Sumera Paleema: Chronicles of Carrotta

'''Sumera Paleema Z: Chronicles of Carrotta'''

Preface

= = = (  )

King Vegeta proudly strode down the center of the vast birthing chamber not too far from the palace. Scientists, engineers, and caretakers, all wearing white robes, paced back and forth in front of the rows of giant test tubes. Some took notes on clipboards, while others checked for vitals from the floating Saiyan infants inside the tubes. The majority of the tubes glowed with a faint beige light.

Among the area, somewhere in the birthing chamber, several of the Saiyan’s names were already listed in the shape format of the Saiyan language. On a computer screen and a list on the wall, was a list of all the known Saiyans, in Saiyajin, Japanese and English:

Total: 25 +

''King Vegeta III''

''Queen Cassava III''

''Prince Vegeta IV''

''Tarble IV''

''Bardock: Low class Status: Warrior ''

''Beets – Status: Mid class. Occupation: Pilot  ''

''Borgos – Occupation: Bardock’s Planet Elite Force''

''Broly – Status: Saiyan with abnormally high power level of 10,000 ''

''Fasha – Bardock’s Planet Elite Force''

''Gine – Status: Low class. Mother of Raditz and Kakarot.''

''Kakarot – Status: Low class, son of Bardock and Gine ''

''Leek – Occupation: Bardock’s Planet Elite Force''

''Majordomo – Serves the House of Vegeta''

''Moroko – Status: Mid class. Occupation: Scientist.''

''Nappa: Status: Mid class. Occupation: General ''

''Nion - Status: Mid class. Occupation: Scientist''

''Onio – ''

''Paragus – Status: Mid class. Occupation: Soldier, father of Broly ''

''Raditz – Status: Low class. Occupation: Soldier, brother of Kakarot ''

''Scarface Panupkin - ''

''Shorty Brocco - ''

''Shugesh Panbukin – Occupation: Bardock’s Elite Force''

''Tarble – Status: Royalty. Occupation: Warrior and brother of Prince Vegeta. Sent away. ''

''Taro – Status: Working class. Occupation: Soldier''

''Tora Toma – Occupation: Bardock’s Elite Force''

''Turles - Status: Low Class. Occupation: space pirate, outcast  ''

''Zorn - Status: Elite. Occupation: subject of King Vegeta and guard ''

Historical Saiyans:

''Cunber: Yamoshi’s rival ''

''Giblet: evil Saiyan in red ''

''Shallot: Time traveling Saiyan ''

''Skwash: Leader of an ancient tournament''

''Yamoshi: First Super Saiyan God and individual capable of reaching Super Saiyan ''

Kakarot’s pod was safely in Bardock’s home with Gine, while Raditz was old enough to be out of his. King Vegeta, however, wasn’t interested in the likes of the non-elite. Beaming with pride, he walked up the steps and gazed into the red test tube that contained his infant son, Vegeta.

The young Vegeta had black spiky hair, just like his father. King Vegeta’s wife, Cassava, walked over and also stared lovingly at their child. Vegeta’s brown tail swished back and forth in the water, and though his eyes were currently closed, it was like he was already itching to fight.

“Look how big he’s grown!” King Vegeta exclaimed, a smile forming under a dark beard and mustache. King Vegeta was dressed in Saiyan armor, wore a gold crow on his head and a long red cape attached to his back. Cassava also wore a crown, though it was silver with a row of pearls at the top. She wore a brilliant blue dress and gold rings on her fingers. Like her husband, her eyes were dark, hair was thick and black and the red trident symbol of the royal family was etched onto her clothing.

King Vegeta walked up to the incubator and spread out his arms. “My son, you are my pride and joy! You are truly gifted! That monster Frieza won’t be the one to rule the universe…it shall be you!”

He placed his hand on the glass near Vegeta’s face.

“I can’t wait to see you grow up!” he said.

“Sleep well, my son,” added Cassava.

King Vegeta and his wife walked down the stairs, scientists following behind them. The ruler walked past the other pods, these ones bathed in green light. He glanced at another Saiyan in a pod tinted with green light with an oxygen mask over his mouth.

“Who is this?”

Queen Cassava crossed her arms and stared curiously at the Saiyan infant. King Vegeta turned to his men. “What is he doing inside a special capsule?”

One of the scientists held up a green scouter up toward the glass. “This is Broly, the son of Colonel Paragus,” he said.

“What is the meaning of this?!” the king demanded. “The incubation chamber is supposed to be for the future Saiyan elite!”

“Yes well,” began one of the men. “They say Broly has extraordinary potential.”

“You mean he’s as gifted as my son?!”

“Y-yes sir,” stuttered the man. “The researchers said that his power level is higher than even the prince.”

“That is impossible!”

“Broly’s potential is quite substantial,” stated a woman scientist, holding a white device in front of her.

One of the men added, “With training, he can grow into a magnificent warrior and become a major asset for our army. He could even become a legendary Super Saiyan!”

“ENOUGH!” King Vegeta bellowed, stunning his subjects into silence. “The so called Super Saiyan is nothing but a myth! I cannot allow anyone to become a threat to the Vegeta bloodline. If he can’t control his power, he could become a danger to us all. That is a risk that must not be taken.”

“But sire…”

“I say no more,” King Vegeta stated. He turned to his guards. “Send the infant Broly to the dissolute planet Vampa.”

“At once, sire,” said the guard, leaning his fist lightly against his heart in salute. Three guards carefully detached Broly’s incubation tube, dried the baby off and put him in a white space pod to be sent away.

Part 1: Carrotta’s Beginning

( * )

Zuini, was a Saiyan woman similar to many others. She was proficient in fighting (though her power level was not that high) and she had an enormous appetite like her fellow friends. Though she had divorced her former partner, who was a self-centered man and hardly took a bath, she bore an only daughter, Carrotta Hikana. Before divorcing her partner, Lettus (who wasn’t really married to her and only wanted to raise a son), decided to take Carrotta to the birthing chamber to help her heal and grow. Zuini had a nagging suspicion that something wasn’t right.

“Lettus, let’s keep her here and raise her naturally,” she said.

Lettus shook his head. “This future warrior needs to grow in a tube like lots of other Saiyan babies.”

“We both know that the birthing chamber is reserved for the elite Saiyans,” she argued. “So many people have tried to smuggle their babies in there, but King Vegeta doesn’t approve of it. If you want to use a birthing tube, I suggest we use our own.”

Lettus scoffed. “We can’t use ours. It hasn’t been fixed since I finished my last mission on Cooler’s orders.” He pointed to a cracked machine, coated with dust.

“So?” she asked. “If it still works…”

“It doesn’t! That’s why I’m going to take her to the underground chamber at night. There are plenty of birthing capsules there.”

“And plenty of guards,” she chided.

“A couple nosy guards aren’t gonna get in my way,” he said with arrogance.

“I’m divorcing you,” she said.

“We were never married to begin with. We both just wanted to raise a child into a great fighter. Instead…we got…a girl…with no big muscles…”

“She’s only a baby, you moron,” Zuini spat. “How much did you drink at the bar last night?”

“I can’t remember.”

“Of course you can’t.”

“Look, either our child goes into the birthing chamber or we leave her to fend for herself.”

“Fine. But I’m coming with you. And I’m naming her Carrotta.”

“A fine Saiyan name…very fitting,” nodded Lettus, impressed.

Later that night, the two young parents flew silently toward a small dark cave, the entrance to the birthing chamber. The entrance was flanked by two guards with laser guns.

Zuini held her baby close to her chest. She had black hair and a brown Saiyan tail.

“Okay,” she said. “On my count, we will sneak around to the top of the cave and then…”

“HYAAH!” Lettus yelled and charged full speed at the guards. The guards gasped and fired their weapons, but Lettus expertly dodged the blasts. He kicked one guard to the side and punched the other guard in the head. Both soon slumped to the ground.

Lettus beamed until Zuini stomped hard on his foot.

“Ouch! What was that for?!”

“From now on, let’s be quiet and keep the noise down,” she seethed in a rushed whisper.

Together, the two of them flew into the cave and soon arrived inside the chamber. They ducked behind nearby crates, avoiding the wondering scientists in the room.

“Bad idea, bad idea,” she whispered to him. Carrotta sneezed and the sound echoed.

“What was that?” asked one of the scientists.

Now both Lettus and Zuini stood still and shocked, not daring to breathe.

“You don’t think it was the monitor?”

“No, it sounded like it came from a person? No, more like a baby?”

“Go check on the Broly kid,” said one of them. “Perhaps his power is fluctuating. It could prove interesting for our data collection.”

Their footsteps faded as they walked in the other direction. “Look,” whispered Lettus, when the coast was clear.

Zuini followed his finger and saw an unused capsule. It was placed next to another one with a baby named Sumera in it. They carefully walked over to it. Lettus pressed a series of buttons and the water drained out through a tube.

“How do you know how…?” she began.

“I used to work in the army, remember?” asked Lettus. “Working this is not too different from our broken one at home. Besides, I’m just glad I was able to retire before Frieza was reinstated as the one in charge.”

“Don’t let him hear you say that!” she whispered. “He can kill anyone who even has one hair out of place.”

A slot opened and Zuini gently placed Carrotta inside. She looked at her mother with big black eyes. Zuini gently placed an oxygen mask over the baby’s mouth.

“Don’t worry, Carrotta, we’ll be back in a couple of days.” Zuini’s eyes started to water.

