The Saiyan Pods were often located in the hangar bay. A sprawling mass of land that stretched across, it was a common area for Saiyans after a long and exhausting mission to land in the bay and dock their ships, allowing the technicians to check the Pods for stability or any damage to its infrastructure or otherwise. The Saiyan Pods, built and provided by the Planet Trade Organization, was a innovative vehicle that protected the individual within from the outside currents. The sturdy metal was specifically designed to withstand extreme pressure and in a somewhat smaller scale, damage from an outside force of attack, physical or energy, from an enemy. Inside, there were also various built in features that would assist those within the Pods. The Pods themselves had a scanner akin to the scouters that the race of the Saiyans relied on, allowing them to analyze power designations and heat signatures in the specific location they were landing to better decide a course to land.

The Saiyan Army had virtually relied on these Pods for a lone mission or group task. As the Pods themselves were specifically built to allow for a Saiyan to carry the vehicle, being both lightweight and sturdy, it was a force to be reckoned with. A state of the art tool to allow the Saiyans to prove their superiority over the universe.

Located westside from the Main Hall, various technicians focused their work as they pointed and directed the pods departing as they blasted off, chatting idly as they watched those departing and entering the bay.

The technicians consisted of largely lower class Saiyans as well, as those unfit for the lifestyle and without the aptitude for combat were given these roles. [1]

Atihoka was one of these from the rank and file. However, his life particularly remained the same. With his meager battle power of a 1000, he was forced out of the Army as his crew was killed in a failed mission to overtake the planet of Sciza. He had been one of the only survivors of the engagement with the civilization.

It had not been his fault. The higher class who was assigned to lead his group had miscalculated the power levels and the force of the entire army. He had been certain, analyzing above with their pods before they touched down on the planet.

The first miscalculation, and his last.

As soon as they touched down on the planet. They had been directly ambushed. The beings power level had somehow shot up over 3000. Far above their powers combined, and with such an aggressive assault, they could not make a Power Ball, one of the few primary tactics that allowed them access to their Great Ape form.

Atihoka had barely managed to gather his bearings, his bloodied and beaten body, and what had been him out, and could only watch as the rest of his team were killed.

The mission briefing as he returned was short, but swift. The Saiyan Army had discharged him, and he was disgraced.

The former Saiyan warrior of sixty years old watches as those of his younger kin, male and female alike, retrieve a pod, leaving and descending back down on their home. The next Saiyan, twenty four, she seems to be, glances down at him within her pod with an indifferent expression, but Atihoka could see the clear lust for battle in her eyes, in the eyes of those departing or returning, and the craving for battle even long after their mission was a success.

He glances to make sure that she would not hit any of her peers during her departure. When he was satisfied, he waved a hand, and she was off.

"Atihoka."

He glances over to his right. "Bursel. What's up?"

Bursel had been his companion in the role of technicians for the army for over a decade now, as he was ejected from the Army for a similar manner following a failed mission to Garant.

He's decent company if anything. Compared to anyone else around here, he supposes, that he was far the only amicable company as many of their race tended to ignore them. Watching those of his race leave and return was a mind numbing boredom that would drain oneself out.

Bursel was far younger than him however, only just twenty. His hair was cropped short and clean shaven face, compared to his own mustache and dark hair which was beginning to slightly whiten and gray. "Nothing really. Haven't you heard?"

Atihoka glanced up for a moment, waving his hand to signal the next Saiyan inside the pod, but holding up the hand at the last second, his eyes narrowing as he inspected the pod's surface. His brows furrowed in on themselves as he concentrated, his focus solely on the pod. Shaking his head, he spoke up the next Saiyan in line, a thirty something. He wasn't going to remember each face anyway, why bother? Heaving the broken Pod over his shoulder, he tossed it aside. "Dented. Take the next one."

Turning back to his companion, he spoke up once more. "Sorry. What you were saying?"

Bursel nodded, adjusting his shoulder pads. "Bardock and his team returned from Imhotep."

Atihoka glanced at the pods returning, gesturing them to land slowly. "Really? Mission success?"

"Yep. Heard he went back home, to Gine, at least from what I've heard."

What did he expect? Bardock was one of their kin who had always succeeded. No matter how difficult or even the environment proved a hazard, Bardock refused to back down from a mission. Any Saiyan wouldn't. Their pride was far more important to them. How could they call themselves the strongest force in the universe?

But what made Bardock stand out and special was that Bardock was an abnormality. Oh. He didn't hate Bardock. Bardock was actually one of the few ones who he could at least settle down with a glass to and actually talk instead of being an asswipe every five seconds. Bardock had developed quite a reputation amongst their race, and for quite a varying reasons.

