Saiyan Saga - Chapter 2: Kakarot and Raditz

This was not what Raditz had expected when he arrived on Earth that morning.

This was supposed to be a simple extraction mission. If Kakarot was still alive — and he better have been, because the dossier said Earth had an average power level in the single-digits — Raditz was either going to retrieve his brother from the decimated planet or help him finish off any stragglers. Kakarot would enter the fold and help the saiyans conquer the galaxy, as was their birthright.

Instead, Raditz arrived on Earth to find Kakarot going by an earthling name, one he wouldn't dare repeat. Kakarot disgraced their late mother by discarding his birth name, And to think not only had he bred a child with an Earth woman, but he'd made friends with the insects he was supposed to kill. Pitiful!

Raditz had expected a fight with his brother, who'd spent over 20 years waiting for someone to retrieve him. And if Kakarot was anything like their father, he'd punch hard but eventually see reason. Kakarot did neither.

Raditz's armor would argue otherwise. His right shoulder pad had been destroyed by one of his brother's energy attacks. Bruises covered his body after battling both Kakarot and his Namekian friend.

This was a wasted trip. Maybe Raditz could bring the boy and his power level of one back to Vegeta and Nappa. With the right training and enough incentive, the brat could possibly be good for something. And if not, well, Raditz knew he wouldn't lose any sleep over putting a half-breed out of his misery.

Nonetheless, Raditz wanted to rip his brother's head free from his body. Or, at least, the man who the elder saiyan had previously hoped would be his brother. After today, Raditz would be the last of his kind. His father, a great warrior but a stubborn man, was presumed dead with the rest of the saiyans.

And as for his mother … Raditz would at least welcome death if it meant getting to see her again.

Then, there was the Namek. The green freak, now down an arm, had spent the last minutes watching Raditz pummel Kakarot into the ground. Raditz thought the Namekian would at least want to die a warrior's death, especially against a saiyan elite.

That's when Raditz, who had no intention of dying a warrior's death just yet, finally noticed his scouter beeping.

"A power level of 1,330!?" Raditz read out loud in disbelief. Raditz quickly turned to the Namekian, who'd pressed his fingertips to his temple. What was this?

"H-He's focusing all of his power into his fingertips!" Raditz said before his scouter beeped incessantly again. "Dammit! He's got that much control over his energy?!"

Before Raditz could drop the Namekian's power level to zero, the saiyan felt a jolt run up his spine. Any comment Raditz wanted to make died in his lungs as an agonizing feeling shot through his body.

"Y-You let your guard down," Raditz heard Kakarot pant, the younger brother's hands firmly grasped around the older saiyan's tail. "And now I've got your tail!"

Raditz turned to face his brother, whose bright fighting suit had been reduced to tatters. Kakarot stood shirtless with his orange pants ripped and his cheek littered with bruises. Open wounds decorated his chest in crimson.

If Raditz could think of anything beyond the excruciating pain, he'd credit his brother for finally looking the part of an elite saiyan warrior.

"D-Damn it!" Raditz said, reaching out to grab his tail or knock Kakarot away. The overwhelming torture made it difficult to speak, much less free himself from the younger man's grip. "Wh-When did you-"

"Good work, Goku!" the Namekian yelled, his eyes lighting in anticipation at the sight before him.

Despite his wounds, the orange-clothed saiyan's teeth ground as he dug his nails into his older brother's appendage. Raditz's body screamed in terror as he, save his tail, fell to the dirt.

"Hold on to that tail and don't let go no matter what!" the Namekian encouraged.

Raidtz wanted no part of such a battle strategy. He'd spent over 20 years basking in the confidence that no opponent would grab his tail in battle, even when Nappa urged him to overcome the weakness. Raditz had always scoffed and changed the subject.

Raditz would pledge his life to Nappa if the missing saiyan could free him from his current predicament. No such luck.

Raditz needed a plan, and fast. The Namaekian was too smart to let Raditz have a chance at leaving this planet, but the one his brother called Piccolo also only had one working arm. Getting out of Kakarot's grip would certainly give Raditz enough time to eliminate the green man.

Speaking of Kakarot …

"W-Wait! Let me go!" Raditz choked out. Damn it; this had to work! "I-I'll leave this planet in peace."

