"So, you're really moving to an alien planet?" Gaz looked more amused than anything else as she sat beside Dib on the Syndicate Transport Vessel. Capital Planet was quite a way away, and Dib had planned to make the trip alone. However, his family had insisted on coming along.

"That's the plan. Mom and dad said I could do it so long as I finished college." Dib hated the stipulation, since it probably didn't matter to the Syndicate whether or not he finished his schooling (well, okay... maybe Captain Rose cared-a little too much- but still). "I got my bachelors in Physics. Now I can be a Science Officer for an Intergalactic peace organization. It's literally all I ever wanted."

"The space DMV." Gaz corrected.

"Hey! They're more than that!" Dib protested.

"The Space DMV with guns."

"No!" At first, Dib was quick to refute her claim, but as he thought about it, he let out a sigh, "I mean... yeah, kinda... I guess" Dib pouted, crossing his arms.

"Incoming call from: Zim."

"CB, is that you?" Dib jumped back a bit as the ship spoke in an all too familiar voice.

"Negative." The voice replied quickly. Dib glared at the blinking: 'incoming call message' in lieu of a face. There was a distinct pause before the voice spoke again. "Affirmative."

"Why are you in the ship!?"

"I am everywhere Dib; I am ubiquitous."

"That's CB all right," Gaz looked far more amused than she had any right to be.

"You can't just show up in a Syndicate Ship, dude." Dib couldn't believe that in the year since becoming a full-fledged Control Brain, CB had learned virtually nothing about inserting himself into other people's machines.

"You cannot tell me how to live. I am an unknowable enigma. I am an uncontrollable force. Now are you planning on answering the call from Almighty Tallest Dad or not?"

"Yeah yeah, patch him through." Dib had been nursing a suspicious that CB had snuck on the ship ever since his alphabet soup had spelled out: 'Call CB you Nerd' in perfect Tangean when it had poured into his bowl. But it was good to finally have some confirmation that he wasn't going crazy- at least... not about this.

"There you are!" The hologram of the big, flashing, red text that had just read: incoming call, had warped into an image of Zim, in his black and red Tallest's armor, looking far more official than Zim had any right to look. "Are you on Capital Planet yet?"

"Not yet. No, Zim. I told you yesterday that I wasn't landing until today at noon. It's ten thirty." Dib was glad to hear from Zim, despite having heard from him every, single day of this three-month long journey.

"It's noon in Irken time!" Zim countered indignantly.

"It's eight in the evening Irken time," Dib heard Skoodge's voice somewhere in the background, "and we're a day ahead."

"Hey Skoodge." Dib had grown to like Skoodge. At the beginning, he had seen Skoodge as a threat to everything, to Earth, to Zim, to Dib's way of life. But in the end, Skoodge had been Zim's ticket to adventure and acceptance. And without Skoodge, Dib probably wouldn't be on a ship, moving to a beautiful alien planet. So, he owed the guy.

"Hey Dib, how's the trip?" Skoodge poked his head into the frame, having to nudge Zim gently aside to do so.

"Mundane." Dib shrugged. "Not getting attacked by brainwashed Irkens is making this a little dull."

"It's not dull if you go to the game room." Gaz countered. Dib looked around the hologram, over toward his sister.

"There's a game room?"

"You should have taken an Irken ship." Zim interrupted the siblings. "It is faster, more advanced, and overall better."

"It would have taken six months for a ship to have even arrived on Earth." Dib was flattered by Zim's insistence but the idea of staying on Earth any longer when he could be going on universe-saving adventures seemed like a drag. He loved Earth. It was his home. However, it wasn't as exciting as Capital Planet. At least, he hoped.

"But Zim could have accompanied you. We could have escorted you on Massive Mark-02: Electric Boogaloo." Zim replied indignantly.

"I feel like that's not the best use of your warship." Dib was more amused than anything else. "Also," he smirked, crossing his arms, "Electric Boogaloo?"

"Zim got to name the new Massive." Skoodge replied. "I like it, but it's a little long to say in conversation. It's also still under construction." He tilted his head against Zim's, their antennae brushed together briefly. "Remember?"

"Dib could have waited." Zim huffed.

"He's waited long enough. And we can visit." Skoodge assured him.

"We will visit!" Zim pointed at Dib almost accusingly. "We will visit and make sure everything is up to my new, ludicrously high standards!"

"I wanna have standards!" Glowing blue eyes peeked up into the camera.

"I think that ship has sailed, GIR." Dib laughed.

"I WANNA SHIP."

"GIR! Do not touch the computer! CB! CONTROL YOUR BROTHER! GIR NO WHAT ARE YOU-" The line went dead. This had happened before; Dib had long ago learned not to stress over it. He wasn't sure why they even let GIR in the Control Room. Chances were, that they actually DIDN'T let him, but GIR simply found a way in regardless.

"Are they going to call back?" Dib cast his gaze upward toward the ceiling to indicate he was speaking with CB.

"There are some technical difficulties."

"What did GIR spill this time?" Dib questioned.

"Nacho cheese."

"Can't you clean it?"

"I do not want to touch it. Are you crazy? I do not know what GIR might have added to it."

