Dib's goodbye to Gaz wasn't long or overly emotional. He'd told her where he was going, she said okay, and that had pretty much been the end of it.

"Sorry, uh... guess you won't have anyone to take you over to your boyfriend's house anymore."

She snorted, rolling her eyes. "I dumped him a long time ago."

Wow. What else had he missed, while he was... preoccupied with Zim? But what surprised him the most was what she said before he left the house.

"Dib!"

"Yeah?"

"…Kick some alien ass, or something."

He was going to miss her, and in a strange way, he was going to miss his father too. But he wasn't able to turn back now- if the Earth was ever in danger because he had turned this opportunity down, he'd never be able to live with himself.

When they were finally teleported onto the ship, he was... pleasantly surprised, to say the least. The Resisty ship hadn't been anywhere near what Dib was expecting. For one, it was much, much bigger. The ship was almost luxurious in a way, and incredibly clean. It reminded Dib of a hospital. All of the ships that Dib had cruised around through space in were small and cramped, barely big enough to fit him. This was quite the improvement.

Zim, on the other hand, was displeased, as usual. Did anything ever make him happy? "Eh, I've seen better."

The two of them of course weren't left unattended for long. Before Dib could reply, Atra was rushing out from behind the corridor to greet them. "Dib! Zim! Welcome! You've made a wise decision!"

"Spare me," Zim grumbled. "At least now with me you fools stand a chance!"

Atra merely smiled, taking Zim's insults in stride, a stride that Dib found rather impressive. "Lovely to see you as always, Zim. Follow me, I'll take you to Lard Nar for your interviews."

Atra turned and led the way, guiding them through the hallways. As Zim grumbled to himself, Dib took this opportunity to examine his surroundings. He was... in space. That part, he was used to. The part he wasn't used to, was being in space, on a ship with a bunch of aliens. And Zim... who was also an alien. Right. Zim was... an alien too. So why did he feel like the only normal person on this ship?

No, I can't think like that. Just because they're aliens doesn't mean they're not- well, I mean, they're pretty abnormal, but- ugh, what am I doing here again..?

"What's going on with you, science drone?" Zim asked. "I demand an explanation! If you're Irken, how have you joined the Resisty? How did you overcome-"

"All your questions will be answered in due time. Unfortunately, I'm not at liberty to reveal anything until Lard Nar has given you the okay. So do your best!" She smiled that sickeningly sweet smile again before gesturing to the last door on the left. "Here we are! Lard Nar has asked to see you individually, so Dib, you're up first."

"Why does Dib get to go first?" Zim whined.

Atra didn't answer, and so Dib couldn't resist the opportunity to rub something in the Irken's face. He briefly stuck his tongue out at Zim, shooting him a taunting wink, before stepping into the captain's office. Zim's loud protests could be heard from behind the door, but Dib didn't pay them any mind.

"Uh, captain?"

"Dib!" Lard Nar exclaimed, dropping the device he had been fiddling with. "Go on, take a seat!"

Doing as he was told, Dib sat in the seat across from the Vortian, awkwardly folding his hands in his lap. Lard Nar... hadn't at all been what he was expecting. As a captain, he thought he would've been calm, calculating, collected. But Lard Nar seemed... rather eccentric, to say the least. He could hardly keep still. The horns on his head sort of reminded Dib of Zim's antennae, but they were far less expressive. He seemed more like a trainee rather than an experienced captain of a ship. Did he really create the Resisty..?

Lard Nar suddenly slammed his gloved hands onto the desk, so loud that Dib nearly jumped out of his own skin. "So, let's cut to the chase, human Dib! We did some snooping around and it seems you've got quite the history with Zim."

Dib couldn't help but laugh at that. "That's one way to put it."

Lard Nar couldn't hide his chuckle in return. "Forgive me if I'm being intrusive, but can I ask what your relationship is with Zim?"

He was asking himself the same question. "Um… well, to be honest, right now it's kind of hard to answer that. A while ago I would've said 'enemies', but now I'm not so sure. Um… we're not trying to kill each other, if that means anything?"

