"No."

And suddenly, the weight bearing down on Gohan's shoulders disappeared, but the nervous twitching of his fingers continued.

"Just...just tell him that you can't find me anywhere in the universe," Gohan said telepathically. "Not even in heaven, or whatever. Just say whatever would make him stop looking for me."

He regained enough control of his fingers to curl them into his fists as a vein swelled in his forehead.

"Just don't tell him I refused, okay?" Funny - his internal voice was just strained as his actual vocal passageway. A tear dropped from the corner of his eye. "Please."

"Understood. Farewell."

And with that, the voice left Gohan's head. The blackness his mind created around him ceased, but a second later became physical when Gohan fiercely shut his eyes in a futile effort to well the tears spilling from them. Restless breath escaped his clenched teeth as he shuddered, trying and failing to compose himself.

It had been a far more difficult decision than his one from months earlier. That was out of preservation; for himself, and for Earth. An unwilling, anguished resignation to his fate. This wasn't quite that.

This was a rejection.

Yes, he knew Earth would be the first place they looked. But his purpose was no longer at his home; with his father, his mother, his grandmother, or all the friends he'd been introduced to on that day.

Gohan was the son of Goku and Chi-Chi. But he was also a Saiyan - a Saiyan who would one day defeat Frieza. Earth offered no recourse to what he needed to do, or what he needed to be, to see that goal.

Coming to grips with the truth was tougher than any ordeal Frieza or the Saiyans had dealt him. But it needed to happen, and getting confronted with it directly helped Gohan finally put his foot down and accept his life.

And hopefully, the closure would help his family move on.

After a deep breath, Gohan let his eyes open. His vision became clearer, and not simply because of his tears evaporating. But an impatient, flame-haired figure stood in front of the space ship's entryway.

"Gohan!" Vegeta shouted, his arms folded and his foot tapping the steel deck. Gohan wasn't used to hearing his name spoken from that voice. "The hell are you still standing out there for? Haul ass and get in, unless you're trying to escape again."

Vegeta's remark was far more flippant than probing, but nonetheless more prescient to Gohan's mind than he could ever know. The half-Saiyan looked up at Vegeta with his brows furrowed - not a glare, but a steely gaze.

"No. I'll escape when Frieza's dead."

And with that, Gohan stepped forward.

Gohan had never been as nervous as he was when he stood in that shadowy, pink illuminated room. Accentuating his nerves was the excruciating soreness running through his body, the after effects of the errant landing on Linden settling in. He looked up to his right, where Nappa and Raditz alternated between standing still and doubling over with grimaces over their faces. They'd gotten a far rougher deal in the battle with Kabnet than Gohan, and their bodies were making them pay as they worked overtime to recover. Only Vegeta managed to stand consistently upright, but his glassy, half-lidded eyes were a glimmer of the inflammation smoldering every inch of his body.

On his left, Arepa. She appeared to be prying her eyes away from the baleful lizard ahead of her.

"So what you are telling me, Vegeta," Frieza said through a guarded tone, assessing the report he'd just been given as he stirred his wine back and forth. "Is that the assignment was a trap placed by Boysen in alignment with Kabnet?"

"Yes, sir." Vegeta's voice ran ragged.

"A lofty accusation, my dear prince. And I presume this girl was among his ranks?" Frieza asked as his mercurial eyes settled on the abnormally bashful Arepa. "You've covered your bases well and you four certainly appear to have had a rough time of it; but how do I know you weren't simply overwhelmed and fled here with both your literal and metaphorical tails tucked between your legs?"

Vegeta opened his mouth to answer, but was cut short by a stunned gasp from his master.

"Wait a minute - Vegeta, your tail!" If Vegeta didn't know any better, he would have thought the dismay in Frieza's voice was genuine. The emperor leaned back in his chair, setting his wine glass down to place his hand above his mouth like a spectator to a shipwreck. "My apologies - 'rough time' was a grave understatement. Vegeta, you have suffered an incorrigible indignity!"

Frieza's theatrical commiseration, along with the taunting chuckles of Zarbon and Dodoria, curled Vegeta's mouth into a scowl. His bloodshot eyes swelled at the the dagger of shame Frieza methodically drove deeper into him. Though Gohan, Raditz, and Nappa had their tails intact, they deeply resented the snide enjoyment of his pain.

Removing his hand from his mouth and revealing his insufferable grin, Frieza continued. "Your tragically lost limb aside, I need answers. How do I know you didn't just put the girl up to helping you?"

