Oh heck, thanks so much Fritter Critter for your reviews! It's so good to know that someone likes this so far! I mean, no matter what, I'm gonna keep writing but it helps a lot when there are people supporting you. I hope I don't disappoint!

I also made a little reference sheet for Veld and the Vortian girl that has yet to be introduced, just so you can see what they kinda look like. The address is: fav. me/ d9m3txm, just take out the spaces you should be good.

Chapter 3

Every twenty years, five thousand Irkens from across the planet are granted the most sought-after, prestigious status an Irken could be given—the title of the Irken Elite. To be an Elite means you succeeded; it means your life is worth something in the eyes of the Empire. As essentially celebrities in Irken culture, they attend exclusive parties in the tallest buildings in Irkuza, the Irken capital, and enjoy the luxuries of high society for the rest of their pampered, perfect lives. Even in death, they are honored and remembered for their services to the Empire; their favorable genetics sprinkled throughout the hatching facilities so that future smeets may inherit their talent and power.

And, of course, nearly every Irken in existence was after this same thing. It was a way for Irkens originally coded to be lowly drones to prove themselves and attain recognition and appreciation. Any Irken, regardless of height or coding, could take the test for Elite status (it didn't hurt to have a little bit of height on you though). Most would fail—that was a given. Most knew this, too. In spite of this, doubt was never strong enough to overpower that intense, desperate desire of Elitehood. Irkens trained rigorously for years to even have the slightest chance of defeating their opponents for the title. You couldn't afford to make a single mistake—every move had to be no less than precise. It truly was the ultimate test of strength and ability in the Empire's eyes.

Veld remembered a moment in time when he was no more than a wide-eyed smeet—well, perhaps a little older, but the innocence that shown in his eyes suggested otherwise—and he had stood watching with unwavering intensity and awe at an Elite training session taking place in an arena before him. It had just been a few days since he and his class had been released from the Irken underground, proclaimed mature enough to graduate to more advanced training on the planet's surface and serve the Empire to the fullest extent. He remembered wandering down to the arena all by himself almost in a dream-like daze and being a little more lost than he was comfortable with, eventually just deciding to stand with some other Irkens and watch the mock battle happening before him. At that time, even so many years ago, he understood well that Elites were those who commanded reverence and were ultimately considered to be the perfect Irkens. He himself had begun training for such a title soon after he had hatched.

Young smeet-Veld had stood looking out the glass, stunned into silence as the two Irkens on the other side battled with such profound ferocity and a terrifying degree of adeptness like he had never seen before. It should be noted that up until that point, he had seen many hundreds of mock battles between Irkens and had participated in just as many, and so this remarkable and unanticipated demonstration of prowess and skill seemed to electrify his very being and spark something within the depths of his PAK. Standing there, a very small and ordinary Irken among other ordinary Irkens, he had suddenly experienced something akin to fearful respect for those two veteran Irkens with the mark of the Elite on their foreheads. They had been wearing Empire-issued protective visors so their faces were hidden, but young Veld could imagine their savage eyes narrowed into fiery slits, their mouths warped into vicious snarls, their perfect and deadly teeth revealed and ready to tear into flesh. To an Irken who had still been but a child in this world, these strangers were terrifying.

Veld snapped back into reality quite suddenly, fearful of becoming lost within his own memories when he should be preoccupied with what concerned him in the present. It was amazing to him how far he'd advanced in so few years—and despite his height, too! His past self would be overwhelmed with awe at the Irken he was able to become, for he had become one of those fierce Irkens he had watched in wonder all those years ago.

This brought his thoughts to his current predicament. Tallest, he couldn't bear the thought of failing…

Not one misplaced step. Not a moment of hesitation. The tiniest miscalculation during that brutally long ten minute period could completely and utterly destroy all his hopes and dreams and that terrified him. Until now, he had been at least somewhat able to put that fact out of his thoughts, but the dreaded day had finally arrived. He sat in the charging chamber—where he had agreed to meet Kad—hooked up to the computer, staring unblinkingly at the wall in front of him. His vision focused in and out, occasionally blurring all the little pink lights.

