Chapter 22: Regroup

Inside the Capsule House…

With a scream and a start, Gohan sat up. Cold sweat poured from the boy's face as he looked around and saw the room still and silent. He looked to his left and saw Dende sitting next to him, a small smile on his little green face. Gohan smiled back and turned around to see Bulma and Krillin sitting behind him. The two of them, however, looked far grimmer.

Gohan's memory was foggy. He remembered fighting the Ginyu Force... but then everything went dark. "Wh-What happened? What's going on? Did we beat the Ginyu Force?"

Krillin shook his head. "No buddy... sorry... things aren't really all that great right now..."

Bulma's eyes were glued to the floor, she looked miserable. "Talus and a few other Namekians from the Four-Star Village saved us. They used the Dragon Balls as a distraction. But... none of them have returned yet..."

The door to the Capsule House clicked open and Elder Tsuno stepped in. Wet streaks were still visible on his face, but the elder remained dignified in his gait. "Indeed, they haven't... But they did what they did for the sake of Namek. We must not... we must... not..."

The elder sat in a chair and buried his face in his hands. Dende, sympathetic as he was to Tsuno's plight, immediately ran to the grieving elder's side. The young Namekian consoled his older sibling and spoke softly to Gohan. "Yes... we must not look at what is lost, but what has been saved. Thanks to Talus's bravery, I was able to use the gift the Grand Elder gave me to save all five of you from your injuries."

Gohan swallowed a lump in his throat, and then he looked around. "All five of us, huh? W-where are Nail and Grandpa Bardock... and Vegeta..."

Krillin stood up. "We should probably go and check on them, Gohan."

Gohan stood as well. "Is something the matter?"

Krillin sighed. "Yeah. They're outside 'talking'..."

Outside the Base Cave…

Gohan, Krillin, and Bulma stepped outside to the endearing sound of a hoarse-voiced screaming match. While Nail stood stalwart between the two arguers, looking noticeably irritated from his most likely ringing ears, Bardock and Vegeta looked as if they were just about to beat the shit out of each other.

Vegeta screamed right in Bardock's face. "You goddamned, low-class piece of garbage! If it hadn't been for you and this green-skinned meddler, I could have kept my five Dragon Balls and Frieza wouldn't have them back!"

Bardock shouted back. "Oh yeah! Totally! Little Prince Vegeta would just skip-away with his Dragon Balls in tow and he would've lived happily ever after! Wake up, you narcissistic headcase! The Ginyu Force would've hunted your ass down and murdered you like a diseased animal! Just like FUCKING GULDO almost did! Dead and face down in a ditch! At least with us at your side, Guldo is dead!"

Vegeta snarled. "Big deal! That human woman proved that literally anything could've killed Guldo! You, me, a Namekian, a human, A STRONG ENOUGH WIND!"

Bardock roughly shoved Nail aside, making him crash into Bulma. He bent over, getting nose-to-nose with Vegeta, and started screaming even louder. "Listen here, you overconfident little shit...!"

The Namekian warrior quickly collected himself and apologized to Bulma. "Forgive me for bumping into you."

Bulma shrugged. "You didn't do it. Those bickering children did."

Nail sighed. "Yes. They have been at it since Dende healed the both of them..."

Krillin was taken aback. "But that was hours ago..."

Nail nodded. "Indeed. But I have learned much of Saiyan history, at least. Apparently, there were three Saiyans named 'Vegeta' before this one. A... truly disturbing thought..."

Gohan watched in stunned silence as Vegeta and Bardock continued to scream. Krillin sighed. "I guess that's what happens when you take two overly-strong personalities and let them clash. I wonder how long it will take before fists are thrown..."

The four onlookers continued to watch Vegeta and Bardock argue. Bulma silently pulled Nail aside. The two of them walked a bit away from the group and Bulma spoke up. "About Talus and the others... I'm so sorry that-"

Nail stopped her. "Don't."

Bulma flinched.

Nail's face fell solemn. "Talus and the others all made the choice they made to protect our home. As long as Namek survives and our kind are able to continue on, then that is all that truly matters. Wasting their sacrifice by depressively mourning when Namek is still at risk would be an insult to the nobility of their efforts. There will be a time to mourn, but not now. Instead of such dishonorable sentiment, we must form a plan to regain control of the Dragon Balls."