"It does. It's important that all of my team members have somewhat positive relationships with one another." Lard Nar narrowed his eyes at Dib. "If you both make it onto this team, I hope that you'll learn to get along." He suddenly clapped his hands together. "Now then, back to business! Zim isn't exactly a shining example of his race, but you managed to hold your ground and protect Earth against an Irken invader for almost ten years. That's impressive. Therefore, we think you'd make a great addition to our team."

"Oh, that's great-"

"However!" Lard Nar's intense gaze met his own. He leaned over the desk, drawing closer to Dib. "This will not be easy. You will be trained based on your strengths and weaknesses. You will have access to some of the finest weaponry in the galaxy. And there is the, albeit small, chance that you will not return home alive. Tell me, are you prepared to accept these terms?"

Dib swallowed thickly. As polite as Lard Nar was, he was awfully blunt. Dib supposed that he could learn to admire that about him- at least he wasn't the type to hide things. "I-If my planet is really in danger as you say… then yes. I accept."

Lard Nar grinned, flashing sharp canines. "Humans. Such a fascinating species. You know, this is the first time I've ever met one of your kind."

"Same here, I've never met an… um…"

"Vortian," Lard Nar informed him. "I'm Vortian. You've probably heard of the planet Vort?"

"Yes, actually," Dib replied smoothly. "I'm uh… really sorry for what happened."

Lard Nar waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry about it. We used to be their ally, you know… oh, how times change. But this isn't just about my home planet. It's about every planet that the Irken Empire has forcefully conquered. It's about the millions of lives they've taken already. It's about saving other galaxies from that fate. If you are ready to be a part of that, Dib, then I'll happily have you on my team."

There was a small part of him that was hesitant. It hadn't been there before- perhaps it had come with age. But this part of him insisted that it was not his responsibility to save the whole galaxy. He was only interested in one planet- his home planet. But on the other hand, he knew he couldn't just leave now- he had come too far. Besides, if saving his home meant that he got to save millions of others as well… then perhaps it was worth it after all. Besides, he was getting an opportunity that most humans could only dream of. He'd be a fool not to accept… right?

Dib smiled. Who was he kidding? His mind had been made up a long time ago. "When do I start?"

Lard Nar excitedly jumped up from the office chair and leaped over the desk, landing on his (oddly shaped, as Dib had come to find out) feet in front of him. "Excellent!" He grabbed Dib's hand. "Welcome aboard! I'll have Atra show you around and take you to your room. Orientation for new members is in an hour, don't be late!"

And with that, Dib was shoved out of the room, the door sliding closed behind him. He blinked slowly, trying to process just what the captain had said.

Atra grinned, as if she already knew what had transpired behind the captain's door. "He likes you. Come on, I'll take you to your room. Zim! You're up!"

Zim sent her an evil glare- something was seriously wrong with her- before returning his attention to his SIR unit. "Gir, listen to me. This is a direct order from your master. You are to stay right here while I speak to the filthy Vortian. Do not move. Do you understand?"

"Aww, do I have to?" Gir whined, his metallic voice taking on a high pitch.

"Yes! Must I repeat myself? Stay here-"

"Zim," Dib interrupted, "how about I take him with me?"

"Huh? You? Take my robot?"

"It's better than leaving him unattended. What are you gonna do if he gets lost? Besides, at least if he's with me he'll be occupied," he reasoned.

"Please master? I wanna go with the big head boy!" Gir pleaded. Zim watched as Gir's expression shifted to the one he knew he couldn't resist- the one he used whenever he wanted something. He had long since given up on trying to resist the- what was the word that Dib used? Ah, yes, the cute charm of his SIR unit.

"Ugh, fine, whatever. But if anything happens to him-"

"He'll be fine, trust me. Gir, c'mon, we're gonna take a little tour."

The robot giggled and leaped onto Dib's shoulder. He watched as Atra led them to the next corridor, narrowing his eyes at her. Something wasn't right about that female. Perhaps the Vortian would tell him if he agreed to his terms.

The door to Lard Nar's office slid open with a click. Drawing in a deep breath, Zim anxiously stepped inside.

"Zim!" Lard Nar exclaimed when he walked through the door. "Welcome! You know, just between you and I, you're the one I've really been looking forward to seeing."

"Enough with the games, Vortian scum," Zim snapped, venom dripping into his tone. "What's really going on here? Why are you so interested in me? I'm Irken, I'm the last person you should be considering for a position like this."

