Chapter 4: Zarbon and Dodoria
The archway shimmered, then dissolved completely, leaving the four Saiyans (and two technicians) in the stark, utilitarian corridor outside Frieza's throne room. The air, which had felt impossibly thick and heavy moments before, now seemed thin and cold. Raditz nearly collapsed, his knees weak with residual terror. He clutched Kakarot's pod tighter, as if trying to merge with it, wishing he could disappear.
Nappa let out a shaky breath, running a hand over his bald scalp. "That slimy bastard… acting like he cared," he growled, more to himself than anyone, his voice low and rumbling.
Vegeta merely grunted, a short, sharp sound that was neither agreement nor disagreement. His mind was already miles away, dissecting Frieza's words, plotting his next move, filtering out the noise. "He is up to something," he murmured, his eyes narrowed, staring at nothing. "But he doesn't care. Not as long as his leash holds." He glanced at the transparent pod Raditz held. "And now he has a new toy to play with. You nearly got us all atomized, Raditz."
Raditz flinched. "He… he's just a baby, my Prince! He doesn't know any better!"
Just then, Kakarot, no longer mesmerized by Frieza's receding tail, had turned his attention to his immediate surroundings. His tiny eyes, full of a disconcerting intelligence for an infant, fixated on Nappa's impressive, gleaming bald head. Inside his sound-dampening bubble, a mischievous smile spread across Kakarot's face. He then began to rapidly pat the plasteel surface of his pod, a clear, silent beat. Then, with surprising strength, he started smacking the pod with both hands, mimicking what could only be described as a rapid, aggressive drumming directly on Nappa's head. He even let out a silent, gurgling laugh, his mouth forming the word 'BONK!' over and over.
Nappa, still reeling from the audience with Frieza, felt his scalp prickle. He turned to glare at the pod. "What in the blazes is the brat doing now?" he bellowed, his voice echoing down the corridor. "Is he mocking me, already?!"
Vegeta, who had been walking slightly ahead, stopped. He turned, a slow, predatory grin spreading across his face as he watched Kakarot relentlessly 'bonking' Nappa's head. A genuine, unbidden laugh, sharp and almost musical, escaped him. "Hahahahaha! Oh, Nappa, it seems your glorious dome shaped head has caught the eye of the new generation! A natural target, wouldn't you say? It does look rather… invitingly smooth."
Nappa's face flushed a deep crimson, not from anger at Vegeta, but from sheer mortification at being openly ridiculed by a baby. "Prince Vegeta! He's a menace! He's literally hitting me through the pod!"
"Indeed, Nappa," Vegeta chuckled, clasping his hands behind his back. "And doing a rather good job of it, too. Perhaps he's inherited some of your brute force, but with a far more discerning target acquisition system."
Raditz frantically tried to jostle the pod, shaking his head. "Kakarot, stop that! You'll annoy Prince Vegeta! And Lord Frieza!" He accidentally jostled Kakarot again, making him even more determined. Kakarot, with a tiny, triumphant 'smirk', began to lick the inside of the plasteel pod where it would align with Nappa's head, making squishy, silent noises.
"He's licking me now!" Nappa roared, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "A baby is licking my head! This is an outrage!"
Okure, the quieter technician, suppressed a cough. Even he couldn't help but find the scene comical, though he knew better than to show it.
"Ah, the sweet taste of victory, Nappa," Vegeta said, his laughter dying down, replaced by a glint in his eye. "Perhaps he's simply marking his territory. Or noting your lack of a tail to pull." Vegeta gave Nappa a playful shove, then continued walking, a smug smile playing on his lips. "Come on, don't stand there being abused by an infant. We have planets to 'pacify'."
They continued their brisk pace through the intricate corridors of Frieza's massive space station, a labyrinth of gleaming metal and low-humming energy conduits. Raditz, struggling to keep up with the now-irritated Nappa and the ever-swift Vegeta, kept admonishing Kakarot, who seemed to take perverse pleasure in escalating his silent torment of the large Saiyan.
