Gone Native: Mother of Saiyans (ch. 50) (Patreon)

"Got it all out of your system?" Kara questioned, crossing her arms over her chest as I touched down on the planet, the last vestiges of god ki leaving my body and causing my hair to shift into its usual black color. A second later a pool of swirling red appeared next to me, revealing Hal as he floated out of it. He looked at me and made a face.

"Tsk."

I smirked in response. We hadn't called it a race, but between our methods of teleportation, mine was by far the superior one. The floating pool of red was a bit of flair that cost unnecessary time. Better to just punch the fabric of space to instantly arrive at your destination. Kara looked between us and rolled her eyes so hard they probably would have fallen out if she wasn't a Kryptonian. Her gaze landed on Raven, who simply raised an eyebrow, wondering why she was being included.

"I am overjoyed that your differences were settled in glorious combat!" Kori spoke up, patting me on the shoulders hard enough that one of fractured ribs gave out and broke before she flew over and started patting Hal on the shoulders as well. Hal wore a constipated expression, clearly unhappy before shooting a dirty look in my direction.

"Wouldn't say things are settled, but I'm taking a wait and see approach if Tarble needs another ass kicking," Hal decided, earning a glare as I crossed my arms.

"Another? I can't recall the first-" I started before Raven placed a hand on my shoulder, giving me the flattest look I could imagine. I could feel her mild annoyance in her gaze and I swallowed a sigh. "Fine. The Guardians?" I asked before Hal created another portal of swirling red.

"We-" Hal started, cut off by Kori flying right through the pool. He looked at it for a moment before glancing at me, "We've been keeping things quiet and I expect you to keep your mouths shut, alright? The Guardians are imprisoned because they're seeing this as a grand experiment to see how things function without their guiding hand. That being said, you can't stay number one for as long as there has been a universe without making some enemies." It was good that Hal seemed to understand his own limitations.

I nodded as an answer, Raven removing her hand from my shoulder. Kara and Robin both quickly nodded as well, agreeing to say nothing about what they saw or heard. Perhaps it was because Hal wasn't visibly showing any damage, but I saw Robin eyeing him nervously. Did he think I lost? Because I was going to have to set the record straight if he did. If I had to fight Hal seriously, I'd kill him and eat Ion. If only to see what eating an Emotional Entity did to me.

Hal seemed satisfied with that before he beaconed for us to enter the portal. Kara, Robin, and Raven went first with me bringing up the rear. I glanced at Hal to see him smirk in my direction as I stopped into the portal.

I had no idea how long we were going to stay here for, but it was already too long.

The other side revealed a rather full room. The room itself was clearly a chokepoint -- a large bulkhead door marked one wall, one that was flanked by fortifications and outlines for turrets on the floor and walls. I couldn’t say how powerful they were, but not even Hal was stupid enough to use normal gun turrets to ‘guard’ the Guardians. As far as I could tell, they were more of a deterrent.

Those filling the room were a number of familiar faces. My gaze was drawn to a blazing red figure with needle teeth and the symbol of the Red Lanterns. Atrocitus. My eyes narrowed at him and he remained uncowed -- I hadn’t forgotten the betrayal that happened at the Vega System. The Red Lanterns had been on our side until I made a temporary alliance to deal with Larfleeze. The moment that I did, Atrocitus ordered the Red Lanterns to attack the Trade Organization in an ill timed betrayal. Now, here he was, acting as the warden for the last few Guardians that were left.

Next to Atrocitus was Indigo, leader of the Indigo Lanterns. Another group of Lanterns that should, in theory, be on my side. I took the Indigo Power Battery during the war, but I hadn’t been able to secure it after my empire split off from the Trade Organization. Word was that the Indigo Lanterns had then stolen it from them in turn. Indigo narrowed her eyes at me -- she didn’t like me much on account that her attempts to brainwash me into being more compassionate hadn’t worked.

