Dragonball Alternate Fates

by Jokermask18

An Au inspired by Masakox, Salad Saiyan, Smugstick, Daemon What if and others. It will show what happens when Buu's egg is hidden elsewhere, The original Bardock not only exists, but invades Kanassa sooner, and Goku lands on Kami's Lookout. Plus, What if certain villains reformed? What if Bulma and others actually trained? All this and more.

4. Bardock Saga Part 3

Chapter 3. Bardock Saga Part 3

Planet Vegeta,

Age 737

Colonel Paragus scowled as he walked through the streets of the Saiyan city, trying to avoid the gazes he got from onlookers. It was shameful for someone like him to be seen mingling with the low classes like this, especially now that he was tailless. He cursed the one called Bardock and the power he'd discovered on Planet Cereal. Thanks to that formerly third class oaf's fortune, King Vegeta had ordered that all Elites remove their tails and learn to master the Wrathful form for themselves. It was supposed be the one thing besides a Super Saiyan that would enable them to overthrow Frieza once and for all.

Paragus allowed these frustrations to show on his face as he arrived at his destination, the hideout of his daughter's street gang. He entered to find their so-called "leader", Caulifla, sitting on a makeshift throne and eating a chicken leg. She studied him for a moment and raised an eyebrow. "What the hell do you want now, old man?"

"Your brother Renso received a report of supplies being stolen from the local meat distribution center early this morning. He sent me here to inquire if you and your band had seen or heard anything that could be helpful to his investigation. The boy seems to think highly of your 'street smarts' as he calls them."

Caulifla said nothing at first and bit into her chicken leg, which looked very freshly cooked up close. "I dunno nothin' and who'd wanna steal that lousy food anyway? It tastes like crap and isn't any help in bulking up."

Paragus opened his mouth to reply, an insult on the tip of his tongue. Caulifla was part of an odd number of Saiyan children that had been born without tails over the past few years, her own elder brother being the first. They were scrawnier as well as comparatively gentler than most average Saiyans and looked down upon because of it. Even with the discovery of the Wrathful form, this had yet to change. People like Renso and new recruit Cabba seemed to use it as motivation, but this girl and her gang used it as excuses to disgrace themselves. Still, Paragus knew she was bothered by it deep down and knew of no better way to counter her insolence. He thought better of it and decided he had no time for that today. "The other reason I am here is my daughter. Where is Kale?"

Caulifla's expression suddenly softened and she turned to her head to the back of her throne. Paragus heard whispers being exchanged and a new figure stepped out from behind the chair. "Hello, Papa."

The Colonel studied the meek looking girl before him. He recalled the reports of her odd battle power at birth and how much potential she was said to have despite being one of the tailless. Now she was little more than a young punk's lapdog. What had happened to his noble bloodline?

"I've come because your mother is dead. She died giving birth to your brother a few days ago. His name is Broly. The doctors say we are to see him at once."

Kale only turned back to Caulifla, who nodded. "It will be okay, sis. Go and see the little turd. Who knows? He may be a worthwhile recruit some day."

…

Gine frowned as she attempted to calm the crying baby in her arms. Kakarotto was only days old and already proving a much bigger handful than Raditz ever was. She supposed it had something to do with the fact that he looked so much like his father.

It was at that moment that the man in question swooped down and landed on the lawn of her, a Saiyan pod in his arms. "Are you sure about this?" Gine felt foolish just for asking. Bardock's foresight made him sure of everything. It was how he'd gained King Vegeta's favor and earned the ability to take home a pod with no questions asked.

"Kakarotto is scheduled to be sent on his first mission in a few days anyway. He's meant to leave early and achieve great things for himself and our people. Trust me, this E-arth place will only do him good."

The third-class warrior suddenly heard a scoff in his head and scowled as he became aware of Toolo. The Kanassan had spoken up less and less as Bardock grew more accustomed to his visions, using them to his advantage when he could. The Beerus incident had resulted in complete silence for over a year. What did the bastard want now?

As usual Bardock, you are denying the truth of your curse. Your son will be unable to bring glory to a people who will soon be gone. Have you forgotten your very first vision?

Now it was Bardock's turn to scoff. He'd never forget what he'd seen Frieza do. It was why he'd spent the past few years plotting with King Vegeta and moving things into position to face the tyrant as soon as he returned from Planet Meat. A small army of Wrathful Saiyans would be more than enough to destroy the little reptile. It had to be.

Once that happened, it would only take a few years for Kakarotto to grow up and find E-arth's Dragonballs ,according to his father's vision. The wish made on them would turn the Saiyans into the conquerors they would've been if not for King Cold. They might even be able to become a whole race of Super Saiyans!

The smile such thoughts brought to Bardock's face stayed on as he took Kakarotto from Gine. Ignoring his wife's scowl over his presumed source of joy, he placed his son in the pod and set the coordinates. It was then that their eyes met and Bardock felt something pass between them that he couldn't place.

It would seem, Toolo remarked, that the boy has inherited your curse. I hope he learns far more from it than you. He may even truly benefit from it.

Bardock pondered this a moment, then shrugged. What did it matter? It just meant that someone else would be able to advise King Vegeta when he was gone.

The pod lifted off and Gine fell into her husband's embrace. "Why couldn't we have just sent him to Raditz? He would've kept his brother safe enough."

Bardock grunted dismissively. "Raditz is with the Prince where he belongs. Kakarotto is the one we should keep an eye on. Now that kid has some destiny."

…

Paragus wasn't sure what to expect when he was told he'd find Broly in the Elite Nursery. The boy floating in front of him looked pathetically average. Even Kale was unafraid to approach the nursing capsule. Nion was the only one who seemed to think differently.

"Your son's readings are truly extraordinary, Colonel. His power level actually fluctuates somewhere between nine hundred and ten thousand at any given time. Even Prince Vegeta never did that and he's a confirmed prodigy."

The older Saiyan scowled at the scientist's enthusiasm. "You told me something similar about my daughter some years ago. It was all a colossal joke! At least this one has a tail." Kale blushed with shame at her father's comments and turned away from Bloly, as though unwilling to meet her little brother's gaze.

Nion was undeterred and pulled out a measuring device. "I personally still have faith in our estimate of Kale, but see for yourself if you want proof." Paragus grumbled, but chose to humor the Saiyan scientist. He placed the device on the side of the capsule and watched the numbers skyrocket until It eventually exploded and sent Kale cowering behind her stunned father.

"We have to be careful not to upset him. The sound of Bardock's son crying seemed to trigger him especially. " Nion explained with a slight smirk. "If we hadn't moved him away from the boy when we did, who knows what would've happened?"

"Unbelievable! Does the King know about this!? Paragus asked, unable to contain whatever he was feeling at the moment. Was it pride, fear, or both?

"He does indeed, Colonel." King Vegeta himself stood at the door, flanked by a dozen guards. He wore a smile that failed to reach his eyes.

"Your son is to be sent to Planet Vampa to hone his amazing potential. His sister will be sent along to guide and train him." This news wiped the smile right off Paragus' face.

"What!? Vampa is a frontier world reserved for low-class trash. Frieza barely knows it exists! You would treat my son no better than Prince Tarble after all my years of service?"

King Vegeta scowled now, all pretense gone. "I don't like arguments! You should feel grateful that I included your daughter in this order. Has she not embarrassed you enough by associating with young hooligans? The less misfits we have the better."

"Do whatever you want with her! Broly could be a huge asset for both you and the Prince!" Paragus argued as guards moved to restrain him. He could see others out of the corner of his eye, handing Broly off to Kale and marching them both from the room.

"He could," King Vegeta acknowledged, " They both could ,but they will not. Bardock has assured me that your children will be far more dangerous than Frieza if left unchecked. I have learned to trust his judgment as of late and the fact that I don't outright kill them is a mercy you've yet to thank me for."

Hearing this set Paragus' teeth on edge "B-Bardock!? I…I…my life is ruined…because of a third class oaf!?"

The Colonel's aura burst forth in bright green, blowing back the guards that held him. He was taller and more muscular with spiked hair and yellow eyes, his teeth bared in a feral snarl. Paragus had finally achieved the Wrathful form.

King Vegeta seemed unphased. "Well done, Paragus. You're now worthy of joining me in the assault on Frieza…if you stand down at this very moment."

Paragus only let out a furious roar and charged towards his ruler, throwing a punch will all his new strength behind it. "Fool!" King Vegeta spat as he also became Wrathful and easily caught the punch. His grip tightened and the Colonel grit his teeth to avoid showing he was in pain.

The Saiyan monarch then proceeded to slam his own fist into Paragus' gut multiple times, each time using a bit more strength. He did this at least five times before head butting the Colonel with enough force to send him flying into Broly's former capsule. The impact created a huge crack in the glass before he slumped to the floor and fell back into his base form.

