Chapter 1

Radditz walked into the room and looked around at the squalor. How could such an elite soldier be so disorganized? Commander Nappa really needed another royal-blooded spouse to provide servants to look after him. This mess was really getting out of control.

"Nappa," he called not wanting to walk further in the living quarters least he became infected with some kind of foreign disease laying in wait just to attach to him. "Commander Nappa."

Nappa moaned and rolled over pulling the covering with him. Who was calling him? Did someone want to die this early in the morning? The voice called for him again. I guess I'll oblige this soon to be dead person, if he calls my name one more time.

"Commander Nappa!" Radditz shouted louder hoping his voice carried through to wherever Nappa could be sleeping.

Nappa growled. "Who the fuck is it?"

"It's me Radditz."

Hearing the identification of the annoying voice, Nappa's bald-head popped up from under several blankets on his sofa to see the red armor clad soldier standing tentatively in his doorway. "You're back. Is the Prince well?"

Radditz looked on in disgust as the elite soldier's hairless head appeared. "How dare you insult me, Commander Nappa. I would never be lax in my duty to allow someone close enough to cause serious damage to our Prince." He shrugged. "Besides the Prince is so powerful now, he doesn't need us constantly watching his back."

Nappa sat up, located his yellow and black armor beside him to pull over his head. "King Vegeta himself gave us the duty to protect the prince by any means necessary." He stood up and looked into the Radditz's black eyes. "Our duty no matter how strong the prince becomes is: to protect him. Don't ever forget that fact Lieutenant, or I will be forced to dispatch you quickly."

"I know that," spat Radditz. "I didn't come here to hear about my duties."

"Then why did you come to my quarters. I was resting peacefully before Frieza sends me out on a new mission."

"The prince wishes to see you, otherwise I wouldn't step foot into your infested lodgings. I don't know how you can stand to live in this squalor."

Nappa looked around his apartment and saw saiyan jumpsuits strewn about the place. Empty food boxes filled shelves and littered the floor. Torn and bloodied clothes were scattered in various spots around the place with the other junk on his floor. He raised a brow, and stepped over the trash and went out the doorway. "I think it's time for me to get a mate."

Radditz snorted. "No, sane woman would mate with you, besides there are no more female Saiyajins left."

Nappa hit the low ranking soldier in his mid-section. "Watch what you say." He smirked at the lower class warrior. "You forget who you're talking to."

Radditz smiled and rubbed his stomach, knowing the Commander had pulled his punch. "Yes, sir."

"Fine, now let's go and see what Prince Vegeta wants us for."

Prince Vegeta paced in his room having returned from giving his report to Frieza about a new planet he acquired for that purple demon's kingdom. The freak had the nerve to thank him for a job well done. Vegeta laughed, he knew was nothing but cheap labor. "I'm going to kill you one day soon Frieza." A beep sounded at the prince's door alerting him to someone requesting admittance inside his sanctuary. "Enter."

The metallic doors slid open to reveal his two remaining saiyan subjects. One an idiot the other a fool. His lip curled in disgust. He was really going to have to kill Frieza if not for decimating his planet for leaving him with two worthless subjects.

Nappa walked forward and saluted. "Prince Vegeta, I'm glad that you're back safely."

"Really Nappa," replied Vegeta. "Did you doubt otherwise? Or maybe you're showing me some latent maternal feelings, that I've never noticed before?"

Nappa frowned but kept his mouth shut at the insult dealt his way. The prince was in a mood today. "You requested to see me, sire."

The saiyan prince sighed. Nappa wasn't going to take the bait today. "Sit down both of you." He watched as his soldiers sat themselves each eyeing him warily. It meant certain death if a soldier was seated before the monarch and there was no ceremony of bravery happening." Don't look at me that way," he snapped. "I've called you here because, it's time for me to stop being Frieza's cheap labor. It's time for me to begin my revenge."

"Revenge sire," asked Radditz. "Revenge for what?"

Vegeta raised an eyebrow at his soldier. "Don't pretend that you don't know what I'm talking about Radditz. I know that a meteor did not smash into Vegetasei. I know that Frieza killed my people. I've known for a long time. I just haven't let on to Frieza that I know what has really happened. I also know that you and Nappa have been keeping it from me for some reason."

