Age 737 , a time best remembered as the day the Saiyans were nearly completely wiped out. Outside of a few scant survivors, the race had been killed off by the tyrannical Frieza in a bid to rid himself of the possibility of any kind of threat to himself. A consequence of this action led to the survival and creation of the one who would defeat him - the fabled Super Saiyan. In this tale though, some very notable changes will occur… Ones that will change the course of history.
Planet Vegeta, home of the Saiyans. The Saiyans are a warrior race of humanoid creatures who are best known for their tails and ability to transform into the fearsome Oozaru forms. Of course, there is more to any typical Saiyan, such as their wits and their ability to adapt. It is currently Age 737, Bardock and his team had just left for another assignment. But on the surface of the planet, a more studious Saiyan was reading a book. A young girl, no older than three years old, with long black hair. Nearby, a taller woman with scars on her face and neck and the same scars was talking to a woman cutting a piece of meat. The other woman was a cuter, more innocent looking Saiyan; the wife of Bardock herself, Gine. Though wife is a loose term since marriage and love weren't exactly in a Saiyan's vocabulary; still, there was something close to it between Gine and Bardock.
Gine: "So you snuck another book from the Elite's Archives, Elery?"
The Saiyan woman Gine was talking to just laughed a bit.
Elery: "Honestly, those old tomes aren't doing much but gathering dust. If the king or any of those elites aren't going to use them, we might as well. Besides, Ayote seems to enjoy them well enough."
Gine: "I suppose so. Though I hope those elites don't start knocking at my door…"
Elery: "Ah, it'll be a bridge to cross if they do. I may not have been born an elite, but honestly the whole system is nothing but propaganda to keep us in line. A bunch of shit in other words. I say any Saiyan can be strong with enough hard work. But you know why that system is in place, right?"
Gine: "Oh boy… Why?"
Elery: "Because the king's a coward. One who's scared of an uprising. Why do you think he bent a knee to those Frost Demons? He truly is stupid if his own son amounts to anything beyond just keeping up appearances."
Gine: "I really wish you'd keep your mouth shut around here… It may be an open kitchen for those wanting a nice after battle meal, but don't forget the 'open' part."
Ayote then approaches the pair, looking up at her mother. Elery turns and kneels down to the girl.
Elery: "What's up, squirt? Done reading?"
Ayote: "I'm a bit hungry…"
Elery laughs before looking at Gine expectedly. The other mother sighs in a bit of defeat before cooking up a little meal for Ayote. As Ayote ate, Elery decided to change topics.
Elery: "So Gine. I heard you and Bardock had another child."
Gine: "And who told you that?"
Elery: "Tora."
Gine rolls her eyes at this, knowing full well what may have brought up the conversation. She then reveals her latest son, Kakarot. Elery looks at the child and lets out a whistle.
Elery: "A picture perfect clone of Bardock down to the hair. Wonder if he'll have the wit to match."
Gine: "It… is a bit embarrassing to admit, but Kakarot's power level is… only a 2."
Elery: "And that's an issue, how? A little bit of good father-son training will get the kid right up there with the 'elites' in no time."
Gine: "Wasn't Ayote born with a power level of 230 though?"
Elery: "She certainly was, but I don't see that as an end for her to get stronger. No, I see it as the beginning. Kakarot may have a longer climb, but given time, he'll be a truly amazing warrior. Besides, he can't be any worse than Raditz."
Gine: "Hey, don't insult my little Raditz!"
Elery: "Sorry, sorry. Don't mean to sound rude. I'm just saying he's not exactly my idea of a Saiyan. I'm certainly glad he's working with the prince and all, but I fear that princely punk is going to poison your kid with that trademark superiority complex."
Gine couldn't retort back, thinking that Elery was speaking some truth. Elery then lightened the mood.
Elery: "Hey, lighten up. There's a chance Raditz'll come out the other side being the same as Bardock. A fearless warrior with a strong conviction with his team. And that's what being part of a team is about."
Gine: "I swear you make some truly wild claims. But… You are not wrong."
Ayote, who was listening to most of the conversation, looked over to Gine and walked up.
