Chapter 10: The Journey to Namek

Within the Mental Plane…

Bardock leapt back twice, dodging a punch from his grandson and a kick from Krillin. The older warrior charged up two Ki blasts and tossed them at his opponents. Gohan and Krillin both dodged, but Bardock quickly sped towards the human and kicked him in the head. Krillin went flying, as Gohan quickly grabbed his grandfather into a headlock.

Bardock struggled as Krillin recovered. The human charged a Kamehameha and fired it at Bardock, but the older Saiyan smirked. Lightning fast, he elbowed his grandson in the gut and used him as a shield. Gohan took the full brunt of the blast with a pained cry and Bardock grinned. He tossed the boy aside and charged at the surprised Krillin, punching him in the throat and headbutting him hard.

Gohan was getting frustrated now. His anger getting the better of him, he charged a Masenko and fired it at Bardock, Bardock snorted and turned around, deflecting the blast right back at Gohan and taking out the boy's shoulder.

Behind Bardock, Krillin reacted quickly and tossed a Destructo-Disc, but Bardock was prepared. He leapt over the Ki disk and allowed it to fly right under him and straight towards Gohan. The young boy gasped as the disc cleaved right through him.

Krillin was shocked and Bardock happily took advantage. He appeared behind Krillin, grabbed him by the head, and kneed him in the back, snapping his spine. Bardock threw Krillin like a football at the sputtering Gohan, leaving the two of them as a heap.

Bardock charged a Riot Javelin and prepared to throw. "Better luck next time, bra-"

An image flashed through Bardock's head: a golden warrior burned bright before him. And then, with a scream, the burning energy of this being overwhelmed him.

On the Namekian Spaceship…

Bardock's eyes snapped open and he rubbed his hand over his face. Shakily, he opened his eyes and realized that he was pouring with sweat. His nostrils reeked of copper. What the hell was that!?

The Saiyan shook his head and looked over at Gohan and Krillin, both of whom were opening their eyes as well. Krillin and Gohan both looked over to Bardock, and then they smiled and began to laugh. Krillin shouted. "That was so intense! But it felt so rewarding!"

Gohan smiled. "Yeah! You're as hard to fight as Piccolo!"

Bardock was confused, but he smirked. "Y-Yeah? Guess I'll take that as a compliment..."

Regaining some bravado, Bardock punched his chest. "A nice workout is good every so often! And you two-"

The door to the sleeping quarters flew open and Bulma stormed out with a twisted look of anger on her face. "Will the three of you shut the hell up!? I'm trying to sleep and you're all being too loud!"

Bardock rolled his eyes and sighed. "Oh great... this shit again..."

He turned to Bulma and snorted. "Could you shut your bitchiness off for 5 minutes? You've been acting like this since we started this goddamned trip!"

Bulma snapped at Bardock. "You are the last person I want to hear from! I made Krillin come with me, and Gohan has a reason to come with us at least... but I don't even know you! You're just some bum that decided to tag along where he isn't wanted!"

Bardock snapped back. "Believe me, I didn't come along on the 'Bitch-Out Express' by choice!"

Bulma raged. "Get off your damn pedestal! You may be old enough to be my dad, but that-"

Bardock snapped back. "Trust me! If I had a daughter as bitchy as you, I'd slit my wrists!"

Krillin and Gohan cowered behind their luggage as Bardock and Bulma shouted back and forth at each other, these furious exchanges being all too frequent.

A few days earlier, West City Hospital…

Bardock flinched as Gine backed him into a corner. "You have to, Bardock! You're the only person healthy enough and strong enough to accompany them out there!"

Bardock was wavering in the face of his wife's sudden, aggressive behavior. He shook his head. "Come on, Gine! I barely know any of them! The two humans are practically strangers to me and the boy is-"

Gine retorted. "Our grandson! He's your grandson, Bardock!"

Bardock groaned. "Just give Raditz and Kakarot a couple more days and they'll be fine. Either of them can go."

