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Greetings, readers! Welcome back for chapter 3! I'm glad this story has amassed as much support as it has- I was afraid it would be a total failure.
"Enhance."
"Image enhanced."
Dib leaned in closer to the screen, squinting as though it would help refine the image. He crossed his arms, fingers drumming anxiously.
"Enhance."
"Image enhanced."
A green dot appeared in front of him. It wasn't enough to help him decipher its origins, but the more he knew about their soon-to-be visitors the better. Due to the slight angle of the ship, he could just barely make out the bright contrail flowing out from the engines.
"Why don't you just call them?" a voice called out behind him.
Looking back, he regarded his sister. She lounged lazily in the middle of Zim's couch, her booted feet propped and crossed on his coffee table. Beside her, Gir sat entranced and focused, watching her in-game character maneuver through the level she was on.
He sighed, "That would give away our coordinates. Which would be a bad thing in case it's some kind of enemy."
She scoffed, "Yeah, because we haven't dealt with any of Zim's alien enemies before."
"I'm being serious, Gaz. Tak and The Tallests were one thing, but this...doesn't it feel off to you?"
She hummed, bringing her gaze up to study the monitor. She didn't really like to admit he was right, but their current situation was indeed a strange one. This...whatever it was, had kept an almost too low profile. From what she could recall, all the enemies they had crossed paths with hadn't really bothered to keep quiet about their intentions. There was always some big show of power, whether it be through dramatic entrances or gloating. These guys, however, hadn't even so much as sent a transmission. Surely they had detected the Irken data signature by now...they had to know there was an alien stationed there. Why else would they be here? Earth was in the backwater part of the universe! Hardly the ideal extraterrestrial tourist spot.
"It just keeps moving," her brother said with unease "Getting closer and closer, but completely dead otherwise. Maybe it's some kind of drone?"
"You think the Irkens finally found a use for Earth?"
Dib shook his head "I doubt it. They're intolerant to pretty much everything here and that ship is too small to do any real damage...it wouldn't make sense to send a scout if they were just going to blow us up."
Gaz was silent for a moment, contemplating "What about those guys Zim left with?"
He perked, tilting his head in confusion "What do you mean?"
"I mean that besides the Irkens, they're the only ones that would have a reason to keep Earth in their sights," she then chuckled dryly "Maybe they finally got tired of him and decided to send him back."
The thought lit a spark of hope in his stomach. It was an incredibly slight chance. According to Zim, whatever this "union" comprised of, it was a crucial political move. They wouldn't just call all of that off just because Zim was a little unruly...would they? He tried not to get too ahead of himself, but what if...he was almost smiling when his next thought pushed itself to the forefront.
"...what if he's dead?"
From the brief contact he'd managed 4 years ago, these people were not the kind type. Whoever they were, they were just as, if not more, militarized than the Irkens. From what he could gather, they seemed to be a race crocodilian in nature, save for the thick, white fur that encircled their throats. He remembered their towering statures with the hulking builds to balance it all out. Powerful, dense tails and narrow snouts filled with a menacing set of teeth. Even the smallest of them had been massive in comparison to them! They'd been polite, of course, but purely out of obligation. He could feel it...none of the other species he'd met had struck the same cord of fear that he'd felt that day. It only served to make him feel more guilty in the present; the nagging push that he should have stood his ground- stood for his friend's right to live the life he'd chosen! The only flaw was that he'd probably be killed in any kind of physical match and even if he had managed to survive, Zim would never have forgiven him. After all that time, after finally accepting his exile, his loyalty to the Empire was still the foundation of his mind. They'd called, he'd answered, and now no one knew what had become of him.
That had to be it! The little plan they had constructed had failed and now they were finally coming to conquer Earth in order to one-up their enemy!
Anger burned in his chest. Pushing his glasses up, he looked into the monitor with a newfound determination.
"Computer, as soon as you're able to make any distinctions, let me know."
"What are you going to do?" Gaz asked, paying full attention now.
He turned, looking back at her with a fire behind his gaze "I'm going to make sure it isn't just some poor sap looking for directions. I have enough guilt...but if it is them..."
"I'm going to blow it out of the sky."
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I was going to make this the "landing" chapter, but I thought it might seem to rushed. So, it'll have to wait until the next one! Thank you to everyone, once again. I hope this chapter was somewhat enjoyable!
