They always say that space is quiet. In holo-films, in scientific journals, in everyday conversation amongst his fellow soldiers- its always the same, "space is... Quiet."

But Salza knows better.

Space isn't quiet at all.

Certainly, the outside is empty, a blank canvas dotted with stars, a place with no air nor atmosphere, nothing for sound to bounce off of. That is quiet.
But space isn't. Space is loud, it drones on, blotting out all other sound. Space is the sound of the engine running which deafens all else when you're near it. It is the sound of men's combat boots hitting against metal flooring, their boots unleashing a thunderous crack with every step, overwhelming your senses when you're not near the engine. And then, even if you managed to get away from all of that... you'd still be faced with it. The one thing that can't be ignored, can't be blocked out. Silence.

In many ways, silence was loud, just like space was. It was a clamorous, booming cacophony of sound that drowned out everything else, it kept your mind from peace, from being able to stand on its own, keeping you locked in a constant battle of trying desperately, maddeningly to find a way to be free from it!
But there is no release for you... Because the sound of silence is your own mind. Your own thoughts turned against you- your anxieties, your fears, all things that you rely on sound to keep out, sound to keep away... All driven to the surface by that oppressive, all-encompassing silence. A kind of silence that can only be brought on by space...

That silence was what he felt now, staring out of the viewport in his room. He was one of the lucky ones, he and his Squad had their own room, a place where they could be alone, kept away from the others at Lord Cooler's request. Not because he didn't trust them, but because he knew- he saw how anxious they had been before this journey had begun. He knew they needed a place to be alone, somewhere where they could truly unwind and be away from the other soldiers- the other soldiers who didn't understand them. Who didn't know what they knew.

It had been three months since they'd begun the journey. Three months of sitting here, in this bedroom, waiting and listening to the sounds of the engine and the boots against the ground, three months of ignoring the silence, ignoring his fears. His knowledge.

His knowledge that it had been six months since they'd killed Frieza. A secret so dangerous that if they failed to keep it then the consequences would be disastrous- not only for one of them, but for all four of them. They had all been a part of the conspiracy to kill the Emperor, they would all be tried the same way. Even Cooler would be lucky to escape his father's wrath, although he'd likely still be killed for it. He had never been King Cold's favorite son.

That knowledge was what was eating him alive now, in the silence. Here, the ship's engine was at its quietest, it was a low hum, a constant quiet noise that faded into the background. Here, the men's boots were missing, the sound of their clanking feet muffled at best by the heavy bulkhead door that served to separate the Armored Squadron from the rest of the crew. It was hard to breathe in here sometimes, like the air itself was a separate piece from the rest of the ship's supply. It was stifling, almost as though it was stale, like air that had been trapped in some abandoned shack on some far off world, waiting to be released. Salza felt choked, but he didn't move from this spot. He was too afraid to, too afraid to go outside and face him.

His thoughts had begun to spiral ever since they'd passed that tiny blue orb that signified their entrance into the Solar System. It had been an ice planet, barren and worthless in every way and far too small to be of any value to anyone. Salza had been able to hold it together for three months, he'd been able to ignore these fears, but that tiny blue world had been enough. It told him that his trial was almost over, and he almost wished it hadn't. Because the moment he saw it he knew.

Earth was close, this would be over soon. One way or another, he wouldn't have to hide this secret anymore. Not from him.

Not from Cold.

Living on this ship for these three months had been the worst of it. Certainly, during the beginning of it all, Salza had been mortified, terror froze him in place as he gave his first account to King Cold. Six months ago, he'd carefully explained that he'd picked up a radio wave emanating from the now vaporized Planet Namek. It had come from Frieza's ship and displayed his final moments to the world. His last tearful cries to his father just before a Super Saiyan from Earth ended his life.
He'd been terrified then.

Terrified that he'd slip up, that he'd stutter or mention a detail out of place and that would be the last thing he'd ever say. That Cold would sniff out his lie, that he'd be dead before he'd even realized he'd made an error. He'd imagined all the awful ways that King Cold would end his life that day, he'd seen himself blasted through with a death beam, executed by those massive horns, or worse- that Cold would realize what he'd done and beat him to death with his bare hands.

In truth, he hadn't found any radio broadcast. Instead, an energy ping spiked the ship's onboard Scouters and he'd followed it to Lord Frieza's location. He'd informed Lord Cooler and was ordered to pull the ship up and pull Frieza in.

Then, Cooler had told him to take off his Scouter and set it into another room. He obeyed and followed Cooler into his own room. He'd been there before, on occasion. But this wasn't one of those times, rather he had been informed of the plan. He was told to take away the Scouters from the others, to have them filtered away for "maintenance", but the real reason was to hide what they'd done. What they would do.

He was told of Cooler's plan, that now was the moment to strike. It was much easier to simply do away with Frieza now than risk a family civil war by trying to kill him when he was at full strength, or so Cooler had said. Salza had to agree, ending one of them while they were weak and then ambushing the other was an excellent strategy. And when Frieza was gone, they'd go to his father and tell him where Frieza's assaulter supposedly lived. Blame his death on the Super Saiyan and lure his father to Earth, and then when the Super Saiyan laid dead... Cooler would ambush Cold and take his life as well. With his death, also blamed on the Saiyan, Cooler would be the only one left who could ascend the throne, and at last the Empire would be under his control as it always should have been. The only issue Salza saw was killing the Super Saiyan before taking out Cold. Sure, he had defeated Frieza, but Cooler's fifth form was significantly above his father, surely he would be able to end the Saiyan at his leisure? But Cooler had been adamant, he knew he could defeat Cold, but the Super Saiyan was an unknown quantity, he'd wanted to insure himself when it came time to battle him.

The first part had been easy, taking care of Frieza as they prepared to end him. Salza wasn't sure why Cooler wanted to leave him alive on the desert world, but only asked after the deed had been finished.

As Cooler put it, Frieza deserved to suffer before he died. And on a desert planet, he would suffer the slowest death imaginable for their kind- dehydration. In a matter of days, Frieza had died, but Cooler had ordered the ship to turn around well before that. He'd left his brother to his fate, and in three months had made his way back to their father.

The second part had been much more trifling.

Cold, after interrogating them all to learn as much as he could about what had become of his son, had immediately set a mission to Earth. Using his Royal Flagship and starting from the center of the Empire, it would take almost three months to reach the tiny blue world, which had been set on the outskirts of any known space. It had been during this time that Salza had begun to suffer from his worries, a building concern that he or one of the other members of the Armored Squadron would slip up and reveal the truth to Cold. It was likely that if that happened they'd die, not at Cold's hand directly but by the ensuing battle between father and son, left to perish in the frozen void of space.

He sighed and turned his attention away from that, thinking of the tiny blue world that they were coming up on, Earth. Salza had to applaud the Saiyan for choosing that world to hide out on- it was ingenious really, a planet so out of the way that he'd have all the time in the universe to prepare for an attack, if even one came. Reports say it's a beautiful world, with sweeping mountains and wide forests, and a multitude of biomes ranging from rich savannahs to barren Arctics. It would fetch a pretty penny if it was sold, and it would make an excellent commerce or Paradise world if they kept it.

Unfortunately, no matter which member of the Cold Family comes out on top, they intended to destroy it.

Fair enough, he supposed. King Cold wouldn't dare keep it around, a final farewell to the Saiyan who besmirched his family name... And killed his son. Cooler would have more pragmatic reasons. If he let it live, rumors of the Super Saiyan too great to be slain might circulate, it could be used as a rallying cry for rebel factions... Which would no doubt spring up with the death of Cold. Frieza's death alone had already caused a massive upheaval, it wouldn't be the most surprising thing in the universe for Cold's to create a cascading effect. After all, once there were three invincible Frost Demons...
And now there would be one.

And if Earth remained, it could be taken as a sign that the Super Saiyan had defeated him and Cooler had taken off with his tail between his legs. After all, if two could be beat- and the stronger two at that- then what was to say that the one notorious for being weaker than the rest of his family couldn't be beat too?
And if a mere Saiyan were able to do it, why can't we? Yes, that would be what they thought...

Thus, Earth had to be vaporized. It would be symbolic in its own way, the Super Saiyan had killed the previous strongest, but had failed against the new strongest. It might not completely dash rebellions, but it would be enough to keep more fearful systems in line while the braver systems were quelled. Indeed, if all the systems went into rebellion at once, even the might of Cooler wouldn't be enough to prevent them all from splintering off. This was part of the reason why they'd sell some planets instead of keeping their inhabitants as slaves or new member-states. Some beings were too dangerous to leave alive and could spell trouble if they ever decided to rebel. Some systems were wealthier and more populated, those often-made mutters of rebellion, the wealth divide between the rich and the workers often acted as a point of contention. Rather than to bother with a mass extermination or fear campaign, Frieza would instead sell off recently exterminated worlds to the rich, who would then offer them to the working class, often as Colonies. This meant that the rich continued to get richer, and the Empire expanded its influence ever further out, everyone won in that case. Even the workers would have the chance to build their wealth, unless the rich man was a corporate leader who stamped out businesses that tried to rise up on his worlds...

Salza sighed, his nerves were quelled for the moment. Changing the subject of his thoughts had worked, but now- he gulped- now was time for the final phase of their plan. They were passing another blue planet, this one with a single glorious ring. They were growing closer to their destination.

