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Chapter Text

Saiyan Sovereignty
Prologue
Alternate Invasion

The swampy marshlands of the Kingdom of Vegeta were exactly like they had been described in history books. There was a constant haze over the horizon, with greys, greens and browns covering the landscape. The mud and muck were marched through the whole farm, with no shower or high pressured hose to wash away the dirt. Bulma could only imagine the hard work it took to merely keep clean.

“The talk of the Cold's army reaching our shores were always waved off and ridiculed. No one would dare invade Vegeta while the Saiyan's lived, worked and breathed on her shores” Bardock started shaking his head slightly.
“How ignorant we were back then, too proud to see our own limitations and weaknesses. Now we stay here, down in the mud, solely alive to feed his army and lick his boots clean” He explained with disdain.

“King Frieza the First...” Bulma whispered.

“Emperor Frieza the first, Imperial master of the northern hemisphere” Bardock corrected her, scoffing. “We trusted our King and the news he brought out. That we were strong, and so were our borders. It wasn't until news spread of Frieza's new power. He had been to the east and invaded small oriental countries, opened and made trade deals with larger ones. He had found a magic powder, one that allowed him to control the very fire he made, explosive fire powder” Bardock explained.
“The weapons crafted to use this powder overwhelmed our forces and our King admitted defeat, spiralling this kingdom into chaos. Frieza was pronounce emperor of Vegeta and he took our Prince as collateral.” Bardock said with a pain in his eyes.

“I don't understand, It wasn't, wasn't like that...” Bulma started but stopped herself. She did not want to give away her secret yet, until she knew she could trust them.

Bardock looked at her curiously. This young women had come from the depths of the swamps surrounding his farm, in strange clothes and speaking in an accent he had never heard before. Who was she?
She was in a state until his wife could calm her down and try to understand how she had come to be on this farm. After she had calmed down, she wanted to know where she was and what had happened. Bardock had explained about the invasion and the current world war going on. The Emperor was trying to claim the entire world, using Saiyan blood and strength.

“I'm unsure how to take you, you are not aware of this war?” Bardock asked with suspicion in his voice.

Bulma laughed nervously. “No please, you misunderstand, It is only, in my own country we have heard differently... It seems we have been the victims of propaganda...” She started.

“Propaganda?” Bardock asked, unaware of this word.

“Lies, we've been told lies” Bulma said sadly.

“And what Country did you say you were from?” He asked.

Shit!

“A small island in the pacific named Tahiti” Bulma replied without missing a beat. It was her next holiday destination and she internally face-palmed herself.

Bardock considered her story for a few seconds.

“So he has told the rest of the world something different. Does Frieza's cruelty, lies and cowardice know no bounds?” Bardock sighed.

Bulma quietly exhaled. She had managed to convince him, he believed her story, for now.

“Please continue, I need to understand what has happened here” Bulma explained.

“There is not much else to tell, we now live in poverty, without sovereignty, without land and without our Prince, whom we all had high hopes for.” Bardock said shaking his head. “While Frieza uses our resources, men, women and children for his own needs. My two sons, Radditz and Kakarot have been ordered to his front line, in the East countries I mentioned earlier. I was not conscripted, as I have injuries from the invasion of this country and was stripped of my title, lands and resources to farm this bleak, wet land, to produce food for his armies” Bardock spat. “I was at one time, the commander of one of Vegeta's largest forces. The knowledge I have of battle tactics, moving armies and the Saiyan fighting style was ripped from me. I was tortured, making my injuries beyond repair... until I complied and my family threatened, they took my Son's because of my pride!” Bardock slammed down his fists “Kakarot was only a boy, a strong fighter, but a boy. The world, this world is lost, no one can stop him now.”

“These weapons, what do the Cold Empire call them?” Bulma asked, her scientific mind skipping into overdrive. She needed a way home. For whatever reason, her experiment had failed and she had been thrown one thousand years into the past. But this universe was different. The Cold empire was never able to penetrate the Kingdom of Vegeta, thus stopping his world domination plot in it's tracks and completely destroying their regime. The history books were written from the successors, that much has always been true, and the Saiyan's wrote that history. She must get back home, she must work through this trouble with the Saiyan's on her side, as they were the less religious of the old races, and in turn would have a better chance of believing her and helping her. She needed to do this so she could accumulate enough resources so she could get back to her own time.

“Guns” Bardock said looking up at her.

“Right...” Bulma said standing up.

The poor family looked up at Bulma. They had not always been a peasant family, she could tell by the way they kept themselves, articulated themselves and the knowledge they had. They were being oppressed. And wasn't it her moral duty to help? Plus, she would need help to get home. She wouldn't be able to do this alone. She would tell them her truth and prove it to them.

With her capsules.

“Bardock, for some reason, I was sent to your farm, to this place, in the here and now. Maybe I could help?” She said, hands in her pockets twirling around her car capsule.

Bardock smirked and chuckled.

“Forgive me, that was rude, but dear stranger... How could you help us?” Bardock asked shaking his head.

“I will show you, follow me” She said stomping through their dinning room and out their front door.

Bardock's wife and daughter in-law were listening from the doorway to the sleeping area when they ran after Bulma, before Bardock could even leave his chair. He chuckled to himself, he followed them all out into the front of the house. Bulma was standing with her back to the house. She had a strange metal thing, that sat in her hand perfectly. She turn back toward him and she was smiling. Such a carefree, assured smile that made a fire in his belly explode. Who was she?