"How did he even get nacho cheese?" Dib realized that Zim had not been on Earth for over a year. GIR keeping track of anything that long was... unlikely.

"Shloogorgh's, probably."

"They serve nachos now?" Dib perked up. Irken food, in his experience, was remarkably bland. It might not be the worst thing for them to have incorporated some human cooking.

"Sizz-Lorr has a whole bunch of Earth-inspired menu options. All of them as delicious as they are void of actual nutrition."

"Sounds like Earth-food all right." Gaz mused, looking at a new handheld system, deeply involved in her game. It seemed she was still listening, despite the fact that her gaze was glued to the screen.

"Are you quoting a review or something?" Dib smirked.

"Negative. I am simply giving an honest analysis."

"You're a robot, CB. You can't eat." As Dib spoke, a panel came out of the wall, whacking him in the back of the head, before retracting back into its place. It didn't hurt, but Dib was surprised nonetheless.

"You cannot tell me how to live."

"Did you just hit me with a part of the wall?!"

"Perhaps."

"Gaz!" Dib turned to his sister for backup.

"Don't tell him how to live, Dib."

"Guess being a Control Brain hasn't changed you too much." Dib rubbed the back of his head, letting out a long, defeated sigh. He pinched the bridge of his nose, but couldn't help smiling. It was almost relieving to see CB acting like his old self.

"Negative. I am still my old self. II is still needlessly long winded. There are some new Control Brains being built but they do not have a lot of personality. Oh, the call is returning."

"Are you at Capital Planet yet!?" As soon as Dib hit the button to answer the call, Zim was talking again. Only this time, Voel was there too, holding GIR away from the controls.

"Actually," Dib checked the time, "almost. Also, CB hit me with a wall panel."

"CB, you're grounded for octuple forever." Zim sighed.

"Only octuple?" Dib tilted his head to the side, "I feel like it should be longer than that?"

"Zim has lost count." Zim admitted.

"Fair." Dib laughed.

"All personnel, please report to landing stations." The voice of the ship captain cane over the speakers. Dib had been hoping he would have been brought to Capital Planet by the Nova; however, Captain Rose had explained that the Nova was a military ship. It was not meant for moving from planet to planet with all of Dib's things.

"I gotta go." Dib waved to Zim on the screen. "I'll call when I get settled in."

"You had better! Or it is WAR!" Zim threatened.

"Yeah, yeah. Bye Zim."

"Bye Dib-human!"

"Stop threatening to declare war on the Syndicate for every little thing." Dib heard Voel speaking as the line disconnected.

"You ready, Gaz?" Dib looked to his sister as he started gathering his things (mostly just his laptop- he had been researching about the Syndicate for most of the trip) and putting them in his bag.

"I guess." She didn't look up, but she stood.

"I am." Dib pumped his fist, excitedly. "Capital Planet! An artificial Planet constructed to be the perfect, geographical center of Syndicate territory. It is supposed to be a mix of thousands of alien races!"

"Uh huh." Gaz didn't sound as impressed as she should, given the magnitude of the situation. "You sure you're just not excited because of Lor?"

"Excuse me!?" Dib's face reddened. He hadn't gotten to be face to face with Lor in a few months, since his parents had requested him return to Capital Planet early. Dib missed him- but like with Zim- they talked every day. "First of all, rude, but also...I mean it'll be nice to see him" his heart sped up, "but it's more than that. It's about the experience."

"Right." She didn't sound convinced.

"Junior! Gazline!" Moira waved as they emerged from the room that Dib had turned into his office. "Are you both ready? The ship should be landing shortly."

"Yeah, most of my stuff is packed up in cargo." Dib was really doing this- moving away to an alien planet. Everything he knew from Earth would soon be behind him. It was a monumental step forward for him. He had worked his whole life to be a part of something bigger- he had helped save Zim's planet from a complete robotic takeover- and now here he was: a scientist for alien peacekeepers.

"This will be a fun family vacation!" His dad clapped his hands together, "our last trips to space had us all being shot at. And while I'll miss the thrill, it will be nice to try a vacation without almost being murdered."

"Awww, I hope you don't get too bored darling," Moira had her arm wrapped around that of her husband.

"Nonsense! Membranes don't get bored! We make our own fun! With science!" He assured her proudly.

"Dad," Dib sighed, "you know you can't experiment on any of the locals... right?" His father looked thoughtful for a moment.

"While that does change some of my original plans, it isn't a deal-breaker." He laughed, "Now come along! It's time to disembark!"

"Did you bring the mech suit?" Moira asked.

"Of course, I did, darling. Never leave home without it." Dib's father had certainly come well prepared- though Dib was hoping they were past the need for weapons. Everything was finally settling down.

Dib hurried toward the exit, trying to stay out of the way of the Syndicate crew that were operating the ship. It was almost unreal- as Dib walked by, they would stop, salute to him. Occasionally he would be greeted with: "Officer Membrane." He had the emblem for a scientist emblazoned on each of his Syndicate uniforms. He even had the Nova outlined on a patch on his sleeve. He felt official- he felt like he was respected- like he belonged.

"Officer Membrane, we have arranged for your things to be transported directly to your new residence." One of the crewmembers came toward him as Dib waited by the door.

