A/N: I wanted to say thanks for the support, and also share that with this update I just hit 800k words written on this site. Crazy huh? Here's to 1 million ;) hope you enjoy.
Nappa frowned, arms folded over his armor as he watched Vegeta who was submerged in a regeneration tank. The prince had been tight-lipped upon his return to base, only asking his fellow Saiyans if they had successfully retrieved one of the Drokanian boys from the tournament. Once that was confirmed, his only other question was whether the regeneration tanks were finally up and running. Once that was confirmed, Vegeta's sole interest had been getting in one, and he hadn't said another word to Nappa or Raditz. They were both curious as to what, if anything, had transpired with Manzin's older brother. However, they knew better than to get in Vegeta's way when the young prince was dead set on something. This was particularly true with how roughed up the prince looked, barely able to walk now. So they had merely followed him along in silence, suppressing the curiosity for the time being in favor of ensuring Vegeta made it all the way to the medical room before collapsing.
The door to the room hissed open as Raditz walked in. He observed Vegeta for a couple of seconds, but the prince was unconscious, bubbles shooting out of his mask every few seconds with his breathing. Raditz came to stand next to Nappa, offering the Saiyan a large green fruit that was old, bruised, and starting to mold.
"The food supply Frieza promised has arrived now, finally," Raditz said, trying unsuccessfully to hide his relief.
Although the sex slaves and the alcohol were always available to Frieza's men, food was brought in an unpredictable fashion. Sometimes it would take days, sometimes weeks before they had food on base, something which did not bother Frieza who did not require the nourishment. To him, hunger was just one way to keep his men under his control. As the tyrant had explained to the Saiyans shortly upon their arrival into his ranks years ago, experiencing hunger strengthened their willpower, making them tougher against potential torture should they be captured by enemies. In addition, hunger also provided motivation to complete his assignments with vigor, as leaving the planet provided the chance to get something to eat. Of course, there were a handful of species under Frieza's rule that were unaffected by the inconsistent food supply – unfortunately, the Saiyans were not among them, cursed with a particularly strong appetite that had never once been satiated during all the years serving Frieza.
Nonetheless, Frieza had said during the last "all hands" meeting with his army in the Cold Gathering Chamber that he would be providing enough food for all of them every day. Nothing like Cooler's men scoring above his own to motivate a change in approach, after all. It remained to be seen if the trend would last – history indicated it would not. For now though, the Saiyans would definitely not be complaining.
Nappa scowled but snatched the fruit from Raditz. He quickly devoured all of it, unfazed that part of it was rancid – he had developed a titanium stomach while working for Frieza. Eating now was just to give his body some fuel; taste and freshness were luxuries they had lost many years ago. Raditz pulled out another piece of fruit that was similar in state, chewing on it most slowly than Nappa had. He looked back at Vegeta.
"No record on Ajox's movements," Raditz commented. "Zarbon is starting to ask around if anyone knows where he is. He specifically wants to talk to Vegeta once he's out of here."
Nappa grunted, roughly wiping his lips with the back of his forearm before crossing his arms again. "He should be healed momentarily."
Raditz frowned as he took another bite, before mentally asking, Do you really think Vegeta killed him?
He likely transformed into the Oozaru state. If he did, Ajox didn't stand a chance.
True, but if anyone finds out, he's dead.
Vegeta recruited the kid, and purged his planet as ordered, Nappa sent with a shrug. I think he's smart enough to have covered his tracks.
Raditz took another bite of his fruit, uncaring of the rancid taste. A frown came over his face while he studied Vegeta, who was clad only in a pair of loose white shorts in the tank.
"This kid needs to eat more so he can grow," he commented almost distantly as he chewed.
