The drive home had been tense to say the least. Their dad hadn't even said anything to them until they were in the house and before that he just stood there with his fingers rubbing at his temples. The possible migraine they were giving their dad only added to their guilt and nervousness. The silence was starting to drive Coop up the wall and at this point he'd much rather hear his punishment and get it over with.

"Dad?"

Their dad stopped rubbing his temples and looked at them with tired eyes.

"Coop-"

"Daddy, wait!" Millie said suddenly, and they both turned to look at her. "It's my fault the fight happened. Please don't be mad at Coop."

Whatever Coop had been expecting her to say, it definitely wasn't that. Their dad seemed just as surprised but gave her the 'go ahead' gesture to continue on.

"I was the one who grabbed the boy first and that's what started the fight. Coop was only trying to defend me." Millie kept her eyes locked with her dad's but Coop could see her little fists shaking as she grasped the fabric of her dress. This whole thing seemed so bizarre and Coop was suddenly hit with an odd realization.

This was the first time Millie has ever been in trouble. Like, real trouble.

Millie had always tried her best to be a perfect little girl, almost in opposition to Coop who, whether he wanted to be or not, was constantly in trouble. It was like Millie took great pride in being the one and only "good kid" of the house.

Not to say Millie never did anything wrong. Oh hell no, she got into the normal amount of mischief a kid could get, but she never really got in trouble for it. She either lied her way out of it (a skill that completely pissed off Coop) or she just turned on the crocodile tears and all would be forgiven.

This was the first time she would actually get in trouble for something! This is the sort of thing that Coop had been waiting to see since they were little and Millie had lied on him for the first time. Back when they were tiny and the biggest crime you could commit was stealing the last cookie from the jar. She had been getting her way with things for as far back as Coop could remember and he honestly couldn't think of a single time she'd broken a big enough rule for their dad to put his foot down. Now she had gotten into an actual fight and had to face the music.

Or at least that's what their dad believed.

Their dad hadn't broken eye contact with Millie throughout her little confession and was the first to do so. He let out a long sigh and rubbed his hand down his face. He looked back and forth between Millie and Coop and there was another long pause as he came to his decision.

"Alright…"

Coop and Millie both looked at each other and then back at their dad.

"Alright?" Millie asked hesitantly.

"Thank you for being honest with me, Millie. And Coop, I'm glad you did your best to defend your sister. Taking on two bigger boys is no small feat."

The anxiety he felt started to lift. Were… were they not in trouble?

"That being said…" He continued. "I know this all started because that boy said something rude to you, Millie, but that is no excuse to ever put your hands on someone! I don't care what he said! Some people deserve a good punch in the face but that doesn't excuse us from consequences. You also can't solve all of your problems through fighting. You're a really smart girl. Use your brain next time."

Millie nodded, looking down at the floor in shame.

"And Coop," Coop steeled himself for a tongue lashing. "Next time you want to defend your sister's honor, try not to cause property damage. We're gonna have to pay to get that cracked window fixed. Luckily you boys hadn't broken the whole window. If you had, I don't want to even think about how badly you could have been hurt."

Coop nodded his head and looked at the ground himself.

"Okay… Well, now that you both understand what you did wrong… Millie, you're grounded for the next week. That may seem like a lot, but you really could have gotten hurt out there, or hurt one of those boys and gotten arrested. You have a black belt, sweet pea. I know how much damage you can do."

"And Coop since you were just trying to protect your sister I'll let this one slide, but please try to be more careful. Good intentions aren't going to help anyone if you end up getting yourself hurt."

They both nodded.

"Yes dad. Sorry dad."

"Sorry daddy…"

He nodded back and stood to pull them in for a hug.

"Okay. You're both dismissed but I better not hear about something like this again."

They hugged him tighter as an affirmative, and apparently that was enough for him to understand. He let them go and he headed to the phone to call someone about the costs of window repairs. He also had to call the other boys' parents to make sure there were no grudges on their ends…

Coop and Millie walked side by side as they went up the stairs towards their respective rooms. Millie's head was still down and she looked like this was the worst thing to have happened to her. Well, besides losing Kat that is.

"Hey Millie…"

"Hmm?"

"You know you didn't have to do that… Dad's used to my screw ups, so it's not like this would have been a surprise to him at this point."

"You're not a screw up!" Millie said with such fierceness that it made him stop in his tracks. Millie turned to him completely with angry tears in his eyes.

"You're not a screw up and it was my fault anyway! I was telling daddy the truth and maybe I'm just a bit mad cause not only did I lose Mr. Kat and Miss Kitten but now I let that stupid boy get it into my head that they could have been eaten. I can't believe I let that idiot bait me like that! But I did and there's no way I'm letting you get in any more trouble because of something I did."

She wiped angrily at her eyes.

"Besides, you're already in enough trouble with daddy and you were trying to help me today… so thanks." She let out a little sniffle and started to turn towards her room when Coop grabbed her arm.

"...You're welcome, brat." Thanks Millie.

Millie rolled her eyes and snatched her arm away.

"Whatever, smooth brain." Love you too, Coop.

With that they both went to their rooms feeling a little bit better about today.

The night was quiet, save for the soft chirps of crickets and the buzzing of fireflies... Too quiet. He needed noise. He needed something to fill up the space in his head. The quiet left too much open space for his mind to wander to... less organized topics.

