Chapter 18
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He inhaled. His heart pounded in his ears as he did nothing but look up at Serori. Her arms were crossed over her chest, her brow furrowed into a deep scowl. She wore the traditional blue jumpsuit and updated Saiyan armour that looked as if it had been haphazardly thrown on. Her boots were scuffed and her gloves had faint traces of grime though the palms and fingers. She inhaled. Serori was presented with something she hoped she would never see. He smelled like, and looked like, a Talisian. But the eyes, the hair, and the tail all told her that he was Saiyan. The Talsians did not have any Saiyans left, save for the child they ripped out of Mia. He was obviously advanced as he was very much teen aged, and not a baby. A range of emotions were hitting her: a deep sadness, and unbridled rage... He exhaled. He had to move, and he had to do it soon. The milliseconds were agonizing - she was agonizing. He had wanted to be found, right? This was indeed part of the plan, so why did he want to flee so badly? He lived for this, he was trained for this, he could die doing this... She exhaled. Serori was also posed with troubling questions. Why was he here? Was he fleeing or was it a trap? He was dirty. Sloppy. And the fearful pheromones he was emitting were intoxicating. She knew that this was not going to end well for anyone. In a swift movement she uncrossed her arms, and stepped forwards to grab him but grabbed nothing at all. Ume teleported to the sky. He did not want to be in a position of subordination when he was found. He was trained and was definitely powerful. He knew that none of the Originals had unleashed the power of the Super Saiyan, but the half-breeds had. He was more powerful than Serori. Except now he had attracted the attention of all four Saiyans instead of just one. The fight began almost like a dance to Ume. Serori was not happy about losing her target and she had teleported to his location with a kick ready. Ume simply leaned out of the way, and his knee connected in her exposed stomach, and while she was momentarily incapacitated, he grabbed her arms from behind, and wretched her over a knee into an uncomfortable position. He calmly charged a small ball of Ki, and held it to Serori's temple. The three other Saiyans approached cautiously. Nobody wanted to risk the death of Serori. Before any of them could speak, the boy called out. "Solace! I do not want to fight you!" Ume found the words thick and flat, unlike the more melodious Talisian language. Mia stopped and blinked. His voice was familiar, yet very different. She couldn't quite place who he sounded like. All three Saiyans were inspecting him, coming to the same conclusions Serori had just moments before. Mia's heart beat faster, a lump forming in her throat - could this child be hers? Serori's face twisted as she spat out words in Talisian, which obviously made the boy angry: he pulled her arms back sharply to contort her body further. His mouth moved as he replied back to her in the same language, but the group of warriors couldn't hear him. Serori winced in pain, but the only audible noise she made was a soft chuckle. Tomma shouted back, "Let her go and then we can talk." Mia was deaf to it. She was staring at the boy, studying his features. Goten's eyes were flitting between Tomma, Mia, and the boy with Serori. He wasn't sure how to think, nor how to feel. Ume considered his option. The other Original wanted him to release the one he had in his grasp and then they could talk, which he was not comfortable with. He simply didn't trust the snarling, spitting woman in his grasp especially after she'd so vulgarly insulted him. "Solace first. I need your word that no violence will happen after I release her." "Solace then. Release her." Tomma's voice was demanding and aggressive. Ume loosened his grip on Serori and she broke away from his hold roughly. She shook herself out, muttering curses under her breath as she floated back towards her group. Ume looked them over, taking his own personal notes on features and stances, as well as giving his scouter a proper view of them. Embedded in the scouter was a small camera and audio pick-ups, which transmitted back to the main spaceship while the scouter was active. Tomma crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes smouldering. "Speak then. Who and what are you, and why are you here?" "I am Ty'anu," replied the boy. "I was..." he hesitated a second as he thought for a moment, "Am the last Talisian genetic experiment. I am here because I..." he trailed off again. "They were making me into a monster," he lied. Tomma looked to the other three, and tilted his head. Serori and Goten began to move to form a circle around Ume - but Mia was too engrossed in staring at him. Serori hissed at her, and Mia snapped to attention to join the circle. The boy tensed up, and Tomma waved his hand dismissively, "They will not harm you, but understand our precaution. We have been deceived more than once. Tell me, Ty'anu. What were the conditions of your creation?" Ume's head turned sideways slightly as he eyed the older Saiyan. It was an odd question. "From what I was told, my growth was accelerated. I have only been alive for four or so of your Earth years." "And your genetics?" Another odd question. "From what I can gather, I have not had any genetic enhancements other than growth." Another lie. Tomma eyed the boy again. He did not trust Ty'anu - not yet at least. "Mia. Goten." Goten had to kick Mia to get her attention. "Return home. Serori and I need to discuss more pressing issues with our new charge." He turned and looked at Mia directly as she was about to protest, "Not now. Later. Go home." His lips set into a firm line. Goten tugged at Mia to get her moving, only to have her deck him and take off with a massive burst of speed. Goten cursed and left as well. Ume stared in wonder at what he perceived as a very odd interaction between the two. However, he had more pressing things on his mind. Mainly, two Originals that looked like they wanted to devour him. "Come," said Tomma. "We have much to discuss."