Ayote: "Do you think me and Kakarot will be… teammates?"
Gine: "Teammates?"
Gine looked down at Ayote who gave a look of… apprehension. Like she was awaiting a mother's approval just to date her son. The older Saiyan laughed before kneeling to get closer to Ayote's eye level.
Gine: "I hope you two become more than teammates, Ayote. Like close friends."
Elery: "Like you and me, Gine?"
Gine: "Well… I would also settle for mates like me and Bardock."
Elery just blushes at that thought, the idea of being a grandma to a child of Kakarot and Ayote seemed… weird to her for some reason. Ayote turned to Kakarot's tank, placing a hand on the glass.
Ayote: "...Mates, huh? I hope we get along Kakarot. You and me."
Elery just smiles before placing a hand on Ayote's head and ruffles her hair.
Elery: "Alright, twerp. We bothered Gine enough. Let's work off that meal with some light sparring."
Ayote nods before she and Elery leave. Gine waves as the two leave before sighing.
Gine: "Those two are a handful… But at least they mean well."
At the training yard, Elery and Ayote were doing some light sparring as they agreed on, tossing punches and kicks, with Ayote using her small stature to her advantage. But just as she was slipping by her mother's legs, her tail is grabbed by Elery and she collapses.
Elery: "Hah, nice try, but you made that move way too predictable. You need to blind your foe first before trying that maneuver."
Elery lets go of Ayote's tail, allowing the younger Saiyan to get up. Ayote then turns to her mother to ask a question.
Ayote: "Mom… Why do I have to join the Saiyan army? Do I not have a right to choose?"
Elery: "Considering how rare your talent is, it's more of an obligation."
Ayote: "But… why? It's not that I mind killing people who deserve death for what they've done, but innocent people… I just… don't want to hurt them… They don't ever deserve it."
Elery: "...Ayote. I don't really understand it myself. I've only ever known death and destruction, like any other Saiyan. Good, evil, anything in between. It doesn't really matter. But you? You have a very clear headed way of thinking. And it's that way of thinking that makes you a unique Saiyan. If anyone tries to turn you into another brainless, genocidal grunt… You show them that there's more to life than senseless killing."
Ayote looks to her mother before smiling, the two staring at the stars together as the night passes.
Some time passes, Elery walks through the halls of the castle, keeping a stern composure as she passes by her fellow Saiyans. She starts to note the unusually high number of Saiyans returning from their missions at once, thanks to a call from Frieza. Not all of them of course, but certainly a lot. As she begins to ponder the unusual number of Saiyans, she runs into Bardock, who was coming home from his mission.
Elery: "Well, look who returned a victor. Looks like Kanassa wasn't too much trouble."
Bardock: "Yeah well. You'd have seen it if you stuck around the group longer."
Elery: "Oh don't blame me for that. I left on my own terms. Besides, I didn't want to get between you and Gine. Seripa giving you hell over that?"
Bardock: "Like she ever stops."
The two share a laugh before Bardock starts reeling, clenching his head a bit before calming down.
Elery: "Bardock? What's wrong?"
Bardock: "Nothing… Just a little migrain…"
As Bardock prepares to leave for another mission briefing, he stops and turns to her with a serious expression.
Bardock: "Elery. What's your take on the recent influx of Saiyans coming home all of a sudden?"
Elery: "My take? …I don't like it. I'm hoping it's just me but… I plan on sending Ayote somewhere safe just in case. If it proves to be nothing, then I'll just get her back and that'll be that."
Bardock: "Does 'Earth' sound familiar?"
Elery: "Earth? Um… A bit far from Frieza Space and from what I remember, it's power level is nothing great. Why?"
Bardock: "...No real reason. Anyway, sorry. Just needed to vent. See you around."
Elery blinks as Bardock leaves, then tilts her head, wondering what was up with Bardock. But then that creeping feeling that something was off began to come into her mind. The fact that a lot of Saiyans were being called to Planet Vegeta and a few mid-classed and elite-classed squads were called to pretty far away planets only made her gut twist.
The day of the genocide of Saiyans, mere hours before the end of their race, Elery hears about how Bardock took a space pod and just coldly took off without saying another word, much to her shock.
