Chapter 1

:five years previously:

Smoke filled the sky, filling the atmosphere with the stench of destruction. Screams accompanied it, making the twin suns even harder to find in the bright noon sky. People were running as fast as they could, trying to flee or hide in the crumbling buildings that once stood high, marking a once-flourishing civilization. Some even tried to fight. But they were no match for the three Saiya-jin warriors who were about to finish destroying the planet.

To Vegeta, Prince of the Saiya-jin race, it was all the same. Still, even though it was repetitive, he thrived off of it. There was nothing like it. Everything was boring in comparison to this. This, the rush of adrenaline in what he did, it gave him that outlet he needed so desperately as the days tickled past.

A man clutching a bag ran past, howling in fear.

Smirking, the warrior raised one finger and aimed lazily. A single ray connected his finger to the man's knee and blood flew while the bone shattered. He fell, screaming as his bag flew out of his arms and far out of reach.

His cries only fueled him.

Laughter was practically leaking out of his bared smile. It seemed to echo the beating of his own heart. It was faster, colder, and crueler than the battles previously. That seemed to be the only change. From battle to battle, it always increased. His humanity decreased. His bloodlust increased. And the laughter echoed, pulsating the air, stinging it crisply.

The man kept crying out as Vegeta approached. Vegeta lifted one foot in the air, just above the man's ankles.

The only thing as loud as Vegeta's laughter and the man's screams were the sound of breaking bones.

The scouters finally stopped beeping. Life-signs were negative outside of the animals that were scampering around in a panic. Both the supreme race and its subordinates were sufficiently destroyed. Depending on the mission they were sent on, they either had to conquer and leave a few idiots alive to sign the treaty marking this planet as belonging to Lord Freeza or they were to destroy each and every inhabitant. It varied and sometimes orders changed halfway through, so the scouters never left their ears. What didn't change, however, at least for Raditz and Nappa, was the talk of hope of reward or recognition.

Each time they were hopeful of reward was another time Vegeta forced himself into silence. Eventually Nappa and Raditz would realize that Freeza had no intentions of rewarding them. Fools. They had barely been rewarded in the past, and the only reason Freeza even offered was to try and keep them from rebelling. Well, Vegeta had no intentions of rebelling. At least, not yet. Not for quite some time.

Since the destruction of his planet the Saiya-jin Prince had spent his time obeying and serving Freeza, knowing fully well that it should be him on that throne instead. It disgusted him to serve such a completely incompetent fool, especially one who was so ridiculously vain. However, Freeza was far too powerful to even question, and it would be futile to even try to resist. Vegeta knew what the bastard was capable of, and there was little he could do about it save bide his time and be patient.

Nappa and Raditz, however, were not patient. They really had no reason to be, and Vegeta couldn't blame them, but it didn't help the fact that it was annoying to go through each time. Slamming his fist on the side of his capsule, Nappa grunted, "We'd better get a reward this time." His pod's door opened slowly, a bit more sluggish than usual. He murmured about getting that checked when they returned to base.

"Don't be stupid," Vegeta spat, annoyed yet aware this was coming. It always did. "Be glad we're alive and allowed leave from that disgusting ship."

"I rather like that ship," Raditz muttered, almost reluctantly.

"That's because you actually like purple, now get in your pod," Vegeta ordered, not in the mood to hear yet again about the kind of reward they should receive. The killing was over, his natural high from the bloodshed was now vanished, and all he wanted to do was just go home, get into the healing pod and check his stats to see how much he'd grown. Conquering planets had grown a bit too simple. The worry that he wasn't improving was becoming more of a reality than a paranoid concept each time he went out.

Raditz snapped back that he didn't like purple as the door to Vegeta's pod shut. Idiot, the Saiya-jin prince couldn't help but think. Maybe if he actually admitted he shared the same favorite colour as Freeza, he could get an extra midnight snack.

With the co-ordinates set, Vegeta laid back and closed his eyes. It would be another four hours before they got home. He might as well spend it out of consciousness. The automated voice recited the usual procedures as his mind began to ease itself into a deeper sleep and by the time the engines roared, he was sufficiently gone and wouldn't have to listen to anything for a little while.