"You're welcome to tell Frieza that yourself," Nappa grumbled, though he didn't disagree. Saiyan men tended to be tall, their growth spurt surging during the late teenage years. He himself had only been a child when Vegeta's father was the prince of their people, and yet he remembered him already being tall and muscular by Vegeta's age. Their hard life in Frieza's servitude was clearly impacting the prince's physical growth, but it hadn't stopped his strength from increasing. Indeed, despite the teenager being below average in height for a Saiyan male, and despite being lean to the point where he was almost lanky, Vegeta had already surpassed him, Raditz, and even his own father in strength. He was strong, and strength was the only thing that mattered now.
Vegeta scowled and took a deep breath then, making the scouters Nappa and Raditz were wearing blink to life. The two older Saiyans stepped back instinctively, just before the blue light of Vegeta's ki filled the room.
A moment later, and the glass shattered to pieces, the fluid covering the room. Raditz snorted as Vegeta quickly yanked off his mask and stepped out of the tank. The teenager looked tense as he quickly scanned himself over his chest, his hands, and then his feet. He clenched his fists, feeling renewed strength flowing through him. All was well again, and he slowly exhaled in relief.
"You keep breaking these tanks, when you already know that Zarbon is going to thrash you for it," Raditz said, shaking his head.
Vegeta's dark eyes shot up to Raditz, who swallowed and struggled to keep the eye contact. The kid was certainly developing quite the intense stare. Raditz braced himself for some type of lashing out, but he didn't get it as the young prince simply turned around, scanning the room for his gear.
"Zarbon can go to hell," Vegeta ground out through his teeth. The truth that he would never confide in Nappa and Raditz was that he was still shaken from the use of the regeneration tanks for other purposes. Upon waking in one, he had briefly forgotten that he himself had sought it out – he just needed to get out of it as soon as possible. In his brief, rare moment of panic, it had slipped his mind that Zarbon always made him pay each time he destroyed one of the tanks, but he would endure whatever punishment was in store, just like he always did.
Nappa and Raditz exchanged a look. Vegeta already had some scars on his back from the constant, violent thrashings at the hands of Zarbon. The stubborn young prince certainly didn't make his own life easier though, preferring to be rebellious instead of patient, punishment be damned. It made his Saiyan comrades frustrated because they knew it would only end in pain for Vegeta; but damn if they didn't respect the kid for it.
"He wants to see you," Nappa advised him as Vegeta quickly put his uniform on. "They're asking around about Ajox. He hasn't reported to his next assignment, and his space pod and scouter are both off the grid."
The prince grunted, scowling as he picked up the vial Felsin had given him, subtly so his comrades didn't notice. "What's that got to do with me?" he demanded in a neutral voice, tugging his silver armor set over his head and securing the vial inside.
"Just giving you the message," Raditz snorted.
"Where's the Drokanian boy?" Vegeta asked, slipping on a red scouter and activating it.
"In our quarters. He's terrified, but he isn't going anywhere."
"What time is training today?"
"When Frieza is done with his business," Nappa informed him. Vegeta looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. "He is running the rank qualifying squad today in Dodoria's place."
The prince turned away from them, the features in his face tense as he wrapped his tail around his waist. It wasn't unusual for Frieza, from time to time, to take personal control of the competitions to earn rank. Vegeta suspected it was done out of morbid curiosity; it was his army, after all, and he was likely interested to see who was going to be his newest ranked man. Still, whatever Frieza's personal reasons, Vegeta knew he would have to brace himself mentally. He took a deep breath, steadying his nerves. But there was no rest for the wicked, and so he nodded with acceptance.
"Get the boy some gear from the equipment room," Vegeta ordered gruffly, putting on his white gloves, stretching the material tighter than necessary. He quickly tugged on his boots, thankful his foot was finally healed. "I'll see to him soon and…re-introduce myself," he added with a smirk. "For now though, I'll go see Zarbon."
The prince didn't wait for an answer from his comrades before he abruptly left the room, walked through the adjacent medical room, and stepped out into the main corridor. He instinctively scanned his surroundings, before heading off to find Zarbon.
