Chapter 4: Wake up

"Kakarot, time to get up." A brash voice spoke alerting him to the notion that sleep was no more a luxury to enjoy.

Groaning, the saiyan warrior lifted himself up from the ground, his arms and bones popping and cracking audibly for all in earshot to hear. "How long?"

"Two hours you prick, now get up." The voice grumbled, "We all can't do easy and fun gigs you know so let's get this over with and find something to eat."

"Yeah, yeah I know Raditz." Kakarot lifted himself up from his improvised sleeping position and up and onto his feet. His eyes still crusted over with desperately needed sleep. Releasing an annoyed grunt he hit at his back in his less than comfortable armor trying to get the unfortunate kink out of his muscles. "So how many more?"

"Eight or nine cities and whatever exists on the outskirts." Raditz said, flipping through the diagnostics on his scouter.

"Really? Fucck that's going to take all damn day to bomb them into nothing." He groaned just wanting to take it easy. "We blew up like half the planet yesterday. How can there be that many left?"

His older brother gave him an annoyed look with his formed widows peak hair sliding backwards down his head and towards the ground. "First off, I did most of the work yesterday. I blew up far more cities than you."

"Well I was trying to find us some good food and a place to sleep. I believe that far trumps any desire to blow the world to high hell before we have a chance to enjoy the work." Kakarot said, stretching his arms around his neck and twisting his body. "Ever since I came from that one planet that became a hot spot for saiyan vacations I got a little spoiled so fight me."

"Ugh, and this is why you don't try and enjoy yourself on worlds like that because all you do is cause more problems in the long term and yes that world is a little fun spot that even mom paid it a visit and told us how much fun she was having it doesn't change the fact that this world needs to be broken." Radtiz cracked his neck. "Now just shut it and get working. I am not going back to father with a delay. We both know how he is."

"Whatever, this doesn't pay nearly enough for us." Kakarot said, floating up into the air looking over the ruined rubble and broken geography marked by huge explosions.

[***]

Withdrawing his foot from a particularly fat bug head, Kakarot released a groan as his face equally grimaced having stained his one clean boots with the dark liquid that passed for blood for these freaks.

None of that honeyed iron, no this was equivalent to a well maintained sewer bile flowing through the veins of these creatures. It was all terrible.

But as he tried to scrape away the juices covering his boots on the ground his scouter blipped in message. "Works about over little brother, the sanitation teams are going to be sent in shortly so wrap it up."

"About damn time, I swear this stench is going to linger on my footwear for weeks." Kakarot groaned as he continued to scrape away the blood in the dirt which stubbornly refused to let go.

"Meet you at our ships, hurry up I want to get some rest in before we get sent back out." Radtiz said ending the communication line. Perhaps more so eager to piss away their money on something pleasurable before being thrown back into the workforce again and again.

Just as he began to lift off the ground a voice called out to him. "Your death will be more than satisfying you beast." It paused Kakarot he turned his head towards his shoulder towards the somehow still alive monstrosity. Still he didn't bother speaking as the creature was missing a part of its torso and arm but still very much alive. "You are nothing but prey yourselves no matter how strong you think you are. The weak become stronger, it just takes time and then they will fulfill the role of the monsters you have become."

Kakarot had heard this so many times before. It was always the final peace of mind death speech that happened. It was almost comical. "You haven't been the first to say that, nor will it be the last, so can just skip with the whole metaphors and meanings parts of you pathetically cursing me in your final moments or do you have something more to add other than this common I curse you melancholy you weaklings preach?"

The injured creature just spat out bile from its mouth, "It only shows how little you understand, because I will torment you the same as you have us and all of your glory and pride shall be wrought by your actions and I hope you will feel that anguish and pain that all of us have lived even more and by-'' his entire stomach exploded as the saiyan held up his hand aimed towards him. "talk , talk, talk, that's all those tropes ever do."

It was just never ending with them. Jumping into the air he was eager to slate some of his boredom. Kakarot broke through a series of buildings using only his forward momentum, shattering several floors upon impact and causing the rest to fall to the ground in a massive cascade of debris. It just felt so flat, a bunch of grotesque looking humanoid bug people just didn't have that same visceral feeling that reminded him of all that fun he had years past just didn't seem to really lift him out of his stupor.

Seemingly more like a depressed or tired soldier Kakarot just blasted apart an entire section of the city with his hand pointed towards the side. "None of it feels good." He lamented with a dejected sigh.

