Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters
The young prince woke up to find himself hung up against a wall by chains on his wrists. He could hardly open his eyes for they were swollen shut, but it didn't matter because he was in complete and total darkness. Frieza did not go easy on him. Vegeta felt so sick; Frieza rammed into him, struck him with ki beams. The Saiyan had various internal injuries and broken bones. Thankfully, his tail was not broken, but Frieza had used it in his torture. The vile alien stroked the appendage gently which made Vegeta feel even sicker and degraded. Something like that was only to be done by those closest—mainly mothers if they were active in their child's life, sometimes fathers, and by mates. Vegeta threw up after Frieza left him. He could hear his disgusting cackles even as he closed the door.
Vegeta hadn't done well in isolation before, and now it was worse. He could feel panic emanating from both Nappa and Raditz. Most likely, they were trying to locate him. The prince honestly hoped they'd never find him. He let them down, and he failed them and himself. Part of Vegeta hoped that he'd die in isolation either from the insanity or Frieza finishing him off.
It had been quite a while since Frieza left Vegeta, and the prince was both starving and thirsty. Last time Frieza came down for his torture then pleasure session, the tyrant said that it had been three days since he brought the Saiyan down there. Vegeta just counted it all as being one, big, final beating. He accepted that his death had to be around the corner.
Vegeta heard the sound of the dungeon door open, and Frieza stepped into the cell and lit the room with ki. He put a ki-flamed stake up on the wall so that Vegeta could see him better. It was what Frieza did every time he entered the isolation chamber. He wanted Vegeta to have all his senses open during his punishment.
"You will be happy to know that, in just a few hours, we will be within striking distance of your beautiful home planet. I'm debating on whether or not to let you watch me destroy it."
Vegeta felt a pang in his heart, but he did and said nothing. He was so far gone; nothing was worth it. If Frieza was going to beat him within an inch of his life, he'd welcome it. Vegeta hoped Frieza would get carried away just so that he could be free. There was nothing else left for him in this life.
"Nothing to say, hm?" Frieza jeered. Sickening glee stared back at the broken prince. "Then, I think it's high time we get you out of here. I have a nice little room located next to my throne room just for you. It's like a nice little prison cell with a cot and everything. It's where you will live out the rest of your torture."
Vegeta still didn't react. There was no witty comeback he wanted to utter, no fear in his heart. He just wanted Frieza to do whatever he wanted. Vegeta was done.
Frieza unlocked the chains, and Vegeta instantly plummeted to the ground. The Arcosian looked at the heap with joy. He finally broke the child's spirit. He won.
Weakly, Vegeta followed Frieza to his throne room, but when they got there, life sprang back into Vegeta when he saw Nappa and Raditz standing there. They were surprised to see the prince's condition, and both of them glared hatefully at the tyrant. "You could have killed him," Nappa spoke out.
"Silence, monkey," Zarbon ordered. "Do not think you can speak to Lord Frieza in this manner. It was Vegeta's own fault for failing the mission."
"He suffered enough from whoever attacked him," Raditz spat back at the reptilian alien. "Wasn't that enough?"
"That is enough," Frieza spoke. "Raditz, is it? You are not at liberty to speak with me about how I choose to go about my punishments. After all, you're here because of a promise I made to Vegeta right before you left for the mission."
Vegeta now fully came back to reality. His anger rose as well as his concern. He couldn't let Frieza make good on his warning. He wasn't going to let him hurt his comrades. He wasn't going to back down.
"Leave them out of this," Vegeta spoke calmly. His composed demeanor stunned everyone in the room. "This is between you and me, Frieza."
"Frieza is it?" the Arcosian growled in rage. "You disrespectful little shit. I see you still have some fight in you. We'll have to take care of that." He looked to his second. "Kill one of them. I don't care which. Vegeta failed to destroy a planet, and now I will keep my promise for his failure."
"No!" the prince shouted. He managed to fight back; his energy skyrocketed and forced Zarbon away from the two Saiyans.
