Chapter 15: Our Chosen History

Acknowledging User Search Requests:

Mission Type: Total Extermination.

Mission Location: Marked Unimportant

Squad Size: 5

Difficulty Rating: Elite or Above

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Planet: Kanassa

Race Flagged for Genocide.

This Planet is located near a profitable trade route, but the native species have refused to partake in any exchange of goods or wealth. Nearby Barons wish the species removed so that they may colonize it themselves, and expand their trade.

Warning!

Native species rumored to have psychic powers. Anticipated previous incursion.

Warning!

Native species has wide variety of power levels, and maintain a competent militia capable of high speed and shooting energy blasts without assistance.

Difficulty Level: Super Elite.

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...

Understood. Mission on Planet Kanassa now undertaken by the Saiyan squad led by Bardock.

Notification sent to interstellar transportation station.

Good luck in your conquest.

"Shortly before Planet Vegeta's destruction, my squad took a mission to take over the planet Kanassa," Bardock began, addressing the group sitting or standing in a half circle at the other end of the room. The Elder sat behind Bardock, listening in silence, Nail and a young Namekian he had brought back with him, introduced as Dende standing on either side of the Elder.

"This was days before Kakarot was born," he said, nodding toward his youngest, seated between Raditz and Gohan.

"We landed right before a full moon, and devastated the planet in a single night. All that was left was cleanup." He shook his head. "But we didn't get all of them. When my squad and I were resting the morning after, a survivor approached us. He spoke some nonsense about how we were doomed before he attacked. This one was apparently a little stronger than the others, and he caught us off-guard. He was fast enough to get behind me, and struck me at the base of my head." He raised a hand to indicate the spot. "He said that I, too, would see the doom of my people and be powerless to stop it. I thought he was talking nonsense, and Toma - my second - and I both blasted him into dust."

Bardock lowered his head and sighed. "Then I passed out, for a few days at that. During that time, I had visions - I took them for dreams - and they were a mess of images of myself, Freeza, Kakarot, and other Saiyans. I forgot a lot of it when I woke up, and I found out after I'd woken up my squad had already been sent on a new mission. I went to join them, and found… a bloodbath. The planet was wiped out, but my squad had been killed by Dodoria and a group of high-level soldiers. Toma survived long enough to give me a warning, but," he hesitated a moment before glancing down. "Not any longer."

Raditz looked away. He'd known Toma, and had always liked him. Toma and Bardock had been closer than most squad members typically were, and Toma had always been kind to him when he was around.

"I took out the squad, but Dodoria took me out afterwards. He didn't make sure to finish the job, though, and left. During the fight, I got more visions. Really distracting visions, too," he said ruefully, remembering the blows he'd taken as a result of them. "But I started to put more stock in them. There was one key vision. Me, in the space around planet Vegeta, surrounded by soldiers, facing off against Freeza. I thought I had convinced the Saiyans to rebel, and I went to head back to Vegeta to fulfill the vision."

Bardock looked down at his hands. "I would've died, there. I couldn't come close to Freeza's power, and I would've been incinerated along with the planet. But my pod must have gotten rocked in the fight. It wouldn't start up, and I was still injured. I passed out trying to get it to work. I would've still made it, I think, but… I got another vision. What would be my last."

He looked over at his family. "It was Kakarot, fully grown, in his gi, facing off against Freeza. I don't know how that fight was supposed to go, but a lot of things made sense from the context. The soldiers in that first vision were Freeza's forces, not Saiyans. And if Kakarot was supposed to fight Freeza, I obviously wasn't going to succeed against him. I thought about going anyway, but… I didn't see the result of the fight. I had no idea if it meant Kakarot was supposed to win. Maybe I was just afraid to die." He shrugged, looking down.

"The moment I made the decision to go look for Kakarot instead of going home, I passed out. There were rules to these powers I hadn't been told, I guess. I've never received another vision, and I get headaches, usually twice a month, that get worse the more the timeline changes. You guys know the rest."

