Goloran’s eyes narrowed. “Kloth, transmit an additional twenty-thousand quark to their account. That should make up for the unbalanced exchange of information.”

  “You can’t just bribe your way out of this,” I complained, surprising myself with my boldness. “We had a deal.”

  “I’m not risking my life over our deal. Transmit the funds.”

  “Hold on,” Matt said. “How about this? You go back to Gothori. Once we’re clear here, we’ll find you. I assume Zariv can’t reach you back home?”

  “He will suffer greatly if he tries,” Goloran said. “Very well, you will be welcomed at the palace should you make it off Cacitrum alive. I can provide much more information to you there, including access to our archives and historical records. And you can continue answering my questions as well.”

  “Deal,” Matt said. “One other thing.”

  “What is it?”

  “How much do you want for your knife? It seems much more efficient at carving up machines than mine.”

  Goloran seemed confused at first. Then, smiling, she lifted her dress and retrieved the blade’s sheath strapped to her leg. She slid the knife into it and handed it to Matt. “Consider it a gift for stopping the assassins.”

  “Thank you,” Matt said, accepting the dagger. He pulled the knife from its sheath and inspected it closer. The black metal blade led into a grip wrapped in a soft material, with a button on the base to activate the plasma charge. He replaced his combat knife with it, offering the weapon to Goloran.

  She accepted the knife, briefly examining it. “Not as lethal, but it makes a nice Earth souvenir.” She motioned to the elevator. “You will depart first, in case reinforcements are on the way.”

  Matt nodded, looking at us. “Are you guys ready?”

  “Totally,” Tyler said.

  “Ready as we’ll ever be,” I said.

  “We’ll see you on Gothori, your Highness,” Matt said. He motioned to the elevator, and we all started toward it, leaving her and Kloth behind with their dead. I could only assume she would arrange to retrieve them once she had safely returned to her ship.

  “Matt, wait,” Goloran said as we reached the lift. “My final question. Where did you hide your ship?”

  Matt looked over at me and nodded his permission to reveal the truth. I reached into my coat pocket, removed the tiny vessel, and balanced it in my open palm.

  Her eyebrows went up, mouth agape as she stared at the diminutive starship. “That…that’s impossible.”

  “I’m sure your shamans would disagree,” Matt answered with a grin while I pocketed Head Case.

  The elevator chimed the arrival of the cab. Tyler readied his rocket fist. Ally drew her blaster. Fortunately, when the door slid open, the interior was vacant. “As long as they don’t cut the wires and drop us to our deaths, we should be good,” Tyler commented as we boarded.

  Goloran waved to us while the doors slid closed. Tee waved back, of course. So did Ally and I. Matt remained more stoic.

  “Do you think we can go anywhere in Warexia without being attacked?” Ally asked as we descended.

  “So far, it seems the answer to that is no,” Tyler replied.

  “Princess Goloran might not think the Warden has anything to do with it, but considering the frequency, I have a hard time buying into that point of view,” Matt said. “Those bots were on us so quick, it’s like they were just waiting for us to show up at the hotel with her.”

  “Do you think she set us up?” Alyssa asked.

  “I don’t think we can completely rule it out.”

  “So why didn’t we confront her when we had the chance?” I asked. “She only had one bodyguard left.”

  “Because she’s a princess. If you kill a princess, the king or queen get involved. Which means their entire planet gets involved. We have enough complications already.”

  “Good point,” Tee agreed.

  “I don’t think she was involved,” I said. “She lost almost all of her bodyguards. She could have held them back to prevent them from being involved. From Kloth’s reaction, I didn’t get the feeling that the Gothori treat grithyak like they’re all that expendable.”

  “A good observation,” Matt replied. “How do you propose Zariv reacted to our arrival so quickly?”

  “If bots here are anything like I imagine they would be on Earth, then they’re networked, and someone has access to that network. Which means they can view the feeds from their cameras. Since Zariv raided Levain’s HQ, he probably also gained access to the feeds from Levain’s robots. The red guard-bots at least. If he knows what we look like, he probably fed our faces into a facial recognition algorithm. As soon as we came into contact with one of his bots, it triggered an alert.”