“I present to you, capsule corps most recent vehicle” Bulma said proudly.

The whole family looked on in awe as Bulma clicked the metal vessel, throwing it 50 metres in front of her into the mud. A huge bang and a cloud of smoke arose formed where she had thrown the capsule. As the smoke disappeared, a strange looking horseless cart appeared.

“Welcome to the future” Bulma said with hands on her hips.

Chapter Text

Saiyan Sovereignty
Part One
Gravity

Bulma wiped sweat from her forehead, as more just replaced it. She had been working non-stop for seventy two hours, she was so close to fixing the gravity warp drive she had been working on for the past five years. The first test rendered the drive almost damaged beyond recognition and it had taken every molecule in her body to figure out what had went wrong. It was a simple calibration issue. Yeah, simple. Ha. Funny.

She sighed and came out from underneath the massive engine, the most advanced technological one of it's kind. It was going to take her to the ends of the universe and solve some of the biggest mysteries of the human race. Like how did this all happen, it would take her to the very beginning. The biggest and most important discovery of their time, and Bulma Briefs' was going to be the one to bring the knowledge back to Earth and change the course of history.
She smiled to herself as she stood back and admired her work, she had already built the first ship capable of reaching the end of their solar system. She then made some modification to the speed of the vessel and reached the ends of the galaxy. She was awarded the most prestigious honour in the world, the Nobel prize. The prize itself didn't mean much to her, it was more the recognition of her work after her late father passed away. She had proven her worth to the world, that she could not only fill her fathers shoes, but accelerate his work into the universe.

Now, her biggest feat to date. She had figured a way to bend space, all a hypothesis up until now, essentially bringing the edge of the universe and their own solar system together. Creating a passageway to the ends of the known universe. There, she could hopefully answer some burning questions the human race had. She would go down in history as the most important scientist to have ever existed. The implications of her discovery were bigger than she could ever imagine, she was in unknown territory and she had to complete her work in secret. It was too valuable to fall into the hands of inferior scientists. This was her work, she knew all there was to know of gravity, of space and time, of the implications of her invention and what they might encounter along the way.

She thought she was ready, she thought she had calculated for everything, but she had no idea what would happen when she would finally switch on her Gravity Warp Drive and try to reach the beginning of the universe.

--------

Bulma pulled the scarf further down her face, she had wrapped a large dress robes, adorned with a lovely oriental patterns around her tall shapely figure. She had to hide her features and body, her large blue eyes, large hips, big breast and tall figure would attracted too much attention and scream to everyone around her that she didn't belong. She was well and truly behind 'enemy' line here.

She had spent a summer in University, studying the effects of the Shuggamara planet from a small island off the coast of Antarctica, an Island which turned into a mountain of ice in the winter and a play ground of life in the summer. It could withstand temperatures of -90° C. Named after the Scientist who discovered it. The properties were something Bulma wished to take with her on her expedition to the other side of the universe.
One of those such properties was the curious effects it had on humans. A chemical reaction which made the user become somewhat of an Information Device, rendering their conciousness void. She could direct their brains to find the memories she desired and to verbalise them to her without the individual ever recording a memory of an encounter with her. It was extremely useful to her, she was glad she always kept a capsule of it in her person. A small drop into a drink and their memories were hers.

She had found Radditz and Kakarot this way, she had found out that a small group of Saiyan's had turned rogue. They were a part of the biggest man hunt the Cold empire had executed so far in this war.
The East had the same capabilities as the Cold Empire, they had Gun powder, so they had all joined forces to expel Frieza from their region. Frieza was not one to be go down quietly and had been able to put up enough resistance to stop the War in it's tracks. A stand-off had ensured. Using it as a cover, the brothers had managed to win the hearts of their men and had staged a small resistance within the Empire. When they had been finally discovered, they slipped away into the night to join the resistance within the East.

It had been a difficult task for Bulma, finding the brothers. Months of searching and using the Shuggamara plant extract, plenty of disguise changes and people she had formed friendships with. She was use to labs and machines. Not the sun, the rain, the mud and people. Although She had been on many adventures in her youth to find the mystical Dragon Ba...

The Dragon Balls!!!

Bulma stopped in her tracks, she looked down at the ground and slapped her forehead in frustration.

How could I forget the Dragon Balls!

She clenched her fists and shook her head. There wasn't time for that now. Building a dragon radar now would take a lot of resources, and without her lab, a shitload of her time. She had to continue with the current plan. No doubt she would need the magical balls at some point, if they even existed in this timeline at all.

