“Oh, Melvin, I’ve always dreamed of an escape like this. This is the most romantic thing you’ve ever done for me.”

“I know, Janine,” he said, leaning to one side of the cockpit as their fighter rocket hurtled towards a crowd of dodging and weaving Crawkling and Haldan spaceships. “I’ve been waiting for years for an opportunity like this. It’s totally been worth the wait though.”

Janine squealed in delight as a laser beam flashed over their screen, mere inches from making contact.

“It totally is. Melvin, this is like a second honeymoon.”

“It is! Except this time the gunfight is real!”

The radio crackled and a voice greeted them over the tannoy.

“Fellow Crawklings, who do I have the displeasure of speaking to today?” laughed the voice on the other end. Melvin paused the call.

“Janine,” said Melvin. “From now on you must refer to me as the Grand Zombie Master, it won’t do for others to see me friendly. They need me to be in command.”

“Oh, Great Zombie Master. Now I really am reminded of our honeymoon. I love it when you talk to me like that. Ravish me…”

“Honey, we’re in a war. We might get shot down.”

“Exactly,” said Janine. “All the more exciting.”

The Grand Zombie Master left the call on hold, set the ship to autopilot, and concentrated on a very different kind of conquest.