Epilogue

Something drifted in the silence of space, and something else watched it.

When it came close enough, the watcher detached itself from its perch and propelled itself towards it.

*

"Incoming message!"

Red looked up, twirling a little model ship irritably.

"Whoever it is, tell them we're very busy."

"Yeah!" Purple moved a tiny cruiser forward three spaces in a blatantly illegal move, but it wasn't as if either of them ever played by the rules if they could possibly help it. "We're really busy!"

"With Tallest business."

"Yeah!"

The lackey chewed her lip nervously. "But it's marked with the your official seal... I have to let it through..." She flinched in anticipation of a brief future in airlocks followed by a retirement in space.

Red frowned, slurping through a neon straw. "Our seal? We don't have any agents scheduled to report today, do we?"

"I don't think so..." Purple murmured.

Red sighed. Why was life so hard? "Well put them through anyway. It might be important." Purple scoffed, evidently nothing could be more important than playing board games and snacking. Red grinned back, pushing the game to one side and taking the opportunity to steal a few of his fellow Tallest's pieces.

The big screen flickered lit up.

Red chocked. He didn't see Purple's reaction, what with all the flailing and being hit on the back by an underling, but he could hear whimpering.

"Hi my Tallest! It's me! Sorry it's been so long since my last report, but I think you'll be very pleased with what I've been working on."

"Zim." It wasn't true. It couldn't be true.

He caught Purple's gaze. It was true.

"Zim... How did you... our seal?!"

The dark eyes narrowed to make room for a terrible grin. "Oh, an old friend was kind enough to lend it to me. Of course, I wont be needing it for much longer. But still, it was very... generous of them, don't you agree?"

Red found himself nodding and stopped. Something about Zim's voice was setting off old flight instincts. He shook himself.

"Why... why wont you be needing it...?"

" Don't ask him!" Purple hissed, batting at him.

Zim cocked his head and smiled wider than should have been possible. "I thought it would be best if I came over to discuss my ideas with you personally."

"No!" both screamed. They were always best at working together in times of great trial. Purple came down first.

"You can't! You can't because, because, there are no ships, because we made sure. None at all!"

Red looked up, a glistening ray of hope piercing the murky sky.

Zim's grin was a storm. "It's amazing what you can accomplish when you're as amazing as me. And I had this seal. Getting transportation was as simple as can be."

Red grabbed the nearest minion. "Shut down the docking bay. Nobody gets in or out. But mostly in!" he whispered urgently.

The lackey who'd caught the call closed her eyes. This was not her best day, and it would probably be her last. "Um, sir. There was a request to dock a few seconds before the message. I, ah, I may have accepted it, um, I mean, I didn't know..."

The bottom dropped out of Red's squeedily-spooch.

"So I'll be up in a few short minutes, and very can have a pleasant chat." His eyes glazed over. "You're going to love my plans for the Empire."

The screen died.

Red became aware of Purple's hands crushing his upper arms.

"It... it's not going to be okay, is it?"

He swallowed. "We'll be fine. We're awesome. This is all going to be... okay."

The pressure on his arms released. He heard a sigh.

"I'm going for snacks."

Almighty Tallest Red sat down heavily. He looked at the game, still set up. A large battle cruiser, he couldn't remember if it was his or Purple's, was making a steady retreat from a group of dreadnoughts. Unfortunately, it was heading for a black hole, with no hope for a manoeuvre roll.

He tipped the board over. One of the staff leapt forward to clear them up, and he grabbed them by the scruff of their shirt.

"Hey, your the one who answered Zim's message, aren't you?" She nodded slowly. "What's your name?"

"Marako, s-sir."

"I'm going to be... very busy in the next... amount of time. Could you go and...?"

"Throw myself out an airlock, sir?"

He smiled. "That'd be just great."

She sighed resignedly, and left, dragging her feet.

And Red thought; lucky.

*

It pulled the drifting thing through the doors and dropped it on the floor. It reached out a claw and flicked a switch.

The contents of the room ceased floating and fell. There was a long hiss as air flooded into the vacuum.

*

"Incoming Message."

Professor Membrane glanced up from his formula, then went back to his work.