The little prince kept punching Zarbon before the fighter was able to knock him back off. Raditz and Nappa went to aid the child, but a warning in their minds shot off. "Go!" Vegeta demanded. "Into the room!"
Nappa and Raditz had no idea what Vegeta was talking about, but they saw Frieza glare over at the wall before he glowered at the prince. Vegeta had their attention right now, so Nappa and Raditz took off. They didn't know what they'd find in there, but they didn't care. They would find something that would help the prince. Why else would he send them in there?
Frieza noticed them go for the room and smirked. Vegeta made it sound urgent, like he needed something, but in actuality he would be trapping the Saiyans. They would be trapped in there and would hear the Arcosian destroy what was left of their little prince. He'd let them out after the prince was dealt with and the planet was no more.
When Nappa and Raditz went inside, the doors instantly shut and locked. They both panicked and realized Vegeta sent them in there for their own protection. Nappa kicked the door in anger and shook his head. Frieza would pay dearly for all of this.
Frieza watched as Vegeta and Zarbon exchanged blows, but the prince began to slow down. That was when the Arcosian ruler jumped in and kicked Vegeta down into the metallic floor. Vegeta gripped his head and then glared at his tormentor. Frieza nodded to Zarbon, and his second landed on the ground. "Zarbon, tell Dodoria to fulfill Project B. It's time we dealt with those monkeys once and for all."
"As you command, my lord," Zarbon returned before he left the room.
Frieza's attention then shifted to Vegeta. "Now, what am I going to do with you, little monkey? I thought I had completely broken your spirit. You would have finally served me as my loyal pet."
"I am not a monkey," Vegeta hissed, "and I'm not your pet." He looked up at Frieza with vengeful eyes. "I am the Prince of all Saiyans, and my loyalty lies in my planet and its people, not you, you bastard."
Although Vegeta expected the tyrant to be angry and strike, Frieza instead looked amused. The prince grew confused. Before he knew it, Frieza disappeared from view. "Now, let's try something else."
Vegeta instantly felt Frieza grab his tail as he heard his voice. His grip wasn't very tight, so Vegeta attempted to escape his hold. As Vegeta leapt up, Frieza's grip tightened, and the escape attempt only resulted in a horrible pull that made Vegeta yelp out in surprise. Frieza yanked the boy back down to the ground and stood over him, his eyes full of sadistic glee. "I was always fascinated by Saiyan weaknesses. Their tails, isolation, electricity of all things, and of course the severing of a bond." Vegeta continued to struggle, but Frieza's grip tightened, and the Saiyan's face contorted in pain as he slackened. "Yes, I know them all. You see, a very disgruntled councilman in your father's court told me everything, including your birth. I realized I'd never get you monkeys to truly follow me. You were a threat that needed to be dealt with.
"Of course, I knew you'd be strong and very difficult to break, but I love the challenge. Something about seeing you fight back and then succumb to pain is very satisfying for me. Exerting my power over you has been my favorite little pastime. I do believe you will be an excellent soldier, but you still need molding." He gripped Vegeta's tail even harder and broke some of the small bones. The Saiyan gasped out in pain, but then Frieza started to stroke his tail which made Vegeta feel both pleasant relief and disgust at himself and Frieza. "It's all right, Vegeta. Just think, after today, these sessions won't happen anymore. The reason: you will have no one to go back to. I'll let you keep your little friends seeing as losing the connection with your parents will be very painful for you. You will all serve me for the rest of your lives, and in that time you will slowly succumb to me. I can promise you that."
Vegeta gasped out in pain again when Frieza crushed another section of his tail. The bastard once more started his gentle stroking. "F…fuck you," the prince spat, his voice hoarse. "I will never be what you want me to be. I-I-I'm the Prince of—"
Before Vegeta could finish his sentence, Frieza snapped his tail in half. The child cried out in blinding agony. Both Frieza and Vegeta could hear the other two Saiyan pound on the door desperate to get out and help the child. Vegeta's pain and self-loathing was suffocating them. They needed to help, but Frieza just laughed.
