I do not own DBZ
A Father's Fate
The Story of Bardock
The black linear plane rumbled as several booms echoed through the vastness. The area was lit up by an unseen source, keeping a large area visible. Outside of the light, the pitch was completely encompassing. Quite often a flash would occur, lighting up the area completely for a moment before returning to the dim gloom.
They're fast. Matra thought, sitting in the light.
Yeah, quite an improvement for only being gone around two months. Fasha responded in her mind. Toi touched the ground nearby, grunting as he moved, disappearing from normal sight again. Just over head light flashed again as Toi and Bardock slammed together, fist to fist.
"Not bad," Toi smirked. "Not good enough either!" Bardock stood still, watching Toi transform into his more powerful state. "Try now!" Bardock moved sideways, leaving Toi looking confused as Bardock spun towards the ground. The Saiyan slammed his hand into the ground, propelling himself at Toi at full speed. The half transformed man swung at where he guessed Bardock would be, striking nothing but air.
Without a word, Bardock struck Toi in the back, slamming him forward, out of the light. Toi slid on his chest for a moment before rolling over and flipping to his feet, the momentum carrying him backwards slightly more. Toi grimaced as blood ran down his face, the scratches from the ground still fresh.
"Wow, I give up."
"Toi, that was awful!" Matra teased from the circle.
"Would you like to try?" Toi responded tersely.
"How about it, Matra?" Fasha jumped up.
"You wanna take me on?"
"Sure do!" Fasha smiled, crouching into a low position. Matra smiled and stood up, walking away from Fasha. As she nodded, Fasha jumped forward, the two immediately leaving normal view. Bardock walked into the light and sat down.
"I wonder where Toma and Borgos are," The Saiyan murmured.
"Well, I don't feel their minds. They probably can't figure out how to change their thoughts to be receptive," Toi responded, wiping his face.
"Some people," Bardock mumbled. "So how has your training been?"
"Pretty good, a little unpredictable at times. About half of our training time is consumed with avoid whatever's in the wind." Bardock sat with a confused look on his face. "Yeah, in the wind are these little blades that randomly whip through. The first few nights there we just about died."
"Little blades?"
"Yeah, from what we can tell out of what we pulled out of our bodies. Out in the wind though, we can scarcely see them and it's really hard to do because of the light they reflect. Hundreds and thousands of little blades that look like leaves while they cut us. Generally one alone won't be fatal, I hate to think what would happen if we didn't keep our minds on the wind."
"Sounds a lot less accommodating than sheer temperature changes," Bardock replied.
"Yeah, a bit. But it toughens the mind tremendously," Toi added. As the two man talked about their training, Matra crashed into the ground nearby. Toi jumped up while Bardock looked over his shoulder.
"Wow, that's much better," Fasha said, landing gently on the ground.
"You have improved a lot!" Matra exclaimed, looking up at Fasha from the ground.
"I'm glad to see what you put yourself through is really paying off," Bardock stated, smiling at Fasha.
"So am I. I wonder what my power level is now."
"Beats me, we don't have scouters in here," Toi said, helping Matra up.
"Probably forty thousand," Matra said as she slowly climbed to her feet.
"Forty? That's a hefty jump for only a month of training," Fasha said, putting her hands on her hips.
"A month? No it's been closer to three," Toi said walking back into the light.
"How could three month's have gone by already?" Fasha asked frantically.
"It just has. Time has been normal for us."
"We've been off system for six months," Bardock spoke up.
"Vegeta was destroyed almost a year ago," Matra whispered.
"Where's Toma and Borgos?" Fasha asked.
"I don't know." Bardock stood up and walked over to the edge of the light, staring off into the distance. Kakarot is on some strange planet. I don't know how he survives, but I know he does. His visits have always guided me. And what about Borgos and Toma? I'm sure they understood what to do.
"Bardock, think they might have missed us? You missed us the first two dates as well."
"Ah, but I know why we missed. Our planet has a slight wobble. It's enough to throw the planet off its axis and slow the spinning. Some days are extremely long with normal length nights and vice versa. Sometimes we would actually sleep for a full day or train for one. The extreme situations are probably what helped us so much," Bardock explained.
