians, if you didn't wish to be too obvious."

"Zarbon, you really are a fine servant, you know? To go from praising someone's loyalty to helping arrange their death in such a short time… I choose you well."

"I live to serve, my lord. Do you wish Vegeta to die?"

"Perhaps one day, but not yet. I want to see how far he will go. Little Vegeta, the last prince his kind will ever have, sworn to defeat the evil tyrant who destroyed his race. The irony is palpable, Zarbon. And besides that, while he remains loyal, he is a useful tool for us. Better to keep him that way for as long as possible before we're forced to kill the last Saiyans."

"I see, my lord." Zarbon said, though his tone indicated that he didn't. "So you want him to live?"

"For now, Zarbon, for now. Surely he deserves that much for hunting down the Arkosian? Thanks to him, I will not have a source of such mighty warriors. Well, after their re-education, that is. Once I have such soldiers again, well, I will have little use for the Saiyans, won't I?"

"Ah, Lord Frieza. It's another game, then? You have Vegeta secure the means of his own replacement?"

"More than just that. Vegeta has been a most amusing piece so far. He thinks I don't know he's plotting against me, but I encourage it with barbs and mockery. Anything to make him angry, to make him step out of line. It's a contest, you see. Whether he can keep his temper, whether he can keep his cool. He can't run, and we all know that he can't win. That Saiyan temper of his boils just below the surface. I want the last Saiyans to die because of it. I want their own flaws to doom them."

"What of the other two, lord? Nappa and the young one. I am given to understand both of them were hurt badly in the fight against the Arkosians."

"Those two don't matter. They're not even pieces. If they die on a mission, so be it. If they survive long enough, well, I'll simply kill them myself when the time is right."

The green liquid of the regeneration fluid swirled and eddied around Raditz's sleeping form. Stained dark in places by bleeding wounds, and eddied by the motions of his body and the pumps which steadily injected yet more of it into the healing tank as it was needed. Beside the tank, there was a read out, showing the damage done to him and the progress towards recovery.

The read-out was currently displaying a long list of ailments. Broken bones, damaged organs, the loss of his tail… so much damage had been done to the kid that even with the healing tanks, he was looking at months of recovery. Nappa's own body ached in sympathy; the stump of his arm was particularly bothersome. Wrapped in a cloth bandage, soaked in the same type of healing formula that now surrounded Raditz. It pained him in a way that was beyond mere damage done. For a fighter like him, it was something that he could not escape. His balance was off, his weight was wrong. Many techniques now were harder to do, if possible at all. That was all before getting into the pain of it, combined with his other wounds…

Really though, the worst part was how he felt incomplete. For so long, Nappa had been untouchable, a Saiyan elite, far above the power of any but his own kind. The claws of the Arkosian had reminded him that the Saiyans were not the only warrior race in the universe. He'd gotten sloppy and slow, it wouldn't happen again.

Vegeta was standing with him in the medical bay. They'd cleared it out, even the doctors rushing to safety at the sight of two of them. With his remaining hand, Nappa had even waved nastily towards one particular doctor wearing a sling.

Now, the two of them were alone, gazing through the amber-like fluid at the sleeping form of the Saiyan who had come to them, and who had fought so hard to earn a place. Nappa glanced at Vegeat, feeling nervous tension cording his muscles. As ever, the Prince was hard to read. Silence became drawn out, until Nappa felt like he had to say something to fill it.

"He fought well, Vegeta."

"He lost his tail." The Prince scowled. "He's even less of a Saiyan now. Why should I allow such a disgrace to our world to live?"

"That's not fair, Vegeta! The Arkosian was very powerful. Even I lost to him, blaming Raditz for losing a tail against that sort of foe is totally out of line!"

"You say I'm out of line?"

Nappa felt a flash of honest fear as Vegeta turned to regard him; the cold realisation sweeping across him that Vegeta could easily end him as he was now, without even breaking a sweat. Crippled and tired and injured, he could put up no fight at all. Vegeta knew it too, and Nappa could see his cold gaze moving across his body. See the disapproval that Nappa had managed to get hurt like he had.