Bulma sighed and cocked her head. "So, how do we do that? The Ginyu Squad or whatever they're called kicked all of your asses pretty hard to take them in the first place..."

Nail nodded. "Indeed. But we have improved and increased our might from that altercation. I know that you cannot sense power, but..."

The Namekian turned and his gaze fell upon Gohan, then Vegeta, and finally Bardock. "... I genuinely feel as if these invaders can be toppled with this new power."

Bulma and Nail both walked back towards the group and Vegeta's rabid shouting became clear once more. "I should have known better than to trust low-class garbage! I am an elite warrior and a prince! How did I let myself fall for believing that RADITZ'S pathetic bloodline would have anything worth a damn to listen to!"

Bardock snarled. "First, keep my family's names out of your whiny, little mouth! And second, what the hell does that title even mean anymore Vegeta?! Prince?! Prince of what?! Planet Vegeta is dead and there are only SIX Saiyans left! Prince of Saiyans means nothing now! That title that you love to scream at everybody like a broken audio-com means NOTHING!"

Vegeta's pupils shrank. He summoned a blast in his hand and sneered at Bardock. "It means everything! I'll show you what it means!"

Bardock growled at Vegeta. "Bring it, punk!"

In a flash, Nail was between the two Saiyans. Vegeta snarled at the green warrior. "What?! Do you think I won't kill you to get to him?!"

Nail was unmoved by this bluster. "Can you arrogant, screaming fools not see that fighting one another at this juncture is pointless?!"

He specifically turned to Vegeta and glared down at the prince. "We have an advantage. A member of the Ginyu Force is dead! Three of our warriors have significantly grown in power since the last battle. It would be shameful, in the face of everything we have lost, to ignore this golden opportunity!"

Vegeta dissipated the blast as his gaze fell to the ground. "What does Guldo's death matter? Everything is over. Frieza has the Dragon Balls. We've lost..."

Nail closed his eyes. "Yes, Frieza indeed has all seven Dragon Balls. But... he does not have the password to gain an audience with the great Porunga."

Vegeta flinched back in shock. As did Bardock and the rest. Bulma stammered. "P-Password?! But... the Dragon Balls on Earth don't have a password..."

Nail turned to Bulma. "From your description, it is clear that your Dragon Balls are mere wish-granting baubles with no cultural value. Our Dragon Balls are sacred and hold all of our people's history. They require that a special phrase, known to only a select few and spoken in the native tongue, in order to be accessed."

Bardock spoke up. "So... what you're saying is... there's a chance?"

Nail nodded. "Indeed."

As this news sunk in, Vegeta calmed himself. Having a moment to collect his thoughts, he began weighing his options of how to act next. Mostly, his ideas focused on just making use of his new power. On that note, he couldn't help but notice the increase was substantially greater than anything he experienced before.

Then, it dawned on him. Could he have done it? Could he have finally fulfilled the legend and his birthright? He looked at Bardock and Gohan. Like the prince, even a low-level scum and half-breed brat respectively have far exceeded all previous limitations as a Saiyan.

Vegeta smiled. He was certain. They were close. So very close.

While Vegeta was lost in his self-praising, the other warriors were able to calm down as well. Then Bulma posed the question that everyone was thinking. "So, what do we do?"

That question hung over the group as they stood there. What would they honestly do now?

Over at Frieza's Ship…

Frieza, Zarbon, and the remaining Ginyu Force all gathered around the seven Dragon Balls. Frieza warmly chuckled as he stared down at his prize. "Oh, dear Captain Ginyu... are you even capable of disappointing me even in the slightest? It is almost boring how competent you are~"

The captain, as well as the rest of the Ginyu Force, were all solemn. In spite of their teasing of the little, green slime ball, the four of them were genuinely shaken by the loss of their long-time comrade. Frieza immediately noticed this and turned to the captain. "Captain Ginyu, whatever is the matter? Your sour faces are ruining my moment of triumph."

Ginyu sighed and sadly stared at his lord. "I am sorry, Lord Frieza. We are... still reeling over the loss of Guldo. He has been a valued member of the Force since its inception 30 years ago. He was the complimentary green in our rainbow of power. We are having trouble repressing our emotions over his... chilling demise..."