As Toi was about to respond, Toma suddenly appeared. He fell over immediately, blood pouring out from him.
"Toma!" Bardock shouted, moving to his friend's side. "What..?"
"Bardock they have Borgos," Toma coughed. "People came."
"Who? Who took Borgos? Why did they nearly kill you?"
"I don't know, somebody calling himself Captain Saijin. He and his lieutenant landed on the planet we were on and came for us. We didn't even have a minute's notice before they were on us," Toma explained.
"What happened?"
"We fought. Borgos and I rushed them before they even landed. Borgos took the lieutenant and I took the Captain. Saijin was strong, he was beating me by a lot and he knew it. For every punch I landed he landed twelve. Every scratch on him was a broken bone for me. Borgos eventually knocked the lieutenant unconscious and came to help me," Toma stopped, inhaling deeply.
"I saw Borgos land and then I saw Saijin slam his hand onto Borgos' shoulder. I could hear it shatter and see Borgos go into shock. I started to lose it and rushed Saijin, my power out of control. As I neared, I fired a beam, ripping into Saijin's arm, giving me another second to take him out. I remember thinking about how he was going to pay for what he did to Borgos when he slammed his hand into my neck. I remember the speed at which I was knocked away. At the angle I flew. How the ground broke so easily as I hit it."
"The ground broke?"
"Oh yes, he hit me so hard I actually went through ten feet of earth before I entered an underground vein, about six inches deep of water."
"What happened to Borgos?"
"I don't know, I couldn't see what happened to him. I don't have my scouter either and I can't even feel him."
"When did that happen?" Toi asked.
"About three days ago, I think."
"What about you, are you going to survive?"
"I don't know, I'm still trapped. The water is the only thing sustaining me."
"We can inspect the damage here. Your mind transfers the current state of your body into here even if you don't know it," Matra said, peeling back a bit of cloth on Toma's knee.
Toi walked over and helped. Soon the siblings had inspected most of Toma, careful to not worsen the pain.
"It's pretty bad," Toi said, looking at Toma. "You have both arms broken in several places, but your left arm is particularly bad. It's obvious that when you crashed into the ground you slid on your left arm the whole time. Your right leg is fine, but your left is cut deeply. Several of your ribs are broken and you have serious head trauma. From the amount of blood you would have lost, I'm amazed you're still alive," Toi said bluntly, finishing his examination.
"Yeah, I'm probably already dead."
"If you do die here, your soul won't leave here," Toi replied.
"That would be bad," Toma said, smiling. "No, I know I'm still alive, but I probably won't survive this one. I can't seem to get up or move more than drinking the water that flows by me."
"Toma, we are leaving to get you," Bardock said, ready to leave.
"Bardock, you can't go. You and Fasha have made the most progress. Honestly Matra and myself haven't even made any headway. You two are the ones who gain the fastest and are probably the best chance against any captains. Matra and myself will get Toma and help him."
"Toma, you should leave here and return to your body. Matra knows where you landed so we should be able to find you without too much trouble."
"Wait, there's one more thing," Toma started, attempting to sit but failing painfully. "Bardock, I think there are others coming for you. I overheard Saijin talking to his lieutenant before we attacked them. A captain is coming for either you or Toi, but if Toi is leaving only you should worry." Bardock nodded, no emotion rising.
"It's not a problem," the Saiyan said, waving his hand through the air.
"They are really strong, Bardock. They thrashed me and Borgos without even taking significant damage," Toma growled.
"That's why I will make them pay. We are Saiyans, we don't bow away from a challenge, and we certainly don't let some aliens hurt our friends," Bardock finished resolutely.
"Hm same old Bardock. Stubborn as hell." I can feel his power seeping into me, even in this false plane. He radiates strength, enough to make me want to free myself and continue to fight. This man cannot lose. Toma thought, a tear streaming down his face.
"Leave now Toma, Matra and I will be departing shortly." With that, Toma closed his eyes and disappeared.
