Tak felt an unfamiliar stirring of joy swell inside of her as she saw the city pass below her. For the past year she had sulked from satellite to satellite, stopping to make last-minute repairs on her makeshift ship. MiMi hummed contentedly in the back, and Tak drummed her fingers on the dashboard. She guessed that out of the two of them, the SIR was the most pleased. Upon building them during her time on Dirt, she had connected her and the ship remotely; MiMi was a type of remote control that could be used if she couldn't control the ship herself.

There was a problem of setting up a base; Tak had seen that Zim was telling the truth when he said that her old base had been taken down when they flew over a giant metal scar in the middle of the city. She thought it was a shame after she had gone to so much trouble, but she could just as easily build a new one. The official Invaders weren't the only ones with the means to make a more than capable lair.

The skyscrapers thinned out and became blotches of trees that looked like smears of black in the night. She led the ship gradually lower until it sank below the tree line and drifted to a soft landing in the grass. Tak clambered out and onto the top of the vessel, perching like a songbird. She ran her hands over the metal, absentmindedly picking at spots that would have to be painted back over. MiMi dashed out and curled up beside her. The park, or whatever it was, hummed with the sound of wildlife. The chorus of insects and nocturnal birds reminded Tak of a particular obstacle course she had to fight her way through during her military training. She remembered a giant lizard, oozing up out of its cave in the earth and swinging at her with savage brutality. She had almost lost her leg during that brushing.

And look where she was now. On an uncivilized, filth-ridden planet, chasing after an idiot and programmed as a janitorial drone as a reward for years of hard work. She hung her head as bitter, angry tears threatened. MiMi lifted her head as if sensing her swing in emotion. Her face remained dry, because she was an Irken, and Irkens didn't cry because Irkens were superior. Light-years away, Irk sat with its sprawling metropolises and a sky of palest pink, reaching out its tentacles to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. And the Tallest sat in their flagship and let their subjects do the work.

Her fists clenched for the slightest moment before she forced herself to relax again. Surely her PAK wouldn't even allow her to think so critically of her leaders. She sighed, and a gust of air chilled in the air in front of her and swirled like dragon's breath. Quit the self pity, she scolded herself, you are an Irken and you are going to get what you deserve. She couldn't sleep, and had hours to set up at least a temporary home. She slid off the top of the ship and rummaged in the back, which opened with a stubborn groan from rust and bent edges. A little silver capsule sat in the back, and she breathed a sigh of relief that it had escaped damage. After all, it was her backup plan.

She slid it open, and it took on the appearance of a tablet and pen. With a few whisks of her hand, she shoved it unceremoniously into the dirt and drew the ship off to the side. From below, the dirt hummed faintly. Tak leaned against the ships side and whistled to herself.

Maybe being here wouldn't be so bad after all.