Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim. I'm not making any money. Nuff said.

So, more back story stuff. There's just a little about the rest of the crew. They're not as important or relevant as Midge and Dek are going to be, but they're gonna pop up every now and then. So I figured you should know who they are.

I have no clue how hacking works. Or computers in general. So I'll just…do my best.

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INTERSTELLAR SERIES PART ONE

POLARIS

Chapter Ten

While they signed the initial paper work, Dib and Zim were introduced to the rest of the crew properly. Dib, of course, was polite and attentive, very interested in learning about all these species he hadn't heard of yet. Zim, on the other hand, merely nodded here and there, barely paying attention.

The alien with the light purple skin was named Matsuri, and she was from a planet called Icthys. She was Team Nebula's Head Communication's Officer and was fluent in over twenty different languages. Dib was extremely impressed. The only other language he knew how to speak was Spanish, and that obviously wasn't going to help him here.

Krugg was from Galadon, a huge planet that had been part of the Galactic Alliance for years. Not only was he the co-pilot on the Nazo, but he was also their Chief Weapons Expert. Dib could already tell he didn't really like Zim, based on the distasteful looks. Then again, it wasn't exactly easy for anyone to like the little green jerk.

The pilot, Yara, was born on planet Argyros, a planet outside the Galactic Alliance. However, her family fled during a civil war when she was very young. She got accepted to one of the military academies at a young age, which was where Team Nebula had recruited her after seeing her fly one of the vessels on campus.

E.J., whose real name was so long that Dib could kind of understand why he only went by two letters, was one of the oldest members. He had served under Team Nebula's previous captain, and made a few teasing comments about how Dek had insisted on using the Nazo when he took the post. Dek didn't seem too irritated, merely rolling his eyes.

Dib also learned that E.J. and Yara were bonded mates, and had been for a few years now. His brow furrowed as he eyed Midge, remembering the Orok around her neck. He could sort of take a guess that she was with Dek, but didn't want to assume. However, he was more fascinated by the fact that in a short span of time he had met two interspecies couples. He couldn't help but wonder if that was a common thing out here in space.

Once they were done signing everything, Midge took them on a real tour of the ship. As she did so, she began telling them about her own back story – her life on Lazuroth, how she helped in a failed revolt, meeting Dek and then leaving with him. Dib found her story fascinating. Zim, on the other hand, merely directed his attention elsewhere, not seeming very interested.

"Do you ever think you'll try to go back?" Dib asked as they made their way to their next stop.

Midge shrugged. "Maybe someday," she said as they entered a room with several computers. "But right now, there's just so much going on."

At that moment, Dek entered the room, gaining the other three's attentions. "Got all the paper work sorted out," Dek told them, before his eyes fell on Dib. "All that's left is to call your family."

Dib balked at that. He couldn't help but think of Gaz's reaction, or what even he was going to tell his father. "Uh...do I have to?" He asked only half-jokingly.

Dek shrugged. "I won't make you. I just figured you would want to."

Dib considered this for a moment. He knew that the longer he left Gaz in the dark, the worse his fate would be the next time he saw her. As for his dad, well, he wasn't quite sure what to do about that, yet. "Okay," he said simply.

Dek nodded and turned to Midge. "Mind taking Zim to the lab so we can get set up?"

"Eh?" Zim grunted. "What are you talking about?"

"Your tracker," explained Midge. "We need to deactivate it before we reach Polaris."

Dib rose a brow. "What's Polaris?"

"It's the space station we're headed towards," Dek answered. "The Nazo has a scrambler to block out the trackers frequency, but an Intergalactic Space Station is too large for such a thing."

Midge nodded. "So, Dek's gonna hack in there and get it shut down," she said brightly.

Zim frowned at them. "You are aware that once you access the tracker you will have three minutes to deactivate it before my PAK self-destructs, correct?"

That made Dib gape at both Midge and Dek. He was very bothered that they didn't look worried. "What?!" He gasped.

"Dek's done this a couple times before," Midge told them. "Don't worry."

Dib still couldn't help but feel mildly apprehensive.

