Oh, thank the stars—whatever they did, I don’t care. I’m just incredibly relieved. The thought of leaving Mars sends me into a full-blown panic.
“Do you know how many Humans are being held aboard each ship? See, it’s a tricky situation. We want to stop the smugglers, but without hurting their prisoners!”
“There are twelve cages on the Ninasarvik ship—so twelve Human women. On Bully’s ship, at least twice that many, a mix of men, women, and animals. Why don’t you just stun them with pistoblasters? Prax’s had a non-lethal setting.”
“Yes, and that’s why Bully thought he was dead. The problem is, those weapons don’t work on Ninasarvik. Their skin is so thick it just gives them a harmless little tingle. Pherebos and Prax believe we need to take the Ninasarvik down first before we move on the Penubians.”
“But… how are they planning to do that?” I ask nervously.
“Don’t worry. We’ve got it covered.”
There’s something oddly comforting about hearing such confident words from a creature that looks so innocent. But his tone is steady and assured—so who am I to doubt him?
“Ah, it’s almost time! The sharp-toothed Sadjim wants me to pass on a message. Quote: ‘Hang in there, my love—I’m coming for you!’ Aww, isn’t he adorable? I might just forgive him for those hungry stares he gives me when he thinks I’m not looking.”
“He actually said he loves me?” I ask, surprised, a warm glow spreading through my chest.
“Well... to be honest, no, he didn’t say those exact three words. But I interpreted his aura, and I swear it doesn’t lie. I just thought it added a nice romantic touch to his message. But Neela—he may not have said it, but trust me, he means it. Now—Neela... it’s time! Now!”
Suddenly, chaos erupts around us. Just as my two handlers start carrying my cage up the loading ramp into the belly of their ship, they abruptly set it down a few steps short of the cargo bay and hurry back down. In the middle of the landing zone, a commotion breaks out as Wingo darts across the space, belly to the ground, zigzagging between buildings in a wild, unpredictable path. Bully’s guards and General Nivek’s troops instantly try to catch him.
“Don’t hurt it!” yells the Penubian leader. “I’ve never seen a creature like that. If it’s rare, it’ll fetch a high price.”
“Seize it first!” one of the Ninasarvik shouts to his comrades. “The General will want it for himself!”
My quirky ally weaves effortlessly through the guards, dodging every attempt to catch him. Who would’ve thought this slightly chubby creature could be so nimble?
Then, without warning, he doubles back toward me, crashes into the ramp, and slams into my cage. The whole thing topples from the ramp and hits the ground with a heavy thud.
“Ouch!” I groan directly into his mind.
“Oops! Sorry!”he replies.
But he’s already sprinting away again before anyone can stop him.
As for me? I just realized that the fall dislodged one of the cage’s panels. I stretch out flat and push hard with my legs against the weakened side. A wave of fierce satisfaction surges through me as I feel it give way, opening up a path to freedom.
Before bolting, I take a second to scan the chaos around me. All the Penubians and five Ninasarvik are outside, chasing after a cunning, light-footed Wingo.
“Ready?”he asks.
“I don’t know what you expect me to do, but... yes. I’m ready!”
“Then it’s all yours, beautiful. Your move!”
I slip quietly out of my now-open cage—just in time to see Wingo charging straight toward me. At the last second, he veers off in the opposite direction, but not before dropping something barely a yard away from me.
“In case you’re wondering, it’s set to stun!”he informs me.“Prax was very insistent about that.”
To my complete astonishment, I find myself holding Prax’s pistoblaster. The fact that he thought of me, even in the middle of all this chaos, touches me more than I can say.
“One last thing: only shoot if you have to—and only at the Penubians. The Ninasarvik are immune. Pherebos and Prax will handle them! Now hide behind the boarding ramp!”Wingo advises before darting off into the brush.
I can feel it—that was the signal. The assault is about to begin.
Suddenly, all hell breaks loose.
I spot Kiran running toward me, pistoblaster in hand. He fires off a few rounds at the Penubians but misses every time. Unfortunately, they’ve drawn their deadly weapons and are firing back. The battle unfolding before me is brutal. I immediately realize that the Penubians are only targeting Humans—my brother, Nikos, and Viktor among them.