Which meant that it was almost time for Lord Cooler and King Cold to announce their battle plan. It wasn't often that they did something like that, usually the "plan" involved "getting down to the planet and murdering anyone who resists you". Or at least that was the case for Cold and Frieza's forces, Cooler often came up with more detailed plans of attack- striking at key infrastructure and knowing just where to hit to assure that the populace of a world didn't have a chance to strike back.

This time, since they had no intention of capturing the world, Salza wasn't sure what plan they'd come up with, although he suspected that it would have something to do with the Super Saiyan...

Letting out another sigh and picking up his Scouter, the blue skinned blonde headed towards the door and exited into the hallway. The air here was cooler, but it felt no less stale than it had inside. He felt oddly sick, like his anxieties were rising back to the surface again.

But he shoved them down as hard as he could and stepped out, walking with purpose towards the war room, letting the sound of his boots rapping against the metal drown out his fears. Letting the sound of the engine's rumble calm his heart rate...


Salza walked into the war room and took up a standing position beside his lord, his arms folded behind his back and his eyes facing forward. By now, his nerves had died entirely, replaced by the steel-like determination that he was known for. Cooler stood next to him with his arms folded, observing the men's faces. King Cold had not yet arrived, but his commander had.

Admiral Nolem was a well-built humanoid, with pale skin and a golden beard to match his crew-cut blonde hair. He was tall and muscular, and despite his position he chose to wear older-style armor, lacking the jumpsuit that Salza wore underneath in favor of a pair of spandex underwear. Nolem was amongst some of the oldest members of the Frieza Force, having served King Cold for decades now- having even served under him when they were known as the Cold Force. His reputation amongst other commanders was legendary, as even though his power level was significantly lower than most other commanders, he was an extremely skilled tactician and warrior. Rumors say that even the legendary King Cold in his prime was impressed by Nolem's abilities when he first came to his planet, so much so that he decided to spare his people in exchange for his unwavering loyalty. Since that day, the Admiral had served Cold well, and when he went into retirement it was decided that Nolem would head Cold's Royal Defense Force- a squad dedicated to defending the King in the event of an assassination attempt. Even if Cold didn't need one, it was much like Cooler's Armored Squadron or Frieza's minions Zarbon and Dodoria, they were a mixture between status symbols and soldiers to do the work that the Royal Family shouldn't need to sully their hands with.

Yet unlike Salza, who was allowed to stand by his master, Nolem sat. In the front row, yes, but still he sat down as if he was no more than a common soldier, a man to be talked at, not a commander to be spoken with. Some of the other men- those from what little of the Cooler Force there was- shared odd glances at one another and then towards the well-respected Admiral. Those of the Frieza and Cold Force were entirely ambivalent to it, if they even knew who he was. He supposed it only made sense, they were used to seeing high ranking officers treated as little better than common soldiers. Even Zarbon and Dodoria were only allowed to stand near Frieza in the event that he wanted someone dealt with quickly. Had it been Captain Ginyu, things might have been different- though Salza could only speculate on that.

Salza glanced up towards his master before glancing at the door. The King had yet to arrive. Surely it was alright to ask him why Nolem was-

But Cooler had read his mind and snapped his gaze down to him, an imperceptible shake of his head immediately silencing the Brench. It wasn't hard to see why his Lord had stopped him- there was a dull thud echoing outside of the room and growing closer with each passing minute. The slow thundering of Cold's feet against the metallic floor drew Salza's attention back to the door, as well as caused him to snap back up, taking up as respectful a posture as he could.

Within seconds, King Cold had stepped into the doorway off the room. He swiveled his head around, looking at each man in turn before entering, in an instant the room had gone from quiet murmors to dead silence. Cooler had given off the impression of a more relaxed commanding officer, as was his style of leadership, but Cold's mere presence had been enough to transform the entire room. Standing at such a height that his horns graced the roof, looking up at him felt like gazing towards the peak of a mountain, the sheer size and power of the Arcosian Noble was put on full display with no effort. Salza repressed the urge to gulp as Cold's gaze turned onto him and then Cooler. He let out a scoff and came to stand in the center of the room, which placed the Brench between the pair. He managed to still his beating heart and remain as sharp as steel, but a bead of sweat had formed onto his brow. The imposing purple skinned arm beside him acted as a constant reminder- that he should stay as still as possible unless he wanted to be summarily executed. Even the slightest brush could be taken as insolence.

Cold hadn't been in a good mood for the last week. Getting closer to Earth was setting him off for some reason- it only took the smallest misstep to lead to your death. Coupled with the fact that the Super Saiyan had supposedly been following them all in one of the Ginyu's pods, and Cold was like a rabid animal. Salza couldn't count the number of men they'd had thrown out of the airlock due to Cold's rage fueled killings. For some reason, Dore and Neiz often got saddled with the task. Salza was certain that Cold was trying to break them, although he couldn't surmise why.

In any case, the meeting had at last begun.

"As you can see, we will reach the planet in a mere three hours." King Cold speaks first, directing the legion of men's attention to the holo-screen at the center of the room, which displayed the Earth. "It has been decided that we will land in one of the planet's many wastelands, a proper place to engage the man who killed my son. Once the ship has landed, we shall employ a strategy decided upon by myself and Lord Cooler." Cold spoke, referring to his eldest by his title rather than as his son. To the uneducated, it was more respectful... But Salza knew better, not being acknowledged as his son cut Cooler deeper than any physical attack Cold could inflict.

Yet his master was collected as he stepped up, Salza trailed behind him. "We intend to divide our forces into two distinct squadrons. The Cooler Force and notable members of the Frieza Force- Naval, Oren, and Fisshi- will act as the secondary group. Your jobs will be to act as an ambush for the Super Saiyan. You will take to the skies and be shielded by cloud coverage, and when he arrives at a zone designated by The Cold Force you will all at once engage him directly with full force energy attacks." He then stops and looks to Salza. "Captain, you'll be leading this assault, do you have any objections to the plan?" He asks, and Salza steps up. He doesn't have an answer immediately prepared, but he quickly comes up with one, immediately sensing a flaw in the plan.

"If I may, my Lord. I zink zat it would be best to plan ze ambush from ze ground. Ze Super Saiyan will be arriving from the air, even if we managed to scatter ze men zere is a high likelihood that he would be able to scout zem out an prepare himself for the assault. I believe zat ze way around zis is to have ze men create a network of tunnels beneath the ground around where we want ze Super Saiyan to be placed so zat when ze Super Saiyan arrives he will be taken by complete surprise from an attack from below. Using ze Scouters, we should be able to coordinate the strike with ze men with ease as soon as he is in position."

Cooler regarded the Brench for a moment, considering his alterations to the plan before nodding. "A fair point." He turns to look at all of the men gathered on his side. "You heard him, for the time being Salza will be running this operation. Until the death of the Super Saiyan, treat his orders as you would my own." Cooler than glanced to his father and stepped back, Salza following just behind him.

Cold scoffed at the pair, turning his back on the duo as he did so. He activated a button on the holo-projector console and it zoomed into Earth, displaying a 3-D model of the wasteland they intended to use as their staging ground. It was, well... Empty, aside from a single large plateau in the middle of the barren desert. Truly a wasteland, he'll give it that much. In some ways, Salza was almost disappointed he wouldn't get the opportunity to see the rest of the world.

"Here is where we intend to launch our attack on the Super Saiyan. It will be the task of the Cold, Frieza, and Cooler forces under my command to act as bait for the Super Saiyan. You will stand in the open outside of the ship alongside myself and Lord Cooler. Once he arrives, you will all encircle him and keep him in this area-" He points at a red hologram in the center of the holographic rendering of the wasteland (which was now also featuring a render of the ship). "-Until Lord Cooler's forces launch their attack. Once that's finished, assuming he still lives, Lord Cooler and myself will engage the Super Saiyan directly." Cold finishes his briefing. "Any questions?"

He's daring them. Baiting the men to see if anyone is stupid enough to question him, a direct response to what Cooler had done earlier by asking for Salza's opinion. Salza freezes in place as Cold glances back towards him and Cooler, as if asking them if they have any questions.
Objections.

Salza does, of course, but he won't voice them. Personally, he doesn't see the need to use the men to keep the Super Saiyan in one area. After all, he'll probably be gunning for Cooler and Cold first. But he stays quiet, knowing better.

One man however, speaks up.

"If I may sir." Nolem interjects, in a manner so casual that Salza's eyes bulge from his skull.

'Is he insane? Even if King Cold was in a good mood, addressing him like that would be fine, but as his is now-!' Salza stops himself, watching the scene unfold before him helplessly.

"Wouldn't it be more effective if we were to join the other men in the ambush? After all, the Super Saiyan is primarily here for you and-"

The entire room turns dark, a single source of light overwhelming every single electrical light in the room. Its purple glimmer being all that Salza- all that anyone- can see as it crosses the length of the room in a single instant-
And finds its mark inside of the Admiral's chest, blasting a hole through him only just wide enough to fit your thumb in... And yet its more than enough, as his eyes widen in shock and pain, drifting down to the slender digit responsible for his death. King Cold's outstretched finger is the last thing Admiral Nolem sees before his head slumps back.

"I've known you for many years Admiral, but I didn't ask for an opinion." The King snarls. "Consider yourself demoted." Cold sneers as the man slumps in his chair. His eyes rolled back and his mouth was hung wide, spilling out rows of white teeth against a fleshy pink interior, his last words having died on his lips alongside him.