King Vegeta fought back the urge to finish the Colonel off and reverted to normal as well. He turned back to his guards. "Take Paragus to the wastelands and leave him there. He may consider himself dishonorably discharged."

…

Paragus awoke to the sight of ruins. More specifically, the ruins of the huts his ancestors had lived in during the days of the Tuffles. He was trapped in the wastelands and he hated it almost as much as he hated Vegeta and Bardock. Revenge, he thought, was the only reason to survive now.

The disgraced Colonel had just begun to crawl towards the most stable looking hut when the ship crashed down on top of it. None other than Caulifla emerged and stared down at him with hands on her hips. A non-warrior Saiyan named Beets was at the ship's controls. "Get up, old man. I've got a sister to save!"

…

Planet Meat,

Two days Later…

"Why did you do it, Dodoria!? Talk!" Bardock demanded as he held one of Frieza's top men by the throat with one hand. The other hand was being used to charge a Riot Javelin in case he failed to comply.

The pink warrior and a small team of Frieza Force goons had ambushed Bardock's squad after the completion of their latest mission. The fight had been terribly one-sided, but left the psychic Saiyan irritated just the same. He didn't need distractions when he and King Vegeta were so close to staging their coup.

"I was…I was just following orders!" Dodoria stammered, afraid for his life. This response was enough to catch Bardock off guard. It couldn't be, could it?

"What do you mean? Who ordered you to attack us?" The answer was obvious. Bardock knew this, but didn't want to admit it to himself.

"Who do you think? Frieza has been planning something like this ever since Cereal. He thinks you're all Super Saiyans, even though he won't admit it. I swear it's the truth!"

Dodoria's confession made the squad chuckle. Learning the Wrathful form from their leader had certainly made them feel like the Super Saiyan of legend, but none of them had ever really believed the ancient tale. Bardock himself remained silent, a vision coming upon him that was different from all the others he'd had. It was different because it was old. In fact, it was the first vision he'd ever had: Frieza destroying Planet Vegeta. Could it be…?

"Why does Frieza want us out of the way so badly? What does he know about King Vegeta's attack? Has he been spying on us!?"

"I don't know! All I know is that he's calling all Saiyans back to your world so he can wipe them all out in one go. He was told to do it by Beerus, but that's just an excuse. He's always hated you monkies!"

Dodoria's face fell when he realized what he'd said. "Uh…but not me! I'll gladly join you all in obliterating the little runt. He's nothing like his father. Just let me…AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Bardock swiftly hurled the fat pink warrior into the air and obliterated him with a Riot Javelin. He then turned to his squad with a grim expression on his face. "We have to get home and fast! Frieza may know everything."

...

Frieza's ship, that exact moment…

Frieza wanted to be angry when he heard Dodoria's attempted betrayal over his scouter but what would have been the point? He instead let out a tired sigh and turned towards his remaining aide. "It seems we've been found out, Zarbon. This Bardock must be dealt with in the way I'd originally planned: alert the Ginyu Force."

This made Zarbon look uneasy. "The Ginyu Force? Are you sure, sire? I'm almost certain I could handle it myself if I transform. Why waste the manpower?

Frieza scowled ever so slightly. "Are you questioning my orders?" Despite this equally calm tone, Zarbon became frightened and was quick to bow apologetically.

"No sire, forgive me. It's just that the squad has seemed somewhat…off lately. Haven't you noticed how they've been returning to base days later than expected after missions in recent months? Once more, there have been an usual number of reports saying that certain people such as women and children have escaped from them. Since when was Ginyu so sloppy?"

Frieza appeared to consider this a moment, but looked unconvinced. " My Lord," Zarbon persisted, "can you not see? They have changed ever since you sent them to eliminate that imposter a year ago and rumors have claimed he's been seen since. Could they have-?"

Frieza cut him by banging his fist on the arm of his hover-chair, "Enough! We do not speak of the imposter on this ship, nor do we entertain foolish notions like yours! Obey me now, Zarbon, or die!"

Zarbon sweat-dropped and began backing out of the room. "O-of course, Lord Frieza, at once!" The vain warrior ran to the communications center as fast as possible and did not look back. He cursed himself for daring to bring up the mysterious Frost. The only thing even more suicidal would've been bringing up Frieza's older brother, Cooler.

…

Planet Brench, at that same time…

"Tributes, line up!" The gruff voices of the Space Pirate crew reverberated through what remained of the small village, the latest to be pillaged in the last week. The surviving people meekly kept their heads down as they dropped their last few possessions into a rapidly growing pile in the village center, unwilling to make eye contact with those who oversaw the brutal transaction. The leader took note of this and laughed loudly.

"Come now, don't be like that. You think what we did was so bad?" He gestured to the destruction around them with a sweep of his arm. "This galaxy's crawling with folks far worse than us that wouldn't treat you nearly as well. There's the Crusher Corps, Lord Slug, and need I even mention Frieza?"

It was at that moment that a chubby female Brench-sejin with red skin and a long white ponytail pushed her way to the front of the tribute line. "Hey! You better hope Frieza doesn't hear about this, you wanker!"

The other villagers were shocked at the woman's boldness, but the pirates just laughed. The leader looked at her with a condescending sneer. "Is that so? What's your name, lady?"

The woman scowled and put her hands on her hips. "The name is Bonyu, mate, and my brother is a part of Frieza's elite unit, the Ginyu Force. That means we're safe from punks like you! Frieza takes good care of his employees and their families. You should see the dental plan."

Some members of the crowd began to mutter amongst themselves. Was it true? Would Frieza of all people really save them? Even the pirates began to look uncertain.

"Uh, Captain Doyoko, maybe we should think about this? I've heard stories about the Ginyu Force and they don't mess around. The last thing we need is to get on Frieza's bad side."

The pirate leader growled and punched his first mate in the face, knocking him to the ground. He sneered at the fallen crewmen before turning back to Bonyu and pointing a laser gun at her. "You think I'm scared of the Ginyu Force? They're just Frieza's personal ballet troupe! Besides, Frieza himself is probably just an overhyped, scrawny little-!"

A beam of ki suddenly fired from nowhere and vaporized Doyoko's weapon. He looked at his empty hand in shock before turning his attention skyward. A small cloaked figure was hovering above everyone with their still smoking finger pointed at him. The new arrival slowly landed in front of everyone and revealed he had a tail by thumping it on the ground.

Doyoko was enraged. "It looks like we have another tough guy in our midst. Just who do you think you are, pal!?" The figure slowly and almost dramatically flung his cloak off, making everyone's jaws drop.

"It…it can't be! It's Frieza himself! We're screwed!"

Bonyu, who'd been half-bluffing up to this point, wasn't so sure. Since when was Frieza blue? Since where did he wear pants and boots? Had it really been that long since she'd left?

"The name is Frost, my ruffian friend, and I'll thank you not to use such language in front of the children. I and my associates are here to thwart your abuse of this fine planet and it's people. I suggest you surrender for your own safety or else."

Dyoko actually looked unafraid. His crew couldn't decided if they admired or pitied him for that. "Yeah? Or else what!?"

"Or else this, you so called captain!" This new voice heralded the appearance of five new cloaked figures, each of different sizes, as they leaped and somersaulted over the crowd to land in front of Frost. They removed their cloaks in perfect unison as they posed.

"I'm…Recoome!"

"Guldo!"

"Burter!"

"Jeice!"

"Ginyu!"

The group now moved close together. "We are…the Ginyu Force!" Standing in the middle of this display, Frost looked a bit flustered and embarrassed. Bonyu mirrored his expression, but managed to smile at the sight of her twin brother.

Doyoko was trembling now. His crew couldn't tell if was from rage…or fear. "NO! I-I refuse to believe this! It's impossible!"

Frost glared at the pirate captain. "Impossible or not, we insist that you lay down your weapons and surrender at once!" Most of the pirates moved to obey, but Doyoko halted them with a glare of his own.

"You lot take orders from me and only me, got it!? And my orders are that we stand and fight!" Hearing this made Captain Ginyu chuckle.

"That's just fine by me, 'captain.' In fact, I'll take you on myself. We leaders must set a good example for our men."

Frost suddenly put his hand out and stopped Ginyu from going forward. "Do not waste your time on this ruffian, Captain. I will personally be the one to teach him some manners."

Ginyu looked put off by this. "But sir, what about-?" Frost cut him off with a laugh and charming smile.

"Don't worry, I'm fully prepared to earn the right." He held up a fist and Ginyu copied him after a moment. They began to play "rock, paper, scissors" to the crowd's bewilderment and Frost won after a minute or two.

