"Well don't we look like a pack of pirates on shore leave."

  Matt's dramatic assessment drew laughs as we surveyed our reflection in the suite's floor-length mirror. His red pantaloons strained to contain muscular thighs while a gold and cream jacket looked ready to split across his back. A matching gold fedora-like topper completed his ensemble. Tyler sported lavender pants, topped by a loose white peasant shirt and vest, with a mask suitable for a masquerade ball. Alyssa had turned what I imagined was supposed to be a tunic similar to mine into an orange dress with trailing sleeves that fell just below her knees. It was downright demure compared to the metal mini. A pale blue diaphanous scarf covered her face below the eyes.

  “We couldn't look more obvious if we tried,” Ally griped, glaring at herself in the mirror.

  “So obvious, we’ll blend right in,” Tyler said, preening over his outfit.

  “We definitely don’t look like ourselves,” Matt replied evenly. “I doubt facial rec will pick us up now unless we stand right in front of a service-bot and wave."

  “You all look great,” Ben said through Matt’s comm badge. I’d left Head Case in the open on the sofa, allowing the tiny crew to engage in this part of our current misadventure. “Now that you’re all suitably disguised, we should talk about our next move.”

  "Agreed,” Matt replied. “The sooner we get you back to full size, the better."

  Ben exhaled heavily across the connection. “I agree. The good news is I know what to expect now, so I should be able to scale us up more efficiently and without knocking myself out. The bad news is that I won’t be where I need to be for at least another day.”

  “Maybe we should just lie low here until tomorrow,” Alyssa suggested.

  “We didn’t hand over almost ten percent of our funds to a total stranger just to hide,” Matt replied. “At a bare minimum, we should try to find a library or something. We’re only going to get so far in this galaxy knowing next to nothing about it.”

  “I don’t want to know about Warexia. I don’t care about Levain, Goloran, Zariv or the Warden. I just want to go home.”

  “Ditto,” Tyler said.

  “I thought you were having fun with your rocket fist and iron stomach?” I said.

  “All good things must come to an end, man. And being on some crazy mafioso’s hit list isn’t exactly sustainable.”

  “I’m making do because I don’t have a choice,” Ally explained. “But I won’t say I’m loving this.”

  “We’ll get you home,” Ben promised for the hundredth time. “But right now, we don’t have any leads on how to make that happen.”

  “Sure we do,” I disagreed.

  “We do?” Tee said.

  “Yes. We know two things about Levain. One, he had the means to get from here to Earth and back. Two, he told Princess Goloran he had located one of the Warden’s starships, abandoned and derelict.”

  “True. Except one, Levain is dead and refused to reveal the secret to us. Two, Levain is dead, and dead men tell no tales.”

  “Maybe he can’t tell us anything directly, but I bet he has all kinds of goodies saved somewhere. A network or a personal computer.”

  “Devices that Zariv’s probably already claimed,” Matt said. “Trying to recover them would be…interesting.”

  “Yeah, you’re right,” I agreed, swiftly deflating. “It’s just…the way back to Earth is out there. We know that straight from Levain. If there’s any chance he has records hinting at how Jaffie traveled between Cacitrum and Earth, they would be invaluable.”

  “You make a good argument, Noah,” Ben said. “I don’t see how we’d infiltrate Levain’s HQ again. We barely got out of there the first time, and I’m sure Zariv has bolstered the defenses over the last twenty-four hours.”

  “You didn’t have me the first time,” Ally said. “I have the Warden’s second boon. I can head shot like the best aimbot.”

  “I want to get you three home alive,” Ben answered. “Sending you into the lion’s den runs counter to that objective.”

  “Believe me, I’m not eager to risk my neck, either,” Tyler said. “But Katzuo’s right. Even if Levain never documented how he did it, maybe if we can find the Warden’s derelict ship, we can get some useful data from it, instead. We need to do something.”

  “The Warden brought us here,” I said. “He must know how to send us back.”