Vegeta was heading down the corridor that led to Zarbon's business quarters, when the door hissed open before he got there, Manzin walking through. The prince stopped at the sight of him, before he smirked triumphantly at the look of murderous hatred he got from the older boy. They both stared each other down for a few moments, but Manzin then kept walking, fists clenched, and so did Vegeta as the prince entered Zarbon's quarters. The lieutenant was too close for the boys to even exchange a word over what happened, lest he discover the truth. Still, it was enough for Vegeta that Manzin knew he was responsible for his brother's death. With his Oozaru form trump card, it hadn't even been a fair fight – a fact that he was looking forward to throwing in Manzin's face as soon as he could.
"Vegeta," Zarbon greeted in a cold voice as the prince walked in. The teenager came to stand in front of the lieutenant, the look of triumph gone as he kept his face neutral.
"You summoned me," he said, bowing his head a little. Zarbon smoothly crossed his arms in front of his armor, his eyes suspicious.
"I wanted to ask you about Ajox, and if you knew anything about his disappearance."
"Who?"
Zarbon narrowed his eyes angrily. "You know damn well who I'm talking about, boy. Don't try my patience. Ajox was Manzin's older brother."
Vegeta just casually shrugged, looking indifferent. "I think I saw him the first day of the competitions for the rank qualifying squad, cheering on his idiot brother."
Zarbon glared at the teenager in front of him. Vegeta easily met his stare, keeping himself disciplined and his face controlled as Zarbon studied him for signs of a lie.
"Well, Manzin just informed me that his brother committed suicide and as such, is now dead," Zarbon informed the prince, his eyes still intensely scrutinizing Vegeta for a reaction.
The only reaction he got was Vegeta shrugging again, as though he didn't have a care. It wasn't far from the truth – why care about a dead man, after all? "Seems you have your answer then," he casually said. "Is that all you needed from me?"
"One of you is lying," Zarbon angrily concluded, continuing his scrutiny of Vegeta, trying to read him to no avail. He got closer to him, his posture threatening. "Or maybe both of you are. Do you take me for a fool, monkey prince? You think I don't know that you and Manzin both happened to cut your scouters' communication links at the same time, and then shortly afterwards, Ajox goes off the grid, and now he is gone? Supposedly took his own life? Rest assured, I will find out the truth of what happened. A rank 3 man does not die without answers. And if I find out you had a hand in this, Vegeta, you will pay dearly."
"Is that all you needed from me, Zarbon?" Vegeta repeated, unfazed.
"Where is your recruit?" Zarbon demanded.
"In my quarters. Shall I retrieve him?"
"Not yet. Bring him with you when you meet with Lord Frieza tonight. You and the other 3 will report to him at 203X. You'll need a new black cape from the equipment room."
Vegeta nodded. "And when exactly do I report to you for the thrashing you promised before I left on the recruiting mission?" he asked casually, hoping he could get something to eat beforehand. He was ravenous.
"Your punishments have been cleared." This time Vegeta couldn't keep the surprise off his face, making Zarbon snort. "Don't look at me. Lord Frieza's orders. He wants you in prime condition when you meet with him, and said he would look past your rebelliousness this time," Zarbon informed him with incredible bitterness. It was not the first time Frieza had overridden his promised punishments to the young Saiyan prince – the benefits of favoritism. Only a handful of others in the army were afforded such a luxury. It was a shame. Zarbon had been looking forward to beating the life out of Vegeta upon his arrival back to base, especially with Ajox's disappearance, but it was not to be this time.
Vegeta's nose twitched at the news. While Zarbon only saw it on the surface level, Vegeta knew better. He knew that Frieza only wiped the slate clean with him when he had other plans in mind. Whatever it was, he was sure by the end of it, he would find himself wishing for one of Zarbon's beatings instead.
And with Frieza running the rank qualifying squad that night, Vegeta had a thought that he would learn what the tyrant had in mind soon enough.
