Taidus 2 was a world of vibrant greens and lush blues, and it reminded Vern a little of Earth as they broke through the atmosphere and flew down to the surface.

Nigel pointed to the holographic map as they flew towards the camp, which remained invisible to the eye until they had just about landed.

A dozen or so huts were cut from trees and cloaked with debris from the surrounding forest, and at its heart, about a dozen or so people of various races stood. Some remained gazing up at the vessel as it approached, whilst others huddled behind their makeshift homes or scattered into the woods.

Nigel led the group down the ramp and into the little camp, with Vern close behind.

“No need to be frightened, everyone. I bring friends!” Nigel beamed.

Several anomalies cautiously stepped out and into view, mostly eyeing the unusual group behind Nigel.

Several of the anomalies looked more or less like humans, save for their skin colors, with every color in the rainbow on display. But there was also a man who looked like a lizard and a couple of miniature hippopotamus-looking aliens that stood only a couple of feet from the ground.

“These good people are going to help us leave this planet before the Star Emperor arrives.”

“Who says they will?” Jeered a purple man from the gathering crowd, which had grown to a couple of dozen anomalies now.

“How did that happen? I understood you!” A greenish woman said, looking at the purple man in surprise.

“It’s one of our new guests,” Nigel interrupted and pointed towards Dez. “With her power, we can all speak to one another, without the assistance of digital voice modifiers.”

“Really, all of us?” Asked another voice from the crowd.

“Yes, every single one of us!” Nigel confirmed.

“Well,” Dez raised a finger but the conversation continued without pause.

“What of the captain? And the others?”

Nigel went on to explain what happened to their ship and how the captain had gone missing.

“So, that one.” A man said, pointing at Dez. “She’ll be our new leader then?”

Nigel turned back to Dez and shrugged. “I guess, she can be?” His brows rose with uncertainty.

“What about him, the weirdo with wings?” Another said, pointing at Vern.

“He is a fearsome warrior! He defeated two powerful C-tier anomalies that attacked me and the others!”

“Two C-tiers?” A few voices repeated with alarm, whilst Nigel nodded.

“Maybe he should be the leader.” Another said.

“What kind of backward society selects a leader just because they are good at fighting?” The purple man countered.

“Who selects a leader because they are a walking translator?”

“Who says we need a new leader, anyhow?”

“Well, we can’t be leaderless!”

“Elections, we need elections!”

Dez turned to Vern, who stood beside her. “These people might be worse than you.”

Sighing, Vern rolled his eyes. “I always love to hear from you, Dez.”

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Gathering by a small podium near the middle of town, everyone took seats and waited as several others set up the stage.

“Why are we doing this again? Don't we not have more important things to worry about?” Dez sneered at Nigel, who sat beside them with a cheezy smile that showed off his teeth.

“Well, we’re a democracy, can’t be having a democracy without democracy.”

“There’s only twenty or so of you!”

“A strong society needs to be built on strong foundations,” Nigel replied with his index finger raised.

“This is insanity,” Dez groaned.

“Don’t let them hear you, it’ll be terrible for your approval rating.” Nigel cautioned.

“I don’t want to be elected!” Dez shouted.

“Shhh,” Nigel raised a finger as he looked around at the eyes glaring back at them. “Never mind her, just a little pre-election jitters.”

“Are you listening to me, you funny little man?”

Vern came strolling over with a bucket in his arms and dropped beside Dez and Nigel. “Can you believe it, they’ve got fried chicken here. It might be small, but I kinda like this place.”

Nigel’s brows bounced suggestively toward Dez. “He’s bringing a lot of positivity. I can already see him skyrocketing in the polls.”

“I don’t care,” Dez crossed her arms and looked away.

Nigel’s hand tapped Vern’s shoulder and he grinned eagerly. “So, have you thought about a running partner?”

“A running partner?” Vern tilted his head.

“You know, like a vice president. I could be your man.” Nigel wobbled his head.

“Me?” Vern replied, stuffing his face with chicken. “I thought it was going to be Dez?”

“Not with that sour attitude. Besides, you’re a real people person. You were made for this.”

“If you say so,” Vern nodded.

Being around people who weren’t trying to kill him was a refreshing change of pace, so Vern wasn’t too bothered letting things run their course. Why complicate things? He figured. He was more than happy to enjoy the downtime while he had it, especially with the Star Emperor looming on the horizon, who knew what kind of trouble that guy would cause?

A bald, stocky man dressed in oversized robes made his way to the stage. Extending his arms, he quieted the crowd. “Citizens of the New Anomalie Republic, please be seated for our great republic's second election.”

“Second election?” Vern whispered to Nigel.

“How do you think Captain Eliza became our president? We’re a democracy, remember?”

“Isn’t it a bit early to be holding a new one? What if she returns?”

Nigel’s head sank. “I hope she does, but you haven’t met the Star Emperor, and I hope you never have to. It will be a miracle if we manage to get her back somehow.”

“Maybe we’ll have to confront him,” Vern replied as he took another bite.

“Confront him, are you mad? We run, that’s what we do. And we hope he forgets all about us.”

“If you’ve got the plan, why aren’t you running for president?”

Nigel grimaced and tapped his fingers together. “Well… I’m more of a behind-the-scenes kind of guy if you get my drift?”

“Right,” Vern nodded. “Well, if I’m elected, then I say we stick it out and fight that guy. Besides, this planet seems pretty nice. I kind of like the idea of settling down here.”

“There are thousands of planets in the universe, no need to get tied down to one of them.”

“I understand,” Vern nodded. “But I like it here. And I’ve kind of gotten used to fighting my way out of trouble.”

Nigel moaned, “Why did it have to be two mad candidates.”

Several anomalies whom Vern didn’t recognize had gone up on stage and made their arguments for being elected before the stocky man called Vern up.

“Do you mind?” Vern asked, pushing the bucket of chicken into Nigel’s arms as he made his way up.

Clearing his throat, Vern addressed the crowd. “Um, ladies and gentlemen, I’m Vern. Vern Hunt. I think I’d like to be the president.”

The crowd cheered.

Doesn’t take much, does it?

“And if I’m elected, I will defeat the Star Emperor!” Vern announced with a fist in the air.

The crowd went silent, shortly followed by muffled whispers.

“And we can build this planet into our new capital!” Vern added.

“Alright,” the stocky man said, barging up to the podium and pushing Vern aside. “One last time for our presidential hopeful, Vern Hunt!?” He clapped his hands but none followed. “Next up is Dédreza Za’palxia of the Lorekeepers.”

Dez sneered at the man from her seat with narrow eyes.

The man coughed and cleared his throat. “Looks like we have a change of plans, Dédreza Za’palxia will not speak today. And with that, we bring the debates to a close. We’ll have until the end of the day to cast your votes!”

Vern wasn’t sure what to do, but he didn’t like the idea of leaving such a promising world behind. Besides, if this Star Emperor was hunting them down, what were the chances he would continue to follow them? Spending the rest of his life on the run sounded like a terrible plan, and so Vern cast his vote for himself. If he was going to play this game, he might as well do it the way he wanted.

The next day came and everyone gathered for the election results. The stocky man stood at the ballot box, picked it up, and poured the contents out across a table. A couple dozen folded papers flew out and he counted them in front of the crowd.

“I’m proud to announce, with twelve votes to her name, Dédreza Za’palxia is the new President of the New Anomalie Republic.”

Cheers erupted while Dez’s face twisted with astonishment.

"What the heck is going on here?" She pouted and turned to Vern.

"I guess you're our new president?"

"You're going along with this?"

Vern shrugged. "I guess so."

"I should have known," Dez groaned and planted her face in her palm.