Frieza shrugged indifferently. "Captain, it's fine. Guldo was rather weak in comparison to the four of you anyway. I will personally find you a stronger, green soldier to replace him."

Ginyu shakily smiled. "Th-thank you for your generosity, My Lord..."

Frieza could tell that this solution did not satisfy. He looked at Ginyu and then looked down at the Dragon Balls. And then, the Galactic Tyrant briefly reflected on the past. Finally, with a sigh, Frieza addressed Ginyu once more. "Captain. If there is more than one wish on these Dragon Balls, after I have gained my immortality, I shall grant you my permission to wish Guldo back to life."

The Ginyu Force all immediately flinched back in shock at this amazing proposal. Zarbon's jaw, meanwhile, went totally slack. At once, the Ginyu Force all fell to their knees and bowed to Frieza. Captain Ginyu led them in praising the emperor. "Lord Frieza! Thank you so much for this kindness! My Lord... this is just..."

Frieza held up a hand. "No need for thanks, Ginyu. I am more than happy to reward competence in my minions. I would have no use for any remaining wishes by any measure, so why not offer you a boon?"

Zarbon silently fumed as he watched this display. The Ginyu Force had always received such kind treatment from Lord Frieza while the rest of the soldiers were little more than potential targets of his ever-changing mood. Zarbon gripped his fists as he silently wished he could strike all four of the brown-nosers dead.

Ginyu stood up from his groveling pose and jutted his leg into the air. "This is amazing! I say that this is the appropriate time for the DANCE OF JOY!"

Frieza, Zarbon, and the rest of the Ginyu Force watched as Captain Ginyu danced with grace and precision. Frieza chuckled on and allowed the captain to finish the entire dance, much to his own amusement. Once that was done, Frieza turned his attention back to the Dragon Balls. "Now then... let us dispense with the ballyhoo and get down to business, shall we?"

The evil emperor stared down at the Dragon Balls and recited his greatest desire. "DRAGON BALLS! DO MY BIDDING AND FULFILL MY WISH! I WANT TO NEVER AGE OR KNOW DEATH! TO NEVER ENDURE SICKNESS OR INJURIES AGAIN! I WISH FOR ABSOLUTE IMMORTALLY!"

Frieza began to laugh his wicked laugh as he stared down at the Dragon Balls. The Ginyu Force all joined him, happy for their lord's success. This laughter continued for a solid minute before eventually breaking down into silence. And then, once the silence became awkward, the smile faded from Frieza's face.

The Ginyu Force and Zarbon watched as their lord observed himself with a look of disdain. Soon enough, Ginyu spoke up. "L-Lord Frieza? Is everything... okay?"

Frieza glared over at Ginyu, a bead of sweat slipping down the side of his face. "I-I, do not feel any different. Does anything appear to have changed?"

Ginyu flinched at how awkwardly that question was posed. But then, he began to do his thing. He circled around Frieza, occasionally poking or jabbing the tyrant with his finger. "Um...I can't say that you look or feel any different..."

The captain activated his Scouter and scanned Frieza. "530,000... and all readings of your biology seem normal..."

Ginyu rubbed his chin. "Nothing appears different, sir. I would suggest, maybe... stress testing it...? But... there is no one on this planet powerful enough to harm you even superficially, My Lord..."

Frieza was nonplussed. "Indeed. I had just assumed that... the Dragon Balls would provide some form of indication that they were effective..."

The emperor stopped looking himself over and sneered at the Dragon Balls. "DRAGON BALLS! DO MY BIDDING AND BRING THE GINYU FORCE MEMBER KNOWN AS GULDO BACK TO LIFE!"

Yet still, nothing happened at all.

Jeice, fearing Lord Frieza's temper might be close to breaking, quickly spoke up. "M'Lord. Perhaps Guldo, if he was brought back to life, was brought back to life where he died. Ya know, back at the cave where the Saiyan filth is licking their wounds..."

Frieza was seething as he glared at the Dragon Balls with gritted teeth. "A valid point..."