"Oh," he looked her up and down- she looked to be the same species as Captain Fluorine though her skin and hair were a bright pink beneath the suit and helmet. "Thank you, First Officer Neon. That will make things easier."

"You will have enough to worry about getting through customs. As a Syndicate Ranger, things will be slightly easier. But I know they can still be difficult." She saluted to him; Dib did his best to salute back. He really had improved on his Syndicate salute.

He felt the ship land, and with a slight shudder the door began to open.

There it was...

Capital Planet.

Well... more like the inside of a docking bay. Dib mostly just saw aliens of various size and color scurrying about to a multitude of windows manned by other aliens in Syndicate uniforms. "I'm here..." Dib took a deep breath. The air was sweet, fresh, and had an odd hint of cinnamon to it. Dib took a step out of the ship, all around him he could hear hundreds of languages all being translated by helpful Syndicate technology. Disembarked from the ship, taking in the colorful sight before him. He closed his eyes, opening them again slowly as if afraid he would wake up. "Incredible."

"You'll need to get registered with customs." The captain of the ship that Dib had just left, was standing behind him. He was a green, taller alien with six eyes, a single antenna at the top of his head, no hair, but shiny, leathery skin. "And will it be a pain?" The Captain let out a sigh, and in a softer voice added: "it will, it really will."

"I researched all of the forms I need." Dib assured him. "This won't be too terrible."

"Hurray, we get to wait in line." Gaz was somehow able to catch up with Dib without ever looking up from her console.

"Isn't this all exciting?" Moira and Diego Senior were standing just at the edge of the ship. "We haven't had to go through space-customs before!"

"You are way too excited about this." Gaz finally looked over at her parents.

"I am just happy to be off the space ship," Moira admitted, "long trips can make me go a little stir crazy."

"And I am excited because they have vending machines that deal uranium on this planet!" Dib's father added. "Of course, space customs might not let me bring a whole lot back..." he trailed off, clearly trying to find a way to smuggle the weapons grade uranium through the Syndicate's intricate security and back to Earth.

"Oh, I went to school with a Uranium..." Neon remarked thoughtfully.

"Can I meet them!?" His father grabbed Neon by the shoulders, shaking her.

"Dad, cool it." Dib rubbed the bridge of his nose. "We just need to get through customs and then my crew should be meeting us right outside the docking bay."

My crew- it felt unreal to say (though really it was mostly Lor and/or Carrius waiting) but Dib really had people waiting for him on the other side. He straightened up, invigorated by the realization that his people were waiting for him. Throughout so much of his life, he had been isolated- a loner who investigated the unknown. But now, he was finally a part of something so much bigger than himself.

He had saved a planet.

He approached one of the many desks if the Syndicate Customs Agent, lost in thought, as he realized what awaited him on the other side of the line.

"Hello dumbass, got your papers?"

Odd, that voice sounded... familiar?

"Huh?" Dib snapped back to reality and as he saw the figure on the other side of the window, his heart sank. "What the fuck are you doing here!?"

"Rude." Behind the glass, seven red eyes were watching him. Alabaster hands were folded under a pointed chin, a smirk full of needle-sharp teeth stretched across a thin face. There was a quaint little nameplate in front of him at the desk simply reading: Q. He gestured to the nameplate. "I work here- part time, of course."

"Youwork here?" Dib repeated dumbly.

"Of course, it's an honest day's work."

"Aren't you like a hero on Irk? What the hell are you doing all the way out here!?"

"First of all, I don't have to explain myself to the likes of you- secondly: if you must know, the Syndicate has great benefits." One of the red appendages slid out from under the little glass window. "Now: papers?"

"I absolutely don't believe you're here for the Healthcare." Dib narrowed his eyes as he dropped the forms on the little desk, refusing to hand them to Q directly. The last time he had touched one of those red-arms, Q had downright poisoned him. Dib wasn't about to have Lor giving him antivenom on his first day on Capital Planet.

"Healthcare isn't the benefit I'm talking about." Q began flipping through the pages Dib had handed him. "I'm sorry, you have a missing blank on form 622 where it asks for your Syndicate Member ID."

"I'm not technically a citizen. I don't have an ID." Dib narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, well, then you needed 634, not 622." Q locked eyes with Dib as he slid the papers back to him, the grin on his face so wide Dib though his head might split in half. "Sorry. Try again."

"Are you fucking kidding me!? That was twenty pages!" Dib shoved the papers back.

"Twenty incorrect pages. Try again. Next!"

"Q! Don't ignore me you sack of shit!" Dib tried to fight the urge to punch through the glass and strangle the Parasite before him. "I know you can use this form. I checked!"

"Well, you were told wrong." Q handed Dib another, large stack of papers with his regular arms. "Try these." One of the red tendrils snaked back under the window, dropping a pen on Dib's head. "My complements."

"I'm gonna kill him." Dib stepped to the side, doing his best to fill out the papers he was handed. His family had already made it through to the other side, having the good fortune of not going through Q. It took forever, but Dib finally managed to fill out every god damn line of paperwork. He stormed back to the window, forcing his way to the front of the line, and slamming the papers on the desk. "Fucking, here you go."