  “We have time before you can scale up Head Case,” Ally said. “What harm would it do to head back across town and stake out Levain’s headquarters? If the defenses are too tight, we just walk away and come up with another plan.”

  “I don’t know,” Matt said. “A trip to a library or whatever serves as the Internet here would be safer.”

  “And wouldn’t get us any closer to getting home,” I argued. “You say that’s our primary objective, but you aren’t doing anything to make it happen.”

  Matt whirled on me, anger flashing in his eyes. “Keeping you alive is our primary objective. And not taking stupid risks is the main way we succeed in that objective.”

  “How risky can it be to take a walk near the compound?” Tyler asked.

  “Famous last words,” Matt spat back. “I promise, I have your best interests in mind. You’ve all learned a lot over the last few weeks, and you held your own in Goloran’s suite. But this isn’t a game. If things go sideways, it can get ugly fast.”

  “We’re never going to get home if you insist on treating us like children,” Ally said.

  “You are children,” Matt replied, exasperated. “Well, Tee and Noah are, anyway.”

  “Geez, are you kidding?” Tyler groused. “Us kids saved your bacon back at the hotel, and you know it.”

  “Okay, okay,” Ben said calmly, trying to play peacemaker. “Let’s just lower the emotional temperature for a minute. I know how badly you want to get back to your mother, Tee. And Ally, I know you miss your cat and your family.”

  “And I’d rather not lose my job, either,” Ally said. “I love VR Awesome.”

  “You won’t lose your job at VR Awesome,” Ben said. “I promise.”

  “How can you say that?”

  Ben hesitated before answering. “Well, my friend, Keep, owns it.”

  “He owns the one in Cedar Rapids?” Tyler asked. “That’s so cool.”

  “No,” Ben corrected. “He owns all of them.”

  “What?” Tyler cried. “No joke?”

  “No joke.”

  “Well, that explains how you were able to get into secure systems,” Ally said. “Why didn’t you mention that sooner?”

  “It didn’t seem important. Anyway…”

  I lost track of whatever Ben said next when a distinct rustling issued from my pocket. I glanced down in surprise as the Aleal emerged slowly into view and climbed my tunic, tendrils waving toward my face.

  "Whoa! Watch the appendages, little buddy.” The alien creature paused before redirecting its reaching limbs, beginning an odd dance. Its strange contortions and eyeless gaze seemed full of determined purpose. Finally, the Aleal extended a single limb decisively toward my hand, beckoning insistently.

  Four sets of confused eyes bounced between me and the Aleal. Hesitantly, I offered my palm. It immediately sprang upon it before gesturing emphatically toward the door.

  "I think it wants us to follow it,” I told the others, confused by this new behavior.

  “Just when I think things can’t get any weirder!” Alyssa muttered in amazement.

  Matt frowned. “I’m not following the Aleal anywhere. It probably just wants you to find it a food source.”

  “Matt, you said the only way an Aleal gains personality or knowledge is by absorbing it from other beings. This little guy killed Jaffie.”

  “And?” Matt questioned skeptically.

  “Jaffie was Levain’s personal bodyguard. His right-hand man. We were just arguing about accessing Levain’s computer network when it came out and started gesturing. I doubt it’s a coincidence.” I watched as the Aleal shifted impatiently on my palm. “Maybe it’s worth seeing where it wants to lead us?"

  My reckless suggestion clearly didn’t sit well with everyone. Matt and Ally wore hesitant frowns. Tyler seemed torn between nervous excitement and wariness. Ben remained radio silent, failing to offer the idea his blessing.

  I hesitated, gaze skipping between their conflicted expressions. On one hand, I understood the reluctance to trust the Aleal. Could I really justify throwing caution to the wind and following the Aleal to parts unknown? On the other hand, I was starting to become frustrated with the indecision and fear. I understood the reasoning for Ben and Matt’s prudence, but we were never going to get anywhere like this.

  As if reading my mind for the second time in as many days, the Aleal took matters into its own tendrils. Before I could react, it sprang from my palm to the floor and shot toward the room's door, squeezing itself through the narrow crack underneath.