Elery: "He did what now!?"
Saiyan Soldier: "J-Just took a Saiyan Pod without much word and flew off! No context given, just a cold glare for me to back off! Elery… What's going on!?"
Elery: "..."
Elery thought back to their conversation. Then to the gathering Saiyans… It then clicked in her mind; Bardock must think something terrible is going to happen. She then looks to the Saiyan Soldier and places a hand on his shoulder.
Elery: "If you care about any of your mates or kids, you'd sneak a Pod out too. Our days are numbered…"
The soldier looked at Elery confused, sweat dripping off the side of his face as Elery walked away. A stern look was on her face as she soon darted out of the castle and made her way to find Ayote, who was at Gine's meat hut. When Elery landed, her daughter looked at her with a look of concern and confusion.
Ayote: "Mom? What's going on? Bardock was here and he… looked unusually tense…"
Elery: "It'll be fine, Ayote. We are heading to the castle."
When Ayote was about to question her, Elery grabbed her and flew back to the castle just as quick as she came. The Saiyan Pod docking station was cleared out as news of King Vegeta's life line, produced by his scouter, went flat, indicating he had died when he went to go greet Frieza. Elery ran to a pod and opened one.
Elery: "You won't be able to escape undetected thanks to those blasted scouters, but if I can cross a few wires…"
Elery, now in a rush as the feeling of impending doom started to fill her mind, began to work quickly on the Pod's wiring. She messed with the navigation to avoid scouter signals, knowing there was a limited range on the devices, a flaw of the early models that Elery was keen to take advantage of. Once she was finished, she sighed.
Elery: "Ayote. You should go first."
Ayote: "Why, Mom? What's going on?"
Elery: "We… may not be long for this life… It's just a gut feeling, but… I just want you to be alive… To survive and live free of Frieza's tyranny… I'm setting the coordinates to Earth. Once you are there… Promise me you'll live the life you want to. Free of oppression… Free of Frieza…"
Ayote: "Will… Will you be right behind me?"
That question… hit the hardest for Elery. But then, she saw a glow outside the window. Time was up. Despite Ayote's protests, the young Saiyan was put into the pod and the lid closed.
Elery: "I'm sorry, Ayote… Keep living out there… For me… For all of us in the Saiyan race…"
Elery began to cry as Ayote started screaming out for her. Closing her eyes, Elery pressed the button to launch Ayote into outer space, avoiding the oncoming Supernova as the pod swerved around and into a seemingly random direction, away from the Frieza army. Elery looked on as Ayote escaped the fate of the planet, smiling as she and the rest of the planet was overtaken… by a bright flash of light.
In space, Ayote watched as Frieza's attack overtook the planet. The ensuing explosion rocked the pod a bit, but it otherwise managed to escape the blast. As the shaking of the pod ceased, the pod course corrected towards its intended direction, no longer in danger of being detected by scouters. Ayote stared out towards where Planet Vegeta was, starting to cry as a realization came to her - she was alone. Her mother was dead, her friend to be, Kakarot, was dead, Gine and Bardock were dead. Everyone she knew or cared about… were all gone. Tears welled up in her eyes before she started screaming relentlessly, crying out for her mother continuously. Time passed and the screams stopped. The system's stasis protocol activated to put Ayote in a long slumber as the pod continued its trip towards Earth.
On a remote island on Earth, during one star filled night, an old man was sleeping on a hammock. He seemed to have been star gazing for a while before sleep overtook him. But as he slept, a loud crash suddenly wakes him up. A brown turtle slides out from the house the old man was sleeping next to, having been startled by the noise too.
Turtle: "Master Roshi? What was that?"
The old man, Roshi, looked around his small island before seeing a metal contraption resting on the shallows of his island. The impact of the strange round object caused the tide to overflow onto the island, but that wasn't much of an issue. He approaches the object slowly and cautiously, ready for anything. As he approached, the object opened up, revealing a girl inside. A small child at that. Roshi looked at the child, noticing her tail as well, a stern look on his face as he wondered who this child was and where she came from.
