Hola, humans and fellow Irkans! It be Gaeldrisan! I started this fic
about three months ago, and just now decided to pick it up again. I think
it's going pretty good so far. K. I own Ket and Fet. Yes, it is
coincidence that their names rhyme.
Ket sighed and tugged nervously on an arm guard as she regarded herself in the mirror. She was tall, of course; she wouldn't be getting made into a Tallest if she weren't. Her antennae sloped nicely over her head, angling into quirky little triangles. She smoothed them down automatically. The black robes of the Tallest fell perfectly on her slim frame, accentuating her figure.
Wonderful.
She cast her eyes to the floor, wondering how in the name of the Mother of Irk she had happened to go from her Invader status to that of one of the Tallest.
"Oh, wait. I don't have to wonder," she muttered sarcastically to her reflection. Her mind drifted back to the last month's Invader banquet.
Tallest Purple and Red were throwing a party for the most accomplished Invaders on the Massive, herself included. There had only been about ten Invaders at the party, unfortunately. It was rather dull.
Except for the part where Red called her aside to have her measured, and then there was the fiasco that followed. Purple ran around calling for various people, mostly tailors and decorators and metal smiths.
Ket ran over the conversation in her mind.
"How could this have happened?" Purple had shrieked. "She's the exact same height as us! Who's the idiot that sent her to the Invader's Academy? Begin plans for the coronation at once!!"
Ket sighed again and rubbed at a speck on the mirror. She was happy as an Invader; there had been a whole planet for her to conquer and run, and here she was having all of that taken away from her so she could have a desk job. A rather grand desk it may be, but a desk all the same.
Someone knock timidly on the door. Ket saw a short Irkan poke his head through the door.
"I had to pretend to be delivering a brainfreezy to you so I could get in," Fet said, with an apologetic glance at the drink in his hand. Ket grinned and knelt down to give him a hug.
"I'm glad you were able to get in," she said happily. "I'd hate to go through with this without seeing my oldest friend before. I'd kinda hate to go through with this at all, actually."
Fet pulled away in astonishment. "You mean you don't want to be a Tallest?" Disbelief shone in his eyes brighter than a quasar.
Ket groaned and stood up. "No," she said exasperatedly. "I really don't."
"But think of all the great stuff you'll be able to do!" Fet insisted, still a bit in shock.
"What?" Ket retorted gruffly. "Sit in cushy chairs and eat curly fries all day? Shoot people out of airlocks? I'd rather have a trusty SIR, a Voot, and two million light-years to get lost in. Being a Tallest doesn't seem to get help to those who need it."
Fet shook his head stubbornly, lavender eyes pinched shut. "No, that's because it's the mind of the Tallest that matters. If the Tallest wants to be lazy and corrupt, that's how he's gonna be. If it were you, I know that you'd be right at the front line, dealing with issues that needed attendance."
Ket thoughtfully bit her lip, brooding on this advice. "You know," she said with a smile, "I think you're right. Now is the end of the old way of doing things. Red and Pur may have seniority, but I'll win them over to the point where I can do whatever I want. When I'm done righting the lives of the lower class Irkans, I'll just go back to being an Invader." She grinned triumphantly. Fet moaned and shook his head. "You've got that look in your eyes again."
Ket focused her attention on Fet. "What do you mean? It's called thinking!"
Fet laughed and shook his head. "No, I've known you since we came out of the smeet briefing room. When your eyes turn from dark, dark red to black, you've got a fiendish plan."
Ket snorted and settled her fists on her hips. "Fiendish plan? How many times have I had these fiendish plans?"
"Well, like that time you convinced the Academy Instructor that any homework he gave would result in his immediately digestion by demon gorilla- angels. He's still in the institution."
Ket smirked and laughed, for once relieved that someone had remembered those days. She was taller than most of her instructors had been, all of whom eventually quit or were carted away screaming because they listened to her stories. She smiled and wiped her eyes sadly. If only they were here now, to see her becoming a Tallest. Quickly she shook her head, erasing the memories.
