Unbeknownst to Frieza, Goku's friends were aware of the tragic string of events that had taken place. As a matter of fact, they were sensing the entire fight from a cliff not too far from where the actual battle had taken place. Fortunately, due to the tyrant's inability to sense ki, the heroes were kept out of harm's way.

"What?! Damn, no!" Piccolo fidgeted, sweating profusely. "He's…"

"Piccolo, my dad's energy…" Gohan looked up at his mentor with grief-stricken eyes. "Is he-" A trickle of tears followed his shaky voice. "D-da" –he was unable to vocalize his sorrow; his words sounded as though they were caught in his throat. His eyes attempted to liberate his soul from the torment by flooding his cheeks with tears.

Piccolo turned his shoulder to Gohan's weeping, and winced. "Frieza that bastard."

Krillin shut his eyes, breathing rapidly through gritted teeth. "Goku!" He collapsed on his hands and knees as a waterfall of tears began streaming down his face.

Bulma cupped her face in her hands. Her muffled whimpering accompanied the tears that leaked through the cracks between her hands and face. Yamcha's eyes darted over to Tien, and the two exchanged an expression that held a blend of sorrow and fear.

Vegeta gnashed his teeth. "Damn!" He quivered with clenched fists, veins bulging from his neck. "If Frieza was able to just nonchalantly kill Kakarot, what'll keep him from slaughtering us?!"

"Let's not forget about that boy he effortlessly killed prior to Goku's arrival." Piccolo took in a deep breath of air, appearing calmer than he was moments before. "Our only chance is to hide out and buy some time." He focused his eyes on Vegeta. "How long do you think it'll be until their devices pick up on us?"

"When that other Super Saiyan displayed his power, he likely shattered what was left of those damn scouters," Vegeta said. "There's no way in hell those worthless contraptions stayed in one piece around a reading that large."

"Either way, we have to act fast." Piccolo placed his hand on Gohan's shoulder. "I know this must be hard on ya, but you need to stay with me."

Gohan sniffled without a word, tears still shedding in abundance.

Piccolo grunted and shot Gohan a spine-chilling stare. "This is no time for that! Frieza could already be planning to blow up the Earth! Look, I won't even delve into how unfortunate Goku's death was. But it won't be in vain. I have a plan." He whipped his head up towards the sky. "King Kai! Can you hear me?!"

"Yes Piccolo," King Kai said.

The others bounced their eyes back and forth amongst themselves, as though they were wondering what their Namekian ally was planning.

"I don't think I need to fill you in on what's been happening down here," Piccolo said, knowing full well that the overseer had already leveraged his telepathic abilities to keep himself informed.

"Indeed," King Kai said low-spiritedly. "Goku's been killed, and Frieza's on the verge of conquering your planet. Poor Goku, I knew provoking Frieza would boil down to this."

Piccolo shook his fist in the air. "Instead of patronizing us, why not make yourself useful and cough up the precise coordinates of the new planet Namek!"

"Sheesh, still as rude as ever! Well what do you seek to accomplish by venturing out there anyway?"

"We're going to wish Goku back!" Piccolo said.

Upon hearing the Namekian's plan, Gohan and Krillin's gloomy faces simultaneously lit up with radiant smiles like storm clouds suddenly making way for the sun.

"A noble thought," King Kai said, "but I must forbid you from proceeding."

Piccolo recoiled at the overseer's remark. "What?!"

"Goku will be crossing over to this side soon, and when he does, I'll be putting him through special training… wishing him back now will be wasted effort. He'll only get himself killed again."

"I admire the innovation, but it's best that we head to Namek and cram in some training until Goku's ready. If we stay here, Frieza will find us without a doubt."

"But with your absence, it won't be long until Frieza and his men seize the Earth," King Kai said.

