Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters

Hey guys, sorry for the delay. I was trying to do an updating weekly kick, but there were a few problems with that. While moving once again, I broke my ankle so I'm laid up once again. It had given me more time to write, but at the same time I couldn't get the next chapter written, so I delayed posting. Honestly, about half is written but I've lacked motivation to start the next scene. Instead, I decided to go back and proofread Blackmail as well when I don't feel like writing and will hopefully have it all updated by the end of the week. Also, when I decided I was going to post the chapter regardless of the next one being completed, the site had an uploading problem so I decided to wait patiently until it was fixed. Anyways, enough complaining from me. We all know why you're really here, so once again, enjoy the read :D

The people of Planet Vegeta were astounded that the king actually formed alliances with outside races. They still had not entered into any kind of agreements with the Galactic Patrol, but it was a start. The Saiyans, Nameks, and Kanassans all wanted to take Frieza down. "We are all in agreement then," the Saiyan king's voice boomed in his war room.

A week passed since the alliance was formed and Paragus was dealt with. Celen was now the king's advisor, and he was the best at dealing with the foreign visitors. The Kanassan king returned to his world, and both Kanassa and Namek sent over a few ambassadors to discuss strategies while reporting the plans to their world leaders.

They came up with a simple plan. Frieza had no idea about the formation of this truce, so it was safe to say that he wasn't targeting Namek or Vegeta, yet. Kanassa's mission was marked down as failed, that the race was hostile. Bardock entered some fake power levels into the system that even rivaled the Ginyu force, so Frieza updated the mission as a temporary loss. Once some of his men got in some training, they would try the mission again, but the Saiyans at least bought the Kanassans some time.

The plan was this. Frieza would arrive near Planet Vegeta in three weeks. It wasn't a lot of time to prepare for battle, but they would. The Nameks and Kanassans had mystical powers and would be able to attack from a distance. The Namek and Saiyan warriors would take the front, and some other Nameks would act as healers. The Saiyans would get stronger during the battle just from being healed. They would need to make sure that they kept the battle closer to the planet, however, which was dangerous. Unfortunately, though, if they got too far away, they would not be able to breathe. They were not built like Frieza's race.

The king would take a small band of warriors to enter the ship and find his son while Frieza would be distracted by the attack outside the ship. He would send Vegeta down to the planet using one of the ship's escape pods and then bring him home once the fight was over.

Until this assault, the Saiyans would keep up the act of being loyal. Bardock's team offered to take a mission on Planet Meat while Bardock remained behind on the planet with his pregnant mate. The woman was due in a few weeks and seemed to be getting weaker at times. That was all anyone knew of her.

In that time, though, Frieza was doing some planning of his own. He noticed that the third-class team left on a mission and left Bardock and his mate back on Planet Vegeta. The mission would take a few weeks, and that was when Dodoria was set to strike. At the tail end of the mission, the warriors would be exhausted, and then Dodoria would take them out. The pink warrior would then head to Planet Vegeta to intercept Frieza when they were to 'deliver' the prince and eliminate the third-class once and for all.

Meanwhile, Prince Vegeta continued to struggle psychologically. He surrendered himself to this meaningless life as Frieza's slave. He gave up being a Saiyan, though Nappa and Raditz were completely unaware of that. They didn't know what Frieza said or threatened to do, and Vegeta intended to keep it that way. Nappa knew something was wrong, for he sensed a deep depression that no child Vegeta's age should ever experience. His anxiety was high, though the boy remained composed on the outside. The child wouldn't confide in the former general, even when he attempted to reach out. Nappa confided in Raditz his concern for Vegeta's mental health, and the teenager offered to deal with the boy. Raditz was a bit older than Vegeta, but he was closer to the kid's age than Nappa and he was a neutral party.

One day, Raditz and Vegeta were alone in the room, and Vegeta was as silent as ever, not even releasing a sigh here and there. Raditz observed the boy laid down, spread out on his uncomfortable bed. The prince stared vacantly up at the ceiling. The kid barely moved or blinked at all in the past hour. The prince was retreating inside himself and that wasn't good. "Hey, Vegeta," Raditz called out earning the child's attention. "Come here. I want to show you something."

Vegeta lifelessly moved from the bed; he walked over to the teenager with crossed arms and narrowed eyes. "What?" he grunted out.

"Here, for you," Raditz said as he offered the child something that surprised him.

