Buuuuuzz. Buuuuuuzz.
Tenn stirred in her sleep, lekku twitching as her phone's vibrations. Grumbling, she turned it off and went back to sleep for a few minutes before it started again. With an irritated frown, she reached out from under the covers and grabbed it to take a look at it.
Gaz-hyooman
Hey, GIR is throwing a pizza party later. Do me a favor and fetch something from Little Blorch.
Little Blorch? As in, like planet Blorch? She quickly started typing.
Tenn
What is that?
Gaz-hyooman
It's France, but Zim granted it to an old training partner of his as a reward for aiding in his conquest of Earth. I don't recall his name, but he renamed it Little Blorch and has turned the country into a popular vacation spot for hyoomans and aliens alike.
Tenn
What do you need from there?
Gaz-hyooman
Some desserts GIR asked for the party. BTW, he also invited you, so be sure to attend unless you want to receive endless voicemails of GIR wailing.
Tenn had a good idea as to who that old training partner was. She had met him a few times, first during the Academy, then in the Irken Elite corps and the Progress Conventions; the last time she saw him was in the Great Re-assigning, where he was assigned to the planet of the Poisonous Cobra people. He probably conquered them by now and came to Urth to avoid being fired from the Organic Sweep cannon again.
Oh, well. She had nothing better to do just yet. Besides, while not very fond of him due to his short height, she needed another Irken to talk to, especially if he'd understand how she felt about the Tallest.
With the upgraded parts she installed on her ship, courtesy of Gaz, the flight from Saturn to Earth only lasted half an hour. Tenn went to the coordinates Gaz provided her with, which led her to the continent across the Atlantic Ocean. Tenn couldn't help it: as she passed above familiar landscapes, she recalled her previous experience on the planet with Purple and Rouge. For some reason, it brought a small smile to her lips.
On the way there, Tenn did her homework on the area known as Little Blorch. It occupied most of the French territory within Earth, but the rustic landscapes were mostly left untouched. The only difference was that some of the cities had been properly modernized to fit Irken architecture, and the area was overrun by Slaughtering Rat People- Wait, what? Tenn re-read the paragraph. Those beasts? How is it that this place is still on foot?
The Invader landed her voot in the french city of Grasse, Earth's 'capital of perfume,' and the primary residence of its ruler. Tenn shivered: she hated perfumes. They smelled too strongly for her liking. As she emerged into a sort of plaza, she noticed there were lots of aliens (especially Large Nostril People) taking a look around at the perfume shops. Some of them had even entered the business, selling perfumes made with fragrances of their homeworlds.
Tenn headed towards a sizable Irken structure a few streets away; at least she thought it was Irken. It was magenta, all right, but its design was far more... human-like. Surrounding this palace was a tall, elegant, swirly fence and surrounding the wall were...
Hisss!
Tenn stepped back when one of the Slaughtering Rat People lunged forward to stand in front of her, baring its long teeth in a threat display. The rest were gathered around the gate, shooting her distrustful looks. Tenn wished she had re-installed her PAK-cannons before leaving the Massive, but at the very least, she had her PAK-legs to make a run for it if things got nasty.
"Stay back!" She growled, spreading out her PAK-legs to look bigger. The rat snapped its teeth in response.
Tenn looked around for any cameras, finding one in the upper corner of one of the pillars.
"Hello? Whoever's watching, tell Skoodge that Invader Tenn is out at the door!"
At first, nothing happened. Then a small latch in the wall opened a few minutes later, and a robotic arm came out; the hand was holding a yellow item with a strong smell. The rats instantly swarmed over to the wall and scrambled towards it, shrieking and growling.
Tenn spotted a familiar, chubby, shortie Irken burst through the front door, waving his arms happily. He was wearing a strange dark blue and white attire complete with a big hat.
"TEEEENNN!" Contrary to her expectations, Skoodge didn't stop and salute as most other Irkens did. Instead, he tackled her into a tight hug. "OhmygoshyoureherethankIrkIthoughtthelizardshadkilledyou!"
"Can't breathe, you idiot!" Tenn managed to say in-between heavy breaths, trying to slip off his grip.