There was silence in the room as everyone absorbed the information he'd given them.

After some time, Vegeta spoke. "I can't believe that I believe you." The Prince sounded almost disgusted. "But it does explain your behavior. You had a chance to confront Freeza, realized you would fail, and so didn't bother. Is that essentially what you're saying?"

"Yes," Bardock answered, a hint distastefully.

"Answer me this, then: if you say these headaches get worse as the timeline changes, does that mean you have a good idea of what you've changed?"

"I haven't really been able to tell, recently. The last time I was sure was, well…" he trailed off, looking at Raditz.

His eldest looked confused for a moment, before his expression darkened.

"You're joking." Raditz said, strangled disgust in his voice.

Bardock sighed. "I can't know for sure, but I don't… I don't think you were meant to survive that day."

"What!?" Kakarot exclaimed, blood draining from his face. "Are you - are you saying that I would've-"

Before Bardock had a chance to say anything, Raditz held up a hand to forestall his brother. Both men seemed shaken by the revelation, but Raditz kept his voice steady as he spoke.

"No, Kakarot - you wouldn't have. But we don't know what kind of person you'd have been without… him." The last word seemed forced from him, but it wasn't unkind. Raditz gave him an odd look, but fell silent.

"Where's the runt fit in?" Nappa asked. They'd heard part of the conversation as they'd entered.

Bardock spared a concerned look toward his grandson, before addressing the large Saiyan.

"Gohan seems to have somehow inherited the visions. He's had dreams of events he couldn't possibly imagine. He saw you and Vegeta before you ever came to Earth, and he'd never heard you described either. As I understand it, that's why he attacked you the way he did back on Earth."

Nappa frowned, rubbing his chin. "I had just been planning to attack him too…" he murmured, before apparently remembering whose company he was in. "Uh, um, I'm glad I didn't, of course." Bardock wagered that, considering Nappa still had a scar from where Kakarot, in Oozaru form, had kicked him, he was, in fact, probably glad he hadn't made anyone angrier.

"Hold on." Tien stepped forward, frowning. "Didn't you say that you got those headaches as a result of changing the future? Why hasn't Gohan suffered that, if his visions are prompting him to act?"

"That I don't know," Bardock answered. "At first I thought it was because he wasn't aware of them. But he is now, and nothing's happened."

"The crime has been committed. The sentence, carried out. There is no punishment left."

They all turned to stare at the Elder, confused.

"What? What do you mean?" Bardock asked.

"As I began to say earlier, there are some powers not meant for mortals hands, but in mortal hands they lie. Long ago, the Gods promised punishment should the Kanassans alter the natural course of this universe, but that punishment was in the form of destruction, not what you are afflicted with."

"Then what happened? Get to the point!" If the old man had answers, Bardock wanted them.

"You said that a survivor gave you this power before his death. In truth, he gave a part of himself as well. You received visions of destruction, as he foretold, because he wished you too. You were meant to go to your doom. When you changed your fate, the vengeful spirit sought to punish you, and barred you from its powers. That remnant of spirit stayed with you, all throughout your journeys, passive and silent. But when in came in contact with a new soul, it was able to leave you and take with it the power it had become a part of. But the innocent soul of a child cannot be held to account for the crimes of its forebears, and the vengeful spirit was purified, and passed on, leaving only the power behind." The Elder shifted slightly, to address Gohan. "You cannot interpret your visions, or use the abilities in the same manner as the original wielders of those abilities could, but I have done what I can to give you greater access to them."

Gohan nodded slightly in understanding, while he and his father looked at Bardock in concern. The man was staring down at his hands, eyes wide. He seemed stunned.

"Fascinating as this story time is," Vegeta growled. "I don't see that it accomplishes much. A lesser race attempted to manipulate Bardock for their revenge and failed. Fascinating. Now can we move on and address the real problems facing us? The Ginyu Force will be here soon, and we have too much dead weight hanging around!"

