Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Second Chances for Bardock's Sons ❯ A Prince's Lament ( Chapter 4 )

Second Chances For Bardock's Son's

By Trynia Merin aka StarbearerTM

 

A Prince's Lament

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Ball Z or Dragon Ball. I only own Tomic, Cabernet, and a few other fan characters. Toriyama and Funimation Toei Bird Studios Shuesha own DBZ. I don't get rich off this! This is Fan fiction! Don't sue me!

 

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On the planet of Argelis, three Saiyan males sat around a large fire. Each stripped fresh meat from the bones of respective carcasses. Vegita still perched on top of the squid like creature as he devoured one long tentacle. Since Oceanus, Vegita had rigorously tested both his subordinates' limitations. He didn't want them to grow soft in transit.

 

Raditz perched by the fire, struggling to turn his spit so his next mouthful would be roasted. Nappa shook his head, laughing," Why are you even bothering whelp? Don't you think it tastes BETTER raw?"

 

"You two are completely pissing me off with your idle banter," Vegita growled, shaking his head and wondering WHY out of all the Saiyans he had to be saddled with these two clowns. Raditz was reasonable company, having inherited some of his father's intellect, but Nappa was a boorish brainless oaf whose idea of fun was to kill, maim or rape something that wasn't tied down. Ever since Cabernet had perished, Vegita was concerned about Nappa's sanity.

 

That was why he had stopped on this planet so the three of them could hunt and main to their heart's content. At least Nappa that was. Vegita spent much time listening in to the broadcasts from the young scientist Tomic. Although Vegita thought she was an idiotic female at first, he became more and more amused by the intricacies of her plan. So far she had made contact with beings known to Kakkarot, thus establishing he still existed and that he had failed in his previous mission. Either Kakkarot was brainwashed or far worse. Just why she was taking so long to find him was at first annoying, but Raditz was doing his best to spin his mate's plans.

 

"Please your Majesty; there IS a reason why she's doing things that way. I'm sure she's luring Kakkarot to her to test his skills as a warrior," Raditz said.

 

"Hmm, she seems to have more brains then the two of YOU combined," mumbled Vegita. "But these weakling Z warriors are quite a disappointment."

 

"That Namekian seemed worth beating the crap out of, too bad he's too weak," Nappa mumbled.

 

"But those two beings that she encountered seemed quite… powerful. Her scouter didn't' detect their true power levels. There are only a few beings that can suppress their battle power such as Saiyans and our Idsarjin allies," Vegita mused.

 

"Hey, Vegita, there's something really entertaining I just picked up," Nappa suddenly blurted out.

 

"You should be careful not to interrupt the Prince when he's talking, idiot," Raditz glared at him.

 

"Shut up you third class scum!" Nappa shouted back.

 

"Great Oorzu give me strength to deal with these fools," Vegita groaned, slapping a gloved hand against his broad forehead and slowly dragging it down to almost tear off the ever present scouter.

 

"Oh… sounds like she's just challenged the green man," Raditz gasped.

 

"Hmm, impressive. Getting them to fight one another. Sounds like it's a Namekian. Wonder what its doing on that third rate rock ball," Vegita mumbled, glancing at the digital playback flickering over his scouter. In real time Tomic's scouter was broadcasting her entire mission to all three Saiyan males.

 

"Leave the humans alone!" she shouted. Like flies around a light bulb the three males intently watched their separate scouter feeds.

 

"Is she for real?" Nappa grunted. "Just blow them up you stupid bitch!"

 

"Shut up!" Raditz snapped.

 

"Hmm, she just identified herself correctly, unlike SOME clods who forget their place," Vegita mumbled.

 

“Huh, so what?” Nappa grunted, glaring sidelong at a very smug Raditz hiding a laugh behind one massive hand.

 

"What's she DOING? She could just kick his ass. She's at least as powerful as YOU are, Raditz,” said Nappa.