But Lard Nar merely shook his head. "Respectfully, I disagree. Come on, let's go take a walk, Zim. I'll tour you myself."

Zim didn't trust Lard Nar as far he could throw him, but he knew he wasn't totally defenseless. He could handle a Vortian. Now, a whole crew, he wasn't so sure about. But he sure as hell wasn't gonna tell him that.

Lard Nar led him out of his room and back down the hallway they came through. "There's somewhere in particular I want to show you."

"I told you-"

"You really need to learn patience, Zim. Perhaps that would make you a better soldier. Yes… you are going to need a lot of training…" He continued to mumble to himself, makign small indistinguishable comments under his breath.

"Training?" Zim scoffed. "Please. I've only received the finest training in the galaxy. I can assure you, there's no better training-"

"That's what you've been conditioned to think, that Irkens are the best at everything. But you know that that's not true, don't you? You're just afraid to admit it. Oh! It's right down this hall here, through this door. Come on, if we're lucky, we'll be able to catch it!"

"Catch wha- hey! Wait for me!"

Zim followed him down the corridor to the last door on the right. The door slid open to reveal a rather spacious room. The room was plain, empty, save for a large window on the wall across from him.

He nearly froze when he caught sight of what was happening on the other side of the window.

He'd been through space plenty of times, and as a result had been desensitized to the various anomalies that occurred. But he had never been around for something like... this.

"A dying star. Luckily we've managed to get front row seats without putting ourselves in danger," Lard Nar said, smiling gently.

Zim slowly walked across the room to stand beside him. Indeed they were a safe distance away. He had never been able to get close enough to see one in person. "…So many colors," he noted, unaware that he had spoken out-loud.

"Mmm, space isn't exactly ideal, but… it's moments like this that make it worth it, don't you think?"

Zim didn't answer him, instead focusing on the explosions of color, the swirls and flashes, the dancing particles. Why had he never noticed it before? What was it about this moment that made him susceptible to the Vortian's influence? Why should he care about a few strokes of color in an otherwise black void of a universe?

"I'll tell you why I was so interested in you, Zim. There are stories about you all over the galaxy. Word spreads about the most destructive Irken in the universe, you know. One day I'd overheard whispers amongst the guards on my planet, talking about how you'd escaped a trial with the Control Brains. Ever since I heard that… I knew you were someone I had to have on my side for the rebellion. Since then I've been searching for you- and now… I've finally found you."

He knew he'd made a lot of enemies in his time as an invader- and he was proud of that. He wore his enemy count with pride. But even then, there had only been one mortal enemy that truly mattered to him. One enemy that he really cared about settling the score with. "How do you know that I won't betray you?" Zim inquired. "I am an Irken, after all."

Lard Nar laughed sheepishly in response. "I don't know that, actually. To be totally honest, standing here talking to you like this makes me a little nervous." He cleared his throat. "B-But I trust my instincts. Besides… you may have escaped your fate at your trial, Zim, but the ruling on your file still stands. The Control Brains declared you-"

"Defective. Zim knows."

"You shouldn't feel bad about that, you know," he said, as if it were as casual as talking about the weather. "Defective is what they like to call the freethinkers, the ones who don't just blindly follow orders. They tried to kill you because they're afraid. And I don't blame 'em. You're a defective, sure, but you're a one of a kind soldier. You've got a knack for destruction. If it's utilized properly, that could be a great asset."

"Zim doesn't… feel bad, as you say," Zim weakly protested.

"Well, then how do you feel?"

"I'm not sure. I'm new to the whole 'feeling' thing."

Lard Nar laughed at that. "The point is, Zim, your knowledge on the Irken Empire will be extremely useful to us. According to our files you have a history with the current Tallests. That will be useful as well. If you agree to work with us, you will have to tell us everything you know. But surely, as you are aware…"

Zim nodded somberly. "Yes. It will be the ultimate act of betrayal against my Empire."

"I know that this can't be easy for you. I can… allow you some time to think-"

Zim held up a hand. "No. Zim has decided. If miserable planet Earth is in danger, then I suppose I have no choice in the matter."

"Even if it means protecting Earth from your own Empire?"

