Dragon Ball: Governed


Chapter 52 - Only one Side Wins


One thing Freeza never expected was closure from one of the many unprecedented actions of betrayal of the past: his planetary bases being attacked by Saiyans. Subsequent to Raditz and Kureeza taking care of Kakarot, the former of the two greeted their lord prior to giving him a full report on recent events.

As he always did, Freeza kept his mouth shut and scrutinized every single word that came from his subordinate's mouth as he was informed on what took place. One of the instances of which he interrupted was quite seldom, though not this time. One word caught his attention.

"A Super Saiyan?" Kikono and BeriBlu were just as surprised as Freeza - if not - more. "Surely the two of you didn't happen to fall to some form of deception at the hands of your own eyes?"

"All this time...the Super Saiyan Legend was nothing but a mere myth," Kikono remarked. "Surely you jest."

The simple fact that Kikono would even insinuate that he would joke about such a vital report placed an itched on Raditz that would only be relieved by rendering a bloody beating. Kureeza took note of this and stepped forward to bask in the spotlight and speak in Raditz's place.

"I have witnessed the rather extraordinary transformation of a Saiyan under the full moon in the past, papi," Kureeza told his father, "but nothing like this; fur didn't replace his skin complexion, and he didn't grow as tall as the heavens. Instead, his hair and monkey tail changed color, as did his eyes. A ferocity from him could be felt that the Oozaru transformation would never manage to hold a light to. If all our lives we happened to believe that there was one Saiyan transformation existed, we were wrong. There is no doubt in our minds he was a Super Saiyan; he even claimed himself to be that very same thing."

Freeza turned his face from everyone else. Just as he suspected for so long - the legend was true! This did nothing but prove he was right in contemplating on destroying the entire Saiyan species all those years ago! If nobody happened to be in that room with him, he'd put on a show by kicking himself so badly just for never going through with it. Freeza never had a regret - not a single one...until today.

"Despite the power up, with his back turned, he was just as vulnerable as any weakling," Kureeza added on. "If a Super Saiyan managed to fall to me, then imagine what you yourself could do, papi; by setting an example against a Super Saiyan before the rest of them to show just how superior we are to them."

This was Kureeza's attempt at trying to defuse the ticking time bomb of a rage that Freeza was internally struggling with. It wasn't working.

A beeping sound coming from Raditz's scouter gets everyone's attention. The long-haired Saiyan took it upon himself to turn around and take a few steps forward to speak with the person on the other line. Everyone waited quietly until the call was completed. When the call was done, Raditz faced them all with a big, toothy grin.

Not loving the feeling of drowning in suspicion, Freeza asked what the deal was.

"We just figured out King Vegeta's entire gameplan," Raditz said with a devious chuckle. "They've sent all the non-combatants to an affiliates' world: Planet Tech Tech; this is perfect for us, giving our forces the golden opportunity of eliminating all the great threats on Planet Vegeta itself. Everyone left remaining will simply be a bunch of lower-class warriors that can be dealt with easily."

"You said gameplan," Freeza said, knowing that there had to be more to it than just that. "What else does Vegeta have in mind?"

"Once they have us in their sights on the ships, they will be the first ones to attack through the utilization of snipers. Doing that and taking us by surprise, Vegeta expects a great bulk of our men to be hurt during the landing process."

"The best way to rectify that would be by keeping all the men on one ship," BeriBlu advised.

"Ditto. Though personally I believe it's best we don't send the great majority of our forces. With Prince Vegeta and his new accomplices alone, we will manage just fine. So once they shoot the ships down, they plan on using those who are able to control their Great Ape forms to transform and under a multitude of artificial moons while the others with the lack of experience fight in their normal appearances."

Taking all this information in, Freeza and everyone else in the room come to realize Vegeta's strategy; he's going to be throwing everything he has as soon as they arrive. He wouldn't even take a chance at toying with them. Understanding the seriousness revolving Vegeta's desire to dethrone him, Freeza understands that he himself must not take this lightly as well. Over the course of the years, the Saiyans have made extraordinary leaps in technology and the same could be said about their strength as well.