His mind going back to those glorious days back on that green and blue planet. No one reacted to the presence of a saiyan conqueror arriving to destroy their world. All of those creatures resemble saiyans in shape but not in hairstyle nor in strength. They all looked dumbfounded, staring at him, holding up small gray bricks to then stare at him more as he exited his spaceship. Was this planet so backwards that they didn't even know what he was?

But who was it for him to question a species that was unable to see what he was. So he merely held up his hand and began to charge his ki in his palm, and yet so many stood there watching him. Trying to understand him and others with a sense of survival jumped and ran in vain.

He blew apart the first city with a brilliant flash; it was almost beautiful as he looked at the clean devastation, broadening the clear blue sky with the mushroom cloud in the distance.. Jumping from city to city he traveled at first encountering what was supposed to be warriors. They tried to use simple projectiles to bring him down. At best they were like flecks of sand trying to break steel. They were simply bodies and he broke them apart with his fists. Turning their transports into compact scrap with their crews inside with his bare hands.

Only until they started firing those really big shells the size of their ships did things get more interesting, then they filled the air with all kinds of missiles and rockets showering the entire location in a deluge of primitive explosives. He actually felt safe enough to start having fun, dodging one after another, punching and kicking anything that was close enough. Their explosive charges had no real effect as they broke apart under his fists.

Following what was nothing short of a pleasant afternoon blowing up ships, crunchy the 'humans' as they referred to themselves. Their world was such an experience, dining upon the locals food at leisure and their local populace of women.

So many spirited individuals, there was some large behemoth who thought his bulk would outmatch him. His axe and horned helmet meant to intimidate but was stopped with his bare hands. Shouting some indignation telling him that he was nothing more than a barbarian and that he would see him dead.

He crushed his fists and then his head in short order. Even if he had been weak, the man had some spirit, not even begging for mercy up until the end. It was respect that he had earned despite being so pathetically weak.

Then he was surprised once again by battling an old man. Nimble despite his years.

"You don't have to cause so much pain. All of this needless suffering is pointless!"

"Pointless? What point is there in life if you can not enjoy the suffering in your foes? The universe is built around suffering. Whether it is caused by another or by your own life itself that's all there is! High points and low points and this is going to be your lowest point in your long life, old man." Kakarot mocked him as he flew forwards and battered him aside with a harsh backhand. He was sent skidding along the ground before rolling up into a more protective posture until Kakarot was already on top of him before he'd blinked.

"Even if you don't believe in peace or calm, it doesn't require you to torment others. What have they done to you? If they had wronged you or your family then I might have a reason as to why but you are merely a sadist enjoying the sharp pains of others. What do you have to live for if not the pain and misfortune of others?"

There was nothing but a condescending laugh from Kakarot. "Because in these moments I feel like the ones who beat me down, who put me in my place. For but a brief few moments I get to show you exactly how it is to be like me." He punched into his weak guard and it sent the old man flying through a tree then into a pile of broken stone which exploded as he bounced up into the air.

"Who are the weak to tell the strong what is right and what is wrong? This life is nothing but the survival of the fittest. The strong take and the weak die and that's all there is!" Kakarot appeared in the air to drop a hard double handle slam into his opponent making a thunderous crash as he impacted into the ground.

Appearing once again as the beaten old man lifted himself up and out of the ground for more abuse Kakarot just sneered. "Maybe when you're strong you can tell me what to do, but it won't be in this life."

"S-S-So for… for all your strength. Y-You are nothing more than a victim yourself, I-I I pity you. I pity your whole existence for one blessed with so much potential to be squandered like this."

Kakarot slammed his head down into the ground with his boot causing him to scream in pain. "You don't get to pity me you helpless weakling! You are nothing, just like every other single one of your kind. You get to die and rot in the ground all because of your stupid weakness! There's nothing special about you, you didn't do anything for that weak girl you saved, she'll live to die just like you for a few more minutes!"

He still tried to speak to open his mouth but Kakarot drove his foot into the old man's back cracking it and having his voice echo out into the wilds as he screamed in pain until finally crushing what was left of his body and likely his spirit in the process. But he didn't break, he didn't beg for mercy. That old man just died with some dignity although pointlessly.

It was one of those moments he didn't get to reflect on. Trying to understand those anomalies that occurred but was impossible for how could he reason with a weakling trying to pity him?