Zim flinched at the captain's words. "…If I must. I cannot serve an Empire that I was never part of to begin with."

"You would do that to save all of those Earthlings?"

Zim met his eyes through the Vortian's goggles, blinked once, and then threw his head back, erupting with raucous laughter. "To save the Earthlings?! Have you the brain worms, Lard-slave? I'm not protecting Earth because I care about the hyuuuumans, I'm protecting it because…" He trailed off suddenly, unsure of how to continue.

"Yeeeeess? Go on," Lard Nar prompted.

"Because… because Zim is… I…"

Why was he protecting Earth? Before he had protected Earth simply because it was his planet to ruin, not anyone else's. But he couldn't use that excuse anymore, could he?

"It's... the only place that I know I can return to. And it is the miserable Dib-human's home."

"Dib. You say his name with such disgust."

"Naturally. We're enemies."

"That's not what he said," Lard Nar teased in a sing-song voice.

"What did that insufferable human say about me?!"

"Nothing bad, but he said that you two were on better terms. Was he mistaken?"

"Yes, he was! The Dib and I… we... ugh. Whatever." Zim huffed and turned to face him, pointing a gloved finger up at him. "Listen Vortian, do not expect me to befriend the Dib or anyone else. What I do on this ship is my business. Got that?"

Lard Nar threw his hands up defensively. "Hey, I won't hold you to some sort of golden standard. But there are rules on this ship. You don't have to like anyone, but I expect a certain level of respect from everyone. We're a team here, and we have each other's backs. If you can't handle that Zim, then leave now."

Zim grinned. "I thought you said you wanted me?"

"I do, but it can't be helped if you can't serve your team. You're a soldier Zim, surely you know what I'm talking about?"

Of course he knew. It was one of the first things they were taught in the academy. The number one rule was to always stay with your squad. But Zim had always preferred to work alone. He was never much of a people person.

"Zim will put up with your smelly teammates for now."

Lard Nar stuck out his hand. "Then do we have a deal?"

Zim hesitantly reached out and gripped the Vortian's offered hand. "Deal."

Atra had been kind enough to offer him a tour of the whole ship, and if Dib was being honest, it was pretty nice. If he imagined enough, he could pretend that he was at a fancy hotel, and not in a spaceship. In outer space. Millions of miles away from home.

And Dib would be lying if he said that he wasn't surprised that Lard Nar approved Zim. He must have the patience of a saint if he's willing to put up with him. As he entered the briefing room he saw Zim come in through the other entrance, and surprisingly, he entered right alongside Lard Nar. Dib would have to ask him about that later- he seemed to be into Zim, for whatever reason.

Not that he really cared who was into Zim. Obviously.

"Dib-stink," an all too familiar voice said, "where is my robot?"

Dib shrugged. "I left him in my room. It's got a TV, don't worry. He'll be occupied."

Zim narrowed his eyes at the human before plopping down in the empty seat next to him. "I worry about you corrupting him, you know."

"Me? What about you?" Dib retorted.

Zim opened his mouth to argue, but the sound of Lard Nar loudly clearing his throat interrupted him. The chatter eventually died down and the room fell silent, allowing him to speak. "New recruits, welcome to the Resisty! I am your captain, Lard Nar. I come from the planet Vort. Now then… I'm sure you all know why you're here. You're here because you believe that the scum known as the Irken Empire has gone too far! You're here because you recognize that someone has to stop them before the universe becomes one big Irken conquest! And you, brave soldiers, have risen to the challenge. That alone makes you a warrior." He clapped his hands together, grinning. "Now then, let's break the ice a little bit- our new recruits will stand and introduce themselves!"

Another Vortian, a female, immediately stood up following Lard Nar's order. "M-My name is Dei, I'm from the planet Vort. I heard of the Resisty mostly through rumors, but once I heard Lard Nar escaped, I knew it had to be true! So I decided to follow him in hopes of freeing our planet." With a respectful salute, she smiled and sat back down.

"Thank you Dei. Who's next?"

"M-My name is Fruo, and I'm from the planet Enia. I heard of the Resisty through whispers amongst the stars. My people are not a warrior race, but I have always wanted to be a soldier. So I found the Resisty in order to bring peace to my planet, and to the universe."