"I see." Q took the papers in his red tendrils, pulling them back through the window. He looked them over, nodding to himself. "Yes, well," he tossed the papers into the shredder behind him. "You need to use black ink, and you used dark blue." Dib blinked; mouth slightly agape as Q handed him a fresh new stack of papers. "Sorry."

"You gave me the pen!" Dib slammed his hand into the glass but Q didn't flinch.

"I never said for you to use that pen in particular. It was complementary. You know, because I am so nice. "

"Q don't you da-"

"Please fill it out correctly this time." The Parasite didn't even let him finish.

"I..." Dib sincerely though about the repercussions of murdering Q in that moment. But... he had a job with the Syndicate now. He had to keep his temper calm. Dib inhaled deeply, "fine". He stepped off to the side once more, rushing through all of the forms until he had finally finished. He pushed his way back up to Q who met his gaze, grinning fiendishly from the other side of the window as Dib shoved the papers forward. "Here. All done. Can I go?"

"Can you go... what?"

"Can I go. Please." He spoke the last word with venom.

"Well, I would let you, but... you keep cutting in line. It's rude. And really a bad look for a Ranger, isn't it?"

"Excuse me?" Dib took a step back.

"You're a Ranger, now. You have to set an example. Forcing your way to the front of a long line is terrible behavior and it reflects on us, as Syndicate."

"You're not even in the fucking Syndicate!"

"The Syndicate is open to any and all who believe in peace and unity."

"You believe in the exact opposite of that!"

"That's an assumption, and don't you Earthlings have a saying about assuming things? Now please go to the back of the line and wait your turn."

"No! It's still my turn! It would still be my turn if you hadn't been such a dick in the first place. My turn has not officially ended."

"You're making a scene. Is this really the example you want to set? Aren't you dating the High Council Chairman's son?" The seven eyes narrowed, but Q was still smiling that Cheshire cat grin. "I mean I would hate to write you up on your first day on Capital Planet but my hands are tied here, metaphorically speaking, of course."

"You're doing this just to fuck with me, aren't you?" Dib glared at him with all of the hate he could muster. Q placed a pallid hand over his chest poorly feigning a look of offense.

"I am just doing my job, good sir. But just so you know, people are staring."

"..." Dib looked behind him to see there was quite a long line of concerned faces. He sighed, snatching the forms from the desk again. "This isn't over." He walked all the way to the back of the line. He had thought this might have been personal, but as he watched, it seemed Q was just as obnoxious with a few others in line. It wasn't everyone. It almost seemed random who he picked. But, after a long wait, Dib finally reached the front again.

"Welcome back."

"Just take the forms and let me through." Dib was almost more defeated than he was angry. Seeing that he wasn't the only one suffering had made this feel less personal. "Everything should be in order." Dib had used his time in line wisely, checking over every single page.

"Hmm," Q scanned over the documents, every so often one of the red eyes would flash over to look at Dib. "Yes. Very good. This all seems to be in order. I will file this as soon as I finish my mandatory hour lunch break." He slid the papers back to him.

"Are you fucking with me right now?" Dib felt as if he had been slapped. "You don't even eat."

"But I can. And now, I want to."

"Q! No no! Don't do this, man! Q! COME ON!" Dib ducked his head down trying to meet Q's gaze, as Q pulled a metal cover down over his little window shutting himself inside. Dib slammed his hands to the glass but there was no sign of movement from within. He slid to the ground, feeling defeated. He could hear grumbling from the others in the line behind him.

"Excuse me," a female voice called to him from one of the other little windows. "I can get you over here."

"Really?" Dib jumped back up, rushing over to see an orange felinoid woman with a nameplate reading: Clawdia. "Thank you so much. This has been a nightmare."

"Q can be... less than stellar in his customer service, but he is actually great at following protocol." She smiled at Dib, taking his forms, looking them over.

"I had originally filled out 622, and everyone said it should have been fine! But no. I get up there and Q says I need a Syndicate Member ID." Dib was venting to this poor woman, but at that moment he needed to rant.

"You're..." she looked him up and down, "a Ranger, aren't you? How do you not have an ID?"

"I'm from Earth; I was hired during the State of Emergency that was declared during the Irken Conflict." Dib explained. "So, I never really got one."

"Oh." She was placing his papers in a file. "Did you tell him about that? Because he could have filed it under Emergency New-Hire Personnel and you wouldn't have needed to go through all of that trouble." She looked genuinely empathetic as Dib thought he might just suffer an aneurysm on the spot.

"Tell him-" Dib took a deep breath, counting to ten in his head so he wouldn't blame this poor, innocent Syndicate woman for the fact that Q might have been evil incarnate. "No, I didn't tell him, but he should know already. He was there. We actually worked together."

"Oh!" Clawdia perked up. "You're the human from the Nova!"

"Y-yeah." Dib was actually caught off guard by the recognition.

"It's nice to meet you! I heard about how you helped the Irkens! You work for Captain Rose, right?"

"I do." Dib felt a little better.

"Welcome to Capital Planet! You will love it here! I want to be the first to welcome you to our lovely home:" She looked down at the paper, "Diego Isandro Bolivar Membrane Junior." She paused, "that is a lot of names."