Cold's outstretched finger- still smoking from the earlier attack- swivels across the crowd and picks out a random soldier, this one with blue hair and a pinkish Scouter. "You! You're in charge of my-" He pauses for the briefest of seconds, vainly trying to remember the name of the force Nolem led. "My Royal Defense Force." He decided, and Salza stared in stunned silence. He hadn't even remembered the name of the Force that Nolem- his most loyal soldier- had led? It was inconceivable to the Captain, just how different his master was to the King. "Allow the mistake of your predecessor to be your guide."

Then, the King turned to the rest of the crew, who shrunk away in fear of his temper. "Dismissed! Take the next few hours as you'd like but be prepared." Cold growls at them all, his tail battering the ground menacingly. "In four hours, we intend to engage a being strong enough to have violently slain the most powerful being in the universe. I don't intend to tolerate failure; obey the orders you were given. That will be all."


Salza was on his way back to his cabin. He just needed some way to pass the time until the landing procedures started, so he was hoping to catch Dore or Neiz for a quick game of Dejarik, something to keep at least two of the four co-conspirators out of King Cold's sight until the battle, that way they wouldn't slip up and reveal anything to him.

Unfortunately, luck was not on his side.

A dark shadow passed over him, and Salza felt the chill sweep through the air well before he actually glanced over to see the imposing form of King Cold standing above him. Panicked, the Brench quickly stammered into a salute, trying to hide the fear in his eyes and failing miserably this time. After seeing how casually he wiped out Nolem, Salza was not under the impression that Cold would be any more kind to a man who was not his direct Inferior Officer.

Yet, the King looked down towards the Brench with a look far more disturbing than if he had been glaring.

He looked friendly.

"Care to join me for a drink, Commander?" Cold asked. "I know we shouldn't just before a battle, but I need something to help stifle my nerves after earlier. You'd think Nolem would have understood his place after all these years." He continued, leering down at the blue skinned man with that same warm expression.

Salza didn't have a choice. Gulping, he answered. "I would be honored, King Cold sir!" He replied, offering the Arcosian a salute. "It is not every day zat someone of my stature would share a drink with the King of the Universe!" In actuality, Salza would prefer to be literally anywhere else other than with the King, but he had no other option. Turning him down was inconceivable- and would certainly have him killed.

"Delightful, this way then!" Cold said, leading the Brench forward and away from the other soldiers, eventually taking him into his Cabin- going so far as to hold the door for the man.

Salza wasn't sure what to do with himself as he entered King Cold's personal quarters. It was lavish, more so than any of the other men's. It was larger than the other bunks put together and it had all of the amenities of a small apartment- a bed in against the wall in the center, a personal bathroom, a refrigeration unit, even a holo-screen! Almost everything in here was colored in the same way as the crest of the Royal Family- purple, with bits of white representing the symbol itself. The walls were purple, the bedding was purple- all of it was that same lovely royal purple, the kind that reminded him of Cooler's skin... All aside from one thing.

A set of chairs were against the far wall, with a table between them sitting underneath a viewport that allowed Cold to look out onto the stars. They were colored a deep black, an almost elegant color that drew in Salza's eyes- but then he saw it, a yellow color set within the black. For a moment, he almost mistook it for gold, but it was a too-soft form of yellow.

Cold retrieved a bottle of wine from the fridge and two glasses, which he set down onto the chairs. Salza came over to pour the drink for him, but Cold stopped him. "Please, Commander. I consider you a guest for the time being, I can pour the drinks. Please, have a seat."

Salza was absolutely certain that this was where he died. He'd never heard anyone- let alone one of the royal family- speak to him or anyone else this way! It was so... Sickeningly sweet, like the taste of a final piece of candy after your tongue becomes overstimulated. It was too much...
His heart has never pounded this hard in his entire life, and it was taking all of his mental fortitude to hold back the wave of anxiety and fear besetting him now. He sat down in the chair across from Cold, silently praying to several deities that Cold wasn't testing him in some way. His prayers were answered when Cold sat down in the chair opposite him and took his glass in one hand while glancing out of the window.

Salza allowed Cold to take the first drink before taking his glass and taking a sip, still unsure if this was some kind of ploy or test of his manners as a soldier. The wine was bright red- it was fancy. A type of wine only found on Tyvia, its almost cherry color denoting a particular type of fruit native to the world. It had a sweet taste to it, one that tanged at the Brench's tongue and made him crave for more. But that was its trap, Tyvian wine was notorious for its alcohol content, just a glass was enough to cause someone to become tipsy. The Brench was careful, taking long and slow drinks, not wanting to give himself an immediate buzz.

"T-Tyvian." Salza acknowledged allowed, breaking the awkward quiet that had settled in once Cold had turned to the viewport. "Quite ze distinct taste."

Cold looked down at the other man, pleasantly surprised. "Have you ever had?"

Salza shook his head. "Not until today, my Lord." He admits. "Alzough I have always wanted to..."

"A connoisseur?" He asked, looking equally as intrigued.

"Not quite..." Salza chuckled nervously. "Alzough I do have a bit of a taste for fine wines, when I can get my hands on it, I am an appreciator of all types of alcohols, particularly of the expensive variety." He took another drink.

"Heh... My son- Cooler- he's the same way. Myself and..." He trails off, glancing into his wine before taking another sip and continuing. "Frieza were much more interested in wines in particular. My personal favorite is Rose, although I can appreciate a fine red or white wine when it comes my way." He chuckles mournfully before adding- "I was actually saving the Tyvian to share with my son, although that's an impossibility now so I decided that I might as well drink it... Just... not alone..." The King's pleasant tone had faded, but it hadn't turned to cold indifference or anger. No, instead that too-sweet tone had melted away, revealing a bitter grief.

Salza nodded. "Ze passing of Lord Frieza is a tragedy to us all, but I cannot fazhom ze type of grief you must be going zhrough, my Lord."

Cold looked down for a moment, swirling his drink. Salza took another drink of his own glass, melting into the tantalizing flavor. Who knew Tyvian was this good? Paired with a Brench Jurgenluff, this would make a fine meal.

Silence filled the room between the two men for a moment as Cold returned to the viewport. His eyes betrayed him, he was deep in thought... And his thoughts were... sad.

For the first time since the death of the former Emperor, Salza felt a pang of guilt. Every other death- every murder or genocide- there were never any survivors, no one to mourn the dead... At least no one in front of him. Now however, he was faced with the consequences of his actions, a grieving father. Even if he hadn't been a good one to his older son, there was no doubt that Cold had cared for his younger.

At last, the King spoke. "It was a tragedy. How could a mere Saiyan possibly have done it? My son was the most powerful being in the universe, he should have been more than enough to wipe out a simple Ape..."

"Indeed, and to zink zat he was defeated in his final form no less..." Salza nodded in agreement, his own tone equally mournful.

Mid-drink, Salza felt a pair of eyes burn into the side of his skull, the Frost Demon's head had snapped in his direction, a pair of blood-colored dots driving themselves deep into his temple. An ice-cold chill had come to replace the void that had been left by the warmth of the King's attitude, and Salza resisted the urge to shudder.

Salza finished his glass.

"How do you know that Frieza had transformed?" King Cold asked with a deathly calm voice. Salza attempted to remain composed, but by now the effects of the Tyvian was catching up with him. His head was buzzing, although Cold's people had a much higher tolerance for alcohol- it was likely that he was still as sharp as a blade.

'A blade that will end up in my heart!' Salza thought, but brushed those thoughts away, returning Cold's glare with eye contact of his own, trying to look respectful.

The Brench let out a nervous chuckle. "It was a guess, I suppose. After all, we have ze Scouter Records from his battle with Vegeta. He had transformed into his second form before we lost contact. If Lord Frieza felt threatened by ze Super Saiyan, zen surely he would have transformed into ze state Lord Cooler primarily uses."

Cold was quiet for a moment, regarding the Brench harshly. He took a sharp inhale and spoke. "While we're on the subject, there was one other thing that's been bothering me about the entire event."

"I-is zat so? Well I would be happy to clear it up as much as I can!" Salza offered, wishing he had more to drink right about now. Yet that respite would not come, the King simply downed his own glass and put all of his focus onto the Commander.

"Indeed it is. You see, you said you recovered Frieza's last transmission from his ship, correct?"

"Zat is ze case, yes."

"But that's just it. The ship was never recovered, and you didn't arrive with its black box. So how did you recover that message?"

"Well... He sent it just before his death, and you know how messages can be. Its possible we just intercepted it."

"Several months after he sent it?" Cold raised an eyebrow.

A bead of sweat formed on Salza's brow, and he felt the buzz growing louder, but he keeps himself mostly collected despite his internal panic. The sound of his heart thudding in his chest is almost enough to drown out everything else around him, but he forces himself to not let it bother him. He searches his mind for an answer, and swears that minutes tick by before he finally approaches one-

"Ze planet's destruction!" Salza manages out. "When Lord Frieza destroyed ze Planet Namek, the broadcast was likely knocked out of focus by ze energy! Large quantities of energy have been known to obstruct broadcasts before..." It was true, Cooler had once engaged an incredibly powerful individual on Planet Fon and their battle halted Salza's attempts to call in the rest of the Cooler Force for assistance. He had to wait until their fight had died down to send the message, and by then it had been too late.

Cold went silent again for a moment.

And then he smiled, that same friendly look that he had on him before. It made Salza's stomach drop looking at it now, and the icy chill that swept through the air hadn't vanished either`. "I suppose that makes sense, the transmission wasn't recovered until well after you were in range of the planet after all, so its entirely possible."