The Namekian wouldn't stand for it. "Don't listen to him, Goku!" he cried. "He's trying to trick you."

Raditz could all but feel his brother's hesitation. Kakarot carried himself like one of the Earth's guardians. What guardian wouldn't consider sparing mercy to someone who seemed like they were apologetic and remorseful.

Also, Kakarot needed to let go of Raditz's tail now before Raditz collapsed or began begging for death and please Kakartot let go let go letgo

"P-Please believe me, brother," Raditz begged. "I'm begging you, Kakarot. Don't do this to—"

The scouter's beeping cut off Raditz's chance at ending his sentence. Raditz felt Kakarot slightly loosen his grip, but not enough for Raditz to escape yet.

When Raditz forced himself to look at his scouter, escaping suddenly took a backseat. A power level of over 10,000 was headed their way!

How was that possible? Vegeta and Nappa had said it'd take them a year to reach Earth if Raditz ran into trouble (in other words, Raditz shouldn't even have bothered contacting them if he met an opponent he couldn't best). None of Kakarot's friends on that island had a power level above 150.

Could it have been the Frieza Force? Had Zarbon or Dodoria learned of Raditz's treachery? They couldn't have — and if they did, there was no way they'd be on Earth this quickly.

"K-Kakarot, we have a problem," Raditz said, earning his brother and the Namekian's attention. "The scouter says an extremely high power level is coming."

"Friends of yours?" Kakarot asked, his voice taking on a concerned tone. If Raditz could play this right, he'd be free of Kakarot's torture in no time … although, given the circumstances, he wasn't exactly looking to spend the rest of daylight with another man holding his tail.

Damn it! If one of Frieza's goons is here, I can't take them alone, Raditz thought. Partnering with his brother and the Namekian, even briefly, was his opening to freeing himself of this horrible pain.

"N-No, my comrades are across the galaxy," Raditz replied. "Let me go. We need to figure this out together."

"Goku, you can't!" the Namekian yelled. "He's lying. I'm almost ready to kill this bastard. Just keep him in place!"

Raditz couldn't see Kakarot's face, but he could almost hear the wheels turning in his brother's head.

"You said your power level is pretty high," Kakarot said. "What's this guy's power level?"

"It's over 10,000," Raditz spat, hoping that'd be enough to free him.

No such luck.

"You don't want to believe me?" Radit asked incredulously. "Fine. Scouter: Tell me the power level of the one you just warned me about."

"Power level of 10,500 is approaching you at an extremely high speed," a mechanical, male-sounding voice said. "This power level is on pace to be at you within the next 10 Earth minutes. Do you have any other questions?"

Raditz heard Kakarot and the Namekian's breaths simultaneously stop in shock. "No, that will be all," he told the device.

That was all for the death grip Raditz found himself in, too. Much to Raditz's surprise and pleasure, Kakarot had finally let go, a move which sent the older saiyan tumbling to the grass. As he caught his breath and silently prayed for the last of the pain to go away, Raditz heard Kakarot step backwards in horror, likely processing the idea of someone 10 times as strong as Raditz coming their way.

"Goku! You idiot!" the Namekian yelled, keeping his eyes locked on Raditz. Still breathing heavily and his tail still reeling from the horrible burning sensation, Raditz forced himself to stand.

"Calm down, now! I'm not going to attack either of you," Raditz said. "We can settle our differences after. If this newcomer is a threat, we need to be prepared. I propose a truce."

The Namekian scoffed. "You expect us to believe that? Even if this isn't one of your friends, what's stopping you from teaming up with them?"

Fair question, Raditz thought to himself. The invader voiced as much to the Namekian before adding, "A power level like this only means trouble. Look at how you two fared against me. You want to take your chances against someone with a power level over 10,000? Be my guest."

Just as Raditz expected, the Namekian didn't respond, instead choosing to bitterly glare at the saiyan.

"They're going to be here in mere minutes," Raditz warned them, not waiting for the Namekian's next reply. "Prepare yourselves."

Kakarot, still brushing fur off his hands, leveled his own glare at Raditz. "We agree to your truce. Piccolo, stand down. Raditz, get Gohan out of the pod now. I won't risk his life if another enemy is coming."

Raditz nodded, ignoring the Namekian's — Piccolo's, he reluctantly told himself — repeated insistence that Kakarot was an idiot. Well, Raditz wasn't going to agree with that.

