I do not own any of the characters from Invader Zim!
A/N: The assassins find rescue, and a potential ally. Tak moves closer to all out war with the Armada, and Dib may become an unwilling participant!
Tak and the Martian Armada
Chapter 10: Calm before the storm
Kali laughed at Tak's reaction, remembering the primal fear that Irkens had for the predators. The Bandarquetz were responsible for the phobia. They were ancient creatures that had survived until modern times, feeding on the body fluids of unsuspecting Irkens. Their ability to hide camouflaged in almost any environment is what made them so fearful. Under a bed, inside a closet, it didn't matter where they were. If they could fit inside, they would do it, but while they were extremely intelligent, they had no social order, only gathering together during their mating season. They were ruthlessly hunted down as soon as the technology made it possible, and were exterminated on Irk. Or were they? Somewhere on the planet they might have survived, and on a planet of forty billion Irkens, who would miss ten thousand or so?
Kali stepped to the edge of the pool, then turned to Tak, offering her hand.
"Will you join me, young Queen Tak?" The Irken girl was reluctant. The pool certainly looked inviting, but water, if containing even small amounts of certain pollutants, was not well received by Irken skin.
"Is the water clean? I have developed a sensitivity to water containing contaminants."
"The water is quite pure, I assure you, otherwise I would not be able to go in either. There are trace elements in here that are valuable to our bodies. They are totally beneficial." Kali began to drop the robe she wore from her shoulders. "Qikli, you and the IE's are excused to check on the condition of the starships, and report on your findings. I wish to speak with Queen Tak in private."
"Yes Majesty." The avatar signaled the robots to move out, back towards the hanger tunnels.
When they were completely out of sight, Kali let her robe slip off her shoulders, and gathered it up, folding it neatly before laying it down along the pool's edge. Her back had a luster to its surface that she had never seen on any Irken's skin before, and her shoulders were broad, almost muscular in a healthy sense. She had wider hips, obviously for child-bearing purposes, and her breasts were of fair size, with nipples of a dark emerald color, although the Irken girl failed to see the use of them. Of her other two arms there were no sign, and Tak assumed that they were tucked away somewhere beneath her skin, like a knife in a sheath. She was "thicker" in every aspect, than any of her species. This had to be an evolutionary by-product of the royal bloodline, as Tak had never seen anyone else like her, male or female, on Irk. That she would one day grow to look like Kali seemed to be an interesting prospect.
Whatever became of all the royal families was a mystery yet to be discovered. No one she knew ever spoke of them, and most of the population probably had no idea they even existed. If she hadn't found that library hidden beneath a mountain of trash, she would have never known about their existence either.
Kali came over to help Tak out of her exo-suit, undoing the straps of her over-sized combat boots, while the girl slid out of the suit.
"Why are your boots so large?" she asked.
"My uniform automatically stretches, but the boots do not, and my feet have been growing quickly as of late."
"I was the same at your age. It's the hormonal changes that affect all royals."
Tak watched as Kali removed her boots, and at first didn't think much of the fact that the only thing covering her was a piece of sheer cloth. There was none of the embarrassment she felt when Haze was present. Kali was a female like she was, and it didn't bother her anymore than being with her fellow female recruits, stripping down in the locker room after a grueling bout of physical training. She did smell nice though, and Tak wondered if there was some scent they both exuded from their antennae that was used in attracting a mate. She remembered how Zim inexplicably fawned over her during the short while she was on Earth, and how she used it to her advantage as she tried to hurt and humiliate him. This aroma was mildly overpowering to her senses, giving her a feeling of euphoria, and she closed her eyes, leaning forward as she sniffed the base of Kali's antennae. Kali had done the same to her earlier, and now with the Queen kneeling directly below her, she could understand why. Unconsciously she placed her hands on the Queen's shoulders, feeling a little lightheaded, and Kali recognized the effect she was having on the young Irken girl.
"Let us proceed into the water, shall we?"
