ERASED CHRONICLES GAIDEN: The Man who Defied the Emperor
A bright star in the vastness of Vegeta's night sky. That's what their son seemed like to Bardock and Gine, who watched as a round-type ship — the craft of a standard combatant — flew high into the darkness, shining brightly against the blotted sky.
"Watch out for the Galactic Patrol," shouted Gine as a final warning to her three-year old son, Kakarrot. She embraced her husband, Bardock, who watched his youngest son go with a mixture of resignation and sadness.
"I want to be mistaken…" muttered the combatant. "I really hope I'm jumping the gun." He clenched his free hand — the one that wasn't embracing his mate — and grit his teeth. Far higher in the sky than even his son's craft looked a far more ominous presence. Freeza's spaceship.
"It's never been that close, or stayed for so long," explained Bardock. "Even when Freeza had business here, it wasn't this constant of a presence. He's planning something."
"What should we do about Raditz?" inquired a worried Gine.
"Leave him with the prince," replied Bardock easily. "No one is more likely to completely ignore these summons than Vegeta, meaning Raditz will be safe with him."
"But what do we do?"
A deep frown set into Bardock's face. Sending away Kakarrot was merely the first step, simply to ensure their youngest child's safety of everything went south.
"Speak to the King," suggested Bardock. "We don't have much time, but it's a good start. A unified Saiyan front against Freeza would be better than lone stragglers."
"King Vegeta?!" gasped Gine. If the Prince was known to be stubborn, his father was worse. "Regular combatants can't get an audience with him!"
"How about an elite of the regulars?" replied Bardock with a grin.
Vegeta; Gine and Bardock's Home
Prioritising their eldest son, Gine was quick to make a transmission through Bardock's scouter to Raditz's own. She informed him of Kakarrot's departure, and left out key details — as the risk of a Scouter transmission being overheard by other unwelcome parts was always present — but Raditz understood the gist. His younger brother had been sent away on a routine mission to a planet called Earth. Heading towards a corner of the room, Bardock reached through an door made out of solid light – it parted to accept him – and pulled out a Combat Jacket, different from his standard. He removed his current Combat Jacket to reveal a well-built physique developed from years on the battlefield. Scattered on his torso were a variety of scars – wounds that hadn't been healed by a medical machine in time – and it was obvious Bardock had seen more battle than the average combatant.
Had the situation been less severe, Gine would have enjoyed the sight. But now, her eyes rested on the Combat Jacket in his hands. It was his signature armor.
Bardock slipped easily into the elastic material, clapping his hands against it. "I'm glad it got repaired. This is the Combat Jacket that suits me best." He cast an aside glance towards an off white table. Resting, folded neatly, was a vibrant red headband.
"That's his, isn't it?" asked Gine carefully.
"Yeah," came the wistful reply. Bardock picked the headband up, and wrapped it around his forehead. It wasn't a comfortable accessory; the blood that dyed it red was so deeply ingrained it could never be fully washed out.
But that was alright by him. The combatant felt a hand clench gently over his shoulder. It wasn't his wife's. When he turned around, however, no one was there.
He sighed.
"Let's pay His Majesty a visit."
Getting there into the palace wouldn't be easy. There was far from any point in asking the guards at be palace for entrance; Bardock and Gine were lower class soldiers.
But his solution had been simple.
With precision, Bardock snuck behind he formation of the half dozen guards, and with the ease of a chop to the neck, knocked them unconscious.
"B-Bardock, don't you think that was a bit rough?" asked Gine, bending bending down to look at the unconscious Saiyan elites. She no longer wore a scouter, but if she had to wager a guess, these six something guards had combat strengths easily above 2,000. She glanced at her husband.
What had the front lines done for his strength?
"You know as well as I do that I'd have killed them in my younger years. I'm going soft thanks to you." replied Bardock teasingly. "Besides…they'll thank me later if we can avoid disaster."
"Hmmm…" Gine placed a thin finger to her lips. "Am I really having that much of an affect? You weren't as cruel as you think. I was able to rely on you so much when I was a fighter…the others did too."
Bardock grimaced, but his face flushed at the same time. "Don't say sweet crap like that."
The elite combatant placed his hand towards the generator that produced the hard light doors of the Saiyan Royal Palace.
"HA!"
From his palm, blue-white ki erupted, easily destroying the generator and blowing the door apart. He and Gine stepped forward into the palace antechamber. To their surprise, it was empty.
"Does he just not fear assassination?" muttered Bardock. "Six guards and an empty entryway. How confident is he in that strength of his?"
"Don't say that!" said Gine in a hushed voice. "He is still King!"
"Not for long if Freeza makes good on whatever he's planning," said Bardock.
The hallway towards the King's chambers was a long, dark pathway. As Bardock suspected, it was as empty as the antechamber and the room following it. This meant one of two things, and Bardock liked neither.
Either, one, their King was confident in his strength to be borderline suicidal.
Or two, he had broken into the palace for no reason, and the King already suspected something was amiss with Freeza.
The first option was simply pathetic; the second meant Gine and Bardock could easily be branded traitors if they broke in to inform the king of something he knew.
As they approached the door, Bardock had a sudden sense of foreboding; nothing as cliché as some future vision, merely his Saiyan instincts alerting him to possibility of danger.
