I don't own DB/Z/GT.

A/N: Rated M for language. This is my rendition of what I think Bardock would be like. Warning: he talks like a sailor, so if you can't handle profanities, you may want to click back. This takes place on planet Yardrat directly after Goku has killed Freeza. Assume that he is in the process of being taught his Instant Transmission Technique. Please feel free to leave your thoughts when you are finished. Happy Reading! :-)

Time Capsule:

The young man appeared dumbfounded. He tweaked his head sideways and scratched the back of his scalp with one of his hands. "You say I look like a Saiyan you've met before. How's that possible? I mean, we're pretty much on the endangered species list." The young man chuckled genuinely at his own joke.

The Yardratian smiled at him patiently. He knew this young Saiyan wasn't particularly bright. "I met the man a long time ago. You would have probably been a baby at the time, Goku."

Goku's face brightened with a look of clarity. "Oh, I get it now!" he exclaimed delightedly.

"I met this Saiyan shortly after one of our people brought him to this planet. Freeza had just destroyed your home planet. Apparently, this man was a catalyst of sorts. He told us that he was given clairvoyant powers after he and his teammates had delivered a mass-genocide on the planet Kanassa. One of the natives smacked the Saiyan over the head and thus delivered his Kanassan powers to him. It was meant to be a curse to bring about reparation for the evil he had done. The Kanassan wanted the Saiyan to foresee the demise of his own people. It worked, he foresaw what was to come and he confronted Freeza. That was when Freeza blew up planet Vegeta. Somehow, this Saiyan survived the blast long enough for a passerby Yardratian to pick him up."

"You know by now the abilities of our teleportation. We do not merely disappear and reappear elsewhere, we move there with lightning speed and the ability to move through solid objects. So you also know that we sometimes see glimpses of places for a split second on our journeys through space. This young Yardratian saw the mortally wounded Saiyan man. He was young and naïve, and so he did not know to keep away from Saiyans. He brought him back. The man recovered to the point of lucidity, but he remained weak. He explained what had happened. He did not seem hostile. He spoke of finding his son. He spoke of raising him to defeat the overlord Freeza."

"This was not to happen. The man did not physically recover, and after quite some time in our care, he began to gradually weaken. Our top scientists did many tests and confirmed that he had caught a rare strain of virus amidst our people. It is called the heart virus, and it slowly deteriorates the bodies of even the strongest of men. We knew that he would soon fall into a coma and die."

"I am a scientist that studies types of species. I like to study every kind of species, both living and dead. I saw great opportunity with this mysterious man. He was perhaps one of the sole survivors of that blast. I did not know if I'd ever have the chance to study a Saiyan specimen ever again. I got him to agree to be filmed. It would be a documentary of sorts."

For the first time, Goku intervened, "Do you still have it?" he asked. His eyes were wide and bright with curiosity. He appeared ecstatic.

The Yardratian smiled pensively. "As a matter of fact, I do. Wait here."

Goku could hardly withhold his mounting excitement. 'I'm going to see one of my people! Oh my Kami, Vegeta would be so jealous if he knew!'

The Yardratian returned shortly with a small disc in his sinewy hands. He placed it into an electronic device, and turned on a nearby monitor.

"What is his name?" asked Goku.

"Bardock."

Goku felt as if his heart had skipped a beat. "That's my father's name!" he exclaimed.

The Yardratian shrugged without a hint of surprise. "Makes sense, he looks a lot like you, kid."

Goku watched the screen fixedly. His palms felt sweaty with apprehension and his heart palpitated as he waited for the screen to light up with his father's face. Time seemed to stand still as it does sometimes when you feel you cannot wait any longer. Finally, it resumed as it always does and the man's face and torso appeared on the screen. He looked nearly identical to Goku. Other than appearing overly pallid, he didn't look sick. He didn't seem as if he were dying. Goku immediately felt the urge to reach his hand through the screen and touch the man. He felt connected to him the way he felt connected to his son, to his wife. It was a familial tie that could not be broken despite the fact that this man was not who Goku wanted him to be. He knew he was like all of the other Saiyans, a cold-blooded killer. Still, just seeing him there brought him back to a time when he was innocent enough to see through that. His heart pounded in his chest.