Fighting back every urge to curse at the three for their schoolgirl-like taunts towards him, Vegeta hissed through his teeth. "Sir, we had to retreat from that planet through Kabnet's flagship. Ours were destroyed the instant we broached the atmosphere."

"Not true," Zarbon interrupted. "A regular pod going offline is one thing, but if four of our high-speed pods lost signal at the same time, we would have been informed immediately."

"And who would be the one to inform you, Zarbon?" Vegeta asked, his eyebrow firmly raised. His eyes were intensely probing.

Zarbon paused, knowing the answer but feeling outwitted. "...Boysen."

For once, Frieza's allured gasp was the sound Vegeta wanted to hear. Gohan's breathing steadied in relief.

"Get in touch with Boysen and ask him where our pods are," Vegeta said, his voice overcoming his ragged condition. "And not only that - ask him to speak to me."

Though Zarbon hated to move in the Saiyans' favor, his needling of them was merely for his petty enjoyment. The operations of the Frieza Force were still his top priority, and he would correct any threat to it even if doing so favored an ape. He pressed a button on his scouter.

"Boysen?" Zarbon asked.

"Yes, Zarbon?" Boysen's voice rang over the scouter.

"Where are the pods of the Saiyan unit?"

"They're on Planet Linden, sir."

Zarbon paused. While it confirmed they'd returned on another vessel, it still didn't answer everything. Though he knew the next question was a trap, it was a necessary one.

"My scouter's transmission is screwing up and can only reach within planetary range." His souter was perfectly fine. "Can you get in touch with Vegeta and ask him his status?"

Vegeta and the other four across from Zarbon stood calmly.

"Yes, sir." There was a pause. "Hey, Vegeta, ya there?"

A pause.

"Okay, good. What's the status on Planet Linden so far?"

Frieza's wine glass shattered.

Zarbon's lips pressed firmly against each other and spread into a contemptuous frown. His eyelids moved within a centimeter of each other, leaving his eyes narrow slits. A triumphant smirk met Vegeta's lips. He couldn't hear the scouter transmission, but Frieza's broken glass and Zarbon's glare showed his eyes what his ears didn't need.

"He said everything's going well right now; no issues."

"Very well. Boysen, could you report to Frieza's throne room for a second? We need a favor."

Zarbon turned his scouter off. He looked ahead with an unreadable gaze, as did Frieza and Dodoria. For once, the tension in the room sizzled not between them and the Saiyans standing across.

The door turned open. That stocky, red double agent stepped inside. That shade of red nearly drained from his face when four Saiyan faces, and a new addition, turned to meet him. The worst face of them all belonged to the smirking prince.

"Nice day outside, eh Boysen?" Vegeta's smug eyes glistened with victory.

Boysen's panicked eyes blew past the Saiyans and onto his three superiors. A subtle disdain tainted their faces, most of all Frieza's. The lizard tyrant's red pupils looked less like vision lenses and more like droplets of blood beckoning him forth.

A mole out of places to dig, Boysen squeaked and shuddered. "Fr-Frieza! Wait, I…!"

"Step forward."

A shiver frosted Gohan's spine. Never had he heard Frieza's voice so deep, even after he'd insulted it. But while he had merely incited the flames of an ultimately childish temper tantrum, Boysen had committed a grievous crime that stabbed at the foundations of Frieza's empire. What Gohan saw now was a free sample of the true sparks of his tyrant's fury.

Trying to save face, Boysen anxiously stopped forward; Vegeta was even courteous enough to clear the way, going as far as spreading his arm out to guide his march. Boysen couldn't even look Frieza in the eye, lest his sanity broke.

"You served my father loyally, but do this to me."

There was not even a shred of Frieza's cordial facade in his voice. It was raspy, measured, and poisonous. It harbored the terror that defined his authority - an authority that Boysen had brazenly defied.

With only self-preservation in mind, Boysen reached his arm out and spoke up. "M-My Lord, if I may-"

"Not a word."

Frieza reached his arm out and with the power of both his mind and his energy, literally forced Boysen's mouth shut. Not even Boysen's pleas and subsequent horrified squawks at the loss of control over his nerves could overcome the force. Frieza didn't just close his mouth - he shut it so tightly his jaw wilted while his teeth cracked against each other. Only after a satisfactory sound of bones breaking did Frieza relinquish his telekinetic grip.

But only for a moment, because Frieza soon took dominion over Boysen's entire body. With a swift upward swing of his hands, Frieza smashed him into the ceiling and slammed him back down a second later. And then he did it again. And again. And again. And into the wall at the other end and back to the spot.