“Grow fast and be strong for us,” said Lettus.

Carrotta began to cry loudly as the slot closed once more.

“Hey, you two!” called a passing guard. The parents turned around and went into offensive position.

“What are you doing here? You are unauthorized to be here.”

The man looked at the parents and then at the capsule where baby Carrotta was crying in. “Guards!”

A punch to the face by Lettus led to the guard meeting the ground, hard. Around them, scientists looked to see what the commotion was about.

“Let’s get out of here!” Lettus urged. He pushed one more button and the capsule filled with fresh clean water. “Carrotta” appeared in Saiyan letters as her physical information as entered into the system.

Zuini and Lettus fought off more guards and were almost to the exit. Two deadly purple blasts hit both of them in the chests. King Vegeta lowered his hands and walked down the stairs, flanked by two guards and several other individuals behind him. Horror filled the eyes of the parents, until death overtook them.

From inside the tube, Carrotta wailed and pounded on the glass. She knew that something was wrong, though she couldn’t quite comprehend it. Her writhing movements got the attention of several scientists nearby. Her cries were further muffled due to the rising water and the mask over her mouth.

“Where did this infant come from?” asked one of them.

The remaining guards brushed themselves off and stood at attention as King Vegeta faced them.

“Explain.”

That one word, used in a cold tone by the king, was enough to make the guard’s legs shake and the scientists scratch their necks with worry.

“Your Majesty, t-two intruders barged into the chamber without authorization from you. It appears, they put a baby in one of the special capsules.”

“I can see that. And why weren’t more secure methods put in place to prevent more commoners from doing the same?”

The guards had no answer to that.

King Vegeta pushed aside on of the scientists and marched over to the capsule Carrotta was in. The king glared at the other ones labeled “Sumera” and “Broccolia.”

“What is the meaning of all this? These random common infants weren’t here several days ago.”

“Allow us to explain, sire,” said one of the scientists. “These babies were separated from their parents soon after the war. With no one else to care for them, we decided to place them here so they could grow…”

King Vegeta waved his hand dismissively. “I do not care how they arrived here. This chamber is not to be used for refugee infants. Apparently, no one seems to understand the rules.”

The scientists looked at each other nervously.

“Send those two off planet and out of my sight,” he ordered. “They’ve been here for who knows how long and are of no use to us. And for goodness sake, send that capsule with the other unnamed Saiyan in it away. That baby’s glowing green eyes gives me the creeps.”

The guards and engineers got to work.

Out of the corner of his eye, King Vegeta finally noticed the squirming upset Carrotta. He stared at her with a glare.

He noticed on the screen that showed her data that she had been born the same day as Vegeta in Age 732.

“As for you…”

He raised his hand and a purple ball of deadly energy emerged from his hand. “I’m not going to allow you to replace my son. He is the one with the highest power level.”

“Wait!”

King Vegeta turned and noticed Frieza walking down the hall, flanked by his lackeys Zarbon and Dodaria. He diminished the blast and bowed when he faced the galactic emperor.

“Lord Frieza,” he said. “Pardon my intrusions. I got alerted by my subjects that lower class infants had been smuggled into the chamber without my permission. This chamber is for the elite ones after all.”

“Is that so?” asked Frieza.

The white metallic lizard walked over to the computer screen and observed the list and data of the Saiyan infants.

“Hmm. Many of these little monkeys don’t seem very impressive. Though your son would be of great use very soon. It seems that he has the potential to be even more powerful than his own father.”

King Vegeta went silent. A mixture of pride and jealousy raged through his head. “You honestly think you can just take my son away and do with him as you please? It is my and Cassava’s responsibility to raise him to be a proper prince and warrior.”

“I’ll have you know that though the young prince is part of the royal family, he is just as much of a worker as the rest of the Galactic Army members. Due to his high level of power, he will be a great asset when it comes to conjuring other worlds in my name.”

He stared into Frieza’s demonic red eyes. King Vegeta turned red in the face. “If you harm my son, I swear, Lord Frieza I’ll…”

“You’ll do what, exactly?” He crossed his arms. “Remember, I am your boss and though you may be king, my power level is far superior to yours. You won’t want me to test out my abilities on more of your elite soldiers, would you?”

King Vegeta seethed as Frieza smirked in victory. “No, my Lord.”

“Well, in that case, this conversation is finished.”

Frieza glanced at the screen once more. He noticed one of the names and narrowed his eyes. “Who’s the new infant that just arrived?”

“That one goes by the name of Carrotta Hikana,” said King Vegeta. “Apparently, she was born on the same day as my son.

Frieza calmly walked over and observed Carrotta, who was now sleeping and floating in the water.

“My, how intriguing.”

“She needs to be disposed of, as to not overshadow Vegeta,” said the king. “There’s nothing special about her…”

“I believe you’re mistaken,” Frieza replied coldly.

“W-what?” King Vegeta was taken aback at Frieza’s harsh tone.

“You will not harm the child,” Frieza said. “In fact, though she doesn’t possess Broly’s magnitude of power, the data says she already has a power level that’s nearly the same as Vegeta’s. With some training and proper molding, she could even surpass him.”

“I was afraid of that…” muttered the king.

“What’s done is done,” he replied, then turned around. “Banan, Canta, Cranbury!”

Three alien scientists came rushing over and stood at attention before their leader. Each of them wore white lab coats with two purple F’s on the front, indicating them to be members of the Frieza Force. Banan had the appearance of a yellow troll with white hair, Canta had teal green hair and blue skin, while Cranbury had the appearance of a marron colored ox.

“Take that Carrotta child down to the lab at once.”

“Yes sir,” said Banan.

Together, the three individuals carefully detached the birthing capsule that Carrotta was in, and picked her up when the glass cover was removed. Carrotta’s mask was removed and the baby coughed in Canta’s arms.

Frieza led the way down the hall and the scientists followed.

“Wait!” bellowed King Vegeta. “What do you plan on doing with her?”

Frieza turned his head. “That is not your concern. I thought you wanted nothing to do with her.”

King Vegeta clenched his fist in anger, but could do nothing else in front of his boss.

“She’ll be in good hands, and certainly not killed…for now. Go back to your throne and gabble in your pathetic meetings.”

Frieza and his subjects disappeared into the shadows, while King Vegeta stood and watched. Sighing, he took one last look at his son in the red tinted capsule and left the chamber.

The young Carrotta was taken to an underground lab, where other alien scientists were busy typing data into computers and measuring liquids in glass beakers. Canta and Banan put Carrotta on a metal examination table. Carrotta shivered at the cold feel of the metal against her skin and the mechanical smell in the room. A doctor who looked like a pink octopus with two tentacles for hands, began to check her heartbeat, wright, height and power levels.

“Looks like she has no physical nor mental deformities,” the doctor stated. “She’s in good condition like any other Saiyan. And of course, her power level is higher than average.”

Canta further observed Carrotta and typed in notes on her device in front of her.

Frieza ignored the doctor’s work and strode over to one of his scientists, Raspbury. Unlike the other scientists, Raspbury looked more human-like in appearance, with graying hair, a white mustache, and thin square glasses over his face. He bowed when he saw Frieza.

“Greetings, my Lord,” he said.

“Raspbury,” Frieza nodded in response. “You requested to see the child?”

“Yes,” he replied. “With her level of power already strong, she could grow up to be very useful, not only in society, but also as part of your army.”

“Of course, of course,” Frieza sighed. “Tell me something I haven’t heard before. Why did you want her brought here in the first place? What other use could a Saiyan have for me?”

Raspbury grinned. “Ah, here’s where my theory comes in. We all know that you have been after immortality for quite some time.”

“If I want to rule the entire galaxy, then surely you must understand why I must not be able to die.”

“Completely understood, Lord Frieza. Which is why I’m thinking…immortality can be near impossible to achieve, even for an intelligent formidable leader such as yourself. If you were to die soon, wouldn't you want to be reincarnated?”

Frieza, formerly bored with the scientist’s lecture, leaned in closer. “Go on.”

“If we were to put some of your genes into the Saiyan child, then there’s a greater possibility that you could be reborn into her.”

Now, regular individuals who neither understood reincarnation nor believed it existed, would have laughed it off and dismissed the man as an odd lunatic. But not Frieza. For in the universe of Dragon Ball, reincarnation, Heaven and Hell, were all intertwined, and very much real. In fact, being brought back to life, or becoming immortal was not impossible like it was in the real world.

“My goodness,” said Frieza, impressed. “I actually never thought of that. I figured she would serve as another pawn in my forces. It would be beneficial for me to have…the ultimate backup plan, as it were.”

“Thank you, for your consideration, Lord Frieza,” said Raspbury. “When shall I start the procedures?”

“As soon as possible, of course,” Frieza replied. “You and your group of scientists and surgeons are known as the most professional and precise. Due to your efficiency, I conclude that you are to be trustworthy.” He then narrowed his eyes. “Make no mistake though…you know how intolerable I am of errors…”

Raspbury gulped quietly. “Understood, my Lord.”

Frieza grinned. “Take me and Carrotta to the back chamber. You’ll know what to do from there.”

Raspbury nodded and began instructing the other officials around him.

Soon, Frieza was lying down on an examination table surrounded by the alien scientists. After placing a mask over his mouth, Frieza drifted into unconsciousness. The octopus doctor rubbed alcohol on Frieza’s tail, legs, and feet. Needles were injected into his thick skin, and blackish blood flowed up into the syringes. Once it was all collected, the needles were removed and bandages were carefully placed over the wounds.

