Disclaimer: This is not a disclaimer
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I'm poor. Are you happy now?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
"Engines."
"Check."
"Doors."
"Check."
"Visual clearance."
Dib looked at the monitor briefly. "Check."
All three were strapped down to their seats with 4-point safety belts. Gaz leaned back and gripped the armrests; Dib did the same except one hand manned a monitor. Zim leaned forward in his seat, hands almost crushing the controls. A trickle of sweet rolled down the back of his un-wigged skull as the engines were heard powering up. He grit his teeth and watched intently as the base doors rumbled open.
The sky was a dark blue, fading into a sunset of pastels. Near the bottom of the doors, the sky was still bright; at the top of them lay a fait line of stars. Zim mentally prayed to the Irkin gods.
Gaz, despite herself, made the sign of the cross over her chest. Dib clutched the collar of his coat closed with one hand while the other gripped the arm of the chair so tightly, that the upholstery was about to rip. He looked around frantically as the ship began to vibrate.
"Um…Zim?" he asked wearily. His vision of Zim was distorted as his glasses jumped up and down on his nose. Zim sharply looked over his should at him. "WHAT Dib?"
"Do you uh… think this is wise? I mean… maybe we should reconsider-"
"Don't go soft on me now, Dib." Said Zim through his teeth as he sharply turned his head forward again. "This is the point of no return. If you back out now then you're in for a going to be sourly disappointed when the Earth is destroyed."
Dib realized what Zim was saying, and immediately changed his mind. "You're right," he said as he braced for take-off. "Let's do it."
The main engines switched on and the ship jerked forward a bit. All but Zim flinched at the same instant. They knew it was coming, and they knew it was their only chance to save the planet. All three braced.
Zim moved his left thumb from around the joystick, to hover just above the 'launch' button. He moved his thumb in small circles around the perimeter of the button. He turned to face the two in back. "Are you two ready for this?" he had to almost scream. The engines were almost at full power, and the time for action was soon approaching. They both looked at each other, then nodded.
Zim turned back to peer out the now fully open doors. Night was soon approaching, and they needed at least some daylight to navigate their assent. Zim exhaled and inhaled deeply, trying to keep his cool. Finally, after judging the moment to be right, he slammed down on the button with his thumb.
"NOW!"
The already loud engines screeched with power. The hull shook so violently Zim thought for one dreadful moment that it was not strong enough. But it held, and the ship suddenly shot upward.
Zim was slammed back into his seat as the G-forces over took him. The base doorway rushed at him, then disappeared in an instant. The manifesting stars seemed to come at him with force as the ship plowed its way through the atmosphere.
The assent seemed like an eternity, although it really only was a few moments. The stars rushed forward, and the perimeter of the windshield was turning red from the heat. Zim felt the sweat roll BACK instead of DOWN his face. He could not see the two in back but knew they were freaking out.
They had broken the atmosphere; the ship had yet to stop. Zim tried to press the button that would cut off the engines, but it was no good, the G- forces were too strong. He tried again, straining to hit it. His hand inched its way up the control panel.
Gaz felt like throwing up. The only reason she didn't was that if she did it would splatter back in her face. She felt wetness streaming back from her eyes, as the tears were ripped away. She strained to close them, but to no avail.
Dib's glasses were pushed up to the bridge of his nose, smashed up between his eyes. The glass began to crack. First just a bit, then it began to spider out through the glass. It was if some skeletal hand was extending over his vision. He knew that if they didn't stop in a moment, it would shatter in his face and he would be blind.
Not good.
"Zim!" Dib managed to scream through clenched teeth. "STOP!"
Zim's hand was almost there. Just an inch more and they would stop. Closer… closer…
Gaz began to blackout. This was just too much gravity for her to handle. She felt consciousness slipping away…
Dib felt a shard of glass hit beneath his eye. Any moment now, and he would be seeing black.
Zim reached up splayed his fingers wide; in a desperate attempt hit the switch. Finally, with the last of his strength leaving him – he just barely compressed the button.
The ship immediately stopped. Zim, for the second time in three days, had the wind knocked out of him. The seatbelt dug into his chest as his body was hurled forward from inertia. This happened to the two in back also, because groans could be heard from in back. Zim took off the seatbelt and crossed his arms over the control panel, burying his face. He rested for a moment, then called, "You guys OK back there?"
He was answered by more groans. "I think I'm down to an 'A' cup…" said Gaz. Dib began to cough.
Zim turned around to meet them. Dib had taken off his glasses, which were cracked in many places. He rubbed a spot under his left eye where he had been cut somehow. Gaz clasped a hand over her mouth, then ran to the back of the ship. The muffled sound of vomiting followed.
Zim rested his elbows on the panel and massaged his temples. He had probably miscalculated the G-force of the ship, coupled with air- resistance. But it could have gone worse. He looked up through the windshield.
There was the Earth.
It all its blue glory, it stood against the black sky. Stars were speckled about it, punctuating its beauty. Zim looked at it, and felt something he had not felt in a long time – Hope.
Dib began to speak, but stopped when he saw Zim looking through the glass. He walked up beside him and followed his gaze. For a moment they stood there, taking in the sight. After a while Dib looked at Zim's face, and saw an expression he never thought he would see there.
"Zim, you look like you're going to cry." Said Dib softly. Zim blinked, then sighed.
"I just…" he trailed off. "Its just that from this angle… the Earth… feels like home." He bit his lips together. Dib put a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to meet his eyes. "We've got to save it." Said Dib with a sense of finality. Zim turned back to the Earth. A different expression filled his eyes and he gave a sharp nod.
"Yes."
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Two days before Zim would take off, Purple woke with a start. Sweat poured down his face and body. He had had a nightmare.
He didn't want to remember what he had been dreaming about. Something about destruction and the end of the universe, but even that was slipping away as he thought. The only thing that wasn't disappearing was the sense of dread and hopelessness that had been consistent throughout the dream. He hugged himself and shuddered.
Yellow light streamed in the large open window. The Irkin sun had recently risen and the room warmed with it. The picturesque scene of the light coming in would have on any other morning, cheered him up. But right now it did nothing lighten his mood.
He got out of bed and walked towards the bathroom. He wanted to take a liquid shower, eat breakfast and then go to his meeting. He did not want this to be an eventful day. After the meeting he would probably meet Red for lunch, then spend the rest of the day in his quarters killing time. He needed to relax so that the premonitions would not get the better of him.
He flicked on the bathroom light. It was a large bathroom, made especially for the rulers of the Empire. In it were two showers, a toilet, several sinks and a Jacuzzi. In front of the Jacuzzi was a large viewing screen, to watch movies or programs while bathing. Both Tallests had gotten a lot of use out of the Jacuzzi; whether alone – or together.