Salza breathed a sigh of relief. He'd managed to convince him.


Mount Paozu was a quiet place, far from the noise and commotion of the big city- a perfect place to get some studying done on a quiet and boring day like today. Sitting in front of his book, Gohan quietly read, listening to the gentle sounds of nature around him. It was warm out today, so most of the animals were scurrying around. He'd heard and sensed bunnies hopping nearby, listened to a few deer on patrol outside and even listened to the gentle songs of birds in the tree he was leaning against.

It was peaceful to the young lad, and lulled him into an almost dreamlike state, the kind that can only be brought about by gentle ambience and a good book. He was somewhat thankful that his mother had decided today would be English instead of math, he enjoyed both but would have detested not being able to lose himself in a good book on a day like today.

By now, Gohan was on his second hour of reading, and was starting to tire out from it- Dere Advantures of Tomasuyer was a good novel for Age 678, but even Half Saiyans have limits as to how long their eyes can take the strain of reading text in a language that was outdated by almost a century.
Yet the boy persisted on, just one page left and he could be done with this chapter and call it quits for the-

It was like an icicle striking against his temple, a familiar and awful feeling that caused the boy to snap his head up towards the sky- detecting a power that felt horribly familiar... And one that should have been impossible. His father had killed him hadn't he?

Frieza was dead, right?

Yet... That icy presence that sent shivers down Gohan's back could only belong to one man...

Which made it all the more horrifying that he sensed two presences of almost the same level as the man his father had killed.

At once, the phone rang, and Gohan had already guessed who it was before he answered. "Krillin?" He asked.

"That presence, you sensed it too right? You don't think it could really be him, do you Gohan?" His father's best friend (and Gohan's best friend now that he thinks about it) asked, the fear in his voice was loud but his volume was barely audible- a tiny squeak. "G-Goku definitely defeated him, right?"

Gohan was silent for a moment, homing in on the presences. They were incredibly strong for sure. Each of them could easily have been a match for Frieza's power level... But they were distinctly different. Frieza's Ki had a certain kind of malice to it, a strong sensation of dread that struck Gohan every time he sensed it while on Namek... These two were similar, but only one of them held that same kind of awful twinge- although only barely- and the other simply felt darker, an evil presence for certain but less like Frieza and more like the man who had previously been his minion- Vegeta.

After a moment the young boy shook his head, eyes narrowing onto the ground, determination spilling into the black orbs. "They're similar to him, but I don't think either one is Frieza." He admits. "They don't feel the same as him."

Krillin went silent for a moment as well before gulping and replying. "Y-Yeah, you're right. Now that I'm focusing on them, I see what you mean. Who do you think they are? His parents?"

"We're going to have to find out." Gohan replied solemnly.

"I was afraid you were going to say that." And then, after a moment. "Get ready, we'll fly over there together, I feel them heading to the west. Meet me there?"

Gohan smiled, a melancholy look. "You bet! I'll be over as soon as I can find my Saiyan Armor. I guess we'll need it..."

The young child took one final gulp after hanging up the phone, swallowing all of his fears in that single moment. He had to be strong right now, the Earth needed him.
He had to be strong...


It was hardly even an hour before Gohan was standing with the others who had dedicated themselves to protecting the Earth, a boy among men. Yamcha, Tien, Krillin and even Chaotzu, all humans (or close enough) who had fought with him against the Saiyans. Vegeta, one of two surviving members of the species, three counting Gohan, and the man who had changed sides to fight with him against Frieza and his forces on Namek.
And Piccolo, the man who had trained him when he was just four years old to defend his home, someone who'd even been willing to give his life to stop Nappa from killing him during the Saiyans' assault.

All people that Gohan had come to respect. Even Vegeta, who was cruel and cold-hearted, could be a hero when the time called for it. The boy remembered a few times back on Namek where the elder Saiyan had gone out of his way to protect him. It wasn't out of a desire to keep Gohan alive by any means, but instead it was out of a mutual need for allies.

Now... Now he could only hope that Vegeta still needed allies.
Because they most certainly did.

Their worst fears were realized, two beings just as powerful as Frieza had arrived on the planet. But neither of them looked to be the terrifying entity that Gohan had engaged on that green world over a year ago. They were similar to him, that much was true, but there were certain features that they lacked. Deep, royal, purple skin that was entirely different to Frieza's pristine white or even the colors in Frieza's other forms- pinkish with white keratin armor. No, these were a much more royal color than the Tyrant had been, which could only bode so well...

Maybe they were older- that was Gohan's first assumption. It was possible that whatever kind of being Frieza is, his race had some kind of molting process where their skin turned a new shade.

His suspicions were confirmed when the Saiyan Prince, who had been quietly observing the group from over the rocky hill the defenders had taken shelter behind, spoke up. His rough and deep voice easily splitting the silence like a sword through pressurized air. "I know them." He admits, turning to look at Piccolo, then Gohan, then the others. With the first two, it was respect- begrudging as it may have been- and for the rest an irritated contempt that corrupted his face into a hate-filled scowl. "The big one is Frieza's father, King Cold. I've never particularly engaged with him before, but I've heard stories about the old days when he was in charge. Supposedly he's weaker than Frieza but more powerful than the other one standing there- Cooler." Vegeta tossed his head to one side, indicating the shorter of the pair.

Cooler might have been shorter than Cold, but he was no less terrifying, or so Gohan thought. He was tall and lanky, with musculature that was barely visible beneath his smooth, alien skin, but Gohan knew that big muscles hardly meant anything anymore, especially after seeing the lanky form of his brother a year prior. He looked at peace, no trace of fury or even concern on his face- a fact that Gohan found strange. He shrugged it off for now, maybe, just like Frieza, he was entirely confident that he could defeat the defenders of Earth so there was no need for anger or readiness. He stood with one arm crossed under the other, with that arm being pointed up to his temple, a slender purple finger tapping the side of a Scouter- a device used for communication and energy detection- while he talked into it, giving orders. Again, Gohan was stricken by it- his expression. He didn't look like a man giving orders at all! If anything he almost looked... Bored? No, that wasn't it. There was something to his eyes, a glint that Gohan could see from here.

And then it struck him.

He was nervous, and his expression was doing everything it could to hide that fact.
In spite of this, when the being turned his direction, Gohan pulled his head back behind the rocky outcropping the Z-Warriors had hid behind, his own heart pounding in his ears. Cooler might have been nervous, but the power he exuded... There was no mistaking it- he was still as dangerous.

The other was just as horrific. 'King' hardly described what he was. Cold stood even taller than Frieza did in that form, easily eight or even nine feet, and his horns made him even more imposing. They glistened in the burning desert sun, but rather than merely reflect the light back it was as if they were absorbing it, darkening the entire world around him with an aura of raw, unfathomable hatred.

Even Frieza had never been so horrible. Just looking at him made Gohan's hands shake with barely restrained terror.

But the child clenched them into fists, forcing that fear away. 'Strong...' He thought. 'Gotta be, until dad gets back.'

Taking in a breath, he glances back at the group one more time before looking back at Vegeta. Gohan's fearful expression was present, but he hardened his face, choosing to focus on the last thing he saw before he looked back at the Prince. "What are they doing over there?" He asks, pointing towards a group of Soldiers who were shooting energy into the ground. It wasn't enough to harm the Earth, but it was... Strange to say the least.

Vegeta looks over before a chuckle crosses his throat. "They're setting a trap. I wasn't sure of it, but I'd heard rumors about Cooler's tactical skills..." The Saiyan muses to himself. "Cooler's one I've had slightly more dealings with, he's Frieza's older brother, although he controlled a much smaller territory than Frieza himself. Supposedly he makes up for being weaker than both of his family members by using his superior planning skills, which must be what Cold's using now. It looks like Kakarot killed Frieza after all, he's got the Frost Demons running scared." A black chuckle escapes his throat while a dark grin paints his face, eyes shining with delight at the idea.

"You don't mean... They're laying a trap for my dad?!" Gohan asks, suddenly looking concerned, causing the Prince to snap out of his reverie for a moment and glance down at him. He rolls his eyes and moves to answer, but a deep baritone voice cuts him off.

"'Fraid so." Piccolo interjects, stepping up. "I can hear them from here, Cooler is giving his men orders to bury themselves in the ground, a part of some grander plan to ambush Goku."

"We can't let that happen!" Yamcha chimes in, shaking his fist. "We have to stop them or else Goku's gonna be-"

"Pft! Please, Kakarot would be perfectly fine. None of them have the power to defeat you let alone a Super Saiyan." Vegeta scoffs at the human before pausing and glancing back. "But I have to admit, leaving them to their own devices isn't an option since Kakarot is still off-world. Depending on how long it takes him to get here- assuming he's on his way at all- this might end up being our best time to strike while they're unprepared."

"He's gotta be close by though, right? Otherwise they'll be lying in wait for a while." Tenshinhan adds. "You think it's a good idea to get involved?"

"Depending on what they're interested in doing, it might be in your best interest to do so. After all, Cold doesn't look particularly happy. If he doesn't arrive soon enough, Kakarot's going to be coming back to a dead world." The Prince replies with a blunt shrug, as cold and uncaring as ever.

Gohan fell silent for a moment, as did all of the rest. They were contemplating their next move.
Each one of them could sense energy, and they all knew that they stood no chance against King Cold or Cooler. Their powers were so far above them that it wouldn't even be a competition if they all jumped them at once.