Gine shook her head. "You know our sons are still too frail from damage they took mixed with their Kaioken over-usage. They aren't well enough to make the journey and tt will take them too long to recover. Meanwhile, Gohan and the others won't wait, not when they know that Vegeta is still out there and a threat to Planet Namek. Even more, going into space means they will inevitably enter Frieza's territory!"

Bardock sighed, nearly overwhelmed. "What are the odds he'll actually run across Frieza? Namek is a small ball of dirt with no known resources of value to Frieza, besides the Dragon Balls, which I doubt he's ever heard of. "

Gine planted her fists onto her hips. "And what if you're wrong?! Even more, Gohan is a Saiyan too! And you know how Frieza feels about the Saiyans. That is all the more reason he needs you."

Bardock thought for a moment. "Then let's just tell them about Frieza, make them understand the kind of danger they are getting involved in."

Gine retorted. "Do you really think that will stop them? They want to help their friends! Remember how you were when your team, your friends, died?"

Bardock stiffened at the mentioning of that. Tugging on his bloodstained bandana, he remembered Toma, his best friend, dying in his arms. The anguish from knowing there was nothing he could do to help them. The rage he felt against the killer. Against Dodoria.

Realizing Bardock was starting to understand, Gine placed her hand on his shoulder to get his attention again. "More than that, we can't wait any longer than needed. If Vegeta gets to Namek first, not only will he get his wish for immortality, but he will likely exterminate the Namekians. And if the Namekian Dragon Balls are anything like Earth's, that means they will cease to work. Gohan needs to go now. But he himself isn't ready. You can train Gohan. Make him strong! Keep him safe!"

Bardock rolled his eyes. "If the boy were a real Saiyan he'd-"

Gine grabbed Bardock by the chest plate of his armor and physically yanked him down to her eye level. "Gohan is a gentle boy and also half-Earthling. He was raised in a very different environment than most Saiyans. And that's not a bad thing, Bardock! He's not going out because he wants to fight, he's going out because he feels guilty about that Namekian dying in the fight with Nappa! He's hurt..."

Gine glanced away from Bardock with shame in her eyes. "If Raditz and I were a bit faster, we could have prevented all of this from ever happening to begin with. We failed..."

As his wife' eyes were starting to get misty, Bardock sighed. Gently, he removed her hands from his armor and then pulled her into a hug. "Fine. I'll go with them, okay? I'll keep 'em safe, even if it costs me my life."

Gine looked up at her husband and smiled, hugging him back. "Try not to let it cost us your life. Just... be careful, guide them safely, and maybe try to bond with your new grandson a little, okay? It's something Saiyans outside the Royal Family never really get a chance to do…"

Back in the present, the Namekian spaceship…

Two massive tempers were clashing and they threatened to blow the ship apart. Bulma snarled at Bardock. "I swear! I thought Goku was a mess! At least he had some common decency! But you...! No manners! No tact! No class! Acting like a lumbering brute, you smell like SHIT, you're always loud, and constantly making a constant mess, and-"

Bardock rolled his eyes and shouted as loud as he could. "How is it that Hell was better than dealing with you?!"

Bulma glared at Bardock before storming off in a huff. "You belong in Hell, you massive ass!"

Bardock shot back at her. "Well so do you, ya hard-nosed bitch!"

Bulma responded to that with a massive slam of the sleeping quarters door. Once she was gone, Bardock let off a tired sigh and leaned against the wall. After a few moments of awkward silence, the older Saiyan turned his head and glanced over at Gohan and Krillin. "So, let's talk about you two and how you fight..."

Emerging from their hiding place, Gohan and Krillin both sat in front of the veteran warrior. Bardock nodded and glared at the two of them. "I guess, starting with the good... you both have some real fighting prowess for a couple of young bucks."

Bardock pointed at Gohan. "Kid, you have some real talent and skill for someone who only started a year ago. Your instincts shine through and you have good reaction time."

Bardock pointed at Krillin. "And you... you've been training with my son since you were both little, right?"