Her searching, using the Shuggamara extract had led her to a small town outside of the main port the East used to ship food and resources to the front lines. Rumour had it that the Cold Empire would soon try to attack the port. A huge fleet that consisted of the six main countries in the East, populated the horizon. The six different boat designs gave homage to the distinct six different nations. It was such an incredible sight to see. She spent the better part of the sunrise this morning watching them as they got into a defensive position, seemingly working together like a well oiled machine. It was obvious to see that they had all come together to stop the tyrant Frieza.
They would be ready when the Cold Armada reached the strategic point, which they would eventually. This would slide the World back into all out War, after a tiny few months of a fighting stand still. There were many East armed forces around every corner, she had to be careful. She would surely be captured and accused of being a spy before she could reach the brothers.
The market place she was in, was so full this time of morning she had to eloquently weave in and out of groups of people. It made for an excellent cover for her however. Stalls full of food, spices, silks and other merchandise gleamed in a array of different colours. The smells and sounds reminded her, of her own time. Even if the people were dressed and cleaned far differently from the futuristic counterparts. The laughter, shouting and language was distinctively human, and it made her feel more comfortable.
She had heard of the Brothers in history class, a long time ago. Not much else been recorded about them, other than their battle prowess and their extensive battle tactic knowledge for the time. She had seen some drawings and maybe some characters portrayed in a TV series. She had not paid much attention, she wish she had, however. Maybe she would know who she was looking for.

As if the universe heard her sigh, the crowd parted and she looked up between the hundreds of hustling people. A tall man, with hair in coal black spikes was standing smiling at a young boy who ran and played at his feet. As if with instinct he looked up and locked eyes with Bulma. A spitting image of Bardock, without the scars, she knew in an instant. She had found him, Kakarot.

--------

The Prince walked through the halls, his royal cape with the Cold Empire insignia was floating in a flurry behind him. He wiped his hands clean with rag, the blood stained material fell as he threw it behind him on the floor. With all these interrogations Lord Frieza was making him participate in, it was only making his primal urges rise. The sounds of screams, the feeling of fear would fill him with adrenaline, make his heart pump blood furiously through his veins. He needed to unleash this energy. Otherwise it would burn poison through him.

His armour was handmade to fit him perfectly. Though he would not have any use for it in his line of work. The armour was designed to be very liberating, sleeveless, the hard but accommodating chest piece was a solid as anything he had encountered. It exposed his muscular arms, covered in scars. Even he wasn't aware of where and when each individual one had come about. His body was adorned in pinkish skin, scared from some forgotten wound. It really didn't matter much to him, he could not remember much of his childhood, or the following war. The stand off between the Empire and the East had lasted a long ten years. Which he had been commissioned to be Frieza's personal torturer. A job he did well, and enjoyed. Everything else, was just noise in the background. He had really come into his own in this line of work.

Now it was time to expel this energy into something he enjoyed just as much.

Vegeta pushed his chamber doors open and proceeded to cross his entry way into his bed chambers. Maids scattered as his presence was felt by all. Some retreated from the rooms entirely and into the hallways. They did not wish to be in the way of the Princes nightly ritual, fear of his reprimand they left him to his devices. They knew he would not need anything from them now.
His chambers were some of the largest in the Castle. Awarded to him for his excellent and relentless work. Large ceilings of the main entry way lead into three different chambers, gold and purple décor, with big and extravagant furniture and finishes flowed into the rooms.
He pushed open his bed chamber doors, and there, as he expected was a woman. Tied to his bed was one of the women he had come to his room nightly. She looked up at him, trying to hide the need in her eyes. It would do her no good to show him what she wanted. He enjoyed seeing pleasure, but more so he lived to see pain.

The doors closed behind the prince as he began to disrobe.

--------

Radditz had Bulma's arm in a lock she would never escape, she wouldn't even attempt to escape. She guessed the Brothers would meet her with scepticism and suspicion, and so they should. They weaved through the crowds, inconspicuously gaining ground toward there safe house. Kakarot, the moment he saw Bulma had rushed toward her, a force behind him urged him to grab her and move from the main street. Whether she was a spy, or something darker, he couldn't judge in this situation. They needed to get her indoors to question why she was here and who she was. His instinct was noticed by his Brother and together they drew her closer to cover. Radditz had grabbed the woman’s arm and began following his younger brother toward a safe place. They would need to know who this foreign woman was, and why she had reacted the way she did when she saw Kakarot. He looked back at the blue haired female. She was well feed, clean and had decent clothes on under the robe she was concealing herself with. It was then he saw it. His familys crest, on a necklace just under her clothes. He growled and swung around, stopping his older Brother in his tracks.
He grabbed her free arm and used his force to throw her to the ground, as his brothers grip released her.
“Not here!” Radditz snapped softly.
“Brother, she wears our crest” He said moving his eyes to the exposed necklace. Radditz lowered his gaze and saw the necklace, once his Grandmothers.
He sighed and looked back at his brother. They stood standing starring at each other silently for a moment.
“It has to be...” Kakarot started.
“Father” Radditz answered.

They looked back at the girl. Bulma had to admire their deductive skills and the silent agreement they had with each other. No wonder they had yet to be caught with those unspoken words. Kakarot offered out his hand to her, Bulma looked at his eyes for confirmation. They were softer now, almost apologising. Bardock had said the necklace would confirm her story. It seems it had worked better than any of them could have imagined.
“Quickly lass, take his hand, we need to move” Radditz said turning and running off.

Bulma took his hand and was pulled up with such force. He stopped the inertia of her mass with, it seemed, just his energy. She let out a little gasp as he body stopped suddenly, at rest. He nodded to her and they kept running, his grip this time leading her, not forcing her. Whatever she had to tell them, they would believe her, with just merely the soundless suggestion off their father. There was great respect there. Even though Kakarot was only a small boy when he was taken. It was obvious Radditz had taught his brother of his fathers honour. It was almost as if fate had put Bulma on that farm, had it been any other family, where would she be now? Her chances of getting home would have been destroyed. Bulma deduced that the brothers would help her, beyond belief to get get back to her world. Now she had the extremely hard job of explaining her presence, and her story.