Once Midge managed to drag Zim out of the room, Dib and Dek stared at each other. Dib would admit, he felt kind of awkward having the hybrid here. They hadn't communicated much while they were on Earth, so he didn't feel as comfortable with him as he did with Midge. "Uh...do you...have to be here?"

Dek shrugged. "If you want me to go, I can," he said. "I just figured I'd stay in case you need help explaining something. I know it's a lot."

Dib nodded. Now that he thought about it he appreciated the thought. Explaining things to his sister shouldn't be too much of a problem. His father however...

Dek lagged behind as Dib took his place at one of the communication consoles. He was able to establish a line with Gaz's computer pretty easily. He sincerely hoped he wasn't interrupting her gaming. That would not bode well for him.

In a matter of moment's Gaz's image appeared on the screen, frowning harshly. "Where have you been?" She asked darkly.

Well, on the bright side, she didn't sound too angry yet.

"Uh...it's kind of a long story," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

Gaz sighed and set her jaw. "Start talking."

Dib obeyed, telling Gaz everything that had happened from taking Tak's ship to follow Midge the night before, all the way to what he knew about Team Nebula. When he was through, Gaz reiterated, "So, let me get this straight. Midge is actually an alien, you're lightyears from Earth, you and Zim joined some weird secret alien Special Forces, who are currently helping a resistance group against the Irken Empire. Did I miss anything?"

Dib shrugged. "Maybe the part that apparently Zim's mission has been lie this whole time? But, you know, details."

Gaz huffed out of her nose and shook her head. "You know, I would say I'm surprised, but I'm not," she said. "Why did Zim join, though? I mean, I get his leaders were assholes to him but still..."

"I think I sort of goaded him into it," Dib replied, though honestly he wasn't really sure.

Gaz's expression became very amused. "That doesn't surprise me either." She tucked a stray strand of her long purple hair behind her ear. "So...what are you going to tell Dad?"

Dib tensed. "I, uh, hadn't thought about it..."

"Is that Dib?" Called Professor Membrane's voice. Dib could see on the screen where he was sticking his head through the door of Gaz's room. The siblings exchanged looks, Dib trying to silently plea to his sister. But he knew it was no use as their father entered the room. "Son! Where have you been? You gave us quite a fright when we couldn't find you this morning!"

Dib opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to think of how the handle this. He could attempt to put together some elaborate lie, but he honestly didn't trust himself to do so. He would admit, he kind of sucked at lying. However, the truth would only lead to Dib being angry and frustrated, because no matter what his father was just so blind.

"Professor Membrane?" Dek suddenly said, pulling a chair up next to Dib. Dib's eyes widened, staring between Dek and his father. What was Dek doing? "My name is Captain Dek. How are you doing today?"

Professor Membrane appeared to give no reaction. "Erm...I'm doing well," he replied. "May I ask how you know my son?"

"Funny you should ask," said Dek. "I belong to an organization known as Team Nebula. Now, usually, I'm not supposed to reveal that sort of information, but I see this as a special circumstance." He placed a hand on Dib's shoulder. "You've got one hell of a boy here, Professor. I hope you know that."

"Oh, um, thank you," replied Professor Membrane. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Pardon my asking, but do you happen to know Dib's friend, Zim? He has a similar skin condition to yours."

Dek squinted an eye and his antennae twitched. Dib watched as the hybrid pulled a knife from his pocket. "We've met," Dek said quickly. "But never mind him. We're talking about Dib." He gave Dib a smirk. "Go on. Tell him what's going on."

Dib stared at Dek for moment, taking in the hybrid's confident expression. Obviously, he had a plan. After a bit of hesitating, Dib found his conviction. Or, more so, he found eleven-year-old Dib's conviction. "Dad," he said boldly, "I joined a secret alien organization that's helping an underground resistance take on a giant alien empire."

It was suddenly so quiet afterward that one could have heard a pin drop from several miles away. It seemed to last forever. Dib felt his heart pounding erratically and his stomach flipping, as he wondered if he should have just kept his mouth shut.