Frieza’s blood was then poured into separate vials and placed under a machine. The large microscopes revealed chromosomes and DNA which also appeared on the large computer screens near the front of the lab.

Meanwhile, Carrotta was busy fighting for her life. She screamed and kicked hard as the scientists trued to restrain her. Though she couldn’t go Super Saiyan, she was able to fly around the room, avoiding the hands and claws trying to grab her. She looked around the room, desperately searching for a way out. The door was locked and guarded by the octopus doctor. The overhead window was too small, even for her, to get through. The window was glass and revealed the front part of the lab.

''The window…''

With an earsplitting scream, Carrotta wailed at the top of her lungs, all her fear and emotions flooding to the surface. The window pane shattered and glass plunked against the floor. Several of the scientists were stunned, but quickly recovered as they glared at Carrotta. The naked baby flew through the hole in the window, dodging violet blasts from the ray guns the outside guards held.

Dodoria and Zarbon arrived at the scene, already aware of the plan in progress. They saw the scientists scurrying around, picking up books and putting vials safely on higher shelves.

“What is the meaning of this vulgar situation?” scoffed Zarbon. His light blue face scrunched in disgust.

Dodoria flexed her thick pink arms and moved her round head from side to side. “It’s a battle, that’s for sure,” replied Dodoria. “Frieza’s already inside, getting his genes transferred. That Rasbury moron thinks a mere Saiyan will be the perfect reincarnation for him. Hmph! He should know I’m a much better candidate.”

“You?” asked Zarbon crossing his arms. He brushed his green hair out of his eyes. “You’re nothing but a spiny pink toad in comparison to me. I am the epitome of grace and beauty! My body would be much more suitable for Lord Frieza.”

“You call me a toad, you self-centered punk?” growled Dodoria, leaning in toward him.

“What are you going to do about it?” Zarbon asked. “Frieza wouldn’t be pleased to find out that you beat me up. Plus it would bruise my wonderful face for days!”

Zarbon then scanned the room and pointed upward. “Besides, we have a more pressing matter on our hands.”

Carrotta zoomed in the air, dodging more blasts and hands coming her way. She rammed her fist at the rocky ceiling and bits of rock started to fall down to the ground.

“Somebody do something!” shouted Canta, losing her professional demeanor. “The cave will collapse if she keeps at it!”

“Besides, Frieza would kill us all and my reputation would be ruined,” added Raspbury.

Dodoria sighed. “I’ll handle this.” She flew up toward the ceiling, Zarbon following behind her.

''Boom, Crumble, Boom! Boom!''

The sound of Carrotta’s pounding fists echoed throughout the chamber. Carrotta could sense she was almost through. She could now fit through the hole she had made in the rock. Adrenaline and the will to survive pulsed through her veins. Screaming seemed to help.

Just a little further…just a little further…

Something rough and sharp suddenly gripped around her left leg tightly. Carrotta looked down and could see a bumpy thick hand curled around completely around her leg. In an instant, she was forcefully pulled back.

Carrotta whirled around and punched Dodoria repeatedly in the face, which didn’t seem to have much effect other than annoyance.

“You puny little brat!” spat Dodoria, showing her sharp teeth.

Carrotta blew her tongue at her and wrestled herself free. Both of Dodoria’s hands clamped tightly around her chest. Carrotta screamed again, her skin burning the lackey’s hands.

“Argh! Why you…”

Zarbon suddenly teleported in front of the duo and stared down at Carrotta’s furry brown tail, which was moving frantically from underneath. With one last burst of strength, Carrotta broke free from Dodoria’s hands.

Carrotta found herself being yanked back toward Zarbon. It felt like she was being pulled back by a large string attached to her. She looked and saw Zarbon’s hands gripping her tail tightly.

Black spots started forming across her vision, her power suddenly dropping.

Zarbon grinned. “So this is a Saiyan’s weakness. A good thing to keep in mind for the future.”

Carrotta struggled to free herself, but became completely helpless once Dodoria held her firmly once more.

Zarbon raised his teal hand and closed his fingers together. A blade of green energy emerged in a blade shape. His other hand held her tail in place.

Sheer terror flashed in Carrotta’s black eyes as she figured out what he was about to do. He quickly lowered his hand in a karate chop and the brown appendage fell to the floor with a soft messy thump. Raspbury looked at it in disgust and blasted it to ash with his hand.

Carrotta has never felt so powerless, so vulnerable in her life. First, her parents were nowhere to be seen. And now, she has lost her opportunity to escape from these monsters. Dodoria carried the helpless Saiyan to the back room, where a group of surgeons awaited.

“You put up quite the fight,” said Banan.

“But no more games this time,” added Cranbury. Raspbury came back into the room, sighing in relief.

The surgeons briefly discussed cutting off Carrotta’s legs and feet. Already, new biological replacements had already been made and perfected once the DNA was transferred into them.

Carrotta was placed on the cold examination table once more. Raspbury held a breathing mask and inched it toward her face. The mask was soon over her nose and mouth and fresh oxygen poured in. Then, there was the strong smell of anesthesia that not even a Saiyan could fight off.

“Nighty night,” mused Raspbury before Carrotta’s world immersed in silent darkness.

The first thing Carrotta saw when she came back into the world, was Frieza’s red eyes staring into her own. They appeared to have even more wickedness in them than usual.

“You’re awake,” he said.

Through drowsy, Carrotta’s senses slowly came back to her. All in all, she appeared fine. She moved her fingers, her eyes, her thick tail…

Something wasn’t right. Carrotta looked down and stared wide eyed. What had been cream colored human feet was now replaced by what looked like Freiza’s feet. She wiggled her strange new toes, three large ones extending from each pale foot. The lower and upper parts of her legs were also in the white metallic form of Frieza’s. She stared down at her new tail, a similar one to Frieza’s.

Frieza moved his tail in synchrony with her own. “Well? How do you like your new look, Saiyan?”

Carrotta could only respond with panic and heavy breathing.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it…and fast.”

The octopus doctor brought in a tray of food and a bottle of water for Carrotta. The tray consisted of lettuce pieces, bits of tuna, uncooked carrots, and pieces of chicken. There was even something mushy and green that looked like baby food in a separate cup.

Carrotta dipped her finger in the goop, smelled it, and instantly flinched.

“Eat up,” said Frieza. “Or someone else will force you too.”

Sure enough, the octopus opened up her mouth and dumped several handfuls of the gross material down her throat. Fortunately, her teeth were already strong enough to chew up the carrots.

Carrotta was finally finished, the strange tastes still lingering in her mouth.

“Very good,” said Frieza. “Get some more rest. You have a long day of physical therapy tomorrow.”

Physical therapy lasted for a week. Through Carrotta healed fast, it was still a grueling process. Her legs felt sore and weak as she was forced to do more and more push-ups, sit-ups, and weight lifting for hours on end.

Carrotta soon grew up and got stronger with every passing day. She was isolated from the outside world, the only thing to keep track of was her schedule. Day after day of training, eating, sleeping in an endless cycle. She was frequently mocked for her smaller size and hybrid body by the burly men who were also recruits for Frieza’s Army. “Mixed Monkey” was a common insult she heard. A few good punches to their groans made them quiet.

From running miles, to lifting grown men holding weights themselves, to getting up early at the sound of the bell at 5:30am…the torture never seemed to end.

“Where’s my mom?” she asked Zarbon, as he fired blast after blast for her to dodge.

“Dead,” he replied. “Killed by King Vegeta.”

“And my Dad?”

“Escaped to whereabouts unknown.”

“Please, can I go see the rest of the Saiyans outside?”

“What would be the point of that?” asked Zarbon, turning up his nose. “Even filthy primal brutes like them wouldn’t want to witness a hybrid freak like you.”

Carrotta stared at her lower parts in disgust, giving Zarbon the opportunity to hit her point blank in the chest. She groaned and gasped in pain.

“Better luck, next time,” he said.

“I’m not a freak!” she spat, but Zarbon had already left her behind.

In another instance, several years later, she was locked into a small dark room, surrounded by green creepy Saibamen. Nappa had told her that Prince Vegeta went through a similar fighting simulation.

As the green aliens launched themselves at her, Carrotta wacked several of them to the side with her long white tail. Though the training was hard, Carrotta couldn’t deny the pleasurable “in the zone” feeling provided by her normal Saiyan genes. She landed a series of punches at them, knocking each one to the ground.

“Finish them off,” said Nappa through the overhead speaker in the corner.

Up until this point, Carrotta had never learned how to kill another living being.

“Stop standing there like a dud!” shouted Nappa. “Kill them or be killed. It’s how it works.”

Carrotta glared at the green seedling creature on the floor in front of her feet. The Saibamen growled at her, but was also wheezing in pain. Another Saibamen looked at her with fearful eyes.

Flinching after Nappa yelled again, she turned away and fired a blast, consuming the creature in front of her. One by one, she blew apart the other Saibamen lodged in the wall.

She wiped away tears as the lights came back on. She stretched and waited until the metal door rose up and opened. Nappa stood with his arms crossed.

“You were 15 seconds slower than last time. You cannot wait that long, or their blow themselves up on you!”

Carrotta nodded.

“Do it better next time, kid. I’m off to check on the prince’s progress. Nappa stomped off, while Carrotta wandered off to her small room with a bunk bed inside. Every day, she wore the same dark red training uniform with Frieza’s logo on the front. She was expected to keep her uniforms clean and ready to use each day. The food at the dining hall was at mediocre standard, even for a food-loving Saiyan such as herself.

