Zarbon stands beside Freeza as King Vegeta pleads for understanding. The young Prince Vegeta stands behind his father with a hurt expression. Both of them keep their eyes on the base of the throne-pod Freeza hovers in to avoid his suffocating stare.
"But Lord Freeza," says the King, "is this really necessary? Prince Vegeta should remain here with me. I have much to teach him to become my successor."
Zarbon grows a cruel smile as he looks at Freeza.
"Under my rule," says Freeza, "there is no need for a Saiyan monarchy. Your position is only that of a figurehead while we find someone more suitable to oversee Saiyan affairs."
The discrediting blow hits King Vegeta's pride. His vision blurs as he searches for a favorable interpretation of the words assaulting him. All of the possibilities lead to only one conclusion. His authority is useless, his kingdom lost.
"That being the case," says Freeza, "your son would be better served learning and preparing for his role in my empire."
King Vegeta turns to his son. Prince Vegeta looks up with eyes fighting back tears. The King kneels and places a hand upon his son's shoulder.
"I don't want to go, father," says the Prince. "I want to stay here with you."
"I know, son. And I want the same. But for now, I need you to follow Lord Freeza's orders."
"But I don't want to. You're the King. Why can't you make Freeza do your bidding?"
"Yes King Vegeta," says Freeza, "why can't you?"
The King glares over his shoulder before returning attention to his son.
"I love you Vegeta. And I will be with you just as soon as I can."
He pulls the Prince close for a hug.
"Ugh," says Freeza. "Zarbon, please get this moving."
Zarbon nods with glee and strides to the Saiyans. He pulls them apart and drags the Prince by an arm despite his crying and resistance.
"May I make one request!" says King Vegeta.
"Make it quick," says Freeza.
"Please allow Commander Nappa to watch over my son."
"Who was that again? I really can't keep any of you Saiyans straight. That's why I like you and your son. Having the same name is the only reason I remember them. Zarbon?"
"Yes, sire."
"Have the Prince pick out whoever this Nappa is from the group below and send them on their way."
"As you wish my lord."
He yanks the Prince out of the room, and turns up the volume on his scouter. He takes pleasure as the following conversation unfolds.
"Why must you take my son from me," says King Vegeta. "Isn't threatening his life enough control for you?"
"Of course it is," says Freeza. "But you Saiyans have been insubordinate. And I loathe insubordination. So it only makes sense to punish the one at the top so my message makes its way down the chain to the vilest of your kind."
King Vegeta grinds his teeth.
"I'll make sure my people do not step out of line," he says.
"I'm happy to hear it," says Freeza, rising from his chair to float before it. "Now kneel before me and beg for forgiveness."
King Vegeta hesitates, but he does not dare make eye contact with the emperor.
He shuffles his feet. His cape flaps against his heels.
He slowly bends one leg until the knee touches the floor. He takes even longer with the other knee.
He places his hands in his lap and bows his head. He inhales before bending at the waist.
"Please forgive my people for their transgressions. I offer my deepest and sincerest apologies for any of my subjects who have acted against your wishes. If there is to be any punishment for their actions, let it fall on me."
"Good. Now kiss my feet so I know how sincere you're being."
Freeza's lips rise in satisfaction during the pause as the King debates resistance before ultimately giving in and performing the degrading task.
The King grabs Freeza's foot with the tips of his fingers. The coldness of the skin pierces his gloves.
The King leans in and places his lips above the middle toe. Freeza's leg trembles.
"Oh my that goatee of yours tickles," says Freeza, a chuckle in his voice. "Now the other."
The King reaches for the other foot, anticipating the sting of the chill. He brings the foot to his mouth. After his lips touch, the foot pushes him away.
"I must be very ticklish today. You may be off then."
Freeza seats himself and moves for the door.
"My Lord!"
Freeza stops but does not turn around.
"When will I see my son again?"
Freeza tilts his head to the side.
"I really don't know."
The doors to the room part, and Freeza leaves.
The King stands alone. He drags his feet to a window of his palace and stares out of the tower. Several spaceships fly by. He wonders if his son is on one of them.
###
Zarbon snickers as King Vegeta bows to Lord Freeza. The Saiyan planet floats at the center of a crimson window behind him.
"Is my son with you?" says King Vegeta. "May I see him?"
Zarbon's snickers becomes a cackle as Dodoria joins in.
"Your son is too busy to see you," says Freeza. "You know how missions go sometimes."
The King sets his jaw. "Then what can I do for you, Lord Freeza? Is this about my replacement."
The heckling laughter increases.
"I'm afraid there's been a change of plans. Your planet no longer requires an overseer as it is to be terminated."
The King's heart stops. He stutters for clarification. "What do you mean terminated? Are you ending our treaty?"
"That's a nice way of putting it."
A circular hatch in the roof opens as the door swirls clear. The vacuum of space whips up the air in the room. Freeza's throne-pod rises to lift him into the cold void.
