“Can you see it, Earthling?” Uuktar whispered, and I didn’t need to look at the seer to get a visual of their frothing eagerness. “Can you identify where Karn is hiding?”
Hiding…
“Can you?” I shot back, tearing my gaze from the window to arch a brow at their dumbassery. “Or is that whereyourpowers end?”
The Hydrassian huffed, although they couldn’t argue with facts. “Of course, we cannot! It wasn’tourkind who created the shield—it wasyours.”
And that’s why Uulvin sent us.
While most of this puzzle had been falling into place, I’d been stuck on wondering why the Hydrassians on Dionaea hadn’t just stolen Pedro from us and used the creature to trade for Uuktar’s freedom. It wasn’t just because they already knew theLacertusweren’t interested in the coordinates for Karn, but because none of them could remove the planet’s shields.
And the Hydrassians are who the Trols are hiding from.
“Stop here, Zig,” I softly commanded, getting my usual kinky thrill when he obeyed. “It’s going to take me a while to dismantle the shields, and since all my concentration will be needed…” I turned to Uuktar. “I will need you to wait in your room?—”
“NO!” the seer hissed, rising to stand before creepily focusing all six heads in my direction. “Youwillreveal Karn to us. Youwillextract more Trols for our breeding program. And youwillcontinue to provide this service for our kind in the future. You work for the Hydrassians now.”
This fool.
I stared blankly at them for a full thirty seconds, letting themthinkthey had me hypnotized. Then, I laughed. “Nope. Not happening. But it sounds like someone needs a nap.”
Uuktar opened their mouths to argue, but they’d been too preoccupied with their own imperial blind spots to sense they’d already been defeated. Recognizing his cue, Gabe used the mental access he already had to send the alien into a deep sleep before Ziggy whisked them away to their new “unjust” prison aboard the Lodger 79.
Girl, bye.
Once Zig reappeared, he swept me into his arms to pepper me with adorably schmoopy little kisses. “You know Iloveit when Commander Babygirl comes out to play, don’t you?”
“I do!” I laughed, cupping his handsome face in my hands so I could land some kisses of my own. “Buuuuut… I’m having a hard time remembering… Whatelsedo you love?”
Say it again.
He rolled his pretty blue eyes before clearing them to show me his true form beneath. “You. I loveyou,Micah Salah.”
Never stop.
“I love you too, Ziggy Andromeda,” I replied with one last kiss—for now. “Even if it’smyvery impressive powers that can sense there’s a planet out there at all.”
We both turned to gaze out the window as a heavy silence fell over the cockpit.
“What do you want to do, sunshine?” he finally asked, and I shattered.
“I-I don’t know!” I wailed as the tears threatened to fallyet again.“It’s not that I don’twantto give up Pedro, even though that’s part of it, but the Trols are hiding for areason,right?And even if Icandismantle the massive shields somehow camouflaging an entire planet long enough to get them home, what if… what if I can’t put the shields back in place?”
My bad bitchery only goes so far.
Despite what the certificate says.
Before Ziggy could reply, scratching at the cockpit door caught our attention, followed by a familiarpspsps.
RIP SWOL-E.
With an exasperated sigh that was one thousand percent for show, Ziggy opened the door so Pedro could gallop in with an excited squeak. Of course, the little Trol immediately climbed his number one space dad like a tree so he could take his usual perch on Zig’s shoulder.
Okay, I need to take another photo…
After I took about 300 photos, I blew out a slow breath. “I wish we could ask Pedro?—”
“KRAWWWK?!”the Trol released an ear-splitting squawk, cocking its furry little head and blinking owlishly, as if replying to something only they could hear.
