North Galaxy, Planet K9527 Base!
This was one of the Frieza Force's base planets in the North Galaxy. Ships took off and landed in endless streams. Whenever one touched down, strange aliens with birdlike faces would come over to register it!
A white, single-seat spherical ship of the kind unique to the Frieza Force slowly descended. The super-strong rubber on the ground absorbed all its momentum, preventing the ship from crashing into the ground and leaving a huge crater.
"Hiss!"
The airlock hissed, and the ship's hatch slowly opened. A warrior in a standard-issue Battle Suit stepped out. The dark brown tail coiled around his waist gave away his Saiyan identity. It was Turles, who had already escaped the planet's destruction.
But Turles was now completely unconscious. With no timely treatment, his injuries had worsened, and his life hung by a thread!
The bird-faced alien in charge of receiving arrivals saw his condition and turned pale. He immediately arranged emergency treatment for Turles!
Everyone in the Frieza Force ranked according to their battle power. The Saiyans, a warrior race and one of the Frieza Force's mainstays, had suffered a devastating blow when their planet was destroyed eighteen years ago, and their numbers had dwindled sharply. But even so, they were no one for a mere logistics worker like him to offend.
At the thought, the bird-faced alien grew even more anxious and couldn't help urging the medical staff again.
Soon, Turles was rushed to the emergency room, his life hanging in the balance. Only after the healing liquid in the Healing Tank slowly covered his hair did everyone finally breathe a sigh of relief!
"The Saiyans really are tough. Even with injuries this severe, he pulled through!" said one of the medical staff, envy plain on his face as he watched the heart monitor's reading gradually return to normal.
"Right? They really are a warrior race. I wonder what kind of battle could leave these monsters so badly injured?" The alien beside him sighed in amazement.
"Forget it. It's none of our business. As long as this lord doesn't die on our turf, that's all we need to worry about. The rest is beyond us!"
"That's right! But what's this bean?"
"Smack!"
"Why do you care? Just leave it there. We'll deal with it after this lord wakes up!"
Hearing the voices around him, Turles knew he had survived. He hadn't wanted to come to a Frieza Force base, but at the time, he'd had no choice. Without a Senzu Bean, only the Frieza Force could treat his injuries.
In the state he'd been in, he might not even have made it to Earth. And even if he had, he probably wouldn't have had the strength to find Korin and get a Senzu Bean. He could only take a gamble. After all, Turles was still a soldier in the Frieza Force.
From their conversation, it seemed Frieza wasn't on this base planet right now. That was good news!
He and Frieza were bound to fight sooner or later, but not now. How could he possibly face the king without keeping his head down and quietly building his strength for a while? That would be suicide!
Relieved, Turles drifted back to sleep so his body could recover as quickly as possible!
Three days later, Turles had fully recovered from his injuries and climbed out of the Healing Tank.
After putting on a fresh Battle Suit and clipping a Scouter to his ear, Turles asked coldly, "Where's the bean I brought back?"
The medical staff exchanged glances. Then an alien with a frog-like face seemed to remember something. He hurriedly took a green bean from a box and held it out to Turles with trembling hands.
Taking the Tree of Might Seed, Turles fought down his excitement and hurried out of the emergency room!
Maintaining his usual cold, wicked persona, he didn't spare the aliens along the way a glance. He headed straight for the base's launch area.
He couldn't wait to get off this planet. Who knew when Frieza, the overlord of the universe, would show up? Why stick around when he could slip away now?
Just as he was about to board a spherical ship, an alien with a grotesque face stopped him.
"Get lost," Turles said coldly.
"Uh... sir, you haven't accepted a mission yet. You can't take this ship just yet!" The alien wiped the cold sweat from his face over and over, explaining in terror.
At that, Turles remembered.
These were mission ships. They could only be taken after accepting a mission to conquer a planet or fight in a battle. They weren't available otherwise. The ship Turles had used earlier had been one of these mission ships, too.
But Saiyans didn't follow rules. Turles glared at the alien, his powerful aura pressing down on him.
Sensing Turles's displeasure, the alien dropped to his knees in terror and repeatedly begged for mercy, but still wouldn't give in.
Turles deliberately said nothing, simply letting his aura bear down on the alien. After a long moment, he said impatiently, "Get up and assign me a mission!"
The alien looked as if he'd been granted a pardon. He hurriedly pulled out a tablet and tapped through a few screens, then ingratiatingly told Turles, "Sir, the mission has been sent to the ship's terminal. Please!" He stepped aside as he spoke.