Purple made his way to the shower, but stopped in front of the mirror when something caught his eye. He turned towards the mirror, and pulled back the collar of his bathrobe to find a dark circle just above his collarbone. He knew what it was immediately and became angry. "Dammit!" he said loudly and stormed out of the bathroom.
He found Red on the kitchen balcony, sitting and drinking the Irkin equivalent to coffee. He cleared his throat and Red turned towards him.
"What's the matter with you?"
"WHAT'S the matter with ME? I'll tell you-" he said as Red approached him. He pulled back the collar of his robe. "THIS is what's the matter with me!" Red bent lower to inspect the blemish. He realized what it was, straitened, and smiled nervously. Purple became even angrier.
"That's it? Nothing to say for yourself? How am I supposed to walk around in public like this? Do you expect people just to ignore it like it was NORMAL for the most powerful being in the universe to have a hicky? I swear- " He sat down at the table. "Sometimes you just don't think."
Red was momentarily at a loss for words. Finally he said, "It's not like you can't cover it up. I mean, why are you making such a big deal about this? It's not the first time this has happened…"
Purple realized that he was right. Why WAS this such a big deal? Was he really that on edge? He tried to calm down. "I'm sorry Red, its not you, its me. I'm just a bit on edge today. But this," he motioned to his neck. "Really wasn't a wise move. You should think about your actions."
Red crossed his arms. "Was that an apology? Excuse me if I wasn't calculating every risk while we were making out. I liked you better last night. You were vulnerable and seemed to want me for protection. I loved it; but now you're just bitchy. What happened to you?"
Purple felt a swell of anger, but didn't' act on it. He calmed down and rolled his shoulders back. "I'm sorry Red, really. Things have just been a little hectic lately and I'm taking it out on you. Forgive me if I come off that way, I really don't mean it."
Red became concerned once again. "Hectic? Everything has been going fine. The domination has been going off without a hitch, victories left and right, no resistance and major profits from the Planet Jackers. What could possibly be bothering you?"
Purple gave him a look. "That? You're still worrying about that? Why?"
Purple sighed. "I had a dream last night. I don't remember much, but what I do is distorted and scary. There was this sense of dread when I woke up. I'm surprised I didn't scream in my sleep." He shuddered. "It's just so horrible. Something's going to happen. We can't go unopposed forever."
With that he left the table and headed back to the bathroom. "I should get ready. I have a meeting in a few moments." Red put his hands on his hips.
"When was I to be alerted of this?"
"You weren't. It's a family matter. It seems that one of my uncles has passed away and there's the will to be delt with – I'll be back shortly." As Purple walked towards the bathroom, he untied his robe and let it fall to the floor. Red's gaze locked on immediately and Purple knew this without turning around. "Fine, torture yourself, see if I care."
He walked in and locked the door; obstructing any plan of Red's.
After he was done, Purple walked out in a high-collared imperial robe. It did a good job of covering Red's little 'love-bite' and he stopped worrying about it. He straitened himself in a full-length mirror before walking towards the door.
He pushed a button on the intercom. "Hello? This is Purple Tallest, bring the driver around."
"Yes my Tallest!"
He released the button and stood by the door, waiting. After a moment, he noticed Red looking at him with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall. Purple shrugged. "What?"
"Nothing," said Red with a lazy blink. He smiled at Purple affectionately. "Just observing."
Purple smirked. "Well would you stop? Its creepy." Red chuckled and walked over to him. He straitened the sleeves of Purple's robe, finally resting his hands on his shoulders. "Try not to worry so much. We've got a lot of things going right, which is more than we can say for most people. Its all a matter of prospective." He raised his brow. "Am I right?" Purple chuckled lightly. "Yes, you're right."
Red kissed the spot on Purple's neck where he had last night, and the two briefly hugged. Red gave him a peck on the lips as the buzzer went off. "There's your ride. Say hi to your family for me."
Purple snorted. "Don't wait up." And he walked out the door.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
A few hours later (in human time) Purple sat uncomfortably in a chair, facing his dead uncle's lawyer. The rest of his known family – his sister Pez, and her daughter Elize (Irkins were considered siblings if they were born to the same robotic arm within the time of 5 Earth minutes, which ment they were probably from the same DNA strain. Purple was exactly 3 Earth minutes older than Pez. Parents and offspring were only brought together on the rare occasion that a relative imparted both of with a share of the estate after passing away. This was only the second time Elize had ever met her mother.), his cousin Coaxe (pronounced: Co-axe) and his half-brother Blorch (half-siblings were 10 minutes apart) all sat around a desk at which the lawyer sat.
The lawyer was the shortest one there, considering he was surrounded by a Tallest bloodline. Most of the small family held high economy status. Pez was a successful trader on the stock market, Blorch owned a chain of vehicle repair shops, and both Elize and Coaxe were in the military. Coaxe was a specialist in the air force, while Elize was a lieutenant in the army. Elize was taller than everyone there, save Purple.
The lawyer twisted in his seat, visibly nervous from being surrounded by the prominent family. After offering them each a drink, he brought out five files, one for each family member, and began to walk them through the documents. They basically stated what property was theirs, how much money they would receive and so on. About halfway through the papers, a knock came on the door.
Purple looked up at the two bodyguards behind him. "Answer that."
One of them walked over and opened the door. Another of Purple's escorts stuck in his head. Purple turned back to the papers in front of him. "This had better be good."
The bodyguard walked up to Purple, bent over and whispered in his ear. The family and lawyer watched as the expressions danced over his face.
First he just stared ahead, annoyed at being interrupted. Then his eyes widened slightly and he put a finger to his lips in thought. Finally, he put down his hand and muttered, "Oh my."
The bodyguard stood back up and waited for his response. Purple thought for a moment, then curled his finger at the guard, motioning him to come back down. He did so, and Purple whispered into his ear for a few seconds. The guard nodded periodically until Purple was done. He straitened, uttered a "Yes, my Tallest." and left the room. Purple taped the papers on his knee, straitening them, and reached for his drink.
"What was that?" asked Pez. She leaned forward and gave Purple a questioning look.
Pez was the only person in the universe (save Red) who would dare talk to Purple with such irreverence. She had the exact same eye color as him, evidence of their close genetic ties. She wore a dark red business suit, and black heals. Around her neck hung a thin chain of precious metal that from the looks of it, was only affordable to someone with upper tax bracket income. She uncrossed, then recrossed her long legs. "Well?"
