"I verified your identity with Trillia," the king, Rersko ba Salvefenborg, said. "And I must say, I still think I am being pranked."

King Rersko's royal uniform was rich purple silk, his tie yellow. A diverse jeweled, golden crown rested upon his head.

"So, Your Majesty, I assume you know why I am here?"

"Hm, she said something about an alliance. I am skeptical about pushing forward on the Irken Empire, young Poe, because any loss of my people affects me deeply. Especially if I was the cause of it. I value my soldiers and subjects quite highly."

A leader valuing his subjects? What a radical idea for the Irken Empire. The Tallest didn't even care about their own servants! It was a nice change of pace for Poe; he had now met three monarchs who did not abuse their power like the Tallest did.

"Yes, I'm sure you do. But," Poe continued, walking a bit forward. "you could lose more than a few soldiers. The entire Tarassi race could be eradicated come tomorrow. And that includes your family, Your Majesty."

After a quick sigh, the king said, "You raise a good point. What do you need from my empire?"

"Well, I would like some books from your people. What the alliance wants are ships and the crews to go with them. Any amount of land soldiers and vehicles could provide much needed assistance, too," Poe said. I can't say how desperate we are.

"And what do I get in return? I do not want to seem selfish or uncaring of the ongoing war, however I cannot use my men like they are mere toys."

"That's where I come in."

"Oh?" King Rersko rubbed his furry chin.

"There is an Invader on Taraska as we speak. He's been undercover here for the past five years."

There was a deafening silence in the throne room. Servants, guards, and the king looked afraid.

"And how do you know this?" the king asked, gripping his throne's armrests.

"I was myself an Invader as you know, so I'm aware of the rest's locations. Invader Targ was assigned here. I must say, he looked really happy about it, too. Said something about 'wanting to burn their fields and wear that ugly king's crown.' Quite rude, if you ask me." Poe put his hands behind his back. He was sure King Rersko was, at the least, considering his offer.

"You have given me a lot to ponder over, Ex-Invader. I will speak it over with my advisors. In the mean time, I have set up a small dinner for you and Baron Jal."

King Rersko stood up and left the throne room.

Poe and Yumi looked at one another.

"I think you spoke really well, Master," Yumi said. "I don't think the king looked at me once."

"That may be because he's never spoken to an Irken before."


The dining hall's long table was filled with enough food to feed a village. Poe's mouth watered at the roasted vegetables and poultry, medium rare steak cuts, and various other goodies he hadn't eaten before. A guy can get used to this, Poe thought.

A butler served Poe a plate of roasted tubers, a bird's leg, and some sort of soup.

"I trust your conversation with the king went well?" Baron Jal asked, tucking a long napkin in his shirt pocket.

"It did. He's talking with his advisors or whatever, and hey what's this green stuff?" Poe picked up a small cracker topped with a green substance.

"Try it. You'll love it. It's sweet."

Poe plopped the cracker in his mouth; it tasted incredibly sweet. "What is it?"

"Simple jam."

"Ah. I'll have to ask for a jar for the road. Sho," Poe began, taking a big bite of his bird leg. "what ish the Tarasshi military like?"

Baron Jal hid his disgust. "Proud. Strong. Honorable. State of the art weaponry."

"Good," Poe finished chewing. "because the Irken Empire is gonna need to be fought fire with fire. My people are somewhat similar in those aspects, minus the honor."

"Let us save the rest of official talk for later, Poe. Our food is getting cold." Baron Jal winked and began to cut into his steak.

"I could not agree more …"


Poe and Yumi once again stood before King Rersko in his throneroom. Other well-dressed Tarassi were also standing at both sides of the marble throne.

"My advisors and I have spoken, Ex-Invader," King Rersko began. "but before we give our final answer, can you assure us that you will succeed in eliminating this … Targ?"

"You have my word."

"Then, we agree to your terms. I will have a message sent to Trillia at once."

Poe hid his joy. We did it! This is amazing! "I am honored to be working with you, Your Majesty."

