Which is also true, in a way…
“Uneventful,” Ziggy smoothly replied for both of us. “The security the Maroxians had guarding the asset was pitiful.”
“Pedro,” I added, wincing as all three Stellarians turned their attention to me.
“You named it?”Bron asked, tone dripping with amusement again.
“Yes, I namedthem,”I corrected, annoyed these nonbinary star clusters weren’t understanding the importance of a gender-neutral pronoun. “Because they’re a living creature and just a baby and shouldn’t be experimented on in any way.”
Real smooth, Micah…
Unsurprisingly, it was Honnor who stepped in to calm me down.“We have no intention of experimenting on Pedro, although we will need to gather a few samples to help determine their planet of origin.”They turned to Ziggy.“Were you able to gather any intel during the mission?”
What?
I had no idea snooping had been part of the plan but, then again, this mission hadn’t exactly been a team effort.
Mypartnerbriefly glanced at me before straightening. “I… forgot.”
What?!
This was clearly bullshit. Ziggy was the most meticulous creature I’d ever met. If he’d been unable to track anything down while on Marox, it was because the intel didn’t exist.
Or…
“It was my fault!” I blurted out, making Ziggy tense. “I distracted him—as always—so he ran out of time.”
And this is why I get left behind.
Bron hummed thoughtfully.“Yes, our mates can be extremely distracting. It was all I could do to stay hidden when you captured Honnor in that tractor beam on Zeanides.”
“Oh, you meanbeforeyou attempted to kidnap me?” I replied dryly while Ziggy bristled at the terrifying memory.
“Yes.”Bron chuckled in the musical way Stellarians could in their true form.“That was fun.”
I wouldn't have called it that.
“It’s all right, Ziggy.”Honnor once again diffused the situation.“It will be easier for us to identify the creature now that they’ve hatched.”
Honnor reached for Pedro but quickly withdrew their armor-covered hands when the newborn hissed and clung tighter to Ziggy.
“Ruh-roh, Zig!” I sang, beaming at my scowling stellar collision. “Looks like someone might haveimprintedon someone else.”
“No one has imprinted on me,” he snapped as Bron snickered. “Pedro is simply a lifeform of lower intelligence with a barely developed brain!”
Isthatall he got out of his phone call with Zion?
Because, yeah, big bro told me everything.
I rolled my eyes. “My bad. I forgot. All Stellarians are geniuses at birth.”
“We are.” Ziggy crossed his arms and sniffed haughtily, trying his hardest to look cool with a hissing furball peering over his shoulder. “We are one of the highest forms of intelligence in all the galaxies.”
Sounds like someone wants a certificate.
“Perhaps you shouldn’t make assumptions, my child,”Honnor gently replied.“You know better than most that not everything is as it seems when it comes to other species.”
Mic drop!
