Chapter 59* – Shadows of the Galactic Emperor

~ Wasteland ~

A haunting stillness enveloped the desolate wasteland, shrouding it in an eerie hush. In this silence, the earth subtly wiggled before Alpha cautiously peeked over the soil, his eyes barely above the surface.

Exercising utmost caution to avoid any sudden moves, he scanned the surroundings meticulously, his eyes darting in every direction for signs of life or potential threats. The wasteland, however, remained devoid of activity, as if the very essence of life had been drained from the land.

Satisfied, Alpha deemed it safe to emerge from his hiding place. With a sudden burst of energy, he burst forth from the earth, liberating himself from the confining dirt that had sheltered him.

He had opted to linger beneath the surface, hoping to be forgotten. Paralyzed by the fear of discovery, he had not had even dared to draw breath, lest those people remembered his existence. If they had, he would've been forced to revert to his seed form, destined once more to fulfill another's bidding.

Thankfully, it looked like no one did.

A gleeful grin illuminated Alpha's face as he reveled in his newfound freedom. For the first time since he became self-aware, he was free from the relentless cycle of violence that had defined his existence. It was finally over! No more killing, no more battling– just the unrestrained freedom to explore, discover, and live life on his own terms!

Spotting the trees that Nappa had roughly thrust into the earth, Alpha plucked a fresh apple from the branches. The fruit crunched satisfyingly as Alpha sank his teeth into its flesh.

As the juices from the apple dribbled down Alpha's jaws, a sudden burst of cackling laughter erupted from the Saibaman as he reveled in the sheer delight of this small, yet deeply meaningful, act. With the apple firmly in hand, Alpha sprinted into the distance, waving his arms wildly in the air and whooping his unrestrained joy.

This was it! He was going to live his best f*cking life on this planet for the rest of his days! Alpha sprinted into the distant horizon as the sunset casted hues of orange and pink across the sky. The destination? Wherever the hell he wanted!

***

~ Location Unknown ~

"…I admit it, Kakarot! You are strong! But I will be stronger yet! Taste my full power and despair, knowing that I am still more powerful than you!"

As the declaration ended, the sound of rushing energy filled the darkened control room with its distinctive roar. The transmission transitioned into static, but it managed to faithfully reproduce the sound of labored breathing before it abruptly cut off. As the audio clip ran its course, the room fell into an eerie silence, disrupted only by the rhythmic dripping of water. 

"That's the entirety of what our communications team managed to recover, my Lord," an effeminate man reported, sweeping aside his cascading emerald locks as he deactivated the recording on a tablet in his grasp.

Within the darkness of the control room, the observatory windows displayed the beauty of space, the stars glittering especially bright against the backdrop of the cosmic void. Amidst the stars, a floating throne silently occupied the center, exuding an aura of authority and malevolence. The floating throne began to turn around slowly, and beneath the faint starlight filtering through, only the glint of cold, cruel light reflecting from the seated figure's eyes could be seen.

"Ohoho, how… intriguing. Their statuses, Zarbon?"

"Of course, Lord Frieza. We have confirmed the departure of two attack balls from Planet 4032-Green-877 at the outermost fringes of the Northern Quadrant—" Zarbon paused in his report as the figure telekinetically suspended beside Frieza emitted a chilling scream as another limb contorted unnaturally under an unseen force. Utterly unfazed, Zarbon continued his report seamlessly. "–an hour ago. Judging by their current trajectory, Planet Frieza 79 will be their destination."

Despite the room being fully occupied by pilots and crew members, the room immediately plunged into dead silence once again, broken only by the hum of the spaceship's dimly illuminated consoles and the languid, rhythmic dripping of blood onto cold, metallic floor. The figure suspended beside Frieza had shifted from screams to silent sobbing, but even so, not a single sound escaped the lips of the crew members present.

Frieza lounged on his throne, fingers delicately resting on his chin as he contemplated the intriguing revelation contained in Zarbon's report—the Dragon Balls. His father had, nearly a millennium ago, set his sights on these mythical orbs, but his father had shrouded the result in mystery, merely alluding to a cataclysm that had ravaged the planet, stripping it clean of life.

Of course, he was of the opinion that they had never existed, or why else had there been no conclusion to his father's recount? He had refrained from dabbling into myth and legends for precisely this reason; however, on this occasion, the evidence spoke for themselves. The allure of immortality had never resonated so enticingly– or so tantalizingly close, for that matter.

The levitating throne smoothly turned to face the vast expanse of space once more.

Frieza snapped his fingers, and the captive beside him convulsed in agony, the symphony of tortured cries reigniting anew as yet another limb twisted unnaturally.

