Chapter 25: Life Sweep
The months passed by as Link, Kor and I awaited the Tallest and our ceremony. Finally the day came when the Transmission came with the news of the Tallest's arrival. Joyous, Link and Kor danced about, and I was soon to join in, my spirits becoming lifted in the excitement of finally completing my first mission. Not only had I taken over the planet I set out to conquer, but I also saved the Irken Race from total destruction. With help from Xen of course. The ceremony would not only include the Life Sweep, but also the unveiling of something that the Tallest had promised to be very exciting indeed. On top of all that, there was the promise of a new mission. If only Xen could be here...
Xen. Another touchy subject. I missed him so much, but you already knew that if you've been paying attention and all. If only he could be here. If only he could be here to have another chance. To have another chance with me. I frown, suddenly remembering his planet that he had abandoned after that one deadly mistake. What had that mistake been? What had happened to that planet? My eyes widened as I realized what I had forgotten long ago in the heat of battle. I had agreed to help Xen in anyway I could, yet he had never given me instructions on what all to do! He had never asked anything in return for fixing Link, and on top of all that, he had given up his life for mine and the sake of the mission. For all that, what had I ever done for him? Nothing. It hurt me to think about it, but right then and there, I knew what I had to do.
In a few hours, I would have to go and meet the Tallest and the ceremony would start. If I could get them to change whatever mission they had in store for me to Xen's abandoned mission. Then I could go and make everything right, conquering the planet in the name of Xen and the Irken kind. Grinning at this thought, I started to pick up my pace and get things ready to go. I could hardly stand the excitement building up in me at the thought of making everything right and paying back Xen.
***~~~***
Link, Kor, and I boarded the Voot and took off for the large Mother Ship that hovered just above the planet's atmosphere. Within a few minuets we had landed, and were on our way to meet the Tallest in person for the before-hand, last minuet changes. The guards showed me into the large chamber where I was greeted heartily by the Almighty Tallest themselves. It was such an honor to shake their hand and be within their actual presence that I almost forgot to request the change of my mission. When things slowed down a bit and we were discussing my new mission, I brought it up, prepared with reasons to support my reasoning that I was sure seemed crazy to them at the moment.
"My Tallest? May I request a change of Mission?" I asked.
"To what? You don't even know what mission we're going to be giving you just yet." Purple said confused.
"I know my Tallest, but you see, I have a new mission in mind that will set things right for you and hopefully erase any feelings of hate towards Xen."
"Xen...yes..." Red said.
"Please my Tallest. Don't put him down for he sacrificed his life for the mission and for your safety. He did many great things, even if he did screw up his mission. It is his mission that I have come to talk about. It is his mission that I would like to take on, or at least his planet I would like to visit and clear the very trace of his existence from its surface so it causes you no shame..."
The Tallest looked at each other and then back at me, pausing. The moment of silence was somewhat awkward. Finally they broke it.
"Invader Daft. You are a very fine Invader, and we'd like to give that mission to you, but we've already sent someone down there to pick up the pieces and start over where....Xen?....left off." Red informed me.
I stared at him for a moment.
"Who? I mean...I....I am sorry my Tallest...I hoped to make it up to Xen by finishing his mission."
"It's understandable Invader Daft, but we have already sent someone there. Not to worry though, you're going to be given a mission on the Planet of Wonderful Things!" Purple informed me.
"We've mapped that one out to be an amusement park!" Red added.
"Yes. I understand my Tallest. Thank you. I shall accept this mission with great enthusiasm."
"Great! Now, let's go. We must start the ceremony!"
With that they escorted me out and onto a large balcony, a sea of green below. Thousands of Irkens looked upwards and cheered as we came out on the balcony next to the cannons. I put on a look of importance and played my part the best I could.
***~~~***
We were halfway through the ceremony when we came to the part of the first volley of the Life Sweep. The Irkens below cheered noisily in anticipation and I walked over to the cannon. The Tallest stood on either side of me, watching out the window as the rest of the crowd watched the happenings on a giant screen that unfolded below the balcony, giving them the view that we had from the balcony. Grasping the handles of the cannon, I took a deep breath, watching my planet for few seconds. The others waited for the signal, positioned around the planet, laser cannons ready and operative. My thoughts were turned toward Xen.
This is for you Xen...