"Gine," he said abruptly, turning on his heel to face her. "Do me a favour and stay here. It might get dangerous in there and you won't be able to fend off the King's guards if my...negotiations fail."
"Bardock, I can't—"
"Gine! Your combat strength is 1,000 and that's on a good day. Please," he implored.
"...Alright," agreed the Saiyan woman dejectedly. She wasn't so keen on a fight that she felt like she was missing out. She just didn't want to send her mate into a room full of highly skilled Saiyan guards. "Just come out of there alive…this isn't even the worst of it."
"I've been through worse than this," relied Bardock, remembering vividly the mission on which the man who possessed the headband he now wore had perished. "All the King's men can't be worse than that nightmare."
Gine smiled. If Bardock said he would return, she had faith in that. Complying with his wishes, she ducked behind a darker corner of the hallway, hidden completely from sight. Only a Scouter could detect her now.
Bardock placed a hand in the double doors that led to the palace entryway. Classic architecture. No solid light to be found. And then he pushed.
ORBITING PLANET VEGETA, FREEZA'S SPACESHIP
The Evil Emperor of the Universe, the tyrannical Lord Freeza, rested in his hoverpod. Despite already being on his ship, he felt no need to walk.
No, he surveyed the planet Vegeta from his own quarters, gazing at the red orb with distaste. Out of all the planets within his empire, Vegeta was by far his least favorite of the lot.
"Super Saiyan and the Super Saiyan God…" muttered the Frost Demon. "If I lay waste to this planet, such a being will never emerge. Beerus' existence is troublesome enough," the image of the Hakaishin, whom only he knew of, filled his mind. "If I let a Saiyan claim godhood, much less become this fabled 'Super Saiyan'…well, there isn't any way for a Saiyan to truly challenge me, but it never hurts to quash such ideas before they can be realised!"
He had given them a month, and he would stick to this kindness as best he could…if only to annihilate as many of the Saiyans as he could in one fell swoop.
He heard the automatic door that led to his quarters opening, and he turned a wary eye towards the would-be guest.
It was an alien of diminutive height, with dark blue skin and narrow eyes. His most prominent trait was his large black nose. He wore a lighter version of the Combat Jacket.
"…who are you?" inquired Freeza.
"I-I am Sorbet, my Lord!" replied the alien nervously. "I was recruited into your ranks just recently!"
"Ah yes, Sorbet. I seem to recall a name like that. And what is it that you want? I hope you have a very good reason entering my quarters unannounced."
"Y-Yes, I do sir!" came the answer. "Someone wishes to have a word with you! A Saiyan!"
"Oh, my dear Sorbet!" replied Freeza airily. "Where are our manners? Show our guest in. I'll be with him shortly."
PLANET VEGETA, SAIYAN ROYAL PALACE, THRONE ROOM
Bardock was overwhelmed by the sight of the Throne Room. Compared to all other buildings on Vegeta, it was perhaps the most meticulously crafted. It was a spacious, dome-capped room. Dimly lit, much of the light came from stained glass windows high above the ground – an idea taken from the culture of the Tsufruians who used to dwell on this planet – which poured into the room, but never enough to completely illuminate it.
The path leading to the throne was short, and the length of it was covered in a velvet carpet. Surrounding this pathway from both sides were am perfectly coordinated army of soldiers – twelve on each side – who turned to stare quite menacingly at Bardock when the latter opened the door.
All twenty four of these men would be considered nobility anywhere else, but here, they were merely the strongest combatants closest to the King.
The throne itself was far from ornate, crafted from marble and taller than even the King who sat on it.
But no King was perched there today.
"…where is King Vegeta?" inquired Bardock slowly, looking from all men to the throne, and back at them. His instincts told him that this room was no safe place; the fur on his tail practically stood on end. Keeping Gine out of this had been smart.
"Have you lost your mind, Bardock?" snapped one of the twenty four Saiyan guardsmen. "Not only did you break into the castle, but you've entered the Throne Room without express permission from His Majesty!"
"Explain yourself," added another, older Saiyan with beating hair and a bushy moustache.
"…General Nappa isn't here either," noted Bardock. "Chances are high he's with the Prince." He addressed the twenty four men again. "Where is King Vegeta?!"
"You demand answers from us, yet you ignore it when we give you a direct question?!" shouted another soldier. "Becoming the strongest of the low-class has blown your ego up, hasn't it Bardock?!"
"You massive idiots!" yelled Bardock, clenching his fists at his aides and gritting his teeth. "Are you BLIND?! Freeza's ship has orbiting our planet for several days now, and he's ordered an emergency recall of all Saiyans outside of our borders! And yet you're here carrying out guard duty for who? The throne?" A bead of sweat dropped down his scalp.
"Do you suspect NOTHING?! Does no one sense his treachery?!"
"Be silent, low-class!" barked a Saiyan of a more imposing presence than the other twenty-four. In fact he was not a part of the twenty-four at all. He stepped out from behind throne, clad in not only the typical combat jacket, but a white cape. His face was rugged, with jet black hair that shot out from ends, and a goatee.
"Gurkin…" muttered Bardock. "The High Commander of the Saiyan Army graces me with his presence."
