A Parade of Indignities

Chapter 29: Epilogue

Chapter art created and owned by KovaBlue. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Short-Lived War Ends in Irken Victory

The Meekrob attempt to lay siege on Irk's Capital City, Altua, ends with Irken victory, according to palace-stationed Control Brains. With this victory comes what the Brains hope to be a compromise between the two races.

New developments have allowed the Irken Control Brains to make an executive decision to seek out a compromise between the Meekrob and Irken species. The Irken militia has been ordered to cease fire while this is underway.

As such, thousands of drafted Irken soldiers have been relinquished of their duties and have been honorably discharged, allowing—

"—Arrival on Planet Devastis, District 495 will be in approximately 30 minutes. All passengers are required to remained seated while the ship enters the stratosphere."

Skoodge glanced up at the speakers, where the clear, robotic voice had originated from and set his tablet down in his lap. It was still open to the news story he had been reading, casting just the slightest amount of light over him and the surrounding Irkens sitting nearby.

With a satisfying stretch that managed to pop several joints in his back and between his shoulder blades, he surveyed the scene around him with a sort of tranquil appreciation.

The transport ship was filled with Irkens, each of them enroute to wherever they had come from prior to being drafted into the war.

Indeed, it had been short-lived. Skoodge had only very briefly been stationed on Irk and had obviously not seen combat.

Now, they were all returning to Devastis, where Skoodge and his comrades had docked their ships. From there, it would be only a brief trip back to Elixus. Back to what he knew to be his true purpose in life.

He shut off his tablet with a press of his finger and stowed it away. He had only been rereading the article, anyway.

With a long, content sigh, he sat back in his seat and prepared for landing.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"—recently discovered planet on the edge of the Vexer solar system. Dubbed 'Earth,' the first of the planet's species has made contact with Irkenkind, paving way to a new relation."

Prisoner 777 perked his head up, turning his attention from his plate to the TV screen mounted directly above him.

He was in the bleak, sterile canteen on Moo-Ping 10, eating the second meal of the day. Normally, he ignored the televisions, which were constantly turned to Irken-run news channels and therefore held next to no credibility.

Now, though, he was paying them his full attention.

"As of now, Earth has been labeled a peaceful relation and an ambassador for the planet has been named."

Very briefly, a shot of Dib appeared on the screen, looking just as tired and gaunt as he'd remembered him. Something in his face, though, was different.

A smile flitted across Prisoner 777's face at the sight. The light in the human boy's eyes told him everything he needed to know.

He had heard very little about the young alien, except that he had somehow broken out of their old prison on Vort. From then, he had hoped he would escape unscathed.

Dib had done more than that.

Irken news was ridiculously biased, and one had to do the heavy-lifting and read between the lines when consuming it. He had no way to know for sure, but in his heart of hearts, he was positive the Earth boy had done something bigger than merely make contact with the Empire. He'd secured the safety of his planet. Somehow, he'd done it.

"Next up. Tonight's top story is on the unexpected inauguration of a new Tallest, announced by Irken Control Brains early—"

He tuned out again. He had already heard this news from several other sources, including his fellow prisoners' chatter.

For now, he would let the small scrap of news on the boy turn over in his head. His happiness, if vicarious, could not be dampened.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Lightyears away, the Spittle Runner hurdled through the cosmos.

In the cabin, Dib and Zim sat side by side, allowing the silence to fill the air with any and all lingering emotions that came with it. Tensions were high, but for entirely different reasons. For now, a question of alliance was not one of them.

They sat comfortably in each other's company, something that was an entirely new experience. In return, they were offered a faint glimmer of the world's sincerity through the other. A physical embodiment of genuine concern and caring. A lifeline in a sea of uncertainty.

It might not have been much, but in the grand scheme of things, it felt like everything.

Not all was fixed, nor would they be for quite some time. A somber truth was that some broken parts might never be as they were before.

Injuries needed tending to, as did physical health. Mechanical repairs must be made. Worse than all those combined, though, was the damage that could not be seen with the naked eye.

Accepting who they had become in the aftermath of what they'd endured would be a feat far more substantial than anything else.

All that could be said is that they were on their way into the unknown, free of perceived destinies, and for once, it was met with just a margin of open-mindedness.

A gateway for healing.

A gateway of hope for better days ahead.

~The End~