  Tyler started laughing before Matt could respond. “That’s why I always picked you to partner with in science class. Nerdlock Homie.”

  “It’s also possible some of the worker-bots at the shops and restaurants from the cafe to the hotel spotted us long before we arrived at the hotel,” I added. “In which case, they had more time to prepare than it seems.”

  “Good call,” Matt said. “I think you’re probably right. Good thing, too. We could really use an ally in this galaxy.”

  “She may not have been involved in the attack, but I doubt Goloran is on our side,” Ally said. “She’s looking out for herself.”

  “Right now, an ally to me is anyone not openly trying to kill us,” Matt answered. “That was some seriously nice shooting up there, by the way. I know you’ve done well with training, but I didn’t expect that.”

  “It’s the Warden’s second boon,” she replied. “I can make a kill shot with my eyes closed. I didn’t expect that, either.”

  “Do you have to call it out?” I asked.

  “Did I call it out?” she replied.

  “Yeah.”

  She shrugged. “I guess I have to, then. I wonder if it would still work if you taped my mouth closed.”

  “Let’s not be too eager to find out,” Matt said.

  “So far, the Warden’s boons have come in pretty handy,” Tyler said. “Get it? Handy?” He turned his rocket fist into its titanium counterpart. “It has to make you wonder if he’s really such a bad guy after all.”

  “He’s a bad guy,” Matt responded stiffly, his expression brooking no argument. “Period. End of story. He’s the reason we’re here, and from my point of view, he’s trying very hard to keep us from finding our way out.”

  “But he sent us to Levain,” Tyler said. “It wouldn’t make sense for him to have Levain killed immediately afterward to keep him from revealing his method of reaching Earth.”

  “I think it makes perfect sense if you’re a psychopath,” Matt answered.

  We fell silent for the remainder of the ride down. The cab doors opened, and we exited into the lobby, remaining wary of the bots circulating nearby. I flicked my attention from one to the next, wondering if they would attack us in the open. No doubt, they would do their best to track us. We needed to find a way to hide our faces if we wanted to move through Portus without spying eyes constantly catching sight of us.

  “We could really use disguises right about now,” Matt said, guessing my thoughts. “Let’s head back to the pawn shop near the shipyard. It’s quieter in that part of the city, and the service-bot might know how we can change our looks.”

  “Can’t we eat first?” Tyler asked. “I’m starving and still haven’t gotten to eat. Besides, I doubt Zariv will have us murdered in broad daylight.”

  “I still don’t know how you can be hungry after what just happened,” I said. “People died.”

  “Grithyak, not people,” he answered. “I feel bad about that. I do. But we’ve all seen worse on Facebook.”

  “I haven’t,” Ally cried.

  “Do you even remember when you used to hate guns?” I asked him.

  “Yeah. But I didn’t have anyone trying to kill me at the time.”

  “We’ll grab something along the way,” Matt promised.

  “How do we know the bot at the pawn shop isn’t one of Zariv’s?” I asked. “Not only can it track us, it’ll see whatever we might pick up for disguises.”

  “Damn, I didn’t think of that.” He paused briefly to consider, a smile spreading across his face as he glanced over at me, his expression easily besting Tee’s most devilish grin. “I have an idea.”

  CHAPTER 10

  We hurried back to our motel near the shipyard, constantly looking over our shoulders to ensure we weren't being followed. My nerves felt frayed, my body shivering with adrenaline and dread. We hustled up to the third floor, finding the door to the room where we'd startled the alien from his sleep earlier. I rapped sharply, hoping he hadn't checked out.

  The bleary-eyed ILF opened the door a cautious crack. "You again! Please, just leave me be!"

  Matt slipped his foot into the gap. "We won't hurt you, friend. We only want to talk."

  The alien blinked nervously at Matt. His gaze darted to take in the rest of us crowding the hallway behind him. “Whoever you are, we have nothing to talk about. Nothing at all. Please, go away.”

  Matt withdrew his foot. “Fine. But before you slam the door in my face, you should know…there’s quark involved.”