She took Tak's hand, and led her towards the emerald pool. With a slight tug, the last piece of covering she wore fell to the floor so that the two of them were now both naked. Vapors of steam rising from the surface gave way as Kali's foot entered the pool, the rest dispersing as the ripples freed them from their tenuous hold on the water's surface. At this point, Kali released the young queen's hand, submerging herself into the pool, and began to swim around. Tak remained in the shallows, squatting down until only her head could be seen. The former queen seemed at home in this element, and disappeared without leaving so much as a ripple. She soon emerged, noiselessly, directly in front of Tak, and smiled.
"What's the matter, Ocean girl? Come and swim with me!"
"I-I never learned how! Our coastlines are so polluted nowadays that no one ever goes into the oceans without a hard suit!" Kali persisted.
"In my days, the people of Ocean were said to be able to swim from instinct. Come take my hand, and let's see if that is true."
While she was still unsure, Tak took her hand, and kicked off from the rock she had been sitting on. Strangely enough, she felt very comfortable in the water despite having seen the oceans only a few times in her life. Kali swam alongside, and spun like a corkscrew through the water. Tak followed before going to explore the deeper parts of the pool on her own, finding shiny pieces of crystal that attracted her attention. When she looked once more, Kali was nowhere to be seen. She broke surface and found Kali sitting at the edge of the pool, smiling smugly. She beckoned Tak to return, and the young Irken swam back, exhilarated to discover she had a newfound ability.
"Just like a mermaid! I knew you had it in you!"
"How long was I under?"
"At least five minutes. With a little practice, you could extend that to twenty!"
Tak returned, and sat next to Kali, her cheeks flushed with excitement. The stones they sat on were worn smooth from centuries of use, and very comfortable.
"I've a favor to ask of you, young Majesty."
"What can I do for you?"
"I should like to hold you in front of me while we sit here." Though she thought it an unusual request, Tak saw no harm in it. Queen Kali was very gracious, a trait she herself lacked, and all Irken females were very close to each other, in her generation. There weren't very many females left, and among those that remained there was a close camaraderie. Unlike the males of her species, females felt none of disdain for close contact that males did, and openly hugged each other in greeting.
"If you like." Tak swam in front of Kali, placing herself in the Queen's embrace. Kali smiled happily.
"You are the first sentient being I have seen in a hundred years, and I miss this physical contact. Touching plays an important part of an Irken female's life, especially for the royals. I cannot imagine an Irk with so few females there." Kali closed her eyes, savoring the moment, and Tak herself seemed to be enjoying the intimacy of being held by a mother she never had.
"I've been a poor mother. Because of my position as queen, not only of my province, but the whole world, my children were given over to be taken care of by nursemaids and nannies, and I saw them rarely." Tak could feel the Queen's embrace increase in pressure as remorse took hold of her.
"How many smeets did you have as Queen?" Kali grimaced.
"Smeets. I loathe the word. It refers to unwanted children, abandoned, then sent off to the mines to scratch out a living digging up radioactive ore, and other undesirable work. Your new leaders have come up with a colorful description for 'cannon fodder'. I tried to educate the young, give them a better quality of life, but the current rulers seem to have come up with an efficient way to get rid of them. As for your question, I had twenty-three. Twenty boys, and three girls. The boys were immediately handed over to the groom's side. 'A life for a life', as was our custom. A royal male did not have an exceptionally long life expectancy, and were claimed by the groom's side to replace the loss of one of their own. I never knew my male children, and by the same token, they had no knowledge of me being their mother. My last three were triplets, all girls. Girls were undesirable for exchange purposes, so I was allowed to keep them as future princesses of Black province. This left the last three provinces without future princes. My daughters came from Cloud. They wouldn't take the girls, but their remaining males were too young to offer up, and so they were willing to wait for another time. The last two provinces, Mountain and River, had their princes marry me, to satisfy the decree. Both fled the planet before the consummation of the marriage. They would probably have given me indigestion anyway." Both queens laughed at the little gibe.