Finally, Professor Membrane reacted, pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head. "And here I thought we were past all that," he said, disappointment coating his words. "My poor insane-,"

He didn't get to finish as Dek used the knife in his hand to create a slice across his forearm. Dib gaped, watching as dark purple blood oozed from the wound. He looked back at his father, finding the man looking quite stunned.

"Remind me again," Dek said, giving the Professor a pointed look. "What color is human blood?"

Professor Membrane continued to look shocked. "It's...red..." He said.

Dek narrowed his eyes. "Huh. Interesting." He ripped off a part of his shirt and wrapped up the wound. "Mine's purple and Zim's is green. How funny."

Professor Membrane simply stood there staring a moment longer before he slowly turned on his heel. Without another word, the man left Gaz's room, leaving her, Dib and Dek to exchange glances.

"I think you broke him," mentioned Gaz, sounding amused.

Dek shrugged as he cleaned his knife and replaced it in his pocket. "Midge mentioned that he's a very close minded individual," he explained. "I used extreme measures."

"You think?" Dib asked, still shocked at what Dek just did.

"Just don't tell Midge about this," said Dek. He looked back at Gaz. "It was very nice to meet you, by the way."

Gaz rose an eyebrow, looking Dek up and down. "Are you going to make sure my brother doesn't die?"

Dek hesitated. "Er..."

"Because if he dies I'm holding you personally responsible," she told him in a threatening tone.

"Gaz, it's not gonna be his fault if I die," Dib interrupted. "I'm not going to die."

"You better not," Gaz told him menacingly. "Because if you do, I'm going to dig up your old Grimoire and resurrect you and use you as our guard dog."

Dib grimaced. Gaz knew he hated the idea of being a zombie. "You don't even know where I buried that thing."

"Underneath the sycamore on the playground of our old elementary school," Gaz replied easily. "Buried a good five feet down in a metal safe-box. Combination's thirty , three, one."

Dib was gaping. "How do you know all that?!"

"Because if there's one thing you and I have in common, it's our love of snooping," Gaz told him with a grin.

"Gaz-,"

"Gotta go, Dib. Tell Zim to make sure to bring your body back!" Then the communication was cut.

Dib sighed, catching Dek's gaze again. The hybrid had an uncertain look on his face. "You're sister is an interesting character." He said.

Dib gave him a sympathetic look. "It's okay. I know she's terrifying."

Dek frowned. "I am not afraid of your sister."

"Dek, everyone's afraid of my sister," Dib pointed out.

Dek gave a wordless scoff that reminded Dib of Zim. He wondered if it was just an Irken thing. As they got up from the console, Dib rubbed to back of his neck. "Um...thanks for helping me with my dad."

"Not a problem," Dek replied. "Has he always been like that?"

Dib nodded. "Unfortunately," he mumbled bitterly. "Either he's telling me I'm insane or he's nagging me to join him at his company. It's always about what he wants. Not what I want."

Dib could feel Dek's eyes on him, and looked up to find the hybrid studying him intently. Dek gave him a empathetic look. "It is a shame your father doesn't see past your different interests," he said. "My father died when I was very young, but even so he never tried to pressure me into anything."

Dib folded his arms across his chest. "You're lucky," he blurted. When he realized how that could have sounded, he back tracked. "I mean...I'm not saying that-,"

Dek waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine. I understand what you meant," he reassured. "By the way, what is a Grimoire?"

Dib snorted. "I'll tell you all about it."

Dek let Dib chat away until they found the lab, seeing Midge pressing a button or two on a console against the back wall. Zim was seated a few feet away, a thick, black cord already attached to the inside of his PAK. There were a couple of Milgor's assistants seated at a small lab table across the room, working on some other experiment.

"Well, it's about time," said Zim impatiently, glaring at Dek and Dib. "The Midge and I have been waiting FOREVER! You talk too much, Dib-stink!"

Dib gave him a very pointed look. "Yes, because you're so quiet," he drawled.

"I will quiet your face!" Zim retorted.

"What does that even mean?!" Dib said in frustration.

"Alright, you two," Dek said in an authoritative tone. He walked over to the console and stood next to Midge. "Looks like everything's in order."

