Caleb followed the guard down the walkway and towards the command deck. He passed spiderlike constructs scaling the walls, manned by some of the aliens.

"So what do those do?" Caleb asked.

The guard looked over. "They're maintenance couriers. Each section of the station houses a repair team and the couriers bring needed parts."

Caleb watched as one of them climbed over the walkway and jumped across to an opening further away. The guard turned around and pulled him along. "We shouldn't keep the commander waiting."

Caleb passed by areas on the ship he'd never even visited. One section looked to house gigantic vines with all manner of fruits hanging from the branches. Past that an entire floor was sectioned off with office cubicles. Various aliens were hard at work typing out on computers.

"This whole place is like its own planet," Caleb said.

"Have to find some way of keeping the soldiers fed," Delarossa said as he stepped up next to Caleb. He motioned for Caleb to go ahead through a large octagonal doorway. The whole thing slid open in triangular sections as they all walked forwards.

Inside Caleb was greeted by a small guard of troops and a quivering alien. "Oh hey it’s you again!" Caleb exclaimed.

Sorossa flinched.

The two had barely interacted at all on the ship. Sorossa would catch one look of Caleb and skitter off on some business he forgot about. It made Caleb feel a bit bad about messing with him earlier on. He wouldn't have come on so strong if he knew this guy was going to be a quivering wreck. It was his policy to only dish out what others could take.

"G-greetings Mr. Caleb," Sorossa stuttered. "I-I have been tasked with escorting you to our glorious Emoters."

"Oh hey sweet, was wondering when we'd go about doing this. It felt like I was waiting around for weeks."

"If you had attended my training courses…" Delarossa interjected. But it was more playful than annoyed. The commander had learned a lot from his time with Caleb on the ship. Using his abilities around Caleb had allowed for the alien to devise several strategic plans he'd never seen before. The whole thing was doing wonders for the strategic battles around the planet.

He had kept his promise of not harming the city Caleb hailed from, but the rest of the world wasn't so lucky. Delarossa had effectively crippled most of the major factions left standing and was in the process of mopping up any stragglers. There were a few that were giving him trouble; the nation in that frozen tundra, the western coastline where Delarossa found Caleb, and a small group of island nations even farther west to name a few. But the commander was sure that he would be able to mop up the rest of the resistance with more time.

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"Bah I don't need no education," Caleb countered. He leaned forwards, using Bat as a crutch. "So where we droppin' boys?"

Sorossa composed himself in an attempt to gain control of his wits. It only partially worked. "W-we will be escorting you to the capital of Varnoss, Varnoss."

Caleb gave him a flat look. "The city is named Varnoss too? Really?"

"Y-yes?" Sorossa gulped. He was preparing himself to dive behind the soldiers once Caleb lashed at him in anger.

Instead, Caleb sighed. "Creative lot aren't you. Alright, whatever. Lead the way!"

The guards saluted and Sorossa stumbled forwards to lead Caleb off Geryl's Valor and onto planet Varnoss. The Exaltor brought Caleb over to his posh ship.

"P-please, make yourself comfortable," Sorossa said.

"Don't mind if I do," Caleb replied as he plopped down onto a chair even plusher than the couch from before. He sank into it a little bit as it conformed to his shape. He closed his eyes in comfort.

A nervous tapping interrupted him. He opened his eyes to see Sorossa tapping away on a small table.

"Could you not?" He said.

Sorossa jumped back. "S-sorry." He said before scrambling out of the room.

"Way to make a guy feel like a villain," Caleb muttered as he closed his eyes again.

The chair was amazingly soft and fit like a glove. Like someone took a waterbed and used gelatin as a base. Caleb's thoughts drifted off as he enjoyed the sensation. Another tapping interrupted his peacetime.

"Dangit," Caleb said, snapping his eyes open. He looked around the room but couldn't find anyone. Another tap sounded. It was coming from above. Looking up, Caleb saw Gobo in the vent. The little goblin waved.

"Hello," Gobo said.

Caleb looked around for anyone before addressing his friend. "Hey, Gobo didn't think you'd make it this far to be honest."

"Sneaky," Gobo replied.

Caleb nodded. It amazed him how stealthy the goblin actually was. There were plenty of times that Caleb had been in the room with the little monster teaching him English and some guard would walk in. In a flash the goblin would disappear from sight, leaving Caleb alone with the guard.

"Help," Gobo said, pointing to Caleb.

"No, not yet," Caleb said. "Gotta get away from the heart of this empire before making an escape."

Gobo nodded. "Will wait." The little goblin backed away from the front of the vent and into the darkness again.

The door in front of Caleb hissed open, revealing Sorossa in a golden robe. A high collar, high enough to reach the Exaltor's ears and embroidered with white patterns, surrounded the alien. Caleb noticed that the cuffs on the sleeves matched the collar. At the waist, the robe transformed from gold to a subdued tan. Caleb couldn’t decide whether the garment looked regal or ridiculous.

"We will be landing at Varnoss shortly," Sorossa said. He held none of the nervousness from before on his face.

Sorossa held both hands behind his back as he spoke. Each one was violently squeezing a ball of clothing gel he had grabbed. The balls were perfect for him to lower his anxiety while talking to the monster in front of him.

"The planet or the city?" Caleb asked.

"The city of course," Sorossa answered.

Caleb jumped up off his seat, causing Sorossa to squeeze on the two gel balls even harder. He could feel the membrane holding the cleaning fluid strain under his assault.

"Lead the way my good man!" Caleb said. He swung Bat up onto his shoulders.

With an inaudible squeak, Sorossa turned to lead the smiling monsters out of his ship.