Several hours later, she got a message on her green scouter she wore over her left eye. Frieza was requesting her presence in the palace atrium. She was also told, for some reason, not to bring her scouter with her. Carrotta stood straight and took several deep breaths as she entered the hallway with the high roof and stained glass windows jutting out in the side walls. Frieza stood in the center of the room, his feet blending in with the white marble floor. In front of him were two snake-like guards who stood between a figure on their knees.

Frieza spread out his arms and walked over. “Ah, Carrotta, what a pleasure it is to see you.”

The young Saiyan child remembered to respectfully kneel before him. The last time she had met with Frieza, she later got whipped by Dodoria for not bowing. “Same here, Lord Frieza. You called me here?”

“Yes, indeed. I recently got a report from Nappa that you were fighting Saibamen for the first time?”

“Y-yes my Lord. Though the first time, they were robotic versions of them.”

“It is my understanding that your previous exercise was your first time executing living things?”

Carrotta nodded solemnly, staring at the ground.

“Answer me, Saiyan.”

She looked back up. “Yes, my Lord,” Carrotta quickly said. “My very first time.”

“Nappa said that you hesitated after fighting them…and he also said that…you were crying?”

Carrotta stood straighter, clenching her fists. “With all due respect, I did not cry. It was simple a new situation for me to adjust to.”

“In battle, there is no time for hesitation,” explained Frieza. “When there’s an enemy in front of you, you kill them. Without mercy. End of story. You will have to have thicker skin if you want to be prepared for your mission to invade other planets. Which I guarantee, will come sooner rather than later.”

“I understand sir.”

“Do you now?” asked Frieza, a slow grin forming on his face. “Let’s see how loyal and comprehensive you really are.”

Frieza nodded to the guards who then grabbed the figure and held them in place. The cloth obscuring their head was removed, revealing the face of…

“Carrotta?” he asked.

“How do you know me?” she asked, surprised to see the face of a Saiyan.

“I’m Lettus, your father.”

“What?” she asked, surprised.

Based on his thick black hair and kind-hearted eyes, the man did, indeed, look like him. Carrotta rushed into his arms, despite him being a stranger to her. His embrace felt a bit awkward, but it was what it was. They soon separated.

Carrotta didn’t know what to say. “Is mom around?”

“No. King Vegeta killed her.”

“How did you escape? Frieza told me that my mom was killed by King Vegeta. But he never mentioned anything about my dad.”

Lettus went silent for a long while, unable to answer.

“Dad, please, I need to know…”

“Enough talk for now,” said Frieza. Carrotta it’s time that you’ve proven your loyalty as a warrior in my army. Now kill your traitorous father.”

Carrotta was taken aback. “N-no. Why would I…”

“You need to learn who’s on your side and who’s not,” said Frieza. “Apparently, your father and mother brought you into the birthing chamber because…well…they didn’t want you.”

Carrotta shook her head. “Enough with the brutal jokes, Lord Frieza. Now let my father go and I’ll do whatever else you want.”

“What I want from you, is a demonstration of your loyalty to me. Now how long are you going to test my patience?”

Panic appeared in Lettus’s eyes. “Don’t listen to him. He made me do it. He made me come here…his men just dragged me and kept me in a cell for days.”

“Why…did you abandon me?”

“I didn’t abandon you. I don’t know. I don’t even know…”

“KILL HIM NOW!” Frieza bellowed.

Tears fell from Carrotta’s eyes as she stood defiantly still. “Not happening.”

“I love you, Carrotta!” called Lettus. “Always remember that!”

Frieza growled and conjured a purple death beam from his finger. Before Carrotta could react, the beam shot straight through the Saiyan man. He gasped and collapsed dead on the ground.

“AUGH!”

Carrotta stared at the dead Saiyan in front of her. Unable to contain herself any longer, she swipe kicked the two guards and bashed their faces with her fists. Both guards fell to the ground, unconscious. Carrotta stood over one, a sphere forming from her hand. She panted heavily as her hand shook. “What h-have you done? M-my dad…how could you?!”

Though tempted to blast the guard into oblivion, she, instead smashed a giant hole into the floor next to her. The orb faded from her hand.

Frieza appeared in front of her and flicked his fingers at her face. The Saiyan hybrid was thrown back against a marble column by his power.

She briefly yelped in pain before landing hard on the ground. Frieza’s shadow hovered over her from as he walked closer. She glanced up at her displeased master. He grabbed hold of her red shirt and lifted her up. From the looks of his red eyes, she knew she was about to face an unpleasant punishment.

However, “unpleasant” would later be an understatement.

Carrotta was forced to run five miles across rocky terrain in the heat of the day without stopping. It was much harder than simply flying in the air. Whenever she started to use her powers, or if she stopped, electric shocks ran through her body from the wires that dug into her skin. She desperately wished she could rip them out, though she was warned that the volts would be stronger if she did so.

After a five minute session of painful back whipping, Carrotta also had to endure the worst and final punishment: no food for two days. Despite the food tasting bland, it was still better than none at all. The only thing that was worse than a brutal beat down, was starvation for a Saiyan.

When her punishment was finally over, she inhaled the rest of her food down, ignoring the laughs and catcalls from her male comrades nearby. In her single room on her bunk bed was the only appropriate place that she could cry…

“They’re turning me into a monster,” she thought. “All because King Vegeta was worried that I’d surpass his son! Why does this have to happen to me? My mom is gone…and now…my dad. I have no family…”

The only thing that soothed her was the dreams she had of chocking the lives out of Frieza and King Vegeta, her hair golden like the legendary Super Saiyan she had heard in myths. She figured it would be impossible to attain such a form, though fantasizing about it kept her sane and motivated for the time being.

Five years of endless cruel training…when would it ever end?

''‘You may be enslaving me, Frieza…but I’m getting stronger each day because of you. And King Vegeta, you may have tried to kill me, but I’m still alive, right under your royal nose. You will rue the day you killed my mother.’''

“That should teach her some proper respect,” said Frieza, the next day as he watched Carrotta during her usual weight lifting from a screen.

“May I ask, my Lord,” asked Raspbury. “Why lie about her father anyway?”

Frieza smirked. “Oh you mean when I ordered Carrotta to kill the Saiyan and she didn’t? Well, we know that her real father died from King Vegeta’s blast. It is safe to assume that both her parents would’ve retrieved her, eventually, were they still alive. They probably waned what was best for her. Saiyan birthing capsules contain special nutrients and other substances that help with healing and development, similar to the rejuvenation chambers. The brute I killed was a random Saiyan called Burcol that my men captured. Carrotta was only an infant when her parents died, thus she wouldn’t remember what her father looked like. We ordered Burcol to pretend to be Carrotta’s father. How else would she properly be toughened up and learn to follow my orders?”

“Very harsh, even for you,” the scientist muttered.

“What was that?”

“N-Nothing, sir,” said Raspbury.

“There was a reason why I ordered Carrotta not to bring her scouter with her. Had she worn it, the data on the device would’ve told her that the man, was not, in fact, her late father.”

“Indeed,” Raspbury nodded, shortly going back to work afterwards.

It wasn’t long before Carrotta was assigned to her first mission by Frieza. Carrotta entered into the hall and bowed on one knee. A Saiyan male and two other green aliens bowed with her. The group of four was ordered to “clear Planet Ryce of all civilization” to make it more profitable for the Acrosian descendants.

This wasn’t the first time that Carrotta had to work together with other individuals. Carrotta had learned how to work with her fellow teammates, (though they disliked working with the “freak.”) It was during a duel against Nappa and Vegeta in a protected area not too far from the palace. Vegeta and Nappa won, of course, but Carrotta did get some brief satisfaction by punching him in the face.

However, this was her very first mission. Surprisingly, she felt excited, exhilarated even. Now she was finally free to explore the outside world after years behind steel walls. She climbed into a space pod, along with her comrades, and lifted off into space. Seeing the dark reaches of space with stars all around filled her with both fear and wonder.

The aliens on Ryce were easy to take care of. They were little thin white aliens who specialized in water technology and growing beautiful gardens. However, once Carrotta and Grass fired ki blasts at them, their gardens soon resembled black crumbling material. They didn’t need to go Great Ape that time, mostly because the planet’s three moons were all crescent shaped. Carrotta sighed and stretched as she and the others stared down at a pile of white bodies.

“That was pathetically easy,” she stated.

“Since when were you so eager to kill innocent beings?” asked Grass.

“Let’s just say…I’ve been having problems with our self-proclaimed lord of the universe.”

The green alien twins hurried over to them, with fear on their faces. Both their green scouters beeped with a message.

“Planet Vegeta has been hit by a meteor!”

“We just received this message now.”

“How could that be?”

“Where will we live?”

Grass looked downcast, disbelief on his face.

“Are…you sure this isn’t some kind of joke?” asked Carrotta.

Grass shook his head. “Well, looks like we’ll have to make due on this planet, I guess.”

“We burned up all the food and the people here, idiot,” said one of the twins.

“We wouldn’t want to disappoint Lord Frieza, would we?” asked the other twin.

Carrotta had a gut feeling that there was more to this random message then at first glance. In the distance, she could see one of Frieza’s soldier hovering around in the air. Carrotta suddenly took the scouter off her face and smashed it against the ground.

“What are you doing?” asked Grass in disbelief.

