Still pretty slow, but I needed to set the stage for all the interesting stuff! Also, I guess I should say now that I'll be exhausting the whole headcanon in which Irkens go absolutely bonkers for sugar…might be one of my fav headcanons.

If it's not already clear, Veld has some PAK issues but Kad isn't exactly your typical Irken either. If they seem lighthearted and amicable it's because they haven't shown their true colors yet. They act like dumb kids most of the time but they've both been involved in some nefarious operations and have major violent tendencies just as all Irkens have. I figure that when it's time to battle, it's like a switch goes off somewhere deep in the PAK that essentially blocks any feeling or thought that isn't "JUST MURDER EVERYTHING." I guess I kinda feel like typical Irkens don't have much free will when that happens because it's so deeply engrained in their instincts.

The chapter starts off on a lighter note though lol.

Chapter 2

Kad licked some kind of too-sweet, brightly-colored dessert on a stick with his segmented, prehensile-like tongue which darted out to wrap around the sweet like a hungry boa constrictor would its prey. Shortly after, it slipped back inside the cave—uh, mouth—from whence it came. When it emerged to repeat the action, Kad caught a glimpse of the wormy thing and his eyes lit up in amusement.

"My tongue is blue," he said to his companion, showing off his brightly-colored appendage. He stuck it out and wiggled it around for the other to see. Veld snorted, entertained by Kad's light-hearted attitude despite his own internal panic.

"Put that thing away," was all he responded to the other. Kad seemed pleased with however little recognition he'd received and immediately resumed licking the candy enthusiastically. Sometimes he could be such a smeet, Veld mused, but Irkens weren't exactly widely known for their emotional maturity either. They were destructive, cold-blooded warriors with awful tempers to boot and the most immense collective sweet tooth the universe had ever witnessed. They were also infamously sore losers prone to throwing intergalactic fits capable of destroying worlds if things didn't go their way.

Needless to say, the Irkens always got their way, or else.

It was quiet between the two of them for a few moments as they both walked the hallways encircling an occupied arena. Veld squinted as he stretched his arms out again, glancing out the hall windows to get a look at Irk's setting sun.

"You know, I'm sick of the same old routine. I'll be happy when I can do something that actually matters, maybe put all that training to use," Kad said, talking around the candy in his mouth. "A little recognition is long overdue, I think. And it's soo boring around here." He drew out the so for obnoxiously long and Veld wondered not for the first time when exactly Kad had picked up that manner of speech. Kad paused a moment. "Tomorrow is the day my life actually starts," he nudged the other with his elbow, "I know you're thinking the same thing. You don't want to be stuck here forever."

Veld nodded with a grunt of affirmation. Well, maybe he was a little tired of his predictable routine. His steady, safe, comfortable routine. It was all he had ever known, and it made him unendingly nervous to think about how tomorrow would change all that. He would be shoved unceremoniously from his cozy perch out into a universe that wanted nothing more than to see him dead. But if it was the will of his Empire that he sacrifice himself in the name of his Tallest, he would proudly do so. He hoped it wouldn't come to that though. Irk, he hoped it never came to that. Eventually, though…well, it probably would come to that. Irkens rarely died of old age…

"And we'll go to those parties in Irkuza that all the Elite go to—and maybe see the Tallest. The Tallest go to those parties right? I think I heard that. At least when they're actually on planet, I guess."

Veld scoffed. "Even you aren't tall enough for that."

Kad's head whipped around at that remark, mouth agape in mock offense, "Did you dare just insult the height of your superior, you lowly drone?!"

Veld couldn't help but burst out laughing, starting to feel less queasy now that the banter between the two of them was helping to lift the heavy feeling of anxiety in his chest.

"Just telling it as it is," Veld said, having subdued his laughter. "And you're like, what—three gigs taller than me? Come on now, superior my ass."

Kad found it hard to keep a straight face and the corner of his mouth upturned slightly in amusement. "You're lucky I like you. You Smaller."

Veld chuckled and Kad shook his head in exasperation.

"No, but really, maybe if I could just touch one of the Tallest's armor—they wouldn't even notice me doing it—some of their tallness would rub off on me."

"You really want to risk being pummeled by the Tallest's personal guards because you think their armor has magic powers…?"

"Well, it wouldn't be the worst reason to be pummeled. And there wouldn't be an airlock to throw me out of so I can rest assured."

"Let me know how that goes for you. If you survive, that is," Veld said with a smirk.

They walked in companionable silence for a bit, which gave Veld the opportunity to reflect on the conversation. Both Veld's and Kad's attitudes on social recognition were not dissimilar to one another; however, it seemed to Veld that his own desires varied slightly from his companion's in that he just wanted to matter in some small way. Kad, on the other hand, seemed obsessed with trying to prove himself to the Tallest, completely fixated on the drive to be the greatest. Kad was gonna go big, Veld just knew it.

"Hmm," Veld hummed in thought. So what exactly was he himself looking for? "I just want people to notice me," he explained finally, "I want them to turn and look when I walk by. I want to know that I'm not just going to fade into obscurity when I…well, you know."

