After leaving Planet Frieza No. 79.
Vegeta promoted three members of the management team.
Naturally, Zarck was at the top of the list. Vegeta had big plans for him.
One of the other two was Mirei, a researcher specializing in advanced technology who was skilled at developing spacecraft.
The other specialized in weapons research and had contributed to the development of the new Scouters and battle suits.
Besides that, Vegeta dangled a tempting offer in front of the two captains of the guard squads.
Getting them to obey was simple. With battle powers over a thousand, they needed someone to guide them if they wanted to grow stronger.
Vegeta explained that Nappa and Raditz, the two men at his side, were already dead. If the captains performed well and kept the base running smoothly, they might have the chance to join him on future expeditions.
That promise was enough to make almost everyone green with envy.
If they had the choice, who would want to stay at this godforsaken branch on the edge of nowhere? Who didn't want to get out?
The base's launchpad.
Led by the senior staff, everyone saw Vegeta off. The atmosphere quickly turned cold.
As soon as Vegeta left, the place returned to its old backstabbing ways.
Without an overwhelmingly powerful superior keeping them in check, everyone had their authority back. Who would willingly obey someone else?
Vegeta had anticipated this, which was why he'd made a verbal promise to the two guard captains. At least now they could see a brighter future and had a real reason to follow his orders.
In the end, strength was everything!
With those two there, things wouldn't get too out of hand.
"Do you think we should report what happened to our superiors? Cui is dead, after all."
"If you want to report it, go ahead. I think things are pretty good right now. Nobody's breathing down our necks."
"Exactly. Who here hasn't been insulted and reprimanded by Cui? I think it's great that he's dead."
"But what if they send someone to investigate afterward? Dodoria and Lord Zarbon's direct subordinates were all killed by Vegeta."
"You said it yourself. Vegeta killed them. What's that got to do with us? We were angry, but we couldn't do anything about it."
"Even if we report it, we should wait a couple of days. By then, Vegeta will be far away. Even if he finds out we reported him, he won't turn around and come back."
"Right. I think we can just file a routine report later and gloss over the important parts. What do you think?"
The members of the management team all talked over one another.
The two guard captains carefully noted down everything they said.
They wanted to do well and earn Vegeta's favor.
"Hmph! Lord Vegeta was right. As soon as he left, these guys started getting restless and scheming!"
"They're complete fools. They think that with Lord Vegeta gone, they can treat us like we're invisible too."
"Leave them alone for now. Lord Vegeta said that as long as they don't cause any major trouble, we should let them get carried away. He'll deal with them when he gets back."
"Mm..."
The two captains stood off to one side, muttering under their breath.
One of them had a battle power of 2,000, and the other had 3,000.
They were convinced they could take Raditz and Nappa's places.
They were full of hope for the future. They had no idea that Vegeta's promise was nothing but empty words—and that Frieza would soon fall, leaving the Frieza Force nothing like it had been before.
In space.
Vegeta wasn't traveling in a small spacecraft this time. Instead, he was aboard a medium-sized one with enough room to move around. His destination was, naturally, Planet Namek.
The medium-sized spacecraft wasn't much faster than a small one, but it had the advantage of allowing him to train.
In the past, Frieza's warriors had chosen small spacecraft for convenience. They spent the whole journey asleep anyway, and by the time they woke up, they'd arrived at their destination.
But now, Vegeta had no intention of wasting that time.
It would take five days to reach Planet Namek, and every one of those days was crucial.
The Frieza Force's spacecraft were equipped with gravity chambers. When Vegeta learned that, he was rather excited. Nobody had ever thought to use the equipment for training, so no one had paid it any attention.
It was mostly used to let soldiers get used to a planet's gravity beforehand so they could carry out their invasion more effectively.
Unfortunately, the highest gravity this spacecraft could currently simulate was five times Planet Vegeta's gravity, equivalent to 50x Earth Gravity.
He had to admit, it was hard not to envy Kakarot. The guy had taken only six days to travel from Earth to Planet Namek, training under a hundred times Earth's gravity and raising his battle power to 90,000.
Although the spacecraft could only manage 50x Earth Gravity, Vegeta could train under that pressure and use the weighted clothing and restraints he'd brought from the base. With his talent, he might not match Kakarot's results, but he wouldn't fall too far short. His potential would grow significantly, too.
"Whatever happens, I have the advantage! Maybe by the time you get to Planet Namek, I'll have already killed Frieza!" Vegeta's lips curled into a slight smile.
According to his calculations, his spacecraft would reach Planet Namek on December 18, Age 762, at the same time as the spacecraft carrying Bulma, Son Gohan, and Krillin.
Kakarot would also set off for Planet Namek that day, which meant he would arrive no later than December 24, Age 762.
In other words, as long as Vegeta seized the opportunity, he could grow stronger on Planet Namek. By then, Kakarot wouldn't matter anymore.
Once he'd made up his mind, Vegeta set the spacecraft's controls, then stepped away from the pilot's seat.
He adjusted to Planet Mondra's gravity.
The 50x Earth Gravity was no joke. Even Vegeta nearly stumbled and fell.
"So this is what it feels like to be weighed down by high gravity. No wonder training under this kind of pressure produces such results." Vegeta grinned, excitement showing on his face.
The original Vegeta had never considered how effective training under gravity could be. Otherwise, he would have started long ago.
Pressure was what made you grow faster!
Vegeta trudged into the spacious lounge at the back of the spacecraft.
He'd spend the next five days here. First, he would adapt completely to this level of gravity without the weighted clothing and restraints. Then he would use them to make his training even more challenging.