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“Please clear the field so the males can line up,” the Abr announcer says.

I hop over the railing and reenter the crowd. A pale blue Mindor comes up to me. I only vaguely hear what he says. It’s the eyes of my guard that I’ve captured, finally.

He stares at me from among the males, seems to realize what he’s doing, blinks, and looks at another who squeezes through the crowd toward me.

My guard plants a gloved hand against the big Ginarigon’s chest.

I step back, panic fraying my nerves.

“She doesn’t want your kind.” My guard makes himself a blockade between me and the heavily breathing Ginarigon. Two more appear at his sides. I see the slashes in my guard’s neck again and can’t stand playing nice, anymore.

Confronting others isn’t usually my way, but I see I need to make it clear. “Stay away from me! You and your Gronies .”

The big one curls his lip at me. “My name is Crolis .”

“Great!” I sarcastically say. “You’re barking up the wrong tree, Crolis . I do not have what you want. I can’t get you access. And I’m not interested.”

“You know it’s a very bad idea to not give my kind what they want,” he growls. “Surprised you survived, goblin.”

Crolis glares at my guard, who strains to keep him from reaching me.

“Go do your race,” my guard sneers and shoves him toward the railing.

Only when Abr security starts to close in do the three Ginarigons, led by Crolis, stalk into race positions.

“Did you hear what he said?” my guard asks as he walks back to stand beside me against the building, while I watch the males race. I secretly hope the Ginarigons get their asses beat.

“Crolis?”

“The Mindor. He asked you to ride with him for the space tour.”

“I was a bit preoccupied.”

He tucks his hands behind his hips and leans back against the wall. “I think he picked up on it. Might ask later.

His voice still rasps, and now I wonder if he’s been in pain since he body-slammed Crolis.

“They’ve rescheduled the space tour to this afternoon because of the solar storm. It’s supposed to pass through here while you’re out there. It will give them time to reset systems here before you get back.”

“You’re staying here to help fix systems? So what, I go on a space bus with a bunch of others?”

“I can escort you if you wish.” He looks away when he suggests it. I almost get the impression he doesn’t care and isn’t interested in his work, just doing what he has to for whoever asked him to do it. But for once, it’s nice to be a little ignored.

“Yeah, I do.” I shrug. “Not like I need a space tour since I live in space on a StarBuster. Think they’ll let me stay?”

“They have alternate activities, yes. But a lot of things might go offline during the storm. Security will be on high alert. They recommend leaving because it will be safer for you. They’re mostly worried about the creatures’ room turning into chaos because of the field dampeners. So they’re shielding up, hard close, so this place doesn’t turn into some scifi horror show.”

I laugh a little as the buzzer sounds. “Watch a lot of scifi movies?”

“Love to watch humans against aliens movies from Terra. The stories are always presented differently than in alien cultures. But we all like to see ourselves as heroes of our own stories—unless it’s horror. Just nice to think we can win even when we are destined for annihilation.”

The way he said it seems strange and rather depressing.

The males race out into the field, tackling and crawling over each other, fighting and flinging one another off of the huts.

“Savages,” I mutter. I’m relieved to see the Ginarigons aren’t leading the charge toward the bell. The Mindor is with a Talhuskin and Gashnaar who is closest.

Teol screams and cheers for her mate. She looks happy.

I wish I knew what it felt like to have someone fight that hard for me instead of fighting me to take my stuff.

“StarBusters usually handle space storms well,” my guard remarks. “Could you not just take that?”

“It’s docked out of the system,” I say, not really wanting to give him a ton of information on it. “I brought my pod to Catalyst Five. That’s definitely not strong enough to weather a solar storm. It’s like a space skateboard. It goes, needs a smooth path, and has basically zero environmental protection. It’s a liftpod I modified for space. Used to operate it in the cargo warehouse where I started. Gotta wear a sealed jumpsuit.”

“Hardcore. That’s pretty cool you modified it for space.”

“Thanks. Just do what I have to out of necessity.”

“Whoever gets you will be very lucky,” he says quietly, almost sadly.

The entire race compound suddenly goes pitch black. All the lights are out except those of the aliens around us and the wristbands on every racer. My guard looks away from me and takes up a protective stance, extending an arm across my middle.

A second later, the lights flicker back on in phases. The grounds illuminate first, then each floor of the complex.

“Okay, we’re going to have to send everyone out much earlier than planned,” the Abr announcer calls out without the enhancement of a microphone. “Please proceed to your ships for the space tour now. We will serve a meal aboard the vessels. Officers, please lock down the creatures’ wing. Give no one access until we can confirm we have the all-clear.”

“Looks like it might be safest for you to be on a ship out of here, asap.” My guard turns to me. “Let’s get you to your room so you can get your things.”

“I don’t have anything really,” I admit, but I let him lead me back inside. “Just the clothes on my back when I arrived here.”

“Why is that?” he asks.

“My life is my work. I don’t socialize because I don’t have time. I don’t need other things. I’ve lived under the rule of a man obsessed with things. I don’t want to become him.”

When we get to my room, I swipe my wristband and open my door. A hand tugs me backward.

My guard collects me in his strong arms and then cautiously steps into my room first, drawing a gun from inside his jacket. “Stay close.”

He checks the bathroom and bedroom areas as well as the closet.

I gape at the trashed room. Finding my Abr ticket crumpled on the floor, I pick it up and brush away the dirt. It feels like a crime to see it in such a condition. I tuck it in a pocket and find my regular clothes scattered on the bed, the pockets turned out.

I only had a handful of things, a tin of mints, an extra hair tie, and the one picture I have of my mom, brother, and me from when we were little and still loved one another.

“Anything you care about, grab it now,” he says.

I scramble to collect my things and follow him to my doorway.

“Abr, we have a break in, Room Six,” he reports. “They ransacked the place. I have Zariah Landing in my protection.”

“Confirmed, El—”

The lights go out again.

My guard grabs my arm and keeps me inside the shield of his body while he keeps his gun trained ahead of us.

“What’s going on?” I whisper. “Is this because of my father?”

“Could be. But I keep all options open until I have clear evidence.” He glances behind us and then keeps guiding me toward the end of the hallway. “Until I have confidence in this facility, I think you’re going to be safest on my ship.”