"Don't fret, dear Ginyu. I still need you on the important task of guarding their ship, after all. You'll be able to put down anyone lucky enough to get past us." Frost said cheerfully while placing a hand on the Captain's shoulder.

Ginyu still looked unsure, but nodded and turned to address the rest of his squad. "Give 'em hell for me, men!" He then powered up and flew in the direction of the pirate vessel. Frost watched him go, completely unaware of Doyoko powering up and charging at him from behind.

"Go to hell, Frost!" The blow to the back of the head actually proved strong enough to send the Frieza look-alike flying into a ruined hut and make it collapse on top of him. It made Buyon even more suspicious and really regret no longer owning a scouter.

Doyoko was looking beyond smug and his crew was in awe. That was until Frost rose up from the wreckage, completely unharmed and dusting himself off. "Well done. You're much more powerful than you look. It's been quite a while since I've had to resort to this."

Frost began powering up and the ground started to shake, causing everyone to struggle to keep standing. He slowly began transforming into a slightly taller, uglier state. It made the glare he gave Doyoko even more harsh.

"This is my Assault Form, gentlemen. I so wish I did not have to reveal it in front of these poor children like this. For forcing me to potentially scar them as you have, I feel no pity for what you most now endure. Show no mercy, Ginyu Force!"

Recoome was the first one to attack, grinning sadistically as he flew straight towards them. "I hear you guys like ballet? Me too!" The red-haired brute proceeded to tear into the pirates with various types of kicks.

Meanwhile, Burter sped along, mowing down opponents before they could even blink. Jeice watched from above while charging his signature Crusher Ball, only to see a much larger and faster version of his attack crash down on his targets out of nowhere. He looked to see Buyon floating across him and smirked.

"Hey there, sis. How you been? I see you still got a wicked pitch. Even I still can't throw like you can."

Buyon simply smirked. "What did you expect, brother? There a reason that Captain Ginyu recruited me first."

Jeice almost scowled at the hated reminder, but let it slide. He was just happy to see his sibling. "Speakin' of which, the Captain wants you to know that the offer to rejoin is still on the table. You'd fit right in during our newest routine."

Buyon's expression soured. "Forget it! I quit the Ginyu Force because of all those stupid routines and posing. And you know your friend Burter creeps me out."

Jeice sweat-dropped. "Right then, how 'bout just a spot on the softball team? Burter told me he wants to quit."

A laser blast from below suddenly shot between the two siblings and cut off Buyon's reply. Jeice scowled and hurled his Crusher Ball at the offender before he and his sister swooped down to do even more damage to the ones still standing.

Guldo's opponents were the only ones not intimidated by him, actually smirking as they approached unarmed. "Ha! What are you gonna do, squirt? Breath on us?"

Another pirate chuckled. "Don't give him any ideas, please. I can smell that breath of his from over here. I guess that explains why Frieza recruited him."

Guldo reddened with anger as their laughter continued and he proceeded to unleash his psychic powers. The pirates found themselves unable to move, their faces contorted in sudden shock. The mutant Boulean scoffed as he took in the sight of them. "You punks are lucky we were ordered not to kill anyone or else I might have skewered you for those wisecracks. Instead, I'll do this!

Guldo proceed to dart around the two paralyzed pirates as quickly as he could, hitting them multiple times. It wasn't long before he ran out of breath however and his psychic hold was lost. Luckily, the two pirates were very weak and collapsed in a heap before him. "Let that…be a lesson…to you."

A new, more childish laugh rang out as Guldo gasped for breath. He turned around and saw two children staring at him. He scowled in return and prepared to paralyze them as well, or worse. What the boss didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

Then the girl of the pair ran up and hugged the mutant Boulean. This surprised Guldo, but not as much as when her brother began applauding him. A blush soon entered his cheeks and he slowly smiled, giving the boy a thumbs up.

…

Ginyu scowled as he imagined the fun his men were having without him. Working with Frost was rewarding, but the guy could be a killjoy when it came to battles. He never let Ginyu or anyone else face the strongest pirates on these missions and for what? It wasn't like they ever had bodies worth stealing.

"Captain Ginyu, come in. Do you read me, Captain?" Ginyu paled at the voice coming from his scouter. It was the one person he ever feared finding out about his "side job."

"Captain Ginyu here, Master Frieza. What can I do for you?" The purple mutant hated his own respectful tone.

Despite how loyal he acted towards King Cold's youngest son, Ginyu found the Emperor to be a poor replacement for his retired father. There was no honor in the way Frieza conducted business. Taking over planets was one thing, but senseless slaughter was another. Sometimes, the little brat would just blow up a world from space without giving anyone a fighting chance!

Then there was the way he treated his army. The Ginyu Force especially had lost much of the dignity they'd had when serving under King Cold, who had always seen their routines as the high art they were meant to be. Frieza couldn't even make time for a simple dance of joy these days.

Ginyu had to admit that it was loyalty alone that kept him in the Frieza Force these days and even that had it's limit. He'd almost reached it on the day his team first encountered Frost. Every last one of them had been easily beaten by their emperor's impersonator and he made it clear he was holding back the entire time. A desperate attempt to change bodies was just as effortlessly thwarted by his Assault Form.

Frost had proven himself Frieza's equal in so many areas, and even seemed to be far stronger, that Ginyu expected nothing less than execution right then and there. He was instead shocked as the Frieza impersonator used one of his squad's scouters in order to fake his own death and spare them the Emperor's wrath. He'd then complimented them on their power and teamwork before inviting them to put both to what he called "better use" alongside himself and his partner.

Ginyu still didn't know what possessed him to accept the offer, especially after finding out who Frost's partner was. He'd betrayed the man for the chance to create the Ginyu Force after all. He'd never regret his team, but he hated having to face his old boss even more that hated having to work with the other team Frost used. Hadn't he originally left so he wouldn't have to deal with that insufferable-?

"Ginyu! Are you listening, Captain!?" Frieza's shout pulled the purple mutant's mind back to the present and he hurriedly responded.

"Yes sir! Apologies, my Lord, it seems we have some atmospheric interference. Let me move somewhere else."

Without thinking, Ginyu abandoned his post and went behind the ship. "Now, what can I do for you, my Lord?" Frieza proceeded to spend the next minute ranting about Planet Vegeta and rumors of a psychic Saiyan preparing to rebel. The words caused a plan to slowly form in the purple mutant's mind.

"Yes sir, I understand. Consider it done. We'll leave right away. Captain Ginyu, over and out."

The moment the purple mutant ended his call, he heard the rumblings of an engine behind him and realized his mistake. He turned just in time to see the pirates' ship take flight.

"No! Those scumbags can't escape, so swears Captain Ginyu!" The purple mutant struck yet another pose and took to the air in pursuit of his targets.

It was then that another voice spoke up on the scouter and made him halt in mid-air. "Do not bother, mon capitaine. Leave this to les professionels."

…

Frost chuckled to himself as he traded blows with Doyoko and watched the pirate leader slowly begin to grow dizzy. It seemed that his poisoned needle implants were in proper working order and made holding back so much power a worthwhile risk. He just wished his partner hadn't insisted on the Ginyu Force joining them on this outing. The clowns had their uses, particularly when it came to gathering intel on Frieza, but they could ruin everything just by Ginyu attempting a body swap.

Doyoko shook off his dizziness and attacked again, only to be stopped by one of Frost's Chaos Beams. It had a bit more power behind it than he expected. " Watch it! Do you have to look so convincing for these clowns!?"

The pirate leader gestured below to the village they now hovered over. Their current altitude was just enough to keep anyone from overhearing them "talk business" with each other. Frost simply scoffed at his concerns. "I think you can afford a little realism, my friend, especially considering how large your cut will be when this job is done."

Doyoko responded by charging up a ki blast in his hand. Before he could fire it, he caught sight of something that made his jaw drop. "What the hell!? That's my ship!"

"It seems you've been betrayed. I guess you should've let your crew in on the plan, eh?" Frost said casually, not bothering to hide his amusement. The pirate leader merely poured his newfound anger into his ki attack and opened fire on his secret partner. Frost easily dodged and attacked again with a very Frieza-like gin on his face.

…

I can't believe we left that tribute behind! What the hell were you thinking, Averice!? Doyoko will have all our asses for this!"

This sharp rebuke came from Rapicity, the pirate crew's sole female member, and was directed at it's newly elected leader. Averice had also chosen to retain his position as pilot and was too focused on keeping the ship airborne to actually acknowledge this harsh criticism. This only served to anger Rapacity even further.

"Hey! Are you listening to me, you traitor!?" This particular word managed to get Averice's attention and he turned to his new subordinate with what he hoped was an intimidating glare.

"What was that, Rap? You got somethin' you wanna share?" The female pirate replied with an unimpressed scoff.

