Garlic Junior's Palace, Makyo Star
April 2, A763
"What do you mean, 'Just One'?" King Vegeta demanded. He looked around; he was no longer in Hell, but inside a castle foyer. There were nine other people here, mostly Saiyans. One of the Makyans, a bulky lavender-skinned man with horns, turned to them once they arrived.
"Well well, if it isn't the dead come back once again," he chuckled, "What'd you bring us this time? Dog droppings on the bottom of your shoe?"
King Vegeta raised his hand, aimed at the Makyan's head, and fired a Ki blast straight into him. The Makyan laughed.
"You'll have to do better than that, monkey boy!" the Makyans said, grabbing King Vegeta by the hair, and began to slam him against the ground. King Vegeta punched at the Makyan's arm to try and force him to let go, but his grip was iron-tight.
"I don't know why Master Garlic is bothering with you worthless Saiyans! You're nothing compared to me! Compared to any of us!" the Makyan slammed King Vegeta into the floor, and dragged him through it, leaving a streak in the ground. King Vegeta fired bolts of Ki at the Makyan, but it was of no use.
"I am King Vegeta! I am the greatest warrior of my people! This indignation will not stand!" King Vegeta hissed.
"And where has that gotten you? Dead and forgotten," the Makyan taunted.
"Vinegar, is that any way to treat my guests?" a new voice called out. Vinegar dropped King Vegeta, and bowed to the short figure that was coming down the staircase.
"I'm sorry, Master Garlic Junior. But it's clear that I'm much stronger than any of the Saiyans, I don't understand why we need them," Vinegar said.
"It's all part of the plan, Vinegar, have no worry. You and the other Monarchs will serve me in the eons to come," the little, pale green Makyan said, "Please, King Vegeta. Stand. I will not have my Generals treat my guests like this!"
"You, I assume, are Garlic Junior?" King Vegeta asked. Garlic grinned.
Garlic explained, "I am. Welcome to my castle on the Makyo Star. Here, my people are at their strongest, their mightiest. That should answer your question, Vinegar: Your power is dependent on the Makyo Star. The Saiyans, however, are capable of much more without it. But once the Earth is ours, we won't have that restriction. Now, why don't we all introduce ourselves? As King Vegeta said, I am Garlic Junior. I am who will restore your bodies and your glory to the Galaxy. These are the Four Monarchs of Makyo: Spice, Vinegar, Salt, and Mustard. They are my hands. And of course, my dear late Nickie, who has continued to serve me, even in death."
"It's my honor, my lord," Nickie bowed.
"So long as you are here on the Makyo Star, you will continue to exist; this is a place between the physical world and the next dimension. You can remain here as long as you'd like and never return to Hell," Garlic said, "Its pull has not only freed me from the Dead Zone, but given me access to more dimensions, including Earth's Hell."
"So why do you need us?" one of the Saiyans asked. King Vegeta recognized most of them: His cousin Zorn, the scientist Nion, the warrior Sesamee, and the Special Forces leader, Bardock. Assuming the woman next to Bardock was one of his teammates from how she stood next to him, that accounted for all the saiyans.
"Despite the fact that Vinegar is correct about the power gap, they are still mortal, unlike myself, and my own work is needed elsewhere," Garlic said, "You, however, are dead. Each of you were the most powerful Saiyans when you were alive, and when we're done, you'll be even more powerful. Powerful enough to destroy this world's defenders, who have foiled me before. One is a Namekian by the name of Piccolo. The other is someone named Goku."
Garlic grinned at them, "Though Goku may be a bit of a conflict of interest for you, as it turns out he's not an Earthling, but a Saiyan."
"A Saiyan? We sent no warriors to Earth!" Nion said.
"No, but I did. This Goku is my son, Kakarot," Bardock said.
"And he hasn't taken over the Earth? You must be disappointed," Zorn chuckled.
"I didn't send him here to conquer Earth, I sent him here to live on Earth. To survive the destruction of our homeworld, to save just one person," Bardock said, "And you want me to undo that?"
"I can grant many gifts to you, Bardock. Your life, all your lives, among them. Look around you, the smartest, the most cunning, the most powerful Saiyans are around you here, untouched from the day you died," Garlic gestured to them, "In exchange for one day's service, and the life of one measly, weakling Saiyan, your race will be reborn. I know it must be painful, the prospect of killing your own, but it's for the greater good. A strong foundation for the Saiyan's rebirth."
Bardock crossed his arms, scowling, "All right. One last world, then we're finding someplace uninhabited. I'm done conquering planets and killing people. We'll find a world worthy of our skills, and we'll tame it. But someone else has to kill Kakarot. This Piccolo is mine."