"Oh sure, we'll just leave then," Yamcha snapped back. "Take all of the spaceships while we're at it, leave you here to die. Sound good?"

"Why you-!"

"Enough!" Nail barked, stepping between them.

Vegeta glared at him, seemingly ready to attack, and Nappa had risen to his feet, eyeing the others in the room cautiously.

"Perhaps a compromise," The Elder suggested, and the attention of the crowd returned to him. "My power has waned with age, but I still have enough to assist these humans."

"Assist us? How?" Krillin asked, and in response, the Elder motioned him over. While he was obviously confused, Krillin obeyed, and walked up to stand beside the Elder. The old Namekian placed his hand on the humans heads. Everything was silent for a moment, before there was a flash, and Krillin flared with power.

"W-woah!" Krillin exclaimed, stepping back, looking down at his hands in shock.

The Elder took a deep breath, clearly tired by the effort. "I have done what I can to unlock your hidden potential."

Nail stepped up. "The next human," he ordered calmly, understanding the Elders intent.

"Now hold on!" Vegeta yelled. "You can give the runt that kind of power boost, and you want to waste it in these weaklings!?"

"Vegeta-" Nappa began, but the Prince silenced him with a furious glare.

"It is not so simple-"

"Like hell!"

"Silence!" Nail barked. Vegeta, apparently fed up, swung at the guardian, clearly expecting to just bat him out of the way. Instead, Nail leaned back out of the path of the blow, caught Vegeta's arm, and threw him into the side of the building. The young Dende let out a cry of fear as Vegeta surged back to his feet, firing an energy blast at Nail. Nail didn't have to respond this time, another blast intercepting Vegeta's the explosion making a hole in the floor, but inflicting no other damage.

Bardock glared at Vegeta, hand outstretched, and behind him, both of his sons had jumped to their feet, ready to help if necessary.

Rather than addressing Vegeta, Bardock turned to the Elder, and asked with deliberate calm, "Why just the humans?"

"It is precisely because they are weaker. My power is limited, and my life is short. If you desire to use the Dragon Balls, I must live until you do, and the effort to release your power would likely be more than I could survive. I can do more with less effort for the humans."

Bardock nodded, turning his gaze back to Vegeta. "That's sensible." He growled pointedly. Judging by the vein going in Vegeta's neck, he didn't care.

"You are no king!" Vegeta yelled at him. "You hold no authority over me! You are lower class trash, and your children are nothing but the same! There is no destiny at play here, Kakarot is nothing! I will become stronger than you all, I'll, I'll become a Super Saiyan! I'll crush Freeza, and after that, I'll kill all of you!" He turned, blasting a hole in the side of the building and flying out without a backwards glance. Nappa looked out the hole, then back at the room. He gave a slight shrug, and flew out as well, following the direction Vegeta had gone.

"I guess we should be surprised this held together as long as it did," Tien muttered, loud enough to be heard.

"He's not suicidal." Bardock sighed. "He'll fight with us when it counts. It's only when Freeza is defeated that we have to worry about him."

"Or maybe we won't," Tien pointed out. "Could be he-"

"5 year-old in the room, Tien," Yamcha muttered, stepping on the other man's foot. Tien glared at him, but didn't continue. Yamcha stepped forward, addressing the Elder. "Are you sure you'll be alright giving us that boost? I mean, it's a lot of power, but the Saiyans are still gonna be stronger than us, right?"

"Your kindness speaks well of you," The Elder said. "I offer this aid because I believe I can manage it in my current condition. Now, come closer."

Yamcha nodded, and stepped close enough for the Elder to reach out and place his hand on top of Yamcha's head. After a moment, he, too, flared with power, and stepped back, expression the same kind of wonder Krillin had had. Tien hesitated a moment, before seeming to steel himself, and stepped forward to repeat the process.

"Alright," Nail addressed the group at large. "Step outside, please, and allow the Elder to rest." The others all signaled their understanding and began to exit. The young Dende ran up to Krillin, and exited with him, chattering excitedly. Gohan walked next to them, apparently curious about the young Namekian.

