Chapter Text
"Nappa! What's got you looking so down today?" Fasha asked, sitting next to me with a curious look on her face, "You look seriously pissed off. It's kind of scary, y'know?"
I just shook my head, taking another swig from the bottle in my hand. I was sitting at the bar in Nappa's usual spot, with my back to the wall, and my eyes looking out at the room around me. It was the usual scene - a bunch of loud, rowdy Saiyans, drinking, fighting, laughing, and overall causing a ruckus. Usually, I would've been a bit entertained by the sight, but, for once, I wasn't in the mood for it. My mind was elsewhere, and my thoughts weren't on anything good. The two-week deadline that Bage had given me was weighing on me, and every passing day felt like a ticking clock. I was running out of time, and my plan to get myself and Prince Vegeta off this planet before Frieza destroyed it was shaky at best.
"Just a couple of annoying things happening recently," I grunted, not wanting to elaborate on my worries to Fasha. She meant well, but she wouldn't understand the gravity of the situation. I was the only one who knew that our entire race was on the brink of extinction, and I was the only one who could do something to ensure our safety. Fasha looked at me curiously, her head tilted to the side, but she didn't press the issue. She just nodded and then leaned forward as she started ordering a drink for herself.
Right now, the situation with Frieza was the most pressing concern, of course, though it wasn't the only one I had. The two-week deadline Bage had given me was a countdown to our race's doom, and I was feeling the pressure of it more and more each day. The fact that Vegeta and I weren't already off-planet on a mission, as we should have been according to the timeline I knew, was a major problem. I had assumed that Frieza would send us on a last-minute mission to ensure Vegeta's survival, but that hadn't happened yet, and there was only a week left until doomsday. It seemed that my presence had altered the timeline in ways I hadn't anticipated, and now I had to find my own way out of this mess.
But it wasn't just the Frieza situation that was bothering me - there was a different one which I was less certain about. I knew I had to get off of Planet Vegeta somehow, but as for the other concern, I wasn't sure if I would be doing the smartest thing I could be. That concern was simple: Broly.
The Bookkeeper had confirmed my fears a few days ago - that fear being that Broly was already gone. I had assumed as much, as he had been sent away years ago, being deemed too powerful, as his infant power level surpassed Vegeta's. Paragus, his father, had gone after him and was now considered dead. I knew the truth, as he wasn't dead but instead living on Vampa with Broly, so overall, I wasn't overly annoyed - just uncertain. That was, after all, where I planned on taking Vegeta and our squad soon. If Frieza really wasn't going to send us on a mission, then I'd have to take the initiative and get us off of Planet Vegeta myself.
Of course, Prince Vegeta fleeing right before Frieza destroyed the planet wouldn't be something the tyrant would overlook. He'd definitely be suspicious and probably send someone after us to either kill or capture us. For that reason, we needed to go somewhere where Frieza wouldn't look - that being Vampa. It was a desolate planet that was damn-near impossible to live on, which was part of the reason that no one ever went after Broly or Paragus. If we were there, then Frieza would likely consider us dead or not worth the effort. Of course, I still planned to try and cover our tracks so he didn't know where exactly we went, but if he did find out, then I'd certainly want him to think we were on Vampa over any other planet.
All of this meant I was pretty stressed out lately, both in finding a way to get not just myself and Vegeta, but also Bardock's squad, to Vampa without causing too big a stir, and in wondering if that was even the best move. It would likely keep us safe from Frieza for the time being, but it would raise another threat in Broly himself. His power level at birth was probably already higher than my own currently, and if I couldn't convince Paragus to hear me out, then our entire squad could be killed. I still had my Change ability if that scenario came to be, but it was a huge risk to assume I could even land the technique on Broly to begin with.
"Stress isn't good for you. It's bad for your muscles, which means your butt will shrink!" Fasha chimed in next to me, pulling me out of my thoughts as she smirked teasingly, then reached down and gave her massive rear a light squeeze, "Can you tell that I never stress about anything?"
"I can tell that your ass is bigger than your brain, that's for sure," I retorted dryly, not even bothering to look at her as I took another swig from my bottle.
"Definitely!" She immediately agreed with a proud grin, apparently not seeing my dry words as an insult, "Thinking too much is boring! That's the Saiyan way, right? All our race does is eat, drink, fight, and fuck! If you're so stressed, then... I could help you with the 'fucking' part~"
She finished her words by grabbing my arm and casually guiding it downwards so my hand was resting on her large rear, and her voice turned a bit seductive. I was used to this at this point, as my initial conversation with Fasha seemed to have made an impact on her. While she still held onto her 'I want to love someone and not just have hookups' mentality, somehow I had filled in the 'love someone' part of it. That wasn't to say she was madly in love with me or anything, but I could tell she was clearly crushing on me, as she'd been acting overly interested as of late, and couldn't look me in the eyes without blushing.