"Good? Anyone else have any questions?" Garlic Junior asked. Silence and headshakes. Garlic Junior gave them a smile, "Excellent. Our first target is the Lookout of Earth. We'll secure it, and blind the Earth's defenders. Then you'll all receive a gift to enhance your powers. So long as the Makyo Star is in orbit around Earth, your power will be greatly enhanced after we take the Lookout and bind your power to it. No need to worry, I keep to the letter and spirit of my word; once you're alive, your connection to the Makyo Star will be severed, and you will be free to leave Earth as you please. Now if you'll follow me, we'll get started."
XXX
Kami's Lookout
April 3, A763
"Why are we waiting?" Vinegar asked, pacing back and forth.
"Because we were ordered to, now shut up," Mustard said.
"We could have already killed this Piccolo and Goku! The Saiyans aren't even back yet! And why aren't we releasing the Black Water Mist? This world could be ours already, even our enemies would be worshipping us!" Vinegar demanded, gesturing to where Tien stood with King Vegeta.
Tienshinhan had activated the Four Witches, and was holding King Vegeta with the rear arms, and beating him with his fists. Tien laughed, and occasionally took a bite of the Saiyan King as he did so.
"It's not like we did particularly well at that village you insisted we visit," Mustard said, "They all managed to get away! Even those warriors!"
"Lord Garlic knows what he's doing, it's not our place to-" Salt started to say, when suddenly, Bardock arrived. He landed at their feet, dropping Fasha next to him. Salt and Mustard gawked in horror, while Vinegar laughed.
"See? Even with the power of the Makyo Star, they're pitiful creatures!" Vinegar gestured. He kicked Bardock in the face, "You've failed Lord Garlic, you're weak! We don't need you!"
"Vinegar!" Spice snarled, stepping out of the Lookout's buildings with Garlic Junior at his side, "One more blow and I'll feed you your own foot, boot and all!"
Vinegar put his foot down, but still glowered at the smoldering Bardock. Garlic Junior stood before the Saiyan, and held Bardock's chin, studying his injuries.
"This was exactly the sort of thing I wanted dead servants for," Garlic Junior said, "To take this kind of damage where my own people cannot. There are so few of us left, you understand."
"I do," Bardock said, "Fasha, her windpipe's been crushed. She passed out. Sir, I've learned quite a bit that you're going to want to hear."
"I imagine so," Garlic Junior said, "Your body is little more than a shell until you're revived. It's a simple matter to restore it."
Red energy transferred from Garlic Junior to Bardock, whose skin and arm reshaped with the energy. Even his armor was returned to form. Garlic Junior walked over to Fasha, and did the same. There was no regrowth or stitching; the energy itself reformed their bodies. Fasha began to breathe, and her eyes opened.
"What-How did she do that?" Fasha demanded, putting her hand to her throat.
"It seems that Gine is capable of a lot more brutality than I ever thought," Bardock said. Garlic turned to him, and nodded.
"Tell me what happened."
"My former mate, Kakarot's mother, Gine, showed up while we were fighting Piccolo. The others went to find some other power source. We dismissed her as a threat, at first, but we didn't stand a chance. Even Piccolo was holding back when Fasha fought him. These warriors are far more powerful than we thought, sir," Bardock said.
"You didn't even find Goku?" Spice asked. Bardock shook his head.
"That's the worst part of it, sir. Gine told me he's not on the planet. He's on his way, and will be back within a year," Bardock said.
"That just leaves us with one less pest to squash! Let us handle them for you, Lord Garlic!" Vinegar insisted.
"Shut up and listen!" Bardock snapped, "Gine says that Kakarot defeated Lord Freeza, after becoming a Super Saiyan. If that's true, and Kakarot has unlocked that power, it doesn't matter what you to do this planet. You'll never be able to surpass him. The Legend of the Super Saiyan-"
"Is one I am acquainted with," Garlic Junior said, his expression sour, "And it means I'd have less than a year before he comes and destroys my empire if I don't find a solution to this problem, even after we take over the Earth."
"Our deal was to take over the Earth and work for you for one day," Fasha said, "Anything more than that isn't part of the deal. Once the Earth is yours, the Super Saiyan is your problem."
"And once he's done dealing with Garlic Junior, he'll be our problem for destroying his homeworld and enslaving them to him! He'll kill us all in his rage, and then rampage throughout the Galaxy trying to assuage his grief and anger. He'll be a blight on the universe, destroying planet after planet! Not conquest, just rage and devastation! Emptiness where there was once life! It'll make our conquests look like schoolyard fistfights compared to what the Super Saiyan is capable of!" Bardock snapped, "We'll need to either find something more powerful, or become Super Saiyans ourselves to stand a chance of survival."