 

“And miss having some fun. For shame Nappa, I think she is enjoying testing the limits of his powers. Unlike some brainless oafs who just like beating the crap out of things, she shows SOME discretion. Perhaps I underestimated her worth,” Vegita mused, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

 

"Shh, she's mentioned Kakkarot. But what's this… he goes by another name? Little wonder. Obviously he screwed up his mission if he's let these inhabitants live. Wonder WHY," mumbled Raditz, embarrassed.

 

"Maybe he's somehow ingratiated himself with the native population. Still, it's a good thing he hasn't destroyed that blue mud ball because it seems to have some genetically compatible females. A pity they're so puny and weak," Vegita snorted.

 

Just then he saw the two beings appear out of nowhere just beside the Namekian and the Saiyan. "Damn it! Look behind you!" shouted Raditz.

 

"She can't hear you, dumb ass!" Nappa laughed.

 

"Shhh!" Vegita growled. "Shut up both of you! I can't believe it… that's some strange device… how could they have such technology to suppress SAIYAN ki on such a primitive world!"

 

"What the HELL just happened?" Raditz complained as he frantically stabbed buttons on his scouter. Over and over he saw the scenes of the two beings hitting first the Namekian with a strange collar, then Tomic. Her view suddenly crashed to the ground, rolling over to indicate she had fallen.

 

"Sounds like that mate of yours has JUST been captured, idiot," Vegita snorted. "How well was she trained again?"

 

"Give her a break, your Majesty. You gotta admit that whole UFO and scaring the natives thing was pretty clever," Nappa laughed harshly, spitting out a bit of cartilage.

 

“Great Father Oorzu, she's not as ugly as some earth females,” he said aloud.

 

"She was focused on the green man, sire. Don't misjudge her," said Raditz. "No doubt she let herself be captured to…"

 

"Hmm I'll allow that for the time being. Let's see how well she handles herself in captivity, and then see what she does. That legion she decimated was promising, although her motivation to save those weak earthlings was odd. Although saving the whelp was a nice way to get noticed. Wonder if this Kakkarot will be smart enough to take the bait," Vegita mused, rubbing his chin.

 

"Sire, I'm concerned. This Dr. Gero seems to have access to technology far too advanced as you said. Is it wise to let her continue alone?" asked Raditz.

 

Suddenly he saw the cam shift as one of the figures suddenly kicked at it. To his rage the scouter rolled off, giving a view of the unconscious Tomic and the Namekian. From one angle, a wide one, a small figure moved out of the bushes, quickly grabbing the Scouter and dashing away with it as she screamed to the two weakling males.

 

"Drek! How could she lose her scouter?" Raditz growled.

 

"Unless she deliberately left it," said Nappa mockingly. "Real smart. And you say I'm stupid!"

 

Vegita grew silent when he saw the view shifting. Suddenly things whizzed into a blur, which indicated the scouter had been parted from its owner. To his annoyance he saw nothing for a few minutes. Then as his two subordinates argued, Vegita noticed the view of the ground just ahead shifted to someone's toe. A hand reached out and picked it up, shifting the view to a stranger's face. Two very blue eyes peered intently into the scouter, causing Vegita's heart to slowly skip a beat. Especially when the view panned back to encompass the female's whole face. Raptly he stared at the gorgeous blue haired ningen holding the scouter out at arms length.

 

"Huh, who is that female?" asked Vegita, glancing with narrowed eyes as he saw a pair of luminous blue eyes turning the scouter over in a pair of hands. Indeed the female's hair was blue, and she appeared to be prodding the scouter with a small flat bit of metal.

 

"What's she doing?"

 

"Hmm, she seems to be trying to figure out how it works," Vegita blinked. "She doesn't have that stupidity in her eyes. I see some intelligence there. Surprising for a girl."

 

"So, what now? Send the whelp to pull his female's ass out of the fire?” Nappa ridiculed Raditz.

 

"Knock it off before I pound you, elite!" Raditz glared at him.

 

"You'd best go there and observe your little brother and your mate. She seems to have a lot to learn about Saiyan combat. Although I admire her strategy, she may get way in over her head if this Kakkarot isn't having his wits about him. If he had, he would have cleared that planet by now. Something's seriously screwed."