"And you should be grateful," replied the Saiyan called Gurkin. "Have you lost your mind, raising your voice to your betters?! What our King is the business of His Majesty and His Majesty's court. Low-class fighters best stay on the battlefield of common planets"
"You think so?" shot back Bardock. "If you're so cocky, I can beat the answer out of you."
"Try me," replied Gurkin.
"High Commander!" shouted one of the twenty four. "Let us fight with you and bring him down!" Other's nodded their assent.
"Quiet!" replied Gurkin waspishly. "Since when do Saiyans need an army to fight one man?!"
Bardock grinned. "It seems someone at least has their Saiyan Pride. But are you sure being the King's lackey hasn't made you complacent?"
"What did you—?!"
Gurkin was cut off quickly, when Bardock crossed the distance between them quickly. His elbow buried itself in Gurkin's stomach; his Combat Jacket doing little to shield him from the pain. The High Commander fell back, staggering, saliva spewing.
"GURKIN!"
"HIGH COMMANDER!"
Bardock removed his elbow from Gurkin's body, standing upright while Gurkin fell to his knees. "Don't think I'm ignorant, Gurkin. I know the reason I've never been offered a promotion to an elite combatant. You all don't see me as a Saiyan at all. Is it because of my wife? Or is it because of my sons, low-classes themselves? And yet I've taken on every job, every high-rank assignment Freeza's Army had to offer. I've seen battle on some of the toughest planets and killed aliens that should have killed me." He glared contemptuously at the entire lot. "I've become stronger than any of you could imagine…and that's why you're on your knees."
The twenty-four soldiers readied themselves to fight Bardock, faces set and furious.
The combatant clenched his fists. From the bottom oh soles of his feet, white ki began to funnel. It erupted into an aura as Bardock clenched his fists, a bellow escaping his throat. The aura illuminated the throne room brighter than the natural light ever did, and the royal guard watched their scouters in amazement.
"5,000…6,000…7,000…" several of the scouters exploded, but those who had newer models kept counting. "8,000…9,000…10,000! A combat strength of 10,000!"
10,000? Gurkin's combat strength was only 6,000, which placed him above Nappa. The twenty four guards were a scattering of 2,000-3,000 each.
They couldn't win against a combat strength of 10,000.
Bardock glared at the lot of them. "I'll ask again. Where is King Vegeta?"
Gurkin stubbornly refused to say a word, but one of the twenty-four soldiers — specifically the older one, who knew better than to ignore Bardock at this point — admittedly reluctantly:
"He…went for diplomatic discussion with Freeza."
"…HE WENT TO FREEZA?!" cried Bardock incredulously. "ARE YOU ALL MAD?!"
"We thought it would be best to handle the situation with some tact," replied the man cautiously.
"You're fools, Serk," spat Bardock. "One of you! Turn on your Scouter, and set the transmissions to broadcast! Now!"
Serk himself obliged, and pressed a button on his device. Immediately, words began to broadcast from the Scouter.
"…You can't be serious, Lord Freeza!" came the gruff voice of their King, Vegeta. It had a certain edge to it: the edge of desperation. "The Saiyans have served you faithfully for years!"
"Have you now?" was the emperor's sardonic reply. "You lot are too independent to truly be loyal to me. And the way you all become stronger after each and every battle, and so many of you take on my more dangerous assignments…it will only be a matter of time before you all gain some silly idea about challenging me."
"That's impossible!" cried Vegeta, even if it pained him to admit it. He knew they couldn't challenge Freeza; the lot of them did.
"It's no use arguing," Freeza said, waving it off. "My mind is set. Why do you think I'm calling you all back? Why you're even here, talking to me? You've embraced the inevitability of the situation, my simian friend."
"…Freeza, you bastard!" Growled the King for his whole court to hear. "GARLIC—!" The battle cry of his signature technique was interrupted by a squelching sound, and a liquid-filled cough from the King.
"I bid you adieu, King Vegeta."
The Saiyans, horrified, cut the transmission. There was a pregnant silence that filled the entirety of the throne room. The soldiers looked at each other and then towards Bardock. Gurkin was only barely standing up, but his expression had gone from pained to horrified.
Their King had died.
"King Vegeta…was slaughtered…" muttered one of the soldiers, horrified. "What the hell do we do against someone like Freeza?"
"We fight," replied Bardock simply, his expression grim. "We are Saiyans! What, are we going to stay here comfortably on a king-less planet and wait to be massacred?"
The silence resumed. It was clear that, Saiyan pride or no Saiyan pride, the Royal Guard was quite scared of the one formerly called 'Lord Freeza'. But at the same time, they knew Bardock was right.
He would kill them all, without a trace. What difference did it make if they all died fighting?
To a Saiyan, death in battle meant all the difference in the Universe.
"There's no point in saying otherwise," said Gurkin. "That bastard will kill us whether or not we fight back. So we'll give him hell."
For the first time since he'd sent off Kakarrot, Bardock felt hope; enough to grin. They might actually be able to win.
OUTSIDE THE THRONE ROOM
As Bardock exited the room, Gine ran to embrace him. Her lack of a Scouter meant she couldn't tell what had been going on, so she'd only been able to wait as nervously as Bardock went into a room of powerful soldiers.
"Y-You're alright!" she breathed a sigh of relief — had she literally been holding her breath the whole time? — and he face melted into a loving smile. "How'd it go?