  The ILF's large eyes seemed to glimmer at the mention of money. “How much quark?”

  “It’s negotiable.”

  With a greedy sigh, he pulled the door wider. Matt slipped inside, the rest of us on his heels.

  "Alright, what do you want?" The alien perched warily on the edge of the rumpled bed. His eyes held a glazed look I attributed to lingering intoxication.

  Matt stood in front of him. "We’d like to offer you a business proposition."

  "What kind of proposition?"

  “How familiar are you with Cacitrum? Do you come here often?”

  “I’m here at least once per month for business with the shipyard. I’d say I’m very familiar.”

  “That’s just what we wanted to hear. We’d like you to run a couple of quick errands for us. In exchange, we'll pay you a thousand quark. Enough for a wild night out on the town."

  The alien's eyes brightened further. "What kind of errands?"

  "We need clothing that will help us blend in better as locals. And I want to reclaim a blaster I was forced to pawn yesterday. Do you know the shop between here and downtown?”

  “I may have visited it a few times before.” The being's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "This isn't some kind of trick to frame me for something illegal, is it?”

  "I give you my word,” Matt replied solemnly. “Purchase the items we request, return here with everything, and the funds are yours free and clear."

  The alien chuckled, his laugh a high-pitched chittering squeal. “I may have had a little too much to drink last night, but I’m not an idiot. I want a thousand up front, another thousand when I return. Plus two thousand to buy everything, and I get to keep the surplus.”

  “Four thousand?” Matt replied. “Talk about something illegal. You’re trying to rip us off.”

  “So states the human who needs someone else to go and buy clothing and a gun for them. Certainly, the cost is fair considering your circumstances. Or, you can try to find someone else.”

  Matt glowered at the alien but didn’t argue with its assessment. “Fine,” he decided. “We have a deal.”

  The alien chittered out another squeal “I suppose I should have asked for more. Very well.” He dug into a rumpled pocket, retrieving a paystick.

  “Uh, how do we transfer the funds?” Matt asked.

  “You really are outsiders. Press the button on the bottom of the stick. Then, turn the segments to the desired value, starting from the top.”

  Matt did as the alien suggested. Holographic numbers appeared over each segment, which he quickly adjusted to three thousand.

  “Now, tap your stick to mine.”

  He did as the ILF directed.

  “If you want to check your balance, press the button three times in succession,” the alien said. “I will return shortly.” He headed for the door on wobbly knees.

  “Wait,” I said, the ILF freezing and looking back over his shoulder at me before he reached the door.

  “What’s wrong?” Matt asked.

  “I have an idea.” I reached into my pocket. One of the Aleal’s tendrils immediately wrapped around my finger. Rather than pulling the digit away, I curled it around the appendage, lifting the Aleal into the open. “Hey, buddy,” I said to it. “I have a job for you.”

  “Noah,” Matt warned. “This isn’t a good idea.”

  The Aleal raised a few additional tendrils, wiggling them quizzically. Asking me for more information.

  “I need you to go to the pawn shop with our new friend here.” I looked at the alien. “What’s your name?”

  “Hzzt,” it replied. “Hzzt Barrg.”

  “Our new friend, Hzzt. He’s…You are a he, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “He’s going to the pawn shop to buy us some clothes. Make sure he doesn’t try to take the money and run.”

  “I would never⁠—“

  “Then you won’t mind bringing my companion with you,” I interrupted. “It’s insurance for you, too. I’m not about to send it off to be arrested or harmed in any way.”

  Hzzt didn’t look happy about the request, but he nodded. “Very well.”

  I didn’t know if the Aleal fully understood what I wanted it to do until it sprang from my hand to the alien’s chest, quickly sliding out of sight into his vest pocket.

  “And don’t eat his brain,” I instructed. “We need him back here alive.”

  “Eat my…what?” Hzzt cried, huge eyes darkening.

  “It’s fine,” I said. “Don’t worry.”

  “Easy for you to say.” Hzzt looked very worried as he eased out the door and pulled it shut it behind him.