"Alright," I said simply, taking one last, long swig from my bottle before I set it back on the bar counter.
Fasha blinked in surprise, her sensual expression immediately fading away into one of surprise. Her jaw dropped open in an exaggerated fashion, and she looked at me strangely. She had been teasing me as she usually did over the past week, expecting me to reject her again, as I had done every other time she'd made an advance. She was so used to rejection that my sudden agreement had completely caught her off guard.
"Y-You... you're serious?" She stammered, her cheeks flushing a bright red as she stared at me, "But... I thought you said you wanted... real love?"
The thought of Cassa flashed through my mind for a moment, and a pang of guilt hit me. But I quickly pushed it away. I was Nappa now, a Saiyan Elite. And, more importantly, I was a Saiyan Elite who was living on a ticking time bomb. In a little over a week, this entire planet, and everyone on it, would be nothing but dust and debris floating in space. If I couldn't find a way to get myself and Vegeta off of this planet before that happened, then I would die along with it.
So, for once, I decided to live in the moment. What was the point of holding onto my morals? What was the point of denying myself pleasure when I could be dead in a week? If I died, I knew where I was going - I wasn't a good guy in this world. Assuming that my soul actually went to Otherworld, I'd be on a one-way trip to hell.
I had killed far too many people, and I had done too many terrible things to end up anywhere else but hell. I had slaughtered the people I wanted to protect on Zyle, killed my previous bodies whenever I took a new one, and had even abandoned my friends in the pursuit of power. I was a villain, and I knew it. So, while I certainly planned to get off of this planet, it wasn't guaranteed - nothing in this world was. If I were truly to die here, then why not enjoy what little time I had left? Why not spend my last few days on this planet in the arms of a beautiful woman?
"I still do," I said, my expression intense as I looked at her, "I still want to be with someone I love."
Fasha's blush deepened, and her eyes widened even more. She stared at me, her lips slightly parted as she tried to process my words. She was clearly expecting me to say anything but that - likely something crude, or to brush off her question with a joke. She wasn't expecting me to say something so... romantic. It was the last thing she expected to hear from a Saiyan Elite, especially from a man like Nappa, who was known for being a brutish, simple-minded warrior, even if I had told her as much in the past.
"D-Does that mean... You love me?" She asked, glancing away as she seemed uncertain of what to make of my words, but I felt like I saw a bit of hope in her expression. Unfortunately for her, while I might've been interested in her now that I was going into a very risky portion of my life, that didn't mean I would suddenly confess my undying love to her or anything.
"Maybe," I shrugged, my answer vague. Honestly, I knew I didn't love her - I'd only known her for a few weeks, so I couldn't love her. But I did enjoy her presence, and she had filled part of the hole that was left from Cassa.
Fasha's blush intensified, and she huffed, punching my arm playfully. Her fist connected with my bicep, but it was like a fly hitting a tank, and I didn't feel it. I didn't even flinch from the blow, and she just pouted at my lack of reaction. But, despite her playful annoyance, I could see a bit of excitement and happiness in her eyes.
"You're such a jerk!" She huffed, though there was no real anger in her voice.
Then, she did something that didn't surprise me in its boldness. She reached out, and she wrapped her arm around mine, pulling it into her chest. Her breasts were soft and warm against my arm, even as she was muscular and wearing a loose shirt, and I could feel her heart beating rapidly on my limb. She looked up at me, her cheeks still flushed, and her eyes shining with anticipation.
"Come on," She said, her voice a mixture of teasing and excited, "Let's go to your place. I've always wanted to see how the elites live."
I gave her a simple nod, and as we left the bar, I spent that night buried in the biggest ass I'd ever seen.
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"A... Mission?" I blinked, looking in surprise at Bage, and that surprise was only partially fake. I had genuinely been expecting to have to steal a bunch of pods and escape with Prince Vegeta myself, so this sudden order came as a shock. I was internally relieved, as this meant I wouldn't have to become a fugitive with Vegeta and Bardock's squad, and instead could just get away scot-free as I continued to work under Frieza.
"A mission," Bage repeated, nodding as he leaned back in his chair, looking more serious than I'd ever seen him before, "And not just any mission. This one came from the top - directly from Lord Frieza."
My body stiffened at the mention of Frieza's name, but I kept my expression neutral, not wanting to give anything away.
"Frieza?" I asked, my voice carefully controlled, "What does he want with my squad?"
"Beats me," Bage shrugged, but there was a tension in his shoulders that belied his casual tone, "The order came through the pink ugly one - Dodoria. His third in command showed up here himself, delivered the orders to the King, and left. He said Frieza wanted your squad - and those low-class weirdos you've got training with the Prince - to go to a planet that's not far from here. A place called... Meat."