He had been warming up and stretching all morning, being careful to avoid any exercises that would tire him out before his test. After, he had decided to wander back here for lack of anything better to do. There had been a few Irkens accompanying him in this specific charging chamber previously, but one by one, they had all since disappeared to take their scheduled tests. This was for the best—Veld preferred a bit of privacy sometimes, especially given the stressful circumstances. He patiently waited for Kad to show up.

Said Irken crept into the chamber shortly after, causing Veld to jump out of his skin. Kad laughed at Veld's obvious distress and sat cross-legged on the floor in front of him. Veld's face was hidden in his palms.

"Hey, sorry 'bout that. You didn't short-circuit, did you?" Kad teased, poking the other Irken on the shoulder. Veld remained still and grunted, rubbing his eyes. His entire body felt rigid with anxiety, yet his restlessness urged him to get up and run around; he suppressed the impulse.

"I feel sick," was all he said. Why didn't Kad seem the least bit phased by what was about to happen?

"Good Irk, you'll be fine. Why do you do this to yourself?" Kad remarked.

"What I don't understand is why you don't even seem a little bit worried. What happens today will decide your future, you know," the other pointed out, looking up slightly. Kad rolled his eyes.

"Maybe you really do need to get your PAK checked out—" he mused, but was quite suddenly shoved hard by a pissed-off Veld.

"You shut your mouth," he snapped, only slightly joking. "My PAK is perfectly functional!"

"Just sayin', you've been awfully emotional lately," Kad said and flashed a satisfied grin at Veld's perturbed expression.

"And you've been a pain in the ass lately."

"I think it's cute you'd expect anything less of me. Now, down to business. That test isn't gonna ace itself." A familiar black container appeared in Kad's hands and Veld's eyes lit up in desire, much to his chagrin.

"My test is a lot later than yours," Veld said.

"And?"

"Won't the sugar wear off by then?"

Kad chuckled. "Veld, you need not worry about that. This stuff will last you all day."

Veld's eyes widened and suddenly he felt a little apprehensive. It's not like he had tried this stuff out beforehand…

"Hold out your hands," Kad instructed. Veld did as told, reluctantly. Half of the contents of the small container were carefully poured into his cupped hands and, once again, he had a great deal of trouble trying to keep his composure. The pure white crystalline substance fell smoothly into his hands like a waterfall and in doing so, it wafted the particularly strong, sweet scent up toward Veld.

"Irk, this is…" He took a deep breath, annoyed at how easily he could be affected by a mere smell. Kad smirked at the reaction.

"Ready?" he asked, holding the small container up and eyeing Veld questioningly. The other took a moment to respond, still debating whether this was such a good idea.

"Yeah. Let's get this over with. I'm so tired and I just want this whole thing to be done." Kad nodded sympathetically then quickly downed the remaining contents of the container. Veld hesitantly followed suit.

Looking back, he regretted not taking to time to savor the sugary sweet perfection, thereby prolonging the feeling of the little granules melting on his tongue. Instead, he swallowed the entire mouthful in a second, having to struggle to get it down his throat. Despite having only tasted it for a short moment, his taste buds seemingly ignited with uncontrollable energy and he started salivating so hard it almost hurt. He was incredibly grateful the sweet aftertaste took its time to dissipate, but after only one hit of the stuff, he wanted so much more. However, he had yet to notice any physical or emotional changes, much to his disappointment.

"Ohh Tallest, that tastes amazing," he breathed and started licking the remaining granules off his hands. "I can't believe it's not illegal."

"Not illegal. Just hard to come by nowadays," Kad said, shaking his body out as if to expel excess energy. "I'm inclined to believe that the Empire doesn't actually want us to get ahold of it, at least not us lowly soldiers. That might change after today." He smiled at the possibility.

