Hotbloods 6: Allies

“So, what shall I call this operation? It will require a name if we are to swiftly put it into motion.”

Xiphio froze, his mouth opening and closing uncertainly, his large eyes looking over at us with desperation. Rising out of my chair, I rushed over to where Xiphio stood and smiled up at the female agent. She peered at me curiously, her eyes narrowing.

“We are forming a Universal Alliance, Agent Phocida. Since we’re made up of various species, we thought it only right to be inclusive.”

She nodded in appreciation. “I like it… I like it very much. Tell me, who are you?”

“I am—”

Xiphio placed his hand on my shoulder. “She is Riley, and she is the captain of this ship,” he said, before I could answer. I looked up at him in surprise, not knowing how to respond to the title. I didn’t think of myself as the leader of this ship, by any means. Still, nobody swooped in to correct him. I just hoped this didn’t mean everyone would expect me to start making executive decisions. We were very much a team, and I was determined for us to stay that way.

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Riley. I trust we shall be seeing more of one another, upon our arrival on Earth?”

I nodded, feeling my stomach churn at the prospect. “I imagine so, Agent Phocida. Also, I’ll ensure that my pilot sends over some blueprints to you so that you can change the engines on your ships. It’s a reasonably quick fix, but we have to get to Earth as soon as possible, and we can’t rely on the speeds of normal engines.”

“What will these changes do?” Phocida wondered, her tone suspicious.

“They’ll open up your ships to deep-space technology, allowing you to move more quickly through the universe. Unfortunately, this technology has fallen into the hands of Queen Gianne, so we’ve got to do everything we can to keep up.”

Phocida looked overwhelmed, her scales growing pale. “I shall see to it that these changes are made. We will set a tracker on your ship, if you don’t mind, and follow you as soon as we can. It should only be a minor delay, once these changes have been made.”

“Thank you, Agent Phocida. You have no idea what this means. My planet thanks you.”

“It is our pleasure, Captain Riley. If the Loligos have put their trust in you, then so must we. After all, it is our duty to protect and defend, and this planet called Earth is in need. We shall be close behind you—look out for us.”

“We will, Agent Phocida.”

With that, the call ended, the hologram disappearing back into the end of the conch shell. As soon as the female agent was gone, Stone broke easily out of his cuffs, the two magnetic bands clattering to the floor as he stretched out his wrists. He looked irritated, the happy-go-lucky demeanor dwindling.

“Never trust a Fed,” he muttered.

“We’re going to have to,” I fired back. I really hoped we could trust them to come to our aid. Out of everyone in the universe, I supposed I had more faith in them than anyone else.

“Well, I ain’t goin’ into battle with only Feds at me back. I know better than that,” he said firmly, turning his attention to Alfa. “Hey, Alf, don’t suppose you could give your old pals back home a buzz, could ye? We could do with folk like them at our backs. Rather have a handful o’ good guys than a load o’ incompetent agents.”

Alfa grinned, flashing his fangs. “Already did. I sent them the coordinates last night—my buddies are meeting us there.”

“Nice one, Alf. Can always rely on ye.”

I was doubtful. “I’m not sure about getting Rexombra involved. Not after that spy incident.”

“Relax, Ri, Alf’s pals are the best in the biz,” Stone replied. “Trust me, they’re good. Ye won’t regret having ‘em on yer side when the fightin’ starts. Best warriors in the ‘verse. They’re worth it for the one or two bits they might snatch on the way—‘tis a tiny price to pay.”

In my mind’s eye, I saw the flickering invisibility suit of the Rexombran spy, and the way she had bitten down on the poison pill, her body decomposing in front of my eyes. Rexombra were spies and assassins for hire—how far could we trust a species who killed for cash, offering their skills to the highest bidder? Then again, who was I to say no to more allies?





Chapter Thirty-Seven





After Bashrik had sent over the necessary information, we slowed our cruiser down a bit to give the Fed time to rally their troops and catch up. Although we were eager to get to Earth as quickly as possible, it would be a big mistake to arrive there without our backup.

There wasn’t much to do on the ship, given that we were just moving through the vast expanse of the universe, heading for home. There were games and a music system, but we’d pretty much exhausted those.

Bashrik and Ronad sat in their usual spots by the controls, though Ronad’s eyes were closed and he was snoring softly, his feet up on the dashboard. Angie was in Bashrik’s lap, and the two of them were laughing quietly, enveloped in their own little world. Stone, Alfa, and Dio were clustered around a table, playing a variation on stabscotch, while I was snuggled up on one of the armchairs with Navan. Xiphio had gone to take a long soak in the enormous tub of the main bathroom. Lauren was sitting in the corner with a book spread out on her lap, her gaze flitting toward the windshield every couple of minutes. She seemed distracted, her manner antsy.

“I’m going to train for a bit in my room,” she announced, putting away her book. “If anyone wants me, just call.”

“You want some company?” I asked.

She smiled, shaking her head. “Not right now. I just want to go through some moves with my staff—keep my skills sharp before we reach home, you know?”

“Cool. Well, let me know if you need a sparring partner. I’m no good with a staff, but I can figure it out.”

“Will do.”

I had a feeling that home was precisely the thing that was bothering her, because it was bothering me, too. It’d been so long since we’d been back there, and we weren’t exactly returning under the best circumstances. What if we couldn’t save it? What if we got there, and it was all too late? I shuddered at the thought, trying to keep a positive outlook.

As Lauren exited the cockpit, Stone got up from his seat and hurried across the room, making some garbled excuse to Dio and Alfa about wanting to call it an early night. They looked at him as though he’d grown a second head, their expressions making me laugh. I doubted Stone was the kind of guy who’d ever had an early night in his entire life.

Reaching the cockpit hatch, Stone glanced over his shoulder and shot me a pointed look. This was the moment of truth—he was going to tell her everything. I smiled at him with all the encouragement I could muster, falling short of giving him an embarrassing thumbs-up. I wasn’t sure which way Lauren’s feelings would turn, but I couldn’t help wishing him the best of luck. Against all odds, the three-eyed bastard had won me around.

“What was that all about?” Navan whispered.

I smiled secretively. “He’s going to tell her.”

“Just in the nick of time, too.” Navan nodded toward the cockpit entrance, where Xiphio had just walked in wearing nothing but a towel. My mouth fell open at the sight of him in all his glory, though it was interesting to see the rippling pattern of his striped scales a little more closely. Usually, most of it was buried beneath his uniform.

“Rask’s sake, Xiphio, put some damned clothes on!” Bashrik muttered. “There are ladies present.”

Angie grinned. “Hey, these ladies can speak for themselves. I, for one, am not complaining.” She nudged Bashrik, chuckling at his sour face. Soon enough, a smile broke out on his lips, though his arms held her just a little bit tighter.