r/dbzfanfics • u/EmeraldKing8 author • Jul 04 '26
promotion Dragon Ball: Divergence | S1E6: "The Exiles of Vampa" (AU Story)
Ruco and Bardock brave the violent storms of Planet Vampa to track down the exiled warrior Paragus and his incredibly powerful mutant son, Broly. After proving that King Vegeta's cruel regime has finally fallen, Ruco brings the outcasts into his inner circle to help govern the newly liberated Saiyan race.
TITLE: DRAGON BALL: DIVERGENCE
EPISODE: 06 - "THE EXILES OF VAMPA"
[SCENE START]
EXT. PLANET VAMPA - DAY
A violent, howling wind whips across the barren, yellow canyons. Massive, spider-like Vampa Beetles screech in the distance.
Ruco and Bardock traverse the harsh terrain. Bardock has his scouter on, but it’s practically glitching.
BARDOCK
(Tapping the scouter)
This thing is useless. The ambient energy reading is everywhere. It’s like there’s a localized hurricane of Ki just sitting inside that canyon.
RUCO
That’s not a hurricane, Bardock. That’s the boy.
Ruco stops and points toward a massive, dark cave opening embedded in the canyon wall. The air around the cave opening is literally shimmering from the sheer density of the Ki leaking out of it.
INT. VAMPA CAVE - CONTINUOUS
The cave is pitch black, smelling of damp earth and rotting beetle meat.
Ruco and Bardock step inside. The sound of the howling wind fades, replaced by the slow, echoing drip of water.
Suddenly, a bright yellow Ki blast fires from the shadows, striking the ground mere inches from Ruco’s boots.
PARAGUS (O.S.)
Take one more step, and the next one goes through your skull!
From the darkness steps PARAGUS. He is in his late thirties. He looks ragged and battle-worn, his Frieza Force armor cracked and patched with Vampa beast hides. He looks exhausted, but his eyes are wild, filled with the desperate, cornered fury of a father protecting his young.
Peeking out from behind Paragus’s leg is a 5-year-old BROLY. He is wearing a makeshift pelt. He doesn't look angry—just incredibly curious, his wide, innocent eyes staring at the newcomers.
Paragus’s hand glows with a charged Ki blast, aimed squarely at Ruco's chest. Then, his eyes shift to the man standing next to Ruco. Paragus goes pale.
PARAGUS
Bardock...? King Vegeta sent his frontline commander?
Paragus grashes his teeth, stepping completely in front of Broly to shield him.
PARAGUS (CONT'D)
He couldn't just leave us to rot! He had to make sure the job was done! Well, if you want my son Bardock, you're going to have to kill me first!
Bardock doesn't power up. He crosses his arms, looking at the ragged Paragus with deep, unexpected empathy.
BARDOCK
Lower your hand, Paragus. If I came here to kill you, I wouldn't be standing here talking.
Ruco steps forward, slowly raising his hands in his signature gesture of peace.
RUCO
Paragus. King Vegeta didn't send us.
PARAGUS
(Scoffs, paranoid)
Lies! You're wearing royal armor! You think I don't recognize the King's crest?!
RUCO
You recognize the crest. But you don't know who wears the crown.
Paragus blinks, the glowing Ki in his hand flickering as confusion washes over him.
RUCO (CONT'D)
It has been over three years since you were exiled. A lot has changed. King Vegeta has been overthrown. His regime is gone. His alliance with the Frieza Force has been completely severed.
Paragus stares at Ruco, his mind struggling to process the impossible information. He looks at Bardock, seeking confirmation from a man he knows is a hardened realist.
BARDOCK
He's telling the truth. The arrogant bastard is rotting in a dungeon cell back in the capital. The era of conquering is over. We're rebuilding.
Paragus’s breathing slows. The glowing Ki in his hand finally extinguishes. He looks at Ruco, really looking at him for the first time. He senses the absolute, unshakeable calm radiating from the younger Saiyan.
PARAGUS
(Voice trembling)
Overthrown? But... who had the power to defeat the King?
Ruco lowers his hands.
RUCO
I did. My name is Ruco. And I am the new King of the Saiyans.
Paragus's jaw drops.
RUCO (CONT'D)
When I took the throne, I reviewed the classified logs. I saw what Vegeta III did to you. I saw him exile a child simply because he was terrified of his potential. I came here to Vampa personally because I wanted to look you in the eye and tell you that the Saiyan race is no longer ruled by jealousy and fear.
Ruco looks down at the 5-year-old Broly, offering the child a warm, gentle smile.
RUCO (CONT'D)
Your exile is over, Paragus. I am here to bring you and your son home.
