"Please say something," V thought to herself. "I know you're there."

It had been two days since the group's encounter with the Mooplexians. V had been plagued with nightmares and existential dread, struggling to maintain some semblance of composure. Even now, she was struggling to wrap her head around what she witnessed. She knows what the Omega was, but it was like her brain was incapable to fully comprehend it. That made describing the event to the others impossible. So she didn't try. She just directed the group to their goal. The sooner they got the crystal, the sooner she could return to Earth. That's where things were simple. That's where things made sense.

There was only one 'person' who would understand what she was feeling. So V did her best to turn inwards and draw her phantom out. But Dominator didn't want to talk either. The woman could still feel the split. Her phantom was there, but it was ignoring her for some reason.

"I don't know who else to talk to. The others wouldn't get it. Not even Wander. I don't have Jackie. You're all I got right now."

"I'm not your fucking shrink," Dominator whispered, sitting down next to V by the camp fire.

"I don't need a therapist. I just don't want to be alone."

"The fact that you think talking to me will make you less lonely proves you need a therapist."

V let out a sigh. "Then why are you here?"

"You're whining was getting annoying. That coupled with your Jackie obsession is making you mind unbearable."

"I'm not obsessed."

"Admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery," Dominator sang.

V gritted her teeth. She had to concentrate to not yell out loud at her past self. "What about the Omega? Did that… that… thing not bother you at all?!"

"Why would it?" Dominator raised her eyebrows at V. "I'm not the one suffering from an identity crisis."

"I fail to see how that relates to my question."

"Look, I know my purpose in the universe. I know who I am. Who we once were," Dominator gestured between them to get her point across. "The fact that there are powerful things outside the universe changes nothing."

"It changes everything," V protested.

"Uh… No. No, it doesn't. See, if the old you met the Omega, she wouldn't have cared. She would have shrugged and kept on destroying planets. Sure, you might have given up the whole 'Greatest in the Galaxy' shtick. But you were having fun causing mayhem long before that."

V stared down the phantom. Dominator was wearing an uncharacteristically sweet smile, and it was putting her on edge. V was having a hard time believing what Dominator was saying. She couldn't have changed that much. Could she?

"If old me wouldn't care," V said slowly, "why do I care now?"

"I don't know," Dominator shrugged. "What's changed between now and then?"

"A better question would be what hasn't changed," V chuckled. "I feel like a different person, now. I care about more than being a villain. And I have people that care for me. Friends and family I'd do anything for. I don't know what I would do without them." V paused as the sudden realization came to her.

"Interesting," Dominator smirked. "Omega bothers you because of what it means for your friends. Omega showed you a glimpse of the end, but the end means you lose everything you've come to hold dear."

V didn't respond. She silently stared into the fire, trying to grapple with this potential truth. It felt like she was still missing pieces to the puzzle, but it was a start.

Sylvia was fast approaching the remnants of Nelia Prime when she screeched to a halt.

"Is there a problem?" V impatiently asked, but the Zbornak ignored her.

"Wander. Could you pass me my binoculars?" Sylvia asked, keeping her eyes on the dead planet.

"One pair of binoculars coming right up," Wander cheered. He pulled the requested item from his green hat and handed it to Sylvia.

"How does he do that?" Vinny whispered to V.

"I think his hat is magic," she whispered back.

"Magic?" Vinny chuckled. "You're shitting me."

"I wish I was," V sighed. "Magic is real. It's rare and runs on its own set of rules. Personally, I've always made a point to stay out of the arcane. Too unpredictable for my taste."

"Well, that's just great!" Sylvia suddenly griped.

"What's wrong?" Wander asked.

"It's Lord Hater. He's parked over the planet."

"Really?" Wander squeaked, his grin and happy eyes growing disturbingly large.

"Oh, fuck me," V groaned.

"What? Is there an issue?" Vinny asked, still struggling to catch on to the aliens' mannerisms.

