Through the vast and lonely space, the pods flew with high speed to their next location. After three months, they finally arrived. The pods breached the dark planet's atmosphere and crashed against the ground. Their harsh impact was absorbed thanks to the special material built on the floor. The engines didn't even die out when soldiers emerged from a building. They stood firmly in front of the space pods and eagerly waited for the Saiyans to come out.
The first to get out of a pod was Vegeta who didn't even acknowledge the soldiers who saluted. He simply closed his eyes and marched forward. His fellow Saiyans followed in silence.
Their footsteps echoed through the hallway. The soldiers moved out of their way, making Nappa grin in delight. Many eyes were focused on Kakarot and his son who was covered in bruises. The rumor about two new-found Saiyans quickly spread through the Empire. Most if not all, weren't happy with that. A lot of people despised the Saiyans and wished they were obliterated together with their world.
As they continued to walk, the group suddenly halted. In front of them stood a tall man with long green hair tied in a ponytail. "Well, you finally made it. Lord Freeza's eager to see all of you." His sharp golden eyes were fixated on the Saiyans, especially the new ones.
"Zarbon..." The flame-haired prince addressed the warrior and resumed walking. He passed by the taller male when a firm hand grasped his shoulder. "What do you want? Can't you see I'm in a hurry?" His patience was already thin and the meeting was yet to begin.
Upon hearing that, Zarbon merely let out a chuckle. "Oh, I can see that, Vegeta. It's going to be quite entertaining." The handsome warrior lifted his hand and smirked. "Follow me, I'll accompany you to Lord Freeza's chambers." Zarbon moved in front and lead the Saiyans to their master.
In the rear, Kakarot's eyes were glued on the soldier. He was able to sense the man's power. "Who's that guy? His strength far surpasses Vegeta's." He whispered the question to his older brother who was near him.
Raditz wasn't in a good mood at all. His expression gave away how much he hated being here. "That narcissistic creep is Zarbon, one of Freeza's guards. Don't talk too much in front of him... Don't talk at all. Only respond when asked and with respect, got it?" The long-haired Saiyan shot a serious glare at his brother while a drop of sweat slid down the jawline.
Kakarot didn't like it but gave his brother a nod nevertheless. He shifted his dark orbs to Gohan who was completely nervous. "Calm yourself, everyone can smell your fear!" His voice was low but strict. He couldn't blame his child for feeling that, but they were warriors after all.
The little hybrid snapped out of it when he heard his father's voice. He wasn't even aware of it. His entire body trembled ever since they got here. The dark and bottomless aura frightened the boy who was drenched in sweat. His monkey tail was tightly secured around the waist from the very moment he woke up. However, he obeyed his father and tried to act tough, mask his fear.
"We're here, please enter and do behave." Zarbon gestured with his hand to the doors and smirked when he heard the Saiyans low growls.
The very moment they set foot inside, Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz kneeled. "Greetings, Lord Freeza. We traveled here the moment we finished our mission on planet Tritek." Vegeta was the only one who spoke to their master while Raditz forced Kakarot and Gohan to drop on the floor.
When he heard the voice, Freeza slowly turned around. "Vegeta, it's always a pleasure to see you. Did you erase all the population for me?" His pinkish tail hung over the pod as he stared at the Saiyan prince.
"Yes, in just three days we eradicated the entire race. I assume you're pleased with that, my lord." He despised this with every fiber of his being. Kneeling and pretending to be an obedient soldier.
Freeza smirked when he heard that. "Three days? It took you that long for such a puny planet? My, I thought you'd complete your task sooner considering you have acquired new warriors." His cold, red eyes shifted to the new Saiyans.
The flame-haired prince bit the flesh inside his mouth, taking a few seconds before replying. "I apologize. It took us longer because I wanted to be sure they're fit to serve under you, Lord Freeza!" Vegeta lifted his head and looked straight in Freeza's eyes, showing his commitment to the Empire.
Upon hearing that, Freeza couldn't but chuckle. "Hm, that's very generous of you, my little prince." He lifted his hand to hide the smile. "Now, introduce me to my new warriors. Ever since I heard about them, I couldn't wait to meet them." His tail slowly started to swing as he waited for Vegeta to do that.