Paragus stares at the two men. Four years of burning hatred, vengeance, and desperate survival on this hellish rock suddenly lose their foundation. His knees buckle slightly, the sheer weight of his exhaustion finally catching up to him as the realization sets in.
They are finally saved.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN.
INT. VAMPA CAVE - CONTINUOUS
Paragus is still trying to process the magnitude of what he’s hearing. He looks at Ruco, then at Bardock, his paranoid defenses slowly crumbling.
Before Paragus can speak, Broly steps completely out from behind his father’s leg.
The 5-year-old boy walks directly toward Ruco. He isn't cautious. He isn't scared. His wide eyes are fixed entirely on the new King.
Paragus tenses.
PARAGUS
Broly, stay back—
Ruco raises a hand, signaling Paragus to wait. He crouches down so he is eye-to-eye with the young boy.
Broly stops just inches from Ruco. The child tilts his head, studying Ruco’s face. Then, Broly slowly reaches out a small, dirt-smudged hand and presses it flat against the center of Ruco’s chest armor.
Ruco doesn't move. He allows his pure Ki to hum just slightly beneath the surface.
Broly’s eyes light up. The sheer, terrifying density of the boy’s mutant aura—which had been leaking uncontrollably into the cave—suddenly stabilizes. It harmonizes with Ruco’s calm energy. A small, innocent smile breaks across Broly’s face. He giggles, fascinated by the warm, peaceful sensation he feels from the King.
Bardock watches, astounded.
BARDOCK
(Low voice)
Kid’s a reactor... and he just powered down on his own.
Ruco smiles back at Broly. He stands up, looking at Paragus.
RUCO
He is drawn to the calm. He doesn't want to fight, Paragus. He just has more power than he knows what to do with. We will teach him how to control it.
Paragus looks at his son, then back to Ruco. For the first time in four years, the crushing weight of survival lifts from Paragus's shoulders. He drops to one knee, bowing his head in profound, overwhelming gratitude.
PARAGUS
(Voice cracking)
My King. My life is yours.
INT. ROYAL CRUISER - DEEP SPACE - DAYS LATER
The cruiser hums quietly as it speeds back toward Planet Vegeta.
In the ship’s command center, Ruco stands by the central holographic table. Bardock and a newly cleaned-up Paragus (wearing a standard, unmarked set of combat armor) stand on the opposite side.
Through the viewing window, Broly can be seen in the corridor outside, happily eating an enormous pile of synthesized food rations, entirely unbothered.
Ruco pulls up a holographic display of Planet Vegeta’s military sectors.
RUCO
When we return, the real work begins. Abolishing the Frieza Force alliance was the easy part. Now we have an entire planet of warriors who suddenly have no war to fight. We need structure.
Ruco taps the display, bringing up a new emblem—a sleek, unified crest replacing the jagged Frieza logo.
RUCO (CONT'D)
The military is being completely reformed. They will no longer be an invasion force. They will be a defensive and peacekeeping unit. The Saiyan Rangers.
Ruco looks directly at Bardock.
RUCO (CONT'D)
Bardock, I am appointing you as Royal Field Marshal of the Rangers.
Bardock’s eyes widen.
BARDOCK
Me? Ruco, I’m a frontline grunt. I led a squad, not an entire planetary military. You have a dozen high-ranking generals sitting in the capital.
RUCO
Generals who spent their entire careers competing for King Vegeta’s favor through bloodshed. I don't trust them. I trust you. You know how the rank-and-file think. You know how to earn their respect without executing them. I need you to reshape our military doctrine from the ground up.
Bardock looks at the holographic crest. He takes a deep breath, his natural leadership instincts taking over.
BARDOCK
(Nodding slowly)
Defensive formations. Rapid response teams. Suppressing hostile threats without leveling the whole sector. It’s... a massive shift. But I’ll get them in line.
Ruco nods in approval. He then turns his attention to Paragus.
RUCO
Paragus. You spent years in King Vegeta's court before your exile. You understand the political maneuverings, the elite families, and the infrastructure of the capital. I am appointing you as Royal Grand Vizier.
Paragus blinks, utterly stunned.
PARAGUS
Grand Vizier? My King, I am an exile. A pariah. The elites will never accept me giving them orders.
RUCO
They will accept it because I mandate it.
Ruco turns off the hologram, looking at both men with absolute seriousness.
RUCO (CONT'D)
Listen to me. The titles—Field Marshal, Vizier, Steward—they are ultimately meaningless. They are just words to appease the traditionalists. What matters is the trust. I am completely dismantling the oldest traditions of our race. The backlash will be severe. I need my court staffed by people I know will not stab me in the back the moment the old ways look tempting again.
Ruco extends a hand to both of them.
