Author's Notes: Someone messaged me asking me to update this fic in particular, so here it is after an incredibly long hiatus. One chapter. ...I wish I could say I was motivated to continue this one, but hey, I do listen and if enough people want an update I can force myself to edit this mess enough for it to be passable.

Opposite Sides

"Tallest?" the captain looked up at Purple.

They were walking through the hallway that led to the docking bay.

Apparently the Irken soldiers had just arrived back from Heroia.

"What is it?" he asked glancing down at the captain. The Heroian had chosen to keep the technicians uniform relatively intact. The only change he'd made was with the mask he'd cut out from the skirt part.

"Please excuse my boldness... but my planet... I mean... is it going to be invaded?"

"We weren't really planning on invading your planet. It doesn't have any of the resources the Empire needs... but I did find a plan to have your planet demolished. Apparently Red found your people to be vexing enough for extermination."

The captain's face turned pale, and he quickly lowered his eyes. "Oh..." he said, sounding a bit shocked. "I see..."

"I deleted it," Purple remarked, shrugging.

"Thank you... I... I'm really grateful..."

"Sure. No problem."

"My Tallest," two guards were standing on either side of the large metal door that opened into the docking bay. They held their scythes tightly in their left hand and saluted with the other. The door slid open, and two soldiers stepped forward to respectfully regard their Tallest.

"We've captured seven Heroians sir." As he spoke, he motioned for the other soldiers to bring the prisoners forward.

The Heroians were bound with energy shackles around their wrists and feet. Pairs of wide frightened eyes stared at the Tallest fearfully. Their ears drooped and their tails sagged. Some were trembling.

"Ah..." the captain was staring at one of the females standing with her two children. He appeared shocked, and he slowly turned to the Tallest.

Purple noticed this behaviour. He gave the masked Heroian a quizzical look.

"Your family?" he guessed.

The captain nodded slowly. He had expected his family to come here, but the shock of seeing them in shackles made his heart feel heavy and anxious.

"Good work soldiers," Purple said waving everyone away in a dismissive fashion. "Show the prisoners to the dungeon. I'll deal with them later."

"Yes sir," one of the soldiers responded.

One of the other solders was listening intently to a broadcast he'd just received from his communicator. "Sir, one of our ships just shot down a Heroian vessel."

"Check for survivors," Purple responded without any worry. "If you find any, capture them too."

"Yes sir," the same Irken saluted before going to board one of the Spittle runners with a small fleet of seven other soldiers. They had been waiting on standby for further instructions.

"Tallest... may I go with them?" the captain asked as the prisoners were led out of the room by one of the guards. He watched them anxiously until the door closed, and he could no longer see his family.

"Yes, go," Purple responded, shooing him away. He dragged his hand down his face and muttered to himself. He felt really tired all of a sudden. Oh well. He could sleep after everything was settled.

It felt like everyone was holding their breaths. Lard Nar had taken the captain's chair without thinking... but he couldn't just retract everything he'd said before. Besides, these people were counting on him.

The last group that had been relying on his leadership died... he remembered. Suddenly he didn't feel so confident anymore. No... he had to fight his fears and do this.

"Are you ok sir?" Kotto asked. He was sitting at one of the control panels. His large blue eyes looked uncertain as he stared at the Vortian. "You've been awfully quiet..."

Kotto, Naku, Nuka, Crippit, and the two quieter ones: Malchner and Nalko had decided to go along with Lard Nar. The rest, although eager to help, had eventually been coaxed into staying behind.

"I'm thinking," Lard Nar told him. "We'll need to establish a transmission link with the Massive as soon as it comes into view... otherwise we'll get shot down like any other attacking vessel."

Naku, who was the communications officer, was trying again and again to establish a link with Zebber's ship. "It's no good..." he said, his face growing pale with the realization that their comrade had probably been killed. "I can't trace his signal."

"Concentrate on finding the Massive's signal," Lard Nar insisted, rubbing a hand down his face. He breathed a sigh. Why did it suddenly feel stuffy? "If we don't find that one then we really are dead."

"Are you sure the Tallest won't shoot us down?" Nuka asked sceptically.

"You've all met him before," Lard Nar reminded them.

"Yeah but..." Nuka's gaze fell to his hands folded on his lap. "He was just pretending to be our comrade... A Tallest like that has to be sneaky... you can't trust someone who pretends to be something he's not."

Lard Nar had seen Purple pretending. The Tallest would smile and laugh a lot. He would joke about food and would constantly be eating. He played dumb, pretending not to know what was going on around him, when in reality he studied a lot and and had an array of knowledge on planets and peoples, laws and customs.

"The only thing false about the Tallest when he was with us on Heroia was his name and the story of who he was," Lard Nar said. "He didn't change his personality at all."

Actually... that might have been the most genuine Purple had ever been...

"Besides.. aren't all of you hiding your identities as well?"

"You seem to be awfully close to the Tallest," Crippit spat. "How can we trust you?"

Everyone looked up from their monitors and controls to stare at Lard Nar.

"If you want to throw me out the airlock for trusting someone who risked his life to save me, go ahead..." Lard Nar said, glaring at the masked Heroian. "I've been on the Massive. I know how to navigate through it. If you want to find your captain, then the best thing you can do right now is follow my lead."