They glided through corner after corner, slipping through alleyways and past hundreds of doorways. It was like a labyrinth, their hideout was surely well hidden amongst these thousands of souls. Now she would be able to move much quicker and safer under their obvious underground groups. This would speed up her mission by ten fold.
Just as she started mentally planning her next move, they had reached their destination as Radditz stopped near an entrance to the slimmest ally way they had travelled through yet. He looked around and nodded to Kakarot. They all slipped down the gap, only turning to enter a tight entry way to a building which seemed to go into the ground. Bulma was yet to see any kind of basement dwelling in her travels. This place was specifically chosen for that design, it made for a good hideout, far away from the hustle and bustle of the town.
Kakarot put his hand on Bulma's back and encouraged her to follow Radditz, he completed a series of knocks on a huge wooden door. It opened at the conclusion of the secret sounds. She was quickly ushered into the dark room. More rooms, more hallways, like another smaller maze, she was lead to the centre of the building. There a group of men were surrounding a large table. By the looks of it, this was the centre of all operations for the resistance. As Radditz announced their presence the group turned around to face the new three bodies in the room.
One was an older man, his face covered in scars, his body the same build as the two brothers. With a tall black hair style that seemed to defy gravity. The second man was a whole other level of short, his head shaved, in what seemed to be a religious style. He wore a sort of religious outfit, but one that seemed ready for battle, his warm smile, kind eyes and attire lead Bulma to deduce he was some sort of Monk, not unusual for this time or place.
The third man wore a similar attire to the Monk but was taller in stature and weapons attached to his garb. He was well built, long black black hair was tied behind him. He was definitely a warrior. He also wore his scars like a medal of honour. He smiled kindly at Bulma.
The forth man, who began to speak, had a third eye on his forehead. Bulma's focus fell on him.

“You two, never cease to amaze us, and what have you found this time?” the Third eye man asked with a smirk and a slight shake of his head.

Kakarot began to laugh and scratched his head, as if to say, he didn't even know where to begin. It was then Radditz stepped in front of his brother and addressed the other men.

“It might sound impossible, but we have found an emissary of our father and homeland.” Radditz said crossing his arm.

The look of shock feel over them one by one as all eyes in the room began to push the energy toward Bulma. She started to sink a little. She hadn't thought of herself that way, she was only worried about getting home. It wasn't until now that the reality sank in. She was part of a resistance to one of the biggest wars this world had ever seen. She held information to change the world. She started to sweat. Not only did she have to convince the Brothers, but all of these men too. The future of their resistance would fall onto her shoulders. She did not think of the implications of entering this war until now. Would she be able to deliver? The gravity of the situation had finally hit her. Could she change the course of history?

Hadn't she already?

--------

Bardock walked outside of the small dwelling his family shared on their huge, bleak and gloomy farm. He could hear the sheep baa-ing and blay-ing in the distance as he pulled out the small capsule from his pocket. He looked around before clicking the capsule and throwing it before him. A hand-held radio exploded from the metal vessel.
Bulma had tried to explain to him what she was making. She explained the different waves that existed and how they could be used for communication, almost instantly. He was shocked to his core when they communicated to each other from the ends of the farm. Bulma has built a 'satellite' from the metal he had been welding and molding. Getting the certain metals she needed proved to be difficult, She was indeed lucky that they lived in such a mineral diverse country.
It had taken most of their resources to find these metals and minerals for her to build the satellite. It seemed, however, that she had an answer for giving away their winter crop. She had a capsule that had hundreds of winters worth of food. They would not go hungry it seemed.
Once the satellite was launched. they could communicate through the radio handsets. It was most impressive and further certified her story. He knew she was keeping details from him about where and how she came here. But he did understand that his capacity to understand was probably the main reason she shied away from the explanation of her 'world', as she put it. He just didn't have the knowledge to understand everything she tried to explain.
Talk of other planets, suns, black holes, it became too much for him. He was considered one of the most intelligent Saiyan's of their time, but he had little understanding compared to Bulma. She taught him about irrigation and other means to more effectively farm this land. She was full of knowledge, he believed she was not from this world. But would she help them rid their world of Frieza and his Empire?

He was receiving a call from Bulma, he clicked over the receiver and her voice came blaring through.

“Bardock!” She excitedly yelled.

“You're coming in loud and clear Bulma, what have you found?” He asked curiously, she had not been this excited since she left their farm.

“Your Son's Bardock! I've found them!” She screamed excitedly.

Bardock felt the blood leave his face, his Son's? It had been such a long time since he even contemplated seeing or hearing from them again.

“Bulma... how did, was that my father?” Bardock heared Radditz say through the radio.

“Radditz!” Bardock screamed.

“Father!” He heard Radditz and Kakarot reply in unison.

“Everyone calm down, we have important news to tell you!” Bulma said

Bardock bit his lip, he had so many questions for his boys, his Sons. But Bulma was right, now was not the time, she surely had a lot of information to relay to him.

“Bardock, Kakarot has information about the Prince, and its...” She started.

“Father, we need to recover him, now, you must go and see the King” Kakarot started.

