Rescue

Vegeta opened his eyes. 'Where am I? ' he thought to himself. It seemed so peaceful. Was he in heaven? No. Vegeta doubted it. How could he be after whatever he had done in his life. He tried to move, to speak but wasn't able to. All he could do was just stare at the dome-like ceiling above him. Nothing else.
Vegeta gathered his energy around him. Like how he would when charging an attack, with all of his strength, the Saiyan prince turned his neck to see.
'What? ' There were a couple of Namekian kids outside the door, looking inside a pot on a stove they had lit.
Vegeta could also smell something. The prince wrinkled up his nose in disgust.
'Absolute madness! Are they cooking that to eat?!'

Lindu and Paindu sat patiently around the pot. Paindu stirred the contents with his spoon. "Looks like our fish curry is just about ready."

Lindu nodded. As he glanced inside their house he was startled. "Oh my God! Paindu! Look! "
Paindu turned around. His eyes widened when he saw what Lindu was pointing at.
The alien was awake.
Paindu gulped. "Man. He looks so scary when not asleep."
Lindu seemed overly eager. "I have got to inform the others! "
Paindu grabbed his friend's hand, stopping him. "No, not yet. I want you to help with our fish curry first. Go get me some green chillies," he said, using the spoon to drop some curry on his palm and tasting it. "Yes. Just as I thought, it's still not spicy enough. "
Lindu seemed horrified. "Are you crazy?! You are going to give all of us a diarrhoea, Paindu! Add the chillies to your own plate as much as you want!"
Vegeta turned his head the other way, the smell of the food these little slugs were cooking was sickening. Fish! Who in the world would eat fish of all people!? ...Besides Raditz...
As Vegeta pondered on his situation he began to remember the events that had took place before he passed out. Yes, he was getting beat by Zarbon. The prince couldn't remember much of the fight as much as he tried but he remembered being slammed down into the namekian soil before going unconscious.

So, apparently, Zarbon had left him for dead and these little kids had brought him here. Foolish kids! Just what did they think they would gain by saving the life of a complete stranger?
Vegeta smirked in his mind. 'A quick and painless end, perhaps.'
Gohan, Yamcha and Krillin sat together inside their makeshift house. In the corner of the room, Dende lay upon a bed they had created for him.
Gohan was watching over Dende with the dorsum of his hand placed upon Dende's forehead. 'Phew! Thank God, his fever's gone down,' he thought to himself.

Krillin was reciting a scripture in the corner while Yamcha was lying on the floor, fast asleep with a book upon his face. The title read 'Money-makers' microhabits: the importance of discipline.' Quite ironic since Yamcha's life was anything but.
Suddenly Gohan panicked. Dende was getting cold. He felt for his wrist. His pulse was gone!
"KRILLIN! YAMCHA! COME HERE! "
"Huh?" Krillin put the scripture on top of a shelf and came running. "What's it, Gohan? "
"I can't feel his pulse anymore! " the boy shouted.
Krillin hurriedly pushed Gohan to the side and grabbed Dende's wrist. "Oh no!"
The bald fighter put both his thumbs on Dende's chest and began to give him thrusts. "Gohan. Check for his pulse! "

Gohan immediately complied, grabbing Dende's wrist and feeling for any pulsations to appear.
Krillin shouted through. "When I say, I want you to give him breaths through his mouth, alright? "
"Right, " Gohan said, nodding.

"1.. 2..3..now! "
Gohan blew his breath inside Dende's mouth at Krillin's command.

Meanwhile, Yamcha had woken up and arrived as well, wide eyed. He too look horrified by the sudden drop in Dende's condition. "Hey! If any of you guys tire out, just let me know, alright? I will take over. "
"Sure, " replied Krillin, sweating.

A couple of tense minutes passed with Krillin providing the thrusts and Gohan giving the breaths.

Gohan's face looked slightly relieved as he felt something. "Hey, Krillin! " he exclaimed. "His pulse is back. "

"It is? " Krillin asked before grabbing Dende's wrist and examining. "Sure is. "

"Thank God! " exclaimed Gohan.
Yamcha looked relieved as well. Sweat shone on his forehead. The scar-faced fighter looked tense as he pondered. "Dende may have survived for now but I think we ought to think of our next course of action, just in case he doesn't."
Krillin looked at his friend. "I don't think there is anything for us to do besides waiting for Goku to show up. It's already been three days since Mr Popo's left, only three more days remain."

Yamcha looked down. "Man. I never thought things would be so bad here when we started our journey, Krillin. "

Krillin looked solemn. "Yeah, me too. But atleast we are alive for now. And I hope the same for Yajirobe as well. "

"Yeah, " replied Yamcha. He shook with fury and regret as he looked down. "I feel so powerless. Yajirobe, we are truly sorry.. "

Yajirobe was currently tied to a chair in a dim-lit room. Yajirobe looked a lot thinner now, his condition having deteriorated by all he had been through since getting kidnapped by Vegeta.
As the door to the room opened and Dodoria approached him once again, Yajirobe's tired expression slowly shifted to one of fury. "How many times do I have to tell ya that I have no idea about the Syanide?! " he shouted.