"Oh, some trouble on the western front," he said calmly, swirling his drink. "Dreadful business, universal domination." He took a sip, then smiled pleasantly at the lawyer. "Nothing that can't wait, please, go on."
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
"So how are things?" asked Pez after the meeting was over. She cocked an invisible eyebrow and waited for a response. Purple smirked; she was purposely making him late. "Things are fine, Pez. You?"
"Oh, you know. Well… maybe… you don't, being the ruler of the universe and all."
He smiled. Siblings rarely met, let alone carry out relationships. It was a fluke that Pez and Purple ever did. Only after some moderate research did they discover that they were brother and sister. They had met shortly before he became Tallest. She had been his financial advisor, because she had made her entire fortune off her own decisions. She knew how to play the market like a grandmaster knew how to play chess. Ever fraction of a point could be calculated, evaluated and formulated into a sale before it rolled off her tongue. Pez herself, was the richest Irkin citizen in existence. Richer even than some Irkin dignitaries. The one accomplishment she had never been able to overcome, however, was to be known as someone other than: "The Tallest Purple's sister".
"Supreme ruler… so how's that working' for ya?" She asked and smiled sarcastically. He let out a single, "Hah" and nodded. "Good, Pez."
"How's Red?"
"Red's good."
"Great. Universal domination taking a lot of you two?"
"A little, but we get by."
"Well great. Personally, things have been a little strenuous, but nothing I can't handle."
"Really?"
"Yes. Actually, there has been a lot of pressure on buying more government bonds," she gave him a look. "Because of all the success in domination, many people want to invest heavily into the government."
Purple shrugged. "Well that's good."
"No, not necessarily. Things have been going good, yes, but this trend is not permanent. I mean, how long can the Irkin Empire go unopposed?" Purple shuddered inwardly. His sister had had the same premonition as him. They were concerning different things, but both got around to the fact that prosperous times would soon come to an end.
"Sir!" said a bodyguard with a salute as he hastily entered the room. "The… situation has advanced!"
Purple's eyes went wide. "WHAT? Damn. All right, we're leaving now. Pez – nice seeing you again." He gave her a peck on the check and then proceeded out the door. Pez walked out into the hall and watched as he left.
"Phone." Commanded Purple, extending one hand. A small communicator was immediately put into it. He opened it with a flick of his thumb, and put it to his non-existent ear. "Home Base."
"Processing…" said a prerecorded voice. "Found. Contacting Home Base, Tallest Purple." Purple put a hand on his hip and tapped the fingers rhythmically. His bodyguards encircled him as he walked down the corridor.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Purple walked aboard the 'Gargantuan', a large battleship. He had been transported there shortly after leaving the meeting, and in a matter of minutes was at the front line. Light tremors tore through the ship as he walked, so strongly sometimes that one of the bodyguards would have to keep him from falling. Purple opened a door with the wave of his hand and walked onto the Bridge.
"Tallest Purple!" cried an officer, and the entire room put their hands to their foreheads. Purple saluted half-heartedly and walked to captain's area.
Red was already there, gritting his teeth and staring at the large monitor at the head of the bridge. He was standing, and gripped the banister tightly.
On the monitor was a planet, surrounded by battle. The usual peacefulness of space was scared by exploding warships and weapon blasts. At first Purple could not recognize the planet under the blanket of war, but after a moment he realized, and put a hand to his mouth in shock.
"Is that-"
"Yep," said Red, without taking his gaze from the monitor. "That's Food Courtia."
The usually silver, and industrial planet was now barely recognizable through the mass destruction. Large cities could be seen as flaming sores on the surface, and some normal landmarks could not even be found, destroyed completely. Purple felt a swell of rage under the shock. "Who is responsible for this?!"
"We've just had confirmation," piped up an officer, only his eyes visible over the collar of his uniform. "It's the Reaptarians."
The Reaptarians were an insect-like race that had been conquered not long ago. They resembled large, flattened millipedes with sharp teeth. The monitor flickered and one of them – presumably the leader – replaced the battle on the screen. He saw the Tallest, and chuckled darkly.
"Greetings my Tallest," he spat out mockingly. "SO glad you could join the festivities."
"What have you done you fool! Do you and your kind have a death wish!?" said Red loudly. "We will not stand for such blatant acts of treason!"
"Treason?" sneered the insect as he cocked an eyebrow. "We are betraying no one. On the contrary – we would be betraying our own kind if we did NOT do something. You Irkins think you're so big… conquering worlds ten-fold smaller than yourselves," He now pointed accusingly at the Tallest. "If you think you're so bad than why don't you challenge the Orpathians!?"
The Orpathians (Or-pay-thee-ans) were a powerful human-esk race that all but completely dominated a universe parallel to their own. The Tallest and other Irkin intelligence officers knew of their existence, and also knew that it would be suicide to even attempt an overthrowing of that caliber. The Tallest were shocked that the Reaptarians even knew of them.
"What? What are you talking about?" said Red unconvincingly. The insect snorted in annoyance. "We know you know of them, our leak inside your administration told us so."
"Your LEAK?" cried Purple. "You're telling us that you got a LEAK into the Central Intelligence Bureau?"
"Yes," said the insect smugly with a grin. "Not so impenetrable, eh?"
Off to Purple's right, an officer began to sweat profusely.
"The Orpathians have yet to provoke us," replied Red. The insect cocked an eyebrow and let out a rueful "HAH!"
"None of the worlds you've conquered PROVOKED you!" said the insect angrily. "You have been fighting a cowards battle. Admit it!"
Red was about to say something when Purple cut him off. "Enough of this. As it stands you have attacked one of our home worlds and this calls for severe action," Purple was becoming assertive. His eyes flared and his teeth were almost perpetually bared. Red looked at him with growing curiosity.
"You have to the count of ten to surrender all troop unconditionally. If not, then we will take no prisoners."
The bridge exploded into accusations. The Captain urged him to reconsider, political advisors and the on board press secretary begged him to think of the outcome; even Red was questioning his decision. Only the officer on the right, with the headset, stared intently on the radar screen in front of him.
Before Purple had become Tallest, he was known as Beck, and was a soldier in the Irkin military. He had once been taken as a prisoner of war on the Reaptarian home world. For the equivalent of an Earth year, he lived as a POW on board various Reaptarian mother ships. While there, he learned a thing or two about Reaptarian life. But despite the fact he was best suited to make this kind of decision, they continued to protest.
"No prisoners? Seriously do you-" the press secretary babbled on. Purple stole a glance of Red from over the heads of the others, and found that he was utterly confused. Nothing like this had ever happened, at least not in their administration. Red, too, had been a soldier, but he had worked on homeland security, and was never a POW.