Prince Vegeta, when did you start to forget what it meant to be a Saiyan? The thought was unbidden, but he knew that it was right. Vegeta had become more and more distant, and only now did Nappa realise that he had let it happen. That he who should have anchored the young prince had become caught up in the pursuit of revenge. He'd been happy to be a tool, and forgot totally about what it was like to be a warrior. Only the arrival of Raditz had woken him up to it. Reminded him of the old ways, of the homeworld.

The thought emboldened him, making him speak again.

"Prine Vegeta, the power he displaying during the fight was far above what should be his maximum level. You know that a tail can regrow in time… do you really want to waste one of the few Saiyans we have left?"

"It can take years or even decades for a tail to regrow. In that time, he would be helpless. A burden, a weakness."

"But he's still a Saiyan, Vegeta! He's still one of us, and he has earned his place today! Are you really going to kill him after everything that he's done?"

"Perhaps. Just being a Saiyan isn't enough. He has to be strong, Nappa. Strong enough to do what you know must be done when the time is right."

"He can be, Vegeta. He will be. Look how strong he was during the battle. When he recovers, he'll be stronger than that by a large margin! I did some research on what little we have left, and do you know who his father was? Bardock. You know, that low-class warrior who's record of conquest was unmatched? The one who had victories rivalling even the elites? I'm telling you, this kid has the same potential. If Bardock were alive, you'd let him join us. You'd demand that he did."

"This fool isn't his father. He's young and brash, and all I have for evidence that he will one day be as strong as him is your word, Nappa."

"Vegeta, you know better than that. Before I served your father directly, I worked in the royal army as a general of troops. Before that, I was lower ranked, directly in charge of training those deemed to have potential. Most of the ones I worked with were elites, and before the fight, I would have pegged Raditz as far less than them. But he showed determination to keep going no matter how badly injured he was, and given his bloodline… he'll be strong one day. I swear it."

"Maybe he will." Vegeta allowed slowly. "But will it be fast enough? He's lost his tail, Nappa. The Oozaru transformation is beyond him. A Saiyan without a tail is absolutely worthless, what could he do in his base state ever to rival that power he lost?"

"He's still a Saiyan. He still deserves a chance. Vegeta, please."

Vegeta looked at him again, this time, his gaze was almost unreadable. "It's not like you to beg, Nappa."

"I'm not begging, but I am asking. Vegeta, I have served you and your father for a long time. I've never asked for anything before, but I would ask you for this. Let him join us, and I promise he'll prove to you that he's stronger than you think."

Silence descended one more. Vegeta looked at the healing pod, deep in contemplation for another few seconds.

"You're right, Nappa. You've never asked for anything before, and you've served us well. It's easy to forget that I am still a prince…I suppose something like this isn't too much. Just this once, I'll let him live. But he's your problem now, understand? If he becomes a weakness, or slows us down, you'll pay for it as well as he."

"I understand. You won't regret this, Vegeta."

"I think I already do. Nevertheless, I have made my choice. Ensure that when he is healed, he is informed of his new duties."

Vegeta turned, and swept out of the room, leaving Nappa alone, gazing at the stricken warrior in the pod. He released the breath he hadn't known that he had been holding. Raditz's eyes were pressed closed behind the glass, sleeping deeply.

"You don't know how close that was." Nappa said softly. "Vegeta was ready to kill you… and maybe me, if you do turn out to be weak. Don't let me down here. Raditz, I'm counting on you. But I don't think you're weak. You're going to be strong one day. I'll see to that."

Nappa laughed suddenly, and then gazed into the depthes of the pod.

"Considering the training I intend to put you through, maybe you'll wish in the end that I had let Vegeta kill you after all. Too late for that. Welcome to the Saiyan Elite, Raditz. Welcome to the end of the line."