Chapter 2: The Damsel in Distress

Hayley Nebula was scared, even terrified, but she knew better than to let her captors see that. 'I am angry,' she kept telling herself, 'I am angry at them for treating me like this.' Hayley repeated this inside her head until she herself believed it, and then the false anger started to show on her face. This made it a little easier for her to stand tall, even when Warp Darkmatter shoved her forward and told her to move faster. She had recognized her captor's face from wanted posters and news reports. If Darkmatter was the only threat, Hayley might have attempted to escape, but she and her captor were also joined by yellow battle drones; three in front of her, three behind, and every one of them armed. Darkmatter called the drones Hornets.

Hayley was led through a number of tall, red and grey halls. Many doors, crates, and even creatures were marked with emblems that looked like the letter "Z." They passed several beings that she could have mistaken for robots if it weren't for their heads, which were little more than exposed brains floating within glass tanks. Some of these brain pods pushed cargo that growled and squirmed under canvas covers. There were also tiny, insect-like creatures with big eyes and antennas. These grubs stood, hunched over pads of paper, taking stock of the brain pods' cargo. The more she saw, the harder it was for Hayley to act brave. Though she had never seen this place before, Hayley knew that she had been brought to Planet Z, home of the galaxy's most notorious criminal: the Evil Emperor Zurg.

As a child, Hayley would pretend to be a Space Ranger, and every one of her games ended with her flying to Planet Z, defeating Zurg, and saving the Galactic Alliance. But this wasn't a game, and she was no hero. Never had that been clearer to Hayley than it was now, as she was being pushed into the throne room of the Evil Emperor himself.

Once in the center of the room, the Hornets repositioned themselves so that they formed a rough semi-circle around Hayley and Darkmatter. Now there was nothing between her and the Evil Emperor. Sitting high upon his throne, Zurg was clad in purple robes with an armored chest plate. From his shoulders cascaded a cape of ebony and red fabric. The whole ensemble was topped with a helmet that covered the whole of his head and bore a detailed depiction of a face. The face it depicted barely resembled that of a human, for it was too cold and too robotic.

Hayley widened her stance as if readying herself for a fight. Her arms hung at her sides, but her fists were clenched so tightly that her nails jabbed into her palms. She loathed her dress for revealing how scrawny her arms were and for a moment, she wondered how much damage she could do if she used her high-heeled shoe as a weapon. Hayley wanted Zurg to think that she was tough, even if she didn't believe it herself.

Zurg's eyes burned like fire, but they weren't looking at Hayley. For the moment, their flames were focused on one of the insect creatures, who cowered under Zurg's gaze. The grub was bowed before the Emperor and it mumbled excuses, though the grub was shaking so violently that Hayley couldn't make out what it was saying. She was certain that the grub was an unfortunate bringer of bad news.

Suddenly, Zurg shot up from his seat. "Useless fool!" the Evil Emperor shouted. His hand came down and struck the grub. To Hayley's horror, the creature was sent flying through the air. Its tiny body smacked against the cold floor and tumbled until it lay crumpled at her feet.

A gasp escaped Hayley's lips. It was the gasp that alerted the Emperor to her presence. He turned and looked down at her. The celebrity wore a cherry-red dress that puffed out from her bare legs and flecks of glitter shone throughout her curled hair. Her lips had been colored to match her dress, but her eyes looked darker than Zurg had expected. Still, she was beautiful, and she would serve his purpose well.

"Ah, our honored guest has arrived," Zurg observed as he started toward the girl. But he paused, and watched Hayley with a puzzled look.

Her tough act forgotten, Hayley knelt upon the floor and supported the grub's limp body in her arms. "Come on, little guy," she mumbled as she gently tried to wake him. For one horrible moment, she thought the little creature was dead, but then its eyes flickered open and the grub stared up at Hayley. "You're gonna be okay," she assured him. He seemed as if he wanted to ask her something, but then his eyes looked behind her. Coming to his senses, the grub leapt to his feet and scurried out of the room.

"Wha-?" Hayley turned to see what had frightened the creature only to find herself a few inches from the face of the Evil Emperor Zurg, who had repositioned himself to look over her shoulder. Like the grub, Hayley sprung to her feet. She gladly would have fled the room, but she knew that now was not the time for escape.

"What are you doing?" Zurg asked with genuine confusion.

Hayley had to take a breath. 'Be brave. Don't let them see your fear,' she reminded herself.

"I was making sure that the little creature was alright. You could have killed him," Hayley glared into Zurg's red eyes.

"Yes I could have," he said, nonchalantly. Zurg returned Hayley's stare. A look of disgust spread across her face and Zurg remembered that he needed the celebrity on his side.

"Oh come now," he began, forcing his voice to sound friendly, "There was never any real danger." Zurg plucked up a passing grub and held it up in demonstration. He gave a forceful rap on the creature's head. The action made a distinct knocking sound. The grub looked absolutely terrified, but Zurg continued in his forced tone, "Exoskeletons, you see."

"I see," Hayley responded, absentmindedly. Rather than listening to his words, Hayley found herself staring at his face, which now almost seemed to be smiling at her. What she'd thought to be a helmet was forming expressions. Could this purple, horned mask actually be his face, or was the technology of his helmet just that advanced?

Zurg paid no attention to her fascination. He continued, speaking mostly to himself, "Still, that was quite the show of compassion. Must be great for your public image."

"What are you planning to do with me?" Hayley asked.

"I'm so glad you asked. You see, over the years I've made many attempts to conquer this galaxy, but those pesky Rangers always seem to get in my way," he paused, suddenly enraged at the thought of Space Rangers. Then he looked at Hayley, almost awkwardly, and continued. "However, my latest plan is surely my most cunning yet. Rather than enslaving and controlling the populace with fear, I shall win them over. All I need is for the free people of the Galactic Alliance to want to obey me. Those goody two-shoes Space Rangers wouldn't dare fight against the people's free will!"

Hayley found this plan utterly ridiculous. No one liked Zurg, nor would anyone ever choose to be controlled by him. "So, how do you plan to win them over? Mind control?" she guessed.

"Been there, done that," Zurg responded, brushing off the suggestion. "No, the beauty of this plan is its simplicity. All I need is someone to help me win the hearts of all those mindless fools. And who better to help me than you? Luna Stellarous: the fastest rising star in all of the Galactic Alliance. You manage to gain masses of followers wherever you perform. The people love you. It should be easy to exercise your influence over them."

Hayley was horrified. She hated to think that she had that kind of influence over anyone, but more than that she couldn't believe that she was being asked to start a galaxy-wide revolution. "I don't think I could help you."

Zurg drew close to her and brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. "Simply put, my dear, you don't have a choice."