Author's Note: Thanks for taking the time to give my story a read! It's been a long journey for me to get the story to this point, since it's been in the making for over 11 years! Also, Happy OC Appreciation Week from everyone over in the Saiyan Tales DBZ Community! I love y'all to bits, and I put myself through hell to get this all touched up and ready to go. This is gonna be a long ride, enjoy!

- AsunaMK8

Prologue

As they flew across Namek's mountains and hilly plains, Gohan and Krillin flinched at the boom of a large blast from below and dove down to investigate. The two of them tucked away behind a cliff and crawled to the edge, to find themselves in the middle of an episode of turmoil not far from where they hid. They gave each other a troubled look, and continued to spectate.

From the bottom of the mountain, a sizable squad of armoured men looked to be terrorizing a local village. Creatures of all shapes and sizes in matching armoured suits were grieving a small group of civilians, while others were recklessly demolishing houses and gardens for fun. As if that weren't enough, the occasional Namekian body littered the agitated ground, presumably dead.

The longer the pair surveyed the scene, the more a sickeningly obnoxious aura struck their senses with force, putting the both of them at a loss for words. There was so much raw power from somewhere, and the drastic density of it made them both powerlessly pale in comparison. Despite the torment from all of the soldiers, there was no question that an even bigger threat was among the group, and they feared the very moment that they would discover who or what it had been coming from.

Chapter One - New Hope

A petite, purple alien with pointed black horns comfortably sat in a hovering throne off to the side of all the ruckus to supervise. At the base of his chair sat a couple of glossy, orange spheres with red stars inside.

Krillin and Gohan gave each other a silent but nervous glance. Those orbs were the very reason they were there, the Dragon Balls that they'd come all the way to Namek to gather to revive their fallen friend, Goku. This new group of aliens seemed to be after the same thing, or rather, the one that felt no need to contribute to the mess, was after.

No doubt about it, this guy was trouble.

The two of them felt around at his repulsively thick energy to get a better understanding of what they were about to deal with - this purple thing took absolutely no effort to hide his power. Clearly, he wanted everyone he crossed to know that he meant business, and he got the point across well.

Alongside the ridiculously powerful elephant in the room, there was a large, spiky pink blob of a man and a tall, toned and more handsome green individual that joined him on the sidelines. The both of them snickered and smirked away as their crew went through the area in merciless destruction, while a much smaller woman in a more damaged uniform stood cuffed and chained to the green thing's muscled ankle. She was less than pleased, but opted not to make an effort to show or vocalize it. Unlike the two men, she seemed bored, standing completely still and slightly turned away from the action out of distaste for the situation.

"Man, why does this guy have to have the Dragon Balls?" Krillin whispered harshly with a curse under his breath. "It can never just be easy, can it..."

Gohan found himself peculiarly stumped on the woman more than anything. Her appearance didn't have any physical resemblance to any of the men surrounding her, so she couldn't have been related to any of them. She was tiny, and lacked spirit. The way she dismissed herself from the scene confused him as well, she remained entirely unfazed by arguably the most gruesome display of violence he'd ever set his eyes on. Was she used to this? Was it possible to be so accustomed to such disgusting acts of torture? She hadn't uttered a single word or expression to indicate what her agenda was.

She was the odd one out, he finally noted to himself. It was unmistakable, being there wasn't her choice.

"This is going to make things tricky for sure." Gohan joined in with an uncertain tone. He racked his brain even further, moving on to her more distinct features. Her green uniform had an interesting resemblance to a certain Saiyan prince that he'd had a run in with back on Earth not too long ago - she had the same sort of chest armour, gold straps and all, along with boots and gloves that seemed to be a trademark among the group.

Perhaps Vegeta had an affiliation with them?

Wouldn't that be an interesting turn of events.

"Hey, Krillin, does something seem weird to you about the girl down there?" He couldn't help but ask. "I mean, she's the only one that isn't doing anything… Like she's some kind of captive? Maybe we should try and help her while we're here?"

Krillin responded to him with a dubious moan.

