Adjusting Realities (An AoU Post-Conversion Story)

by Slitheeno

The latest convert from humanity Saba Mahmood adjusts to her new life as a Raxicoricofalipatorian Star Slitheen lady whilst faithfully continuing to attend to her duties as the leader of UNIT Britain, posing as Brigadier General Penelope Warrington. Events run smoothly until unexpected visitors turn up at her mansion doorstep one evening…

Adjusting Realities (An AoU Post-Conversion Story)

(N.B. These Slitheen stories are set between the events of the main Aliens of UNIT (AoU) storyline. They focus on newer/recurring characters featuring in standalone tales as well as stories that will tie in with the main narrative arc.).

(N.B. This is a Slitheen story with mature and adult themes. Not for underage readers. Please read at your own discretion).

N.B. This story is set during the events of: Aliens of UNIT Part One. It focuses on the female convert Saba Mahmood immediately after her forced transformation into Slitheenhood.

Synopsis: The latest convert from humanity Saba Mahmood adjusts to her new life as a Raxicoricofalipatorian Star Slitheen lady whilst faithfully continuing to attend to her duties as the leader of UNIT Britain, posing as Brigadier General Penelope Warrington. Events run smoothly until unexpected visitors turn up at her mansion doorstep one evening…

…

(UNIT Britain HQ, London)

The early morning sun continued to heat up the delicate surface below. Birds chirped endlessly amongst the many trees surrounding an undisclosed area within London. At around 8am, a military jeep returned to the main UNIT base in Britain with three important occupants. The high-ranking officials got out one by one, thanking the driver for their services before letting the person return to other duties. The trio were unmistakably large individuals that stuck out from a distance. Their military uniforms signified their high rankings. They remained together in close formation as they proceeded cautiously to the main entrance of a prominent building within the compound. A group of soldiers were enjoying a short break by sipping cups of hot coffee and getting some much-needed Vitamin D intake from the soothing sunshine touching their youthful skins. When they saw the senior leadership trio approaching their direction, these defenders of Planet Earth instinctively readjusted their body positions, reassuming an immaculate upright pose and raising a hand to their forehead.

"At ease.", the big Lieutenant known as Harold Edwards sandwiched in between two female authority figures said, urging his human counterpart to stop the saluting immediately. Civilised behaviour irked him immensely.

"Sir!... Brigadier General, we cannot find Major General Saba Mahmood anywhere since yesterday. We fear that she has gone missing.", the youthful private that stood closest to his superiors announced ominously. UNIT Britain had been suffering from a spate of mysterious disappearances lately. There were fears that the latest leader of the organisation had suffered the same experience somehow.

"Oh, erm, that is…err…unfortunate to hear...", the middle-aged Lieutenant stumbled as he struggled to come up with a reasonable explanation on the spot. His travelling party had ample time to fabricate a fictional story but failed to take advantage of it. Neither did the rotund Sergeant Katherine Jones have anything substantial to say. Her confused face, a deliberate act, suggested that she was stumped. Everyone then looked towards full-figured Brigadier General Penelope Warrington, UNIT Britain's de facto second-in-command and someone known to be very close to the boss. Put on the spot, the peachy-white blonde woman gave a prompt authoritative answer.

"She has taken a leave of absence, placing me in charge temporarily.", the senior figure announced with her characteristic posh upper class accent. It sounded somewhat persuasive to her interlocutors. Her companions murmured together in agreement to reinforce the fiction.

"A leave of absence? Why has HQ not been notified already?", one of the other soldiers enquired as he realised the reported action conflicted with normal procedure. Penelope continued the fake narrative.

"She was, erm, suffering from a lot of stress lately. Had a total breakdown at her house last night. Not medically fit to notify anybody, unfortunately. In my presence. I ordered that she pause her regular duties to recover. Having lost control of her senses indefinitely, I have taken over command per the Emergency Planetary Protocols, until she has been given the medical clearance to return to work.". The second-in-command had become the interim leader of UNIT Britain by default. The truth about Saba was much more complex though. No human could be allowed to know about it.

"Oh, really? I suppose she feared an inspection visit from the higher ups. Must be the cause of her breakdown, the poor thing. Mind you, our organisation has really gone awry these days. Hope she gets better though.", the young soldier commented loosely, forgetting his place. The soldiers appeared to be convinced by the official narrative manufactured by their higher-ranking officers. That is what the trio wanted.

"Do not speak out of turn, Private! But I agree, yes, we pray that our Major General returns in a fit bill of health, the sooner the better. You should all return to your postings. Spread the word.", the general advised gently as she pointed towards a clock tower, indicating that their break was over and that they must return to their posts.

"Yes, Ma'am!", they shouted as one, saluting briefly before marching back to their designated stations around the compound. Sergeant Jones, not who she really claimed to be, breathed a sigh of relief before laughing.

"Good girl.", the Lieutenant said approvingly of the person supposedly his senior with a smile and a pat on one of her broad shoulders. The behaviour and body language being displayed suggested that this trio were closer than most would assume.

"Well done. You handled that better than I would have. We will leave you to it.". The female Sergeant stated to Penelope before the couple departed from the scene together in another direction. The solitary blonde woman looked up and around the HQ buildings. They were all very familiar to her. Walking inside, she headed straight for her office, intending to enter seclusion for a while. At the door of the room with her name plate engraved into the wooden material, two male guards, impressively tall and muscular in appearance, stood firm in front of it.

"Ma'am!". As expected, they saluted their superior slavishly. She gestured positively in acknowledgement before dismissing them from the location. They were not needed at all. Entering her private office alone, the homo sapien leader occupied the centre space filled with a magnificent Persian rug which lay between a couch and the main desk. She delayed sitting down for the time being. To an external observer, it looked like this was the same old Brigadier General Penelope Warrington, a devoted servant to Earth's premier planetary defence organisation. But appearances could be deceiving. In this case, they definitely were, for underneath the carbon skin lay compressed a gigantic calcium-based Raxicoricofalipatorian Slitheen lady. The newest addition to the Star Slitheen Family - Saba Mahmood.

Originally, she had been born and lived as a human being, heading UNIT Britain over the last six months. She found out too late that a notorious Family of Star Slitheen had infiltrated her organisation through a mixed combination of deceit and violence, incrementally taking over the chain of command without anybody realising it. They successfully managed to isolate this important female before capturing her body. These clever extraterrestrials forced the UNIT leader to undergo irreversibly conversion into their species. Saba has been co-opted into Slitheenhood against her will. The collective expectation was that she would go along with the long-term plan of her born-Slitheen 'brothers and sisters' without protest. That she would assist in the plunder of the organisation that she led and continued to lead despite her radical transformation.

"Oh my God!". She randomly blurted out, clasping her humany hands onto her humany mouth. Reality sank in hard: Saba the Slitheen convert occupied this body exclusively now. She possessed full control of her former best friend and loyal ally. It marked a radically new phase in her life. The disguised Slitheen held up her soft human hands for examination. She pinched herself a little, feeling some acute pain.

"I can't believe it.". The experience was surreal. It was very clear to this newcomer what wearing skin suits as a Slitheen were partially about: dominance. The deadly Slitheen creatively repurposed the bodies of whole carbon-based organisms that they ruthlessly hunted down. They turned their big-enough prey into private outfits for their own personal use, activity frowned upon by most other species, especially those who classed themselves as 'civilised'.

These Raxicoricofalipatorians were absolutely ruthless in their approach; they perversely enjoyed targeting prominent members within a specified hierarchy. Skinning allowed them to infiltrate other species and foreign organisations such as UNIT. Generally, they tended to be selective about this; they were not interested in hunting randomly, seeing as they preferred maintaining low profiles wherever they went. Penelope Warrington had recently been killed, not by Saba, but by another recent convert, Colonel Hibah Mughal El Bul Fashfar Star Slitheen, who then casually posed as this woman for a short while. After Saba was forced to undergo conversion, her old rival and now fellow 'sister' gifted her Penelope's skin to mark the occasion. The Family ordered their newest addition to begin life within the collective by inhabiting this skin and continuing to run UNIT Britain on their behalf. Saba's body rumbled a little before loud sounds echoed outwardly.

"Prrrrp! Oh, how am I ever going to get used to that?". The phenomenon dubbed the 'gas exchange' occurred spontaneously. Although it appeared to sound like loud flatulence, it was actually the unstable equilibrium of the compression field sorting itself out in real-time. The Slitheen were much larger than homo sapiens and most other species they came across. To fit inside their victims, they developed an innovative technological neck brace device that they habitually wore around their necks, allowing their forms to shrink inside the bodies without causing the skin to rip apart. But this unnatural act created an obvious and uncontrollable side effect that most Slitheen and non-Slitheen found barely tolerable. Compensation, or punishment depending on one's perspective, for defying physics. At this moment in history, no neck braces were available that conclusively resolved the gas exchange phenomenon once and for all. Saba as Penelope finally decided to settle down at the desk. A small square-shaped mirror with a handle happened to be laying on it.

"It's an awful shame, Penny. I really wish you became one as well - damn!". Looking at her soft peachy-white face, the hidden Slitheen lamented that her colleague, her best friend had been brutally killed and not allowed the chance to enter the Family too. Tor El Bul Fashfar Star Slitheen, the Raxicoricofalipatorian who currently posed as Lieutenant Harold Edwards, told the new member that the Slitheen were 'an exclusive club'. Not everyone could become a Slitheen, apparently. Saba was one of the privileged few, and ought to count herself fortunate. Blessed. She lifted up a picture frame that was sitting on the desk. It depicted her old human body alongside Penny and their many UNIT colleagues. The Major General had been removed from humanity, whilst all the senior leadership at UNIT Britain were presently inhabited by the Star Slitheen. She struggled to make sense of the rapid developments.

"Perhaps we could change our ways. If not on Earth then probably somewhere else. Oh, God help me, I don't know…". Like most new converts, the Slitheen woman was deeply troubled by what her adopting Family were doing to those they hunted without care and often amorally. It clashed contentiously with her usual sense of ethics. Saba tried to resist her feelings gently but there was no escaping the fact that she found her new mode of existence inherently pleasurable. She felt very powerful being inside of someone else. There was little to feel guilty about on this occasion. After all, she had not been the one who killed her friend. If there was anybody worthy to wear Penny, it could only be this convert who maintained strong relations when they were both humans simultaneously in the past. The Slitheen continued to speak to herself reflectively.