The first being was his rate of success on missions. Even Mid class Saiyans had some level of failure on a mission, regarding the information on the planet they were able to glean. But not Bardock. His rate of success in missions was about 98% percent. That was far above the current team that consisted of high class in their ranks, that had about a 93% rate of success.

The second had been Bardock's unorthodoxy, in regards to their teammates. Whenever a mission went haywire, or even a fellow Saiyan was in danger, Bardock, for some inexplicable reason that even he didn't understand, attempted to save them at the cost of being severely wounded himself. It had not been just in their ranks. Even Bardock had risked his own safety as a compromise for those of his allies. Even if they were complete and utter assholes.

He himself had questioned Bardock on this before he had departed for Imhotep, but Bardock simply responded by shrugging his shoulders, taking a sip, and stated he couldn't bear to see a member of their race die in failure. Live to fight another day.

That trait, even some of those in the Mid class, had gained Bardock a fair deal of popularity amongst their ranks, and in a lesser degree, even the high class and Royal Bloodline.

That led to one of the final reasons why Bardock was popular amongst them. Turles.

Turles was Bardock's half brother, and for whatever reason, decided to unveil himself as so. His betrayal of the Army had turned heads and eyes, as Turles had been a Mid Rank, and had suddenly abandoned the Army. There was only a letter that Bardock himself had found, along with a bloodied room. No reason given.

Turles had been one of the few traitors since they had seized for control since the Tuffles.

Bardock had been far taken in for questioning and if he had any possible connection to Turles. After over a long week, Bardock was released, though wary gazes followed the man whenever he walked or flew through the Main Hall or elsewhere.

He ran a hand through his face. Why does everything connected to Bardock has to bring attention to him? He stated he doesn't care about the given attention, but everything about him has to somehow attract that level of attention to him.

When Bursel had brought up Gine, it was another factor that was… well, embarrassing, to say the least. As far as Saiyan mates went, the parents simply had split off after they had conceived a child. Whether that child had a high enough battle power to make the cut into the Army was a different matter altogether. Both male and females of their race had split off following conception. Their progeny's fates were left in the hands of the planet they were sent off to conquer.

Bardock unlike all of their race, was far different. Instead of splitting off with Gine following Raditz, he chose to remain with her. Such it was outside the typical procedures that it was a rare occurrence. Bardock however, for whatever reason altogether, remained with his mate. That had stunned him and perhaps most among their ranks. Not only that, he had remained to make sure Raditz had at least grown up, before departing back off after his temporary release from the Army.

He remembered teasing Bardock about it. Oh, what fun it was! Tora and Shugesh were laughing, and Bardock responded by flipping the bird at them.

It had only been him and Gine. Him, Gine…

Paragus.

He watched the skies above, far above the atmosphere, as if he could physically see the man. The rumors spread amongst the ranks of the lower class populace, where they spoke in hushed tones of him, his departure, and his son, Broly.

Unlike Turles, there was no bounty put on his head. But he and the rest of their brethren knew that if Paragus and his son were found remotely on the planet of Vampa, rumored to be nothing but a desolate wasteland of beasts and other monsters. Adding alongside this was the lack of any materials of any substantial value along with being inhospitable, and the planet provided nothing.

Atihoka, if he was fairly being honest, wouldn't exactly say he missed Paragus out loud, because that itself was enough grounds for an execution if the higher ranks got to hear those words of the "traitorous Saiyan", but Paragus was perhaps the only one of Bardock, Gine, and a couple of others who were a fair decent company.

Both he and his son were exiled; well, Broly was. Paragus technically left. But that was enough for the Army to understand that if he and Broly were on the offchance they were ever found, to be executed for treason.

Running a hand through his hair, he watched as the last batches of Pods shuttle off above the planet and beyond, and the number returned dwindling down to nothing but a sliver.

"Well, that's the last of them. Want to grab a drink at the Main Hall?"

"Wait, what about the broken Pod?"

He glanced over at it. "We can bring it down to the workshop later." He might get chewed out about it, but he was beyond caring and couldn't give a flying fuck. It wasn't as if they were going title him a traitor for it. Besides, he himself had already done this before.

"Sure."

The two technicians flew up, launching themselves away from the bay where they would depart to the Main Hall.

Neither had noticed the figure above watching them.

Oh, his thoughts were easy to read. Mind reading was simply one of his favorite abilities. Whis had tried to erase him, but not even Angels, for all their vast powers, as the children of the Grand Priest himself, were immune to this. They could erase and clear their minds, but their strategies, the slightest movements of their staves, were all an indication of what he knew what they would do next.

