"How are those two brats doing?" Frieza sat on his personal throne, holding a glass of wine in his right hand, expressionless as he asked Zarbon and Dodoria beside him.
"Lord Frieza, they've been acting completely normal. When we told them Planet Vegeta was destroyed by a planetary collision, they didn't show the slightest resistance," Zarbon stepped forward and reported softly.
"Is that so?" Frieza replied without any change in expression, taking a slow sip of his drink. He didn't speak further, and Zarbon and Dodoria kept silent as well. They knew Frieza better than anyone—this cold demeanor meant he was deep in thought.
For all his glory as the Emperor of the Universe, there were still beings stronger than him—such as his father, King Cold, or his elder brother, Cooler. That was the one thing Frieza could not stand.
Frieza wanted to be the true ruler of the universe, not some figurehead. That was why he had his subordinates constantly researching technology and conquering planets—expanding his power to prepare for the future.
"Give those two brats a chance. If they survive, let them continue. If they die, then forget it," Frieza swirled his wine glass and looked out into space, speaking in a calm tone. The two brats he referred to were, of course, Vegeta and Betkas. As for Nappa, that extra baggage, Frieza didn't care about him at all.
"Understood, Lord Frieza. I'll arrange it right away," Zarbon replied with an elegant bow.
"Oh, and… don't push them to their deaths. If the difficulty's too high, it won't do them any good," Frieza added casually.
"Understood, Lord Frieza!" Zarbon froze for a moment, then smiled and answered before turning to leave. He walked out of the room, leaving Frieza and Dodoria alone in their thoughts.
"I wonder just how much potential these two really have… Don't disappoint me," Frieza muttered, sipping his wine as he gazed out into the void. Dodoria stood silently beside him, not daring to interrupt.
---
"Hey, brats. Lord Zarbon wants you in the meeting room."
A hideous-looking alien pushed open the door to Betkas and the others' room, speaking in an impatient tone.
"Got it!" Betkas smirked and glanced at Vegeta, only to see Vegeta looking indifferent as always. Nappa, on the other hand, seemed a bit tense. The alien messenger simply clicked his tongue in annoyance and left.
"Let's go, Big Bro Vegeta. I have a feeling this is going to be interesting," Betkas said with a smile.
"Hmph." Vegeta only snorted coldly, got up, and walked out without another word. Betkas chuckled and followed, with Nappa hurrying behind.
The three strolled leisurely through Frieza's spaceship. After some walking, they arrived at the familiar meeting room—the largest chamber on the ship, and also a kind of launch bay. Without hesitation, Vegeta pushed the door open and strode inside arrogantly.
Betkas couldn't help but scoff internally. If it were me, I'd kick it open—that'd look way cooler. But he kept the thought to himself. With his measly power level of just over 3,000, he was still only a potential grunt. As for Vegeta and Nappa, their strength was obviously greater.
"You're just in time. Lord Frieza is expanding his territory again and needs capable subordinates to attack other planets. As Saiyans, you should be familiar with this kind of mission, so I won't bother explaining," Zarbon said, standing before three spherical space pods, his eyes narrowing slightly at them.
"Tch, 'capable subordinates'? More like testing our strength," Betkas muttered in his mind, curling his lip.
"The coordinates of your target planet have already been set in your pods. All you have to do is wipe out the native inhabitants and report back. We'll send a team to take over afterward," Zarbon continued seriously.
So we do the killing and you lot take the spoils? Figures… Betkas thought, though his face showed some eagerness. This would be his first time personally invading another planet. Vegeta and Nappa hadn't done it yet either—at least not in this timeline. Originally, Nappa should have been on another mission by now, but for some reason, he was here with Vegeta.
"Understood. Tell Lord Frieza we'll complete the mission swiftly and return in triumph!" Vegeta replied seriously, as if fully committed. But Betkas knew this was just for show. Vegeta respected Frieza's power, but he didn't bow to him.
"Good. Now go. You've done simulated pod operations before," Zarbon said flatly.
The three walked toward the space pods. Each placed a hand on the top of their pod, and the hatch opened instantly, revealing a single seat and a console with a screen and keypad.
They climbed inside, and the hatches closed. Moments later, a section of the ship's ceiling opened, and the three pods launched into space like shooting stars, vanishing in an instant.
"Heh… Lord Frieza might have forbidden sending them to a high-level combat planet, but I'll make sure they suffer a little. That way, they'll truly understand Lord Frieza's greatness," Zarbon thought with a cold smile as he turned and walked toward Frieza's quarters to report.
Meanwhile, far out in space, Betkas, Vegeta, and Nappa were heading toward their very first invasion mission—completely unaware of the danger waiting for them ahead.
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