"What happened to your arm?" Midge asked suspiciously, gazing where his cut was wrapped up. The wrapping showed a small bit of purple seeping through.

Dek waved her off. "It's nothing."

Midge frowned and looked at Dib. "What happened to his arm?"

"It's not important," insisted Dek. "Now focus, Cuppari."

Midge made a face that looked very similar to a pout, but she argued no further. Dib took a moment to observe everything. He could see that Zim's PAK was opened up, revealing a complex mainframe with hundreds of tiny glittering lights. The black cord was connected to one of the many ports he could see.

"This is incredible," Dib said in awe

"Of course it is," Zim bragged. "Irken technology is the most advanced in the universe."

Dib rolled his eyes, continuing the study the inside of Zim's PAK. He then looked over at the screen, finding Dek bringing up a window with a bunch of Irken symbols. "So how's this gonna work," he asked curiously.

"Midge is going to push those three buttons," Dek explained. "Once we do that the timer will start. Now, normally, maintenance workers on Irk would put in a series of passwords to get to the tracker. Since we don't have those passwords, I'm going to have to find a way around the blocks before the timer hits zero." He took a moment to crack his knuckles. "Shouldn't be too hard," he remarked. "The last two times I even beat the halfway point."

Zim squinted an eye. "Who else had their tracker deactivated?"

"A couple of Irkens who joined the Resisty," Dek replied. "You might know them. Tenn and Skoodge?"

Zim's eyes widened. "They joined the Resisty?!"

"Yep."

"So you never deactivated Tak's tracker?" Dib asked curiously.

"She never got that far," replied Midge with a scowl. "We brought her with us because she knew things about Earth and about the two of you. But I always thought she sounded a little too eager."

Dek rolled his eyes. "Well, it probably wouldn't have mattered anyway. She would have just had it reactivated the minute she returned to Irk. But, luckily, she never made it to Polaris."

"Why?' Dib asked. "What's on Polaris?"

"Team Nebula's headquarters," replied Midge. "Well, what we use for headquarters, anyway. The space station holds Polaris Academy, one of the most prestigious military schools in the known universe. We all actually double as staff."

"The two of you however will be enrolled in the Accelerated Training Program during your probationary period," added Dek. "But we'll discuss that more later." He looked over at Midge. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Midge said noncommittally. She looked over at Milgor's assistants, who had stopped what they were doing to stare. "Better enjoy the show, huh?"

The scientists bolted from the room.

"Cowards," Zim growled.

"I don't know what they think they'll accomplish," added Midge. "If this goes south the whole ship is screwed."

Dib felt his stomach plummet at that, suddenly feeling anxious. He noticed how Dek gave Midge a pointed look. "Your confidence is astounding," the hybrid drawled.

Midge opened her mouth to reply only to be interrupted when Gir suddenly appeared from under the console to dance and cheer. "Greenie, Greenie, he's our man! If he can't do it WE ALL GONNA DIE!"

All four of them stared at the little robot. After a moment, Midge looked at Dek. "There's your vote of confidence."

"Where have you been, anyway?" Zim demanded of Gir

"Oh, E.J. took the liberty of fixing him up a bit," Midge explained as they all watched Gir do the Macarena. "Just a few upgrades. Since he's a glitched SIR unit, we didn't have to worry about him being connected with Irk."

Zim frowned. "You might have been better off deactivating him."

"Don't tempt me," Dek grumbled.

Midge shoved him. "No," she insisted, turning back to Zim. "He's your SIR unit. Besides, E.J. just tinkered with some of his command...thingies. His personality is hilarious, though."

Dek shook his head. "Command receptors," he told her in exasperation. "Seriously have I taught you nothing?"

"I'm a doctor, not an engineer," Midge replied with a smirk.

"Oh my God, Midge," Dib said, burying his face in one of his hands, even as he failed not to smile.

Gir walked over to the cord that connected Zim's PAK to the console. "Masta' there's a snake in your boot!"

"Don't touch it, Gir!" Zim commanded.

At once, Gir retracted his hand and jumped to full attention. "Yes, sir!"

Zim blinked. Dib blinked. Dek rolled his eyes. Midge looked like she was trying not to laugh.

