Mia: Devotion

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Ix'bet sat deeply into his chair, mulling over the mission that he had been assigned to with his young protege. It was late in the night, and the light from the stars and moon shone into the Talisian's unlit room. He had been living in the Barracks for some time now with Ume - ever since they'd released him - and he missed the luxury of space. While his room was larger than most in the Barracks, it was relative. Barracks are designed for functionality. He sighed softly as he rose from his chair. They weren't to depart until much later in the evening. He knew he should sleep, but was simply too anxious to do so. He tried to shake the feeling, but it had buried deeply into his gut and refused to release. They were quite prepared - they were to be given new armour, they were well stocked with incapacitating substances in various holders and injectors, they had a landing site well away from the countryside and city in which the Saiyan population lived, and had been monitoring human communication for a while. They'd also made an important discovery from the blood sample from Gohan - the so-called humans that had attacked Talis were actually Saiyan half-breeds. Ix'bet knew that there were quite a number of Saiyans on Earth. At the very least, there were six that he had positively identified: two Originals, another adult male who looked like a full-breed, and three half-breeds. All of them looked to be proper breeding age, so there could be more. He also remembered the fact that they'd somehow resurrected Serori, and assumed that they very well could have brought back Sekkai or any number of previously destroyed Saiyan children. For that matter, they could have resurrected anyone. The odds made the Talisian nervous. He was also fond of the child. He did not doubt Ume's ability, however he feared that the odds would be stacked too high. Ten high powered Saiyans against a Talisian outcast and an enhanced child? Ix'bet would feel more secure if more warriors were being deployed as well, but it would be too suspicious for a subterfuge mission. It would be helpful when it came to the inevitable battle, however. Thus far, only Yu'tai had been assigned to aide them. Ix'bet pushed these thought out of his head. He had to be confident when around Ume. No child feels confident or secure if their parent is not. He only had put on that act until they were nestled into their space craft, and then the cryogenic suspension systems would kick in for the months-long journey to Earth. He would wake up refreshed. Revitalized. He decided that he would prepare for journey and re-check everything. The Talisian moved towards the washing area to begin the cleansing rituals. Ume had not slept either. He was laying on his bed in his jumpsuit, staring at the ceiling. His eyebrows were furrowed and his expression was terse. He hadn't wanted to say anything to the General or his Master about his own apprehensions about the mission. He knew the same things Ix'bet did about the odds as the Talisian had never kept secrets from him. He knew that his biological mother had been killed when Ix'bet saved him, but could have been resurrected by now. He didn't know which of the males was his father, but they were assuming it was the purple-haired half-breed. Ix'bet had never said for certain, but had assumed that his mother and the half-breed were mates due to the half-breed's reaction of the killing of his mother. Ume had often wondered why Ix'bet had never just taken his mother into one of the Genetics Pods instead of killing her. Ix'bet had explained that his mother had been difficult to subdue and he did not have the same equipment he had today when it came to the art of incapacitation, and that he wanted to take from his mother what she had taken from him - a child. The boy began to wonder about his life if he had not been saved by the Talisians. He would be on Earth now, still just a babe. He would live with a mother and father who slaughtered countless innocents and believe they were justified. They would never see the suffering that his race was going through, the struggle to survive while still being hunted by two of the Originals. He would be ignorant of mass genocide. He sat up, and turned so that his feet touched the ground. After a moment, he snorted, shook his head to clear his mind, and stood. He found his familiar boots and gloves and haphazardly pulled them on and left his room. He quickly walked down the familiar hallways the broke into a jog as he approached the grand doors of the entrance. He opened one, and it slid open without much resistance. He slipped through and into the cool air of Refuge. Ume tapped into his Ki and he glowed, his hair vibrating with the waves of energy his body was producing. He took to the sky, arcing gracefully around the buildings. He knew that he may never return home if he failed his mission, and wanted to enjoy his last hours of freedom doing something he loved - just flying for the sake of flying. Evening came too soon for all three warriors. Ix'bet, Yu'tai and Ume all stood, in new, polished chrome chest pieces, matte matching boots that reached to just under the knee, and long white gloves that curved around their elbows to stop mid-bicep. Ix'bet wore his traditional plain circlet around his head, while Yu'tai wore a much more ornate one, embedded with precious stones and chain tassels. Her hair was braided traditionally, with ribbon and bells woven in. Ume also wore a circlet, though his was also very plain. Very small clear stones had been embedded into the metal. They all received the traditional battle blessing, and all entered the large space craft. They went through the motions to strap themselves in, the hatch closed, and soon they felt the pull of gravity as the ship left Refuge - one of the few in the last five years.

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