Disclaimer: All Dbz and its characters are the copyright of Akira Toryiama. The story and Princess Pepper are mine and I would appreciate it if people would let me know if they use her for their own stories. I do not write this story for profit, but to enrich my skills as a writer and to unleash my imagination.

I have no idea if this story will be any good or not. As I continue to write, I come back and make tweaks to line it up with later chapters. It's broken up into multiple parts, and it's become something of an obsession to see what this is going to evolve into. Please enjoy and stay safe in a world of madness and chaos.

Pepper the Saiya-jin Princess

Ancient Legends

~Alternate Timeline~

Bardock snarled, reaching for the back of his neck. After making easy work of the Karnassans, a planet that the elite teams had refused for months, they were scheduled to return to Vegeta-sai. It hadn't bothered him that the job wasn't for low level fighter. His team wasn't like most and he purposely hid their power levels as they continued to clear one elite assignment after another.

Perhaps they had become too successful. His group was small and on paper, they were classified as low level or first class fighters. Each one, not necessarily friends, were irreplaceable, never questioned his orders and had his back as he did theirs.

His head started to hurt and he briefly recalled the Karnassan telling him that he now had a power that Frieza had wanted. What power and why was it a curse if Frieza had wanted it so badly?

The Saiya-jins had served the Ice-jin empire for as long as Bardock could recall. Recently, the leadership had transferred from King Cold to Lord Frieza, and if one wanted to lead a relatively healthy life, they did exactly what he wanted, when he wanted, and how he wanted without hesitation.

The Ice-jins had thrived on the Saiya-jin's power and ability to clear planets for decades, but Frieza wasn't like his father. Frieza didn't trust them, and he often asked questions about the legendary stories that his people no longer talked about. Granted, Saiya-jins were unique. So long as they kept fighting, they didn't age, and if they were mortally injured, their power increased exponentially. No, they weren't immortal, but they were the perfect weapons for the Ice-jin empire.

Bardock didn't disagree that Frieza was a monster, but that wasn't his place to question… until now… What did the Karnassans do to him, and why were they determined to keep the power out of Frieza's hands? What kind of power was it?

He had been injured before, but this time was different. Trying to shake off the effects of the attack, his body fell towards the ground. His comrades calling out to him were the last voices he heard before slipping into unconsciousness.

"Tora…"

"He's still breathing," Tora said. The team breathed a sigh of relief, each one concerned for their injured commander. It had been a small prick to the back of his neck. "Get him in the space pod. Once he's back on Vegeta-sai, we can figure out what that freak did to him. This isn't the first time Bardock's been injured, nor will it be the last."

Tora couldn't believe how resilient and defiant their commander was; and he often wondered if hiding his power level wouldn't come back to haunt them. Bardock knew that if they took on dangerous assignments, they'd either die, or grow stronger from them. He was right.

King Vegeta read through the report and frowned. Normally he didn't bother himself with injury reports, but Bardock and his team had caught his attention. It was a safe bet that Frieza had noticed him as well. What didn't add up were his and his team's ranks; not for assignments like Karnassa. Taking that planet should have been a suicide mission, but Bardock and his team had waited until the full moon, invaded, and cleared the planet with minor to no injuries.

Studying the injured fighter, King Vegeta ignored the readings from the computers. He no longer believed them… occasionally, a Saiya-jin would learn how to hide their power level, but to what extent and for how long? Was his entire team like this? He had his suspicions, but until Bardock recovered, he'd have to wait on testing him.

Saiya-jins were born to fight, but Bardock shouldn't have amounted to much. The medical personnel have tested him frequently, but the results never changed. That's what Vegeta found odd. The numbers stayed the exact same… They didn't fluctuate, they didn't go up, they didn't go down… Even now they remained steady and they were stats for a third class or low level fighter.

"Your majesty," a guard spoke, bowing low, and waited. No one interrupted or demanded Vegeta acknowledge them until he was ready.

"Go ahead," he commanded, still reading through Bardock's file.

"Frieza demands that Bardock's team take another assignment on Planet Meat."

Startled, King Vegeta looked up and glared at the guard. If he wasn't in short supply of good messengers, he would have eliminated him on the spot. He had half a mind to refuse the order, but just like no one defied King Vegeta, he didn't dare defy Frieza either. An assignment like Planet Meat was not for seasoned teams like Bardock's; so why was Frieza insisting on Bardock's team?

Bardock was in no condition to fight, and if he was right… however, he wanted to know how much of the team's strength came from the captain? "Send the team without him."

"Yes sire. Bardock's second in command, Tora, states that the team is ready to go as soon as their ships are refueled and supplied."

"What's his rank?"

"He's a first class fighter… According to several reports, he's refused several offers to transfer to a more advanced team."