Gohan gulpd as stomach tightened. Boysen's chicanery aside, there was something deeply disturbing about seeing a man moved against his will. That Frieza could do it to him if he felt like it haunted the young Saiyan. He looked at Arepa out of the corner of his eye - she looked like he did when he saw his first monster movie.

Vegeta hadn't even blinked. Been there, felt that.

"How long were you running this game, Boysen?" Frieza asked, though he didn't care to receive an answer. "Months? Years? What gave you the audacity to dig around under my nose?"

Boysen was too busy heaving air with his face in the floor to reply. Feeling Frieza's control relinquished from body, he raggedly lifted himself to his knees. He opened his mouth, to speak.

"Fr-Friescha," he stammered, his words slurred and gargled as teeth and blood spilled from his crown. He faintly lifted his bleeding right arm to point his thumb at the Saiyans standing behind him. "Y-You don'th beliefe thethe monkeyth do you?"

"Watch your mouth!" Vegeta snarled as he, Nappa and Raditz all stepped forward to join in on the assault.

Frieza halted them with his palm (though not by force). "Stay put." His eyes never left Boysen.

With no satisfactory response, Boysen found himself again without control over his body. He'd been fastened into a kneeling position as he felt his body temperature plummet. His limbs constricted on him, his muscles tightening like a screw while his brain felt like a mallet was being squeezed against his head. The veins carrying his gradually cooling blood swelled into blue wires embedding his skin.

The gargled, aberrantly pitched screams that escaped Boysen's mouth as his inner body frosted inflamed Gohan's ears. The sound frequency marked its immovable territory in Gohan's brain and took hold of his nerves. It was aural confirmation of the true horrors Frieza's power wrought.

Somewhat pleased by Boysen's squawks, Frieza ceased his assault - but only to start the escalation. He lifted his right arm back up and focused his fingers on Boysen's left arm, sending a force to it through a cool breeze.

The tip of Boysen's fingers frosted until they were a pale blue. The color spread through his entire left arm, hardening it until it was a frozen shell of ice attached to his body.

With one vile clenching of his fingers, Frieza shattered the chunk of ice that once was Boysen's arm into hundreds of pieces.

Boysen's scream cut across the entire planet.

Though his jaw did flex involuntarily, Vegeta stood still. Raditz had a similar reaction while Nappa whistled high with a grimace. Arepa, on ther hand, closed her eyes, cupped her ears and looked away. Gohan desired to do the same, but couldn't. It was like Frieza's telekinesis had somehow spread to him too, forcing him to completely take in the gruesome sight so he could vividly understand his ruler's capabilities.

Boysen dropped to the floor, still conscious but convulsing just as one would when lifted from arctic waters, releasing his torment through hoarse yells. Ignoring his fading consciousness, Frieza jumped out from his chair and stalked ahead. No flippantly sadistic jokes, no laughs, not even a smile - just a butcher knife of a stare from Frieza as he grabbed Boysen's chin to lift him to eye level.

"You will not die here, Boysen," Frieza spat through his grinding teeth. He clenched a vice grip around Boysen's jaw just to keep him lucid. "You will endure this a hundredfold until I've wrung every goddamn droplet of knowledge about your and Kabnet's actions out of you."

He released his former confidant from his grip and let his head smack the marble floor. His blazing eyes never left him. "Dodoria. Drag this mound of unicorn manure to a rejuvenation chamber."

"Aye."

"Zarbon, go to the intelligence office and address every agent there."

Frieza let his gaze linger as Dodoria hauled what was left of Boysen by the collar of his armor and left the room, Zarbon on his heels. After allowing his rage to stew for just a few more moments, he shifted his attention on the raggedly-dressed girl of the room.

"You."

With absolutely no desire to incite Frieza, Arepa immediately answered. "Uh, yeah?!"

"While I appreciate your cooperation with my soldiers, you are not to leave this organization, do you understand me?" The still-noxious malignance in his voice and his eyes left no mistake of the threat implied. Arepa could only nod. "Be a soldier, a doctor, a technician, a goddamned COOK; I don't care, as long as it's here!"

"10-4!"

Frieza turned his attention to the four Saiyans who still remained. His eyes carried none of the derision he usually regarded them with.

"Know that I say this with complete and utmost sincerity, Saiyans: good work. You are dismissed."

Vegeta nodded. Genuine praise from Frieza was rare. He didn't care either way, but at least it insured a day or two of walking on something other than eggshells. With the other four in tow, Vegeta left the room, snickering as he overheard Frieza practically slam his fingers against his scouter as the door closed behind him.

Zarbon waited in the doorway, holding off on what he'd been instructed while he folded his arms. "Don't let your simian brains think your little fluke changes anything."