“All of you, stay here,” she ordered.

“We’re supposed to be working together,” he replied. “You’re not in charge.”

“Just do what I say and gather all the food you can.”

Before Grass could reply, Carrotta took off at full speed into the air. As she flew closer, she could hear the blue-skinned soldier laughing under his breath.

“Frieza blew up Planet Vegeta…serves those Saiyans right! Now to destroy this random planet…”

“WHAT DID YOU SAY?!”

The soldier gasped in shock as Carrotta flew at him at top speed. He barely had time to process the situation before a fist shot straight through his gut. H sputtered and spit out blood.

“Is that true?” she asked. “Frieza destroyed my home? But why?”

The soldier just weakly laughed before falling still. Disgusted, Carrotta blasted his body into smithereens with a yellow blast. Screaming in anger, she launched a golden sphere down toward the planet, causing the entire landscape to crack apart. Carrotta blinked back tears and flew off just before the planet exploded behind her.

Her gut suspicions had been confirmed. For all those years, she suspected that Frieza held some kind of grudge against the Saiyans. Once she had learned that she was to be used as a tool for Frieza’s reincarnation…she almost blasted apart the lower half of herself.

Filled with newfound rage, Carrotta flew off into space back toward the direction of her homeland. As she got closer, emotions stopped her in her tracks. What used to be the prominent red Saiyan planet, was now a bunch of rubble, spreading out from a recent explosion. The orange light spread out, almost blinding her. She moved closer, dodging the floating debris. Gasping, she saw Frieza himself, laughing manically in his floating chair above his ship.

“Carrotta!” called one of the soldiers.

“It’s that Saiyan freak!” called another.

The commotion was enough to make Frieza glance over in her direction.

Something inside Carrotta snapped.

She flew at the soldier who called her a freak and punched him hard in the throat. An alligator soldier in armor charged in her direction, but she blasted him aside with energy from her hand. A third soldier tried to sneak on her from behind, but she shot out her hand and gripped tightly at his throat.

Carrotta saw Frieza fly over in her direction, still in his chair-like pod.

“FRIEZA!” she bellowed. With a swipe of her arm, a blade of golden energy slashed at several soldiers in a row, killing them instantly. The other soldiers of Frieza had perished from the blast.

“Well, well, Carrotta,” said Frieza, malice in his eyes. “What brings you here? Failed in your mission, I suppose?”

“Why…did you…do it?” she panted.

“Do what? Whatever do you mean?” he asked with a grin.

“YOU DESTROYED MY ENTIRE RACE!”

“Why of course! I can’t risk any of the Saiyans rebelling against me and trying to overtake my place.” He narrowed his eyes. “That includes you, too.”

Carrotta blasted aside the remaining members of the Frieza Force and took off. Frieza teleported in front of her and held out his hand. Carrotta’s body became paralyzed as purple wisps of energy surrounded her.

“You know I could easily kill you right now after what you just did to my men,” he scowled.

Carrotta closed her eyes. ''‘So this is it, then. I’m born a freak and now I die a freak. So much for this crazy life.’''

“But I have a better idea.”

Frieza lowered his hand and suddenly flew away in his white device. As he moved further away, his power on her lessened. By the time she was able to fully move, Frieza had already reached his ship.

“Where are you going?!”

“I have more worlds to conquer,” he replied. “I think this will be a suitable last punishment for you. Quite fitting, really; a broken Saiyan among the remains of her broken planet!” He let out a loud maniacal laugh and entered into the ship. Carrotta fired several blasts, but they were useless against the strong surface of the ship. In the blink of an eye, Frieza and his ship sped off into the distance and disappeared. All that was left around her were the floating debris from her planet…and several floating bodies of former soldiers.

Carrotta raced off in the direction of Frieza’s ship…hour after hour, after hour. At least it seemed like hours. Or perhaps it was days. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t seem to catch up. There was nothing but stars and pieces of debris around her. Carrotta felt like a navy warrior who lost her ship and was lost with no islands in sight.

The hunger…the pain…the grief…

It overwhelmed her. She grew weaker and weaker as time went on, and the hunger she felt was agonizing. As she floated in space, she wished that Frieza had killed her outright during that moment.

37 years passed…or was it 47…Carrotta had no way of keeping track of time.

She figured that the only reason she had lasted this long in space, was due to Frieza’s genes within her. Even his genes seemed to mock her at this very moment. Carrotta briefly considered ending it all right then and there. Killing herself would erase the hunger and the traumatic memories that still flashed in her head.

Yet something kept her from doing so. Maybe it was a natural fear, fuel by the need to survive. But Carrotta kept moving as she constantly thought of the two individuals who had made her life a living hell: Frieza and Vegeta. Sure, death would be satisfying, but if she could get her revenge…then perhaps staying alive longer would eventually be worth it.

What was that faint sense of power? Carrotta opened her eyes and could sense some energy, not too far away. It felt…familiar somehow, but she didn’t know who it belonged to. Dread crept into her as she thought that Frieza had already achieved his dream to rule over the universe. Though she felt incredibly dizzy and weak, she flew slowly toward the strange presence. She breathed heavily and tried to focus on anything else but her agonizing hunger.

''Follow the energy, get food…follow the energy, get food….''

She repeated the phrase to herself in her head, the only thing that kept her going. She flew for what seemed like hours until finally, she came across a blue and green planet shaped like a sphere. The energy was now stronger and clearer. With an extra boast, Carrotta flew straight toward the planet, briefly thinking it was solid. Running into a colorful wall wouldn’t help anything. Faster and faster, she descended, the land masses and oceans growing larger in her vision. Just when she realized what was happening, she crash landed into the ground with a loud thump. The impact hurt her body all over, and surely would’ve killed her had it not been for her Saiyan strength and Frieza’s genetics.

Coughing up dust and dirt, she shakily inched forward, trying not to move too fast. All she felt was pain: sharp jabbing pain, dull pain, soreness all over…and then the hunger came back. Cuts, bruises, and dirt caked her skin and her red battle clothes were torn up.

''Thirsty…hungry…tired…hungry some more…''

Finally, Carrotta managed to stand up and carefully climb up the short rock ledge. She stood up and saw the large crater she had made during her fall. Overhead, the sky was light purple.

Out of nowhere, she started to giggle like crazy. She spoke in a low hoarse voice, “Hey, Frieza, I found another planet for you! Heh heh! Too bad I ruined it when I went ker-splat!”

She giggled and panted one more as she crawled over to a puddle of dirty water. As soon as the water touched her lips, she remembered how wonderful water tasted, and how dry her throat was. Before long, she gulped down several big slurps of the murky water. It tasted warm, grainy and earthy, but it wet her dry throat well enough.

She spotted a forest that was away from the dirt landscape she was currently on. She stumbled toward it and then fell flat on the new soft grass. To her left was a bush with light blue berries growing on it. She reached out her hand and plucked several of them off the branches, popping them into her mouth. She swallowed them and nearly choked as they moved down her throat. Soreness swelled in her throat as she coughed some more. When it finally stopped, she breathed deeply, stood up, and continued onward.

Berries after berries, she gathered and ate. At one point, she ended up eating poisonous ones and felt stick to her stomach for hours.

A bitter cold wind grew in intensity as the sun set in the west. The Saiyan shivered as she jumped over logs and pushed aside branches hanging in her way. She almost decided to rest under a bush, when she spotting something dark up ahead. Could it be…yes, it was a cave!

Carrotta jogged toward the large opening, relieved to be out of the cold. She sighed in relief and plopped her head against something soft and furry. A nice comfy bed, thank goodness!

A low growl rumbled near her ear. Peering in the dark, Carrotta could see a faint outline of a yellow eye opening up. She stepped back as the thing stood up on its hind legs. A sharp clawed paw slashed across her chest and knocked her to the ground. The growl turned into a roar. Carrotta ran as fast as she could out of the cave and heard deep footsteps pounding on the forest floor after her. She turned her head to look and saw that she made a brown bear very pissed.

Carrotta let out a curse word and tripped over a protruding tree stump. She stood up and proceeded to jump…several feet into the air. Why run when you can fly. The bear opened its mouth to reveal sharp white teeth and saliva dripping down from the maw.

“I can’t be food, I need food,” she mumbled over and over. She clutched at her stomach as the gashes opened up.

The bear swiped at her again, Carrotta narrowly avoiding another hit.

How could she fight off a bear? She could use the thick log over there as a club…but her muscles were already weak. Could she flee? Sure, but where else would she find a cave.

In midair, she practiced using her fists. She snapped her fingers multiple times. “Think think…”

A spark flew from her right fingers after the fifth snap.

“Oh, right, I have powers!”

Remembering her previous moves, she conjured an ever growing yellow blast and hurled it at the bear’s direction. It hit the animal square in the face and blew up. The impact knocked Carrotta against a tree, her body sliding to the ground. She groaned and slowly lifted herself up, using the tree for support. She wondered in the direction of the bear, which was now dead. The face wasn’t recognizable anymore. Carrotta turned away in disgust at the smell of burning flesh, but then her stomach protested in a loud gurgle.

Carrotta looked at the still bear again…and realized how fortunate she had become.

After gathering wood and making a fire with her power, she gobbled up all the bear meat she could (which really was, all of it). Temporarily satisfied, she wondered back into the cave for a much needed nap. Yet…why was she still hungry? An entire bear wasn’t enough? Well, the one thing that could temporarily stop hunger was sleep…and that’s exactly what she did.

