A/N: Here we are, new chapter. Not much in the way of action, but just about everything that happens here will be important later on. And on another note, as of this chapter GA is now longer than "Shadows" was by word count, though still much shorter by number of chapters – which says something about how bad "Shadows" was compared to the rest of this trilogy.
Anyway, that said, read on!
Disclaimer: The OCs belong to me. Everyone else is property of Jhonen Vasquez.
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The Magellan, Bridge, 7:10 PM Earth Time
After an hour of arguing over what to do with Tak, all either Dib or Nessie had to show for it were sore throats; Captain Robertson hadn't participated in the conversation, merely standing by and watching the two of them sling insults back and forth at each other. Only once they were both red-faced and breathless did he comment, "Well, if you two eggheads are done, maybe you'd care to listen to the decision I came to five minutes into the conversation?"
Both SEN agents turned to look at the Captain with raised eyebrows.
"If you came to a decision that fast, why'd you let us keep arguing?" Dib asked, his voice slightly raspy from an hour of nonstop shouting.
"What can I say?" Robertson asked with a shrug, "It was amusing to see you two verbally bash each other. As for my decision, I agree with Mr. Membrane – the alien could provide us with valuable Intel. Which, as a career military man, I can tell you makes all the difference in combat."
Dib smirked at Nessie, who glared back at him.
"However," Robertson continued, "I also agree with Agent Nessie that she presents a security risk while alive, and I have a duty to every man and woman on this ship to keep them safe. So, the minute that overgrown bug becomes a credible threat, I'm having her shot and letting Agent Nessie cut her up. Understood?"
"Yes sir," Dib grumbled, while Nessie smirked in triumph.
"Well then, I suppose I'll get to work on that interrogation," the senior SEN agent said as he turned to leave the room. But before he could get anywhere, the Captain held up a hand to stop him in place.
"Actually, I want him to handle the interrogation," Robertson said, pointing to Dib.
"What? !" Nessie snapped, "Why him? I'm the senior agent!"
"True, but he's got more experience with these things than you do. Plus, I don't trust you not to aggravate her into doing something that'll force my hand," Robertson replied with a glare that clearly reminded everyone present that he liked Nessie about as much as everyone else did.
Taking that as his cue to leave, Dib quickly made his way out of the room. Briskly walking down the hallway, he hopped onto the nearest ladder and climbed down the three levels to the one containing the brig, which was where Tak was being contained for the time being. Yeti and two Marines stood guard outside the door leading to the brig, Yeti armed with a submachine gun and the Marines armed with energy weapons based on the ones used against the GESS three years earlier, but advanced by reverse-engineering the energy weapons on the captured Irken pod.
Yeti's hand was pressed against the earpiece of his radio, and he nodded to Dib as he saw him approach, muttering a confirmation into the radio as he did so. Lowering his hand, he turned his full attention to Dib.
"She's all yours," he said, "We'll be out here if you need us."
"Thanks," Dib said. Taking a deep, calming breath, he opened the door to the brig and entered, closing the door behind him.
The brig was a simple setup. Just a dozen or so cells, combining traditional steel bar doors with a force field that was in place on both sides of each cell's door, ensuring that the bars couldn't be cut by any means. Not that Tak was attempting any such thing; at the moment, she was sitting on the sparse bed of her cell, legs crossed in an almost meditative position, with her eyes shut and MIMI curled up in her lap.
While Dib waited for her to notice him, he took a moment to observe her, and noticed that she was in worse shape than she had appeared at first glance. Her clothes were dirty and torn, she seemed too thin – and she hadn't exactly been too hefty to begin with – and there was a small scar on her forehead, between her antennae. It looked like it had been there for a while, too, which meant it must have been a pretty serious wound at the time; if it hadn't been, then even if it had scarred it would have disappeared after a short amount of time, due to the PAK's healing ability. Despite himself, Dib couldn't help but feel sorry for her – she'd obviously had a pretty rough time.
"You've gotten taller," Tak said, making Dib jump as the silence was suddenly broken.
"How did you know it was me?" he asked. Tak merely smirked in response as she opened her eyes halfway, the purple orbs almost mocking Dib with the apparent calm in them, despite the situation.
"I have my ways. But seriously, how in Irk's name did you get so tall?"
"I hit puberty," he replied, and at the blank look he received, he added, "It's a human thing."
"I see," Tak said, sounding only mildly interested, "And what about your face?"
"Huh?" Dib blinked in confusion, before realization dawned. Reaching up to self-consciously rub his scar, he said, "Oh, you mean this. That's a long story, and one I don't really want to get into."