Freeza had a multitude of 'Planet Freezas'. It seemed ridiculous to the Saiya-jin Prince for him to have so many. He understood needing multiple outposts in the galaxy for people to return to, but there were at least forty of them, and that was a bit much. It was getting to the point where no one remembered the original names for the planets, but that probably was the point. Everything belonged to Freeza- or would belong to Freeza- so what did it matter?

Freeza seemed to like to pick and choose between the planets, designating them for various stupid purposes. His newest project was to create a ring of five different planets as a type of amusement park. It was ever so originally titled, "Freeza's Pleasure Grounds" and that name was disturbing enough, but Freeza had it in mind to take these five planets and shape them to whatever he wanted. He would change their entire environments if need be just to suit whatever need he felt should be suited at each planet.

Of course Vegeta thought this was stupid. One planet alone was big enough to cover whatever needs that freak wanted. Knowing the potential ultimate ruler of the galaxy, only whatever he built on that planet would be what was on that planet, and the rest of it would be barren to lie to waste. It was completely stupid, and Vegeta knew there was no need for it.

But what Freeza wanted, Freeza got, stupid or no.

The high-pitched beeping pulling him out of sleep, Vegeta's eyes fluttered open to focus on the planet below. Planet Freeza Number 27, he recognized. Original names for such a so-called bright mind like Freeza's, Vegeta noted as usual, but there was nothing different about this. It would be the usual routine. He'd report to Freeza, the other two would hope for reward and nothing would happen, everyone would bitch, and he'd have a headache.

The only thing he was looking forward to was what happened after the headache, and that was something he generally didn't like to disclose that he enjoyed.

He had his secrets.

It was a softer landing than usual. Probably because this particular planet's gravity wasn't as strong as most of the others they'd occupied. Musing, Vegeta reached to the side for the metal steel toes that would strap to the outside of his boot. They were necessary once in a while to deal with whatever planet they were conquering, as not all of their gravities were ever quite the same. Each of them had their own weight that could actually be programmed depending on that particular planet's gravity, and thankfully the setting for the previous planet was good enough for this one.

There were no steel clasps for the heel. That only slowed a warrior down in the long run. Better to spring and be on the toes literally instead of clanking down on both heel and toe, he thought. There had been a literally sticky situation once where the heels had slowed down running on foot, and flying hadn't been an option due to that planet's atmosphere. Vegeta had chucked the heels and relied on toes only to win that battle. It had actually been close, but better to learn and conquer than to learn after being burnt to death or sinking in their foul mud.

Finally the door to his pod opened and Vegeta stood proudly, barely a scratch on him. There was hardly a need for him to get to a healing capsule this time. Nappa and Raditz were in a bit worse condition than he was, but that was because Nappa had managed to get himself tossed through a couple buildings. Raditz… he wasn't sure what happened there, but considering how much he'd sworn and taken out a good fourth of the capital city in less than a minute, it really didn't matter.

He barely moved when the greeting company arrived. Six lower class "guards" and one complete fool were heading his way. He really hated dealing with Zarbon, who seemed to be one of Freeza's many 'pets', but being that he was rather high in Freeza's favor there was little the Saiya-jin Prince could do except hear whatever shit Zarbon was about to toss his way.

"And whom do I owe this great honor," Vegeta sneered, stepping out of his pod and refusing to even make a single gesture to show that Zarbon held any higher status over him. In Freeza's favor the idiot may be, but Vegeta was still the last of his race and the prince at that.

"Cut the crap, Vegeta, and let's get to business," Zarbon snapped, looking angrier than usual. "You're wanted inside. By not only Lord Freeza himself, but your precious fiancée is also making a fuss."

Vegeta grimaced more at the second mention than the first. What in all of the galaxy did Samphire want now? It had better be good! He was pretty sick of her hyper whining, and definitely not in the mood to train her. She was lucky he didn't kill her out of sheer annoyance! Hmph. It didn't matter. Freeza first, his bratty arranged fiancée second.

Mentally ticking over notes in his head and ignoring the loud stretching noises of both Nappa and Raditz, Vegeta followed Zarbon inside, not at all anxious for what was to come.