Krillin nodded and Bardock continued. "That comes through. You have a solid head. You know how to be decisive and act. You've got a good variety of moves and you aren't afraid to use them when facing down a stronger opponent. Those are great instincts, especially given that you can tell which ones would be best to use at the moment. You're like a utility knife that knows how to fight..."

Gohan and Krillin both smiled and nodded, turning to each other and sharing a fist bump. But then, Bardock's voice grew harsher. "But don't let that go to your heads, cuz you two have some problems that are easy to exploit!"

The younger warriors both flinched as Bardock came down on them. "Boy! You're too damned reckless. You let your anger get the better of you and you jump head-first into things. Anger is a motivator, not a guide. You need to learn to keep focus and take advantage of any rage you feel to fuel your drive without losing yourself in it. You need to keep a sharp head in order to outwit and overwhelm your opponent."

Bardock turned his attention to Krillin. "And you, baldy!"

Krillin held up his finger. "M-My name is Krill-"

Bardock smacked his hand down. "Do I look like I care right now?! You have a real problem with attack syncing! You don't seem like you're even trying to keep up with the flow of a fight! I mean... you cut the boy in half! If that were a real fight, you would've murdered your partner because you didn't read the flow of battle correctly! And then you'd be dead because you didn't have any backup!"

Bardock glowered over the two as they both lowered their heads in shame. After a tense moment of silence, the two of them turned to each other and began to mumble amongst themselves. Bardock looked annoyed. "Is that conversation too important to let me in?!"

After another small conversation, Gohan and Krillin glared up at Bardock with determination. Gohan stood up and shook his fist at his grandfather. "We want to go again! We think that we could put up a better fight this time around!"

Bardock cocked his head. "Oh really? A brat and runt think they can-"

Krillin stood up and glared at Bardock. "We're not just a 'brat' and a 'runt'! We're Gohan and Krillin and we want another shot at you!"

Bardock flinched slightly. But then, with a chuckle, he smiled. "Fine then. Gohan and Krillin... let's give this another go!"

Back in the Mental Plane…

Bardock retreated back from several approaching blasts, dodging each and backflipping before throwing one of his own. Gohan and Krillin rushed towards him, matching up their footsteps perfectly and kicking off each other just as the blast exploded, avoiding damage and bouncing about.

Gohan landed in the front and charged at his grandfather, landing two punches on the older Saiyan before eating a fist to the face. Bardock smirked and went to smash his grandson over the head, but his arm was stopped by a sudden intervention by Krillin from behind!

Krillin wrestled Bardock's arm into an armbar and delivered a momentarily paralyzing kick to the older Saiyan's spine. This maneuver allowed Gohan to unload several heavy blasts into Bardock's chest, followed by a devastating headbutt.

Once Bardock was properly tenderized, Krillin heaved the larger man over his shoulder and slammed him hard into the ground. And then, as Bardock struggled to collect himself, the two weaker warriors leapt away and peppered their more experienced opponent with Ki blasts.

They both landed a distance away and gave each other a hardy high five. However, Bardock soon stood up with barely a scratch on him. "Nice! Nice! You two certainly catch on quick! I had to hammer lessons into Panbukin and Totepo for weeks before they would finally start getting it together!"

Bardock took up a fighting stance. "But just because you too are getting some basics down, that doesn't mean that you have everything!"

Gohan and Krillin both took up fighting stances and Bardock charged. The three warriors shared a back-and-forth brawl, constantly trading punches and kicks. Bardock smiled wide as he traded blows with these two. It was like a puzzle piece had fallen into place! As the match reached a fevered pitch, Bardock was positively giddy at the pressure that these two were putting on him. He felt alive!

However, as Bardock went to counter a kick from Gohan, his focus wavered. The kick connected to Bardock's jaw and his vision flickered. In the void in front of him, he saw two things... the same golden warrior from before... and a very familiar-looking silver ghoul. A dark chuckle emerged from the ghoul, a laugh that Bardock recognized well. As the laughter grew more and more high-pitched, Bardock's temper snapped. He screamed at the top of his lungs and, once again, the power of the golden warrior washed over him.

