"Star Commander! I have returned with the information you requested."

　　Lucy groaned as the stack of papers hit her desk, and she looked at the green-skinned man who dropped them off. His grin was wide, and showed off his fangs. She had to admit that they looked almost real—a far sight better than the fake ears and the dollar store space cop uniform.

　　"Thanks Peter, but I told you to call me Lucy." She let a hint of her remaining hope creep into her voice, but it was faint.

　　As ridiculous as Peter was, she couldn`t help but confess that she`d started to rely on him. He`d arrived leading a group of larpers, comic nerds, and general geeks. Their number included one furry who`d made an impressive Erodicilee costume. Lecorondia had spent ages chatting with them and taking photos.

　　When he`d seen the tents and the people, he`d taken it on himself to find out who was in charge. After being directed to her, he mentioned his experience running cons and asked if he could help. She`d agreed, and per his request, let him keep his uniform. It was dumb, but with everything going on, she wouldn`t refuse an eager pair of hands.

　　The star commander thing started the day after a member of his larp group tried to make a big deal out of her ordering The Captain` around. Peter had quickly given her a rank, and the rest had fallen in line.

　　"Star commander," he said with what she`d started considering his captain`s voice: firm and in charge, at least when it didn`t squeak. "I could do no such thing while in uniform."

　　"Fine. Go help at the door."

　　Though she rolled her eyes at his retreating back, a smile formed on her face as she watched him warmly greet a family who appeared decked out on a vacation. The dad was even wearing shorts and an instant camera on a lanyard. Madness.

　　Her pen crossed out another line on a form asking about search patterns, when a voice called out to her. Lucy looked up and grinned as she pushed the paperwork to the side.

　　The man who`d interrupted her was older, his close cut hair more gray than black, and the laugh lines around his eyes were crinkled. He shrugged once, shifting the strap that held the gun slung over his shoulder. One of the few that was licensed, she knew, though she pretended that she didn`t. No one on her team wanted to deal with that particular headache.

　　Instead, she launched right into questioning. "Kyle. You have a report for me?"

　　She`d met Kyle after Jerry had befriended him at Pot and Spot, the local bar and hostel combo. He and his son had heard about the hunt and wanted to come down to lend a hand. She liked them both. Kyle was a touch serious, but he had the experience. His son, Eric, was fitter but lacked his father`s knowledge. Together, they made quite the pair.

　　Lucy wished the others wearing camo had their professionalism. Most of them spent their time showing off their guns or getting drunk and bragging. Others, who believed themselves to be militia, patrolled and barked orders while shouting Hollywood-brand military jargon.

　　Then she had the alien hunters who acted as paranoid lone wolves, for the most part. To her relief, most of them spent their time away from town. Jerry had taken over watching that group whenever they came back. She didn`t envy him that job.

　　"Nah, just checking in. I saw Jerry out with the boys in blue and wanted to make sure nothing was going wrong."

　　"Oh, that." Lucy looked out the window and towards the tent city. "Our Wannabe-commandos started another fight. They got into an argument with some Trekkie, and it got heated. Plus, someone`s stealing."

　　Kyle frowned. "Any chance we`re going to be wrapping this up soon? My son`s headed towards that cave system today."

　　"I see. Honestly, I don`t know. Lecorondia is hopeful."

　　Lucy smiled, but she didn`t add that the ambassador`s optimism had dwindled. She didn`t show it. Oh no, the alien remained the picture of perfect calm. It was the things she said in private and the way she told stories. They came across as though she was expecting bad news.

　　"Well, if that lady thinks we`re set, we probably are." Kyle laughed. "Man, if I were twenty years younger."

　　"Your son is." Lucy laughed with him, not caring about the looks they drew.

　　"Think he`s got an eye on a certain blonde. Not that you heard it from me."

　　She felt the heat rise, and she shook her head. "I`m a bit busy."

　　"Then I should leave you to it. Don`t let me hold you up. Eric should be done with his exploration by tonight, I reckon. Dunno if he`s going straight there. I`ll—"

　　"Barbie!"

　　Her skin crawled as she heard the familiar voice from the office. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Bob had mentioned he would send more hands. Lucy had hoped against hope that it wasn`t this pair.

　　"Hi Jeff."