"Looks like it hurt when you got it."
"Yeah, it did. But we're not here to talk about me."
Pulling over a small stool that was in the corner of the room, he sat down and fixed Tak with what he hoped was an intimidating look.
"So," he started, "How'd your pod get all the way out here? I somehow doubt that Zim sent you flying hard enough to go past the speed of light – you should be somewhere in the depths of space back near our solar system."
Dib noticed how Tak twitched at the mention of Zim's name. However, she simply shook it off and replied, "And why, pray tell, should I tell you?"
"Because right now, you answering my questions is the only thing keeping my crewmates from dissecting you," Dib answered, gesturing with one hand towards the security camera on the ceiling that was aimed towards Tak's cell. Tak glared at the camera, no doubt wishing that she could get her hands on the people watching from the other end.
"Fair enough," she said, returning her glare to Dib, "My pod didn't have enough power for a long-distance hyperspace jump, so I set it to jump as far as it could. Then, once back in real space, I pieced together a rudimentary set of solar sails and connected them to the pod's hyperspace engines. I programmed the engines to jump every time they absorbed enough energy from the sails, set a course for the nearest Irken outpost, and then put myself in hibernation mode in order to preserve my PAK's own power levels."
"And where would the nearest Irken outpost be?" Dib asked, leaning forward slightly.
"Even if I told you, you do realize it would be suicide to go there, don't you?" Tak asked with a grin, "The standard procedure for dealing with unauthorized ships in Irken space is to shoot first, shoot some more, grab a snack, and then ask some questions. Though, I suppose it would be worth it to see you and your fellow little primates get blown up."
"And you along with us."
"True," she admitted, waving a hand dismissively, "But I would die happy knowing I'm taking you with me. Zim may have ruined my life the first time, but you helped him last time around… shame, really. If I had succeeded, I would have kept you around as my personal slave."
"Really?" Dib asked, blinking in surprise. Tak shrugged in response.
"You were one of the few humans I found… tolerable," she admitted, before her face and voice hardened and she added, "However, considering you helped Zim stop me, you can forget about any mercy in the future."
Dib was about to respond to that, when Tak suddenly added, "What ever happened to him, anyway?"
"Who, Zim?"
"No, the other Irken we both hate," Tak replied with an eye roll, "Of course Zim, you twit."
"No need to get testy," Dib muttered, "And in any case, I haven't seen Zim in three years; after I beat his last plan and exposed him to the world in the process, he locked himself in his base – which then blew up, I should mention."
At the almost gleeful look that appeared on her face at that statement, he added, "But don't get your hopes up. We never found a body, and I think we both know that Zim wouldn't give up like that."
"So, the coward fled, huh?" Tak asked with a laugh, "Oh, that's rich. The 'great Invader' ran away – oh, I do hope the Tallest recorded his failure execution. I would have loved to be there to see it in person, but I suppose that can't be helped. I'll just have to comfort myself with the knowledge that that little Defective is dead."
Dib was sorely tempted to explain to Tak all the reasons he doubted that her theory was what happened – not least of all the fact that Zim wouldn't be able to go anywhere near Irk due to the events leading up to his departure from Earth – but decided that he should keep her in as good a mood as possible. After all, the better the mood she was in, the better his chance of getting answers out of her. Keeping that in mind, he said, "Well, as long as we're on the subject of the Empire-"
"Whatever it is, I'm not answering," Tak cut him off, as MIMI stirred awake in her lap, "And you can pass this along to your friends – no matter what you do to me I will not willingly betray my people or my Tallest. So, I believe that puts an end to this conversation."
As if to punctuate that statement, MIMI's eyes switched from their friendly teal to aggressive red and narrowed threateningly at Dib, who paled slightly despite fully knowing that she couldn't harm him. Tak smirked at his obvious discomfort, before closing her eyes and settling back into the comfortable position she'd been in before.
"Goodbye, Dib," she said dismissively, as if she had been the one running the conversation. Dib considered arguing the point, but decided after a moment that it was pointless; he wouldn't be getting anything else out of her, not now anyway.
Pushing the stool back, Dib got to his feet and calmly walked out of the room. Sparing Tak one last glance over his shoulder, he opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. Yeti turned to look at him and raised an eyebrow.
"Judging by the look on your face, I'm guessing things didn't go so well?" he asked.
Dib opened his mouth to retort to that, but shut it as he realized something. He had answered more of Tak's questions than she had answered his, and all he had to show for it was that she had satisfied his curiosity for how she had gotten this far out into deep space. Heaving a sigh, he rubbed the sides of his nose as he replied.