"At least you are a perfect fit. I will honour your body whilst we remain at UNIT. I will not let anyone else wear you". Brutal realism kicked in. Saba knew that the unnatural transformation was irreversible, she could not walk around the base undisguised, in her original 'naked' form, whilst other humans were present. In a hostile environment, skin suits were an absolute must. They protected the biological species she now readily identified with from being discovered and persecuted by the ignorant and often hostile homo sapien authorities. Saba understood why her Family did what they had to do on Earth as on other planets and moons even if she did not exactly approve of it. There could be no guilt in wearing the Brigadier's skin; the disguise protected her from harm. If Penny were still alive, she would run through walls for Saba. Interestingly enough, the Star Slitheen enjoyed - welcomed - the regular and expected hostility from non-Slitheen towards them. It played an important role in justifying hunting and skinning efforts more easily. The Family selfishly prioritised survival at all costs, even if that meant at the expense of others. It was the convert's naive liberal hope that the violence and the killings of the species she used to belong to could be kept to a minimum going forwards. The handheld mirror was allowed to drop again onto the desk.

"We have to move on. I have to move on. That's life. I am now a member of the Star Slitheen Family… crazy.". Admittedly, Saba enjoyed her new bio-physiology, especially her increased height, super strength and enhanced sense of smell in particular. It was a step up from the stifling limitations of homo sapiens whom she now perceived as physically weak and vulnerable to attack, worthy of pity at best. Conversion was a two-way street; some things were lost, many others were gained. The transformation still allowed the convert to retain her old memories, her sense of identity from her days as a homo sapien. The Slitheen newcomer still identified herself as 'Saba', and wished that others would continue to address her by the name her loving human mother gave her upon birth. Returning to a human skin felt very different, for the ex-human presently inhabited a blonde white English female, not her original gold-brown Kashmiri hue form. Her upcoming experiences trapped within a dual-existence were going to be very diverse.

"How am I going to cope?", Saba wondered anxiously. Feeling isolated and forced to deal with these unprecedented problems herself, the troubled convert spent some time thinking about what her conversion meant. Her newfound Family had utilised a mixture of skilful deceit and crass violence to take over the senior leadership here at UNIT Britain. Their intention was to plunder UNIT's worldwide, not just in Britain, for all the advanced equipment and resources it possessed, to be sold on the intergalactic black markets for tidy profits. This was the dark setup which Saba was expected to slot into without question. She had been warned that the Family tolerated little dissent when it came to the Family business. Slitheen culture gravitated towards violence and tension internally before being exported outwards. Every member had to remain on the same page. The conversion did not change much for Saba on a professional level. She was allowed to continue as the leader of Britain's UNIT branch as the Brigadier General. The only difference was that the entire organisation was to come under Family control. Saba and any other converts were encouraged to take a leading role in this enterprise.

"I'll find a way or make one myself.", she concluded, happy to ditch these issues temporarily until they would come up again in the near-future. There was only one other thing occupying her mind at that moment: how to explain the sudden disappearance of Major General Saba Mahmood the human? Although a short story had already been given to some members of UNIT, the prolonged absence of that important woman meant that the organisation would inevitably launch an official investigation with immense ramifications for all involved. The Family would need to come up with a more detailed version that would convince everyone of whatever they wanted them to think. At that point, the office door opened up. Another human-looking woman entered the room uninvited and unannounced. Saba rose to her feet and moved over to her position in the centre.

"Settling in well?", the woman asked politely with a sincere smile on her face. Saba recognised the person immediately: it was Private Husna Rashid, someone who she had known loosely when she spearheaded the organisation as a homo sapien. The tall, dark brown-skinned British woman had a buxom and curvaceous bodily nature, complemented by her stuffy military clothing. Her face was finely-shaped and her hairstyle for this occasion was a ponytail. The outfit overall remained a tight fitting for the Slitheen cramped inside officially registered as a size nine. The gas exchange was frequent in this skin. Very fortunately, the Slitheen released a natural chemical reaction whenever they sweated from their armpits, more so when inside someone else, that coincidentally secreted a thick goo which rubbed internally via friction, ensuring that the decomposition of their disguises occurred at an extremely slower rate than usual, allowing the Slitheen to wear it for many years if they desired it.

"Yes. May I?". Saba requested before she called for permission to be granted to her. The other lady obliged with a silent nod as if she had been expecting that request.

"You never need to ask. Go ahead whenever you want.". Leaning her Penelope face forwards eagerly, Saba sniffed the Private's body up and down hard to ascertain if she really was who she thought she was. The scent emitting from the body was a mixture of human and a distinct smell that she knew from being around Tor and Hibah. This person was a Slitheen in disguise. A fellow 'sister'.

"Mmm… What is your name, sister?", Saba asked as she returned her human face back to a normal upright position. It did not feel awkward at all to think of this person as a fellow Family member. In fact, it felt perfectly natural already. Being in disguise engendered a sense of 'naughtiness' to the situation.

"I am Husna Rashid El Bul Fashfar Star Slitheen, at your service. Delighted to meet you, Saba.". The hidden Slitheen took her army cap off and bowed briefly in a respectful greeting, recognising her counterpart as her equal. The Slitheen cared little about the ethnic or biological origins of those lucky few they were forced to become like themselves. They were more interested in utility. If the converts were judged to bring potential value then they were quickly socialised into Slitheen culture and encouraged to take a leading role in any business operation. Non-Slitheen origins did not limit the opportunities, wealth, power and prestige that a convert could have within the Family. These bonuses were what often kept converts within the Family and behaved more Slitheen than born members themselves.

"Ah, another convert.", Saba automatically assumed. She no longer felt lonely. Somebody else could she could talk about her novel experiences with for hours and hours.

"Nope.", the Sergeant Slitheen replied dismissively, sinking that hasty conjecture. Implicitly, this person insisted on being identified as a born-Slitheen. That also meant that the human Private Husna Rashid had been tragically killed and subsequently skinned, like Penelope Warrington. The Slitheen did not discriminate as they infiltrated UNIT. Every non-Slitheen appeared as fair game to them.

"Eh? The first two names are quite common and definitely derived from a culture on this planet.". The Slitheen newcomer had a visibly stumped facial expression on display. She was certain of her own convictions. It would have to be an almighty coincidence if Raxacoricofallapatorius, the 'native homeland' of all Slitheen, had an indigenous culture that also produced these exact names. The statistical odds were very unlikely.

"I know. I have decided to appropriate them as part of my identity. After the successful hunt, I have full right to do so.", the Slitheen predator spoke frankly. After assuming her body, this Raxicoricofalipatorian, largely out of subconscious guilt and remorse, strongly identified as her human victim. Already, she had convinced her fellow siblings to only refer to her stolen human name and never her original Slitheen appellation. Anybody who did ended up suffering a bruising beating that made them regret their carelessness instantly.

"I see. Can't say I agree with that but each to their own. So what is your actual name?", Saba continued her investigation. She wondered if this objectively distasteful behaviour of appropriation was commonplace within her new Family. If so, there needed to be widespread culture change imposed at some point.

"Spoilers!", the Slitheen 'Husna Rashid' exclaimed raucously, causing her counterpart to even shudder in brief shock as the voice echo died down. Her 'sister' proved unwilling to comply with this basic request.

"Come on, out with it. I want to get to know you better, that's all. The real you.".

"Oh, we will get to know each other very well, Saba. Don't worry about that. My real name is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. Here is something you should always bear in mind now that you are a beautiful and dominant Slitheen woman: I was the one who stopped my Family from killing you yesterday.", the Slitheen whose true name remained undisclosed revealed. The final part of that declarative statement triggered a vivid memory flashback in Saba's new head.

Yesterday, Saba Mahmood the homo sapien leader of UNIT summoned all her senior colleagues to her private residency for an emergency meeting. But she only learnt to her horror that the Star Slitheen had successfully murdered their way up the military hierarchy, replacing her colleagues one by one. They trapped her, the ultimate prize, in a safe location, her own mansion house, fully intending on killing the UNIT leader and turning her into a costume for yet another sibling to wear on a daily basis. Thanks to Husna's last minute intervention that was followed by a tight debate and internal vote, Saba ended up becoming a member of this Family through the artificial process of conversion. She was expected to assimilate and integrate at once, to identify as a Raxicorifallipatorian Slitheen and act accordingly.

"Oh right. Erm, thanks.", the Saba Slitheen responded with a sense of awkwardness in her voice. It appeared that this Raxicorifallipatorian sister had been her 'saviour' for the occasion. Better to be a living Slitheen than a dead skin suit worn by someone else humiliatingly, she conceded privately in her head.

"Don't thank me but the Supreme Being who put us into contact with each other. Homo Sapiens are a cute bunch, by the way. Such a ritualised lifestyle they lead. Very unsophisticated though, so much to learn. Our Family is only getting started on this rock. You are going to lead us into a new era of untold prosperity. We have started our journey in Britain but it's not over yet. There is still so much work to be done.", Husna remarked as she began to examine items of interest around the office. The primitive products of human civilisation fascinated her active mind.

"I will do my best. For the Family", the Slitheen leader pledged her commitment. The convert was not entirely sure how that would play out for now.

"How is the compression in your outfit?", Husna then asked candidly, looking at the Penelope skin from various angles. It looked like a tight fitting, very much like her costume.

"It's not too bad…pzaaap! Oh dear.". Saba spoke too soon.

"That's the spirit!", the born-Slitheen woman said approvingly before bursting into laughter, easing the embarrassment for her counterpart. Her own gas exchange began to act up not too long after that…

(The Next Day)

Tuesday morning. 9pm. The main assembly hall inside the main UNIT base was packed with most members of the organisation present in standing rows. The newly self-appointed interim leader of UNIT had called for an emergency gathering. Expectations about the future proliferated wildly. Once the ordinary soldiers had arrived into position, the larger senior members of the military hierarchy sat either side of a podium stage where the disguised Saba Slitheen stood as she addressed the ignorant homo sapiens.

"Prrrp! Good morning, my fellow colleagues, my fellow brothers and sisters in arms. Noble defenders of Britain and Planet Earth.", she began her speech in universally patriotic terms. Every human in attendance believed they were listening to Penelope Warrington.

"Thank you all for attending on such short notice. I have a short but very important announcement to make. It is with immense regret that I must inform you that Major General Saba Mahmood has resigned from her position as leader of UNIT, both in Britain and her worldwide role too. I received her resignation notice last when I met her face to face. She cited health reasons for her early exit. She therefore departs on mutual terms. Undoubtedly, it is a loss for our organisation. Saba was one of UNIT's greatest leaders despite leading us for only six months or so. She led us through so many troubles and tribulations; Daleks, Cybermen, Zygons - the lot!". The disguised Slitheen happily eulogised herself before all. Everyone nodded their heads silently in agreement.