"Hmm, I wouldn't be so sure just yet," Krillin grumbled, still hesitant to make a move. "She's dressed like them, it could just be a trick they're using. Also, uh... I'm not sure if I want to engage with these guys... Y-You're feeling what I'm feeling, right?"

Gohan rested his chin on a propped up arm to debate with himself about what the right decision to make would be. He chose not to respond to Krillin - he was just as uncertain about if jumping in would be a wise idea.

Stuck to the green soldier's side, the woman avertedly slumped towards the cruel display to give it a look over, sorely disappointed and stricken with grief.

'I guess I wasn't missing out on much back in Zarbon's chamber…' She pondered.

Her attention shifted to a patch of unharmed ground nearby.

From among the strange blueness of the planet's grass, she spotted a pebble and perked up with curiosity. She gave the generals a quick scan to see if anyone was watching her at the moment, only to be left as an afterthought from the current round of havoc.

'...Perhaps I can get some practice in while no one's looking.'

After a hushed but heavy breath, she went on to clear her mind of the surroundings. The outcries of Namekian villagers and the loud crashing of explosions had been drowned out by her deep concentration, her focus was now undivided towards the lone, lifeless stone. She narrowed her eyes to hone in even further and intensified her stare with a held breath, and watched in anticipation as she flexed a few fingers on each hand.

The rock staggered choppily across the ground to her delight, rolling gently in the grass with the faintest of rustles as it went.

Successful, she gave herself a nod of satisfaction and rejoice, only to lose control of her objective.

The rock flung itself back at her out of opposition, and nearly hit the metal cuff around her leg.

She straightened out her hands and took hold of it again in a desperate attempt to calm down, with the rock coming to a complete stop just inches from her foot. Relieved, she thankfully exhaled as quietly as possible - she couldn't afford to make a scene.

'Stupid chain…' She whined to herself. 'If only the whole fleet wasn't here, I would have a much higher chance of escaping once I pick the lock on this thing.'

She looked back over to what was left of the village, now in complete shambles aside from the odd wall still standing on some structures, but just in time to witness the chunky pink ball of a general get smashed into the remnants of a nearby hut.

She stifled a gasp and her body immediately straightened up in shock. She was suddenly hopeful that there may be even a sliver of chance to get away. Away from the Frieza Force for good. Oh, how she longed for that day.

After an irritable scowl, the tall green man beside her looked down to notice her sudden interest in the affair and reached out a hand to her head. He smoothed a finger over her cheek, then reached up to tousle her thick black points of hair.

"Hush, dear," He quickly commanded her. "We have this all under control."

She jerked her head away from him in retaliation. She could feel the tips of his fingers slowly slither their way through her thigh-length locks and was left shivering with discomfort. She forced herself to continue watching the fight as a distraction - admittedly, she wanted to know what happened to Dodoria.

The two of them paid close attention to the scene with wide eyes. Zarbon eyed her every few seconds as the battle played out, endeared by her sudden interest.

Krillin hastily swooped down and managed to grab a hold of a young child - the only living Namekian left in the village that he could spot. He shot a quick look towards the woman before he took off to get her attention.

Her eyes lit up with hope as they met with his, begging for his help. She wanted to get away more than anything - the opportunity was perfectly ripe for action.

He hesitated for a moment out of the goodness of his heart, then flew away before he could give it much more thought. It was just too dangerous.

The intense energy from their group leader creeped back to the forefront of his thoughts. He questioned if it would be possible to try and find her later and help her out.

"Wait!" She cried out, extending an arm to Krillin as he grew distant.

"Enough!" The soldier attached to her raised his voice, crouching down to her level to get more personal. "You're not going anywhere." He flirtatiously cooed, pecking her on the cheek.

She let out a faint whimper and pushed away in disgust. Shouldn't he have been paying attention to these strangers that had interfered with the mission?

"I wish you would stop resisting…" Zarbon purred with a sly grin. "You should be grateful. If it weren't for me, you would still be in your cell."

The woman pouted with a sigh. He didn't seem to care about the aftermath in the slightest.

"I hardly notice a difference being out of it..." She mumbled passively.

Despite the clear rejection, the suave soldier gave her a handsome smile.