"Kureeza, you will keep watch over Planet Vegeta from above," Freeza directed. Kureeza wasn't even allowed the chance to ask why prior to being told it's because he said so. Knowing better than to question his father, Kureeza remained quiet. During all this time, Freeza had managed to do well in keeping Kureeza under wraps within his own force. Sure enough, certain Saiyans were aware of Kureeza's existence, albeit not all. The element of surprise was most definitely in Freeza's favor if the worst came to worse. Looking over to Raditz, he speaks to him. "This one time," Freeza lifts a finger, "I will allow you to step on Planet Vegeta, for you will be aiding me in nipping this problem in the bud once and for all."

Raditz grins. "Gladly."


As much as Gohan didn't want to stay up instead of sleeping, he recognized the risks and what was at stake. Training in the Kai Realm was altogether a different experience. The air was far more pure than Earth's and though the gravity a bit higher, was tolerable. For consecutive hours, he had been training with a sword given to him by Shin.

Swinging the sword with little to no difficulty in his base form, Gohan could without a doubt feel that his power was growing. The jump in strength was much higher than he expected, though if this Universal threat was as great as Shin and Kibito raved on about, then he didn't feel that the training would do the trick. But still, what did he know? He was a mortal and they were Gods. Common sense dictates that he heeded their words.

"Gohan!" Shin shouted from below. "Come down a moment."

Just when he thought he wouldn't get a break, Gohan descended onto the Kai's realm with a sigh of relief as he flicked off a heap of sweat from his hot forehead. Through big breaths he asked Shin what was the matter.

"You've improved much more than I thought you would, exceeding my expectations for you." He then put his fingers on his chin. "But for the life of me, after discussing matters about you with Kibito, I couldn't help but feel as if something was missing."

With his interest piqued, Gohan drove the tip of the sword into the grass prior to leaning on it. "I'm listening."

"One thing I've noticed about you and your father transforming into a Super Saiyan is that despite the fact that you two rapidly reached a point of where you're able to transform at will, your energy spikes and the intensity levels remain heightened. I couldn't help but imagine that such an intense feeling on the body for the duration of an entire combat sequence would put a drain on you...correct?"

Gohan never put much deep thought into it. When he got to thinking about it briefly, he immediately nodded. "Come to think of it, yeah. It is a drain."

Shin looked up to Kibito who was right beside him. With a subtle motion of the head, Shin acknowledged that what he and his mentee were discussing was actually true. "For now, we believe you should rest. Recuperate and regain your strength. From then on, after the very moment you wake, you will transform and sustain that transformation as you train."

Gohan already knew where this was going. "So that the restless feeling I get whenever I transform is something that can be controlled - to some extent at least. I'll be able to train more efficiently the more my body grows accustomed to the feeling, thus allowing my progress to increase at a far more dramatic rate. Am I on the nose?"

"Impressive for a mortal to understand all that without a second thought," Kibito complimented. Gohan just scoffed with a grin.

As smart as he was, Gohan had to give Shin and Kibito credit; the fact that they thought of this first was good for him. Gohan knew the restless feeling he had, though he believed that it was one of the cons that came with such legendary power. But, if that feeling of intensity were to be controlled, it would prove to be of much use to him. It just made sense. He was all for it. He needed everything he could get in an effort to help Shin and Kibito on their endeavors to saving the Universe - as they put it.

Still, doubt trailed in the minds of the divine beings. Gohan had such little time for a great leap in power to even manage to light a candle up to Broly, or Prince Vegeta when the war was to wage on. Still, he believed Gohan was the only hope. Shin wanted to be there to ensure that if Planet Vegeta were to get destroyed during this confrontation between Freeza and the Saiyans, that at the very least the cosmos in its entirety would remain intact. Shin was only able to do so much, but with Gohan's roaring potential? Anything was possible. Still, the odds were not in their favor.

All they truly had was hope.


With masks and wires attached to his body as he healed, Kakarot was unable to move a single muscle. Once his eyes fluttered open, the doctors that oversaw him come back to health realized that his healing process was close to completion. For all those years relying on senzus as a crutch for healing, the sensation of warm liquids seeping into the pores of his body to bring him back to health was practically foreign to the Saiyan.