"Yet no homo sapien is bigger than UNIT, Earth's premier planetary-wide security organisation. Just as we were initially left distraught when we lost our beloved Kate Stewart, we kicked on together. There will be life after Saba, rest assured.". At that moment, some senior officers began to chuckle a little too loudly, briefly interrupting her speech.

"Harold, Katherine, please!... Ahem. Until we hold a proper internal election to determine the next leader of this noble organisation, I, as second-in-command, have decided to take over UNIT Britain and all worldwide operations on an interim basis. I derive my legitimacy from the Emergency Planetary Protocols.". The woman held up a green briefcase that housed the quasi-sacred documents that attained prominence during times of exceptions. The human soldiers followed the swaying of the case with their eyes, as if they were hypnotised by it. They respected its authority and had become conditioned already to accept the Brigadier General as their new leader.

"On a final note before I dismiss you, I would simply like to say that I am proud to serve you. To serve with you. I am proud to serve our blessed Planet Earth. I promise that I will continue the foundational and positive legacies of our predecessors. Naturally, there will be many internal changes going forwards but this is the necessary part of the shakeup process as a new leadership of our magnificent organisation takes place.". This cryptic message confused many of her audience. Deliberately so. They were worried that they could be axed as part of calculated job redundancies. But Saba was alluding to her Family whom they had yet to meet face to face in the flesh.

"Rest assured that our planet remains under our collective protection. We will crush anyone who dares to threaten our security! That is all! - pzaaap!". Finishing her talk with an arrogantly triumphalist tone that appealed to many, the unusually gaseous Brigadier General stepped down from the podium and immediately departed from the scene with some fat escorts. The rest of the soldier-filled audience broke discipline momentarily; scandalised once more by remembering the sudden loss of Saba Mahmood. It took a bulky lieutenant to mount the podium by his own initiative to have them dispersed.

"Quiet! You heard our sist- err, leader. Get back to your stations, the lot of you!", Tor bellowed angrily as Harold Edwards towards the homo sapiens, telling them to go away in effect. He enjoyed bullying homo sapiens, especially the males amongst them. The subordinate soldiers immediately obeyed their superior officers' orders, hushing themselves before they marched out of the area in straight lines. Afterwards, Penelope left the room for another part of the base where the top commanders of her organisation had been summoned for a private audience, ostensibly to discuss daily operations in a post-Saba Mahmood world. The Brigadier General entered a space already jam packed with bodies conversing with one another warmly. Most of them were born-Star Slitheen, with the exception of Hibah Mughal who was also present as Sergeant Katherine Jones. Saba looked at them, and they stared at her as she occupied the front of the room. Eyes began to be raised during the few moments of silence that followed. They then began to laugh together as one, revelling in their power. Saba felt right at home this time round. Home was wherever the Family were in the galaxy. Right now, that happened to be Planet Earth, her birthplace.

"So lovely to see you all again, only this time I can appreciate the subtlety involved." Saba addressed her Family with a light hearted comment. Her siblings were delighted to see her taking her transformation and new job role well. To retain full loyalty, the established born-Slitheen made their co-opted converts vital components to further the Family's interest. By having a solid and important stake, the convert was less likely to betray them, to suffer a biological schizophrenia and be more likely to enthusiastically embrace their new roles with full commitment. The Slitheen family aimed to erase all attachments the convert had to their former species. Saba, like Hibah, was going to be an important player who would have equitable access to whatever riches the Family laid their claws upon.

"Prrrp! Pardon me! As I was about to say…Oh, I cannot pretend to do this any longer guys… pzaaaaap!". Her gas exchange acted up wildly although this was highly unusual. Penelope's body functioned as a near-perfect fit for the convert.

"Prrrp! I'm being poisoned by this infernal gas exchange!", the convert complained publicly as it showed no sign of letting up. Her Family members suggested a remedy.

"You don't have to stay inside your skin.". The males had a basic, if banal, mindset: they wanted to see their latest Familial addition unzip before their very eyes.

"I suppose not.", Saba agreed. That meant only one thing, something that Saba had yet to perform.

"TAKE IT OFF! TAKE IT OFF! TAKE IT OFF!", the Slitheen males loudly encouraged their leader to unzip. She could not refuse the request. She reached for her forehead but could not find the zip hidden behind a perception filter.

"A little more to the left, sister… bit more, Sabs… there! Give it a tug.", a kind brother guided her hand movements. The convert yanked it backwards, unleashing a stream of jet blue lighting and electric humming that colonised the room.

"Aaaaaah!". Saba gasped hard. The feeling was pure joy and ecstasy. Her first unzipping. The convert immediately pulled down her Penelope face, groaning a little as her Slitheen head and neck appeared in its place. The suit automatically slid down to her belly, allowing the woman to begin stretching her massive arms in advance. The other Slitheen in the room also took the occasion to undress from their costumes. After a few minutes, every Slitheen in attendance stood tall and proudly naked. On this occasion, Saba was not to be surprised for she had been recast into their image. She was one of them, an equal.

"That's so much better. Now where was I? Oh yes…", the liberated Slitheen woman spent several minutes discussing the next stage of the business plan that she was forming in collaboration with her eager fellow siblings.

"We must continue with our plan. Maintain your current position and identities. No skin-swapping unless I give permission; we need to keep up the consistency. No need to raise any suspicions about our presence so needlessly. Only kill if you absolutely have to. Remember that we are members of UNIT. A threat to Earth is a threat to our business plans. We will need to neutralise any foolish party who dares to interrupt our operations.". The Slitheen roared impressively, lifting claws into the sky in affirmation of what their Family leader was saying. After the short speech was over, the UNIT leader took the occasion to get to know her Family members a little better. They all remained undressed and entered into deep conversation with one another about sundry topics, important and mundane. Tor introduced Saba to some of their brothers more formally. One figure stood out in particular.

"This is Sip-Sep Tuy Tar Star Slitheen. The Family economist and anthropologist". The Slitheen man and woman fixated their eyes on each other immediately. A sense of warmth between this duo began to radiate immediately.

"Hi.", Saba initiated the conversation with that monosyllabic utterance with a confident voice.

"A pleasure to meet you, Saba. I hope you are settling into our Family well. Mmm, love your scent.", Sip-Sep complimented the convert as he leaned in and sniffed her all over her body intimately. The natural odour was entrenched and raw.

"Thanks, I am.". Saba stole a quick whiff herself of his body before the male returned to an upright posture. It appeared that sniffing was a common ritual, nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about.

"Enjoying Slitheenhood?", the born-Slitheen asked candidly. He had been one of those who had voted in favour of converting the leader of UNIT to their kind and cause. He was utterly delighted with her transformation.

"I have not had a chance to catch a breather yet. Things are moving quite quickly. But I feel that I am in good condition, with a decent set of personnel to work with.", the convert remarked truthfully.

"I agree with that assessment. We have high expectations of you. I have no doubt that you are motivated to support the wellbeing and prosperity of our Family.", Sip-Sep proclaimed before all. It made his new boss blush out of modesty.

"So you are an economist and anthropologist?", Saba changed the subject matter slightly. The job titles sounded impressive and nerdy. She wanted to know exactly what this man had researched so far in his career.

"Yes. My job within this Family is to research profit-related opportunities which causes me to study other rocks and peoples. UNIT is a goldmine begging to be exploited. We are going to be absolutely filthy stinking rich by the time we leave. We estimate the total value of the assets it holds is equivalent to forty-five trillion credits, enough to last over a hundred generations of Star Slitheen descendants.", Sip-Sep revealed, licking his lips gleefully. He had recently written a best-selling publication, entitled 'The Untold Wealth of Planets', documenting ultra-rich rocks and peoples that his and other Slitheen Families could target in their rapacious pursuit of profit. Understandable, it was officially banned by the High Council back home on Raxicoricofalipatorius but was printed elsewhere in more than one galaxy. Earth did not feature in this publication for it had been written prior to the Star Slitheen crash landing spontaneously on this rock for the very first time.

"Whatever UNIT possesses, it does not really own it as it does not come from the Earth itself. It has simply claimed the technology and weaponry, to the exclusion of everyone else, including the original owners. I say it is the case of finders keepers.", Sip-Sep declared. This was how the Star Slitheen liked to justify their often unsavoury and questionable activities. His brothers and sisters murmured in agreement when they heard this.

"I see.". Saba was not entirely convinced by that justification but it did not matter. The rest of her greedy Family were. There was little she could do to change their obsessed minds so soon. At that moment, a junior human officer barged into the room without seeking permission first. It would be a fatal mistake.

"Brigadier General, you are needed in the Conference room. We-". The man stopped dead in his tracks. Before him stood a sea of humongous beings who turned their body positions towards his presence. Rubbery skins formed a mass mess on the floor. Definitely non-humans. They did not appreciate being discovered so exposed.

"Oh my…", he simply said before silence took over, his trembling feet rooted to the spot. Hissing aggressively, the Raxicoricofalipatorian men and women in the room rushed and seized his skinny body, yanking him close to them before tearing him into many pieces in a matter of seconds. No witnesses. Although shocked, Saba could not do anything about it. She dressed herself back in her appropriate suit before heading off to the Conference Room. Along the way, she wondered why that idiotic human failed to knock on the door and ask for entry permission first. It could have saved his life.

…

At the end of the work day, Saba continued to perform her civilian duties as Penelope Warrington outside of UNIT. Driving home in a massive SUV vehicle, she arrived at the twelve bedroom mansion that that human formerly owned, on the outskirts of London in a secluded woodland area, away from civilisation and other peoples. It was a massive secluded complex, with an inner courtyard ostentatiously decorated with neoclassical statues and sculptures amongst the curated verdant flora. Being a cultured person grounded firmly in Western civilisation, Penny had a vested interest in Ancient Greece and Rome, Saba recalled fondly. At the entrance an innocuous non-human being stood by.

A Felix Jagad Cat from the Delta-Five constellation to be precise. Penelope Warrington had voluntarily married this recent arrival to Earth, known simply as Jeg. His beautiful homeworld had been invaded by a violent species, the Sehiyoneez, bloodthirsty itinerant settlers who had an aggressive habit of claiming the lands of others that never belonged to them and utilising brute force to enact their genocidal agenda. They were aided and abetted by the powerful Vastan civilisation block of technologically-advanced planets who endlessly provided them with armoury, bombs and diplomatic cover for the Sehiyoneez to commit their dirty deeds with impunity before the rest of the galaxy who felt impotent to intervene military on the side of the oppressed, a basic duty universally applicable anywhere. On the legal front, Delta-Five was officially classed by leading intergalactic authorities as an occupied planet. The Sehiyoneex relied on control and defence by holding and maintaining overwhelming military force, though in recent years the native resistance had begun to launch audacious operations that suggested liberation might not be too far off.