Now was not the time to get upset about things beyond her control. There were two options for times like these; sit down and let them pass, or grab them by the antennae and hang on tight. She rarely chose to sit down and let them pass.
There was a timid knock on the door. A Flat-headed Table Drone held out a message pad to Ket, humbly averting his eyes to the hem of her robe.
She groaned and picked up the pad, recognizing Red's messy scrawl at once. With minor difficulty she managed to understand that she was to wait in her room until they came to escort her to the ship that would take them to Conventia. Ket groaned again and handed the pad to the Table Drone, adding a small handful of monies. He gaped at them in disbelief, then smiled at her timidly and bowed.
Fet grinned happily after the drone's retreating back. "See, that's the kind of thing you can do to change how the Irkan race thinks. Tipping a Table Drone is just the kind of thing that tells everyone that short people are still people." He beamed at her again and offered the slightly melted Freezy.
She growled jokingly at him. "Eh, don't get all sappy on me." She took the Freezy and drew a long appreciative mouthful.
"Ah.I haven't had one of these in.since I left the Massive as an Invader, I guess," she sighed happily.
There was another knock at the door, sharp and demanding this time. Tallest Red and Purple strode swiftly into the room, shoving roughly past Fet. Ket bristled, but Fet caught her eye and shook his head. Silently he slipped out of the room, leaving Ket to her cushy fate.
Purple held Ket at arm length and looked her over. "Are you sure you wanted to have black robes? It's awfully morbid."
"Although it fits your eyes perfectly," Red practically purred. "Black and.black. Black-red, maybe."
Ket glanced away from Red and grimaced at the wall. "Are we going to go or what? I have this problem with being patient. I don't like waiting for anything."
Red snorted back a laugh. "That's a good quality to have."
Purple gave him a look dripping with disgust. "Shut up. Save yourself lots of future humiliation and shut up."
Red smirked and took one of Ket's arms. Purple took the other. Ket groaned mentally as they escorted her to their ship.
Hey, I realize how unoriginal this plot is, but it's my story, so kindly keep your negative comments to yourself. Ow.I have a sore throat. The germs are after me! AFTER ME, I SAY!! No really, they are. What? Stop looking at me like that!
Ket sighed and tugged nervously on an arm guard as she regarded herself in the mirror. She was tall, of course; she wouldn't be getting made into a Tallest if she weren't. Her antennae sloped nicely over her head, angling into quirky little triangles. She smoothed them down automatically. The black robes of the Tallest fell perfectly on her slim frame, accentuating her figure.
Wonderful.
She cast her eyes to the floor, wondering how in the name of the Mother of Irk she had happened to go from her Invader status to that of one of the Tallest.
"Oh, wait. I don't have to wonder," she muttered sarcastically to her reflection. Her mind drifted back to the last month's Invader banquet.
Tallest Purple and Red were throwing a party for the most accomplished Invaders on the Massive, herself included. There had only been about ten Invaders at the party, unfortunately. It was rather dull.
Except for the part where Red called her aside to have her measured, and then there was the fiasco that followed. Purple ran around calling for various people, mostly tailors and decorators and metal smiths.
Ket ran over the conversation in her mind.
"How could this have happened?" Purple had shrieked. "She's the exact same height as us! Who's the idiot that sent her to the Invader's Academy? Begin plans for the coronation at once!!"
Ket sighed again and rubbed at a speck on the mirror. She was happy as an Invader; there had been a whole planet for her to conquer and run, and here she was having all of that taken away from her so she could have a desk job. A rather grand desk it may be, but a desk all the same.
Someone knock timidly on the door. Ket saw a short Irkan poke his head through the door.
"I had to pretend to be delivering a brainfreezy to you so I could get in," Fet said, with an apologetic glance at the drink in his hand. Ket grinned and knelt down to give him a hug.
"I'm glad you were able to get in," she said happily. "I'd hate to go through with this without seeing my oldest friend before. I'd kinda hate to go through with this at all, actually."
Fet pulled away in astonishment. "You mean you don't want to be a Tallest?" Disbelief shone in his eyes brighter than a quasar.