Wait, Frieza had personally sent Dodoria to give us this mission, and had specified to bring Bardock's squad with us? Was he just ensuring that Prince Vegeta was gone when Planet Vegeta was destroyed, and he decided to throw Bardock in? I figured that, when the time came that we were sent on this mission, I'd have to work to ensure Bardock's squad was sent with us, but now, this was working out nicely.
Bage paused as I thought quickly, looking at me with a raised eyebrow, "Does that name ring any bells for you? Because it doesn't for me."
"No," I shrugged, as I didn't recall a planet like that from my knowledge of this world, "Doesn't ring a bell. What's the mission objective?"
"Conquest, what else?" Bage chuckled, "Standard procedure, pretty much. Wipe out the population and secure the planet for sale. But the timing... Nappa, the timing is what concerns me. Frieza recalls our entire race, then immediately sends you and your squad out? It's strange."
"Who knows what Frieza thinks?" I countered, shaking my head casually, though internally I did know the reason for this mission.
Frieza did want to keep Vegeta alive, but he wouldn't do it out of the kindness of his heart. He saw Vegeta as a tool - a weapon that could be useful to him in the future. Sparing him was a way to mock the memory of King Vegeta, and a way to have one of the last remaining Saiyans under his thumb. However, regardless of the reason, I wouldn't complain. This was my chance to escape the destruction of Planet Vegeta, and I wouldn't have to spend decades hiding from Frieza as I trained to defeat him in the process. This way, I could simply do what Vegeta had done originally - work for Frieza, grow stronger in the process, and eventually take him down once we met up with Goku and the Z-Fighters in the far future.
"True," Bage sighed, then he leaned forward, placing his hands on his desk as he looked at me with a serious expression, "But be careful, Nappa. Something's going on. I have a bad feeling about this, and my feelings aren't usually wrong. Frieza's planning something, and I don't like it."
"I'll be careful," I said, nodding at him, "Don't worry about me."
Bage just stared at me for a moment, his expression serious, and then he nodded, "Good. Leave as soon as possible. I'll see you when you return."
I gave him a final nod and then turned around, pushing open the door to his office. I stepped out into the hallway, and as I was about to leave, I paused. In that moment, I did something I shouldn't have done. It was suspicious - far too suspicious of an action to risk for a man I barely knew. But whether it was my human heart compelling me, or because I somehow sensed that this would save my life in the future, I didn't know. I glanced back at Bage, my eyes locking with his.
"Strange things are going on lately, Bage," I said, my voice low, "If I were you, I'd find somewhere that wasn't Planet Vegeta to be for when Frieza arrives."
Bage's head snapped up, and he looked at me, his eyes wide with surprise. He stared at me for a long moment, a steeled expression on his face as he processed my words. He didn't respond, but I could see the gears turning in his head. He opened his mouth to question me, but then paused and simply gave me a slow nod.
"Thank you."
I gave him a final nod, and then I turned and walked away, leaving him to his thoughts. As I walked through the halls of the palace, I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.
I had a way out now. A way to save myself, and to save Vegeta and Bardock's squad. I had a chance to survive, and I was going to take it.
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"Nappa, are you sure we don't have any more information about this mission? You're, ahem, not just... forgetting it, right? Or, missing something?" Fasha's voice came through the Scouter on my face as I sat, cramped, inside a Saiyan pod.
"Of course I'm sure," I answered dryly as I stared at the planet in front of us, "Do you really think I'm that stupid?"
"Well... I think you're pretty smart, actually," Fasha retorted, a bit of teasing in her voice that I could easily hear through the comms, "But your reputation says otherwise, and I'm starting to suspect you're secretly stupid! It's impossible for you to be the whole package, you know? You can't be strong, smart, and have a massive dic-"
"We don't have more information," I cut her off, not wanting to hear the end of that sentence, though admittedly my cheeks flushed a bit as I thought about the recent 'fun' I'd been sharing with Fasha, "We have the mission objective, and that's it. We'll have to be careful."
I didn't wait for her response, instead turning my attention back to the view outside the pod. A massive, red planet looked even more massive through the small window. Its surface looked strangely fleshy, like a huge slab of raw meat floating in the blackness of space, in a way that was hard to explain, as even my brain could barely process the meat-looking surface, which was filled with various craters but still looked soft and taunt at the same time. I could definitely see why this planet was simply called Meat, and it was an unsettling sight that did little to ease the uncertainty I'd been feeling over the past day.
It had only been one day since Bage had given us this mission, as we'd been ordered to get going immediately, with a specific order to leave Planet Vegeta as soon as I could gather the squad members. Departures for missions immediately weren’t odd, but to be given a mission by Frieza himself and told to leave with such urgency? This was definitely odd. I wasn't sure what was waiting for us on Meat, but luckily, I felt pretty good about our odds.
