Chapter XXVI: Ballester Strikes Back/ Chapter 1: My New Planet

A Chapter by Scorpious Alpha

I'm baaaack!

Volume II

Chapter XXVI: Ballester Strikes Back

Chapter 1: My new Planet

Hello there, it’s your beloved leader Zimzax,. ‘How much have things changed?’ You may ask. Well, let me tell you. The slaves are hard at work building my monuments and statues, my race is having the most spectacular time ruling over not one, but two species on this pitiful world. But it’s mine now, so I will do with it what I please. I also don’t like the name, think I'll just name it after myself. Planet Zimzax has a nice ring to it. the band of experiments that were in charge when we got here are becoming a problem. They won’t punish the slaves, and refuse to follow certain orders. I could always demote them to slaves, but with their powers, they could stage a mass breakout, I know they’re sympathetic to the cause. Balllester makes a great decoration in my lab. I put a force field around him, so it’s less likely the spikes will fail and I can keep him pinned indefinitely. Yeah, he’s the reason for the eyepatch. Death would have been easy, instead, I turned his greatest strength into a weakness. Because he’s immortal, I keep him at the brink of death for as long as I want. I had to kill the scientist, I know he’d end up betraying me at some point. Killing Ballester’s wife was icing on the cake. The supposed ‘ultimate ruler of the universe’ got killed by some strange light that bounced off of me and killed him instead. Hahahahaha! These humans are pathetic, and knowing they’re working with Galaxians makes taking over that much easier! I decapitated and hooked the head of that many eyed abomination to the two brains. I use them as my security system in my lab. I've been looking for an excuse to use the grinder again, that is a beautiful piece of equipment. I have also noticed that there are points of inclement weather for our kind here, we’re going to need to have to have them eradicated if I were to bring my species here. I'm thinking we gouge the planet, exposing the core, and living around its radius. Ah, but what of the oceans? It's not easy ruling the world, it definitely has its downsides. Anyway, I call the mutants to my lab, I'm going to get them to comply or I will execute them. I’ve never been so disrespected in all my life.

“Yes sir?” They ask together. Ah, conformity.

“Why haven’t you been torturing the slaves?” I ask them. Nobody answers. “I’m waiting.” I do not like waiting.

“Sir, that’s our people.” The human answers.

“Yeah, we don’t wanna hurt our own.” the frog says.

“But you are better than they are, you can rule over them! Why do you not choose to?” I ask.

“Would you sell out your own people?”

“How do you think we’ve gone on to conquer so many planets? We used to use our own people as slaves and sold out to the largest bidder. We would save enough to buy the planet from whichever greedy government was in control, and just like that, the planet is ours and we rule all. All of my people are set free, and the existing race is punished for their crimes against mine.”

“We didn’t even get that far.””

“no, you just fought a pointless war, which reminds me, if you don’t start mistreating your slaves, I will have you all executed publicly as an example to everyone.”

“Yes sir!” they all say together.

“dismissed.” They all look back at Ballester before leaving. That's right, b*****s, know your place. I send a couple of my guys to go with them back to wherever the hell they’re digging. This planet gets too cold, especially at night. My sources have found warm enough spots on the planet, but the rest of it needs reworking. If we can get the northern hemisphere ground to the core, we can live on that half, as well as the other half all year round. I've heard of volcanoes on the planet, sources there enjoy Them, maybe we can make or expose more? We’ve gotta get to terraforming this planet to accommodate us. Oh, I dismantled the corn dealer and the half breed’s little military setup. They’re having fun digging. I’m only keeping the doctor because we need one, and she’s an expert on the biology of both her species, as well as my species. I had her heal my men after the war, she’s really good at it. She performed 17 molten metal skin grafts without even burning herself once, that’s precision. I tried to get her to join me at my side as my queen, but she says she doesn’t play for that team. Whatever, I've got my pick of anyone anyway. One of my commanders approaches me to tell me something.

“Sir, we have a problem.” He tells me. No, i don’t know his name, i don’t know the name of anyone who serves me, I just call them by their title or feature.

“What is it, commander?” I ask.

“the projections say that if we reshape this world the way you want us to, we’re going to end up drowning or we’ll suffocate.”

“How so?”

“Well, in one incident, the planet will quake as we break it apart, letting the oceans fill in the hole. This would cause whatever we have already dug up and piled, to fall in, essentially making half the planet mud, The southern hemisphere will be underwater as a result from tsunamis from the quakes. In another, the gravity shifts, we lose atmosphere, and suffocate on the planet.”

“What are our options?”