The life of a low class Saiyan was far easy to read, and far more interesting. Prestige, wealth, and power were what was given to the Royal Family Bloodline. Dating far back to King Vegeta's own father, and his father, and the next.

Atihoka's, the Saiyan whose life was set to be nothing more than a technician... His thoughts were also interesting to read. Paragus was about as young, young as the other Paragus's.

He stood, unconsciousness threatening to consume him. His body badly spent and damaged. But he could not fall.

The monster in front of him cackled; a hulking figure of muscle, his blank eyes staring at his prey, a smile splitting his face in two, before lunging forward.

He attempted to dodge, and was rewarded with such as the fist swinging past empty air, only for the beast of a monster to slam his fist to the side of his head. Immediately, blood poured down his head, and he very nearly blacked out, hearing the cries of his comrades, falling face forward into the earth of the doomed planet beneath him.

Why...? Why?! Why wouldn't Vegeta give him his energy?! Why?!

The man stumbled shakily to his feet once more, hearing the snarls and grunts of the beast before him. The smile dipped down into anger and fury, his prey, the man he despised with his entire being, would not go down.

"VEGETA! GIVE ME YOUR ENERGY! NOW!"

The man screamed in desperation for not himself, but for his comrades, the galaxy, and the entire universe.

Son Goku only watched as the devil himself came charging at him once more.

"Damn you! Fine then! But finish him off... FINISH HIM OFF, KAKAROT! FINISH HIM OFF FOR GOOD!"

He's so goddamn frightening, but he's a complete idiot.

He brushed those memories of another timeline aside. Hearing that Broly scream Son Goku's Saiyan name over and over was far grating on his nerves, and he swore he was getting a migraine by the time New Vegeta was near destruction when Goku and his friends were beaten to a bloody pulp.[2]

Oh, maybe he was playing favorites when he saw the lives of lower class Saiyans, but the higher class lived the life of their expectations set. They would not change themselves, far believing that their power bequeathed to them would allow them to coast on that natural raw power.

Watching the majestic castle, he let a smile form on his lips.

King Vegeta would be proud of what his son was now. Queen Vegeta would be as well.

It's time they were given a reality check amongst lower ranks when he would introduce them to the son of Bardock and Gine.

I'm not dead. Just in a state of limbo.

[1]- For those who are still confused to what I'm referring to, I am referring to the technicians who worked on the Saiyan Pods and shuttles in the DBS Broly movie as they are shown briefly when Paragus departed to retrieve Broly from Vampa. Since the Saiyan Army has different roles and jobs to even remotely be a functioning society, they would have at least had to assign those like Gine, who they deemed unfit for combat, to the roles of tech specialists. Just a simple expansion of the Saiyan lore and shouldn't be anything confusing. Also, I hope it also gives you guys a hint on how the Saiyans functioned during the time. And another OC shoved in to represent how lower class Saiyans lived. Expect a lot of them.

[2]-Just also slightly mocking Z Broly. I don't hate him, for those that do prefer his Z incarnation over his DBS one. And also a reference that Z Broly is from a different timeline and DBZ Abridged.

Also, just want to put this out: For those who would request Episode of Bardock, I will not take the request. Why? Because initially in my younger years, I liked the OVA, now in retrospect, that special spits on the Legend of the Super Saiyan folklore and contradicts established lore. I still hold a special place for it, but it does not and will not fit within the continuity of the timeline. Here's a comment from a reviewer on a anime review site that perfectly sums up my thoughts on why Episode of Bardock does not fit within continuity and why I will not be including it, with added changes of mine:

The original Z Bardock special (and by extension DBS Minus) emphasized how ordinary and insignificant Bardock is. Although granted the power to see the future in the original Bardock story, he dies in both original Bardock special and DBS Minus while having no impact whatsoever. He wasn't the hope to save the Saiyan race from Frieza; he did want to save his race but the point is that WAS NOT the savior, he never was. As a result, he was an ordinary individual who strived to make a change but accomplished nothing. In a franchise of extraordinary individuals, Bardock is effectively special by not being special. Episode of Bardock completely strips this tragic tale that the original Bardock special established.

Rather than die by the hands of Frieza, Bardock is transported to the past, without explanation, to the origin planet of the Saiyans where Frieza's ancestor, Lord Chilled, rules. The whole scenario comes off as contrived with no basis for how the time travel occurred or why exactly Bardock landed on that particular planet. However, Xenoverse 2 does somewhat explain this by having Towa pull some strings to make sure Bardock miraculously survives Frieza's Death Ball and is transported to the past.