In the meantime, massacring millions of innocent Felix Jagad Cat natives - men, women, children and unborn babies, in cold blood with the assistance of advanced science and technology to steal land, food and resources selfishly for themselves, the amoral Sehiyoneez forced survivors such as Jeg to flee the soil where his ancestors millenia ago had laid the foundations for his existence and the perpetuation of his established peoples. The refugee that formed part of a growing diaspora spread out across the stars paid a vast fortune to seasoned space traffickers to ship him to a safe haven. Anywhere in the Universe, as long as he could survive, hoping that he could one day return to a liberated Delta-Five. Smuggling through dangerous asteroid belt fields first, they helped him arrive on Earth via UNIT Britain, giving him a new home and a low-paying job to perform for the benefit of humans. The corrupt Brigadier General in charge of the Department of First Contact noticed his cheery personality during a routine screening event and, swayed by his real-life stories of trauma, took pity on the Felix Jagad Cat. They tied the knot quickly and lived a relatively satisfying existence together as a committed couple for a while.

"Oh the delight of my eyes!", Jeg shouted in delight as he watched who he assumed was his spouse walk up the final steps to his position. The biped Felix Jagad Cats walked on both feet as opposed to four, like human beings. The somewhat youthful Jeg was wearing an eccentric multi-coloured suit with a bowtie, a relic of the 1980s. His arms loved to be stretched forwards with his palms sticking out, always ready to rumble like a motor whenever he spotted his wife. Fur dominated his light-brown haired bodily appearance; his overgrown beard engendered a sense of warmthness to his innate friendly personality. Despite all the pain and suffering he had to endure, including losing three hundred family members in a single outer orbit air-space strike conducted by the sociopathic Sehiyoneez on one occasion, the grateful refugee always strove to exhibit a cheerful and upbeat attitude in everything he was involved with. He had come to love Earth and its friendly peoples. Penelope protected him from any harm.

"Hi there.". Saba remembered who this person was. She had only met him on one occasion previously, when Penny brought him into the workplace to show him off to other staff members effectively.

"How was your day? I have been waiting for you since you left!", Jeg proclaimed before he began to pepper his wife's face with plenty of kisses. Saba felt overwhelmed but let him continue with his zealous actions a little longer.

"Never leave me again!", he exclaimed playfully as he shook his furry face into hers. The Felix Jagad Cat was only overjoyed to see his spouse again, the only human he enjoyed regular contact with. He was not allowed to leave the mansion on his own, lest he expose his presence to unknown actors.

"That's enough!". Saba separated herself but laughed heartily as she enjoyed the exaggerated displays of affection. She had not felt this manner of love for quite some time. Since Penny departed from her life. Jeg appeared to be quite an affectionate being, something the Raxicoricofalipatorian could appreciate and hoped to reciprocate.

"I made dinner for us this evening, my gorgeous Penny! Roast Beef, your favourite dish!". In his free time throughout the day, the talented refugee chef on Earth simply loved to cook whatever humans ate, learning over two hundred different recipes in a short amount of time. He always aimed to please his spouse and fill her appetite.

"Good. I am feeling quite hungry. Shall we then?". The disguised Slitheen was desperate to head inside as she felt the British weather typically turning colder. The same pattern repeated over the next several evenings when she returned to the mansion from base. The interior of the mansion, worth millions of pounds, was lavishly decorated with antiques and gifts the Brigadier General had received from foreign extraterrestrials over the years. Penelope's main hobby was collecting rare and exclusive material items. Bookshelves populated many rooms; Penny was known to be a voracious reader on many subjects. Saba also found a private notebook compiled by the real Brigadier General, detailing her intimate thoughts about Jeg during the time she spent with him when still alive and breathing. One reason why she married him was to examine extraterrestrial life more intimately, to better understand how they thought and behaved. Various dated comments could be found scattered throughout the book.

"Loves cheese and crackers…"

"Hates dogs but loves rabbits, ducks and geese…"

"Went to the cinema together…"

"Watched Arsenal thrash Tottenham 6-1 at the Emirates…"

"Celebrated our three month anniversary…"

"Excellent in bed this morning!...".

Saba found the terse notes to be very cute and hilarious. A pressing issue arose, however. Since Penny was dead, this marital relationship was no longer tenable really. It needed to be terminated for the benefit of both parties. The Slitheen convert did not need any needless distractions. As she met Jeg regularly everyday, Saba knew she had an instant choice. She could slaughter him irresponsibly and end this fake relationship that way. Who would be able to call her to account for it anyways? Alternatively, she could let the extraterrestrial go away by more peaceful means. Seeing as the harmless and adorable Felix Jagad Cat had done nothing wrong to incur her wrath, the disguised Slitheen maintaining a sense of consciousness, commitments to a basic ethical standard, opted for the most merciful option available. One evening after a sumptuous dinner meal that the Felix Jagad Cat cooked, the disguised Slitheen sat down with Jeg before the crackling fireplace and attempted to lay down the bombshell.

"Erm, Jeg?", Penelope began. A slight hesitation could be detected in her tone of voice. This was not going to be easy, even if Jeg was not Saba's true husband.

"Yes, my love?", the male Cat looked over to his presumed wife as he read an historical book on Roman Britain. He found humanity to be a captivating species.

"I have something to say to you.", Saba continued, carefully pondering over her next words.

"What is it, my dear beloved Penny?", he said as his eyes returned to a book page. He assumed it would be a light-hearted comment.

"Erm, there is no easy way to say this but I will be blunt with you: I want a divorce.", the hidden Slitheen announced suddenly, maintaining full eye contact. It shocked her 'husband' who slammed his book shut dramatically.

"A divorce?!", he blurted out, surprised to hear that particular word. His culture rarely allowed such a phenomenon to take place. Divorce was barely known amongst his species.

"Yeah, I feel that our relationship is not working anymore. It would be best if we parted ways, Jeg, by mutual consent.". Saba knew these statements would hurt her counterpart emotionally, the harshest wound of them all. But it was done out of necessity. Contradictions needed to be resolved.

"Why would you say that? We have been happily married since I arrived on Earth. You have never complained about anything I have done.". With his worldview shattered, Jeg was deeply confused by what he was hearing. He had planned to spend the rest of his life on Earth with Penny, at least until Delta-Five would be free. The UNIT general could move back with him there, he dreamed. More significantly, the Cat began to fret about how it would impact him, a refugee from outer space, personally - would he be forced to leave Earth all alone? Who else would take him in?

"There have been complications arising at work. It's not your fault but we need to separate for both our sakes. Otherwise our security shall become jeopardised.", the Brigadier General announced emphatically. This was becoming too emotional and tedious for her liking. She wanted this over and done with quickly.

"Complications at work?"

"Yes. With other colleagues of mine."

"Are you saying that you are seeing someone else?", Jeg tried to deduce what was really going on. Perhaps Penelope had become enamoured by another male, this time from her own species.

"Not exactly.", Saba replied before looking away momentarily. She could not tell him the complete truth. It would be too much to handle.

"But I don't under-". Jeg attempted to continue his nascent investigation as to why his wife and patron on Earth wanted to get rid of him. But a strange occurrence interrupted the duo. A loud crash sound boomed randomly, signalling the onset of an ominous development.

"What the hell was that noise?", Saba asked aloud, primarily to herself. It was extremely unlikely that the person she was forced to be bonded to temporarily would have any definitive answers. The couple nonetheless headed towards the nearest glass window. To their shock and horror, they witnessed an unprecedented convoy of vehicles recklessly penetrate the inner courtyard of the mansion complex, mowing down the metal gates and then the expensive neoclassical statues dotted everywhere in the vicinity. Anything physical that could be forcibly subjected to movement. Whoever had arrived clearly had no manners. The cars and vans formed a tight perimeter before the entrance. Nobody was to come in. Nobody was to be allowed out. One by one, a team of armed individuals manifested their appearances as they exited the vehicles. None of them looked remotely human.

"Who are they?!", Saba blurted out in utter confusion. She could not recognise any of them nor had she ever been in contact with them. The Slitheen convert wondered whether Penelope did. Whatever the truth, the unruly behaviours of these unknown actors immediately suggested malicious intent.

"They are the people that you work with, Penny. They helped to bring me this planet. How could you forget that? But what are they doing here? They have never been here before.", Jeg chimed in with commentary at a critical moment. He too expressed concern at this development.

"The people that I work with? Oh yes…Oh no…". Saba understood from that vital piece of information supplied by the Felix Jagad Cat what was going on.

"Illicit space traffickers collaborating with rotten elements within the Department of First Contact, of course.", she realised conclusively. When Penelope was still alive, she had engaged in various corrupt practices, taking advantage of her vast privileges at UNIT as well as the poor culture of accountability that permeated that military organisation. She had brought thousands of extraterrestrials, cheap labour in the eyes of those who wanted to use them for their own projects, to Earth via illegal routes. This required close coordination with numerous space traffickers, often identifiable as the scum of the Universe in the eyes of many.

Outside their normative role, these versatile males also functioned as gangsters for hire, self-employed burglars simultaneously. This mob, always looking to make a quick profit on the go, began to unload their trunks laden with empty crates and treasure chests awaiting fulfilment. Ironically, they were led by a biped Sehiyoneez individual from occupied Delta-Five who went by the singular name Kansopp. He was a veteran space trafficker. An eye patch covered his right eye where a bullet remained firmly lodged inside. Tall and bulky, he was a deformed figure facially, exhibiting a dark reddish-orange hue. One of his front teeth was missing. Kansopp wore nothing more than a white vest, fatigue pants and black boots. Healed bruises and cuts were visible all across his exposed skin zones. The troubled couple inside heard the loud commands issued by the boisterous Kansopp to his motley crew of unidentifiable skinny-looking extraterrestrials, numbering no more than six. They too dressed like their leader for this job.

"Go inside at once. Take everything of value. Kill any witnesses without hesitation. Once we are done here, we will blow this shithole to pieces. If Penny isn't here then she will at least appreciate our parting gift.". They were here to enact a raid. The human Penelope had fallen behind on her payments to those she worked with in bringing extraterrestrials to Earth en masse. In death, she was unable to pay anything but nobody outside the Star Slitheen knew what truly happened to her in recent times. The Family never recognised debts passing from other species onto themselves, Saba was heavily disinclined to pick up the tab. The disguised Slitheen watched from behind Penelope's eyes as the numerically bigger group broke down the mansion's main entrance door and entered the exclusive building unopposed. The Raxicoricofalipatorian woman was on her own for this occasion. No point in trying to contact any of her siblings; these thugs would be long gone by the time they would arrive. Saba realised that she had to deal with this issue on her own independently. The nearby Jeg hardly looked up for a scrap. His useless whimpering and state of panic increased each passing minute, punctuated with incomprehensible noises and gasps highlighting his impotence in the face of violence.