Next to her was Saint Walker -- he, I was a little surprised to see. I had nearly killed him during the battle at the Vega System. However, based on the slight smile and a small nod, he didn’t seem to hold any harsh feelings about it. Nor did he show any signs of the injury I gave him months prior.

The last of the Lanterns was Carrol Ferris. The only other human amongst the Lanterns. I didn’t know much about her. Only that the Pink Lanterns had interfered at the very end of the war at the very last battle. That, and they had saved my life -- I had been at deaths door after my battle with Froot and Larfleeze with a giant hole in my chest. When I woke up, I had a pink ring on my trophy necklace. Because of that, I had no idea where I stood with them.

“Tarble,” Clark greeted, dressed as Superman and offering a nod at me while Kara broke off, flying over. “Hal. Looks like neither of you died, so I take it things went as well as they could have?” He asked, causing Hal and I to glance at each other.

“About,” Hal decided, sounding unhappy. “You were right. Sort of. I’m keeping an eye on him,”Hal decided, earning a sharp look from Indigo but Clark seemed pleased.

“I’m overjoyed to have your approval,” I remarked, my tone flat. “As much as it means to me, I’m here for the Guardians.”

“I am too,” Kara spoke up, crossing her arms over her chest and frowning at the bulkhead door that separated us from some of the most powerful beings in the universe. Imprisoned or not. It sounded like she had personal reasons for it because Clark seemed a bit surprised by the declaration.

“Let's just take it one step at a time. Tarble is the one that the Guardians have been waiting for,” Hal said, annoyance leaking into his tone, ignoring the cross look he got from Kara. Kori simply nodded enthusiastically, while Robin crossed his arms. Hal started to lead me to the bulkhead door, and my gaze lingered on the leaders of the New Lanterns. The only one that they were missing was yellow for fear.

Sinestro had been defeated during the battle of the Vega System. I genuinely had no idea if he was dead or alive, but he had taken the Yellow Lanterns down with him. As far as I knew, the New Lanterns weren’t using the power of fear to help police the universe. An odd choice considering they were already using the power of rage.

I cast a glance over my shoulder at Raven, who watched me enter the airlock with an expression tinged with hope. She offered a small nod, knowing that what was going to be said was for my ears only. Still, I felt her hopes and expectations settle on my shoulders like a weight. As annoying as it was, there was an undeniable truth in Hal’s words that still rang in my head like a bell. Something that I couldn’t quite deny.

The struggle for the Dragon Balls was going to be a long one, against a variety of powerful foes. Each one battling it out for a wish that they had for better or for worse.

And I had no idea what I would wish for even if I did gather all of them up. Raven’s wish was obvious and evident -- to undo the destruction of Azarath. To bring back her mother. But… was that a good use of an all powerful wish? Was there a way for my wish, whatever it might be, to encompass her wish so that it would be fulfilled as well? What if I couldn’t? What if my wish and hers were completely at odds? Would she betray me? Would I have to betray her?

My thoughts were heavy even before I stepped through the airlock, finding myself standing on an elevator that would take us to the center of the planet. A metallic disk began to lower at incredible speeds, leaving Hal and I standing next to each other. There wasn’t even elevator music to break the heavy tension or to distract me from my thoughts. Worse, they weren’t even about the task at hand -- I had a long list of questions I needed to ask the Guardians and I was finally getting my chance.

The elevator reached the last floor, sliding into place before we made our way through a series of bulkhead doors. Some of them were… odd. Marked with symbols and talismans that told me that they weren’t normal mechanical defenses. After a long walk of a few minutes with thick doors constantly opening in front of us and closing behind us, we finally reached where the Guardians were being held.

And, just as Hal said, they were expecting me.

“King Tarble,” Ganthet greeted me, his hands clasped behind his back and wearing a white robe. His head was about twice the size it should have been for his comparatively small body. The Guardians were about three feet tall and half of that came from their heads alone. Their faces and figures were humanoid, though, just with white hair and dark blue skin.

There had been dozens of Guardians in the Vega system, but only three of them had managed to leave. For all their power, they weren’t fighters and they had paid the price for it.

