Selena
“Ambassadors.”
“You want them to be your ambassadors?” Kaede asked, dumbfounded. “Why would you want that?”
“How else will I explain taking in a large group of refugees from beyond our galaxy?” I gestured to the apartments that housed the base’s citizens. “I will speak with Z, Royak, and Vagren about making it official, and with Mwe about handling the Assembly when over five thousand applications for new citizenship suddenly appear on their desks.”
“You know that means you will have to return to the CEG headquarters and submit your case in front of the Assembly again, right?” Kaede crossed his arms. “It’s not like I can stop you when you set your mind on something. I just want to make sure you knew your options.”
“I do know. I’ve already thought this through.”
“Well, if the refugees agree, so do I.”
Grabbing his hand, I dragged him toward Ryzen. The poor male was confused about how to respond to our approach. While Kaede owned all the drones that watched the base, I was leading him to speak in person.
“You can keep your psy-daggers up if you want, but I’d like to speak with you.”
He peered at us with pursed lips, his emerald tattoos dimming. “What is it you want to talk about?”
“I’d like your permission to take some of your crew members with me permanently. I plan to make Tori and her clan my official ambassadors to your base,” I announced, tilting my head. “I know I could probably take them without your permission, but I don’t want to leave with any hard feelings between us.”
Threethumpssounded behind me and he glanced over my shoulder. “Is that what you want?”
“I don’t know how good of an ambassador I will be, but yes, my clan and I want to leave with Selena and live on her home moon,” Tori answered, stepping closer to me. “We’ve developed a friendship that I don’t wish to lose.”
“I see,” Ryzen muttered. “And your clan?”
“We will follow our StarPyre and relocate to live near Selena,” Auro announced, patting Tori’s shoulder. “You know my clan brothers have always wanted to become merchants again and pick up our trade runs.”
“Yes, I know. I’ve always felt guilty that you ended up with us.”
“Does that mean that you will allow us to leave?” Tori asked, grabbing her two emerald males’ hands.
“If that is what you want. However, I don’t believe you should go alone.” Ryzen returned his gaze to me. “How difficult would it be to bring me along, too?”
“Very,” Kaede clipped. “Especially for a male whose psy-daggers are still active.”
Ryzen rolled his eyes and waved his hand, making all nine weapons disappear.
“How about now?” The emerald male smirked, crossing his arms. “You are the one who still has his weapons engaged, not me.”
Kaede clenched his fists and opened his mouth to speak, but I gently smacked his stomach. “Don’t you dare startpeacockingaround me, Kaede.”
He shot the twin a glare but relaxed, wrapping an arm around me.
Whatever had gotten into him to make him so possessive, I could address the issue later. Right now, I needed to handle Ryzen so we could be off. I had wasted enough time on this rock.
“Who will lead the base if you leave?”
“My brother can.” He held up a hand to stop me from protesting. “I’ve already spoken to him about his behavior and the need to find a more permanent location for our people. He can remain grounded on the base while I search for a more suitable place to settle.”
“Your brother isn’t allowed to enter our galaxy, you know that, right?” Kaede challenged. “Is that a dealbreaker for you?”
“After Selena returns home and makes sure her mates are all right, we could discuss terms to give him permission to enter your galaxy,” Ryzen suggested, his eyes flicking to his fallen brother.
“You will need to speak with Oeta about that ban.” I frowned. I wouldn’t interfere with Oeta’s decisions. She was the one who enforced the ban with the help of her father, so they could consult her about lifting it. “I’m mainly angry at your brother because he never admitted he was wrong or even attempted to apologize to me. If he had shown any remorse for his actions, I would have felt a little sympathy. I understand the impulse to do anything to save a loved one. Perhaps after he has time to consider his actions, he will come to realize his mistakes.”
“I agree,” Ryzen closed his eyes and nodded. “I will make note of that for the future.”