“The King? But he is behind bars, behind hundreds of Frieza's men...” Bardock started. He surely couldn't get anywhere near the King. He had been stripped of his title, lands and even his right to see and bask in the sun. He would not be able to step foot within miles of him.

“You don't understand Father, the whole effort of the resistance hangs in the balance, The Prince is...” Radditz started.

“The Prince has been turned into an interigator and he has the leader of the resistance, soon they will know of all their plans and our location. He might even have already gained that information! We are running out of time!” Bulma yelled.

“Please Father, you must! We can catch up once the King is freed and can rally up forces to capture the Prince.” Kakarot explained.

Bardock clenched his fists, he had not heard of his sons for almost a decade. He had not seen their faces for longer. Tears welled up in his eyes, it seemed it was not his time to be reunited with them now. He was charged with saving them.

“Don't worry, I will save you, leave it to me!” Bardock growled, a renewed motivation surged through him.

------

Chapter Text

Saiyan Sovereignty
Chapter 3
Black Magic

To be able to drink one of the oldest alcohols in human history was an honour. One Bulma took too far and was now quite tipsy. The rice mead was strong, but amazingly rich in flavour. She smiled as the men around her grew louder and louder in their merry making. Between the Eastern men and the Saiyan's, language was slipping in and out of each others dialect. They had been through a lot together, their comradery was very strong, that was easy to see.

“Then Kakarot turned around, he had it all over his face!” Raditz roared. All the men followed suit and smashed there glasses on the table in delight at Kakarot's expense, to which he could only laugh and shrug his shoulders.

“I wasn't going to let it go to waste” He laughed.

Bulma had been introduced to all of the main leaders of the resistance. The short Monk was Krillin, the tall fighter with long black hair was Yamcha, and the man with the third eye was Tien, all of which were from the mainland of the Eastern countries. The older Saiyan was a man known as Kolard, he was Raditz and Kakarot's father, Bardock's second in charge during the resistance against Frieza's invasion of Vegeta. When Kolard found out the boys had met with the resistance, he left his post as well into the darkest point in the night, to join them.
The bunch of men, all with their own strengths and fighting styles had formed a formidable group. They managed to remain undetected for months, all while carrying out strategic blows to the empire. Bulma was not privy to their current plan, but she had a feeling it was to do with the armada in the bay outside the port.

The Saiyan brothers had sat her down and informed her, in between giving her a crash course on where they stand currently in the war, about their plan to recover the Prince from the grasp of Frieza.
It turns out that Frieza had some type of black magic within his inner circle. That, with the gun power, was the real reason the Saiyan forces fell. The brothers explained to her, they could withstand bullets. This power was not common, but it could certainly be achieved by most, if not all of the Saiyan race. It certainly had been common in the ranks of the Saiyan forces.
Krillian, Tien and Yamcha had also all reached this level of enlightenment, as they called it in the East. This was where the problem of the Prince being an interrogator came into the picture, their Master, Master Roshi, had been captured by the Cold Empire’s forces a few weeks ago. A stronghold had been found and an ambush had been carried out. Master Roshi was detained and taken back to the Cold’s front. Everyone else had been slaughtered. Including many of the groups friends and loved ones. It had been an especially horrible loss for the men. He knew everything, about the teachings of the east, the rebellions plans, their strongholds, about how to achieve enlightenment. He would be turned into a weapon, and their secret plan, their trump card ann element of surprise would be lost.
With the black magic that had been rumoured to be used in the Empire’s strength. They could not put aside the chance of Vegeta using this power. The Prince had a success rate of 100%. Which Bulma, as a scientist agreed with the group, it just did not happen in nature. This black magic, what was it? Or, who was behind it?
This news had been weighing heavily on Bulma’s mind. The Alcohol had numbed her thoughts, but they now returned with velocity.
Her face had betrayed her, She felt Kakarot’s hand on her shoulder.

“You ok kid?” He asked softly.

Bulma looked down at her hands in her lap. Would she ever see her loved ones again? Would she ever return? It seemed every time she made progression, something new leaped up to drag her back down to depression. Her feelings so heavy, she found it hard to even think of moving forward again. This black magic, it made her shutter. Her mind went a million times an hour to give a reason to what it was. But she knew, she needed more information to determine its cause. She knew in her heart of hearts that a reason, an explanation was behind it. The language that was used in this time, the here and now, it could not even explain how lightning was possible. They used words like magic, Gods and powers to explain things they did not understand.
She knew this, she was a scientist.
But why did she feel like the reason, the person behind this black magic was more terrifying than any made up force.

“I think I need to head to bed” She finally said looking up at Kakarot.

She was met with a wide smile.

“Another round before you go!” He shouted, standing suddenly from his chair, raising his glass high in the air.

Bulma laughed and nodded.

--------

Bardock turned to meet the gaze of his wives eyes. They were dark with despair, this was a suicide mission. The King had not been seen since Frieza’s forces had taken over. He would be in the lowest dungeon, behind the most insane amount of guards. Bardock was crippled and lead farmers sons to their deaths. Surely, he would perish on this mission.
He broke contact with his love, he heard her drop and scream a sound he had never heard before. She had lost her sons, her home, her life. And now her love.
Was the sacrifice worth it? Would he really die in vain.