"Sire," pleaded Radditz in case his prince decided he should die for his part in keeping the truth from him. "We meant no deception. The commander and I thought it best that since you were so young that the truth be kept from you. Least you do harm to your most royal self."

"Bah, you were afraid that I was going to attack Frieza if I found out the truth about Vegetasei. I'm not as stupid as you would think I am."

"Prince Vegeta," interrupted Nappa. "If I may ask how did you come to know that Frieza was the one to annihilate our planet?"

A grim smile flirted with the edges of his lips, and Nappa wondered if he'd overstepped his boundary by asking such a personal question. "Because Nappa, after he told me that stupid meteor story his took me aside to teach me the technique to destroy whole planets. He thought it would be a useful technique to quell races that would rise up to usurp his power. Frieza has a warped since of humor."

Radditz who couldn't find the humor in the destruction of his race decided to change the topic. "Sire, you mentioned a plan of revenge against Frieza. What did you have planned?"

Vegeta turned to regard his seated soldiers wondering if he really should reveal his plan to them, they were quite stupid and could ruin his plot, however, if he didn't divulge his intended escape they could unintentionally ruin his plan anyway. He really didn't have much of a choice. "I plan to fake our deaths."

"Fake our deaths," questioned Nappa jumping to his feet. "That's a coward's way out, sire, I thought you were taught better of that sort of thing. Saiyans would rather die than using a cowardly ploy to fake our deaths."

The prince gazed at his commander out of narrowed coal colored eyes. "If you're finished with your tirade Nappa, you may sit down." Although, it was given as a suggestion, Vegeta considered it a command. He watched as the agitated warrior sat back down. "Now, then if I may continue. I know faking our deaths would be beneath a warrior of my caliber, and considered cowardly, but we have no choice. While I would prefer to fight for our freedom away from Frieza, we can't do that at this time. Frieza is still more powerful than I am. We would not survive. Therefore, I decided to fake our deaths, is that explanation enough for you Nappa?"

Nappa growled silently. "Hai, sire. Forgive my insolence," he spat out.

Vegeta glared at the soldier.

Radditz glanced between Vegeta and Nappa lately those two elite soldiers have been constantly bickering like old hens. Usually their fights ended with Vegeta threatening to kill Nappa, and then snapping at him to accompany him on a the mission instead of the Commander. "Prince Vegeta, how do you exactly plan to 'fake our deaths' so we can escape Frieza?"

"I was about to get to that Radditz," snapped Vegeta as he broke eye contact with Nappa. "During my time off, I've spent several hours with Zodor, Frieza's head scientist, using his skills and knowledge we were able to locate a planet in the western hemisphere that is almost completely cloaked from detection by ki or otherwise. I have decided to take it over, but before I can accomplish this we must be dead in the eyes of Frieza--today. We will train as normal, when the good Doctor will come to install a new training program killing all of us, allowing us to escape in a pod that the doctor will have stored away for us. Some of our tissue and bio-data will be left behind convincing Frieza that we died in the unfortunate accident."

Radditz sat quietly hardly hearing his prince finish his plans to take over some unknown planet in the Western Hemisphere. All he heard was the words western and hemisphere, and a niggling memory started to worm it's way inside his brain. Something he should know about was connected to the west…something important. A picture of his father and him standing before the launching pad on Vegetasei flashed in his mind, his father, Bardock was mumbling something to him. Radditz closed his eyes and tried to focus on the fading memory…"Radditz, when you return from your duty with Prince Vegeta, do not forget to get your brother Kakkarot. He is headed for a planet in the western galaxy called Gelon-8." That's right! His younger brother was on Gelon-8; he could still be alive. Radditz's black eyes snapped open to see Prince Vegeta glaring at him and Nappa holding his fist poised to strike at his prince's command.

Vegeta glared hotly at his lieutenant. "I'm sorry Radditz if my plans bore you so much that you find yourself drifting off to sleep. Please tell me how do I rectify my mistake of boring you with details of our survival."