Everyone turned back to what they were doing. They couldn't argue.

"Sir, an Irken vessel just appeared on our monitors," Nuka said.

Lard Nar looked down at his own screen and frowned. The ship approaching them was much too small to be the Massive. It was probably a Spittle Runner paroling the area.

They were getting deeper into Irken controlled space now...

"How fast can this ship go?" the former leader of the Resisty asked.

"Pretty fast..." Naku replied, watching the monitor closest to him nervously. "Not fast enough to out fly lasers... but we should be able to out-race those slow moving Irken vessels."

"Then lets speed up," Lard Nar suggested. "We'll have to be able to dodge the patrolling ships if we hope to get close enough to the Massive to establish a strong communication link."

"Even if we do manage to contact the Tallest, what makes you so sure he'll be willing to help us?" Crippit questioned.

Lard Nar sighed. Honestly he was wondering the same thing...

Would Tallest Purple keep helping them even though he was back among his own people?

"Do you really think I'd kill you now? After everything I've gone through to keep you alive? If you up and died all of a sudden I'd be pretty ticked off actually."

If Purple hadn't said those words, Lard Nar might have questioned whether or not he was doing the right thing... He believed Purple wouldn't shoot them down, that's why he was currently leading a band of rebels deep into Irken space.

"I don't know for sure," Lard Nar admitted. He added a bit more strongly, "if you're frightened of dying, you shouldn't have come with us."

"I think I've found the Massive's signal," Naku spoke.

"Can you see it on the screen?" Lard Nar asked.

"No... wait... yes. That's it," Nuka remarked.

"Do you want to slow the ship down sir?" Kotto questioned.

"Yes, but don't stop," Lard Nar replied. If they did come under fire, they would need to be moving enough to use the ship's momentum to avoid being struck... he couldn't fully trust Purple to do the expected... Irk's leader could be pretty unpredictable sometimes.

"Alright."

Everyone became silent as Naku hailed the Massive. Some of them were holding their breath.

Lard Nar shifted nervously in his chair and tapped his fingers on the armrest. His eyes narrowed as he studied his artificial hand. There would be worse consequences if Purple returned to his old ways... that's why he had to reach the Tallest now.

A technician wearing a purple uniform answered. Didn't they all used to be dressed in red?

"State your business," the Irken said.

"I want to speak to the Tallest," Lard Nar told him.

"The Tallest is busy... but I can take a message."

"Tell him... hold on, I don't want you to take a message," Lard Nar remarked, catching himself before he could continue. "Just go get him."

The technician stayed seated. Its red eyes studied the Vortian.

"I don't take orders from aliens," he stated.

Shloot... if he took too much time the Armada would notice their ship. Then they would be in trouble. Where did Purple wander off to?

The technician turned to look over his shoulder when he heard the sound of the metal door sliding open. "Sir, there is a Vortian asking for you."

Purple appeared on the screen a moment later. The Tallest's expression was blank... Lard Nar couldn't guess what Purple was thinking... and this worried him.

"What do you want?" The Tallest's antennae fell back, signalling his irritation.

"You know what we want Purple," Lard Nar stated, locking eyes with him.

He couldn't back down now... not now... His body was trembling and his heart was beating twice as fast as it had been a moment ago. Why...? He could feel his confidence slowly slipping away.

"Heh..." the Tallest smirked. "You want your friends? Come get them." He looked at the technician who had answered the call. "Contact the Armada and tell them to shoot these rebels down."

Lard Nar's eyes widened and everyone around him either gasped or held their breath. Cold chills ran down his spine as he stared into the distant eyes of the Tallest.

Purple was looking at him again. Lard Nar sucked in a breath.

"Leave the hanger open," the Tallest said to one of the other technicians. "It'll be fun to watch them try to make it."

For a brief moment, Purple let down his mask of indifference. His expression became one of concern before he replaced it with another smirk and turned his back to the monitors. The screens went black as the Massive severed its transmission link.

"What are we going to do...?" Kotto lamented.

"The Armada is moving in..." Nuka murmured, watching his monitor and biting his lip.

"Go towards the hanger!" Lard Nar snapped.

"We'll be flying to our deaths!" Crippit shouted. "There will be soldiers waiting for us to land!"

"We're already blocked in!" Lard Nar insisted. "We can't turn back now!"

Lasers began flying through space as the Armada moved in to take them down. Kotto turned on the thrusters and the ship jumped forward at a speed so forceful, everyone was shoved back into their seats.

A laser struck the side of their ship, sending it teetering off balance. Kotto was doing everything in his power to keep the ship on its course. They were almost there...

Another laser caught the backside of the vessel, blowing out one of the thrusters. Balance was lost completely as the ship turned on its side. The hanger was right there... they could make it. Smoke filled the control room as the other Heroians on board began shouting in fear and panic.

CRASH!

The noise of the ship slamming against the floor of the landing area and the scraping of metal against metal was deafening. Pieces of the vessel broke off and flew through the air.

Then everything became still and quiet...

