Page 24

He threw me a contemptuous glare, and I returned it in full force.

"What, you guys don't communicate with each other? You don't hang out at the samespace clubs?" I made air quotation marks around the last two words.

"Being a Space Guardian is a solitary job. We operate alone."

Oh, that man. He was exasperating.

"Okay, fine, but you don't ever get together for… I don't fucking know, a barbeque or something?"

He shook his head. "We don't get together."

"So there's nobody who can answer our questions?" I checked.

He paused his circling and stared at a spot on the screen. "The Ohrurs do."

"Okay?" I drew the word out, not understanding what he was suggesting.

"Possedion does." Slowly, his head turned to me, and I didn't like the expression crossing his face at all.

"I just have to get him and make him talk."

"Is it gonna be that easy?" A sinking sensation rippled through my stomach.

He shook his head. "It's gonna be the hardest mission I've ever done. The Ohrurs are holed up under tight security. They keep several Space Guardians as protection."

Great, just great. It sounded like breaking into Fort Knox.

"All right, let me override whatever Possedion programmed into the ship, and then I'll take you to Astrionis before I?—"

I held up my hand, and he stopped. "What?"

"You're forgetting something."

"What?" he repeated.

I sighed. "Would you please go and grab me a drink from the nourishing area?"

He stared at me as if I'd grown two horns or colored my face purple. I could see the resentment over my request washing over his face, and I added, "Please," while batting my eyelashes prettily.

"I don't understand why you can't…" he grumbled but started walking away.

Ten, nine, eight, seven… I counted down in my head to distract myself from the uncomfortable sensation growing over my marks. I got to four before he returned with a furious expression on his face.

THARAAX

I only walkeda few steps before I realized why she sent me away from the bridge and trudged back.

"You could have just reminded me," I accused, rubbing my arm.

"Probably," she agreed. "This was more fun, though."

I didn't have the energy to argue with her. I let my head fall into my hands and rubbed my fingers over my face. I felt more tired than I had after a nonstop three-day hunt for a criminal.

"I'm not going to live on Astrionis," I stated. Because I wasn't and I knew that was what she was thinking.

"I'm not much of a colonist either," she agreed, surprising me.

"Great, just frygging great," I cursed.