Kakarot the idiot and Piccolo, the one-armed Namekian who didn't respect saiyan elites, would either pay with their lives either against this new foe or immediately afterward.

What's to say you'll survive this? Raditz briefly thought to himself before dismissing the idea.


This was not what Bardock had expected when he'd sent Kakarot off in an Attack Pod a few minutes ago.

Technically, it was 24 years and a few minutes ago, Bardock reminded himself. Not that it mattered.

Bardock liked to think of himself as an average saiyan. He followed orders like a good soldier, tried to treat his wife well, ate his wife's cooking and wisely didn't complain, and then the process repeated itself. It was a fine life, especially when Bardock had a chance to fight someone or purge a planet.

Bardock just never figured he'd be a time traveler. Especially not with his home planet in danger of being destroyed. Which, if this Patroller was telling the truth, already happened.

There was no time for Bardock and Gine to stand in that field and dwell on their new reality. Once they found Kakarot, who had to be the high power level the device was sending him toward, the family could reflect on the situation as a group then.

Bardock wished the device would at least tell him how powerful Kakarot was. All it gave him was a blinking dot.

The prospect of Kakarot's power had been on Bardock's mind since he and Gine took off to the sky. If twenty-four standard years had passed, Kakarot would already be in his mid-20s. The average power level for a low-class warrior in that age range was anywhere from 1,800 to 3,500, give or take depending on what planets they traveled to and what obstacles they needed to overcome.

But if Kakarot was still on Earth, something had to have gone wrong. Did the Frieza Force hunt him down? And Bardock was flying low enough to see animals running through fields and humans standing outside without fear. What happened?

"Something seems off about all of this," Bardock said. "You'd think any humans left would be hiding in fear of a saiyan invader. Did Kakarot even attempt his mission? And if he did, why are so many earthlings still alive?"

"Mr. Patroller did say Kakarot was a compassionate saiyan," Gine replied. Bardock could feel her teasing, but proud, smile without even looking. "Maybe he didn't purge the planet. Most compassionate people don't slaughter an entire race of people."

Bardock raised an eyebrow. "Most compassionate people?"

Gine laughed softly. "Well, you're one of the most compassionate saiyans I've ever met."

Bardock's face turned a wonderful shade of crimson. He hated to admit it, but Gine had a point. Her soft nature had been rubbing off on him for years. He still, thankfully unlike his wife, possessed the ability to kill enemies without prejudice, mercy or guilt.

That sounded dark. In most cultures, it would have been. For a saiyan warrior, not so much, especially not one who married a sentimental woman who couldn't fight if her life depended on it.

Hell, Bardock didn't hate the idea of his son being "compassionate." At its core, compassion wasn't weakness. All Bardock ever wanted was a son who had the heart of a warrior and a desire to learn from his father. Raditz had shown both, although his son had still lacked the ideal amount of maturity and intelligence when they'd last met.

But please, Bardock prayed to any deity listening, one Gine is good enough.

"No response, Mr. Compassionate?" Gine teased.

For the first time since their arrival, Bardock chuckled himself. "None."

What else could Bardock do but laugh? Nothing about today made sense.

Bardock checked the device again. They were close, maybe a minute or two away. In mere moments, Bardock would be reunited with his son … or whoever the planet's highest power level was. The thought of The Patroller leading them into a trap still lingered in Bardock's mind, but the note made Bardock think otherwise.

The Patroller gave them too much information, and yet left out so much, to make Bardock think he was walking his wife into an ambush.

And if this was an ambush, well, Bardock couldn't call himself a stranger to those.

"Gine, I don't know if I want them to know how we got here," Bardock said. "That's a conversation that doesn't need to be had yet."

Gine nodded. "What do we tell them?"

"Just follow my lead."


"They're drawing closer. Kakarot, can you fight?" Raditz asked his younger brother. His tail still aching, Raditz gingerly walked over to his pod to unlock the hatch.

Kakarot, in spite of whatever new terrifying look the Namekian sent his way, nonetheless forced a smile. "I'm not afraid. I'm feeling better already."

The spirit of a saiyan, Raditz thought to himself, pulling out his remote.

The pod opened, revealing a small child in a yellow overcoat and green sleeves. Young Son Gohan's face was filled with dry tears and snot. His small, bruised hands showed the results of pounding on a Frieza Force pod.