"You heard me! Not only did you abandon a great haul, you left our boss to fend for himself down there. He's practically fighting Frieza himself for us and this is how you repay him!?"

Now it was Averice's turn to scoff. "Trust me, babe, our so-called leader only fights for himself and if he's stupid enough to pick a fight with Frieza or whoever that is, he's on his own. No haul is worth…that?"

Three new figures suddenly descended in front of the ship, forcing it to halt in mid-air. All of them wore some rather familiar armor and scouters, which sent Rapicity into a panic. "Oh my God! There's more Ginyu Force members than we thought!"

This made one of the newcomers, another Brench-sejin with dark blue skin and short blonde hair, scoff. "The Ginyu Force? I think not, mademoiselle. You are in the illustrious presence of…Cooler's Armored Squadron!"

The trio struck their own poses before launching themselves at the ship and crashing through the windshield. Averice soon found himself seized by the throat and hoisted into the air to lock eyes with the blue Brench-sejin. An aura of ki ignited around one of the latter's forearms and ended in a point.

"How do you do? My name is Salza and I strongly suggest you land this ship and surrender. I can promise you that the alternatives will be far less pleasant if you do not comply."

Salza's voice was calm and even polite, though he held his ki blade to Averice's throat while he spoke. The pirate immediately became flustered and shouted to his comrades. "DON'T JUST STAND THERE, MORONS! BLAST THESE FREAKS!"

The crew obeyed and drew their lasers. Salza gave them a brief glance before nodding to his own teammate. "Neiz?"

The Zalt-sejin of the trio grinned and proceeded to blast the pirates with a wave of pink electricity. All except Rapicity and a pirate named Acquiso were instantly knocked unconscious. Salza nodded in approval before turning to his other teammate. "Dore?"

Rapicity and Acquiso paled when they heard the name, recognizing it as only fans of the Galactic Pro Wrestling League would. The lumbering Beppa-sejin was infamous for killing every opponent he faced and had killed even more before being exiled. Even the Galactic Patrol was afraid to confront him.

The green giant laughed at his opponents' reactions to his name and lumbered towards them, not even flinching as they blasted him. He reached Acquiso first and downed the pirate with his infamous Thruster Kick move. Seeing this made Rapicity scream and back away in fear. "Y-y-you wouldn't hurt a lady, would you?"

Dore snorted. "You're no lady." This was all he said before placing her in a bear-hug. He had only just started to apply pressure when she went limp in his arms.

Salza caught sight of this and his eyes narrowed dangerously. "You'd better hope she just fainted on you, Dore. You know how Lord Cooler despises unnecessary killing."

The rogue wrestler grunted dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, I hear ya. She's fine, I swear. Cooler's been helping me refine my holds when we train in exchange for learning a few moves. It's just like when you taught him your blade thingy."

This was all proving too much for Averice. "Enough of this! Who exactly are you freaks and who the hell is Cooler!?"

It was at that moment that the pirate caught sight of a new figure floating outside the ship. He was a large purple reptilian in what looked like white armor. When he was finally noticed by Salza, the Brench-sejin bowed while still maintaining his grip on Averice. "It's good to see you, Lord Cooler. Will you be joining Lord Frost in battle?"

The newly identified Cooler grunted dismissively as he floated onboard the ship. "He doesn't need me for this job, or so he says. I apparently was too rough on my last opponent for his liking. Speaking of which, who is your friend, Salza? Is he the pilot of this vessel?"

Salza sneered and inched his ki blade just a bit closer to Averice's throat. "Oui, my lord, or so I thought. He has yet to comply with my request to land. Do you suppose he's forgotten how?"

Cooler looked thoughtful. "Anything's possible I suppose. What say we give him a hand?"

The mysterious and rather Frieza-like figure proceeded to fire off a ki blast powerful enough to destroy the ship's engines. Alarms began blaring all throughout the cockpit, competing to be heard over Averice's scream as the vessel began rapidly plummeting towards the surface of Brench. Cooler remained stoic as he turned his attention towards a side door. "Let's get out of here."

Salza nodded and, still holding his captive, walked over to his leader. Cooler proceeded to mimic the Brench-sejin by creating a ki blade around his arm and together, they sliced off the side door.

"After you." Cooler insisted rather politely as he stepped aside and allowed Salza to fly off with Averice. Dore and Neiz soon followed after, carrying the unconscious forms of Rapicity and Acquiso respectively.

Cooler himself stayed behind to tend to the remaining pirates, attempting to lift them all up with telekenisis. He wasn't used to doing this on large groups, but he knew he had no choice. Too many would die needlessly if he attempted otherwise.

But despite his conviction, King Cold's eldest son saw his efforts come up short. Even lifting up a single body was taking up more time than he could presently afford. Damn it! I…I can't do it! I'm too new to these skills, haven't practiced them long enough. I can't just use it when needed, not like him!

Thinking of his brother's natural talent always sparked a rage in Cooler and pushed him to break his own limits. But as the ship plummeted down faster and faster, he knew this time that would not be enough. Cursing again, he stopped attempting to lift the unconscious pirate and slippedinto a power-up stance.

I've practiced this even less, but it looks like it's the only way now. My one regret is that neither Frieza or father is here to witness it. With these thoughts running through his head, Cooler let out a scream as he powered up. What happened next was a painful process that he doubted the rest of his family would've been able to endure.

Aside from his more merciful nature, Cooler had always been looked down upon by his family for lacking their natural immense power. From a young age, he needed training in order to grow strong and reach anything close to what was expected of him. The fact that he grew to like it only made him fall further in their eyes.

The worst of it came when Cooler mastered his power to such a degree than he no longer needed transformations to suppress or control it. It had been so long that he himself no longer had any idea what his other forms looked like or how many he'd needed compared to his brother. All he knew was that no longer needing them was the ultimate disgrace to his father, an indicator of a set limit that no son of King Cold should possess. He was stripped of his inheritance and made a mere enforcer for the Cold Force, sent to destroy worlds that were deemed unfit to either annex or sell. All he had left then was a small quartet of underlings, one ship, and a single barren planet to use as a base. Eventually, one of those underlings, Ginyu, left him to work for Frieza.

But Cooler never stopped trying to better himself, even after abandoning his family to work with Frost. It was through his constant training and determination that he eventually achieved what was once thought impossible for his clan: a new form that brought power out instead of suppressing it. This would be his first time actually using it and only his second time transforming since he'd achieved it.

Even though the process was agonizing, Cooler felt a sense of pride when it finally ended and he could look himself over a moment, actually smiling right before a visor slid over his mouth to complete his new look. He then tried his telekinesis again and found himself able to lift everyone off the ground with barely any effort! Could even Frieza have done as much?

"Now this," Cooler chuckled to himself in a much deeper voice, "this is power!" He blasted out of the crashing ship with seconds to spare, his prisoners floating behind him all the way. They landed far less gracefully than him moments later before an awed Armored Squadron.

"Is that…? Dore gasped out, even as Neiz was too slack-jawed to reply. Salza eventually stepped forward and tried to look calmer than he actually felt. He was the only one who knew something of his master's efforts to ascend, had seen his intense studies of his fabled ancestor, Blizzor and even the legend of the Super Saiyan to find what he needed. This seemed beyond what either of them expected.

"Well done, my lord." Cooler favored his subordinate with a nod that said more than he let on. An explosive flash suddenly drew everyone's attention to the sky and they looked to see Frost slowly descending to the ground, an unconscious Doyoko cradled gently in his arms.

Cooler took the opportunity to power down before his partner was close enough to see him. The Ascended Form was meant to be his own personal secret, something he could use on the day he finally confronted his family or met anyone else who gave him trouble. There was also something deep down that told him Frost didn't need to know everything about him. He sometimes wondered if he even knew how strong Frost really was.

"That took you long enough. For a moment, I was thinking you might have had to use your true form against him." Frost's expression turned grim despite his partner's joking tone. The last time that he had been forced to go beyond his Assault Form, his opponent had been killed. Cooler may have believed in mercy but he was more than willing to end his enemies if he deemed it necessary. It was one of many things that the two partners debated endlessly over.

Before another such debate could begin, the Ginyu Force arrived with the rest of the pirates in tow. Seeing this made Frost and Cooler immediately switch dispositions. Captain Ginyu himself was the only one who really noticed.

"Well done to all of you. I trust you all found this mission to be a worthwhile endeavor? Would you even say it gave you a sense of…nobility?"

Cooler fought hard not to roll his eyes at his partner's speech. He'd heard it himself years ago when he first met Frost and kept hearing it every time someone new joined their cause. It was so ridiculous that, to this day, he was sometimes shocked that he agreed to work with him. There was something almost…insincere about the whole thing.

