“Wake up.”
Kronos is standing over me with a stern expression on his very, very handsome face. I have not slept through the worst of it. I can tell that because the worst of it engulfs me immediately.
“Did we win? Or are we dead?”
“We won. And now we are going to deal with you.”
“Can you not? I have a headache. And my mouth is dry. And my eyeballs hurt for some reason? And I think I’m getting my period. And my toes are like, tingly?”
“You are going to explain yourself, and…”
“I’m going to be sick,” I tell him.
“You are going to…”
I am sick.
My stomach is so upset at me. The stomach also has a lot of the same kind of chemistry going on in it as the brain, but unlike the brain, which is stuck in the skull, the stomach can do all sorts of gross things.
Boss picks me up. “I’m going to make her some soup,” he says. “That will make her feel better. We can debrief later.”
“I suppose we will clean this up,” Sharp sighs.
CHAPTER 4
“They’re mad at me,” I say to Boss as he sits me down in the galley. It’s funny to me how even in an alien ship, the kitchen still manages to be the heart of everything. The universe loves a good kitchen.
“Yes,” he says.
“But you’re not?”
“I just got to kill dozens of my greatest enemies. That puts me in a good mood. Also, I understand your actions in a way Sharp and Kronos do not. Sharp comes from a place of almost pure logic. Kronos is oriented toward the good and the bloody. Neither of those perspectives have any room for taking psychedelics while under fire.”
“You’re really smart,” I say.
“Yes,” he agrees. “To a human, I am.”
“What does that mean, ‘to a human’?”
“Humans are quite close to us in many ways. Both species evolved in grassland environments. We both have herd tendencies, enjoy rituals, and explore consciousness.”
“What’s your species called? Did I ever ask? I feel rude. Sorry.”
“I am a Bovix,” he says. “And Sharp is a Draik, and Kronos is a Peladian.”
“How did you all meet?” I sip a little of my soup, which tastes like meaty flowers. Hard to explain it any other way, but it’s the right combination of sustenance and comfort.
Boss shrugs. “Circumstance. I fled after destroying the Harvesters. Sharp was looking for hands on his ship. Kronos… was not always our friend.”
“Oh, really?” My ears prick up at that.
“I do not want to tell his story for him,” Boss says. “Eat something. They’re going to come for you soon enough, and when they do, there’s no argument that will save you.”
“Don’t say that. That’s too ominous.”
He slides a glass over to me, filled with a fizzing red liquid. “Electrolytes, minerals, and vitamins,” he says. “Should be enough to settle your stomach and give you some energy for what is to come.”
“I specifically asked you not to be ominous,” I complain.