"STOP!" cried Purple firmly and held up both hands in defiance. Everyone stopped. Purple turned to Red.
"Red?" he asked and looked at his partner. "Red, what do you think we should do?"
Red looked around for a moment, before meeting Purple's gaze. "Whatever you wanna do, Purple, is fine with me."
Purple smiled. "Then it's settled." He turned to the counsel in front of him. His fingers flew over the keys as he entered in coordinates. "When I hit 'one', I want all active ships to fire at these coordinates on the mother ship. Got it?"
"Got it, sir!" cried the communications officer. Purple pressed a button, and the image of the insect was minimized, allowing the battle to be seen behind him. He stared down from the corner of the screen with contempt.
"You wouldn't dare."
"The hell I would." Purple leaned forward on the banister and stared deep into the eyes of the Reaptarian. "Ten,"
Everyone on the bridge braced for 'one'.
"Nine,"
"No."
"Eight,"
"Stop."
"Seven,"
"No!"
"Six, Surrender!"
"Never!"
"Five,"
"Don't do this."
"Four,"
"You wouldn't!"
"Three,"
"STOP!"
"Two,"
"NEVER!!"
"One," Purple bared his teeth. "NOW!"
The blasters could be heard powering up. The Reaptarian mother ship appeared on the screen, shortly before a huge explosion emitted from its flank, where half the Irkin fleet had fired. The image of the lead insect went to static, and the bridge went silent. Red began to stir.
"Purple, what-"
"Wait for it," said Purple cutting him off and holding a hand in the air. A moment passed until an officer spoke.
"Sir! The rest of the Reaptarian fleet has ceased attacking. It seems as if they are… surrendering."
Purple smirked and crossed his arms. Reaptarians never moved without word from their leaders. The area of the ship he had ordered to hit was not one of vital importance, but it had held the communication equipment. Without the ability to transmit and receive orders, the Reaptarian fleet had come to a standstill.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Kain gripped the consol with one exoskeletal hand and pulled himself up to shoulder height with it. He glared ruefully at he monitor, which had gone to static. Curse you Tallest, he thought. The ship had shook violently and he was knocked off his feet as communications fell silent. Other members of his crew were struggling to their feet as well, pointlessly attempting to restore transmissions. He grunted and slammed a fist into the useless controls.
The monitor flicked to life, and an image of the Purple Tallest appeared. The Reaptarian Bridge went still and watched the screen in terrified anger.
"I know you can hear this, even if you can't respond," Said the Purple Tallest with the raising of one smug eyebrow. "It seems there is no need to blast your entire fleet out of the sky, after all. They are surrendering quite nicely, and I'm sure they will cause no trouble – for fear they will cause you pain," The Purple Tallest narrowed his eyes at Kain. You bastard, he thought, you blackmailing bastard.
"Well that's it for right now, I take it your life support systems are quite functional and undamaged. A fleet will be there shortly to escort you to the home world." Purple smiled darkly.
"Until next time, Kain. And there WILL be a next time."
The screen went blank, and Kain screamed out in rage.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Purple clasped his hands behind his back as cheers rang through the bridge. Everyone was celebrating the victory; even if it was quick. Purple himself began to feel a swell of happiness at it.
Red laughed as he watched the armada board the Reaptarian mother ship. He grabbed his fellow Tallest and squeezed him so hard Purple's feet left the ground. Purple laughed and hugged him back.
No one knew that the two Tallests were together romantically, and on a normal day them hugging would have raised eyebrows. But hugging after a victory seemed like the most natural thing in the world. No one gave it any merit.
After a moment, Red noticed the officer on radar. He was not celebrating like everyone else, in fact he hadn't really moved since the Reaptarian leader said…
Red let go of Purple and looked hard at the back of the officer's head. He could now see that the officer was in fact moving – he was trembling. Sweat rolled down the back of his head and onto his up-turned collar. The tremors of his shaking caused his chair to move, and its sound grew louder and louder as the room went quiet. Both Tallests peered at him with realization, finally approaching him from behind.
"Turn around, soldier." Said Purple simply. The officer made no such move. "About face, soldier. MOVE."
The officer still remained still, as if catatonic with fright. He knew the outcome, and he didn't like it – no one ever did.
"LOOK at me when I talk to you soldier!" said Purple a little firmer. The Irkin finally did; he wrung his hands and looked down at the floor. His face looked on the verge of tears. Purple and Red narrowed their eyes at the weasel.
"You're the leak he was talking about, aren't you." Red stated, more than asked. The officer continued to look at the ground. "ANSWER me, traitor. Answer me or seek consequences even more dire than the one you currently face."
The officer began to say something, inaudible beneath the frightened waver of his voice. Red was becoming angry.
"What was that? I couldn't hear you. Speak up, miserable pawn!"
The officer stuttered a few times before he could be clearly heard. "…Yes."
"Well the rat can talk," said Purple ruefully. He spat out the words as if they had a foul taste. "What in the cosmos were you thinking? Do you know how many lives were lost because of YOU? DO YOU?" Purple leaned in closer, and the officer shuddered as if he was hit with something. Purple narrowed his eyes to dangerous slits. "Look at me, soldier."
Once again, the soldier made no such motion.
"LOOK at me when I TALK to you. Do you have any common courtesy? But then again, I shouldn't expect anything civil from a traitor, can I?" Purple waited a moment, then grabbed the officer by the chin, forcing him to look him strait in the eye. He spoke in a hushed tone, as if what he was saying was not ment to be said aloud.
"Do you have any idea the DAMAGE this will do to the Irkin people? How many of your BROTHERS and SISTERS were killed because of YOUR thoughtless and selfish action? Do you even comprehend the capacity at which you have delt a blow? Not to us, but the Irkin tax payers and the family of those brave Irkins who lost their lives fighting for what YOU came from? No. And that is what makes this so sad…"
Purple released the officer, and he immediately reeled back like a sea creature that has been poked. Purple and Red held their hands behind their backs and for a long moment, staring at the coward. Finally, Purple spoke, breaking the stunned silence that had settled over the Bridge.
"Execute him."
"WHAT!" cried the officer suddenly, woken by the two cruelly rapid words. It was as if no thought had gone into the sentencing, just swift, on-the- spot justice.
"You can't do that!" he cried as two guards hoisted him out of his seat by the arms. "You can't just – Hey!" the guards began to drag him off the Bridge. The door slide open silently as the three proceeded elsewhere. The (former) officer eventually lost his footing, and his heels dragged over the floor. His protests rang out, and could even be heard through the door for a time. But soon they could not be heard, and the Bridge become so silent you could hear electricity humming through the machines. As swift and final as marshal law.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I'm poor. Are you happy now?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
"Engines."
