"Uh, he's been doing great." Gine answered, confused by his question. "He's out of the incubator now and almost ready to be sent on his first infiltration mission if the recall is lifted."
Bardock remained silent for a moment. Then he asked, "Can I see him?"
"Huh?" Gine was taken aback. Now that was very unSaiyan-like for him.
Usually once Saiyans mated they went their separate ways, but she and Bardock were something different. They were one of the few to have actually formed an emotional bond through their physical coupling. But still, children were of no importance once they were conceived, especially weak ones, which were usually disowned. But not her, for Gine was far too empathic to be like any average Saiyan mother. Sure, it made her an outcast of their society to be so emotionally soft, but she loved her two boys regardless.
"Why do you want to see him?" She asked suspiciously, "Are you gonna tell me what's going on first?"
"Just let me see him, okay?!" He snapped at her, then collected himself and asked again more calmly. "I just... need to. There is something I have to tell you, but first, I need to see Kakarot. Can you take me to him?"
Now Gine was worried. She knew Bardock was as nonchalant as a Saiyan could be, no matter how bad things could get. She had seen him in battle, and even if it seemed like they were going to be killed, he kept on going as if it were business as usual. He only showed an ounce of concern if he ever saw her hurt, which was touching if she could make someone as steely as Bardock open up somehow. Seeing him now almost begging her to see his son, and admitting he had something to tell her, made her feel that something was very wrong.
"O-Okay, come with me then." She complied. Whether what he had to say was good or not, she was happy for the excuse to go see her son.
Hoping her coworkers and boss wouldn't mind her absence for a bit, Gine led Bardock through the streets of the capital city. The crowds here were very combative. She had to dodge in between street fights ranging between just two warriors to all out brawls that were breaking out. With so many Saiyans in one place, fights were bound to happen out here, but they had no time to join in on the fun.
Eventually, Gine and Bardock reached the main medical complex. All the doctors and emergency personnel were out dealing with the violence breaking out on the streets. The populace was getting restless.
Making their way through the maze of corridors to the nursery, she noticed Bardock looking around as if worried that others might see them. She didn't understand the paranoia, but hopefully he would explain once they saw their son.
"Here." Gine said as they reached the correct door. They could already hear the sound of their baby crying from inside.
Once the door opened, they saw Kakarot in his drained incubator, bawling his eyes out. He had quite a set of lungs, for his cry was almost ear-piercing which made Gine and Bardock wince. He even made the babies next to him start to cry too.
She felt bad for leaving him all alone in this place, even though the nursery had security systems and the robotic incubator that could attend to his every need. But hearing him crying from being alone without her always tore Gine's heart open.
"Hey, you." Gine said lovingly to Kakarot as she approached him.
Immediately he started to calm down, his sobs turning to whimpers and finally thankful cooing when picked up by the loving hands of his mother. She too felt all her fear and worries disappear when she held the most precious thing to her safely in her embrace.
She was amazed Kakarot had been able to get a mission in the first place. He was born with a battle power of only two, a power so low that he would not have made it past the incubation process alone. Being injected with vaccines for every known disease in the galaxy and having programs to kill all intelligent life on whatever planet they landed on implanted in their brains, it really took a toll on an infant. Raditz barely made it through his incubation after he was born, and he was far stronger than his younger brother.
Gine figured Kakarot must've inherited his curse of weakness from her. She never had the Saiyan fighting spirit and thus was never fit to be a warrior, let alone have the dignity of being called a Saiyan for being so weak physically and emotionally. It was why she was removed from the frontlines. She still did what she could to support the Saiyans crews by working in meat processing, but she knew that everyone thought of her as a disgrace to their species. Even Bardock thought so out loud sometimes. But he saw something in her that went beyond what a scouter said, something that really felt like there was a place in this universe for her. She treasured that. And from it, they spawned two sons. But Bardock still felt that they had been cursed by her weakness, especially for his youngest.
Yet, here he was, wanting to see him. Maybe there was something special about her boy after all.
"Well..." Gine turned towards Bardock with baby Kakarot in her arms. "Here he is." She said with joy in her voice as she held out Kakarot to him.
Bardock took hold of him and looked at his son intently. He was already a few months old and growing fast, and he looked so much like him. He had his untamable hair, sharp nose and cheekbones. But Kakarot had his mother's eyes, which she knew dismayed Bardock. Giving their son the face of a revoltingly gentle soul that resembled nothing like the thoroughbred warrior-to-be that Raditz was. And yet, there was something very special about Kakarot that Gine knew he had. And in that moment, it seemed like Bardock saw something in Kakarot too. For he was looking into Kakarot's curious eyes like it held the secrets of the universe within them. What was her partner thinking?
Kakarot whimpered from his father's rough touch. Bardock's expression changed to that of worry as he tried to calm his son down by holding him as gently as he could but was too late as the boy started crying again.
Bardock sighed in defeat and handed Kakarot back to Gine.
"You're not too good with kids." She chuckled as she her son back into her arms.
"Hn" was all Bardock said. He never took his gaze off of Kakarot, looking almost mesmerized.
"You know, I'm really glad you wanted to see him." Gine said. "Its not often a Saiyan father would ever want to see his children out of paternal feelings."
He looked back up at her, like he wasn't listening to her.
"Now," Gine said, her expression turning serious. "Are you finally going to tell me what's really going on with you?"
Bardock hesitated for a moment, looking around the nursery at the monitors and back out into the corridor.
"Right. Wait here." He said as he sprinted back out into the hallway. Gine thought he was just going to leave her standing there with Kakarot but he returned quickly.
"Come with me." He told her in a conspiratorial tone. She wasn't sure what he was up to but had the inclination that whatever it was, he was trying to keep discreet. But why?
Gine followed him back out into the corridor with Kakarot still craddled in her arms. They rounded a corner, and he motioned her into a doorway that led into a cramped broom closet filled with dirty cleaning equipment and reeking of disinfectant. It was a good place if one wanted privacy.
Bardock took one last look down both ways of the corridor and stepped inside, sealing the door behind him. Then he faced Gine, looking her in the eye as he spoke.
"Frieza is going to destroy our planet and kill us all."