I let the cannon fire, a long pinkish-purple beam came out of it and smashed into the planet below me, signaling thousands of other lasers to shoot out and into the planet. The sky was lit up brightly as the lasers struck the surface of the planet, blowing up bits and pieces of it as they tattooed out the Irken symbol on its skin. Standing back, I watched the destruction, showing only Irken emotions towards the planet, yet on the inside, I was crying for it. There was a certain beauty to the planet under all that junk. A kind of Rustic Beauty that made me wonder about the purpose of this mission. We were destroying such beautiful planets in our quest for galactic conquest and I started to wonder then if maybe this whole thing was pointless. We were destroying works of art, no matter how strange they were, and all in the name of two tall leaders with a goal to rule the universe. Was this necessary? I shuddered at the thought and pushed it away. This was not the time to challenge the word of the Tallest. Besides, I was supposed to be an Invader, not a hapless sack of emotions!
The rest of the ceremony followed and I displayed all the right Irken emotions, trying not to let out any more than I had to. It was dangerous to feel emotions. They wouldn't understand if I were to show any. They'd wonder. They'd speculate. Things would follow that were worse than compromising a mission. So I kept my emotions to myself, even at the end of the ceremony when they unveiled a statue. I bit my lip to keep the tears inside. The statue was a stony gray metal, shiny, yet dull and powerful looking. On it stood two Irken soldiers that were familiar to me. Xen and I stood, immortalized in stony metal, for all generations to gaze upon. In the bottom, words were carved.
'To honor the great Invaders who risked everything to save the honor of the Irken Empire and the Almighty Tallest themselves. We shall never forget the brave Invader Xen who died in battle protecting the mission and Invader Daft who went on to finish it, saving the Irken Empire and bringing this planet to their knees before the Might of the Tallest."
The statue was to adorn the grounds on which we claimed for the Irken Empire's new Museum of Greatness. It would be one of many things that adorned the halls of the museum, honoring the brave Irken Invaders who had fought in the Great Wars of the North and those who had conquered different planets and also the Tallest themselves and their accomplishments. I felt both honored and bitter about the dedication of the statue. I kept it inside though and acted as if I were the most honored Irken since Kie, the first Irken ever to finish his mission. Things slowly wrapped themselves up and when it was all done, we had a few hours to mingle and talk. I walked down through the crowd to my friends to try and pick things back up with them.
It felt off and awkward as I stood with them, chatting, trying to be normal again. My friends stared at me wide-eyed and congratulated me every five seconds. The conversation started off with the progress of the others, but always turned back to 'How I Conquered My Planet and Saved The Irken Empire One Handedly Without Tripping.' It was weird and I grew tiered of repeating the tale.
"Invader Daft! I'm so surprised that you actually finished the mission! To tell the truth, none of us thought you'd make it, what with your clumsiness and all. Please forgive us, we've been sadly mistaken by your skill. You haven't tripped once since you came back!" Sid said with wide eyes.
"Now that you mention it, I haven't tripped in a while." I replied.
"Daft! Daft! Tell me again how you defeated that evil Theros!" Chi, a small Invader-in-training yelled.
"I already told it..."
"Puh-leeeassse?!"
"Fine. Well, it kinda started out when Link was dismantled."
"Link is your robot slave...right?"
"Yes...uh....yeah...robot slave...heh...anyway, Xen came to visit and his ship was attacked..."
And so I told the story yet again to Chi, even though she had heard it a zillion times already. Chi had stuck by me the whole night since I came down to join the festivals. She was a tiny little Invader-in-training with large red eyes and two little yellow bows in her antennas. She looked up at me from time to time with her big eyes full of wonder and admiration. She was such a cute little thing, and yet, she felt so distant from the last time I had seen her. Chi had lived in my Complex and had always tagged along with me until I had been chosen for the Invader Finals and was shipped off to the other side of the planet for Final Training. When I came back, a certified Invader, she had practically clung to me, always asking about being an Invader. That was such a long time ago though. Things felt different here, so distant and kind of foreign. Was it supposed to feel this way?
I was soon allowed to leave, to return for a week of rest to my own apartment before my new mission started. I looked forward to seeing it again, and yet...
"Daft?" Chi interrupted my thoughts.
"Yes Chi?"
"What are you gonna do until you go away again?"
"I don't know. I guess I'll rest and catch up with some of the new technology. I have to be prepared to use some of it on my new mission. It would also be good to go to the library and see what maps and information they have on this new planet."
"Can I come with you Daft? I want to be an Invader too! Is it fun?"
"It's tough work Chi. There are some fun parts about it, but only if you do everything right the first time, which is very hard." I said thinking of my mistakes with my planet.
"I'm not afraid Daft! I'll be able to make it! Pretty soon I'm gonna be old enough to start Invader Training Skool! Then you'll see, Daft, I'll be a great Invader...Just Like you!"