"Kulu fruit?" Vegeta asked skeptically when Raditz handed him a small container of it. The prince flashed him a questioning look, and Raditz simply smirked.

"Yeah, the last intermediate planet we were on had some in the shops," Raditz explained. "I used some of my earnings of past missions to get some. Thought you'd want it."

Vegeta actually felt his heart beat fast in excitement before he remembered what he had done in front of Frieza, what he said to the monster. He didn't move to take the container. "No," he remarked, "I don't want it."

Raditz frowned at the prince. He did not understand the child's refusal. "Come on. We're stuck here for a while. The least we can do is have some reminders of home. We'll be going back soon, too. I'm sure your parents are looking forward to seeing you."

At that, Vegeta got pissed off and remembered why he hadn't bothered to form a connection with Raditz. The guy a knack for saying stupid things that set the prince off. They were never going back, and Vegeta could care less about his parents. They were the reason he was there. His father lied to him, and Frieza had him forever. It was best to just let himself accept that he was never going home. "Shut up," he spat harshly, stunning Raditz. "We will not discuss this. Leave me alone."

Raditz was irritated by the snub, but he promised Nappa he would at least try with Vegeta. "If you don't want the fruit," he said through gritted teeth, "then let's go and spar. Anything is better than being cooped up in here all day. It'll keep us sharp for the next mission. What do you say?"

Vegeta was still irritated at the teenager and actually liked the idea of venting out his frustrations in battle. He gave a nod and let Raditz lead the way to the training room. Outside the training room, the gravity was ten times less than their planet, but inside the training room the gravity could be set higher. Vegeta loved the feeling of going into the room and setting it to ten times the ship's gravity. For a moment, it felt like home even though he was so far from it.

Raditz set up the gravity as soon as they walked in. He let out a sigh of relief and cracked his shoulders. "That's better," he remarked before he smirked at the prince. "You ready?"

"Just shut up and fight," Vegeta ordered. He immediately charged at the other Saiyan.

Raditz easily dodged and flew up in the air before he fired a barrage of ki that rained down upon the boy. Vegeta managed to evade each blast and fired up a beam of his own which only narrowly missed Raditz. "Hey, kid, easy! I could feel how much power was in that thing. We're sparring, not trying to kill each other."

"There isn't much difference," Vegeta stated as he took off for the sky. "What is this? Having an aerial battle is stupid. I'm much faster in the air than you are."

"That's because you're a kid," Raditz teased which angered Vegeta as the kid attempted to connect a series of punches and kicks.

Raditz took some of the hits, but only the ones he knew wouldn't cause much damage. Vegeta was fighting really hard, and Raditz needed to get him to loosen up fast. The prince acted like Raditz was an enemy, and that was a horrible thing to do with a comrade. In the future, Vegeta probably would stop caring whether he and Nappa lived or died. He was already getting into the habit of being alone. "Chill out, princey," he said in a joking manner. "Again, this is just a spar. You don't have to go all out."

"Don't patronize me!" Vegeta shouted. He punched Raditz so hard with concentrated ki packed behind the punch. Raditz was hit down to the ground and had to fling himself out of the way before Vegeta could barrel down into his stomach.

For a moment, Raditz was concerned for his safety in the fight. Vegeta was really trying to hurt him. This isn't good, he thought to himself. The prince couldn't be that far gone yet. "Look, kid, let's talk," he suggested, but Vegeta just kept fighting and Raditz had to continuously block his punches. "I don't want to hurt you, and you don't want to hurt me." I hope.

"Shut up and fight, third-class," Vegeta snapped harshly, not listening to the teenager one bit.

"I don't know what's going on with you, but we are here for you, Vegeta. You need to calm down."

"Enough!"

Raditz managed to get away and shoot his own attack at Vegeta. It kept Vegeta busy for a moment and gave Raditz the chance to continue speaking. "We all know this sucks, Vegeta, but you can't act like this. You can't treat us like enemies. You can't let yourself fall into depression. You can't let Frieza win."

"He's already won!" Vegeta snarled at Raditz and then aimed a small, precise beam of ki towards the older Saiyan's heart. Raditz was able to knock the ki away, though it did wound his hand a bit. He was able to shake it off before Vegeta knocked into him hard. Raditz wrapped his arms around the prince and spun around so that he could pin him down to the floor as they crashed down.

Vegeta struggled to get free, but Raditz wouldn't let him move and forcibly kept him pinned. "Listen, Vegeta," he said through the boy's grunts, "we're here for you. If you need to talk to us—"

"Shut up!" Vegeta yelled. "I don't need you pity!"

