Long time no see?!
More like never see you again!
Jaice felt his stomach drop, Frieza's mocking voice echoing endlessly through his mind like a recurring nightmare he couldn't wake from. His greatest fear—the one scenario that haunted his dreams—was being found by Frieza. Though he'd grown considerably stronger over the years, compared to the tyrant emperor, he remained nothing more than insignificant dust.
Jaice understood his place in the hierarchy all too well. Frieza would never forgive his betrayal.
The moment that image appeared on screen, his flushed face drained to deathly pale. His entire body trembled uncontrollably as denial warred with terror—he didn't want to believe what his eyes were showing him, yet the evidence stared back with cruel certainty.
"What's happening, Jaice?"
Burter and Angila rushed into the control room, their urgent footsteps skidding to a halt as they caught sight of the massive viewscreen. Both warriors froze mid-stride, their faces going slack with recognition.
"F-Fri... Frieza..." Burter's eyes went wide as dinner plates, his tongue stumbling over the syllables as if speaking the name might summon the devil himself.
Like Jaice, the blue-skinned speedster began trembling, old trauma resurfacing with visceral intensity.
"Quickly! Contact Earth—contact Master Raditz! Now!"
Angila had never served under Frieza's reign of terror, giving him the emotional distance to maintain composure where his comrades faltered. He immediately ordered subordinates to establish communication with Raditz for emergency orders.
But Raditz currently lay unconscious on the pristine grass of the Destruction God Realm, knocked senseless by Beerus' devastating blow. Goku and Vegeta were similarly incapacitated, sprawled nearby. The gentle breeze caressed their faces and tousled their hair, bringing peaceful comfort but no awakening of consciousness.
Repeated calls went unanswered, drowning in static. Jaice grew more agitated with each failed attempt, his panic mounting exponentially.
Finally, they managed to establish a connection to Earth. Bulma's face appeared on the main screen, replacing Frieza's haunting visage. The shift was so sudden and welcome that Jaice nearly collapsed with relief, his legs going weak beneath him.
"What's wrong? What's happened?" Bulma asked, immediately sensing the distress in their expressions.
"Miss Bulma, we have an emergency!" Jaice forced the words out through his constricted throat. "Frieza's army has reappeared in the universe! They're conducting systematic attacks on multiple planets, and their trajectory suggests they're heading straight for Galactic Justice League headquarters! You must inform Lord Raditz immediately!"
"Frieza?!" Bulma's eyes widened with shock, her hand instinctively reaching for the edge of her workbench to steady herself.
"Yes! You have to notify Lord Raditz as soon as possible—otherwise we could be completely wiped out!" Angila and the others genuinely believed Frieza and Sorbet were making a direct assault on their headquarters, their terror bleeding through every word.
"Wait, hold on!" Bulma raised her hands, trying to slow the panicked momentum. "Raditz is training in the God of Destruction's realm right now. I have no way to contact him there!"
"Then contact Lord Nappa! Lord Tarble! Anyone!" Jaice slammed his palm against the console in frustration, the force denting the reinforced steel surface. "We need someone!"
"Okay, okay, calm down! I'll get someone there right away!"
Sensing the genuine urgency, Bulma spun away from the screen and rushed to find Tarble. Nappa and Pepara might not be in optimal fighting condition at the moment, but Tarble remained battle-ready at all times—a warrior who lived for the next challenge.
Jaice and his officers desperately needed a Saiyan presence at headquarters. Though they had no concrete intelligence on how much stronger Frieza had become, having one of the legendary warriors would provide immeasurable reassurance. After all, Tarble had broken through to the mysterious Super Saiyan 3 state—far more powerful than even Nappa's Super Saiyan 2 form.
"Understood. I'm on my way," Tarble responded immediately after Bulma explained the situation, his voice carrying the calm certainty of a seasoned warrior.
Bulma hesitated, her maternal instincts kicking in. "Should we call Gohan as well? And what about Broly?"
"No need. I'm sufficient for this." Tarble's tone left no room for argument. "Someone needs to remain on Earth. With my brother and master absent, if an enemy attacks while our forces are deployed elsewhere, we'd be in serious trouble."
Internally, Tarble felt confident in his assessment. His current strength should be more than adequate to handle Frieza—no reason to strip Earth of all its defenders. With his decision made, he departed alone for Galactic Justice League headquarters to reinforce Jaice's position.
Elsewhere in the vast cosmos, another fleet advanced at high velocity through the stellar void.
Unlike Sorbet's ostentatious campaign of destruction and conquest, Tagoma's armada moved with calculated stealth. They'd neither destroyed planets nor allowed any observers to detect their passage. Instead, they glided through space using sophisticated cloaking nets, remaining invisible as they navigated toward their destination.