The sheer idea was nonsensical but it was hard to just ignore as he had never had such an experience before. Moving to die only to say he pitied him? What kind of race did something like that?

[***]

The return home was the first real piece of rest he and his brother had managed since their tours began. Culling the world's population centers by massive amounts in such a short order was taxing even on a saiyan. The lack of any proper enjoyment whether it be through real combat or the world being some bountiful planet to actually enjoy were the only reasons to pause.

It was also the reason why he had been so hung up on that previous world's purge. It had become something of a saiyan vacation ground.

A world filled with screaming masses closely resembling saiyans that were impressively weak and pathetic but put up a fight much like the Tuffles had at the dawn of the saiyan empire. So the world had become a small stress relief and past time for saiyans to visit. Of course the planet wasn't very hospitable anymore. A massive explosive barrage had ignited a firestorm that bid them retreat or suffer from chemical fallout. A less than glorious end for a warrior and even less that they return home with deformities that would derive them as outcasts and pariahs on their own world.

Of course even as the ships broke into the sub sector of their empire Kakarot was not graced with the peaceful rest he had been hoping for. But neither was it a nightmare.

Inside of the training halls, those that scoured the many saiyan communal barracks that lower class saiyans were forced to share until their standing improved or they died, Kakarot saw an approaching female.

"Just who the hell are you? I don't recognize that they sent a woman to live down here with us?" Kakarot felt apprehension as most saiyan men would, it wasn't uncommon for stronger females to steal from those weaker than them if not outright deceive those living together as a means of taking what minor possessions they had to get better food or just outright greed, wealth and power did go hand in hand.

While having a female of your own was seen as honorable and praised by all saiyans until they were fully claimed, most men would be wary to trust any female without knowing them. It wouldn't be the first time a rival would use means other than sheer power to get revenge upon a party who had wronged them. Justifiable or not.

"I was assigned here, what's your problem see an attractive woman and suddenly you have to be all scared, what kind of shit is up your ass?" The woman's face was hard to picture, but she had a solid physique, a light bleached skin appearance, this female did not get a lot of sunlight or had been sent into dark sectors. However they had a nice athletic figure, a generous pair of round tits, a noticeable four pack of abs, and a nice array of smoothed spiky hair that fell around their head. Ignoring the scars on her arm that showed an obvious stint in the rejuvenation tank she wasn't one who seemed to be outclassing him.

"Pft, you speak so highly of yourself now who the hell are you?" Kakarot wasn't distracted; he kept his focus on her. He wasn't going to be tricked or taken advantage of by anyone even if he wanted to bang them.

"I am Milk and don't you start with a snicker or i'll put this fist right up your ass and pull your tongue out your body from there." She barked back at him angrily.

This earned a chuckle out of Kakarot as she certainly had some bark but did she have any bite? "Well let's just see if you can back up such a claim." Flipping on the colored eye piece the screen flickered but as he tried to focus on the number he was unable to read it. "So you're not a complete waste it seems."

"A waste? Hah, a waste would be dealing with someone like you. Probably the type that can't acquire a real female and resorts to taking whatever shit holes he can plug on the world's he purges?"

Straight for his pride again. But there was only so much disrespect one could handle.

He threw the first punch but she blocked it. A cocky grin on her lips, "Ooh such a widdle boy can't handle the truth? It's why you are like this, no wonder your brother keeps you around to make himself look better."

It was infuriating as Kakarot tried his best to assault her, but she blocked them without responding in turn. Each act that held him back further only seemed to make the world grow slower.

Until she reacted and then caught his wrist and pinned him up against the wall. Maintaining the largest grin possible. "You seem to think you are actually strong here?" She pinned him further with one knee placed right into his crotch. If he wanted a super power smashing experience she was more than capable of delivering and he wasn't able to resist. Milk just leaned into him closer, her face was just out of reach of a proper head but. "It's been awhile since you've been dominated yourself little boy?"

With his situation he tried to picture an out, he couldn't spit back vitriol without being crushed in the most delicate of male weaknesses. "I'd even venture to guess you like it a little much don't you little boy?" Her demeaning teasing only brought out a slight flush to his face as she kept him pinned up against the wall.