"Matra, Toi, be careful. Fly quietly, with as few systems on as possible. No need to be followed and beaten yourselves," Fasha said.
"See if you can get a hold of the Harbinger, perhaps there's news of Jubei or Jorbei, or the resistance," Bardock added.
"I'll constantly be feeling for an open state in your minds, let us know if anything arises."
"Same to you."
"Fasha, think you're ready for an actual battle with a Captain?" Bardock asked.
"After what they did to Borgos and Toma, there's no way I would say 'no'."
"Good, we should use this time to train. It won't be long to figure out where we went if they figured out where Toma landed, especially if they were further away. I fear that raising our power now will just attract attention, but it can't be helped."
"We're going to have to leave the planet, aren't we?"
"Probably, but let's make them realize that we aren't bugs to be squashed under the feet of somebody," Bardock finished, stepping into a fighting stance.
"Right!"
"Sir, we have a Saiyan in custody," a skinny man said, turning to face the raised console.
"Excellent. Bring him to me," Cooler ordered, chin resting on his fist. The changeling's tail thrashed back and forth, slightly faster after the news.
"Sir!" A few moments later two heavily armored men walked in dragging something extremely large. As the men closed the door behind them they set down Borgos.
"This is the Saiyan?" Cooler said, walking up to Borgos prone body. Moving faster than anyone could see, Cooler picked up Borgos and held him up to eye level.
Borgos slowly opened his eyes and gasped when he saw the face of a man holding him up. "Frieza?!" Borgos stammered, a bewildered look in his eyes.
"Frieza? Ha! Don't insult me. That worm is nothing to me. I am Frieza's older brother, the one you should really be afraid of."
Grunting, Borgos shifted his weight. "What do you want with me?" the man asked, the memory of being beaten flooding back into his mind.
"Don't be so insolent. I will ask the questions here. What are you doing all the way out here?"
"I'll never tell you!"
"Really? Not even if I threaten to tear your arm off?" Borgos gulped and reclined slightly.
"I wouldn't let you stop us, ever."
"Okay, you may leave."
"Wha—" Cooler cut the man short as he grabbed Borgos' wrist and ripped with enough force to take the man's arm. Borgos' screamed, the intense pain blinded him, causing his vision to turn red, slowly darkening. Cooler dropped the removed appendage and pushed Borgos' chest with enough force to eject him from the room. Borgos exploded through the door behind him and into the wall behind that, leaving a huge indentation.
"Take him to the medical wing, have the wound closed, but don't reconnect the arm. Don't let him die, he will live to be tortured, the scum."
"Captain Saijin has departed again, heading back to recover the second Saiyan's body," the scrawny man at the console said.
"Why bother?" Cooler asked himself.
"Sir, may I ask why Frieza's men are working for you?"
"The squads work for the Cold family, not just Frieza. I generally don't feel an inclination to use them as they are odd and generally more of Frieza's way than my own."
"I understand, sir. Captain Karyn has identified a strong power level and is going to apprehend the criminal."
"Excellent."
Bardock leaned against the wall of the well, exhaling deeply. Fasha lowered herself in as well, letting the warmth dissipate the soreness. The two Saiyans sipped slowly on cups of water as time went by.
"That was a good workout, albeit short," Bardock stated.
"Short? It went from sunrise to nearly sunset," Fasha asked.
"I know, but lately I've been able to tell if the day is a normal one or not, the length of our training and how fatigued we are simply act as reminders if we pay enough attention." Fasha nodded, leaning back.
"I think I'm going to bed early, I don't feel like doing anything at the moment," Fasha said, stepping out of the well and over to her makeshift bed.
"'Night," Bardock offered, closing his eyes.
"So you've come." a voice stated.
"Where are we?" Bardock asked, opening his eyes. The world around them was very familiar, yet Bardock swore he'd never seen such a strange place.
"This is your mind, the place where we meet. Always changing, always revolving. The world as it is and as it will be pass through here, leaving indentations and impressions. Back to what you asked, this is Vegeta. The capital is above us and yet the sky below. We stand on solid sky," the voice answered.
