Mosely stood outside with a toothpick jutting out of his mouth and his muscled arms crossed.He looked everywhere but at me, probably because he couldn’t stand the sight of me upset.
I liked to think that was the reason and not that I looked like a soggy potato.
“Captain, we have a problem.”
“Huh.I hadn’t noticed.”
“I meananotherproblem.Our prisoner is screaming his head off for you, and only you.He says it’s urgent.More than urgent.An interstellar crisis.Life or death.On a scale of wasp nests, I’d give it a one point five.”
Nodding, I crossed my arms to mirror his pose and slipped out the door.“One point five wasp nests is nothing to scoff at.”
“It’s the point five, isn’t it?”He fell into stride with me, an excited little bounce in his steps.“Thought so.”
“Nothing has ever gotten a point five before.”
“I thought he deserved at least that, what with him being a fairly easy prisoner and all the flirting with Darc and her little happy glow that she’s been trying to hide.”
I stopped as though I’d run face-first into a wall.“What?”
He stopped too.“What?”
Darc and Axxel were flirting?Was Axxel, Maxx’s High Sword, a Faid too?Was my crew in danger with him on board?
Guess I’d just have to ask him and force him to tell me the truth.Or…
I snapped my fingers.“The weapon.”
Mosely tilted his head.“The what now?”
“The delivery we were supposed to make to Earth Space Fleet.The Faid-detecting weapon?Darc had it this morning.Could you go get it for me?”
Mosely pointed behind us at Major, who sat in my open doorway, stealthily spying with one green eye.“Will you call me ‘such a good boy’ too if I do?”
“Obviously.I’ll meet you there.”I patted his arm, and he scampered away like a giant, bald, eager-to-please puppy.
Weird guy.Liked impressing his captain a little too much.Good thing I adored him.
With a furry orange sidekick trotting along behind me, I made my way toward the brig.I loved being back on my ship, but it was all stress, all the time, even while parked on Klio-3.Here, I couldn’t just sit back and watch the dramatic sunsets like I could while laughing and loving on a certain stage for a certain TV show.
The whole ofAlien Love Islandwas gone for the weekend, literally leaving me to pick up the pieces.Would I be kicked off or voted off the show for not coming along?Would Umo, the producer, make me pay the outrageous fine I could never afford for not “participating fully and with the utmost enthusiasm”?
Maybe, but the show’s version of Nera had been an irresponsible and woefully naïve woman who followed her heart to reckless places.Captain Nera followed her mind…which also led to reckless places.
Well, shit.Never mind.I should follow nothing and go on a donut bender instead.
As soon as I pushed into the brig, Axxel stood, his wide purple shoulders thrumming with tension and his entire scaled face twisted with worry.He still wore the same holey tunic and pants that we’d captured him in weeks ago, but somehow, he didn’t stink.
He started speaking a thousand parsecs a minute.“Captain, I can’t get ahold of Maxx.Do you know where he is?An assassination attempt was made on Roxxanne, his daughter.”
With Major on my heels, I kept moving into the room as though Axxel’s words hadn’t affected me, even though my stomach plummeted and my lungs seized.Someone tried to assassinate Roxxane?Who?Why?She was just an innocent child, and even though I didn’t know her, I couldn’t stand the thought of someone trying to hurt her.
“She’s fine but shaken and could really use her dad right now,” he continued.“The person responsible is being held, but they’re not speaking, and Maxx is going to shit a massive brick when he finds out, and why aren’t you with him?Where is…he?”
He must’ve read something on my face then, a wince, a pained grimace, a scowl, even though I didn’t remember making any of those.
He sat back in his chair, his purple lightning eyes so different than Maxx’s while he studied me carefully.“You know, don’t you?”
It was obvious he was no longer talking about Roxxanne, even though I desperately wanted to.