The idea of Millie looking for him left a twisting ache in his belly that he refused to further analyze. The feeling was far too close to guilt, and wasn't that just a ridiculous idea?! He wasn't her pet and the thought of her being up at night, worrying about him, didn't bother him in the slightest!

Well… maybe it did... A little.

The feeling of guilt was all too familiar to him and he hated it just as much as the last time he made someone worry.

He turned onto his side to look at his sister.

They were alike, her and Millie.

He'd never really thought about it but they really were alike, in a way. He'd go as far to say they would be friends, if the circumstances weren't so… complicated.

He rubbed his hand down his face and let out a groan. What was he talking about? Complicated? None of this was complicated, current body notwithstanding.

He was doing his job, just as planned.

After they got their bodies back he'd continue preparing the planet for invasion. Once it met the emperor's qualification he'd be generously rewarded for a job well done and he'd be able to live out the life he deserves. No more struggling to survive, no more dirty looks, nothing but him, his sister and whatever the hell he wanted!

...and no Millie…

Dammit! Why the hell did he have to think that?!

It'd be fine if it were literally any other planet, but no! He just had to become someone's fucking pet and get attached to them! Of course he did! Great job, Aiden!

He knew deep down he'd been avoiding thinking about what would happen after he left this planet. He knows whatever planetary supervisor gets assigned to Earth would run the humans ragged with labor.

They'd be nothing more than mules mining out the planet's resources until it's all hallowed out and we move on to the next one. They'd be just as miserable as an Irken planet.

The only difference being they'd let the humans live after they were done with them…

He never had a care in the world about the fate of this planet unless it pertained to him or his job. Humans were always so weak and easy to rattle. They fought each other constantly and couldn't even form a singular government. Hell, they couldn't even go further than their own solar system, and wasn't that the finest example of underachievement?

The furthest they've made it to was what? Saturn? Congratulations! You made it from your doorstep to the neighbor's lawn! Now if only you could make it pass your city block!

The whole planet was full of the most underdeveloped stupid apes he'd ever met and their daily lives were filled with such petty frivolities that just listening to them bored him to tears. They achieved nothing and would probably be put to better use mining resources for someone more powerful than them.

But Millie… she had potential at least. She was the youngest of her family unit and still managed to be the most intelligent. She already spoke 3 human languages and he was sure if she had the capability she could learn Catonian in a matter of months.

On top of that she was… kind. She was kind to him in a way no one else had ever been. Well, besides his sister. And he'd nearly destroyed that when he joined the invaders to begin with. Yet here she was, sticking her neck out for him again and getting hurt along the way.

At home that would be the most ridiculous thing to value. Kindness was… nice, but true strength didn't come from being nice to everyone you met. That was the easiest way to get a knife to the back. Figuratively and literally. No one was going to take notice of a kind little girl when they came to claim this planet. No one would know about the times she defended him from her own brother, whether he deserved it or not, or when she would tirelessly patch up the wounds she didn't know would heal overnight. Such little, yet wonderful, things that would go unnoticed as they put shackles on her tiny wrists.

And he knows this planet has little else to offer them but free labor and resources. They can't do trade and they can't exchange knowledge so it wasn't as if they could be a profitable ally. Not that the empire had made many of those since its inception.

That being said, it wasn't as if this planet didn't have some potential. If, despite its many flaws, it managed to make someone as good as Millie then there must be others out there with the same amount of potential. It would be a waste to throw that all away for one small planet's worth of resources. But he wasn't a fool. The emperor would never see it that way. The bastard was hell bent on sucking any planet he found dry in his race against the Irkens to gain control of the universe. Explaining the nuances of investing in the humans' growth would be too much for such a petty and one track mind.

But...

What if he took that mind out of the equation, figuratively?

The emperor never cared for details, he just wanted results that looked good on paper. That means that planetary supervisors were practically the rulers of whatever planet they were assigned. They just had to pay a tax of resources to the empire in order for them to continue their invasion efforts. So, figuratively speaking, if he were to be Earth's supervisor… he could do whatever he wanted with it…

That was it!

This was the solution he'd been wishing for! Everything would work out!

If he were Earth's P.S. he could control nearly every aspect of the planet's management! He could easily prepare the planet to be up to Catonian specifications without causing harm to the humans! Hell, their lives would even be improved once they took control!

He pointedly ignored the part of his brain that whispered about the likelihood of the humans peacefully assimilating to Catonian law, or how hard humans like Coop or Dennis would fight to keep their freedom.

This was it! He thought vehemently to himself as the tightness in his stomach started to subside. This plan is perfect! I was already planning to move up the ladder, so once the emperor sees the progress I've made with my splicing machine he will surely grant me management of the Earth colony.

He smiled as he glanced back at his sister. This would be great for Megan as well! She'll finally be able to have a real home instead of that clunky spaceship she used to fly in, and there was so much flora and fauna for her to explore! It'd be just like their dreams of exploration when they were kids. They could explore the potential of this planet together, and Millie would be safe! Everyone would be happy.

He turned over to face the wall, a satisfied smile on his face.

All he needed now was to get him and his sister's bodies back and they could start…

Only half an hour away, a duo was looking over one of the missing pet flyers with interest.

"So… What do you think?" The first said, handing the flyer to their partner.

"Hmm… I'm not sure yet, but it looks like my first day of work is going to be interesting."

"Be careful, sweetie. They might have other allies hiding around."

"Don't worry. If they knew we were here they would have tried to escape by now. Besides, there's nowhere else for them to run now that they've blown up their ship."

"Still…"

"I know, honey. I'll be careful."