"Do you want me to rape you here and now, force you to the ground and take you and then just as you're about to cum i'll watch your seed spittle all over the ground just like a proper weak saiyan?" She snapped her head forwards just off to the side of his chin. Her long tongue slipping out and drawing a short like of his sweaty skin. "That's what you want, admit it little boy?"

"Never-!" She then hit him and as he opened his mouth to scream-

Kakarot's eyes popped open, his mind returning to the world free of dreams for a moment as he blinked several times. Quickly realizing that he had been having a very vivid dream. "Fuck me." He spoke into his respirator device before pulling it off.

With a hiss the ship's hatch popped open and out came the blistering heat and bite of planet Vegeta-sei. A tepid heat wave already boiling the air as soon as it kissed his face along with the pressures of the world's denser gravity.

Pulling himself out of the cramped pod Kakarot saw his brother already cracking his back as he tried to relieve the newfound pressures on their spines and bones. "Alright the old man is waiting, come on."

Duty never ending, hopefully there would be a lul in the fighting for at least a little bit. They'd been 'home' for maybe a week in the past six months.

Kakarot was dying to not be doing some mundane planet purging assignments and actually get proper training in or maybe a real gig. Some actual fighting, some real saiyan blood rushing work.

Taking off together the two made their way towards their parents' dwelling. A second class housing, just a step above their communal living quarters but only that they didn't have to share everything.

The sprawling housing docks had expanded over the years as the need for more and more warriors pushed the empire to embrace reproduction rates. Of course that was primarily for the fodder, 2nd and third class saiyans were in abundance, and no matter their numbers it wouldn't tip the scales against the hierarchy of the planet, challenging 1st, elite and super elite saiyans would mean a hundred, a thousand, and tens of thousands of saiyans to even dream challenging their authority.

'Plus with all of us so busy fighting over the scraps from their tables it's not like we wouldn't shove a dagger in each others back if it meant we got something in return.' Kakarot lamented in his head as they passed over the numerous districts, foods of a regimented kind being produced. Protein bars, refurbished water, and highly salted foods designed to use said water.

It was nothing but dull, bland, manufactory food. No spice, taste or flavor. And that was on every third class plate. Unlike his father and mother who had earned their promotion to 2nd class they enjoyed real meat, real fruit, real vegetables that were cooked and grown.

Nothing he could earn anytime soon.

Both of them touched down on the shallow porch landing pad that was enough to fit a single space pod. The two brothers approached the metal doors linking to the outside with pressurized seals.

Raditz knocked first with a heavy hand. No point in yelling as no sound would get through but the force of his blows did.

A familiar striking pattern and known cadence was heard and the door released a hiss as it popped open and let both of them inside. The door sealed as Kakarot punched the button instantly gracing the two with a drop in temperature from sweltering to calm.

"No one is dead correct?" A female voice shouted out at them.

"Unless you took a spread no, both of your sons are alive mother. Which if I might ask how did your trip go?" Raditz said taking a seat on a hard chair in the small living space. Their dearest Gine had wanted to stretch her legs and ever since their people had heard about his younger brothers exploits and the fun had on his little mud ball assignment it became a hot topic amongst those wishing to have a nice bit of fun.

"It was quite enjoyable, although they didn't have quite the same level of quality that Kakarot explained to me." Gine came out wearing her teal training clothes and white boots. "They've actually got fighters sprouting up on that world. Of course they were nothing compared to your birth parent but there was a particularly vicious little female that killed two other saiyans that were with the group and nearly got a third until I stopped her." Gine released a disappointed sigh. "Unfortunately that saiyan was owed a favor by your father so I had to cut my trip short and get him home. Even still there were so many squishy humans that were so fanatical in their survival I was almost impressed. They were to the point of complete suicide blowing up themselves and their buildings in any manner to stop us."

Kakarot took a seat at the small dining area. His mind was already intrigued by the revelation, "Are you sure that was the same planet? I don't recall anything of any measurable scale existing on that world that would even be considered to be a threat aside from their bombs that reshaped the world's geography when I was there."

She gave him a glare that he held his hands showing he didn't want to fight over it. "You can look at the casualty log for those that didn't come back if you believe me a liar but I promise you a thorough ass whopping if you say it to my face again."

Raditz snorted in amusement. "I for one believe you mother but what kind of fighters are there? It's pretty interesting that a world would be able to spawn anything capable of killing saiyans in such short order."