"It's a family name." Dib replied flatly. "And thank you for all your help Clawdia."

"Nice pronunciation." She smiled at him, taking a booklet out from behind her, and stamping it, before handing it to Dib.

"Thanks, I've been practicing." Dib took the little booklet and finally put the nightmare of customs behind him. He rejoined his family who were deep in conversation with a group of aliens from a race Dib didn't recognize.

"And so," his father was mid conversation when he finally reached them, "next thing we know the whole stadium has been swept up by a hurricane and my son is just mortified. I tell him: boy child, that is why I love parents' weekend! But for some reason the school was upset, we ended up having to pay a little bit of money to get them to stop calling us. Still, it was worth it."

"What Planet did you ssssay you were from again?" The serpentine alien asked, the lids of the eyes closing horizontally as they blinked.

"Oh, Earth." Finally, his father took notice of him. "Ah! Son! You are finally here!"

"What took you so long?" Gaz raised an eyebrow, sitting on one of the floating stools in the waiting area.

"I really don't want to talk about it." Dib just wanted to forget the last three hours of his life had ever happened.

"These are our new friends the Jonesssses." His father gestured to the serpentine alien beside him.

"Hi." Dib lifted his hand in an awkward wave.

"Well, we best get going." Moira spoke up, waving cheerfully to the aliens his dad had been holding verbally hostage with his stories. "We'll see you tomorrow at lunch."

"Sssssee you." They parted ways and Dib was left a little unsure of what he had just witnessed.

"You guys made lunch plans with random aliens you met in a docking bay?"

"They're scientists, son!" His father patted him on the back. "Nuclear engineers on their home planet. This place is great!"

"Glad you guys are having fun." Dib sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I'm just ready to see Lor. He's supposed to be meeting me and I'm already late."

"Sorry you had a rough time Junior," Moira put a hand on his shoulder, empathetically. "But it's only uphill from here."

"I fucking guess." Dib was glad the Syndicate had taken care of luggage. He was just ready to get out of this place. He knew somewhere close by; Q was probably enjoying his misery. He headed toward the exit, making his way through the busy halls until he saw bright sunlight streaming through the doors. He picked up his pace, throwing open the doors and stepping onto pristine sidewalk, so clean it was almost glowing. The air smelled even better on the outside, fresh and pure. The temperature was a little warmer than what Dib was accustomed to, but it was a gentle heat. The trees in the distance were an array of colors Dib had never seen before. There were flowers planted along the paths that came in every color Dib's human eye could comprehend (and probably some they couldn't).

"Wow..." even Gaz had looked up, if only for a moment, she went back to her game. "Where do you think the arcade is?"

"In good time Gazline, first we have to meet up with Lor." Moira assured her. "This is nice though, isn't it?"

"Incredible..." Dib felt all the stresses of customs fly away as he took in the sights, sounds, and smells of Capital Planet.

"DIB!" There was a cry from above him and Dib nearly had the wind knocked out of him as the next thing he knew, Lor was in his arms, and Dib's feet were dangling off of the ground. "I missed you!"

"Lor!" Dib hugged to him tightly, tilting his chin up, kissing him as they floated a few inches off of the ground (well more than that for Lor, who was much shorter than Dib)."You found me."

"Finally!" Lor hugged him again. "What took so long!?"

"Q."

"Ah. Say no more." Dib was finally placed back on the ground as Lor landed. "I heard he was working here; I just didn't believe it."

"It's true, unfortunately."

"Hello Lor!" Dib's father made an overly dramatic wave. "Do you happen to know where those uranium vending machines are that I read about in your brochures?" Moira gently lowered her husband's waving hand, leaning in.

"Later," she whispered. "Lor! Darling. It is good to see you." She smiled, linking her arm with the robotic arm of her husband. "How is your family?"

"Fine. I mean, the usual really." Lor bowed his head politely to her. "Good to see you again Doctor and Doctor Membrane, Gaz!"

"Hey Lor." Gaz lifted her hand, waving slightly, then returned it instantly to the console.

"How's everyone else? I haven't seen them in forever. I mean... except Captain Rose?" Dib slid his arm around Lor's shoulders, "did you know she was still teaching on Earth? She was just doing online classes."

"Doesn't surprise me, no. She really wanted that tenure." Lor replied with a laugh. "I am so glad you're here. I wanted to come visit you, but then by the time I got everything settled here, you were already on your way. I even thought about trying to find your ship on the way here, but I had to stay on planet to make sure everything was still fine with the apartment."

"Is it?" Dib sort of needed to know he still had a place to live now that he was here.

"Is what... what?" Lor looked at him blankly.

"Is... is everything okay with the apartment?" Dib repeated the question.

"Oh. Yeah. No. It's fine. I got everything set up and ready."

"Hun, are you okay? You seem a little distracted." Dib pulled him a little closer.

"Huh? Oh. Yeah. I'm fine." Lor waved off the concern quickly. "I just missed you a lot is all. It's not like I'm planning something secretly."

"Real subtle, Lor." Gaz gave him a thumbs up.

"Are you planning something?" Dib smirked at him. Sometimes, he was amazed that Lor had eluded him for so long as an alien. Lor wasn't always the best at keeping secrets.