Zim squinted an eye. "GIR! Sleep mode!"

"Okie dokie!" Gir replied. He then fell to the ground and curled up on his side before falling asleep. He even made little snoring noises. Zim looked up at Midge and gave her a begrudgingly look.

"I'll let E.J know you said thank you," she said teasingly.

Dek sighed roughly. "Can we get on with this, please?"

Midge rolled her eyes, but she returned to her previous position. She and Dek shared a look before the hybrid gave a nod. Immediately Midge pressed the three buttons that had been indicated earlier. Dib watched as Zim's PAK lit up bright red, and the screen displayed a blinking Irken message over and over.

Accessing Tracker. Three minutes before detonation.

Dek immediately went to work, his fingers tapping rapidly across the keyboard. His emerald eyes were narrowed in pure concentration. Dib was glad he had made a point to obsessively learn the Irken language. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to keep up with what was happening. He watched as Dek bypassed block after block, finding himself rather impressed.

Then, the message on the screen began to blink more quickly, and Zim's PAK began to make a shrill beeping noise. "Shit," hissed Dek.

Immediately, Zim panicked. "What is that?!"

"It means we're at the halfway mark," explained Midge. She suddenly looked very worried. "Dek what's happening?"

"I've never seen this kind of corruption," said Dek, sounding frustrated. "I can't make heads or tails of it."

"What?!" Zim screeched.

"No need to panic," said Midge, though a touch of fear made its way into her tone. Dib distinctly heard her mutter, "Yet."

Dib's eyes flew across the screen, trying to analyze the situation. Without another thought, he stepped forward. "Let me," he said, nudging Dek out of the way.

Dek's mouth became a thin line but he said nothing against Dib's request. Dib's fingers began flying over the buttons at lightening speed, getting past the blocks at a much faster rate. The corruption Dek was talking about was definitely a speed bump, but with a few choice code words, it was easily foiled.

"Twenty-five seconds!" Midge yelled.

Dib's stomach clenched and he could feel sweat forming at his hairline. His breathing was rapid. A tiny quiver of panic erupted for a single second, saying he wouldn't make it.

He told that thought to go to hell.

"If I blow up because of you, Dib, I swear I will haunt you in the after life!" Zim shouted.

"Not helping, you lizard!" Dib snapped.

"Ten seconds," Dek observed aloud.

Please be the last one, Dib begged mentally.

"Three."

Come on. Come on.

"Two."

Do you wish to deactivate this tracker?

"Hell yes I do!" Dib shouted, pressing the appropriate button to do just that.

Tracker successfully deactivated.

The alarm on Zim's PAK stopped, leaving the lab extremely silent. Dib took in a huge gulp of air and let it out, glancing over at Midge and Dek. Both of their eyes were wide with shock, but also filled with pride. Dib couldn't help the swell in his chest. That wasn't a look he got to see very often.

"That," Midge said, walking over and disconnecting Zim from the console, "was amazing."

"I'll say," added Dek. "You're even better than we thought."

Dib rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks."

"Don't let it go to your gigantic head, Dib-stink," Zim told him as Midge closed his PAK up. "It's going to take a lot more than your hacky-brain powers to overthrow the Control Brains." He poked Dib's head for emphasis.

Dib rolled his eyes and slapped Zim's hand away. "Come on. Admit it. You're a little impressed."

"Zim admits NOTHING!"

However, Dib didn't miss the proud gleam in Zim's eyes, or the slight curve of his mouth.

Dek reached over and patted Dib's shoulder, a small smile on his. "Good work, Membrane," he told him proudly. Dib smiled in return, still not used to praise. Then Dek turned to Zim. "And congratulations, Zim. You have officially cut all ties to the Irken Empire."

Zim's expression was hard to read as he stared at the screen, his mouth a thin line. Dib resisted the urge to reach out for him, figuring any sort of comfort he attempted to offer probably wouldn't be too appreciated right now. None the less, Dib wondered what Zim must be feeling. Maybe before there was the tiniest chance he could have redeemed himself to his leaders, but now that rickety bridge was decimated.