But before Frost could speak further, Ginyu cut him off. "I know what you're going to say, Frost, but the answer is still no. Frieza has given us too much to throw it all away to do charity work. You're quite lucky we haven't reported you yet, you know."

The purple mutant then turned to his men with a neutral expression. "Jeice, say goodbye to your sister and meet us at our pods. Frieza wants us on Planet Vegeta."

Jeice nodded and the group scattered without another word. Frost sighed in disappointment. "What a shame. I had so hoped we'd gotten through to them after all this time."

Salza scoffed. "That's typical Ginyu for you, Monsieur Frost. He has no loyalty except to those who can give him what he desires. He's even given up on his own body more times than anyone can count! Trust me, I know."

As his right-hand man began to tell the story of how he beat Ginyu for leadership of the Armored Squadron when the latter still had his original body and started him on his body stealing craze, Cooler instead focused on the actions of Ginyu himself. He had a feeling that the purple mutant was being directly influenced by Frieza. Could the arrogant little brat finally be getting suspicious?

While pondering his next move, King Cold's eldest son was roused from his thoughts by the cheers of oncoming villagers. While he and the Armored Squadron stepped back and avoided the oncoming adoration like always, Frost had already powered down from his Assault Form and was ready to greet his public, especially the children. Cooler couldn't help but think that Ginyu and his men were the same and recalled how eager they had been to pose for pictures with the crowd on their last outing with them. It almost made him smile to think of it. It also made him certain that somehow, some way, he would be working with those clowns again someday.

…

"What's up, Captain? You've been actin' weird ever since you got back from guardin' the ship." Jeice said to his leader the moment that he was back with his squad. Being Ginyu's second-in-command had always managed to afford him some level of directness.

"Yeah," Guldo piped up, "and why couldn't we just accept Frost's offer this time? We've all heard it about five time now and we've been considering it anyway. Who knows how long it will be before Frieza's done with us?"

A smirk slowly crossed Ginyu's face as he knelt down to Guldo's eye level. "We'll know before long, little buddy. All we have to do is follow my plan."

…

Planet Vegeta, the royal palace…

King Vegeta III stood before his assembled forces, his face stoic in spite of the great confidence he felt. "You are the finest warriors within the Elite class. As of late, you have further proven yourself by being part of the select few to achieve the Wrathful form, the natural evolution of our ancestral power. It is through this power that we will defeat our great enemy and rescue your prince, my son, who remains his captive. Today is the day that Frieza falls and a new Saiyan empire rises in his place!"

They had just finished the traditional salute when the king's advisor, Zorn, came in. "Your majesty, we're receiving word from Bardock. He claims it's urgent."

King Vegeta barked a laugh. "Pay that low-class scum no mind, Zorn. His foresight has served my purposes long enough. Now, the time has come to strike!"

So saying, the Saiyan Monarch and his elites assumed power-up stances. They all let out savage yells as they entered the Ikari form simultaneously. The force of the combined transformations made the whole palace tremor.

…

Somewhere in space…

"King Vegeta, come in! Do your read me your majesty!? We may have a situation!"

A few minutes passed with no response. Bardock cursed and tore his scouter off in a rage. All these years of planning, all the times his foresight had kept the old bastard from making a fool of himself, and now he's ignored!?

The psychic saiyan could feel himself entering Ikari when a new vision came to him, a brief glimpse of King Vegeta dying at Frieza's hand. This was enough to calm the feeling of betrayal stirring in Bardock's gut and put a smile of grim satisfaction on his face. Good riddance, you useless old bastard! Your son will be twice the man you are anyway!

…

Planet Vegeta, the capital city, some time later…

The sight of Bardock and his now famous squad entering the tavern was enough to make everyone take notice. While many hated the low class soldier for his unnatural gifts and the favor he supposedly held with the king, even more admired and even lusted after him. He knew he would have to use that for all it was worth here.

"Everyone, listen! Frieza has betrayed us all! He's on his way right now to destroy this entire planet!"

This news shocked the entire tavern into silence. It was almost an eternity before one Saiyan, an obvious non-warrior type, nervously responded. "W-wh-what can we do? There's no way all us can escape before he gets here!"

This response brought a sneer to Bardock's lips. "Escape!? Saiyans don't retreat, no matter what! We stand and fight! I know a good lot of you have learned to use the Wrathful form despite King Vegeta's efforts to limit it to the higher ranked. Those that can, follow us. The rest of you can stay behind for all I care!"

Everyone, even the non-warriors, rose from their seats. Bardock gave a satisfied nod and began to lead everyone outside. They had barely made it through the door when five new Attack Balls crashed in front of them. The squad that emerged from them was almost as famous as Bardock's for very different reasons.

"Not so fast, Saiyans! You'll go nowhere until you deal with…the Ginyu Force!" The group took the time to strike their trademark pose before getting down to business. "Which one of you is Bardock?"

Bardock stepped forward with an annoyed look on his face. This was partially because he hadn't foreseen this in any of his recent visions. Surprises were rare for him these days and always served as an inconvenience when they occurred. He would never dare admit that they also frightened him.

"I'm Bardock. What the hell do you clowns want?" Captain Ginyu frowned slightly at this response, then stepped forward.

"Master Frieza doesn't like the way you've been stirring up nasty rumors about him. I don't suppose we could just politely ask you to stop?" There was something almost the purple mutant's tone that seemed almost genuine. Bardock figured he must have imagined it.

Rather than respond, the psychic Saiyan turned to his followers. "Transform and go face Frieza. I'll join you as soon as I'm finished with this bunch. Toma, you're in charge until then."

Bardock's oldest fried nodded and seconds later, the Ginyu Force found themselves blown backwards through the air from the force of multiple transformations. They eventually crashed into a building on the other side of the city, the bodies in a heap and their scouters destroyed. It was almost as bad as fighting Frost.

Bardock leisurely floated down in front of them a few moments later. He looked utterly bored as he began charging another Riot Javelin in his hand. "I'll make this quick. I'm late for an important meeting with your boss."

Captain Ginyu began to gasp and cough, trying to force out some kind of reply. Bardock almost looked amused and leaned in close. "Come again?"

The corners of Captain Ginyu's bloody mouth suddenly twitched into a weak grin. "Change…now!" There was a brilliant flash and suddenly, Bardock found himself on the ground, staring up at himself as he prepared to fire his Riot Javelin.

"What the hell!?" Bardock responded to his own exclamation with a sinister chuckle. He now sounded very much like Captain Ginyu.

"Well, this body isn't quite as strong as I thought, but it will do nicely enough and these psychic powers will certainly give me a leg up. I don't suppose you'd tell me how they work before I-?" Bardock then watched his own face contort in a strange way. He'd been told that this was how he looked when having a vision.

After a long moment, Ginyu-in-Bardock's body turned red with anger. His borrowed eyes seemed to flash yellow for a brief second as he cursed. "Frieza, you bastard! How could you!?"

He then looked down at his squad with a stern expression on his borrowed face. "On your feet, men! We have work to do if we want to help these Saiyans escape what's coming."

Bardock-in-Ginyu's body watched in confusion as Ginyu-in- Bardock's body extended a hand to help up each member of his squad, then directed them to various parts of the city. The strangest thing of all was when the body snatcher used Bardock's own face to smile more apologetically at him than the psychic Saiyan had ever done in his life. "I'm really sorry about this. I swear that your body will just be a loaner until we're done here. I'd take you along, but I doubt you'd be much help, given the shape I'm in."

That was all that was said before Ginyu-in-Bardock's body powered up and took his leave. The actual Bardock watched him go, confused and in too much pain to do anything else. He barely understood what was happening at that moment. All he could muster was "What the hell!?"

…

What the hell!? Frieza thought the minute that the explosion rocked his ship, the noise muffling up many of his soldiers' death cries. What could possibly be happening now that he was mere moments away from wiping the blight of the Saiyans off the face of the universe!?

Zarbon ran in a moment later, looking rather panicked. "Sire, it's King Vegeta! He's leading his Elites straight here and plowing through every single one of our defenses! Our troops onboard are falling fast!"

Frieza scowled. "Impossible! King Vegeta and his soldiers are no match for anyone on this ship! His son has already surpassed him at the age of five!"

Before Zarbon could respond, the door was blown open and Frieza's quarters was flooded with eerie green light. King Vegeta and his elites stormed in with yellow eyes gleaming evilly and wearing savage expressions. "Where…is…my…son…Frieza!?" The Saiyan monarch's voice was a throaty growl and it seemed as if he struggled to get the words out.

If Frieza was intimidated, it didn't show. "Which one? If you mean the Prince, I sent him on a combat assignment a while ago. You should be thankful he's not here to witness your sorry conduct. Zarbon, please show these monkies how guests on my ship should behave."