 

"May I go, sire?" asked Raditz.

 

“By all means Sergeant. Nappa and I will return to Barnard's star and exact revenge on the Mantissans. You keep a low profile and plant a few Saibamen, and find that brother and mate of yours if she doesn't report back. I only hope her plan was to get this Kakkarot to rescue her.”

 

"Huh, did you see that sire? That female had blue hair. That's weird. She's so scrawny and weak, and those two drekheads are pushovers. They stink!" Nappa snorted.

 

"I know. It's interesting isn't it, Nappa. She's not the same as them. Her ki is puny, but she's deliberately risking harm to retrieve that scouter. Either she's stupid or she's got guts?" Vegita blinked, adjusting his scouter feed.

 

"You haven't had a female in two years, Sire. Why don't' we stop over at Idsarsei or Orchydsei," Nappa suggested.

 

"No Nappa, we're going to cause some fireworks to those customers of ours who tried to screw with us. Raditz, your mission is to observe Tomic's plan unfolding, and if she has failed to locate Kakkarot, you must do so. It seems that this blue haired female has confiscated her scouter. I'll take the opportunity to see if the feed still works, and attempt to learn the language myself. I should learn some rather interesting things," said Vegita, with a smirk on his face.

 

"Thank you, sire. I hope that you'll see that she DOES have a plan after all. She's VERY intelligent, and she will do what she's asked. She has little choice, considering the alternative is death or madness," Raditz said.

 

"I hope for Great Oorzu's sake you're right. Get your ass into that pod and go. You'll probably be there within a week at the most," Vegita nodded. Raditz glanced up from his bow, taking the Prince's extended hand and pressing his forehead to it. Vegita placed the toe of his boot on his underling's shoulder, indicating he was free to rise. Nappa shook his head as he watched the Third Class rush to his pod.

 

"He stinks," Nappa mumbled. "That boy's a disappointment. Let me go sire!"

 

"Shut up Nappa. Raditz may be third class, but he's far smarter than you. I don't keep you for brains; I keep you for your battle prowess. And considering that female might well be one of the last of her kind, we can't be too picky. One can only hope that world will give me one female I can impregnate and produce a requisite heir to continue my line," Vegita mumbled. "That will stick it to that bastard Broly."

 

"Mating with those weak creatures? They're pretty yeah but you gotta think of your bloodline. Your father would want you to have the choice female to mate with!” Nappa said.

 

“We don't know if any other unmated Saiyan females survived, dolt,” said Vegita.

 

“Well Turles hasn't activated a distress call remember? He had a few unmated Saiyan females. And then there's the whelps female, but she's only a half blood,” Nappa said.

 

“What, interfere with a sacred mating bond! I am NOT that desperate! I'd rather mate with a ningen then break tradition!”

 

“But sire you have to be…” Nappa started, but shut his mouth when Vegita nailed him with a Black Death ray stare.

 

"Don't question me, Nappa. You said yourself that my counterpart had a blue haired mate, who was above average intelligence, and was quite powerful on her world. This female fits the description," said Vegita. "And I for one plan on learning as much as I can about this primitive mud ball's resources. At least they have a decent sized moon, with a reasonable cycle."

 

Eager to change the subject Nappa nodded like a bobble head doll, "And lots of game, and things to play with. Imagine the fireworks we could cause there… all those cities!”

 

"Hmm you'll have your fun when we land. But we'll be entertained en route to Barnard's star. You can have ALL the fireworks you want there, Nappa. I know how much you like blowing things up," Vegita laughed.

 

"You should get some target practice in yourself," he suggested.

 

From the clouds a space pod slowly descended. Vegita and Nappa glanced towards it as it opened up, and a familiar white caped figure emerged. Battered and cracked, his armor was a bluish color, indicating his command status. He dropped in a crouch before the Prince, raising his hand in salute.

 

"Your Majesty I humbly apologize for my delay in returning. But I've had quite a time trying to break through the communication barriers,” Turles said, eyes averted.