Ket groaned and stood up. "No," she said exasperatedly. "I really don't."
"But think of all the great stuff you'll be able to do!" Fet insisted, still a bit in shock.
"What?" Ket retorted gruffly. "Sit in cushy chairs and eat curly fries all day? Shoot people out of airlocks? I'd rather have a trusty SIR, a Voot, and two million light-years to get lost in. Being a Tallest doesn't seem to get help to those who need it."
Fet shook his head stubbornly, lavender eyes pinched shut. "No, that's because it's the mind of the Tallest that matters. If the Tallest wants to be lazy and corrupt, that's how he's gonna be. If it were you, I know that you'd be right at the front line, dealing with issues that needed attendance."
Ket thoughtfully bit her lip, brooding on this advice. "You know," she said with a smile, "I think you're right. Now is the end of the old way of doing things. Red and Pur may have seniority, but I'll win them over to the point where I can do whatever I want. When I'm done righting the lives of the lower class Irkans, I'll just go back to being an Invader." She grinned triumphantly. Fet moaned and shook his head. "You've got that look in your eyes again."
Ket focused her attention on Fet. "What do you mean? It's called thinking!"
Fet laughed and shook his head. "No, I've known you since we came out of the smeet briefing room. When your eyes turn from dark, dark red to black, you've got a fiendish plan."
Ket snorted and settled her fists on her hips. "Fiendish plan? How many times have I had these fiendish plans?"
"Well, like that time you convinced the Academy Instructor that any homework he gave would result in his immediately digestion by demon gorilla- angels. He's still in the institution."
Ket smirked and laughed, for once relieved that someone had remembered those days. She was taller than most of her instructors had been, all of whom eventually quit or were carted away screaming because they listened to her stories. She smiled and wiped her eyes sadly. If only they were here now, to see her becoming a Tallest. Quickly she shook her head, erasing the memories.
Now was not the time to get upset about things beyond her control. There were two options for times like these; sit down and let them pass, or grab them by the antennae and hang on tight. She rarely chose to sit down and let them pass.
There was a timid knock on the door. A Flat-headed Table Drone held out a message pad to Ket, humbly averting his eyes to the hem of her robe.
She groaned and picked up the pad, recognizing Red's messy scrawl at once. With minor difficulty she managed to understand that she was to wait in her room until they came to escort her to the ship that would take them to Conventia. Ket groaned again and handed the pad to the Table Drone, adding a small handful of monies. He gaped at them in disbelief, then smiled at her timidly and bowed.
Fet grinned happily after the drone's retreating back. "See, that's the kind of thing you can do to change how the Irkan race thinks. Tipping a Table Drone is just the kind of thing that tells everyone that short people are still people." He beamed at her again and offered the slightly melted Freezy.
She growled jokingly at him. "Eh, don't get all sappy on me." She took the Freezy and drew a long appreciative mouthful.
"Ah.I haven't had one of these in.since I left the Massive as an Invader, I guess," she sighed happily.
There was another knock at the door, sharp and demanding this time. Tallest Red and Purple strode swiftly into the room, shoving roughly past Fet. Ket bristled, but Fet caught her eye and shook his head. Silently he slipped out of the room, leaving Ket to her cushy fate.
Purple held Ket at arm length and looked her over. "Are you sure you wanted to have black robes? It's awfully morbid."
"Although it fits your eyes perfectly," Red practically purred. "Black and.black. Black-red, maybe."
Ket glanced away from Red and grimaced at the wall. "Are we going to go or what? I have this problem with being patient. I don't like waiting for anything."
Red snorted back a laugh. "That's a good quality to have."
Purple gave him a look dripping with disgust. "Shut up. Save yourself lots of future humiliation and shut up."
Red smirked and took one of Ket's arms. Purple took the other. Ket groaned mentally as they escorted her to their ship.
Hey, I realize how unoriginal this plot is, but it's my story, so kindly keep your negative comments to yourself. Ow.I have a sore throat. The germs are after me! AFTER ME, I SAY!! No really, they are. What? Stop looking at me like that!