The freighter ascended from the desolate planet, its engines groaning as it pushed through the atmosphere. Raditz sat in the co-pilot's seat, the crystal artifact resting in his palm. The faint glow had dimmed since he retrieved it, but he could still feel its residual energy thrumming softly in his hand.
Zalor, piloting the ship, glanced over nervously. "So… what happens now? Is it as powerful as they said?"
Raditz scoffed. "No. It's not a weapon or a key to some hidden empire. Just a fragment of knowledge, a relic of a dead civilization." He tucked the crystal into a pouch on his armor. "But knowledge can be power if you know how to use it."
Zalor sighed in relief. "Good. Maybe this means Korrath will stop hunting us now that the artifact is out of play."
Raditz's smirk was grim. "No, it means he'll try harder. Losing this will only make him angrier." He leaned back, crossing his arms. "But he'll have to wait. I've got more important things to do."
The freighter's scanners buzzed, signaling the approach of several ships. Raditz didn't need to check to know it was Korrath's forces.
"They're here," Zalor said, panic creeping into his voice.
Raditz stood, stretching his shoulders. "Good. Let them come."
The attack was swift and brutal. Korrath's fleet, a trio of heavily armed cruisers, rained fire down on the freighter. Raditz leapt out into the vacuum of space, his ki forming a protective barrier around him as he darted between the enemy ships.
This will be my last fight with them, Raditz thought, determination burning in his chest.
He attacked with precision, tearing through the cruisers one by one. The Saiyan's ferocity was unmatched, and with each blow, he felt his power growing. By the time the last ship exploded, Raditz was battered but victorious, his armor scorched and his energy nearly depleted.
Back aboard the freighter, Zalor stared at him in awe. "You… you destroyed them all. You really are something else."
Raditz shrugged, wiping blood from his face. "They were weak. Korrath himself might be a challenge, but his lackeys aren't worth my time."
As the freighter neared a neutral spaceport, Raditz turned to Zalor. "This is where we part ways."
"What? You're leaving?" Zalor asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.
"I have a mission," Raditz said firmly. "And you'll only slow me down."
Zalor nodded reluctantly. "I understand. But… thank you. For saving my life."
Raditz smirked. "Don't thank me yet. If I fail, none of us will live long enough to enjoy it."
With that, he stepped off the freighter and onto the spaceport, blending into the crowd as he made his way toward his next destination: a stolen pod capable of reaching Namek.
The pod's interior was cramped, but Raditz barely noticed. His mind was consumed by the next phase of his plan. The crystal artifact sat on the console before him, its glow pulsing faintly.
Using the knowledge he had gleaned from it, Raditz spent the long journey refining his ki control and practicing new techniques. The artifact wasn't a source of infinite power, but it had shown him glimpses of forgotten methods ways to harness ki more efficiently, to fight with greater precision.
If I'm going to survive on Namek, he thought, I'll need every advantage I can get.
When the pod finally landed on Namek, Raditz was ready. He had suppressed his ki to near-undetectable levels, relying on his growing mastery of stealth to avoid drawing attention. The barren landscape stretched out before him, bathed in the planet's dual sunlight.
This is it, he thought, stepping out of the pod. The place where my survival begins and maybe the end of Frieza's reign.
But Namek was far from welcoming. As Raditz began his search for the Dragon Balls, he quickly realized he wasn't alone. Frieza's forces had already begun their campaign, and the power signatures scattered across the planet told him the Z Fighters weren't far behind.
Raditz clenched his fists. I need to act fast. One wrong move, and everything I've worked for will be for nothing.