 

Vegita silenced him with a grunt, "Report, Commander Turles. You've proved yourself well by remaining loyal to me. How many of us remain?"

 

"Only the crew aboard my ship sire," Turles said soberly, glancing up at him.

 

Nappa and Vegita stopped in shock. Both of them reached out mentally, suddenly feeling the enormity of a great emptiness. Vegita had pushed away the feeling in combat, but as he closed his eyes he concentrated hard. Through his mind link he pushed his perceptions to the limits. He barked for silence, then tried to hear the whisper of any Saiyan warriors. A faint trace here and there answered his mental query, but there were so few.

 

"How is that possible?" Vegita asked, wrapping his arms around him. For a moment it looked as if he were hugging himself, for he turned his back to his men, slowly pacing. He didn't want them to see the helpless look passing over his face, or the sudden sting of tears in his eyes. That horrible void indicated his worst fear that some one or some THING had wiped out all but a handful of his entire race. Letting his fists fall to his sides, he squeezed so hard that veins bulged through the white gloves.

 

Turles swallowed hard at the emptiness surging through him. Nappa sensed the strange lack of communication, his anger surging as hot as the moment he saw his mate fall. Thinly veiled rage crackled his ki around him, while Turles shook his head. With a low voice he stepped up behind the prince, extending a hand but not touching as he said, "Broly went insane. He… he started slaughtering our best warriors, Sire. I tried my best to stop him, but even with the Tree of Might fruit it was all I could do to hold him off till my ship escaped. I barely left with my own life intact.”

 

“He was that powerful?” Vegita asked. “You're the most powerful warrior second only to me, and he all but destroyed you?”

 

“I wanted to be the one, but I realized that it would do little if I perished foolishly. Besides you should have the honor of killing him yourself. It's not for me to do such a thing even if it were possible,” Turles shook his head again.

 

“You did as you thought best of course,” Vegita answered, no malice in his voice. He could not fault his commander for using discretion. Sometimes knowing one's limitations and place was enough. Leaving the honor of slaying a usurper was the duty of the Prince or the King.

 

Here he held up a small glowing object, and passed it to the Prince. "This was all that remained. At least he didn't get the last tree I planted, sire. But five hundred thousand on Alvegasei were not enough."

 

"Chablis and Sauvignon… did you hear from them?" Nappa asked, though he already knew the terrible answer.

 

"They were on board my ship when it launched. I picked up what survivors I could, and they're headed for Idsarsei for medical treatment in regen. I've taken twenty of the best warriors not hurt, and they wait your orders Sire,” Turles panted.

 

"Where is that bastard now?" asked Vegita, wheeling on him.

 

"In the captivity of the Cold-jins sire. They're attempting to subdue him. But I fear it's only a matter of time before he escapes or they kill him."

 

"Either way they'd be doing us a favor. But I want the pleasure of killing him personally," Vegita said.

 

"He's achieved the Legendary Sire. The only way you could face him if he escaped would be to consume the fruit from my newest tree," said Turles. “And undergo the most rigorous training. Think of this time as a blessing. For once they put him on trial you know that they will hold him for the better part of a year to rot in Freiza 129.”

 

“He almost doesn't deserve such a good fate,” said Nappa.

 

"Plant the seed here," said Vegita. "This world still has enough life. Nappa and I will remain here to assess what remains. Raditz has already moved on ahead."

 

"Where is he, sire?" asked Turles.

 

"Over there."

 

"Excuse me a moment," said Turles. He rose to his feet, and rocketed into the air. Vegita raised a hand to keep Nappa from following.

 

"What was THAT about?" asked Nappa.

 

"I think he has some unfinished business with Raditz. The two of them are distantly related. Bardock served on his crew. I think he wishes to tell the boy in person what happened," Vegita said. "Stand back and leave it be. We can make better use of our time if you generate a few Saibamen for me to train with."

 

"Right away, sire," Nappa said. "I could use the training myself."

 

“Leave me for a moment. Go find some nourishment while I meditate,” Vegita ordered. Nappa bowed, rocketing off to hunt down fresh game. Vegita exhaled the breath he had been holding, releasing the control on his volatile temper as he did so.

