The disc-shaped warship lay half-buried in Namekian soil like a fallen moon, engines dead, hull cracked open in a dozen places.
Vegeta stood on the bridge, golden aura dimmed to a calm halo, arms folded.
Below him, every surviving crew member knelt in perfect rows.
No one dared look up.
The mushroom-headed logistics chief Appule's superior, the real shadow administrator of the Frieza Force knelt at the front, voice trembling but steady.
"Lord Vegeta… the Ginyu Force arrives in less than three days. When they discover Lord Frieza is… no longer with us…"
Vegeta's tail flicked once.
"Let them come."
He stepped forward.
The deck plating groaned under his boots even though he weighed no more than before.
"By the time they land, I'll be done warming up."
A ripple of terror passed through the kneeling aliens.
They had just watched their emperor die screaming in a star.
They knew exactly what "warming up" meant.
Vegeta's gaze swept the room.
"From this moment forward, the Frieza Force has a new name."
He let the silence stretch.
"The Vegeta Empire."
No one dared breathe.
"You keep your ranks. You keep your ships. You keep your lives."
His voice dropped to a whisper that somehow filled the entire bridge.
"But you answer to me now. Disobey, and I'll erase you the same way I erased him."
He turned to the mushroom-headed chief.
"You. What's your name?"
The alien swallowed hard.
"K-Kui, my lord."
"Kui. You're promoted. Acting Supreme Commander until I say otherwise. Keep the machine running. Keep the secret. Buy me time."
Kui's forehead touched the floor.
"Yes, Lord Vegeta."
Vegeta's lips curved into the old princely smirk, now edged with something divine.
"Good."
He walked to the main viewport, staring out at the green planet that had just become the birthplace of a new era.
Three days.
Three days until the Ginyu Force arrived expecting Frieza.
Three days to push Super Saiyan further.
Three days to decide exactly what kind of emperor he wanted to be.
Behind him, the kneeling aliens finally dared to exhale.
They had served a tyrant who ruled through fear.
Now they served a god who had killed that tyrant with his bare hands.
The difference was academic.
Fear was still fear.
And the golden prince at the window was already stronger than their wildest nightmares.
Vegeta spoke without turning.
"Prepare the gravity chamber on the main ship. Crank it to five hundred times standard."
Kui's voice cracked. "F-five hundred, my lord?"
Vegeta's reflection in the glass smiled.
"And set a course for Earth when we're done here."
He flexed his fingers.
Golden sparks danced between them.
"One more day," he whispered to himself.
"One more day, and even the legends will look small."
Outside, Namek's twin suns continued their eternal dance.
Unaware that the balance of power in the universe had just shifted forever.
And the new center of that power wore golden fire and a Saiyan crown.
~~~~~~
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