"There's a difference for me, you know." He allured onwards. "I can always see that lovely face of yours. What an honour… such beauty doesn't get to show itself every day."

Her face wrinkled, humiliated.

'As if it matters.' She threw back in her thoughts, giving him a strong huff of dislike. 'If it was anyone else telling me that, it wouldn't be such a problem for me...'

"I cannot bring myself to think of you like that." She told him with a stiff, firm shake of her head, expecting outlash in return any second. "I'm simply not interested right now, sir."

Zarbon laughed and took a hand to caress her tender chin with his long, slender fingers. Gods, her skin was so smooth, for someone that had gone through such unspeakable things. He took great pride in being the one that saved her from being roughed up even further by holding cell guards - he'd truly left his mark in the beauty that shone upon her like a foreign sun.

"Oh? And since when do you think you have a choice?" He teased with a touch of frustration in his tone. Her persistence was beginning to rub him the wrong way. "The only person more suited to your grace is Lord Frieza, and I doubt you'd want to be his lapdog!"

She cowered away from his increasing volume with a flinch - his anger made a large enough change of the energy in the air that suddenly convinced her that it was best to remain quiet from there on out. But, surely, she pleaded, he had better things to be doing than getting frustrated over personal feelings.

"Come now, Zarbon." The purple alien finally spoke out with a single snicker. "Now is hardly the time to play bachelor. Having a partner is trivial. I don't understand why it's worth so much of your effort."

Zarbon grew tense on the spot. Of course Lord Frieza didn't understand - his lust craved destruction, a far less beautiful and more demanding hobby. And yet, Zarbon refrained from commenting on his interests.

"I can be a gentleman and a fearsome warrior, sir." He answered back with a sinister smirk. "You'll reconsider, Miss Rosemary, I know you will. I am the best and most beautiful man by far, why must you fight me on it? I, too, was a prince once upon a time, is that not enough for you?"

She reluctantly met his gaze with a loathing frown. She knew exactly what he meant to imply.

'If it makes you feel better…' She thought to herself, indifferent. She turned away from Zarbon out of boredom.

'I really hope I'm able to escape this someday.' She prayed. She thought back to the mysterious bald man that saved the Namekian boy with such ease.

'Maybe it will happen soon. I just need the right opportunity and I can do it, I know I can.'

. . .

Bitter and hungry for revenge, Dodoria had already set off to look for the two men that interrupted their mission. He couldn't be bothered with flirting around like Zarbon - he had much better things to do, such as appease Lord Frieza's wishes like the Frieza Force Generals they were supposed to be.

He spitefully flew onward and gave the air a study with care, hoping that Zarbon and Frieza weren't already following him so he could see his fun through to the end.
'Those ruffians won't get away that easily, I should be able to find 'em around here somewhere.' He hyped himself up encouragingly.

Up ahead, he'd managed to catch sight of a small sliver of something with a stroke of luck.

He chuckled in delight.

'Huh, that was easier than I thought it would be! It's only been, what, ten minutes?'

Satisfied, he gave himself a firm nod, ready to start an assault with a clench of his teeth.

'Well, better get this over with.'

He unhinged his jaw to fire a blast from his mouth. With a fierce shout, Dodoria watched from just over his upper lip as his very essence traveled to whatever it was that was ahead.

Not too far away, Gohan could hear a quiet whirring sound slowly growing on him. He frantically looked around to figure out where it was coming from and finally whipped around in a panic, to find a bright white flash coming his way, and fast.

"Krillin, look out!" He wailed, immediately throwing himself out of the way to dodge it.

Without question, Krillin went to move as well but took a harsh hit to his left arm. A gouge in his forearm surfaced itself as the recoil set in, causing him to aggressively yank it away and drop the child that he managed to save from the village just minutes ago.

"Damn!" He cursed, diving to grab the child as he soared towards the open ocean below.

He was quickly intercepted with a grab by the ankle, from a familiar hefty pink hand.

"Heh, I gotcha now!" Dodoria chuckled in victory as he tightened his grip around the tiny man's foot.