Hours later, on the Namekian ship…

Bardock's eyes snapped open and he sat up with a start. Sweat poured down Bardock's face and he looked around. "Wh-Where..."

A hand touched Bardock's shoulder from behind and the Saiyan quickly whipped around, fist drawn. He stopped short once he realized that this person behind him was his grandson. Gohan and Krillin both looked unnerved as they stood in front of Bardock, canned food in hand.

Anxiously, Gohan spoke. "G-Grandpa... are you okay?"

Bardock shook his head and sighed. "Y-Yeah. I'm... fine..."

As Bardock wiped his face, Gohan handed him a can of food. Bardock opened it and began to eat while Gohan and Krillin sat next to him. The older Saiyan looked over at the two, annoyed by how they were staring at him. "What the hell are you two looking at?"

Krillin spoke up. "Um... we're just... D-Do you know how long you've been out?"

Bardock raised an eyebrow and Krillin quickly informed him. "2 hours. You've been out cold for 2 hours. So... Gohan and I were just concerned over whether you were okay or not..."

Bardock sighed. "Y-Yeah. I'm fine. Just... headaches and shit, I guess. Gotta put breaks in-between training or you'll overwhelm yourself..."

Krillin nodded. "Y-Yeah. Master Roshi used to say the same thing. We should probably take a break..."

A long silence filled the ship. Gohan, Bardock, and Krillin all ate their food wordlessly. Once they were done, Krillin got each of them a bottle of water and they drank in silence. No one said anything for at least an hour, but then Gohan spoke up. "G-Grandpa?"

Bardock turned to Gohan. "Sup?"

Gohan nervously smiled at the gruff Saiyan. "I-I was wondering... could I ask you some questions?"

Bardock was blunt. "Questions about what?"

Gohan nodded. "Questions about... well... you! I just met you a couple of weeks ago. So, I would like to get to know you, seeing as you're my grandfather and all..."

Bardock sneered, but then he remembered what Gine had said to him. The older Saiyan was never one to enjoy talking about the past, but answering some of the boy's questions couldn't hurt, he guessed. "Fine. Ask away."

Bardock turned towards Gohan, leaning his back to the wall and crossing his arms. Gohan smiled wide. He was practically bouncing as he tried to think of some questions for his grandfather. "Okay... so..."

Gohan tapped his chin. "You're an alien from a different planet from Earth, so... what was the Saiyan homeworld like?"

Bardock grunted. "Planet Vegeta sucked. The people sucked. The climate sucked. The cities sucked. And the royalty was made up of pompous dumbasses like Vegeta. King Vegeta III deserved exactly what he got for his arrogance in thinking he could ever wheel and deal with King Cold in the first place..."

Gohan flinched at such a blunt summation. "O-Okay... so... uh..."

He thought for another moment, turning to Krillin for help but receiving a confused shrug in response. Gohan turned back to his grandfather and smiled. "H-How did you meet Grandma Gine?"

Bardock sighed and rolled his eyes. "Gine was a member of my squad when I joined the Saiyan Army. She was a runt and a terrible fighter. They thought she'd die after her first mission. She lasted for longer than that and we became great allies. We stayed allies and battle partners for the longest time and then that changed... and before we knew it, we had Raditz"

Gohan and Krillin both blushed. Gohan nervously chuckled. "O-Oh... that's... heh..."

Gohan shook his head and continued. "What was your family like?"

Bardock sneered uncomfortably. He mulled around what to say for a bit, but then he spoke. "My family..."

The older Saiyan shrugged. "Mom and Dad were both assholes. Dad died when Mom killed him in a bar fight. Mom died on the campaign to genocide the Klorfors. Most of my time with them was spent with them whooping me and my siblings asses for all sorts of shit, when we'd act out, when they'd get drunk, when they felt like it... I raised me and my twin for the most part, I guess..."

Bardock tapped his bicep. "Had a younger twin brother I was actually close to. He was weaker than me by a pretty wide margin. He…"

To Gohan and Krillin's surprise, Bardock's face briefly slipped into vulnerability. He spoke in a quiet voice. "...he died."