On the other hand, Zim had destroyed it himself. No one had forced him to do this, he had done so willingly, for one reason or another. Dib still wasn't quite sure of what was motivating Zim to do all this, but he honestly wondered if it was even worth asking. He remembered how it went when he had asked about Zim's mission. The Irken was incorrigible when he didn't want to divulge information.

"Come on, Dek," Midge said, pulling the hybrid by his uninjured arm. "We're going to the medical bay."

Dek frowned. "I told you, I'm fine."

"We are going to the medical bay," Midge repeated more insistently. She looked over at Dib and Zim. "Dinner should be ready soon. See you guys there."

As Midge and Dek left the room, Dib's stomach gave an obnoxiously loud grumble. He felt his cheeks color. "Shut up, stomach," he complained.

"You're stomach is insatiable, Dib-worm," Zim said with a chuckle. "Where do you even put all the food stuffs you eat?"

Dib glared. "I don't eat that much!"

"Yes. It must go to your ginormous head!"

Dib growled, but decided not to take the bait this time. Obviously something was bothering Zim, and for some reason that Dib couldn't fathom, he wanted to help in some way. "Should I take your annoying demeanor to mean that you're perfectly fine?"

"Eh?" Zim grunted, still staring at the screen every now and then. "What are you talking about? I'm wonderful!"

Dib stared at him, making his expression as incredulous as possible. He knew that was complete bull. He waited in silence for quite some time, almost deciding to drop the whole thing. Then, Zim lifted his hands a bit and looked down at them. He flexed his fingers a few times.

"I feel...uncertain," Zim confessed slowly. "Freedom...the closest thing I had to it was when I became an Invader. But...even then I was only supposed to do what was instructed by my leaders." He frowned harshly, his hands balling into fists. "Being banished...I was an outcast to the Empire, yet still under their control. Now, however..." He paused, staring out at nothing for a moment. He threw his hands down and looked up at Dib with irritation. "This is your fault! You make me feel icky and...FEELY! Stop infecting me with your feels!"

Dib sighed. Well, that didn't last long. He rolled his eyes as he said, "You know, you can't always blame me for your problems."

"Of course I can!" Retorted Zim. "You are the bane of my existence!"

"Yeah, the first chance I get I'm throwing you out the air lock," Dib grumbled, making his way out of the lab.

Zim was hot on his heels. "You will do no such thing!"

"You wanna bet?" Dib challenged.

"Don't be stupid," Zim sneered. "You're the one who convinced me to stay. We both know how much you would miss me."

Dib glared, his face flaring. "I won't miss when I punch you in the face!"

"It's okay, Dib," Zim continued mockingly. "I know I'm amazing, and I'm glad you've finally come to realize this as well."

Dib shoved the Irken in retaliation. "You are so annoying!"

Zim shoved him back. "Your face is annoying!"

Within a matter of minutes the two of them were tussling on the floor, both set on beating the ever loving crap out of each other. Four crew members, including Krugg and E.J. had to break them up. Dib suffered a few bruises and several scratches. After sitting in the medical bay to have his injuries tended to, he and Zim found themselves enduring an exasperated lecture from Dek.

"Seriously?" Dek groaned. Dib noticed that the wrap on his arm was gone and his wound was cleaned and sealed. "We can't leave to two of you alone for five minutes?"

"He started it!" Both Dib and Zim said at the same time. They glowered at each other angrily.

"I don't care,"Dek said sternly. "I know the two of you have a rough history, but you're comrades now. You can't be constantly fist fighting all the time. Especially once we get to Polaris."

Dib continued to give Zim a scathing look, which the Irken eagerly returned. He honestly couldn't imagine not fighting with Zim, especially since they shared a room.

Dek sighed roughly. "Look, we're making another warp jump soon, then it'll be another few days before we reach Polaris. Just...try to get along until then. Got it?"

Dib resisted the urge to scoff, wanting to argue. However, a part of him knew that he and Zim were capable of being civil. It was just a matter of staying civil. He groaned. Why hadn't wanted Zim to come again.

However, wanting to avoid anymore confrontation for the time being, Dib simply muttered out, "Yes, sir."

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