As the days went on, she grew stronger, thanks to eating more predators and training by herself. She used leaves, moss, and anything else she could find to patch up her wounds. Thankfully, she eventually healed up, though the scars remained. She felt like she was living the lives of her Saiyan ancestors before the Saiyan Tuffle war. The 40 year long hunger never went away, but at least she could get some food and water. The cave floor wasn’t very comfortable, but it still made her feel secure after floating in space for so long.

Every day, she trained herself, vigorously to be a strong as the distant energy she had felt in space. One quiet night, she stared up at the not so full moon. Now that she had thought about it, the energy signature was very similar to Vegeta’s. It was sort of like King Vegeta’s…though much more powerful.

“FRIEZA! VEGETA!” she bellowed at the top of her lungs. “YOU’RE GONNA PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID!”

She broke down in tears as rain poured onto the ground and drenched her thick hair. Even free from her master, her training remained grueling as ever. Then again, she had never felt so liberated in her life.

Carrotta forced her way into the city, wearing her usual brown furry pelts that her ancestors wore generations ago. The Saiyan stared at the purple sky above her and the cold wind that brushed against her skin. ''‘Is it always this cold here?’ ''she wondered. Strangely, it only seemed to be cold within the area of the city and not from the outside. She glanced and saw a large machine toward the side that was blowing ice cold air all around the city. “Welcome to Planet Dare-y” was posted on a sign and below it read: “City of Cream.”

''‘No cream or food around here!’'' she grumbled to herself.

Carrotta had discovered that there were, in fact, sapient people on this planet and that they were capable of space travel. Though, their culture and atmosphere looked vastly different from the Saiyan society she knew. For one, these people had white skin, commonly pink hair and seemed to have strange names: Yogur, Lecha, Provalon, to name a few. They were known as the Hinyuseijins or Hinyuses for short. Their technology wasn’t as advanced as the Tuffles, but their culture was still different from Earthling society. It was true that they had a strong military, but they had no desire to conquer other worlds. Like Saiyans and Tuffles, the beings could power up and shoot energy with enough training. Unlike the Saiyans who valued fighting, and the Tuffles who valued technology, the Hinyuses didn’t have a preference for brains nor brawn.

What they did enjoy was art…lots of it.

Carrotta wondered whether her eyes would go blind after looking at so many colorful displays of sculptures, paintings, and neon graffiti on the walls every which way. Anything that could be built, presented, or showcased, the citizens loved to do. They even had a king of their own, though he seemed oblivious to the needs of the poor.

Ignoring the stares and soft gasps from the aliens, Carrotta made her way through the bustling city. She wasn’t used to seeing towering pristine buildings or vehicles every which way. Some vehicles traveled in the air, some underground, others moving across cobblestoned streets. She also saw some spaceships in the distance. Many of the aliens wore traditional Chinese dresses and suits. Others wore futuristic spacesuits in tye dye colors. Images of koi fish appeared to move on the surface of a suit as it was displayed in a store window.

Marching toward a group of men by the spaceships, she demanded to them: “Give me your best spaceship and make it take me in the direction I want to go.”

The alien men stared at her, confused. One of them stepped forward. “Ma’am, these ships aren’t to be used by ordinary civilians. They are part of a project only by authorized…”

Carrotta cut them off by forming a red fireball from her hands. Terrified of her powers, they let her pass. When one of them shot her multiple times in her back with a gun, he was stunned that they didn’t leave a mark. Carrotta slowly turned around, seeing the man step back. She threw a volley of blasts at him and the alien fell backwards, dead on the ground. The other aliens fled away.

She got into the ship, finagled with the controls, and soon took off. The journey would be a long one, but fortunately, this ship was also equipped to fly long distances and put the user in a long term sleep. Before long, she had crash-landed in the Capsule Corp. Gardens. She opened her eyes, shook her head and stepped out.

According to the data on the ship, she had landed on a planet called Earth. Earthling culture and atmosphere looked vastly different from the Saiyan society she knew. The technology was mostly used for conventional means rather than fighting and conquering other planets. The King Furry man who governed the city did not appear to be as harsh as King Vegeta was. Currently, there were no fighting in the streets nor armies marching around. Just Earthlings without tails and low power levels wondering around without a care in the world.

And the gravity…it was much lighter on Earth. She almost felt weightless at once point, but quickly grew accustomed to the new atmosphere of Terra. The sky was blue, unlike the magenta sky she briefly observed through the round circular windows of her former cell. Birds chirped around her and trees stood green and lush. Green grass and water were everywhere. Compared to the barren place of her home, this felt like a foreign kind of paradise.

Or it would be paradise if her race were still alive…it would be paradise if Frieza lay dead before her.

She emerged from the wrecked ship and saw two people staring with shocked expressions on their faces. One was a woman with short blue hair and nice clothing. The other was a man wearing a blue battle uniform and white gloves. His hair was spiky and black. Carrotta looked longer and gasped. It was the same hairdo that King Vegeta had possessed.

Part 2: Carrotta’s Vengeance 

( * ) ( * )

Letting out a yell, Carrotta rushed at the Saiyan prince, grabbed him and slammed him against a nearby wall.

“Are you Vegeta?” she asked, teeth barred.

Vegeta wasn’t the least bit fazed. “Yes. What do you want?”

Her reply was her fists impacting against his face. After a moment, Vegeta scowled and pushed her off with a ki blast.

Future Trunks rushed onto the scene, unsheathing his sword and swinging it at the Saiyan. Carrotta dodged the blows and even managed to stop the sword’s movement with her hand.

“You dare hurt my Dad!” Future Trunks scowled. “Who are you?”

Carrotta smirked. “Vegeta’s worst nightmare.”

“Hey! Lady!” shouted Bulma, marching over closer to the fight. “You’re interrupting my relaxation time after our victory party for Universe 7. Leave!”

But of course, Carrotta didn’t listen.

A young kid Trunks watched the fight from afar.

“Get her, Dad!” he called. He looked at his future self and scratched his head in confusion. “He look just like me…why is that?”

Out of nowhere, Goku teleported to the area, wearing the same orange gi, blue shirt, and combat boots. He looked around in confusion. “Hey guys! Wait…where did everyone go?”

He then noticed Trunks protecting Bulma while Vegeta and Carrotta still fought. Just as Vegeta was knocked backward hard to the ground, Goku grabbed hold of his dark blue shirt with one hand.

“Bulma, Trunks, grab on!”

They complied and soon, the four characters vanished to the Lookout, where the Namekian, Dende, waited for them.

Yelling in frustration, Carrotta pointed at her ship and blasted it to bits with a ki blast.

''‘Now that bastard won’t get a chance to use my ship to escape,’'' she thought.

“Get ready,” warned Dende as he spoke to the Z Fighters. “That rascal Saiyan is coming up from below.”

After searching for several hours, Carrotta pinpointed Vegeta’s signature at a white Japanese themed building on a circular structure in midair. Just as she was flying upward, she was blocked by Krillin, Android 18, and Yamcha, who stood waiting for her.

“Get out of my way!” she shrilled in anger.

“We won’t let you harm Vegeta!” cried Krillin. “Destructo Disc!”

A sharp energy disc flew in Carrotta’s direction, though she dodged out of the way. Yamcha conjured a spirit ball, but Carrotta blocked it with a blast of her own. It was only when Android 18 came in that she had an equal opponent to fight.

Both women punched in rapid succession, in an intricate dance of dodging, hitting and blocking in the air.

Carrotta grinned, fuel by adrenaline and the thrill of fighting. “Fall, Android!”

Android 18 dodged more of her attacks.

Carrotta soon blasted Krillin and Yamcha to the side, narrowly avoiding 18’s fists. The Saiyan got hit several times in the face and gut, reeling back. The mixture of pain and adrenaline through her body…was something that her body had apparently missed out in space. It felt invigorating to fight and do what her cells urged her to do. Wrapping her tail around Yamcha’s neck, she tossed the warrior aside who started falling to the ground with a yell. Yamcha was curled into a ball, catching his breath before Krillin carried him up to safety on the Lookout.

“Monster,” 18 scoffed. “You’ll pay for attacking my Krillin!” 18 flew toward her with an enraged scowl on her face. Then she stopped short as a light rapidly grew in Carrotta’s hand. The energy ball grew larger, until the Saiyan held it with both of her hands.

Carrotta prepared the pink ball of deadly energy, leaving a stunned 18 in her wake. 18 had never expected her power to rise unexpectedly. Carrotta was about to fire it when…

“ARGH!”

Carrotta yelped when a series of forces pushed her back and toward the ground below. Tien, the three-eyed human warrior, had come to the rescue. His hands were in a triangle shape, aiming a Tri-Beam directly at her. She yelled, as her clothes got torn up and the impact left her weak and bruised. She managed to slow herself down with one hand before falling to the ground.

Having no other choice, the Saiyan was forced to flee.

“Let her go, Tien,” said Goku as Tien was prepared to attack again. ‘She won’t be bothering us for a while.”

All the Z Fighters soon left the Lookout and returned to their daily lives. The sun began to set behind the hills. Blind and disoriented, Carrotta spotted a nearby bush and lay down on top of it. The pricks and stabs at her back from the bush were nothing compared to the last surprise attack by Tien. Conserving her energy, she soon passed out. Back at the Lookout, Dende observed her actions from afar, ready to warn the Z Fighters of her next move.

During the windy night, Dende and the divine authority figures noticed the strangest phenomenon occur.