"You worry too much," replied Bardock with a reassuring smile. "Everything went well. I've managed to convince them to fight."
"H-How?!"
"Compliments of our late King," replied Bardock grimly.
"…late?" inquired Gine timidly.
"I'll explain in more detail later," he said. "We're about to mobilise."
PLANET VEGETA, MAIN PLAZA
Saiyans were not a social species. Despite their amazing power — as far as the Northern Galaxies' Milky Way was considered — they were such a violent species that their numbers never rose over a few hundred at most. So to see that few hundred — barring certain members who were off world for one reason or another — gathered outside the Central Dome of Planet Vegeta's Main Plaza was nothing short of remarkable.
On Vegeta, gender disparity was hardly a thing — if a Saiyan could fight, he or she was equally valuable. If they could not fight, they were considered to be worthless by the same stretch. One of the princes had, in fact, been exiled for this same reason. Under the reddened sky of Vegeta, Saiyans of all walks of life — male, female, young and old — had gathered at the request of Gurkin. It was a veritable army, and it was clear to see why Freeza feared them so. To the whole plaza, Gurkin had broadcasted the death of their King, and tails bristled around the group. Fury sparked. To a Saiyan, power was everything, and they had truly admired their King for being born the strongest among them all.
It was clear that there was only one option left. Freeza murdering their King as callously as he had was a deliberation deflation of war. He had made it clear to the late Vegeta that the tyrant had no intention of sparing a single soul.
"If he intends to kill us all, then we shall stand and fight!" cried the High Commander Gurkin to the Saiyans at large. "We are a warrior race! Saiyans do not cower! When we avenge our king and kill this bastard, we'll do as we please! The Universe is for the Saiyans!"
There was a roar of approval from the crowd. The Saiyans weren't saints. They knew from history that their previous planet, Sadal, had been destroyed by their infighting, and they'd stolen this planet, Plant, from those pitiable Tsufruians. But that was ancient history. If they could take out Freeza, what could stop them? A Saiyan Empire could emerge next!
Bardock grinned. He liked the sound of that. He was a Saiyan who enjoyed fighting to his core. Perhaps he was…unique…for developing a sentimental side in regards to his family. But he still had his own pride. Saving his sons was part of his reason for rebelling, he couldn't deny that.
But a Saiyan was still a Saiyan at the end of it all, and the prospect of a life of continued battle after killing Freeza was a good reward.
"Is there a plan?!" shouted one of the Saiyans, a particularly wild looking woman. She appeared to be only a teenager, but the Saiyan attitude and appearance of perpetual youth made it hard to tell. "Show us how you earned that High Commander title, Gurkin!"
"We launch a surprise assault!" replied Gurkin, shouting into an amplification device. "Freeza's highest ranking soldiers are incredibly powerful, with some ranking easily over 20,000! But we will lead with our own advantage! He doesn't know we're coming!" He gestured to his Scouter. "We've deliberately cut all transmission! Our strongest units will lead with the recently discovered Power Ball!"
Many of the Saiyans nodded their assent; a full Giant Monkey transformation might be enough to take down even Freeza's strongest soldiers.
"The transformed units, launch a direct attack on the ship! If we can take it Freeza, we'll be able avoid a drawn out war!" Gurkin called out. This sort of coordination was anti-Saiyan to the point of being laughable. But they had to win. "Weaker soldiers, fall back and handle the likes of Freeza's foot soldiers should this attempt fail!"
A deafening roar followed the proclamation. The plan was solid, and the Saiyans were rallied by the singular desire: Freeza's death. There was no one who would argue this day; no indecision amongst the troops.
The Saiyans as a species were far from brilliant men and women. There was the occasional oddity who showed intelligence that surpassed that of their peers, and they applied their staggering intellect to combat stratagems. It was, after all, a brilliant scientist who had created the "Power Ball", as Saiyans called it. This was an artificial moon that released enough Blutz Waves into the eyes of all who beheld it, and triggered the Saiyan transformation into a Giant Monkey, their strongest state.
But when it came to slyness in battle, the Saiyans were unrivaled. While they typically favoured single combat, working in a group came almost as naturally as anything else, and the Saiyan military could mobilise to combat any threat. It is said that, if a Saiyan is in a troop of their own kind, they could be unbeatable.
That was the mentality held by the Saiyans at large, as High Commander Gurkin surveyed the group. He was passing out equipment and the like to the Saiyans, as they had made improvements to their gear that primarily suited the likes of Saiyans. To the weaker units, Gurkin handed out shaded contact lenses; these were specifically made to reject Bruits Waves, rather than allow them to pass through the user's retinas, would block it instead. Saiyans who could not control their Great Monkey form were not always valued on the battlefield, and these lenses allowed those units to fight in their human form. Additionally, radio receivers were passed out to all soldiers. These would normally be redundant due to the Scouters possessing a similar function, but the Saiyans wanted Freeza in the dark for as long as possible. Not a single member today wore a Scouter.
