One Month Earlier…
"I don't see why we can't just go in now and deal with Frieza now!"
Prince Vegeta let out a scoff at that as he munched on his food, not even bothering to look up. The small grassland moon they had found was full of fat juicy animals and the Saiyans had made quick work of taking down as much as possible so they could have a feast. It had been a busy month and they deserved that much. "And we'd be killed before we even got near him," he said as he grabbed a container of water and took a large swing before returning to the sucking the meat out of a shelled creature's tail.
"Come on!" Nappa declared, a half eaten green fruit the size of his fist held tight in his fingers. "Frieza never fights, you said it yourself! We go in and we'd probably be able to break his arms before he could say a word!" He grinned at that, clearly thinking about how wonderful it would be to hear the sounds of the Emperor screaming in agony. Raditz had to admit it was something he'd love to hear… would probably record it with his scouter and enjoy it while soaking in one of the water tubs.
"Use your head," the Prince snapped as he grabbed a large well roasted leg of… well, Raditz had no idea what the creature was called but he did know it tasted really good. Perhaps they should hold off wiping out their entire species… would be nice to have a regular supply. "Frieza is never alone! He has Zarbon and Dodoria always at his side! Do you think that they are going to meekly stand there while you attack Frieza? They are utterly loyal to him… to betray him would be like hacking off their own foot."
"We can take'em!" Nappa declared.
Raditz rolled his eyes at that. "No, we can't." He snagged a wing of some creature that had been scaly yet also had fur as well and sank his teeth into it. The bastard had been hard to clean and cook but it was worth it, as it had a good spice to it even without them doing much other than tossing it into the fire. "And then there is the Ginyu Force. Do YOU want to face those five?"
"Frieza wouldn't have the Ginyu Force around!" Nappa declared. "He only brings them to a planet if there are super strong fighters. There is no one around like that."
"Other than us?" Prince Vegeta said slowly, eying Nappa carefully.
"I… I didn't mean to say…" the older Saiyan stammered, realizing he'd stepped in it.
"No, you didn't. Just like you haven't been thinking things out clearly. We only get once chance at this and if we have any hope of taking out Frieza and gaining control of the Empire we MUST think things through carefully." He paused. "Because the moment we kill Frieza, King Cold and Prince Cooler will be alerted. If we do not have the Frieza Force on our side then they will wipe us out. But please, Nappa, if you wish to die so quickly you are more than welcome to go retrieve your scouter and let Frieza know what you are plotting."
Nappa turned and stared fearfully to the north. About four miles away they had left their scouters attached to some slow moving, rather lazy looking furry creatures. Despite then having long claws they'd only yawned and scratched themselves as the three had attached their scouters to the creatures before flying off. While it was possible to turn off the communication feature on a scouter there was a chance that someone at one of the Frieza Stations could flip it back on; they did that at times, just to make sure that no one was plotting or scheming. It wasn't common but occasionally someone would decide to quietly take one of the planets they were supposed to cleanse as their own and thus the random check ins would help catch them doing just that. Raditz himself had been sent twice to deal with such soldiers who thought to make themselves kings. And then there were the survivors of planets that they wiped clean who tried to infiltrate the Frieza Force and take it apart from the inside; it was always amusing to see just who of the new recruits would die first. Cui still owed Raditz after their last bet.
So the scouters were attached to the sleepy animals and would record that the Saiyans were sleeping if anyone activated any of their tracking features. As much as Raditz hated how everyone saw them as little more than savage brutes he was willing to use their own beliefs against them in this case.
When Nappa made no move to leave Prince Vegeta shook his head. "I thought not." He looked at the two of them with narrowed eyes. "We will need to choose our moment… and keep this quiet. We can not rely on anyone else to do this, only the three of us. So I suggest you keep your mouths shut."
"Of course," Raditz said, a touch annoyed at the Prince was speaking to him like he was any other soldier in Frieza's army. 'We have fought side by side since he was 5 years old and yet that means nothing to you. My father proved to be the most successful squadron leader in his generation. King Vegeta honored him by placing me as a part of your squad. I was meant to be your advisor and ally… and yet you treat me like I am little more than hired muscle.'
He didn't say a word of that, however. If he had Prince Vegeta wouldn't have bothered attacking him, choosing instead to send Nappa after him. The loyal lapdog, bond by his promise to a dead man that could never say it completed, never attempting to rise up in the ranks by proving his strength. And they had all seen how having him be the Prince's shadow had affected Vegeta, preventing him from truly understanding how the world worked.
'He believes that he is destined to lead purely because of his birth. King Vegeta could bring to submission any who dared tried to stand against him and they would show their honor by falling into line. He knew that they would continue to plot his downfall and used that to motivate himself to grow stronger. That is how it is supposed to work. Offer a hand to your fallen foe but know they would always be a threat so you needed to continue to strive to grow stronger. But if Prince Vegeta ever suspected that I was attempting to take command from him he would see me killed in an instant!'
"But Vegeta," Nappa said and Raditz wondered if the man noticed how much the Prince HATED how familiar the bald headed saiyan was with him, "would it not be better to try and have others fight with us?" He grinned. "I'm-"
"You have something stuck in your teeth."
Nappa blinked, his boast short-circuited by that, and Raditz chuckled softly as the large man hurried to removed the bit of stringy meat that had gotten caught between his two front teeth. When that was done he began again, trying to build up his bluster but failing. "I'm sure there are plenty who are tired of groveling to Frieza. And if not I'm sure I can… convince them… to join up." He pounded his fist into his open palm.