"It's Lord Hater. He's the boney bastard that blew up my ship."

"It's been a while since we've seen him," Wander said. "We should say hi. I bet he would lov-"

"NO!" V and Vinny rejected simultaneously.

"It would only take-"

"No, Wander," Vinny shook his head. "We're already tight on time."

"And the last thing we need is to get tangled up with an active villain," V added. "Sylvia, give him a wide berth. Our target is on the far side of the planet. So long as we're not seen, we'll be fine."

"Aye, aye, Captain," Sylvia joked. She gave V a mock salute before continuing forward.

"There it is," V pointed to a cave entrance about half a mile from where they landed.

The group started their march over the barren wasteland that was Nelia Prime. Its core had been drained like all the other planets in the galaxy, leaving it dead. All four of the aliens were covered in dirt and dust from their three day journey. Each night they had slept on a different dead planet, all of them avoiding the awkward conversation as to why the galaxy was dead. They all stunk, but none of them wanted to point it out. They didn't want to imagine how bad they would look after the two day trip back to Earth. They just knew that long showers would be in order.

"Soooo," Vinny said as he turned on his flashlight. "Who wants to go into the big, scary cave first?"

"What's the matter, Corpo?" V mocked. "Spent so much time in city that you're afraid of the dark?" She turned on her own flash light before leading the way in.

"I'm not afraid," Vinny retorted. "Just not a fan of spelunking. Especially when the planet is particularly unstable."

"The core is dead, dumbass. No liquid core means no shifting crust, and that means no quakes. Didn't you're science professor teach you that?"

"Eh," Vinny shrugged. "Geology always bored me."

The group continued further into the cave, thankful that there were no branching paths. It became quite between them, the only sound being the soft, echoing footsteps. Wander and Sylvia followed close behind V and Vinny so they could see where they were going over the uneven ground. The group ended their trek when they entered a crystal lined chamber.

"Wow!" Wander gasped in amazement.

"I'll say," Sylvia said. They were in awe at the natural beauty of the various crystals that lined the walls. All the colors of the rainbow were on display as the various minerals refracted the light.

"Which rock did you say we need?" Vinny asked V.

"It's a purple crystal, triangular in shape," V answered. "Try to find one on the smaller side."

The pair spent the next couple of minutes searching, their eyes scanning the various formations to find the right one. They didn't bother to ask the other two for help, instead putting Sylvia in charge of keeping an eye on Wander. The fuzz ball was known for wandering off, as his namesake implied. It was most optimal to have his best buddy make sure he didn't touch anything.

"Is this it?" Vinny called out. V walked over to him to check out his find. Before them was a magenta-colored crystal formation stretching close to 15 feet high. The whole thing appeared to be made up of smaller triangular prisms attached to a central column.

"That's the one," V smiled. "But we can't exactly carry this giant thing out. Are there any small chunks lying around?"

"I don't think so. This is all I've found."

"Well, shit," V sighed.

"Cue the sad trombone noises," Dominator giggled, appearing at V's side.

"Would you just go away," V mumbled, her head hanging in defeat.

"Pardon?" Vinny asked.

"Not you," V said. "My phantom is back."

"Your sadness confuses me," Dominator frowned. "Last night you were practically begging me to come out. Now you don't want me around." The phantom pouted at V in a teasing manner, doing its best to annoy the green woman.

"I don't need you mocking me!" V screamed, her voice echoing off the walls for several seconds.

"I'm starting to wish we packed antipsychotics," Vinny stated matter-of-factly.

"Fuck you, Corpo," V spat.

"Cute. How about you go chill and let me handle this?"

V hesitated, but eventually relented. "Fine." She walked off and sat down at the entrance of the chamber.

"Woooow. Sidelined by the suit," Dominator continued to mock. "And here I thought you couldn't get any more pathetic."

"What do you want?" V breathed, her voice so low it failed to echo.

"I want you to stop moping like a little bitch."

"I'm not moping."

