It was quiet on the Massive, and Tallest Red was slowly pacing back in forth in front of Purple. "Now Purple," Red began, "You and I know all too well about the poor results our soldiers are turning out to be." He seemed to be going somewhere with this, but Purple wasn't too interested. The purple-clad Irken pulled a grilled cheese sandwich from seemingly nowhere and began to eat it. Red rolled his eyes and continued. "It seems to me that through time, the Irkens have finally lost touch with the most basic urge in nature; the killer instinct."
Purple shrugged. "Yrr pmnt?" He said through a mouthful of sandwich.
"My point is that we'll never pull off Operation Impending Doom 2 with these weaklings!" He spat in frustration. "Do you even care if the Armada are up to the task of enslaving the universe!?" He snarled and raised a questioning brow, his gaze like that of an enraged animal. That snarl grew into a grin. "Which leads me to my theory."
Purple groaned. He hated it when Red talked about stuff like this. Hypothetics were never his strong point; that's Red's job.
"When a species first comes into existence, they have the killer instinct; the ability to kill without remorse. It is what lets that animal thrive and, eventually, become dominant predator. Sadly, as they evolve and become indefinite ruler of their domain, they no longer need that instinct...but what if it came back?" Red seemed to be leading Purple to an answer, but he felt the other Tallest wasn't getting it.
"..." Purple swallowed his food. "Uhhh..it's a killer again..I guess." He was extremely bored, and really wanted this to be over.
"Close. It is a killer, but it still keeps its intelligence; a mentally superior creature with no sympathy for its prey. The ultimate soldier, capable of following orders without questions or concern." Red was beginning to sound really eccentric about it.
"And what's your point? How do you plan to 'bring back that instinct'?" Purple made air quotes and sighed.
"Oh, you'll see soon Purple." Red chuckled before going to the massive computer before them and turning it on. The profile of an Irken boy appeared on screen. "You'll see.."
Niro lay silent in the underbrush as he watched another soldier run by. It was day 4 of the Survival Training Course, and he was planning what would soon be his hard-earned victory. It was a simple procedure, commonly done for both recreation and combat preparation, and Niro had always been more interested in it than the firing range, where most soldiers slack off without any real training. The procedure went like so: Several soldiers would go into a simulated environment with nothing but a set of light-sensitive armor and a light gun. The soldiers would then scatter themselves across the area and, establishing a small base of operation, attempt to shoot down the opponents. It was a bit like an activity some races referred to as 'laser tag', but it proved as excellent survival training for those willing to participate.
The young Irken boy rose from the bushes, cocking his weapon and slowly slinking between trees with which to hide from view. He finally crept around a rather large tree's trunk and took aim. The world seemed to slow to a crawl, the visor matching up perfectly with the opposing soldier's armor, and Niro quickly pulled the trigger. The soldier's armor lit up and he was teleported out of the arena. "HORK ELIMINATED. TWO CONTESTANTS REMAINING." Came the voice of the intercom, the only thing that could bring you out of the realism of the simulated forest.
Niro couldn't help but smirk, cocking his gun again and beginning to prowl slowly through the brush. He froze in place when he heard another soldier's footstep. "Seems like they're ready to finish this,' he muttered, slowly scanning the wilderness. It then came to his attention that his opponent was in plain sight, standing between two tress with his back to him. A grin snaked its way across his face and he rose his gun. "Easy win." He chuckled.
The visor matched up, and the trigger began its journey when a bright light blinded him. Niro's armor then began to fade in the light, the ground beneath his feet changing into the metal floor of a ship. When he regained his senses, he was able to make out two tall figures in front of him, their red and purple armor easy to see as his eyes finished adjusting.
"My Tallest!" He exclaimed and saluted, a nervous smile on his face. Red only chuckled and stepped toward him.
"Why hello.." He began. "...Niro, was it?" His voice had an odd tone; he seemed pleased.
Niro gave him a silent nod, lowering his saluting hand. "Why have you summoned here, my Almighty Tallest?" He seemed scared. Had he done something wrong? Obviously not, as a faint chuckle rose from Red.
"No need to worry. I was simply interested in meeting the cadet who single-handedly won more than 40 battles in the Survival Course." His smile got bigger. "You're quite the soldier, little Niro. Almost as good as myself when I was your age." He lifted his head with pride before returning to the business at hand. "I've been watching you closely, and you seem perfect for a little project I'm compiled."
"Project?" Niro raised an eyebrow. Of course the answer was yes, but he was curious as to what he was signing up for.
"Nothing too major. I just thought it had your name written all over it. So whaddya say?" He held out a two-clawed hand, which Niro hesitantly shook. Red grin reached both sides of his face. "Wonderful." He pulled his hands away and opened up a computer file, data sprawling across the Massive's main computer.
"Welcome, little Niro, to the FREAK project."