Zarbon hesitated, looking back and forth between his master and prospective opponents. Frieza's gaze sharpened and he soon made his choice. Turning towards the Saiyans, the vain warrior proceeded to change into his Monster Form. King Vegeta responded with a loud roar and charged straight towards him.

The two began exchanging blows and Zarbon was honestly surprised to find himself quickly gaining the edge. King Vegeta fought in an unusually aggressive manner that made his technique sloppy and his defense non existent. The vain warrior eventually managed to send the Saiyan monarch into the air and follow him to perform his Bloody Dance combo move. He followed this up with a Shooting Star Arrow after knocking King Vegeta back down to earth. He grinned savagely at the smoke cloud he'd created before turning back to his leader.

"Did you see that, Lord Frieza? I did it! Perhaps we were wrong about the-?"

Zarbon was cut off by King Vegeta's fist piercing through his chest armor. The Saiyan Monarch's armor was cracked and his cape had been destroyed, be he himself was virtually unphased. His opponent took in this sight with a mix of horror and pain before he was completely obliterated by King Vegeta's Execution Beam. Frieza chuckled after a moment.

"Well now, I dare say that was impressive, Vegeta. Your son would be proud if he could see you now. Sadly, my scouter says you're only a match for Captain Ginyu in this new form of yours. If you surrender now, I'll consider giving you his position. He won't be around much longer anyway."

King Vegeta simply growled and charged his nemesis once again. Frieza took every blow without flinching, ducking only once to deliver his own punch to the Saiyan monarch's stomach. This single attack knocked King Vegeta out of his Wrathful form and to the floor, barely clinging to life.

"It…it…can't be! Not after all-!" The Saiyan Monarch's last words were cut off by a Death Beam to the heart, ending him completely. Frieza gave the new corpse a bored look before turning his attention to the enraged Elites, all of whom attacked at once.

Their savagery and numbers actually overwhelmed King Cold's youngest son and forced him to power up into his second form. The Wrathful Saiyans were pushed back a bit by the force of the transformation, but did not lose their advantage. This enraged Frieza enough to began powering up again and blow them all backwards. Those that weren't knocked out when they struck the wall were greeted by the sight of his furious looking third form.

"You monkies should feel proud of yourselves. It's been quite a long time since anyone pushed me this far. Unfortunately for you, it will be your last great accomplishment!"

Frieza fired off a flurry of Death Beams from his fingers, each one hitting their target. The sight of so many dead Saiyans calmed him a bit, but the fact that he'd needed to transform twice still vexed him. He had to wipe the lot of then out now before they managed to form an army. Who knew what could happen if they-?

Frieza's whole ship suddenly began to shake and he turned his attention towards the view outside. It just couldn't be what he thought it was! To his horror, he saw even more Wrathful Saiyans, each one firing an energy attack straight at the ship. The combined power of the assault was not only pushing the vessel away from Planet Vegeta, but would eventually destroy it.

King Cold's youngest son knew he would most likely survive if this happened, but felt a stab of panic all the same. This soon turned into renewed anger that sent his body into his final transformation. As his current form began to crack open, Frieza's ship was finally overcome by the Saiyans' attack and engulfed in a bright flash. There was nothing left when it faded.

This sight stunned the Saiyans so much that they fell out of the Ikari state and just stared in open-mouthed shock for what seemed like an eternity. Toma was the first to break the silence. "We…did it? We've won?" His confusion slowly changed to outright elation as he turned to his allies.

"WE DID IT, EVERYONE! FRIEZA IS DEAD! WE'RE FREE AND IT'S ALL THANKS TO BAR-!" Toma slumped over dead as a Death Beam pierced his heart from behind, his body continuing to float in space.

Frieza in his final, true form soon floated into view before them. They recognized him from the hate in his crimson red eyes. His face was drawn into an ugly sneer. "Who's next?"

…

Ginyu felt strangely nervous as the Saiyans' meat distribution center came into view. Evacuation had been a challenge with his men being injured, but wearing Bardock's face had thus far given him a level of influence and respect that he honestly never expected. Why did this feel like it would be so much so much more difficult?

He motioned for his men to wait outside and entered the center while trying to look at ease. He exchanged pleasant nods with those that knew Bardock and let them point the way towards his intended target. She was alone, in a secluded part of the center, and looked harmless enough, so why was he still so nervous?

"Um…Gine? May we speak? It's kind of important."

Bardock's wife turned away from the meat she was cleaving and looked at Ginyu in surprise, then annoyance. "What are you doing here? I thought you said that you didn't want me 'distracting' you now that everything was 'coming together'.

Ginyu sweat-dropped at her obvious anger. "Well, yes, darling, but things have changed. Why don't we discuss it at home?"

Gine's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You never call me that. And what's wrong with your voice? Are you…?" The Saiyan woman suddenly gasped. "You're not Bardock! Who are you!?"

Ginyu found himself smirking in spite of himself. He quickly went into one of his best solo posing routines without missing a beat. "Well, since you asked, I happen to only be borrowing your husband's body at the moment. I'm actually the infamous, illustrious, legendary Captain Gin-!"

The Captain's routine was cut off by a swipe of Gine's meat cleaver, which he just barely dodged. "Um…I gather you're not a fan of the routine?" Gine growled in response, her eyes flashing yellow and her muscles swelling in size. Ginyu gulped. "Oh no."

Some minutes later, every Saiyan in the meat distribution center was greeted by the sight of the famous Bardock being chased by his wife's armed Wrathful form. This included security guards Leek and Taro, who had served with a young Bardock on his father's squad many years ago. Their eyes widened as their old comrade darted past them.

"Was that…?" Leek hesitantly began to ask. Taro couldn't shake his head fast enough.

"No way. The day that Bardock runs from a fight will mean it's the end of the world." Leek didn't answer. Something made him unable to.

…

"A little help here, men!?" Ginyu yelped as he burst outside with his intended quarry still in pursuit. Guldo was the first to respond, paralyzing the enraged Gine as quickly as he could. This took a bit more effort than usual thanks to his injured state.

None the less, Ginyu believed he was now safe and turned on his heel to cockily saunter towards the frozen Saiyan woman. "Excellent! She fell right into my trap as planned. I could've handled her of course, but this method is far more humane."

Ginyu wasn't about to tell his men that Gine was most likely far stronger than him in her current state for whatever reason. It bothered him that he couldn't tap into Bardock's full power for some reason. How was the Saiyan so different from everyone else he'd switched with? Was it his psychic powers?

Visions flashed before the captain's borrowed eyes even as he thought about this. He saw Frost on an odd green planet staring down what looked to be Frieza, but with a chestnut shaped head. He saw a blue-haired humanoid girl in battle armor looking at what she called a "Dragon Radar" on a wrist com and pointing at something. Lastly, he saw two golden furred Oozaru that shrank and transformed into strange looking Saiyans that were covered in crimson red fur. One of them bore a resemblance to Bardock and Ginyu wondered very briefly if he was seeing his own future, but he knew better.

It was at that moment that Guldo spoke up: "C-C-Captain! I'm sorry, but I…I…can't!" The psychic mutant passed out from exhaustion and Gine was free from his paralysis technique. She moved swiftly and nearly brought her cleaver down on Ginyu's borrowed head when Burter suddenly darted forward and grabbed her tail.

The female Saiyan yelped in pain and collapsed on the ground, falling out of Wrathful form. Ginyu gulped at this close call and flashed Burter a nervous smile. "Cutting it a little close there, eh soldier?"

…

No one wanted to be the first to speak as the Ginyu Force flew back to retrieve Ginyu's old body with the unconscious Gine in tow. However, the Captain's new body suddenly let him read minds, at least partially, and he knew what they wanted to ask. "I know I planned to take this body so we could be one step ahead of Frieza, but it's simply too late for that. He's already prepared to let us die and would have just blown us up even if we had obeyed orders and killed Bardock. We have no choice but to escape from him while we still can."

Jeice looked at his leader and nodded as if he understood. "Okay, but why do all this? Why not just take the Bardock bloke's body and have us clear out instead of helpin' more Saiyans survive? It's not like these damned dirty apes have ever done us any favors."

Ginyu simply shrugged. "It just wasn't meant to be, Jeice." No one had anything more to say after that.

…

The group soon arrived back at the capital and approached the spot where Bardock-in-Ginyu's body had been left. The place had been near deserted before and they'd believed he'd be safe until their return. The last thing they expected was to find him gone.

Ginyu was the first to land and began looking around in a panic. "No! This wasn't supposed to happen! Damn it! Where's a working scouter when you need one!?"

The irate captain turned to his squad. "You all fan out and find the Saiyan with my body asap! He couldn't have gotten far with his…I mean my injuries!"