"Oh no, what are we going to do?! They are going to kill us if they see us!", he exclaimed before twirling around in circles on the spot as his heart beat and blood pressure rose rapidly. It was too much to handle for this innately peace-loving being. Seeing a Sehiyoneez again so soon sparked hurtful flashbacks of ugly scenes in his mind, including carrying the few remaining body parts of his two-year old in a carrier bag.

"'We?' Hah! Good one! You are obviously unable to do anything. I, on the other hand, will be forced into action. At least 'we' retain the element of surprise.", Saba announced emphatically. Moving away from the glass window and towards a more central point in the bedroom, the Slitheen placed her hand on her forehead and peeled back her hidden zip. This time she found it for the first time without having to resort to trial and error. The Felix Jagad Cat looked absolutely transfixed as another gigantic being casually emerged from the body of his human spouse.

"Ooooh… I was looking for an excuse to get undressed, you know? I have not been out of my stuffy skin for at least three days now.", the Saba Slitheen claimed quite frankly, not remotely bothered with how her terrified counterpart felt about the situation. She stretched her muscles a little nonchalantly, expecting to run a little tonight.

"Aaaaargh!", Jeg screamed deliriously. He could not believe his eyes. A gigantic predatory being with massive forearms and razor sharp claws stood before him. He felt absolutely impotent.

"Shush, you idiot! They might hear your pathetic screaming. I prefer we retain the element of surprise whilst we have it.", the Saba Slitheen urged her counterpart to re-enter a state of silence. It was an impossible task set.

"W-What have you done to m-my w-w-wife?!... Aaaargh!", Jeg screamed hysterically once more, this time louder.

"Oh my God, shut up! Don't make me do something I will regret.", the Slitheen woman threatened lightly. She was afraid that the noises Jeg was making could expose them needlessly.

"AAAAAARGH!". The Felix Jagad Cat continued his shrilling sound making unabated, freaked out constantly whenever he cast his eyes onto the floor where the remains of his homo sapien wife lay in rubbery mess. The echoes could be heard going out of the room. Immensely dissatisfied with the lack of mutual cooperation to survive in an increasingly dangerous environment, Saba motioned a massive hand to one side before swinging it around and landing a thunderous slap on his face. Jeg immediately lost consciousness, dropping to the floor, silenced. He was not dead though. The convert had no intention of killing him at all. The Slitheen proceeded to pick up her skin suit from the floor first. Opening up a near-empty wardrobe that begged to be stuffed with items, the Penelope outfit was hung carefully and stored inside next to a jacket. After that, the sleeping Felix Cat's body was gently placed in between the two pieces of clothing. The wardrobe door shut immediately once that action concluded.

"You'll be safe inside there.", Saba remarked as she prepared to embark upon a course of action. The Raxicoricofalipatorian who remained in her first few days as a Slitheen sniffed the air. The trafficker gangsters were all inside her house. Survival mode activated. Downstairs, the gang normally in league with their wealthy Brigadier General patron proceeded to ransack the mansion, room by room. They wanted to claim anything of value and place them in their portable trunks and chests.

"Hurry up and finish. Penelope is a member of UNIT. They will come after us soon.", Kansopp urged his colleagues as he looked at the time on his wristwatch. They had been at it for thirty minutes and counting. Time remained of the essence. Their criminal acts would not go unnoticed.

"Where is she, Penelope? It's not like her to delay payments and cut all contact with us.", one of the crew members asked, realising something unusual. They had decided to burgle the mansion after observing its relative emptiness over the past few weeks, although somehow failing to spot the presence of the domesticated Felix Jagad Cat whenever they conducted observations from afar.

"I can't remember the last time we saw her either. What gives?", another said spontaneously. Everyone else began to whisper and murmur amongst each other, giving their own speculative theories that lacked firm foundations. Penelope's whereabouts remained a compelling mystery.

"That doesn't matter anymore. Our working relationship is officially terminated. We need more trustworthy partners to conduct business with. Claim your compensation whilst you can.". Kansopp urged his team to speed up the looting process. He had no intention of returning to Earth after this evening's activity concluded. Meanwhile, a fascinated Saba watched them all discreetly from a safe vantage point behind a gargoyle statue on the staircase. They were doing to the mansion exactly what her new Family intended to do to UNIT, albeit in a very crude, unrefined manner. She deduced that it would be wise to avoid a direct confrontation with these intruders; the gangsters were sufficiently armed with some heavy lethal firepower not from this planet. Instead, she would wait for them to make their inevitable way upstairs, where the narrow passageways and various rooms could be the terrain better worked to her advantage. She had killed extraterrestrials before in the past as a human, in the name of Earth's self-defence, but only with guns. This time, she would be using her claws directly, making the affair hotly animalistic and predatory.

After an hour since they started the looting, the versatile space traffickers had managed to remove everything wanted downstairs and proceeded to move upstairs. Their job was halfway complete. One of the extraterrestrials entered a lavatory setting alone, hoping to steal some soap and shampoo. He was known for stealing ordinary items and selling them to travelling ignorant and wealthy pilgrims and tourists across the stars at exorbitant rates. Whilst stuffing his pockets with those items, he had noticed too late in a mirror reflection that a massive green-coloured being had been waiting for him to turn around. A sharp gasp was all he could manage. His brittle spine ended up snapping instantly a few seconds later. In the other rooms elsewhere on the upper floor, the remaining space traffickers continued expropriating the many valuable contents Penelope originally owned.

"Wow, look at this beauty!", one of them shouted gleefully, demanding the immediate attention of others. He held up an activated dark blue lightsaber that he had plucked effortlessly from an ostentatious wall display, sandwiched in between the fragmented skulls of two Vemus Tigers, officially extinct in this solar system.

"This will buy me at least five properties on Riley-Smeth's Asteroid Belt.", he boasted shamelessly before he deactivated the weapon, pocketed it and continued looting other precious items nearby.

"Hey, where is Tex?", one of the others enquired as he noticed that their colleague had not returned from completing a routine task. How odd, he thought.

"He went to the bathroom. Probably got his headphones on, the slow bugger. I'll go get him.", somebody else replied. This burglar swiftly put down anything had picked up and moved over a few metres to the bathroom where he saw Tex enter but never re-emerge from.

"Hey Tex?...Tex, you there? Come out now. The boss is getting impatient.", the extraterrestrial called out casually as he entered the space. An immediate sense of disease inundated this space trafficker. Fresh blood seemed to be splattered everywhere, indicating a violent struggle at the very least. It surprised him but he held his composure. No need to raise any alarms just yet. It remained unclear what had unfolded here. No clear-cut sign of his friend either.

"Tex?", he whispered softly as he slowly moved over to the bathtub shielded by some obscure curtains. They too appeared to be dripping with blood. With slight hesitation, the veils were pulled to one side, revealing a ghastly sight. Pieces of body parts lay scattered everywhere. Immediate identification was impossible but he was sure this was Tex. Somebody had killed him brutally.

"Oh fuck!". The rest of the crew were in grave danger. A light tap on his shoulder forced the burglar to turn around without taking any precautions. The tremendous colossus being snarled before striking at an exceptional fast pace for its huge mass size.

"Aaargh!". This intruder looter suffered the same grisly fate as his friend. His final sounds were picked up elsewhere.

"What was that?!", the extraterrestrial that had pocketed the lightsaber wondered on behalf of the group. It did not sound joyful. Quite the opposite.

"Tex, or Targon. Let's check it out. Together.", the vigilant Kansopp suggested wisely. The surviving four space traffickers formed a tight formation and moved into the bathroom as one solid unit. The dark spectacle sickened their beings. The stench was unbecoming. Two space traffickers had been slain.

"Targon?! Tex?!". They were unable to identify which limb belonged to who.

"What the fuck…", another one looked away as he aired his disgust.

"Who did this?!", cried out another in frustration and agony. This was supposed to be a routine job. The situation had changed radically and for the worse.

"Someone else is here.", Kansopp surmised the obvious fact. Retaining complete composure, he began to look around the bathroom, to detect any sign or trace of the killer.

"Someone else, or something else?", an extraterrestrial close to his leader inquired circumspectly. They could not fathom who or what could be capable of such devastation. They instantly feared the same fate.

"Not time to speculate. Lock and load your guns. Shoot anything that you do not recognise.", the Sehiyoneez advised his remaining team members. At that point, they all heard a fulminating howl emanating from somewhere else in the building. Someone or something else was indeed present. It appeared to indicate hostile, malicious intent towards them.

"I didn't sign up for this.", one of them declared, palpably squirming amidst the pressure. Few dared to leave the bathroom setting alone.

"Neither did I. Don't be a pussy. We will hunt this thing and kill it on the spot. The one who does it gets my share of the possessions we take from here", Kansopp announced. The lie served as sufficient motivation. The gangsters moved together in a tight formation, back to the ground floor. They noticed that the chest trunks had been turned upside down, their contents emptied onto the wide floor.

"There!", one of them spotted something green moving about in the shadows before firing randomly. His crew followed suit, unloading bullet after bullet, rocket after rocket until it became clear that they hit nothing worthy. The thing had escaped momentarily.

"Keep going!", Kansopp urged his colleagues to continue their hunt. Saba made creative use of the massive mansion. In one room, she intelligently organised an impromptu booby trapped door; utilising an improvised electromagnetic bomb device made from some leftover pieces of items on a nearby desk. Penelope literally collected anything external to the Earth's atmosphere, and Saba made use of them to a devastating effect. The explosion killed three space traffickers. In the end, only Kansopp remained alive. He had nearly managed to kill the deadly creature, grazing her lower chest with a few rounds as she attempted an audacious jump from the floor to the chandelier in the main hall. The Slitheen had deliberately allowed for this scenario to develop on her watch; licking her lips from a safe area, she saved the best for last.

Despite the immense losses of his team, the seasoned space trafficker remained confident that he could finish the dirty job and leave this planet alive with all of Penelope's most prized and valuable possessions worth a fat fortune. The events that had unfolded this evening actually resolved the inevitable issue of petty disputes and infighting over who would get which part of the fortune. Kansopp intended to spend it alone. The emotionless sociopath could hire out a brand new team to work with once he was finished here. Wielding a laser rifle tightly to his muscular chest, he carefully scoured each room, looking for his wounded prey. Eventually, he saw something scuttle from side to side on the upper floor. It appeared wounded, hurt. He quickly tried to advance to its position.