My gaze stayed locked on the planet, but my thoughts turned to the other Saiyans who were now packed into their own pods, which were flying in formation with mine. There was Bardock, of course, and his entire team was with him: Tora, his loyal second-in-command, Fasha, whom I had become a bit attached to over the past weeks - even if it was a big begrudgingly, as Cassa still weighed on my mind - along with Shugesh and Borgos, both of whom were on the bulky, towering, and fat side as far as Saiyans went. Finally, for Bardock's group, was Gine - someone who wasn't a part of his squad, but whom I ordered him to take with us anyway. I made the excuse to Bage that she was 'considering joining' Bardock's squad, but in reality, I was just looking out for the woman. When Planet Vegeta was destroyed, Gine would've been destroyed with it, and I didn't want Bardock to lose his wife in that way.
Then there was myself and Vegeta, of course, along with two more Elite Saiyans from my own squad, named Gulla and Tato. They were strong and capable, but they were also wildcards to me. My squad - technically Prince Vegeta's squad, but as Vegeta was still a child, I was pretty much in charge - wasn't formed on bonds or relationships like Bardock's was, but instead, based purely on strength. Gulla and Tato were just 2 very powerful Elites, and they had no real relationship with me beyond a casual, friendly one. For that reason, I didn't really know them.
And then, finally, there was Raditz.
I frowned, my thoughts pausing on that particular name. Raditz, Goku's older brother, and a low-class Saiyan, was now flying alongside the Prince of all Saiyans on a mission ordered by Frieza himself - and not because he was Bardock's son. Raditz was a good chunk older than Goku - or Kakarot, as Bardock called him, who was already born and about to be sent on his infant mission, so I didn't have to be concerned about getting him off of Planet Vegeta. Though I felt like this was pretty stupid planning on Frieza's part, because why was he still allowing for infants to be sent on missions right before he was about to destroy Planet Vegeta? Was he just letting random baby Saiyans live around the universe for the love of the game?
Regardless, Raditz had already proved himself to be talented, as he was above most other Saiyan children. However, that didn't mean he stood out enough to be chosen for a mission like this, and Bardock hadn't requested that he join us - honestly, Bardock had barely mentioned his older son at all, as it seemed that Saiyan families certainly weren't tight-knit, even for someone like Bardock who was much more familial than most. Bardock knew Raditz, of course, as his father, but it wasn't like he was super present in his life, and it was more like they were loose acquaintances than father and son. Raditz being sent with us was strange, as it was an anomaly that didn't fit with what I knew of Saiyan society. Raditz was a low-class, born to a low-class father, and while he was strong for his age, he had no business being on a mission chosen by Frieza himself.
It was the same in the Broly movie, I remembered, but that knowledge didn't help me much. Raditz had been with Vegeta on the mission that allowed them to escape Planet Vegeta's destruction, but no reason had ever been given for his presence. In the only other source of information I could draw on, that being the Bardock special, I didn't remember Raditz being mentioned at all.
"Prepare for landing," I said simply, pushing aside my thoughts as my pod raced closer to Meat's surface. Regardless of why Frieza had sent us on this mission or why Raditz was sent with us, we had a mission to complete anyway. After we were done here, I could worry about the details.
My pod slammed into the planet's fleshy surface with a wet smack, and then skidded for a moment as it carved out a crater in the squishy, blood-red ground. With a hiss, the hatch opened, and I stepped out onto the spongy surface of Meat. I glanced around, wrinkling my nose. The air was thick and heavy, with a coppery, metallic scent that reminded me of blood, and I could feel a strange humidity in the air. Above me, the sky was a deep purple, as it was devoid of any clouds or celestial bodies. As I glanced around, I saw nothing but deep-red cratered ground, along with various humps in the ground that formed small hills, but nothing that would've led someone to believe there was any life here. The planet looked like a giant, bloody carcass, which was left to rot in the cold void of space.
One by one, the other pods landed around me as Bardock and his team emerged, their expressions also being uncomfortable at the blood-like smell in the air. Next came Gulla, who was a large, bulky man with a broad chest and spikey long black hair, along with Tato, who was much shorter and thinner than most Saiyans, and had a squirrely looking face that pissed me off whenever I saw it. Vegeta then stepped out of his pod, his arms crossed as he surveyed the landscape with a look of disdain, and Fasha was the last to join us, hopping out of her pod casually.
"Well, this is... disgusting," She said, wrinkling her nose as she looked around, "This is a conquest mission, right, Nappa? I don't see any buildings or anything that suggests there's any life here."
"That's the mission objective," I confirmed, shrugging as my gaze swept across the barren landscape, "Conquer the planet, wipe out the inhabitants, and prepare it for sale. That's all the information we have."
"The inhabitants? What could possibly live on a planet like this?" Tora muttered, kicking at the squishy ground with his boot.
"Something that's probably as ugly as this planet," Borgos grunted, earning a snort of laughter from Shugesh.