"No, it didn't."
XXXXXXX
The Liberty, Bridge, 1400 Hours Galactic Standard Time
Lard Nar tapped his fingers anxiously against the armrest of his chair as he looked at the viewscreen currently displaying Chel-Ka's face. The Planet Jacker Leader had somehow found a way to contact them – he only said that it had been "difficult" – and had promptly offered an alliance against the Irkens. That had been several minutes ago, and judging by the look on Chel-Ka's face, his patience was running out quick.
"Well?" he snapped, "Are you going to accept our alliance or not?"
"With all due respect, Your Excellency," Ixane spoke up, "You can't expect us to make a decision this important so quickly. The Captain needs to consult with the other senior officers before we commit to anything."
Chel-Ka snorted, glaring at Ixane momentarily before asking, "Tell me, Lard Nar, do you always let your female speak for you?"
Ixane stiffened slightly at that comment, while Lard Nar felt his cheeks heat up.
"S-she's not my female," he stuttered out quickly, "However, she is correct. I can't agree to this alliance without first discussing it with the rest of the Resisty leaders. We'll get back to you."
"Fine," Chel-Ka snarled, "But know this – I'm only giving you a week. If you haven't agreed to join us by that time, we go to war with the Irkens regardless, and you had best not get in out way."
Without another word, the viewscreen shut off, reverting to the ship's exterior view. Hesitantly, and with cheeks still burning slightly, Lard Nar turned to glance at Ixane, who likewise seemed to be making an effort not to look at him – though it was hard to tell with her cloak.
"Uh, just for the record," he said rather lamely, "You're not my female."
Ixane turned her head to look at him, and he could tell by the glow coming from her narrowed eyes that she was glaring at him.
"Yes, I am aware of that, sir," she snapped, stressing the last word in an angry hiss. Lard Nar blinked in surprise, wondering why she suddenly seemed so angry. However, before he could say anything, another voice spoke up.
"Well, isn't this touching?"
Lard Nar groaned as he repositioned his chair to face the bridge entrance, where Semnar stood with his arms folded over his chest and a sneer on his face. The two of them had had a heated conversation after escaping from Screwheadia – apparently, Semnar had tried to assume control of the Resisty in Lard Nar's absence, having proclaimed him killed in battle. Lard Nar had chewed him out for the obvious power play, but Semnar had justified his actions by stating that since he had last seen the Liberty fighting the obviously more powerful Doughnut, it hadn't been too much of a stretch to assume that he was dead and that the position of Resisty leader was up for grabs. Still, needless to say, things were tense between the two of them.
"What do you want, Semnar?" Lard Nar asked, not exactly happy to see him again.
"Just curious," the black-skinned Vortian asked, "Why, exactly, did you just refuse the offer of a lifetime? We need all the help we can get if we're going to take down the Irkens."
"True," Lard Nar grudgingly admitted, "However, that doesn't mean I'm going to just jump at every offer that gets thrown at us. And you can't honestly tell me that you trust the Planet Jackers, of all people."
"And why not?"
"Are you thick or something?" Ixane asked, "These are people who have willing thrown countless worlds and innocent living beings into their sun to keep it going, despite having the ability to quite easily move their own planet to a safer and more stable system."
"Not to mention the fact that it has only been their alliance with the Irkens that has kept them from going after our own worlds," Lard Nar added, "How long do you think they would wait before taking the opportunity to make up for lost time?"
"Then we make our own alliance," Semnar replied, "In case you've forgotten, I am a politician. I know how to negotiate. Why not let me handle that?"
"You wish. If we do ally with the Jackers, I'll handle the negotiations. And that will only be after I've decided that they're trustworthy."
"After you've decided? What happened to all that 'discussing with the other Resisty leaders' stuff?"
"I lied. I thought you knew about the concept – after all, you are a politician," Lard Nar replied with a smirk, clearing enjoying throwing Semnar's own words back at him.
Semnar growled. "And you really think the rest of the Resisty is just going to let you throw away an alliance we need?"
"The rest of the Resisty trusts me," Lard Nar said, "That's why I'm in charge."