“Guardians,” I returned, the door sliding shut behind me. It vaguely occurred to me that I was in a room filled with people that could kill me. Every single one of them was a reality warper from what I saw. And not only were they powerful, they had existed since the dawn of time, giving them ample time to master that power. It just hadn’t been enough to stop their numbers from being culled “I trust you know why I am here?” I asked them, crossing my arms over my chest and frowning deeply.

I knew what I wanted to ask. It was obvious enough.

“Naturally,” Ganthet answered, the apparent leader of the Guardians during their incarceration. “I sense a change in you, King Tarble. What was lost has started to be reclaimed with you.”

The Super Saiyan Transformation. The Saiyan God form.

That was a good starting point, I thought. “I understand that the Guardians interfered in my race’s development,” I began, having learned as much when Froot, an Orange Light Construct of an Ancient Saiyan, revealed himself. From him, I learned that there had been a war between the Ancient Saiyans and the Guardians billions of years ago as the two first sentient races in the universe. I also learned that the Ancient Saiyans had lost.

From the ship that the Guardians left on planet Vegeta, the escape vessel that allowed my race to escape the destruction of Sadala, I learned that my race, for billions of years and thousands of times, had routinely destroyed itself. Some versions, like Yamoshi’s version, lasted much longer. Other versions hardly existed before they collapsed under their own instincts and power.

However, while I understood the broad strokes, I was missing something because… it didn’t quite make sense. The Ancient Saiyans fought the Guardians, the Guardians won, and now the Guardians spent billions of years trying to bring back the Ancient Saiyans in a more manageable form? That didn’t make sense.

“However, I don’t understand why. You’ve created thousands of versions of my race from cells harvested from the Ancient Saiyan Sadala’s tail, and each time we destroyed ourselves. You limited our power, tying them to our emotions to check our development… And thousands of times, you’ve failed with this method. Yet you never deviated from it,” I stated, my gaze searching the Guardian’s for any hint, but they offered nothing.

The humans had a saying -- doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result was the definition of insanity. Yet, for billions of years, the Guardians did exactly that. The meddled with other races to far greater effect and success. The Martians came to mind in that regard.

“To answer that question, King Tarble… it would be best to start at the beginning. It is a long tale. Would you care for some tea?” Ganthet questioned, gesturing at a table for the two of us to sit at. The remaining Guardians, the dozen of them, floated around, watching the exchange with curious eyes. They likely shared a psychic link of some kind and they were just using Ganthet as the mouth.

I nodded, striding through the room to take a seat while Ganthet floated above a chair in front of me, using telekinesis to prepare the tea. “The Guardians and the Ancient Saiyans were the first two species to gain sapience in the universe, yet we couldn’t be more fundamentally different. The Ancient Saiyans of old were uncontrollable, powerful, and near unstoppable. Where we developed technology, they relied solely on their innate power for everything, and looked down on anyone that utilized anything other than natural abilities.”

From the sounds of it, the views of the Ancient Saiyans were near identical to the attitude of the Saiyans of today.

“The Ancient Saiyans were powerful. Too powerful. As we Maltusians decided to nurture the lesser races of the universe so they may flourish, the Ancient Saiyans desired to devour the universe itself. They feasted first on powerful creatures, but they quickly escalated. They began to devour primordial gods and forces of nature, and then each other when they were lacking for entertainment or worthy challenges. Such was the might of the Ancient Saiyans that entire galaxies were simply erased when two Saiyans of old clashed.” Ganthet almost sounded wistful as he spoke, pouring a dark green tea.

So far, he wasn’t telling me anything I couldn’t guess. Still, it was startling to hear. I was a fledgling god and the most powerful Saiyan alive, but wiping out an entire galaxy? That was well beyond me.

