Trying to get back into the swing of posting chapters regularly, we will see how it goes, no promises. Hope you all enjoy this one, it's a little short for my liking (story content is about 2500 words and I prefer to have each chapter at about 3000) but it felt like the right place to end it. can't argue with the instincts!

Chapter 2, Trust.

-POV- Ishia

Soft white light lined the hallway as Ishia marched through it, her purpose gave her confidence. Failure wasn't something that concerned Ishia, she knew that living was succeeding and she was always a success. Her square teeth sparkled behind her wicked smile, the Sir unit was here and it was damaged, it would be the work of but a moment to capture this unit and make it hers. She could already see it, a violent ruthless machine to crush any who would dare oppose her supremacy. The visions were intoxicating, blood pumped through her body taking the potent cocktail of chemicals to every last pore, her Pak beeped as it attempted to dampen her heady fantasy.

Ishia let out a genuine laugh, her joy was the most pressing concern she had and that was a miracle in itself, the Irken around her cowered in her presence. Her laughter, though it was light and beautiful, promised only death to those that knew her and brought terror to those who didn't. Finally she arrived at the airlock, several guards were standing ready to attack anything that came out of the door. She waved a small hand at them and they took several steps back, standing down, as she walked to the viewport.

The robot was smaller than she expected, similar to an older Sir model, sparks occasionally flew from damaged sections on its head and torso. A small doubt crept into her mind, was this unit too damaged, have I found a prize or trash… Then the small unit sparked, eyes glowing dark red and flew at the door. Ishia raised a single brow in curiosity as the tiny robot assaulted the doors, it was badly damaged with only its right arm moving and both legs struggling to keep it upright. She watched, passively, as the machine tried various ways to get the airlock to open. It stopped to study the problem, then noticed the viewport and Ishia looking through it. With a sudden burst of speed it slammed into the thinner material, cracking it before bouncing off and sparking on the floor.

Ishia smiled, Broken but not useless I think, I will use him, make him better, make him MINE. Without turning she snapped at the guards "Open this door. Now." To their credit they only hesitated for the briefest moment before one rushed to the controls and the others took up positions flanking her. The door beeped and hissed, complaining from the damage this small unit had already inflicted on its surface, but eventually it slid open. The Irken around her were all afraid, Ishia was not. She had faced countless terrors, clawed her way up from nothing to being the tallest of the Irken Empire, nothing would give her pause and nothing would stop her from ruling all.

The sir unit remained motionless on the floor, and Ishia strode forward staring down at the machine. It appeared dead, save for a small flickering green light in its eyes, Ishia heard a faint whisper coming from the Sir unit and bent closer to it. She had to strain to make out the word but once she did it brought a smile to her face, the robot was calling its masters name, this brought a small smile to her face.

"Don't worry my helpless little friend, I will take you back to Zim" her voice was smooth as silk and her tone was soft and comforting "Don't worry, I will make everything all better, you can trust me." The small robot smiled back at her as its eyes dimmed for the last time. Ishia smiled her cruel smile, teeth bright white against her green skin, as she motioned for the guards to come in and grab the Sir unit. "Take it down to robotics, I have some 'upgrades' in mind." they acknowledged and carried it down the hall, leaving her standing alone in the airlock. Ishia was happy, well and truly happy, she knew exactly what to use that robot for. If it wanted to see its old master so badly then who was she to stand in its way. After a few upgrades she would send her new pet to hunt down and destroy Zim, the thought delighted her and she couldn't stop herself from twirling around the empty room.

-POV- Zim

Zim woke with a start, blood thudding through his veins, he frantically glanced around. Then realization sunk in, he must have been having a nightmare, Zim tried to slow his breathing. He felt warm skin brush against his leg and it brought a smile to his face, Zims abrupt waking was all but forgotten as he stared down at Gaz. "My beautiful Gaz.." he whispered, running his fingers along her side. The thought still baffled him, how he went from being alone and hated to having the woman of his dreams by his side. Warmth rushed through his body at the thought of spending the rest of his days with her, but a twinge of guilt cut to his core. He couldn't help but remember the cost, billions of lives, Gaz's entire species wiped out and all because of him.

He didn't blow up the sun, Gaz did that and she had tried to take them blame for ending her people but Zim knew it was really his fault. The Irken would never have even come there if it wasn't for him, after all he had been sent there to die, they had no interest in the backwater planet and its life forms. Now there would be nothing left, the sun would envelope everything in molten plasma. Consuming all of the planets in that system, before collapsing back into itself. Lifeless in every sense of the word. Was it worth it? how much death must I bring to this universe before I can be happy? He looked once more at his Gaz-mate, and the answer was clear before him. I would end existence itself just to see my Gaz smile.

With that thought he shrugged off the guilt and stepped out of bed, the cycling air felt good against his naked skin. Stopping just long enough to throw some pants on he headed for the door, before he could leave he heard a soft voice from behind.

Gaz "Zim? What are you doing?" Her eyes were still bleary from sleep, and her words had a slightly slurred quality to them.

He smiled at her "Go back to bed my mate, Zim still has trouble sleeping for many hours, do not worry your pretty mind." His tone was soothing and it had the desired effect as Zim watched her head fall back down to the soft pillows. He was tempted to crawl back into the bed, take advantage of her sleepy state to tease her, but didn't quite feel up to it. The soft hiss of the door drifted through the silent room as he passed into the hallway, making for the bridge. Check on our navigation first, then back to building my engines of doom! Zim started to chuckle in the hallway before catching himself and reddening slightly, I thought I had gotten over that silly cackling habit..

