Funeral Marching in Circles

Chapter Two: Irksome Partners


    Bob couldn’t think of a word that could fully describe how much contempt he held for his own people.

    He hated how his life’s purpose was to be living furniture and got treated as such by nearly every person around him. Those eyes that he would strain his neck to see who could look to futures so glamorous and comfortable that they only existed in his dreams. He hated how knees popped as if his body were rioting against the reality it was forced into when he detached himself from the table. He hated how heat from foods would conduct through the metal serving tray he was made to balance on his head would leave his face uncomfortably warm and sweaty.

    Bob recited an often repeated saying in his head with a miserable finality, “A hive is only as valuable as the workers who keep it running.”

    He was the cell from a honeycomb that stretched for miles and could not feel content. But if he could not fit here, then where? He would be a traitor to the empire by choice and an enemy to the galaxy by virtue of his species, and this is the reason why Bob came back after being cruelly launched into the sun by his superiors to deliver a plate that was much too hot to their office.

    The door detected the presence in front of it as authorized and slid open. From Bob’s perspective, as obscured and close to the ground as it was, he could see two pairs of legs entangled on a single desk chair. Bob felt anxiety that rivaled anything he had ever felt to date working on The Massive at the uncomfortable silence that fell onto the room. He carefully tilted his head upwards to see that his leaders were staring at him.

    "What did you see here, Bob?" Tallest Red asked with a grimace.

    Bob mentally stumbled, considering what words would be best to appease his Tallests.

    "Two leaders working hard to lead the empire into greatness!" Bob answered while giving a nervous smile.

    Tallest Red's expression was unreadable as he considered this response. He exchanged glances with his partner before coming to a decision.

    "That's right." Red replied, "Now, put our nachos and drinks on the table over there."

    The ability to carry heavy objects is one that Bob needed to learn quickly as a service drone for demanding Irkens like the Massive's crew. With a swift movement, he detached the serving table and lifted it into his arms. The hovering table in the lounging area lowered in expectation at the meal that was going to be placed on it.

    Tallest Purple watched Bob set the table carefully and stated, "It's good that you were less clumsy because last time you ruined our food."

    Bob thoroughly remembered his Tallests chewing him out for a dip bowl on top of a plate accidentally spilling. The choice of cramming many bowls, cups, and plates onto his table to save time was a mistake he would not make again. Thankfully, this meal required far less kitchenware.

    After Red and Purple were left alone once more, they erupted into impish laughter. Despite Bob seeing something he shouldn't have, neither Tallest had the intention of punishing him. He would become one of the many people who knew when to evade their eyes and speak as if nothing was amiss. A common sentiment was that Irkens were selfish and unkind by nature, an opinion even shared within the empire. This intimate relationship that prevented the two from wrestling for power was a favorable situation not worth being reprimanded over.

    Red and Purple seated themselves on the overly plush sofa in the lounging area of their office and dug into the meal with delight. Both Tallests sat there for a moment in the comfort of their eating before Purple broke the silence. The computer screen suspended above them flickered to life with a single hand, and he scrolled down the long list of media plundered from the Plim Vault.

    "Last time we stopped at The Planet Shredder, right?" Purple asked, stopping on the file of the same name.

    Their resolution to watch all the old recordings found in the vault got put on hold due to the Florpus Incident, along with nearly everything else. The commanders and crew of The Massive still struggled to return to normalcy after resuming their conquering path, even in superficial areas like watching old films. Begrudgingly, Red mentally acknowledged the work that was overflowing in the inbox of their desk computers.

    "We shouldn't; we have work to do." Red stated.

    "Really!" Purple groaned in exasperation, "Can't we do it after the movie?"

    One movie would turn into two, which would then turn into a marathon that wasted what could have been a productive day. Red knew himself and his partner well enough.

    "No, we need to get started." Red decided as he got up from the couch.

    Purple clicked the video file, and a dramatic overture erupted from the surround speakers.

