your brother's shadow,"
Windura said. "From what I've heard, you've got a few claims to fame of your own."
"Layha been talking to you?" Trag said with a wince.
"In a manner of speaking," Windura replied, licking her lips. "I heard it all."
Trag groaned and tugged his hair again, this time spearing his fingers through it near the scalp as though trying to pull it out by the roots. Micayla wondered how he managed to keep from going bald.
Lerotan shook his head sadly. "The guy's got a famous brother, a dick that's the most lethal weapon for light-years around, he's piloting a starship after being a slave for twenty years, and he's still not happy." Throwing up his hands in a gesture of futility, he added, "I don't know what to do with him."
"Maybe he just needs to find the right girl," Windura suggested. "I'd be happy to audition."
Micayla whipped around to glare at her friend. Windura, who claimed to have no
interest in any of the men stationed on Orleon, was now coming on to the one man
Micayla had been anxious to meet. Granted, she'd hissed at him, but even so, it showed a decided lack of camaraderie.
Trag dropped his head and let out a sob of frustration. "I get that wherever I go, too," he muttered.
"Sorry," Windura said with a shrug. "I figured it wouldn't hurt to try."
Trag combed his hair back with his fingers but didn't pull on it this time. "I'm sorry too. There was a time when I'd have given anything to hear a woman say that, but now--"
"He's holding out for a nice Zetithian girl," Lerotan explained.
Trag sighed deeply. "Yeah, and what's the first thing she does? She hisses at me.
Guess I'll just go back and fly the fuckin' ship." With that parting shot, he turned on his heel and left.
Micayla stared at his retreating figure, again feeling an overpowering urge to run after him, but her feet refused to move. All she could think was Oh, my God! It's him , and I freakin' hissed at him!
"Ladies," Lerotan said with a sweeping gesture. "Allow me to escort you to the bridge."
"Blew that one, didn't you?" Windura observed dryly as they followed Lerotan down the passageway.
Micayla's gaze was focused on Lerotan's tail, which danced behind him as though
luring them into a trap. Hidar's lurking presence intensified the feeling. "I didn't mean to hiss at him," she protested. "It just... popped out."
"You could have at least talked to him," Windura went on. "I mean, he's one of your own people--not to mention the handsomest man I've ever seen in my life. Come on, girl! Get a grip!"
"It's been a very odd day." Micayla sighed. "I find out what I am, find a man who's like me, and also find out who tried to exterminate my people. How am I supposed to act?"
"Uh, what was that last bit?" Lerotan inquired, pausing to look back at them.
"You mean the part about the exterminator?"
"Yeah," he replied. "That part. Anyone we know?"
Windura nodded. "You've probably heard of him," she replied. "Name's Rutger Grekkor--a Terran, I think."
"You mean that big, blond sonofabitch who runs the Commerce Consortium?"
"I take it you don't care for him either," Micayla observed.
"You could say that," Lerotan agreed. "I've had run-ins with him before--and yes, he's Terran. He's also a pompous asshole who has amassed way too much money for
what he does for a living, and he's not very kind to his competition."
"No shit," Windura said. "We just heard him admit to having killed everyone on Zetith because his wife had a Zetithian lover. Oh, and he killed the lover too."
"That doesn't surprise me a bit," Lerotan said. "What does surprise me is that he isn't out there boasting about it. After all, destroying an entire world is quite a feat."
"Wait a minute," Micayla interrupted. "Destroyed? You mean the whole planet?"
Lerotan nodded. "A Nedwut ship somehow managed to redirect an asteroid into
Zetith's orbit, causing it to explode--or so I've heard."
Micayla's chest felt as though that same asteroid had just crashed into it. It
Windura said. "From what I've heard, you've got a few claims to fame of your own."
"Layha been talking to you?" Trag said with a wince.
"In a manner of speaking," Windura replied, licking her lips. "I heard it all."
Trag groaned and tugged his hair again, this time spearing his fingers through it near the scalp as though trying to pull it out by the roots. Micayla wondered how he managed to keep from going bald.
Lerotan shook his head sadly. "The guy's got a famous brother, a dick that's the most lethal weapon for light-years around, he's piloting a starship after being a slave for twenty years, and he's still not happy." Throwing up his hands in a gesture of futility, he added, "I don't know what to do with him."
"Maybe he just needs to find the right girl," Windura suggested. "I'd be happy to audition."
Micayla whipped around to glare at her friend. Windura, who claimed to have no
interest in any of the men stationed on Orleon, was now coming on to the one man
Micayla had been anxious to meet. Granted, she'd hissed at him, but even so, it showed a decided lack of camaraderie.
Trag dropped his head and let out a sob of frustration. "I get that wherever I go, too," he muttered.
"Sorry," Windura said with a shrug. "I figured it wouldn't hurt to try."
Trag combed his hair back with his fingers but didn't pull on it this time. "I'm sorry too. There was a time when I'd have given anything to hear a woman say that, but now--"
"He's holding out for a nice Zetithian girl," Lerotan explained.
Trag sighed deeply. "Yeah, and what's the first thing she does? She hisses at me.
Guess I'll just go back and fly the fuckin' ship." With that parting shot, he turned on his heel and left.
Micayla stared at his retreating figure, again feeling an overpowering urge to run after him, but her feet refused to move. All she could think was Oh, my God! It's him , and I freakin' hissed at him!
"Ladies," Lerotan said with a sweeping gesture. "Allow me to escort you to the bridge."
"Blew that one, didn't you?" Windura observed dryly as they followed Lerotan down the passageway.
Micayla's gaze was focused on Lerotan's tail, which danced behind him as though
luring them into a trap. Hidar's lurking presence intensified the feeling. "I didn't mean to hiss at him," she protested. "It just... popped out."
"You could have at least talked to him," Windura went on. "I mean, he's one of your own people--not to mention the handsomest man I've ever seen in my life. Come on, girl! Get a grip!"
"It's been a very odd day." Micayla sighed. "I find out what I am, find a man who's like me, and also find out who tried to exterminate my people. How am I supposed to act?"
"Uh, what was that last bit?" Lerotan inquired, pausing to look back at them.
"You mean the part about the exterminator?"
"Yeah," he replied. "That part. Anyone we know?"
Windura nodded. "You've probably heard of him," she replied. "Name's Rutger Grekkor--a Terran, I think."
"You mean that big, blond sonofabitch who runs the Commerce Consortium?"
"I take it you don't care for him either," Micayla observed.
"You could say that," Lerotan agreed. "I've had run-ins with him before--and yes, he's Terran. He's also a pompous asshole who has amassed way too much money for
what he does for a living, and he's not very kind to his competition."
"No shit," Windura said. "We just heard him admit to having killed everyone on Zetith because his wife had a Zetithian lover. Oh, and he killed the lover too."
"That doesn't surprise me a bit," Lerotan said. "What does surprise me is that he isn't out there boasting about it. After all, destroying an entire world is quite a feat."
"Wait a minute," Micayla interrupted. "Destroyed? You mean the whole planet?"
Lerotan nodded. "A Nedwut ship somehow managed to redirect an asteroid into
Zetith's orbit, causing it to explode--or so I've heard."
Micayla's chest felt as though that same asteroid had just crashed into it. It
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