“Instead of eliminating the species we’ve come to conquer, we just relocate them to the most inhospitable places on this planet, and reserve the hottest spots for our species. According to my research, there are places on this planet that are perfect for our kind all year round. If we put the Galaxians in the arctic, that should slow them down enough that at some point they’ll stop breeding. Keep them separate from the humans so that their amphibious cold blood has no chance of surviving. The humans present another problem.”

“What’s that?”

“This is their planet, they’ve adapted to every environment. There isn’t a biome that the humans haven’t already settled.”

“They haven’t settled into outer space.”

“Sir?”

“We’re still going to modify the planet to accustom our needs, we’ll just have to go about it a different way. Once the humans and Galaxians serve their purpose, we’ll freeze one and jettison the other into space, and blow up the ship they’re in, or send it to their sun.”

“Sir, you never cease to amaze me.”

“And that is why I’m ruler.”

“Yes sir.”

“Anything else?”

“Not at the moment, sir.”

“dismissed.” He turns around and leaves. I'm going to have to find a different way to terraform this planet to suit our needs, that was not news I was expecting. I will do what it takes for me to make sure this planet belongs to us. “Brains?”

“Yes sir?” Brains answers.

“How can we modify the planet so it keeps on a constant climate of 120 degrees Fahrenheit all year round?”

“Greenhouse gases have already started depleting the ozone, warming the planet. An acceleration in the process should acquire the desired results.”

“Sounds good.”

“Warning: the planet may compensate and a second ice age could occur within a hundred to two hundred years.”

“Damn! We’re going to have to find some other way to take over. Ideas?”

“I’m sorry, I lack a response. Please specify.”

“How can my people avoid the cold?”

“Live where it’s hot.”

“But that leaves a whole bunch of the planet unpopulated, the goal is to completely cover the planet with our people like we do with all the rest of the planets we take over.”

“Invalid query, please specify.”

“That wasn’t - never mind. Has Eyes seen anyone who doesn’t belong in here today?”

“No, sir.”

“Damn, I really wanna try out that new security system. Eh, I'm sure the opportunity will present itself.”

“Invalid query, please specify.”

“Never mind, I’m going to bed.” I took over the ultimate ruler’s room. I can see how this is definitely a ruler’s room. He has what I assume are captured creatures that he has dominated in cages. The scientific marvels he has in his room are complex for a human, I wonder if he invented them himself or if it’s conquered technology. Unfortunately, his bed is too small, so I had two put together to fit my entire body. That’s right, I’m taking a nap in the middle of the day. Why? Because I rule this world, and I can do what I want. I was awoken a few hours later to an alarm going off. I rush to the lab, and there, ensnared in my trap, is the Blind Galaxian. “And what, may I ask are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry, I teleported into the wrong place, I was trying to get home, and I undershot it.”

“How do I know you’re not lying to me?”

“Brains will confirm.”

“Subject materialized approximately seven minutes ago..” Brains says.

“See?” Blind Galaxian says. I release the trap, and the Galaxian disappears.

“Was anything taken? Any reconnaissance?” I ask.

“Negative.” Brains answers.

“She’s lucky.” I light up a blunt and chill in the lab. I watch the slaves on the monitors, and notice one of them stopping to rest. That gives me a wonderful idea. “Attention, all Zorkon Slave guards report to the lab immediately for a special announcement!” It wasn’t long before they all showed up. Even my own know their place. “I want you to keep an eye on the slaves. At the end of every week, give me the Most underperforming, underwhelming, least productive slaves, and whoever is the worst will be executed publicly as motivation for the other slaves to work harder. I saw one stop working to sit down and rest. That is unacceptable. It gave me this brilliant idea, the faster we get this planet to my standards, the faster we can make it ours.”

“Yes sir!” They all say simultaneously.

“Dismissed!” They all turn and leave. It’s ok, I have millions of slaves, killing one a week won’t be detrimental to the progress at all. The day my men have nobody to present is the day I end the executions. Looking at the monitors, the mutants still refuse to punish the slaves. I think I’ve been too nice. I’m going to publicly execute one of them, and torture the others. It was foolish of me to think they’d comply in the first place. “Attention Galaxian, human, and food canine guards, report to the lab immediately!” The frog, blind Galaxian, food canine, and the human immediately show up. “You still refuse to punish the slaves, so I am going through with my promise. One of you will be executed. The rest I don’t trust to go back to work, so you will be tortured instead. Choose which of you will be executed.”

“No!” The human says. Good, that makes things easier.

“Thank you for volunteering, human.”