"What were the girls' names?"
"Naga, Varna, and Purishnu. They were feisty children, but I loved them dearly. You might have heard mention of their names somewhere. Perhaps you can tell me a little of how the royal families fared after the changes." Tak hesitated, not knowing if she should answer with a piecemeal reply. Her knowledge was incomplete, but surely Kali deserved to know something.
"I can tell you what I have uncovered on my own, but it may not be what you want to hear. Within fifty years of your disappearance, the planet became embroiled in a civil war to fill the vacuum in leadership. This degenerated into a full on revolution as the Imperial armies turned on the royal families, and rounded them up, province by province. At that point it is not clear what happened next. I can only assume the worse."
She heard a muffled gasp as Kali shivered, then tensed, squeezing her ever tighter. The Queen slowly relaxed, and Tak felt warm drops falling across her shoulders. She thought it odd, as no Irken ever cried, at least not in public, and especially not in front of another. But Kali came from another time, when it probably was more acceptable. It was unbecoming of a soldier in the military, and anyone caught doing so was harassed mercilessly by their drill instructors, then assigned latrine duty for years on end.
"We Irkens are capable of living up to thirty-five hundred years. By all accounts, I should be near the end of my lifespan, yet because of this pool and the fact that I remained in stasis for so long, I look the same as I did when I first came here. My daughters, if they survived the purge, would be raising children of their own by now. I long now to see the rolling hills of my homeland, . . . dotted like a pin-cushion with the impaled bodies of the usurpers! Let us leave this pool for now. There are plans to be made before I return!"
Tak was surprised. They had always been told that their species had a lifespan of fifteen hundred years, and no one should be expected to live much more beyond that. With the "dog-collars" they called the PAK, the Control Brains not only kept track of where each Irken was, but how old they were, and when the time came, an individual could be made to drop dead conveniently. With the
cloning factories churning out fixed amounts of soldiers for their invasions, whole divisions could be eliminated at a time. She realized that Red could have had her killed the moment she made her threat, but he was too absorbed with having her punished instead.
The two queens rose up out of the water, and climbed out of the pool. Kali picked up her bathrobe, covering Tak, while she herself stormed out into the tunnel, naked and dripping wet.
"Qikliiii!" she yelled, and the avatar came running. "What have you discovered about the warships?"
"We have checked a hundred of them so far, and they are all in good working order, ready to fly at a moments notice. From the looks of those, we believe all the rest to be in excellent shape. I found a log book with an inventory of the first tunnel. There are a thousand attack fighters, twenty light cruisers, and another twenty destroyer class warships, all armed to the teeth. I believe they need to be charged up, but I cannot find any power source. Beyond that, there are more tunnels, some with even bigger ships, but just how many, I cannot say."
"Go into the tunnel with Black Provincial glyph over it. Punch in the code, 'Kali Authorize' and say the words, 'Kali, the Black.' Since you have my voice, it should open for you. Inside you will find a work station. Place your fingers into the ports to activate the generators. I will be with you shortly."
"Yes, your Majesty! And by the way, Tak Highness, your runner has arrived earlier than expected. Something about cargo leaking fluids, forced it to increase its speed." The avatar then hurried out to find Kali's personal tunnel.
"Come Queen Tak! We will go to my room and get dressed, it is close by."
Tak followed as quickly as she could. Kali was taller, and had longer legs. The thought of returning home to Irk had excited her somehow. She had grown accustomed to this idyllic world beneath the surface where exotic plants and animals still lived in vast underground forests, waiting to be collected and catalogued. Queen Kali had achieved her dream of becoming a naturalist, but now with her lover dead and gone over a hundred years, the leader in her began to assert itself. She was a queen, meant to lead and rule. It was in her blood, and she would return to take back the world that had forsaken her, or die trying. There was much planning to be done.