“Very strange,” Dende said to Shin, the Supreme Kai.

“It appears that gateways have appeared all over the place,” Shin replied. The two of them observed the event through a glass orb.

“What do we do?” asked Dende.

“Wait until it stops,” Shin replied. “Supreme Kais never get involved with the affairs on mortal worlds.”

“There are exceptions,” Dende countered, looking through the glass. “And this appears to be one of them.”

Bubbling holes in the fabric of reality started to randomly appear in different places. The portals started to form against the night sky, the outlines glowing white. Then they started to pop up in various places; on the ground, in tree trunks, in a river, even making a hole in a village hut (which was thankfully empty).

One if these portals happened to appear underneath the very bush that Carrotta had been sleeping on. She woke with a start, only to find herself falling through the hole and into the space between dimensions.

“It’s that Carrotta Saiyan!” gasped Dende. “She just fell through one of the portals!”

“Hope she’s alright,” Shin mentioned.

“Alright? She tried to kill us!”

“Well, we won’t have to worry about that anymore, huh?”

( ( ( O ) ) )

Dazzling chaotic colors and glass surfaces flew past Carrotta in a blur. At one point, the area went dark, and she thought she was back in space. Another moment, the entire world went white. She could hear no sound, but at least she wasn’t hungry anymore.

''‘Will I have to stay here for another forty years? Please, no. Don’t make me starve again!’''

A small portal opened not too far away, and she dived through it.

Carrotta was in the stands, overlooking some kind of fighting match among the cheering crowd. The two contestants below appeared to be two young boys holding red and white balls. Lights shone from both of them and two creatures emerged from each one. One was an orange salamander with a flaming tail and the other one was a yellow-furred animal with electricity coming from its tail.

A gong sounded and the two critters began to fight.

“Pikachu!” yelled the yellow animal, rolling in a circle in the air and then shooting lightning from his tail.

Charmander the salamander stumbled back from the attack, soon covered in soot. He swiped his tail in front of him, sending a curve of flame that raced toward Pikachu. Pikachu ducked under the blast and proceeded to get in a fighting stance.

Carrotta stood up to look around, and began to walk down the stairs. Not paying attention she lost her footing and tripped…falling through another portal that had popped up.

Spotting another one, she flew through it, this time witnessing Final Fantasy characters planning a battle. One of them spotted her and glared in confusion. A portal appeared above her head and Carrotta jumped through it.

''‘This is going to be a doozy,’'' she thought. ‘How will I get back to my own time?’

This time, three portals appeared in front of her. Sighing, Carrotta chose the middle one…and soon wished she hadn’t.

She found herself in a high school hallway where a teenager with short black hair was using his powers to wave open a row of lockers in front of a woman. The woman had black hair with a blue streak in it.

“My Goku, how impressive,” said the woman. The boy flexed his muscles and winked.

What?

The scene abruptly switched and then showed the same boy crying over his dead grandfather’s body. Changing the scene again, the boy was turning into a monstrous creature while facing a green alien that looked like a Namekian.

Then…

“Shenron!” called the teenage boy to a dragon shape in the clouds. “Please bring Yamcha back to life!”

A man with short black hair woke up and the teen hugged him. An older man stood with them, looking through a magazine.

''‘What the…what is this?’''

Later, she witnessed the teen boy using his powers to lit and extinguish a circle of torches.

Questions rampaged through her mind. ''‘Why didn’t he bring his grandfather back? Is that technique supposed to work? Wait…why is his hair glowing yellow?!’''

The woman with black hair leaned lovingly against him, and took him on her motorcycle.

“Urgh, I’m getting out of here,” said Carrotta, racing ahead until she found another portal.

Many years later in the Dragon Ball Z world…

The last portal opened on a grassy field, and a weary Carrotta emerged. On the Planet of the Kais, Shin noticed her appearance and peered through the glass orb in front of him.

“It can’t be…”

Shin closed his eyes and spoke telepathically to Dende.

“A random Saiyan has appeared through a portal in a field,” Shin said to Dende. “She looks similar to the woman that the Z Fighters fought many years ago.”

Dende’s eyes widened. “You can’t mean that wild Saiyan who tried to kill Vegeta?”

Shin sighed. “I’m afraid so. Warn the other Z Fighters and head to the Lookout as fast as you can.”

“I’m on it, Shin-sama,” Dende replied and broke the connection.

Nearby, Popo, the attendant of the Lookout, was watering flowers in a nearby planter. He noticed Dende’s concerned expression.

“What’s the matter, Dende?”

“We have an emergency,” he replied, in a shaky breath. “Shin-sama sent me a message and said that the Saiyan Carrotta has returned.

“Oh, I think I’ve heard of her,” Popo replied. “Isn’t she the one who went crazy and tried to kill Vegeta?”

Dende nodded.

“This isn’t good. Hurry and summon the Z Fighters.”

Dende walked off, getting ready.

“And make sure that no other fighters destroy the Hyberbolic Time Chamber again,” called Popo. “I’m getting tired of fixing that thing.”

Dende sent each of the Z Fighters a telepathic message, closing his eyes.

“Oh, you mean that Saiyan freak who tried to kill me earlier on?” asked Vegeta.

“Oh, no, not her again,” complained Krillin.

“I thought she was dead,” said Android 18.

“I thought she was kinda hot,” said Android 17.

“Really?” asked Goku. “She was quite a strong fighter, but she looked a little on the old side.”

“Goku!” yelled Bulma. “Quit calling women old!”

“Yeah, you tell him, Bulma,” rooted Yamcha.

“I don’t recall you being invited into the conversation,” Bulma remarked.

“Dende communicated with him from the distance,” explained Piccolo. “So I guess even Yamcha can be useful.”

“Hey!” Yamcha argued.

Piccolo continued, “If what he said is true, if this rogue Saiyan has returned for revenge, then we’ll need as many fighters as we can.”

“Ooohh, I’m getting excited!” squealed Goku.

Tien sighed. “Classic Goku for you.”

“Dad, don’t get your hopes up,” said Gohan. ‘She looks pretty dangerous.”

Vegeta then spoke. “Bulma, go make sure that Future Trunks and Mai get to their timeline safely.”

“I’m on it,” she said, and soon left.

“What do we do now?” asked Yamcha.

“What are we waiting for?!” asked Vegeta. “Hurry to the Lookout and let’s send that Saiyan to Hell!”

It wasn’t long before the Z Fighters arrived to the Lookout.

Part 3: Carrotta’s Transformation 

( * ) ( * ) ( * )

“Carrotta has returned!” Dende warned as he hurried over to the group. “She appeared to have been sucked into a portal and has now returned to the regular time line.” Goku, Vegeta, Krillin, Gohan, Yamcha, Tien, Android 18, and the others raced to the Lookout to meet the Saiyan. Carrotta stopped short in the air when she saw that the fighters had already been prepared to meet her.

“I don’t know why this random Saiyan is after me,” muttered Vegeta to Trunks from a distance out of sight.

“We saw how powerful she was the last time I saw you guys fight,” mentioned Trunks. “I recommend hiding until we finish her off.”

“No way!” he argued.

“Do you want to get beat up again?”

Trunks got shoved by his father in response, seething. Reluctantly agreeing, the Saiyan Prince took a breath and hid behind a white wall that was part of the Lookout building.

Carrotta narrowed her eyes when she didn’t see Vegeta anywhere.

“Where is Vegeta?” she demanded. No one answered.

Krillin walked over to the Saiyan and got into a defensive position. Carrotta glanced at a bag that Krillin was holding in his hand.

“What’s that?”

Krillin hid the small sack behind his back. “Nothing.”

In a flash, Carrotta teleported behind him and swiped the bag from his hands. Senzu Beans tumbled out. Carrotta grabbed a handful of them and shoved them into her mouth.

“That’s ours!” said Krillin in anger. “Damn you!”

Vegeta stood against a white wall, hiding his ki and peering out. His eyes widened when he noticed Bulma march toward the Saiyan.

“Leave us alone you brute!” she chided. “You dare mess with my husband, you also mess with me.”

Without warning, Carrotta lifted Bulma into the air and put her in a chokehold. She gasped and struggled to break free.

“VEGETA! GET OUT HERE AND FACE ME, OR ELSE YOUR WIFE WILL FEEL PAIN THAT WILL MAKE HER BEG FOR MERCY!”

The Saiyan bellowed at the top of her lungs. Piccolo, Krillin and Yamcha charged after her but she knocked them all to the side with a burst of force.

Rage flooded Vegeta’s head, the same feeling he had felt when facing Beerus after he had hit Bulma.

“NOT MY BULMA, YOU BITCH!” he roared.

Vegeta charged out, closely followed by Goku. Both men turned Super Saiyan God, their hair turning red.

Carrotta let go of Bulma in surprise, the blue-haired woman gasping for breath.

Carrotta was too slow to react. Goku rammed into her in the front, Vegeta landed punches to her head from above.

Carrotta pushed Goku away and charged at Vegeta. Vegeta landed a hard punch to her cheek, sending her falling down through the air with a yell. She steadied herself conveniently on the top of Korin’s tower. She peered down and saw the same green beans that had tasted so good earlier.

In a frenzy, she flew inside and grabbed hold of a bunch of Senzu Beans that were huddled in a pot.

“Hey!” Korin called with a hiss. “Those aren’t yours to take!”

Carrotta laughed out loud and shoved the beans into her mouth.