Bardock would normally refused a pair, but he took one. Applying them to his eyes, he grinned. He intended to attack Freeza personally. And he wanted that bastard to remember his face in Hell. Gine, unskilled as she was, accepted a set as well, and applied be lenses, tinting her vision. The next piece of required equipment were breathing masks; Saiyans could not breathe in space, though they were capable of impressive feats of holding their breath. As such, breathing masks were being passed out. Those who would transform into Giant Monkeys, however, were supplied special, one-use tanks. They would shatter upon transforming, and then it would be up to their incredible lung capacity to carry them through the rest of the coup.
The army was split into three groups – the Giant Monkey Forward Assault Squadron, the Lesser Warrior Rearguard, and a third group that Gurkin had decided on when he made an addendum to his plan – the Infiltration Unit. Their purpose was to take direct advantage of the commotion caused by the Assault Squadron, and assault the interior of Freeza's ship directly. This would be composed of mid-class warriors. At his own request, Bardock was separate from these units. His plans lay elsewhere. Freeza's face burned in his eyes, and his voice echoed in the Saiyan's head. He refused to miss this chance.
That bastard's head is mine.
Gine was part of the Rearguard. She felt an incredible sense of misgiving; not pity for Freeza, far from that. But she hadn't had a formal battle in ten years; she'd only been on her husband's team long enough to be saved several times, before realizing she was a Saiyan unfit for battle. Gine had power, but was reluctant to use them.
Even now, on the eve of war.
But she kept her silence. For the first time, the Saiyans would make a stand against Freeza. She had to be a part of it.
ORBITING PLANET VEGETA, FREEZA'S SPACESHIP
Freeza's spaceship stayed docked in orbit around Vegeta, the Emperor of the Universe surveying the red pearl of his collection. The planet was almost too beautiful to destroy, and he wished he could rid it of the Saiyans without having to destroy such a profitable world. But in the end, one didn't deal with an infestation personally; they handled it from a distance, destroying pests without ever touching them themselves. This was the way in which Freeza viewed his impending destruction of the Saiyans. Beerus may have authorized it – and how lucky for him – but he would have done it even if he hadn't received a go-ahead.
Because one day, he would overcome even that Hakaishin. And then his rule over the Universe would be solidified. But the first step would be destroying this race who could attain godhood. This 'Super Saiyan' and 'Super Saiyan God', Freeza thought to himself for the third time that night. Only a few Saiyans even know of the latter…and I'll dispose of the majority here. The young Vegeta and his personal lackeys won't return…but I'll handle them accordingly.
With his thoughts for victory filling every corner of his mind, Freeza wasn't focusing on the planet Vegeta. It was a good thing for him, then, that he had eyes everywhere in the ship. And a set of those eyes rushed into his observation quarters with nary a greeting – an act affording extreme punishment to anyone who was not a select few. It was lucky for this man that he was. Kikono, a diminutive, yellow extraterrestrial who had served the army since Freeza's father had been in charge, was the one who intruded upon his privacy now. This man was one whose loyalty was tried and tested; Freeza had consulted with him on the destruction of the Saiyans, and he was protected by the authority King Cold still held within the army.
"Freeza, my Lord!" for the first time since Freeza had taken command, Kikono looked absolutely concerned. "Planet Vegeta…the Saiyans...look towards the planet, my Lord!" He could barely force out the words, merely pointing a small finger out of the window towards the planet. Freeza's narrow eyes focused in, and he saw a brilliant display of light stemming from the planet. It wasn't any form of Saiyan artificial lighting – no, it was too bright for that. It was a grouping of ki spheres. He'd heard that Saiyans had developed the ability to simulate a full moon.
…so they've finally started a rebellion. Freeza thought. Utterly convenient to now be presented with a reason. The tyrant turned to his adviser. "Mobilise the troops. We'll be putting the plan into motion a little early." "Y-Yes sir!"
EXITING THE STRATOSPHERE, PLANET VEGETA
The Saiyans had taken flight, launching themselves into the air and mobilising as a single unit for the first time in a thousand years. Not since the Saiyans had first arrived on Vegeta had they been so coordinated, moving cohesively with their fellow kin. But if the Saiyans were driven by one thing more so than a desire to fight and eat, it was their pride. To a Saiyan, pride in their species and their strength was a biological factor. Rooted into their very blood, it defined how they fought and how they lived their lives.
And the entirety of Vegeta was now prepared to risk their lives for the sake of that same Saiyan pride. Kill Freeza or die trying.
Nearing the outer limits of the their planet's atmosphere, the upper echelon Saiyans created a myriad of Power Balls. Flinging them high, they clenched their fists; the spheres exploded, bursting and mixing with the air in the atmosphere to create a display of shimmering artificial moons.
The effect was immediate.
The Giant Monkey Forward Assault Squadron began to undergo metamorphosis. Their muzzles lengthen, their eyes flashing a deep crimson, as fur began to grow on their bodies. They began to increase in size, their Combat Jackets growing with them, but their scouters and breathing masks shattering, unable to bear the sudden size increase. The fragments fell to their planet, igniting in the atmosphere as the Giant Monkey Transformation was fully realised. Normal Saiyan protocol was a roar of triumph, but every bit of air in their lungs was a precious resource. Inhaling one last breath from the strained air of their stratosphere, the Giant Monkey Assault Squadron were their first to pierce the heavens.