"Kakarot, what are we doing here?"
"Bardock, don't you know? You are going up against the rulers of the known universe, yet you seek to hide from them. Be glad they don't consider you a higher threat or these tyrants would come personally. They drift out in the unknowns waiting for word on your pursuers. Should you defeat the Captains and their officers, the tyrants will come looking for you."
"What am I supposed to do? Run away?"
"No, that's not it. You need more time, a lot more." Bardock looked around his surroundings, trying to come up with a response. The city is discolored. It's all black and white. Whatever the sun touches is black, while the shadow it casts is white. So odd.
"How do we get more time?"
"Your allies must attract attention away from what's going to happen tomorrow," Kakarot said.
"What happens tomorrow?"
"Captain Karyn will land. You cannot hide from him, he's already got a specific location on you."
"Can I beat this Karyn?"
"Would either answer I give you influence?"
"Probably not, but what about Fasha?"
"Lieutenant Abarin will be escorting Karyn."
"So a pitched battle, two on two. Matra and Toi, what about them? What can they do?"
"Saijin, he returns to Toma in the next few days. Your allies will have to run from him, perhaps causing enough of a disturbance to warrant a chase. There is no quiet way to make a Captain and his Lieutenant disappear."
"We will just have to move on after we defeat them anyway, that was our plan."
"I'm glad I don't have to spell it all out."
"Can you tell me about Borgos?"
"No, I cannot. Some things you will have to learn yourself. One thing you should always keep in mind. Not everything ends without losses. Should any of your allies fail, your job will become next to impossible. If you should fail then there won't be a power to rise for several years that could fight the Colds. Several million casualties rest on your shoulders."
"Why are you telling me that?"
"You need to know that you can't fail. Whatever happens to slow you down you must go through. Your allies are not liabilities yet, but should they ever slow you down, you have to figure out what to do about it, not let it stop your progress."
"Yes," Bardock said, looking up at Vegeta.
"Go now and prepare for the fight. Sleep if nothing else," Kakarot said, slowly floating away, his body becoming less and less visible before suddenly vanishing.
Bardock woke up in the well, the water dozens of degrees colder now. Shivering, the Saiyan climbed out and over to his bed. As he laid down, thoughts of Borgos and what could have happened to him slowly put Bardock to sleep, his last thought was of Borgos winning the fight and laying in a field, victorious smile on his face.
Several hours passed until Bardock woke up. He slowly dressed himself in his battle armor. Yawning sleepily, the Saiyan grabbed his scouter from the table, wiping off the dust and attached it.
"Fasha, wake up," Bardock said quietly as he ate his breakfast, a small plate of crackers.
"Already? Fast night I think."
"Get ready, we're having company later."
"For real?" Fasha asked, suddenly sitting straight up.
"Yeah, a captain is en route and almost here. Check your scouter," Bardock said, tossing Fasha the second scouter on the table.
"Wow, they're strong! I can't get accurate data yet, but at least forty thousand on the weaker one," Fasha said, clicking off her scouter.
"Eat breakfast and we'll go wait for them to land."
After Fasha ate, the two Saiyans set off for where their enemy was set to land. The two only walked, trying to waste as much time as possible. An hour later, the atmosphere was breached as two white lights rained down from the sky.
"Incoming," Bardock said, watching the white lines etch into the orange skyline. Mere seconds later, the two objects slammed into the ground, each creating its own crater. Several minutes passed before steam hissed out of the orbs. As the mist cleared, two people stepped forward.
"Greetings," Bardock said cheerily.
"Ha, see that? They welcomed us." a man said, red hair pulled back into a tail.
"It matters not, these scum aren't worthy of words," the second replied, his cold blue eyes switching from Bardock to Fasha and back to Bardock.
"How rude," Bardock smiled.
"There is no reason to waste words on the dead."
"I'm sorry you feel that way," Bardock said, turning to Fasha. "Okay, Fasha, this is it. We have been training to deal with people like this and now it's time."