"Sorry, boys, but you can blame Vegeta for sending you in there," he jested before he looked at the weakened, writhing prince. Vegeta tried to get ahold of his pain, to swallow it down and move on, but Frieza stepped on his chest. It took Vegeta by surprise as he felt Frieza's pressure increase. The child attempted to pry Frieza's foot off of him. He couldn't breathe, couldn't handle the pain. Eventually, his eyes started to roll before they closed. He couldn't even get one bit of oxygen. Once he passed out, Frieza released him.
Frieza chuckled. Breaking Vegeta was definitely his life's greatest challenge. Even when the boy said things to appease him, Frieza knew he still held faith that he would see home again one day. It was time to stomp that hope out completely by getting rid of the home the boy held so fondly. First, though, he had to deal with the other Saiyan monkeys onboard, for he heard the most peculiar thing as Vegeta cried out in agony.
"Let us out you damned frost demon!"
His expression darkened as he opened the door, and Saiyans stumbled forward. They looked into the tyrant's unyielding red eyes. "Where did you hear that phrase?"
"What?" Nappa asked, stunned that Frieza would ask.
"That name. Where have you heard it?"
"What does it matter?" Raditz spat.
"Because that's what those idiotic patrolmen call me," Frieza explained with a sinister smirk.
Raditz looked over to Nappa in shock. He had only ever heard it from him, so if what Frieza said was true…
"We have nothing to do with Galactic Patrol, if that's what you're asking," Nappa stated. "Now, we need to get Vegeta to the tank and—"
Frieza hit the two Saiyans on the back of the neck with his tail and effectively knocked them out. He glared down at the two bodies before he looked over at the fallen prince. He looked dead, his body still unaware that it could breathe. Vegeta was pale and stiff. It was the closest Frieza would ever see him dead—his greatest, most beautiful work of art.
Well, second to the rubble the destroyed Planet Vegeta would create.
"That creep was sick," Trunks said monotonously. "It was like he got off on seeing you all in pain."
Vegeta eyed his six-year-old. "How do you know that phrase?"
Trunks shrugged. "I heard it on a television show once. It just means entertained by something, right?"
The older prince sighed but nodded. He didn't wish to explain to Trunks the real meaning behind the phrase, but to hear it in regard to Frieza nauseated the adult. Trunks wasn't far off the mark. It was why Frieza treated him like a 'pet'. It was entertaining to Frieza, sure, but the Arcosian also had some strange, disturbing fascination with the prince, and he honestly didn't want to think about it in that disturbing context. "Anyway, that was the day the Saiyans, Nameks, and Kanassans planned for. When Frieza got close enough to Planet Vegeta, they were all waiting there."
"I thought Saiyans couldn't handle the vacuum of space," Tarble spoke. "How was that possible?"
"For a short time, they could, as long as they didn't get too far away from the atmosphere, but of course that meant being too close to the planet," he explained. "The Kanassans protected the Saiyans and Nameks with barriers so they could move farther from the planet and take on Frieza's soldiers as well as powering up their defenses. They also had Namek healers there that aided in instant recovery. Even after being mortally wounded, our people could still fight. Frieza's men never made it down to the planet…all except one."
"Project B…" Trunks pondered. "That's what Frieza sent that guy for, right? What was it?"
Vegeta grew grim as he thought about it. Now, after all these years, he knew why Dodoria teased Raditz that one day. The pink blob told Raditz that even if he returned to Planet Vegeta, he'd be all alone. Raditz was always perplexed by the statements and derogatory remarks to his parents who he barely knew. He only knew his father, Bardock, through training with him for a short time and by reputation. The two were strangers to him, and that's why it was so confusing.