"What do you require of me? Anything you need for your mission."

The mission just became a tad easier. "First off, I need some of your guards for my own person. At least one to escort me on the city roads. I don't want any of your subjects attacking me or anything, no offense."

"None taken. But, you're not going to use a disguise? What if the Invader sees you?"

Poe grinned. "I may regret this, but I want him to see me. It'll throw him for a loop, I'm sure of it. Even if he calls the Tallest, it's not like they'd believe him anyways. No Irken has ever abandoned his duties or had his PAK removed, for that matter."

"Hm. I will trust your judgment on that, Poe. I will assign you four of my finest men."

"Thank you. I will also need to procure some provisions, as my food stock is considerably low." Poe reminded himself of the delicious meal he had earlier.

"I'll have one of my advisors arrange that." The king turned to a tall, male Tarassi. "I want you on that. Make sure he has plenty of meat."

"Right away, Your Majesty," the advisor replied as he sped off.

It feels good to be taken care of, Poe thought. To have an entire empire listening to your requests made the Ex-Invader feel quite powerful. He'd have to remain humble, despite that inkling inside him. "One more thing, by the way. I'm going to need contact with you full time, Your Majesty. I would recommend having a person on standby to answer my call. My trusty gauntlet here is how I'll keep in touch."

"Alright. Will that be all?"

"Actually, one more thing. I'll need a map of Eroham sent to my tablet. I have a strong inkling that he is in the capital, because we Irkens usually go to the hot spot of a planet. Targ especially is a prideful twat."

King Rersko nodded, mumbling orders to another advisor. "It will be done, Poe."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I won't fail you," Poe said, saluting.


Poe stood on the ramp of his ship. There, the four previously mentioned Tarassi guards stood at attention below. They looked stern as any disciplined soldier should, but Poe could not help but wonder what was inside their minds. Will they listen to me? Do they even respect me? Poe's doubt soon disappeared as he began to speak.

"Good evening, men," Poe said as he saluted them. "Until further notice from His Majesty, you four are under my orders. Aside from trying to go against the Tarassi Crown, you must do as I say. For now, you four gentlemen can … I don't know, play cards or something."

"Yes sir!" they said.

"At ease."

The four Tarassi relaxed their posture, walking and talking over to a couple of crates. One of them quickly pulled out a deck of cards and started to shuffle.

Card games must be universal, Poe thought as he chuckled to himself. He walked back into the ship, to his desk, and plopped down in his chair. He already told Yumi not to disturb him for a few hours, because Poe needed to focus hard on this mission. Technically, Taraska was his first real task. Meekrob was already completed by the Meekrob themselves.

Poe pulled out a tablet, the screen flickering to life. I gotta have this one fixed someday, he thought as he opened up the map. Eroham was the largest city on Taraska, housing a whopping five million Tarassi. This would have to be where Targ based, as it had the most possibilities for gathering information on the planet's people.

The Ex-Invader began to look for places of interest; schools, temples, museums, memorials, and more caught Poe's eye. He marked the building with the digital pen, saving it to the system for future scouting. Targ has had around five years already. Either what he has planned is incredible, or he is still working. I need to hurry, Poe thought.

Poe put the tablet away and pulled out his little book from the drawer. It was labeled 'Invaders' and as Poe flipped through it, he tried to remember where his notes on Targ were. He forgot how much he wrote on each of them. Zim's was the shortest, he recalled, because what else can you write but 'fails at everything. Exiled, most probably dead.'? Whatever the case, he soon flipped to the first page dedicated to Targ.

"Red eyes, medium head, the most boastful and cocky shithead I've ever seen. Hates everyone. Stubborn …" Poe read aloud. This was the most basic information to start with.

He moved on to the next page, which began a more detailed look into Targ as a person. It began, ironically, with Poe's final experience with him. Poe and Tenn, still friends at that time, were talking before lift off to their assigned worlds when Targ came by, bragging about burning down all of Taraska and melting down the crown and king into one single crown. Poe thought it was best to leave out the gruesome details with His Majesty.