And yet...

Thud.

Everyone turned at the sound, and nearby was Piccolo, who'd thrown his cloak and turban to the ground before cracking his neck and knuckles "Well I'm not going to sit here and be helpless. If Goku's coming soon then it's our job to make sure he doesn't get ganged up on when he does get here. We might not be able to beat Frieza's family, but we can thin out the heard by a lot." He then pauses before continuing. "And if he's not, then I'll die happy, knowing I went out fighting instead of standing around."

Vegeta smirks. Even wearing pink, the man is confident in himself to a fault. "I'm with the Namekian, you lot can sit here and mourn how useless you all are." He scoffs at the rest, glancing back over his shoulder as he steps up to stand next to the green man. "Or you can come with us and fight, either way you'll stay out of my way. I have personal business with some of the men over there." His smirk turns into a grin as the Prince now cracks his knuckles, eager for the fight to come.

The two warriors in agreement, they nodded at one another and powered up before shooting out from behind the rock and into the air, a white and blue aura surrounding the Namekian and Saiyan, shining like a pair of beacons charging into the pit of absolute darkness. They blast off towards the crowd of Soldiers, who all look up in shock as their Scouters all detect the men before exploding. All they manage to do is vocalize that the pair are coming before Vegeta's hand sweeps over the land and vaporizes a host of the weaker men, reducing the army by more than half in a single strike.

Incensed by this, the other men and even those who had already managed to bury themselves beneath the dirt shot into the air, but many were quickly taken back to the ground as Piccolo charged into the small army, grabbing one man by his leg and using him as an extension to batter the rest. Like some mad yet graceful dance, the Namekian warrior clubbed the army with all the ease and grace of a painter against his canvas.

Gohan and the others were momentarily stunned, only able to watch as the two strongest of their number began the assault, fearlessly charging beings who could easily kill them with barely any effort.

He watched as Vegeta engaged a man with blue skin. The blonde-haired man was incredibly fast, even though he looked in rough shape from Vegeta's opening attack, and he quickly landed a chop against the Saiyan's neck, one that Vegeta quickly punished by grabbing his arm at the elbow with one hand and near the wrist with the other before flinging him over his shoulder and tossing him away from him. But rather than let him fly, the Prince gave chase, and a series of powerful strikes were unleashed against the man's body! Every punch sent a clap of thunder through the air! One shattered his armor into a thousand pieces as Vegeta struck his chest, another whipped his head to the side and forced him to look at the sky and another had him double over! The Saiyan was relentless, and followed up his assault with a final double hammer-fist brought down on the man's skull, sending him barreling into the dirt, which exploded with his impact! Vegeta gave him no quarter, and quickly shot towards the ground, preparing another blow-

Gohan looked away from this fight and powered up himself. He'd made up his mind.

"I'm going!" He moved to shoot into the sky like Vegeta and Piccolo had, but a hand fell on his shoulder.

Krillin was there, a nervous but supportive smile on his face. "Not without me you're not! Let's go give them what-for, Gohan!"

The child grinned back at his friend, relieved. "Right!"

The duo shot into the air and were wordlessly followed by two more. Tenshinhan and Chaotzu had decided to join the group, although Yamcha and Bulma (who had come with for some reason) were still in back, likely because Yamcha felt that he had to protect her.

But Gohan didn't worry about any of that. Instead, he just grinned as he shot into the fray as well. His hands were stuck out in front of him, and he powered up to his limits and slammed into a green skinned lizard-like alien! His bones crunched beneath Gohan's efforts, and he screamed out before dropping to the ground like a swatted fly. Gohan felt himself getting a little excited, his Saiyan blood roaring in his ears alongside the sound of battle. Screams and the sound of thunder and the lightning of energy that followed them filled his mind... And the boy felt a horrible flood of anxiety.

He hated fighting, even if he didn't mind the feeling it gave him- the rush was something else entirely- but fighting itself, hurting others- even if it was to protect someone else... He didn't like it.

Yet, his body craved more, and he was quick to answer its demands.

He shot forward and pulled back his fist, striking a massive hulking man in the back of his head, causing him to drop Krillin as his head was snapped forward.

And then he turned around with an infuriated look. "You little git!" He shouted, and Gohan was struck in his chin by a powerful leg, and the next thing he knew was a pair of fists coming down on his head, sending him flailing down into the dust. Before he hit the ground, Gohan shook off the ringing in his head and shot his hands out, shooting a beam of energy into the rock and propelling himself back up at an angle- narrowly avoiding the green brute's followup attack as the man came shooting right passed him, both of his legs extended straight down.

Gohan didn't let this opportunity go to waste and moved with striking speed, pulling his hands back and over his forehead, entering the pose that his master had taught him all those years ago and channeling his Ki through his body, up his veins and into his arms and at last-
A massive golden ray of light erupted from his palms as the boy shouted. "Masenko-HAH!" And brought both hands down, turning the brute's own momentum against him and shooting him right into the ground.

However his victory was short lived as the man quickly reappeared from the hole and shot towards Gohan again, his leg jutted forward in a pose hauntingly similar to the one that another brute had done to him on Namek. Although Gohan was stunned, he wasn't afraid. The man was strong, but he was injured after that attack! And Gohan was stronger.

Gohan smiled a bit at that realization and shot towards the brute himself, easily outpacing his speed and sliding his body passed his massive fist, the man's bicep against Gohan's shoulder before the boy's fist connected with his face, snapping his head back and stunning him for a moment. Gohan didn't let up and quickly struck under his chin before shooting higher into the air and pulling his fist backwards before throwing his entire shoulder into the strike and punching him back into the ground. Not willing to give him a moment to breathe, the young man extended both of his hands out and peppered the ground with orangish yellow Ki blasts, keeping him pinned down.

But then a pair of hands snatched the boy from behind, sliding under his outstretched arms and yanking him back against a brick wall of a body! He craned his neck to look at his grappler and saw some kind of strange orange skinned lizard's face staring back at him, a twisted grin on his features. "Now, Dore!"

"DORE! KICK!" The green hulk finished and appeared from nowhere, his knee jutting out and him moving at such a speed that Gohan had no time to even react before it plunged into his stomach hard enough that his eyes bulged out of his skull and the moment his hands were free, he doubled over in pain and violently wretched up blood.

The lizard floated behind him and he heard the scanning of a Scouter. "Two-hundred thousand on a kid?!" He demanded, incredulous at this fact. "This kid could waste the entire Ginyu Force with power like that!"

The brutish man laughed haughtily. "Well lookie here Neiz, we must'a caught ourselves a Super Saiyan then. Kid's definitely got resemblance to one!" The other one- Dore- added, grabbing Gohan by his hair and holding him up. "Yep, right 'ere, black eyes alright! Kid's a Saiyan!"

Neiz laughed as Gohan began to recover and struggle in Dore's grip. "Well we'd better finish him off before he pulls out his Frieza-slaying powers!" He giggles, and the other man falls silent.

"Don't talk about dat now, I was just havin fun!" Dore growls before punching Gohan in the stomach, causing him to wretch again, blood spewing from his lips. "Didn't 'ere nothing crack that time, must'a hit too low!" This time he knees Gohan in the face and the boy's world turns white, even noise turns the color as his ears start to ring. He grits his teeth and tries to shake through it and out of the man's grip, but suddenly he's tossed in the air just as his vision returns and barely manages to catch a burst of electricity rushing his way!

Gohan's eyes snap open and the world resumes its color in time for the boy to power up and roll out of the way, just barely avoiding the attack! His teeth grits and he shoots towards the lizard-alien and plows into him with all his might! That time something splintered. The man clutches his chest and howls in pain but Gohan doesn't give him a chance to recover! Quickly he follows up the attack with a heavy strike to the beings face that sends him flying end over end through the air. Remembering Vegeta's move from earlier, Gohan vanishes and reappears behind him with a burst of super-speed! He pulls his hands above his head like a baseball pitcher and hits the lizard as hard as he can, sending him flying back into Dore, who manages to catch his friend just barely- getting pushed back a little in the process.

The pair are surprised by him, but not too surprised. After all, Gohan was stronger than both of them individually...
But in a pair?

The pair of them exchange a look, and Gohan grits his teeth. He knows what they're planning and he's not going to let them. He quickly pulls his hands above his head before shooting them out and unleashing another wave of golden energy! The Masenko Wave rushes the pair, but Gohan's eyes widen in shock-
They'd expected this!

They shoot out, one left and one right, before blasting towards him as one unit. Dore is slower, but he strikes low to compensate. His legs are a blur of green with white and orange tips that Gohan can barely keep up with as he flies backwards, desperately put onto the defensive. Neiz is faster and abuses that by striking high, aiming for Gohan's face and chest, something that the boy can only barely stave off using his arms and hands. Put on the defensive, Gohan looks for a way out of this, but even with superior power, he's being overwhelmed by the two's synchronicity! He manages to keep away from the pair-
Until suddenly his struck in the face by a massive green fist.

Dore grins as Gohan's head snaps backwards and Neiz cackles as he follows up his ally's attack with a low kick to the boy's stomach followed up by a spinning axe-kick which lands against the boy's side, shooting him to the left only for Dore's leg to kick out and catch his ribs-

Snap.

Gohan's eyes go dead as a rib cracks beneath the pressure. An instant stretches out into an eternity in his mind as he panics, his brain flying into overdrive in a desperate effort to find a way to escape this, to flee from these behemoths in front of him-

But there's no time.