Of course, when Bardock explained what happened when Dodoria reached the planet, Vegeta knew what Project B was. The B was for Bardock. Frieza felt threatened by the third-class fighter and his team. He sent Dodoria to Planet Meat first to eliminate the team that took the mission so much earlier than anticipated, but at the same time, Bardock's mate was giving birth to his second son, so Bardock was with her. No one knew at the time that a Kanassan had given Bardock the gift of seeing the future, and, consequently, Bardock knew his mate would be weak from giving birth. He couldn't leave her side. Besides, he also saw visions of the prince and his youngest becoming close friends, so he knew everything about the day would work out.
He hadn't known Dodoria murdered his team. That was one thing he didn't foresee.
Gine cried out as she gave the final push that brought their little boy, Kakarot, into the world. Bardock had been with her the entire time and tried to send her encouraging emotions as he watched her from across the room. The woman was so happy he remained there with her considering his gruff and distant nature. She loved him in spite of it and flashed him a smile, her silent thanks. He nodded to her, his own thankfulness reflected to her through the bond, appreciative that Gine him a son that, despite his weak level, would one day be prince's rival. Nothing could make him prouder.
The doctor was going to take the boy away, but Gine wished to hold him just a moment before they went to check his vitals and power. The official was stunned by the request for no other Saiyan woman had ever asked this, but they did what the proud mother asked and handed her the baby. They left the two parents alone with their newborn.
"He looks like you," Gine chimed happily, tears in her eyes. "I know that means he's going to be strong."
"Raditz looked like you and he wasn't a hysterical, weak, pain in the ass like you," Bardock clipped.
Gine simply laughed the insult off, used to her mate's antics. His words never hurt her, and she knew he never meant them. She could always feel it through the bond. It was his way in reminding her he accepted a weak mate for, despite her weakness, something about her completed him. It really never negatively affected their relationship.
When she thought of Raditz, she frowned. "Do you think he'll come back to us?" she questioned hopefully. "I'd love for us to be a real family."
"Gine," Bardock sighed. He took the baby from her and looked down at the bundle. The doctor then returned and took Kakarot away which allowed the parents their privacy for their talk.
They had this discussion before. Bardock came from a traditional Saiyan family, and that was his life. His father was a bastard who always made him feel like shit for his choices. Bardock abandoned the man when he was young, had no idea where on the planet he lived and liked to keep it that way. Likewise, Bardock never had anything to do with Raditz. Sure, he trained the kid when he was young, before his level got him into the elite training program at the Saiyan palace. Bardock hated their government for enlisting his son without discussing it with him, but he made sure to distance himself from the boy so they could have a clean, emotionless break. Gine was always upset that Bardock hadn't fought to bring their son home then.
Opposite to him, Gine's father was loving and nurturing. Her mother died in childbirth, and the severed connection made her father soft. He raised Gine to see the world differently than the other Saiyans. When she was placed on Bardock's team, it was only because of her third-class status. Their first mission together, Bardock found himself rescuing the woman more times than not. He hated her weakness but felt a very strong pull. She was attractive, but for some reason something else called out to him, and Bardock realized along the years what he had been missing.
Family.
That was how she completed him. Bardock never had a true family, and he was loathed to admit it was something he wanted. After Raditz was taken away, he went off to blow off some steam on a mission. That poor race hadn't known what hit them. He didn't realize until Gine sat him down and talked to him about it, that he was so irate because he actually wanted to raise his son. Years down the line, they decided to try again, but Gine wasn't getting pregnant. The two were worried something was wrong, and that was when they went to Celen.
It was unheard of for Saiyans to have trouble conceiving, but it was even more unheard of for Saiyans to actually plan to have a baby, so they went to the only person they could trust to be discrete. Bardock and Gine found out Celen was an outcast among the people and that he became a doctor. They hoped he could help. Celen did agree and offered them his services. It turned out that Gine was in fact fine and that she was pregnant.