Raditz prepared to chastise the boy for his behavior and the smell radiating from his spaceship. Saiyan children never acted like that. Once they were old enough to fight, they didn't cry or pout. They stood tall and held firm and prepared to fight.

The brat, for his part, appeared interested in the latter. Rather than begin crying again as the pod door opened, the boy instead clenched his fists and stared Raditz down with a glance of pure hatred.

Now this was interesting..

"You were hurting my dad," the boy said, his voice shaking in fury. The half-breed looked like he wanted nothing more than to cave his uncle's face in and leave him to suffer.

"I was, you're right," Raditz casually replied. "There is nothing you can do now to change that. Your father and I have agreed to a truce. Leave my pod and go to him."

"You hurt my dad," the child repeated, tightening his tiny fists.

Raditz's scouter rang once more. Just as quickly as Gohan's entire stance and attitude had changed, Raditz felt unnerved by the numbers appearing in front of him. "The boy's power level is rising. 700 … 800 … 1,000!"

A red aura quickly formed around the child. "You're going to pay for that!"

Before the child could get an attack off, Kakarot finally appeared in front of his son. "Gohan, it's alright," Kakarot told the boy, scooping down to hug him. "Raditz isn't going to hurt anyone again. Not unless they're going to hurt us. I promise."

Raditz cringed as he watched the boy's rabid mood immediately vanish. The child's power level plummetted while he nuzzled his face against his father's cheek.

What the hell was this planet?

Raditz wanted to continue the conversation but his scouter beeped at the same time Kakarot looked to the sky. Whoever had the high power level was here.

When Raditz looked at the sky, he understandably expected a fight. Somehow, everyone's day of surprises managed to become even more surprising.

"N-No, it can't be," Raditz said.


This was not what Son Goku had expected when he and his son left for a rare trip to Kame House.

But at this point, nothing else was going to surprise him. Goku was an alien named Kakarot! Goku had a brother named Raditz! Raditz attacked Goku and took his son! Piccolo, of all people, teamed up with Goku to rescue Gohan! Raditz was really strong! Then Raditz demanded a truce because two even stronger people were coming!

What a strange day. Goku figured Chi-Chi would pass out in shock every time she heard a new detail. Not that Goku would ever consider keeping certain details of his busy day a secret from his wife. No, of course not.

The idea of keeping certain details from Chi-Chi and maybe convincing Gohan to … not lie, but also withhold select information - never crossed Goku's mind. Between the information overload and the wounds sustained in his battle with Raditz, Goku expected to pass out next to her when he and Gohan finally returned home.

(And, again, Goku never entertained the idea that Chi-Chi would want to kill her husband or never see him again for allowing their son to be kidnapped.)

Further dwelling on Chi-Chi's potential reactions would need to wait. Goku was too busy watching the man and woman - both dressed in similar, albeit cleaner, armor to the damaged gear Raditz wore - floated down from the sky.

Unlike Raditz, the man had Goku's hair and a similar face. It was like looking into a mirror, except for the scar on the man's face.

Who was this man? And who was the shorter, beautiful woman with him?

Everyone was silent. Piccolo was walking to join the saiyans when he'd stopped, too, his eyes scanning the newcomers. Raditz and the woman looked like they'd seen ghosts. Gohan simply looked confused and drew closer to his father.

Then, the scarred man spoke.

"K-Kakarot?" the man asked, stumbling over the word. Great, another saiyan. This one, unlike Raditz, at least asked his name semi-politely.

"My name is Goku," he replied. "Raditz," Goku nodded to his brother, "says my name is Kakarot. It's not. My name is Son Goku, and I'm from Earth."

"Kakarot?" the man and woman repeated.

Goku felt himself getting frustrated. "That's not my name. My name is Goku."

"Mother? Father?" Raditz asked quietly, finally drawing the courage to speak. The animosity and sadism Raditz wore in his face all day crumpled in an instant.

Wow, Raditz got to see his parents on the same day he found Goku. What a coincidence! And by the sound of things, Raditz hadn't seen them in a while.

Wait. If these were Raditz's parents … oh. Ohhhh.

Nope. Nothing else could surprise Goku today.

Eh, maybe Piccolo suddenly declaring his love for Bulma and flying off to marry her.