"Yes you fucking are," Dominator snapped, her tone turning wrathful. "First it was the shit with Jackie, and now you can't get over this Omega thing. It's getting old."

"I can't wait till you're gone."

"THAT NOT HOW THIS WORKS!" Dominator yelled, causing V to jump back in fright. "I'm part of you! And no amount of groveling or playing Mama's girl is going to change that."

"I don't see what your issue is," V snapped back. She gave up on trying to hide her hallucinating and started to talk out loud. "I haven't denied who I am. The truth is out, and I'm owning it."

"Fucking crop, no you are not. You haven't denied what you did, but you are not owning it either. You are still running away, hoping that everyone will just forget and you can go back to playing gangsters with your 'hermano' or whatever."

"Then what would you suggest, oh mighty true seer? Should I build a new ship and go back to destroying planets?"

"As fun as that sound, no." Dominator went back to her laid back attitude, her voice becoming level and nonthreatening. "I want you to start acting like Lord Dominator again. Because at the end of the day, it doesn't matter what your name is or who your friends are. You have always been and will always be Lord Dominator. Stop holding back and act like it."

"Helllooo," Vinny sang. "Are you done talking to yourself yet?"

"Hu?" V's head snapped to him as she came to the realization someone else was talking to her.

"We have a plan."

"Plan?"

"To break apart the crystal formation. We're going to blow it up."

"That's a terrible idea," V cringed.

"Wander and Sylvia think it will work," Vinny smiled.

"No they don't."

"Explosive pineapple is ready!" Wander cheered setting up next to Vinny with Sylvia in tow. The Zbornak was donning a pair of safety goggles and dragging along a pull cord.

"You too?" V asked Sylvia. "You're supposed to be the smart one."

"It will work," Sylvia reassured her. "And it should be safe. If this cave survived your shenanigans, it will survive a grenade."

The group all took cover at the chamber entrance. Crouched behind a grouping of stalagmites, the four aliens all covered their ears before Sylvia yanked the cord. The pin was pulled from the grenade. A brief pause of anticipation before a blast rang through the cave, seemingly rocking the walls. After the echo faded, they all poked their heads around the stalagmites.

"Did it work?" Wander asked.

"Quick," V commanded, patting Vinny's arm. "Shine a light on the crystal."

Vinny clicked on his flashlight, reilluminating the cavern. On the far wall, the target crystal had several small chunks blown off. With a cry of glee, V ran over and grabbed a chunk about the size of her first.

"That actually worked!" she cheered. "I can fix Jackie with this." The woman gazed into the purple prism, admiring its beauty and potential power. She turned to the three accompanying her. "Thank you."

The group made their way out of the cave, following the winding path back out. Despite the dustiness of the dead planet and the view of destruction above, everything seemed more hopeful. They had succeeded in their goal. The group would travel back to Earth and V would save her friend. They were all feeling optimistic about life in that moment.

V, Wander, and Vinny all climbed onto Sylvia's back.

"Thank crop I only have two more days of toting you all around. Any longer and my back would probably give out," Sylvia complained.

"I owe you one, Syl," V reassured her. "Once everything is sorted out, I'll mix you up as many piña coladas as you can drink."

"I'm gonna hold you to that," the Zbornak smirked. "Take us away, buddy."

Wander reached into his hat and pulled out his bottle of orbble juice. He frowned, giving it a quick shake. The orange nomad opened the bottle and peaked inside.

"Come on, choom," Vinny urged. "We need to get a move on."

"It's funny you should say that," Wander nervously chuckled.

"Wander," V seethed, her teeth grinding in frustration. "Why are we not leaving yet?"

"Wellllll…" Wander looked at V with a shame-filled grin. He turned the orbble juice bottle upside-down, and nothing came out.

Lord Hater let out a heavy sigh. From his throne on the Skullship's empty bridge, he gazed out into the void of space. His eyes lingered on the nearby destroyed planets, long since killed by Lord Dominator. He thought that with the green maniac was out of the way, he could return to conquering the galaxy with his Watchdog Legion.