The sound of his Son’s voices over the futuristic technology, and Bulma’s promise to find them. How? Was she a sorceress?
Bardock shook his head slightly. No, she had explained to him, this was not magic. It was science. He had to trust her, put his faith in her. He couldn’t possibly understand like she did.
She had brought the sound of his Son’s back to him. Was it a trick?

“No” He muttered under his breath.

He felt them, through the device. He knew. He knew it was his son’s. This plan had to work, they had to find the King and bring him to the boys. And quickly. Time was against them.

“Yaaaahhh” He screamed to urge his horse to use it’s powerful legs.

The men behind him followed suit and they ran toward the horizon, mud and water surrounding them as they went.

----------
“Ok, let’s go over the plan again. With the arrival of Bulma and the information she brings, it changes everything” Raditz started as the others took their seats at the table.

“So we are changing up the plan, or are we completely changing wind?” Tien asked. Ever insightful.

“We have to, don’t we? With all that we have learned in the past weeks?” Kakarot asked the group, looking for someone to concur.

“Indeed we do” Raditz said looking toward Bulma.

Bulma’s throat felt like it was going to close up. This was the first time she had been in the room while they spoke tactics, plans and secrets. They had fed her information, at a rate, she assumed, so they could test Bardock's and Bulma's loyalty. So much was at stake for the resistance. They could not prove her innocent beyond a reasonable doubt. Her belongings had been taken from her, and someone was outside of her room the entire time.
They were not unkind to her, the opposite actually. They were hospitable and socialised with her, but they did not let her get close. Right up until now.

Her belongings, her capsules and other items she had on her were thrown on the table. The sound they collectively made, as they collided with the table were deafening, the room was dead silent. She sheepishly looked up at the brothers. She was going to have to tell them everything. The moment she had been dreading.

“It’s time Bulma” Kakarot said, genuinely kind.

“Right” She said looking down at her hands.

How the hell was she going to do this! Would she need to show them, like she had to Bardock. Or should she try from the beginning.
She felt the eyes of the room peer into her like a magnifying glass. She was now being interrogated. With all the knowledge she had come to learn from the past weeks, about all the men, each one and their personalities, she knew what her only option was. The truth.
She took a big breath in and stood up. She looked around the room as the men all meet her gaze with their own.

“I’ll start with the device we used to contact Bardock. I know, I mean, I understand that this will be hard to comprehend. But…” She started quietly.

Some of them shifted uncomfortably in their chairs, some sat still like rocks.

“This is a part of something called technology, just like Frieza’s guns are technology” She started, trying to reference something they understood.

The receiver twirled slowly in her hands as she searched for more words. Kakarot was the first to break the silence.

“So that thing is a weapon?” He asked.

“No, I mean, not really. It has advantages, but it does not kill. Just like having a roof over your head gives you an advantage, but cannot be used as a weapon” She explained.

“So technology is a tool? Is knowledge?” Tien pondered.

“Yes! Tien, yes! It is a tool. And with every tool, there is a reason why it works, and why other things don’t work as well.” She explained.

“So it is a tool to communicate? Like… a letter?” Krillin said shyly.

“Exactly, it is like a letter, it sends a message, but it sends the sound of our voice” Bulma started.

“Ohhh man, my head!” Yamcha complained.

“Quiet, let her explain!” Raditz growled.

“So tools, they evolve, they change, people invent new tools that are better than the last… right?” She asked.

“Like a new ship, better, faster, stronger..” Krillin asked.

“Yes, they develop, they become better, faster and stronger with time. We start with a letter, and over time, and through much hard work and brilliant minds, the technology goes from a letter, to this… a transmitter to communicate in an instant, with our voices” She tried to explain.

The men were so enamored with every word she said. It seemed they were following her direction. So she pushed forward, to the twist. To her reality.

“Ok, well this technology, this tool, is from, and I’m from… the future…” She said watching for a reaction.

“What?”

“The what?”

“No way?!”

The room erupted. Chairs went flying as the men stood up in surprise. Bulma slunk down, shielding herself physically and mentally as she prepared for the worst.

“You mean to tell us, you are not from this time? But from one so far in the future, projecting your voice instantly to another country is a regular occurrence?” Tien mused.

Bulma looked up past her hands. The men understood?

“It isn’t magic? It is technology?” Kakarot deduced.

“Y..yes, that’s right. So you mean you all believe me?” She asked.

“This stuff, we thought it was magical…” Krillin laughed.

“Your explanation, it may make more sense” Raditz said softly. “But can you prove it? Show us what else these tools do” He said more loudly this time.

“Sure, I can. Well I think, look in my time, a lot of your daily issues have been fixed with tools. Think of your ancestors, thousands of years ago. They did not have tools like you do now. Time is always changing, things and people are always changing. I don’t know how I came to be here, but I turned up at Bardock’s farm after a failed test of a new tool. I think, I hope I can return to my time. But the world needs my help at the moment, and I will need help to get back. I don’t belong here, the longer I am here, the more things will change. I can’t… I can’t explain the huge consequence of me being here. But please believe when I say, I have to leave.” She basically begged.

They all considered her and her story. And one by one it seemed they came to the conclusion.

“We will see your worth and the truth of your words when Bardock retrieves the King” Kolard, the older Saiyan finally said.