"Of course!" Vegeta rose from the floor and pointed at the two. "This is Kakarot, Raditz's younger brother. He was sent on planet Earth to purge it and prepare for sale. According to Raditz, the mission was a success." The super-elite paused for a moment as he turned his eyes back to Freeza.
The two-horned creature observed the wild-haired Saiyan before he spoke. "Oh, Raditz's younger brother... Why, isn't that lovely news! How come you didn't inform us you had an alive family member?" His piercing eyes shifted to the long-haired warrior.
"I-I wasn't even sure he was alive. On our previous mission, we encountered some obstacles so I took a chance and traveled to Earth in hopes he was alive and well... sire!" Raditz swallowed nervously as he stared at the crimson floor.
Freeza raised an eyebrow as he tilted his head to the right and rested it on his hand. "I see. So, you didn't even bother to ask for permission?" While he waited for an answer, he moved around his other hand.
Drops of sweat rolled down his cheek as he tried to form some words. "L-Lord Freeza, I thought it'd be faster if..." Before he was able to finish, a beam struck Raditz's shoulder. The Saiyan cried out as repeated shots crushed his kneecaps. He fell on the floor, letting out agonizing groans until one more beam hit his forehead.
While the Saiyan remained motionless on the ground, Freeza glared at his minion with an extended finger. "Silence. Next time, don't think!" He moved his eyes away from Raditz and spoke to Vegeta. "As his leader, you knew this and yet, you didn't report his little detour to me or Zarbon. Why?" The tone in his voice was different from before.
"Sire, I simply didn't want to bother you since we weren't sure Kakarot was alive."
Meanwhile, Kakarot had a hard time to grasp what happened. He couldn't even see the attack. His eyes trembled as he stared at the creature in front of his black spheres. Its power was suffocating, he wanted to get out of here and fly off this planet. Now, he understood what Raditz meant. This wasn't a normal person, no, it was a monster! The sweat dripped from his chin as he continued to kneel under such pressure. He was sure the others, besides his son, had no idea just how powerful this creature was. There was a lot more under the surface, that was undeniable.
The wild-haired Saiyan turned his attention to his older brother. There were no moans to be heard anymore, the man passed out. "Unreal, such power..." He slowly moved his head forward and looked down. His mind was racing until he heard his name being called.
"Kakarot, was it? Could you please stand, I want to see your face."
He snapped out of his thoughts and immediately did as he was told. "Yes?" His son who was near him all the time did the same. The tail around his waist stirred anxiously as he waited for the powerful creature to speak again.
Freeza observed Kakarot's features for an entire minute. There was something strange, that face was familiar from somewhere, but he didn't know from where exactly. He tapped his cheek a few times, trying to remember but nothing. The emperor tossed that thought aside and slowly flew out of his pod.
Once his feet touched the cold floor, Freeza approached the Saiyan. "How did you conceive a child? I thought there were no female Saiyans left alive." The last thing he wanted was for them to reproduce.
Kakarot blinked a few times unsure of how to respond. "The boy's mother was an earthling, sir. Shortly after he was born, she died and I've taken care of him since." He glanced at his son for a moment. The boy was terrified and barely able to withstand the monstrous ki.
"Oh, a hybrid... How interesting!" Freeza stroked his chin as he stood in front of them. "Hm, yes. Black hair and a monkey tail. I see he picked up most of Saiyan traits. Tell me, is the boy battle-hungry like you full bloods?" This was his first time seeing a half-Saiyan and he was rather curious.
Raditz's younger brother had a weird feeling. The tone and questions didn't sit well with him. "Y-Yes. He's smart and strong. There's no need to worry, he won't slow us down." Sweat traveled over his temple while he stared at the short creature.
Once again, Freeza remained silent and just focused on Gohan. "I see... Well, I'll get Zarbon to check your power levels later. However, could you dare to explain what happened on station #21?" He turned around, showing the Saiyan his back as he waited for a reply.
The young warrior immediately figured out what the creature was asking. He mentally cursed. If he knew this monster had such enormous ki, he wouldn't do what he did. He needed to come up with some excuse. His mouth moved, but there was no voice. For some reason, he was out of air. There was sharp, tremendous pain in his gut. He glanced down and saw an elbow stuck deeply into his body.
