Vegeta stared at his hazy reflection on the gleaming white floor of Frieza's office, fearing he might be kneeling before the destroyer of his homeworld and his kind.

The metallic doors of the room opened with a faint mechanical hiss to reveal Dodoria and a young stranger with bluish skin and green hair. They both wore battle armor, like everyone else in the base. The stranger didn't look much older than Raditz, but the way he carried himself conveyed a clear sense of superiority. They both knelt before Frieza and walked to his side.

"This is Zarbon, my new right-hand man," Frieza announced. "In his home world, he is a prince, and besides his refined manners, he possesses a high power level. It's even greater than yours, Vegeta." The Emperor gave out an irritating chuckle. "But let's focus on the issue at hand. The unexpected tragedy of Planet Vegeta has left my army severely diminished. How many soldiers have we lost, Zarbon?"

The slim, effeminate boy consulted a transparent touch screen, on which letters and images could be glimpsed. "8,243 Saiyans died in the planet's explosion, of which 7,914 served as warriors. An additional 1,795 servants and assistants of other races also lost their lives. It has meant a considerable loss of personnel, almost half of the army."

"Indeed," Frieza said. "Still, I think something good can come out of this terrible event. The late King Vegeta and I agreed on a great number of conquests that your people were to carry out over the next year. Sadly they can no longer do it. But an agreement must be fulfilled. As a member of royalty, I'm sure your father instilled that notion into you."

"He did, Lord Frieza," Vegeta said with a slight bow.

"Good. I have decided that to honor the memory of your people. You and your men will carry out these assignments. That is all. You can follow Zarbon, he will fill you in with the tedious details."

The three Saiyans knelt down again. Vegeta only hoped that the warriors of the worlds they were sent to would present a challenge. If he wanted to stay alive he would have to prove his usefulness, and he wouldn't get stronger fighting the trash he was used to be assigned to. "Thank you, Lord Frieza."

Vegeta turned and walked towards the door, but Raditz stopped and bowed to the Emperor. "Lord Frieza, if it isn't-"

Dodoria crossed the room in an instant and grabbed Raditz, lifting him off the floor with one of his huge, spiked pink arms."You dare to address Lord Frieza directly, you stupid monkey?" he asked as the force of his grip cracked the boy's armor.

Frieza stood silent and Vegeta felt a bead of cold sweat run down the back of his neck. It would be just him and Nappa again. Anyway, it wouldn't be that big of a loss.

"Put the boy down, Dodoria," Frieza said, and his order was obeyed at once. "I hadn't noticed your new companion, Vegeta. Who is he?"

"He is a low-class warrior, Lord Frieza. His name is Raditz."

Raditz writhed on the ground clutching his chest, and with effort, managed to get back on his knees. Frieza gave Zarbon a questioning look, and he consulted his touch screen.

"Raditz, son of the low-class Saiyan Bardock," the boy informed.

Frieza glanced at the screen and his signature satisfied smile seemed to twist for an instant. Dodoria, next to his master's hovering chair, tried unsuccessfully to hold back a laugh, but a single look from his master silenced him.

"Bardock?" Frieza asked to the air. "Oh yes. A fierce soldier, indeed. Courageous even in the face of death." Frieza giggled, as if he had just remembered a joke. "Well, I guess it's a good thing another Saiyan has survived, even more so being the son of the brave Bardock. What did you want to ask me?"

Without raising his head, Raditz cleared his throat. "If it's not a bother, Lord Fireza, I wondered if I could ask about the Saiyans sent into space. The babies."

"The infiltrators. What is it with them?"

"Well, I had thought that if you needed more Saiyans to serve you, you could count on them. My little brother was sent a few months ago. In a few years, he might become useful."

"I'm afraid those Saiyans are already conducting missions on my behalf. But those who survive their tasks will be able to join your group. Now, you can go."

They left the room, located on the top floor of the main tower of Frieza 1's base. Zarbon led them through the seemingly endless metal-walled corridors as the other soldiers and attendants made way for them.

"Tell me, Zarbon, what has become of Raimu, your predecessor?" Vegeta asked.

"I'm told he died recently," the teenager replied, an arrogant twinkle in his yellow eyes. "It must have been around the time your planet blew up. Only a few days later I received the invitation to personally serve Lord Frieza."

Vegeta suppressed the urge to wipe the smile off his face with his bare hands. They kept walking until they reached a room full of computers and scientists. Zarbon ignored them as he talked with the technicians, showing them his tablet and checking the data with the alien assistants. At last he returned to them.

"It seems you have a lot of pending work," he said without looking up from the screen. "Two hundred and ninety-one planets to be precise. Enough to keep you busy for a long time. Head to the hangar, your space pods await you."

After Zarbon left, Vegeta levitated a few inches above the ground and grabbed Raditz by the neck, pressing him against a wall. "If you ever undermine my authority again, especially in front of Frieza, I will kill you without hesitation. If you have something to say, say it to me, not him. I don't care how many Saiyans are left in the universe, I'm still the Prince of them all. Is it clear?"

Raditz nodded with a flushed face. He put him back on the ground, where he coughed and tried to catch his breath. "So we'll go find my brother sometime?" he asked, massaging his sore neck.

"That brother of yours is just a baby, it will be years before he can be of any use to us," Vegeta said. "And if he was sent into space, he's just low-class trash. If he manages to depopulate whatever backwater planet he's been sent to, I suppose he can join. Perhaps he'll prove himself more useful than his older brother."