"So…how long does it take until I feel something?" Veld asked awkwardly. Nope, still nothing.

"Mm, it's different for everyone. Once your blood's going and your adrenaline's up, you'll definitely notice a difference. I've done this before. Come on and walk with me," the other responded, ushering Veld through the chamber and out into the hallway. The mint-eyed Irken followed almost in a daze, suddenly reminded of what today was. He had to stop and lean against a wall because his anxiety kicked back in with greater force than before and almost left him breathless.

"I can't believe this is actually happening," he panted, trying to steady his breathing but failing. Kad backtracked to check on his partner, looking concerned.

"I told you to stop thinking about it so much," the other said. Veld decided he didn't want to answer back to that.

"I feel sick," he finally said, his antennae pinned as he leaned his head on the wall. Maybe taking the sugar was a bad idea. How was he to know how it would affect him? It might have been a stupid move ingesting a substance his body wasn't familiar with right before the most important test of his life. The overwhelming nauseous feeling in his chest was hard to ignore, and he couldn't help but think that the sugar might have played a part in it.

"Do you feel like you're gonna throw up?"

"I dunno…" Veld said, closing his eyes and sliding to the floor. "Maybe…"

"Well, don't. That's the last of the sugar."

"Oh, ok, since you put it that way, I've decided I don't want to throw up today," Veld snapped sarcastically, somehow gathering the energy to do so. Kad sighed, accepting the notion that there wasn't anything he could do that would change Veld's situation, and plopped down on the floor next to the other.

"If you do decide to…do it, don't do it on me," Kad murmured, crossing his arms. He had decided to stay and wait with his ill companion. Despite the intense nausea, Veld took a moment to appreciate the kind gesture and looked over at the other tiredly.

"Irk knows you deserve to be covered in vomit," he said with a smirk. Kad's face scrunched up as he observed the other Irken.

"You'll change your tone when you realize that you wouldn't have been able to do all this without me."

Veld chuckled with as much energy he could muster. "Don't flatter yourself. If not you, someone else would have snatched me up as an ally," he took a shaky breath, trying to settle his insides. "People like me. I've never had trouble in that department."

"Maybe they just feel bad because you're so short." A thwack erupted immediately following the statement and Kad rubbed his sore abdomen while not at all attempting to stifle his laughter.

Minutes passed and Veld had buried his head in his folded arms that rested on his drawn-up knees.

"You know, I guess I might as well mention this while we're sitting here, but—," Kad paused, trying to formulate a sentence, "—I don't know. What you said earlier about us being split up…I've thought about that. Of course I have. I just don't want to think about it." He made eye contact with Veld, but suddenly his expression turned serious. "It's not supposed to…we're not supposed to…"

Veld grew concerned at the other's change of tone. "What?"

Kad unexpectedly whirled around to fully face the mint-eyed Irken and growled under his breath, as if exasperated.

"You know as well as I do that we can't do this," Kad murmured, shaking his head. The confusion Veld was feeling only increased at the other Irken's matter-of-fact statement, and he tried vehemently to understand what exactly Kad was insinuating.

"Can't do what?"

"Can't do—" Kad waved his hands around in frustration, feeling awkward and loath to verbalizing his dilemma, "—do this whole closeness stuff we've been doing."

It took a solid moment for Veld to register what had been said. "…Close…ness? What on Irk are you—"

"Just shut up for a second, let me think of another word," Kad grumbled, slapping a hand over his face. "This togetherness. You know, attachment to each other," he sighed. "We can't do it."

Veld was silent, his brow furrowed as he gradually came to understand what Kad was trying to get across. He didn't know how to respond. He felt…hurt. His chest felt heavy. Kad had turned away with another heavy sigh, feeling and looking more awkward than he had ever been in his life.

"I don't see why it's a problem," Veld finally replied in a small voice. That was a lie. He knew why it was a problem.

