The ringing of an alarm clock roused him from his sleep. Goku stretched. After a quick look at Sitara, whose condition seemed unchanged, he bathed himself extensively and put on a new battle suit. Dr Brief had stocked a cupboard in the starship with several identical orange suits.

As he fastened his blue belt, he could already feel the tingling in his body that he noticed every time a fight was imminent. A pleasant, invigorating feeling. If he could believe Raditz, and he was from the Saiyan race, it would explain his desire to fight. He cautioned himself that he must not become arrogant. He had to stay calm and sort out the problems as quickly as possible.

The spaceship came in for a landing. Goku waited impatiently sitting on the bed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His senses were already scanning for the auras of his son and Krillin. Impatience was now mixed with concern. Would the two of them still be all right? What if they had already met the warrior who, according to King Kai, was the strongest in the universe?

Goku felt the ship touch down on the earth. With a whoosh, the hatch slowly opened. He looked once more at Sitara. Still she showed no movement. Gently he squeezed her shoulder.

"Wake up again, please, okay?" He wasn't sure if she could hear him say it, but the words made him feel confident.

He entered the upper level and stood on the ramp. A barren rocky plain stretched out before him, broken by many small lakes. He felt the aura of his son. He was shocked to find that it felt very weak. Determined, he jumped up and flew to Gohan.

Goku did not have to fly far to reach his son. He found him lying on the ground, breathing heavily, covered in many scrapes. Krillin, lying not far from Gohan, looked even worse.

On approach, Goku tried to get the lay of the land as quickly as possible. He saw several strange figures. A tall guy with a shock of red hair, an equally long creature with blue skin, one with purple skin and horns, and a smaller guy with long white hair. Not far from Gohan and Krillin lay a broad body that did not move. When Goku looked closer, he noticed that it no longer had a head. So there was no danger from it.

He landed right next to Gohan. "Hey, son!"

"Papa." Gohan could not show his joy as he had wished, as every bone in his body ached and he could barely move. With difficulty, he braced himself up on one arm and tried to smile.

Krillin also noticed Goku's arrival, but his arm buckled under him again as he tried to push himself up and he crashed back to the ground. Groaning, he remained lying there, hoping that Goku had Senzu Beans with him.

The bystanders looked at the newcomer. Could he be dangerous to them? Should they attack him directly or wait and see? While they weighed their options, Goku put a Senzu Bean in his son's mouth. Only seconds later, the boy was standing again, grinning and enjoying good health. Krillin also received a Senzu Bean.

Then Goku turned to Vegeta, who had stood waiting a few yards away from them. He knew that if Goku attacked him now, he would have no chance. He could only keep himself on his feet with difficulty, swaying ever so slightly and then stabilising his posture again. Slowly, Goku came towards him.

"Wait, Goku!" shouted Krillin. "Are you going to give him a Senzu Bean?"

Goku stopped and looked at his son. "What happened here, Gohan?"

"This," Gohan pointed vaguely in the direction of the alien warriors, "is the Ginyu Force, Frieza's elite force. They attacked us because they want the Dragonballs. Vegeta fought with us against them."

"Did you get the Dragonballs?"

"We had them. Before those guys came," Krillin replied, pointing his head in the direction of the purple guy with two horns.

Goku swayed his head back and forth. Then he turned back to Vegeta. "Catch!" he shouted and threw him a Senzu Bean. Deftly, Vegeta caught the bean, nodded gratefully, and ate it.

New strength flooded through Vegeta. Kakarot was such a simple-minded stupid guy. He would probably help anyone if they just looked nice. Embarrassing for a Saiyan.

Vegeta had to admit, however, that Kakarot had come at just the right moment. Killing Guldo had been easy and had added a lot to his satisfaction. The little fatty had always bullied him where he could. Now he had been able to show him. But Recoome had given him a run for his money. As soon as he was off this planet, he would throw himself back into training. He had neglected that for far too long. Raditz and Nappa had not been good training partners. He lacked someone who was his equal. A training partner with whom he could push his limits. That one person who had been his equal had left him too soon.