Just Like Me....
The months passed by as Link, Kor and I awaited the Tallest and our ceremony. Finally the day came when the Transmission came with the news of the Tallest's arrival. Joyous, Link and Kor danced about, and I was soon to join in, my spirits becoming lifted in the excitement of finally completing my first mission. Not only had I taken over the planet I set out to conquer, but I also saved the Irken Race from total destruction. With help from Xen of course. The ceremony would not only include the Life Sweep, but also the unveiling of something that the Tallest had promised to be very exciting indeed. On top of all that, there was the promise of a new mission. If only Xen could be here...
Xen. Another touchy subject. I missed him so much, but you already knew that if you've been paying attention and all. If only he could be here. If only he could be here to have another chance. To have another chance with me. I frown, suddenly remembering his planet that he had abandoned after that one deadly mistake. What had that mistake been? What had happened to that planet? My eyes widened as I realized what I had forgotten long ago in the heat of battle. I had agreed to help Xen in anyway I could, yet he had never given me instructions on what all to do! He had never asked anything in return for fixing Link, and on top of all that, he had given up his life for mine and the sake of the mission. For all that, what had I ever done for him? Nothing. It hurt me to think about it, but right then and there, I knew what I had to do.
In a few hours, I would have to go and meet the Tallest and the ceremony would start. If I could get them to change whatever mission they had in store for me to Xen's abandoned mission. Then I could go and make everything right, conquering the planet in the name of Xen and the Irken kind. Grinning at this thought, I started to pick up my pace and get things ready to go. I could hardly stand the excitement building up in me at the thought of making everything right and paying back Xen.
***~~~***
Link, Kor, and I boarded the Voot and took off for the large Mother Ship that hovered just above the planet's atmosphere. Within a few minuets we had landed, and were on our way to meet the Tallest in person for the before-hand, last minuet changes. The guards showed me into the large chamber where I was greeted heartily by the Almighty Tallest themselves. It was such an honor to shake their hand and be within their actual presence that I almost forgot to request the change of my mission. When things slowed down a bit and we were discussing my new mission, I brought it up, prepared with reasons to support my reasoning that I was sure seemed crazy to them at the moment.
"My Tallest? May I request a change of Mission?" I asked.
"To what? You don't even know what mission we're going to be giving you just yet." Purple said confused.
"I know my Tallest, but you see, I have a new mission in mind that will set things right for you and hopefully erase any feelings of hate towards Xen."
"Xen...yes..." Red said.
"Please my Tallest. Don't put him down for he sacrificed his life for the mission and for your safety. He did many great things, even if he did screw up his mission. It is his mission that I have come to talk about. It is his mission that I would like to take on, or at least his planet I would like to visit and clear the very trace of his existence from its surface so it causes you no shame..."
The Tallest looked at each other and then back at me, pausing. The moment of silence was somewhat awkward. Finally they broke it.
"Invader Daft. You are a very fine Invader, and we'd like to give that mission to you, but we've already sent someone down there to pick up the pieces and start over where....Xen?....left off." Red informed me.
I stared at him for a moment.
"Who? I mean...I....I am sorry my Tallest...I hoped to make it up to Xen by finishing his mission."
"It's understandable Invader Daft, but we have already sent someone there. Not to worry though, you're going to be given a mission on the Planet of Wonderful Things!" Purple informed me.
"We've mapped that one out to be an amusement park!" Red added.
"Yes. I understand my Tallest. Thank you. I shall accept this mission with great enthusiasm."
"Great! Now, let's go. We must start the ceremony!"
With that they escorted me out and onto a large balcony, a sea of green below. Thousands of Irkens looked upwards and cheered as we came out on the balcony next to the cannons. I put on a look of importance and played my part the best I could.
***~~~***
We were halfway through the ceremony when we came to the part of the first volley of the Life Sweep. The Irkens below cheered noisily in anticipation and I walked over to the cannon. The Tallest stood on either side of me, watching out the window as the rest of the crowd watched the happenings on a giant screen that unfolded below the balcony, giving them the view that we had from the balcony. Grasping the handles of the cannon, I took a deep breath, watching my planet for few seconds. The others waited for the signal, positioned around the planet, laser cannons ready and operative. My thoughts were turned toward Xen.
This is for you Xen...