'Father…'

The burly man glared resentfully beyond the camcorder. His pupils reflected the shadowy figure of the creature held in his critical gaze. He glanced skeptically at the lens of the camera. An eyebrow was raised indecisively. For a moment, his face was blocked out by one scarred hand rising toward his head. He combed his fingers through his unruly hair and grunted.

"So," came his husky voice, "you're telling me to talk to a fucking camcorder, is that it?"

"Yes," squeaked the Yardratian from out of view. "Don't think of it as talking to an inanimate object, pretend you are talking to a loved one."

The man squinted at the speaker and coughed into his hand. He rasped for a good half-minute. When he was finished, he stared down at the palm of his hand, now bloodied from his throaty coughs. He harrumphed at the sight of his hand. His lips puckered slightly as if he had a bad taste in his mouth, iron, no doubt. He carelessly wiped the bloodied hand on his bed sheets.

"I'm not delusional yet," was his pointed reply.

There was a moment of silence. The mysterious speaker from moments ago seemed to be befuddled.

"What do you mean by that?" the Yardratian finally asked.

The invalid man glared beyond the camera yet again. "You're askin' me to play make-believe with you. Well hell, buddy, I aint that crazy yet!"

"I didn't mean it that way," the Yardratian defended.

The man chuckled in response. "Alrighty then, Randy… was it?"

The Yardratian quickly amended, "The name's Rondo, Saiyan."

"Sure, sure…" replied the Saiyan man. "Well, Rondo," he began, emphasizing the alien's name, "before I play make-believe with you, we're going to have to get one thing straight. I do not have any loved ones."

"Fine, fine," replied Rondo exasperatedly. "Just… act like you're sending a message to someone, your teammates, for instance."

The Saiyan laughed to the point of coughing again. "Why in hell would I do that, Ron? They're all as dead as a Kami-damn doorknob!"

"Well, don't you have anything you'd like to say to them, you know, if they could hear you?"

The Saiyan placed his index finger on his chin with a thoughtful look upon his face. "Well hell…" he whispered, staring off into space.

Bardock glanced at the camera lens with a mixed look of emotions on his face, his left hand disappeared from view and fumbled with something on his hospital nightstand. His hand returned with a piece of red cloth in it. It was trembling. Bardock clenched his hand into a fist.

"Tora" his voice boomed clearer than ever before. "Kami knows I fuggin' tried to blast that bastard into hell. I guess you're goin' to have to wait until somebody a bit more competent comes along, eh?"

Bardock laid the cloth in his lap and twirled it around an index finger. "You were the best companion a captain could ask for." He sounded as if he were getting choked up. He laughed uneasily. "I guess it's karma that I'm dyin' from a friggin heart virus, huh? I almost feel bad. I almost wish I hadn't slept with Fasha, but hell, Tora, you can't blame me and you know it. I think that's the closest I've ever felt to regret. I guess what I'm trying to say is, you're a real pal."

"Well?" began the Yardratian uneasily. "What about your other companions."

Bardock frowned and lazily stretched his bedsore-ridden arms. "They were a great team. Fasha was a fox. Shugesh was a coldblooded killer like Freeza. Only Shugesh was great 'cause he wasn't a power-hungry megalomaniac. He was a cool guy. He was a funny guy. I really have some serious respect for that fella. Borgos… well to be perfectly honest, Borgos was an idiot, but he was an idiot like none other. I don't have much to say about my team. They all know me like they know the furry things on their asses."

"Well, how about your mate?" asked Rondo, his voice sounding interested.

"What about her? She was great in bed and all, but she was pretty much worthless," replied Bardock. He suddenly laughed. "She was a hell of a trouble-maker. When she was pregnant, she almost killed my kid 'cause she was sick of lookin' like a space-pod." Bardock laughed harder. "Swear to Kami, she had a knife and all. It took me awhile to talk her out of it. I don't really care about the kid or nothin', but hell, I brought the miserable little fucker into the world. I shouldn't just let her kill 'im in cold blood. I don't remember when the little bugger was conceived, but when he finally popped out, he was so tiny, I swear she purposely forced herself into early labor. She was none too smart, but she always seemed to be able to get what she wanted by other means."

"Guess you wantuh hear about my brats now, huh?" Bardock guessed. He apparently received some sort of affirmative because he resumed onward. "Well, I guess I should start with the older brat. I never liked that kid…"