The group nodded in approval. Bulma’s trial had begun, if Bardock did not succeed. She had no way of proving her tool had worked without magic. Bulma smiled slightly at their powers of deduction. It showed why they had not been caught so far. They were the best.

------

A gust of chilling wind whipped around Bardock and danced through his clothes like a playful animal. He stood still with two other men, while they surveyed the area from a point of elevation.
Riding for weeks, with a capsule of food to keep them strong, they had arrived at the outskirts of the capital.
It was large, circular shaped and dark brown hues laced the horizon from all the wood that had been used to build the structures. They could make out shapes moving within, around and toward the dock to the east. It was busy, and full of the Cold Empire’s men. Getting into the interior would be the toughest part of the mission. The surveillance started now. They would need to source clothes, to best hide their identities. The guards routine would need to be memorized and a plan would need to be set to enter the bustling streets undetected. Once inside, they would need to find an information source loyal to the Saiyan’s. Getting into the prison, it would be tough, but unexpected. The element of surprise was in their favour. For now at least.

Over the past weeks of riding and camping in the cold, damp, cruel magnificent countryside. Bardock had been drilling, teaching and training the men he took from the village. They had come a long way in a matter of weeks. They were Saiyan’s after all, and Bardock had trained troops for most of his life. They were very proficient at surviving on practically nothing, resourceful with different weapons and now understood basic tactics of warfare. They were nowhere near ready enough for the incoming mission. But they had to succeed. Every man here understood this. The pride and strength of the Saiyans was an asset that Bardock intended on wielding in their favour.

The surrounding forests would offer coverage, some areas were still so green and thick it would be impossible for a large group to travel through. They would study and use the land to aid them. They knew this country better than the invaders. This tactic had been used for as long as men had been around. Tried and tested, it would be the only way they would enter the city without discovery.

“Two men, at that point, on a rotating shift so we don’t lose a second of information” Bardock stated to two young, sizable Saiyan men.

“Yes sir” They said in unison as they moved quickly to the arranged spot. The one the spot, hurried training had started to show.

“It has started” Bardock whispered in his minds eye. With the words, his eyes closed, thinking of his family.

Chapter Text

Saiyan Sovereignty
Chapter 4
Beast in the belly

WARNING
Graphic violence

“We have been diligently studying the movement of the city guard, and have sent in our best man to learn how the prison guards operate and their shift workings. We are getting closer to being able to proceed with the mission, but we still have so much information to gather” Bardock explained in a muted tone, as if reading from a script.

This mission had taken a lot from Bardock, everything from him that the war with the empire had failed to take. His energy had almost been spent. Day in, day out, for months they studied the city, they trained and they strategised. Watching the Cold empire slowly devour and destroy the once bustling, progressive city was just as damaging for the Men, as it was for Bardock to watch. He had stopped sleeping many nights ago, his thinking became slow and instinctual, his nightmares returned, ones that had long been buried since the end of the invading war. He was holding on by a thread, but he had a mission to complete and Men to protect. He had lost just about everything he had ever loved, he couldn’t lose this too.

“That is great news Father” Raditz started through the receivers crackling.

“Tell us Bardock, what are your chances, realistically” Bardock heard his old Friend Kolard asked with a heavy heart.

“To be honest, I’m not even sure we have a chance” Bardock sighed.

“Bardock, have you got the weapons capsule with you?” Bulma’s voice suddenly came over the receiver.

Bardock’s eyes widened. How, how could he have forgotten? After all the initial planning, the training, the traveling and the endless surveying of the city. He had forgotten the capsule Bulma had given him the day she left. Although, when she had reached out to give the older Saiyan the small cold bit of metal, she had hesitated, as if she knew this decision could go one of two ways. Was she unsure that Bardock would make the right decision? What was that? Bardock physically shook the thought from his mind. This news changed everything, but did he even have it still? It had been months since he had laid eyes on the capsule.

“I am not sure I do, I… I haven’t seen it in awhile” Bardock sighed.

“Find that capsule Bardock, it will help you, I know it will!” He heard Bulma plead, her voice more sure now than in his memory.

But honestly, his mind had been made up by the look on her face as her outstretched hand stopped and slightly retracted. She had hesitated, she did not trust him. Could he trust her?

The thoughts began, they flooded his mind's eye and began to invade his whole body, twitching his muscles into an electrical charged movement. His body was readying to fight, to kill and his mind was going blank. Like a bear before they charged on their prey, his eyes were black with nothingness and his instincts had taken hold.

“Bardock, we have been hearing reports that the Empire are using Black Magic, and that the Prince has been using it to torture and get….” Bardock heard a voice getting softer and softer, until they were mumbled and muted as if underwater.

A strange flash fell over Bardock's vision, as Kolard’s voice began to finally fade and completely distorted into something else. Like the sun appearing from behind a hill, the flash grew bright and he shut his eyes from the pain. His hearing buzzed and the world started to move around, into shapes and different memories of Bardock’s past, they felt surreal and real all in one. A big rush of panic started to set in, and just as his past feelings and sights started to consume him, it all began to fade. Then suddenly the world flowed back to normal, with a loud abrupt pop.
It was over as quickly as it had come on, and Kolard was still talking. Bardock couldn’t help but groan at the sound of his voice, he had missed what his Saiyan comrade had said, but he did not have the energy or the interest in hearing it again. A strange, uncontrollable anger had engulfed him now. The sound Kolard was making, it made him furious, so badly that he felt nauseous.