"No." Lor replied quickly. "Why would I be? It's not like it's a special day or anything."

"Is it?" Dib had to think about it. Time had been a little hard to keep track of in the vast reaches of space. There wasn't a clear day and night, and every day had blended together on his way here.

"No! Of course not!" Lor's face reddened. "I mean, completely unrelated topic but... um, do you want to grab something to eat? I know just the place!"

"Food sounds good." It was clear Lor had something in the works, and Dib really was hungry. "Then we should probably get to the apartment and start unpacking."

"We can do that! I wasn't sure how much room you needed for you lab so I just gave you the whole left side. It's like three rooms?" He began leading the Membranes toward the parking lot. Lor took them to a sleek, silver looking car, hovering over the pavement. It was a far cry from the beat-up truck Dib had seen him drive in college. It was amusing to think Lor even had a car on his home planet.

"Nice ride you've got here, is it titanium?" Dib examined the outside, curiously.

"It's Carrius's actually. I don't use vehicles enough to justify buying one. I'm faster if I just walk." Lor opened the door. "I dunno much about what it's made of, but if you're curious, just ask him. He will be glad to go on a long lecture."

"How many pounds of pressure can it take before being crushed?" His father asked, a little too eagerly.

"I don't... know?" Lor looked confused by the question.

"Dad!" Dib put a hand to his own face, slowly dragging it down.

"What? It's an important safety question." His father defended himself against his son's ire.

"Well, it's lovely, Lor." Moira slid inside. "Oh, look at the interior! The seats are made of some sort of plastic I've never seen before."

"Let me see!" His father slid in after her. Gaz got in without much commentary. She seemed to be content just to sit down and focus more on her game. Dib waited for Lor to get in and got in the side opposite him. He had no idea where a driver's seat would be in the car. Turned out it was on the left.

"Five Passengers Registered. Safety protocol initiated. Enjoy your ride." As soon as Dib closed the door, soft, violet lighting illuminated the interior of the vehicle. An automated voice spoke and comfortable belts strapped him into the chair. He could still move, though it was slightly more limited. Lor pressed a button on the underside of the dashboard and the car lifted into the air. The steering mechanism was more like that of an airplane than a car. Dib was excited to try out flying this when he got more settled in.

"Where are we going?" He asked curiously as he saw the bright, colorful buildings of the city below rushing by.

"It's a restaurant I really like." Lor replied excitedly. "I checked the menu and it's compatible with human dietary restrictions."

"Cool! It's gotta be a lot better than Irken food." Dib had tried Irken food and honestly, he hadn't been too impressed. Sizz-Lorr was the best of the Irken chefs, by far. Zim was... absolutely terrible if Dib was being honest. The food had no flavor, and the consistency was like eating a sponge. Sure, it was nutritional, and he could eat it. But it was not great. Vero's chips he loved were also only slightly better than eating really crunchy, unsalted crackers.

"It is." Lor assured him.

"I'm glad there is food humans can eat." Dib had only been slightly concerned about that. Though, if he could stomach the cooking his father had done through a robot avatar during his childhood, he felt he could eat pretty much anything without too much issue. "I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, you know... being the first humans on Capital Planet." It was a subject of pride for him. He was a representative of Earth for a peaceful alien government.

"First?" Lor repeated back to him.

"Well... yeah. Humans aren't in the Syndicate, right?" Did had been under the impression that they weren't, seeing as how little the Syndicate had seemed to know about Earth in the beginning.

"I mean, no. But technically you aren't the first one here- at least- on Capital Planet." Lor replied, blue eyes focused on navigating through the busy sky.

"I'm not?" Dib was a bit taken aback. "Who beat me!?"

"Gary?" Lor almost made the answer sound more like a question.

"Gar-" Dib began to protest, but then immediately remembered the Captain's human husband. "Ah. Right. Gary. Wait, Gary's here?"

"Yeah, he and Captain Rose live here on Capital Planet." Lor pulled gently on the steering and the ship sailed smoothly downward.

"Not gonna lie, a little disappointed that we're not first." Dib admitted. Lor leaned over, pressing a kiss to Dib's cheek.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, hun, you're the first human to join the Syndicate Rangers. Gary is still in pilot training."

"That helps a little." Dib smiled. "I can't believe Gary beat me here. I would have been here a lot sooner if I hadn't stayed to finish out my senior year."

"You really think Captain Rose was going to let you get off without finishing her class?" Lor raised an eyebrow at him. "You already missed enough class going to and from Irk and the Massive. And you kinda need a degree to be our science officer."

"See? School is important~" Moira chimed in from the back. "I had to go through years of medical school before I was able to practice, legally." Dib was a bit surprised that his parents were listening to his small talk enough to actually chime in, but even more surprised that Moira, of all people, was discussing the legality of her medical practice.

"Wasn't your license revoked?"

"Eh." She shrugged.

"Th... that's not an answer mom." Dib turned around to see Moira had gone back to talking with his father. "Mom?" Dib repeated.

"We're here!" Lor lowered the ship onto a floating platform. The building he approached was round, a bright, metallic blue. There were rings of moving, liquid that looked almost like light, wrapped around it, making it look like a small planet. They had to be several stories up in the air, Dib couldn't really see the ground below him. Lor parked the ship and the violet lights flashed off.