At that, Raditz's anger flared. "Pity?" he screamed. "You think this is pity. Fuck that, Vegeta. This is far from pity. I'm stuck in the same shitty situation as you. The only difference is that I volunteered. Nappa volunteered. We came to protect you, put ourselves at the mercy of the same bastard we all detest. I don't pity you, because if I did I'd be pitying myself. I'm trying to empathize with you so that you can see you're not fucking alone in this. We're all at risk of losing our minds and sanity to this bastard, so get over whatever the hell happened with him. We're Saiyans, and we stick together no matter what."

Vegeta stopped struggling through Raditz's tirade, his eyes wide with wonder as he slowly turned his head to look up at his comrade. Raditz felt the beginning of a connection form in his mind and sighed in relief. "Can I let you up now?" Vegeta nodded slowly in response, and Raditz did release him from his hold. Vegeta moved to sit on the floor, and Raditz followed suit as the boy took a deep breath to center himself. "You okay?"

"No," Vegeta admitted for the first time since being on the ship. "No, I am not okay."

"What happened with Frieza when we got back from the mission?" Raditz tried, expecting to be shot down. Still, he needed to keep Vegeta talking, especially now that a bond formed. He needed to keep Vegeta from withdrawing inside himself. It wasn't healthy for a Saiyan his age.

"He…he threatened the planet," Vegeta admitted, "if I didn't accept that I was his slave and pet. He made me deny being a prince…made me deny being a Saiyan. The people would have died if I hadn't."

"Just because you say something doesn't make it true," Raditz explained to the boy, finally understanding the kid's depression. "What you did was very brave and Saiyan-like. Sure, you had to relinquish your pride for a moment, but just in the face of that lizard. To us, you are still our prince, our comrade, a Saiyan. You won the battle. You wanted to make sure Frieza didn't attack the rest of our race. Well, you made it so. Words are words, kid, not actions. I believe there's a phrase out there in the universe… Uh, actions speak louder than words? Eh, whatever, you get the picture. You protected a whole people, kid. That action spoke a lot louder than your denial of being a Saiyan."

"You really mean that?" Vegeta asked hesitantly.

"I do. Look kid, we aren't going to be here forever. We just have to keep holding out. Nappa and I, we're going to make sure you get home in one piece or die trying."

Vegeta was overwhelmed by emotion, relief, thankfulness, and a strange emotion that he had never felt towards anyone but his father in the past—an overwhelming amount of respect and admiration.

"Do you…do you think my father will ever get us out of this?" Vegeta questioned.

Raditz didn't want to crush the boy's hope, and he did believe the king would finally find a way out of this. "Yeah, kid, I think so. Saiyans never truly give up, not without a fight."

A small smirk graced Vegeta's features before Zarbon entered the training room. He scowled down at the two Saiyans. "Lord Frieza demands an audience with you three. It's about your next mission."

"We'll report momentarily," Vegeta answered, his voice full of confidence. The boy's haughty nature made the amphibious alien sneer.

Raditz couldn't help but laugh at Zarbon's expense once he was gone. "Well, kid, let's go hear what that damned frost demon has to say."

"Frost…demon?" Vegeta guffawed.

"Yeah, I don't know," Raditz muttered as he scratched the back of his head. "Something I've heard Nappa mutter here and there. It fits."

"At least Uncle Raditz was there," Trunks stated. "I would hate to think what it would have been like going through that alone."

Vegeta watched as his son grew pensive. "If you're wondering about your future self, he had both your mother and Kakarot. He was not alone, but he had been with King Cold much, much longer than I had been with Frieza. He was there for more than a decade. I was with Frieza for six months."

"Still," Tarble interjected, "it sounds like each of those months was a year. I can't even imagine having to do all of that in such a short time."

"Just be thankful you don't," Vegeta replied to his brother. "With the power level you were born with, father would have needed to send you away for protection so that Frieza wouldn't get to you either. You would have never had the opportunity to live that way."

Tarble looked a little upset by that, but Trunks patted his shoulder. "Hey, it didn't happen, so don't be bothered by it. You're very strong and getting stronger every day."

"Trunks is right," Vegeta assured the boy. "You have gone above and beyond anyone's expectations, and you both continue to grow stronger."

"We'll be ready for Cooler if he ever shows his frosty face."