That's not how it had been going.

There were plenty of new planets to take over. The habitable galaxy was much smaller now, as only some of the planets had begun to regrow with new life. But the planets that were habitable were quickly colonized by survivors of the Dominator's genocidal destruction. Some of those who had fled the galaxy had even returned, meaning that there were now plenty of new planets and colonies to conquer.

But that's not how it was going for Lord Hater.

The living skeleton was no longer seen as the fearsome dictator he once was. As the man who destroyed Lord Dominator's ship with his lightning powers, and saved the galaxy in the process, he was viewed as a hero. No longer did people quake in their shoes at the sound of his name. Now they smiled and cheered. No longer did kings bow in disgrace in his presence. Now they all insisted on warm greetings and friendly conversation.

Lord Hater shivered at the thought alone. Tyrannical dictators did not make friends. They tortured and maimed. They sent their armies to beat weaklings into submission. The idea of making friends with all those he tried to conquer made him want to puke, if only he had a stomach. It was the kind of thing Wander would suggest, and that wasn't okay.

Yea, being praised as a hero was fun for a little while, but that wasn't where Hater's passions lied. He wanted to be feared, but no one feared him anymore.

"Lord Hater, sir," Commander Peepers called, announcing his presence to the room.

"Hey, C-Peeps," Hater mumbled. He glanced at the head Watchdog and his second in command. The short man with a giant eyeball for a head was hard to distinguish from the other Watchdogs, as his only identifying features were his larger lightning bolt hat, and his uniform being a dark purple instead of black. Hater, however, could never confuse the Commander with the underlings, as the two had been working together for far too long.

"Sir, I've been thinking about recent events and the slump you have fallen into," Commander Peepers said.

"Peepers, if you suggest we go pick on the Mooplexians again, I'm tossing you out the airlock."

"How was I supposed to know they could mess with our minds like that?!" Peepers cried before quickly recomposing himself. "No, I was thinking about getting back into a routine. If we follow a strict schedule for a week or two, it will help you rebuild good habits. Then we can get back into taking over the galaxy again."

"That sounds like a lame idea," Hater complained, sliding lower in his throne.

"It's better than moping around all day."

"I'm not moping."

"Yes, sir. You most definitely are. You hardly eat, and it's a chore to get you to practice basic hygiene. Here." Peepers held out a paper for Lord Hater.

"What's this?" Hater asked, snatching the paper from his commander.

"It's your schedule for today," Peepers answered. "Lunch will be at Noon. After which, you will exercise and lift weights. It's a healthy habit that you need to get back into. At 2 o'clock, we will discuss our plan to torment the Bobbles."

"We've already tried taking them over," Hater grumbled.

"We won't be conquering them. We will just cause a little mayhem as a way to scare them," Peepers clarified. "I'll explain at the briefing. After the briefing, we'll go straight into the tormenting. Afterwards, we will debrief and go over what did and didn't work. We break for supper, and you will be free to relax. Spend time with Captain Tim, or practice your guitar, or whatever. Lights out will be at 10."

"Lights out?! You're giving me a bedtime?" Hater whined.

"It's only temporary, sir," Peepers tried to reassure him. "Once you are back into the groove of things, you won't need such a strict schedule."

"I don't know," Hater sighed. "I'd like to go back to the way things were. Back when I was the most feared villain in the galaxy." Hater beamed with pride for a brief moment before slumping back into his throne. "But is that even possible? Wander made me lose my empire even before Dominator showed up and wrecked everything. Now people don't even see me as evil. I'm just their stupid hero."

"Which is why we need to get back into the game," Peepers encouraged. "Trust me on this sir. We spend a few weeks scaring the pants off everyone, and they will see you as a great villain again."

"I guess. But do we have to mess with the Bobbles? I'd rather harass the Binglebops."