I couldn't help but agree with Tora's words, as I didn't see how there could be anyone living on this shithole. I reached up, clicked the side of my scouter, and then glanced around. For a long moment, nothing happened, but as I glanced down slightly, my scouter beeped, with a number forming on it.
"There's a power level here," I announced, but narrowed my eyes slightly, "But it's... weird. It's coming from the ground."
"What?" Fasha asked, walking over to me and peering at my scouter, "You know you're looking at the floor, right? Usually, people don't live in the ground!"
"Obviously," I shot back dryly, my eyes scanning the ground beneath us, "But that's where the scouter is picking up a power level coming from."
"This planet gives me a bad feeling," Bardock mutttered, his gaze fixed on the purple sky above as he narrowed his eyes, "And it's not just the smell of blood. There's no moon."
"No moon?" I asked, my head snapping up to look at the sky again, and realizing was right. The sky was empty, save for a few distant stars twinkling in the void. There was no moon, no sun, and nothing but the deep expanse of space.
"That's impossible," Tora said, shaking his head, "Every planet has a moon, right? They usually do, at least! Maybe it's the day right now? So, we should go to the other side of the planet?"
"Maybe this is one of the rare exceptions," Gine suggested, shrugging at Tora's words, "A planet that evolved without a moon. That's not impossible, right?"
"Or maybe Frieza didn't want us to have one," Vegeta added in, a smug look on his face, "He probably knew we'd get bored and transform, so he sent us to a planet without a moon to keep us in check. He knows that someone as powerful as myself could finish any mission with ease if I transformed, so he wanted me to have a challenge!"
"You think too highly of yourself, Prince," Bardock retorted, a smirk playing on his lips, "Frieza doesn't care about your ego. He cares about results."
"And I always deliver results!" Vegeta shot back, his smugness not dropping in the slightest, "I'm the Prince of all Saiyans! I don't need a moon to prove my worth!"
Before Vegeta could continue his rant, the ground beneath our feet began to rumble slightly. At first, it was a gentle tremor, which only I seemed to notice. But then, it grew stronger, as the other Saiyans around me noticed as well. That stronger shake became much stronger, until finally, I felt like I was standing in the middle of an earthquake.
"What the hell is that?!" Fasha shouted, stumbling and grabbing onto my arm for support as the shaking intensified.
"How would I know?" I muttered back, but my eyes went wide as, suddenly, with a loud roar, the ground in front of us exploded. A burst of red, fleshy material and what looked like blood erupted into the sky, raining down on us as the air was covered with dust. When the dust settled a moment later, a massive creature stood before us.
It was a humanoid giant, easily 20 feet tall and just as wide, but its body was an ugly fusion of meat and blood. Its skin was the same disgusting red color as the planet itself, and it was dripping with a crimson liquid that pooled around its feet, which looked like blood. Its body was jutting out in strange places, with some of its flesh literally hanging out from its body, as if someone had chopped it up and only partially finished the job. Its face was the same shape as a human's, but looked like it had been pulled through the wringer more than a few times. It had a gaping maw filled with jagged, broken, and missing blood-stained teeth, along with two wide, hate-filled eyes as it glared down at us.
"You will pay for what you've done!" I blinked as the giant spoke, its voice loud as it shouted with anger.
"What the hell are you talking about?" I responded, raising an eyebrow back at the creature. What had we done? We had just arrived here, so we hadn't had time to do anything!
But the monster didn't give me a chance to think about its words, as it lunged forward, its massive fist swinging down towards us with surprisingly fast speed. I lunged to the side as we all scattered, leaping out of the way just as the fist slammed into the ground where we had been standing and created a massive crater that sent shockwaves through the fleshy surface. I instinctively tapped my scouter, my eyes widening in surprise as a number appeared on the display.
"It has a power level of 1,550," I announced, slightly impressed, as while it wasn't near my own or Vegeta's, it was still decently sized.
"Not bad for a big pile of meat," Tora grunted, a grin spreading across his face as he cracked his knuckles, "This might actually be fun."
"Fun for me! He's all mine," Vegeta said, stepping forward as he glanced over at Bardock, a smug look on his face, "I've been working on a new move, low-class, and I was saving it for you, but... I think this ugly bastard will do. Make sure you watch closely!"
Before anyone could protest, Vegeta began to gather his energy. He cupped his hands together, a white aura flaring around him as he channeled his Ki into a single point. The air crackled with his power, and the ground beneath him began to shake from the intensity of the energy he was generating. Slowly, a small, purple ball formed on his palms, which then began to grow wider and bigger.
"Galick... Gun!" Vegeta finally shouted, thrusting his hands forward as the massive, purple beam of energy erupted from his palms and tore through the air. The air itself shook from the force of the attack, and even from my spot dozens of feet away, I could feel the intense heat in the air from the attack. The Ki beam burst through the air so quickly that even I struggled to keep track of it, and it slammed into the monster's chest. The second it made contact, there was no stalling - no time where the giant's chest tried to resist the blow. Instead, there was simply a wet, tearing sound as a huge hole was blasted through his heart.