Gohan glanced down. "Oh, I see... well-"

Krillin placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder. "Gohan, why don't we let Bardock rest for now? He seems tired..."

Gohan turned to Krillin and Krillin pointed out the tense look on Bardock's face. Gohan nodded in agreement. "Perhaps that would be for the best..."

Krillin nodded. "Yeah! Why don't you and I train some more together, you never know when the next fight might land on top of us!"

Gohan nodded. "R-Right!"

As the other two trained, Bardock stared out the viewing window into the depths of space. The older Saiyan shook his head and sighed, eventually nodding off as Gohan and Krillin mentally sparred with one another.

Meanwhile, on Frieza Planet #79…

The thoughts of his battle on Earth ran through Vegeta's head as he sat in the healing chamber. The various pratfalls and embarrassments that he had suffered shot through his brain like a bullet. The sheer rage that he felt was boiling within him, threatening to rise to the surface and explode everywhere. He remembered them, those four low-class nothings standing up to him, and then his eyes shot open. Energy erupted from the healing chamber and obliterated the several technicians standing before him. Wet and fully healed, Vegeta emerged!

The attending doctor ran into the room and glowered at the fully-healed Saiyan Prince. "Vegeta! Those were some of my best men!"

Vegeta glared at the doctor and the doctor sneered. "Hold that attitude while you can..."

The doctor tapped a pad on the wall and a nearby locker opened up containing a new set of armor for Vegeta. The prince smirked and walked over, beginning to put it on. "Expendable. That's what they all were. None of you fools can even throw a punch, much less conquer a planet. I'm sure that Frieza will easily replace you and forget all about the rest of them..."

Vegeta touched the base of his back. "Not that it would be hard to find doctors who could do a better job than you anyway..."

The old doctor shrugged. "The damage you sustained was so extreme, at a cellular level and unlike anything we had ever seen before, that you would have likely died if not for accelerating the process further in the healing chamber. But we had to accelerate it so much that we couldn't accommodate for your lost tail with the technology available."

He shot Vegeta a smug smirk. "I guess you should have dodged whatever you let hit you, Prince."

Vegeta nodded as he fit his gloves onto his hands. "Mhm. Mhm. You're incompetent, yes."

The doctor narrowed his eyes at Vegeta. "At least my life has no guaranteed end in sight. I was only ordered to heal you because Lord Frieza demanded it. Otherwise, I would have left you to die in that Attack Ball."

Vegeta smiled at the doctor. "Oh, is that what you think?"

The doctor nodded. "Indeed. Lord Frieza wants you alive to punish you himself once he gets back from Planet Namek."

Vegeta's ear perked up at that little tidbit. The doctor continued. "So, now that you are healed, you are to report to Staff Sergeant Cui at once to be detained until you-"

Vegeta rushed forward, clamping his hand over the doctor's mouth and squeezing tight. "No, doctor, I meant... do you really think that your life has no guaranteed end in sight!?"

The Prince picked up the older man and wickedly smiled before quickly turning and ramming his head into a nearby coat hanger. The metal spike popped out from behind the doctor's left eye and blood poured down the old man's face. Eventually, the twitching stopped and Vegeta smiled, letting his mouth go.

Vegeta picked up the Scouter from the nearby table and placed it onto his ear, leaving the medical bay and locking the door behind him as he did. The Prince walked down the hallway towards the office of the base's commander, Staff Sergeant Cui, with a devilish smile on his face. He thought about the machinations that had been going through his head since he had woken up in that pile of rubble on the Earth. Those low-class scum were able to transcend their place and become strong enough to fight him head-on. After that had sunk in, Vegeta realized just how complacent he had allowed himself to become.

He had let the status quo get the better of him. Waiting until Frieza's own arrogance led to his death rather than going about matters the Saiyan way. Vegeta was ready to take the bull by the horns now, though. He was different now. Better. He was much stronger than before... He had picked up some new tricks from those fools on Earth... including sensing others' energy and masking his own.