Dodoria looked startled by the sudden shift in Yajirobe's behaviour. Dodoria rose an eyebrow. "You sure about that? "

Yajirobe grunted. "Of course I am sure! Wouldn't have I gone off the hook by now by telling you about it if I knew!? "

Dodoria for once began to contemplate Yajirobe's statement. Yajirobe indeed had told them something about the location of the Syanide a few times, but each time his answers had been so absurd that it was apparent he had a very less level of interplanetary knowledge.
It had been a whole three days of Dodoria torturing Yajirobe without getting anything useful out of him.
The pink menace walked out of the room.
Yajirobe sighed. His face sombered as he remembered all of the things he had been through. Why did he have to act so brave like he did against Vegeta, back on Earth? Even if he hadn't intervened maybe Krillin and the others would have come up with a way of defeating Vegeta anyways. They always did. But no, he had to act bravado, and now he was paying the price for that.

...

Zarbon was looking at a magazine in his chamber when his door was knocked. The green-haired alien looked at the cctv screen. It was Dodoria.

"Yes, come in, Dodoria, " he said, stuffing the magazine inside his drawer. "The door's open. "

Dodoria walked inside, looking grim.

Zarbon turned his chair around. "So did you find anything useful? "
Dodoria was sweating slightly. "No, I didn't. Zarbon, I don't think the fat man's got any clue about what we are asking him of."

Zarbon smirked. It always amused him when Dodoria of all people referred to their prisoner as 'the fat man. '
Dodoria frowned. "What's there to laugh in it? "

Zarbon waived his hand dismissively. "Oh, nothing. "

Dodoria looked grim. "What are we going to do now? "

Zarbon looked dead serious as he looked Dodoria in the eye. "We kill him. "

Goku and Tien stood with their bags packed at Khami's place waiting for Mr Popo to show up. Chichi, Ox king and Master Roshi were there as well, having come to give them a send-off.
Korin had his arms crossed across his furry chest. "Khami, just how much more time till Popo gets here? "
Khami looked at his antique wrist-watch. "He should be here any minute now."
Goku walked over to his wife. Chichi had their baby, Goten in her arms.
Goku lovingly ruffled Goten's hair. "Just pray that I get back to see him grow up. "
Chichi nodded, though her eyes watered. "You will, God willing. "

"Look! " Master Roshi shouted. "Up there! "

Sure enough, a speck in the sky could be made out. Soon the speck grew larger till they could make out a spaceship. The wind picked up.

Mr Popo smiled as he could see Khami's place approaching. "Ah! Feels so good to be back home! "

The spaceship slowed down as it neared it's landing.
Master Roshi and Goku looked solemnly. Roshi's beard and Goku's hair shook from the wind generated from the spaceship's landing.

Tien looked with his brows furrowed. "It's time. "

Goku gave his wife and son a lose hug before turning to the ship. "Good bye. I will be back. "
Ox king put his hands on Chichi's shoulders to comfort her, though he himself looked teary-eyed.

They had a strange feeling about this. Goku and his friends were formidable fighters, no question, but this time they were going against an alien corporation that ruled across planets. The dangers that awaited them appeared tremendous.
Khami's grip on his wooden staff tightened. "It's time for you to leave, you two. "

"Right, " said Tien, nodding.

The spaceship had now completed its landing. Slowly the door opened and Mr Popo hopped out. He walked over to Goku and handed him the instructions manual. "Since you have gained plenty of experience in driving a spaceship during your trip to King Gai's planet. I guess I don't have to come along. "

Goku nodded taking the manual from Popo. "Yup. No problem. "
"Do read the shortcut I have scribbled at the back," Mr Popo said. "It will be needed if you wish to reach there in 3 days. "

"Yes, I will, " said Goku.

With their luggage strapped to their backs, Goku and Tien jumped up. With one final look at all the people that had gathered there both of them floated inside the spaceship door.

The door closed even as Goku waved at his friends, knowing full well that this could be the last time he was seeing them.
All of them also waived at him as the sound of the spaceship's engine roaring to life filled the air.

A wind kicked up as the spaceship slowly levitated above. After rising to a few dozen feet, with a burst of energy, the spaceship took off, up and away.

Master Roshi, Khami, Korin and Goku's family watched as the spaceship disappeared as a twinkle over the horizon.

Yajirobe snored in his room, still tied to the chair, completely unaware of the treatment that had been laid out for him.
The door opened and in walked the soldier Apulle with a space pistol in his hand. Apulle was no pushover, being the fourth strongest in Frieza's security battalion behind only to Dodoria, Cui and Zarbon. Apulle had the honour of being the designated executioner of the PTO.

Apulle calmly walked over to Yajirobe and pushed the pistol right to his face.

Yajirobe opened his eyes to meet the gun pointed at him. His heart throbbed in his chest. So this was it, huh? This was to be his end...
Apulle smirked, his finger tightening upon the trigger.

To be continued...

Author's note: Whole of the first 17 chapters have been revised. You might want to revisit them.

A reviewer asked about Chichi's role. She will have an important non-fighting role, potentially more in the future arcs. She will serve as guidance for the younger ones, and maybe more.

Someone asked around ten questions. I can only answer one with certainty . Yes, Gohan will take on the role of the main character as the story progresses but the shift wouldn't be abrupt but gradual.

I also request everyone to review more. It's the least you could do.