Saiyan Wars

The sun was setting now, though its warmth hadn't quite disappeared. Smoke still lingered in the air, curling lazily from broken soil and scattered debris. Vegeta walked forward, the quiet crunch of his boots the only sound, save for Nappa's low, ragged snores.

The giant lay on his back, chest rising and falling with a slow, labored rhythm. Despite his missing arm, his wounds were sealed—the Senzu bean had done its job. But the sight made Vegeta's jaw tighten.

He frowned, arms crossed as he stared down at the slumbering brute. The last memory he had of Nappa was disjointed—blood loss blurring the edges of recall. But one thing stood clear:

He'd been carried.

Not by some cowardly escape pod. Not dragged by a bot.

By him.

By this oaf. This relic of an older, harsher time.

After a long beat of silence, Vegeta gave him a light kick.

"Nappa," he said, his voice sharp as steel. "Enough sleeping. We have business to attend to."

Nappa stirred with a grunt, snorting once before sitting up slowly. He winced, one hand instinctively reaching for his missing arm—fumbling through empty air before the realization hit.

"Ahh... dammit," he muttered. "That's gonna take some gettin' used to." He looked up at Vegeta with a weak grin, shadows under his eyes. "Glad to see you're in one piece, Prince."

He raised his remaining arm. Vegeta smirked faintly and pulled him to his feet with one swift tug. Nappa staggered slightly, then squared his stance. Whatever else he lacked, pride wasn't one of them.

Vegeta turned to face the others—Raditz, Piccolo, Goku, and Chi-Chi all watching from a short distance. Dust swirled faintly in the air between them.

"We need a plan," Vegeta said, voice clipped.

Raditz nodded, eye narrowing. "The best move is to link up with Galdro and the human scientist. We've got some Saibamen, but they're only good for cannon fodder."

Vegeta frowned. "We lost everything escaping that base. We don't have any Saibamen."

"Five left," Nappa rumbled. He reached into the waistband of his battered armor and pulled out a small vial—metal, dented, but intact. Inside, green capsules gleamed faintly.

"You carry those on you?" Vegeta blinked, momentarily surprised. Then his expression shifted—calculating. "Five won't be enough."

Raditz raised a brow. "We've got more. Galdro figured out how to replicate the tech." He gave a casual shrug. "The formula's rough, but functional."

Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "That technology was supposed to be lost..."

He studied Raditz closely. The man stood straighter now—his presence less like an afterthought and more like a peer. Vegeta didn't like it. But he couldn't ignore it either.

Raditz turned toward Goku and Chi-Chi. "Should we take them to the Lookout first? Safer to regroup with the others."

But before anyone could answer, Piccolo spoke—tone low and final.

"No."

His eyes locked on Vegeta and Nappa.

"They're not going to the Lookout."

Goku tilted his head, confused. "Why not?"

Piccolo didn't look away. "Because not everyone is welcome there. Especially not those we can't trust yet."