Vegeta paused. With the full confidence that he had Frieza's temporary good graces, Vegeta narrowed his eyes at his pompous superior.

"Fuck off, Zarbon."

Ignoring Zarbon's petulant growl and shaking fist, Vegeta walked away with a rejuvenation chamber on his mind. When he saw Arepa walk ahead of him, however, he had to address her.

"You! Little girl," Vegeta called out. Arepa stopped and turned around to face him. "I assume you're going to continue on as a soldier." She nodded. "But don't get any idea that you're joining our crew specifically. You're on your own, so find another unit."

With a smirk, she said, "Yeah I gotcha, shorty!"

"WHAT?!"

She zipped away before he finished the word. While Raditz mouthed something about her being a cocky little shit, Vegeta folded his arms and scowled on ahead. Something was going on out of the corner of his eye that took his attention off of that crass girl.

Gohan hadn't seen Arepa's stunt. In fact, he was a few paces behind the rest, on his hands and knees heaving for air. His tiny chest felt like it was on fire while his heart was seemingly trying to thump its way out. His strength to move had escaped him. All in his mind was the image of Boysen's frozen arm shattering on loop as a sense of hopelessness filled his very core.

How?

How?

How was he ever supposed to compete with that atrocity? And how could he ever hope to keep that sight out of brain at all times?

This was what awaited anybody who dared to defy Frieza?!

Had he really made the right decision with the dragon?

A gloved hand lifted Gohan off the floor and pulled him up to his face. Vegeta. Disapproval filled the prince's features.

"Keep your wits," he gruffly ordered. "If that was enough to spook you even after all you've experienced, then you'd better toughen up."

When Gohan's shudders ceased, Vegeta released him from his grasp. He landed on his feet but still needed to set his hand against the wall to steady himself. With his usual grunt, Vegeta folded his arms.

"Besides, that technique only works on those who are particularly weak. Even Raditz and that girl could resist it," Vegeta said before he turned on his heel and walked away.

As he watched him leave, Gohan's eyes widened while his heartbeat ramped back up. If what Vegeta said was true, and it only worked on weaklings, then why was the ice spreading through his very body while he walked away?

Filled with unyielding terror, Gohan removed his hand from the wall and reached out, desperate to save his de facto mentor or even warn him.

He was too late. Vegeta shattered into hundreds of pieces, just like Boysen's arm.

"VEGETA!"

...

"What now, brat?!"

Gohan blinked and shook his head back and forth. Vegeta hadn't frozen or shattered at all - he was still there, not a trace of blue on him that wasn't fabric from his bodysuit. His arms were folded yet again while he snarled at the boy, just wanting to heal up already.

When Gohan only kept gasping with his delirious eyes opened wide, Vegeta just shook his head in disgust and walked away. He'd thought Gohan had finally manned up and become a guile fighter, but evidently he still had a lot to learn. But enough about him; it was time for Vegeta to get his mind numbingly aching body into a healing tank. It was taking every drop of effort just to move it. If there weren't any tanks left, he was gonna yank somebody out himself...

"Do you wish to return to Earth, Son Gohan?"

"Yes."

One second, Gohan was looking at Kabnet's flagship that held his allies and Arepa; the next he was staring at a pitch black sky. Astounded, he swung his head around and saw an enormous dragon hovering above him - Shenron, as green and monstrous as his dad had described.

"Gohan!"

That voice.

Gohan's head spun back around. There it was. Blue boots, orange pants, orange gi. Black hair that stuck out like a palm tree. And a smile that could cool down even a volcano.

It was real. He was home!

"DADDY!"

The Dragon disappeared. The sky faded back into that vibrant blue hue he'd missed so terribly; as beautiful as ever. Even his outfit disappeared, with the yellow tunic and green pants he'd worn the day Raditz arrived popping up in its place. Everything was as it should have been.

Gohan ran into Goku's arms and hugged him with all his might. "I missed you so much, daddy! It was horrible!"

"Yeah, I'd bet," Goku said with his infectious laugh. "But don't worry, son. It's all over. Frieza and those guys won't hurt ya ever again."

Gohan looked up, his eyes bemusedly fluttering at his dad. "Huh? How do you know about Frieza?"

With a dismissive wave, Goku just said, "Eh, don't worry about it! Let's just get home already! I know your mom's prolly got a TASTY feast ready!" He even eagerly rubbed his belly.

Gohan laughed, yearning for his mother and her delicious home cooking again. Goku called for the Flying Nimbus, and the puffy yellow cloud soon returned. With Gohan still in his arms, Goku hopped on.