    "Have fun with the paperwork!" Purple reclined further into the plush cushion of the couch, "I'll do it later."

    The choice of where to begin on the long list of requests, memos, and updates was already made for Red with a bookmarked email from Rarl Kove that was cleverly titled "START HERE". The Tallest's advisor somehow managed to fit organizing the work of his superiors into his schedule despite being kept busy with the many unfortunate affairs happening across the empire. These events were summarized and laid out plainly with possible solutions, but Red nevertheless found it daunting. He paused to wonder how long it had been since he wracked his brains over the issues affecting the Irken Empire.

    Red supposed the last time was when he was a young Irken Elite turned Almighty Tallest almost overnight and got swept up in the disorienting whirlwind that followed the untimely death of Tallest Spork. Those days that stretched into nights he spent deliberating over the projects left abandoned with a lack of experience but filled with ambition. He was determined, enterprising, exhausted.

    Red found himself no longer able to reprise his role at the grim happenings that lay before him on the screen. He reluctantly started from the top of the list and read about the civil unrest happening at The Massive's next destination, Irk. According to Rarl Kove's report, there were rumors of a radical group plotting to target government officials at the Great Imperial Mausoleum. Red had learned the lesson of not underestimating threats long ago. He filled out a Tallest Order form detailing heightened security measures for the funeral, mentally checking a box off of his list.

    Feeling drained immediately, Red opted to address an item further down the list. He scrolled down the document for several minutes before stopping on recent issues affecting the Massive. Attached in this section was a request from the lead technician about increasing funding in their department. The worrying number of fires from the often-overheated bridge canon was becoming tedious and intensive repairs would be necessary to solve the problem. Red noted the comment Rarl Kove added that the budget wouldn't allow more funding with curiosity. He vaguely remembered reports on the state of the empire's budget but could not recall anything specific. Figuring that finding the solution would take long deliberation, he chose to deal with the budgeting issue later.

    A notification appeared on Red's computer of new mail in his inbox titled "Action Urgently Needed". The message was sent from Rarl Kove, detailing a new development from the outskirts of the Irken Empire, where a cargo ship crew discovered thousands of corpses, and the bodies were currently en-route to the medical research and treatment planet, Medica. An official explanation needed to be given to the public while not revealing the corpses were those who died in the Florpus Incident. As far as citizens were concerned, The Massive went off course for months after discovering new planets to map for conquest. Red stared at the blinking insertion cursor, unsure of what to write. He grimaced at the thought of several thousand Irkens that were cruelly thrown out of their cockpits by the raging storm, their bodies charred, frozen, torn to pieces-

    A shriek erupted from the computer speakers on the other side of the room, "You've shredded the planet, and now you're shredding me! GRAAAAUUGH!"

    "Turn it down!" Tallest Red requested, bewildered from the sudden disruption in his thoughts.

    Red glared at his partner for a long, uncomfortable moment before switching off the screen himself.

    Purple returned his gaze at last with an offended response of, "Hey, I was watching that!"

    "I said to turn it down." Red reiterated with a more stern tone of voice.

    "What's gotten into you?" he grimaced at the unexpected coldness of his partner.

    Without resuming the movie, Purple gathered his drink and plate of deliciously unhealthy food. He rose from the couch and lingered in the doorframe.

    "I'll talk to you later when you get over... whatever is going on right now." The door shut behind Purple automatically as he exited the room.

    Tallest Red was left alone to face the mountain of work that seemed nowhere near complete from when he started. While the end was unknown and did not seem to be in sight, he was certain that the rest of the night would be long. With his frustration rising increasingly, he drafted a message to Rarl Kove that would be sent to Planet Medica.

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Author's note: After some unexpected free time, the second chapter has been finished! I updated both chapters with new formatting more commonly used in professional creative writing. While this is done out of passion, I do like to take my writing seriously. Stay tuned for the third chapter at an indeterminate date!