"Check."
"Doors."
"Check."
"Visual clearance."
Dib looked at the monitor briefly. "Check."
All three were strapped down to their seats with 4-point safety belts. Gaz leaned back and gripped the armrests; Dib did the same except one hand manned a monitor. Zim leaned forward in his seat, hands almost crushing the controls. A trickle of sweet rolled down the back of his un-wigged skull as the engines were heard powering up. He grit his teeth and watched intently as the base doors rumbled open.
The sky was a dark blue, fading into a sunset of pastels. Near the bottom of the doors, the sky was still bright; at the top of them lay a fait line of stars. Zim mentally prayed to the Irkin gods.
Gaz, despite herself, made the sign of the cross over her chest. Dib clutched the collar of his coat closed with one hand while the other gripped the arm of the chair so tightly, that the upholstery was about to rip. He looked around frantically as the ship began to vibrate.
"Um…Zim?" he asked wearily. His vision of Zim was distorted as his glasses jumped up and down on his nose. Zim sharply looked over his should at him. "WHAT Dib?"
"Do you uh… think this is wise? I mean… maybe we should reconsider-"
"Don't go soft on me now, Dib." Said Zim through his teeth as he sharply turned his head forward again. "This is the point of no return. If you back out now then you're in for a going to be sourly disappointed when the Earth is destroyed."
Dib realized what Zim was saying, and immediately changed his mind. "You're right," he said as he braced for take-off. "Let's do it."
The main engines switched on and the ship jerked forward a bit. All but Zim flinched at the same instant. They knew it was coming, and they knew it was their only chance to save the planet. All three braced.
Zim moved his left thumb from around the joystick, to hover just above the 'launch' button. He moved his thumb in small circles around the perimeter of the button. He turned to face the two in back. "Are you two ready for this?" he had to almost scream. The engines were almost at full power, and the time for action was soon approaching. They both looked at each other, then nodded.
Zim turned back to peer out the now fully open doors. Night was soon approaching, and they needed at least some daylight to navigate their assent. Zim exhaled and inhaled deeply, trying to keep his cool. Finally, after judging the moment to be right, he slammed down on the button with his thumb.
"NOW!"
The already loud engines screeched with power. The hull shook so violently Zim thought for one dreadful moment that it was not strong enough. But it held, and the ship suddenly shot upward.
Zim was slammed back into his seat as the G-forces over took him. The base doorway rushed at him, then disappeared in an instant. The manifesting stars seemed to come at him with force as the ship plowed its way through the atmosphere.
The assent seemed like an eternity, although it really only was a few moments. The stars rushed forward, and the perimeter of the windshield was turning red from the heat. Zim felt the sweat roll BACK instead of DOWN his face. He could not see the two in back but knew they were freaking out.
They had broken the atmosphere; the ship had yet to stop. Zim tried to press the button that would cut off the engines, but it was no good, the G- forces were too strong. He tried again, straining to hit it. His hand inched its way up the control panel.
Gaz felt like throwing up. The only reason she didn't was that if she did it would splatter back in her face. She felt wetness streaming back from her eyes, as the tears were ripped away. She strained to close them, but to no avail.
Dib's glasses were pushed up to the bridge of his nose, smashed up between his eyes. The glass began to crack. First just a bit, then it began to spider out through the glass. It was if some skeletal hand was extending over his vision. He knew that if they didn't stop in a moment, it would shatter in his face and he would be blind.
Not good.
"Zim!" Dib managed to scream through clenched teeth. "STOP!"
Zim's hand was almost there. Just an inch more and they would stop. Closer… closer…
Gaz began to blackout. This was just too much gravity for her to handle. She felt consciousness slipping away…
Dib felt a shard of glass hit beneath his eye. Any moment now, and he would be seeing black.
Zim reached up splayed his fingers wide; in a desperate attempt hit the switch. Finally, with the last of his strength leaving him – he just barely compressed the button.
The ship immediately stopped. Zim, for the second time in three days, had the wind knocked out of him. The seatbelt dug into his chest as his body was hurled forward from inertia. This happened to the two in back also, because groans could be heard from in back. Zim took off the seatbelt and crossed his arms over the control panel, burying his face. He rested for a moment, then called, "You guys OK back there?"
He was answered by more groans. "I think I'm down to an 'A' cup…" said Gaz. Dib began to cough.
Zim turned around to meet them. Dib had taken off his glasses, which were cracked in many places. He rubbed a spot under his left eye where he had been cut somehow. Gaz clasped a hand over her mouth, then ran to the back of the ship. The muffled sound of vomiting followed.
Zim rested his elbows on the panel and massaged his temples. He had probably miscalculated the G-force of the ship, coupled with air- resistance. But it could have gone worse. He looked up through the windshield.
There was the Earth.
It all its blue glory, it stood against the black sky. Stars were speckled about it, punctuating its beauty. Zim looked at it, and felt something he had not felt in a long time – Hope.
Dib began to speak, but stopped when he saw Zim looking through the glass. He walked up beside him and followed his gaze. For a moment they stood there, taking in the sight. After a while Dib looked at Zim's face, and saw an expression he never thought he would see there.
"Zim, you look like you're going to cry." Said Dib softly. Zim blinked, then sighed.
"I just…" he trailed off. "Its just that from this angle… the Earth… feels like home." He bit his lips together. Dib put a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to meet his eyes. "We've got to save it." Said Dib with a sense of finality. Zim turned back to the Earth. A different expression filled his eyes and he gave a sharp nod.
"Yes."
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Two days before Zim would take off, Purple woke with a start. Sweat poured down his face and body. He had had a nightmare.
He didn't want to remember what he had been dreaming about. Something about destruction and the end of the universe, but even that was slipping away as he thought. The only thing that wasn't disappearing was the sense of dread and hopelessness that had been consistent throughout the dream. He hugged himself and shuddered.
Yellow light streamed in the large open window. The Irkin sun had recently risen and the room warmed with it. The picturesque scene of the light coming in would have on any other morning, cheered him up. But right now it did nothing lighten his mood.
He got out of bed and walked towards the bathroom. He wanted to take a liquid shower, eat breakfast and then go to his meeting. He did not want this to be an eventful day. After the meeting he would probably meet Red for lunch, then spend the rest of the day in his quarters killing time. He needed to relax so that the premonitions would not get the better of him.
He flicked on the bathroom light. It was a large bathroom, made especially for the rulers of the Empire. In it were two showers, a toilet, several sinks and a Jacuzzi. In front of the Jacuzzi was a large viewing screen, to watch movies or programs while bathing. Both Tallests had gotten a lot of use out of the Jacuzzi; whether alone – or together.