After several turns, they emerged into a vast hangar bay, typically bustling with shuttlecraft and ground troops. Today, however, it was more sparsely populated, a clear sign that Frieza's main forces were indeed deployed elsewhere. Standing near a sleek, custom-built transport shuttle, surrounded by a few personal guards, were three figures instantly recognizable to any in Frieza's army: the pink, hulking form of Dodoria, the elegantly cruel Zarbon, and surprisingly, the squat, bug-eyed figure of Guldo, already looking anxious and sweating despite the controlled environment. They seemed to be awaiting something, or someone.
Dodoria noticed them first, his eyes narrowing. "Well, well, if it isn't the last remnants of the monkey race," he sneered, his voice a gravelly rumble. Zarbon's perfectly sculpted face twisted into a look of disdain. "I thought Frieza-sama was finished with them for the day. Dragging that… abomination around, I see?" he gestured with a perfectly manicured hand at Kakarot's pod.
Guldo, meanwhile, had been nervously polishing his Ginyu Force emblem. He instantly jumped, startled, as he saw them. "W-what?! The Saiyans? What are they doing here? Are they getting a mission with us?!" His voice was high-pitched and whiny, reflecting his deep-seated insecurity.
Vegeta stopped a respectful distance away, his expression neutral. Nappa, however, bristled at Dodoria's comment. "Watch your mouth, pig-face! We're still Frieza's finest warriors!"
"Oh, 'finest'?" Zarbon purred, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "I heard your 'finest' planet conveniently imploded. Such a shame. All that mindless brawn, gone. Perhaps now Frieza-sama will finally invest in true elegance and strategy." He gave a pointed look at Vegeta, a subtle challenge in his eyes.
Dodoria let out a loud, booming laugh. "Elegance? Strategy? You mean like the strategy it took ten of your grunts to capture a single elderly farmer?" he jabbed, then turned his gaze to Raditz and the pod. "And what's this? A new pet monkey? That thing looks even more useless than the big idiot holding it."
This was too much for Raditz. His pride, already frayed, snapped. "He is not useless! He is a Saiyan! And he just… temporarily… has a temperament problem!"
Just then, Kakarot, somehow sensing the negative attention, had found a new, more precise target for his silent assault. His tiny fist, powered by pure infant fury, began to rapidly tap the plasteel directly where Raditz's ear was. Then, to Raditz's horror, Kakarot managed to get a tiny, stubby finger stuck in a minute crevice of the pod's interior, and began to floss with it, making silent, but undeniably gross, movements towards Raditz's ear.
Raditz visibly shuddered. "He's… he's trying to pick my ear with his finger! Through the pod!"
Vegeta, witnessing this new development, let out another sharp, mirthful laugh. "Hahahahaha! Oh, Raditz, it seems your brother has a unique way of expressing sibling affection! Or perhaps he's simply trying to clean out your head, which, I must admit, is a task long overdue for both you and Nappa!"
Nappa, still smarting from Zarbon and Dodoria's insults, felt his frustration boil over. "That's it! He's going in the cargo hold! I don't care if Frieza-sama said anything about 'decorum'! This little monster is driving me insane!" He stomped towards Raditz, hand outstretched to grab the pod.
But before Nappa could reach it, Kakarot's attention drifted. His eyes, keen and mischievous, had now locked onto Guldo. Specifically, on Guldo's prominent, bulbous eyes, and the small, golden Ginyu Force insignia pinned to his chest. Kakarot, with the speed and precision of a tiny predator, began to rapid-fire tap on the pod, pointing at Guldo's eyes, then at his insignia. He then made a pulling motion, as if trying to yank the insignia from Guldo's chest, and then a quick, dismissive flick, as if discarding it. He even gave a silent, derisive blowfish face, his lips puffing out in an exaggerated mockery of Guldo's wide, insecure expression.