Her room was less than two hundred meters away, and as she approached, the doors swung open automatically. It wasn't as lavish as her room in the Imperial Palace on Irk, but it was quite large, and the Cheelisians had treated her as an honored guest, and fellow scientist. Her remaining IE's had been taken from her as she was being treated, and were dismantled for study. In their place, a huge army grew that was designed to pilot the vast armada hidden in the tunnels. But the Cheelisians population was in decline, and with it went their desire to reclaim their home system. The armada was now her's to command, and the mech army needed to be activated.
Kali opened her closet, and pulled out her warrior's garb, similar to one she wore the day of the treacherous ambush. She held it up and smiled proudly in anticipation of the coming battle.
"Please try this on, Queen Tak. It will be a little large for you, but it also self-adjusts, and after a minute, it should fit you just fine." It was a skin-tight catsuit, made for fighting in deep space. It looked flimsy, but was actually a type of flexible body armor that could withstand intense cold and heat. It hugged every curve of her growing body.
"Nice. It feels very comfortable."
"It regulates your body temperature, so you can walk on an ice planet or molten lava, with relative impunity, and will take two plasma shots at point-blank range before disintegrating. A matching vest goes with it, to carry small weapons, knives or blasters."
Tak looked herself over in a mirror, something she hardly ever did. She wasn't vain or anything, but Irken girls looked so similar, that it seemed pointless. But this was a warrior's outfit, crafted for stealth and agility, unlike the standard issue suits the military handed out. Still, she looked good in it, and it made her feel special. Even her breasts felt bigger, and her palms had grown wider to accommodate the fourth fingers that had suddenly emerged without her knowledge. Still she frowned as she clenched and unclenched her fists.
"What's with that look?"
"Nothing to be concerned about, your Majesty. I came to this system to destroy an enemy, and
made another. Tallest Red has sent assassins after me, and now I find myself on the verge of waging war against the whole Empire."
"You are not alone in this. Something must be done, and as the last royals of Irk, it falls to us, and we will make them pay!" Kali helped her with her boots. "These do not do justice for you. I will find you another pair. Meanwhile take your IE's back to the ship to bring in your space craft. I must meet Qikli in my lab."
Tak entered the hanger deck just as the tractors were drawing her spaceship in. She was wearing the outfit that Queen Kali had assembled for her. It was a uniform that was worn in battle, a sleeveless coat, belted at the waist. There were daggers, four of them, two placed at her hips, and two horizontally tucked into the waist belt. Her new boots were also filled with razor sharp objects for throwing.
The bay doors swung open, and the tractor beams guided her modified fighter to landing. As soon the canopy opened, a metallic tentacle threw out the human cargo roughly onto the floor.
"Disgusting monkey-worm! I'm nearly out of fuel because of you!"
"Dumb ass machine." he muttered back.
"Master Tak, I have brought you a present!" The young queen walked up to them.
Dib slowly rose up, and stared at the Irken girl he hadn't seen in two years. She didn't look the same as she did back then . . . maniacal, . . . full of anger and hate. The girl he faced now was calm, almost serene in appearance. She wore what seemed to be the Irken equivalent of a dress or gown. He looked away from her, and down at his feet, as he thought back to when he had last seen her. They were fighting then, and he would have killed her if he could, in order to save the Earth. But her hate was focused on Zim, and she was bent on humiliating him by taking his assignment for herself. Dib was merely an obstacle, and treated as if he wasn't there at all. He had no reason to believe that she would be lenient or forgiving with him.
Tak folded her arms across her chest, and narrowed her eyes at Dib as they both remained silent in their confrontation. She had no interest in him, and was at a loss to decide what to do. She turned to her modified spittle runner, and sighed.
"Why did you bring him?"
"He was tampering with my programming, and trying to access Irken technology! I thought you might be interested in punishing him for his interference in the battle between you and Zim!" Tak just sighed.
"Well, you thought wrong. We're in the middle of planning a war, and he will just be a bother to watch. You've only brought me a headache."
"I could convert him to anti-matter, and use him as fuel! I am running a little low at the moment!"