"Oh no, you don't!" Krillin retorted quickly, swinging upwards to smash Dodoria's face with a hard, bald head.

Dodoria let go of Krillin to cup his face in his hands with an agonizing growl. His pudgy nose began to trickle with his purple-tinged blood, and he hated it. It was a rare sight, his own blood, and it was even rarer that someone bothered to stand up to him and draw blood.

Why did this have to take so much work? All he wanted was a low effort kill!

Free from Dodoria's grasp, Krillin dove down again and managed to catch the young Namekian before he smacked the water, smoothly scooping him up with a swift swoosh from below. He took a deep exhale, relieved, and flew away as fast as he could.

As the group of them fled, Dodoria reluctantly struggled to get over his pain, angrier than ever.

"No one messes with me," He grumbled. "These kids are gonna get what's comin' to them."

He wiped the small trickle of blood from his face with a dramatic swipe of the back of his hand and raced towards them yet again.

Dende bent his head back to look over Krillin's arm to find a tiny pink dot approaching them and fearfully cowered into Krillin's hold.

"Sir!" The child hollered. "The pink guy is coming back! Can we get away?"

Krillin didn't bother to look behind him to see for himself.

'Damn it…' Krillin thought, sloppily assessing his options. 'Now that I think about it, if this guy's flying faster than we can, I may have to play dirty… Welp, I don't wanna have to do this…'

"Close your eyes, kid!" Krillin called out, pinning the child under an arm.

He whipped around and lifted his hands to his face.

"SOLAR FLARE!"

A blinding flash of light exploded from Krillin's eyes, surrounding the area with nothing but a powerful but excruciatingly bright white glow as bright as Namek's four suns.

Taking it all at point blank, Dodoria desperately shielded his eyes.

"What the hell-?!" Dodoria growled, now in even more pain, unable to open his eyes without an otherworldly burning pain. "Dammit, I can't see! What the hell was that?!"

As Dodoria flailed around and rubbed his face to get his vision back, Krillin flew away to catch up with Gohan.

Dende giggled in delight from under his arm.

"That was a close call, Mister!" The child cheered. "That was quite the technique!"

"Tell me about it!" Krillin laughed it off as a couple beads of sweat trickled down his face. "I just hope it was enough…"

After a furious amount of eye watering, excruciating irritation and blotchy spots as he waded in the sky, Dodoria finally managed to start seeing things properly. He blinked hard and fast and forced himself to keep them open enough to see his surroundings, concluding that the bald man and the kids were gone for good. In the end, it wasn't a huge deal - he was chasing them for his own enjoyment, after all - but what it did mean was that there was a new bunch of people kicking around that would get in the way of Frieza's plans.

"Well, that's just great," He grumbled, huffing in defeat. "I've lost 'em now. Welp, time to report back to Lord Frieza..."

Before he could act, he was slammed downwards towards a small island in the middle of the ocean by a some untraceable figure. His large structure sent his trajectory off course as he plummeted through the dense air, causing him to miss the land and smack the water beside it with a huge splash. After a few seconds, Dumbfounded, Dodoria resurfaced in a scurry, climbed onto the island and threw his head up to the sky.

"Now, who in their right mind-"

A notorious outburst of laughter sounded from above.

"Well, look who it is!" A smug, raspy voice taunted. "Quite the coincidence, finding you here."

Dodoria scowled, instantly recognizing the voice's owner. Up above was a short but well-toned, pointy-haired man in a vibrant blue shade of armour of a similar model to his own - the arrogant Saiyan Prince, Vegeta, in all his pretentious splendor. He'd caught wind that Vegeta returned to the fleet and eradicated a village or two of his own. What didn't make sense, however, was how quickly he'd come back - he'd just recently taken leave to carry out a 'personal' mission.

He couldn't have returned already on good terms.

"Well, if it isn't Prince Vegeta, back so soon?" He called up with a playful grin. "Kicking someone down while they're on their knees was always your thing, I should have known... You must have some nerve to pull a fast one on me, of all people, though! Last time I checked, I was stronger than you!"

Vegeta chuckled in amusement, carelessly shrugging his shoulders.