Purple made his way to the shower, but stopped in front of the mirror when something caught his eye. He turned towards the mirror, and pulled back the collar of his bathrobe to find a dark circle just above his collarbone. He knew what it was immediately and became angry. "Dammit!" he said loudly and stormed out of the bathroom.
He found Red on the kitchen balcony, sitting and drinking the Irkin equivalent to coffee. He cleared his throat and Red turned towards him.
"What's the matter with you?"
"WHAT'S the matter with ME? I'll tell you-" he said as Red approached him. He pulled back the collar of his robe. "THIS is what's the matter with me!" Red bent lower to inspect the blemish. He realized what it was, straitened, and smiled nervously. Purple became even angrier.
"That's it? Nothing to say for yourself? How am I supposed to walk around in public like this? Do you expect people just to ignore it like it was NORMAL for the most powerful being in the universe to have a hicky? I swear- " He sat down at the table. "Sometimes you just don't think."
Red was momentarily at a loss for words. Finally he said, "It's not like you can't cover it up. I mean, why are you making such a big deal about this? It's not the first time this has happened…"
Purple realized that he was right. Why WAS this such a big deal? Was he really that on edge? He tried to calm down. "I'm sorry Red, its not you, its me. I'm just a bit on edge today. But this," he motioned to his neck. "Really wasn't a wise move. You should think about your actions."
Red crossed his arms. "Was that an apology? Excuse me if I wasn't calculating every risk while we were making out. I liked you better last night. You were vulnerable and seemed to want me for protection. I loved it; but now you're just bitchy. What happened to you?"
Purple felt a swell of anger, but didn't' act on it. He calmed down and rolled his shoulders back. "I'm sorry Red, really. Things have just been a little hectic lately and I'm taking it out on you. Forgive me if I come off that way, I really don't mean it."
Red became concerned once again. "Hectic? Everything has been going fine. The domination has been going off without a hitch, victories left and right, no resistance and major profits from the Planet Jackers. What could possibly be bothering you?"
Purple gave him a look. "That? You're still worrying about that? Why?"
Purple sighed. "I had a dream last night. I don't remember much, but what I do is distorted and scary. There was this sense of dread when I woke up. I'm surprised I didn't scream in my sleep." He shuddered. "It's just so horrible. Something's going to happen. We can't go unopposed forever."
With that he left the table and headed back to the bathroom. "I should get ready. I have a meeting in a few moments." Red put his hands on his hips.
"When was I to be alerted of this?"
"You weren't. It's a family matter. It seems that one of my uncles has passed away and there's the will to be delt with – I'll be back shortly." As Purple walked towards the bathroom, he untied his robe and let it fall to the floor. Red's gaze locked on immediately and Purple knew this without turning around. "Fine, torture yourself, see if I care."
He walked in and locked the door; obstructing any plan of Red's.
After he was done, Purple walked out in a high-collared imperial robe. It did a good job of covering Red's little 'love-bite' and he stopped worrying about it. He straitened himself in a full-length mirror before walking towards the door.
He pushed a button on the intercom. "Hello? This is Purple Tallest, bring the driver around."
"Yes my Tallest!"
He released the button and stood by the door, waiting. After a moment, he noticed Red looking at him with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall. Purple shrugged. "What?"
"Nothing," said Red with a lazy blink. He smiled at Purple affectionately. "Just observing."
Purple smirked. "Well would you stop? Its creepy." Red chuckled and walked over to him. He straitened the sleeves of Purple's robe, finally resting his hands on his shoulders. "Try not to worry so much. We've got a lot of things going right, which is more than we can say for most people. Its all a matter of prospective." He raised his brow. "Am I right?" Purple chuckled lightly. "Yes, you're right."
Red kissed the spot on Purple's neck where he had last night, and the two briefly hugged. Red gave him a peck on the lips as the buzzer went off. "There's your ride. Say hi to your family for me."
Purple snorted. "Don't wait up." And he walked out the door.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
A few hours later (in human time) Purple sat uncomfortably in a chair, facing his dead uncle's lawyer. The rest of his known family – his sister Pez, and her daughter Elize (Irkins were considered siblings if they were born to the same robotic arm within the time of 5 Earth minutes, which ment they were probably from the same DNA strain. Purple was exactly 3 Earth minutes older than Pez. Parents and offspring were only brought together on the rare occasion that a relative imparted both of with a share of the estate after passing away. This was only the second time Elize had ever met her mother.), his cousin Coaxe (pronounced: Co-axe) and his half-brother Blorch (half-siblings were 10 minutes apart) all sat around a desk at which the lawyer sat.
The lawyer was the shortest one there, considering he was surrounded by a Tallest bloodline. Most of the small family held high economy status. Pez was a successful trader on the stock market, Blorch owned a chain of vehicle repair shops, and both Elize and Coaxe were in the military. Coaxe was a specialist in the air force, while Elize was a lieutenant in the army. Elize was taller than everyone there, save Purple.
The lawyer twisted in his seat, visibly nervous from being surrounded by the prominent family. After offering them each a drink, he brought out five files, one for each family member, and began to walk them through the documents. They basically stated what property was theirs, how much money they would receive and so on. About halfway through the papers, a knock came on the door.
Purple looked up at the two bodyguards behind him. "Answer that."
One of them walked over and opened the door. Another of Purple's escorts stuck in his head. Purple turned back to the papers in front of him. "This had better be good."
The bodyguard walked up to Purple, bent over and whispered in his ear. The family and lawyer watched as the expressions danced over his face.
First he just stared ahead, annoyed at being interrupted. Then his eyes widened slightly and he put a finger to his lips in thought. Finally, he put down his hand and muttered, "Oh my."
The bodyguard stood back up and waited for his response. Purple thought for a moment, then curled his finger at the guard, motioning him to come back down. He did so, and Purple whispered into his ear for a few seconds. The guard nodded periodically until Purple was done. He straitened, uttered a "Yes, my Tallest." and left the room. Purple taped the papers on his knee, straitening them, and reached for his drink.
"What was that?" asked Pez. She leaned forward and gave Purple a questioning look.
Pez was the only person in the universe (save Red) who would dare talk to Purple with such irreverence. She had the exact same eye color as him, evidence of their close genetic ties. She wore a dark red business suit, and black heals. Around her neck hung a thin chain of precious metal that from the looks of it, was only affordable to someone with upper tax bracket income. She uncrossed, then recrossed her long legs. "Well?"