Before anyone could respond, Gine began to stir in Recoome's arms. "Um…Captain? We may have another problem very soon."

Three of the Ginyu members tensed up. They could easily imagine her going Ikari again and attacking all of them. The Captain could too, but he was too flustered to care.

"Forget her! If I don't switch back with Bardock and soon, we may never get to…!" Ginyu stopped mid-rant as even more angry thoughts suddenly entered his head that weren't his own. He was reading minds again and one that was very close by to boot. He slowly turned and saw his old body charging towards him, a furious look on his face.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Bardock-in-Ginyu's body roared, purple ki blazing around him. It was as if he'd somehow managed to go Ikari despite technically not being a Saiyan any longer. The sight was more than enough to get the Captain to act swiftly.

"Change…now!" One bright flash later, a restored Ginyu was fumbling to stop his charge while the equally restored and furious Bardock went Ikari and drew back his fist, ready to punch the purple mutant into oblivion. Ginyu's injuries had weakened him enough that the added power wasn't even needed. The psychic Saiyan no doubt knew this.

Before the blow was struck, Bardock himself was struck with a vision. Being Wrathful always made them come through more distorted than usual, but he could see a living Ginyu and his men were somehow involved. They were even wearing…no way! It couldn't be!

The absurdity of what he was seeing actually calmed Bardock's anger. He powered down and lowered his fist just as Ginyu tripped and fell on his face in front of him. The purple mutant was quickly back on his feet however, and nervously assumed a defensive stance.

Bardock merely raised an eyebrow at the body snatcher before glancing back at the rest of the Ginyu Force behind him. The unconscious Guldo aside, they looked terrified of him. It almost made him laugh.

"You clowns are lucky that I have bigger fish to fry today. Get in your pods and go before I change my mind." Bardock then turned and noticed Gine for the first time. Ginyu thought he saw the Saiyan's features soften for a very brief moment.

"Take her with you as well. She can be Wrathful, but is still too soft for what I'm about to do. She always has been." As Bardock spoke, he pondered over his wife's less than stellar military career. Even her Oozaru form had needed saving from time to time because of her soft heart. It made the fact that she figured out Wrathful without losing her tail first, that much more surprising. He almost felt proud.

No more words were exchanged as the psychic Saiyan flew off to meet his destiny. Ginyu, who had foreseen this destiny while in Bardock's body, actually felt sorry for him. He chuckled under his breath. Pity for a Saiyan? He really had changed.

"Let's get a move on, men. Frieza won't be distracted for that much longer." The purple mutant addressed his men while slowly rising into the air, trying not to aggravate his returned injuries. It was lucky that some of them had already started to heal.

"Where do we go now, Captain? Frost and Cooler are probably too far out for us to catch up to by now." Jeice pointed out even as he floated up to join his leader. "Besides, we have this Saiyan Shiela with us now and I don't think even Frost can tolerate 'em for long."

Ginyu shook his head. The idea was tempting, but he wasn't quite ready to see Cooler again just yet. He certainly wasn't ready to deal with that irritating Salza.

"That won't be an issue, Jeice. In Bardock's body, I had a vision of where we meant to go and how it will help both us and Gine if we play our cards right. We might even be stronger than Frieza one day because of it. Have you ever heard of Yardat?"

...

Bardock flew up into space and was shocked to find himself alone. There was no trace of his squad, his army, or Frieza anywhere. He looked around, feeling an odd mix of frustration and fear. "This can't be right! My visions showed a great battle here! What could have changed!?"

His question was answered by the frantic beeping of his scouter and his mood instantly changed. "There they are! They must have sent the little reptile running and chased after him. Ha! I hope they left me some."

The now jovial Saiyan flew off and allowed his scouter to lead him. When he finally approached the power he detected, his heart nearly stopped. There was Frieza, transformed as Bardock had seen in a vision once, conversing with none other than Beerus himself while dead Saiyans floated around them. Beerus' angel attendant, Whis, seemed to notice the new arrival, but said nothing.

"I guess you did okay, Frieza. Wiping out those pesky Saiyans like you did has saved me a lot of trouble. Now maybe I can take a decades off and get a nice nap in."

Frieza actually bowed to the God of Destruction. "Of course, Lord Beerus. It is always an honor to act in your name. Rest assured that you can always count on me."

The cat deity suddenly noticed something and frowned. "Is that so? It looks like you missed one."

Frieza turned around and saw Bardock snatching a floating Toma out of the air. The psychic Saiyan looked at his best friend's lifeless body in horror and began rambling to himself in denial. All the while, his anger steadily rose and a change began taking place.

"This can't happen! It isn't and it won't! I've seen far too much, prepared far too much! This isn't destiny because I control destiny! You hear me, Frieza!? I...CONTROL…DESTINY!"

These three words were punctuated with a monstrous roar as Bardock entered the Wrathful form and then transformed even further. His already increased muscle mass and height doubled, his yellow eyes turned blank, and his spiked up hair and green aura turning a brilliant gold. The newly ascended Wrathful Super Saiyan launched himself as Frieza while still roaring at the top of his lungs and Frieza actually felt scared. Beerus noticed this and scoffed.

"Don't be such a wimp, Frieza. This guy's not as strong as you, I can tell. Don't you have more power that what you're using right now?"

Frieza turned to the God of Destruction and blinked, not used to being questioned in this way. He wasn't used to being questioned at all. "Uh…yes? I mean, yes, Lord Beerus, this is far from my full power."

"Then go all out and take care of this guy already. I have places to be." Frieza nodded and powered up to his 100% Full Power State as Beerus commanded. This occurred just as Bardock launched a Final Spirit Cannon straight at him.

The attack engulfed Frieza, Beerus, and Whis in a bright flash. Despite the power behind it, all three were unphased when the smoke cleared. Frieza's confidence slowly returned and he grinned evilly before launching himself at Bardock. A single punch was all it took to send the enraged Saiyan flying through space at warp speed. He soon crash landed back on the surface of Planet Vegeta, back in his normal state and half-dead. It was only through his Super Saiyan power that he still clung to life at all.

After what felt like an eternity, Bardock forced one eye open. He could see a still grinning Frieza hovering in the sky above and holding a fully charged Death Ball on the tip of his finger. This was the end.

It's as I told you so long ago, Bardock, you cannot fight fate. This was always to be your destiny no matter what tiny details you managed to change. Bardock knew that these were Toolo's last words to him. He only chuckled weakly.

"Maybe so, but I know that everything I did mattered and it still does even now. None of this will ever have been for nothing." The psychic Saiyan's last vision came to him as he said this and blocked his view of the oncoming Death Ball. He stayed focused on his vision even as the attack began incinerating him. The very last thing he did was say four words: "my son lives on" and smile in contentment.

Frieza was oblivious to all this as he watched Planet Vegeta be destroyed, laughing with maniacal glee. "Wow, look at that! Stupendous! What fireworks!"

Behind the Emperor, Beerus only yawned in boredom. "I've seen better and done better. You still missed one anyway. Whis, are there any more Saiyans left alive?"

Whis looked into his staff. "Quite a few in fact, my Lord." Beerus' face noticeably darkened. It was enough to make Frieza very nervous.

"How many?" This simple question was filled with venom and even a hint of fear. Whis didn't seem to notice and continued looking in his staff.

"Prince Vegeta did not return from the mission with his squad yet and several more are escaping to parts unknown as we speak. There are four of them stranded on a planet called Vampa alongside something else rather intriguing. It looks like the ball that the wizard Bibidi kept that Majin Buu on. There is also a Saiyan planting a Tree of Might somewhere at the moment who looks rather like that fellow Frieza just killed. I believe you ate some of that fruit once, didn't you, Lord Beerus? Next we have Prince Tarble. Now where can he be?"

"NEVER MIND HIM! I'VE HEARD ENOUGH!" Beerus suddenly shouted and turned on Frieza, furious beyond belief. His hand began to light up with Destructive energy as he slowly approached the now terrified Emperor.

"Listen carefully, Frieza. I'm going to go home and nap after this. When I wake up in about thirty years or so, I expect the entire Saiyan race to be gone! No survivors, you hear!? Is that doable, or should I Hakai you here and now?"

Frieza trembled with a fear he'd never felt before. "N-no, Lord Beerus, not at all. I'll see to it straight away At least, once I get a new ship."

A tense silence followed. Beerus slowly lowered his hand and it stopped glowing. "Fine, whatever. Whis, take us to wherever Frieza needs to go, then take me home. I'm cranky and need a nap."

One quick stop at Planet Frieza#79 later, the two deities were soon traveling at divine speed towards Beerus' own world. The God of Destruction was deep in thought despite threatening to fall asleep at any moment. "Are you certain you gave the location of every last Saiyan, Whis? I can't leave anything to chance after what the oracle fish said."