"Now, you have a session with Frieza tonight. Tomorrow morning, you have training with Dodoria at 070X. After that is completed, you will report to me. I have another mission for the four of you off planet, another challenge. This time, you will be on Planet Pilaz. You will receive more information tomorrow. Dismissed."
Vegeta bowed his head, then spun on his heel and quickly strode out of there. His heart was pounding in his chest though at Zarbon's departing words. Pilaz – that was the planet where Felsin was from. Was it mere coincidence that he had just been recruited as part of an underground resistant movement against Frieza on his last assignment, and now his next off planet mission was on Felsin's home planet? He didn't know, but he suddenly felt sick to his stomach, anxiety crawling through him.
He knows, Vegeta suddenly thought, his face paling. Frieza knows. That's why he's taken charge tonight, and why he has cleared me of all punishment. He'll kill me tonight, then have the others purge Pilaz tomorrow.
He quickly got back to his personal quarters, putting his hand on the sensor to gain access. He needed time alone to think. The prince strode in when the door hissed open, grateful that Nappa and Raditz weren't there. However, the room was not empty.
For the time being, Vegeta forgot about his concern regarding Frieza when his dark eyes settled on the small, silver Drokanian boy sitting against the wall. His dark rags gone now, he was wearing the traditional uniform of Frieza's Galactic Army, complete with a blue scouter, adapted for his lack of ears.
The boy refused to look up as Vegeta came to stand directly in front of him. The prince folded his arms over his chest, scowling as he studied his personal recruit.
"So which brother are you?" he demanded. He was met with silence. It was impossible to read the boy's face, what with those all-black eyes and lack of other features. Still, the body language was radiating simmering anger. Vegeta growled. "I won't ask you again, boy."
The boy looked up then, and telepathically answered, his voice strong. My name is Adriel.
"So your brother Raum is dead?" Vegeta asked nonchalantly.
Yes, by your orders, came the hate-filled response.
Vegeta stood silent for a moment, before slowly squatting down so he was eye level with Adriel. He communicated telepathically so no one could eavesdrop on their scouters.
Well, Adriel. There is no use in lamenting your fallen brother. He is dead; and if you don't want to join him, you will let go of your foolish attachment to him, your family, and your whole race. They are all gone, and are never coming back. You are my personal recruit now, and I will teach you enough so that you can defeat 3 other new recruits in life or death battle. Then you will be a soldier in Frieza's Galactic Army. Accept your new reality, listen to me, learn from me, and you may live through this yet.
Adriel absorbed the information, staying quiet, even as his black eyes shined with tears. You didn't kill them all. We did interspace travel heavily in my galaxy. There are survivors out there, fellow Drokanians, I am sure of it. They will come for me.
Vegeta smirked, unconcerned. The boy before him was the strongest Drokania had to offer, along with his now deceased brother. No survivors were going to give him any kind of trouble.
Well, they are most welcome to try. Then they will die too, if they even make it that far, Vegeta mentally sent with a snicker.
You are just like Frieza, and I hope you die with him one day, Adriel furiously sent him.
Vegeta's smirk faltered at that, genuine surprise on his face for a moment. It was quickly replaced with his own fury. The boy wishing him dead was understandable, and honestly a compliment. It was the comparison with the tyrant that was making the fur on Vegeta's tail bristle.
I am nothing like him, you piece of shit Drokanian, the prince heatedly sent back through their telepathic link. So shut up about things you don't understand.
We know the legend of Frieza, and the cruelty of his men. You have done what he is famous for. You took me from my family, you killed them, then you destroyed my people. And now, I don't serve Frieza. I serve you.
The urge to seize the boy and beat him bloody was overwhelming; it made Vegeta's jaw ache from hard it was clenched as he resisted the urge. To compare him with Frieza was the most asinine and offensive thing Vegeta had ever heard. But the boy needed to remain unscathed physically, so he could be prepared to train and fight. More than that though, he was aware that beating the child senseless would not help his argument that he was nothing like Frieza.