"Oh, some trouble on the western front," he said calmly, swirling his drink. "Dreadful business, universal domination." He took a sip, then smiled pleasantly at the lawyer. "Nothing that can't wait, please, go on."
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
"So how are things?" asked Pez after the meeting was over. She cocked an invisible eyebrow and waited for a response. Purple smirked; she was purposely making him late. "Things are fine, Pez. You?"
"Oh, you know. Well… maybe… you don't, being the ruler of the universe and all."
He smiled. Siblings rarely met, let alone carry out relationships. It was a fluke that Pez and Purple ever did. Only after some moderate research did they discover that they were brother and sister. They had met shortly before he became Tallest. She had been his financial advisor, because she had made her entire fortune off her own decisions. She knew how to play the market like a grandmaster knew how to play chess. Ever fraction of a point could be calculated, evaluated and formulated into a sale before it rolled off her tongue. Pez herself, was the richest Irkin citizen in existence. Richer even than some Irkin dignitaries. The one accomplishment she had never been able to overcome, however, was to be known as someone other than: "The Tallest Purple's sister".
"Supreme ruler… so how's that working' for ya?" She asked and smiled sarcastically. He let out a single, "Hah" and nodded. "Good, Pez."
"How's Red?"
"Red's good."
"Great. Universal domination taking a lot of you two?"
"A little, but we get by."
"Well great. Personally, things have been a little strenuous, but nothing I can't handle."
"Really?"
"Yes. Actually, there has been a lot of pressure on buying more government bonds," she gave him a look. "Because of all the success in domination, many people want to invest heavily into the government."
Purple shrugged. "Well that's good."
"No, not necessarily. Things have been going good, yes, but this trend is not permanent. I mean, how long can the Irkin Empire go unopposed?" Purple shuddered inwardly. His sister had had the same premonition as him. They were concerning different things, but both got around to the fact that prosperous times would soon come to an end.
"Sir!" said a bodyguard with a salute as he hastily entered the room. "The… situation has advanced!"
Purple's eyes went wide. "WHAT? Damn. All right, we're leaving now. Pez – nice seeing you again." He gave her a peck on the check and then proceeded out the door. Pez walked out into the hall and watched as he left.
"Phone." Commanded Purple, extending one hand. A small communicator was immediately put into it. He opened it with a flick of his thumb, and put it to his non-existent ear. "Home Base."
"Processing…" said a prerecorded voice. "Found. Contacting Home Base, Tallest Purple." Purple put a hand on his hip and tapped the fingers rhythmically. His bodyguards encircled him as he walked down the corridor.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Purple walked aboard the 'Gargantuan', a large battleship. He had been transported there shortly after leaving the meeting, and in a matter of minutes was at the front line. Light tremors tore through the ship as he walked, so strongly sometimes that one of the bodyguards would have to keep him from falling. Purple opened a door with the wave of his hand and walked onto the Bridge.
"Tallest Purple!" cried an officer, and the entire room put their hands to their foreheads. Purple saluted half-heartedly and walked to captain's area.
Red was already there, gritting his teeth and staring at the large monitor at the head of the bridge. He was standing, and gripped the banister tightly.
On the monitor was a planet, surrounded by battle. The usual peacefulness of space was scared by exploding warships and weapon blasts. At first Purple could not recognize the planet under the blanket of war, but after a moment he realized, and put a hand to his mouth in shock.
"Is that-"
"Yep," said Red, without taking his gaze from the monitor. "That's Food Courtia."
The usually silver, and industrial planet was now barely recognizable through the mass destruction. Large cities could be seen as flaming sores on the surface, and some normal landmarks could not even be found, destroyed completely. Purple felt a swell of rage under the shock. "Who is responsible for this?!"
"We've just had confirmation," piped up an officer, only his eyes visible over the collar of his uniform. "It's the Reaptarians."
The Reaptarians were an insect-like race that had been conquered not long ago. They resembled large, flattened millipedes with sharp teeth. The monitor flickered and one of them – presumably the leader – replaced the battle on the screen. He saw the Tallest, and chuckled darkly.
"Greetings my Tallest," he spat out mockingly. "SO glad you could join the festivities."
"What have you done you fool! Do you and your kind have a death wish!?" said Red loudly. "We will not stand for such blatant acts of treason!"
"Treason?" sneered the insect as he cocked an eyebrow. "We are betraying no one. On the contrary – we would be betraying our own kind if we did NOT do something. You Irkins think you're so big… conquering worlds ten-fold smaller than yourselves," He now pointed accusingly at the Tallest. "If you think you're so bad than why don't you challenge the Orpathians!?"
The Orpathians (Or-pay-thee-ans) were a powerful human-esk race that all but completely dominated a universe parallel to their own. The Tallest and other Irkin intelligence officers knew of their existence, and also knew that it would be suicide to even attempt an overthrowing of that caliber. The Tallest were shocked that the Reaptarians even knew of them.
"What? What are you talking about?" said Red unconvincingly. The insect snorted in annoyance. "We know you know of them, our leak inside your administration told us so."
"Your LEAK?" cried Purple. "You're telling us that you got a LEAK into the Central Intelligence Bureau?"
"Yes," said the insect smugly with a grin. "Not so impenetrable, eh?"
Off to Purple's right, an officer began to sweat profusely.
"The Orpathians have yet to provoke us," replied Red. The insect cocked an eyebrow and let out a rueful "HAH!"
"None of the worlds you've conquered PROVOKED you!" said the insect angrily. "You have been fighting a cowards battle. Admit it!"
Red was about to say something when Purple cut him off. "Enough of this. As it stands you have attacked one of our home worlds and this calls for severe action," Purple was becoming assertive. His eyes flared and his teeth were almost perpetually bared. Red looked at him with growing curiosity.
"You have to the count of ten to surrender all troop unconditionally. If not, then we will take no prisoners."
The bridge exploded into accusations. The Captain urged him to reconsider, political advisors and the on board press secretary begged him to think of the outcome; even Red was questioning his decision. Only the officer on the right, with the headset, stared intently on the radar screen in front of him.
Before Purple had become Tallest, he was known as Beck, and was a soldier in the Irkin military. He had once been taken as a prisoner of war on the Reaptarian home world. For the equivalent of an Earth year, he lived as a POW on board various Reaptarian mother ships. While there, he learned a thing or two about Reaptarian life. But despite the fact he was best suited to make this kind of decision, they continued to protest.
"No prisoners? Seriously do you-" the press secretary babbled on. Purple stole a glance of Red from over the heads of the others, and found that he was utterly confused. Nothing like this had ever happened, at least not in their administration. Red, too, had been a soldier, but he had worked on homeland security, and was never a POW.