"Sorry, sorry!" He released her. "But I'm glad to see that you're alright! When I heard that the lizards had kidnapped you, I feared the worst!"
"Kidnapped?" He must have heard the broadcast, which meant he didn't know what she was doing here.
"Zim even tried to offer himself to go save you, but the Tallest told him that he had to protect Urth. How did you escape?" Tenn smirked.
"You seem to forget I took down a Berserker by myself, dear Skoodge."
"Oooh, that's great! The Tallest will be so relieved that you're okay-!"
"No!" Tenn blurted out. "I mean, I'll call them later. I need to take a long break after having to deal with those nasty lizards. Hehe..." Skoodge didn't seem convinced. "Tell me about you! How did you end up here?" She glanced down at his costume. "And what in Miyuki's name are you wearing?"
"Oh, this?" Skoodge puffed out his chest proudly. "This is my new Napo Leeon outfit!"
"Napo-what?"
"He was a very short hyooman who ruled France and conquered lots of places! Can you believe it? He was short, and he was a leader! Can you believe it?!" Skoodge squealed happily. By now, she could. Urth doesn't precisely put any importance on height.
Tenn accompanied Skoodge on a walk around the gardens. She'd give the hyoomans credit; the place could actually hold a candle with the gardens in Irk's Imperial Palace. The only difference was that the plants were all of green shades (minus the colorful flowers), and the bushes had animal shapes.
To her surprise, the workers that tended to the garden were Slaughtering Rat People. Even more surprising, they were... docile. Now and then, Skoodge would give them an order, such as bringing her something to drink, and he'd provide them with a piece of smelly cheese as a reward. The ones who snapped their teeth were sprayed with a little water from a bottle.
"I thought they were extinct." Tenn pointed out.
"A few remained after the Organic Sweep on Blorch. I discovered that while not wholly sentient, Slaughtering Rat People are intelligent enough to perform menial tasks. I decided to use the remaining ones as a labor force. Being rodents, they have a strong affinity for dairy foods derived from milk, known as 'cheese' in some planets, especially if they have a strong smell.
"Once Zim conquered Earth, he offered me any country of it as a reward. I picked France, the birthplace of Napo Leeon, which produces the strongest smelling cheese on the planet, and the perfect place for the Slaughtering Rat People to develop. They could work for longer hours than the average hyooman workers, and with their high birth rates soon, they started repopulating the area."
"I admit, I'm impressed, Skoodge," Tenn admitted, taking a sip from her drink. "Sorry, the Tallest gave your credit to Larb."
"I'm sorry about it too. I mean, it must have been even harder for you, since your planet was the crown jewel of all conquered planets." Tenn blinked. Her planet? No, wait, she's an Invader, of course, she must have conquered one, but...
"Tenn?"
"Which planet did I conquer again? I don't remember anything about it..." Tenn rubbed her head as it started to ache again. She noticed Skoodge's expression becoming somber.
"Tenn, you conquered Meekrob, remember? The Irken Empire's greatest foe."
Meekrob! ARGH! Tenn grit her teeth and closed her eyes shut as the headache turned into a migraine.
WARNING. NON-EXISTENT MEMORY FILE. RE-STARTING.
....
"Tenn? Tenn, are you alright? Wake up!"
Tenn groaned, rubbing her head. "Wha... Skoodge?" Blinking a few times, she found herself atop a bench.
"You blacked out, and your PAK re-started."
"R-Really? But why?" Skoodge shifted uncomfortably. "What?"
"See, while you were out, I... connected my PAK to yours to see what was wrong. It seems someone deleted all your memories of your conquest of Meekrob. Everything about your mission: your plans, experiences, and anything related to Meekrob is gone."
Tenn's spine went cold. She had heard rumors amongst the Irken Elite. Soldiers would inexplicably get memory blanks, suddenly forgetting a specific thing they did or their greatest feats. In worst-case scenarios, a few lost all their memory files. Sometimes it happened when a PAK receives a certain amount of damage in its upper part, but the more insidious talking said that the High Commands would override into Invaders' PAKs and mess with their memories, depriving them of their most exceptional pride: their success.