"Who are you? Identify yourself!", he bellowed in frustration as he fired a few rounds wildly. Nothing appeared before his sight. He was not sure if the sentient being was capable of complex speech. No response appeared to be forthcoming anyways. Only eerie silence.

"Coward!", he cried out in frustration as he shot a few more rounds anywhere. Every member of his crew was dead. A crashing sound emerged from a nearby bedroom at the end of the hallway.

"Got you.". The Sehiyoneez dutifully followed his wounded target to the last place of refuge - the bedroom. Kansopp cautiously scouted the location but again the mysterious killer failed to manifest its bodily appearance for a much awaited one-on-one clash. He noticed the only wooden wardrobe at the far back near a wide glass window overlooking the inner courtyard outside. It stuck out like a sore thumb. Some incomprehensible, muffled sounds could be heard intermittently. Someone was inside. But who? It could be another booby trap but Kansopp stayed calm, unfazed by that prospect. He failed to recall the last occasion where the possibility of certain death frightened him into a craven retreat.

The space trafficker fearlessly ripped off the face of the wardrobe, severing the hinges violently. He pointed his gun at the being lodged inside who screamed deliriously as always. Jeg the Felix Cat, awake once more, ran away for his life deliriously, throwing something onto Kansopp without a care, blinding his sight momentarily which let the terrified being escape unharmed. Kansopp's eyes were fixated on another development, one which promised to be more startling. Crouching down, he stared bewildered at a rubbery messy pile of the emptied remains of a homo sapien female he had previously been acquainted with.

"Penelope…?". He was astounded to see this phenomenon. Picking it up for closer examination, the lifeless face of Penelope Warrington eerily stared at him. When he first met the Brigadier General months ago to begin work with her, the space trafficker discreetly scanned her body to ascertain her true life form. Kansopp knew that this was no fake costume, this was the real deal. Somebody had killed this homo sapien and then turned her remains into a private costume. It had been well-skinned, well-preserved. No signs of decay, in fact. The zip around the forehead confirmed that it had to be used by someone else. It was something he had never come across before.

"Damn, who did you piss off to deserve this fate? This explains the non-payments at least.", the Sehiyoneez remarked, feeling a little sorry for the fate that his former patron underwent. Remembering again that the predator he was after remained at large inside the mansion, Kansopp threw the skin suit nonchalantly back onto the floor, simultaneously satisfied and disturbed by what he had managed to learn implicitly. Moving out of the room whilst making sure all of his directional angles were covered adequately, he followed the familiar sounds of whimpering. Jeg had managed to make it downstairs before tripping clumsily over some misplaced chests, hurting his right knee. Knowing his wife had been killed and then seeing an enemy Sehiyoneez invade his house on another planet raised his heartbeat to its highest levels prior to inducing a cardiac arrest.

"NO, PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!", the poor Cat cried out, pleading for mercy from a Sehiyoneez criminal thug.

"Get up!". Kansopp knew that this pathetic native of Delta-Five, someone he looked down upon as did the rest of the species he belonged to, was not the killer of anyone this evening. Jeg could possess some useful information that needed extraction.

"Who are you? What were you doing in that wardrobe? What happened to Penelope?". He pointed his loaded gun into the petrified Cat's mouth. Jeg felt on the verge of either fainting or having a nervous breakdown.

"I will give you three more seconds to say something meaningful. One…Two…Three.". True to his words, three seconds passed but the Felix Cat was in no shape to utter anything meaningful. He braced himself for death, a merciful release from this hellish evening. The space trafficker attempted to shoot callously but to his dismay discovered that his weapon had run out of ammunition. Reserve supplies were located outside, back at the vehicles. Sensing this weakness, the Raxicoricofalipatorian predator decided to come out of the shadows. This troublesome evening needed a wrap up.

"Leave him alone. He does not know anything.", a distinguishable voice from behind called out sternly. Turning around slowly, Kansopp finally came face to face with the being who had disrupted his evening's operations.

"Don't come any closer.", the deformed Sehinyoneez requested. But he lacked any noticeable deterrent. The Slitheen completely ignored his prey and advanced closer to his position. Driven by fear and desperation, Kansopp grabbed Jeg and manoeuvred behind the Cat's furry body, pulling out a sharp blade from his belt and holding it close to the poor hostage's neck, turning the situation to his advantage.

"I'll slit his throat if you come any closer.", he warned, maintaining full eye contact. Saba paused momentarily before uttering her next words from a stationary position.

"Go ahead. He does not mean anything to me.", the Raxicopricofalipatorian announced candidly. Jeg whimpered frantically after he heard that. Nobody seemed to value his life.

"Why did you attack us? We have no prior history, no quarrel.", Kansopp enquired, trying to understand the rationale of this incredible non-human being he had never come across before.

"You invaded our house. Self-Defence.", the Slitheen justified her hunting and slaughtering this evening. She felt no guilt about any of it. Saba was determined to finish the job.

"'Self-Defence?' We came here to take whatever we wanted. You ruined a routine job.", the shameless burglar declared to his interlocutor.

"A fact that I am very proud of.", Saba retorted sharply, maintaining full eye-contact.

"What did you do to Penelope? I saw… 'her' upstairs.", the Sehiyoneez changed the subject matter.

"None of your business.".

"Fair enough.". Kansopp realised that the conversation was going nowhere. A few moments of silence passed before Saba seized the verbal initiative again.

"I have already made my point by taking out your friends. Despite all the trouble you have caused us this evening, I am still willing to let you go peacefully with your life intact. Let him go and then leave this house, this planet for good." Saba ordered with authority. It was a reasonable offer, she thought, one that she would commit to.

"I thought this cretin did not mean anything to you. Sounds like you are begging more than anything else.", the dastardly Sehiyoneez remarked, sensing weakness.

"He is still innocent. Let him go. I will not ask again.". The Slitheen was becoming impatient. But she took care that Jeg would remain unharmed. His survival took immediate priority.

"Very well.". Kansopp said before he poked his hostage's neck slightly above his fragile jugular vein.

"Aaaargh!", Jeg screamed in pain as some blood began to drip from his neck to his chest.

"JEG!", the Saba Slitheen shouted before she hissed at her cold enemy who indicated no plans to reverse his behaviour and leave whilst he could. As she tried to advance, the space trafficker threatened to drill his blade even further.

"So you do care about him after all. Hahahahaha.", Kansopp announced before laughing maniacally. It was the truth. This was something he could exploit to his unfair advantage. Jeg and Saba looked at each other, helpless. The male Cat suddenly realised that the thing that emerged from Penelope's body deeply cared about his well being, for some reason. He finally felt that he could trust her. 'It'.

"Now it is my turn to order you, you fucking bitch, whoever you are. Load up these crates with the goods and then take them outside one by one. Place them in the largest truck. If you do not listen, I will end this furball's pathetic life on this very spot.", Kansopp proclaimed with venom. Once this being had done her job, the Sehiyoneez would execute her on the spot to claim vengeance for his fallen colleagues. At that critical moment, the Felix Cat, angered by hearing yet another verbal insult being directed at him and seeing how futile remaining scared was, mustered some courage for the rare occasion. He boldly decided upon biting Kansopp's hand that loosened its grip on his throat for a moment, causing his hostage-taker immense pain.

"Ahhh - you dirty bastard!", Kansopp cursed his former hostage who had seized the occasion to liberate himself as the knife dropped to the floor. The vulnerable Sehiyoneez automatically began to rub his wound but saw Jeg run to the other side, hiding behind the fearsome Raxicoricofalipatorian woman. The ability to advance opened up again. A pleased Saba lunged forth immediately, barging the space trafficker with a spear and knocking him to the floor hard. The Slitheen picked up the nearby knife, threw it away and began to screech aggressively. Her bloodlust levels returned quickly to their optimum peak. Her fellow convert Hibah once told her that Saba had not yet tasted this ecstatic feeling. Today was the day.

"WHO ARE YOU?!", the terrified Kansopp cried out in fear. He sensed death awaited him. There was no escape from this.

"I. AM. SLITHEEN!", Saba Mahmood El Bul Fashfar Star Slitheen proudly proclaimed before lifting a mighty claw high into the air.

"No, please don't…", Kansopp whimpered out his last words. The predator paused for a brief millisecond upon hearing this last request. It was too late. The occasion begged for a definite conclusion. She ignored it and swung downwards out of instinct more than anything. It landed on Kansopp's head like a missile strike. Instant death followed. He did not even have time to scream. His impotent body lay on the floor static and limp. The hostage crisis was over. The Slitheen victor breathed heavily for a while before she began to stagger a little.

"Oooh, my head. I do not feel so good.", Saba said as she placed a palm to check her feverish temperature. Everything looked like it was spinning around. Swinging side to side, she collapsed to the floor in utter exhaustion, falling into a deep sleep. Her inaugural hunt had ended successfully yet she had burned up a lot of energy in the process. The convert was shattered. Her body forced itself to shut down for a while. Meanwhile, Jeg the Felix Jagad Cat had witnessed the final kill. He slowly came to stand beside the sleeping - and defenceless - Raxicoricofalipatorian. In his hands was Kansopp's blade knife, still dripping with that person's blood. He stared intensely at the being who deceitfully posed as his homo sapien wife, strangely possessing the ability to kill her too in revenge. Inside his head, his consciousness argued with itself for a while - should he kill the woman who saved his life?

(Two Hours Later)

After a while, Saba's eyelids began to flutter progressively in speed before her vision restored itself. She woke up alone on the floor. The area exhibited the same messy state. The mansion clean up and renovations would take many weeks and months. That was the least of her immediate concerns.

"God, that is quite painful. Ow!". She felt her humongous body aching everywhere as the recovery process kicked into effect. Making her way back to her two feet eventually, the Slitheen looked around. Kansopp's lifeless corpse remained where it was but more importantly there was no sign of Jeg anywhere.

"Where has that silly Cat gone?". The convert sniffed the air sharply to obtain the desired information. Once satisfied by what her nostrils were truthfully telling her, Saba headed upstairs. Jeg was sitting on the mattress in the bedroom, crying silently to himself. The Slitheen wondered why he was engaging in this form of behaviour. They had won together against their foes. A celebration of some kind begged to occur.

"Hey, what's wrong?", she asked softly, creeping up steadily to his fixed position from behind. Jeg turned around to see the familiar Slitheen lady on her feet once again. That query only made the widower even more upset. His weeping intensified in quantity and sound until he voluntarily held something for the Slitheen to examine. It was Penelope Warrington's skin.