Piccolo slouched and hung his head. "Whether we're here or not, that's bound to happen." He squeezed his guilt-ridden eyes shut, making the fine lines on his green face more conspicuous. "Besides, once Frieza's dead, we could reverse all the damage with the Dragon Balls."

"Well since you're so adamant about it, "King Kai said, "I guess the least I could do is point you in the right direction." There was a brief moment of silence as the overseer began searching the galaxies for Planet Namek's new location. "Ah, I think I found them, they're on coordinates Su-83 7025-Zy."

Piccolo glanced at Bulma. "You get that?"

"I did," Bulma said. "So all the way back to Namek huh?"

"Afraid so." Piccolo furrowed his brow before turning to face the group. "Now, I need you to prepare a spaceship. I'll come find you once everything is ready." He craned his neck out towards the sky. "How long do you intend on keeping Goku there?"

"To be candid, I don't know." King Kai's unenthusiastic tone indicated that he too was agonized by the suspense. "We'll be in touch as soon as he arrives." He sighed a sigh that often follows a time of despair. "I'm putting my trust in you Piccolo. You've already dug yourselves in a hole, so no sense in turning back."

"So, how about it Bulma?" Piccolo asked. "Think you could plot a course for Namek?"

Bulma put her hands down to her waist and glowered at Vegeta. "Well, the only spaceship we had is in bad shape thanks to that jerk!"

"Well then, quit your yammering, and get on with the repairs," Piccolo said in a slightly irritated voice.

"Hey, don't mind me but, where exactly are you going Piccolo?" Krillin raised an eyebrow and scratched his shiny bald head.

Piccolo jerked his head away from the group, layers of apprehension masking his face. "That's none of your damn business! Just do as you're told, and go hide out!" He bolted off into the air without another word.

Gohan gasped. "Piccolo?" His mouth gaped open and his muscles tensed as his eyes darted over to his mentor.

The Namekian stopped short, and glanced at his student from above. "I'll be fine Gohan. Now go and find yourself a safe location. I'll see you soon, I promise." He accelerated into a tuft of clouds and eventually flew out of sight.

"Like hell you're going to leave me in the dust and train on your own Namekian!" Vegeta launched into the air like a rocket before flying off at full speed.

"I never know what to make of those two," Tien said.

"Well there goes our last line of defense." Krillin sighed, watching a clump of clouds conceal the Saiyan prince. He turned his attention to the remaining members of the group. "Hey, someone should really get Master Roshi up to speed. Gohan and I could head on over to the Kame house. Yamcha, think you and Tien could take Bulma back to Capsule Corp? We need to start working on that spaceship pronto."

"You got it," Tien said, while Yamcha nodded his head in acknowledgement with Bulma already in his arms.

"Great, we'll head on over to ya soon!" Krillin pumped his fist into the air. His exhilaration fizzled out like a match in the wind when his eyes shifted over to Gohan. "Hey, what's gotten you all eaten up? You heard the plan. We're wishing your dad back."

"I don't know." Gohan hunched his shoulders, his eyes glued to the ground below him. "I just don't understand why Piccolo would leave on his own like that."

"Look, we can talk about that on our way to Master Roshi's." Krillin said. "But for now we have to move!" With that, the heroic duo took flight and headed for the Turtle Hermit's island.

Cold surveyed the terrain from his quarters. "This planet will be a great addition to our empire. I'm sure the Earthlings will show little resistance."

"Quite ironic my adversary's home world is about to become my new headquarters." Frieza snickered.

"First things first." Cold placed one hand behind his back and stroked his chin with the other. "We have to call for reinforcements. Stepping on a bunch of ants isn't a task for beings of our status." He ambled over to a control panel and activated a communication link. "Commander Sorbet, bring your troops and head for Planet Earth immediately, I have an important assignment for you!"

"Yes sire, we'll be there at once," a voice responded from one of the speakers.

Indeed, Planet Earth was in grave danger, for Commander Sorbet, the staff officer of the third stellar region was on his way with his entire army of elites.