"You have arrived safely at your destination. Enjoy." The synthetic voice greeted them with enthusiasm and the safety belts disengaged, the doors opened slowly. Lor hopped out excitedly. He circled the car to meet up with Dib as soon as he got back on his feet.

"You are gonna love the food here. It's so good."

"I'll bet." Dib was a little more in awe with the architecture. Irk had been rather uniform in its color, darker and more hard-edged. The architecture of the Syndicate was bright, flowing, it seemed to have real movement. He reached out his hand as he gazed, open-mouthed at the floating rings of light. Lor took his hand, fingers lacing together.

"Is there an arcade?" Gaz had either looked up quickly, or hadn't bothered looking at all as she exited the ship.

"Yeah." Lor assured her. "A medium sized one. But the real draw is the buffet."

"Nice." She headed toward the door.

"Lor, you said today was special... what... is it?" Dib had been turning his brain, trying to recall what the equivalent date would be on Earth, and if he had somehow missed an anniversary and would need to MacGyver a gift out of his watch and whatever his parents had in their pockets. (There was also the very real possibility that Lor was just confused about a holiday.) It was at that point he realized his parents weren't right behind him. He turned to see his stepmother sitting on his father's shoulder, struggling to take a test-tube to the flowing, glowing liquid rings. "Mom! Dad! No!" Dib quickly dragged Lor back over toward them.

"We wanted a sample." His dad explained.

"No. You can't just get samples. We're guests here." Dib ushered them inside. He saw his dad lean over to his stepmother, whispering something in her ear that sounded suspiciously like:

"We'll get it later."

"No. No later." The door to the restaurant slid open. It looked like the very wall was parting around them as Dib entered a dimly lit building with lights glowing around the floor and ceiling. They seemed self-contained in viscous, moving blobs that remined Dib of a lava lamp. His shoulder brushed one and it jiggled in response, moving in the opposite direction. It had felt neither wet, nor warm, but rather pleasantly cool.

"Name please?" Dib recognized the woman at the front to be a Tangean. The elfin ears, the blue skin, the large, rounded blue eyes, the crimson hair were all traits Dib had learned to be common for the Tangean people.

"Briar." Lor replied. Dib had only, very recently learned that was Lor's last name. The fake name: Rodgers, that he had used on Earth- still seemed like overkill. The name Lor Briar would have been just as believable as Clark Rodgers, but Lor insisted he had picked something easier for Earthlings to pronounce.

"Welcome!" The Tangean woman smiled. "Right this way." She gestured for them to follow as she led Dib across a dark floor that seemed to be flecked with starlight toward a wall of deep purple. As she approached, the wall opened into a small door. They entered a different room, but there was no lighting at all. Dib blinked uncertainly as the woman left and the wall slid shut.

"Lor?" He began to speak but suddenly the lights flashed on.

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" All at once Dib realized he was surrounded by familiar faces. Captain Rose was there with her husband; Tak was there (she even looked like she was enjoying herself); Carrius was holding a very gun-shaped, wrapped package; CB was there in one of his bodies (Dib was nearly 100% certain that the AI had more than one made by this point); Zim, Skoodge, Voel, Tenn, Vero, Zeke, and even Therron were all there as holograms. Zim had gone through the trouble of putting birthday hats on all of the other Irkens. (Dib was certain it was Zim who had made the executive decision about the hats as he did not see Voel- or especially Therron- willingly wearing a silly hat). He even saw Lor's mothers in the back.

"Wait... is it...?" Dib looked over to his parents both of whom were smiling at him.

"It is, actually." His father nodded. "The party was Lor's idea, and we thought it sounded like fun. You forgetting your birthday helped make it more of a surprise! So good work son!"

"Th... thanks?" Dib felt his eyes burning as they began to water. He fought the urge to cry. He thought his last birthday had been his best one yet- but this... was even better.

"It's also a graduation party." Captain Rose added, she put a hand on Dib's shoulder. "I'm just," her eyes teared up and Dib thought she might just start crying first, "so... fucking proud of you. You actually turned in your work." Dib fought the urge to laugh as it might turn into a sob at this point. "You've come a long way."

"You really have son," there was a rare moment of seriousness from his father as Dib turned to face him. His dad pulled him aside, placing both hands on his shoulders, looking him directly in the eyes. Dib could see himself reflected in the goggles. His dad lifted the goggles with one hand, before putting it back on Dib's shoulder. Moira and Gaz came up on either side of him. "You really have grown up, Diego. You saved a planet, graduated college, and got a job in the sciences all in the same year. You have become every bit as great as I knew you could be. I made mistakes when you were growing up- big ones- but you have overcome them."

"You're really flourishing." Moira seconded.

"We are so proud of you." His dad pulled him into a hug. Dib felt warm, wetness traveling down his cheeks. He quickly struggled to wipe his face.

"You did okay." Gaz was not playing her game, but rather looking at him, smile on her lips. "I guess it's cool that you're like a space-scientist."

"Thanks." Dib smiled, still vigorously wiping his face. "Thanks... for everything."