Unlike other branches of the Irken military, an Invader's pride lies more in their achievements and not so much in their skills. They are skilled, the best of the best, but what matters is if they are enough to bring down a planet. For a successful Invader, the very knowledge that they had single-handedly brought down a whole world to their knees. Depriving an Invader of that knowledge is to take their accomplishment away as if they never conquered their assigned planet at all.
It made sense. This explained why she didn't recognize the alien on the space station, why she couldn't recall anything related to her mission, why her head ached when she tried to remember it. The realization that her best greatest accomplishment, her success, had been taken from her, and she didn't even realize it until now nearly did it.
And she knew of one person who could have done this.
"Skoodge, is there a way to restore my lost files?" Tenn asked darkly.
"I can't do that. I can only be fixed by the person who removed it in the first place." Oh, great. Tenn clenched her fists, taking a deep breath to calm down.
"Skoodge, Zim's hyooman mate asked me to get something from here..."
**SoP**
Tenn glanced around the place distastefully. Zim's base had been decorated with balloons and piggies everywhere; just what's the obsession with the pigs? Guess she'd never know.
"GIR, I told you that no live pig-beasts!" she heard Zim snap.
"But they're cute, and Gazzy likes them!" the SIR said.
"Good point." Zim rubbed his chin. "Then again, I could always have Dib-stink clean up their bodily residues."
Zim passed by her without looking over twice. Guess the disguise really worked, or he was still as dumb as before despite his recent achievements. Then again, Gaz could have mentioned she had invited an Irken to the 'party,' which explained why he hadn't made a ruckus just yet.
With nothing to do, for now, Tenn found Gaz in the living room playing on a video console. She sat down next to the hyooman and watched the screen curiously. "What are you playing?"
"EVE online."
"What is it about?"
"You pick a playable race, and from there, you complete missions, fly a ship and explore the universe."
"Why explore it in a video game when you could ask Zim to take you to the confines?" Gaz shrugged.
"There's no Bloaty's out. Sides, I promised Dad I'd look after Membrane Labs until he returned."
"Your dad?" Tenn thought for a moment. "Professor Membrane, right? The guy with the weird hair?"
"Yup. He built a spaceship and left a year ago to explore the universe in the name of science."
"Hey, can I ask you something? How did your dad react to you dating Zim?"
"You know, it's curious. Dad likes Zim even after he revealed himself to be an alien. After all, Zim could give him access to new technology and science far more advanced than what he's ever known. And Zim, of course, wanted his permission to court me, so they made a partnership. Zim would provide dad with all the information he wanted if he let him date me."
"In other words, it's like a political alliance without politics."
"Yeah, that. You'll meet him later; he's coming to GIR's party. He said there's something he wants to tell us."
The smell of the greasy pizza made Tenn nauseous. How on Irk could she ever have craved for it? Thankfully, this smeet seemed to share her disgust with the earthen dish, and instead, she wanted for the famous 'smore brownies. Initially, she just watched Gaz play expertly, flying the virtual ship through space and taking down enemy fleets in less than a minute. Wow. If she were a pilot for the Irken Armada, she'd have made a reputation for herself regardless of height.
Tenn had never had any time for video games in her life. The only time she's ever seen one was when the Tallest were playing it back in the Massive. Games are a luxury only they had in the entirety of the Irken Empire; after all, soldiers had no time to spend in it, and shorters couldn't afford it. So when Gaz offered her a try, she wasn't sure of what to make of it. She had trouble with the controller at first, as it was designed for the hyooman's five fingers, and Tenn only had three on each hand.
"Hey, what about the hyooman with the humongous head? What was his name again?"
"Dib? Zim probably has him doing something humiliating."
"And it doesn't bother you? I mean, he is your blood relative."
"Don't worry. Dib might be an idiot with a large head, but he's tough. He can handle anything." Was it her idea, or did Gaz smirk a bit?
There was a knock on the door. "Sorry to interrupt, ma'am, but Professor Membrane has arrived."
"About time."
Tenn followed Gaz into the dining room. There was a tall hyooman in a white lab-coat she recognized from some signs and posters. It must be Professor Membrane. Admittedly, it was odd to see Gaz hugging someone. She didn't imagine the scary hyooman to be the kind of person to show physical affection.
"Hi, honey! My, you've surely grown taller!"
"Hey, dad. It's been a while."