　　"And you are?" Kyle barked at him, sounding like the most stereotypical father she`d ever heard.

　　Jeff didn`t so much as pause as he pushed his way through the door and over to her desk. He ran a hand through his short brown hair, the light overhead making the product he`d put in shine. His smile was smooth as he looked Kyle up and down.

　　"I`m Agent Jeff. Bob sent me to assist this minor operation."

　　Lucy wanted to groan; as if she didn`t have enough to manage. When she shot a quick glance at Kyle, she cringed, the older man appeared ready to take a swing at her colleague. part of her whispered that she should let him. Instead, she asked the question running through her mind.

　　"What? He didn`t say anything about this to me."

　　Jeff shrugged, a smirk on his face. "You know, Mr. Black. The man knows talent. From what I overheard, you`ve been begging him to send someone to take the load off your shoulders. Here I am. You`re welcome."

　　"I thought you were on another assignment," Lucy asked, doing her best to sound diplomatic. "Plus, he never messages to mention a new arrival."If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it`s taken without the author`s consent. Report it.

　　"What`s this about new arrivals? Another journalist?" This time, the interrupting voice was one she wanted to hear.

　　Lecorondia walked in, her leather skirt swishing and her hair perfectly straight. She was beaming, eyes locked on Jeff. Lucy noticed the way he straightened, his smile going from a smirk to flirtatious. She resisted the urge to laugh. This was going to be amazing.

　　"Jeff Keir. I work with Barbie here."

　　"Barbie?" Lecorondia beamed as she sauntered closer. "I`m sorry. I`m not familiar with the term. Can you explain in more detail?"

　　"It`s a reference, ambassador."

　　"Oh? Please explain. I do so love learning more about your culture."

　　Her smile was excited, and her tail swished behind her. Lucy met Kyle`s eyes. The man was grinning like a loon. All around them, people stopped and stared. Peter flashed her a thumbs-up from the doorway.

　　"Oh, um, well." Jeff no longer sounded anything close to confident. "It`s a reference to a doll by the same name. Pretty and blonde."

　　"Well, I think we can all see that," Lecorondia laughed.

　　A ripple of amusement circled through the crowd, and when Lecorondia met her eyes, Lucy found she couldn`t hold back.

　　"But that`s not all right? I remember you mentioning it had a double meaning."

　　Jeff turned and glared at her, his eyes promising retribution. Lucy smiled back, uncaring. She wouldn`t roll over for him, and this would be a public lesson about why he shouldn`t try to flirt with the ambassador.

　　"It does. Thank you for reminding me." His tone was anything but grateful, but he forced a smile on his face.

　　"Well?" Lecorondia asked. "Please tell me. I`m dying to hear it."

　　The crowd appeared to hold its breath, and Jeff spent a precious second looking around as though he were searching for an exit. Lucy left him to it and slipped her phone from her pocket.

　　"Barbie is another word for barbecue. It`s because of her extra meat."

　　"Extra meat? Why she`s all skin and bone," Lecorondia sounded scandalized.

　　Lucy snorted as she sent a quick text message to Bob.

　　Lucy: "Did you send Jeff to assist? He`s just arrived."

　　Bob: "Sorry for not telling you. Been busy. Yes. He`s there to work with you and Jerry.."

　　Lucy: "Alright. You should know he almost insulted The Ambassador."

　　"So it`s about her breasts?"

　　When Lucy looked up, Jeff stood red-faced as Lecorondia continued to wear her confused expression. It seemed she`d missed something while concentrating on the phone. As fun as this was, she cut it short. There was paperwork to do, and she now had someone who could do it for her.

　　"Sorry to interrupt, ambassador. Bob texted. He said you`re here in a support role. Which means I need someone to do this section of paperwork. Thanks."

　　Jeff looked like he was about to say something, but Kyle coughed. "If that means you`re free, miss, I think we should get some hands-on issues sorted."

　　"I believe it does. Ambassador?"

　　"Oh, I`d love to join you. Nice to meet you, Jeff."

　　With that said, they walked into town, leaving Jeff with the stack of paperwork that remained on her desk.

　　***

　　Lucy sat next to Lecorondia inside the pub as she listened to Kyle and Jerry swap war stories about their families.

　　"So that`s Jeff, then?" Lecorondia said as she raised a wineglass to her lips.