As the approached the door, Tomma turned to Ume, "Your armour. Remove it." Ume eyed the older Saiyan again. He did not like to be in such a vulnerable position. However, he was not going to convince them that he was trustworthy if he did not. He unbuckled the shoulder and side straps, and the shell peeled off of his lean body. Serori stepped forward and took it from him, and walked towards the back of the house. Tomma opened the door and beckoned Ume inside. Tomma motioned to a chair. "Sit." Ume sat awkwardly. This was hardly what he expected. Tomma sat across from him and studied him intently for a moment. Finally, Tomma spoke again, "Do you know who I am?" "Yes. Both you and your mate are part of the Originals. You are Tomma and she is Serori. Sekkai and Tantum are, to the best of our knowledge, dead." Ume replied. "Good. Do you know of any other Saiyans on the planet?" "We believe that there are at least six, including you. I wouldn't know them by name or look." Ume reported back. "Three full-blooded and three half-bloods." Tomma was silent again for a moment as he thought. It was then that Serori walked into the room, and whispered something in Tomma's ear before sitting down herself. He nodded. "My mate tells me that your armour is free of any substances. This bodes well for you." Ume tried not to let his annoyance show. These Saiyans were very dated. Back in their day they stored tryonide in their chestpieces. These days, the tryonide systems were much more portable; on a system where tips were placed over your fingers, so with a single swipe you could incapacitate an enemy. "Now that you know us, I'd like to know more about you." Tomma looked intently at the boy. "A more in-depth reason for why you're here." Serori simply glared. Ume took in more air than normal into his lungs. "I suppose the best way to put it is that I didn't understand my existence. I was..." he trailed, "'Born', for lack of a better word, about two years ago, after two years of development. I was told the stories, shown the footage, and then taught to hate my own race." Ume clasped his hands together. "It is painfully obvious that I am not a Talisian, yet I was taught that Saiyans, my race, were evil brutes that only delighted in the destruction of our worlds." Ume could see the rage forming on Serori's face; Tomma was being much more controlled. "There had to be more to the story. They were trying to make me into something monstrous and..." he thought again, "Devoid. I came here on my own accord. My keepers attempted to stop me, but they were unsuccessful." Serori spoke up. "Do we need to fear attack?" Ume looked to her, "If they even send someone, it would be a retrieval team. A small group who would simply want to incapacitate me and take me home without incident. I doubt they'll send anyone. I made my intentions very clear." "Which were?" Ume tried not to sigh. "I needed to understand the revenge they were training me for. And that if I wanted to, I would return of my own accord, however I might not. And sending someone would be unwise as I'd most likely just blow them up," he shrugged. "If you came to hear another side of the story, then I want you to listen closely." Tomma started at the beginning of the Saiyans, their planet, Frieza's control, their revival and what they were forced to do. The testing. Every time they were ordered to commit global genocide. The rebellions. Sending Hakuto to Earth, Tantum's betrayl, Sekkai's death and Serori's death. Wishing them back to life. Their need for revenge. Tomma spoke long into the night. Ume calmly removed his scouter as he readied himself for rest that night. He put the small device down on a table. He was unsettled, looking at both sides of the story. He empathized with Tomma and Serori both, however he still didn't feel as if they were justified in almost eradicating a species. They were past the simple revenge that they claimed. Sleep came uneasily for the boy.
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