Vegeta concentrated again on what was happening in front of him. Kakarot now turned to the Ginyu Force and attacked Burter. Vegeta had to admit to himself that his fighting technique and power were well above what he had imagined. He couldn't stand the underclass warrior, but grudgingly he acknowledged that he was a good fighter. Since their last fight on Earth, Kakarot had obviously trained a lot.

For a while he watched the fistfight between Burter, Recoome and Kakarot. Kakarot had managed to work Recoome over so that the giant crashed to earth only a few yards away from Vegeta. Burter followed only a few seconds later. The two members of the Ginyu Force stopped moving, but Vegeta felt their energies. Jeice, however, fled. Vegeta cursed inwardly. Now he would report to Ginyu, who had already stormed off before the fight began, and he would relay it directly to Frieza. If Frieza intervened, it could end badly for them.

There was no changing that now. Instead, he could get two other problems off his back. Vegeta shot forward and killed first Recoome and then Burter, sending a beam of energy through both of their bodies. Finally he had gotten even with those stupid guys.

"Vegeta, you son of a bitch, that was unnecessary!" yelled Kakarot at him. He had paused and was watching him.

"You're so effeminate, Kakarot! Saiyans know no mercy!"

"But they were already completely helpless. Isn't it dishonourable to take advantage of those who are weaker?"

"Kakarot, you have no idea. You will never become a Super Saiyan!"

Kakarot looked at him uncomprehendingly, opened his mouth to say something, then shook his head.

"You're wasting your time with these guys. Frieza must have already gained immortality with the Dragonballs. If you want to keep having coffee here, please. I'll be off," Vegeta said.

"Frieza hasn't used the Dragonballs yet," someone called from behind. Vegeta turned around. It was the bald one - Krillin.

"How would you know?" asked Vegeta, snarling.

"When the Eternal Dragon is summoned with the Dragonballs, it becomes dark. Since we've been on Namek, it hasn't gone dark yet." He paused. "Frieza may not know how to use the Dragonballs."

"What do you mean, baldy?"

Krillin screwed up his face for a moment, but then answered. "To call the Dragon, you have to recite a certain formula."

"Do you know the formula?" Vegeta's hope grew a little again. Maybe it wasn't too late.

But Krillin did not get to answer. Ginyu and Jeice landed not far from them and challenged them.

"Damn it!" growled Vegeta.

"Krillin, Gohan! I sense another great energy near us!" shouted Kakarot to his son and the bald man. Vegeta stretched his senses and immediately knew what he meant.

"It's Frieza!"

"What?" Panic spread across Kakarot's face. Vegeta could definitely understand that stirring of emotion. The energy was truly terrifyingly great.

"Oh, no. I'm afraid Frieza is on his way to the Grand Elder!" Gohan clasped his hands together in front of his face.

"Who's that?" wanted to know Kakarot.

The bald man replied, "The Grand Elder created the Dragonballs. Like Kami on Earth. When he dies, the Dragonballs disappear too."

"Damn!" Hope sank again.

"You two try to find the Dragonballs," Kakarot said to his son and Krillin. They nodded and rose into the air. The boy hesitated and looked to his father. "Now get on with it!" snapped Kakarot at the boy. Then he turned to Vegeta. "And you and I will take care of these guys." He nodded over to Jeice and Ginyu.

"Fight with you?" Vegeta crossed his arms demonstratively in front of his chest. "Hardly."

"Vegeta, you are such a stubborn idiot!" Kakarot clenched his fists and looked at him angrily. "We still have a chance to get the Dragonballs. If we stick together, we can resurrect our dead on Earth, and then there's bound to be another wish in it for you."

"Fine by me." Vegeta took up his fighting stance and fixed Jeice. That ridiculous long white hair.

Jeice and Ginyu jumped forward at the same time. Kakarot took up the fight, but Vegeta moved away from Jeice, upwards. "Enjoy the fight, Kakarot," he shouted to the other and left the fray as quickly as he could.

Let Kakarot fight Ginyu, after all. Their fighting strength seemed to be about the same. Then they would wipe each other out. How convenient.

When Vegeta spotted Frieza's spaceship, he descended and landed. Many soldiers were no longer on the ship. And all of them weaklings. To kill them, Vegeta didn't even have to exert himself. When he could no longer sense any energies in the immediate area, he went in search of the Dragonballs. They had to be here somewhere.