Gohan's legs had dipped through the Nimbus' surface, but luckily Goku was still holding him up.

"Oopsy-daisy! Guess you've been up to no good, huh?" Goku said. Like his dad had done so often, Gohan scratched his head and giggled, red flushing his cheeks. "Ah, well! Let's just head on home!"

The Nimbus took off at breakneck speed. Gohan marveled at all of the beautiful scenery down below, a welcome change from the ruins he'd become acquainted with. In almost no time, they were back to the lush forestry of Mount Paozu. Among all of the trees was the Son family household - Gohan's home.

Goku and Gohan hopped off the Nimbus; Gohan's fingers quivered in anticipation. Goku knocked on the door.

"Chi-Chi, I'm home!" Goku yelled. "And I've got a speeeeeecial visitor!"

Gohan could hear the footsteps approaching the door. This was it! He'd missed his mother the most of all. Even with her stern hand, she always dissolved all of his worries. Her warm face was only a few feet away.

Finally, the steps stopped, and the door swung open.

His mom wasn't the one to open the door, however. Instead, the pink skinned, armored lizard-like tyrant stepped out from the doorway. Frieza's eyes carried venom for Gohan, ready to inflict unimaginable punishment.

"F-Frieza…!" Gohan shouted. His tunic faded back into his armor.

"You thought you could escape, didn't you?" Frieza said. "You ungrateful monkey mutt."

From behind Frieza, Gohan could see his mother, Chi-Chi, standing with her jaw hung open in terror - but she wasn't normal. Her body was a frozen, ice scultpure. Frieza stalked towards Gohan with a perpetually twisted scowl, the boy using all of his power just to back away. He looked over his shoulder, and now Goku was frozen solid too. With a scream, Gohan tried to turn back around to free himself of the horrid sight, but now even his house, the trees and all other living things surrounding him were submerged in ice.

All living things besides Frieza.

"I hope you now understand what happens when you act against me, boy" Frieza said with a chipper smile as he poshly clasped his hands behind his back. "Everything you care about crumbles."

Gohan's house, the trees, Goku, and Chi-Chi - they all started to crack. Gohan desperately reached out, trying to ignore Frieza's cacophonic cackling but was unable to do anything about it.

"Blame yourself, boy. Blame yourself for being too weak."

Everything shattered.

Gohan sat straight up from his cot, panting like he'd just run 500 miles. He looked all around his surroundings, just to make sure he was still in the sleeping quarters; Vegeta, Nappa and Raditz lay in cots to his left. He never would have guessed in a million years that he would be relieved to be back in Frieza's grounds instead of Earth, but that dream had given him plenty of good reason.

A typhoon of confusion wreaked havoc on Gohan's brain. It hadn't just been the way Frieza tortured Boysen; the appalling brutality and his screams. It was how easily Frieza could do it. It didn't matter what Vegeta said. He couldn't sense Ki like Gohan. He didn't feel the mind-frosting chill of Frieza's spirit, and couldn't tell that he'd barely even scratched the surface with his technique. Heaven only knew what Frieza was easily capable of doing to someone stronger.

But it was that last thing in his brain's manifestation of Frieza that shook Gohan to his core:

"I hope you now understand what happens when you act against me, boy. Everything you care about crumbles."

Everything he cared about? Frieza had only done that move on Boysen, a man he'd seen three times in his entire life and lured him and the Saiyans into a death trap. He barely even had an opinion about the guy, let alone cared.

Before he could give the dream deeper thought, however, a siren blared all through the base. Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz woke up in an instant. The three scrambled to get their armor on and searched for their scouters.

"Hurry up and put your armor on, brat!" Vegeta yelled, forcing his own over his head while putting his scouter on at the same time. He noticed Gohan was still wearing the tattered rags from Planet Linden, but that would just have to do for now.

Gohan did as directed, though he wondered what in the world was going on. The Saiyans made a beeline, and when they left the room dozens upon dozens of other soldiers were all racing through the halls in the same direction as the siren raged on.

"What's going on?!" Gohan asked Raditz as they rushed.

"That's the assembly alarm," Raditz yelled. "If you're even a second late, you will suffer."

That was all Gohan needed to high-tail it. Just as the Saiyans were about to reach the doorway, a multi-colored alien crew of similar numbers tried to shove them out of the way and beat them to the door. Incensed, the three elders blew them out of the way with shockwaves and barged into the doorway, the siren finally stopping just a second after they stepped in.

It was a large assembly hall, where hundreds of soldiers stood in organized rows. The Saiyans squeezed into the far end of the back row, next to a few chatty soldiers. Many speculated on why they were gathered for an all-hands-on-deck assembly, but they all knew it was nothing good. Only the Saiyans could ascertain the likely subject.

