Frieza Planet No. 79 shrank into a dull gray speck behind him.
Before leaving, Vegeta had issued three promotions and two very tempting promises.
First, Zack the dinosaur-like medic was officially marked as "useful." Vegeta already had plans for that one.
Then came the specialists:
Miles: senior engineer, genius with spaceship drives and stealth systems.Shaw: lead designer on the new-generation scouters and the latest combat armor.
Finally, he dangled the real prize in front of the two security-squad captains, both of whom had already broken the 1,000-power-level ceiling yet had nowhere left to climb on this rock.
His offer was short and sweet:
Nappa was dead. Raditz was dead.
Behave. Keep this base quiet and loyal.
Do that, and one day I might take you with me.
For warriors rotting on a forgotten outpost, that single sentence was worth more than a mountain of credits. Who wouldn't sell their soul for a ticket off this dust ball and a chance to stand at the Prince of Saiyans' side?
…
Launch platform.
The base executives stood in perfect rows, saluting like obedient statues as Vegeta's spherical pod roared skyward.
The instant the ship vanished into the void, the masks came off.
Smiles turned to smirks. Shoulders relaxed. Eyes narrowed.
Without an apex predator in the room, the old pecking order slithered right back into place.
Exactly as Vegeta had predicted.
That was why he'd given the two squad captains something no one else had: hope.
As long as those two still dreamed of leaving with him one day, the base would stay under control.
Power was the only currency that never lied.
…
Inside the executive lounge, a dozen officers huddled around a table, voices low.
"Do we report Quincy Yates's death to headquarters or not?"
"You report it if you're tired of living."
"Exactly. Things are perfect right now no one breathing down our necks."
"Be honest: who here didn't get screamed at or kicked around by that purple bastard at least once? I say good riddance."
"What about Dodoria's and Zarbon's personal goons getting wiped out too? Headquarters might send investigators."
"Investigators for what? Vegeta killed them. We were just terrified bystanders. Nothing to do with us."
"Even if we do send a report, we wait two… no, three days. Let Lord Vegeta get a solid head start. He's not turning that ship around for scum like us."
"Agreed. We'll file it later as a routine incident summary bury the details, keep it boring. They'll toss it in a drawer and forget about it."
The conspirators nodded, smug and satisfied.
Ten meters away, half-hidden in the shadows of the corridor, the two security-squad captains silently recorded every word into their private logs.
One of them snorted under his breath.
"Lord Vegeta called it perfectly. The second he's gone, these idiots start digging their own graves."
The other smirked, tapping his notebook.
"They really think we're still on their side. Cute."
If they wanted off this planet…
If they wanted the prince to remember their names…
…then these traitors had just handed them the perfect loyalty test on a silver platter.