Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z, or the characters of Akira Toriyama's creation. I do however, own the story, and the characters of my own creation.
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A portal opens up next to Duke's ship, and he and his men step out. Silently, his mercenaries prepare the ship, while Duke ponders the outcome of his encounter with Vulcan. He wishes he didn't have to fight Vulcan, let alone cripple the Saiyan. But Vulcan wouldn't let him leave with his work finished. He wonders if letting Vulcan live was the smart thing to do, not because he has to worry about Vulcan trying to get revenge, but because a crippled Saiyan is worthless in battle. Duke understands that Vulcan will become stronger after their fight, and even more so if he learns to fight without the use of his arm. But Duke did not intend to crush a Saiyan's pride. Of course, Duke is walking away from the fight with a scar of his own, no longer able to use his left eye. Vulcan's sword was quite the special weapon.
Duke turns back to his mercenaries, and is about to get in the ship to leave, when he notices a large psychic disturbance come from the bar he saw Vulcan in. Feeling the familiarity of the signature, he ponders if it belongs to Tolan. But he had fought and knocked her out, so unless she recovered quickly, it couldn't be her.
"Duke, something the matter?" Tarah says as she walks up from behind Duke.
"I don't know, I just sensed a disturbance come from the bar," he replies while still looking toward the bar.
"What are you going to do?" She looks at him with concern, "We have the ship prepped, if you want to leave, I suggest we do it now before the Saiyans learn what we have done here."
Vector joins Tarah and Duke, and adds "I have a feeling that there won't be warm greetings and praise from you killing the king and one of his elites, as well as decimating Vulcan's team."
"There may not be," Duke answers, "but I feel I am needed. I cannot say how I know this, but call it instinct, something I haven't used in a long time. I shan't be long, we will still leave before the Saiyans know what has happened tonight." With that, Duke flies off.
A short ways away, Duke pinpoints the location of the psychic signature. When he sees who the signal came from, he sees a severely beat up Saiyan stumbling through the streets, cursing the Saiyans who just threw him aside. Duke descends down to meet the Saiyan, who is surprised to see someone nearly as torn up as himself. "Who are you, do you want to ridicule me just as the others have?" The Saiyan looks at Duke with defiance, while also trying to figure something out. "Cause I won't have any of that, not now, I've got something to do, even if it kills me."
"I know not of any reason to ridicule you," Duke calmingly says. "I only came because I felt I was needed. I am beginning to think it has to do with what you are trying to do."
"Really, I thought you were gonna be like the ones back in the bar. They brushed me off because they thought I was crazy."
"Well, I'm probably as crazy as you." Duke looks the Saiyan over, ensuring himself that this is where the psychic disturbance came from. "You've got some psychic abilities yourself it seems. Though it seems you can't control them yet."
"Oh, I don't need to control it yet, not til Frieza is stopped. I've seen the future, and he destroys this planet." The Saiyan's emotions become filled with rage and determination as he continues, "All because we're too strong, or something."
"Well, if anyone should be able to stop him, it should be us. Name's Duke, yours?"
"Bardock. I've heard of you, or at least your family. Heard they died on a mission six years ago, and ever since, you disappeared, haven't been seen. Guess you're back now?"
"For now," Duke pauses, "I had some unfinished business to take care of. That's done now. I was actually about to leave when I sensed you."
"Well, what are we waiting for? The end of the world?" Bardock laughs. He and Duke then fly into the atmosphere where Frieza's ship lay waiting.
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On Frieza's ship, some of his men are picking up Duke and Bardock on their sensors. "There's two Saiyans approaching the ship, what should we do?" the technician assigned to the equipment asks his superior.
"Hasn't your training taught you anything yet?" The superior barks, "It's two of them, nothing we need to worry about." The superior couldn't be more wrong.
"Well, Frieza is about to launch his attack, shouldn't we at least tell him?" The technician cowardly asks.
"If you want a death wish, I'll let you go right ahead and tell him." A hint of fear can be sensed in the superior's voice, but it's so small that his fake courageousness overpowers it.
"Very well, should I delete the records about it then?"
"No, the Saiyans aren't going to live through the attack anyway, it'll be as if two last Saiyans tried to prevent the destruction of their entire race, but were powerless do do anything." The superior forces a hearty laugh, and walks away from the technician.
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Duke and Bardock reach the ship, just in time to see Frieza exit from the top in his floating throne. Bardock starts to charge him, before Duke grabs his shoulder, and shakes his head. "Frieza is still powerful, we need to use our heads if we want to take him out. And we can't let him transform either, he'll wipe us both out."