"Don't worry," his stepmother teased him, nudging his shoulder playfully. "We still got you gifts."

"ZIM GOT THE BEST GIFT!" The hologram of Zim had been listening in from behind them as Zim, very clearly wanted to also hug Dib. The hologram's arms went through him, but Dib stood still to make Zim feel like he had succeeded in the hug. "Congratulations on being older! You have successfully survived another revolution of your Earth around its sun from the day you were born. This apparently is meaningful on your planet, despite how short your years are."

"Thanks, Zim." Dib smiled.

"We have heard great stories about all of your accomplishments." Lor's mother, the High Council Chairman, smiled down at Dib. In person, it turned out that she was rather tall, standing at easily six foot seven- even taller than Captain Rose. "Lor speaks of you fondly, as well."

"Definitely one of the better guys you've brought home." Lor's other mother, the General, smirked, leaning her arm on her son's shoulder.

"Mom!" Lor turned bright red.

"I don't hear that much." Dib laughed as he finally started to dry his eyes. This was... more than he had ever dreamed. Even though he was on another planet, lightyears away from Earth, he had never felt more at home.

The party began to get underway; Dib was loving every second of it. It felt good to be wanted, needed. Everyone had come so far from when he had first uncovered the Syndicate living among the Earthlings. Even Zim had grown immensely, now the ruler of a planet that had once rejected him. As they celebrated, Dib made his way back to his parents, arm around Lor's shoulders.

"This is all incredible," he admitted. It was hard to remember a time when he had distrusted Moira, even disliked her or when he had thought his dad was disappointed in everything he did. "You guys really outdid yourselves."

"Well, Lor helped." His mother chuckled to herself.

"I mean only some." Lor flushed.

"It means a lot." Dib was still in awe of everything around him. "You know, I'm really going to miss you guys when you head back to Earth."

"Miss us?" His dad tilted his head to the side.

"Y... yeah...?" Dib narrowed his eyes, confused by the reaction.

"You didn't tell him?" Moira looked to her husband.

"I thought you did." His dad replied quickly.

"Tell me... what?"

"I didn't- oh." Moira looked back to Dib. "Junior, sweetie, we're moving here next year." Dib blinked, mouth hanging open for a moment before he finally spoke.

"Excuse me?"

"We really didn't tell you?" His dad scratched his head looking perplexed.

"NO! No, you didn't!" Dib turned to look at Lor. "Did you know about this!?"

"You... didn't?" Lor looked sheepishly up at him.

"I definitely did not! This is all news to me!" This had not been part of the plan. Of course, his family had talked about working with the Syndicate- but Dib had assumed they meant to do the work on EARTH. His face must have been quite a sight because Lor's mothers had come over to see what the commotion was about.

"Junior, sweetie, we didn't mean to surprise you like this. But we wanted to be closer than a four-month space-flight." Moira admitted. "That' a very long distance to put between family. And the High Council Chairman has some fascinating research she has offered for us to do while we're here, and you know how your father and I can't resist a good challenge."

"Sure," his father gave a slight shrug, "years ago I might have been okay with having you galaxies away from home. But things are different now. I want to support you- be a part of your life." He gestured to Moira and Gaz, "we all do."

"Meh, I'm just in it for the games." Gaz smirked. "And you can't be the only one with a hot alien boyfriend." She looked up and behind her for a moment, "right Allen?"

"You said it!" An orange, tall, muscular, cyclopes alien raised a glass of whatever it was drinking in response. Dib shook his head, completely bewildered.

"Wait- who the fuck was that?"

"Allen." Gaz said as if it were obvious. "I've been talking to him online for a while now? Anyway, the gaming industry in the Syndicate actually has a major studio here on Capital Planet and they're interested in some of my designs."

"We felt as if your family had much to offer the Syndicate." the soft voice of Tiriana brought Dib's focus back to the fact that he was not speaking in a void- and in fact, others were watching. "And we value family, when they asked about joining you, we were happy to help make arrangements for them. Is..." she looked at Dib uncertainly, "is this not pleasing?"

"I'm just... surprised?" Dib hadn't really had time for the information to sink in. The idea of being so far had been hard, if he was being honest. He had enjoyed the closeness that had grown within his family in the last few years. Finding out his father not only believed him, but valued him- had changed a great deal of Dib's perspectives.

"Your dad's a riot too." General Andromeda patted Dib on the back, grinning. "He tells these crazy jokes about blowing up labs and radioactive, rabid fire-ants. I don't know what ants are, but they sound hilarious."

"Yeah... I'm not sure those are jokes..." Dib decided to let that slide. Best not to scare off his boyfriend's parents just yet.

"Sorry we sprung this on you son." His dad did actually sound apologetic, which was a little surprising as his father didn't always understand when he made a social faux pas.

"Did we ruin your birthday?" Moira looked genuinely concerned.

"..." Dib looked at his parents, then around him at the members of the Syndicate that would soon be a permanent part of his life: Lor, the Captain, Carrius... this was his future. He was going to be making a difference, not just on Earth- but throughout the universe. And now...? He had the chance for his family not just to witness the differences he mad- but to actively be a part of everything. "No..." Dib spoke at last, smile on his face. "I think you made I better."


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