“ZIG!!!”
Micah’s cry of terror wasn’t for himself. The claws of anotherLacertusclosed around the vessel I inhabited, but before I could escape, a violent jolt of electricity shot through me, whiting out my vision and rendering my powers useless.
Oh, fuuu…
Besides star hopping making us difficult to catch, Stellarians had long ago developed a resistance to theLacertus’ability to drain another’s powers on contact. Unfortunately, it appeared theOpertum’smetallic skinsuit was enough of a conduit to make that resistance useless as well.
…uuuuuuck.
* * *
“So youwerelying about the Trol.”
I groggily regained consciousness, only to find Uuktar glaring at me from behind the safety of their shielded prison.
Why couldn’t they have gotten trampled during the idiot lizard rampage?
The next thing I registered was the sound of claws scraping against metal, along with a familiarpspsps.
Peering out from what was left of my skinsuit, I discoveredPedroscratching at the vessel in a desperate attempt to reach me.
This does not bode well for the nanny bot.
Or my ship…
By some miracle, my powers had recovered, so I star hopped out of the mangledOpertumand scooped Pedro into my tendrils. In sharp contrast to the first time the little creature had encountered me in my true form, they chittered happily and snuggled as close to my core as possible.
Ugh.
Cute.
I could stillfeelMicah—alive, thank fuck—because of our stellar collision bond, but I couldn’t check in with him otherwise.
He must still have his shields engaged.
All his shields…
This meant our mental connection was also disconnected, probably left over from Micah shielding his mind from Uuktar. While I understood the precaution, the current lack of communication was alarming, and with no clear sign of my mate in the surrounding wreckage, my gaze warily drifted to the deep, uninviting waters sloshing against the pier.
Looks like it’s time for a different skinsuit…
I’d only just begun mentally flipping through my options, determining which aquatic species would be best for the battle ahead, when the Hydrassian spoke again.
“They did not take him underwater. At least, not here…”
I spun on the seer, ready to interrogate them until they cried for mercy only to remember they most likely wouldn’t understand my native language anyway.
Sigh.
Apparently, Uuktar was feeling generous, as they pointed toward a far-off cave on the far end of a seemingly endless strip of sandy beach.
It’s time for another skinsuit either way.
“Be sure to come back and rescue us!” the Hydrassian called out in a sugary sweet tone that grated on my nerves. “After you have rescued the… whatever they are.”
My mate, you mean?
Seeing no need to acknowledge their ridiculous request, I star hopped Pedro and I back to my ship. Our first stop was the skinsuit closet, then the arsenal of weapons still scattered around the Lodger’s kitchen, where I chose only the best artillery for confronting Micah’s kidnappers.
