Page 39 of Space Daddy’s Guide to the Galaxy (Villains in Space #2)

39

MICAH

I usually preferred honesty and clear communication, but I also saw no problem in letting Uuktar believe we’d slaughtered a bunch of Lacertus so we could all track down a planet full of innocent Trols.

Snitches will get their stitches.

Dissolving the Eki-made prison surrounding the seer was way easier than I’d thought it would be. First, I got out of my head about it—that was key—then I focused on reverse-engineering my own creations.

Instead of gathering the particles on hand and either pushing or pulling them into a solid shape, I made contact with the existing barrier and then abruptly blasted it back into the millions of particles from whence it came.

Simple.

Besides feeling like a bad bitch, the exercise showed me exactly how my shields were “more advanced” than the Eki’s.

And I will just tuck that intel in my pocket for later.

As soon as we were back on the Lodger, I repaired first the ship then SWOL-E— again —before putting Pedro in their questionable care, far away from our temporary guest. I also made sure the anti-hypnotism feature was still activated in my glasses, just in case the Hydrassian thought they were gonna pull a fast one on me.

I wouldn’t put anything past this fool.

Ziggy had already told me Stellarians were immune to such tricks, so I wasn’t worried about him. If anyone should have been concerned for their safety, it was Uuktar, but they were acting as self-righteous as ever.

“We assume there will be a great feast in our honor once we’re safely returned to Dionaea…” the seer’s voices filled the cockpit with a pompous chorus as Ziggy piloted the ship. “But to show our gratitude, we would like to offer you an in-depth reading from Ulvin and us, free of charge!”

“How generous,” Ziggy murmured dryly, and it was all I could do to keep my laughter contained.

Ain’t nobody judgier than my man.

“So why doesn’t Uulvin also know the coordinates for Karn?” I casually asked. “You know, since you’re siblings and all.”

Since you can communicate telepathically with each other—even through an Eki’s shield.

The Hydrassian rolled their eyes. Meaning, they rolled all twelve of them so I wouldn’t miss how unintelligent they thought I was.

“For security purposes, obviously,” they huffed. “We are incredibly valuable assets, as evidenced by our unjust abduction, so proprietary intel is divided equally between us.”

I glanced down at my phone, positioned where Uuktar couldn’t see the screen, to assess the validity of that statement.

Earth Angel

They’re telling the truth, at least about their sibling not knowing the coordinates.

Earth Angel

Once you’re back on the giant Venus flytrap planet, I can dip into the other one’s mind to see what they know.

I smiled and shook my head, wishing it wouldn’t distract the psychic supervillain for me to send him all my unfiltered thoughts of shock and awe—because what Gabe and his twin could do was amazing.

Even if they need a conduit like me standing in front of their mark at this range.

Uuktar grunted in annoyance, unaware someone light years away was rifling through their thoughts. “What are you looking at over there, Earthling? We are your honored guest and deserve your full attention. Must we remind you that you would not be able to find this planet if it weren’t for?—”

“And we are incredibly thankful for your sacrifice,” Ziggy interrupted, without taking his eyes off the endless stars ahead of us. “However, you must be tired after your ordeal. Shall I return you to your room? Or perhaps I could star hop you to Dionaea—reunite you with your loved ones before we continue on to Karn with the coordinates you’ve already provided…”

Tricky Space Daddy.

I could understand why Uuktar wouldn’t take Zig up on the offer to head to bed, since it was in the same prison cell we’d kept the original Hydrassian, but for someone who’d been so “unjustly” imprisoned for so long, they didn’t seem in a rush to get home.

All signs point to bullshit.

“It's quite alright, Stellarian.” They sniffed haughtily, settling further into the captain's chair I’d offered them. “We would rather guide you all the way to your destination—to ensure everything goes to plan.”

“Do they honestly believe we are this unintelligent?”

Again, I had to swallow my reaction to Ziggy’s words, especially as they were in my head.

No point alerting the seer on board to the psychic warfare already underway.

Zig and I had figured out that if I kept my general shields activated but not the one sealing off my mind, he was still able to telepathically communicate with me. I’d then asked Gabe to test if he could get into my mind while my main shields were up, just to be sure my thoughts were safe. While the supe could still use my proximity as a jumping off point for accessing Uuktar’s thoughts, he wasn’t able to read mine.

So Operation Oh You Thought is well underway.

I knew my Space Daddy’s question was rhetorical, but I replied anyway.

“I honestly think Hydrassians believe everyone is less intelligent than them. I also think this inflated sense of superiority is shared by many species out here…”

Cough, cough.

“Well, in the Stellarians case, it’s a fact. Although, I have met a certain Earthling whose intelligence puts the rest of us to shame.”

My gaze drifted to the certificate Zig had commissioned from the Kaalas, already getting ideas of my own for how I could return the favor.

I just love seeing him blush beneath those murder freckles.

“That’s odd…” Ziggy abruptly muttered out loud, glancing at his dashboard and back to the Intergalactic Highway head. “The radar should at least be picking up on the planet, even if I don’t have a visual yet.”

“It’s there.”

I couldn’t say how I knew, but I did. Despite the wide swath of stars outside the window appearing unbroken, I could sense something was directly ahead of us. Something big.

Like a whole ass planet.

“Can you see it, Earthling?” Uuktar whispered, and I didn’t need to look at the seer to get a visual of their frothing eagerness. “Can you identify where Karn is hiding?”

Hiding…

“Can you?” I shot back, tearing my gaze from the window to arch a brow at their dumbassery. “Or is that where your powers end?”

The Hydrassian huffed, although they couldn’t argue with facts. “Of course, we cannot! It wasn’t our kind who created the shield—it was yours.”