"I'll find you that power," Garlic Junior said, "You were right to bring this to me, Bardock. You've done well, under the circumstances."
"Can't say I've ever been complimented for failure, sir."
"The failure is mine. But have no worry. I may have something greater than the Black Water Mist. Wait here."
Bardock nodded, and fell onto his butt, and watched Tien continue to torture King Vegeta. It occurred to Bardock that the Earthling had torn off King Vegeta's limbs a few times, but now they were back. Garlic Junior was restoring King Vegeta's body so the triclops could torture King Vegeta all over again. Bardock rubbed at his restored eye.
When this was all over, he was going to ask Garlic Junior to restore King Vegeta anyway, despite his refusal to serve. Not even the failed King deserved that fate.
XXX
Garlic Junior left Spice outside as he entered one of the innermost chambers of the Lookout. He had hoped he wouldn't have to resort to this, but if half of what Bardock had said was true, they couldn't afford more mistakes like this. Garlic entered Kami's meditation chambers, and produced a stone with the mark of the Demon Realm. He produced a vial of his father's blood, and poured it over the stone. The symbol on the stone glowed red and the room filled with crimson smoke. It was everything Garlic could do not to cough, but he kept his composure.
The tall, broad-shouldered form of Dabura appeared before Garlic Junior. Dabura was humanoid with short, flat hair, a goatee, smooth red skin, and a pair of horns sticking out of his forehead. Garlic Junior bowed respectfully to the Demon King.
"Garlic Junior. I had not expected to hear from you this soon. How is the conquest of Earth going? I understand you retrieved all the Saiyans I requested?" Dabura said.
"I did retrieve all those Saiyans, though King Vegeta proved to be more stubborn than I expected. It seems that King Kai caught onto our plans, and sent agents to stop us, but they were too late. There's no reason to suspect your involvement, King Dabura; they'll place all the blame squarely on me. Though, not if things continue as they are," Garlic Junior said.
"I have empowered your servants, pulled you out of the Dead Zone months before you would have otherwise, and given you access to Hell. What could possibly be going wrong?" Dabura demanded.
"Everything was going smoothly, King Dabura, make no mistake. But I did not summon you frivolously. We'd taken every precaution, and the empowered Saiyans were everything you promised they would be. But it seems we did not fully anticipate the power of the defenders, King Dabura. They were far stronger than expected. They defeated two of the warriors, and slipped by the rest."
"Your ability to command them is not my concern."
"Of course not. Under normal circumstances I am perfectly capable of handling this on my own, but these are not normal circumstances. When I say they defeated two of the Saiyans, I mean one of them had half his face burned off and missing an arm, while the other one had her windpipe completely crushed. On top of all that, they claim that Goku is now a Super Saiyan. Surely you're familiar with that legend, King Dabura?"
"Enlighten me."
"It's said that the Super Saiyan is a power unlike anything else any mortal is capable of. A golden warrior, fueled by rage, rampaging against every challenge or even each slight, destroying every world they come to. It is only that they are mortal and capable of dying to the vacuum of space or age that this galaxy is not ravaged," Garlic Junior explained, "It was the Super Saiyans that defeated and banished the Makyans, thousands of years ago."
"I can see why this might be an irritating situation for you," Dabura mused.
"Kami's crime against my father is the only slight I'm interested in. We've made every reasonable preparation for this battle. We prepared to fight Goku and Piccolo at fifty times the power I first faced them at, not a thousand times, King Dabura. We could not have anticipated this development. If you want your share of the Earth, I need more power for the Saiyans."
Dabura grinned, and crossed his arms, "This is the first time I've heard a plea for power that actually bothered to give me reasons. You're right. If your Saiyans are defeated, even with the power of the Makyo Star, I can't expect you to succeed. Your conquest of the Earth benefits me in the long term, so I do have reason to see you succeed."
Six stones fell from the ceiling suddenly. They were identical to each other and the original stone Garlic Junior had used to summon Dabura. The only difference was that each of them had an 'M' burned onto them instead of the symbol of the Demon realm.
"So long as the Saiyans keep those stones on them, they will receive all the power they need to bring about your victory. Be warned, however, Garlic: Do not touch the stones yourself, or allow your minions to do so. If you do, then they will no longer answer to you; they will be held by a far greater power," Dabura said. Garlic Junior used his cape to pick up each stone and place them in a clay pot.
"Thank you, King Dabura. You will have your bounty soon, have no fear," Garlic Junior said, bowing.
"Ensure I do," Dabura said, disappearing into a puff of smoke.