“I have a name you know, it’s Hallester Sallone, older brother of Ballester. It’s not ‘human’. That would be like me calling you ‘Zorkon’ instead of Zimzax.”

“Maybe so, but I don’t know the names of anyone who works under me, let alone some primate from a planet that I conquered.”

“You’re sadistic. And I thought Serge was bad.”

“I’ve gone through his records, I must say I am impressed with some of his work. But he’s dead now, and so now you serve me. Since you are invulnerable to metal based artillery, our lasers should be able to disintegrate you pretty quickly. Also, you have super speed, so we’re going to have you tied up.”

“Guess you’re going to have to catch me first.” he runs out of the lab.

“Oh good, now I can execute two of you now!” The blind Galaxian disappears. “Ok, guess that’s three. Canine, frog, decide which of you gets to die. Better yet, go out and fight to the death.” They refused to move or answer me, so I called my guards to drag them outside. I climbed to the observatory for a better view of the fight, and later, the executions. I notice the frog is not wearing his acid suit. I order one of my men to bring it to him. They just stand there, staring at each other, apparently waiting for the other to strike first. I need to get them to fight somehow, but they’re allies, so they won’t without provocation from one to another. I send one of my men to stand in between, and charge toward the frog, shooting at him, and the frog fires back. My guy dives out of the way, and the acid hits the canine instead, dissolving the fur where it’s struck, and burning the skin underneath. This angers the canine, and he charges towards the frog, snarling and barking.

“Chimmy, I’m sorry, it was an accident!” the frog says. The canine stops in his tracks.

“It still f*****g burns!” the canine responds.

“I don’t wanna fight you, Chimmy!”

“I don’t wanna fight you either, Manboutu, but we have to.”

“Why did you start to attack me?”

“Sorry, instinct. Your shot hit me, so my natural response was to attack.”

“What do we do? We’re supposed to be killing each other, but I just can’t do it, dude.”

“Same here.”

“We refuse to fight each other to the death!” The frog yells up at me.

“Fine.” I yell back. I motion to the guards to open fire. A small battle ensues, them versus my guards. The frog managed to take a few down, but the canine was having trouble with the metallic skin of my guards, and soon, he was disintegrated. “Stop!” I yell down. “Just knock him out.” One of my guards switches a setting on his gun, fires, and ends up paralyzing the frog. I’m going to put him back to work in his original job of being milked for his toxins. Instead of being unhooked every day and sending him home like his previous employer, he’ll be permanently hooked up. I have my men looking for the other two mutants, I can’t believe they escaped my grasp. On the bright side, I got one execution down, and another torture victim. I’m going to need to find some way to catch the other two. Their powers really work in their favor since they can move faster than my guys. Tomorrow is the end of the week, and I’m not waiting a week to put a slave to death, we’ll start that little fun event tomorrow. I head back downstairs to the lab. “Brains!”

“Yes sir?” Brains responds.

“Locate the human Hallester, and the Blind Galaxian Arizona.”

“Locating... Locating.... Unable to lock on to location.” S**t, they must be constantly moving then.

“Alert me when you have a lock.”

“Yes sir.” They’ll have to stop some time... I decided to take a nap, but not even an hour later, Brains paged me. I radio my men the locations of the human and blind Galaxian. Within an hour, they’re tied up and presented to me.

“So, you really thought you could escape?” I ask them. They remain quiet. “Doesn’t matter, you’re going to die right here right now.” I take out my gun and shoot them both, disintegrating them. “there, problem solved.” I decided to go back to bed, it was late. I had a strange dream involving a bright light, and a chinging sound. I woke up to an alarm.

“Intruder alert, intruder alert!” I hear Brains say over the intercom. I hop out of Bed, and head to the lab. I check the monitors, but I don’t see anything or anyone. I shut off the alarm.

“Brains, where is the intruder?”

“There is no intruder.”

“You just set off an intruder alert.”

“False alarm, it was just a test.”

“Fine, I’m going back to bed.” Must be a malfunction or something, I’ll perform a diagnostic in the morning. When I wake up, one of my guards is in my room. “what are you doing here, guard?”

“There is an intruder, sir, and it’s massive. It ate ten of us so far.”

“What kind of creature is it?”

“We don’t know, sir. Our weapons are ineffective against it, the lasers just bounce right off.”

“Oh, that’s not good.”

“What do we do, sir?”

“Figure out a way to kill it, of course. Where is it now?”

“Out front. The slaves went into hiding, they must have encountered this beast before.”

“Cowards.”

“Sir, what do we do? As we’re talking,, more of us are being devoured.”

“We fight, of course.”

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