''More…more…just a few more…''

Yajirobe tried to block her way, but the Saiyan shoved the fat young man aside, sending him flying into the dirt.

Digging through the dirt, Carrotta grabbed the remaining Senzu Beans. Korin and Yajirobe rushed to stop her…but Carrotta had already gulped the beans down. For a moment, she didn’t feel any different as she caught her breath. The Z Fighters moved in to attack, surrounding the delinquent.

Then…

The hunger…the pain…all the agony she had felt for 40 years…was gone. She didn’t expect that her hunger would be satiated like that. She had previously thought that she would only feel satisfied for a short time, like when she had eaten other food.

But this…

This warmth…

This energy…

THIS NEW POWER!

The Z Fighters watched, stunned, as Carrotta’s ki rose at an exponential rate.

Her hair flickered from black to golden, electricity sizzling around her. The newfound strength and transformation process made her scream louder than ever.

Carrotta had turned Super Saiyan.

Memories flashed through her head, memories of fear, pain and hatred. She finally remembered why she had hated Frieza, Vegeta, and his father.

Fueled by pure emotion, Carrotta charged at the two Saiyans. The next moments were filled with yelling, teleporting, and rapid punching. Carrotta’s yellow aura clashed with the red auras of Goku and Vegeta. A burst of force from her knocked Trunks, Tien, Krillin, Piccolo, and the Androids back.

Despite her new power and rage, Carrotta was no match for the two Saiyans. Goku and Vegeta fired a Final Kamehameha at her, and she was unable to avoid it. Carrotta screamed as black spots danced across her vision.

Carrotta powered up even further, ignoring the burning pains in her body. In a last attempt, she pummeled her fist into Vegeta’s gut, holding nothing back. The prince gasped in pain and shock, his hair turning black.

“Vegeta!” Goku cried as he fell down to the Lookout floor in a heap.

“Yes, YES! I finally have you now!” Carrotta shrieked in triumph. She rushed downward toward Vegeta, who was crawling away, trying to avoid her.

A sudden strong tug caused Carrotta to stop short. The pain quickly increased to the point of becoming unbearable. She glanced and saw a green hand gripping her brown tail firmly. Piccolo. He had used the same technique that Goku had used to defeat his older brother long ago.

Letting out a pained groan, Carrotta’s hair changed to black and she soon passed out.

Piccolo carried her to the Lookout and proceeded to drip her on the floor.

“That was too close,” mentioned Goku, who had landed back on the Lookout.

“Let’s kill her now,” added Vegeta as he stood up.

“No, wait,” said Bulma, who walked over to the Saiyans. “There’s something peculiar about this woman. Not just her personality, but her appearance as well. Let’s take her back to my place so we can get some answers from her.”

Trunks came over and observed Carrotta’s white tail and legs in disgust. “Looks like a female version of Mecha Frieza,” he said. “I’m guessing her rage and genes from Frieza’s race gave her extra strength.”

“But why would she eat all the Senzu Beans?” asked Gohan.

“Good idea,” said Piccolo. “Though I don’t know how soon Korin will be able to plant new Senzu Beans.”

“Ah, he’ll figure it out,” said Goku. “We still have plenty of time to train before then.”

“Yeah, and when she wakes up?” asked Vegeta, glaring at Goku.

“She won’t be going anywhere for a while,” replied Bulma.

“She’s right,” said Krillin. “That blast must have done a lot of damage. I can still sense her ki, but it’s pretty weak.”

“She’ll wake up eventually,” said Tien. “We better get her to Capsule Corporations.”

The group, save for Dende, followed Goku downward back to the city below.

The black world slowly turned into a world of gray. Opening her eyes, Carrotta observed her new surroundings. Metal walls. A small bathroom in a corner. A dark green bunk bed, that which was currently restrained to. The metal braces on her wrists and ankles surged with electricity, no doubt made by Bulma to withstand Saiyan strength for a time. Carrotta could tell that she didn’t have enough strength as of yet, to break free.

The door to the far left clicked open and in stepped Bulma. Goku and Trunks stood guard outside. Bulma wore a casual white lab coat, tight blue jeans, and a shirt with the Capsule Corp. logo on it. A nearby soft chair was positioned to face the Saiyan, and Bulma took a seat. Pulling out a clipboard and pencil, she prepared to take notes.

“Where the heck am I?” asked the Saiyan.

Bulma didn’t yell at her this time. Instead, she regarded her in a calm manner, hiding her feeling of anger underneath.

“You’re in a containment area underneath Capsule Corporation.”

“Let me go. What do you want?”

“I want you to answer some questions for me.”

Carrotta glared defiantly.

“You said your name was Carratta, right?”

Carrotta nodded.

“Why did you come to Earth?”

“Circumstances.”

“You’ll have to be more specific.”

“I came from Planet Vegeta, and landed here to survive.”

The scribbling of a pencil could be heard.

“Alright, that’s good enough,” said Bulma. “Now, then, why do you hate my husband so much?”

“That doesn’t concern you,” Carrotta spat.

“Yes, it certainly does,” Bulma retorted. “You’re lucky that Goku and Vegeta decided to let you live.”

Carrotta remained silent.

“I’ll ask again,” said Bulma. “Why do you hate Vegeta?”

“Vegeta and his scumbag father,” said Carrotta. “They made my life miserable back home.”

“How so?”

“Enough to make me want to end that Saiyan Prince.”

Bulma sighed. ‘This is getting us nowhere.’

“Look, I get that Vegeta can be selfish sometimes, but he’s a good person at heart.”

“Tch. Good person?” Carrotta scoffed. “More like an asshole thanks to his father wanting to kill me.”

“Why do you look partially like Frieza?”

“None of your damn business!”

Bulma proceeded to slap her in the face. “Quit being rude and I might just let you go.”

Both of them knew Bulma was lying.

“Did someone experiment on you? What for?”

“How should I know? I was too young to remember.”

Oh did she remember it, though. The moment when she was forced to the metal bed and restrained until she was put under. The horrifying moment when she woke up to find the devious Frieza staring at her like she was an upgraded tool. Never knowing her parents or any real family. And, of course, the vile man who started it all: King Vegeta. Those horrible memories always came back to her whenever she saw Vegeta’s arrogant face.

“Well then,” said Bulma, standing up. “Looks like we can stop for now. You’re not going anywhere until I get more answers. I’ll be back later on.”

Bulma left the room, double-locking the door behind her. Carrotta tried in vain to free herself, but then decided to reserve her strength. Fortunately, she was served food (albeit gross prison food and lukewarm water) and did have bathroom breaks under observation.

Days went by.

Even if she could use her powers, she could get past the Z Fighters from the outside, who took turns keeping watch.

One quiet afternoon, Vegeta and Bulma left to go shopping. Goku was due to arrive any moment to keep watch, but he was currently taking his sweet time training. Sure there were security cameras perched in every corner, but Carrotta could be long gone if she moved fast enough.

Carrotta took a deep breath and clenched her fists, yelling as she tried to power up. She channeled all the anger and hurt she had felt during her imprisonment…which was enough for her to break free.

SNAP!

SNAP!

The braces broke free from her wrists and ankles. She got into a running position, and then, with a “YAAAH!” kicked down the metal door.

Before making her getaway, she stumbled up some metal stairs, the air getting warmer as she ascended. She wondered into a nearby kitchen, one of many in the large house. She opened the door to a fridge and grabbed all the food she could find; frozen vegetables, cheese sticks, sushi rolls, and even leftover vanilla ice cream. Soon, she was full and satisfied, but she couldn’t stall any longer. She looked to her left and spotted a large window leading to the outside world.

Flying into the window, the glass shattered as she broke through. She had just flown into the air out of sight when Goku landed down in front of Capsule Corps.

“Huh?” he asked scratching his head. “Who broke this window?” He walked into the kitchen and let out a cry of despair. “Somebody stole all our food! Bulma’s not gonna be happy.”

Carrotta flew over the city, searching for her mortal enemy. She gazed at the crowd, some of them bipedal animals. A bush of black spiky hair caught her attention. And right next to the moving black hair in the crowd was a tuff of light blue hair. She had found them!

Fighting the urge to charge, Carrotta slowly lowered herself to the ground further behind them, to blend in with the crowd. She could see Bulma talking to Vegeta while both of them help shopping bags. From the looks of it, Vegeta was already getting bored.

'' ‘This time, I will finish you off once and for all.’''

She was about to land a hit on him when suddenly, the wind howled at high speeds. Carrotta shielded her eyes from the blowing dust and debris. The citizens noticed as well, and began to scatter away from the strange source. The source was a dark swirling tornado that had appeared in the middle of the street. Strangely enough, it didn’t seem to be naturally made. In fact, the tornado wasn’t causing any destruction; it was only staying in place. Carrotta was the only one left to witness the sight. Everyone else had fled, including Vegeta, to Carrotta’s disappointment. Carrotta wondered if her eyes were playing tricks on her, because the tornado started to morph into a human-like shape. The wind died down, leaving only the standing figure.

A figure that was clearly not human.

It appeared to be a beast…or rather a combination of beasts molded into one animal. The first thing Carrotta noticed was the featherless wings sticking out from the creature’s back. It was like someone had attached naked chicken wings onto this thing. The creature’s body was covered in fur, scales, and feathers all at once. Black energy surged from the creature as if trying to separate the different parts of the creature. There was a great possibility that this beast could survive in air, on land, and underwater.

What was this creature doing here?