That would just be weird.

"Raditz?" the woman said, her voice choking. So this was Goku's mother. Which would make the man…

"Ah! You're my dad!?" Goku asked, almost dropping Gohan. As Goku processed the idea that he also had random, alien parents in addition to a random alien brother, all of whom were apparently alive, Gohan's eyes lit up with excitement.

Goku looked at the youthful woman. "So that must make you … my mother." The two words tasted foreign on Goku's tongue.

Goku had spent his entire life believing he only had his grandfather. When Goku had once asked the elder Gohan about his parents, Gohan said they left him in his care. Goku didn't think much of it. He had Gohan and that was all he needed — until that monster took Gohan away from Goku.

Then, he met Bulma and Master Roshi and Yamcha and the rest of their little group. Even when he was around Bulma's parents or Chi-Chi's father, Goku never felt there was something missing. He never asked himself where his parents were or what his father was like. Master Roshi became just as much of a father figure as Gohan had been. The Ox-King treated Goku like the son he never had. Even Kami, although he certainly lacked the saiyan's metabolism, thought highly enough of the saiyan to consider him a successor.

To think that Goku, all this time, had a brother and both parents alive and in space was crazy. They'd missed so much.

"I have another grandpa! And a grandma!" Gohan exclaimed, jumping out of Goku's arms and onto he grass. All heads turned to the half-saiyan, who politely bowed. "Hi! My name is Gohan! It's so nice to meet you!"

Everyone, including the uncharacteristically silent Piccolo, stared blankly. Leave it to the child to try breaking the ice. Gohan looked around nervously as no one said a word.

The woman was the first to respond. "Grandma!? I'm too young to be a grandmother," she moaned, her voice shaking. Goku caught Raditz raising an eyebrow at him.

She knelt down to Gohan's level. "My name is Gine. My husband is named Bardock. We've been searching for your dad and uncle for a long time. We locked onto Raditz's ship, and we just got to Earth not too long ago."

Goku saw his father look at the ground. Now, Goku would proudly admit he didn't have Bulma's intelligence, but he thought he'd improved on reading people's body language. Someone looking down at the ground when their partner said something certainly didn't give the best impression.

"It's nice to meet you, Grandma Gine!" Gohan replied, none the wiser.

Gine looked like she was on the verge of yelling or crying. Possibly both. "Please just call me Gine. I'm too young to have grandchildren."

This was going much better than his and Gohan's introduction to Raditz, Goku thought. His mother seemed like a kind, if not somewhat strange, woman. But his father? What was he like?

Goku got his answer a moment later.

"Gohan's not a saiyan name," Bardock said, narrowing his eyes at his youngest son. Goku knew the man (no, not just the man. This was his father.) was studying the bruises and blood on his chest. "Neither is …"

"Goku," the younger man replied. "It's not a saiyan name but it's my name."

That appeared to be the wrong answer. "Kakarot, why are you going by another name?" Bardock asked. "And what the hell happened here?"

Goku prepared to explain everything but Raditz stepped in first. "Kakarot hit his head as a child and didn't know he was a saiyan until I found him today. He's spent the last 20 years living here and befriending the earthlings. We had a disagreement."

"A disagreement?" Bardock repeated.

"I wanted Kakarot to join me in the Frieza Force," Raditz explained. "Kakarot refused. I wanted Kakarot to kill 100 humans. He refused."

"The Frieza Force?" Bardock and Gine echoed. Bardock's entire demeanor changed, clenching his fist and angrily walking toward Raditz.

"Let me understand something," Bardock said as he planted his feet firmly in front of Raditz. "You've been in the Frieza Force since we last saw you. You wanted to recruit your brother, who you just met today, to work for Frieza. You two disagreed and fought."

"Correct," Raditz replied. The saiyan crossed his arms. "You disagree with my methods?"

Goku saw Bardock attempt to respond before Gine intervened. "You shouldn't be fighting your brother, Raditz! What happened to you?"

"I could ask you the same question," Raditz shot back. "Why do you both look like you haven't aged a day in 20 years? How did you lock onto my ship? What are you doing here?"

Goku didn't really care about the first two questions. But he certainly shared Raditz's curiosity about why his parents appeared on Earth only hours after his brother did.