Bardock was stunned by the declaration. He tried to use his scouter, but he could never detect the power level. Celen explained the new technique he learned, to sense energy, and that their child simply didn't have a high power level. At first, Bardock was enraged, because he knew that if that were the case, his son would be sent off world for a mission. Bardock refused to let the damned king get ahold of his other son.
Back to the day of Kakarot's birth, Bardock knew that Kakarot, even if he went on a mission, would return, for he was to become friends with Prince Vegeta. That friendship disgusted Bardock, but he figured it would make his kid happy. He could see how playful and impish the two could be, once Vegeta was a pre-teen of course. The prince would most likely have severe emotional scars when he returned home.
"When we defeat this asshole and Raditz returns, I will go to him personally and demand he come home," Bardock promised both Gine and himself. "We're going to be a real family."
"Aw, isn't that sweet?"
Bardock instantly felt a chill in the room before a fire in his gut was ignited. He knew that voice. That was the voice of Frieza's fat, pink lapdog. He turned to face a smirking Dodoria before he spat, "What the fuck are you doing here, pinky?"
"Pinky? How original," Dodoria jeered. Bardock's lips curl in disgust. The blob could see the Saiyan's tail wrap around his waist and tighten.
"I thought I'd find you with your team," Dodoria continued. Nonchalantly, he added, "They're all dead, by the way."
Gine gasped as Bardock felt immense pain. He didn't notice it before, for his focus was solely on Gine, but it was there. He was no stranger to pain and losing connections. That's why, besides Gine, none of his connections were ever strong save Tora. Of course, in that moment, Tora was still alive. Mentally, Bardock smirked. He knew nothing could keep his closest comrade down.
But moments later, the connection broke, and that was when Bardock fell to his knees. Gine called out for him, but pain in her abdomen prevented her from being able to go to him. Dodoria just laughed. "I guess the last one's flame finally burned out. I know the one, too. That bastard…I thought I killed him three times before I declared him dead. I guess now I have my confirmation." The cruel laughter rang out in the room.
As Bardock tried to get control of himself, Dodoria's attention shifted to the female Saiyan. He looked the woman up and down and grinned. Clearly, this woman was the third-class's mate. That connection was different. The bond between mates, according to Frieza's source, went deeper than mental connection. The two supposedly connected at the soul. If one was destroyed, it was possible that a piece of the warrior would be lost, that the completeness would be gone. That the Saiyan would become weak because of it.
Gine noticed Dodoria's attention on her, and her alarm called Bardock's attention back to her. Bardock, already weakened from the loss of one connection, looked over just in time to see Dodoria rush to his mate and snapped the woman's neck. Dodoria then flared his ki in an attempt to destroy Bardock along with the room. The instant the ki connected, the entire room suffered from the explosion. Bardock was propelled far away from his mate's, severe agony assaulted his mind and body. It felt like both his entire body and mind were stabbed repeatedly. Each time the knives were withdrawn, Bardock just kept calling out for Gine, but with no answer. He could no longer sense her emotions or presence, and then the knives dug right back in.
He could hear Dodoria's elated, boisterous cackles, and Bardock wanted so much to pound into the bastard, but he couldn't focus. Between the emotional trauma and physical distress his body suffered, he couldn't even think let alone move. All he could do was forcefully push his power level down to nothing as Celen taught him to do. As he heard the beeping of the scouter cease and felt Dodoria move further away to leave, Bardock heard the cretin say, "Another monkey down. That's six in one day." When Dodoria was gone, Bardock finally screamed out the pain and passed out.
He was not out for long, however. His anger couldn't be contained as his power grew to unstable heights. He had never felt pure anguish like this before; the wrath he felt exploded around him. His normally whitish-blue ki transitioned to yellow. The Saiyan grinded his teeth together, tried to rein himself in, but to no avail before his energy engulfed his body. After whatever happened to him, he gasped out still and once again called out Gine's name. Doctors rushed towards him. They all stopped a distance away.
"I…I don't believe it," one of them said. "Incredible, how…?"