King Vegeta wanted to know the capabilities of Bardock's team without him. It wasn't uncommon for Bardock to return with a majority of the injuries; why was he not allowing his Soldiers to carry their own weight on the battlefield? "Give Tora the order. As for Bardock; the moment he regains consciousness; I wish to see him."

"Sire?" the guard asked… King Vegeta changed his mind… the messenger was expendable, and he almost killed him.

"Did I stutter?" He snarled. Trembling in terror, the guard saluted and quickly left. King Vegeta wasn't surprised. There wasn't a Saiya-jin alive that didn't fear him. Settling his gaze on the injured male, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something about Bardock that they were all missing.

A medical officer stepped into the throne room and bowed. "Sire… your presence is requested in the birthing chambers."

Growling, he stood, dreading what was to come. Despite the coming of yet another child, Frieza would take him like he had Prince Vegeta. In a few hours' time, Lord Frieza would arrive and demand the transfer of his son permanently to his ship. There was no other race like the Saiya-jins, merciless and cruel just like the master that ruled over them. It wasn't that he thrived on destroying other planets or races, but what choice did they have? Frieza hated the weak, and if they no longer had a use for them, he'd destroy them.

His race knew neither joy nor laughter, only pain and death. He had once believed in the legend of the Super Saiya-jin, and he had thought the royal line might provide such a Saiya-jin, but that had been so long ago. He wasn't a fool. King Vegeta already knew that once Frieza grew tired of them, he'd erase them from existence like he had so many other planets.

A loud cry was heard from the birthing chambers, but not just one child, but two. Curious, he glanced at the medical tech, but he said nothing as he disappeared inside of the room, the King close behind. It didn't surprise him that the female that had birthed his child was dead… Surviving the birth of one, let alone three, children was next to impossible. The Saiya-jin drew on too much energy from the host, therefore risking the life of the mother.

Another female was not far from his third child's dead mother, her eyes clouded with pain and exhaustion. If he didn't know better, he'd say she was at death's door as well. Not many females opted to carry a child to full term, but to allow them to grow and develop inside the birthing pods.

That kind of sacrifice often gained his respect, regardless of how weak or strong they were. Walking over to her, he glanced into her tired gaze, the female not once looking away in fear. "What's your name, female?"

"Gina."

"Name the brat's father."

"Why bother... Males have no concern for their offspring. Still, he was perhaps one of the better bastards that I was forced to be with. He didn't treat me as if I were lower than scum."

King Vegeta couldn't deny her simple truth, but Frieza made the laws, and no female was allowed to mate with another of their own kind. Frieza never said why. A female's only purpose was to breed future fighters for the military and that was it. "Why did you choose to carry him to full term?"

She opened her tired eyes and glared at him. It was rare to see a female brave enough to do it, but she was at death's door already, so he decided to humor her. It was a small show of respect, but she didn't care one way or another. "I wanted to die. Very few females live past a live birth and other than Bardock; the males on this planet are cruel and savage. They've forgotten their pride and honor. There are a handful like Bardock and his twin that hate the way we're treated, but to change the laws set down by Frieza is beyond them."

"Is this child your first?"

"No, and like this one, my oldest son's father is Bardock. For whatever reason, I was never able to have another and it meant that I'd have to suffer over and over again until I became pregnant again. I'm glad that I'm dying. Other than Bardock, I won't let another male touch me again and this will ensure it."

"What is the name of your other son?"

"Raditz; he's a first class fighter. You should know him; he's been on several assignments with Prince Tarble." King Vegeta's eyes widened… It was perhaps coincidence that he now wanted to speak with the brat's father. Only, he had no idea if Raditz was as strong as his father or not. Once a Saiya-jin male reached a year old, they spent no time with their parents, nor did they see them again until they were already serving in the military. It was to keep them from developing attachments, and a perfect fighting machine didn't need a mother or father to coddle or nurture them.

She was struggling to breathe, and he thought she had finished speaking. He was wrong; her gaze settling on his. "I've debated on telling you this, but because I lack the strength to hide it... "Have you heard of the black-tailed or silver-tailed Saiya-jins."

"They're a mere legend... There's little truth behind it, just like the ones about the Super Saiya-jin."

"It seems you should put more faith in those legends... Perhaps the state of what we've become wouldn't have reached such pathetic levels."

"Watch what you say woman."

She snorted in bitter hatred. "Or what... you'll kill me? I'm already dying. What's a second sooner going to matter? You need to believe in those legends or our race will die! You are a red tailed Saiya-jin, chosen to lead us, and yet you allow that bastard to enslave us, rape us, experiment on us... You do nothing to protect us... even from our own kind! Our sons are ripped away from us the moment they're a year old; the females are handed over to the Soldiers regardless if they have reached their coming of age. You don't care if they're terrified, that they lack the strength or knowledge to resist... The black tailed Saiya-jins were the protectors of the red and silver-tailed Saiya-jins. They were loyal, strong, and the source of power for an even rarer Saiya-jin. There was always only one, but she guided and protected us. The female Saiya-jin was a silver tailed, Moon Saiya-jin. The Ice-jins ensured that they vanished when they destroyed her moon."