"If it makes you feel any better, I turn and look when you walk by," Kad chuckled as Veld shot him an unimpressed glance. Actually, it did inadvertently make him feel a little better.

The two were silent once more, each deep in their own thoughts.

"Hey, if, uhh—," Veld stuttered aimlessly. "If one of us doesn't make it…"

"Whoa now, seriously? You're doing this now, seriously?"

"I can't really help it."

"Ugh." Kad slapped a hand over his face. "Don't think about that stuff too hard," he said after a sigh. "You'll waste your energy." When he saw the heavy expression on Veld's face, he smirked a little. "Come on, don't worry about it!"

Veld wasn't sure he was satisfied with that answer. The thought of failure—either Kad's or his own—plagued him and he wondered: what if they never got to see each other again? The thought made his 'spooch twist in a most unpleasant way. They had met at the beginning of his fourth cycle in the underground training facilities for smeets when their height classes had been combined. So much had happened since then and they had been together through it all. He couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed Kad wasn't more concerned about what their futures held.

"I can't help it," he repeated, "I can't really picture my day without you." He persisted despite Kad's disinterest. Kad was silent and glanced over, now looking slightly uncomfortable and uncertain of how to respond. Eventually he gave a little nod and glared at his sweet, now not quite in the mood to eat it. Veld decided to drop the subject after that. Getting Kad to talk about it at all was a wasted effort.

"Hey, uhh, I just remembered something," Kad interrupted the silence suddenly, stopping Veld in his tracks under the hallway lights. He turned to look back at him. Kad's face scrunched in thought, trying to form the right sentence. Veld thought he looked very smeet-like at that moment, his scarlet eyes large and innocent and his unnaturally long, velvety-looking antennae perking. Eventually he huffed out a sigh and said, "Eh, I'll have to show you actually." He then ushered the shorter Irken down the hall.

Veld appeared confused but followed obediently and the two came to some double doors that parted with a mechanical whoosh to one of the many main academy lobbies. Immediately they were surprised as excited cheers and shouts echoed through the immense hall. There looked to be over a hundred Irkens gathered around an enormous holoscreen which showed live footage from somewhere that definitely wasn't Irk. As the two drew closer, it became clear the images were of the most recent Irken victory after a more-than-likely bloody and violent battle in the conquest for whatever unfortunate planet that was. The devastated alien city on the screen was choked with heavy black smoke and the sky behind it was a dreary gray. The familiar purple and pink armor of the Irken soldiers that were responsible for the horrific scene provided a jarring contrast to the background in which they were stationed—a sight Veld and all other Irkens had seen too many times to count. The Empire had been expanding its territory for many hundreds of years, which meant thousands of broadcasts like this one had been transmitted over the course of the Empire's gradual takeover.

"Which one is this?" Veld asked Kad, raising his voice to be heard. He shrugged. It was difficult to keep track of all the places that were being royally screwed by the Empire. Kad nudged another Irken in the crowd and asked the same question.

"Oskolla, this is the capital city," the magenta-eyed stranger answered back, yelling to be heard. A look of recognition crossed Kad's face.

"Ah, of course. What a trash heap. I'm glad we got ahold of it. Might be able to put some use to it," Kad responded. Veld nodded in agreement. He wondered about the natives. Actually, what did they look like again? Not like it mattered now. When it came to alien planets and cultures, Veld had always expressed a slight disinterest and preferred to just not think about it altogether. It was a bad idea getting involved with stuff like that, after all. Veld was apt to feeling…something for all those alien people being killed, but he also knew that sacrifices had to be made for the good of the Empire. So it was just easier not to think about it.

"I don't think it looks too bad. I mean, from a distance. It's big," Veld mused stupidly. Indeed, Oskolla was quite massive, and such a pretty shade of purple with swirly white clouds that looked like slightly melted whipped cream after being stirred daintily with a spoon. Veld fancied it an exotic dessert, perhaps fruity in flavor. It was most certainly the most delicious looking planet he'd ever seen.

Hm. He was hungry again. He quickly snapped his head up to the screen to dispel his fantasy.

Oskolla had become a melting pot of every intelligent species across the universe—an Irken's nightmare. The native Oskollan population dwindled as vast numbers of alien communities immigrated and a variety of foreign investors established rapidly growing industries that the planet's economy so desperately needed. Now, Irken control of the planet seemed imminent, and indeed, there was no force powerful enough to stop the Irken Machine. The thought of that pretty purply planet as Irken territory made Veld perk up a little with excitement.

It was clear that this recent act of destruction had ultimately been devised for intimidation purposes, a way for the Empire to flex its muscles. The Irkens knew the opposing army had neither the resources nor the manpower to fend off the Empire, so they made a quick example of the Oskollan capital to scare the inhabitants into submission. It was a common tactic popular with Irkens. No alien dared step out of line with several million Irken soldiers on the side anxiously awaiting the order to tear them apart. Those that did were quickly—but not painlessly—dealt with, and their families and communities suffered for the grievous errors as well. It was better for the unfortunate aliens to just keep a low profile and accept Irken presence.

