"What? You want to join the Galaxy Soldier Army?" Papa Kirios echoed his sons' request. Mama dropped something and ran over to her two boys fast and shook all over.

"Whaaat?!" she shrieked. "Nonono-you don't understand! The army fights real, actual, gigantic monsters all over the galaxy! It isn't a game, boys!"

"But we wanna help!" Kirby bounced, eyes bright with resolve. "We wanna help the good guys win."

"And I wanna fight monsters," Kirk grumbled. "Please Mama-"

"You two are too young to join the army!" she cried out, shaking her head. "Even if I let you go enroll- they'll turn you down."

Papa put a hand on Mama, "Mama, it's all right. Let me handle this, please."

She sniffled, "But if you handle it, you'll get them killed."

"No I won't, I promise, Mama." She hummed but then nodded as she rubbed her eyes. Papa pushed up his glasses and stared at his two boys. He put on a straight face and put his hands on his sides.

"So you two really want to join the Galaxy Soldier Army and help them fight monsters? Are you both absolutely sure about this?"

Kirk puffed his chest and a fire sparked in his green eyes-he nodded. Kirby clenched his nubby hands into little fists- eyes still brilliant with his willpower.

Papa nodded, then, "You may be too young to join the army- but I know that there's a special place for little kids like you to train to become soldiers that can fight the monsters. It's an academy on another planet- away from the fighting that's going on elsewhere."

"Sounds like school," Kirk grumbled- was this one of Papa's tricks to get him to be smarter? They worked on Kirby, but-

"It may sound like a school- but it's a school that teaches you how to fight monsters. You'll learn how to defeat monsters and survive the fighting- things you two would need to know if you want to go fight them.

"It'd take a while for you to get to fight monsters, but by the time you get to them you'll be able to beat them. Does that sound like something you two want to do?"

Kirby bounced, "It sounds great, Papa- how do we get there?" Papa waddled over to the table and sat down- Kirby hopped onto the table and sat next to him. Kirk hesitated. but joined them. It might be the only chance I have at fighting monsters...

"I'm sure we can fill out an enrollment form that we can get at the post office," Papa answered. "When that happens, someone will answer and then they'll come and take you to the school."

"Let's go get those forms!" Kirby exclaimed, rosy cheeked and re-energized. He bounced around the door while Papa waddled over to the door.

"Kirk, are you coming with us? We'll be filling out forms and sending them from the post office- don't you want to come?"

Kirk hummed it over and then followed his Papa and little brother. If it was a school for fighting monsters, it couldn't be so bad, right? Eventually he'd be able to fight monsters, right?

The Kirios brothers were playing with the other children four days after Papa filled out the enrollment request at the Interstellar Post Office. "Have you still not heard from them, Kirk?" one of his friends asked as they played Go Fish.

"The Galaxy Army doesn't have time for little kids like Kirby, but they haven't told you anything yet?"

"I'm not little!" Kirby protested, bouncing next to the stack of "pond" cards, which were almost half his size. "I can go to school with Kirk, too! I'm just a year younger-"

"Not yet- Papa said the post office takes a while to get to all the regions of the galaxy and back again. They probably got it...yesterday. If they got it, it might take awhile for them to write a response or send someone here...It's your turn, Mari."

"But why would you want to go to a school, Kirk? It's boring and you won't get to fight monsters like that."

"Of course we won't fight monsters there! We'll learn how to fight monsters."

"You won't learn anything, Kirby- you're too puny to fight monsters."

"You're so small that you have to jump on top of things to see anything."

"That's not true! I'll get bigger like Kirk, and you'll see!" He stood on top of the card deck and puffed himself up. "I'll be big and strong like my big brother, and we'll fight monsters together."

"So you two must be the Kirios Brothers, Kirk and Kirby," a grown-up said- shadowing over the group of children. He was bigger and less round than anyone else in the village, and he was wearing a suit of gray armor. The other children shivered at the big, bulky person before him- he rose a gloved hand as if to stop them- like some of the adults did to keep them from running into the street.

"Don't be afraid," he assured. "My name is Sir Zankibble. I'm a Star Warrior from the Galaxy Soldier Army."

Kirk rocked onto his heels. "So you're from the school?"

"Are you here to take us there?" Kirby asked, hopping off of the card stack. Sir Zankibble chuckled a little.

"I see you two are very eager to see the academy. We soldiers are supremely proud of the facility, as humble as it may seem. But I can't take you there just yet; I have to speak with your mother and father first- where might I find them?"

"What can you tell us about the Galactic Soldier Academy, Sir Zankibble?" Mama Kirios asked the Star Warrior at the table. Kirk and Kirby sat on the floor, listening to the grown-ups talk.

"Kirk and Kirby must be something special if the Army sent one of their Star Warriors here," Papa laughed.

Sir Zankibble looked at his hands in front of him. "I wish that were true- though it very well may be, for all I know. I haven't had my graduation ceremony, so I'm not part of the army, officially. Since I don't belong in a regiment yet and I have no further work to do at the school, I was assigned to come see them."

"So have they been accepted by the school?" Mama asked.

"Most likely. Sadly, only a small percent of the galaxy believes in the cause of the Star Warriors and Galaxy Soldiers- many planets see affiliation with such a group as targets for eNeMeE and monsters. They firmly believe they will be left alone if they wash their hands of the Galaxy Army altogether."

"But what eNeMeE is doing is wrong!" Papa protested. "Can't they see that?"

"The truth of the matter is, as long as they are not the ones being attacked by NightMare, they are more than willing to look the other way, Mr. Kirios."

"The boys won't be in any danger if they're at the school, will they?" Mama asked, holding a hand to her cheek.

"The academy is in a de-militarized safe zone in the galaxy, ma'am. Several soldiers will also be present there as well- there is no need to worry about them."

Mama and Papa looked at their two boys, a swirl of emotions in their eyes. Mama walked away from the table and in front of her two sons, teary eyed.

"Kirk...Kirby... you'd better pack your things. We don't want to keep Sir Zankibble waiting, do we?"

"Mama!" Kirby cried out as he hugged her one last time. "Mama, Papa, I'll miss you!" Kirk watched his parents hug his little brother one last time.

"We'll miss you, too, Kirby," they said, rubbing his pink head and wiping the tears from his gray-blue eyes.

"Chin up- be sure to study hard, and listen to whatever the teachers say."

"Being a good fighter is one thing, but being a good study is a bigger thing, Kirby."

"Good luck, boys! Be safe!"

The Kirios brothers climbed into Sir Zankibble's spaceship, in awe of the flashing buttons and levers- so tempting to touch!

"Did you fly this ship all by yourself, Sir Zankibble?" Kirk wondered, sitting down. The Star Warrior closed the doors of the craft and instructed the boys to strap in.

"It's something all Galaxy Soldiers learn at the academy. Hold on tight- this trip will be over before you know it!"

The ship lifted into the air before zipping off into the horizon- a twinkling light in the blue sky.