"For now," was all Semnar said, before turning and stomping out of the room. Lard Nar and Ixane watched him go, neither of them aware that the entire conversation had been monitored via nearby security camera by the stowaway spider drone, which even now was redirecting the footage to the Leviathan, where two pairs of Irken eyes watched the proceedings very intently…
XXXXXXX
The Leviathan, Voi's Personal Chambers, 1450 Hours Galactic Standard Time
Voi drummed his fingers on the console before him as he waited for the computer to finish running its calculations. As he waited, he halfheartedly glanced around his "room". Much like his cell back on Vort, it was really just a small lab with a bed and a smaller bathroom squeezed in – Zim was making it no secret that Voi was as much his prisoner as he had been the Empire's. The only real difference was that he was actually allowed to leave his room, but even then the GEST or Jana's drones or sometimes even Jana herself was always watching him. Ironically, it was only when he was in his cell-like room that he had any freedom at all; he'd managed to install an Electronic Security Field to block out any form of spying equipment, and his personal computer was totally isolated from the Leviathan's main systems by Zim's own paranoid orders. Apparently, the Invader-turned-warlord didn't want to take the chance that Voi would somehow hack his computers and cause any sort of damage to them.
And this was working in Voi's favor. Since he couldn't access the main computer from his own system, the reverse was also true; anything he did on his personal console was only accessible through that console, and locked under triple-level encryption. And since he kept all knowledge of what he was really doing was crammed into a corner of his mind, Zim never even suspected his planned eventual betrayal, so for the time being his secrets were safe.
He was pulled from his thoughts as his ear nubs picked up the distinct sound of someone's footsteps approaching his door. Quickly minimizing the screen that he had been using to run his program, he brought up another detailing schematics of the Rinimikks and Slayers. He then calmly looked up as the door opened, allowing Jana to enter the room.
"My Lady," he greeted with a mock bow.
"Spare me your false pleasantries, Voi," Jana snapped, "they're an insult to us both."
"Alright," Voi said, straightening up, "Did you want something, or do you just want to torment me?"
"If I wanted you tormented Voi, I'd lock you in a room with General Kumozen," Jana shot back, smirking as the Vortian shivered at the thought, "But yes, I'm here because Lord Zim has a question for you. What do you know of a Vortian named Glem Semnar?"
Voi paused for a moment as he considered the question before answering, "I only know him by reputation; he's supposed to be a power-grabbing, self-centered egotist, the kind that gives all politicians a bad name. From what I hear, he switched his support between political parties the moment whichever one in power began to loose support, in order to always end up on the winning side. In fact, before the Invasion of Vort, rumor had it that he was planning a vote of no confidence in the Grand Chancellor so that he could take his seat."
Jana chuckled at that last comment, "So, the Empire denied him his chance at leadership, eh? That would explain why he's going after them so viciously."
Voi blinked in surprise.
"He's in the Resisty?" he asked, worry creeping into his voice as he wondered why Jana sounded so happy about it.
"Yes, he is," Jana replied, "And he seems to be gathering quite the gathering among the newer members. In fact, it probably wouldn't be too much of a stretch to assume that – combined with the lust for power you just informed me that he has – he would be quick to assume power of the whole organization in the event that Lard Nar were to have an unfortunate… accident, shall we say?"
"You can't do that!" Voi shouted.
"Do not tell me what I can and can not do, skaatel," Jana hissed, "Lard Nar is proving to be too cautious for Lord Zim's plans to properly accelerate. We need to replace him with someone a bit more aggressive, someone more willing to take the fight to the Armada."
"You mean someone more willing to walk into a slaughter," Voi snapped, "You two megalomaniacs would wipe out my entire species if it served your plans."
"Yes, we would," she replied with a smirk, "So you should try and stay on our good sides before we decide that there's no longer any reason to keep you around. If you catch my drift."
Voi was silent after that, and Jana took the opportunity to quickly weave around him to look at his console. His eyes widened in shock, but he forced himself to stay calm; she wouldn't find anything there, he repeated constantly in his head, she wouldn't find anything.
"You know, Voi," she spoke up after a moment, "I've often wondered just what it is that you do in here that requires an ES Field. I hope for your sake it's nothing Lord Zim would disapprove of."
Voi took a moment to lick his suddenly dry lips before responding, "Of course not. If I were, he'd know about it, don't you think?"
He emphasized his point by tapping his head, as if Jana actually needed reminding of how nearly impossible it was to keep secrets from Zim these days.
"As for the ES Field, that's just so I can have a little privacy. Would you want someone watching you use the bathroom?" He paused for a moment, before adding, "Oh, who am I kidding? Knowing you two, that's probably one of your fetishes or something."
The next thing Voi knew, he was being slammed against the wall with a dagger pressed up against his throat.