"He's…he's…"
"Bardock, do you know what you've just done?"
Bardock hatefully glared at the man. "I lost my mate, you son of a bitch! What do you think?"
"Bardock, that's not what we meant," the doctor said in awe. "You need to see King Vegeta immediately. Your…your energy…your eyes…your hair…look."
The angry Saiyan's brows furrowed in confusion, but he did look over to the broken window in what was left of the room he'd been in. It wasn't the same as a mirror, but even Bardock could see his coloring changed. He was so stunned that he began to search around for an actual mirror. He found mirror-like metal and finally saw his reflection—the blonde hair and teal eyes of legend. He couldn't believe it himself.
He, a third-class Saiyan, just became a Super Saiyan.
"Super Saiyan?" Tarble questioned. "What's that?"
"How can you not know?" Trunks asked. "Dad is one, Kakarot too, and Grandpa in addition to Bardock. Right, Dad?"
Vegeta nodded and then looked to Tarble. "Has Father never told you the legend?"
Tarble looked confused and shook his head. "He never tells me anything about the past or the legends. That's why I wanted to learn. A lot of the kids we've trained with talk about stuff openly, about their families' pasts, and whenever they say something I don't understand, they've ridiculed me for being the prince and knowing nothing about our people and heritage."
The older brother frowned at the idea and shook his head. Vegeta knew his father wasn't really happy with how things used to be, but the prince didn't expect the king to keep Tarble so in the dark. "Have most of the things your classmates said made sense since you started hearing all of this?" Tarble nodded. "Good. If there's anything you ever need or want to know, ask me. Father sometimes likes to pretend that the past is just that and not our history.
"As for the Legend of the Super Saiyan, it was a story passed down from generation to generation. There was once a Saiyan so powerful that he was unrivaled in the galaxy. He had been in a battle with a stronger opponent that would have cost him his life and the life of the planet, and in that time of need he became so enraged to a point until his unstable energy could not be contained. It exploded around him and became tangible. Because of its instability, the hue of his ki changed. It was like he was a different person, but he was given enough strength to destroy the enemy and protect his world. He was a Super Saiyan.
"No Saiyan truly knew the key to the transformation. We all thought strength and training had everything to do with it. I strived for it for so long until I believed father lied about believing I had what it took to become the Super Saiyan. I continued to train, not to fulfil some ancient prophecy, but to be ready for the Arcosians if they ever returned. What causes the transformation…need and suffering a great loss, or at least believing you suffered a great loss."
"What do you mean, Dad?"
"Bardock was the only one who truly lost someone before your future counterpart came. He lost his mate; your counterpart lost his mother. For my father, me, and Kakarot, we had all thought we lost someone."
"Who?" Tarble asked.
"Raditz was downed in the battle on Earth, and Kakarot thought he lost him which devastated him. I believed I lost your mother…"
When Vegeta didn't continue, Trunks asked, "Who did Grandpa think he lost?"
"Me."
Frieza frowned as he observed the blockade in front of him. The three races he planned to take out one-by-one all banded together. That blasted patrolman must have warned the Saiyans. Seeing as the Saiyans had gone to eliminate Kanassa, Frieza realized that the merging of the three groups had to have happened before the patrolman ever received his information.
"Men," Frieza stated with a huff, "eliminate them. Don't leave a single creature alive. Whoever brings me a head any of the races' kings will get a planet of their choosing."
Frieza's men cheered and began their assault. Unfortunately for them, the races were thoroughly prepared. Between the three races, they outnumbered the amount of soldiers Frieza currently had at his disposal. Plus, they had the advantage of healing during battle. Each time a Saiyan or Namek was mortally wounded, the Kanassans shielded them and levitated them over to a Namek healer. The warriors instantly flew into the fray once more, and the Saiyans successfully gained a power boost.
During the start of the battle, Bardock was brought before King Vegeta, who had been completely stunned that someone, especially a third-class, attained the transformation. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Hello to you, too, king," Bardock spat none too kindly.