The last thing he remembered was battling Raditz and being taken by surprise prior to losing his unconsciousness. The doctors and their armor - it reminded him much of Freeza's organization. The thought of Freeza didn't bring any more interest to him; as for Kakarot to go through with his past objective of overthrowing Freeza was not even his idea. The idea belonged to Turles, the single man he looked up to all those years and confided in, only to find out he was the reason his mother died and that their relationship was built on an utter lie. From achieving the power of the Legendary Super Saiyan to killing Freeza...none of it was his own personal idea. Even after death, Turles was still living through him.

Kakarot realized this in the dream he had before waking up in the healing tank. Going back to when he was just a child, he reminisced on how Turles took him to this rather peculiar, yet extravagant scene on a rather adventurous planet. There, he and Turles dined on meals that they never believed could have existed. Most importantly, Turles discussed his ideas about Freeza and true Saiyan Power. He didn't forget it.

"We'll eventually become strong enough to start having people carry out jobs for us so that we can pull the strings necessary in the dark. With the heat off us, we will be able to maneuver in which ever way that'll ultimately benefit us and our cause. We break down Freeza's organization, bit by bit, so when they're weak, we're ready for an attack. We take Freeza's place, and we have all of it. And once we're in power, we rearrange Planet Vegeta the way it is supposed to be."

This conversation was held on Planet Yoyu when Kakarot was just a little boy. After that section of the dream, Kakarot could see himself out in the distance, a younger version of himself, towering over fleeing individuals of the Freeza Force as he blew them all to hell. The closer he zoomed in on himself, the more his character grew and the paler his complexion became. Once he saw his full face, it turned into the face of Turles.

The dream was nothing more than a representation of the fact that Turles was still alive...in his own way.

It needed to stop.

The liquid in the rejuvenation chamber drains and the glass door raises. Once allowed to exit, Kakarot takes a step forward, looking at all pair of doctors before him. Both were lizard looking creatures, one being of the opposite gender. In the corner of the room, Kakarot spotted a fresh set of Saiyan Armor just for himself. The closer he got to it, the more nostalgia he felt. It was like old times.

"Amazing that you survived such a horrific attack on the planet," one of the doctors pointed out. "When our squad came to clean up the area, there weren't any survivors...or so we thought."

Kakarot's head turned around. "Then how was I brought here?"

"My assistant and I were ordered to head over there to recover any scientific items remained intact that we could work on," the male responded. "Thanks to her, we found you."

"If not for me, your body would be rotting in the water," she informed Kakarot.

Not that Kakarot cared. He just wanted to head back home. Putting on his chest-plate and gloves, the Saiyan asked for the exit.

"Where are you going?" the doctor asked.

"Home," Kakarot replied curtly.

"I see…" the doctor fixed his glasses. "You're preparing for the war that's to come on Planet Vegeta. I dare say that the Saiyans can use all the help they can get...or you're done for."

"I beg your pardon?"

The male doctor didn't get a chance to respond to Kakarot as his assistant chimed in. "Oh, he'll for sure be a big help! While he was recovering, I ran a few data runs on his power-level; even just healing and coming back from the brink of death, his battle-power was over 90,000! Can you believe that!?"

"Wait, what's going on?" Kakarot inquired. "What kind of war are we talking here?"

The two of them looked at Kakarot as if he were crazy; with his insane battle-power, he was undoubtedly a soldier of the Saiyan Army, so it shouldn't have come to a surprise to the Saiyan that he was to prepare for battle against Freeza. Still, they decided to entertain the Saiyan. Though his brain appeared to be fine, he could have suffered some damage that had him forget - or so they thought. They hadn't realized that Kakarot meant Planet Earth when he said home.

"The Saiyans are making their stand against Freeza. I didn't think I'd be alive to see it, but here we are. Word around is that King Vegeta has called for an audience with Lord Freeza and a great bit of the Freeza Force has been gathered. There's without a doubt in my mind that the time for the Saiyans has come. It's a suicide mission."

Kakarot turned back and lowered his head. With all the talk that Turles spoke of Vegeta and his family, he spoke of them as if they were cowards, unable to stand up for themselves and to allow their people remain in slavery for Freeza for the rest of their existence. As he grew older, Kakarot understood what this meant and wanted no part of having his dignity being taken away from him as many of his ancestors had shared in the past. A soft smile appeared on his face.