The computer repeated itself a few more times, and he put aside his notes with an annoyed grunt. Things were so much more difficult ever since Simmons was burnt up in that explosion. His work was difficult enough without having to do things like answer calls!

Wiping the smoke from his goggles he sat down in front of the screen and pressed the 'receive' button.

"Hey dad."

"Son!" Membrane perked up a little. "How is your work on Foodcourtia progressing?"

Dib smiled weakly. He looked a little more worn out and scruffy then was usual. "I've been transferred somewhere else, but it's okay."

"Well, I'm sure you'll be a credit to our alien overseers, now that you're not playing paranormal investigator with you little friend."

Dib didn't flinch.

"I might be gone a while, dad. I have something important to do." He wouldn't meet his gaze.

The Professor frowned. "Now, son. I don't want you getting into any trouble."

"I wont, dad. I'll be fine. But, but just in case, I just wanted you and Gaz to know that..."

The silence stretched out, walls too long built and barred and enforced to be so easily thrown down, even now.

One of them cut the connection, and presently Membrane went back to his work.

*

"Reactivating"

*

Dib sat back in his chair. The engine hummed and throbbed rhythmically under his feet. It was warm.

He poised his fingers over the module. On the small screen a was a map. A red ring indicated the range his fuel tank would allow him to reach. Inhabited planets and moons flashed in green. There were many.

He reached out and selected one.

The ship moved quickly.

Soon it was only a star against an infinity of stars.

A moment later it wasn't even that.

*

"Reactivating."

Mimi sat with her hands clasped around her body. It had been a long time since her Master had left her here with her instructions. Longer still since she'd last felt this deep sense of apprehension.

When her Master got up she was going to be angry. She could tell by the way her skin was... blackened like that. She'd done her best with the first aid kit she'd found, but she wasn't a medical unit.

Master was going to be very angry.

"Reactivating."

The body jerked before lying back down again.

She was a loyal robot. She could wait. Her Master was resilient.

"Reactivating."

*

"Things are going to be different from now on, GIR. Better."

GIR looked up from his drawing of a happy cow and nodded. His master was looking out the window still, even though the ship had docked and the space outside wasn't dark and sparkly and far away any more and therefore was much less interesting.

Master liked looking out of windows a whole lot more since the Bad Time, and also he tapped his foot a lot. If he listened, GIR could hear the Crazy Taco commercial music in the rhythm. He missed Earth; but he had his snacks and his moon and his Master, so he was happy.

The cow winked at him, and them flew away.

A door opened and a ramp descended towards the floor of the bay. GIR could see all new people there with their delicious heads and cheerful singing air. A shame the cow had left before it could see it all.

There were two really tall people from the TV at the base of the ramp, and Master waved to them before sprinting down the ramp, making words. GIR recognised the words because Master had been saying them over and over since they got on the ship. They were big, special words that meant the the Empire was gonna be stronger and Master was gonna make it so.

Master must have forgot the end of the speech, because he didn't say it. GIR wondered if he should prompt him, because he knew how it went. It started; "and if any of them get in my way..."

Then a bear with mice in its ears spun past in a waltz, and he had to step in and be the partner, it looked so fun!

And besides, things were gonna be different from now on.

They were gonna be better.

End

Author's Note's: well, that was fun. I liked it anyway. I feel at a bit of a loose end now that it's over. I feel like a sequel would be nice, but not for a while. Everything's all chaotic and stuff right now. But I would love any feedback I could get, comments, critique, I take it all on board and it makes my writing less sucky.

Thanks to IYD24 for help and for chatting.

Thanks to my little brother for contributing a joke, and for looking over my first draft and telling me (quite rightly) that it was crap.

Eternity Embracer, for letting me beta your fics. It's made me way better at spotting problems in my own work. Also, you rock.

Everyone who reviewed. Chaos, Celestial Dragon in flight, EelvenGirl, InvaderChubbs, IYD24, passionateartist, LaughingAngelsGibberish, Tazer42, ngrey651 and knockplease. You're all so brilliant and awesome and if you're ever in Wales and need a cup of tea and a passable home-made brownie I'm your girl.