"Report to Lord Tagoma: Lord Sorbet has captured numerous planets and is proceeding directly toward Galactic Justice League headquarters. At our current pace, we're still two months away from our target coordinates. Should we increase speed to support his advance?"
"Accelerate? Unnecessary." Tagoma's eyes narrowed thoughtfully, his fingers steepled before him. "How long until King Frieza reaches Earth?"
"Based on current velocity calculations... approximately three months."
"Then we'll wait for King Frieza's arrival. When the time comes, we'll launch a coordinated assault from two vectors simultaneously." A cold smile played across Tagoma's features. "Sorbet is far too impulsive. If he wants to charge ahead recklessly, let him. Who knows what fate he'll meet?"
He leaned back in his command chair, recalling his emperor's specific instructions. "King Frieza warned that the Saiyans should never be underestimated. During this waiting period, I intend to train intensively. Don't disturb me unless the matter is critical."
Tagoma held Frieza's every word as sacred commandment, following each directive with religious devotion. Though privately he suspected his king might be overthinking the Saiyan threat, he refused to let his guard down or dismiss the warning. Frieza's caution was born from hard-won wisdom.
The tyrant emperor didn't know precisely how far the Saiyans had advanced during the years of his absence. While Frieza himself had grown exponentially stronger, those infuriating monkeys were undoubtedly training as well—their potential for growth was the very quality that made them so dangerous.
Tagoma entered his private training chamber, and the fleet continued its silent journey through space, maintaining a deliberately measured pace.
Meanwhile, Sorbet and his forces tore through the galaxies at breakneck speed, like a sharpened arrow aimed straight at the Alliance's heart. These were Frieza's elite warriors—they'd been utterly invincible since deploying, crushing every opponent they encountered. Victory had made them arrogant and reckless, drunk on their own perceived superiority.
Having tasted the sweet nectar of conquest, Sorbet had become increasingly excited and ambitious. In his fevered imagination, if he could conquer the entire Galactic Justice League before King Frieza even reached Earth, wouldn't that earn tremendous rewards? Perhaps even a promotion to a higher position within the emperor's inner circle?
Sorbet fantasized endlessly, laughing to himself in his private quarters, already spending rewards he hadn't earned.
"Lord Sorbet, we've entered another Alliance blockade sector!" One of his guards transmitted the tactical update.
"Excellent! Charge through!" Sorbet's voice dripped with casual cruelty. "Same protocol as before—not a single planet survives!"
The guards snapped to attention with military precision. "Yes, my lord!"
"I'm afraid I can't allow that."
Just as the guard pivoted to relay the order, an icy voice cut through the bridge like a blade of frozen steel. The presence behind those words carried overwhelming pressure—far greater than even Sorbet's aura—making it difficult to draw breath. The entire massive warship seemed suddenly trapped in a suffocating void, as if reality itself had been frozen. Every crew member's movements locked in place, only their hearts hammering wildly against their ribs.
Sorbet's eyes widened with recognition, and a name escaped his lips: "Tarble!" He'd studied the intelligence files extensively and recognized the Saiyan instantly.
"How did you get here?!" Sorbet's carefully laid plans crumbled instantly. He hadn't anticipated the Saiyans would take the initiative to strike first. Had those two traitors, Jaice and Burter, warned them?
Then another thought struck him, and his alarm transformed into eager excitement. This works even better! I'll score a major achievement right here! This was Vegeta's younger brother—one of the Saiyans King Frieza despised most deeply.
"Where's Frieza?" Tarble asked, his voice carrying dangerous calm as he completely ignored Sorbet's agitation.
"King Frieza isn't here, but I'm more than enough to handle you! Attack—eliminate him!"
At his command, elite fighters surged forward from all directions, converging on the lone Saiyan.
So Frieza isn't here after all. Tarble processed this information quickly, realizing Jaice's intelligence had been incomplete. His mind raced through possibilities. If Frieza isn't with this fleet, where is he? Does he have another objective entirely?
Paradoxically, Frieza's absence created more anxiety than his presence would have. At least facing the tyrant directly meant knowing what you were dealing with. This uncertainty suggested something far more calculated was at play.
While Tarble's thoughts churned, the wave of elite soldiers closed in, their attacks coordinated and deadly. Sorbet hung back near the rear of the formation, laser rifle charged and ready, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.
Tarble's expression shifted—a slight smile playing across his features. The air around him began to shimmer with building energy.
CRACK!
Golden light erupted from his form, the majestic power radiating outward in waves that swept through the entire warship.