Dib joined in the group of Resisty members as Tak and other Irken military defectors trained Irken military methods. Dib added a few useful anti-Irken moves he'd picked up in his duels with Zim.

Gaz and Tak had begun construction on a large machine that would pull water from deep below the planet's surface, amassing it to flood the only planetary Irken military base. MiMi, although slightly ditsy from her reprogramming, was very useful in the drafting and mathematical parts of the designs.

Dib, using that big-old-poetic brain of his, aided the propaganda staff in writing and designing posters. The group as a whole having studied the repetitive history of Earth and not wanting it to repeat, also advised the Saurians and Irken defectors on how their worlds should be run after being recaptured and how they should go about the recapture.

"First thing's first: does your species ever get resentful of one another?" Tak asked. Galhorn shrugged. "Only during mating season." He admitted. "Ok, well during every other season your world should operate under a very loose confederation of states run by sole-democratic choice. There should be elected representatives and a head, planetary power elected from a single mass election." Tak explained. Galhorn and his political officers were taking notes.

"Irken defectors! What works on Sauria and with Saurians will probably not work with you guys. You've lived under strict, militaristic regimes for so long and quite frankly, you can all be rather resentful and hateful. In a democracy you'd tear each other's throats out, even the compassionate few of you." Dib explained. The Irken defectors shrugged and nodded in agreement. "I believe a single, intelligent SIR unit should be programmed to rule over the Irken populace, under a dictatorial democracy. You vote on issues and the SIR carries them out through you. The SIR will be programmed to slowly curb the Irkens' almost heritable hatreds until your species can function under a similar system as the Saurians here, and then will deactivate itself." Dib explained.

"These are just suggestions; you guys are free to alter them!" Tak added as a footnote. The political officers scribbled this down too.

…

Finally their day of attack came. The Tallest, as usual, were either too lazy to deal with the Boxvona uprising, preoccupied with another matter or merely didn't care, so there was little resistance to fight against.

Zita and Dib made sure to take notes from various bloody revolutions in their world's past not to repeat it. Such blood spill was good for morale but was agreed a waste of life. The Resisty agreed not to kill unless absolutely necessary and to look upon it as not a glorious strike against the Empire but as a necessary action.

So they took their accumulated water and filled tanker trucks, water guns and balloons. Childish weapons, they seemed, but to Irkens it was like fire. Tak had opted to stay at the front of the attack but was urged by Larz, Dib, Zita and even Gaz to stay back with them in a forward command tent.

At dawn the following Thursday (nearly a week after they left Earth) Galhorn released several hours of propaganda at the enemy with interwoven requests for surrender. The most popular and most effective propaganda had been an artistic poster of Tak and Dib and Larz (the official poster models for the Saurian branch of the Resisty and the Resisty as a whole) charging into battle with ruins and fire around them, anti-Irken Empire banners raised high. The caption for the poster, though written in Saurian, stated: "Saurian Citizens! Rise up and take back your world! Follow the examples of our glorious allies!" The slogan was picked up in other revolutionary movements later with different heroes, but the message was the same: anti-Irken Empire, immensely inspiring.

They had gotten several batches of the more yellowed or less-loyal Irkens to defect during those last hours, and then they flooded the military base, killing or wounding the remaining Irken soldiers. The wounded were captured and imprisoned while the rations were distributed amongst the ranks of Resisty members.

Other Irken military units had simply surrendered. Their conditions had soured under the Tallest's new, more heartless regime. With fewer privileges even with their soldier's status, and with command out they merely surrendered. Even Baron Dir, the Invader who had conquered the world, had surrendered and was in a work camp with half a thousand other captured Irken soldiers.

…

And that had been the retaking of Sauria. They'd taken back the planet in a week. How anticlimactic.

So, it was on Saturday a week and one day after they left that Dib and his party wished to leave. Larz had gotten them a cruiser with modern wormhole technology that was not only faster, it was safer as well. He wanted to stay with his people, to rebuild his world.

"But, Larz…" Zita had tears in her eyes as she looked at her boyfriend. He was a hero, a bloodless revolutionary and a respected leader and for most of her life she had barely noticed him. They were the same age in Earth years. They were both fans of Count Cocoafang. And yet she hadn't noticed him until Dib noticed him.

"Zita –oh gods is this difficult- I want you to know I love you." Larz had begun. Zita couldn't help a few tears escaping. "I love you more than I do my own world or my people, but I can't merely forsake them! A nation just out of revolution is the most susceptible to failure. It's history. Weeds are retaking factories and the lakes and oceans are being cleaned. Life is returning to normal here, but it still needs to be well-defended from a retaking." Larz explained.

Zita turned from him and sighed as she regained control of her tears. Another man forsaking her for duty that was, in all honesty, more important than her. It was the noblest reason to break up with a woman, but it was the worst reason to be broken up for! You couldn't stand a chance against it!

She walked back towards Gaz and Tak to be comforted with girl talk, though how a near-emotionless terror and an alien soldier could comfort a normal teenage girl was beyond anyone's grasp. Larz sighed, feeling like an idiot. He looked towards Dib after he felt a hand lightly placed on his shoulder.

"Why not come back to Earth?" Dib asked Larz. "My place is here; on my world, protecting it. Rebuilding it." Larz said. Dib shook his head. "A few years back I thought my place was the sole defender of Earth against what I assumed was a competent alien force. Then I dated Zita and got sidetracked. I broke up with Zita but met Tak and I've found a balance between my love of her and defending my planet. If you ask me, Earth is more of your world than Sauria and I'm sure your father would agree."

Dib left Larz and headed back to the group, leaving Larz to contemplate his decision awhile longer. Galhorn approached him. "Something troubling you?" He asked his son. Larz shook his head. Galhorn was a smart Saurian and knew of emotions. "Son, go with her. Go back to your world." Galhorn urged.

Larz looked up at his father. "But this is my world. This is my homeworld, my place of birth. I came back and fought for its liberation." Larz argued halfheartedly. "True, but where were you for nearly twenty years in preparation? What media and cultures appeal to you?" Galhorn asked his son. Larz knew the answer as well as he did: Earth. "Where does the woman you love live?" Galhorn asked finally. Larz turned suddenly back to his father but he had vanished.

Larz looked back towards the pouting Zita and the glares of Tak and Gaz. Girls had that creepy pack instinct, Larz had noticed. He sighed as he saw them board the cruiser.

…

"So that's that, huh?" Zita sighed. The others were in a similar silence. Tak was setting the ship up for a pre-programmed route for minimum work using MiMi to check her math. Gaz was playing her GS5 more, leaving Dib alone to comfort Zita.

Suddenly there came a knocking at the entrance of the cruiser and Dib opened the ship questioningly. Larz immediately strode in and closed the door behind him. Zita glared daggers at him and stood to face him.

What ensued was an argument that turned aggressive when Zita tried to slap Larz only to be caught and spun around into his embrace. Zita struggled against his firm, though soft embrace but ultimately calmed down and admitted she was happy to see him again. They then made out much to the disgust of Dib, Gaz and even Tak. Something about a Saurian-length tongue wriggling in your mouth was off-putting.

"Anyways, let's get off this rock and back to our own planet." Gaz demanded rather than suggested. Tak nodded agreement and activated the ship's engines. The cruiser took off at a breakneck speed and exited the planet's surface. Within two days they were back on Earth.

Chapter 14 Completed, please R&R

Well, sorry for such a short chapter that skipped all the action and didn't really say much. This one… this one kind of sucked. My bad, I owe you faithful readers a good chapter!