Lard Nar slowly lifted himself from the place he had been thrown. He touched a hand to his head and felt the blood dripping down. Searing pain coursed through his leg. He tried to move it, grinding his teeth and letting out a sharp hiss.

"Dlark it..." he muttered.

Over the moans and groans of the crew, he could hear someone approaching the wreckage. Soldiers probably.

Lard Nar sat up, wincing when pain like hot iron shot up his leg. He didn't have time to be injured!

"Oh good," the all too familiar voice spoke, and Lard Nar turned to see the worried face of Irk's Tallest as he slipped into the control room through a large opening created by the force of the impact. "I thought I got you killed for a moment there."

"You almost did..." Lard Nar informed him through clenched teeth. He needed to know if the guards were coming... "Purple... are the guards...?"

"Do you really think I'd bring them here?" Purple questioned, folding his arms over his chest as he looked down at the injured Vortian. "You weren't using the safety belts were you?"

"Excuse me for having a strange phobia..." Lard Nar grumbled.

"Well this is the fun part for you," Purple began as he extended his hand to the Vortian.

"You sound like you planned this whole thing..." Lard Nar murmured, taking the Tallest's hand. He pulled himself up, letting out a gasp when his injured leg began to protest from this movement. He couldn't stand on it...

"Aliens get injured too easily," Purple complained when he noticed Lard Nar favouring his hurt leg. "You ruined my plan."

"What...?"

Purple looked around at the dazed and confused Heroians who were only now beginning to realize their current situation. Some were lying on the ground, injured and semi-conscious. Others had been strapped in and were trying to recover from the shock of crashing into the Massive's hanger.

"I guess it can't be helped. I'll get the guards."

"W-wait..." Lard Nar stammered as the Tallest turned to leave. He did not want to be held captive by those sadistic blastards. "Where is Zebber...?"

Purple's antennae fell back and his smile tightened.

"Well..." he spoke after a little bit of silence. "He's dead actually."

"What? Why?" Lard Nar demanded.

"One of the Spittle Runners in the Armada blew up his ship. He didn't survive."

Maybe the Tallest hadn't changed as much as Lard Nar thought. The former captain of the Resisty stared at Irk's leader as the feeling of dread began to overtake him... how could this have happened...? What was Purple's goal in all of this?

He couldn't keep these thoughts from entering his mind. He shut his eyes and pressed his hands into fists to hide their trembling.

Purple glanced over his shoulder and breathed a sigh when he saw the Vortian shivering.

"I guess I don't have a choice then," he said as he approached Lard Nar.

The former leader of the Resisty tensed when he felt himself getting lifted off the ground. His eyes snapped open, and he stared up at Purple's expressionless face.

"What are you doing?" he demanded. If his leg hadn't been hurting so much, he would have attempted to get loose. "Put me down!"

He watched the crew slowly starting to stagger to their feet. They were obviously frightened, and some of them were bleeding quite badly. He couldn't imagine what the guards would do to them... he didn't want to imagine.

Purple carried him out of the wreckage. There was some damage to the Massive as well, mostly scrapes along the ground and a large dent where the Heroian ship had first made impact.

"Go capture them," Purple told one of the Irkens dressed in heavy armour.

The guard saluted as he brought down his scythe and moved towards the badly damaged ship that the Heroians were in.. Lard Nar turned away and bit his lip. Why did he think he could save anyone...? Now this crew was going to end up dead just like before...

"You don't trust me at all do you?" Purple questioned.

"I..." Lard Nar had been so confident before, but the memories of everything that had happened to him on this ship made him doubt the Tallest.

"I didn't really mean to upset you," Purple admitted. He wasn't looking at the Vortian anymore. Instead his eyes focused on what was ahead of him. "I just couldn't tell you anything because of the danger involved. We are no longer outside of the Empire Lard Nar. The Control Brains will hear about this."

"But... you killed Zebber... what was I supposed to think?"

"I didn't kill him, an overzealous soldier did," Purple informed the Vortian. "Do you really think I want to kill these people? I just want all of you to leave as fast as possible... the Empire is dangerous for non-Irkens. Helk, sometimes it's dangerous for Irkens too."

"You're trying to save us...?" Lard Nar's eyes widened slightly with this realization.

Purple wasn't going to just be a spectator anymore… he was actually getting in the way of the Empire on purpose.

"I thought I made that obvious when I got you out of here..." Purple let out another sigh. "There was a plan... but I thought you'd be too freaked out to come back. I didn't want to get you involved. On top of it all, you're injured. If you had been alright I would have simply let you hold me hostage. You could have escaped that way."

"Why are you so different...?" Lard Nar asked. He hadn't noticed how weary the Tallest looked until now. Purple had dark circles under his eyes, and his face looked a bit pale.

"I guess I've gotten better at empathizing with others," he said. "Irkens can learn too you know."

"But still... it's like... you grew a heart or something... if that's even possible."

Purple chuckled. "Well, maybe I did. Who knows?"

Lard Nar's eyes slowly drifted shut. He wasn't sure if he was feeling tired because of the blood loss from the injury to his head or from the relief of knowing that Purple was still on their side.

Either way, he was tired. Purple looked tired too.