Frieza noted that Zarbon had once again demonstrated impeccable judgment by making the call to monitor Vegeta's movements. The deviation in course from one of those filthy monkeys had not escaped Zarbon's vigilance and had been reported to him instantly. While the deviation itself was inconsequential, it certainly became worthy of note when the other two had followed suit. And what an intriguing sequence of events had followed!

"Well, Vegeta had been right about one thing. Namek was indeed worth making a trip for." Frieza remarked with a leisurely drawl.

"Shall I chart a course for Namek, sir?" Zarbon prepared to execute what he anticipated to be his Lord's next command. "And as for Vegeta?"

Frieza chuckled under his breath. Wasn't it cute that Vegeta believed severing external communications would accomplish anything? How… ungrateful. He had been magnanimous enough by allowing Vegeta and his little barbarous entourage to live, but he had no use for a petulant pet who dared to bite the hand that fed them.

"I believe our little monkey prince had finally outlived his usefulness. However, let him live," a sinister smile stretched across Frieza's lips. "But send someone to Planet 79 to ensure he arrives on Namek. Our Prince should enjoy front-row seats to my ascension as an immortal emperor."

Frieza started to laugh. He couldn't wait to witness Vegeta crumbling in despair on Namek. That reminded him, another bothersome Namekian had been a thorn in his side recently, and the prospect of killing two birds with one stone just seemed so remarkably efficient, no? Frieza turned his attention to the cyan-skinned, orange-blonde captive beside him.

The captive's sobs melded with his desperately blubbered pleas. "I'm so sorry for not answering the first time, p-please ask again! I-I'll tell you everything! I'm his right-hand m-man! I c-can tell you Lord Slug's whereabouts for the next m-month!" The captive implored, his voice trembling.

Frieza offered a sweet smile with an air of detached interest. "Thank you, but there's no need. I know where he will be when I reduce Namek to ashes." With a swift, dismissive motion, Frieza casually swiped his hands as if swatting an insect, and blood splattered itself across the transparent window, painting the glittering stars beyond a bright crimson.

"Let's take a vacation to Namek, Zarbon. It's been far too long since I indulged in genocide."

***

~ END OF BOOK 1 ~

***

DBA Corner: THE MASTERPLAN + PL: 

1. Get in contact with the main cast – (COMPLETED)

2. Get on Bulma's good side to use Dragon Radar – (COMPLETED)

3. Use the Dragon Balls – (COMPLETED)

4. Use the Dragon Balls to wish for a Saiyan body – (FAILED)

5. Use the Dragon Balls to wish to cure illness and set the foundation for the future – (COMPLETED)

6. Ask Tien Shinhan to be mentor/learn/steal his techniques – (FAILED)

7. Learn from Master Roshi (added) – (COMPLETED)

8. Learn the Kamehameha – (COMPLETED)

9. Learn to use Ki – (COMPLETED)

10. Use Dragon Balls again for fruit from Tree of Might or other items of power – (FAILED)

11. Defeat Raditz – (COMPLETED)

12. Make sure Goku dies for King Kai's training – (COMPLETED)

13. Make sure Vegeta and Nappa learn of the Dragon Balls – (COMPLETED)

14. Secure a Source of Senzu Beans – (FAILED)

15. Climb Korin's Tower for Ultra Divine Water – (COMPLETED)

16. Access Kami's Lookout – (COMPLETED)

17. NOW ask Tien to be mentor (added) – (COMPLETED)

18. Learn Crane School's, Krillin's, and other useful techniques – (COMPLETED)

19. Learn what you can from Kami – (COMPLETED)

20. Use the Hyperbolic Time Chamber – (FAILED)

21. Have Chiaotzu die – (COMPLETED)

22. Keep Piccolo alive – (COMPLETED)

23. Keep Nappa alive – (COMPLETED)

24. Stall for Goku – (COMPLETED)

25. Keep Gohan alive (added)– (COMPLETED)

26. Keep everyone who's alive in the canon

alive – (COMPLETED)

27. Stay alive – (COMPLETED)

Power Levels:

1. Vegeta/Oozaru – 18,800/188,000

2. Goku/KK2/KK3 – 9,300/18,600/27,900

3. Nappa – 5,500

4. Ajax – 2,700

5. Piccolo – 2,300

6. Gohan/Rage/Post-Rage – 1,180/2,800/1,800

7. Tien – 1,750

8. Krillin – 1,400

9. Alpha – 1,350

10. Yamcha – 1,350

11. Raditz – 1,270

12. Saibamen – 1,100 to 1,200

13. Chiaotzu – 980

14. Yajirobe – 970