In an instant, the men capitalize on their advantage and unleash onto the boy, transforming into a mottled blur of punches. Gohan catches Dore's fist against his jaw, an orange-colored hammer-fist is brought down onto his head and turns his world into spots just long enough for him to breathe. And when his vision returns, he sees the two men pull their legs back, with their hands in the ready pose in front of them, ready to kick Gohan away-

And in the next, the men are gone.

A hurricane of wind courses through the air faster than anyone in the fight can see, a red and golden-orange streak that whips through all the men still remaining before stopping at Gohan and catching him before he falls, cradling the boy in his arms as his red glow vanishes. A gentle and concerned smile plays at his lips as the pair land, and once their feet touch the ground...

All of the soldiers fall to it, unconscious.

"Dad...?"

"Hehe, hey Gohan. Sorry I took so long, you did a good job, alright son?" He asks, gently touching his son's face.

Gohan smiled, his face bloody but his expression so unbelievably happy. His dad was back! Everything was alright now...
He did it...

Goku smiled softly.

Piccolo landed nearby and the Saiyan greeted him with a nod. "Sorry to cut in on your battle like that, but I'm hoping to end this quickly if that's alright with you." He says, putting Gohan back onto the ground, where he shakily manages to stand, one hand cradling his smashed ribs.

"Its fine, I wasn't having any fun with them anyway. Besides, we've got bigger fish to fry."

Goku nods, his expression turning serious.

Vegeta lands nearby with a furious look. "Kakarot." The Prince hisses. "Who are you to get involved in my fight?!"

Goku chuckles nervously. "Ahehehe, that was an accident, I mostly just homed in on the strongest energy source I could find, sorry that it was you Vegeta." Goku says, rubbing the back of his head.

"Grr... Whatever." He growls, crossing his arms. "Well, lets get on with it then. We've got two Frost Demons to deal with now." Despite his words, he smirks. "Although I suppose that means that you finished off Frieza then."

"Yes." A powerful voice cuts through, and Cold steps up, lashing his tail against the ground in a fury. To his horror, Gohan realizes that neither Cold nor Cooler had even moved an inch since the battle had begun. "I suppose it does mean that you're the one who killed my son, Super Saiyan."


Goku turned towards the pair of Arcosians with a serious expression, choosing not to answer Vegeta right then. He looked at the two evil beings in front of him pointedly, looking completely alien to how he normally did. Where usually a joyous or at least excited look would sit... was now a look that even Frieza would balk at.
Goku was serious.

"I have no idea what you're talking about! I didn't kill Frieza!" He shouted to the pair. "When I left him, he was severely injured but alive, just like your men here. Now take them and get off my planet! I don't want to have to fight you if I don't have to."

The taller of the pair's face seemed to drop, shock and even a spark of hope forming against ancient features- only to then be replaced with suspicion as he glanced down towards the other. But the smaller one was quick and stepped up to reply before the elder could act on his feelings. "Liar" He shouted, stepping towards Goku. "You think us a fool, Super Saiyan? That my brother would lie to us, even in his final words!? You are to blame for his death! Revenge for him wiping out your sickening race years ago!" The man then added. "After all, you did admit to severely injuring him. What's to say you didn't go back to finish the job? He was killed on his ship after all."

Goku lifted an eyebrow. "His ship fell into the lava! He wasn't onboard it when it did." He then sighed, realizing that they must be grieving- they weren't going to be reachable in that state. Well, if that was the case, then he didn't have much choice. He might have to take them on. "But if you really think I killed him then I don't think it's in your best interest to fight me! You're a lot weaker than he was." Goku warned and powered up a bit, allowing a white aura of power to envelope him- a warning to the pair. But the smaller alien didn't listen, and instead powered up himself, his power skyrocketing in a mixture of rage and grief, and Goku couldn't blame him. If Frieza had died after Namek's explosion, then Goku would be the only person who could be blamed for it. But somehow, Goku didn't think he did. After all, he was so sure that he'd survive the planet's destruction... Would Frieza have really been that confident only to die of starvation or something like that? It didn't seem in character for the Tyrant.
Oh well, he couldn't focus on that now. Whether or not he'd died, Goku had to face the consequences of that day on Namek.

"So, you admit it." He glances back at the other one, something of a cruel smirk on his face as he does- a look that Goku finds to be a little strange... But then again Frieza was pretty much always smiling like that on Namek, so it wasn't all that out of place he assumed. "Father! You were much closer to Frieza than I was. Would you like to be the one to put an end to this supposed Super Saiyan?" He questioned, and Goku frowned, sensing off about him now. His emotions... His energy...
It was almost like he was faking... Before, his energy had spiked to show anger, but now he was as calm as ever. It didn't match the emotion being put into his voice. He spoke like he was angry, but his energy was like a placid lake- not at all what furious Ki would feel like, even a little bit.

The older man was silent for a time, considering. Goku looked up to him... And found his face unreadable. It was a mixture of emotion for certain, but he couldn't tell if it was rage, grief or... Suspicion.
After a moment his eyes closed, and a moment after that the man began to softly nod- to himself, not answering his son's question.

And then his eyes opened and focused on the Saiyan.
"No. This over-evolved ape is beneath me. Cooler, you may kill him." He ordered, a tone of dismissal in his voice as he crossed his arms, not focusing on either the Saiyan nor his son anymore, instead turning his gaze up to the sky, contemplatively.

The other man looked surprised and a bit worried for a moment before nodding. "As you wish, Father."

Cooler began to approach Goku before stopping in front of him and tapping his Scouter, scanning his power level. "Hmph, 5 million is it? A power level like that would have been enough to fight my brother in his first few forms, however his true form should have been more than enough to kill you." Cooler smirks a bit, dropping more of his act in the process. "Although, I will give it to you, Saiyan. You far surpass any other Saiyan to have ever lived. A Super Saiyan indeed, even if the legend was a bit overblown."

Goku smirked in reply and instead powered up before taking on his Turtle-School stance. "Well if that's what you think, then come at me Cooler!"

"With pleasure!" Cooler shouted and kicked off the ground, causing the desert beneath his feet to crumble into dust as he shot towards Goku, his elbow raised to protect his face while his arm pulled in front of his chest to shoot into a punch. Goku stood his ground and clashed with the Arcosian warrior, blocking his opening strike with his arm, their mere auras kicking up such a shockwave that it sent Cold staggering back a few feet and blew away the Z-Warriors that had been standing around Goku at the time. Goku had blocked him but gritted his teeth as he had. This guy was definitely still holding back a considerable amount, but even the little he'd let out was almost enough to shatter his arm. Goku wasn't worried about it at all though, he had a few tricks of his own to even the playing field. But for now...

"Kaioken Times Ten!" An illustrious crimson aura erupted around him, catching Cooler by surprise. Goku jumped back and hit the ground before using it as a jumping off point, striking the Arcosian in his lower jaw with intense speed and causing him to stagger to the side! Goku moved quickly to strike Cooler's chest, but before he could the Arcosian moved, avoiding the Saiyan's strike by sliding past him and lifting his arm up to clothesline the Super Saiyan, sending Goku flying backwards! Cooler gave chase and shot into the Saiyan with a punch to his lower torso, sending him shooting into the sky with a clap of thunder!

The Saiyan managed to halt himself mid-air and turned just in time for the Arcosian to come out of super-speed behind him and shoot down with a downward kick! Goku manages to shoot himself out of the way of the attack before launching higher into the sky. He shoots his hand down towards Cooler while his other hand grips his elbow to line up his shot-

But just as he goes to launch it, Cooler shoots into an arc, flying around and above the Saiyan! Goku is fast on the uptake and tracks Cooler's movements, attempting to locate where he will be before launching the orb of Ki towards the Frost Demon-
But Cooler expected this, and as the attack races towards where he would have been he halts his arc and changes course- shooting back towards Goku at incredible speeds and planting his fist square into the Saiyan's chest!

Goku cries out as pain erupts from his sternum but grits his teeth. His red aura bursts out from his body and he responds with a feint to Cooler's left, causing the Tyrant to dodge his head to the side only to be caught completely off-guard as the Saiyan's other fist lands in the soft spot of his stomach! Goku doesn't let up and shoots a rapid-fire barrage of punches towards Cooler, a few of them landing their mark before the Arcosian is able to react and throws one hand up to deflect Goku's attack before shooting a jab with the other into Goku's nose, catching him and throwing his head back only for a cross to catch him across the face. Keeping the Saiyan from getting his footing back, Cooler keeps up his assault, pushing Goku back in the sky with a sea of strikes before pulling away and moving to kick the Saiyan-

And that's when Goku makes his strike. Just as Cooler pulls back, the Saiyan plants two fingers against his head and vanishes causing his kick to connect with air, stunning the Arcosian long enough for a pair of fists to plant themselves into the back of his white Bio-Armor, sending the Arocsian rocketing back towards the Earth!

Goku takes no time to reward himself for that move and quickly chases the Arcosian down to the ground. Goku's fist slams into the rocky dirt as Cooler shoots off the ground milliseconds before Goku reaches him. He takes back to the air but Goku shoots off of the ground and into the Arcosian with a straight punch aimed for his face- only to have his fist caught by a slender purple hand, shooting out a shockwave so violent that dust blots out the sun around them for an instant before returning.

"That ability... That wasn't speed, was it?" Cooler questions, still holding a death grip on Goku's fist. "I've seen that technique before..." He mutters, eyes searching Goku's face, as if that would tell him the answer.