Bardock glanced back at his children, the last two in the room, before heading out himself.

"Hey, Raditz?" Goku seemed hesitant. Raditz turned back to look at his brother, frowning.

"What is it?"

"Do you still blame Dad? About what happened to Planet Vegeta?"

Raditz stared at him in shock, and Goku flushed.

"Oh come on! Just because I'm not a scholar doesn't mean I'm stupid. I am your brother, you know?"

Raditz shook his head and chuckled.

"We've known each other for a year."

"And we've been brothers since I was born," Goku replied stubbornly. After a moment, he asked again, "Well, do you?"

"I," Raditz sighed before continuing. "I don't know. I was hoping it'd be an easy, straightforward answer. He could've saved them or he couldn't. Not some ambiguous answer about honor and family ties. It's hard to think that I could've just been another casualty, and his actions wouldn't have changed as a result. It always felt like that growing up, and I think… I think I could've accepted that it would always be like that. That that was just the kind of man he was. But I arrived on Earth to find him actually trying to be a proper parent for you. And he obviously feels guilty. He thought I was dead and he- he mourned for me. It's not fair to blame him for choosing to avoid a doomed fate, but it also feels like he, well, he chose you over me. Whatever the reasons or the motivations, it's not easy to move past that."

"Raditz…"

Raditz lifted his head, and gave Goku a slight smile.

"I don't blame you, little brother. I just… Need time to think about it."

And with that, Raditz exited the building, Goku watching him go. He felt oddly helpless, unable to say anything that could comfort or help the man.

After another seconds pause, Goku moved to follow his brother out.

"Hold a moment, if you would."

Surprised, Goku turned around to face the Elder.

"I would like a private word with you."

Goku stepped away from the exit, frowning.

"Me? Why?"

"You are different from the other Saiyans. I wished to ask why."

"Oh, uh…" Goku hesitated, not seeing why this needed to be private, but also not having any reason to withhold the information. "I was sent to Earth as a baby, and I wound up hitting my head. I lost my memories of Saiyan life."

"And you were then raised by the humans? Curious. Step closer, if you would." Goku obeyed, and the Elder placed his hand on top of his head.

"Hmm… Your heart is pure, and your intentions noble. But you are troubled. Your mind, clouded with fears and doubts. What good comes from comparing yourself to others this way?"

Goku started to deny it, before he stopped, lowering his gaze.

"Dad… dad was always so strong. So… beyond everything. I'm pretty sure he was stronger when I met him than Vegeta was when he came to Earth! I always believed that if someone was stronger than me, all I had to was train, and get stronger, and work my way up to their level. Everyone who was stronger than me was only just out of reach. I always knew I could catch up, somehow. But Dad… I did train. Harder than I ever had in my life. I got stronger than I thought was possible, faster than I could've believed! And the gap just didn't change. Not because he got stronger too - he didn't, not really. He was just that far away. And then he tells me that there are people out in the universe that share that kind of gap with him. And then again, someone above those people too. It was impossible! And now I'm just supposed to go out there and beat them all? I'm just supposed to believe that I'm that strong all of a sudden? It can't be that easy."

"If you've suffered like this, perhaps it hasn't been so simple." The Elder said calmly. "Do not dismiss the trials of the mind, young warrior. For it is in overcoming them that you can experience the greatest growth."

Goku didn't answer, mulling the statement over.

"Now, I have a request of you."

Goku looked up at him, surprised. "You do? What is it?"

"Freeza represents the greatest threat to my children in the known Universe. His power and cruelty will see this planet reduced to ash and dust simply because he decides to make it so. My people need protecting, and I cannot fulfill that role anymore. Perhaps the future where you defy the Emperor here no longer exists, but within you, somewhere, lies that strength. My request is this: hide what I give you. Suppress your strength even as I release it to you, and tell none I have done so, until the time comes for you to release it."

Goku stared up at the Elder in wonder. "Don't tell anyone? Because of Vegeta?"