A snake of fear slithered down the spine of the red armor clad soldier as he realized his grave mistake. "Prince Vegeta, sire," he stammered. "I was not bored at all nor was I trying to be disrespectful it's just that I suddenly remembered something that could be of some use to you."

"Liar, " scoffed Nappa. "I should kill you right now, for falling asleep in the Prince's presence. You pitiful excuse for a Royal Guardsman."

Radditz growled back at the commander. "How dare you call me a liar, Nappa. We can settle this right now, if you want. I will be happy to kill you if you want."

Vegeta raised a hand to massage his throbbing forehead. These two were giving him a headache. He really was going to kill Frieza for leaving him with these two. "Shut up both of you. If anybody is going to kill anybody here it will be me. Now Radditz, tell me of this great thing you've thought of that could be of some use to me."

Aiming one last glare and growl in Nappa's direction Radditz turned to face his prince. "Prince Vegeta, I just remembered that I have a brother that was sent to Gelon-8, some years ago. He could be a great asset to you, sire."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow to this new information. Another Saiyan alive, that could be quite an asset indeed. "Are you sure he is still alive?"

"Hai, sire. I'm sure of it. Gelon-8 only had a ki reading of one hundred; my brother was a baby when he was sent to that weak planet. No Saiyajin would allow himself to be defeated by such a weak reading."

"So, what do you want me to do about it, Radditz?"

"Sire, I would like to request that after you enact your plan that I be allowed to travel to Gelon-8 to retrieve my brother Kakkarot, so he could serve you." When the cool facial expression didn't change from Vegeta's face, Radditz tried reason. " Prince Vegeta, I believe that it would be more efficient if we have four Saiyans instead of three to carry out your plan of revenge."

"This intrigues me Radditz," replied Vegeta as he started to pace in front of his seated warriors. "I would very much like to see this brother of yours and determine if he would be useful to me. Therefore, I'm granting your permission to leave and retrieve your brother. Nappa, Zodor, and I will follow you and meet you at Gelon-8. Have your brother ready to present to me when I arrive."

Radditz stood and bowed, but quickly sat back down. "Sire, how do I keep Frieza from seeing me blast off?"

Vegeta shut his eyes and sighed. "We will continue on with our plan as described to you earlier, the only difference is you will get your brother, while the rest of us make sure that Frieza believes us to be dead."

The privacy screen blipped once behind Vegeta letting him know that a secure call was coming in over the speaker. Vegeta raised his hand for silence from the other two in the room. "Proceed with vocal transmission."

"Prince Vegeta," called out a scratchy voice. "It is approaching time to proceed with the plan. If you wait any longer this ship will be leaving Tehren-9's orbit, shooting us further away from our objective. It will all the harder to move on with the plan several light years beyond this quadrant."

"I understand, Dr. Zodor," answered the saiyan prince. "We are leaving my quarters now, when you arrive at the training room I will convey to you a change in plans that I have made."

"Understood, Prince Vegeta, I've made some changes also to the plan, although good ones, so do not be alarmed."

"Fine," came the clipped reply. "Begin part one of 'Revenge'." Vegeta started for the door, turning around he cocked his head to the side stare at his still sitting men. "Well, are you coming or are you going to sit there like worthless lumps of lithium."

The men jumped to their feet and rushed to follow Vegeta out the door.

Walking down the long corridor flanked by his two soldiers, Vegeta silently chuckled to himself. Finally he was going to get his revenge for all the things that Frieza had done to him. Frieza will come to know why the name Saiyan was whispered with such fright among the kingdoms of the galaxies. And then Frieza would die a slow and painful death at his hand.

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End Chapter 1. Created [02/25/01]. Finished [03/25/01]. Yeah, the first chapter of my saga is up. No, you weren't mistaken the original name of this was "Saiyan Life" but for what I have planned for this story that title was too misleading so, I changed it to "The Saga." This should allow me ample room to work. Please send all: comments, critiques, questions and flames to me at: [email protected] or if you prefer I do have a guestbook. Dark Shadow Princess.

The Hidden Planet--I think you might have noticed that I didn't give that planet a name, well because I couldn't think of one for it yet, sorry. I tried and discarded several names, (I want the perfect one) but I should have a name up by the next chapter. I hope.