Simply put, Targ was an ass. A murderous ass.

He never cared what happened to others; only cared about himself.

I wonder what he's up to, Poe thought. He closed the notebook, and placed it back in a drawer. Surely, Invader Targ's plan was diabolical. It was in the bastard's blood to be cruel. Perhaps that's why the Tallest assigned him to Taraska; the Tarassi were not weak or behind in technology. In fact, some would say they nearly rivaled the Vortians in that regard.

Sighing, Poe stood up, anticipating what he'd find out there.


Poe went into town with Yumi and a guard, whose name was Hirik. They, as expected, received a plethora of looks as they strolled. Poe felt the citizen's fear, worry, anger, and confusion all at once. It was not a nice experience. One day, they'll trust me. Soon enough, I'll have Targ off this world … either in a prison ship or bodybag.

"The museum's right around the corner," Hirik said sternly. Poe did not think Hirik was used to taking orders from an Irken yet.

"It's a war museum, yes?" Poe asked.

"Right."

The three were faced with a large marble building, with dozens of pillars and many stairs. Various flags of the former sovereign Tarassi nations lined the property; currently, each of these flags were subject to the king. I wonder when their unification happened, Poe thought as they walked up the stairs. Lucky for Poe, he was in shape.

"For the last three thousand years, this museum collected all of our weaponry from Tarassi history. Centuries are contained behind those stone walls," Hirik explained.

"Very impressive," Poe said, finally reaching the top. "Do you think an Irken Invader would come here? In my experience, I think so. But you've been here before, I imagine?"

"Yeah, I have. The museum has in-depth explanations of our military technology, so he'd probably spend a lot of time here. Emphasis on probably. He could have easily written down everything by now, if he was smart."

Poe nodded as the three entered the museum. It was free entry, as the trio were on official Crown business. A woman clerk sat at a front desk.

"Oh, um, hello. May I, uh, help you?" she asked, glancing at Poe.

"I'm here on business from the King; I need to ask you some questions," the Ex-Invader said, pulling out a little black notebook. He had a lot of those.

"Ask away."

"Okay … what kind of exhibits do you have here, exactly?"

"Well, to start we have the evolution of artillery. The oldest cannon in the empire is preserved here, and goes up to modern day plasma. There's a small section for aerial history, with handheld models of airplanes and current ships. Um, the most popular section is our naval exhibit. Various models of wooden ships, metal ships, that sort of thing."

"I see … anything more modern?"

"There's the planetary defense exhibit, yes. Strictly off limits for non-Tarassi, I'm afraid."

Poe wanted to roll his eyes. Targ probably has a disguise for that one.

"However, since you are working for the king … I'll let them know you're okay to enter." the young Tarassi lady dialed a number, and spoke to some person. Don't remember the last time I saw a telephone in use, Poe thought. It was nice to see.

"Thank you for your help," Poe said as he finished writing. "May I get your name? For the record, of course."

"Um, yes. My name is Garalda."

"Take care, Miss Garalda." Poe nodded his head and headed for the mysterious exhibit.

Anything at all could be in there. Anything that Targ could use against its creators; anything he could weaken.

"Woah …" Poe's eyes saw a gigantic piece of machinery in the middle of the room.

"What is that, Master?" Yumi asked. She was basically an ant compared to the device.

"I … don't know."

"I do," Hirik replied. "It's a replica of a planetary shield generator. State of the art. Only reason Taraska is untouched by war, to be honest."

That is incredible. Not even the Empire has this kind of technology.

Wait a second …

"Not yet they don't," Poe mumbled. He walked forwards to the massive machine, looking around its base. Several dozen Tarassi circled the replica, admiring the outer workings.

"What was that, sir?" Hirik asked.

"The Empire, they-they don't have this type of machine. The Vortians didn't discover this yet either. Emphasis on yet. I'm sure Targ has told the Tallest about your people's developments years ago." Poe wanted to punch the wall, but it was made of marble. And an illegal act. "Dang it!" he said aloud.