The bridge was simple and stark compared to most of the ship, two forward seats; one for navigation the other for weapons, and one large seat in the center that could do either task. The optimal crew for the bridge would be three but it could still function with only a single pilot. Zim tapped a few keys and the console displayed their navigational information. A timer was counting down and had a little over thirty hour left, Zim nodded at this both excited and nervous about the news. He was looking forward to arriving at the station, mostly because it would mean a step forward, but he wasn't sure what would be waiting for them when they got there.

He knew he had to get the new suit designs finished by then, at least Gaz's suit, but it was a daunting task. A heavy sigh escaped his lips, last time I had Gir to test parts on this time I won't know if they work until we try to use them. this made Zim wonder what had happened to his faithful robot companion. He had assumed that his friend died with the planet, but he really had no idea where his friend had been. You were my best friend Gir… and my greatest annoyance. Zims face scrunched as he recalled all the pain and headaches Gir had caused him over the years but it couldn't offset the sadness that he felt thinking of his lost friend.

With a head full of memories Zim forced himself back to the armory, sitting in his usual seat and rubbing his head from hitting the same damn ceiling beam for the hundredth time, he began calling up the designs and schematics. First his own suit, the look had changed drastically. What had once been mostly thick forearm weapons matched with a jet pack had been turned into a sleek suit covering every inch of his body. Sections were thicker where weapons and thrusters had been designed in, but the suit maintained a similar thickness overall. He had gotten rid of the heavy cannons, instead opting for small miniature rocket pods in several spots on the armor. There were still lasers built into the forearms but they were a better, sleeker, design. On top of the weapon and defensive improvements the flight capabilities were now able to cope with the demands of space.

Gaz's suit was almost as large as Zim's, because of the exoskeleton enhancements that he put into it. this meant that Gaz would have an even greater strength and speed boost then before. The outer layer of the suit was coated with a thin layering that worked as camouflage, it wouldn't render the user invisible but could accurately duplicate the surroundings to give them a serious advantage in stealth. The large bubble shield was replaced by two emitters on her arms, they could wrap around her like a bubble or be used to create a smaller stronger shield on only one area. This would give her more defensive options, the emitters could also reshape the fields into a type of energy blade.

Zim knew the blades needed more work, and the suit needed better camouflage, and probably a dozen other upgrades. He sighed heavily, checking the time before bending to the task at hand. Wishing, not for the last time, that he had stayed warm in bed with his lovely Gaz.

POV – Lance

The station was a hive of activity, they had less than a day left before Zim would arrive and everything needed to be ready. Lance walked along the outer docking ring, his eyes soaking in every detail of the work going on before him. Huge crates were being moved out by industrial walkers, teams of loaders were stacking supplies into crates before getting them put on the ships. The whole operation had to be done by the end of the day, then Lance would have to deal with the Irken. Dozens of traps and tricks had been put in place throughout the station, but Lance feared they wouldn't be enough, he tried to concentrate on the job at hand but it was no use. His mind wouldn't be tamed, not wanting his frustration to show he left the dock and headed towards an observation deck.

It was quiet and dark, the view of endless stars had a calming effect on him, it made him smile to think of all the other worlds out there that didn't live under the Irken lash. It was soothing to think of how small he was, that in the grand scheme of things these struggles meant little to nothing. The universe would keep on spinning regardless of him winning or losing. Unbidden images of his people sprang to mind, the pain on their faces as they suffered under the Irken rule. The blood covering the floors as his people were used for 'entertainment' and the sorrow etched into the children's faces as they realized that this was their future. Lance's face hardened into a scowl, he would win tomorrow no matter the cost. He would not stand idly by while his people suffered and he would be damned if he saw another tyrannical maniac in control of the Irken empire.

A voice brought him out of his thoughts and back to reality. "My ships are ready to go, we will be leaving within the hour." It was Echa, he should have known she would have little trouble locating him.

Lance glanced back at her, taking a moment to appraise the woman, she is too young to be fighting like this. Welcome to the future my friend, it is all kill to live and live to kill. Something of his thoughts must have shown on his face, Echa's features softened and concern knit across her brow "Sir, are you ok?" Lance turned back towards the window "I'm fine Echa, good luck out there… Try not to get yourself killed." His tone was light, lots of practice keeping his feelings inside had taught him well.

A long moment passed in silence, Lances words seemed to hang in the air, then he felt her hand upon his arm. He looked at her, the softness of the contact catching him off guard. Her eyes caught his and he could feel her gaze peeling into his soul, they were twin pools that drew his fears out into the open. With a heavy sigh Lance shared his thoughts "I was just thinking of the cost we must pay. Wondering how much blood will be spilled to stop this lunatic from uniting the Empire once more." Echa nodded at his words, but her eyes never left his.

"Never forget Lance, we all signed up knowing the cost. We had a choice of living on our knees or dying on our feet. Yet we all chose to stand, and stand tall. There is always a price to be paid for freedom, it is the blood of the noble few who are willing to fight." Her face was full of determination and her words went straight to his core, "Lance, we know the price and we will pay it. just promise us you will make it all worth it."

Her words stiffened his spine, and Lance nodded to her "I promise." She flashed him a rare smile then left for her ship. Lance knew that might be the last time they ever see each other, part of him was saddened by this, but a greater part was glad that he had the pleasure of knowing her at all. With renewed determination he went back towards the docking ring, I will keep my promise.

-END-

ON a personal note, to the review that said it was like making superman evil and lex luthor the good guy… read more comics cuz that's been done several times, and they are usually quite gripping story arch's. one example is Crisis on Infinite Earths. Where everyone on the earth is evil except for lex luthor (called alexander luthor) give it a read. Good stuff.

Hope yall enjoy the chapter! Let me know either way :D