On the other hand, Goku gave out a bit of a smirk. "It's something I picked up from Yardrat."

At this, Cooler's eyes widen slightly. "You've been?" He asks, letting him go and cocking his head slightly, a new look crossing his eyes. Common ground?

"Yeah, I just left..." He admits, looking a little confused himself. "Have you been there?"

"Once." Cooler admitted with a chuckle. "I was too arrogant then, I didn't manage to learn anything from those who lived there. But you... you've done it, haven't you?" He asked but answered his own question with an impressed smirk. "Instant Transmission, the power to teleport."

Goku chuckled back. "Yeah, I picked it up. I would have learned more but you and your father cut me off."

Cooler looked delighted, which came as a shock to Goku. Maybe they weren't so different after all, especially if he was allowed to stay on Planet Yardrat. "Well then, I suppose we have something in common, Saiyan. I picked something up from a visit to the planet myself, although regrettably I never managed to convince them to teach me that or one of the other amazing abilities they have on that world." He lets out a small chuckle before continuing. "Too bad you won't be able to see what is I achieved there, not at this rate at least."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Cooler chuckled again. "Allow me to let you in on a secret. I have only been using around eighty percent of my full power in this form. And unlike my little brother, I have no intention of dragging this out long enough for you to multiply your power higher." He chuckles, letting Goku go as he steps back, a brilliant white aura erupting out from Cooler's body. "That's right, Saiyan. I noticed your little multiplication trick. You have the ability to increase your power by however much you shout out. At five million, all it would take for you to defeat me is to go a little higher... But I'm not going to let you!" Goku moved to intercept him before he could reach his power's apex and shot his fist towards the Tyrant, catching him in his chest-

But it was like striking a wall made out of unbreakable material. Goku had just enough time to realize this before he saw Cooler's body drop down and his legs were swept out from under him! Cooler moved with incredible quickness and landed a blow against the Saiyan's face that erupted a massive shockwave and sent him spiraling back into the air.

Goku squinted through the pain, seeing the figure of Cooler making his way towards him. He powered up to the limits of the Ten Times Kaioken and managed to right himself in the air just as Cooler appeared to his left! Goku was fast and struck the figure- only for his fist to contact air as Cooler ducked under his jab and returned with a cross of his own, embedding his fist into Goku's Solar Plexus before flipping himself backwards and slamming the top of his heel down onto the top of the Saiyan's head, shooting him back towards the ground!

But the Saiyan wasn't willing to let that happen and forced himself to turn around as he flew, planting two fingers to his forehead while powering up and shooting his body down even faster-

And then he teleported himself right above Cooler, tackling the Arcosian and driving his elbow into his bio-armor. Cooler didn't budge and suddenly Goku felt something wrap around his leg before he was yanked off of the Arcosian's back and flung away. This time the alien gave chase and shot after the Saiyan. His fists were upon Goku before he had a chance to respond, and quickly he felt a series of punches rattle against his chest and stomach before one final strike caught against his jaw, sending him spinning for only a moment before the Arcosian snagged his arm and pulled him back towards him, where Goku felt Cooler's palm against his stomach. He had just enough time to realize what was happening before an orb of Ki was planted against his stomach and he was shot away from the Arcosian! A moment later, Goku felt a horrible pain shoot across his body as the orb erupted in a powerful explosion!

Cooler shot towards the smoke cloud where Goku was- and was taken completely off-guard as the Saiyan shot a kick out in desperation, catching the man's chin and causing him to stumble backwards in the air. Goku pressed this small advantage however and spun away while charging a Kamehameha wave through his feet- a move he'd last used against Piccolo, but one that's yet to let him down. The blue wave shoots Cooler point blank in his chest, sending him back a few inches while Goku propels away from him, trying to buy himself time, time to hopefully activate the Times Twenty or even-

But the small distraction posed by the attack wasn't enough! Goku caught only a flash of dark skin before a shadow passed above him- Cooler! The Arcosian was quick to catch on to Goku's realization, but it didn't matter as his hands were already pulled behind his head and in an instant they had planted themselves into Goku's spine! The Saiyan cried out in pain and crumpled in the air, gasping for it.

Rather than let him fall however, Cooler's outstretched hands opened up and exposed their palms before a purple light shot out of it and into the warrior of Earth, planting an orb of Ki into him and sending both hurtling towards the ground.

Goku gritted his teeth so hard it felt like at any minute they'd snap. 'D-Damn it. At this rate, he's going to kill me. I didn't think I'd have to do it, but there's no other choice. I've got to transform!' In truth, the only reason Goku had been using the Kaioken times ten in place of the twenty times multiplier or even Super Saiyan was because he'd wanted to have a decent fight with them. After all, if this was as strong as Cooler could get, then Super Saiyan would be overkill, and the older one didn't seem to be any stronger than Frieza had been, if anything he was even weaker. Both at once would have been threatening, but one on one he could easily take them as a Super Saiyan. Something he'd wanted to avoid, since he didn't know how they'd take to being so outclassed. If one of them decided to destroy the planet while he was engaged with the other then everything he'd fought for would be for nothing. But in a one on one, he might have a shot at bringing them both down. Of course that still ran the risk of one of them realizing how outclassed they were, but that was just a risk he had to take.

And not only that, he was actually kind of enjoying his fight with Cooler. If Frieza had died, maybe his brother could sub in for him? Right the wrongs of his family? He didn't feel nearly as evil as Frieza or their father did... But if that was going to be possible, then he had no other choice than to defeat him right now.

Goku's eyes snapped open as he neared the ground and he took in a deep breath. "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Goku screamed as he flipped himself around so his feet could touch the ground instead of his body. His feet plant into the ground, unleashing a massive shockwave around his person that blows dust for miles as his heels dig into the dirt and rock, halting his motion entirely as he holds the energy ball above his head. Power surges through Goku's body. His muscles twitch with raw, barely tamed energy as a golden glow begins to envelope him. His hair flickers for only a moment before it suddenly stands straight and turns an illuminous blond. He lets out a roar now that he's transformed and golden energy shoots out of his hands, blasting the attack back towards its sender.

Cooler's eyes widened as his own attack shot back towards him, and he managed to throw himself out of the way of the incoming blast and the beam carrying it-

Only for his entire world to turn white with flecks of a brilliant gold as Goku's fist connected with his head, sending him flying backwards and higher into the sky. Goku blasted after him, knowing exactly what to do. It might not have worked last time, but back then he was going up against Frieza at less than fifty percent of his full power. Now? Now he was far ahead of Cooler at his own maximum. "Ka..." He growled, sending the energy surging towards his fists.

He shot towards him with lightning speeds, and Cooler had just enough time to sit up in the air before another strike connected with his jaw, but Goku's punch swung in such an arc that it took him for a spin and sent him even higher into the air. "Me...!"

"Ha..."

"Me..!"

Goku clasped his hands at his sides and a blue wave of power charged between his cupped palms. His eyes narrowed with an intensity hadn't been seen since Namek, a roaring power had overcome the Saiyan warrior and he was going to give it his all!

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

His hands swung up and for a moment, the world was blinded by a swirling blue radiance that overtook everything around them, even Goku's own Super Saiyan aura vanished beneath the blue light. Cooler at last managed to halt himself from Goku's punch at last, and sensed blood dripping from his mouth, but before he could think on what had happened to him, how this Saiyan had managed to overwhelm him so suddenly, the attack was rushing from below- an endless sea of blue light where once was a landscape of yellow and orange. His eyes widened and his own teeth grit as he shoved a hand down with his own beam of energy at the ready-

But it was no use! The attacks collided and the Kamehameha wave won out within attoseconds, shoving Cooler's hand back and pressing itself against the Arcosian's arm, burning all the way up to his elbow! Cooler's aura flared up as he let out his own roar of frustration and power, unleashing everything he had to hold off the incoming blast! He threw down his other hand, desperate to push the attack away from him by unleashing even more energy to counter the blast!

First he lost inches, then his entire arm was enveloped, and then Cooler let out a scream of pain that rocked the entire world around him as he was consumed entirely by the light before vanishing beneath it.

Goku panted as his golden aura began to fade. That had taken a considerable effort, even as a Super Saiyan. Using the Kaioken at that level would have been suicidal. At this rate, if Goku kept getting stronger, he'd almost definitely destroy his body beyond any kind of repair if he tried to use the times twenty Kaioken. Even if he was able to potentially become way more powerful using it compared to Super Saiyan, the lack of strain that came with this form made up for it by ten-thousand times.

"Gr...gr..." A shaky grunt snapped Goku out of his momentary reflection, and he looked up to find Cooler standing in the air, shaking and badly injured, but still standing. His Bio-Armor was cracked and broken in places, revealing bits of injured purple flesh and spilling out a much lighter shade of purple blood, which dripped down from the cracks and onto his exposed flesh. For a moment, Goku was confused- why was he still standing? But it hit him not long after. Cooler was one of Frieza's species- and more importantly, his own family. It only made sense that he had the same kind of durability that Frieza did.
And Frieza had survived an attack like this before, albeit at a much lower level. 'Damn it!' Goku thought, cursing himself. 'I knew I should have hit him with my full power! Holding back that much was a mistake.' But then, he considered. 'Well, maybe he'll switch out with his dad now, right?'

"Ahehehehe..." Goku chuckled shakily. "I should have figured that wouldn't be enough, Frieza was the same way..." He admitted loudly enough that Cooler could hear him.