As the creature pulled out the arm, Kakarot gasped. He was on his way down when the pink tail curled around his neck. "Now, now, I must teach you how things work here. It seems you haven't learned some proper manners on planet Earth. Allow me!" Before he could blink, a strong punch crashed against his face. "Consider this, your inauguration to the mighty Freeza Force!" All he could hear was a chuckle before he was punched repeatedly in the face and gut.
Seeing his father getting beat up, the fear completely vanished. "F-Father... Let go of him!" The child roared as he lunged at Freeza. However, suddenly all strength was zapped out of his little body.
"Damn brat!" While he held Gohan's tail, Vegeta bowed his head. "Please, ignore the child. I'll deal with him later." The Saiyan prince squeezed the boy's tail harder and slammed him against the floor.
Freeza was quite amused by the child's short-lived display. "Yes, you do that. You can take this one as well." He swung his tail and released the hold, sending Kakarot crash on the wall. "Go. I'll send Zarbon with a new mission for you and your monkey squad." Freeza glared at Vegeta who only responded with a nod.
Raditz and Kakarot were picked up by Nappa who was sure glad that was over. The oldest Saiyan was already out of the room by the time Vegeta approached the metal door. However, the flame-haired warrior was forced to stop for a moment when he heard a voice.
"Vegeta, from now on you report every single thing to me. Am I clear?"
His expression twisted into a scowl as he glared at the doors. He clenched his teeth in anger as he held the boy. "Yes, my lord!" Was all the Saiyan prince said before he walked out of the room, barely holding his composure in check.
Shortly after, Freeza sat back into his pod and approached a small table. "Sire, I have something to tell you." He didn't even bother to look at Zarbon who poured red wine into his glass. "When the little boy tried to foolishly attack you, the scouter showed a power level of 1 440." As his guard stepped back, Freeza lifted the glass and drank a little.
"1 440..." He lowered the glass and slowly rotated it. A wicked smirk appeared on his face as he looked through the large window, enjoying the view of his planet. "I might keep that one, quite a specimen." A loud chuckle escaped from him as he imagined what he could do with the little half-Saiyan.
.
A loud noise broke the silence in the room. The greenish liquid filled the tanks, submerging the warriors. Both of them floated in their separated tanks while a reptilian doctor typed something on the healing machine. The creature's brown eyes were focused on what he was doing while Nappa just stood there, staring at the injured low-level warriors.
He stroked his mustache as he waited for the Saiyan prince. "Hey, doc. How long are those two going to be stuck in there?" Nappa shifted his eyes to the doctor who just backed away from the small console.
"Shouldn't take more than two hours, sir. They're Saiyans after all."
The bald warrior had a feeling it would take that much. A smirk appeared on his face as he observed the two unconscious Saiyans. For a moment, he was sure Freeza would just kill them and the boy. It was quite a surprise when the pink lizard allowed them to live. They got out of that mess relatively easy. He wasn't sure why Freeza decided that, but nobody could tell what was on that bastard's mind. He wouldn't be shocked if Freeza was playing some game here.
While he stared at his unconscious companions, the metal door slid open. "Vegeta... That went well, don't you think?" Nappa turned in the younger man's direction, but the Saiyan just passed by him without even looking, let alone answering.
Instead, Vegeta approached the doctor and handed him Kakarot's son. "Get the brat into a healing tank as well." His eyes moved to Raditz and Kakarot for a moment before he turned around. "Once they're healed, tell those morons I'm in the training room. I want them there the very second they're out of the tanks, got it?" He shot a murderous glance at the reptile who nervously began to sweat.
"Nappa, follow me!" His loud voice forced the tall and muscular Saiyan to obey. There was a throbbing vein on the prince's forehead which could only indicate how furious he was.
The poor doctor shook on his spot as the warrior walked away. "Y-Yes, Prince Vegeta." He ignored Nappa's laughter and didn't move from his place until both of them were out of the room.
He released a heavy sigh and took a look at the little boy in his arms. The reptilian doctor blinked a few times, confused until he noticed the tail. "U-Unbelievable, a Saiyan child!?" His eyes were wide open out of shock as he stared at the unconscious black-haired hybrid.