"Good point, want we should do this stealthy then?" Bardock asks.
"No, there's too much open space out here. We just need to get him to think we are here foolishly, and that we pose no real threat. Then when his guard is down, we attack him full force, and together." Duke recounts his freshly hatched plan, making sure the likelihood of their survival is great enough.
Frieza's throne draws closer to the Saiyans, and he begins to speak. "And what do we have here? Two Saiyans in the atmosphere, trying to suffocate themselves?" Frieza's haughty feminine voice utters. He reaches up to his scouter, and scans their power levels, only to find they are reading at 10,000 each. "Two elites no less. Though I don't remember your faces during the last elite inspection. Really, what are you doing up here?"
"We've come to prevent you from destroying our planet! And we've come to tell you we quit, the Saiyans are done doing your bidding!" Bardock yells at Frieza. "We're going to kill you, and there's nothing you can do about it!"
"Pity, even as elites, your power is no match for me. I'd grant you the honor of fighting me, but I can't be bothered right now." Frieza lifts his right arm up, and points his finger, creating a small ball of energy.
"You won't even gather enough energy to take out a building, not if we have anything to say about it." Duke forms his katana on his back, and reaches back to grab it. He nods at Bardock, and they both separate to either side of the tyrant. Suddenly they both charge at Frieza with speed not even Frieza was prepared for, Duke slashing his sword at him, and Bardock unleashing a cannon of energy point blank range.
The resulting explosion throws Duke and Bardock back, smoke clouding the area Frieza occupies. Duke reaches out to see if Frieza's mind is still there, when he is thrown back yet again, this time by a wave of power. He latches onto Frieza's mind, and when he realizes what just happened, his surprise couldn't be more. As the smoke clears, Frieza's small figure can no longer be seen, replaced by a 7-foot monster version of the tyrant. His armor and throne are destroyed by his sudden transformation, and Frieza back and forth between the two Saiyans.
"So, you think you can attack me without repercussions?" Frieza's feminine voice no longer present, instead replaced by a much deeper, huskier voice. "I am Lord Frieza, and you are mere monkeys. You stand no chance against me, especially now that I have transformed."
'Bardock, this is Duke,' Duke's thoughts speak to Bardock through a psychic connection, 'We can still beat Frieza. We just have to use every thing we have.'
'We'll take him out alright, even if it means our deaths. I don't care honestly, it'll mean that I've finally redeemed myself, and my son Kakarot can live on.' Bardock gathers energy in his hands, and prepares another run at Frieza.
'Wait, if we attack him head on, we won't last very long, and Frieza won't be stopped. We should probably attack him one at a time, directly after each other.' Duke hatches a new plan, hoping it will work. 'I have a trick up my sleeve, one I used against Vulcan not long ago. It might work against him as well.'
Duke charges at Frieza first, sword in hand. He brings the sword down on Frieza's neck, to which there is no defense. The katana barely penetrates Frieza's tough new skin, and Duke is forced to "jump" back before Frieza can launch a counterattack. As Duke moves backwards, Bardock moves up with a ball of energy, which he slams into Frieza's back, following up with a roundhouse kick, before backing away himself. Frieza barely registers either set of attacks, instead yawning, as if it were a simple breeze.
"Is that what you can muster?" Frieza brushes himself off, continuing, "I hardly felt that. A bee could have stung me harder than you attacked." Frieza clenches himself together in what appears to be a fetal position, until he suddenly snaps out of it with all limbs stretched out as far as he can reach. A huge explosion of energy erupts from him, sending Duke and Bardock hurtling back, Duke against Frieza's ship, and Bardock towards the planet itself.
Duke bounces off the ship, and rights himself, as Bardock counterspins himself until he stops moving, and faces Frieza. 'Well, he definitely is strong' Bardock thinks to Duke.
'Yeah, he has a high defense, and a decent offense.' Duke thinks back to Bardock. 'But we still have the upper hand. We outnumber him, and we have attacks he can't defend against. Not unless he is a psychic as well.'
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Well, it's been a long time, definitely over a year. Guess I kinda forgot about the story. But I hope to make up for it! For the recap, Duke finds Bardock before he tries to take on Frieza by himself, and offers to help. But Frieza definitely is more than they bargained for. Can Duke and Bardock alter history and stop Frieza before he can wipe out the Saiyan race? Or will they just be victims in the Genocide? Of course only I know the answer.... or do I? Tune in next time, when I try to conclude this story before the end of the year!