At the end of the room was a stage, where Frieza and his two top officers stood in front of a large video screen. Frieza's sour expression was unchanged from that fateful meeting; when the unit of soldiers who tried to thwart the Saiyans stumbled inside, they met an explosive end only from a flicker of his red eyes.

Gohan and several others grimaced at the sight, although the other Saiyans only offered spiteful laughter. Yet again, Gohan was shown the ease with which Frieza could end somebody if he were short on patience.

After Zarbon pushed a button, the video screen turned on and revealed two faces that surprised every soldier, while Gohan raised an eyebrow. It was a split-screen; the face to the left identical to Frieza's, but older and less gentle, while the other one didn't look like either of them. His face was dark purple, and contained in a white shell bespeckled by a blue jewel - the only thing he had in common with Frieza and this older doppelganger were those sinister red eyes. Above their faces was a header displaying a line of other screens with similarly crowded assembly halls; they confirmed the attendance of the planets Frieza didn't directly supervise.

"Greetings, my loyal soldiers!" said the Frieza-like man on the video screen with a gracious, but off-putting, smile. "For those who are new, I am King Cold, the dear father of your adorable boss."

The soldiers didn't dare laugh while Frieza hissed in irritation.

The purple man on the other side of the screen did not share his smile. In fact, he looked almost bored. He opened his mouth to speak, but there was no sound coming out.

King Cold laughed haughtily. "Hoho, it would appear that you are on mute!"

With a growl, the surly purple fellow pressed a button and repeated himself. "I'm Cooler." It wasn't just his face that was different from the other two. His voice and intonation were rougher and far more masculine.

"Well don't be curt, Cooler!" King Cold said with a laugh as both Cooler and Frieza scowled. "You are also my elder son!"

Gohan's throat tightened. He might have heard in passing about Frieza's family but didn't pay much attention. But now, actually confirming and seeing them for himself, his growing fear broached into overwhelming territory. It wasn't just Frieza that was his target, apparently; it was his entire family. Three fearsome foes that he would somehow have to work towards defeating. His vigorous heartbeat returned, hastening his breathing enough to catch Vegeta's ears.

"Now, some of you may already be aware, but there has been some unscrupulous activity going on within the shadows of Frieza's division," King Cold began, drawing chirpings from many soldiers in the audience. "Kabnet, the soldier who fled us seven years ago, has been working to construct a rival organization and operated in tandem with a rogue intelligence officer of Frieza's, siphoning the very resources some of you worked so hard to claim on my son's behalf."

Many gasps rang through the audience of soldiers, several connecting the dots to Boysen's scream and Zarbon dragging him to a healing tank.

With a laugh, King Cold added, "Or rather, Kabnet was working. For through a stroke of good fortune, our formidable Saiyan unit uncovered the conspiracy and took care of Kabnet themselves."

All eyes turned to the pale-skinned, spiky black haired (with the exception of one), tail-wielding (again, with the exception of one) quartet in the very back of the room. The Saiyans were indifferent, taking no pride in handling a problem Frieza could have nipped in the bud years ago were it not for his negligence.

King Cold continued speaking, but then other voices cut in above his. "Avo and Cado, were you two saying something?"

In Cooler's place, two round-headed soldiers appeared on the left side of the screen. One red with two antennas, the other blue with only a single antenna at the center of his head. Avo, the blue one spoke. "Oh no, you go ahead, sir."

With a wave and a cordial laugh, Cold said, "No, no, you have the floor!"

Cado, the red one laughed. "Well, I was just gonna say we should all raise a banana in their honor!"

The entire room, and the other streams, erupted into laughter; even Frieza was lifted out of his sour mood. The four Saiyans, Gohan included, directed murderous scowls to all who dared indulge in the mockery. Even when they were the only ones actually getting shit done, they were treated like jokes.

"Well that's not very nice, Cado!" King Cold chided, though he was also giggling. The two jokester soldiers' stream disappeared, bringing Cooler back into the fray. He hadn't laughed even a bit. "But in all seriousness; we are in your debt, Saiyans. What this incident has shed a light on is how we have more active enemies in this universe than we think. Some of them might even be among us."

Vegeta rolled his eyes. When it got down to it, few soldiers wouldn't oppose the organization if they had the means. But he knew what Cold was getting at.

"We need to be prepared. With their leader dead, Kabnet's empire will either collapse or wage an open war with us. Not knowing who or what he had amongst his ranks, we need to prepare for the latter even if the former is more likely," King Cold explained. "Though my little bundle of joy rules with an iron fist, he has perhaps made a few oversights."

