Some might consider opening a portal into an alternate universe a bad idea. Some would definitely consider opening a second portal after the visit to the first alternate universe led to the destruction of your main warship an even worse idea. Those people were probably right, Zurg mused as he stepped out his shuttle, but he knew that sometimes a few risks had to be taken in the pursuit of conquest. And this universe was already showing a great deal of promise...

The Brain Pods were detecting traces of hundreds of powerful species active in this new domain, any one of which could be just the ally he needed to take down Star Command once and for all. There were frightened whispers among the peoples of this universe of metal beings—Cybermen—who would make excellent additions to Zurg's Hornet army, and even more intriguing reports of some race called the Daleks.

However, the reason he'd touched down on this deserted world—a rather grim, barren place that reminded him of the quarries on some of his factory planets—was because he had an appointment. An appointment with someone who didn't seem to belong to the Cybermen, the Daleks, or any other faction his employees had learned about yet. The individual had contacted him a few hours before and arranged to meet, hinting that they could strike up a very fruitful partnership together. Zurg tended to be sceptical of such promises, especially when made by mystery figures, but he was never one to let an opportunity slip through his fingers.

So here he was, marching with a squadron of Hornets and several useless lackeys towards a half-collapsed stone structure, the landmark where they'd agreed to meet. He wasn't sure what to expect, but his experiences with the evil Buzz Lightyear had taught him to be on his guard.

"Well," he announced, coming to a stop beside a crumbling archway, "I'm here. The Evil Emperor Zurg, in the flesh. Shall we get down to business, or was this whole thing simply one of those prank calls my staff keep warning me about?"

There was the crunch of boots on gravel. Zurg saw movement within the stone ruins, and a figure stepped forward into the entranceway. They were still shrouded in shadow, but a hole in the ceiling let in a patch of sunlight that illuminated their legs just a little. Zurg's brow rose sharply as he made out the purple folds of a skirt. Could it be...?

He hesitated. The last time he'd gotten his hopes up about meeting an alternate version of himself, it hadn't exactly turned out well. "Greetings," he said carefully. He coughed. "Er, this may seem like a strange question, but... you don't happen to have a goatee, do you?"

There was laughter—feminine laughter. "Wrong body, sorry. I'm trying a new look." The figure took a step into the light, revealing a dark-haired woman with ice-blue eyes. "Hello. I'm Missy." She arched an eyebrow at him. "Do you really go around introducing yourself with the word 'evil'?"

Zurg sniffed indignantly. "Of course I do! It's a perk that comes with the job!"

Her red lips pulled into a deadly smile. "I think you and I are going to get along very well, Evil Emperor."

A/N: Am I the only person who cares about both Zurg and the Master? Yes. Did that stop me from writing this? No.

Of course, we all know the only possible outcome of this situation is that they're going to betray each other...