"We haven't been able to locate the Binglebops. They probably fled the galaxy."

"Hmm," Lord Hater scratched his chin in ponderance. "Maybe they went to that new solar system."

"New system?" Commander Peepers asked, his giant eye squinting at Hater in confusion. "What are you even talking about?"

"There's a wandering solar system at the edge of the galaxy. Showed up right after the big fight with Dominator." Hater stood up and walked over to one of the empty navigation terminals. "I started to notice gravitational disturbances a few weeks ago. They're subtle, but it's there." Typing in a few commands, the skeleton man pulled up a galactic map with notes on how he knew where the system was. "See?"

"Sir," Peepers deadpanned. He was shaking, struggling to contain his fury. "Is there any particular reason you didn't think to BRING THIS UP SOONER?!" He finished with a yell, too bamboozled to maintain his level tone.

"I dunno," Hater calmly shrugged. "I just figured out where it was last week, and we were already struggling to take over planets and this new place is kinda out of the way, so yea, I just kinda figured that it wasn't worth the effort, you know what I'm saying?"

"No, I don't!" Peepers closed his massive eye and took a deep breath. "Forget it. We can worry about this place later. Today, we stick to the schedule. Let's go eat, and then we'll discuss plans for the Bobbles assault." The commander made his way off the bridge, Lord Hater in tow.

"Hey, C-Peeps. Do you know if they are serving barbeque wings in the cafeteria today?"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE OUT OF ORBBLE JUICE?!" V screeched, standing over a terrified Wander.

"W-well, you see," Wander stuttered. "Getting o-orbble juice has been… awfully difficult lately." He gulped struggling to maintain his smile under the vengeful woman's gaze. "You know… since you- I MEAN Lord Dominator destroyed all the planets a-and the galactic inf-frastructure. So we…. kinda… ran out."

V's breathing quickened as her gaze somehow grew even more wrathful.

"You imbecile. You- YOU ABSOLUTE FUCKING MORON!"

"Hey now," Vinny spoke up. "Take a chill pill, V. We need to stay calm." He placed a hand on V's shoulder to try to reassure her, but she shoved it off.

"Calm? CALM?!" Her anger shifted to the Earthling as she faced him head on. "We are stranded out here! We are stuck on a dead planet with no way home!"

"It's probably just a small miscalculation. I'm sure these two have a backup plan. Go ahead. Ask Sylvia how we get home."

V practically growled at the man before turning to the Zbornak. "Sylvia. If we're out of orbble juice, how to we get back to Earth?"

"Well, in the past we could always hitch a ride. Or pull something out of the hat to help us," Sylvia answered.

"Hitchhiking is a bad idea. I don't want to get shot," V frowned. "How does the hat work? Is it just a pocket dimension?"

"No, I don't think so," Sylvia thought. "You reach in and it gives you what you need. We never get along, so I just let Wander deal with it. It trusts him."

"Hold up," V said, blinking in confusion. "It trusts Wander? As in it is sentient?"

Sylvia just shrugged.

"Wander," V called out. Wander's head perked up at his name. "Come here."

The orange nomad stood from his spot in the dust and joined the group. He held his head low, as if a shyness had overtaken the alien.

"You ready for this weirdness?" V asked Vinny, giving him a knowing glance.

"Probably not," he sighed. "But it's not like I'm getting much choice in the matter."

"Wander, how does your hat work?"

"Oh, Hatty's great," Wander smiled, his depressed state forgotten. "It's a wise, old hat that gives you what you need. We've been together a long time, and it helps me help others."

"Did you just call it Hatty?" Vinny asked with eyebrows raised in worry.

"Oh that's just a pet name," Wander giggled. "It never gave me its real name, so I normal just call it 'The Hat'."

"Is it alive?"

"Most magic things are alive in some way," Wander answered the Earthling.

"Well, why don't you ask your hat to give us a way off this planet?" Vinny asked slowly, as if talking to child.

