I found this old drabble while clearing out my archive on my rp blog, and I remember really liking this one, so I'm gonna repost it here and put my old lurking account to use.

The elderly watchdog sighed as he spotted the skull-shaped ship. Even though it had already been a few years since his retirement, it felt like just yesterday, he was there commanding the troops. He would have gladly done it longer, but he was getting slower, mentally and physically, until one day he decided that someone younger would be better for such a demanding job.

Hopefully Commander Jimmy was doing well in his steed. Oh, of course he was, he picked him out and introduced him to his boss himself! If anyone could spot a promising troop, it was him. Lord Hater was reluctant to let him step down at first, but Peepers was able to convince him that he was no longer fit for the job. Besides, he wanted a few calm years before his eventual demise. The stress wasn't exactly doing wonders for his health.

With that thought, he reminded himself of why he came. How was Lord Hater anyways? As far as he knew he was doing well, since he heard reports in the news about the empire's continued expansion, but he wanted to see with his own eye. And besides, as badly as his lord treated him, he missed seeing his bony face.

The former commander radioed in, and instead of the expected reply to come aboard, he heard, "Oh, if only you were a little sooner, sir!"

Peepers paused, and he stopped his ship to devote his attention to his communicator. "What are you talking about!?" But the watchdog on the end refused to give an answer, instead insisting that he came on to see for himself.

The tounge of the ship unraveled, and he parked his ship within. As soon as he started to get out, he noted that the ship was eerily silent. He couldn't hear any footsteps, nor the troops' usual chattering. Instead, he only heard the soft hum of the ship.

As he looked around and tried to figure out what was wrong a long watchdog ran up and grabbed him by the arm. The watchdog threw him a sorrowful glance, then started to pull him along. After they walked for quite awhile, and turned onto the hallway that lead to Lord Hater's room, Peepers finally heard his voice. "He's dead, sir."

Peepers widened his eye in confusion. "Who?" But the watchdog didn't say anything else, and the former commander stared at the walls to try to distract himself from the awkward silence. Where was everyone anyways?

Finally, they reached their destination. When the watchdog stopped, Peepers followed his lead, and looked at the familiar doors in front of them. As soon as the watchdog started to push open Lord Hater's door, Peepers wondered if he should really be doing that. Wouldn't it upset him?

But as soon as the watchdog motioned for him to enter, he followed and braced himself for Hater's angry shouts. Surprisingly, they never came.

The first thing he noticed was one of the ship doctors standing over Hater's bed. He slowly approached, then looked at his boss. Why was he still sleeping? Was he okay? Then, he jolted as he made the connection, and looked over at the watchdog who escorted him here.

"Don't…don't tell me you were talking about HIM!" When the watchdog simply nodded, Peepers world seemed to freeze around him. It…it couldn't be… Was this really happening? Did he really outlive his former boss?The doctor's voice drone on as he started to explain that he died in his sleep, but it went in one ear and out the other.

Peepers slid to the ground, and buried his face in Hater's covers as he started to sob. "If only…if only I came sooner… I didn't even get to say goodbye…"

The funeral was held in the auditorium the next day. Every watchdog was gathered in the room, as they mourned the loss of their leader. The question that danced on everyone's mind was, "What now?" Would the Hater Empire collapse? When the other overlords hear about his death, would they rush to grab chunks of his territory? Would the army fight amongst itself, while various soldiers laid a claim to power?

Peepers climbed up on the stage, after the current commander asked him if he could make his speech. He cleared his throat, then broke the nervous silence.

"Lord Hater was the cruelest evildoer who ever lived. Who could hope to be more vile than him? More fearsome? More awe-inspiring? More ruthless? More powerful? And most importantly, he brought us all together with his astounding leadership abilities."

"He was the greatest man who ever lived… And that's why, for his sake, we can't let his empire fall into his enemies' hands without him! We'll continue to spread fear and hate across the galaxy, and we'll continue to annihilate all who stand in our way!"

He paused, and looked at the current commander. Was this really the best plan? "And that's why I'm coming back, but this time, instead of being your commander, I'll take charge to protect his empire. Hate's great, best villain!"

Peepers, really Lord Peepers now, smiled as the troops started to chant "Hate's great, best villain!" Fantastic, nobody seemed to have any objections to his take over…