The monster let out a final, gurgling scream as its massive body slumped backward, crashing to the ground with an impact that shook the ground again, and caused a shockwave of dust and debris to wash over us.
"Well, that's one way to do it," Fasha muttered, wiping some of the red dust from her armor with a disgusted look on her face.
Vegeta stood there for a moment, a proud smirk on his face as he admired his handiwork. He glanced over at Bardock and the other low-class Saiyans, his face arrogant as he expected praise, or at least a nod of acknowledgement from the others. But, instead, he was met with a chorus of boos and jeers.
"Show-off!" Tora shouted, throwing a rock at the Prince, who easily dodged it with a scoff.
"We could've had some fun with that thing!" Borgos grumbled, kicking at the creature's massive, lifeless foot.
"It's always about you, isn't it, Prince?" Fasha added, her hands on her hips as she glared at the young Saiyan, "You can't just let someone else have a turn?"
"I don't need to prove myself to a bunch of low-class weaklings!" Vegeta shot back, huffing at their words, "I was just ending the fight quickly so we could get this pathetic mission over with!"
"As long as it's dead, it doesn't matter who killed it," I interrupted, my gaze shifting from the smug Prince to the hulking corpse of the creature. The thing was disgusting, but the more I stared, the more I felt like it wasn't just a monster. Its body was certainly deformed, but it wasn't in a natural way. It was as if it'd been in a fight, its body was torn apart during it, and the red liquid covering it was its blood. And, what did it mean by 'you will pay for what you've done'?
My instincts were screaming at me that something was wrong, but I didn't know what it was. I reached up to tap my scouter, my fingers hovering over the button as I prepared to continue scanning the area.
"We need to find the rest of whatever that was," I called out, "There could be more of them, and I don't want to be caught off guard-"
But, before my finger could make contact with the button, my head snapped back as my instincts screamed at me. A split second later, a Ki-beam, thin and fast, slammed into my scouter, and the device shattered in a shower of sparks. The beam was only inches away from making contact with my head, and I could feel the heat of it on my skin as it passed. If I hadn't moved my head at the last second, I'd be dead right now.
My heart pounded in my chest as I jerked my head towards the direction the beam came from, my eyes widening as I saw the culprit. Gulla, one of my own Elite squadmates, stood there, his arm still outstretched with a smirk on his face.
I heard a sharp gasp from the others, and my gaze snapped to the side, my eyes widening even further as I saw Borgos clutching at his chest. A smoking hole was burned through his armor, and blood was streaming from the wound, staining his hands and the fleshy red ground. He slumped forward, his body hitting the ground with a thud. As his body fell down, I could see that behind him stood Tato, his hand still smoking from the blast that had killed Borgos with a wide, cruel grin on his face.
"What the hell are you doing?!" I shouted at him, my voice booming across the landscape as my body tensed, my muscles flexing as I prepared to lunge at the traitors.
Gulla just smirked, lowering his arm as he looked at me, "Sorry about that, Nappa. I was hoping I could kill you with that shot, but I guess you're not as slow as you look."
"BORGOS!" Bardock shouted as he looked with wide eyes at Borgos' body, and then glared at Tato. He shifted into his fighting stance, his eyes lit with anger as Fasha, Tora, and Shugesh quickly formed up around him.
"What is this? A betrayal?" Meanwhile, Vegeta's eyes glared at the two men, his body also tensing, "This is called treason, right? Then, as the Prince of All Saiyans, I'll fulfill my duty and kill the two traitors!
Vegeta's body tensed as an aura of Ki flared up around him, but just as he was about to attack, my eyes went wide. Vegeta didn't react, nor did the other Saiyans, but that was because they couldn't feel what I could. They couldn't sense energy like me - even if I still preferred a scouter as I had yet to master sensing energy - as a massive presence washed over us.
"Don't move!" I shouted abruptly, confusing the Saiyans as I jerked my head up to the sky.
Above us, a Saiyan pod came streaming down. It slammed into the ground a moment later with a loud crash, kicking up more dust as all eyes turned to it. As the dust settled, for a moment, there was complete silence. Then, with a hiss, the hatch opened, and a figure stepped out.
But it wasn't a Saiyan.
My eyes went wide, my body tensing at the sight as I resisted the urge to take a step back instinctually. The figure was short and fat, with bright pink skin. He had a small, roundish, fat head, which was littered with spikes on the top. His arms were short and chubby, with sharp nails that looked like they alone could tear through flesh. He was wearing a suit of Frieza Force armor, but it was stained and scuffed, as if he had been in a recent battle.