The history between the king and Bardock was an interesting one that no one knew besides the two of them. Back in the Tuffle days, three warriors came together—King Vegeta's father, Paragus's father, and Bardock's father. They were the ones to have complete control over their Oozaru transformations and led their people to victory against the Tuffles. Since Vegeta's father was the son of the chief and the strongest, he was awarded the title 'first-class' and became the king. Paragus's father was the next strongest, leading the 'second-class', and given a spot on the council. Bardock's father was the weakest, the only one of his power level class, the 'third-class', to control himself during a transformation. He was one of the people who lived in the outskirts of their small city and King Vegeta I did not trust him. He was looked down upon, and it was said that his whole family would be considered third-classes for they would attempt to take the crown.
When word got out about Paragus, Bardock had been highly amused. With that out, he guessed it was the second-class snakes, and not the third-class, that King Vegeta had to worry about. It seemed fitting that King Vegeta was betrayed by the man he honored while Bardock's family was looked upon with contempt. After Bardock left his father's home, he made his own name for himself and was as strong as any first-class/elite out there. Still, his title never changed.
He had never met the king personally, only knew from his father that the royals were filthy liars and snakes. Bardock always held that belief, especially when they pilfered his son and would most likely send his youngest to some foreign soil. The third-class had no respect for the royals, but he did honor his planet, and now he had to protect his home world and take his vengeance for Gine's life. He actually had the power to do so.
The king frowned in response and sent everyone else but Bardock away. Not wanting to incite the wrath of either the king or the Super Saiyan, everyone scurried from the room and the door shut with an echoing slam.
King Vegeta stood up and descended from his platform. He stood at eye level with the blonde, third-class. His hard eyes never wavered. "Bardock," he greeted, saying his name for the first time ever. "I've heard a great deal about you. You're Arugu's son, correct?"
"You fucking know my parentage," Bardock spat. "You can at least not mock my intelligence. That would be like asking, 'You're Vegeta's boy, aren't ya?'"
With stony eyes, the king responded, "Fair enough. What caused this?"
"I owe you no explanation," Bardock countered. "They're the ones who brought me here. I wanted to go and fight."
"Uh, sir, the children are prepared to be sent out, including a newborn and—"
Bardock turned to the soldier that entered the room. "Don't. You. Dare." His voice was so empty and cold that the soldier couldn't help but shiver. "That newborn is going nowhere. He is my son, and he will remain on this planet with me. You send him away, you will die, got that?"
King Vegeta could see the burning fury in Bardock's teal eyes. It amazed him that this man, this man who was rumored to be as cold-hearted as any normal Saiyan, would speak out in front of him to prevent his son from being deployed. Bardock didn't care about the backlash. A part of the king envied him for that.
"Toma, cancel the orders. We are no longer going to send our young out for Frieza. Clearly, you know of the battle taking place out there. If we send them, they will be destroyed. Keep all offspring on Planet Vegeta until I say otherwise. If their parents want them, they can take them home after the battle."
The soldier bowed to the king and took his leave to give the order as Bardock looked back at the ruler in shock. "Why—?"
"As loathe as I am to say this, you, third-class, have become a Super Saiyan, and if I'm ever going to get my son back, I need your raw power. A small band of us will invade Frieza's ship to find Vegeta, Nappa, and your other son. If you agree to come with me, both your sons will be returned to you and I will do what my father never would."
"And that is?"
"Give your family your proper titles."
Bardock couldn't believe what he heard, but the king sounded sincere. Not wanting to form any sort of camaraderie bond, Bardock scoffed and stated, "Damn, you must be desperate. But it can't be helped. If we run into Dodoria, though, that bastard is mine, got it?"
The king answered with a curt nod. There was no time to waste. He and Bardock met up with the small group the king had on standby. They were going to go get his son. No one was going to stop them, not even that frost demon, Frieza.