Fittingly, the Lesser Warrior Rearguard was to follow, while the Infiltration Unit arrived after they did. To no one's surprise, Freeza's soldiers were waiting; some were exiting the ship, others were already floating in the emptiness of space, awaiting the arrival of the Saiyans. The use of Power Balls had practically been a signal, and for a majority of the soldiers, there would be no element of surprise.
"Forward, men! Do or die! Today is the day we purge Freeza and his army from the galaxy!" Scalli, one of the elite Saiyans, commanded to her fellows, giving orders through the speaker embedded into their gas masks. With her superiors, Gurkin and Serk, among others, transformed and leading the Giant Monkey Forward Assault Squadron, Scalli had elected to remain in human form to be the prime source of direction. "Giant Monkey Forward Assault Squadron! Blow them away!"
Heeding the orders of their Acting Commander, the Giant Monkeys opened their mouths in tandem. Spheres of light began to swirl and shimmer within their maws. It was a Mouth Kikōha, with multiple Giant Monkeys forming the foundation for an incredible combination attack. The spheres erupted into an elongated silo of ki, congregating into a single, gargantuan blast. The vision of a multitude of the soldiers of the Galactic Freeza Army were filled with light, the blasts colliding with them in a huge, soundless explosion.
The incoming wave of ki enveloped the opposing forces, laying waste to a devastating number of Freeza's men. Bodies that were killed on impact kept flying into the vastness of space, never to be seen again. However, due to the sheer multitude of Freeza's soldiers at his command, the Saiyans' first attack had only killed a paltry few. This did nothing to stop Freeza's men from attacking; even though they outnumbered the Saiyans, the very sight of an army of Giant Monkeys standing before them would give pause to even the strongest of Freeza's men. However, should an enemy be stronger, the Freeza Army lived by a single ultimatum from their leader:
Die to them or die to Freeza himself.
Following nothing but fear and a desire for bloodshed, the scrimmage began. The Saiyans and Freeza's soldiers crossed fists, blows exchanged in the utter emptiness of space. With the planet Vegeta setting the atmosphere, the killing began. Fist struck face, knee struck gut, and blood sprayed off into the vacuum, morphing into globes of ichor that simply drifted away. To say the Saiyans were outnumbered was an understatement; there was five of Freeza's men for every Saiyan that fought against them, and it wasn't long before the soldiers took advantage of this difference.
The Saiyans found themselves pushed back by overwhelming numbers...until giant arms swung out of nowhere, crushing multiple soldiers with incredible force. The Giant Monkey Forward Assault Squadron were defending their own, diminishing the advantage that the Freeza's army had with their overwhelming numbers by countering with their own absolutely monstrous strength. The Lesser Warrior Assault Squadron took the opening, a group of them combining their ki into a single blast, targeting towards some of Freeza's soldiers.
Only Gine seemed to be having true trouble; the woman found herself outmatched and outnumbered. A combatant with a strength of 1,000 wasn't much help here, but Gine didn't have a lot of respect given to her by the other Saiyans. No one was willing to help the girl. She eyed the enemies that encircled her, taking a rudimentary stance. One...two...seven...seven in total, and I don't need a scouter to assume they each have combat strengths of over 5,000. This is bad.
The aliens combatants couldn't speak — their own breathing apparatus' weren't fitted with communications radios on the same frequency as the Saiyans — but their expressions made their intentions clear. They were going to kill Gine without a shred of mercy. As the woman braced herself, she received a sudden shock when one of the soldiers quickly found his head smashed inward by a descending figure. Bardock, almost as if he materialised to help Gine, landed a solid blow on one of the enemies. His body rocketed downward, unable to stop and fell towards the planet Vegeta, awaiting a painful death of being incinerated in the atmosphere. Three of the other soldiers reacted instantly, releasing separate blinding kikōha towards the self-made elite. Bardock avoided them easily, all three blasts collided and exploding. The result was a billowing smokescreen that obscured the entire area from view. Bardock snuck behind one of the soldiers, gripping him onto a stranglehold that caused the man to struggle. One of the Scouters worn by the soldiers reacted, and he sent a kikōha into the smokescreen at what he thought was Bardock.
The blast fried the Saiyan's human shield, and Bardock let the deceased enemy float away like trash. Taking the smokescreen as his advantage, Barodck rushed into the fray, and with a solid, powerful punch, struck through the gut of the next offending soldier. Purple blood pooled out, Bardock ripping his arm out of the man's gut. The other four rushed Bardock, relying not on their sight but their Scouters. In any other situation, this would have been ideal, but now, Bardock's battle instinct began to show. Despite having no Scouter and no way to truly tell where the enemy was coming from, Bardock avoided an incoming blow from the right, ducking beneath right hook, allowing it to strike the foe who moved in from the left. Placing his palms to both of their stomachs, he released two separate blasts that ripped them in half.
Two left, eh? thought the Saiyan, turning to face the moving, murky figures in the smokescreen. He pushed the smoke away with a kiai, revealing himself easily to the two enemies, who appeared stunned to have noticed the sudden drop in their comrades combat strength that was only affirmed by the two shredded corpses floating in the vacuum of space. One of them, a burly green alien, barreled down on Bardock in rage, followed by his lanky purple comrade; Bardock leaned inward, gripping the arm of the first man and swinging him like a bat into the second soldier. The two collided, feeling their bodies ring in pain as Bardock raised a hand to the both of them.