Vegeta chuckled at his son's dramatics. He couldn't deny that they were all ready for the last Arcosian royal. Over the years, a lot of advances had been made with both the soldiers and the technology. The alliance was ready to take on the final tyrant, but they had to wait for him to strike. Once he did, they would know and take him down, just as they did Frieza.

Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz arrived at Frieza's throne room and all knelt down before the creep. The prince gained his confidence back and glared up at the tyrant. Frieza's sickening smile shifted to a frown when he saw that Vegeta's defiance returned. He only saw the boy the previous day, and the boy was almost like a walking corpse. Something happened to restore the monkey's faith, and the Arcosian felt he knew the answer.

"You wanted to see us?" Vegeta questioned, his voice even.

"Yes," Frieza said with a grin. Perhaps the tyrant was wrong, and Vegeta was still loyal to him and accepted his fate. "I have another assignment for you three. Three planets nearby to each other are planning an uprising. Go and slaughter all three races. You have three weeks."

"What?" the Saiyans all asked in shock.

Nappa spoke up. "Lord Frieza, clearing out a planet can sometimes take three months let alone three weeks."

"Then you better get ready to leave," Frieza responded, his voice full of amusement. "You see, I'm unsure which of the planets has a barrack for the Galactic Patrol, so all three must be eliminated."

"How can we wipe out three races in such a short time?" Vegeta questioned.

Frieza's attention shifted to the boy as he said, "Simple, child. Destroy the whole planet."

"Come again?" Nappa asked the same time Raditz replied, "What?"

Vegeta looked like he had been kicked in the gut. He shook his head. He couldn't do to someone what Frieza wanted to do to his home world, but Frieza would destroy his people if he disobeyed. "We will take care of it," Vegeta declared, his voice quiet and empty.

"Hm," the demon hummed. "Good. Then that will be all. Nappa, Raditz, you are dismissed. Prepare to leave within the hour."

Raditz hesitated and looked back to the prince. "Don't worry. Vegeta will join you shortly."

Vegeta flashed Raditz a glare; his emotions demanded his comrade not argue. The teenager nodded to the prince and took his leave with Nappa.

Frieza waited until the other two Saiyans were gone. "You know, Vegeta," Frieza sinisterly murmured, "caring for others is a liability."

Vegeta was stunned by the words, but he regained his composure, his face expressionless. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You do," Frieza returned. "Caring about your people gave me leverage against you." Vegeta didn't react. "Caring about you two 'comrades', is it? That gives me even more power." This time the prince visibly reacted. "I expect to see at least one of the planets gone from the directory. If not, I'll pick one of your monkey friends and end him myself. You'll watch, of course."

Raditz and Nappa both felt fear, anger, and hatred and exchanged glances. Frieza must have said something else to set the prince off. They both tried to get Vegeta to talk to them when he came out of the lair, but the prince refused to acknowledge them. Whatever Frieza said to the prince, though, determined how the mission would go.

Trunks and Tarble didn't know what to say. They didn't even know what to think as they looked to each other, both felt a chill. Neither child could imagine what it would be like, right now at their ages, to be given a decision like that. How could anyone expect someone to not protect their friend? On the other hand, how could anyone force a child to destroy a world?

Vegeta sighed, thankful that neither child asked him to continue. He needed a minute to regain his bearings. No one ever knew what Frieza said to him that day. As Vegeta told Bulma, he didn't want her knowing details. She never experienced such horrors except from whatever nightmare she had that her father forced her to forget for a while. Still, it didn't make sense to Vegeta why he decided to tell the boys. It had been decades and he never told a single soul. Maybe he just needed to get it all off his chest, and somehow these untainted children were the ones he decided to tell. A part of him felt guilty for burdening them with all of it.

"Dad…have I ever said thank you for stopping King Cold?" Trunks asked, his voice wavered. "Because after hearing all of this, I'm really glad I never had to do this stuff."

"Yeah, me too," Tarble agreed with a nod. "It's hard to believe that they really existed. It sounds like something out of a monster movie. How did you even get through all of that? If it were me, even after…"

"It took a very long time, Tarble," Vegeta answered. "For the longest time, I was a shadow of myself. Everyone was an enemy, and only few people could be trusted. When I was sent to Earth, I was a mess, though I hid it fairly well. I couldn't even bring myself to enter the nursery when you were born."

"Why?" Tarble asked, feeling saddened. "Didn't you want to see me?"