That sudden outburst drew many gazes. Unwanted attention, great. But then … Poe locked eyes with an elderly looking Tarassi man. His fur was a silvery gray. Ten seconds of the stare off continued until the elder took off running!

"Hey! Wait!" Poe shouted, dashing after him. Hirik and Yumi followed suite.

"Why are we running after him, Master?"

"Because that could be the bastard in disguise!"

They all passed through the cannons' exhibit next. The fleeing Tarassi man crashed into another person, however only the victim fell hard. Poe had to jump over the poor sap; the Ex-Invader's training was used properly for the first time. Old coot can't be that fast, Targ!

"Stop in the name of the King!" Hirik cried. "I can shoot the perp, if you want."

"No. Can't risk it. Too many people around," Poe replied as they turned a corner.

The elderly Tarassi basically flew out an employee exit door; as Poe came out after him, the Tarassi turned around to face him. Everyone but Yumi was breathing heavily.

"Given up?" Hirik asked, now pointing his Kinetic Battleaxe at the runner.

"I must say, Invader Poe, I never expected to see you here. Though, if the rumors are true … I should say Ex-Invader. The Tallest sent out an MIA message to us all, y'know."

"You're not even trying to hide your identity from me? Why?" Poe wanted to draw his revolver right then and there.

"Not really a point, when I'm gonna win this battle. You think I spent the last five years pissing away my time?" Targ laughed, still in his disguise. Poe knew by the voice it was undoubtedly the enemy.

"So, why were you skulking about in there?"

Targ chuckled. "I never reveal my secrets."

"Okay then. So here's how it's gonna go: you're gonna not make any sudden movements. I'm placing you under arrest, Targ."

The Invader laughed. "As if."

Hirik tightened his weapon. "Don't move, you prick. I shoot to kill Irken scum. No offense, sir."

Ignoring Hirik's comment, Poe said, "Targ, how can you possibly get away?" Poe thought over the current scenario in his mind; they were in a back entrance, with no one else in sight. There was no risk of shooting an innocent, which gave Poe and his companions peace of mind to fire their weapons. He's stalling, ain't he?

Just as Poe thought that, a flash of laser fired from a grouping trash cans. Hirik fell to the ground, limp. Sh- the Ex-Invader felt a laser burn his side; the armor, thankfully, protected him from the round mostly. Poe jumped behind a garbage dumpster as Yumi dashed in front of Hirik's body. Could be still alive, so Yumi stood her ground. Her weapons were already blasting to the area where Targ and whatever shot at the group was.

"Targ! You'll regret this!" Poe shouted as he drew his revolver. As he peered over, Targ was gone. Of course. I'm such an idiot! I should've known he was stalling, but no, I have to run my mouth and get us into this mess. Dammit. Dammit all! Poe thought as he frantically looked around the area. "Hirik! Are you alive?"

"… b-barely, sir," a hoarse Hirik replied. The good thing about lasers was the immediate cauterization of the wound it inflicted. Still, whatever the laser hit could prove to be fatal.

Once Poe noticed Targ and whatever shot at them was gone, he holstered his gun and went to Hirik's side. "We're gonna get you outta here, bud. Don't worry."

The laser hit Hirik right in his chest; probably ruined a lung.

"I'm sorry, man," Poe said as he typed on his wrist gauntlet. He needed to get Hirik medical attention. Now. "Yumi, go look around for the bastard."

"Yes, Master!" she scurried off.

Poe's gauntlet finally picked somebody up, but before he could say anything …

The Ex-Invader's head was met with a brick, knocking him unconscious.


Apologies for not publishing this chapter faster; I was a bit busy, so I could not write the rest of it nor go over it. If there's any mistakes, let me know because I am only human! I'd like to thank SugarCitrus for also leaving a review; every review I am thankful for! Hope those who like this story continue to read on.

Pax Christi

Song of the day: Giles Davies - Here's a Health unto His Majesty