"See you in Hell," he said, inaudibly to the two of them. There was a blinding flash of ki, followed by the complete erasure of the remaining two soldiers. In less than a minute, Bardock had completely destroyed the seven-man cell.
"Bardock, I'm so—" Gine started to apologise, but Bardock raised a hand, and shook his head.
"Don't. I know this isn't your sort of thing, but you're putting in the effort," His face softened, an expression that Bardock reserved only for Gine. "Try and keep to the rear as much as possible, Gine. We're going to make it out of this alive, so provide support the best you can." He glanced at Freeza's ship, under assault by a portion of the Giant Monkey Assault Squadron. "It's time to win the day!"
Freeza's Ship, Interior
During the utter mayhem that was the assault outside, the Infiltration Unit had managed their primary object. They'd shattered the outside of Freeza's ship with a repeated, battered assault, aided by the Giant Monkey Squadron and abetted by the numerous forces that opposed them. An automatic protocol installed within the ship, reacting to the breach of an airlock, deployed a shimmering green barrier that encircled the craft, keeping the air in — and any help from the other Saiyan squadrons out. The mid-class warriors that formed this squadron didn't hesitate to cause a ruckus; the goal, once inside the ship, after all, was simple. Cause as much damage as possible.
Explosions, creating a cacophony of welcome sound within the air-filled pace of the ship, bombarded every corner as the Saiyans released blasts of ki with reckless abandon. A horde of soldiers, mainly those meant to operate the ship, rushed out to see the source of the commotion.
"Saiyans!" One of them shouted shrilly. "The Saiyans have infiltrated the ship!"
"Well don't just stand there! Kill them all!"
The battling within the ship was far less organised than the battling without. The Infiltration Squad, while they had about as much finesse as any Saiyan — that is to say, not much — were fighting far more recklessly than even their low-level combatant counterparts. The lot of them were splitting up, running down corridors, releasing point blank kikōha to destroy machinery, and ramming their bodies into enemy soldiers, knocking them off their feet and into corridor walls, cracking them.
It was chaos, and the soldiers within the ship found themselves overwhelmed.
"We're routed!" shouted one of them. "Fall back!"
"Where?!" cried another. "You know damn well Lord Freeza will kill us if we take one step back!"
"You're right, you know. But at the same time...Lord Freeza in tired of humouring this little tantrum the Saiyans are having." Their deliberations were erupted by a voice and a flash of ki, not from the Saiyans, but exploding from behind Freeza's soldiers. The chaos stopped in a single moment, everyone turning their attention towards the new arrival. The interloper in question was a man who could certainly be described as "beautiful", with pale blue skin, golden eyes, and long green hair tied into a ponytail. He resembled a prince in regards to the jewelry he wore, but was as deadly as any other combatant; his attack killed five Saiyans dead on the spot.
"Z-Zarbon, sir!" one of the soldiers creaked hoarsely. "We're sorry for forcing you to the front lines..."
"I'll excuse it, just this once," replied the man called Zarbon. He rushed into the fray quickly, his palms laced in golden ki. In mere moments, the elite member of Freeza's guard had slaughted two Saiyans by slitting their throats, blood spraying into the air and coating the ceiling. "Lord Freeza couldn't be happier right now — to witness the expunging of the filthy Saiyans from our ranks!"
Orbiting Planet Vegeta, Outside Freeza's Ship
The slaughter outside of the ship continued, Saiyan and Freeza's army member killing each other in cold blood. Corpses were floating among the living, blood floating on globules akin to macabre decorations. Despite the massive amount of Freeza's men compared to the Saiyan army, the number of casualities almost seemed equalised — the Giant Monkey Forward Assault Squadron had more than pulled their weight, blowing to pieces the enemy masses, and the Rearguard was able to pick up the slack. While Gine was of no proper use in a fight, she would donate her ki to fighters who were more winded, providing the second wind to many of her own.
"Get! Off! Me!" Bardock found himself absolutely overwhelmed by a group of the enemy. With his attention focused on Freeza's ship, he'd let his guard down, and was attacked by a group of enemy soldiers in a massive combination kikōha. While it wasn't lethal, he'd found a majority of his Combat Jacket destroyed, he was bleeding profusely from fresh wounds that littered his body. By a merciful intervention from the Giant Monkeys, these enemies had been killed in short notice, allowing Bardock to return his attention to the barrier that enveloped Freeza's ship, which was proving to be the biggest complication. "I can't even make a dent in this thing...none of the Infiltration Unit can stand against Freeza's men for long! This wasn't part of the plan!" The furious Saiyan unleashed an assault on the barrier again, yet his attacks found no purchase. Several Giant Monkeys had attempted to blast the barrier to pieces with crushing assaults, but to no avail. Whatever Freeza had this barrier made out of, it was strong enough to withstand the assault of multiple Giant Monkeys, which was no small feat.
Freeza's soldiers chuckled behind their breathing apparatuses. While they couldn't get back into the barrier either, neither could the Saiyans. Their coup had already failed. To add insult to injury, the scouters began to detect massive amounts of ki dropping inside the ship, and another, much larger ki, was exiting the ship. There was no ambiguity here. The moment the hatch in the ship opened, it was clear who was exiting. The pale form of Freeza emerged from the ship, floating on his vehicle. In an instant, the battle stopped. Even the Saiyans who lacked their scouters could feel something was wrong. It wasn't instinct.