"Indeed! I see Zim's been running things rather smoothly. I've been informed that the colony on Saturn is a success!"
Tenn didn't pay attention to their conversation. Instead, she noticed someone was accompanying him: a Vortian female clad in white robes. She had gentle pink skin, curly white horns, and bright blue eyes. Tenn noted she was standing a bit too close to the Professor, staring at Gaz shyly.
When the Vortian casually glanced at Tenn, she went stiff and froze in spot, staring at her with terrified eyes. Whatever her reason for being here, she must have hoped never to encounter an Irken ever again.
"Anyhow, have you seen your brother? There is something I must inform you both."
"He's in the kitchen; he'll be joining us soon. Dad, this is Tenn, she's a friend." Tenn waved a hand awkwardly.
"Ah, wonderful! I'm glad you're opening up to new relationships, honey!" The Professor looked at her, but he didn't reach for a handshake. He must be aware of Irken customs. "It's nice to meet you, miss Tenn! You must probably have heard of me, but I'm Professor Membrane!"
"Nice to meet you," Tenn said unenthusiastically. Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice.
The Dib-hyooman rushed out of the kitchen. "Dad, you're back!" He cried out happily. Unlike Gaz, though, he and the Professor didn't embrace. Instead, they shook hands and pulled each other into a half-hug to pat each other in the back.
"Hello, son! I see your head hasn't grown since I last saw you, that's a good thing!"
"My head's not big!"
"Excuse me, who is she?" Tenn inquired, pointing to the Vortian, who yelped and hid behind the Professor.
"Ah, good thing you ask, miss Tenn! Children, there's someone I'd like to introduce you two." Professor Membrane stepped aside, exposing the Vortian again. "This is Ag'na, and we're getting married!"
"Um... Hello?" Ag'na said timidly, laughing nervously.
Tenn blinked. Wow. That was... unexpected. She glanced at Gaz and Dib to see their reactions. Gaz had opened her eyes while Dib's jaw was hanging open.
"You mean you've been dating an alien?" The latter spoke.
"Why, Dib, that's no way to refer to your future stepmother." The Professor chided gently.
Just then, Zim and GIR finally appeared, the former carrying lots of pizza boxes. "Greetings, Gaz-demon's parental unit! It's a pleasure that you join us- GIR, I said no pizza yet!"
"But it's a pizza party, and we're supposed to eat pizza!" GIR protested. "Pleasie, master! I'm hungryyy!" Zim sighed.
"Fine, GIR, grab one, then you wait until everyone's here."
"Okie-dokie!" the SIR unit grabbed a whole box of pizza and proceeded to devour it.
The Professor laughed. "Ah, Zim! It's nice to see you too! And once again, I have to thank you for lending me the technology to build my ship! It's thanks to you that I met my lovely Ag'na!"
"Nice to meet you, Zim." the Vortian whispered.
"Okay, now that we're all here, can we please eat? I'm starving."
"No, wait! Someone is missing!" GIR cried out in-between munching pizza. "Mommies are yet to arrive!"
"Who?"
"GIR, what did we tell you about inviting strangers to parties?"
"They're not strangers, Gazzy! They're my mommies!" Mommies? Who was he talking about? Perhaps the people who made him?
Wait a minute, wasn't the built by-?
"Good evening."
Tenn froze. That voice...! She would have closed her eyes shut, but her body didn't respond. She just stood there, her lekku twitching under her wig as she heard the familiar low buzzing of a hoverbelt. Please, no! Not here! Not him! Not now!
An iron grip on her shoulder made Tenn jump and turn around, confirming her worst fears.
"Hello, my dear."
Standing in front of her was her husband.
**SoP**
Oh, no.
Little Blorch was requested by Invader Johnny. He had this idea that Skoodge had tamed some of the Slaughtering Rat People and took them to Earth, founding Little Blorch in a part of the planet. I placed it on France for two reasons: the first is that it's got the strongest smelling cheeses, which rats love, and and the second because I think Skoodge, a short Irken, would admire someone like Napoleon Bonaparte, who despite being short was a leader.
I was dying to put the confrontation between Purple and Tenn in this chapter, but I decided to torture you with a cliffhanger XD. So evil!