It was-
"Dodoria..." I breathed out, my eyes wide as I sensed his overwhelming power. I didn't have a scouter after Gulla destroyed mine a moment ago, but I didn't need one to know that I didn't stand a chance against the pink alien in front of me. I was Nappa - a stronger Nappa than usual from my training, but my power level was still in the 3-4 thousand range. By comparison, Dodoria's was closer to 20 thousand.
"Well, well, looks like I arrived at the perfect time!" Dodoria giggled as he glanced around, his voice a high-pitched, nasally sound that grated on my ears, "I was worried I'd arrive too late, and you'd all already be dead!"
As I stared at Dodoria with wide eyes, Tato laughed at my shocked expression, "What's the matter, Nappa? You look like you've seen a ghost!"
Gulla turned to Dodoria, a slightly apologetic look on his face, "My apologies, Dodoria, Sir. The last giant only lasted a few seconds, so there was no real opportunity to betray them during the fight. Then, our sneak attack attempt only worked on one of them."
"I see," Dodoria gummed, a small smile playing on his lips, "No matter. I'm here now."
My gaze shifted between the three of them, taking in the matching grins on Gulla, Tato, and Dodoria's faces as my mind raced to understand the situation.
"What the hell is going on?" I demanded, my voice coming out as a growl.
"What's going on is that your time is up, Nappa," Dodoria said, a cruel smile spreading across his face. "Lord Frieza has decided that the Saiyan race has outlived its usefulness. He's decided it's time for a little... population control."
He paused, letting his words sink in. The others were staring at him, their expressions a mixture of disbelief and horror. My body tensed as I knew what Frieza was planning, but why was Dodoria here? Why did he follow us on this mission?
"You... you're going to kill us?" Fasha asked, her voice trembling with a mixture of fear and anger.
"Not just you," Dodoria said, a sadistic gleam in his eyes, "All of you. The entire Saiyan race! Soon, Planet Vegeta will be gone as well."
I knew, but I still didn't understand it. If Frieza didn't send us here so we would avoid death on Planet Vegeta and be none the wiser about what he did, then why did he send us here?
"Then, why were we sent on this mission?" I decided the best way to find out was to simply ask, "If Frieza was recalling all the Saiyans to kill them, then why are we here?"
"Heh. You're just lucky, because Lord Frieza seems to think you could get in the way for some reason," Dodoria wrinkled his nose, but instead of looking at me, his gaze locked onto Bardock, "Something about what Lord Beer- ah, something about your power, or something. Either way, he told me to handle you all personally. In case you're too slow to have picked up on it by now, this isn't a real mission."
I thought something was fishy with this mission, and now, that was confirmed. Frieza hadn't sent us on this mission so we would survive - no, he did it for the opposite. He sent us here to die.
And, it made more sense as I thought back to my prior knowledge about this world - to the Bardock special. In it, I remembered Bardock coming back from a mission, and then, as he was still healing, his squad was sent immediately on another one. On that one, they had been ambushed by Dodoria, and all of them but Bardock had been killed, as he barely managed to survive by hiding under their corpses when he rushed to help them. It didn't make sense for Frieza to do something like that - why would he send Dodoria to take down Bardock's squad, when they would've just died with Planet Vegeta anyway? Why was Bardock's squad special? It wasn't like they were already on a mission, and Frieza just sent Dodoria to track them down, because they'd been sent immediately on a mission right before Planet Vegeta's destruction.
But, at Dodoria's words, it all clicked for me. His slip-up - the short mutter of 'Lord Beer-' which meant he was clearly about to mention Beerus, the God of Destruction, but caught himself. Beerus had revealed in Super that he was the one truly behind Planet Vegeta's destruction, as he had ordered Frieza to eradicate the Saiyans. And, right now, I was realizing that, for a reason I couldn't understand - whether it be a prophecy, fear, or even just a whim - Beerus had warned Frieza not about us, but instead, about Bardock. Dodoria had been sent to eliminate Bardock's squad, and now to eliminate us, because of Bardock himself. Because, for reasons I couldn't hope to know, Beerus wanted the man dead.
Right now, Dodoria was here to kill us, and not because of Vegeta or myself. No - he was here to kill us because I had brought in Bardock. My attempt to save the mans life had, in turn, led to what could be the end of mine.
"Truthfully, this planet has already been conquered. It took a couple of squads of you useless Saiyans, but after the last ones died, I came here and finished cleaning up," Dodoria grinned widely, stepping forward as he slowly bent down. His hand sank into the fleshy ground, and my eyes went wide as he pulled up, and a long, limb-shaped slab of the ground pulled up casually as a red liquid dripped down from it.
"This planet isn't really called 'Meat,' but Lord Frieza thought it was a fitting name, since that's all there is here now," Dodoria casually yanked up on the limb, and the force pulled another chunk of the ground out with it, which flopped forward to show a body very similar to the giant we had defeated, "This place is nothing more than a graveyard now. I left a couple alive around here because I hoped they would handle you for me, but it seems you're not completely weak."
