Bardock had always been one to love a fight, he couldn't deny this. It was in his blood. As of late, however, his fights were boring him. He and his crew hadn't been out on a mission in days, they were just training. His crew didn't train privately either. In fact, they were usually in groups with other Saiyans. He and his crew had to endure the taunts of the higher classes. Every day he found it harder and harder to bite his tongue. His blood was boiling. He was itching for a fight. He needed a mission, or he was sure he would snap.

His eyes wandered around, observing the other Saiyans. They were all engaged in their own training. Their eyes were narrowed in concentration, their bodies poised to strike at the right moments. They were indeed effective fighters. However, even though some of them were of a higher class, they couldn't claim to be better than his men.

"Bardock?" Tora's voice attempted to pull him back into reality. "Are we going to do this or what?" Tora was his best friend. And his usual sparring partner.

"Sorry," Bardock muttered, still not taking his eyes off the others. Tora relaxed his body from his springing position. He followed Bardock's gaze.

"What is it?" He asked. Bardock made no reply. There had been one Saiyan, a female that had caught his attention. She was short, with long flowing black hair that had been tied back. Despite her obvious effort to tame it, her hair was just as unruly as his. Her movements were graceful, fluid. Yet she was attacking her partner with an anger that had to have been provoked. He could see fire dancing in her dark eyes. While it had appeared that her partner had the upper hand, she was slowly wearing him down and gaining the advantage. He could see their lips moving and strained to hear the conversation.

"I think you'd be better off not knowing, Sona," the male Saiyan said, snidely. He tried to sweep her legs out from under her, but was unsuccessful.

"I think you'd better tell me what happened to him, or I'll kill you," she snarled, swiping at his head. He laughed and delivered a jab to her abdomen. She was knocked backwards.

"That's a bold claim, indeed. You know, Sona, I'd just like to see you try that." The male Saiyan was still laughing, obviously not intimidated by the female, Sona. Sona recovered from the jab she had received, and advanced on the male once more.

"I'm not in the mood for games, Anker," she said, so quietly that Bardock almost couldn't pick up what she was saying. "Tell me what you've done." The male, Anker, didn't respond. Sona delivered a series of kicks that had him on his knees within seconds.

"Fine," he said, panting. "Your brother was a good for nothing third classer just like you." Sona kicked him again, this time aiming for his jaw. She spat at the ground.

"Tell me something I don't hear every day." Her fists were clenched.

"Your brother was useless. He was the weakest of the group. He almost cost us our last battle. So, I did what any wise leader would do. I killed the bastard." There was a pause. "I told you, you didn't want to know," Anker said, smugly. Sona let out a shriek of rage. She was attacking Anker, moving so fast that some of her movements were hard to catch.

Bardock turned away. Aside from his crew, he had never felt any sort of connection to another Saiyan. It wasn't really common. Still, he sympathized with this Sona. She was fortunate enough to have even known her brother. And now he was dead. Killed by his leader, no less. Bardock quickly brushed these thoughts aside. He couldn't worry about that girl now. He had training to do…

Tora had turned back to face Bardock almost as soon as Bardock had lost interest in Sona's fight. He squared his shoulders and resumed his striking pose. Bardock smiled.

"Let's get this over with," he said. He felt his own body coil. As he and Tora began their attacks, he felt some of his previous anger dissipate. His innate desire to fight swallowed up his whole being. Tora had become faster at attacking. He was learning. Slowly but surely, he was learning. Bardock put all that he had into his attacks. Still, it was close. Tora was becoming stronger and stronger. He had to focus-

Bardock heard a scream. It sounded like Anker's voice. He peeled his eyes away from Tora for a split second. Sona had fulfilled her promise. Anker was as good as dead. She had delivered a powerful kick to his stomach, and her leg had managed to go through his body. Anker was shaking with pain, his deep, red blood flowing freely down his armor. Sona pulled her leg back through his body. She was drenched in sweat, dripping in blood, and shaking with rage. She managed to toss a chilling smile at Anker. Bardock failed to see what happened next, as Tora delivered a blow to his stomach. Bardock felt a flash of pain, and doubled over. He should have been focused on his own battle, he scolded himself.

"We should stop," Tora suggested once Bardock had regained his balance. He could sense Bardock's mind was occupied with other thoughts. "Come on," Tora said, walking off. Bardock followed Tora away from the group of Saiyans. He searched in the crowd for Fasha, Shugesh, and Borgos, but there was no sign of them. They had probably already left. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise him. They had all been training for hours. He walked in silence behind Tora. He knew where they were headed; the tavern. His crew members couldn't avoid it. Hardly any Saiyan could. Bardock, however, had a particular distaste for it. He hated mingling with the other classes, constantly being reminded that he was inferior. Still, he trudged alongside Tora, wordlessly.