"Oh. I'll take that back, thanks." Saba said, feeling the awkward atmosphere emerge. She felt that Jeg was owed a proper, reasonable explanation as to what exactly happened to his human spouse. Figuring that a simple straightforward dialogue would be pointless and far too overwhelming for this traumatised being, the Slitheen took her disguise authoritatively from his paws and moved back a little to one side. Jeg stopped crying momentarily as he watched the strange phenomenon of a larger being trying to install itself inside a tight and small skin. Saba tossed the costume onto the floor and began to pull up her body again from her green feet below. The Felix Cat bore witness to the fascinating compression technology that allowed this Raxicoricofalipatorian Slitheen to defy nature; watching her return into the skin of his deceased wife's body.

"Ah, that is much better - prrrp!". Once more, Saba resumed posing as Brigadier General Penelope Warrington. She moved over to a mirror and adjusted her outfit accordingly. Jeg was dismayed by the sickening sight.

"Why?", he simply uttered, trying to hold back the production of yet more tears.

"Why what, Jeg?", Saba asked as she turned her peachy-white blonde-haired face towards his direction.

"You know what I mean. Do not play games. I am not in the mood. Tell me the truth.". Jeg demanded his basic needs be met.

"Alright.". Saba spent a while explaining everything from start to finish. About how she was originally a human herself serving as a Major General within UNIT, very close to Penelope on a personal and professional level. About how a Family of Star Slitheen crash landed on Earth; taking over UNIT and biologically converting some important homo sapiens to their side. The astounded Felix Cat could not believe that they had coldly killed Penelope and turned her into a private outfit for the primary purpose of augmenting their power and influence within that military organisation founded by humans to protect Planet Earth.

"I don't believe you. This is insane.", Jeg remarked after the explanation had been made clear to him.

"As I said, I did not kill our lovely Penny… someone else did.". Saba was unwilling to disclose the identity of the real murderer to the aggrieved husband, her fellow convert and 'sister', Hibah Mughal. The Felix Cat would not be able to do anything against that highly aggressive and violent Raxicoricofalipatorian lady. The innocent Slitheen lady continued her speech.

"I am, err, 'borrowing' this, erm, outfit on a temporary basis. I need it for my job.". It sounded really awkward to explain such peculiar Slitheen behaviour to a non-Slitheen. But Saba was Penelope, and Penelope was Saba. Nobody could change that fact. In a twisted way, it sort of made sense; Penny always joked to her salaciously that one day Saba would 'be inside her'. The prediction had come true albeit in a highly unconventional sense. A sense of jealousy also arose within this Slitheen. Saba was not going anyone else to wear Penny. Only she had that exclusive right. Only she was capable of honouring the late Brigadier General.

"How do you expect me to believe that you did not kill her and turned her into your own piece of clothing so shamelessly? I'm sorry but I cannot believe what you are saying.". Jeg refused to accept what his counterpart had said thus far.

"I sympathise, I empathise with you. I know why you are so upset. You have every right to be. I am telling you the facts. It is the honest truth. Brutally cold, I will concede.", Saba insisted.

"Are you even listening to yourself? You are a mentally deranged sociopath.", Jeg cursed her.

"I loved Penelope and that has not changed since I have become a Slitheen. I would never have harmed her, and she would run through walls for me, whatever my request may have been. We did everything together inside and outside UNIT. Unfortunately, a very complicated development has arisen on this rock and I find myself thrust slap bang in the middle of it all. Believe you me, I am not pleased that our Penny is no longer alive. It pains my heart whenever I look at myself in the mirror and I have to repress my feelings out of necessity. The bottom line is that Penelope is dead and there is nothing we can do to alter this reality.". Saba lowered her head after she completed that final sentence. Negative feelings overwhelmed her body senses. This was not the way things were supposed to be.

"YOU LIE!", Jeg shouted, unusually demonstrating an uncanny fit of rage that ran in sharp contradistinction to his normally calm and tranquil demeanour. He appeared to be in deep denial about the whole situation. Internally, he asked a very common question afflicting aggrieved victims - 'Why did this happen to me?'. Implicitly, that also begat another question - 'Why did this not happen to anyone else?'.

"NO, I AM NOT LYING! YOU NEED TO STOP LIVING IN DENIAL. YOU NEED TO MOVE ON. THE SOONER, THE BETTER!", Saba retorted in a louder voice that boomed out into the hallways. It forced the Felix Jagad Cat to shudder in fear. He entered a silent period of reflection, thinking about what Saba said. The disguised Raxicoricofalipatorian allowed him to have a minute before she spoke up again.

"Believe me or not but we both accept that Penelope is gone. Her gentle soul, if not her body. I do not know what you believe but I absolutely profess to the belief that there is an afterlife. I believe that we will see Penelope again soon enough. Nobody is truly gone forever.", Saba declared solemnly. A tear appeared to be forming at her right eye as she remembered her best friend. The Felix Cat noticed this, an indicator that the Slitheen was in fact telling nothing but the truth.

"I believe in an afterlife too.", Jeg confessed. He knew as did Saba that this material life was not the definitive end. He took comfort in that. He would see Penelope again some day.

"Then we will be reunited together at some point. All of us. In blissful peace and serenity. We should have no doubt about that.", the Slitheen woman spoke authoritatively from the lips of Penelope. A few more tears were generated and they began to flow down to her cheeks. These genuine words of conviction and consolation cheered up the otherwise unhappy extraterrestrial refugee.

"You need to leave, Jeg. I am sorry that you cannot stay here anymore but my life, as you saw yourself this evening, has become too dangerous which puts you at risk. I do not want you to be killed. You deserve so much better." Saba announced, delighted that the Felix Jagad Cat began to face reality rather than run from it.

"Where to though? I came to this planet as a refugee fleeing from a genocide enacted against my occupied people. I have nowhere else to go.". Jeg's face turned negative once again. He dreaded to be made homeless so soon after settling into an Earthly existence. He enjoyed this planet and its many interesting native peoples whom he looked upon so fondly. An atmosphere of uncertainty colonised his mind, his fears, his anxieties about the near-future increased manifold.

"I am the leader of UNIT. I will sort out a new home for you to go to safely. It is the least I can do. Take it as a goodwill gesture.", Saba promised kindly. Compensation for losses that were not his fault.

"Thank you, Saba.". Jeg's capricious facial expressions changed once more. For once, a smile lit up his visage.

"You are most welcome, Jeg.", the Slitheen lady replied courteously. The next day, Saba drove back to base with this extraterrestrial. Setting up a database, the Star Slitheen Family running UNIT Britain allowed Jeg to determine his next place of refuge. He voluntarily chose an obscure moon orbiting the Planet known as X-6 in the neighbouring Andromeda Galaxy. It was well known for accepting and integrating immigrants successfully from all sectors of the Universe. A rocket shuttle was promptly prepared for his departure later that night. At the hanger, the Felix Cat said his final farewells.

"Goodbye, my beloved Penelope.", Jeg said as he touched the face of Saba's outfit, his heart internally wincing in pain. Tears were pouring down his furry cheeks, naturally. He had envisioned spending the rest of his life with this brilliant homo sapien female whom he had loved intensely; Penelope had taken him in when nobody else would. Alas, another destiny beckoned for him and her.

"Goodbye. I wish you all the best.", Saba responded as Penelope, forcing his hands away and gesturing to him to embark on his journey. Towing his luggage with him, Jeg boarded the vessel on his own. The Slitheen watched as the rocket satisfyingly blasted off into space, disappearing in seconds beyond the glistening white stars in the vast night sky. The Felix Cat was free to chart a new chapter in his life, free from harm and danger. Technically, this meant that the Slitheen convert found herself 'single' once more. Continuing to inhabit Penelope, Saba would chase up all loose ends associated with the Department of First Contact inside UNIT Britain over the next few weeks. She shut down all alien trafficking operations once and for all, paying off any extraterrestrial contractor a large one-off gift payment to soothe the unexpected break up of a financially profitable business operation. Anyone external to Earth seeking job opportunities or safe haven on this planet were allowed to arrive through safer and official channels to have their claims processed by an official UNIT branch.

(Two Weeks Later)

Saba arrived at HQ per normal as Penelope for yet another day's work. Working with and for the Star Slitheen Family as the leader of its business operations. The sudden disappearance of the human Major General had been passed off as an insignificant event, demonstrating the level of control the Family had over this national UNIT branch. Being a Slitheen had become more normalised by now, no longer an oddity. Saba simply accepted the transformation and felt no need to contest the change. Hibah had been right all along, something this convert had to concede quietly. The numerical minority Star Slitheen, boasting only thirty members or so with their Family, had already taken over Britain with minimal effort. This country was to serve as the launching pad by which the Family would take over other UNIT branches worldwide. The Saba Slitheen would be purposefully playing a leading role in these rapidly expanding operations.

The first thing that the UNIT leader liked to do when arrived at base was head straight to her office, if there were no meetings to attend or speeches to pronounce to an audience, where she sat down at her desk for a while and read through some daily reports that would inform her duties for the rest of the day. That fine portrait of the human Saba Mahmood still hung prominently on the back wall facing anybody opposite. Besides it, the Saba Slitheen had installed a map of the world. Britain had already been coloured green. Soon, other nations would join this expanding club.

"Axonite fragments rumoured to be found in China… Suspected Auton manufacturing in Scotland… Oh, when will this planet ever be allowed a chance to breathe peacefully?". Saba cursed softly under her breath as she glanced over the finely-printed pages. The UNIT boss found it simultaneously fascinating and irritating that so many extraterrestrials took immense interest in tiny little Earth. All that did was increase her workload on a daily basis, never something that she liked.

Knock Knock! A visitor had arrived.

"Hey!", a voice called out before the person's body followed through the door. A familiar face. The recently promoted Sergeant Katherine Jones. Crammed inside this skin lay compressed a fellow convert, the former UNIT Colonel, Hibah Mughal. Smiling, she unzipped quickly out of her disguise.

"My sister!". Saba lifted her buttocks from her seat and greeted her fellow unclothed convert with a genuine hug. The Slitheen duo sniffed each other hard, delighting in capturing each other's strong scent. One of many common Raxicorifallipatorian greeting rituals.

"You smell great this morning.". Looking up briefly, Saba spoke words of complementation before she sank her Penelope face back into her counterpart's prominent green chest.

"Don't I always?" the Hibah Slitheen replied rhetorically, oozing confidence that could only inspire others. She placed a hand on Saba's head and held into place for a while before letting go. Saba gasped as she was allowed to breathe easily once more. The giggling duo enjoyed their newfound existence as Slitheen women. Hibah had come to love her transformation almost immediately whereas it took time for Saba to become accustomed. Both occupied the same boat now. They relished their Slitheenhood, acknowledging its many positive and beneficial aspects.

