“I’m standing right here,” Amina reminded them. She wasn’t truly annoyed because she could tell both of them were going to give in to her.
“Can you leave for a moment, Myrum?” Helmen asked. “I need to speak to Amina alone.”
Myrum looked at her, not moving. Amina gave him a little nod. “It’s fine. I’ll meet you in the galley. I’m sure everyone is already there getting the evening meal ready.”
There was a moment of hesitation before Myrum finally sounded a rumble of agreement and left. Amina faced Helmen and waited.
Helmen hesitated a moment. Her expression went from determined to uncomfortable.
“What?” Amina pressed. “Spit it out.”
“The Ossiso who owns the outpost and planet we’re going to is named Lorse,” Helmen started.
“We know his name is Lorse; what does that matter?” Amina asked, then it clicked what she’d said. “Wait, one guy owns an outpost and a planet?”
“That’s one of the reasons I started doing a little research. Tik’s UniBase had nothing, but the pleasure ship’s UniBase had a lot of details. That’s how I know Lorse owns two planets and three stations, including Tik. The thing you need to know is that Lorse is powerful, not only because he has money but also highpolitical connections. My concern is that Lorse might want to keep Myrum.”
Amina blinked. “What?”
“Lorse has already reached out by long-distance comms with an offer,” Helmen said.
Amina got a sinking feeling in her stomach. “Offer?”
“He’s willing to give me enough wealth that I could buy another ship if I wanted.”
“What would you need to do for it?”
Helmen’s answer was simple. “Leave Myrum behind.”
Anger hit Amina so fast she swayed a little. “Is that why you didn’t want me to go? You were planning to abandon Myrum?”
The last few words were a shout that Helmen didn’t react to. The captain knew about her temper and brushed it off.
“What kind of Ugarian do you take me for? Of course I don’t plan to do that,” Helmen said, sounding tired. “But why did Lorse try to buy me off to begin with? Does he want to make Myrum disappear? Is there a grudge or a political maneuver going on that Myrum’s people don’t know about?” Helmen paused then continued. “I’m not insulting Myrum, but he doesn’t strike me as a politician, ambassador, or intelligence officer.”
Amina finally understood. “You think Myrum was sent on a suicide mission?”
“Unknowingly,” Helmen said. “I think it’s more accurate to say that he’s a sacrifice to Lorse.”
Amina thought about what she knew about his past. There were gaps after he was rescued. Maybe she should ask him about it.
“We need to be ready to do drastic things,” Helmen said.
“I agree,” Amina said, giving Helmen an understanding nod. “We might have to protect Myrum from himself as well as some plot.”
Chapter 18
Myrum
The Ossiso shuttle landed without issue. Myrum, Amina, and Helmen waited outside the bay door until the large space equalized.
“It’s time,” Helmen said as the display on the wall blipped, indicating the bay had finished pumping in environment. She turned to Amina. “You’re sure you have everything?”
Amina nodded and patted the bulky robe she was wearing. “Yup.”
Myrum had helped her go through her limited wardrobe to find something that looked like what a human pet would wear. They ended up with her in black lounging pants paired with a long-sleeved thermal top.
Except for being soft and warm, neither item was anything like he’d seen the pets back on Kalor wearing. Then he’d found the robe. It was a nice shade of deep blue and trimmed in silver, and it hung almost to the floor, with long sleeves that widened at theends. It looked similar to the omnies human pets on Kalor wore during cold weather.