The din of the tavern hit Bardock like a brick wall. There were groups of Saiyans laughing and conversing loudly, engaging in small brawls, and some interacting flirtatiously. Bardock was able to pick out Fasha, Borgos, and Shugesh quickly. They were in a far back corner with some other third classers. Tora led them to the back, where they joined the group.

"Hey, Bardock," Fasha greeted snidely, "Fancy seeing you here! I thought you and Tora still had a good hour of practice left in you." She took a deep swig from her glass.

"My mind was a little…preoccupied today," Bardock replied, sitting.

"Ah, don't worry about it," Shugesh cut in. "We all have our off days. Besides, it's not like we're on a mission." Bardock laughed darkly.

"I only wish we were," he said, barely audible. He slumped back in his chair, leaning his head against the wall. As the others began to strike up a different conversation, Bardock closed his eyes. The monotony of his current lifestyle was draining. He felt useless, and utterly mad. He toned out the other noises around him, and tried to calm his fraying nerves. He yearned for the chance to fight a real battle. He yearned for the chance to have blood on his hands, feel the rush of looking into the full moon, and smell the fear in the air. He didn't get any of that in his training. He sighed deeply and opened his eyes again. Tora sensed his frustration, and clapped his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Bardock. I'm sure we'll get another assignment soon," he said, reassuringly. He flashed Bardock a half grin. Bardock hoped his friend was right. He didn't know how much longer he could stand staying on Vegeta. "You know, I've never seen you this distracted before," Tora added, "Then again, I can't blame you. That girl was quite captivating."

As if on cue, the doors to the tavern slid open. The Saiyan girl, Sona, strode in proudly.

"Speak of the devil," Tora said, watching Sona. Her armor was cracked. She was in way worse shape than when they had left. Her lip was bleeding and her right eye was swollen. Still, she kept her head high, and proceeded to walk to the bar. Her leg was still stained with Anker's blood.

"Guess the rest of the crew wasn't too happy when they saw what she'd done to their boss, huh?" Tora asked, jokingly.

"Yeah," Bardock agreed. "I guess she got her fair share of a beating."

Sona took the drink the bartender offered to her. Instead of drinking it, she held the cool glass to her eye. The piercing cold relieved the painful, stinging heat radiating from her eye. She cast her eyes darkly around the tavern. The last place she wanted to be was in the middle of a crowd, but the situation really couldn't be avoided. She walked to the back and sat alone. It was rare that a table was unoccupied in the tavern. As she sat, she sprawled her limbs out to block others from attempting to join her. She sat in silence, observing the large group of second classers. Most of them were drinking mindlessly, acting like fools. Then again, she felt that most second classers were fools. Her team had consisted mostly of second classers, and she didn't like what she saw. Still, she was proud that she and her brother were the only third classers on the team. When he disappeared things changed. She had worried about him. When she realized Anker had killed him, she snapped. Honestly, she couldn't claim to be surprised that she had been dismissed from the team. None of them liked her particularly well, and killing Anker just sent them over the edge. She'd have to find another team to join soon, or she was as good as dead. Her old teammates would probably beat her to death. She was a strong fighter, but she wasn't nearly strong enough to fight four second classers. She removed the glass from her eye, and studied its contents for several seconds. She took a skeptical sniff. She'd never been much of a drinker, but this seemed as fitting an occasion as any to have one. She took a small swig of her drink, letting the liquid pleasantly burn in her throat.

She had hoped to be left alone for the next several hours. News of her little brawl must have traveled quickly. A stern face she recognized all too well made its way through the crowd and stopped mere inches from her own. She met the face's intense gaze, smiling smugly. She knew it was a stupid move, but at the moment she didn't really care.

"Hello, Nappa," she said. "I haven't seen much of you since you cheated your way to the top. How've things been?" Nappa growled menacingly.

"I don't think you realize how much trouble you're in, Sona," he said, darkly. "Anker is dead."

"Yeah, I realize that," she said. She swished the liquid in her glass around. Nappa slammed his fists down on the table.

"What the hell were you thinking?" She almost understood his rage. It must be frustrating to have one of your best trainees killed by a low level. "Do you realize how many elites you've angered? You can't just lose your temper like that. You cost us one of our best fighters!"

"And he cost me my brother," she said. She was losing it again. She slammed her glass down on the table. Nappa laughed, unnerving her more.

