Dhomhes shrugged. “But I will help you.”
“As will I,” Fiviel added.
Khalzin blinked. “Truly?”
“If only to prove that it won't work,” Dhomhes said.
Khalzin sighed. “Your objections are noted.”
Stron shot a look at Dhomhes. Dhomhes merely gave that smirking smile of his. Stron turned back to Khalzin. “We have your back, my friend.”
Khalzin nodded. “I appreciate that.”
They started to walk off the center practice mat.
“You know, I have heard stories of other humanoids mating with Kantenans. Away from our system, of course,” Stron said, softly to Khalzin. “To my mother's great dismay.”
Khalzin smiled. “Yes, she would hate that idea. As does my mother, I'm sure.”
“Have our mothers been spending time together again?”
“Probably.”
2
ADRYEL
Adryel ran as fast as she could down the alley. She squeezed her hand around the pocket with the tiny citricite crystal.
It wasn’t even worth that much, but the way the guards were acting, it was like she stolen a million credits.
If only!
They noticed faster than she expected when she snatched it. It didn't help that guards were bigger and enhanced in some way. They ran after her like afterburners.
She, however, was not so enhanced, so she had to find other ways to escape them. Like with brains and a little luck.
Adryel squeezed the small gold rock, its edges cutting into her palm. That single stone of citricite would power her apartment for another week, if not a little more. And if she can power it herself, then she wouldn't have to pay for power from the landlord.
Then she'd be able to live there longer.
She had to get there first.
She ducked behind a storage bin to hide from the passing authorities and hoped their enhancements weren't the kind that could see humanoids behind things.
They weren't going to let her get too far, going back and forth at each end of the alley like they were trying to box her in.
Stars knew, though, if she didn't get back to her home, she'd wind up in jail. And that wouldn't go well. She wasn't going back there again. Once was enough, thanks. She hadn't deserved to be there, anyway. She'd just been talking. Which usually got her in trouble anyway, but that's beside the point.
The policing units on Kerde, a moon of Trinity Alpha Prime, were quick to jail someone for even presumed guilt.
A mouthy Terran girl? This far away from the Terran Empire? She was already marked. Her sketchy companions weren't much help, either.
It's not like Adryel wanted to hang out with criminals. It's just kind of where she wound up.
She learned from the best of them how to blend in.
“There she is!”