"Sure thing." Wander reached into The Hat and rummaged around for a second before pulling out a can of red spray paint. "Hmm…" he thought to himself. "Any of you guys know how to turn paint into rocket fuel?"

"No, Wander," Vinny rubbed his eyes in frustration. "Ask it for more of that bubble stuff."

"The Hat gives you what you need, not what you want," Wander explained. "Let me try again." He reached in and pulled out a black t-shirt with a bleeding heart logo on the front.

"What the fuck?" V gasped, ripping the shirt out of Wander's hand. "You stole my old shirt?!"

"I didn't take it," Wander shrugged. "Old Hatty must think you need it and teleported it here."

"Auugh! We don't have time for this!" V yelled and swiped the Hat off Wander's head.

"Hey!"

"You reach in," she offered Vinny, holding the Hat in her good hand. Vinny hesitated for a second before reaching in and pulling out a motorcycle helmet.

"Ok? Why do we need a helmet?" He puzzled.

"Who the hell knows? Try again." V shook the Hat a bit to encourage him. Vinny pulled out another motorcycle helmet. This one looked used and had a few scratches on it. "What the- My helmet, too?!"

"Wander. Choom," Vinny said. "Your hat is busted. Or a pervert."

"No, it's not." Wander frowned with an unusually angry look. "It gives you what you need. Now stop picking on it, and give it back."

"Not till we get what we need," V spat. "A fucking way home. Reach in again." Vinny pulled out V's cyberdeck module. "Seriously?! How is it doing this? I left all this shit back on Earth!"

"You try," Vinny suggested. He took the hat and held it open.

"Come on, orbble juice," V wished, before pulling out a single, red rose. "W-wh-what?"

"Yep," Vinny nodded in disappointment. "Pervert hat. It's got a thing for green gals."

"Oh, shush." V reached in again. "Come ooooon, orbble juice." She pulled out a box of chocolates. "Sweet crop, no. I said orbble juice." She pulled out a bag of catnip. "How about you give me a blow torch so I can fry your gonk ass!" She pulled out a book. "Emotional Intelligence: A Self-Help Guide? OH, FUCK YOU!" She tossed the book away before ripping the Hat from Vinny and throwing it into the ground. She began to stomp on Wander's hat, taking out all her frustrations.

"That enough!" Sylvia commanded. She wrapped her arms around V's midsection and picked her up, pulling the green woman away.

"LET ME GO!" V kicked and thrashed all she could, but couldn't escape the Zbornak's hold.

"Not till you calm down."

"NO! LET ME GO! I NEED TO GET HOME!" V's flailing made her slip from Sylvia's grip, and the green woman stumbled into the dirt. The purple crystal she needed to save Jackie fell from her jacket pocket and landed in front of her face. V grabbed the crystal and pushed herself to her feel. She stared into its reflective surface, examining her own, broken self. Tears began to fall from her eye. With a painful wail, she threw the gem as hard as she could before storming off in a random direction.

"Pathetic."

"You used to be someone."

"You've failed."

"You failed him."

"You can't save anyone."

V pulled her knees closer, trying to ignore the voices. There was no longer just one Dominator. Now it felt like a thousand phantoms all demeaning her. It was impossible to make them go away. She tried to hold her hands over her ears and bury her head in her legs, but it had no effect.

"Pathetic."

"You will never be a hero."

"Go freeze to death."

"You can't save anyone."

"You'd be doing everyone a favor."

V fell to her side and backed up closer to the rock formation she was using as shelter. It blocked the wind, but left her exposed to the sky. It made it feel as if the whole galaxy was staring down at her. The thought made her weep harder. She didn't like feeling this helpless. She hated feeling lost. It made her want to die.

"Pathetic."

"You don't belong anywhere."

"This is your punishment."

"Do us a favor and die."

Soft footsteps could be heard approaching. V ignored them. She wanted to be left alone.

"Pathetic."