Vegeta was still annoyed that the Ginyu Force had surprised him just when he had arrived at the Dragonballs' hiding place with the two Earthlings. But if the bald man was right, then Frieza hadn't activated the Dragonballs yet. So he kept searching.

Inside the spaceship, he searched part of the rooms until he sensed two energies. Krillin and Kakarot's son! Why were they coming here only now? Kakarott had told them to look for the orbs.

Cautiously Vegeta left the spaceship and looked out for the two. They dug a hole in front of the spaceship. Vegeta was annoyed that he hadn't figured out that Frieza's soldiers had buried the balls. But how did they know?

This kind of watch had to be the key. Gohan had had it with him when he had met him to retrieve the Dragonball from the lake.

Fine. That way they took the work off his hands. When they called the Eternal Dragon, Vegeta only had to leave his hiding place at the crucial moment and make his wish sooner than the others.

Gohan and Krillin lined up the orbs in front of them. They began to glow. Vegeta held his breath.

"Eternal Dragon, I summon you forth!" the bald man shouted. Nothing happened. The two looked at each other and shrugged.

There were new energies coming towards the ship again. Was there never any peace on this planet? Vegeta looked up. It was Jeice and Kakarot. But his aura felt strange. Wrong somehow. He was wearing a scouter. And why was he now with Jeice?

The two earthlings were now flying towards Jeice and Kakarot, seemingly happy to see him. Vegeta could not understand the words they exchanged. When Kakarot slapped the boy's face, it was clear to Vegeta who it was: Ginyu had taken possession of Kakarot's body.

Kakarot-Ginyu lunged at the two earthlings, while Jeice retreated into the spaceship. Vegeta rushed after him and confronted him on the bridge.

"Oh, Jeice, are you going to leave your Captain all alone now?"

Jeice growled. "He can manage on his own."

"Well, I'm afraid you can't." Vegeta leapt forward and gave Jeice a punch on the chin. He was so surprised that he didn't even manage to raise his hands. He landed on his back and scrambled back up. He grabbed his chin, where the marks of Vegeta's fist were clearly visible, and grimaced angrily.

"You messed up my face, you monkey!"

"I'm sorry about that," Vegeta replied, his voice dripping with irony, and attacked again. A volley of swift punches drove the white-haired man against the large shattered window of the bridge. As Jeice dodged to avoid falling out of the opening, Vegeta lashed out with his right leg, hitting Jeice on the right side of his body and thus hurling him out of the spaceship.

Dazed, the Ginyu Force member remained lying on the ground. His right arm, which had taken most of the momentum from Vegeta's kick, was broken and sticking out at a strange angle from his body.

Vegeta jumped down to him. "Any last words?" Jeice groaned. Blood ran down his nose. He tried to turn his head and look at Vegeta, but stopped in the movement when the pain became too much. "No. Then, bye!" Vegeta let loose a beam of energy at Jeice. Jeice's body reared up once briefly and then lay motionless.

"Vegeta, you're such a heartless monster!"

Vegeta looked up. Hovering just a few yards above him was Ginyu. Or rather, Kakarot in Ginyu's body. He was badly injured and had trouble keeping himself in the air. So Ginyu had been able to perform the body swap safely.

"At least I have what it takes to be a Super Saiyan and you don't!" Ignoring Kakarott further, he intervened in the existing battle with Ginyu, Kakarot's son and Krillin. Now he could take revenge on Ginyu and Kakarot at the same time. Vegeta smiled. Sometimes fate was good to him.

"Vegeta! Don't!" shouted Kakarot at him. What did this guy want now?

Vegeta stopped in mid-flight at Ginyu. Kakarot raced after him and threw himself in front of him. In the next instant, a glaring light filled Vegeta's field of vision and he had to close his eyes to avoid being blinded.

Slowly he opened his eyes again. Ginyu's body was still floating in front of him. Kakarot's body was also still in the air. But something had changed. Their auras felt different. Each aura was now back in its proper body.