Gine let her gaze fall to her eldest spawn, "Well the majority of them were fodder, I would say less than a fraction of a fraction would be able to take a single punch from a normal saiyan, however most of them were able to fly with technology and used weapons similar to the tuffles with all of that heated energy crap from blasters. But that female was tenacious, she had a fake arm, one that I believe caught off guard many of those weak as she almost crushed that 3rd fool's throat before I stopped her. But she also could utilize our similar ki style attacks and she threw one hell of a bang at me although it was futile. I commend her efforts, but even more so she lived when I hit her full force. I'm certain I destroyed some of her organs in the process but she didn't die outright."

"So you let her live then?" Kakarot queried, rocking back in his chair.

She sighed, "Not by choice another bald human appeared and blinded me with some ability that still has me seeing spots occasionally. But he wasn't strong enough to hurt me, he tried to cut me but even without my sight I could hear him trying some technique. But I was a tad furious and just bombarded the area. My scouter showed that females power level disappear from detection, not death so I'm certain she was rescued or escaped and with that after killing some thousands more of those squishy humans I took that broken saiyan and left. I was more than annoyed that I let them get the better of me even a little bit." Shaking her head disappointed that even while trying to relax she was just disappointed that some pitiful weakings had even slightly gotten a victory over her.

"But how would rate that world, did it at least live up to the review I gave it?" Kakarot asked wondering if the world really had been the fun knockout experience he had previously. Partially because he wanted to justify his own experience that he hadn't had a fluke of a time and if it was still good enough for a return trip.

"I would give it a pass, the humans there were amusing, the food was a little blander than what you said but I can assume that to be the case given the levels of dangerous radiation scattered pockmarked throughout the planet and the appearance of capable fighters means its worthy of a return, of course given they are killing third classes I doubt there will be a lul in saiyans wanting to prove their mettle in the future."

Before further discussion devolved the door not from the balcony was opened and in walked the spitting image of Kakarot's birth parent. "Mate!" Gine shouted happily jumping up from her seat and rushing over to her child sire. Both of them embraced with Bardock saying little instead just kissing her as she openly pleaded for his affections. Not that he wanted to deny her anyway. "The boys are here as well, how did everything go on your mission?" She asked eagerly, waiting to hear of his exploits.

"A mission? Well that's surprising." Raditz perked up as his father walked in with their mother glued to his side. He could already smell the lingering sweat and blood that no shower could wash away. His old man had been in a fight and his own mother was hot and horny for juicy details. Not that it bothered him as any saiyan relationship was bonded over three things.

"Yep, we had a small faction decide to rebel with some slaves in the back sectors. Myself and my team went on in to try and exterminate the threat before it became an issue, however as we arrived an entire ship had begun to break atmosphere and we were in no position to jump back to orbit as we were attacked before the doors even opened up.

Kakarot and Raditz knew that business well, second class saiyans got more proper saiyan jobs, the ones that both of them would eagerly sign up for once promoted in rank. "Shockingly enough they had several traitors amongst their midst, a second, a third, and an unranked."

"Unranked?"

"Yeah, no one knows how strong that saiyan was, but given he fled from our team I would say a second class. They left behind some pitiful slaves and basic rabel that tried to slow us down which they managed for a bit. By then it was already too late for us to try and manage a pursuit given our space pods were fueled for the present mission and very little for us to pursue beyond a single sector."

The regulating fuel pods prevented further cantankerous uprisings from following, the dynasty from years past knew that limiting one's ability to speak in person and travel freely limited rebellions. With scouters monitored and recorded saying anything over open com lines could be a death sentence upon touchdown anywhere with saiyans.

"So where does that leave the mission then old man?" Kakarot asked as his father took a seat with Gine sitting in his lap. His hand caressing her tail as she nuzzled into his chin approvingly. He gave both of his sons a knowing smirk. "You see that's some good news, you boys will have your shot at a promotion as those three traitors have a bounty worthy of a full promotion."

Both brothers looked at each other, "But of course that's limited time and it's also a shotgun in the dark because we can't track their ship. Some psychic interference bull shit has been occurring and I can't elaborate on the technical crap either. So the faster you both go out and find them the faster you can have your own home and stop stinking up mine."

Even if they had just returned home a promotion was worth both of them running out of the place and heading back to their pods. Second class, a room for a mate, better food, and better missions… It was everything a third class truly wanted. They just had to get lucky.

R&R