Through the huge window of his office, Frieza watched the three Saiyans take off to the stars. The metal doors opened before Zarbon, who entered and stood beside him.

"Do you think it's a good idea to let them live, Lord Frieza?" Dodoria asked him.

Frieza let out a laugh. He appreciated Dodoria's strength and knack for needless cruelty, but his intellect left a lot to be desired.

"The danger the Saiyans posed was in their numbers. Before my father took them in, they would fight each other over any small dispute, keeping their population under control. Warrior races have that peculiarity. If their aggression is not directed wisely, they end up destroying themselves, or whoever commands them. For a time they were obedient and did their job well, but soon they would have become the majority of my army, and one must never rely on a single source of warriors."

"Even so, the Prince has a great power level despite his youth," Zarbon said. "He could become a problem once he grows up."

Frieza was glad his newest acquisition had a keener mind than any of his high-ranked servants. But he still had much to learn. "His father was also strong, he was the one who killed your predecessor. I'm certain our little Prince will soon surpass the late King Vegeta, in fact his power is not too far behind. Perhaps the day will come when he rebels, we'll deal with that problem then."

"What the low-class Saiyan said made me think," Dodoria said, showing he had the most basic of intellectual capabilities. "Counting the babies shipped at birth, how many Saiyans have survived in total?"

Frieza turned his head in Zarbon's direction, who consulted his contraption for a few moments. "According to the data, in addition to Vegeta's group, ninety-three infants are recorded as sent after birth." Zarbon typed some more and smiled. "It shouldn't make any difference, Lord Frieza. The success rate of Saiyan infiltrators is lower than one percent. It's as if those little monkeys are already dead."

"Good," Frieza smiled. "Do you see, Zarbon? It does not do well to live worrying about every tiny eventuality. In my experience, most minor problems resolve themselves in the end."

Kakarot knew many things. He didn't remember learning them, however. He knew he was a Saiyan, he knew his name, his parents' names and his older brother's. He knew he had a mission, to depopulate the planet he was on. But in the weeks he'd been on this strange world, under that blue sky, he had learned he wasn't strong enough to do it.

The man who had taken him in, a tailless old man with no hair on his head, should have been an easy target. But over and over again he had evaded his attempts to kill him. Kakarot had eaten to strengthen himself, had tried to attack him while he was asleep, tired or distracted. Nothing had worked. Could all the inhabitants be this strong? If so, he was lost.

Kakarot decided to bide his time. He accepted the old man's food and stopped attacking him, that seemed to please him. When he went out to get more food, he didn't try to escape. It would be useless, were the man an common member of his race. The days passed, as did the nights, and at last, the moment came.

The old man slept peacefully on his soft bed, oblivious to the danger. Kakarot crawled to the ground and continued until reaching the door of the small house. Using his long tail, he lifted the piece of metal that held the wooden door shut and opened it. He crawled into the middle of the clearing and looked up at the starry sky, deep and dark and blue, and fixed his gaze on the pale circle of light that crowned it.

When the moon drew a perfect circle in the sky, Kakarot, like all Saiyans, would unleash his true power. That too, he knew. His gaze was caught by the light and soon he became unable to move. His heartbeat quickened and a warm tingle washed over his entire body, growing in intensity until he could have sworn he would burst from the pressure.

Then everything turned dark.

Kakarot woke up, it was morning and light came into the house through a hole on one of the walls. He laid on the bed, naked, dirty and hungry. Outside, the ground was covered in huge irregular furrows and footprints, and the air carried the smell of smoke and the sound of crackling flames. The house was still standing, but there was no sign of the old man. He hadn't turned out to be that strong after all.

Kakarot stretched out on the soft mattress and went to find something to eat. As he stepped out through the doorway, he caught the familiar smell of roasting fish. As he circled the house on all fours, his eyes confirmed his worst fears, the man was still alive. He walked over to him and scooped him up with a smile on his face. He was as dirty as him, and had scratches all over his arms and face, but no serious injuries.

Too weak to protest, he let the old man feed and bathe him. As he was pouring water over his head, Kakarot feared that the people who had sent him to this planet had made a terrible mistake. He decided to sleep and regain his strength, he could think about what to do later.

He woke up at sunset and heard short, loud breathing outside the house. He sat in the doorway and just watched. The man threw fast punches and kicks into the air. The power emanating from him caused dust to rise from the ground and nearby trees to sway with his every move.

Now he understood. He was not an ordinary man, but a warrior. That explained everything. Kakarot knew that if he couldn't beat an enemy in strength, he should do it in cunning. He stood up, trying to keep his balance on his short legs and imitated the elder's movements. Hit with one hand and bring the other back. Raise your arm to defend against an attack from above. Kick with the back leg in a sweeping motion. Kakarot lost his balance and fell, drawing the old man's attention.

He got up again and continued to go through the motions. The man ran over and grabbed him up with a big smile on his face. He tossed him up into the air and picked him again as he uttered words that Kakarot couldn't understand.

"You wanna learn some martial arts, little one? I will teach you."

Power Levels

Vegeta (5 years old): 8,000

Nappa (35 years old): 4,500

Raditz (10 years old): 420

Zarbon (13 years old): 12,000

Dordoria (35 years old): 24,000

Frieza: 530,000

Kakarot (6 months old): 2

Kakarot (Great Ape): 20

Son Gohan (79 years old): 102