Vegeta cursed. His chance was gone. On the other hand, if he didn't, he'd probably be stuck in Kakarot's body, which by now was pretty banged up from Gohan and Krillin's attacks.

Deciding briefly, he clasped Ginyu from behind to give the others a chance to strike. Then he paused in his movement. Why did he do that? He could have just punched Ginyu from behind. Ginyu noticed his uncertainty and let the back of his head crash into Vegeta's forehead. Surprised, Vegeta loosened his grip.

Ginyu took advantage of the freedom and moved forward, towards Goku. He rammed one of his horns into his chest. Crying out in pain, Goku fell to the ground unchecked and remained dazed. Ginyu grinned in satisfaction and turned to Vegeta, who was hovering in the air not far from him.

"Now we switch bodies," Ginyu said with a mean smile.

Vegeta's head ached from Ginyu's attack. Only slowly did his words reach Vegeta. Kakarot's scream snapped him out of his stupor. A bright light blinded him and he jerked an arm in front of his eyes.

As quickly as the light had appeared, it had disappeared. Vegeta lowered his arm and observed his surroundings. Ginyu was still hovering in front of him, but he was slowly sinking towards the earth. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a small shadow also falling to the ground.

Vegeta landed and realised what the shadow was. A small frog. He looked at Ginyu, who had now landed. Ginyu went on all fours and hopped. Vegeta looked at the frog again, who was now trying to hop away in panic.

Vegeta pointed his palm at the frog. "Good-bye, Ginyu!"

"Please, don't do it," Kakarot shouted at him. "He can't hurt anyone else, can he?"

Kakarot could only raise his upper body a little before he sank back again, exhausted. Annoyed, Vegeta took his arm back. Kakarot was right. And he didn't need to waste energy killing this toad.

Krillin and Gohan landed next to Kakarot. "Papa, how are you?" The boy tried to help Kakarot up, but he cried out in pain. The bald man rushed to help.

"Come with me!" shouted Vegeta to the three. They stopped in mid-motion and looked at him in wonder. What was so difficult about coming along? "To the spaceship, we can heal Kakarot." Without waiting to see if they followed him, Vegeta walked towards the spaceship. Only after about ten paces did he hear the three of them moving as well.

Vegeta led the others into the room where the healing chambers were. One was no longer usable after he had destroyed it, but the second was still intact.

He pointed to it. "Put him in there!" he ordered Kakarot's son and the bald man.

They looked questioningly at Kakarot. He nodded. "It's okay, I trust him."

Vegeta, who had turned away to prepare the tank for healing, stumbled. Kakarot trusted him? Why? After all, he had just left him alone in front of Ginyu and Jeice. How could anyone be so naïve?

He watched as Kakarot was slowly deposited inside the tank. Indecisive, the two stepped back and waited. Vegeta took a step into the chamber and from a stance above him took out the oxygen mask, which he pulled over Kakarot's mouth and nose.

"This chamber is about to fill with a liquid that will heal your wounds. You need do nothing more than relax." Kakarot blinked gratefully. Vegeta would have liked to take back that last sentence. How embarrassing that he was spouting such caring drivel.

Vegeta stepped out of the chamber, sealed it, and pressed the button to start the healing. Instantly, liquid was pumped into the tank from below. Kakarot had his eyes closed.

"What's that?" the little brat wanted to know.

"Healing fluid," Vegeta replied curtly. He turned towards the exit. "Come with me. You're in desperate need of new clothes."

As soon as he was out of the room, he shook his head at himself. Now he was being nice to the two earthlings too. He stopped. He felt dizzy. He had to brace himself against the wall and take a deep breath. What was wrong with him?

When he heard the footsteps of the two, he straightened up again and disappeared into the next room. He rummaged through a few cupboards lined up against the wall and threw individual pieces of clothing at Gohan and Krillin. He looked down at himself. His suit had a few rips in it too. He hated walking around like that. He would change his clothes too.

"Uh, Vegeta, how do you put this on?" Gohan held out the breastplate he had thrown at him.

"Just over your head."

"But..."

"Pull it apart!" The boy did as he said and was surprised at how stretchy the armour was. "It's not the newest model, but it protects against attacks." Vegeta was about to leave the room again when a dizziness gripped him once more. At the last moment he managed to lean on the door frame.