　　The sight of it surprised Lucy, but apparently the owner had a few vintages on hand for celebrations. She wondered how much of his stock the ambassador had gone through.

　　Lucy raised her mug full of coffee in salute. "Sure was."

　　"He`s a piece of work. Do you want my advice? For the future, I mean."

　　"Please." Lucy smiled. "If I can handle him like you did, it`ll make my life easier."

　　Jerry tossed her a glance but didn`t pause from his conversation with Kyle. She knew what that meant, though. He was listening. Lecorondia sipped at her wine and placed it down before she spoke.

　　"When I was younger, I had to deal with a lot of. Well. Let`s call them co-workers."

　　"Actors?" Lucy guessed.

　　"And others. People like Jeff everywhere if you look hard enough. They were born with the right smile, the right face, or the ability to charm. It makes them cocky. My advice?"

　　Lecorondia leaned in, her mouth open, to allow her forked tongue to flick out. "Bury him fast. He`s only going to cause more issues."

　　"I don`t think I can kill him," Lucy said evenly.

　　"Oh, of course not." Lecorondia pulled back, laughing. "But you can`t let him rise. From what Peter told me, he demanded your leadership spot. I, for one, refuse to work with him. Bury him in the ground, in paperwork, in a desperate need for approval. I don`t care what."

　　"Intense," Kyle said.

　　"It`s been a proven strategy so far." Lecorondia winked, and he laughed.

　　The topic changed, but Lucy couldn`t help but wonder if she was right. Jeff was a problem, but it wouldn`t be hard to keep him occupied. The gods knew there was enough work for an army. Perhaps he`d send him out next time the wannabe commandos got uppity. They should respond well to him.

　　Jerry was in the middle of telling a story about his granddaughter`s first birthday when the door burst open. Eric stood there, out of breath, carrying a ripped and bloody bundle sitting on top of a laptop. He met Lucy`s eyes. There was no hiding the fear.

　　"Ma`am. I couldn`t find you at the office. Can we speak?"

　　"Privately?"

　　"Better if we do."

　　"Clear the room," Lucy said, raising her voice, and Jerry got to his feet.

　　People grumbled, but between Kyle and Jerry, the room emptied. Even the owner took a break. Lecorondia shrugged when Lucy turned toward her.

　　"I want to know."

　　"She can stay." Eric sat and pushed the laptop across the table. "Did you know a guy called Mark?"

　　Lucy shook her head. "No? Eric, what`s this about? Why did you call me ma`am?"

　　"I think dad told you I was going to the caves?" His voice was slow, careful, and she noticed he couldn`t stop glancing over at Lecorondia.

　　"Yes."

　　"I found something. Near the entrance."

　　As he spoke, he laid down the bundle. Inside were a camera, a knife, some scraps of camo, and a wallet. Blood covered all of it in huge swatches.

　　"Fuck." Lucy dropped the curse without thinking and looked toward the laptop. "And that?"

　　"His personal laptop. His name was Mark Roberts, or so it says on the driver`s license inside the wallet. Turns out his digital security is crap, and he left his account to sign in automatically. I found the laptop in his tent."

　　Lecorondia was staring at the bit of cloth, and she reached out. When Lucy noticed the movement, she looked too and saw a small splotch of green.

　　Her stomach churned as she remembered her drive out into the desert. With a deep breath, she turned back to Eric.

　　"Have you seen the recording?"

　　"No Ma`am. I came straight to you." His voice was stiff, but he looked afraid.

　　Lucy couldn`t tell if he was lying, not that she cared right now. Someone had gotten killed, and she needed to know who did it.

　　"Thank you. Tell Jerry to come back inside, will you? And Eric?"

　　"Yes, ma`am?" He sounded relieved at being dismissed.

　　"Good work."

　　"Thank you, ma`am."

　　When Jerry had rejoined them, Lucy logged in and hit play on the most recent video.

　　As it unfurled and they watched the last moments of Mark Roberts, Lucy turned and studied Lecorondia. Her stomach roiled, fear, anger, and disgust all mingled, while the ambassador appeared calm. Those slitted pupils, so snake-like, locked onto the screen.

　　"Lecorondia," Lucy whispered. "What the hell have you unleashed?"