Cooler looked serious for a moment before shakily coming to float just a few feet away from the Saiyan Warrior, his own body jolting with streaks of pain and from the sudden chill that came with blood running down his form. "That strength... Yes, I can see now. This is the true Super Saiyan. What you were using before was just a power amplifier! This is a real transformation...!" He trailed off. "I see now how you managed to injure Frieza so badly." He chuckles while shaking his head. "Well it doesn't matter now does it? It seems I'd lied to you earlier, Super Saiyan. I can't defeat you as I am now..."


"-However!" The alien grunted out, hunching over as he did so. His arms spread out at his sides and his stance widened- a poor stance for any normal martial artist, but Cooler didn't mind that fact. This would, after all, only take a moment. "I suppose I shall reveal to you the fruits of my training on Yardrat!"

A growl escaped from his lips, a low and powerful thing. He'd considered not going through with it- transforming. He might not be able to defeat this Saiyan as he stands now, but his father might have been, and then Cooler could simply come in and wash him away after he's become exhausted...

But he'd been thinking. Why wait? After all, what better way to prove his superiority than to kill both his father and the Super Saiyan at the same time? And at full strength no less! That way, there would be no question of his power. No one would dare to wonder if Cooler needed the Saiyan to wipe out his father in the end, not if he killed them both one on one.

That growl transcended itself, building out from his throat into a roar strong enough to shake the entire world. The ground began to erupt into a series of tremors as Cooler's body began to take on its metamorphosis, and the air became a maelstrom around him, the raw power of this transformation erupting out of Cooler's body in waves. Goku floated away from the Arcosian, a look of both concern and excitement crossing his face, both eager and terrified. Cooler had made it his mission to assure that it would turn into only terror.

He let out a scream as muscle erupted from his slender figure. His body grew- not only in strength, but size as well, feet stacking themselves onto his already impressively tall form, causing him to begin to tower over the Super Saiyan by a fair margin. Bio-Armor erupted from his shoulders, his back growing new and pain-inducing spines made from the same bone and keratin as the armor adorning his body. A horrific grin appeared on his face as his yell at last came to its apex. Bone and sinew snapped from his skull and reformed themselves into a crown befitting a king. At last, a bone mask appeared on his face, obscuring the awful look that Cooler had taken on as his eyes became like endless pools of crimson blood-red.

Born anew, his skin healed, rejuvenating him, the injuries that the Saiyan had previously managed to enact onto his body wiped away in a single moment.

Born anew, Cooler's red sclera bore into the Saiyan's turquoise eyes.

The man, to his credit, let out a smirk. "Heh, well I'll admit, I am a little impressed. If Frieza had a transformation like that on Namek, he might not have lost."

"Indeed, taking on that ridiculous bulked up form was his final mistake." Cooler smirked beneath his mask. His hands then extended to his side as he gestured broadly, as if offering the Super Saiyan a hug- but no, rather Cooler was making him a different offer.
Come and get me.


Author's note: Hello there! I have decided to cut this chapter here. As you can see, it is incredibly long as it is but believe it or not, there was EVEN MORE planned for this episode of Defrost!

Unfortunately, I think that breaching 16-17k words is a tad bit too much for one chapter, so I've decided to cut it here and next time we will witness the battle between the Super Arcosian, Cooler and the Super Saiyan of legend, Goku. But for the moment, I think this is more than enough. Double unfortunately though, we won't be meeting again for another few weeks. I intend to write out a much smaller little horror story for Halloween and then it will be time for me to write a Monitale chapter (Ao3 bros, hit up FFN and look in Doki Doki Literature Club x Undertale in crossovers, I'm sure you'll enjoy it) but after that we will be witnessing the thrilling conclusion to this little side-story.

I hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, please tell me what you thought about it in the comments/reviews section! I would love to hear from you all and answering reviews is one of my favorite parts.

Oh, and if you're interested, feel free to join me this Halloween for the horror story. I will be writing for Jurassic Park, and it should technically be enjoyable even if you're not a fan of the franchise. After all, who wouldn't find dinosaurs chasing you scary? For my Ao3 bros, I will also be posting that there so definitely go check it out, if you're a fan of my work then I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Horror and action are my main two passions as a writer, so it would mean the world to me if you checked it out!

Now then, power levels and then reviews. As a reminder to everyone, I'm using the Bringer of Death model of Super Saiyan, which means that SSJ1 is more like adding a big reservoir of power to your base form than it is a straight on multiplier. Whether these numbers make sense in the original canon isn't mine to debate, feel free to ask Npberryhill any questions you might have.

Ahem

Gohan- 200,000 (following his fight against Frieza on Namek, the young Saiyan has achieved a few Zenkai boosts and is now more than strong enough to waste the entire Ginyu Force, and might have been able to defeat Dore or Neiz separately. Unfortunately, together...)

Dore- 150,000

Neiz: 150,000

Salza: 200,000

Cooler, 50% 4th Form: 40 million

Cooler, 100% 4th Form: 80 million

Goku: 5 million

Goku KKx10: 50 million

Goku SSJ: 150 million

Cooler, 5th form: 160 million

King Cold: 100 million (Yes, BoD states that his power level is 140m, however I personally dislike that since Frieza repeatedly claims to be the strongest in the universe. Though Cold can transform, he hasn't since Frieza was born, so setting him at 100 million is a good way to have Frieza believe that he's all powerful without also losing out on the King's ability to transform)

Onto reviews and then I'm out of here!

SuperSaiyajin4Vegeta: Giving flight to the birds of pray

I'm glad to hear that you're not going to go crazy with power scaling. DBS really did make it absurd. By the end of Z most of the main cast were stronger than the highest gods, so where did all this bs come from? It's a bit ridiculous IMO

Me: I'm sure you'll get a kick out of this chapter's title

I do hopefully intend to move into some DBS content in the future which will require the use of God Forms and thus universal tiers of scaling, but I hope I can make it slightly more coherent than what DBS has. So much of it is really dumb. I like the idea of Android 17 being SSB tier, but does that make any sense? Mmmmm I don't think so...

ZoeyCares chapter 5 . Sep 27

I always enjoy reading fanfiction, especially when it gives me more ideas as if I was to write a fanfiction about a fanfiction...

Or Is it going to be peaceful for the whole of Frieza's time there?

If it is going to be peaceful will Frieza learn anything of value? As it stands now Frieza is not as strong as Cooler right? Or would you consider them fairly even? Even so if Frieza learned instant transmission or the ability to sense power levels it could make Frieza more of an opposing enemy... Plus is Frieza could sense power levels he could make sure that his subordinates could be safe while they still posed some form of benefit for him? Perhaps there could be some gaming system or sports o something and Frieza is challenged, and due to it NOT being about sheer strength, Frieza loses...? Would it be versus Bendez or vs all the little children?

Next chapter sounds fun! And I don't think there is anything slow about this fanfiction aside from waiting for an update and assuming you quit and gave up after I've waiting more than 7 days...

(Oh and is Future Trunks coming back? I certainly hope not... Might as well make it be NOBODY...? Or IF someone maybe Frieza's Child? Imagine King Cold meeting another accrosian or perhaps a different race idk I'm kinda confused on how it would happen... But honestly I don't really care for all that... I'd prefer a weaker Android Race beaten by the other Z fighters and no future people popping in... Making too many different stories in one is a great way of having no end goal to achieve because too much is going on.)

Me: I'm glad I can give you ideas! I love inspiring others.

Whether things will be peaceful or not, I cannot say. As for learning anything of value, I think Frieza will learn a few lessons while he's there, for sure. Frieza at his max power is currently a decent 40 million units away from Cooler, so I'd say Cooler would take it in a fight with his little brother any day.

Sorry for making you wait. Weekly updates aren't really easy to do when you're putting out MONSTER chapters like these, I'm trying to do monthly or twice a month but its still a lot, and burnout is a serious threat.

Future Trunks may or may not join us sometime in the future, I'm not at liberty to say as of the current moment. I will say however that Cold really wouldn't get much out of meeting Frieza's future child, even if they somehow were at an age where they could grasp higher concepts (Arcosians mature rather slowly, Frieza is only technically in his 20s despite being over 200 years old) he wouldn't personally care. Although he would be terrified to know just how much stronger this one is compared to his own sons, who themselves had incredible potential.
The Androids will arrive, I'll admit that much. But weaker? That's doubtful.

And these next few are entirely apart of Ao3

SnowyWasTaken: Oh!

Double chapter :

Me: Yeah I forgor to update Ao3 for chapter 4 for a little while so I tossed them both up there as an apology.

COKOJI: I'm so glad I saw your fic, gods, I'm in awe of all the chapters! you write so damn well. Can't wait to read more

Me: Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far, it really makes me happy to hear that people over there are enjoying it. I've noticed a lot less interest from Ao3 compared to here so I was getting worried that it wasn't up to par. But you make it all the more worth it! I hope you enjoyed this one

Ruby6666 : This has been such a good story to read so far, I do hope there will be more! Also keep up the amazing work and don't forget to take brakes if your feeling burnt out!

Me: I'll make sure to take one if it gets to that point. I'm thinking of taking an extended break after the first saga wraps up but that won't be for *checks notes* a significantly long time still so no worries!

Alright that's everyone I wanted to cover, I hope you all have a good day and if we don't see each other until next month, a happy Halloween. Goodnight everybody and, as always-

Until Next Time True Readers!