"Are you all right, Vegeta?" Krillin had stepped closer.

"None of your business," he snapped at him.

Defensively, Krillin raised his hands.

"You watch the Dragonballs now while I rest." He didn't wait to see if they agreed, but simply walked out of the room.

The room where Kakarot sat in the meditank seemed so infinitely far away at that moment. Only slowly did Vegeta make his way across the hallway. He would have to brace himself against the wall with every step. He hadn't felt this tired in a long time. When was the last time he had slept? He did not know.

He walked towards the tank. Kakarot seemed to be floating in the healing liquid. He had his eyes shut tight. Vegeta was glancing at the tank's display. The vital signs were fine. The healing process was progressing.

He leaned back against the wall and slowly slid to the floor. He could no longer fight the fatigue. His eyes fell closed. The regular gurgle of the meditank lulled him. He had fought several battles and had been on his feet for many hours. At some point, even a Saiyan's reserves of strength were exhausted. Just a few minutes he would close his eyes. A few minutes to tank up on energy.

He still felt the coolness of the tank in his back, but his head felt wonderfully light. How good it felt to rest. He reviewed the recent battles. The Ginyu Force had been wiped out. He had finally been able to get back at those rotten guys for bullying him like that for years. How he would love to tell someone, to share this elation, but he became painfully aware that he was alone. He no longer had anyone close to him.

Feeling a strong aura, he startled out of sleep again. Frieza! Vegeta looked outside through one of the windows and noticed something else: it was dark. Had those earthlings summoned the dragon? Why now? How had they suddenly guessed the formula? Or had they lied to him and just waited until he was inattentive for a moment?

Vegeta gritted his teeth and cursed. They wouldn't get away with this!

"King Kai, what's happening on Namek?" Piccolo paced impatiently. He knew he was exposing himself to the others, but he didn't care. He needed to know how Gohan and Krillin were doing. Had Goku reached the planet unharmed? What was the matter with Sitara? "King Kai!" Piccolo now struck a sharp tone.

The one addressed was slow to respond. He had his senses focused on the distant planet of Namek, watching the goings-on there. "Goku's son and that baldy have summoned the Eternal Dragon Porunga," King Kai said slowly, not looking at Piccolo. He continued to look at an indeterminate point in the distance.

"Go on!" growled Piccolo, pausing in his restless pacing.

"The Namekian Dragon can grant three wishes, though it can only revive one person per wish."

"What?!" Piccolo, Yamcha, Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu reacted in dismay. "Damn it!" cried Yamcha, clenching his fists.

Piccolo was the first to regain his composure and went over to King Kai. Un-asked, he put his hand on the smaller man's shoulder. "Let me speak to Gohan!" King Kai hesitated only briefly, then made the connection with the boy. He nodded to show Piccolo that he could now speak. "Gohan, can you hear me?"

Even though he could not see the boy, Piccolo thought he could feel a smile on Gohan's lips.

"Piccolo!"

"Gohan, listen to me. We have learned here on the planet from King Kai that the dragon can only revive one person per wish. Revive me. With the second wish, you will then bring me to Namek."

Yamcha, Tien Shinhan, Chiaotzu and King Kai winced at Piccolo's words. "I knew you'd want to be the first to be revived," Tien Shinhan snapped at the Namekian.

"You idiots!" Piccolo looked angrily from one to the other. "If I live again, then Kami lives too, and the Dragonballs on Earth will be available again."

Dismayed, the others looked to the ground. They had indeed not thought of that. Piccolo heard Gohan pass on the wish. A moment later, Piccolo's halo disappeared. Piccolo raised his hand in salute. "See you!" Piccolo disappeared from King Kai's planet.

A blink of an eye later, Piccolo opened his eyes and looked out over a barren landscape. Smaller and larger lakes were connected by rivers and strung one after the other like a string of pearls. Craggy rocks and grassland were part of the picture that presented itself to him.

Piccolo sucked in the air deeply. He was alive again. The air felt more pleasant than on earth. Gravity was also clearly increased. The planet seemed strangely familiar to him. He shook his head. He had no time for such sentimentality. He had to find Gohan and protect him from Frieza.