"In part. But also because your family struggles to find their place in this galaxy and time, and if they believe that the future is set, they will cease their fight. And know this; I do what I can to aid you, because I choose to. It is my own strength and will, not because of a vision. I do what I must to protect those close to me. Do you understand?"

Goku considered the Elders words for a moment, before steeling himself.

"I do. And I'll use that power to protect the people I care about too!"

"Very well. Prepare yourself."

A mountain erupted in deafening explosion as Vegeta vented.

Nappa just watched, wisely choosing to float, rather than land on at-risk earth. An island to his right exploded, and Nappa reflected that what he had been doing for fun just hours before, Vegeta was now doing to cool his boiling temper. He wondered what that said about their respective personalities.

Apparently satisfied, Vegeta lowered his arms and glared at Nappa over his shoulder.

"What do you want?" He barked.

Nappa shrugged. "Nothing. Just following you, Boss."

Vegeta scoffed. "Oh please. Go back to your new friends, leave me in peace."

Nappa made a show of stretching and yawning. "Nah. Following you around is literally my job."

"You don't have a job!" Vegeta snapped. "My father is nothing but space dust now, his words mean nothing! I won't have you treading behind me for the rest of my life because of the oath you made to a dead man!"

Nappa crossed his arms, considering the younger man.

Apparently annoyed by the action, Vegeta yelled at him.

"Well? If you have something to say, say it!"

"I wouldn't spend the rest of my life following a corpse's edict if I didn't want to," Nappa said. "Just so happens I decided to keep this job for my own reasons."

Vegeta didn't seem to know what to say to that.

"You'll be a great man some day, Vegeta. Whether you stay true to your title and rebuild our kingdom, or do whatever else you decide to, the universe is gonna take note. I can't do it myself, but I like to imagine being a part of it. Course, none of that happens if you go off and die, so, bodyguard it is."

Vegeta just stared at him. Nappa stared back, careful to keep his expression and body language neutral.

"Why were you loyal to my father?" Vegeta asked, apparently choosing to sidestep the comments made at his person. "You must've been, to follow me at the beginning."

Nappa shrugged thoughtfully. "He was good. Good for me, anyway. Let me fight all I want and rewarded me for it. Titles, pay raises, good food and drink. Arrogant and full of himself, of course, but not stupid. He knew when to quit. Except..." A thought struck him, and he hesitated, before asking, "Do you… know how your father died?"

Vegeta frowned. "What do you mean? Wasn't he killed by Freeza?"

"Well, yeah, but - you don't know." They lighted down on one of the islands that had survived Vegeta's rage, and Nappa explained.

"Freeza had already decided to draft you into his forces. You weren't going to be part of the Saiyan military, you were going to serve him specifically. King didn't like that. I won't pretend it was some kind of 'fatherly affection'," Nappa drew air quotes as he said it. "It was more to do with pride. The idea that Freeza was going to take his son without an objection was insulting. When Freeza handed down the first orders for you, Raditz and I were assigned to accompany you. Raditz didn't know anything, and Bardock hadn't started his tour of the Empire yet, so he was probably just a random pick. I was assigned by the King as a bodyguard, in case his brilliant plan of ambushing someone a few thousand times stronger than him someone failed."

"Ambushing?" Vegeta asked. "He went after Freeza directly?"

"And I can only assume it went about as well as you'd expect." Nappa shrugged. "Planet was destroyed a day or two later, no reason to think he didn't at least get to try. Pretty obvious he failed, though."

"Failed miserably," Vegeta scoffed. "What a ridiculous plan." Even as he said it, he turned away. Nappa doubted the Prince was at all emotional - there was no love lost between him and his father - but it did seem to have given him something to think about.

"I have one of those capsule house things," Nappa said, taking out the small container. "Be more comfortable than sleeping on the ground."

Vegeta made a noise of agreement. "Ginyu Force will probably be here tomorrow," he said, a little distantly.

"All the more reason to get some rest. We've got a big day ahead of us."