Vegeta's glare was ice cold. If you want to survive, you have to adapt. Adapting means following orders. All of us have to do it. You are no exception…and neither am I. What I did to you, your family, and your planet was just me following orders. I had no choice. It doesn't make me the same as him.
There is always a choice.
Not if you want to live.
Then you're just a coward.
This time, Vegeta couldn't help his violent reaction. He roughly grabbed the boy by the armor as he stood quickly, hauling the boy up with him. Just as quickly as Adriel was yanked up, he crashed back to the floor hard after receiving a brutal punch to his face from Vegeta that nearly knocked him unconscious and shattered his scouter. The tears were back in his black eyes as he whimpered, in deep pain that wasn't physical in nature. The boy slowly curled up into a fetal position on the floor facing away from Vegeta, white tears streaming from his black eyes as he silently cried while he hugged his knees to his chest.
Vegeta was tempted to kick the kid for being so weak, but he was momentarily struck by the boy's current reaction and position. It was very, very close to how he himself had reacted a decade prior when he had finally been alone after learning of his father's death as well as the elimination of his entire race, minus Nappa and Raditz. A hint of emotion he couldn't name threatened to rear up in his chest, but out of years of practice, Vegeta channeled it into rage, one of the few emotions he fully understood.
You think you're the only one who has lost anyone? Grow the fuck up, kid – EVERYONE here has lost someone. You are nothing special, and your race was nothing special either. Now you can listen to me and fight, or you can die. Either way, your life is only worth one point to me in a competition to earn my rank. And there will be other competitions, so if you don't give me my point, someone else will. That is how little your life means to me. It's your choice how to proceed from here.
The prince hovered menacingly over the boy, fists clenched at his sides as though daring Adriel to respond. There was only silence now though, the link between them closed. Adriel curled up more into himself as the prince sneered down at him in anger and disgust. The Drokanian was a stupid child, but he would learn, just as he himself had years ago. Vegeta was contemplating taking the little runt outside to give him a proper fighting lesson, and to toughen him up, when Jhainer suddenly appeared in the room, startling him.
"I hate teleporters," Vegeta nastily informed the older teenager. He had honed his senses well over the years to detect anyone getting close to him, but there was no defense against someone literally appearing out of thin air.
The young Trikan soldier just smirked, before he looked down at the boy curled up on the floor. He nodded in recognition. "Ah, so you did get one of them. I noticed that his brother was killed before anyone was able to recruit him. Funny how that happened," he softly pointed out.
"True, what are the odds?" Vegeta snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked down at the boy in disapproval. "Though if I'd known this kid was so mentally weak, I would have taken his brother. At least that kid had some fortitude about him."
"Well, we have several hours before we must report to Frieza." Jhainer turned to the Saiyan next to him, signaling up to his blue scouter as he added, "Perhaps we can visit the tavern in the meantime. What do you say, Saiyan? I believe Nappa and Raditz are already there."
Vegeta raised an eyebrow in suspicion, knowing that Jhainer really wanted to get him alone and without scouters. He scowled, before looking down again at Adriel again.
"I shall send for you later, boy, so I can give you a proper introduction to Frieza. Be prepared, because if you act like this in front of him, you won't survive the night," Vegeta warned him.
He frowned and looked over as Jhainer came up next to him. The young Trikan put a heavy hand on Vegeta's shoulder, and then they both vanished.
The next thing Vegeta knew, he was standing back in the south end of the planet, where they had started their competition. He looked around, but seeing that they were completely alone, he reached up to deactivate his scouter as Jhainer did the same. The Saiyan breathed out slowly, his breath visible in the frigid night air, his tail tightening around him. His last experience there hadn't been pleasant to say the least, and he certainly had not missed this bitter cold.
"What is it?" he demanded, turning his full attention to Jhainer. The older boy turned his back to Vegeta, facing the black abyss of water stretching behind them. Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest, more in an effort to stay warm. He was mildly impressed Jhainer had managed such a far teleportation. It seemed he had been practicing. "Well?" Vegeta impatiently prompted when Jhainer remained quiet. "Not all of us are adapted to this damn cold, Trikan," he sneered.