Ginyu quickly brought up another suggestion. "My Lord! Why not wish for something immediate to test the Dragon Balls and their effectiveness?"

Recoome quickly gave his two cents. "Like a chocolate nut bar~!"

Ginyu turned to shush Recoome, but Frieza immediately shouted at the Balls. "DRAGON BALLS! DO MY BIDDING AND PRODUCE FOR ME A CHOCOLATE NUT BAR!"

Once again, nothing.

Frieza smashed his tail against the ground hard enough to fissure the land beneath him. "I swear, if I lost so many soldiers because of a Namekian fable that Vegeta and the other one fell for, I'm going to-"

Burter silently mumbled to himself. "You would think that Dragon Balls would involve a dragon in some way..."

Frieza's glare snapped towards Burter. "That's right! Raditz's intel said the Dragon Balls summon forth the Eternal Dragon to grant a wish. And now that I think about it, one of the elders mockingly told me I would never get my wish! There must be some kind of special ritual or password to summon the damn lizard!"

Burter flinched in fear. "P-Perhaps our Namekian prisoners would know something?!"

It took a moment, but Frieza's temper soon cooled. A smile spread on his face. "Fastest speed in the universe with a very quick wit to boot. Excellent work, Burter."

Inside the Ship…

Frieza, followed by Zarbon and the Ginyu Force, stepped onto the bridge of the ship to find several heavily beaten Namekians sprawled all over the floor. Frieza stepped forward with purpose and reached down to the first Namekian within reach, only for Talus to fall from the ceiling with the intent to kill!

Talus roared. "Die you monster!"

Frieza, not even bothering to look, tail-slapped the warrior away. Talus smashed into the wall and slid down, leaving a trail of purple blood as he did. Frieza picked up his original target, a simple farmer Namekian, and began the interrogation. "How do the Dragon Balls work? Tell me at once!"

The farmer coughed. "I... I don't... know..."

Frieza growled under his breath and fired a Death Beam into the farmer's forehead, killing him instantly. And then he moved on to his next target.

A warrior interrogated. A negative answer. A Death Beam.

Another farmer interrogated. Another negative answer. Death Beam.

Interrogation. Negative. Death Beam.

As Frieza picked up his fifth soon-to-be victim, Talus cried out. "Stop! Please! None of us know the password! It is sacred knowledge that only the Grand Elder knows! Please stop killing my brothers!"

Talus shakily stood, tears in his eyes. "Please..."

Frieza, still clutching a barely conscious farmer by the neck, glared at Talus. "The Grand Elder, eh? I see..."

Frieza murdered the Namekian in his grasp and turned to his subordinates. "Ginyu Force! Zarbon! Begin to scan at once! I want-"

Talus snapped. "YOU COLD-HEARTED BASTARD!"

The warrior charged at Frieza with his fist raised, screaming like a madman. However, right as he reached Frieza, the emperor jammed his fist into Talus's wide-open mouth, shattering his teeth. The emperor sighed. "Any results?"

Captain Ginyu smirked as he pointed in two different directions. "That way is the camp that Vegeta and his ilk are at. But... the other way is a singular, super old and weak vital sign, My Lord~"

Frieza smirked. "There's the winning ticket."

Talus's eyes widened. He tried to pull away only to realize that Frieza was holding his tongue. With Frieza's fist in his mouth, he screamed. "Leff uh Gwahn Ehuh uh-"

Frieza charged a blast into his fist and, with a flash, splattered Talus's head all over the ceiling. The final Namekian in the room yelped in horror and Frieza quickly killed him with a Death Beam. "Tell me, Ginyu... are you positive that this 'Grand Elder' is in that direction?"

Ginyu nodded. "100%, sir! It is the oldest life-sign on this planet!"

He quickly turned to his men. "Come on, boys! We have an old man to interrogate! Let's-"

Frieza quickly cut the captain off. "I will be handling this, Captain Ginyu. You and your men will be staying here to protect my ship and guard my Dragon Balls. We will suffocate two problems at the same time!"

Ginyu was confused. "My Lord?"

Frieza smiled. "I will get my Dragon Ball password, Captain. You will stay here and wait for a certain pack of rats to scurry out of their hole. With me gone, I'm sure that their greed and stupidity will get the better of them. And then... the four of you can have vengeance..."