  Tyler immediately burst out laughing. “Did you see the look in his eyes? It was like he had a live grenade in his pocket.”

  “He does,” Matt snapped, thoroughly unamused. “Noah⁠—“

  “Before you tell me I did the wrong thing, consider the fact that Hzzt could have run off with three thousand quark. Now, we can be pretty confident he won’t.”

  “Maybe, but I’m much less confident he’ll even make it back here.”

  “I told the Aleal not to eat his brain.”

  “And you think it’ll listen to you? I told you, it’s not a pet.”

  “No, it isn’t. It’s an intelligent colony of single-celled life forms, and my friend. It does listen to me. Not because it has to, but because it wants to.”

  “It did go nuts on Jaffie after it heard the guy killed Noah’s parents,” Tyler said. “I, for one, feel pretty comfortable with Noah’s decision. I think it was the right move.”

  “Me, too,” Ally agreed.

  Matt gave up the argument. “I guess we’ll see.”

  We passed a tense handful of minutes awaiting our courier's return. Matt paced, checking periodically out the door. Tyler helped himself to Hzzt’s collection of snack foods, most of which he spat out as inedible. I sank onto the vacated bed beside Ally, watching Matt cycle back and forth. Only twenty minutes had passed when the knob rattled and then turned. We looked up eagerly as the alien hurried back in clutching multiple dark bags.

  “That was faster than I expected,” Matt observed.

  “I desired to be rid of your companion as quickly as possible.”

  The Aleal emerged from beneath his collar as he dropped the parcels onto the rumpled bedding. It climbed down his arm and jumped the distance between us, landing on my lap and vanishing back into my pocket. Maybe it was just me, but it seemed even heavier than it had a half hour prior. I made eye contact with Matt, passing him my best I-told-you-so stare. He responded with a terse nod.

  "I purchased attire in styles currently popular with Cacitrum's middle class tourists,” Hzzt continued. “They should help you blend in. I also recovered your blaster, as requested."

  Matt rummaged through the bags with an approving nod before extending his pay stick. “Excellent work.”

  The alien tapped his own payment device against the stick. Our informant grinned when the transaction was completed.

  "A pleasure doing business with you,” Matt said.

  "I should be thanking you!" He reverently tucked away his payment stick. “That was the easiest four thousand quark I’ve ever earned. I’ll be here for three more days. Don’t hesitate to call on me if you need additional errands run. I’m at your service!"

  "We'll keep that in mind,” Matt promised with an easy smile. “Have a nice day."

  We gathered up our purchases and retreated to Matt and Tyler’s room. He shut and locked the door before facing us expectantly.

  “That was easy enough. Now, let's see what our new friend brought back besides my blaster."

  CHAPTER 11

  Tyler spilled the contents of the two bags across his unmade bed. We pored over the unfamiliar garments, most tagged with sizing in an alien numeric system. The bags also contained a small selection of hats and head coverings that would help hide our faces from Zariv’s bots.

  "I think this one will fit you best, Red,” Tyler said, passing Ally what looked like a lacy miniskirt that appeared to be made out of woven metal and a fringed top that looked way too small.

  Her pale cheeks immediately ignited scarlet. “You have to be kidding me. That thing will barely cover my rear.”

  “You still have your underlay. You won’t have a totally bare derriere.”

  She snatched the clothes from his grip, shoving them back into the bag. “Maybe we can send Hzzt back out.”

  “For another four grand?” Matt replied. “Let’s see what else we have.”

  I eyed the clothing doubtfully. Matt‘s athletic build certainly didn’t match the beanpole alien who’d purchased them, and how would Hzzt know what size four humans needed?

  Our selection process devolved quickly, from rooting through the items with our hands to trying on random combinations of tops and bottoms until we each had what we needed. Hzzt had played it safe for the most part, erring on the side of too large. As a result, the clothing's flowing fabrics felt airy and draped strangely off the shoulders and hips. My deep blue tunic fell nearly to my knees over matching baggy pants, the excess material gathered by a belt around my narrow waist. Along with a narrow yellow hat with a long brim riding low on my forehead, it left me feeling like a gypsy at a carnival.