  “Wait!” I cried, lunging for the door.

  “Noah!” Matt shouted, reacting too slowly to grab my arm before I escaped his reach.

  “Follow that squiddie!” Tyler ordered.

  We scrambled through the door in comedic pursuit, nearly tripping over one another before spreading out in the dim hallway. I spotted the Aleal already halfway to the elevator, skipping over the faded carpet. How could something so tiny move so fast?

  "Hurry or we'll lose it!" Fearing it might escape the motel and disappear into Portus' sprawling cityscape, I poured everything into catching up. The others quickly joined me, our ridiculous tourist wear flapping wildly around us. We piled into the elevator on the Aleal's tentacled heels, the doors sliding shut behind us.

  Tyler sagged against the side of the cab while Matt eyed the Aleal where it waited, clinging to the wall beside the control interface. The elevator began to descend.

  “Did anyone grab Head Case on the way out?” Ally asked.

  We all looked at one another, shaking our heads.

  “Damn it,” Matt growled. “Ben, we’re on our way back to you,” he said over the comms.

  “No need,” Ben replied. “We’ll meet you outside.”

  The elevator slowed, and the instant the doors parted, our odd company surged into the lobby. The Aleal angled unhesitatingly toward the exit, leaving us scrambling to keep up. We burst out onto the empty street, the smells from the shipyard especially acute at the moment with a change of direction in the breeze. Pausing to search for the alien, a high-pitched buzz drew my attention skyward. Head Case spiraled toward us like an insect before landing smoothly in Matt’s outstretched palm.

  “Nice flying, Leo,” Matt commented.

  “I learned from the best,” he replied.

  “Where’d the little booger go?” Tyler asked, still seeking the Aleal.

  “There,” Ally said, pointing. It waited fifty feet ahead, waving to us with its tendrils. Catching up, I offered my palm, and it climbed back aboard.

  “Okay, little bud,” I said. “Which way do we go?”

  CHAPTER 12

  The Aleal's tendrils gestured impatiently for us to follow as it led the way across Portus. As we hustled to keep up, I couldn't begin to guess where we were headed, only that the strange little alien seemed intent on showing us something important. I wondered if absorbing Jaffie's brains had unlocked vital knowledge about Levain's organization. Or, more worryingly, given my new friend more sinister motivations.

  Dressed in the gypsy-pirate-wear Hzzt had picked up for us, our return to the tourist-ridden areas of downtown left me feeling like we stuck out like a handful of sore thumbs. It didn’t take long to find that was further from the truth. I quickly came to realize the big-eyed alien had done a pretty good job of picking out our ensembles. We weren’t the only ones in such flowing, garish garb, and none of the other tourists we encountered batted an eye, much less gave us a second look. The service bots we passed never even swiveled their faceless heads our way long enough to identify us.

  For the moment, we were free to move about the city without quite as much concern as before.

  The Aleal pointed us straight down the busy thoroughfare, back in the direction of Goloran’s hotel and beyond. The number of tourists started to dwindle, but our destination soon became apparent as a train station came into view in a gap between skyscrapers.

  “We’re leaving Portus?” Tyler said. “Why?”

  “Because that’s where it wants us to go,” I replied.

  “Noah, hold up a minute,” Matt said.

  I gritted my teeth and rolled my eyes before stopping and turning around. Of course, Matt would have something to say about leaving town.

  “What’s up?” I asked, trying to hide my annoyance. I appreciated everything he and Ben were trying to do. At the same time, their cautiousness had become more of a burden than a benefit. They felt responsible for us. I understood that. But they couldn’t baby us forever. Especially now.

  “I wanted to apologize to you,” he replied. “And to the Aleal. I misjudged you both, and I’m sorry. I’m with you one hundred percent on this.”

  “Seconded,” Ben said through Matt’s comm badge. “All four of you are doing great.”

  I could feel my face flushing, embarrassed by the attention. “Thanks, Matt. Ben. That means a lot to me.”