 

In a loud cry of anger he threw back his head, spanning his fists wide. A flare of blue energy lit up the ground for miles as he let out a howl of anguish. All the self anger and loathing exploded momentarily with his need to destroy. Bringing both hands together he generated a beam that shot up into the sky like a column of fire. A huge bang lit up the heavens, indicating he had hit one of the natural small moons orbiting Argelis. Slowly he dropped to his knees, panting heavily. Both gloved hands hit the ground, raising small puffs of dust.

 

“Damn him to seven hells, this insult will NOT go unpunished,” he snarled.

 

Perhaps his father was looking down on him, hating his excuse for a son. Vegita had been cheated of slaying Freiza by this Broly, now his whole people save a few were on the verge of being wiped out just as they had done. So close and yet so far, he raged. Hot tears blurred his vision as he crouched on all fours, glad that nobody could see him for miles around.

 

Vegita then pushed up from the ground. “I will NOT crawl like a worm. This is NOT over by any means.”

 

He dusted himself off and sat down on one of the rocks, closing his eyes to focus. All thoughts he forced away, thinking of the blackness that now ate away at what remained of his soul. His scouter bleeped, and he punched the button to tap into the latest feed from Tomic's scouter. A blue pair of eyes still blinked into his across space and time. The female he'd seen there was peering intently into something, probing and pressing buttons. Patterns of light flickered over his vision. Vegita smirked slightly when he realized she must be trying to figure out the purpose of the device.

 

“Silly woman,” he thought. “So ignorant and blissfully unaware. Are you the royalty of this world? Such a creature devoid of hideousness must be of royal blood. I swear that you shall be mine one way or another. Perhaps you shall be a pleasant diversion…”

 

Thoughts of anger shifted to curiosity. He would focus on the Woman, laying plans to try and capture her for a mate. Her and nine other hopefuls. Out of one he would bear an heir and continue his royal line. If he failed, then his son would slay Broly. This was his legacy. Only he bore the name of his entire civilization, for this eventuality all Princes carried the name Vegita. Saiyans were nomadic peoples whose original home world was long lost in the mists of the time when the first Legendary Super Saiyan destroyed much of the universe and his own race.

 

Though the blood would be thinned by mating with a weakling, he had heard what Raditz said of the alternate universe Saiyans. How half bloods carried strong powers. The half bloods resulting from Idsarjins were more powerful then their parents combined. So introducing new genes couldn't hurt. Perhaps by combining his royal blood and that of the blue haired Woman, or a suitable female, he could achieve what his father could not.

 

“My son will be the strongest in the universe, next to his father,” Vegita thought. “I must have a son, something to focus on, a future. Then when I perish defeating Broly, he will rule what remains and rebuild our race into what it rightfully should be.”

 

Focused with a purpose, Prince Vegita stood as tall as he could. With a gloved finger he pressed the save function to relegate the precious images to his databank so he could retrieve them and meditate on the Woman. He deemed her `THE Woman' with a capital W because he had not seen such a beautiful creature even among Saiyan females.

 

“You shall be mine, whoever you are,” he vowed.

 

"Raditz, a moment!" called Turles as he landed before the space pod that the Third class was about to enter.

 

"Sir, I'm relieved you survived," said Raditz, dropping down in the traditional salute.

 

"Don't prostrate yourself. I have some good news and bad news for you," said Turles.

 

"Any word from my Father?" Raditz hesitantly asked. Although he already knew from the horrible emptiness growing inside that the worst was possible, he wanted to hear from his Commander's own lips aloud.

 

"We have not yet rounded up all the survivors," said Turles. "I came in person to report what happened to Alvegasei Prime in my own pod. Chablis is in command in my absence. Bardock and Lyssra were sent on another mission with his team, and it's likely they still may be alive. But we haven't heart back yet. Unfortunately all we worked hard for on our world is now ashes."

 

"He must be alive," whispered Raditz, burying his face in his hand. He whirled away, beating his fist into the flat of his other hand. Turles remained silent, knowing his subordinate's pain well.

