One night, the evil emperor awoke, this time with a terrified scream, visibly trembling to the grub stationed in the room. His optics became heated then, as he had done so a few days before, destroyed the entire room. His shoulders lowered and raised, repeatedly, huffing, his hands clenched, the terror fading.

"Star Command is still here."

the grub sprayed the fire extinquisher all over the room as the evil emperor picked up his cowboy doll and held it in one claw.

"Yes, evil emperor Zurg."

The grub multitasked talking with the emperor as another grub entered the room and focused on a largely other section.

"So is Warp Darkmatter."

The grub stopped what they were doing and faced him, concerned.

"It is."

"And capital planet."

"They have recently added a new world to their alliance." and the emperor simulated the sound of relief.

"What time is it?"

"It's the middle of the night."

"Find ME THE SHAPE STEALER!" he roared over the grub.

Zurg remained still, waiting, his arms folded, watching the grub flee from the chamber. The emperor admired his ruined charging port then took out his unharmed padd and proceeded to make several orders for the parts that had been critically melted beyond repair. He arrived to the restroom then commenced a command that required stripping off his armor, his pitch black frame in contrast, his cape dressed aside into the laundry basket then pressed a series of buttons summoning a new cape and a new hovering lower half shell. His chassis was also removed as were the purple shoulder armor. The cowboy doll was set on the nearest counter.

He stared at himself, wide chest, leaving his helmet on that was a critical piece to his synthetic android form that had pieces left behind of his hard won beginnings. I look very intimidating and evil. And yet, a part of him couldn't see that evil. It frightened him, bringing tension to the surface, lifting his shoulders up, in a attempt to look far more evil. He was Evil Emperor Zurg, scared of the dark, maker of fantastic evil plans, welder of hornets. And he was still very evil. With that reminder, his shoulders lowered. He pressed a button on the wall alongside the mirror then went toward the nearest stall that he turned his back to and folded his arms. In a series of clicks, his internally gathered waste was removed, dropped into the toilet, then flushed the toilet.

He made sure to wash his claws then approached the sonic shower. He took off his helmet revealing that his largely crafted head was decorated in lines outlining the helmet, lacking eyes, nose, only connective ports to parts of the helmet that greatly mattered for the aesthetic. He couldn't see himself reeking of evil, terror, and utter horror. He was Evil Emperor Zurg. He took off his metal gloves putting it aside.

He turned on the red lighting to the sonic shower then boarded it. It was a routine for him, a task to be done everyday, that he had the room mapped out in his processor. He was detached by two long claws above him, the sound of favorable clicks emitting from his dark waist, from the lower section that consisted of legs and a very fashionably evil night dress, then lifted into the sonic shower.

From outside of the bathroom, the grub awaited with the shape stealer on another grub beside them that had red glowing eyes.

"He's breaking inside." Brainpod 65 said.

"He is fine." The grub insisted.

"I used to be a psychologist before becoming brainpod 65, my dear grub." Brainpod 65 said.

"How do we help him?" the grub asked.

". . . We make him talk." Brainpod 65 said.

"How?" The grub asked.

"Throw away shape stealer into open space when he is not looking." The evil emperor remained still, his shoulders hung, breathing content. "it will have to be deliberate and the right time," the brainpod held a claw out pointing toward the resting evil emperor. "we run the risk of performing a classic and unintended driven to madness if we do it in the middle of the evil emperor's menacing plan."

The grub looked toward the door then toward the brainpod.

"If this works . . ." The grub said.

"It will work." Brainpod 65 was certain.

The grub looked toward the door, frightened, trembling.

"He will be back to his old self in no time." was the assurance.

The grub cleared their throat before replying, shifting toward brainpod 65, fear in their dark green eyes.

"What if he becomes a far worse version?" was the question asked.

"He likes having paperwork, that much won't change, keeps evil neatly organized, a system that works with people who create the evil components of the forsaken plan, each of us has a part for his empire and it hasn't changed since that devastating loss."

They turned their attention toward the doorway waiting for the evil emperor to exit.

"It's more of a Darkmatter Factor that this hinges on." Brainpod 65 confessed.

The grub gulped, scared, but grew a hopeful expression for the evil emperor.