  Matt motioned to the station. “Shall we?”

  We rode an escalator up to the platform, reaching it as a sleek, silver maglev train swept in and stopped with a soft hiss. Dozens of passengers, both organic and mechanical, transferred on and off before it eased back out of the station. It quickly picked up speed until it was nothing more than a disappearing blur.

  A second train pulled in close behind it. A few tourists milled around the boarding area, waiting to board it and depart. The Aleal used its tendrils to pantomime a train ride before pointing toward a projected departure board.

  "I guess we're taking a trip to the big city," Tyler murmured.

  “Cacitrus?” I asked, following its tendril to the destination on the board. It wriggled its appendages in affirmation. From the name, I assumed it had to be the planet’s capital.

  "So it seems," Matt agreed. "Everyone stay alert. I’m sure Zariv’s influence extends beyond Portus.”

  We picked up tickets at an automated kiosk, settling for the cheapest fare that would put us in one of the rear cars. Tee wanted first-class, but with no idea how long we’d be stuck in Warexia, it didn’t make sense to blow our quark on frivolous comforts.

  The doors of the closest car matching our fare level slid open. My heart skipped as a group of yellow and red bots stepped out, rifles cradled across their chests. Instinctively, I tucked the Aleal into my pocket and turned away from them to face Matt and Ally. Tyler did the same. Matt started gesturing as if we were in the middle of the conversation, but I could tell he had an eye on the bots as they disembarked, passing us without incident.

  “Geez…” Tyler blew out a breath and watched them go wherever they were headed. “They’re all over the place. They give me the creeps.”

  We slipped onto the train just ahead of the closing doors before hurrying to claim the last few empty seats in an otherwise crowded car, which meant we didn’t get to sit together. I settled nervously by the window with Tee on my left. Ally and Matt sat across the aisle and a few rows back. As the train started accelerating away from the station, the large windows were obscured with advertisements for attractions in Cacitrus, including a technology museum.

  “Maybe if we can get a breather, we can go check that out,” Tyler suggested as the video panned through parts of the museum, showing off starship and robot designs among tech I couldn’t begin to identify.

  “Somehow, I doubt we’ll get a breather,” I replied, motioning to a pair of silver bots passing down the center aisle. A screen on their heads identified them as train security.

  “I think now’s a good time for a nap,” Tee said, pushing my hat down further over my face. I crossed my arms and propped my head against the window. Tyler sank deep into his seat and leaned his head back, pretending to sleep as we rode in tense silence.

  The maglev continued picking up speed, blurring the skeletal high-rises we passed as we left Portus. Their silver and glass traded places with wood and water as the train took us well away from clumps of houses and into the countryside. I couldn’t help wondering what Cacitrum’s organic residents did out here all day, every day, while their bots were earning a living for them in the cities. On the surface, it seemed idyllic, but did they have enough distractions to stave off boredom?

  Two hours passed before a synthesized voice announced our imminent arrival. Even from afar, Cacitrus's gleaming skyline made Portus, especially the spaceport, seem lackluster. Connected by soaring walkways, the city’s slender towers climbed to wispy clouds. Low on the slender buildings, interstitial commercials played on huge screens. Above them, a multitude of glass glinted in the sun.

  I marveled at the volume and size of the spacecraft flowing in and out of the city, most of them angling toward a huge, bright complex that put Protus’ military-sourced port to shame. My hands trembled with excitement as I imagined wandering these new alien streets to wherever the Aleal planned to lead us.

  The maglev eased smoothly into the terminus, and we joined the throng of assorted humanoids departing the train. Judging by the number of Hemid I spotted, Levain had been an outlier with regard to his size but not the shape of his cranium.

  "Whoa, check it out!" Tyler exclaimed. "This place is awesome!"

  I silently agreed. More crowded than Portus, we made our way through the station, once again keeping a close eye on the security bots roaming the area. They didn’t pay us any extra attention, and I relaxed when we finally stepped out onto a broad avenue bustling with activity.