I let the cannon fire, a long pinkish-purple beam came out of it and smashed into the planet below me, signaling thousands of other lasers to shoot out and into the planet. The sky was lit up brightly as the lasers struck the surface of the planet, blowing up bits and pieces of it as they tattooed out the Irken symbol on its skin. Standing back, I watched the destruction, showing only Irken emotions towards the planet, yet on the inside, I was crying for it. There was a certain beauty to the planet under all that junk. A kind of Rustic Beauty that made me wonder about the purpose of this mission. We were destroying such beautiful planets in our quest for galactic conquest and I started to wonder then if maybe this whole thing was pointless. We were destroying works of art, no matter how strange they were, and all in the name of two tall leaders with a goal to rule the universe. Was this necessary? I shuddered at the thought and pushed it away. This was not the time to challenge the word of the Tallest. Besides, I was supposed to be an Invader, not a hapless sack of emotions!
The rest of the ceremony followed and I displayed all the right Irken emotions, trying not to let out any more than I had to. It was dangerous to feel emotions. They wouldn't understand if I were to show any. They'd wonder. They'd speculate. Things would follow that were worse than compromising a mission. So I kept my emotions to myself, even at the end of the ceremony when they unveiled a statue. I bit my lip to keep the tears inside. The statue was a stony gray metal, shiny, yet dull and powerful looking. On it stood two Irken soldiers that were familiar to me. Xen and I stood, immortalized in stony metal, for all generations to gaze upon. In the bottom, words were carved.
'To honor the great Invaders who risked everything to save the honor of the Irken Empire and the Almighty Tallest themselves. We shall never forget the brave Invader Xen who died in battle protecting the mission and Invader Daft who went on to finish it, saving the Irken Empire and bringing this planet to their knees before the Might of the Tallest."
The statue was to adorn the grounds on which we claimed for the Irken Empire's new Museum of Greatness. It would be one of many things that adorned the halls of the museum, honoring the brave Irken Invaders who had fought in the Great Wars of the North and those who had conquered different planets and also the Tallest themselves and their accomplishments. I felt both honored and bitter about the dedication of the statue. I kept it inside though and acted as if I were the most honored Irken since Kie, the first Irken ever to finish his mission. Things slowly wrapped themselves up and when it was all done, we had a few hours to mingle and talk. I walked down through the crowd to my friends to try and pick things back up with them.
It felt off and awkward as I stood with them, chatting, trying to be normal again. My friends stared at me wide-eyed and congratulated me every five seconds. The conversation started off with the progress of the others, but always turned back to 'How I Conquered My Planet and Saved The Irken Empire One Handedly Without Tripping.' It was weird and I grew tiered of repeating the tale.
"Invader Daft! I'm so surprised that you actually finished the mission! To tell the truth, none of us thought you'd make it, what with your clumsiness and all. Please forgive us, we've been sadly mistaken by your skill. You haven't tripped once since you came back!" Sid said with wide eyes.
"Now that you mention it, I haven't tripped in a while." I replied.
"Daft! Daft! Tell me again how you defeated that evil Theros!" Chi, a small Invader-in-training yelled.
"I already told it..."
"Puh-leeeassse?!"
"Fine. Well, it kinda started out when Link was dismantled."
"Link is your robot slave...right?"
"Yes...uh....yeah...robot slave...heh...anyway, Xen came to visit and his ship was attacked..."
And so I told the story yet again to Chi, even though she had heard it a zillion times already. Chi had stuck by me the whole night since I came down to join the festivals. She was a tiny little Invader-in-training with large red eyes and two little yellow bows in her antennas. She looked up at me from time to time with her big eyes full of wonder and admiration. She was such a cute little thing, and yet, she felt so distant from the last time I had seen her. Chi had lived in my Complex and had always tagged along with me until I had been chosen for the Invader Finals and was shipped off to the other side of the planet for Final Training. When I came back, a certified Invader, she had practically clung to me, always asking about being an Invader. That was such a long time ago though. Things felt different here, so distant and kind of foreign. Was it supposed to feel this way?
I was soon allowed to leave, to return for a week of rest to my own apartment before my new mission started. I looked forward to seeing it again, and yet...
"Daft?" Chi interrupted my thoughts.
"Yes Chi?"
"What are you gonna do until you go away again?"
"I don't know. I guess I'll rest and catch up with some of the new technology. I have to be prepared to use some of it on my new mission. It would also be good to go to the library and see what maps and information they have on this new planet."
"Can I come with you Daft? I want to be an Invader too! Is it fun?"
"It's tough work Chi. There are some fun parts about it, but only if you do everything right the first time, which is very hard." I said thinking of my mistakes with my planet.
"I'm not afraid Daft! I'll be able to make it! Pretty soon I'm gonna be old enough to start Invader Training Skool! Then you'll see, Daft, I'll be a great Invader...Just Like you!"
Just Like Me....