Guldo, already high-strung, saw the silent, mocking gestures. His face turned a shade of sickly green. "What's he doing?! Is he… is he making fun of my eyes?! And my uniform?! The Ginyu Force uniform! He's mocking the Ginyu Force!" he shrieked, instantly forgetting his fear of the Saiyans in a fit of affronted pride. "How dare this… this infant! I'll crush him! I'll stop time and crush him!" He started to float slightly, his hands clenching, eyes bulging even further.
"Oh, look, Nappa," Vegeta drawled, enjoying the spectacle immensely. "It seems your tormentor has found a new, equally deserving victim. And look, he's even managed to make Guldo, the least threatening member of that ridiculous 'force', even less threatening. Truly, a prodigy."
Dodoria and Zarbon exchanged a look, a flicker of amusement in their eyes despite their general disdain. Even they found Guldo's antics tiresome.
Nappa, however, saw his chance to shift the blame. "See?! It's not just me! He's a public menace! He goes after everyone!" He pointed an accusing finger at Kakarot.
"Silence, Nappa!" Vegeta snapped, his tone suddenly sharper, wiping the amusement from his face. He knew how far he could push with Frieza's enforcers watching. "And you, Guldo, calm yourself. It's an infant. He understands nothing." Vegeta's gaze swept over Dodoria and Zarbon. "We have our orders from Frieza-sama. We are to proceed to the Arcosian Hegemony. Is this shuttle ours?"
Zarbon, regaining his composure, managed a thin smile. "Indeed, Vegeta. Frieza-sama decided your… unique talents… would be best utilized immediately. Consider it a test. Don't disappoint him." The implication was clear: fail, and Frieza will deal with you personally.
Dodoria grunted. "Just get out of here, monkeys. And try not to blow up another planet by accident. We don't want Frieza-sama to get the wrong idea about your usefulness taking precedence over our efficiency."
"We require no lessons from you, Dodoria," Vegeta retorted, a dangerous edge returning to his voice. "The sooner we crush these Arcosian fools, the sooner we can return to… remind Frieza-sama of where true power lies. How useful the saiyans are." He shot a pointed glance at Zarbon and Dodoria, a silent promise of future reckoning.
Raditz, utterly mortified by Kakarot's antics and the ensuing chaos, practically shoved the pod towards the shuttle's ramp. Kakarot, however, had one last parting shot. Just as Raditz was about to enter the shuttle, Kakarot pushed his face against the plasteel, directly in view of Guldo, and then, with a silent, exaggerated motion, he stuck his tongue out, wiggling it impishly.
Guldo let out a frustrated shriek. "He stuck his tongue out at me! The little brat stuck his tongue out at Guldo of the Ginyu Force! I will never forget this! Never!" He began to hyperventilate.
Vegeta, already boarding the shuttle, paused at the ramp's entrance. He glanced back, a smirk twitching at his lips. "Magnificent," he murmured, just loud enough for Nappa to hear. "Truly, Nappa, the brat is a gift. He has a talent for exposing weakness. A weakness, I might add, that Guldo apparently shares with you."
Nappa let out a frustrated growl, shoving Raditz and the perpetually annoying Kakarot ahead of him into the shuttle. "He's going in the cargo hold the entire trip! You hear me, Raditz?! Cargo hold!"
"But Nappa, the environmental controls…" Raditz began, but Nappa cut him off.
"I don't care if he turns blue! He's going in! And you're staying with him!" he roared, finally stepping into the shuttle himself, leaving Dodoria, Zarbon, and a still-fuming Guldo behind in the hangar bay.
As the shuttle ramp hissed closed, sealing them inside, Kakarot let out another silent, triumphant laugh from his pod. The journey to the Arcosian Hegemony had just begun, and it was already clear that Nappa's patience, like the Saiyan homeworld, was on the verge of total destruction. And Vegeta, the Prince of all Saiyans, couldn't have been more amused.