Fruo was tall, with lanky pale pink limbs. He had four arms and a tail- and what appeared to be hair. If not for the extra limbs, Dib might have considered him somewhat normal-looking. In fact, other than that he didn't look much different from a human. Even the "hair" looked somewhat human- it sat in short loose curls atop his head.

"Enians," Zim grumbled under his breath. "Weak and foolish."

Dib merely shushed him.

"Thank you Fruo. Next?"

"Zim is next!" The former invader rose to his feet and cleared his throat, antennae standing high at attention. "I am none other than Zim. Clearly, I come from the far superior planet, Irk. I heard of the Resisty through hearsay. Yes, Zim is well aware of your first attempt to take down the Massive. Hah! How pitiful. Anyhow, you should all feel honored to have an Irken elite on your side."

Satisfied, Zim promptly seated himself. And as soon as he did, the whispers immediately started back up again.

"Seriously? The captain recruited an Irken? Is he out of his mind?"

"An Irken?! But why would an Irken be on our side?"

"He's probably a spy…"

"Settle down," Lard Nar ordered. The whispers seemed to die immediately, though it didn't stop the heated glares.

In an attempt to break the thickening tension, Dib stood up. Now or never. "Uh, hi. I'm Dib, I'm from the planet Earth. I'm a human. I had actually never heard of the Resisty before Atra mentioned it, but I'm glad she did. I'm here because…" He quickly glanced down at Zim, who was glaring at him expectantly, as if daring him to speak the truth. He had wanted to say, 'I'm here because I've been protecting my planet from him for years, and I want to continue to keep it safe.' But how exactly could he just… tell them that? Everyone here was already suspicious of Zim, and if he revealed that, it would only cause more trouble for the both of them. "I'm here because my planet may be in danger, and I'm the only one who can keep it safe."

That was probably a lie. Had the military been made aware of Zim's existence, it would've been taken into the hands of the government. Even so, as of right now, he was the only one on Earth that was aware of the existence of the Armada. And if there was even a slight chance that they would come to Earth, Dib would be the only hope of the human race.

After Dib sat down, the other new recruits stood up and introduced themselves. Dib's inner nerd was currently in a state of shock, being in a room full of aliens of all different species. He had thought that years of constant back and forth battling with Zim would have desensitized him to all of this, but as it turns out, he was still just as excited as he would've been at eleven years old.

"Those were our new recruits for Operation Rebuild! Recruits, report to the computer room bright and early tomorrow. We need to gather intel before we can move forward with the next phase. Dismissed!"

Dib could only watch helplessly as the crowd began to disband, the new recruits rushing about to socialize with each other and the more experienced members of the crew. Curiously, he leaned over towards Zim- better stick with the one person he actually knew here. "Is there even a concept of night and day in space?" he asked quietly.

"Not really, but some ships have a night and day simulator. It helps to keep people grounded, gives them a sense of time. Believe it or not, space travel makes some people go mad," Zim explained.

God. On a ship full of aliens, Dib might end up becoming one of the mad ones.

"Welcome aboard, are you ready to see your new room?"

Zim jumped what had to be at least three feet into the air. "A-Atra-drone! What are you doing here?!"

"Taking you to your room. I was going to insist on having you share a room with your mate, but-"

"Would you stop with the mate thing already?!" Dib snapped with an embarrassed groan. "Jeez, Zim and I aren't… eww!"

"Mate?! Ridiculous! Irkens don't- hey!" Zim abruptly paused before turning towards Dib, forgetting that Atra and the others were still in the room. "You should be honored that the idea of being Zim's mate would even be allowed into that filthy head of yours!"

"Oh really?" Dib retorted. "If you're so offended then the idea of a mate isn't really all that 'ridiculous', is it?" he taunted, grinning mischievously. He could never turn down an opportunity to tease Zim, even now after all these years.

Zim fumed, an angry purple flush settling across his cheeks. He opened his mouth to argue, but Atra was quick to interrupt him before a fight could break out.

"Anyway," she said, clearing her throat, "um… Zim, if you wouldn't mind…"

"Yes, yes…" he grumbled, jumping to his feet to follow her.

Dib watched them walk away, a strange feeling stirring in his chest.

What the hell was that about?

A/N: tWO NEW OC'S!