"No, no. If you need anti-matter, just roll yourself over to the charging port, and have the main computer check you over for repairs. I want you to be in full working order." She turned to Haze, "Cut him loose, and assign an IE to watch him." She began to walk away.
"Wait!" yelled Dib, "Are you planning to attack Earth again?!" Tak stopped, and did an about face.
"You needn't worry, Dib. We're going back to Irk . . . to confront the Tallest, and the Armada."
"Who's 'we'? You're the only one I see here!"
". . . I've told you too much already." She turned on her heels once more, and walked out of the landing bay.
The boy stared at Tak as she left, noticing the physical changes that took place in the time he had not seen her. He had grown accustomed to the Irken form, seeing Zim practically everyday, so maybe he didn't find it strange that Tak had become somewhat . . ."attractive,". . . to him. He swallowed, then shook his head, thinking maybe the long trip and the lower gravity of the planet was giving him weird thoughts.
Haze removed the layers of duct tape from Dib with a fingertip laser, but the tape clung to his clothes, and those had to be sliced off as well. This left him with nothing to wear except his boxers and a pair of buckled boots.
"C-could y-you get me s-something to w-wear? I-it's p-p-pretty c-cold in here!" Haze looked at him curiously as his translator was not switched on, but he did recognize the boy's discomfort at being nearly naked.
"I will get you a bio-suit for now, Earth being, Her Majesty means you no harm." Dib gave him a funny look. He had been monitoring transmissions to and from Zim's enough to know the Irkens spoke a different language, which he had come to understand, but he could comprehend only a handful of words uttered by the robot. "Come with me." That he understood, and followed the IE out of the bay.
It was warmer on the main deck, but the environment was basically made to suit the Queen's comfort, not the mechs, who could operate in just about any condition. The Irkens themselves could withstand a fairly wide temperature range, but not so Dib. To him it was a freezing ten degrees Celsius. The IE handed him a crewman's uniform, which he put on quickly.
"Perhaps that will keep you warm in here for now. I will have the temperature raised another ten degrees, but it will take fifteen minutes. By then you should be acclimated."
"Did you just call Tak, 'Her Majesty?'" Haze turned on his universal translator.
"That is correct. We have all been reprogrammed to accept her as our new Queen, in spite of the fact that the former Queen was found, still alive. We currently have two Queens, and obey them as though they are one."
"A queen! Imagine that! Is she, really?"
"Qikli says she has royal blood in her, and that is all you need to know."
Standoff
"The Triangulons intend to call our bluff. What shall we do, Lard Nar?" a crewman asked.
"We will send a shuttle, as we said, and I will go with it. Any other volunteers?" Anjah, a mysterious figure cloaked from head to toe, stepped forward.
"You cannot go. You're the leader of the resistance. We need you to stay. I will go in your stead."
"They have seen my face, Anjah, and will be expecting me. I cannot disappoint them. If I'm killed, then so be it. There are many others who can lead, I'm just a scientist. What we really need is a military leader, someone who knows battle tactics. I'm useless in that respect, but I am familiar with Irken weaponry, and the weaknesses of the Massive."
"All the more reason you should stay. At least I know how to fight in case there is treachery on the part of the Triangulons. Let me negotiate with them." No one else volunteered to join her from the small crew. "Fine. I will go myself."
No one was going to argue with Anjah. No one knew what she looked like under that heavy coat of hers. She spoke through an electronic veil which deliberately scrambled her voice so no one could identify what species she was. All they knew was that she was a killer with an extraordinary talent, and an intense hatred of the Irken leadership. The Resisty came across her one day trying to pilot a Ring Cutter by herself. She had managed to kill the entire crew, five hundred strong, with her bare hands. But the ship turned out to be too much for one person to handle. Likely she would have killed them all, too, but they struck a deal with her to turn the destroyer over to the resistance, and offered her a smaller but speedier ship which a lone person could pilot. She agreed, but eventually stayed on with them to help fight the Armada. Now she was going over to make the same deal with the crew of the Triangulon vessel. They were many light years from home, and would never get back with a ship low on power. The resistance was taking a gamble to exchange ships. Hardly anything was known of the Triangulon's technology, and here was the chance to examine one of their ships up close. Anything that could be used against the Armada would certainly be most welcome.