"Do you wonder why Lord Frieza is running the squad today?" Jhainer softly asked, his tail slowly waving behind him.
A chill went through Vegeta at his earlier paranoia of thinking Frieza knew about his conversation with Felsin. He rubbed his arms, snorting and forcing his voice to sound disinterested. "Does it matter?" he gruffly demanded.
Jhainer hesitated momentarily, before he turned sideways to look back at the Saiyan teenager behind him. "I know what you did, Vegeta."
The prince stiffened at that. He lowered his arms, squaring up now, distrust in his face. "What are you on about, Trikan?"
Jhainer smirked, exposing his silver canines. "Don't play the fool with me, Saiyan. I saw you leaving the room with the Pilazian, Felsin. He recruited you to the resistance, didn't he?" Vegeta couldn't help the look of shock on his face, making Jhainer's smirk spread. "Yes, I thought so."
Vegeta's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he studied the older teenager. "You were recruited too," he said after a moment of scrutiny. At those words, Jhainer looked away, his smirk vanishing as he stared back down at the black water with his dead eye. Realization dawned on the prince behind him, the cold night feeling even colder as he breathed out, "You actually agreed."
"Why didn't you?" Jhainer asked quietly.
"You have been here as long as I have, Jhainer. It's a fool's mission. There is no beating him, you know that," Vegeta said with a frown, though he lacked the conviction in his voice he had shown against Felsin. He was still working through his own surprise, trying to digest that the teenaged Trikan soldier in front of him - who he had known longer than even his own parents - had actually agreed to such lunacy.
Jhainer gave an indifferent shrug, before looking up at the night sky, searching for his home planet that he hadn't visited in over a decade. "It is worth a try, for a chance to escape this," he softly commented.
"It's treason. You're a dead man, Jhainer."
"Aren't we all?" Jhainer challenged. He turned back to face Vegeta fully, studying him intensely. "The longer we are here, working for him, the more we are going to become monsters like him. Is that what you want?"
Vegeta's glare was hard, his fists clenched tightly. Adriel's words rang in his head, which made him grit his teeth. "I can have you killed for this, Trikan," he snarled. "One less person in my way to getting my rank."
"And I can have you killed for what you did to Ajox," Jhainer evenly responded, making Vegeta's eyes darken. "You are not the only one Frieza favors, Saiyan. But why destroy each other when we can work together? The resistance is a formidable size. It will take time, yes. Maybe even years to build up the necessary resources and strength. But what else do we have, Vegeta, if not time?"
Vegeta flinched when Jhainer came up to him and put a hand on his shoulder again. "Felsin and his allies have arranged through political channels for our next mission to be to Planet Pilaz. They will ask you again, and it will be your last chance to join, Vegeta. They cannot risk another meeting without raising suspicion."
Vegeta knocked Jhainer's hand off him, sneering as he did. "Tell them to save their breath, Trikan. And as far as you and I go, our alliance is over. Pray that I don't betray you tonight to Frieza so that he can kill you once and for all."
Jhainer's blue tail rose up behind him as he took in a deep breath, his blank white eye studying Vegeta. The prince easily maintained the stare, but he was tense, prepared for a fight. Finally, Jhainer just smirked.
"You won't."
The young prince growled low in his throat, "And just what makes you think that?"
"Because you want us to succeed," Jhainer calmly asserted, drawing a look from Vegeta that was a mixture of rage and something else the Trikan soldier couldn't read. "But if you insist, then do it. Tell Frieza, have me killed. What the hell difference does it make? I'll get my rank, or I won't, or I'll die. This life is empty. Maybe you haven't gotten to that point yet, Vegeta, where you realize I'm right. But you will. And when you do, come find me."
He then vanished into thin air, leaving Vegeta alone in the cold.