The OVA attempts to build a relationship between Bardock and some child inhabitant of the planet, but this relationship involves nothing more than the child providing Bardock with food. That the child's injury is the main catalyst in Bardock's transformation into a Super Saiyan is downright ludicrous. Yes. He transforms in anger at the death of Tora, Fasha, Shugesh, and Borgos, but the main issue here is that the child, Berry, who Bardock "befriends" is the main catalyst, as Bardock is noticeably horrified, the reaction is the main trigger.

While Goku and Vegeta required utmost training and psychological pressure to transform, Bardock achieves this with no training, talent, or potent stimulus. The S Cells explanation simply does not excuse the reason why either, which I will get into later.

The weight of the Super Saiyan transformation is lost completely in this special, becoming merely a convenient tool for Bardock to overcome Lord Chilled. There are no impressive fight tactics or meaningful plot developments in the entirety of this special.

Given no meaningful characterization, the entire OVA comes off as an attempt to make Bardock special for the mere fact that he's Goku's father in the most uninspired fashion possible while stripping away the tragedy of the original Bardock special. Bardock is special because he was entirely different from the typical Saiyan traits of loving to fight and battle. Bardock did exhibit those traits but also cared deeply for his comrades and family as established in both original Bardock special and DBS Minus. He stood out from the typical Saiyan because of those traits alone and died for it. That was what made him special.

Episode of Bardock attempts to make him special simply because he parallels Goku's Super Saiyan transformation against a member of Frieza's race. Because as the saying goes: "like father, like son", except that doesn't work on a fundamental level when you break it down piece by piece. Goku turns Super Saiyan in rage at Krillin's death, who was his childhood best friend. On top of that, Frieza has destroyed an uncountable number of lives and took great pleasure in doing so, showing no remorse. Goku cared about innocent lives against those who would take their safety and freedom away and could not fight back, showing no repentance for what they did. Bardock didn't. He only cared about his family and race, except that one time where he spared Granolah and his mother. Beyond that, Bardock's capacity for compassion is strictly based on Gine's influence on him. Gine acts as Bardock's sole anchor to his levels of compassion. If Gine wasn't there or her influence, then Bardock would have been any other Saiyan.

To make matters worse, the special heavily contradicts the Dragon Ball canon. At the end of the special, an attempt to tie to the canon is made when Lord Chilled is determined to warn his successors about Bardock the Super Saiyan. However, this idea fails both in regards to Dragon Ball's time travel mechanics and the clues about the origin of the Super Saiyan provided in the series. Firstly, Dragon Ball's time travel operates under parallel universes, by which traveling to the past doesn't affect the present an individual came from but instead forms a new timeline. Any changes made to the past affects the new timeline, but the original is left unchanged. This was established by Future Trunks in Z when he explains the concept of timelines to the Z Fighters. Consequently, Episode of Bardock makes no sense as the reason Frieza feared the Super Saiyans. The current timeline would be unaffected and thus the time travel could not serve as the reason for Frieza's destroying of the Saiyan race and fear of the potential Saiyans could have. Furthermore, the term Super Saiyan wasn't mentioned in the special at all, so it would be implausible for Chilled to spread this term to his descendants. As Saiyans hadn't existed at the time, there would be no way for Chilled's descendants to recognize them, and the Saiyans wouldn't be aware of this legend if it arose from Chilled. This goes against not only Frieza but also the Saiyans themselves holding notions about the legendary Super Saiyan. The special also makes it appear that Bardock is the actual original Super Saiyan, but this fails as it was said the Saiyan in legend was said to have become a Super Saiyan in his transformed state (as a Great Ape/Oozaru) by Vegeta, and later established in Battle of Gods to be Yamoshi, who was stated to be the original Super Saiyan and Super Saiyan God.

Unless you want me to really pull some timeline hijinks and make it so that the Episode of Bardock's Bardock is from another timeline, then sure, that is possible, but otherwise, that would be needlessly complicated, and this reaction story is already complicated enough as it is. I might do it if I get enough requests, but I will not be doing it if NO ONE requests it.

Again, I do not hate Episode of Bardock. In fact, I far prefer the Z Bardock over his DBS counterpart. It's that with the established material from Super, Bardock being the original Super Saiyan is simply not possible. It was already contradicted back in Z when Vegeta spoke about the original Super Saiyan who could only maintain the transformation in a Great Ape form and he died, taking the legend with him. Bardock didn't die at the end of Episode of Bardock as far as I can see.