"Oh, before I forget like always, I have something to show you." Saba announced as she returned to an upright position. It piqued her fellow convert's interest.

"I wonder what it could be." Hibah asked aloud in anticipation. Rummaging through a cardboard box besides the desk, Saba plucked out a rubbery suit and slammed it hard before the disguised Sergeant. It was formerly Kansopp the Sehiyoneez space trafficker. News had proliferated around UNIT about the astounding events that took place at her mansion home a few weeks earlier.

"Voila. What do you think?". Saba enquired with a lovely smile. She was proud of this initial milestone. It proved her predatory prowess, it confirmed her Slitheenhood. She was worthy to lead her Family.

"Oh wow. You have done a great job.". Hibah held up the lifeless costume in her human hands, admiring the intricate craftsmanship. The hallmarks of a professional skinning job were evident.

"Unfortunately the meat did not taste good at all. I vomited for two days after consumption. I think it will look lovely on the wall next to the map though.", Saba remarked, pointing to an empty space that begged to be filled. The proposed display would be an implicit warning to any non-Slitheen visitor - mess with the Star Slitheen at the cost of your own life.

"The first of many, I'm sure." Hibah predicted accurately. She threw the suit back onto the desk thoughtlessly before sitting down on the couch and turned on a plasma TV screen on the wall with a remote. Saba postponed further reading and joined her; watching a speech made by a very important figure within UNIT but operating outside Britain. This particular personality caught their immediate attention: Admiral Cindy Andrews, the leader of UNIT America. Standing at a height of around five foot seven inches in full military uniform, she was a well-endowed pale-skinned woman with black hair and a prominent chest and curvaceous figure; making a recorded speech directed to every member of Earth's premier planetary security organisation worldwide. Behind her, an American flag overshadowed the UNIT representation. Her distinctive New Yorker accent could be heard clearly.

"Citizens of America. Soldiers of UNIT. My fellow human beings across our planet. I have an urgent message to share with you. Please listen carefully and considerately: The security of our homeworld, the only inhabitable zone for humanity in the known universe, is paramount. Yet in recent years, we are being challenged like never before. The old world is dead, and a new world is undergoing its painful birth pangs. The threats to our global security are only increasing, unfortunately. Earth only has UNIT to defend itself. Thankfully, our branches have demonstrated some basic competency in safeguarding our diverse populations.

Yet only some of us humans have proven ourselves worthy enough to take on this challenge that is only becoming bigger and complex each passing year. As the country with the greatest political, military, economic and cultural system this planet has ever seen, UNIT America and only UNIT America alone has the capacity to handle the constantly expanding threats to our homeworld. It is not enough to defend though. We must make Earth great again, for homo sapiens exclusively.", the Admiral proclaimed emphatically, revealing an unsettling aspect to her character that was hard to miss.

"Wow, I wonder where she got that idea from, eh?", Saba asked rhetorically, looking at her sister, highly unimpressed. The formerly xenophobic and Far-Right hate preacher Hibah smiled amidst the embarrassment.

"I took it from her and so many others, actually. I never proposed anything original. I was just a mouthpiece for them.". The sisterly duo continued listening to the very end.

"It may seem inappropriate to say this openly but I feel it is my obligatory duty to raise these concerns before the wider public who have a right to know about UNIT and how we are defending the same planet we all inhabit collectively as one species. It is regretful then that UNIT Britain has lost two of its leaders within the space of just six months. That branch, which currently has the right to direct all global operations of our military defensive organisation, including American ones, per its democratically-secured mandate by popular voting, which runs out next month, I should add, has failed to pass the latest internal inspections. Unsurprisingly, it has received the lowest rating possible. It has become unfit for purpose, more so when Major General Saba Mahmood took over from the late Katherine Stewart.", the Admiral snuck in a dig at someone whom she had a brief and heated rivalry with behind the scenes. It made the observing Saba Slitheen seethe.

"Next week, I intend to travel to London where I will meet with my British counterpart, Brigadier General Penelope Warrington who has assumed command. I expect to have frank discussions with her behind closed doors regarding the future of our esteemed organisation. America will always be on standby to help our British allies in their time of need, in return for a few favours. We have an ironclad special relationship that will last until the end of time.", the Admiral boasted with a devious grin appearing on her face. The time to take advantage of Britain's institutional weaknesses had come. The American branch would annex its junior partner across the Atlantic pond irreversibly. The future belonged to America exclusively.

"UNIT America forms an integral cornerstone of Earth's security. Without us, nobody is safe. It is a simple formula - no America, no more Earth. The rest of the world ought to be grateful for the immense service we provide free of charge. We have to intervene against hostile alien threats wherever we see fit to do so. Those who critique our interventions are plainly misguided. They are irrational. They do not know what they are doing when they try to deny our global leadership, our manifest destiny.

Under my strong and stable leadership and by the exceptional powers granted to our branch by the Emergency Planetary Protocols we helped to devise after World War Two, I will aim to restore the honour, prestige and power of UNIT; factors which our enemies no longer respect and fear these days. Any alien with malicious intentions will have to think long and hard twice before they attempt to do anything they would not even have time to regret. I will end with these final words: The time for change has come. We must reinvent ourselves in order to survive. Rest assured, Earth's fate is secured as long as America is in charge. May God bless America!". The speech ended on that particular note. Saba facepalmed her head at the arrogance on display, whilst Hibah could not believe her eyes.

"I don't know how you ever worked with her. She is so fucking bossy. Literally living on another planet. So detached from reality."

"I never did, really. We clashed ferociously over many issues. Admiral Andrews is a control freak. She wants UNIT to be American-led exclusively. I spent the last few months as a human fighting off this unwanted intervention.", the UNIT Britain boss explained as she recalled a few memories in her head.

"The problem with the Americans is that they are too arrogant. Not the ordinary people who simply want to get on with their lives, conflict-free. Their political leadership. They think they own this rock. Like it is their own backyard.", the former Colonel complained.

"That is true. I worked long and hard to keep the Americans out of Britain, out of our operations. But their influence has become too great. Do not be surprised if they try to overturn the prevailing democratic consensus and pursue their own narrow interests at the expense of everyone else. Britain is unlikely to hold the overall global leadership role going forwards.", Saba revealed.

"Didn't this country have that same mentality once upon a time, Saba?", her fellow convert asked a potent question.

"You are referring to the British Empire that covered a quarter of the global land mass before the onset of the First World War, my dear sister? Yes, it did. Then it lost that power within a few decades after reaching that peak and, in my opinion, I do not think that it has been able to cope with that discomforting reality. Nostalgia predominates on these Isles. Britain is now a power in retreat on the world stage even if its deluded politicians pretend to claim otherwise. Forced retirement. I predict the same thing will happen to America one day, if it does not collapse amidst the pressures of a civil war.", Saba assessed astutely. She had always been a keen student of history, human history, making her well-placed to form such informed assessments.

"It is bitterly ironic then."

"What is, Hibah?"

"That the former colony that founded itself in direct opposition to the empire ends up transforming into an even greater monster that outdoes it in practically every known category. The United States of America is the bastard offspring of Britain. The ungrateful child that ends up taking possession of its parent. Enslaving it to serve its needs.", Hibah stated, performing her own analysis in real-time.

"And this country ends up turning into its vassal bitch, for a lack of a better description. Whoever thinks Britain is an independent country is either innocently ignorant or plain fucking deluded. Anyways, that is human politics for you. We have moved beyond that. Thank God.", Saba said with a sigh of relief. Hibah nodded her head in agreement. Slitheenhood had saved her from a life of petty inter-species disputes. It gave them a higher purpose, a greater calling. They continued to watch the American Admiral speak. Subconsciously, the Star Slitheen members fantasised about fitting into her skin. Between non-existence and existence always lay possibility.

"One of us will need to go inside of her.", Hibah announced candidly. It was the obvious next step. UNIT in America promised to be another treasure trove that was on standby to fall into the claws of the Family. The interventionist Admiral was living on borrowed time. Hibah was calling first dibs.

"All in good time, my sister. She says she is coming over here next week. We can have a nice 'chat' together in this office", Saba declared before the duo giggled once again. Admiral Andrews could be classed as a threat to the Family in advance. Neither Saba nor the rest of her Family could allow this female to threaten their global agenda. They would wait and let this homo sapien make the first move before deciding upon an appropriate reaction. The sense of a looming clash filled the atmosphere.

"Put something else on. I'm bored… Oh, you know what? Leave it. I am feeling peckish. Fancy going on a hunt with me?", Hibah extended the impromptu invitation as she rose to her human feet.

"I am not hungry.", Saba replied in the negative, remaining seated. Her eyes remained fixed on the Admiral on-screen. She had to work out a plan to deal with her once and for all.

"Suit yourself. I'll see if Tor or Rupp are free. Laters.". The fellow convert zipped up and left the office accordingly. Saba resumed her seated position at her nearby desk, restarting her reading session. Only a stern knock at the door after a few minutes interrupted her again. A naked Slitheen man entered without being given permission. Saba recognised him immediately, standing up once more and meeting him in the centre of the room.

"Morning, Sip-Sep.", Saba said warmly before she began to sniff his impressive body all over, touching some parts and giving them a soft rubbing which he greatly appreciated. It was obvious these two were forming a tighter relationship these days. Neither person denied it.

"Hey Saba. How are you feeling?", he said, lightly caressing her Penelope face with a claw finger.

"I'm good, thanks. Yourself?"

"Likewise. Especially when I am around you." Sip-Sep claimed very confidently. He felt a serious loving bond developing organically between the couple. So too did the convert lady.

"Oh, haha. I should admit the same.". The leader of UNIT laughed heartily. The Slitheen Families prided themselves on being open and never repressed. They tended to behave quite bluntly towards one another; making their emotional feelings visible to all without a hint of shame. Sip-Sep had come to collect his skin suit, his Sergeant William Tripps disguise which he had left in this office last night. Once he got back in it, with willing assistance from his female partner, he asked his convert boss an open question.

"Hey, do you fancy going on a hunt later this evening? I know a quiet forest area nearby. Lots of deer.". The born-Slitheen suggested, hoping for an automatic yes response.

"Sure thing. I would love that.". The Family leader and UNIT boss affirmed positively.

"See you then.", Sip-Sep left the room with a smile. He would not be eating a deer alone this time.

"See you!", Saba shouted back enthusiastically, her heart rate pulsing slightly.

(The End).