“It was only natural that we would clash. Our ideologies were simply too different to coexist -- the Saiyans desired to devour the universe for food and challenges for no greater reason than their own entertainment. It was the first war, I suppose you could say,” Ganthet spoke, his tone low and even as he gazed into his cup of tea. “A war that we quickly found we had no hope of winning.” His gaze flickered up to mine, seeing the surprise on my face.

That, I didn’t expect. “You were losing?” I questioned, trying to picture it. Billions of years ago, there would have been more Maltusians. Were their powers less developed at the time?

“The Ancient Saiyans were brilliant,” Ganthet spoke, almost sounding awed. “It wouldn’t be wrong to say that we were jealous of your ancestors. Our ascension was due to luck -- our planet produced a microbe that greatly enhanced our already potent intellect. The Ancient Saiyans, on the other hand, rose to dominate their native galaxy, and then the universe by pure might alone. When we clashed near the dawn of time, my people were certain of our victory. Yet, the Saiyans simply overcame any technology we developed to counter them.”

Ganthet shook his head, “No. It was more than that. So thoroughly were we outmatched that the Saiyans often gave us time and space to develop more technologies so that they could challenge themselves to overcome them. The war that would decide the fate of the universe was merely a game to them, and we quickly faced a total defeat. That was until she came to us.”

I had the puzzle piece in hand and it clicked into place. The tail that the Guardians had. From the sounds of it, they didn’t take it by force. “Sadala,” I voiced, earning a nod from Ganthet. A grave one. Who exactly was she?

“Of the Ancient Saiyans, she was perhaps the most dangerous, simply because she was abnormal when compared to the rest. Your ancestors were relentless in their pursuit of challenges. The gods of today, no matter how powerful, exist because they were deemed unworthy opponents at the time by your ancestors. It's how divinity became a fundamental part of your race. Yet, Sadala quickly became… dissatisfied. She was capable of looking beyond her immediate wants to the future and the future she saw wasn’t one she cared for.”

“What future would that be?” I questioned, earning a grim chuckle from Ganthet.

“One where there was nothing. The Saiyans had decided to gorge themselves on the undeveloped species and primordial forces of the universe. Froot was such a Saiyan when he lived, the weakest of them, but still powerful. However, Saiyans are, in practice, immortal. Sadala foresaw the future where there was nothing left in the universe -- no challenges to overcome, no food, and no entertainment. I saw that she was dissatisfied with that future and approached with a challenge.”

I said nothing, waiting for Ganthet to take a sip of his tea, looking at the past instead of at me. “We challenged that it would be better to drag out the meal rather than feasting at the start of the universe then starving. It was a desperate attempt, but against all odds, it worked. Sadala chose to work with us, betraying her race. But, perhaps betrayal is a strong word. The Saiyans had no racial loyalty to one another. Her aid came with a price, however. One that we have yet to pay… and only twice have we ever come close. The first was the Saiyan Yamoshi, your Saiyan god. The second time… is you, King Tarble.”

That was… terrifying, I thought, because it suddenly made a great deal more sense. “You can’t deviate,” I realized why the Guardians tried the same formula again and again and again. Regardless of how many times they failed. Why they kept bringing us back, no matter how many times we destroyed ourselves.

“We cannot. Sadala gave strict instructions in that regard. In exchange for betraying her race and allowing us to win the war, she would have one thing -- a Saiyan race capable of empathy and compassion, who used their strength for the benefit of others. To this day, we don’t know why she requested such a thing.” Ganthet told me, sounding genuinely uncertain.

My lips thinned ever so slightly, “Meaning… she’s still waiting?” I asked, finding myself surprised with what I learned. Sadala, the ancestor to every Saiyan alive today, wanted us to be… peaceful? Compassionate? It seemed so… odd to think that we would share a goal.

“Yes,” Ganthet answered, his tone almost haunted. “She still waits for a Saiyan race that fits her demands. Deep in the darkness of space where we dare not enter, she slumbers, waiting for our answer. For it is in her shadow that all things lie… for her strength has become so great that even the mightiest of gods have become like ants to her.”

Well… that certainly didn’t sound good.