Annoyed, he bit his lower lip. Gohan's protection and fighting Frieza were important, yet everything in Piccolo screamed to see Sitara. Torn, he wasted precious seconds before closing his eyes and focusing on Sitara's energy.

There! It was faint, but it was not far away, closer even than Gohan's aura. Determined, Piccolo took off and flew in Sitara's direction.

After a short while, he saw a spaceship below him. It had to be the ship Goku had come in to land on Namek. Piccolo landed and carefully entered the ship through the open hatch. If it wasn't Goku's spaceship after all, he had to be on his guard. But he sensed no other energies. Only Sitara's.

He looked around the spaceship for a moment. The interior had been damaged. The walls were cracked, pieces of tile had broken off in places, but apart from the control console in the middle of the room, Piccolo saw nothing of interest. He turned to the metal stairs leading down and followed them into the interior of the ship.

This part of the spaceship was also mostly one room. Only a small area was partitioned off. On one side was a bed, apparently broken, because it was a little crooked. Probably a foot had cracked. A figure was lying on it. It had to be Sitara!

Piccolo quickened his steps and covered the short distance from the stairs to the bed in just a moment. On the way there, he casually registered that there was only one bed in the room. Had Sitara slept in the bed with Goku? A brief twinge was felt in his heart, a feeling he could not place. But when he looked at Sitara, he had already forgotten the feeling.

Sitara looked pale.A small scar on her temple showed the spot where she had hit the stairs. The crushed Senzu Bean had not helped as well as if she had chewed it. Otherwise, surely no scar would have remained. Her breathing was calm and regular. She was covered. Her arms were folded over the blanket.

Carefully, hesitantly, Piccolo sat down on the edge of the bed and said her name. Sitara did not respond. Piccolo bent down a little further and addressed her again. But again Sitara did not move. Slowly, Piccolo bent down even further to her, his face only a few inches from hers. Piccolo only now noticed that she was beautiful. The next moment he wondered why he was thinking about it now. Sentimental nonsense! And yet he felt the almost insatiable urge to put his lips on hers. Would she wake up then? How would she react? Would she be angry because he had prevented her from fighting or would she be happy to see him again?

Sitara's eyelids fluttered. Did she feel Piccolo's presence? Piccolo's nose almost touched hers and he put a hand on her cheek. Slowly, he traced the contour of her cheekbone with his thumb and whispered her name. Sitara's eyes snapped open.

Startled, she looked at him. But her surprise lasted only a moment. Her eyebrows drew together, she clenched her hands into fists and let her left hand shoot upwards into Piccolo's stomach while she turned slightly and struck his temple with her other hand. The force of the blows sent Piccolo flying up and to the side and he hit the ground with a crash.

Shaking his head, Piccolo picked himself up. The punches had not been so hard that he had been seriously hurt by them, but he was so surprised that for a moment he did not know how to react. Sitara had used the time Piccolo was on the ground to get up from the bed. She had extended her right hand towards him. An energy ball hovered ready to fire in front of her palm. Her eyes darted wildly around. She was looking for an exit.

"How dare you come so close to me, Namekian?" Sitara sounded ... different. Angry. Piccolo didn't know that tone from her.

Defensively, Piccolo raised his hands in front of his body. "It's me, Piccolo." Both hands still raised, Piccolo took a step towards her.

"Don't come any closer!" she shouted threateningly, enlarging her ball of energy. Abruptly, Piccolo stopped. Sitara did not seem to be joking. "How many more of your kind are here in the ship?"

Of his kind? "None," he answered truthfully.

Backing up, she walked to the stairs, keeping an eye on Piccolo the whole time. She stepped onto the top step and squinted upwards. "If you stop there, Namekian, I grant you your life."

Piccolo corrected himself. This was not anger speaking from Sitara. Her voice was cold, pitiless. It lacked any warmth. He nodded and demonstratively took another step back. Quickly, as he was used to from Sitara, she disappeared upwards through the opening. Her aura moved away.

Slowly he put his hands down and took a deep breath. Had he now lost Sitara forever?