"The black-tailed Saiya-jins were hunted, executed, and they too vanished. If we had prevented those tragedies, we would have been able to stop the Ice-jins. Instead... I hope... The Saiya-jins deserve to die!"

"How do you know all of this? These legends were pulled from the libraries and academy."

"Do you think the survivors wouldn't pass down what happened to them? Like the rest of us, they're trying to survive. They still have their pride and honor, and they're still too loyal." A sad smile formed at the edges of her blue-tinted lips… "I think you're already starting to notice... He's not even bothering to hide it any longer. Bardock... he's a black-tailed Saiya-jin. He was taught to hide it... The boy you're about to see... the child that I just gave birth to... he too is a black tailed Saiya-jin and if you have any pride or honor left, you'll make sure that he survives."

"And Raditz... your oldest son?"

She never answered, her eyes sliding shut as she gasped her last breath. In that moment, she had fought to say what she had needed to... King Vegeta had no idea what to do with her revelation. On one hand... black-tailed Saiya-jins hadn't been seen in over a thousand years. The Ice-jin empire had ordered that no male mate with a female according to ancient traditions. Why? Why would the Ice-jins care? All the legends were a thousand years old, and he never thought to learn them. What if she was right? What if the black tailed Saiya-jins were the key to saving them?

"Her son... where is he?" King Vegeta demanded.

"We've placed him with your daughter, sire."

Stunned, he quickly made his way to the nursery... He couldn't believe it. Resting beside the dead female's son was a girl, but it wasn't the fact that he had a daughter that shocked him. It was the silver tail wrapped around the boy's arm. He had never cared about what happened to the females of his kind... however, when he stared at her, he knew that he couldn't let her suffer what they were enduring. Something was happening to him... He wanted to protect her and it went against everything he knew.

When she opened her eyes, he saw liquid gold, and he felt as if she were judging him and he hated what he saw. The female hadn't been wrong... He was a coward and he had done nothing to change what had been happening around him. "If you give a damn about her," he heard his second born growl; "Kill her."

"Watch yourself," a guard hissed, but his son simply lifted the palm of his hand and killed him. Even at ten, he was powerful, and he never hesitated to show it.

"As I said... I'd rather her die than give her to filthy scum like that guard."

"That's against our laws and you know it."

"Our laws don't exist any longer!" the Prince roared back at his father. "The Ice-jins changed them... Why are you such a coward that you will allow women like that boy's mother to suffer? Why can they not choose who to mate? I will never take a woman in that manner! Never! Bardock and his brother didn't want to either... I've heard the rumors, but he knew that if he refused to sleep with her; she'd suffer at the hands of the other Soldiers."

"It is what it is..." King Vegeta said nothing else and left. If his son chose to kill his sister, he wouldn't stop him. There was a small part of himself that agreed it was a fate far kinder than what she would endure if she survived.

Prince Vegeta almost did it; his hand pulsed with power and at close range he knew that neither child would survive. They were both children of the legends his mother had spoken to him about. As the prince, he had been the only exception to staying with his parents, but he couldn't say it was a fairy tale. By this time tomorrow, he'd have a new life on board Frieza's ship and several times he had debated suicide.

The same golden eyes that had regarded his father, stared at him. He knew that killing her was the only option. As her brother, it was his way of protecting her. So why couldn't he do it? "I'm not a coward like my father!" He screamed. With a bitter roar, he released the blast, turning away when a powerful barrier formed around the babies and reflected it back at him. Slapping it away, he turned around, watching as the barrier faded.

The black tailed Saiya-jin was wide awake, snarling and holding the female with his tail. Her tiny hand was in his and there was a mixture of gold and silver power pulsing between them. Curious, he fired another blast and again a barrier stopped it. Each time the power hit, the shield completely absorbed it. He couldn't decide who was protecting who, but any effort to kill them was going to fail. "Fine... If you're that determined to live; who am I to argue. Still... Keeping you here isn't an option either."

Neither child had a name; it was perhaps something he should have left for the boy's father. However, he didn't have the time, and Bardock was perhaps better of not knowing about him. Picking them up, his sister finally fell asleep, no longer interested in him. "No one will know of you... No one will find you..." Stepping out of the nursery, he destroyed it. If there were other babies in there, he didn't care. All of them were destined for a life that was beyond cruel and he was determined to change it. His father was a coward and one day he would kill him for it.