The thought of heading to his home-planet and making a stand with his amazing power was something that interested him. To have his people bear witness to a lower-class Saiyan obtaining the power of a Super Saiyan was something beyond his wildest dreams. He would charge into battle as the strongest and lead them to victory. Though just hours earlier, had he gotten these news, he would have headed for Planet Vegeta right away. Now? Not even.

For Kakarot to go and fight alongside his brethren in the effort to kill Freeza and dethrone him with his ascended power would still in essence be him living Turles' dream through himself. With this enlightenment, Kakarot felt as if that was below him; he was too proud to do this. This is precisely what Turles would have wanted. The starving, insatiable lust for battle was calling out to him - to head to his home-world and help lead his people to victory. Impulse wasn't something many Saiyans were well at controlling, but Kakarot had grew to do this over the years. He wasn't going to fall into it, especially considering how he did recently on Earth.

Fully dressed as he started to leave the scouter behind, Kakarot's lips curled upward. "Well, let's just hope that the Saiyans make it out of this alive."

He didn't need to look at either of the doctors to see the shocked look on their faces. Kakarot knew that they weren't expecting such a nonchalant response. They could label him a traitor to the Saiyan people for all he cared. All Kakarot knew was that he was going home.

To live his idea of life. Not someone else's.


Vegeta sat on his throne alone. All of the royal guards were sleeping to rest their bodies in preparation for the now inevitable battle for their liberation. The dazzling stars of the night illuminated the dark throne room through the stained windows that made his palace take the appearance of a church of the Saiyans. By himself, the king had only his thoughts to consume himself with.

Initially, he firmly believed that his life's biggest achievement would to become King. For the first few years of his existence, this was all that his father bragged about; this was all his older peers continued to speak on as he trained and grew stronger. Though as he grew, so did his strength. With his ever growing power, there was talk of Vegeta being the one; him being the Saiyan to rise up and dethrone Freeza with the power of a Super Saiyan.

The days and nights and time fighting where a young Vegeta would relish the distant future of becoming King soon turned to him falling in love with the idea of being the one destined Saiyan to show his people that the Super Saiyan tale is not a myth, but reality - all before chopping Freeza's head off.

Closing his eyes, the king let out a sigh. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be him to carry out the task. Perhaps he wasn't destined to become the Super Saiyan after all. Subsequent to consecutive years of strenuous and brutal training and missions for himself only and on his own behalf, there was a time where he finally managed to break a barrier of strength where no other Saiyan in recent history ever has. This was the time Vegeta believed that it was his moment to bring the myth to reality...but he couldn't. He tried and tried, and tried again. None of it worked.

It was a brutal blow to his ego and his pride. The only thing he could speak on was how he was King - how he's the strongest King in Saiyan history. Not only that, but he's being the first to stand up to Freeza. That in addition to his other accolades as a warrior garnered the utmost respect from his people. But personally for him, it wasn't enough. He was angry at himself for the longest time, but not anymore.

He smiled. If he wasn't destined to become a Super Saiyan, then it was only right that his very own flesh and blood happened to make it true. He conceived the strongest Saiyan to ever live; this one was no doubt the one who was going to bring glory back to his people. So in a way, Vegeta's father was right, just not exactly how he envisioned it.

This was now more than enough for him.


Prince Vegeta stood in his quarters, looking through the windows of his room, looking at the moon of the planet not so far away from Planet Vegeta. Freeza had ordered him to remain home and stay put for the meantime in order to not draw suspicion from the king. Doing as told, Prince Vegeta remained home and distant away from his Saiyan peers.

He stood there thinking about what the future held; with the Saiyans out of the way, it would only be him, Raditz, Freeza, and Kureeza and their recent recruits from Planet Vampa. They would remain the last hand of people within power over the Universe - well Freeza would be in power - but they'd be the enforcers of his dominion.

Growing up, Prince Vegeta spent more time taking care of Freeza's work under him than he did home. His father, the King, couldn't care less if it wasn't about how strong he was becoming. Seeing constant progress, his father knew he would only continue to grow stronger and so he would simply wait until he was a grown adult male to make the move. He knew what this was; his father only looked at him as a tool - a tool for liberating the Saiyans from Freeza and living like they always had, gaining power over all. He and Freeza were much the same, though. The tyrant was using him just as the same reasons as his father was.

So, why even fight for either?

