Kaput's POV -

How very typical. Once again, here we are. The same old scene: me and my "friend" Zosky, after having failed miserably, are running right back where we started – Square One. It always ends the same.

There was actually a time where I liked this part of an invasion. The angry crowd at your heels, hopping in that crummy excuse for a spaceship, and then, just as you're trying to catch your breath, the rush you get when you realize that you just barely made it out of there. When you realize that you just cheated an almost certain death. And for a minute, you feel invincible, like you can take on anything. And you think to yourself, "Just bring it."

But that's all gone now. The novelty of the moment has worn off so long ago. I'm tired of trying to rule. Trying to dominate. Trying to enslave. And barely getting to crisperize anyone. I wished we didn't have to run away anymore. I wished that for once Zosky and I would be able to hold on to a planet for more than a few days. I wished that for once we would be able to do things my way.

I never got any say in what we did. It was always Zosky's plan we followed. Zosky's ideas we acted upon. Zosky always was the leader of this outfit, and, being the pushover I am, I let him. A lot of the time I didn't mind somebody else being in charge, but even I could see that he wasn't fit for the job. I felt that maybe, just maybe, it might be time for someone else to take control.

Zosky's POV –

When we finally got back in the ship, I looked back at Kaput. Just as I was about to say something, I noticed that he looked troubled about something, and I thought I was hallucinating when I saw that he had this look on his face like he was actually . . . thinking .

"Kaput, old buddy, what's on your mind? You look a little blue."

"Nothing, Z, just a little disappointed."

"Wait. Before you say anything, don't worry. We're sure to get the next one. I've got a feeling that next time our plan is definitely going to work. Oh, and already I spy a planet up ahead."

I smiled, trying to act happy in an effort to cheer him up as he landed the ship.

He turned to look at me and said, " Yeah, Z, I've been meaning to talk to you about that. Ya see, I really don't think the plan that we have now is exactly working. I think maybe it might be time to try something new."

"New?" I asked.

"Yeah. I thought maybe we could try things my way this time." He said a bit shyly.

I couldn't help myself. I just laughed. Laughed, laughed, laughed until I was rolling on the floor, crying, and gasping for air.

"You mean just run in there, guns blazing, and just shooting everything in sight? I don't think so, my friend. We're going to try a real plan."

"A real plan, meaning one of your bright ideas? In case you haven't noticed, your plans don't always work! If they did, we wouldn't be here, which is right back where we started! Why don't we try something different for once? Huh? Ya don't know unless you try, right?" He asked, looking like he was barely able to control his anger.

"Kaput, I hardly think that sheer brute force is enough to conquer a planet. You need a plan, some kind of way to keep things in check. If you don't have a plan, -" I tried before I was interrupted by-

"Crisperize the plan! It never works! If you would be a bit less stubborn and try my plan just once, who knows? It just might work! We've tried everything else you wanted to do, and I'm sick of it! Sick I tell ya! For some reason you always get to call the shots, and for once I want to." He said in a low, steady growl, his face looking more and more serious.

"Well, Kaput, if you want to do things your way, you'll have to do it alone, because I am going to rule one day, and I'm not going to let anyone ruin it. I'm truly sad that you feel this way, but either I call the shots or I hit the highway." I said very softly, letting my disappointment be heard.

" My way or the highway, huh?" His anger had reached is crescendo by now.

"Precisely. Well, I guess this is goodbye then, Kaput. Good luck," I said, my voice dripping sarcasm as I wished him luck.

As I walked away, I thought that this was no big deal. Kaput was probably just in a crazy mood. Maybe the heat had gotten to him or something. I had noticed that this planet was excessively hot. I'd simply wait for him to come back and apologize, and we could get back to business. I couldn't help but think that some of what he had said was right, but I wasn't about to let him know that. I had to keep myself calm and cool at all times to make it look like I was fit to be in charge. No way was I going let my guard down now, even to reason with him.

So I would wait. I would simply let him come back to me, and I knew he would. He needed me to help him. We are a team, it had always been that way and it would always be that way. Why? Because even though we would never admit it to anyone else (or each other), we were honestly nothing without one another.

Kaput's POV –

The weirdest thing about leaving Zosky was that I felt like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. I was free now. I could do things my way.

As I was walking around, I saw a tiny ship not too different from Zosky's. It wasn't too hard to break into, not even when the owner tried to push me away.

Hey! The guy looked like he needed to walk, anyway.

The ship was much nicer than I thought it would be, you know, with the extra room. Ooh, and a radio! I wasn't able to listen to any music for the longest time after Zosky and I visited Planet Harmony. We shortly found out that our musical tastes were too different to stand. But now I could listen to what I wanted.

As I was flipping through the stations, I came across the old station I used to listen to everyday, and on the radio was playing-

"Ground control to Major Tom, Ground Control to Major Tom

Take your protein pills and put your helmet on.

Ground Control to Major Tom

Commencing countdown, engines on…"

For some reason the song reminded me of Zosky, so I quickly turned off the radio, twisting the knob so hard I nearly broke it off.

Needing to get away, I flew straight up and the last thing I saw on the planet was Zosky looking up at the ship with a look of shock on his face and running to his own ship.