Vegeta was more powerful than Zarbon and Dodoria now, no doubt about it. He still wasn't a match for Frieza, but he could remedy that. After that fool of an emperor gathered the Dragon Balls, Vegeta could sneak in under his nose and take them for himself. And then, once he wished for the ultimate trump card, IMMORTALITY, then he could triumph. Frieza would die... and then he would go back to Earth and put those four nothings back under his princely boot where they belonged.

Vegeta enjoyed a low, sinister chuckle as he stood in front of the door to Cui's office. He politely knocked.

Within Staff Sergeant Cui's Office…

Cui smiled as he polished the cuffs, he would be placing Vegeta in. He couldn't wait to see the cowed look on that arrogant little bastard's face as he was placed in restraint and held until Frieza got back. He was already making side bets with Zarbon and Dodoria over how many minutes it would take their terrifying master to break Vegeta's spirit.

Cui sickly chuckled. "2 minutes. If it's 2 minutes or less, Dodoria and Zarbon both owe me 20,000 credits. Hehehehehe..."

A knuckle cracked against Cui's door and he called out. "State your business!"

Vegeta called back. "You wanted to see me, Staff Sergeant Cui, sir?"

Cui sneered. Vegeta was clearly thinking that a bit of faux politeness would save his skin, but it wouldn't work. Cui pressed the button on his desk and the door to his office began to open. "Vegeta, get your ass in-"

A beam of energy shot into the room and pierced Cui's chest. The staff sergeant bent over onto his desk and coughed up blood, dropping the cuffs onto the floor. "Ve... Vege... taaahhhh..."

Vegeta smirked as he stepped in. "Hi, Cui."

Frieza Planet #79 Communication Hub…

No one in the communication hub took notice as the window to Staff Sergeant Cui's office lit up several times. They were all too busy providing support to the various squads out on patrol. In addition to being a hospital base, Frieza Planet #79 was also a hub for collecting the taxes that Lord Frieza had placed upon the puny races he had chosen to spare. They needed to stay in constant contact in order to make sure that all credits were brought through the proper channels and safely deposited into the emperor's account.

The people of this communication hub were so busy, in fact, that no one took notice of anything strange until, to their shock, the mangled body of Staff Sergeant Cui landed on top of the main server, restrained in stasis cuffs and coughing up a mixture of blood and smoke.

The entire floor looked up in horror as, on the balcony above, stood the disgraced Vegeta with an energy ball in hand. The lot of them could barely muster more than a scream of terror before that energy ball came down and took all of their lives.

Frieza Planet #79, Travel Dock…

Various armed soldiers ran towards the massive explosion that had occurred right before all of their communications had cut out. The only functioning communicator left on the planet was the Scouters, and they only functioned within a certain range and level of interference.

Many soldiers ran into the smoke pluming from the communications bay, only to scream and not come out. A bastion of the troops all gathered and waited, only to be surprised by a massive energy beam blasting out and wiping them all away.

The few remaining soldiers scrambled to get back on their feet, but many could only manage that before a beam shot through their chests and killed them. They all stared in horror as the disgraced Saiyan emerged and came at them. They tried firing their meager blasters, but Vegeta simply deflected the bolts and killed them on the spot.

Vegeta approached the docking bay and smirked at Greep, the base coordinator. "Hey, Greep. Prepare an Attack Ball for a trip to Planet Namek."

Greep stammered. "P-P-Planet Namek!? Are you insane!? Lord Frieza is there and if he sees you after all of this-"

Vegeta's smirk faded and he summoned a ball of energy into his hand. Greep screamed in terror and immediately did as ordered, summoning a fresh Attack Ball for Vegeta to use and inputting the proper coordinates. Vegeta smiled and gave his terrified hostage a pat on the back. "Thanks, Greep."

Greep stammered. "N-No prob-"

Vegeta grabbed Greep by the back of the head and smashed his face into the control panel. He did it again and again and again until there was nothing left of Greep's face and the panel was sufficiently destroyed. Vegeta had a good chuckle to himself and climbed into the Attack Ball, smiling as it took off. The end of Frieza was near, and Vegeta would be the one to deal the fatal blow, all by himself