And that’s why Uulvin sent us.

While most of this puzzle had been falling into place, I’d been stuck on wondering why the Hydrassians on Dionaea hadn’t just stolen Pedro from us and used the creature to trade for Uuktar’s freedom. It wasn’t just because they already knew the Lacertus weren’t interested in the coordinates for Karn, but because none of them could remove the planet’s shields.

And the Hydrassians are who the Trols are hiding from.

“Stop here, Zig,” I softly commanded, getting my usual kinky thrill when he obeyed. “It’s going to take me a while to dismantle the shields, and since all my concentration will be needed…” I turned to Uuktar. “I will need you to wait in your room?—”

“NO!” the seer hissed, rising to stand before creepily focusing all six heads in my direction. “You will reveal Karn to us. You will extract more Trols for our breeding program. And you will continue to provide this service for our kind in the future. You work for the Hydrassians now.”

This fool.

I stared blankly at them for a full thirty seconds, letting them think they had me hypnotized. Then, I laughed. “Nope. Not happening. But it sounds like someone needs a nap.”

Uuktar opened their mouths to argue, but they’d been too preoccupied with their own imperial blind spots to sense they’d already been defeated. Recognizing his cue, Gabe used the mental access he already had to send the alien into a deep sleep before Ziggy whisked them away to their new “unjust” prison aboard the Lodger 79.

Girl, bye.

Once Zig reappeared, he swept me into his arms to pepper me with adorably schmoopy little kisses. “You know I love it when Commander Babygirl comes out to play, don’t you?”

“I do!” I laughed, cupping his handsome face in my hands so I could land some kisses of my own. “Buuuuut… I’m having a hard time remembering… What else do you love?”

Say it again.

He rolled his pretty blue eyes before clearing them to show me his true form beneath. “You. I love you, Micah Salah.”

Never stop.

“I love you too, Ziggy Andromeda,” I replied with one last kiss—for now. “Even if it’s my very impressive powers that can sense there’s a planet out there at all.”

We both turned to gaze out the window as a heavy silence fell over the cockpit.

“What do you want to do, sunshine?” he finally asked, and I shattered.

“I-I don’t know!” I wailed as the tears threatened to fall yet again. “It’s not that I don’t want to give up Pedro, even though that’s part of it, but the Trols are hiding for a reason, right? And even if I can dismantle the massive shields somehow camouflaging an entire planet long enough to get them home, what if… what if I can’t put the shields back in place?”

My bad bitchery only goes so far.

Despite what the certificate says.

Before Ziggy could reply, scratching at the cockpit door caught our attention, followed by a familiar pspsps.

RIP SWOL-E.

With an exasperated sigh that was one thousand percent for show, Ziggy opened the door so Pedro could gallop in with an excited squeak. Of course, the little Trol immediately climbed his number one space dad like a tree so he could take his usual perch on Zig’s shoulder.

Okay, I need to take another photo…

After I took about 300 photos, I blew out a slow breath. “I wish we could ask Pedro?—”

“KRAWWWK?!” the Trol released an ear-splitting squawk, cocking its furry little head and blinking owlishly, as if replying to something only they could hear.

Is that…

BABY’S FIRST WORD!

I desperately fiddled with my translator device, hoping it could now interpret what the creature was saying. “That’s it, Pedro,” I urged. “Say it again?—”

“Krawk?” they repeated, and my heart simultaneously warmed and broke to hear the translation in my ear.

Father.

“They’re calling out for their father, Zig,” I croaked, swallowing thickly. “I-I think they can still hear their fellow Trols, even through the shield…”

Ziggy’s Earthling face remained as impassive as always, but I could feel his emotions, whether he liked it or not.

Pride. Resignation. Sadness.

I see you, Space Daddy.

“Do you want to go home, Pedro?” he murmured, gently removing the creature from his shoulder and holding them at arm’s length, facing the window. “Is that what you want, little star?”

MY HEART!

The waterworks were definitely imminent, but I didn’t want to upset Pedro—or sway their loyalties—by revealing how upset I was.

This has to be their decision.

Pedro dangled from Ziggy’s hands for another minute, head still cocked as they listened to whatever frequency they were picking up on. Then, they twisted in his hold and scampered up his arm, but instead of returning to their usual perch, Pedro slung both pangolin claws around his space dad’s neck and stared him down from two inches away.

“Krawk,” they squeaked, and I officially lost my shit.

“Ohmyfuckinggawwwwd, Zig!” I wailed, drawing in huge, sobbing breaths as Niagara Falls poured out of my eyeballs. “Pedro knows you’re their daddy. I can’t. I cannot HANDLE THE CUTENESS! Hold up… I need to document this moment…”

After I was done taking 300 more photos and blowing my nose at least as many times, I triumphantly smiled at my Space Daddy, knowing exactly what I wanted to do.

What needs to be done.

“I think we need to leave the Trols alone,” I decisively stated. “At least until we know it’s safe for them to come out of hiding.”

Ziggy was still staring into Pedro’s big, yellow eyes, trying to act cool even as he pumped our bond full of happy feels. “If that’s what you think is best, Micah.”

I SEE YOU.

“I do,” I replied before smirking. “Besides, with Pedro imprinting on you the way they have, it would make the handoff difficult.”

My man sent me a sidelong look of such loving exasperation, I almost swooned. “Yes, well, it appears I’ve imprinted on them as well.”

Okay, SWOON!

“Well, then it’s settled.” I clapped my hands together, excited for the vengeance ahead. “Next stop: Dionaea.”

“Then Stellaria,” Ziggy added, turning his attention back to his baby.

Our baby.

“Home,” I stated.

“Yes,” he murmured, the tiniest smile twitching his lips. “Home.”