"As if a simple low class warrior matters," he chuckled. "Do you really think your brother's work could have pleased Frieza? I'm surprised Anker didn't get rid of him earlier." Sona stood, her blood boiling.

"Shut up," she said, dangerously quiet.

"Or what?" Nappa asked, provokingly. "I'm a lot stronger than Anker, Sona. And you're already too weak to fight me. It would be simply pitiful at this point. Actually, it would be a lot like fighting your brother. We did spar once. I believe it lasted maybe ten seconds at best." Nappa laughed at the memory. Sona let out another fierce scream of rage.

The whole tavern had stopped their conversations to watch the interactions between the two. It was the second time that Bardock had seen Sona go over the edge like this. Only this time, he highly doubted the odds were in her favor. Nappa was a first classer, and he was right about Sona's sapped strength. Still, he saw the spark of determination in Sona's eye as she lunged towards Nappa. He easily threw her aside. She came crashing toward Bardock, sliding across his table. Bardock looked over at Nappa, who was preparing to attack again. He stood, ready to defend the girl. Not because he felt obligated to, but because he didn't think he could stomach a gloating first classer. Sona saw Bardock preparing to attack Nappa. She stood quickly.

"Stay out of this," she hissed at him. Bardock was going to argue, but thought better of it. He stepped back.

"You're forgetting your place, Sona," Nappa said, advancing on her. He walked slowly, taking his time. He knew he had this fight in the bag. Once again, Sona tried to attack, but her efforts were futile. Nappa lifted her off the ground by her neck. "Another reckless move and I'll kill you myself," he said. He threw her across the tavern. She slammed into a wall and fell. She made no attempt to get up. "Oh, and you'd better find a crew to accept you." Nappa turned to face Bardock. "You're Bardock?" he asked.

"Yes sir," Bardock replied. He was a bit cautious, unsure if Nappa was going to attack him.

"You have a mission," Nappa informed him. "You're going to Canova. There will be more details later. Report to the shipping station in twenty eight hours." Bardock relaxed slightly from his tensed pose.

"Of course," he said. His heart was pounding. At that moment, he didn't care about anything else. He finally had another assignment. Nappa grunted and walked out of the tavern. All of the other Saiyans had gone back to their previous activities. Bardock turned and faced his crew.

"You've only got twenty eight hours. Enjoy yourselves while you can. We've got work to do," he smiled. His crew brightened at the thought of a mission. Their happy conversations elevated. Bardock, however, did not join them. He had something else on his mind; Sona. She needed a crew. One more member on his team really couldn't hurt. Besides, she was a third classer, and no other crews were going to accept her. He might as well be the one to do it. He looked over to the far wall, but she had disappeared. Glad at the chance to leave the tavern, he walked quickly outside.

Sona sat underneath a tree, her eyes closed. Her fists were balled tightly, and she was trying to steady her breathing. She was wise not to have attacked Nappa again. She would have regretted it in the long run. Still, she wished that she could prove to him that she wasn't as weak as he thought she was. And neither was her brother. Neither was Raditz. She heard the crunch of grass.

"Meditating?" a voiced asked her, almost mockingly. She opened her eyes, and looked at the owner of the voice. She couldn't help but admit that he was ruggedly handsome. He was tall and well built, like a warrior. His skin was slightly tanned, and he had a thin, elegant scar trailing down his cheek. His black hair was incredibly unkempt, much like her own, and his arms were folded proudly. His dark eyes searched her face. She recognized him from the tavern.

"Hardly," she scoffed. She stared up at him.

"I've seen you fight twice today," he told her, stepping closer to her. "You're not half bad. If you trained with people who actually cared about your performance, you could be great."

"Thanks for the confidence booster," she muttered. "How are you so sure you're better than me, anyway? I haven't seen you do anything but gawk." This wasn't exactly true; she'd seen him sparring several times. However, she could tell she hit a sensitive spot. His body tensed slightly.

"I hear you need a new crew," he said changing the subject. "It turns out; I think we have an opening." Sona laughed. It caught Bardock off guard.

"You can't be serious," she said. "You can't actually want me on your crew." When Bardock didn't reply, she was taken aback. "If I join your team, you can't expect to move forward. All of the second and first classers will hate you more than they already do-" This time it was Bardock's turn to laugh. He relaxed his body, and unfolded his arms.

"I don't think that's quite possible," he said, lightly. "Just think about it, Sona. We ship out in twenty eight hours." With that, Bardock strode away, anxiously awaiting his mission on Canova, as well as Sona's response to his offer.