As the ball of green energy filled the sky and the sounds of the explosion filled the air, Lecorondia flinched.

　　She knew what an exploding blaster looked like, and it unnerved her to see it here. Did someone take a shot at the Blitzworm? Or worse, had the parasite decided it was the only way to kill her boy? Fear ran through her, and she turned toward Lucy to distract herself. Her babysitter had her gun in one hand and tapped at her phone with the other. She wore a blank expression, but Lecorondia didn`t miss the way she shook.

　　Jerry had closed in on her, standing slightly in front as though he`d blocked the explosion with his body. She appreciated the sight, even though it was useless. Once the humans were checked on, her attention shifted to Julep. Her bodyguard stood tall, arms crossed, as he watched the distance as though searching for threats.

　　"Do you think—" she started before Julep cut her off.

　　"No. He`d run, not fight."

　　Relief flooded through her at the words, and she nodded. He was right. Erodicilee wouldn`t fight the blitzworm. There was too much risk and little to gain. Her baby would be smart enough to run, perhaps circle around to find her.

　　The sounds of footsteps behind her made her turn. Kulthurack moved forward, a hand up to shield his eyes from the sun. He shivered, and he peered as though trying to see what happened. When that failed, he held up a hand and spoke into a device attached to his wrist.

　　"Status report?"

　　Lecorondia couldn`t hear the answer, and his blank face made it impossible to read. He lowered his wrist without saying more.

　　"So?" she snapped, unable to control the nervousness that flooded through her.

　　"They`re fighting."

　　His monotone felt like a mockery, and she turned away rather than give him the satisfaction of witnessing her irritation. Her tail flicked, and she continued to stare off into the distance.

　　"Kill it," she whispered, and beside her, Julep grunted in agreement.

　　Lucy put her phone away then and moved over to where Lecorondia stood. She didn`t smile, nor did she put the gun away.

　　"Do we know if that was Erodicilee or a hunter?" Her words were soft, but Lecorondia didn`t miss the worry there.

　　"My baby is fighting," Lecorondia said. "All alone. We should help."

　　Kulthurack twitched. "You shall not interfere."

　　"And what would you do to stop me?" Lecorondia snapped, taking a step forward.

　　To her delight, the overseer took a step back. Then he nodded to Jerry. "I would have the human liaisons restrain you."

　　"Jerry wouldn`t shoot me," she snorted.

　　"I might if you bring more danger down on our heads." Jerry`s tone was flat. "Let`s see what happens."

　　Julep snorted. "You touch my employer, and you die."

　　"I don`t doubt it. So, let`s all calm down, shall we?" Jerry asked as he nodded towards Lucy.

　　She didn`t move; instead, she turned to Lecorondia. There was no humor in her eyes, though she was still respectful. Whatever was about to happen, Lecorondia mused, it wouldn`t be an attack.

　　"I have some questions." Lucy`s tone was firm.

　　"Of course. How can I help?"

　　She nodded and gestured with her gun in the direction of the explosion. "If your pet wins, what then?"

　　"I leave. We`ve talked about this." Lecorondia rolled her eyes. "Don`t worry. I have no wish to stay here."

　　"And him?" Lucy shot a look at Kulthurack, whose attention was now fully on her.

　　"I will escort Lecorondia off-world," Kulthurack said. "Preferably to a prison cell."

　　Lecorondia rolled her eyes. "Oh, please."

　　"You are a criminal!" Kulthurack pointed a finger, and Julep twitched beside her.

　　"I`ve met plenty of criminals," Jerry remarked with a cheerful tone in his voice. "You get plenty of opportunities in this business. Lots of crazy folk. Some of them are useful, though. They`ll give you all kinds of details for the right price. Is that the deal the Galactic Government had with you?"

　　She knew he`d directed those last words at her, and she nodded to Jerry`s back. "Yes. I do some light sightseeing when I shouldn`t. Nothing awful."

　　"You`ve eaten people," Kulthurack snapped. "Cannibal."

　　"I am not a cannibal!" Her tail thrashed, and she bared her teeth. "That is slander. Be careful what you say, overseer. You know as well as I do that the Galactic Government backs me more than you."

　　Kulthurack didn`t respond; instead, he turned his back to her. She let out a low hiss, and Julep placed a hand on her shoulder.

　　"Is there anything legal I can do for you, ma`am?"

　　His deep voice snapped her out of her anger, and she shook her head. Lecorondia didn`t trust herself to speak. Lucy backed away, drawing closer to Jerry. Not that Lecorondia blamed her. That display was barbaric, and shame hit her hard.

　　"I`m sorry."

　　"You don`t need to apologize to me," Kulthurack said.

