Worst case scenario, we could always star hop back to the ship for a quick getaway.
Assuming we don’t get trapped by a shield…
I didn’t like how we’d left things with Leeloo, but I also didn’t believe they, or their fellow Eki, meant us any harm. While many aliens were only looking out for themselves, we’d also met those who were welcoming to different species and more than willing to help.
The same could be said of Earthlings, I suppose.
“Are you open to the possibility that Leeloo was telling the truth?”
This was a topic I'd attempted to discuss before we landed, but Ziggy had managed to avoid engaging.
Shocking, I know.
Unfortunately for him, there was no hiding from a session with Dr. Micah—not when you were sharing the same skinsuit—and I needed to be absolutely sure where my stellar collision stood before we confronted Uuktar.
“About what exactly?”
“About some species not being what they seem…”
He was silent for so long, I wondered if we’d lost our mental connection—or if he’d tapped in to my thoughts to catch my subtext. But then, he rallied.
“It would be hypocritical of me to not be open to the idea. Stellarian history turned out to be more complex than what I was raised to believe so, of course, I am open to considering the same for other species.”
I gasped, loud enough for him to hear me over the bustle of the bazaar—perhaps from outer space.
“Does this mean my superior Stellarian is acknowledging his imperial blind spots?”
He sighed in my head, equally loud.
“Let’s just see what intel we can extract from Uuktar.”
“Roger that, partner!”
Nothing better than interrogation time with my Space Daddy.
Soon enough, we’d reached the last pier in the row, closed in by shields and containing nothing but a small wooden hut and a meditation cushion with a snake-headed alien serenely perched on top.
“Ah, there are our rescuers,” they hissed in unison from all six heads. “We have been expecting you.”
Something was buzzing in my intuition, whispering for me to pay attention, but we’d agreed that Ziggy would do the talking to start.
“Let me guess,” my man boomed in a truly terrifying voice, “your renowned psychic abilities foretold our arrival?”
The Hydrassian snickered. “Psychic abilities were to thank, yes. Now what can we humbly offer you in exchange for our freedom?”
“We seek a planet that has mysteriously disappeared,” Ziggy continued, all business as usual. “The place where we can acquire a gemstone said to guarantee victory in battle for its owner.”
Zig showing such single-minded interest in the karnilianwould have freaked me out a day ago, but this angle was part of our agreed upon strategy.
And I trust my stellar collision.
Even if he doesn’t trust himself…
Uuktar’s set of smiles faltered as they rose from the cushion and moved closer. “What do you mean,acquire?I was told you already had the Trol in your possession…”
Told?!
The water beneath the pier began to churn and bubble, causing nearby aliens to run for dry land. Alarm bells were going off in my head, but I desperately needed to know how to get Pedro home.