The Ginyu Force all hatefully smirked at that thought. Recoome cracked his knuckles in anticipation. Ginyu smiled. "A tantalizing thought, My Lord! And I will be very annoyed that the Special Fighting Pose will be a man short to face those bastards. So, I will be inspired to brutalize them much harder than normal."

Frieza chuckled. "Your pose is short? We can't have that, dear Captain."

The emperor turned his gaze to Zarbon and shrugged. "Captain!"

Captain Ginyu turned and Frieza smirked, pointing at Zarbon. "I happily give you Zarbon as a temporary replacement for Guldo. He is yours to use as you please~"

Zarbon was genuinely taken aback, speaking up for the first time in a while. "B-But... Lord Frieza..."

Frieza ignored him. "Consider him your servant, Ginyu. Your slave even. If he displeases you, kill him. I certainly would."

Captain Ginyu bowed. "Thank you for this generous gift, Lord Frieza. I will use it proudly!"

Frieza chuckled as he walked past the stammering Zarbon, knocking his former attendant to the ground with his tail as he climbed into his hover chair. "Do have fun, Ginyu~"

As Frieza hovered away, Ginyu yanked Zarbon to his feet by the cape. "Now listen here, pretty boy. You have a lot to learn for this upcoming conflict! If you want to replace Guldo in the pose, then each and every muscle must be properly trained to do each and every movement at 100% power..."

As Ginyu rambled on, Zarbon's ears began to ring. The former attendant's remaining pupil shrank as it fully sank in what had just happened to him.

Back at the Base Camp…

Bardock was sitting against the wall, thinking about what to do. While the others all threw ideas out into the open, Bardock tapped his finger against his bicep. No matter what anyone said, and no matter what he tried to think of, there was no plan to be made that didn't end with one of them dying.

Even with him, Vegeta, and Gohan having gotten a considerable Zenkai boost from all nearly dying, Frieza was still well-beyond their depth. Bardock continued to think hard. "Surely there must be-"

The feeling hit all five of them at once and all five warriors rose to their feet. Bulma looked confused. "Wh-What? The Ginyu Force aren't coming back, are they?!"

Bardock shook his head slowly. Eventually, the older Saiyan managed words. "Why the hell is Frieza leaving his ship?"

Vegeta snarled. "This can't be real. Why would he...?"

Bardock quickly answered. "Obviously, a trap."

The five warriors all looked at one another. They all realized that they would be walking right into the enemy's hands if they went to the ship that Frieza was so obviously leaving. And yet, this is their best chance at regaining the advantage!

Nail spoke in a slightly wavering tone, something clearly wrong behind his otherwise stoic demeanor. "If we leave the Dragon Balls with Frieza, we will lose. But if this is a trap and he circles around to kill us, we lose..."

Gohan and Krillin both looked scared as the same realization came to them that came to Nail. There was only one thing in the direction Frieza was flying. Nail tightly gripped his fists. "But, if this is not a trap, it may very well be our one chance to get the Dragon Balls and save Namek. We must take this opportunity forthwith!"

Bulma looked dismayed at this prospect. But Bardock quickly turned to address her. "Does that Scouter still work at all?"

She held up the device, haphazardly repaired by her to keep her distracted. "It'll take me a whole day at least to get back up to factory-new capacity, but it still gets some decent readings."

Bardock grunted. "Keep it trained on me. If I die, take the remaining Namekians, get on the damned ship, and get the hell off this planet. Got it?!"

Bulma swallowed a lump in her throat. "G-Got it, Bardock..."

Bardock nodded. "Good."

And then, the older Saiyan turned to his four fellow warriors. "NO TIME FOR SUBTLETY OR ANY OF THAT CRAP! FLY HIGH AND FLY FAST! LET'S GO!"

All five of them ran out of the Capsule House and leapt from the cave, flying as fast as they could towards Frieza's ship with purpose in their eyes. They had to get the Dragon Balls back!

Far off, elsewhere on Namek…

Frieza chuckled as he flew towards the grand elder in his hover chair. His Scouter went off and read five power levels rapidly approaching his ship.

Frieza smirked. "Like a pack of rats..."