The mercenary team had the deemed the pyramid useless for their purpose, and needed to hijack a much faster vessel if they were ever to reach Tak. While they waited for the shuttle to arrive, Cobus warmed herself up with a few excercises, as the other two watched.
"Those are not moves that were taught on Hobo-13. We were taught more traditional Irken style martial arts, then went on to select our specialties. Where did you learn yours from?" Surj asked.
"My master was from Xana, but he learned his skill off-planet, so the style is not native to Xana, but came from somewhere else. My training was still incomplete when the Armada came, but it was enough to turn my body into a lethal weapon. I have since become an expert in six others, but this first one evades me, and I believe there is no one left alive who can complete my training."
"That is unfortunate. Does it have a name?"
"It was called 'ikarikipapa,' used mostly for unarmed, hand-to-hand fighting, but I have modified it to include daggers." Lokar interrupted them.
"Get ready. Our ride approaches." Lokar and Surj switched on their holo-disguises.
The shuttle slows and stops alongside the pyramid, as Anjah hails the team.
"Permission to come aboard." Lokar balked.
"What?! No! I thought we were to meet onboard the shuttle!"
"Plans have changed. We know you are stranded out here and low on fuel. We would like to make a deal with you." Lokar growled suspiciously.
"What do you propose?"
"You hand over your ship to us, and we will exchange it for a smaller, but faster one, capable of traveling through hyperspace. Your home system is about to be invaded by Irk. Perhaps you would like to be back in time to meet the invasion force."
"Who are you people, anyway?"
"We are resistance fighters. We constantly search for new technology to fight the Irkens and gain back our own worlds. Your ship may be just what we need to tip the balance."
"Your ten ships against the Armada?! Don't make me laugh!"
"We have many more, rest assured . . . and what exactly do you know about the Armada? I don't recall mentioning them, and the majority of Triangulos is unaware of their existence. The leaders of both militaries have kept a lid on their first encounter. I suspect you are not what you seem to be."
"What are you?! A lawyer?!"
"I am a former mercenary, joined up with the resistance to overthrow the Almighty Tallest."
"A mercenary? Were you a Guild member?"
"No, I am an independent, with my own agendas. I understand your situation. You are on a mission out in this sector, and managed to steal a pyramid. That was very bold of you. I commend you for that. I was in a similar situation once, and ended up joining the rebels. Why don't you join with us, and we will give you another ship to complete your mission. As mercenaries you have no loyalties to one side or the other. If money is your motivation, then we have plenty of that, and can pay, if you prefer."
"You have to realize that the Guild probably thinks we are dead by now, but for honor's sake we are bound to try and complete the mission."
"I understand completely. If I may ask, where are you headed, and what is your mission?"
"We are headed for Solarii-1-A4 to capture a rogue Irken for Tallest Red."
"Tallest Red . . . I hate that guy!"
"Then we are of one mind. Come aboard, and we will deliver this ship to you, . . . as one mercenary to another. Ending transmission."
"Do you think she can be trusted?" asked their lone female.
"Unless we are competing for the same prize, it is not unusual for mercenaries and bounty hunters to cooperate with each other, . . . for compensation, of course. If she is who I think she is, then I'm pretty sure she can be trusted. A few years ago, she took over an Empire Ring Cutter by killing everyone onboard. The Guild tried to recruit her, but she declined, and since they didn't want any competitors operating in their space, they sent assassins after her. They all disappeared without a trace. She broke into the Guild's Council meeting one day, and killed everyone there, save for one. She told him she had no quarrel with the Guild, but if they kept sending people after her, she would come back and finish the job. The new Council agreed, and she was left alone."