“Yes, right. I better be off, the night shift will be starting soon and I have plans to put in place.” Bardock said with a tone of frustration, he then switched off the receiver quickly.

His mood had gone from stale, to anxiously irked, to down right maddening. Bardock wondered if he had finally gone mad. His feelings were overwhelming, like they were taking control and all he could do was take his hand off the reins. The only thing he felt he could do in this moment was stand up and allow the new feelings to surround him and envelop his senses, he had to give in, he had no choice, he didn’t want them to go away any more. A fog had captured his brain, but he found he was now on autopilot. The angry, maddening feelings started to disperse as the dissociation became ever present. He was a walking machine, something had been snapped inside, he was being moved by his instincts. With a big, wild sigh, Bardock was no longer there.

A tall, narrow building, made of thick solid wood and surrounded by others just like it, with muddy roads from the surrounding hills all joining at the front of it, was illuminated with a warm glowing light, and the sounds of obnoxious men shouting to each other and fighting.
Outside of the city gates, in the hub of the slums, the native Saiyans could indulge in a night of booze and women, for the right price. They came here, the Swinging Saiyan, for what little comfort it offered, and left the place more black and grim than when they found it. Each and every night.

A black cloaked figure moved quickly and with predetermination actions. Amongst the intoxicated, rambunctious crowd, he went unnoticed. Using this to his advantage, he slipped inside the tavern and upstairs to the higher levels, that housed the brothel, it’s clients and the girls on offer.
Bardock felt a pulsing flux through his muscles, driving him up the stairs. The feeling of endless numbness and the overwhelming darkness he felt entrenched inside of him had not faded an inch, it had actually grown over the past few days. It was a maddening feeling he had never gotten to taste before, even during the invasion.
His Men had found a contact in the brothel, she had been a distant relative of one of Bardock’s soldiers. She had been compelled to help them, her pride been offered up in consequence of denying them. For a Saiyan, this was everything, even, as it seemed, for a prostitute.

Bardock meet an unremarkable door, which was amongst a bunch of other unremarkable doors in the upper quarters of the brothel. Bardock reached out with his arm and knocked, four small quick raps. The door swung silently open within seconds. He stepped into the room, and immediately saw the back of the body sitting and tied to a chair facing the window. She had done what they had asked of her, now it was his turn to move this plan forward.

He quickly removed his cloak, moving toward the unconscious guard.

“Good work girl, you have done your ancestors well” Bardock said with barely a sliver of emotion.

“You...you won’t hurt him too badly will you?” She whispered to Bardock as he stood over the motionless body.

The feelings welled up again as the haze that had consumed him these past days was rushed and removed from his mind. The unforgiving rage boiled up like lava inside of him.
Bardock looked over his shoulder at the lass, and gave a low growl from the pit of his belly.

“Remove yourself from here wench” It was all he needed to say to her, and with a quick turn she scurried from the room.

Bardock looked back around at the unconscious Empire guard, he felt the energy inside him rise as he slowly took out a knife with his right hand from his belt, it was also accompanied by an axe and a butchers mallet. He also ran his fingers from his left hand over a small glass bottle. It was a potion that Bulma had given him in the weapons capsule. One that would make any man speak the truth. Bulma called is science, but Bardock also had his doubts about the strange blue haired woman. She had not trusted him with her precious capsule, because she had something to hide, Bardock had figured. He was the one who could not trust her, and her science.

“Black magic” He whispered to himself as the thick, seemingly never ending, blackness overtook him.

The petite Saiyan woman returned to the room, as she had not been given word by Bardock that his mission was completed. It had been hours and she was starting to worry. Worry that they would be caught, and that he had hurt the Empire guard.
She slowly opened the door to her room in the brothel. It slightly creaked as the light from the main hall flooded the dark room. A horrible stench began to fill her nostrils and she gagged in response.

“Bardock…” She whispered as she entered the room and closed the door silently behind her.

She noticed, from the moonlight coming in through the open window that Bardock was no longer in the room. It seems he had left through the window. Odd, she thought to herself. She made her way over to the now limp body of the Empire Guard that she had drugged and tied to the chair.
The smell in the room was damp, full of metallic blood and other bodily fluids. Her heart started to pound as thoughts raced through her mind, what had she done?

Walking around the chair she began to see what Bardock was truly capable of, and the moon was illuminating a white and red scene of bloodshed and utter brutality. The Guard was dead, she did not have to check him to know this, he was slumped over with one arm missing, cut and pulled from it’s socket, tendons, bone and muscles exposed. His other hand had the fingers smashed into the chair, and what looked like self defense wounds from a slashing attack. She grabbed her mouth to stop herself from screaming and giving away her treasonous actions.
His face was completely peeled off, but his eyes and mouth were still stuck in the horror that he had witnessed. His tongue was missing, as was his lower jaw. To stop him from making and noise she deduced. He looked as if an animal had mauled him to death.
His bones in both his legs were shattered, bashed and protruding. His left foot was completely smashed into mince meat. His belly had been sliced and his organs removed and spilt over his lap. The pain this guard would have felt, would have been unimaginable. The scene had been burnt into her brain, she had never seen anything like it. No animal attack, no war wounds, no public execution, nothing was this savage.
It was no animal who did this, it was a monster.