"I'd be careful, you don't have Frieza and Zarbon here to bail you out." He fired back with a cocky smirk of his own. "I'm trying to find something, but I found you instead, pity. Maybe you could point me in the right direction."

'A task, he says?' Dodoria mulled over, intrigued. 'Huh, maybe his personal mission happened to have led him here because Lady Rosemary is here.'

"O-ho, you think you can boss me around like that?" Dodoria backfired. "Let me make you a deal. If you give me that Scouter of yours, I'll let this little stunt of yours slide."

Vegeta's grin curled into a scowl.

"You're lucky I don't just kill you where you stand, right here and now!" He growled. "Though I don't plan on letting you leave with your life!"

He unfastened his Scouter from his ear, dropped it to the ground and slammed his foot through it.

Dodoria glared down at the smoking, broken bits of tech with a mortified look on his face. He looked back up to Vegeta in a fury.

"Are you nuts?! That was the last Scouter to cross the face of this planet!"

Vegeta shrugged.

"What a shame. It's a good thing I don't need it." He chuckled some more. "Go on, if it's a fight you want, attack me!"

Dodoria took a couple of steps back. Vegeta was right, he probably couldn't take him on his own - the prince had gotten far more powerful since they last crossed paths. He wasn't one to make false bluffs.

Vegeta cocked a presumptuous brow.

"Ah, not so tough now, hmm?" He teased with a devilish grin. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're scared!"

He crossed his arms and looked down his chin towards the armoured pink blob.

Dodoria cowered back further in a sweat. Maybe he could make a run for it!

"Yes, you probably heard about my little spar with Cui earlier. You know what I can do! Face it, you're no match for me. Now, fight-"

"I would agree with you if that Scouter wasn't malfunctioning! You mean to tell me that you've just magically become that powerful! There's no way!"

Dodoria aggressively charged his energy and fired off a flurry of gigantic beams in a frenzy. 'Try and get outta that, you arrogant bastard!'

He fired more blasts, as many as he could muster. He was livid now - if Vegeta had any hope of living through the fight, he'd have to show just how powerful he really was.

Vegeta appeared behind him in a flash with ease.

"Well, was that enough of a reality check?" He taunted further. "Or do you need more?"

He grabbed one of Dodoria's chubby pink limbs with a responsive grunt of acknowledgement from his foe.

Dodoria turned around to retaliate with a swipe of his other arm, but failed.

Vegeta hopped over him without delay, snagging his other arm before he could respond further.

Both arms within his grasp, Vegeta mercilessly slammed a foot into Dodoria's back.

"Surely you know how the song and dance goes by now." Vegeta arrogantly rambled. "The more we Saiyans fight, the stronger we get. It's that simple. I'm more powerful now than you'll ever fathom!"

Dodoria tried to forcefully yank his arms away in agony. Unamused, Vegeta dug his foot even deeper. Surprisingly pliable, it was.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't pull you apart, limb from limb, right here!" Vegeta roared in a passionate craze.

Dodoria could feel his arms get ready to snap out of sockets, and finally let out a cry of pain.

"Wait, Vegeta, don't do this" Dodoria begged with a yelp. "I can tell you what really happened to your planet! And your consort, she's alive! I'll tell you where she is!"

Vegeta's confident smile instantly disappeared. Consort? What a joke.

He yanked harder on Dodoria's arms.

"You must be mistaken from that hard hit you took." He dismissively scoffed. "Spare me the story of my people, I already know what happened, but I've never had a consort! And even if I did, you took that opportunity away from me! Try again!"

Dodoria growled through the grit of his teeth. Surely he couldn't forget such an important person in his life!

"Don't play dumb with me!" He shouted back through his torment. "You know exactly who I'm talkin' about!"

Vegeta rummaged around in his thoughts some more while maintaining a hard stare on the back of Dodoria's head. After another moment or so of racking his brain, something snapped, and Vegeta tensed up in realization.

'It can't be.'

He took a moment to rethink while old and painful memories rushed to the forefront of his thoughts. He'd tried to dismiss them from his memory ages ago for good reason, and yet his grip on Dodoria's wrists clenched tighter with rage as the weight of his past set in once again.