　　"I wasn`t," Lecorondia snapped back. "Lucy, my display was shameful. Forgive me."

　　"We`re all under a lot of stress. It`s understandable." Lucy smiled, but she didn`t stop her obvious retreat.

　　It took effort not to comment on it, and so Lecorondia focused on herself. She was losing control of her character, the calm and in-control movie star and ambassador. Her breath slowed as she focused on herself and tried to stay calm. With an effort, she swept her thoughts about Erodicilee`s fight out of her mind.

　　The worry remained, but it was distant now. He`d either beat the Blitzworm or he`d escape it. To her, there could be no other options. Twice more, Kulthurack checked on the battle status, but he refused to allow any details to slip. She hated him for that. Her thoughts twisted, imagining the chance to kill him and end the pain in her neck.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it`s taken without the author`s consent. Report it.

　　Perhaps she`d allow Erodicilee to do it? There would be a certain poetry to that. A smile crossed her face, and she forced her tail to stay still as the image calmed her. Yes. This would be fine.

　　"What is that?" Jerry asked, drawing her attention away from the thought of Kulthurack`s corpse.

　　Lecorondia looked up to see the dust cloud billowing up. Whatever was coming was coming fast. Her heart beat, and she stepped forward unconsciously. It didn`t appear to be a Blitzworm. Another step, and another, and soon she was running forward too. She had to know. I had to be the first to see it.

　　Joy filled her, and she dropped to a knee and held out her arms. With enough force to knock her onto her back and into the dirt, Erodicilee hit her.

　　She laughed as he licked her face. His happy barking filled the air.

　　"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!"

　　"My baby!" She cried back, cuddling him close. "My precious boy. You`re alright. You`re okay. Yes, you are."

　　The rest of the world fell away as she finally got her baby boy back. He kept licking her. And she noticed his claws were sharper than before. His fur also had a new silver sheen that she thought made him appear older than before. Perhaps he`d grown up on his trip.

　　It took some wrangling, but she gripped him under one arm as she got to her feet. Her smile hurt her cheeks as she turned and walked back to the spot where it all started. In her peripheral vision, she was sure she saw movement, but she ignored it. Her attention was on the group, who were all in a variety of defensive poses.

　　She ignored that too; instead, she readjusted her grip on Erodicilee and held him out for all to see.

　　"Didn`t I tell you, Lucy?" Lecorondia asked. "Isn`t he simply the cutest?"

　　***

　　Lecorondia wasn`t sure she appreciated the weapons pointed in her general direction.

　　Erodicilee`s tail thumped into her side every time he wagged it. Her smile didn`t last, and she scratched behind his ears. He let out a joyful bark, and Lucy flinched. Julep slowly moved forward, placing himself between her and the gun. Good. It would be such a shame if an itchy trigger finger ended things now.

　　"I would appreciate it if you put those down. He`s not going to hurt you." Lecorondia smiled around Julep`s broad back before focusing her attention on Erodicilee. "Are you my baby? No, you won`t. Cause you`re a good boy who listens to his mommy."

　　She knew she was cooing, but she couldn`t stop. The simple relief of having him back, knowing he was safe, felt like someone had lifted a great weight from her shoulders. She wanted nothing more than to plop down and play with him. Check him for any potential damage. However, she couldn`t. Not yet.

　　Lucy lowered her gun slightly, but Jerry didn`t. The older man continued to watch her, focused as though she might attack him by tossing Erodicilee in his direction. She returned his caution with a smile. He didn`t need to worry. After all, she had no interest in hurting him.

　　Kulthurack, however, was a different story. Her tail swished as she turned in his direction, and her smile turned sinister. Erodicilee wiggled in her grip and growled as though sensing her feelings. To his credit, the Overseer didn`t back down.

　　"You have gotten your beast back. Congratulations. If you allow me to make the call, we shall be on our way."

　　"No."

　　"No?" Kulthurack asked.

　　"You heard me. No." Lecorondia stepped forward, and Julep shifted his position to keep her covered. "We`re not leaving. Not yet."

　　"What? You said you`d leave when you got him," Lucy demanded.

　　Lecorondia waved her away with the flick of her wrist. "And I shall. But first, some unfinished business. You, overseer, tried to kill my baby. Do you deny it?"

　　"No." Kulthurack didn`t sound concerned. "It was always a risk when sending out the Blitzworm, and you know as well as I do that the creature is a problem."

　　"My darling is not a problem," Lecorondia snapped.

　　Kulthurack blinked, all three of his eyes shutting and opening with measured movements. "He`s a menace. As soon as we return, I will be appealing to the council to have him put down."