"Their power levels are forty four thousand on the weaker one and sixty thousand on the stronger,"
"Okay, we can do this," Bardock finished, turning back to the man in the pod. "Why didn't you attack us just then?"
"I won't need to exploit an opening to defeat one such as yourself."
"Captain Karyn, I'll take the girl, okay?"
"Do as you will, Abarin." the lieutenant jumped up, onto the edge of the crater and swung at Fasha who deftly leaned out of the way. As Abarin's arm flew overhead, Fasha grabbed it and spun, releasing the man into the air. Quickly following, the two began a midair battle.
"Let's get down to it!" Bardock shouted, jumping back. The captain jumped out of the crater and landed agilely. Bardock smiled, raising his power level to a visible aura.
"This will be over quickly," Karyn said, bolting forward. Bardock gulped as he saw the speed. Barely blocking, Bardock stopped the fist but lost ground and slid backwards. Karyn stepped forward with his hand still on Bardock's arm. Slowly he pushed, forcing Bardock backwards. Bardock spun to the side, punching at Karyn's face. The captain quickly adjusted and shot his foot straight up, slamming into Bardock's chin and knocking him into the air.
The Saiyan flew upwards quickly, pain jolting through him. Karyn jumped upwards, passing Bardock and slamming his hand downward. Bardock pushed himself off of Karyn's arm and into the ground. Grimacing, Bardock stood up and fired a quick blast at his opponent. The captain moved himself out of the way, barely avoiding the energy. Seeing the opening, Bardock followed behind the attack, hitting Karyn in his exposed side. Realizing what happened, Karyn spun quickly and slammed his fist into Bardock's face, sending the Saiyan away from him.
Bardock rebounded, flipping himself onto his feet before he even touched the ground. Karyn followed and drove a kick at where Bardock's feet would be. The Saiyan saw Karyn appear below him, so Bardock fired a blast straight down, not touching the ground. Captain Karyn's form appeared in the smoke, his face displaying no emotion.
"Saiyan, you step beyond yourself."
"I don't think so. I merely reject any title you try to bestow on me."
"Watch what you say," Karyn said, pushing himself onto his feet quickly. "Perish." Karyn quickly brought out boost of power. Bardock could feel himself grow heavy in the air when in the face of the power.
"Is that everything you have? Because it still isn't enough."
"Speak no further. My power is more than enough to crush the likes of you," Karyn suddenly darted forward, catching Bardock in the face with an elbow. The Saiyan jerked to the side, blood leaving his lips. Bardock stopped himself, grinning. Suddenly Bardock's body exploded in light as he brought all of his power to bare.
"Little Saiyan, how foolish it is to hide your true power, you will need it all to last through this next one," Karyn mocked, raising his power to an even higher state. Bardock could feel the weight of it forcing down on himself.
What's with this power? The other captain I fought wasn't this strong. Bardock thought, forcing himself to stand up straight. Suddenly Karyn's aura appeared, pink energy flowing uniformly upwards. Suddenly a large orb appeared in front of Karyn. While the power flowed upward, suddenly diverted into the orb. Bardock watched in awe as he slowly acclimated to the power.
"Die," Karyn said coldly, the orb suddenly bursting forward, the wave of energy crashing into Bardock's arms. Bardock grunted as he managed to stop the attack in place, his own energy helping to push backwards.
A hundred yards away, Abarin stopped suddenly and turned to where Bardock and Karyn were. "It looks like the captain got serious. I guess I will too," Abarin said, his energy fluctuating in an odd manner. Suddenly a strand of energy appeared in his left hand. He pulled the energy with his right hand, causing it to bend around himself and grow longer.
Abarin pulled back with his left hand, extending the energy in his hand even more. Suddenly he let go with his right hand and swung with his left, using the energy like a rope. Fasha attempted to block only to have her arm lacerated.
"It's over, you put up a decent fight. Be glad that it's us killing you and not Cooler," Abarin said, spinning his whip around quickly.
Bardock attempted to reverse the flow of energy he had stopped. Slowly his aura grew thicker and he prepared to counter attack.
"I've got you!" Bardock shouted, his own attack flaring to life.
"Scatter."