Bringer of Death

Cooler Saga - Part 1: Lord Vegeta

Cooler Saga - Part 1: Lord Vegeta 

Vegeta flew off into the horizon, blasting Goku in the face with debris kicked up by his not-so-subtle exit. Goku watched in silence until the prince's golden aura had completely vanished from sight. He let out a deep sigh, relaxing his shoulders and catching himself before he collapsed. Goku could scarcely hold his eyes open; the gentle air of Namek brushed against his wounded face, reminding him of the stinging cuts and bruises Vegeta had inflicted. 

"Wow, I can't believe I'm still alive," Goku said to himself. "I guess we're starting to rub off on him after all." 

Finally free from stress, Goku collapsed effortlessly onto the ground into a much-deserved rest. He could just barely sense the energy of Gohan and the others leaving the planet's atmosphere as he dozed off. His last thought was one of pure, simple relief.

As the prince zipped across the sky of Namek in a bright golden stream, he looked down at his hand, clutched in a fist around something. He hadn't quite contemplated why, but before taking off he had retrieved Freiza's severed head. The bloodied trophy had miraculously survived the blast produced in the battle between the Saiyans. Part of him wanted to keep it as a trophy, but he knew the real reason was so he could prove his claims of superiority. Frieza's troops might not be enthusiastic about swearing their loyalty to a Saiyan, but they wouldn't dare oppose his claim if he had proof of the Frost Lord's demise. 

Strangely enough, he didn't feel conflicted about letting Kakarott live. His heart still burned with rage at the thought of what the Saiyan from Earth had done, yet he had justified his small act of mercy. He would still kill Kakarott in a year's time, after all; he just didn't want his revenge to be cheapened by anything. He wanted his victory to be decisive, not near-accidental...at least, that's what he told himself. The truth was that he had been amazed and intrigued by Kakarott's ability to oppose his Super Saiyan power; he was invigorated by the challenge. For now, though, he wouldn't admit that to himself. 

The events of the day were so fresh in his mind that he wasn't entirely sure what his first course of action would be. He had certain objectives, he knew, but he hadn't decided on a time table. For one thing, Cooler was definitely going to get what was coming to him. The two shared a brief history; Cooler had berated his brother for even keeping Vegeta alive in the first place, claiming Frieza was too soft. In the end Cooler's taunts had proved true: Vegeta fulfilled the legend and became a Super Saiyan. 

"Yes, haha. The invincible power of the Super Saiyan will soon be feared across the entire universe!" Vegeta laughed. "I'm certain I can deal with that weakling Cooler. Oh, he'll never even have a chance. Besides, I can't have him trying to lay claim to my new empire. Bahahahahaha!" 

Vegeta spotted his space pod right where he had left it. He briefly chuckled, glancing around in search of the pile of ashes belonging to Cui. "I know I blew that fool up somewhere around here, heh." The prince took once last glance at the landscape of Namek, briefly reflecting, before he entered his ship. 

"Hmmmph. I never could have guessed how things would turn out, but I have to admit...I couldn't have planned it better myself." Even his death at the hands of Frieza had been a blessing in disguise; he had been revived even stronger than before. Best of all, he had gotten his revenge. But he had also learned an important lesson: Vegeta would never again assume victory until he saw the corpse of his enemy. His arrogance was a valuable ally in battle, but he had seen firsthand that getting carried away could cost him dearly. 

The coordinates for Frieza planet 79, the base he had stopped at before coming to Namek, were already programmed in. "Seems like a good enough place to start." Vegeta blasted off in his spherical space pod, lamenting how cramped it was. "I'll have to make sure I upgrade my ship to something a little more...luxurious...when I arrive."