"I did as ordered, Lord Beerus." Whis neglected to mention that he'd been told to stop before he could mention the Saiyan on his way to Earth. His Lord deserved a surprise every now and again.

Beerus thought nothing of this as he stifled a yawn. "Good. Once Frieza handles things, the dreams should stop and I'll never have to worry about facing the Super Saiyan God."

…

A distant planet, sometime later…

Cabba checked his scouter's reception again, making sure he heard correctly. "A meteor!? Are you sure?" More chatter answered the tailess Saiyan and he nodded grimly. "Yes sir, thank you. I'll inform the Prince immediately."

At that moment, Prince Vegeta IV sat upon the body of a fallen enemy, munching on an animal he'd roasted with a ki blast. Cabba sometimes hated having to be so brutal, but such was the price of justice for those that Lord Frieza brought under his protection. Renso had told him that on the day he first joined the military. He hoped the older tailess one and his sister had managed to survive.

"Master Vegeta, I've just been informed that our planet was destroyed by a passing meteor. Lord Frieza attempted to stop it, but lost his ship in the process. We appear to be the only survivors. Do you wish to make a reply?"

The Prince didn't pause in his eating. "No reply. Thank you, Cabba."

Hearing this made Nappa bristle a bit. The Prince had never thanked anyone before, not even him. What was it about this Cabba punk that made him so special? Not only was he one of those scrawny, soft hearted tailess types that had cropped up recently, he was painfully naïve. He actually thought that the people he killed on missions were criminals and Frieza brought peace to the planets he conquered.

Despite this, The Prince seemed secretly fond of Cabba and took him under his wing to help him get stronger. That's why the little jerk got to call him "Master." Nappa knew better than to bring this up however. No one wanted to end up like the last guy to question Cabba's place on their squad.

"Planet Vegeta is gone!? It can't be!" This exclamation came from Raditz, someone that both Nappa and Vegeta agreed was useless.

"What's it to you, runt? You're here and alive with our happy little family." Nappa sneered mockingly at Bardock's eldest son.

"You don't understand! My father…he could see the future. He had to know this would happen." Raditz half-whispered to himself. "If he did, what happened to my mother and what happened to my little brother, Kakarotto!? He was supposed to be sent on a mission to clear a planet today."

Prince Vegeta finished his meal and smirked. "Well, if he survived, let's hope he grows up to be of some use to us. We don't need two weaklings on this squad, especially not from the same family." Everyone laughed except Raditz and Cabba.

…

Somewhere in space, around that same time…

Kakarotto tossed and turned in his Attack Ball, his already restless sleep troubled by dreams. These dreams were of a future that his young mind could not process yet and became further warped when he picked up snippets of thought from the planets he passed by. One thought came from much farther away, and the explosion of power that came with it proved enough to puncture the veil between the living realm and the afterlife, destroying the personal planet of the North Kaio. This in turn, released five prisoners, who now hovered in space basking in their freedom as Kakarotto passed them by..

"At last, we're free! After so long, the Galaxy Soldiers will rule once more!" Bojack roared as he formed a ki blast and pitched it at a nearby planetoid. He grinned at it's destruction despite wishing there had been life on it.

Kogu grinned in response and proceeded to perform a few practice swings with his trusty sword. "I hope Cold is still around. I've been dreaming of cutting open his reptilian hide. Do you think he ever learned how to transform further?"

Bido laughed. "So what if he did? Master Bojack has no equal!"

Bido nodded, but looked thoughtful. "I wonder what set us free though? The energy was like nothing I ever sensed before, but kind of familiar. It almost felt like…you know who."

A tense silence followed. No one ever liked to mention "you know who" in front of Bojack. But their leader managed to restrain himself this time.

"He's dead," Bojack half-whispered with certainty, "I know it. He overwhelmed his body trying to reach even greater power and exploded. I felt it even while we were imprisoned. We won't face opposition from him or the Kaio this time."

Everyone nodded except one. Bojack turned to her with a growl of annoyance. "Zangya!? Are you listening, girl!?

Zangya snapped to attention and bowed to her master. "Of course, Master Bojack, forgive me. I only noticed a smaller form of the energy we sensed earlier in a ship that just passed us by. Perhaps we should investigate?"

Bojack scoffed. " You worry too much. This universe has grown soft since we were imprisoned and I say we enjoy the spoils. Let's go plunder!"

All the Galaxy Soldiers whooped except for Zangya. "But Master Bojack," she pleaded, "hear me out first! What if Yamoshi had children who inherited his power? What if-?"

Bojack silenced her with a slap to the face. "Never mention that name! Now, I say we celebrate our freedom with a fresh round of plunder. Will you join us, or be left here to rot?" More silence followed as Zangya nursed her already swollen cheek. She nodded meekly.

"Good. Now, Let's go, Galaxy Soldiers!" The once feared group of mutant pirate mercenaries took off like a shot through space. Zangya was too smart not to follow, but couldn't resist one last look at the ship's vapor trail. She wondered where it was going and what she would find if she dared to follow it.

…

The atmosphere of Planet Earth, several days later…

The ball of fire that burst through the heavens and streaked across the sky did not go unnoticed by many. Chief among those who observed it's descent were two people in particular. One was Son Gohan, the old Martial Arts Master of Mount Paozu. He had just returned home from his morning stroll when it sped past the heads of the dinosaurs who lived in the area. He gazed at it in wonder, never knowing that, in another timeline, separated by a few hours among other key differences, the mysterious object would've changed his life forever.

The other observer was Mister Popo, denizen of the OtherWorld and faithful attendant of Earth's Kami. He ended up seeing it far more closely than anyone else as it crashed into Kami's Lookout and blew him backwards with the force of it's impact.

"Oh my…!" The Djinn picked himself up and dusted himself off before approaching the mysterious object. It the sight of it struck him so that he barely acknowledged the destruction of his beloved garden. He also failed to notice Kami himself rushing from the palace to stand beside him.

"I saw it all, Popo. What is it? Have we been attacked?"

Popo remained silent and reached out to touch the object. It was hot to the touch. Finally, he said "I don't think so, Kami. It appears to be a kind of spaceship like yours."

Kami nodded absently, suddenly awash in a flood of memories. "I sense a very small ki within this pod. Perhaps we should try to get inside?"

As if on cue, the pod opened and revealed it's sole occupant. Popo was aghast. "Why, it's a baby! A baby with a monkey's tail!"

The Djinn bent down and plucked the infant up. Immediately, the boy became fussy and startled to struggle. Popo merely chuckled. "Fiesty little devil, isn't he?"

Kami nodded again and smiled slightly. "Hand him to me." Popo obeyed and the green skinned Guardian of Earth began to rock the boy gently, far too strong to notice any resistance. The smile on his aged face actually broadened a bit.

"It's a curious thing, Kami. Where did the boy come from? Who sent him here?"

Popo's query made Kami become stoic. "I no more know that than I do my own origins, Mr. Popo. All I know is that the boy is here alone and holds a great potential within. Thus, he cannot go without guidance as my unified self did. We shall raise him here and ensure that he never poses a danger to this world. In time, he may even become Earth's next Kami."

Popo sensed there was more to Kami's decision than this, but didn't pry. "What shall we call him then? He can't stay here with a name."

"Indeed not." Kami's memories came flooding back as he looked into the boy's eyes. He immediately felt a sense of kinship and an unexpected rush of affection. "We shall call him…Goku."

End Bardock Saga

Author's Notes: No Power Levels this time because there are so many characters involved. I will say that I goofed last chapter and Toma and Celipa's power levels should be switched around though. Since we now have confirmation of Bardock's ties with Grahnola in cannon, I apologize to anyone who hoped to see them interact before now. I feel that my interpretion was more in line with what the original Bardock, the one in this fic, would do. Grahnola will show up in a future chapter though. I also want to say that Goku is still Goku here, if not Son Goku, because it's easier. Now for the What-ifs featured:

What if more Saiyans learned the Wrathful Form?

What if Goku inherited Bardock's Foresight?

What if certain Video Game Characters were Cannon?{Not all.}

What if Frost was from Universe 7?

What if Cooler and His Armored Squadron were Good?

What if the Ginyu Force Turned Good?

What if Bardock went Super Saiyan against Frieza?

What if Renso and Cabba were from Universe 7?

What if Gine Survived?

What if Beerus feared the Super Saiyan God?

What if Bojack Escaped Earlier?

What if Goku Landed at Kami's Lookout?

What if Bonyu was Jeice's sister?

What if Leek and Taro weren't on Bardock's squad?

I know this was a long one, but now we get into somewhat more familiar territory in…the Blood Rubies Saga! Until then.