"Lady Rosemary is alive!" Dodoria babbled on. He prayed that Vegeta would bite his line. "If you kill me now, you might not be able to find her!"

The name hit him like a wall. Vegeta was petrified, mortified, even. The name was as good as dead to him until now - to him, it represented a miserable tragedy in his history.

And yet, the name made his blood boil. The events that led to this person's demise, or so he had thought, the burden of guilt that rushed through him as he recalled them was unspeakable.

He thought he was through with such mental and emotional torment.

"You dare," Vegeta uttered a menacing hiss. "You dare to tell me she's alive?!"

"She is alive! Please, let me go, I'll help you!" Dodoria shouted back. "I imagine she's got high hopes of seein' you again someday! A-And she's pretty!"

"You dare to tell me, after all these years," Vegeta growled through bared teeth and jammed his foot against Dodoria's spine as hard as he could. "You forced her to live?!"

"Yes, yes, I swear it! I saw her not even an hour ago!" Dodoria pleaded mercifully. "If you kill me, you might not find her!"

"You underestimate me greatly!" Vegeta threatened further. "But, since you've given me another objective, I suppose you can save me the time and trouble. Have at it!"

Vegeta reluctantly let go of Dodoria, doubtful but on guard. He didn't have a good track record with the general as of late, he'd be amazed if that had suddenly changed.

Dodoria laughed hysterically and darted off without a second thought. What a joke, Vegeta actually believed him and let him go!

Vegeta bared his teeth once again, disgusted, and began to charge an attack through cupped hands. He wasn't surprised in the slightest, but this time, he vowed to have the upper hand.

"Ha! You fool!" Dodoria cackled as he flew away in a hurry. "Who knew a silly girl would make him reconsider so damn quickly?!"

"You must be pretty brave if you think you're getting away from me after a stunt like that." Vegeta mumbled under his breath, grinning as he extended his arms to release an excessively powerful blast. He displayed the best of his power for the best of suitors. It had been a while since he could really let loose on someone, and it left such a lasting ecstasy that he could never get tired of.

Dodoria went to look over his shoulder, and little did he know, it would be the last view he ever saw.

"What-" He managed to say, before his voice was silenced. His very being disintegrated under the raw intensity of the blow.

From the distance, Vegeta smirked, proud and merciless as he watched Dodoria disappear before his eyes.

He crossed his arms in conclusion, taking a moment to process what he'd learned from the exchange as he continued to hover, undisturbed, in the Namekian sky.

'Could he have been telling the truth?' He asked himself. Come to think of it, Lady Rosemary's death had never been formally confirmed, but he assumed that it was simply because he wasn't around the main sector enough to be informed.

He squared his arms and dismally stared off into the open air before him.

'It's possible.'

. . .

Zarbon monitored the fight over his Scouter in his quarters back at the main ship, with Rosemary still latched on to the chain beside him and boredly leaned up against a wall.

Rosemary stared off to the other side of the room in silence. It was nothing out of the ordinary for her - she'd spent endless hours sitting on the cold metal floor, lost in thought, fatigue, or both for several hours a day.

But, unlike the current situation, she would have preferred if she'd spent her time there alone.

Just then, everything had fallen silent, to the point where even Zarbon's breaths were noticeably staggered. From what she could hear, there was no trace of feedback coming from Zarbon's intercom. Tired of standing beside him as he remained completely still in suspense, she'd finally decided to take her usual post and sit cross-legged on the floor beside him. As the cuff around her right leg dug into her ankle, she briefly adjusted herself and waited further.

'Could this really be it?' She asked herself in anticipation. Zarbon's fearful expression excited her for the first time in ages, but she tried hard not to let it show. 'With Dodoria out of the picture, could this mean that I'm closer to freedom?'

There was a crackle over the intercom speaker.

"Frieza Force Soldier number four two one seven, reporting in. We have tracked down the last traces of General Dodoria. He has, unfortunately, been taken out, copy."

"Damn it!" Zarbon screamed loudly and bolted to the opposite wall to smash his fists against it, dragging Rosemary across the floor with him.

