27 Chapter Nine, Part Three

"I am terribly sorry, King Cold, but Frieza is busy expanding his territories and stabilising Cooler's untended worlds," Zarbon bowed down before the powerful Lord, satisfied that his position as Frieza's second would keep him safe. "He sends his regrets, and best wishes toward your efforts to bring his brother's killer to justice!"

The armrest of King Cold's throne cracked under the force of his grip, his broad face impassive as he processed Zarbon's words. Frieza's true hope was that his father would also fall to the mysterious assassin, before he killed the murderer and took control of his birthright.

"Tell my son that this enemy is beyond his abilities, Cooler was destroyed without any sign of a fight," King Cold ground his teeth, eyes filled with malice as he loomed over Zarbon. "This is not the time to squabble amongst ourselves…"

The ground trembled beneath their feet, a ripple that shifted into a heave. Zarbon staggered, dropped to one knee as the land rebelled against his feet. He cast a terrified glance toward King Cold, eyes wide as a chain of explosions illuminated the hall.

Fire bloomed through the open air windows, filled with smoke and debris. King Cold snorted, a wave of ki that pushed back the windswept assault. Frieza's father rose to his feet, gaze focused beyond the shattered ceiling of his palace.

"It's too late… come, little peacock," King Cold seized Zarbon by the back of his neck and floated upwards, through the gaps and into the flame dyed skies. "Let's see what enemy my son hopes will grant him an early inheritance."

– – – –

"All the little guys really add up…" Hal glanced at his soul points. He already had more than he needed for a semi-divine draw, very close to the number required for two. "Once I've finished King Cold, I'll have enough to use the lottery almost three times."

Crimson light flashed from his eyes, a diffused heat vision that boiled away the surface of the planet below. His soul points inched upwards, slow and steady until only a single pair of life signs remained.

King Cold emerged from his half-melted palace, a familiar green haired alien in tow. Hal drifted forward, a bright smile on his face as he gave the horned fellow and his prisoner a cheerful wave.

"Greetings, King of the Brigands," Hal's eyes flashed red, twinned lines that pierced Zarbon's heart. King Cold dropped the wasted alien and returned a twisted smile, while Hal gave a relaxed stretch. "I'm afraid that your days of disrupting universal order are at an end, but don't worry… your most beloved son will join his Father and Brother soon enough."

"Who are you Stranger… what grievances do you have with my clan?" Face set in barely restrained rage, King Cold drifted closer to Hal. Arms spread wide, he gave a smile that failed to reach his eyes. "I would surely remember if I crossed one as powerful as yourself… why persecute my family, when you could join us?"

Hal snorted as he flickered from his position faster than his enemy could follow. His smiling face appeared a hand's breadth from King Cold, arms clasped comfortably behind his back. Like his son Cooler, the bulky fellow wasn't worth mining for combat experience. The entire family relied on their overwhelming strength, not their skill.

"I'm afraid your little intergalactic maffia isn't of interest to me," Hal chuckled as King Cold jerked back from his sudden appearance, eyes wide as sweat beaded on his forehead. "Frieza is the most valuable of the lot of you, but even he's destined for the cooking pot…"

A sweep of his hand and the tyrant King's head tumbled from his shoulders. Hal scooped the corpse into storage and cracked his back. One more and he would have his second bloodline pill, one with more potential than even Goku's freakish talent.

"Now to find the last fish and finish my stew!"

– – – –

"Impossible…" a ripple hummed through the air, waves of erratic ki that distorted space and drove his servants to their knees. A flick of his fingers and the scouter's broadcast played out for a second time, the armoured Saiyan's arrival and his Father's effortless death. "Even I couldn't defeat Father so easily… perhaps he was correct, this isn't an issue that can be ignored."

"Lord Frieza… Zarbon, he…" Dodoria struggled to raise his head, face cramped as his master's power beat against his skin. Frieza shot him a venomous glance and returned the man to silence.

"Send out a message to every soldier under my command… I shall be entering a retreat, preparing justice for the man who murdered my precious family," Frieza's tail slammed against the deck of his cruiser, a crunch that twisted metal and dimmed the lights. "I shall trust both you and Captain Ginyu to manage the Empire in my absence… if I return to find you have failed, pray that you're already dead."

Frieza ignored his attendants' shudders and waved the oversized fellow from his sight. He turned his gaze to the stars beyond the viewport, face set into tightened lines. This enemy… a Saiyan with unimaginable power.

"Perhaps Father's legends weren't all the babbling of a mind enfeebled by age," Frieza snorted and shook his head. "Even if this is the legendary 'Super Saiyan,' I refuse to believe I cannot overcome him with enough time…"

– – – –

"It looks like Frieza has slithered under a rock…" Hal sighed as the scoutcraft made yet another jump through the phantom zone. He'd investigated and cleared over a dozen of the slippery fellow's worlds, but found no sight of the cold hearted Lord. "Hmmm?"

Hal squinted at the display, before a smile twitched at his frown. The planet below had few life signs, but three of them were Saiyans. His vision pierced the hull of his ship, focused on the small group below. 

An oversized baldy poked at a massive fire, while a downtrodden Raditz spun a massive lizard over the flames. The third member of the party sat apart from the rest. Back set to a large boulder, Vegeta gazed toward the darkened heavens with a scowl on his lips.

"Hurry up!" The Saiyan Prince barked out to his fellows, eyes still on the stars. "How useless are you, that it takes this long to roast a dinosaur?"

"Sorry, Vegeta," Nappa rubbed at his smooth dome and poured a bit more ki into the fire. The flames rose high, close enough to the meat that the fat sizzled and sparked into the coals below. "It's almost finished now, spin faster you little puke!"

"Fine!" Raditz ground his teeth and shifted the dino's bulk as fast as possible, fingers scorched by the heat of Nappa's efforts. "But don't blame me if you scorch the whole thing, like you did last time!"

"Just shut up and cook," Vegeta sighed and closed his eyes, head leaned against the stone behind him. "We still need to figure out our plans, now that Frieza has vanished away on his mysterious retreat."

Hal's ears perked up at the mention of Frieza, halfway out his scoutcraft's airlock. Maybe the Saiyans had more information on the villain's location, or at least an explanation for his disappearance. Regardless, the three down below were coming with him.

"If I can find two more Saiyans, Nappa might end up in the belly of my caldron," Hal pushed into the atmosphere, angled towards the distant campfire below. Vegeta and Raditz had their uses, but the bald psychopath was more valuable as an ingredient. "Peragus is an option, but Broly is hopefully the innocent giant from Super…"

Hal shrugged as he closed on the trio of unaware Saiyans. He could also use Nappa as genetic fodder, blend him up and cook some clones for the mass production of bloodline pills. Few would have the willpower needed to survive their use, but his three-minute-sight would let him know who was ready.

"Greetings, Prince Vegeta," Hal's voice echoed through the skies, a thunderous pulse that forced Raditz to drop their dinner into the fire. "My name is Hal, the new King of the Saiyans…"

***Power Levels and other notes***

Hal: 13,500,000 (135 million with symbiote armour enhancement, 270 million with symbiote transformation, Max kio-ken: 100x)

King Cold: 90 million

Vegeta: 12,000

Nappa: 4000

Raditz: 1000

I don't think I want to have the MC fuse with the Frieza family bloodline himself. Let me know who you think should eventually get the bloodline pill. It will take some time, since Frieza won't be so easy for the MC to deal with!