A vein in Frieza's temple throbbed, objecting both to the "bundle of joy" description and the criticism.

"Anybody who's ever been to the other side knows that Cooler here runs a very tight ship." Cold gestured to the man on his virtual left. "And now Frieza will be doing the same. If you were used to a life of leisure, that will sadly be coming to an end."

Vegeta snorted in disgust at the absurd notion. "Leisure" only truly applied to the Saiyans, and not out of any altruism on Frieza's part. The other soldiers were given only 36 hours rest before they were sent off to a mission that could have very well been their last. The Saiyans, on the other hand, were basically janitors. They had longer gaps in between weak missions and were given demeaning bullshit labor when they weren't training. The chaos and constant hustle since Gohan's arrival was an anomaly, and a welcome one.

"There will be an increase in surveillance on all planets and a strictly enforced curfew during downtime," King Cold said. "Scouters will be mandatory at all times, even when you're sleeping, and they must be turned on. If our officers see one distributed scouter offline, there will be swift punishment unless we can verify it was damaged by outside forces."

That earned a few nervous, softly-spoken murmurs from many in the crowd, some directing glares at the Saiyans for helping introduce such tighter supervision.

"I see some frowns on the streams, but do not fret; it's not all bad news! In the coming weeks there will be a rollout of new scouters with advanced features that include voice activation, instant access to our databases, universal translation, and video transmission." To demonstrate, King Cold reached out to the screen and swung its perspective around to reveal a bedazzled, heavily decorated room. "For instance, this video is from my scouter!"

"Of course, these scouters have been distributed to all of my men for years now," Cooler boasted. He could see the subtle twitch of Frieza's eye when he brought it up. "So we will assist in the rollout. But that's not the important part. We need all of our reserves stronger than ever as we begin taking out Kabnet's remaining planets and reclaiming my brother's revenue losses. We will reconvene survival missions and rotate different crews to boot camp planets for several weeks of high-intensity training. My men will supervise these training courses."

That last tidbit had been news even to Frieza. Speaking up for the first time, Frieza said, "What? I don't believe that will be necessary."

"Perhaps, my son," King Cold replied. "But Cooler has been doing these procedures for years. His men are highly experienced at them and can run them efficiently. Don't get me wrong, Frieza; you are cool, but your brother is Cooler!"

Silence. Bewildered, uncomfortable silence.

King Cold menacingly cleared his throat.

Stiff and awkwardly forced laughter spread through the entire audience while both Frieza and Cooler pinched the bridge of their noses. Decades of this shit.

"But anyway," Frieza said, trying to take the reigns of the conversation. "Every soldier in my army, save for the Saiyans and the girl they recruited from Kabnet's ranks, will be subject to questioning about their dealings. I must ensure every last one of you have allegiance to the Cold Force and the Cold Force only."

"Indeed," King Cold cut in. "After all, these events have given Frieza good reason not to trust his cabinet."

Frieza puckered his lips with a hysterical, aggrieved smile to avoid screaming while his face reddened. At least King Cold didn't have to imply a threat to receive the forced laughter that time.

"Well, on that note, I suppose that just about covers things, my subjects," King Cold said, removing his scouter so his face was back on screen. "But please, folks; try to understand. Despite the tightening provisions, we still care about every last one of you deeply. Know that every step we take is to ensure only your continued success! Oh, don't give me that look, Cooler!"

The older son had rolled his eyes for all to see. What drivel, he thought.

Seeing that, Vegeta remembered why he would have switched from Frieza to Cooler in a heartbeat. Cooler was infamously cutthroat, but not about any of the bullshit games his father and brother enjoyed so much. He'd still aspire to kill him of course, but he wouldn't be miserable and would find honor in the fight.

"Always a pleasure, Papa," Frieza said, trying to be cordial but his head feeling seconds from explosion. He pushed a button on the projector to end the broadcast. With that over, he lifted his head to address his subordinates with barely restrained venom.

"I had better not see a single one of you sleeping or lollygagging for the next 24 hours. You are dismissed."

The swarm of men turned around and exited the hall. Nappa and Raditz eagerly cracked their knuckles about the news of the training deployments. Gohan, however, carried an inescapable nausea in the pit of his stomach. Days earlier, he'd singlehandedly wiped out Kabnet and one of his units. He was the most confident he'd ever been in his power during his short life. Confident enough to reject Earth in good faith. Now, he wasn't sure if he could survive another second.

"You have a knack for shaking things up, eh Gohan?"