　　Lecorondia hissed and strode forward. Julep shifted, and she heard Jerry tell Lucy to step back. Rage filled her. The sheer idea that this pencil pusher might try to have her baby killed even after they got off this backwater planet. How dare he!

　　"Stay back," Kulthurack demanded.

　　Erodicilee growled, squirming under her arm as she approached. "Or what?"

　　"Or I`ll leave you here to deal with your new friends. The Senators will appreciate my swift return," Kulthurack said.

　　She snorted at the statement and rolled her eyes. "Without me? How do you think that`ll look for you? But sure, do it. See if they can get to you before my baby does."

　　Erodicilee barked right on cue as though they`d practiced it before hand. "Die!"

　　That appeared to trigger something in Kulthurack. He moved backwards faster, a finger raised to point at her darling. She could taste his fear, and it invigorated her.

　　"See. The monster is a threat. You. Human. Shoot it. I`ll make sure you`re rewarded."

　　"Do it, and I`ll have Julep rip you apart," Lecorondia said, her words somehow calmer than she thought possible.

　　"Do it!" Kulthurack yelled. "Kill him. Shoot him. If you don`t, I`ll have this entire country nuked. Destroyed. Every trace of you—"

　　The bark of a gun filled the air, and Lecorondia flinched. However, she wasn`t the target. Kulthurack stumbled, clutching at the wound in his arm. Julep moved, and she saw Lucy standing there, her weapon raised. Jerry still had his weapon pointed at Julep, but Lecorondia didn`t think he would fire. It was a warning, and she understood it.

　　"You, you shot me!" Kulthurack screamed.

　　"I did," Lucy admitted, and her voice wavered. "Because out of the two of you, she scares me more."

　　"Aww, thank you," Lecorondia said as she scratched Erodicilee behind the ears.

　　"I can blow up your planet." Kulthurack was on the ground now, the dirt staining a sickly yellow.

　　Lucy shook her head, her blonde hair swinging. "Not if you die here. Lecorondia, another question, if I may?"

　　"Of course."

　　"Did you send Erodicilee after those hunters?" Her voice didn`t waver, and Lecorondia threw her head back and laughed.

　　"You figured that out? Yes. They hurt my baby. They died for it. I wish he`d gotten more." She hissed the words, and her attention was fixed back on Kulthurack as she put Erodicilee down.

　　He stayed by her feet, fur twisting as he growled at the bleeding overseer. Drops of drool splattered on the ground.

　　"I see. Well, don`t let me interrupt." Lucy nodded as she spoke and stepped back.

　　Lecorondia didn`t pay her any mind. Her attention was on Kulthurack. The overseer was whimpering.

　　"You. You won`t get away with this."

　　That made her laugh even harder. "Won`t I? You`re a paper-pusher. I make the Galactic Government more in tax revenue than they pay for your salary. If Erodicilee eats you because you were being dumb, despite all my warnings? Well, that`s a shame."

　　Erodicilee barked, and Lecorondia smiled. "Darling. Leave some for Mommy."

　　Kulthurack screamed as Erodicilee dove on him, tendrils of pink fur wrapping around his neck. Lecorondia moved as well, her fangs glistening in the light as she sank them into his neck. From the corner of her eye, she saw Lucy turn away, along with Jerry. That was fine. They didn`t need to watch this.

　　The Overseers` screams cut off when Erodicilee reached his throat, and Lecorondia stroked her darlings back as he finished his meal.

　　"That`s a good boy. Yes, you are."

　　"What do you think you`re doing?" Julep shouted, pulling her sluggishly from her afterglow.

　　She turned, and her blood ran cold. There was another figure there, a portly one with red hair and a beard. He was carrying a portalable camera, and it was pointed right at her.

　　"Lucy?" she asked. "What, what is this?"

　　Lucy holstered her gun, which Lecorondia thought was brave, considering the way Julep twitched at every movement. "Insurance. I know you said you`d leave, but I wanted to make sure you didn`t decide we were as much of a loose end as he was."

　　"It wasn`t about loose ends," Lecorondia said, trying on her most charming smile.

　　"I don`t care. We want you gone." Lucy pointed a finger at her. "Get off our planet. We`ll clean up here. Do that right now, and this video never sees the light of day."

　　Lecorondia laughed and reached over to grab the device that had hung on the Overseer`s wrist. "Well played. One thing before I go?"

　　"What?" Lucy asked.

　　"Do you mind if I get someone to play you in the movie, or would you like me to have my agent call you?"

　　Lucy looked dumbfounded, and Lecorondia cut off her laugh. It wouldn`t do to be seen reveling in Kulthurack`s misfortune in front of the senators. No. With effort, she forced herself to appear more heartbroken. When she was satisfied, she clicked the emergency transport button and vanished from the world.