He and Raditz had this conversation when he was younger and managed to control his emotions. The long-haired Saiyan informed Prince Vegeta that Freeza had given the Saiyans everything they needed to survive; all they had to do in exchange was fight for him. Carrying out their tasks and doing so with a smile on their faces was the only thing necessary. So to conspire against Freeza was the ultimate betrayal; they were biting the hand that fed them, and so, they deserved to perish. Of course, this came from the indoctrinated perspective of Raditz, who was pretty much forced to fight under Freeza himself. Ever since Raditz was a child, he had been holding onto that same point of view - simply because it was his free get out of death card from Freeza.

As for the prince himself; why does he stay loyal to Freeza? It's quite simple, really; Freeza is the one who took the time out to teach him how the world works. If not for Freeza, he wouldn't be able to have the perfect opportunity to garner such power alongside Kureeza and Raditz. Not only that, but Freeza was the winning side. And if there was anything to know about your typical Saiyan, it's that they loved winners.

The lock to his room clicks. Vegeta turns his head slightly around to get a view of who it is entering. Through the door enters Nion, his grandmother. He expected it to be Kuni, so he turned back disappointed in the result.

"Aren't you supposed to be on Planet Tech Tech by now?" Vegeta asked.

"I came to check on you," Nion responded, avoiding the question. "How are you feeling?"

"Peachy," Vegeta replied curtly. "Is that all?"

Nion took a few steps forward. "Prince Vegeta. You are a rare breed - among all others of the Universe. Your strength is honestly unparalleled and you've yet to tap into your full potential. Yet still, even the strongest have second thoughts…"

The prince scoffed. Realizing what this was, he crossed his arms prior to turning around to face his aging grandmother. "I see; trying to figure out if I'm up to the task of taking down the King for good? Is that really why you stayed behind? Hmpf."

"You couldn't be more wrong; I came here to see if your loyalty still remains with Freeza. I've been watching over you more closely than you think. I did some digging; and it turns out your inherent potential exceeds that of Lord Freeza. Granted, he was born with a power-level much higher than yours yet when I compared your data over the years from childhood to adulthood, your progress in strength is far more dramatic than his. It gives me reason to believe that you are stronger than him - even at his best. And so I came to clear the air; regardless of whether or not you happened to be cognizant of this fact, do not forget who gave you the opportunity to be where you stand." Turning around, Nion began to make her exit. "I'll be sure to inform my daughter that you said hello. Best of luck."

Cold and indifferent; just like everyone else around him. On the very few times he had communicated with his mother, she was actually warm to him, soft-spoken and nice. Still, as he grew older, she missed out on chances to see him. He would ask for her, yet she never responded. Part of Vegeta believed that those actions were the coldest of all.

Of course, he didn't figure this out; Kuni was the only person closest to him who was also not nonchalant and indifferent toward him for what he was as a person. This was the sole reason he genuinely cared for his mother, even though he didn't for his father. Her reason for doing this was so that he could hold onto this feeling of being wanted - being loved. As time passed, she would make her absence more known and as a result, enhance the feelings that he had been missing. And as long as Kuni remained loyal to Freeza and Freeza only, Vegeta would stick with her. As aforementioned, Prince Vegeta had never figured out this psychological trick done to him by the very woman who gave birth to him, but it was also a reason that he decided to stay loyal to Freeza.

Once left in the room alone, Prince Vegeta turned around to look back into the skies. A devilish smirk formed on his face. "Luck, huh? Don't need it."


Another thing Vegeta felt he didn't need was the aid of Paragus, Zima, or Broly. The trio of Saiyans were treated with the utmost respect by the Saiyan King after being told of how they were wrongly judged by his father and exiled. King Vegeta, not knowing the full story, decided to show them as much hospitality as he possibly could in the final moments before the Saiyans' retribution.

Paragus, Zima, and Broly all dined on the fine meals that King Vegeta had provided for them courtesy of his butler. It had been years since Paragus or Zima had anything so good and Broly's first time with such a lavishing experience. Of course, Broly was the one who acted out most, drinking and eating everything in sight until his body was no longer able to take it.

The butler walked back and forth what felt like an eternity as their bottomless stomachs piled on course after course. Quite frankly, he was getting tired.