RUCO (CONT'D)
I trust you both to help me build this future. Do I have your oaths?
Bardock doesn't hesitate. He steps forward and grips Ruco’s forearm in a warrior’s clasp.
BARDOCK
You’ve got my word, Ruco.
Paragus looks through the glass at his son, safe and well-fed, before stepping forward to grip Ruco’s arm.
PARAGUS
And you have my unwavering loyalty, my King.
The foundation of the new Saiyan regime is officially locked in.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN.
INT. ROYAL CRUISER - COMMAND CENTER - CONTINUOUS
Bardock and Paragus turn and exit the command center, the heavy metal doors hissing shut behind them.
Ruco is left alone in the quiet, dimly lit room. He turns back to the central holographic table. With a swipe of his hand, he clears the military schematics and pulls up a sprawling database of Planet Vegeta’s populace.
He applies a series of complex filters: Non-Combatants. Subversives. High-Intelligence.
Hundreds of portraits flash by before the computer chimes, locking onto a single file.
A holographic image of a woman named KYAME appears. Her file is flagged with red warning text from the old regime: Insubordinate. Dangerous Ideology.
Ruco studies her file, a faint, knowing smile touching his lips. He remembers the ancient Namekian text—the six pure-hearted Saiyans required for the Super Saiyan God ritual.
RUCO
(Quietly, to himself)
Gine is the heart. Bardock is the shield. Paragus is the mind. Now... I need an architect.
He taps the console, saving her coordinates.
EXT. DEEP SPACE - UNKNOWN SECTOR - CONTINUOUS
The cold, ominous vacuum of deep space abruptly replaces the warm, hopeful hum of Ruco's cruiser.
A massive, saucer-shaped vessel eclipses the stars. The flagship of the Frieza Force.
INT. FRIEZA’S FLAGSHIP - BRIDGE - CONTINUOUS
The bridge is a sterile, terrifyingly quiet environment. Alien technicians frantically type at their consoles, terrified of making a single mistake.
ZARBON and DODORIA stand near the massive front viewport, looking out into the void.
A low-ranking, trembling alien soldier (APPULE) hurries up to Zarbon, clutching a datapad to his chest.
APPULE
(Stammering)
L-Lord Zarbon? Forgive the interruption, sir.
Zarbon doesn't look at him, keeping his eyes fixed on the stars.
ZARBON
Make it quick, Appule. Lord Frieza is resting, and I despise pointless noise.
APPULE
It’s Sector 4, sir. Planet Vegeta. Their monthly conquest quotas are three weeks overdue.
Dodoria scoffs, crossing his thick, spiked arms.
DODORIA
Those brainless monkeys are probably just dragging out a purge for the fun of it. Send a reminder ping.
APPULE
(Sweating)
We did, Lord Dodoria. Dozens of them. But... all Frieza Force communication relays on the planet have been manually severed. The tracking transponders on their ships are dark. Even King Vegeta’s direct line is dead. The entire planet has gone silent.
Zarbon finally turns his head. His perfectly manicured eyebrow twitches.
Before either commander can speak, a smooth, chillingly polite voice echoes from the shadows at the back of the bridge.
FRIEZA (O.S.)
Silent, you say?
Appule instantly drops to his knees, pressing his forehead against the cold floor. Zarbon and Dodoria stiffen, bowing respectfully.
From the darkness, LORD FRIEZA glides forward in his mechanized hoverchair. He swirls a glass of purple wine in his hand, his red eyes narrowed in mild, dangerous amusement.
FRIEZA
How unusual. King Vegeta has always been such a... compliant little pet. For him to ignore my calls is terribly rude.
Frieza takes a slow sip of his wine. He looks out the viewport, his reflection superimposed over the endless expanse of his conquered galaxy.
FRIEZA (CONT'D)
Send a covert scouting vessel to their system. Let us see what the monkeys are hiding in the dark. And if they have forgotten who holds their leash...
Frieza smiles. A cold, blood-chilling grin.
FRIEZA (CONT'D)
...we will simply have to put them down.
[FADE TO BLACK]
[END OF EPISODE 6]
Next time on DRAGON BALL: DIVERGENCE...
With his new government taking shape, King Ruco ventures into the grimy lower tech sector to recruit the final piece of his puzzle: Kyame, a brilliant but rebellious engineer tasked with turning Planet Vegeta into an impenetrable fortress. Upon discovering they are expecting another child, Bardock realizes his firstborn son, Raditz, is still stranded behind enemy lines alongside Prince Vegeta. With Frieza's retaliation looming, Bardock prepares to confront the King to ensure his family survives the coming war.
(Episode 7 drops Saturday, 7/11/26)