The King dares to look directly at Freeza and finds an orange marble gleaming at the tip of one finger. He rushes forward, but Zarbon and Dodoria restrain him by holding his arms. He cries out.
"Please Lord Freeza! Have mercy on my people."
His words are either lost in the gale or fall upon uncaring ears.
Freeza lifts his hand above his head with his finger pointing straight up. The orb grows at an exponential rate.
Zarbon and Dodoria drag King Vegeta to the window so they can watch the event unfold.
"Why would Freeza do this? Tell me!"
"It seems your breed can't be reigned in to follow orders," says Dodoria.
"They claim to conquer planets for the Saiyans and not the Galactic Empire," says Zarbon. "And you know how Lord Freeza hates insubordination."
Freeza's death ball inflates to the size of a small moon. He flicks his finger forward, and the supernova releases.
It floats through space. The King watches its descent, unable to do anything to stop it.
The colossal sphere collides with the atmosphere. A red hot aura ignites around it from the friction with the air. The eclipsing attack brightens the planet's surface.
The King witnesses in grave detail the rapid decimation of his world. Land and sea displace as the orb makes contact. An enormous cloud of black fallout races giant fissures clawing their way from the epicenter. Magma rises from their depths. Chunks of the crust launch from the surface and escape into space.
Freeza laughs maniacally at the sight.
"Oh my … this is … stupendous! Wow! What a great show! Unbelievable! Just look at that! Ahahaha!"
As the supernova sinks below the crust of the planet, tectonic plates melt into the magma below. The continental pieces eject to form orbiting islands.
Several iridescent shock waves slice away from the planet as the whole thing finally blows apart. The shower of meteors, magma, and dust spreads outward. The cloud of debris thins as it expands on the momentum of the explosion. The remains freeze and disappear as they drift into the abyss.
A satisfied smile parts Freeza's face as he re-enters his ship. The panel closes behind him allowing the room to pressurize itself.
"Marvelous Lord Freeza," says Zarbon. "That was quite a sight to behold."
King Vegeta goes limp in his arms. He and Dodoria let him go. The King collapses to his hands and knees.
"You're a monster," says the King.
"Eh," says Dodoria. "You'll have to speak up. I'm a bit deaf from the explosion of your planet."
King Vegeta whips up to his feet and storms Freeza.
"You're all monsters!"
He lunges with a fist full of raging energy. As he takes aim, a finger width beam pierces his left pectoral.
Freeza retracts his pointing finger and rests his cheek on his knuckles. King Vegeta sprawls upon his back. His cape stains with the blood pouring into it.
"Oh dear, I was really hoping to avoid making a mess," says Freeza.
Zarbon and Dodoria laugh. To their surprise, King Vegeta joins them, though his laughter is labored.
"I understand now," says the King. "You're afraid of us. We used to be weak while trapped on our planet. But when you released us from our cage to fight against your strongest enemies, we adapted and grew our strength to the point of threatening your own."
King Vegeta screams as Zarbon presses a heel into his chest wound.
"Don't flatter yourself. You monkeys were simply too animalistic to train properly. That's all."
King Vegeta smiles through the pain.
"No, you've seen how rapidly our power levels can climb. And you know of the legendary Super Saiyan. You're afraid one will rise up under your watch. And I assure you one will. I just hope it's my son."
Zarbon lifts his foot and centers it over King Vegeta's head.
"I'll see you all in hell," says the King.
Zarbon stomps his foot. The King's head fractures, and blood spills from the split tracing the skull.
"Honestly Zarbon," says Freeza, "you made more of a mess than I did."
"Apologies, Lord Freeza. I just couldn't stand him talking nonsense anymore. Super Saiyan. Phuh! More like superstition."
"Yeah," says Dodoria. "Like a Saiyan would ever be strong enough to challenge us. Heh. Right?"
Zarbon nods and looks to Freeza.
"Call someone to clean up this filth. We have wasted enough time on these monkeys. Although, I will enjoy coming up with a story to tell the Prince and the rest of his kind."
Freeza smiles and moves to the exit.
###
"And that's the truth behind the death of your father and the destruction of your planet."
Vegeta's face sharpens as his eyes and mouth push in against his nose.
"Telling me all that was a mistake," he says. "I'm going to draw out your suffering for what you've done."
"Hah, I'm not worried about your anger. I only told you to buy myself time."
"Time for what? No one's going to save you way out here."
Zarbon smiles. "Time for this."
His slender form bulges to grotesque size. The toned arms and legs become bulking muscles. The trim torso inflates like a balloon. The smooth face swells with puffy cheeks and forehead.
"What the hell!" says Vegeta, backing up a step.
The scouter in his robot eye reads off a number that scares him.
"Over 28,000!"
Zarbon now stands even taller than before. The menacing mass gives him the appearance of a savage brute.
Bulma wastes no time setting her plan in motion. She kicks the lid of the vehicle console with her heel several times. On the third hit, it breaks open. She grabs her Capsule pouch from inside.
Next, she checks the radar for the location of the last Dragon Ball. She finds a sheet of paper and writes down some coordinates along with a quick sketch of a map.
