Micah smirked. “So polite.” He returned his gaze to Pedro and ran a hand through their soggy fur, eliciting another happy trill. “If you promise to be as quick as possible, and gentle… I just don’t want?—”
“I promise, I will be quick and gentle.” It was my turn to smirk. “The opposite of how I am with you.”
He huffed as his cheeks darkened. “Not in front of the baby, Zig!”
Resisting the urge to remind him this creature had no idea what we were saying, I focused on my assignment from Commander Babygirl.
Undetected—temporary—infiltration.
First, I sedated Pedro with my sleep powers, similar to how Honnor had when we took a blood sample, before carefully snaking a tendril down their throat. I couldn’t exactly ‘see’ inside their body while doing this, but with how sensitive my tendrils were to touch, scent, and vibrations, I was confident I could get a useful reading of some kind.
Oddly, the deeper I traveled, the more energetic resistance I came up against while also feelingcompelledto keep going—to reach whatever was luring me in.
I need to find it.
An offhand comment Honnor had made about “an odd breastplate formation” had me branching out once I reached the chest cavity, sending tendrils shooting off in various directions to locate the source of the glow.
I need to make it mine…
Fuck.
I was having a difficult time ignoring my natural instincts to take over, but I chalked it up to the now-outdated Stellarian mindset of complete subjugation as the only option when it came to our vessels.
That’s not who you are anymore, Ziggy.
It’s not why you’re here?—
I froze as the source of the red glow suddenly washed over me, unobstructed by Pedro’s natural defenses. It was an almost maddening amount of energy, vibrating my synapses with the promise of ultimate supremacy
So. Much. Power.
All mine…
With a gasp, I snatched my tendril out of Pedro’s slack mouth and put as much distance between us as possible in the tiny bathroom.
“What happened?!” Micah hissed, his panicked gaze darting between us like he didn’t know who to attend to. “Is everything okay?”
My chest heaved, my tendrils roiling beneath the surface as I locked them down tight. “There’s something in there, something more powerful than anything I’ve ever encountered. I need… I need to…”
I need my maker.
Honnor must have sensed my distress, as the alert lighting built into the walls began flashing, indicating an incoming message from Astrum Force Command.
Thank fuck.
“I don’t thinkPedrois a danger to us, sunshine,” I soothed, wanting to be clear before I disappeared. “But if you could get them settled in the weapons… the nursery and then meet me in the cockpit…”
“You got it, Zig.” He nodded resolutely, gently lifting a still sleepy Pedro from the basin and wrapping them in a towel. “You can count on me.”
Thank. Fuck.
I star hopped away before my mate could fully pick up on how shaken I was, stopping in the bedroom to pull on some clothes before heading to the cockpit.
Once there, I sat heavily in my captain’s chair and dropped my head into my hands, running through a few of the breathing exercises Micah had taught me.
What in Stellaria’s namewasthat?
I would have preferred to wait until my capable partner rejoined me, and for my frazzled nerves to return to baseline, but when an urgentcallcame through, I immediately answered.