"You will always be alone."

The footsteps stopped, and she could feel a pair of strong hands gently pulling her up into a sitting position. The figure wrapped a blanket around her. Then they sat down beside her and rested her head on their shoulder. The voices started to fade away.

"I got you." It was Vinny. He wrapped his arm around her and started to gently rub her right arm. "We're in this weirdness together. We'll get home, and we'll save your friend."

V shifted so she was lying down again. But instead of lying in the dust and dirt, her head was resting on Vinny's lap. Her tears had slowed to a silent trickle.

"Promise?" V whispered.

"Yea. I promise."

Lord Hater sat at the head of the conference table, high ranking Watchdogs lining the sides. He was doing his best to pay attention, but he really didn't want to be there. Commander Peepers was giving a presentation of the attack plan. It could be boiled down to 'show up at the Bobbles' colony, shoot some lasers, cause some destruction, go "MUHAHA! I'M LORD HATER!" and then leave'. Oh, sure, the Commander would say that it was a carefully calculated and thought-out plan, but that was the gist.

Hater would probably be more enthusiastic if he wasn't on some stupid schedule. He barely finished his post workout shower before a squad of Watchdogs were tossing a red cloak at him and ushering him to the conference rooms. He had the power to deny the schedule, given that he was LORD HATER and this was HIS SHIP. But he just didn't seem to have enough energy to argue with the Commander.

"Commander! Lord Hater, sir!" a Watchdog burst into the room. All eyes went to him.

"Lieutenant Jake," Commander Peepers scolded. "We are in the middle of a mission briefing."

"It's urgent!" the Lieutenant insisted. "We're under attack!"

"If we were under attack, the alarms would have gone off," the Commander retorted.

"Well, they aren't using weapons. They are just launching pebbles at us."

"We're parked 500 meters above the surface. Not even a Zbornak could throw a rock that high."

"What about Lord Dominator?"

"What about her?" Commander Peepers asked.

"She's the one launching pebbles," Lieutenant Jake answered.

"That's the most ridicu-"

"DOMINATOR IS HERE?!" Lord Hater leaped out of his chair, pulled from his bored stupor.

"Yea, she's down on the surface."

"OUT OF MY WAY!" Lord Hater dashed from the room and towards the bridge. "When I get my hands on the green witch, I'm going to do make her wish she never came to this galaxy!" Green lightning began to spark off his hands as his rage blinded his thinking. Watchdogs ducked out of the way as their leader charged by.

"Sir, wait!" Commander Peepers shouted, struggling to keep up with the angry skeleton. "No one has seen Dominator in months! It's probably just some poser trying to harass us! Please ignore them so we can get back on the schedule!"

Lord Hater burst through the doors to the bridge and ran straight up to the twin viewports. Commander Peppers joined him, panting at trying to keep up. Wiping some of the sweat from his eyelid, Peepers gazed out the viewport. In clear sight of the Skullship was a massive, bleeding heart painted on the ground. Two figures stood on either side of the heart with someone tied up between them.

"Unusual," Peepers stated. "But that hardly means it's Dominator."

"Who's at the wheel?" Hater asked, glancing around at the few Watchdogs on the bridge. "Thomas! Take us down. I want a closer look."

"Aye, Sir!"

The Skullship began its decent, bringing the group into focus. Lord Hater commanded them to stop about 50 meters above the surface. The two figures were wearing full face helmets and dark colored jackets, the taller of which appeared to be female and had a bleeding heart shirt on under her unzipped jacket. Between the two was Wander and Sylvia, tied-up and gagged.

"No way," Peepers whispered in disbelief. "There's no way."

The female figure removed her helmet, reveling herself to be Lord Dominator. She looked a little roughed up and had a bandage over her right eye, but that smirk was undeniably Dominator's. She flipped her mohawk back and gave a small bow. In her right hand she was holding out a single red rose, as if asking for the hand of a suitor.

"A peace offering, my love."