Page 40 of Time Traveling Space Bastards

I was still processing what Kuka and Torrek said. Ghol was sitting in the corner scanning data and just staring at me. I knew why. If Baxter was mine, there might be someone out there for him. You didn’t have to be a pleasure model to want someone to call your own.

The only reason any of us let Baxter leave on her own was because Omi was with her. Female Saki weren’t as big as the males, but you’d have to be stupid to go up against one. Especially Omi. I wouldn’t know who to bet on if Omi and Torrek decided to tussle.

Kuka and Torrek were putting their heads together to come up with a strategy for Valtens. In any other circumstance, Torrek would be justified for killing the person who threatened his Zovea. Valtens was a prince, so he was off limits, even if he hurt someone else’s bond.

Torrek couldn’t even hurt him if Valtens attacked Kuka, and that was his job. The contest for the throne was supposed to be a battle of wits, not strength. It was a forfeit if someone tried to make it physical and failed. Kuka could only strike back if Valtens came at him directly and it had to be Kuka to stop him because the future ruler had to be able to fight their own battles.

I was linked to Big Daddy through the computer, but Kuka had a device on his wrist where Big Daddy could speak to him when needed. I only got the alert slightly before he did that someone was inside Big Daddy who shouldn’t be.

Big Daddy had his own defenses, but we went running anyway. Kuka and Torrek couldn’t go in until Big Daddy ventilated the air, but I could because I could stop myself from breathing longer than they could. Big Daddy would have neutralized the threat by sending a gas through the air system.

The system was designed for me being there. I could stop breathing long enough to get masks on my shipmates and give them the antidote to wake them. The only other person who might have known about the gas was Valtens. Kuka designed the ship he had built with similar security, but since the machine wasn’t sentient, Valtens would have had to press a button.

Valtens was also down his Enix, so I was really hoping when I got to Big Daddy, I’d find Baxter, Omi, and Valtens knocked out. I could wake Omi and Baxter and be as rough as I wanted with Valtens while I tied him up for Torrek and Kuka to deal with.

We needed to find out what Valtens’s big plan was, anyway. If the holy texts never made it to our planet, it would change everything. Valtens might never end up being born and our planet might never have ended up with a monarchy. He could end up poor like those people he tormented and spat on.

Except I didn’t find Baxter or Valtens and I searched everywhere. Omi was passed out, and she called me her brother. I gently placed the mask on her and gave her the antidote. Then, I asked Big Daddy to vent the gas out so Torrek and Kuka could come inside and we could find out what happened.

“Shit, did I get him?” Omi groaned.

“No, you got gassed and ended up on the floor. What happened?”

“Baxter wanted the chip since she’s coming home with us and she wants to be able to communicate. I found one and was going to put it in for her, but then Big Daddy alerted us there was someone here with us who wasn’t supposed to be. I told Baxter to stay put so I could deal with it, but then Big Daddy gassed us instead of letting me do what I was meant to do.

“I got close and thought I had him before the gas got me, but I must have hallucinated. They were wearing a mask like they knew about the gas, so it had to be Valtens. I couldn’t see his face, but the rest of him looks like this entire galaxy fucked him raw and gave him a disease that medication won’t fix.”

“Gross, Omi.”

“Seriously, get everyone in here because Valtens has her and we still don’t know what he wants with her.”

“Big Daddy, why did you release the gas when he had a mask on and there was a Saki here?” I asked.

Big Daddy just ignored me. He did that sometimes when he did what he wanted and wanted us to figure it out for ourselves. Most of the time, it ended up being a good thing.

I didn’t see a single good thing in this.