"Of course I did," Vegeta assured him. He pulled the boy in his lap. "Tarble, after all of the things I did, I was ashamed. It took me years to accept that I wasn't like that bastard, but even so, I was still tainted by the past. I couldn't push past it just like I couldn't push past that door to visit before I left for school."

"Before you left for school?" Trunks demanded. "But you met Mom when you got to school."

"We did," Vegeta stated. "She saw Tarble before I ever did. She helped me get over the feelings of inadequacy, and I finally was able to see you. You and I bonded instantly."

"I remember feeling something, but I was so little, I just didn't know what it was," Tarble pondered. "I remember feeling really happy."

Vegeta smirked. "I was too."

"Papa," Trunks called out, "you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. Everything that happened wasn't really your fault. I know you had to do bad stuff, but it's not like you wanted to at first. Even if it became stress release to you later, who could really blame you? He threatened everyone."

Vegeta's grip on his brother tightened. He was surprised to hear Trunks say those words but even more so because Trunks actually believed his own words. He ruffled the boy's hair which caused the child to giggle and jokingly push his father's hand away. Trunks's admiration could be seen the instant he looked up at the man. "I have come to learn that, Trunks, but I still remember a time when I couldn't believe it."

The Saiyans were en route to the system which contained the three planets. Vegeta hardly said a word to the other two soldiers, and they were worried. They couldn't sense any of the prince's emotions meaning that the prince was truly felt nothing. Numbness was not a normal emotion. Not for a boy his age.

"Hey, Vegeta," Raditz called over the scouter. "Are you all right?"

Vegeta didn't respond at first, but then he raised a shaky hand to press a button on his scouter. "Focus on the mission." He then shut his scouter off so that neither Saiyan could communicate with him.

Though Vegeta had become more violent and able to handle humanoid races, he still never destroyed a planet and he never planned to. But Frieza made sure to mandate it, now. If he wanted to protect his people and the only two comrades he had, he needed to follow orders. One planet needed to go down.

Even though the system was far, Vegeta refused to start the stasis and changed the coordinates in his ship. Nappa and Raditz could get started on one of the planets, but Vegeta was going to hit the first planet, destroy it, and then hurry off to final planet and start taking it himself. They had no time at all, and the prince was strong. He knew he could get a lot done on the last planet. When Nappa and Raditz were done with the other world, they would join him. They'd get it done in the three weeks even if the deadline seemed impossible.

The pod stopped just outside the planet's atmosphere. Vegeta knew he couldn't be out in space for a significant amount of time but could be long enough to launch one single attack. The planet was a small, light green orb. To any outsider, it was beautiful. Even Vegeta could admire it, but he had to steel himself. The Saiyan outstretched his hand and readied a ki blast, but he could not bring himself to release it. The second he did, all lives would be taken unexpectedly. Maybe that would be a blessing for the people when they were destroyed. They wouldn't know what was going on until the instant it happened. Was that better than trying to barter for your life?

His hand shook and a frown formed on his face. Vegeta didn't know what was wrong with him. This was something he needed to do, but he just couldn't. Instead, he decided to head for the planet and do the purging the old-fashioned way. He would have to think of something for the last planet, for he still needed to destroy something to protect Nappa or Raditz. Even if Frieza took one of them, like he said, Vegeta would never recover. He needed both of them if he was going to keep his sanity.

The world seemed very remote. Deep jungle surrounded him on all sides. Vegeta landed in a clearing and started to search for life with his scouter. There was no life to be detected meaning they were hiding underground, and Vegeta realized he should have destroyed the small globe. Finding an entrance to the underground would take forever.

"Crap, crap, crap!" a small alien with big yellow eyes, a blue face, and purple skin exclaimed. He wore the white Galactic Patrol armor. "What is he doing here?"

Another patrolman froze and shook his head. "Frieza must have suspected our location. He sent the Saiyan prince to eliminate us, Jaco."

"Ha! Well, that's if he finds us, Mari. Scouters shouldn't be able to track us down here. Tights made sure of that. She created that force field that scrambles the devices."

All of a sudden, an alert appeared on the screen, and Jaco's and Mari's commanding officer appeared on the screen. "Jaco, you're needed for a mission?"

Both patrolmen gasped, and Jaco exclaimed, "N-now? Commander, Prince Vegeta has touched down on the planet. We can't leave here or we risk being detected."