Gohan turned around to face the source of the voice. It was Lemo, walking and standing perfectly fine. Gohan looked down and saw a metallic foot attached to the scientist's left leg.

"Yeah, I built this bad boy myself," Lemo said, knowing exactly what Gohan was looking at. "Now I pack a helluva kick, at least."

Though Gohan was glad to see Lemo back on his (steel) feet, he noticed something off about the enhancement. A speck of light blue appeared at the toe. And then, it spread to his entire foot.

And then, it shattered into a hundred pieces.

Gohan gasped and reached his hand out.

"What?"

Gohan looked back up at Lemo's face. He looked confused, but in no pain. Gohan swung his head back down, and there was Lemo's new metal foot exactly as he'd seen it before. The frazzled half-Saiyan shook his head, having to tell himself this was all just his imagination.

"You okay, kid?" Lemo asked. Gohan didn't answer, instead walking away with his hand in his hair.

Losing his mental faculties, Gohan tried to retreat to somewhere, anywhere, but then another voice called out his name. This time, it was Arepa, who was standing behind him. Gohan turned around and was startled by her new look.

Dark blue pants and dark blue armor with green padding.

In other words, Gohan's chosen uniform.

"Hey, that's mine," Gohan said with a glare.

"Ain't see ya name on it. Everybody here wears damn near the same shit anyway," Arepa said with a shrug. "I just like the colors. You wear 'em well. I'm sure there's more."

She started prattling about everything that had gone down over the last day, but as she spoke, Gohan couldn't help but notice her pupils. They were the same icy shade of blue they always were. The shade of blue that tormented Boysen's arm and shattered it into hundreds of pieces. Cracks started to form in her pupils. This time, Gohan knew it was a mirage and tried to force it away by squeezing his eyes shut.

Arepa literally snapped Gohan out of his spell, snapping her fingers in front of his face to open his eyes. When he opened them back up, there were two gaping holes where her pupils used to be. Blood spilled from them both and she didn't seem to notice at all.

"You okay, Gohan?"

The half-Saiyan shrieked, spun on his heels and scurried away from her.

Arepa's eyes had actually been perfectly fine. But they were full of concern as she watched Gohan's frantic pacing.

Gohan swung open one of the steel doors leading into a closet, walked in and slammed it shut. With nobody around to either see him or turn into ice in his imagination, Gohan groaned and fell back into the wall, staring at the lineup of armor and bodysuits ahead of him. He decided to just focus on things moment by moment, as he did on Planet Zuna. So what was the problem at the moment? Not any of Frieza's powers; just his smelly, torn up uniform. His eyes scanned the assortment of suits, eventually realizing a problem:

Everything in his color was gone.

"Dammit!" Gohan shouted, slamming his fist into the floor enough times to bruise his knuckles. It wasn't until he saw blood spill that he settled down.

What was he doing? It was armor. He didn't even want anything to do with this organization, and now he was throwing a temper tantrum over colors. His grip on himself had fallen precariously loose.

With everything quiet, Gohan closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to think of nothing. It was as his father always did, and what helped him get through Planet Zuna. He didn't allow any reminders of Frieza's punishment to Boysen, the incoming trials, or even his triumph on Linden inside his mind. He breathed in, and he breathed out.

When he opened his eyes back up, he scanned the uniforms again with a clearer mind, just looking for whatever he liked. His eyes found one particular set of armor, hidden amongst the others. The design was the same, but it was the colors that stood out:

A dark purple plate with gold shoulder guards. Almost identical to Frieza's armor, in fact, bur darker.

Purple and Gold. A color combination that had done him well in recent weeks. It wasn't the ice that Frieza dished out on those that betrayed him; it was the color of the rose that had mesmerized him. The preferred color of the army that Gohan helped topple, earning Frieza's genuine praise.

It was a combination of security. A combination of power. Maybe that was why Frieza, the man who imposed his might on all that stood before him, was enthralled by it.

Gohan stared at the plate for minutes on end, mesmerized.

After finding the matching purple bodysuit, Gohan stripped himself of his withered old colors and assumed his mighty new ones. He looked at his arms, then his legs; they snugly fit the fabric. It even carried a fresh smell that his other colors didn't.

Feeling somewhat refreshed, Gohan exited the closet. Arepa had been standing behind the door, having trailed him out of concern. When she saw his new attire, her eyes - the blue icicles that had cracked moments earlier - sparkled with admiration.

"Wicked!"

Can you tell I wrote the second half of the chapter as I was sitting through a company-wide Zoom meeting? Apologies for turning King Cold into King Dad Joke.