"STOP!" cried Purple firmly and held up both hands in defiance. Everyone stopped. Purple turned to Red.
"Red?" he asked and looked at his partner. "Red, what do you think we should do?"
Red looked around for a moment, before meeting Purple's gaze. "Whatever you wanna do, Purple, is fine with me."
Purple smiled. "Then it's settled." He turned to the counsel in front of him. His fingers flew over the keys as he entered in coordinates. "When I hit 'one', I want all active ships to fire at these coordinates on the mother ship. Got it?"
"Got it, sir!" cried the communications officer. Purple pressed a button, and the image of the insect was minimized, allowing the battle to be seen behind him. He stared down from the corner of the screen with contempt.
"You wouldn't dare."
"The hell I would." Purple leaned forward on the banister and stared deep into the eyes of the Reaptarian. "Ten,"
Everyone on the bridge braced for 'one'.
"Nine,"
"No."
"Eight,"
"Stop."
"Seven,"
"No!"
"Six, Surrender!"
"Never!"
"Five,"
"Don't do this."
"Four,"
"You wouldn't!"
"Three,"
"STOP!"
"Two,"
"NEVER!!"
"One," Purple bared his teeth. "NOW!"
The blasters could be heard powering up. The Reaptarian mother ship appeared on the screen, shortly before a huge explosion emitted from its flank, where half the Irkin fleet had fired. The image of the lead insect went to static, and the bridge went silent. Red began to stir.
"Purple, what-"
"Wait for it," said Purple cutting him off and holding a hand in the air. A moment passed until an officer spoke.
"Sir! The rest of the Reaptarian fleet has ceased attacking. It seems as if they are… surrendering."
Purple smirked and crossed his arms. Reaptarians never moved without word from their leaders. The area of the ship he had ordered to hit was not one of vital importance, but it had held the communication equipment. Without the ability to transmit and receive orders, the Reaptarian fleet had come to a standstill.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Kain gripped the consol with one exoskeletal hand and pulled himself up to shoulder height with it. He glared ruefully at he monitor, which had gone to static. Curse you Tallest, he thought. The ship had shook violently and he was knocked off his feet as communications fell silent. Other members of his crew were struggling to their feet as well, pointlessly attempting to restore transmissions. He grunted and slammed a fist into the useless controls.
The monitor flicked to life, and an image of the Purple Tallest appeared. The Reaptarian Bridge went still and watched the screen in terrified anger.
"I know you can hear this, even if you can't respond," Said the Purple Tallest with the raising of one smug eyebrow. "It seems there is no need to blast your entire fleet out of the sky, after all. They are surrendering quite nicely, and I'm sure they will cause no trouble – for fear they will cause you pain," The Purple Tallest narrowed his eyes at Kain. You bastard, he thought, you blackmailing bastard.
"Well that's it for right now, I take it your life support systems are quite functional and undamaged. A fleet will be there shortly to escort you to the home world." Purple smiled darkly.
"Until next time, Kain. And there WILL be a next time."
The screen went blank, and Kain screamed out in rage.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Purple clasped his hands behind his back as cheers rang through the bridge. Everyone was celebrating the victory; even if it was quick. Purple himself began to feel a swell of happiness at it.
Red laughed as he watched the armada board the Reaptarian mother ship. He grabbed his fellow Tallest and squeezed him so hard Purple's feet left the ground. Purple laughed and hugged him back.
No one knew that the two Tallests were together romantically, and on a normal day them hugging would have raised eyebrows. But hugging after a victory seemed like the most natural thing in the world. No one gave it any merit.
After a moment, Red noticed the officer on radar. He was not celebrating like everyone else, in fact he hadn't really moved since the Reaptarian leader said…
Red let go of Purple and looked hard at the back of the officer's head. He could now see that the officer was in fact moving – he was trembling. Sweat rolled down the back of his head and onto his up-turned collar. The tremors of his shaking caused his chair to move, and its sound grew louder and louder as the room went quiet. Both Tallests peered at him with realization, finally approaching him from behind.
"Turn around, soldier." Said Purple simply. The officer made no such move. "About face, soldier. MOVE."
The officer still remained still, as if catatonic with fright. He knew the outcome, and he didn't like it – no one ever did.
"LOOK at me when I talk to you soldier!" said Purple a little firmer. The Irkin finally did; he wrung his hands and looked down at the floor. His face looked on the verge of tears. Purple and Red narrowed their eyes at the weasel.
"You're the leak he was talking about, aren't you." Red stated, more than asked. The officer continued to look at the ground. "ANSWER me, traitor. Answer me or seek consequences even more dire than the one you currently face."
The officer began to say something, inaudible beneath the frightened waver of his voice. Red was becoming angry.
"What was that? I couldn't hear you. Speak up, miserable pawn!"
The officer stuttered a few times before he could be clearly heard. "…Yes."
"Well the rat can talk," said Purple ruefully. He spat out the words as if they had a foul taste. "What in the cosmos were you thinking? Do you know how many lives were lost because of YOU? DO YOU?" Purple leaned in closer, and the officer shuddered as if he was hit with something. Purple narrowed his eyes to dangerous slits. "Look at me, soldier."
Once again, the soldier made no such motion.
"LOOK at me when I TALK to you. Do you have any common courtesy? But then again, I shouldn't expect anything civil from a traitor, can I?" Purple waited a moment, then grabbed the officer by the chin, forcing him to look him strait in the eye. He spoke in a hushed tone, as if what he was saying was not ment to be said aloud.
"Do you have any idea the DAMAGE this will do to the Irkin people? How many of your BROTHERS and SISTERS were killed because of YOUR thoughtless and selfish action? Do you even comprehend the capacity at which you have delt a blow? Not to us, but the Irkin tax payers and the family of those brave Irkins who lost their lives fighting for what YOU came from? No. And that is what makes this so sad…"
Purple released the officer, and he immediately reeled back like a sea creature that has been poked. Purple and Red held their hands behind their backs and for a long moment, staring at the coward. Finally, Purple spoke, breaking the stunned silence that had settled over the Bridge.
"Execute him."
"WHAT!" cried the officer suddenly, woken by the two cruelly rapid words. It was as if no thought had gone into the sentencing, just swift, on-the- spot justice.
"You can't do that!" he cried as two guards hoisted him out of his seat by the arms. "You can't just – Hey!" the guards began to drag him off the Bridge. The door slide open silently as the three proceeded elsewhere. The (former) officer eventually lost his footing, and his heels dragged over the floor. His protests rang out, and could even be heard through the door for a time. But soon they could not be heard, and the Bridge become so silent you could hear electricity humming through the machines. As swift and final as marshal law.