"There's no time!" the commander exclaimed. "Here, I'm sending you a bunch of files. You need to get them to Tights for dispatch. It's about the Arcosian royals. They're planning on a massive purge of planets in the next few weeks."

"But Tights is on Planet Vegeta with Celen! I'll be killed!"

"No," the commander assured him. "The prince doesn't know this, but his father allied with the Kanassans and Nameks. They're planning to challenge Frieza, and they need the information. It gives the day that Frieza will enter their system, three days earlier than they're expecting!"

"Frieza wants to destroy Planet Vegeta?" Jaco questioned, knowing his friend was there. He swallowed hard and said, "Okay. I'll take the information to Tights, but what about the prince?"

"Don't engage him," his commander ordered. "Frieza cannot know that the Saiyans are against him."

"O-okay," Jaco hesitated as he removed a drive onto which he loaded the files. "Well, Mari…wish me luck."

Vegeta couldn't find any entrances, even in the caves and growled in frustration, and he took his anger out on a large tree. He now wanted to destroy the rock out of principle. Hours went by, and he found no inkling of life, not even animals to hunt for food. If he didn't find anything by the end of the day, he was going to leave the planet and destroy it.

By now, Nappa and Raditz were on the other world, and they started the purge without him. He heard them ask each other where he was, but neither Saiyan had any answers. Nappa told Raditz they didn't have time to wonder, but they both knew he was still alive because of the bond. That was all he could give them in that moment.

Beeps and squeals emanated from his eyepiece which indicated movement and life. Vegeta instantly took off for the signal and saw a small alien running to a ship covered in the brush. The prince smirked. He was going to enjoy ending the creature's life.

He landed right in front of the alien and immediately noticed the armor. Jaco looked up at him in fear after he was blown back by the Saiyan's energy. The prince looked angry, dangerous, hardened. Jaco gulped down his fear and said, "H-hello, Prince Vegeta. What brings you here?"

Vegeta simply rolled his eyes. "If it isn't a Galactic Patrolman," he sneered. "I'm guessing I found the planet Frieza wanted me to destroy. Your base is stationed here, isn't it? That's why I couldn't get readings. You've hidden yourselves from the scouter's detection." The prince tapped his eyepiece for good measure and smirked. "I'll just kill you and then destroy the planet. Then maybe the other two can be spared."

"P-Prince Vegeta," Jaco tried, "listen to me. I'm on your side, really. You have to let me go."

"Why should I?"

Jaco knew that his commander didn't want him to tell the prince, but now that the prince engaged him. The patrolman needed to protect himself. He decided to tell a half-truth. "Prince Vegeta, Frieza is out to destroy your planet. I was going to warn them that he'd be heading there earlier than expected to destroy the place…three weeks exactly from today, three days before he's scheduled."

Vegeta's eyes widened and his heart stopped. How did the patrolman know what day they were scheduled to return to Vegeta? He knew he couldn't be deceiving him, but a part of him didn't want to believe it. "W-what? You're lying!"

"I'm not, honest!" Jaco said and waved his arms wildly. "L-look, it's not a stretch. I'll let you in on a Galactic Patrol secret… Frieza and his family have been destroying certain worlds. Not so much Cooler, but Frieza and King Cold have been taking fighters or scientists from planets deemed threatening to them and their rule. In three weeks, even Cooler will take part in a massive purge. You have to believe me. I need to bring this information to your parents."

Vegeta felt completely numb. He knew what Frieza was capable of, but his parents and people didn't. He was caught at a crossroads—to follow Frieza's command and protect his comrades and himself or to let this patrol agent go and possibly save his entire race as the cost of his, Nappa's, and Raditz's life. He knew what he wanted, and he knew what was right, and they weren't the same thing. "I-I," he tried to reply before he shut his scouter off completely and removed it from his face. He stomped on the device and broke it which set off an emergency signal to Raditz and Nappa. Then, he looked to the patrolman. "Shoot me."

"Huh?" Jaco asked, but Vegeta simply stood in front of him and faced him. The young boy looked so confident and determined.

"Shoot. Me." He enunciated each word slowly. "Warn them. They can evacuate or prepare. You need to shoot me. Make it look like someone got the drop on me."

"But, Frieza will know you came here, won't he?"

"If you're so worried, then warn whoever's left in the base and they'll leave. Even if Frieza destroys the planet, you rats can continue to spy on him."

"Why would you do this?" Jaco questioned. "What's in it for you?"

