Chapter 4
***
"Tep!" Purple shouted.
"M'Tallest?" he stepped up to face the two leaders.
"Both of your squads have disappeared, as well as TENS OF THOUSANDS MORE!" Red shouted. "WHAT do you know about this?"
Gulping, Tep babbled off the story he had made up.
"M'Tallest, I had no idea that any squads were gone."
"Even your own?" Purple demanded.
"Careless with your own squads?" Red groaned. "Bad, bad Invader!"
"My Tallest. I have been careless, I admit. I, however, have no idea what happened to any of the squads. I would, however, like to resign from the Irken military. I've failed you." He ripped off his admiral's badge and threw it at Purple, and then left, his head hanging in mock shame. Now he would stow aboard a ship and join Zim in the fight against Irk.
***
Living in the palace of Ztivroh the Hutt was no more enjoyable than stowing aboard a bounty hunter's ship, hidden amongst cargo, which included dead bounties.
Zim supposed that Krath was used to it by now. The smell of death was all around, and blood was smeared on the walls. Creatures and aliens from all around hissed and babbled in their native tongues, and Zim could only catch a few phrases from Huttese and Galactic Basic that made no sense to him whatsoever.
Krath slept soundlessly on the second bed in the room, while Zim was stuffed in the corner, on a small bed, unable to sleep. Tep's last comlink message was not very reassuring.
"Zim," he had said, "I have to join you for good. The Tallest are on to me, and I've resigned from the Irken military."
That was three standard hours ago, and no comlink messages were received from Tep again.
***
"The Tallest are on to us!" Tep called to the twenty or so Irken Invaders in each squad he now led, which was three, which called for sixty Irkens.
There was a gasp amongst the crowd.
"I've resigned from the Irken military. As you probably know, the Irkens already smashed up a small town here," Tep announced. "Their blockade of Nar Shaadaa is pretty heavy. They're letting Invaders out of boot early just to compensate for the dropouts-us," Tep continued.
The crowd was deathly silent as Tep finished:
"Get ready. We're going to war."
***
"Tep!" Purple shouted.
"M'Tallest?" he stepped up to face the two leaders.
"Both of your squads have disappeared, as well as TENS OF THOUSANDS MORE!" Red shouted. "WHAT do you know about this?"
Gulping, Tep babbled off the story he had made up.
"M'Tallest, I had no idea that any squads were gone."
"Even your own?" Purple demanded.
"Careless with your own squads?" Red groaned. "Bad, bad Invader!"
"My Tallest. I have been careless, I admit. I, however, have no idea what happened to any of the squads. I would, however, like to resign from the Irken military. I've failed you." He ripped off his admiral's badge and threw it at Purple, and then left, his head hanging in mock shame. Now he would stow aboard a ship and join Zim in the fight against Irk.
***
Living in the palace of Ztivroh the Hutt was no more enjoyable than stowing aboard a bounty hunter's ship, hidden amongst cargo, which included dead bounties.
Zim supposed that Krath was used to it by now. The smell of death was all around, and blood was smeared on the walls. Creatures and aliens from all around hissed and babbled in their native tongues, and Zim could only catch a few phrases from Huttese and Galactic Basic that made no sense to him whatsoever.
Krath slept soundlessly on the second bed in the room, while Zim was stuffed in the corner, on a small bed, unable to sleep. Tep's last comlink message was not very reassuring.
"Zim," he had said, "I have to join you for good. The Tallest are on to me, and I've resigned from the Irken military."
That was three standard hours ago, and no comlink messages were received from Tep again.
***
"The Tallest are on to us!" Tep called to the twenty or so Irken Invaders in each squad he now led, which was three, which called for sixty Irkens.
There was a gasp amongst the crowd.
"I've resigned from the Irken military. As you probably know, the Irkens already smashed up a small town here," Tep announced. "Their blockade of Nar Shaadaa is pretty heavy. They're letting Invaders out of boot early just to compensate for the dropouts-us," Tep continued.
The crowd was deathly silent as Tep finished:
"Get ready. We're going to war."