 

“One will hope the Great Father Oorzu will protect them,” Turles said quietly. “Don't forget that I too have lost my parents. My sire Caulif was on Alvegasei, and my mother too.”

 

“Damn,” Raditz whispered. “I had forgotten.”

 

“You've lost a mother already, and a brother forgotten. Barely have you gained a mate, then to have this. I don't think Bardock has perished or you would have felt it more intensely,” said Turles.

 

“IT feels like he's gone,” Raditz whispered.

 

“Only the Prince can feel every Saiyan mind if he concentrates hard enough. Third Classes can feel their own mates and whelps perhaps. Family members only if you try hard enough. Can you truly say that your father's mind is totally absent?” asked Turles.

 

“I feel NOTHING,” Raditz blurted out. Forming a purple sphere in one palm he hurled it towards a large spire of rock. It exploded on contact into a million little shards raining down on them both.

 

“Feel better?” Turles asked quietly, shifting weight from one foot to another.

 

“Damn it, no,” he whispered.

 

Reaching into his cloak with his other hand, the Commander drew a small glowing object out. Raditz's eyes widened in shock, for he thought that all had been given to the prince. One of the rare fruits from one of the Commander's mighty trees now pulsed with energy distilled from an entire planet. Raditz turned with confusion in his dark eyes. “What, I thought you'd have eaten it already.”

 

“There were but a few others. I only consumed one, one other is for the Prince himself. But this one I give to you, when you find your brother and mate. Give it to them, with my love and best regards, " said Turles as he handed a glowing fruit to Raditz.

 

"I cannot take this, what about your own needs?" he gasped.

 

"Take it. Part for you, your mate, and for Kakkarot. The remainder shall be planted in the soil of this world. Perhaps when next we meet you'll both look fondly upon me as wishing you well," Turles said.

 

"It is not yet ripe is it not?"

 

"The Tree was destroyed. I managed to save only a few," he muttered in anger. "But it is enough. I'd rather it be destroyed then the Master get his hands on it."

 

"Thank you," said Raditz.

 

"Fare you well," said Turles, resting his hand on his subordinate's shoulder. Raditz nodded, clasping his commander's arm in a hearty shake. Leaning forwards, Turles bit him on the right ear, causing blood to scab. In turn Raditz did the same, both males standing away from each other as they raised their index fingers together to touch.

 

“Don't forget there is blood shared between our houses, though they be disparate,” said Turles. “It's not a coincidence your father resembles me. His blood flows in my veins, because my mother and his mother shared the same sire.”

 

“It matters little,” Raditz said plaintively. “You are Elite, I am third class.”

 

“Perhaps. But all can aspire to cross that line. It is because of this that I have gained my true power. It may yet help you in your quest,” said Turles, reaching out to touch his shoulder.

 

"Your blood enriches mine. May the bond seal our destinies in an unbreakable bond," Raditz nodded.

 

"May the same be true where you journey. Let the mark be a sign of brotherhood. As one who is family," Turles agreed. "Now go get that mate of yours."

 

Raditz cursed and stamped his feet, entering the cramped space of his pod. He absolutely hated the damn thing, but was glad that he was asleep for most of the trip. While he was quick to blame Tomic for making a hash of things, he knew she was in over her head. Had that bastard Gero not shown up she could have handled herself nicely against that Namekian. Somehow she had discovered Kakkarot's allies, and planned to draw him to her like a warrior by a series of tests.

 

"You wouldn't know a decent challenge if it hit you on the head Nappa," he mumbled, letting the cryogen hiss around him. "She's a Saiyan warrior like it or not, because the challenge she issued for my brother seems worthy of one."

 

If she died, Raditz would have a lot of fun decimating the cities and killing every last human on that planet. Except for the strongest ones, and ten females to use for a harem of concubines for the Prince. Although he suspected the Prince would only choose one, there was royal protocol. The Prince had to have a choice selection. Whoever he didn't' chose would go to Nappa or the remaining Saiyans that still were alive. Turles and his crew namely.