Seeing that Broly's slowed down in his eating, Paragus gulps down the wine in his glass and softly places it back on the table. Looking on, he sees Broly's soft eyes fluttering - as if he was in heaven. He hadn't seen his boy this content since...hell he didn't know when, but he couldn't care less.

"Broly," Paragus calls out. The sound of his name being called out by his father snaps Broly out his food trance and brings his undivided attention toward his elder. One look at Zima was all that was necessary to get the younger Saiyan to stop eating and listen on what the former colonel of the Saiyan army had to share.

"I've figured out how this is going to go; King Vegeta plans on shooting down all the men's ships as soon as they come. We already know that Prince Vegeta's loyalty lies with Freeza, so they're going to find some contingency plan in an effort to stomp the king. No matter what goes on, once the king is beat, the prince is next. We won't jump in as soon as the battle starts, though. We will stay in the background, observing, and watching the every move of Freeza's forces and the Saiyans. When I feel we've seen everything we've had to, we will go on to help Freeza before I see the opportunity fit to take down Prince Vegeta."

This takes Zima by surprise; evident as to how he nearly choked on his food as he swallowed down. "Wait, what? I thought the alliance with Prince Vegeta was something you happened to be totally okay with!"

"Content!?" Paragus hissed as he slammed his fist on the table, cracking it. His eyes averted to the side in order to ensure that the butler didn't overhear their conversation. When he felt that he was in the clear, Paragus lowered his voice, yet still spoke sternly. "Oh, no, there is nothing content about me killing Prince Vegeta or his father. The one target always happened to be the man who wrongfully exiled my son and I to some repugnant and inhospitable planet that he was meant to die on all those years ago. The sins of King Vegeta the Third falls directly onto his sons and his grandchildren...the brother of King Vegeta shall perish as well. All of Vegeta's bloodline needs to be taken down in order for true justice to be carried out. It's the only way."

Zima quieted down. Giving it some thought, the son of Zorn started to nod his head in approval. Paragus made some great sense with his words. He didn't see it that way but when the elder spoke it out for him, Zima couldn't help but agree. If the man who sent all three of them away couldn't pay, then his bloodline were the second best things. Total erasure of the Vegeta bloodline would have the old king crying in hell. He liked that picture.

"Fighting Vegeta doesn't feel right," Broly said, referring to the Prince. He actually liked him; Prince Vegeta was nice. Though he had the heart of a Saiyan warrior, he didn't appear to be as cold or as indifferent as the rest. He reminded him of himself; both with great potential but a soft spot deep down. His stomach turned at the thought.

"Broly…" Paragus growled subtly through his teeth. "I don't give a damn what feels wrong or right; at the end of the day I know what is. Killing Prince Vegeta and his family is the right thing to do - for us."

"But what about Freeza?" Zima asked. "I imagine he won't be very happy."

Paragus smiled. "Oh, I know he won't. Soldiers like to gossip in the Freeza Force; it turns out that our lord only holds a battle-power of 530,000...which is somehow readable by scouters. But my son's? The slightest rise out of him sends them breaking to bits. If Freeza can't stand down, then he will be put down as well...with the rest of them."

And that was the plan. Paragus' revenge was coming full circle. He thought he would never get this chance, but he held on to his hope and anger. It was the only thing that kept him going for so long. And now that he had his chance?

He had to go all out.

And so everyone's thoughts and ideas were set. And as everyone with plans, none of it comes out as imagined. But still...at the end of the day.

There had to be a winner.


Flame13H Review (Chapter 15) : I'm enjoying the story but I just have to say, why is common problem solving skills seen as prodigal thinking, saibamen's power level depend on the soil quality, so why are they acting like vegeta is smart for telling them to augment the soil, that was the most obvious solution, don't pat him on the back for that and act surprised! Their's a couple more but I'm not here to babble, Thanks for writing this and I'm deeply enjoying the story

Response: It's not the most amazing thought, you are right, as the solution is obvious, but it's just the point that despite the solution being so obvious, it had never been done in canon Dragon Ball. So for someone to come to the realization that the soil had to be genetically engineered in order to produce superior Saibaimen would have people go "Wow, how come we couldn't have thought of that?" It's one of those things that when brought to your attention, you feel ashamed for not thinking of it sooner, which makes it all the more amazing to those who really start thinking about it; that's all it is.