Turles said nothing more. He sat in the ship, pressed the start button, and closed the hatch.
Only after the ship had left Planet K9527 Base did Turles finally let out a breath. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, his face full of relief.
He'd finally gotten away. As long as he didn't have to face Frieza right now, he could afford to be a coward. Staying alive came first.
As for the mission, Turles couldn't care less. Once he had a ship, he could go wherever he pleased!
But it seemed Turles was celebrating too soon. Just as his ship left the planet, it came face-to-face with Frieza's spacecraft!
Through the glass, Turles could clearly see Frieza sitting in his "baby carriage." When his gaze met Frieza's cold red eyes, it was as if his soul had frozen in place. His body went rigid, and he couldn't summon even the slightest thought of resisting.
Move! Move! Turles roared in his mind.
But Frieza's power far exceeded Turles's imagination. Only when facing Frieza in person could he feel that overwhelming pressure. It wasn't just the gap in battle power. It felt more like being crushed by a higher order of life!
Frieza was a mutant of the Frieza Race, the Emperor of the Universe in Universe 7. He ruled nearly seventy percent of the galaxy!
From the moment he was born, Frieza had displayed the Frieza Race's incredible natural talent. His father, King Cold, admired him, while his older brother, Cooler, feared him!
Eighteen years ago, following an order from God of Destruction Beerus of Universe 7, Frieza had King Vegeta, the leader of the Saiyans, recall all the Saiyans who were away from home. Then, with a single Death Ball, he annihilated Planet Vegeta and wiped out most of the Saiyans.
At the time, Turles had been sent to a remote planet early on because he was a Low-Class Warrior. That was how he had survived!
But Frieza had always told the surviving Saiyans that Planet Vegeta had fallen because a meteor struck it. Many of them had continued serving Frieza as a result, and Turles's former self had done the same. After growing up on a remote planet and killing all its natives, Turles had returned to the Frieza Force and helped Frieza conquer countless planets!
530,000 battle power!
That was Frieza's displayed battle power in his first form. Turles knew it wasn't even a fraction of Frieza's true power, which reached a terrifying 120 million. Because he couldn't control such immense power, Frieza had to transform to suppress it!
What a wasteful way to do things. Many powerful warriors in the universe transformed to increase their battle power, yet Frieza had to transform just to suppress his. The thought alone was enough to make anyone despair!
Facing such an opponent, Turles had even lost control of his own body, which filled him with resentment!
The pride of a transmigrator and the savagery buried deep in his Saiyan blood made Turles's eyes grow bloodshot. At last, he managed to regain the slightest control over his body.
But spaceships were incredibly fast. In an instant, Turles's ship had passed Frieza's, and Turles finally broke free from the grip of Frieza's overwhelming aura.
Turles gasped for breath. Though he'd only just recovered, it felt as if he'd gone through a fierce battle. Sweat soaked his body.
Then all that remained on Turles's face was relief!
He'd been so close. If he'd wasted just a few more minutes at the base, he might never have gotten off the planet!
Turles congratulated himself on acting decisively. The feeling of being reborn after that terror filled him with joy. He casually opened the mission log on the ship's system, and a familiar name appeared before him.
"Why is it this planet?" Turles murmured in disbelief.
Back on Frieza's ship, Frieza sat in his hovering chair, gazing gracefully at the planet outside. In a playful tone, he said to the elegant blue-skinned young man standing before him, "Mr. Zarbon, that ship we just passed was carrying a Saiyan, wasn't it?"
The blue-faced young man called Zarbon answered respectfully, "Yes, Lord Frieza. Looks like a monkey who's returned to the fold!"
"Is that so? That face... why does it seem familiar?" Frieza mused.
"Lord Frieza?" Zarbon looked at him in confusion.
"Heh heh heh! Never mind that. I've arranged to meet with several space merchants this time. I'm sure we'll be selling off plenty of planets again!" Frieza's distinctive laugh suddenly rang out. Everyone aboard immediately chimed in, then began heaping praise on him.
Meanwhile, Turles was still staring at the planet name displayed in the mission log, unable to believe it. He didn't know that his resemblance to Bardock, Son Goku's father, had almost drawn the attention of Frieza, the Emperor of the Universe. All he knew was that he was about to face someone every bit as formidable as Frieza himself!
The mission log showed:
"Planet Vampa!"
Before you continue