It was the sheer presence of the one known as Freeza.
Saiyan and Freeza soldier alike looked towards the ship, able to make out the tyrant's form within the barrier.
"It's...Freeza..." Gine gasped.
"There he is...the bastard showed himself...!" Bardock snarled.
In that instance, the feeling of the area changed. When Freeza exited the ship, the barrier that was surrounding his ship massively expanded. Rather than pushing the Saiyans and his soldiers away, it accepted them in. In that moment, the feeling of space's vacuum was gone. There was air in here. When Freeza spoke, his voice was magnified immensely, and it carried throughout the entirety of the barrier. "Welcome, my fine gentlemen and ladies! It would appear you've all arrived at my doorstep at the most inopportune time. You see, you've caught me in the middle of discussing the future of the Galactic Freeza Army with my advisers...and it would appear that none of you have been considered in our coming prospects."
Bardock ripped his breathing mask off, his face furious. "Is that your smartass way of telling us that you're planning to cut ties with us, Freeza?! Why don't you be more direct, like when you slew King Vegeta!" He clenched his fists, glaring at the tyrant. "You think you can just use us, our entire race, and then throw us away when you feel a little twinge of fear?! You've got another thing coming! The only one being removed from the future...is you!"
Freeza blinked, and laughed haughtily, placing the back of his hand against his mouth. "Now this is amusing! I knew the Saiyans were stellar fighters, but I wasn't aware that there were also comedians!"
"Keep laughing, Freeza," shouted Bardock. "You made the mistake of calling us all back here! You didn't think for a second that we'd mobilise to kill you? You've underestimated us!"
The tyrant's jovial expression changed to one of displeasure. "And this is precisely why you Saiyans and I could never work out a long-term arrangement. I appreciate you all gathering here, however. It makes what I'm about to do all the easier." Raising a finger, there were multiple blinding flashes of light. In the instance that the light died down, the Giant Monkey Forward Assault Squadron found their hearts pierced by bolts of ki. Each and every elite member of the Saiyan Army — felled in a single blow by the man who commanded them all.
Shock was the first emotion the Saiyans felt. Followed quickly terror.
Raising his hand above his head, Freeza smiled, a cold, ruthless leer. He began to laugh maniacally, and a sphere of ki formed at his fingertip. "My dear fellow, you've underestimated me. Not a single one of you filthy monkeys, even in such a behemoth state as those simian beasts, could hope to lay a hand on me."
Bardock felt his body tremble. This had to be impossible. They'd amassed their entire remaining forces. The strength and pride of the Saiyans backed them all. But Freeza was dismantling their strongest members like they were nothing but low-level trash. "FREEZA!" Enraged, shouting the name of the man who had betrayed them all, Bardock rushed forward, his wounded body ignoring every ounce of pain that racked it so meticulously. Closing in, he intended to throttle the man until his own hands bled from the strain. Freeza took one single look at Bardock and grinned. "Tenacity can often bleed into foolishness, my friend," said Freeza, his eyes widening with a blinding flash. Bardock felt his entire body forced back, sent careening downwards a fair distance from Freeza.
"Come now! Don't be so hasty! I'm by no means a cruel taskmaster! If I could give you Saiyans one final farewell gift...it'll be death among your fellow men!"
Gine rushed to the side of Bardock, catching the man as he fell. Her arms around his shoulders and waist to support him, she could only listen to her husband mutter apologies.
"I'm sorry, Gine..." groaned Bardock. "I miscalculated horribly...and in the end, we're all paying for it."
"Don't apologise..." stressed the female Saiyan. "Freeza was going to do this anyway...but at least I can face the end with you."
Gleaming high above them was Freeza's coup de grâce. A blazing, smoldering sphere of ki that resembled a small sun. No one, not even his own soldiers — frantically shouting ignored pleas for Freeza to allow them entrance into the ship to escape his incoming attack — had seen this technique before, though rumours persisted that Freeza had destroyed a particularly offensive planet with this ultimate attack. With the flick of a finger, Freeza let the sphere fall onto everyone unfortunate enough to be in its path. Despite the size, the blast moved quickly, and was beginning to swallow the entire Saiyan army in its horrifying embrace.
The barrier cracked and shattered under the weight, allowing the blast to begin its descent onto planet Vegeta. Caught in the blazing embers, unaware of Freeza's joyous celebrations, Gine and Bardock found their final thoughts turned towards their children, what they were leaving behind in the wake of Vegeta's annihilation.
Raditz...Kakarrot...look to the future. We can't be there for you...but the two of you will live on. We know it!
A/N: OK so THIS was quite a chapter to do. I've been working on this chapter for about six months. I think it started strong, even if I don't think it ended as strong, I did have to get the chapter out. I tried to mix the Minus and Father of Goku storylines as best as I could, minus that annoying future sight bullshit that I utterly despised. So, this is the end result. Not the best storytelling, but it's...something at least. I do hope you all find some enjoyment out of it, and I'm in such a hurry tonight I won't go into pun details this time. Thanks to Demod20 for proofing and I'll see you all soon!