"We've been … away," Bardock replied. He sounded like he was deep in thought about something else. "We'll explain everything later. But we need answers first. I want to know why you're still working for Frieza and how many saiyans are left."

Raditz looked like he wanted to say more but caught himself. The longhaired saiyan only frowned. "Including myself and Kakarot, there are only four saiyans left. I've spent the last decades working with Prince Vegeta and General Nappa. Our planet, as you know, was destroyed years ago by a meteor. However, Vegeta believes Frieza himself destroyed the planet."

Bardock's tan skin took on a pale hue. Gine looked like she wanted to throw up.

Did they not know the saiyans are gone? They'd need to know, right? They'd have to go home one day and see the planet isn't there anymore, right? Goku wondered.

"We've continued to serve under Frieza since our planet's destruction," Raditz continued. "Just the other day, we found a planet that should fetch us a high price. Several months ago, I learned Kakarot was supposed to be in this galaxy. I used this as an opportunity to finally find him."

There was silence. Goku and Gohan had heard this before on Kame House. Piccolo might have heard pieces of it. But their parents seemed to have no idea about what Raditz had been up to since they'd last seen him.

Bardock cleared his throat. "There is a lot more you two need to catch us up on," he said.

Piccolo stepped forward. "I agree. Tell us everything we need to know about this Frieza. Now."

Seemingly finally noticing Piccolo, Bardock cocked his head at the one-armed fighter. "And who the hell are you? One of Kakarot's friends?"

Piccolo looked disgusted by the idea. "I'm no friend of Goku's. We worked together for a common goal, but I assure you, it came solely out of desperation.

Bardock, likely having determined what exactly that mission consisted of, seemed to accept that answer before he looked at Goku again.

This was getting weird. Bardock kept staring at his youngest son and Goku couldn't help but stare back at the mirror. Bardock's eyes carried a weight of sadness and … was that fear? … to them. But what did he have to be afraid of?

Bardock seemed grouchy, though not as angry as Raditz. Goku decided to try breaking the ice with his father.

"Look, all of us clearly have a lot to talk about," Goku said. "Is anyone hungry? I'm sure Master Roshi would be happy to—"

The invitation, just like Raditz's plea for Goku to let him go, was interrupted by Raditz's scouter. Rather than beep as it had for a power level, the device let off a PING!

As basic as the sound was, it had an immediate impact on Raditz's mood. Raditz clicked his scouter multiple times, his breath stopping as he read whatever the device told him.

"What's wrong?" Gine asked.

Considering how quickly Goku had become accustomed to Raditz scowling or smirking, but the older saiyan's anxious look immediately disturbed his younger brother.

"Prince Vegeta is ordering that I contact him from my pod immediately. He says it's urgent."


Happy new year!

One of the things I still really regret most from when I did SC was how rushed Bardock's introduction to meeting Goku and Raditz was. I tried to change that here, and there's far more of Bardock's thoughts on everything involving his sons (and grandson) to come over the next few chapters. This is a Bardock/family story at its core.

Keeping Raditz alive, at least for now, was something else I wanted to do differently. That's all I'll say on that front for now.

I had a lot of fun writing this chapter … back in January 2020. Actually having a full outline with scenes helped, even if I moved a couple things to chapter three. This one had a lot of talking. And Piccolo will get his chance to shine.

My feeling on power levels, besides TFS!Vegeta's famous line that they are indeed BS, is they're both necessary and unnecessary. The ass-pulls Toriyama did, especially during the Namek saga, destroyed any credibility of power levels. I'll include them in the Saiyan and Namek Sagas because they're important in the context of the story, but don't read too much into them. I'll occasionally release a rankings system showing where everyone is, though different factors will be included. Gohan may have a stronger power level than Tien, for example, but Tien is a far experienced fighter with techniques that kill. So Tien might rank above Gohan.

I'll try to keep the power levels as realistic as I can. Gine was a low-class fighter whose power level fell because she wasn't always fighting. We'll give her 500. Bardock is at 10,500. If he fought Frieza now, he would be killed easily. He could hold his own against Vegeta but it wouldn't be a curbstomp either way. That's how I view PLs.

Power levels:

Bardock: 10,500.

Gine: 500

Goku: 416

Piccolo: 408

Raditz: 1,500

Gohan: 1

Gohan angry: 1,070

FP out. See you in chapter three.