"Mind your place, Vortian," Jana snarled, pressing the dagger in deep enough to knick the skin. As Voi gasped in pain and a small trickle of purple blood ran down the blade, Jana added, "Lord Zim, for the time being, still requires your services. But the minute he doesn't, I'm going to make sure you receive a fond farewell. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am," Voi croaked out. Seeing that she had sufficiently subdued him, Jana dropped him to the floor. She then turned on her heel and walked out of the room, wiping off and pocketing the dagger as she did so.
Voi pressed a hand to the cut on his throat, stemming the blood loss and speeding up the healing process. Waiting until Jana's footsteps disappeared down the hall, he pulled himself to his feet and walked over to his console. Pulling his special program back up, he saw that it had completed while he had been hiding it from Jana, and almost gave a shout of excitement when he saw that it had finally – after almost three years of research and experimental scenarios – come up with a way to undermine Zim and hopefully take him down, thus granting Voi a chance at redemption for his part in this madness. He only needed a little more time to put things together.
He just hoped he had that much time.
XXXXXXX
The Doughnut, Tenn's Personal Chambers, 1530 Hours Galactic Standard Time
Tenn slowly paced back and forth across her chamber, cape swishing behind her, as she pondered her next move. The Doughnut and the rest of Third Fleet were currently in hyperspace, making their way towards Foodcourtia – rumor had it that the Resisty had used it as a resupply planet in the past (albeit discreetly), so that made it the first place she would go to look for them. She'd interrogate every person on the planet if she had to, but she would find a lead and track Lard Nar and his cronies down, even if it took her a lifetime.
She was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of someone using the announcement buzzer on her door. Grumbling angrily to herself – she had asked not to be disturbed – she stomped over to the door and opened it, leveling her best glare at whoever had interrupted her thinking. Which, as it turned out, was Skoodge, who flinched at the sharp glare he received from the slightly taller female.
"What is it?" she snapped.
"Err, well," he stammered, "I, uh, just noticed that you seem a little tense, and that's no good in a commanding officer, so I brought you something to help you relax."
Tenn blinked in surprise as Skoodge held up a large bottle of some semi-translucent liquid and handed it to her. She took it carefully, eyes widening as she read the label.
"Boodie-Nen Rum?" she asked, completely astounded, "Skoodge, they don't even brew this anymore! How'd you get a bottle?"
"Let's just say I know a guy who knows a guy and leave it at that," Skoodge said with a shrug, "I was saving it for a special occasion, but you really look like you could use it."
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
"Well, I noticed that ever since the battle your antennae have been twitching a lot, which they always do whenever you're really nervous about something. And, you've got bags forming under your eyes, which always happens whenever you're really stressed," Skoodge explained, "So, I figured you could really use something to calm you down."
Tenn stared, surprised at how obvious her feelings apparently were, but before she could say anything, a buzzing sound came from the intercom on her desk. Walking over and putting the bottle down on the desk, she hit the activation button.
"Yes?"
"Ma'am," the voice of the officer she'd left in charge of the bridge said, "We're nearing the Foodcourtia system. We'll be reverting to real-space in approximately five minutes."
"Good, I'll be there in two," Tenn replied. Picking the bottle back up, she quickly placed it in the mini-fridge set into the side of her desk, then turned on her heel and made her way back to the door. Skoodge stepped out of the way, and after Tenn walked past he started after her, making sure to stay a respectable distance behind her.
"Thanks, by the way," she commented as they made their way down the hall.
"No problem," he responded with a smile.
"We'll need to remember to open it later."
Skoodge blinked, "We?"
"Hey, it's your bottle," she replied with a shrug, "Besides, think of it as my way of saying thanks."
She flashed him a smile at that, and he smiled back, before turning his head away to hide the slight blush that had appeared on his face. She was just so gosh-darn… pretty when she smiled like that. He couldn't help himself.
The bridge doors slid open, and everyone in the room except the pilots snapped to attention as the two of them entered. The officer Tenn had left in charge saluted as he stepped away from the command chair, which Tenn lowered herself into and Skoodge took his position next to. A few minutes later, the ship reentered the normal universe, and the red orb of Foodcourtia came into view. Watching it intently, Tenn steeped her fingers together and rested her chin on them.
"And now," she muttered, "The hunt begins."
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A/N: Yes, I'm shipping a little SATnR, so sue me. And for those wondering, I will also be trying my hand at DATR as well, but I give no promises for how that will turn out.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and the foreshadowing I planted in certain scenes – several things that happened in this chapter will be important later on. And not just the obvious example with Voi.
Next chapter: Tenn begins her search for the Resisty on Foodcourtia, while Dib and the others onboard the Magellan plan their own next move.
Until then, read and review!