She harshly smacked the wall against her arm and felt a crack of some sort, and let out a loud yelp of pain. Clutching her shoulder, Rosemary quickly kicked against the wall to pull away.

Zarbon whipped around immediately at the sound with instant regret. He hadn't considered that she was still attached to him.

"What could possibly be happening?!" Rosemary moaned as she struggled to get up from the floor. She gently massaged her arm in an attempt to alleviate any possible swelling.

Zarbon knelt over her and gave her a quick scan to make sure she wasn't injured.

"Oh, love, I didn't mean to hurt you... Please forgive me." He told her softly. He held out a hand to stroke her shoulder. "It doesn't affect you, don't concern yourself too much with it."

"Well, I'm hurt now…" Rosemary sighed shyly, ignoring his care. "Do we have to report the news to Frieza?"

Zarbon frowned. He wished that she was as strong as she was sharp.

"Yes," He replied shortly. "And you're coming with me."

With no further delay, Zarbon and Rosemary marched to the head of the ship in unison, where Frieza rested in his personal cockpit.

Frieza stood eagerly waiting for updates, glaring out the spacecraft's large window with hands poised behind his back.

Just then, the door slid open behind him, and he turned around to greet his subjects with a dignified grin.

"Ah, Zarbon," Frieza began casually. He looked over to Rosemary for a split second, who still protectively clutching her arm, then turned to Zarbon. "What in the world have you been doing with the poor girl… Have you any news? Dodoria hasn't reported back to me yet of course, his Scouter was destroyed."

Already anticipating a consequence, Zarbon froze at the sound of Dodoria's name.

Rosemary suspiciously glanced up at him through the corner of her eye.

Frieza slid his gaze back to Rosemary after a moment of silence and minimal acknowledgement from Zarbon.

"Have you the answer I am looking for, Rosemary?" He prodded her with a less polite and intimidating tone.

She bowed respectively and kept calm.

"I do, sir. Please forgive me, but," She firmly replied out of obedience. "I think it would make more sense coming from your general. I don't want to disrespect your chain of command."

She looked up to Zarbon and raised a brow, confused.

Frieza shook his head in disappointment.

"Tisk, tisk, Zarbon." Frieza sighed, annoyed. "You can't even let your own companion cover for you, remind me again why you keep her so closely to your side." He crossed his arms impatiently. "Well? Spit it out!"

"Dodoria is d-dead, sir!" Zarbon blurted out anxiously and looked down to Rosemary with fright. She met his with calm and remained silent for her own sake.

"It was Vegeta's doing, sir."

Zarbon finally exhaled in slight relief.

"Before my Scouter was broken, there were reports of villages being cleared out by Prince Vegeta, as well as an entire battalion of soldiers. I can only assume that he's gone rogue."

Rosemary's eyes widened, baffled that Zarbon had managed to keep such surprising information quiet until now. This was quite the news.

More importantly, Prince Vegeta was on Namek?

'What?' Rosemary remarked to herself, astonished. She could feel her heart rate climbing, unsure of what to do with herself.

She wanted to escape, now.

Frieza noticed her expression light up at the sound of her Prince's name.

"Oh, now look what you've done, Zarbon," Frieza continued slyly, motioning an arm towards Rosemary casually. "You've made her all excited."

He pondered for a brief moment, then let out a dramatic sigh.

"I'll give you one last chance to redeem yourself, Zarbon," He went on with a stern glare. "Which also gives Miss Rosemary a chance to say hello to her precious prince. Find him, and bring him here. He could be of use to us before we kill him."

Rosemary's expression remained unchanged, but her body was practically vibrating in anticipation.

'Yes, this could be it!' Rosemary affirmed to herself, determined to make this the perfect opportunity for her long-awaited and rehearsed breakout from the Frieza Force. 'I've been so patient and it might finally pay off! I cannot mess this up… I doubt Zarbon will be too fond of me afterwards should I fail.'

"Yes, sir!" Zarbon shouted proudly, content in his own way, saluting him then taking off for the air.

Without giving Rosemary ample time to react, she was yanked upwards with him, yet again.