She then turns the radar over and pulls out a tiny screwdriver. She pops off the back cover and starts prodding around inside. With a few tiny adjustments from the screwdriver, Bulma reprograms the computer. She hopes the battle lasts a little longer to finish her last preparations.
"You see Vegeta," says Zarbon, "I wasn't born the beautiful specimen who once stood before you. I had to put my body through hell to achieve such a gorgeous look."
"Wow, I know how much pride you take in your looks. It must pain you immensely resorting to such ugliness for my sake."
"Yes, almost as much pride as you have in being the prince of a dead people. Fortunately it will be outweighed by the pleasure I take in putting you back in your place."
The hulking Zarbon charges with unexpected speed. He delivers a gut breaking knee to Vegeta. As his opponent recoils, Zarbon swings a slapping palm. It clubs Vegeta flat to the ground.
Zarbon grabs Vegeta's ankle and swings him over his head. He slams his victim against the earth. His crushing hands clamp around Vegeta's head to lift him from the grass.
Zarbon smashes their foreheads together leaving a bloody mark on Vegeta's. He throws him skyward.
Vegeta tumbles about before regaining his balance. He tenses as Zarbon approaches with a flared, bluish aura. They clash in a flurry of blows at lightning speed.
Though most of their strikes cancel against one another, Zarbon sneaks in a few direct hits. The cumulative bruises punching through Vegeta's armor slow him down allowing more shots to land.
Zarbon digs another knee into Vegeta's stomach, knocking him backward. Zarbon slaps down a palm from overhead to crush his opponent's face.
Vegeta hurtles towards the ground. He smashes through a hill of rock before skidding to a stop on the other side.
"I told you Vegeta," says Zarbon, drifting down to hover over his collapsed and heaving enemy, "you were never a match for me. Now it's time for you to join that big, stupid friend of yours and the rest of your pathetic people."
Zarbon raises his hands as purple energy radiates between his fingers. Vegeta pushes himself to his feet despite the pain of the brutal beating. Zarbon fires a rapid volley of ki blasts. Vegeta hobbles as fast as he can to escape the bombardment.
Waves of plasma burn him as explosions break all around. Dislodged rocks batter his body in a hail of stone. He takes flight and escapes the barrage. He spins and hurls a ki bolt of his own.
Zarbon slaps it away and retaliates with another projectile. Pain ruptures in Vegeta's right shoulder as the attack clips him and detonates. Zarbon wraps an arm around his foe's neck after he bounces from the explosion. He bends Vegeta's arm behind the back to lock the hold.
Vegeta gasps for air in the strangulation. He tries to break away, but Zarbon twists his arm tighter. Any further and it will snap. Vegeta inhales half a breath and uses the rest of his might to slam his free elbow into Zarbon's gut repeatedly.
Zarbon squelches after each hit. They dig deeper and deeper into his abdomen. He fears the next one will puncture his belly and releases Vegeta to drift backward.
Vegeta sucks in air with throat rending heaves. However, a relentless Zarbon gives him no time to catch his breath.
Zarbon grabs Vegeta's hair and slaps him across the face several times. Vegeta's robotic eye crunches with every strike. The image from it goes black and white before going out completely.
Zarbon backflips to kick Vegeta in the chin, sending him rocketing upward. He chases after his adversary. He grapples Vegeta around the torso to pin him to his chest, constricting both arms this time.
Zarbon flips them upside down and drives them towards the ground as fast as he can. Vegeta screams as he tries to break the hold but cannot.
Bulma sees the combatants plummeting as she finishes tampering with some wires beneath the steering controls for the hovercraft. She starts it and jumps from the car. It speeds off on its own with the six Dragon Balls in the back.
She throws a Capsule that releases a scuba mask with a mouthpiece attached to a tank of oxygen. She pulls the stretchy straps over her head as she runs to the shore and dives into the water.
Just before Zarbon crashes into the ground, he releases Vegeta and swoops away. The earth gives way at the meteoric impact. It buckles and parts. The entire side of the island crumbles into the sea as water rushes to take its place. Vegeta is lost beneath the surface.
Zarbon laughs in triumph as he stares at his work. He grunts several times, and his body reverts back to its previous form.
Panic jolts him when he sees the hovercraft with the Dragon Balls is missing. He searches with erratic haste for it. Upon spotting the self propelled vehicle, he sighs and flies fast to recover it. He counts six Dragon Balls as he drops into the driver's seat and takes control. He finds the Dragon Radar resting on the cushion of the passenger seat beside him.
"How nice of her to leave me her device. She must have forgotten it in her panic to escape. Saves me the trouble of tracking her down. I'll just take this haul back to the ship before getting the last one."
Zarbon changes directions and skims over the ocean.
Below the surface, Bulma releases another mask and tank of air. She swims to Vegeta's mangled body and places it on his face.
She pushes and pulls some rocks holding him to the seafloor. When he is free, she grabs him by the armpits and swims off.