My eyes widened as I glanced around, all the pieces of the puzzle clicking into place. The reason I couldn't sense any life on this planet was because there was none. The coppery smell of blood in the air was exactly that - blood. This was a planet full of giants, not monsters, and the one we had fought was the dying, barely conscious body of one. The inhabitants of this planet had already been killed, and the very ground I was walking on wasn't simple floor, but instead, their dust and blood-covered corpses. The dirt on Dodoria's armor made more sense, as it wasn't 'like' he had just been in a fight - he had just been in a fight. He had finished off the giants on this planet and left only a few alive to keep us busy as Gulla and Tato betrayed us mid-battle.
However, he had underestimated us and overestimated his own intelligence. Only one of the giants had survived, and with Vegeta getting more serious training due to me bringing in Bardock, he had been able to easily handle the creature. Gulla and Tato hadn't been given a chance to betray us in the heat of a battle, and instead, had to settle for only taking down one member of Bardock's squad.
"You... you traitorous bastards!" Vegeta roared, his Ki flaring to life again, "You're going to pay for this! I'm going to tear you limb from limb!"
But before Vegeta could launch himself at Dodoria, a firm hand landed on his shoulder as Bardock's expression was grim but determined.
"Calm down, Prince," Bardock muttered, "Rushing in blindly will only get you killed. We need a plan."
Vegeta snarled, shaking off Bardock's hand, but he didn't attack. It was a testament to just how much of an impact myself and Bardock had on him already that he didn't just charge in mindlessly and die in that moment.
"A plan?" Dodoria mocked, smirking at Bardock and Vegeta, "What plan could you possibly have? You're nothing but a bunch of weak, pathetic monkeys, and you're about to be exterminated like the pests you are."
Damn, pulling out the 'monkeys' line? I thought that was a Frieza-exclusive!
"No hard feelings, Nappa!" Tato grinned widely at me, giving a casual shrug as he looked between Dodoria and I, "I've always respected you, as you're one of the strongest Saiyans around, but I can't go against Lord Frieza. He offered to let me survive if I betrayed you."
"Same here," Gulla piped in from beside him, crossing his arms as he looked at me, "It's nothing personal. I just want to live."
"Oh, but it is personal," I scoffed at their words, "You're dead men either way. You just don't realize it yet."
Dodoria let out a high-pitched, grating laugh that made my skin crawl as he glanced over at the two traitorous Saiyans, a cruel gleam in his eyes, "Who would've thought that you were the smart one, Nappa? You're right!"
"W-What do you mean he's right?" Gulla blinked, looking over at Dodoria confusedly.
"You see," Dodoria said, a wide, bloodthirsty grin spreading across his face, "I told you that you could live if you did your jobs."
Gulla and Tato immediately tensed, their eyes going wide as horror dawned on them.
"Morons," I simply muttered, as trusting the word of Frieza was one of the dumbest things anyone could do.
"You were supposed to at least weaken the squad before I arrived," Dodoria continued, "But instead, all you could do was take down one measly low-class. You're not even useful idiots."
Then, he vanished.
My scouter was gone, shattered into nothing but shards, but I didn't need it to sense the intense, overwhelming power that suddenly flared to life behind Gulla and Tato. Dodoria moved with a speed that was impossible to follow for even my eyes, looking simply like a pink blur. One moment, he was standing in front of us. The next, he was between the two traitors, a wide, cruel smile on his face.
His fists slammed forward, one bursting through Gulla's back, and the other through Tato's, in one fluid motion. Their eyes went wide, a mixture of shock and betrayal on their faces as they looked down, seeing Dodoria's blood-covered hands emerging from their chests. They both slumped forward, their bodies hitting the floor with thuds.
"Wh... why?" Tato gasped, his last words a gurgling whisper as blood streamed from his mouth. He stared up at Dodoria, his eyes pleading for an answer.
"Why?" Dodoria repeated, chuckling as he looked at the blood dripping off of his fists, "Because you're idiots. You're idiots if you thought I'd let you live when I'm about to wipe out your entire race. You were tools, nothing more, and you weren't even good tools."
Then, he turned to us with a slow, deliberate movement that made every Saiyan around me tense. He held up his blood-covered fists in a mocking way, and his smile widened, his eyes wide with excitement at what was to come.
"Now, it's your turn."
I tensed, shifting into a fighting stance of my own as Dodoria's gaze locked with mine.
For the first time since Zyle, it was time to fight with my life on the line.
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AN: Thank you for reading! This is the last chapter for today, and the next one will be posted in 2 weeks!
Or… in one week on… the place… who shall not be mentioned… where up to chapter 9 is… yes, it’s the place you think it is… but I must not say more, or else I will be executed once again by the admins…