"That's scary. The Council chambers are some of the most well guarded places on all of Hobo-13, and surrounded by experienced assassins. Who hires her?"
"Her motives are unknown, but she has been targeting certain politicians recently, so it's thought she's being hired by the next in line. Since Red and Purple are always onboard the Massive, I would think she might have a hard time getting to them."
The mech pilot opened the cargo bay door, and the shuttle drifted in. Anjah was greeted by Lokar and Surj, still holo-disguised as Triangulons. Cobus remained towards the back, and continued exercising, practicing her stances and moves.
"I am Lokar, the squad commander . . ." he bowed politely, as one mercenary would to another. ". . . and this is Surj, my teammate." Surj also bowed. Anjah returned the gesture.
"My name is Anjah, and I am here to represent the Resisty. Who is the cat girl bouncing around in the back?"
"That is our last teammate, Cobus, a Xanatian. She is rather . . . discreet . . . and doesn't need to be here for the negotiations."
"Still, it is rude for her not to be here. I would like to meet her." Lokar signaled for Cobus to come, and she walked back towards them. "You may dispense with your holo-disguises. That is also rude. I already know you are Irkens."
"My apologies, Anjah, we are mercenaries, after all, and part of our training is to always be cautious." The two male Irkens turned off their holo units, and bowed once more.
"Then you will forgive me also, if I wear this robe of concealment. As a fellow assassin, I shall reveal myself to you. None of the resistance forces have ever seen me without it." She dropped her cloak to the floor. Standing before them was what appeared to be a shadow, a dark, black hole in humanoid form.
"Is that a nega-suit you are wearing?! I heard the technology existed, but was still in the experimental stages!"
"It is my own creation, and one of the reasons for my success as an assassin."
Cobus joined the group, and bowed to Anjah
"I am Cobus, of Xana." For all their dark and fearsome reputation, the Guild members were very polite to each other. Anjah put her hands together, and bowed once more.
"Hashoka, little one. I am Anjah." Cobus gasped, and her eyes widened.
"That is a greeting only my old master gave to me!"
"It is a greeting given to the novices of the ikarikipapa by their instructors. I couldn't help but notice your excercises and stances back in the corner. I have not seen such moves in many, many years, and thought I was the last practioner."
"I was taught by my master on Xana. Perhaps you were his instructor!"
"Your master must have learned it from someone else. I have never taught the ikari to anyone. What you learned is the first part, the children's version. It is for open hand, unarmed fighting and the disabling of an opponent by the breaking of bones and joints. Its techniques involve evasion, speed, and fluidity of motion. There is an advanced version, using weapons, which is taught only after one reaches maturity, but it is only for females. If your master was a male, it is unlikely he knew the second version."
"My master was killed in the invasion of Xana before he could complete my training. Would you be willing to teach me? I can pay you!"
"I am sorry, little one, but that would be impossible."
"But why?"
"Because you have only two arms."
End Chapter 10
A/N: I was going to name Cobus' fighting style kalaripayattu, an ancient Indian martial art, and the mother of kung fu, and many others. This was because I had hinted that Kali had visited Earth when she first arrived in our solar system, and I've been referencing Hindi (sounding) names. I decided to make one up that sounded similiar instead. Ikarikipapa is comprised of two words: Ikari (Japanese for "furious") and Kipapa (Hawaiian for "to place flat" as in bodies lying side by side on the battlefield).
Anjah called Cobus a "cat girl." Since Ixane (from "Backseat Drivers from Beyond the Stars") is covered by a hood and her face and head can't be seen, I thought I'd take the liberty and make up an appearance for her! I suppose most of you have already guessed by my little hint that at least one other Irken princess still lives.
I've wanted to do a Tak/Dib story for awhile, so don't be surprised if one or the other starts getting interested!
My apologies for taking such a long break, but I have so many writing assignments crushing my chest!
Next up? Tak and Dib find themselves in bed together!