"Saving my people," Vegeta responded, his voice even. "Now shoot me and leave. Nappa and Raditz will come for me soon."

"Well, if you're sure," Jaco murmured before he readied his blaster. He aimed it at the prince but didn't shoot. "Are…are you really sure about this?"

Vegeta nodded. "It's nothing. Trust me. I'll be in for worse later."

Jaco looked horrified, but he got his nerve and shot off the gun. It shattered Vegeta's armor and tore up some of the spandex. Vegeta still stood tall, was only a bit burnt. He looked so calm before he told Jaco to shoot him again. The agent was hesitant, but he understood what Vegeta wanted.

By the time Vegeta was hit a fifth time, he felt to his knees and then fell to the ground. "Prince Vegeta! Are you all right?"

The prince managed to open his eyes, his body burnt and exhausted. "I'm fine," he answered honestly. "Now, go. Warn them."

"I…" Jaco attempted to say something, but there was nothing he could say so he simply left the prince and warned the base to evacuate. He felt bad—leaving the child alone there—but it was what the Saiyan wanted. The brave boy made a sacrifice for his planet, and Jaco was going to make sure his people were warned.

Trunks and Tarble were stunned. Vegeta told them earlier that he was ashamed by his actions, and they assumed that meant he destroyed the planet. He let them believe that, yet both boys knew it was a lie. No matter what the prince told himself, he let a Galactic Patrolman attack him knowing that Frieza would punish him for failing the mission. They could say nothing, just like Jaco, but both felt awe towards their father/brother.

Vegeta felt their amazement, and he could understand why. As he told them about Frieza's command about destroying a planet, he knew they mentally prepared themselves for the worst. They believed he would say he destroyed a world. Thankfully, it never came to that, and because Vegeta failed the mission early, been injured by another, Frieza took it out on him instead of Raditz and Nappa. Vegeta kept telling Jaco to shoot him because the injuries he received would take a couple of weeks to heal in the healing chamber. By that time, they would be on the way back to Planet Vegeta.

Eventually, Trunks chanced a break in the silence. "So…" he murmured, "the guy was able to get the information back to Celen's assistant?"

Vegeta nodded. "That was when my father and mother found out she was part of the Galactic Patrol and that Celen had been as well." Trunks remained silent that Nappa already informed the queen before he left for Frieza's ship. "At first, Father was insanely angry, but he realized that Celen joined to get information on Frieza and what he planned to do to his home world. Because Celen took such risk for Planet Vegeta, he was pardoned, as was his assistant. But because of what I did, Frieza planned to send Dodoria to enact his plan."

"What was his plan?" Tarble asked.

Vegeta looked to the boy. "Well, his goal was to wipe out the strongest team, and even though Bardock's team was full of third-classes, they were defiant and Frieza wanted them gone. He sent Dodoria after them, and then they went for Bardock. That was how his mate died. Bardock stayed behind after his mate went into labor."

"That's low," Trunks growled.

"It was," Vegeta agreed, "but you know that these bastards weren't one for propriety."

Vegeta's eyes wandered to the clock in his office, and he realized that it was getting late. "It's past your bedtime. We'll continue tomorrow."

"Aw!" they exclaimed.

"You can't leave us hanging like that!" Trunks argued.

Vegeta chuckled and hoisted his son in his arms. "Blame your mother, kid. She'll have my head if you aren't in bed."

"Oh, fine," Trunks huffed and crossed his arms. "But you have to tell us the rest tomorrow."

"We'll see," the prince said with a smirk. He looked over to Tarble. "Tell Mother I said 'good night'."

"Sure thing, brother!" Tarble assured him before he took off for the other side of the palace.

As Vegeta neared Trunks's room—mentally chuckled when the boy yawned—he patted his head. "Dad?" Trunks whispered, earning the Saiyan's full attention. "You…why did you do it? I know you wanted to help the planet and all, but you knew Frieza would want to hurt you. What you did seemed so different than what you've kept implying about yourself."

Vegeta shrugged. "To this day, I don't know how my mind shifted. That was a turning point for me. Raditz told me I was still a Saiyan and that, in protecting the planet, I proved myself. I needed to keep the people safe, regardless of what it would have done to me. As for Nappa and Raditz, I knew they would have done the same. It needed to be done."

Trunks yawned again and then nodded. "I'm glad you let the patrolman go. Did you ever get his name?"

Vegeta gave a curt nod. "He gave it to Father. His name was Jaco."

Trunks eyes widened in response.