"Come on, Veld. I don't like it either. I didn't want to bring it up, but…today's gonna change things and I don't know if I'll get another chance to talk to you like this."

Veld nodded almost imperceptibly in understanding. His eyes were downcast and his mouth was pulled into a frown. He was speechless.

"I like you. I care about you more than I care about a lot of flirkin' things. But we can't risk being made a mockery of, especially with Elite titles. And that's not even the worst that can happen. What if someone thinks we're…you know…" Kad gave the other a look that communicated what he was thinking and Veld instantly understood. "I don't want anyone to think even for a second that there might be something wrong with either of our PAKs. People talk. Rumors spread. It could jeopardize everything we've worked for."

The two were silent for a while, the situation weighing heavily on both their psyches. Veld knew this had to happen eventually, but he couldn't bring himself to accept it. They had become too close and it was starting to become very apparent; even Veld himself had to admit it. The Empire firmly advised against such relations, as emotional attachment was indicative of having a weakness that could potentially be exploited by the enemy and usually implied a sinister underlying cause: an imperfection within the workings of an Irken's PAK. The Empire was of the utmost importance, and forming bonds with others distracts an Irken from duty and makes him vulnerable. That was why Irken PAKs were coded to override some of the more weakening emotions such as sadness, guilt, empathy, and affection. Yet, most Irkens remained completely oblivious to this little detail, entirely unaware of what experiencing such emotions entailed. The Irken race was not subject to the debilitating effects of emotions like other inferior races were simply because the Irken race was unquestionably and innately superior; at least, that's what was preached to the entirety of the Irken population since activation.

Veld stared at the ground. "So…what do you propose we do?"

The other hesitated. "I—well, I don't know. I guess we'll have to figure that out later…if we can."

Veld's nausea had been replaced with a growing feeling of anger. Why would Kad bring this issue up right now, knowing they both needed to perform well in a very short amount of time? He wanted to snap at his companion, blame the crimson-eyed Irken for just how awful he now felt inside. He kept his mouth shut though, unwilling to initiate an argument when he needed to focus all his energy on the test. His face hardened.

"I need to go," Veld said with resolution. He couldn't deal with this right now.

"Veld, wait. It's not like we have to cut all contact. We just have to tone it down."

"I completely understand," Veld responded tersely, struggling to his feet and steadying himself before making the move to walk away.

"Veld—" Kad started, jumping to his feet. The shorter Irken halted in his tracks but didn't turn to look at the other.

"Later, Kad. Seriously." Then he left.

As Veld marched down the hall from whence he came, Kad's shoulders slumped and he sighed heavily in dismay. Well, that could have gone better. It hadn't been his intention to upset the other, but he supposed he hadn't exactly carefully thought out the entire situation and its consequences. It's not as if he wanted to distance himself from Veld, but neither of them had much of a choice. Bad things happened when an Irken garnered the wrong kind of attention and Kad was just trying to prevent a problematic situation that could very well end in disaster for them both. He knew—despite the other's reaction—that Veld had indeed acknowledged his plight and understood the implications; Kad just needed to give Veld a while to cool off and think.

The shorter Irken had always had the propensity to overreact and get a little too emotionally involved, which worried Kad a little. He feared that it was just a matter of time before Veld slipped up and someone noticed something was not quite right. It wasn't absurd of him to worry about his fellow soldier, was it? To be concerned of his wellbeing? He wasn't too sure what the Empire would think of that. Best to keep his thoughts and feelings a secret and do whatever he had to do to make sure Veld did the same, Irk help him.

He gazed down the hallway in which Veld had exited. Well, there wasn't much he could do now. Still, he couldn't ever abandon Veld at a time like this and decided he needed to at least watch over the other from a distance and offer support if necessary. That was a noble thing to do, right? Kad rolled his shoulders and began walking the hallway with jelly legs, hearing the rush of his own blood in his head as he tried to keep his internal flailing to a minimum.