"Why do we want this place again?" Veld asked to two other Irkens.

"Maybe more armories? There aren't any in that quadrant yet," Kad suggested.

"No way, we just built five last year. And Oskolla is so isolated," the unnamed magenta-eyed Irken responded. There was another explosion on the screen suddenly, and the Irkens in the room flinched in surprised but quickly recovered and started to laugh and cheer again. Veld glanced over at Kad and gave him a goofy grin, uplifted by the lively atmosphere.

Kad rolled his eyes. "Come on, I still have something to show you," he said, steering Veld through the crowd.

They started walking toward the restoration wing where the charging ports were located in a few dozen separate chambers. Veld had spent much of his time here lately. In fact, he was starting to feel his eyelids droop and the fatigue in his body from training; perhaps he had overdone it. These last few weeks had been physically and emotionally draining, not that he would admit that to anyone. An hour or two charging would probably do him some good.

"Ok, I think you'll like this," Kad smiled at his partner wickedly and pulled Veld through one of the automatic doors into a charging area. He could be remarkably frightening at times. Just as Veld was about to open his mouth to question Kad, the crimson-eyed Irken's PAK port opened and a mechanical limb emerged and dropped a small container of...something unidentifiable into Kad's waiting hands. Veld raised an eyebrow at the other Irken.

"Ok, I'll bite. What is it?"

"Why don't you take a look for yourself?" Kad shoved the small black container at the other. Veld clutched it in uncertainty, but after a moment, popped the little lid open and was assaulted with a scent so sweet, he almost dropped the container.

"Oh my Irk, what—," Veld cut himself off to concentrate on the scent. It made his 'spooch flip over itself and, quite suddenly, he was wide awake. He hadn't realized his antennae had pitched forward over his forehead and had to reach a hand up to smooth them back. The scent was unlike any other—yet strangely familiar—and he was unsure if he could even handle being in its proximity any longer. It took some effort to snap the lid back on because his body desperately wanted to experience more of it, whatever it was. His eyes were wide and he glared up at Kad. Surely this substance was very, very illegal.

"What. Is this." It was more of a demand instead of a question. Kad burst out laughing at Veld's grave expression.

"At ease, soldier. I know what you're thinking. Care to take a guess as to what this stuff might be?" Veld's unimpressed expression remained unchanged, but he took a few moments to try to remember why that scent had been so familiar. He sighed to try to dispel the scent that still lingered in the air.

"No. It's kind of familiar, but I can't put my finger on it. Now your turn. What is this and where did you get it?"

Kad smiled devilishly. "Sugar. Want a taste?" Veld's eyes shot open and his mouth dropped. He glanced down at the container still in his hands.

"What?! How did you get…there's no way. You've got to be kidding me!" he sputtered, struggling with the cap once more despite just having closed it. Before he could get it open, Kad snatched it away.

"Ah, surprised? Thought you would be."

"But—our sweets definitely don't smell as good as that…" his antennae were still buzzing above his head obnoxiously.

"Actually, this stuff isn't in our sweets. There's not enough of it for that. They use some artificial stuff instead."

Hearing this, Veld crossed his arms with indignation and his brows came together at the notion of such deceit. He'd been duped into eating the subpar stuff his whole life!

"Aren't we deserving enough of the real stuff?" he growled. Kad smirked.

"Apparently not. I bought this off another Taller some time ago. Don't know where he got it from, he wouldn't tell me." Veld's frown deepened. Kad smirked, as he was prone to do whenever Veld's face contorted itself into those silly expressions that made him look like a pouting smeet.

"How 'bout you and I sneak some before our tests tomorrow?" he suggested, wiggling his eyebrows. That got Veld's attention.

"…Why?" he asked suspiciously.

Veld played with the container between his fingers absentmindedly. "Well, real sugar like this—," he held it up, "—has certain, mm, effects on us, I should say. Oh, for example—increased stamina, heightens the senses, generally makes us all around better fighters."

"That…" Veld shook his head, "…that sounds like it might be against the rules. Like cheating."

"Why would you think that?"

Veld had to think for a moment, worrying his bottom lip, "Because it gives us an advantage. What if they catch us with it?"

"Oh, come on! No one will even know. There's nothing wrong with a little boost."

The mechanical limb from Kad's PAK retrieved the small container and tucked it away again. "So, listen. Meet me back here at, oh, 7 degrees?—and we can try some."

Veld still looked uncertain.

"You want to be an Elite, right?" Kad put his hands on his hips and looked at Veld intently.

"Yes," he snapped back with ferocity. Looking down at his feet, a silent battle waged behind his mint eyes. He really wanted this—to be an Elite. He had to have it. If a mouthful of sugar could help him get there…

"No one will know?" Veld asked with a serious expression. Kad's eyes lit up.

"No one will know."

I'd love to hear any feedback! I'm not sure if I have a specific schedule for posting chapter but I'm writing pretty much every day so they shouldn't be too far in between. I believe there will be a perspective shift sometime soon because there's also a Vortian girl in this story and we don't know anything about her yet!